Some Questions for Mr. Oleander (Accountability)

Hey Edward Oleander,

In this post, I wanted to raise some direct questions that I hope you will take the time to respond to. Initially, let me bring up the topic of Justice and Accountability.

1. Let me start this by again quoting Psalm 58:10-11
   

   The godly will rejoice when they see injustice avenged.
   

   They will wash their feet in the blood of the wicked.
   

   Then at last everyone will say, 'There truly is a reward for those who live for God;
   

   Surely there is a God who judges justly here on earth.'
   

Do you rejoice when you see injustice "avenged", when a wicked person's blood is spilled? Let me see if I can draw this out further with an illustration.

Suppose there was a country named Amerika. It is led by President Shrub, who has used the mighty Amerikan army to invade innocent countries, causing the loss of many innocent civilians' lives, and causing the rest of the world to hate Amerika. Given that Amerika is causing so much wickedness in the world, wouldn't you want God to step in and judge this imaginary country, to at least stop it from causing more evil in the world?

2.    You have raised in your previous comments the topic that God should never judge "innocent" people / children. Let me see if I can flesh this out through a story Jesus used to describe God the Father. This story is told in Luke 15.11-32. Would you please read this story and answer the following questions:

a. Describe the younger son.

b. Considering that the father most likely knows his son's character and lifestyle, why does he honor his son's request to be given his inheritance immediately?

c. Why does God allow us this same kind of freedom?

d. How does Jesus describe the younger son's change of heart?

1. What does Luke 15:20 tell us about the father?
   

   f. What does the father's response to his son reveal about God's attitude toward you?
   

g. Could the father have done anything without the Prodigal son having turned back to his father?

3. 3. My final question is this: why is it that an animal is never put on trial?

Thank you Ed for the time you put in and setting out your thoughts. I hope the Lord blesses all of my readers with a weekend where you grow in Christ, and use your gifts and talents to serve the Body of Christ. I ask this through my faith and the righteousness of Jesus. Amen. /s/Tom Wolff

Memorizing Scripture, Part 2

 

We are going through a pretty miserable Spring Break vacation here in Burnsville. I started out the week by recovering from having a shard of glass removed from the bottom of my foot. The funny line from the Podiatrist was when he told me that it is going to really hurt and burn for about thirty seconds. "But real men can handle it." (My thought was well, if you find a real man, I'll be the one sitting next to him!) And then Peggy was in the Emergency Room Tuesday after she had an episode where she was totally off-balance, including falling down our stairs (only minor damage to her though). It looks like she is suffering from vertigo, and it came on her in a completely sudden way. But the medication they've given her have helped. But, our poor children are stuck in our home with it raining/snowing for three days now. Add in the mixture of three CRAZY puppies (woops, now only two) and three CRAZIER cats, and I think right now I'm ready to pack my bags for anywhere else.

 

OK, enough venting, and allow me to get back on topic: Memorizing Bible verses. I have not found a more helpful and useful practice than memorizing Scripture. It helps me to think more about these verses, and thereby have a better understanding of what is written. And it also helps me to meditate on these verses during those times when I am awake at night. The program I am using now is 'Memorize His Word' (here's a demo.) It has a free period to download the program and try it out. What I like best about this program is that you can et up any verse or set of verses to memorize. I even put in Elijah's Cub Scout oath in, and it worked well. It is very flexible, let's you choose whatever Bible translation you prefer, and it's cheap. The other program I have tried is Memlok. This is easier to use, and provides a very helpful, simple picture to help you remember how to start the verse. And starting the verse is half the battle. The follow-up is pre-scheduled, so even if you have many verses you are memorizing, it maxes out at 6 daily verses. The only problem was that there are "only" 700 verses to memorize. But both programs are great – so give them a try!

 

So why should I study and memorize Bible verses, and are there any good tips to help out? I'm glad you asked. Take a look at an article on Pastor John Piper's blog (here). In the article the writer provides 18 tricks to help in memorizing Scripture. Here is a portion of what he wrote:

…But one of the most compelling reasons for memorizing Scripture I found in John Piper's sermon If My Words Abide in You: memorizing Scripture shapes the way I view the world by conforming to God's viewpoint.  

So, whether you want to memorize one verse or an entire book, try these strategies to help you remember more. 

1. Read it repeatedly. Did you know you can memorize Scripture during your morning devotion? Instead of zipping through your reading for the day, pause and camp on one verse for a long time. You won't regret it.

2. Pay attention. Sounds obvious, but often ignored. Simply forcing yourself to be aware of what you are reading can help you internalize the words. Repetition will make the mind wander. What you have to do is bring it back. 

3. Visualize what you are reading. Take Psalm 1:1 for example. "Blessed is the man who does not walk with the wicked nor stand in the way of the sinner nor sit in the seat of the mocker." Your first tasks is to see the three actions here: walking, standing and sitting. If you can see the three main actions, then you can start to memorize the surrounding words….

 

The article has some great suggestions, so I hope you will check it out. God's blessings upon you and yours. /s/Tom Wolff

Odds n’ Ends (14)

Here are some recent stories that have caught my eye:

1. Final Fulfillment of Pentecost Set as being May 31^st. As times grow more stressful, we see the oddballs start coming out more frequently. Here is a link to one site which has set May 31^st as the final fulfillment of Pentecost: http://rogershermansociety.org/pentecost.htm. At least person provides his Biblical reasons for believing this. He makes one interesting conclusion, the "land of unwalled cities" described in Ezekiel 38:10-11 could be America. And the countdown clock is a nice touch!
   

