Happy Birthday Rachael

Happy Birthday RachaelOn March 29, 1995, Pamella and I ventured from our home in Luling, LA to the movie theater in Kenner (both burbs of New Orleans). We were to take in the special edition of Star Wars. It was great! Near the end of the film Pamella "informed" that she thought she had begun labor. That began our great adventure. We drove to Houma, LA (but I had to stop and get gas for my Geo Metro). When we arrived at the hospital in the...

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A Vision of Shalom through a Prayer on Memorial Day

A Vision of Shalom through a Prayer on Memorial DayYesterday was the magnificent Day of Pentecost. We explored Acts 2 together as a church family noting all the great themes that come together. Today is a day when the American flag flies at half mast in honor of those who have fallen. Yesterday was a day of the Christian faith and today is a day flowing from American civil religion. If we really honor those who have fallen, however, it seems to me that we would strive to make their death's count for something that matter, not simply for Americans...

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The Resurrection of the Son of God: A Review of N.T. Wright

A Book Review: N. T. Wright, The Resurrection of the Son of God (Fortress Press, 2003). 817 pp. A little over two weeks ago I found myself in Barnes & Nobles with Rachael looking for some book on dragons (Eragon or Eldest?). Somehow I ended up in the religion section of the store and N. T Wright’s The Resurrection of the Son of God caught my eye. I had wanted this book for the last couple of years but never got around to ordering it from...

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Heaven (12): Resurrected Lord, Resurrected Humans & The Resurrected Earth - Romans 8, Pt 2

“I understand this passage to have this meaning—that there is no element and no part of the world which, being touched, as it were, with a sense of its present misery, does not intensely hope for a resurrection. He indeed lays down two things,--that all are creatures in distress, and yet they are sustained by hope … [Creation] shall be participators of a better condition; for God will restore to a perfect state the world, now fallen, together with...

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Heaven (11): The Resurrected Lord, Raising Resurrected Bodies, Living on the Resurrected Earth - Rom 8 #1

“The teaching of the great philosophers Socrates and Plato can in no way be brought into consonance with that of the New Testament” (Oscar Cullmann, Immortality of the Soul or Resurrection of the Dead?, p. 60, his emphasis)Larger Contextual Issues of Romans 5-8(What follows is by no means comprehensive) Exegetes for centuries have noted that chapters 5-8 form a tight rhetorical unit in the Epistle to the Romans. The magnificent opening in 5.1-11...

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What I've Done - Linkin Park

Great video. Music from Spider Man 3 but scenes from our fallen world. I originally wanted this video as part of my post on Project Feed but it would not "appear" for some reason. Now a full day later it has, as if by magic, appeared. I think the song is compelling ...

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Project Feed

Project Feed"[Yahweh] upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. Yahweh sets the prisoners free, Yahweh gives sight to the blind, Yahweh lifts up those who are bowed down, Yahweh loves the righteous. Yahweh watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked" (Psalm 146.7-9)On Sunday and Thursday nites hundreds of homeless people in the city of Tucson assemble in an open,...

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Heaven (10): Christ the Creator, Conqueror, and Reconciler of His Cosmos

This current post builds upon previous ones but especially Heaven #5: God’s Love for His Creation and Heaven #9 on Matthew 19 and Acts 3. In reality though Colossians 1 is part of the grand biblical narrative of the Creator God, through Christ, reconciling everything to himself through the blood of Jesus. The followers of the Way in the Lycus Valley are being troubled by some form of false teaching. This teaching has been called a “philosophy,”...

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Heaven (9): A Place for the Resurrected Lord & His Resurrected People - 2

God created the world, a temple (see Heaven #4), as a place where deity and creatures could exist in harmonious love and shalom. That was the point. Humanity was created to care for and rule this temple on behalf of God. The trust God placed within humanity was betrayed and the temple, filled with divine presence, was defiled. God’s entire program through out the rest of the biblical narrative is the recovery and restoration of that which was...

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Heaven (8): A Place for the Resurrected Lord, His Resurrected People, on His Resurrected Earth

From the earliest days of the history of Christianity there has been a summary of the faith that came to be called The Apostles’ Creed. No it was not written by the Apostles but it is apostolic in content. With slight variation the wording has been the same basically since the second century though it did not have the title “creed” as of yet. I believe in God, the Father Almighty,Creator of Heaven and Earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only...

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Tribute to a Noble Wife & Mother

Tribute to a Noble Wife and Mother"A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her ... Her husband is respected in the city gate ... Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her" (Pr 31.10-11, 23, 28)Not only does she make her husband and kids look good in the city gate, more importantly she does so at the race and the game (Milwaukee Mile) ..."Turn...

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