 

1. NASA Launches Earth Hunting Satellite. On Friday, NASA's new Kepler space telescope into orbit, the mission stands to potentially change the way we look at the universe. Kepler is designed to turn its eye on thousands of stars in our own Milky Way galaxy and look for signs of Earth-sized planets orbiting in a region conducive to supporting life.
   

I believe NASA states the following - Theory, data, and experiments suggest that life requires (in decreasing order of certainty):

• A thermodynamic disequilibrium;
  
• An environment capable of maintaining covalent bonds, especially between carbon, hydrogen, and other atoms;
  
• A liquid environment; and
  
• A molecular system that can support Darwinian evolution.
  

Earth abundantly displays life that uses solar, geothermal, and chemical energy to maintain thermodynamic disequilibria, covalent bonds between carbon, water as the liquid, and DNA as a molecular system to support Darwinian evolution. Life with those characteristics can be found wherever water and energy are available.

Tom's Thought: It seems the second part of the above-list would be the most difficult to find. Earth has the right temperature, the right gravity, the lack of extreme conditions for most of the planet and so can support life, an atmosphere that protects from cosmic attacks, and a large moon to provide tides that are helpful for life to form. It seems this is an incredible waste of time and money, but as long as its being sent up let's sees what turns up.

 

1. Religion Losing Ground in America.
   Article on Religion Losing Ground. This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone living in America, but it seems there are more people who say they have no religion, and all religious Churches are shrinking. The article says: These dramatic shifts in just 18 years are detailed in the new American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS), to be released today. It finds that, despite growth and immigration that has added nearly 50 million adults to the U.S. population, almost all religious denominations have lost ground since the first ARIS survey in 1990.
   

   
    

   "More than ever before, people are just making up their own stories of who they are. They say, 'I'm everything. I'm nothing. I believe in myself,' " says Barry Kosmin, survey co-author.
   

   
    

2. One World Government/One World Religion? There is a segment of the Christian culture that is especially wary of there being a Global government and one world religion. I never understood if there was solid Biblical support for their fear, and this past week I received an email newsletter from a Minnesota group Olive Tree Ministries that provided its reasons why they believe this will take place as part of the Pre-Trib understanding of the end-times. Here is a portion of what they wrote:
   

   
    

   I read an article recently that began with these chilling words, "The Institute for Health Freedom (IHF) warns that the economic stimulus bill mandates electronic health records for every citizen without providing for opt-out or patient consent provisions." …
   

   
    

   God has told us in His Word that during the Tribulation there will be a one-world religious system (Rev. 17), a one-world economic system (Rev. 13:16, 17 & Rev. 18:1-19), and a one-world government (Rev. 13:1-10 & Dan. 11:36-39). The pieces would seem to be falling into place with increasing speed. We can sit back and watch as God's Word is fulfilled!
   

    
    

   Terrifying, you say? Well, no, because God keeps all of His Word and His promises! And what does He promise His beloved bride? "Let not your heart be troubled . . . if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to myself; that where I am, there you may be also"
   (John 14:1, 3), and, "Because you have kept my command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial, which shall come upon all the world, to test those who dwell on the earth" (Rev. 3:10).
   

    
    

   A favorite Bible teacher of mine often says, "When you see the Christmas decorations going up in the local department stores, you know that Thanksgiving is right around the corner!" As we see all the signposts in preparation for the seven-year Tribulation going up, we know it's almost time to go Home! (Heidi Swander for Olive Tree Ministries)
   

   
    

   I found this helpful to provide for me a better understanding of why the Pre-Tribbers have this understanding of the end-times, and why they so strongly oppose anything that smells of One World Government/One World Religion. I will let you judge whether or not they are properly interpreting these verses.
   

   
    

3. Wolff Girls Audition for 'Ash Girls' Play. Asia and Maggie have auditioned for a jr. high play that deals with the 7 deadly sins. It will be interesting to see how the play handles this! More details on the parts they received and the play dates are forthcoming.
   

Lord please bless those who stop by with health, Your provision, and freedom from sin that only a life in Christ can provide. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Tom Wolff's Blog: Pharaoh’s Egyptians Are the Borg! (Further Response to Ed)

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TasteAndSee/ByDate/2009/3664_How_God_Visits_Sins_on_the_Third_and_Fourth_Generation/

Gastric Bypass Surgery in My Future?

Hi everyone,

It's nice to have a touch a spring here in Minnesota over the past few days. With this nicer weather it's having me think about getting out more. And with this, comes the unhappiness I have about my weight. And so, I went to an informational meeting this past week on the lap-band and Gastric Bypass surgery options. And its something that I am starting to seriosuly consider.

But food is very important to me. It's something that I enjoy, and yes, I enjoy too much. I hear that having the surgery takes away much of the desire to eat. And so, this would be a good thing. But it feels like I would be carving out a piece of my soul by having the surgery - you know, something like taking away an essential part of what makes me Tom.

I can't make a post like this without bringing in a Bible story, and this morning's reading was on Jesus' encounter with the Rich Young Ruler (Luke 18:18-30). In the story, Jesus told the Rich Young Ruler to sell everything he had and give it to the poor, knowing the man's overly strong attachment to wealth. And all I could think about from reading this is, what if Jesus told me to give up something like my devotion to eating. Would I give it up for Jesus? Could I give it up?

I'd love to hear anyone's comments on this. Thanks and may God bless you this weekend.