10 Lies of the Devil (redux) plus podcast

(To listen to the podcast of this post, click here for Part 1, click here for Part 2 and click here for Part 3.)

I have written on this topic before. (To read 10 Lies of the Devil, click here. To read 10 More Lies of the Devil, click here.) I feel strangely moved to write on it again. (A "redux" is a revisiting of something from the past.)

The world is ending. (Selah~pause to reflect) More and more people are having a problem with the teaching of the Bible. The way my Pastor likes to put it is they are rejecting (will reject) a "Biblical worldview."

A "Biblical worldview" is one that looks to the Word of God, the Scriptures as its lens to live life, respond to life and evaluate life. The Bible is to be the final rule of faith and conduct. After all, it was for Jesus. (Wasn't it?)

This rejection of a "Biblical worldview" has given rise to a false gospel. (2 Timothy 2:3-4) There are preachers who have turned away from the truth themselves. And it only makes sense (to them)? Their services are full. (Sometimes the size of stadiums.) So is their bank account. They are even being accepting by major media and popular politicians.

And yet they are "anathema" to God. (Dictionary.com defines anathema as "a formal ecclesiastical curse involving excommunication.")

Ezekiel was given a vision of the elders of Israel. (Ezekiel 8:7-8) Behind the scenes where no one could see (but God could see) they were worshiping idols / burning incense to false images. (Ezekiel 8:9-12)

I suggest that preachers who are preaching a false gospel have some hidden sin in their lives, too, that no one knows about (but God knows).

Which brings me finally to...

10 Lies of the Devil (redux):
(What might you add?)

• You can be a Christian and support same sex marriage
• It is never right to judge another person's life (1 Corinthians 5:1-5)
• Man evolved from apes
• "Social justice" (/socialism) is based in Christianity
• The problem is global warming, not sin
• You can be a Christian and support abortion rights
• Man can rule himself (and therefore others) apart from God
• You don't have to work to eat
• There is such a thing as morality without God
• The world will finally be at peace when we all can come together as one

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The Story of How I Got My Gibson Explorer (guitar)

I had the following conversation on Twitter recently with Big Shane Slade (@shaneawesome). It's just such a great story about how I got my Gibson Explorer (pictured).

And yet it's about so much more than that...

The Story of How I Got My Gibson Explorer (guitar):

(Each of these are the original tweets. I just randomly posted the first one and the conversation began)
 
Some days u just feel like pulling out the electric guitar. Did u know I have a purple Gibson Explorer? Might Instagram it this afternoon :)

@shaneawesome: @aheartforgod seriously? That's awesome! < There's a whole spiritual story behind it, too (only with me) :)

@shaneawesome: [Can you share?]

@shaneawesome Well...I was in a Christian band in the late 80s. I felt like God asked me 2 lay it down. So I left the band... #testimonytime

@shaneawesome My fellow band members were brokenhearted. I hated that. They agreed I had 2 do what God wanted me 2 do...

@shaneawesome We had a great ministry going, but God wanted 2 have all of me. Music could not be an idol... #testimonytime

@shaneawesome Anyway, I was gone for a while. That's when something interesting happened. (I so miss those guys)...

@shaneawesome God spoke to me. He said, Mike, you're going back to the band :) #testimonytime

@shaneawesome I thought, Naaaw. But I called up the bass player (&leader)&he confirmed it. He told me God spoke to him, 2

@shaneawesome Furthermore, he (the bass player) told me God had told him he was to give me his Les Paul #testimonytime

@shaneawesome We scheduled a meeting at a restaurant in San Jose 2
surprise the rest of the band (4 other guys&a gal singer) #testimonytime

@shaneawesome I hope I'm not boring you :) #testimonytime

@shaneawesome: [No, please go on]

@shaneawesome They were so surprised (&jazzed) when I said, God wants me to come back to the band (as u might imagine) #testimonytime

@shaneawesome Anyway, that's how I got my purple Gibson Explorer (&still have it 20 yrs later).I traded the Les Paul 4 it :) #testimonytime

@shaneawesome I miss that band so much. God used us in incredible ways to preach the Gospel #Jesus #testimonytime #tears

RT @shaneawesome: @aheartforgod why not start another? < It's past my time (though God might speak to me again?) :)

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A "Dynamic" Rant

(I haven't written a rant in a while. Here goes...)

It is a dynamic of faith that is ours. What I mean by that is ~ it's the opposite of ritual, it's the opposite of "dead religion." There's a change. There's a power. It's real. It's substantial. (Selah ~ pause to reflect)

I shake my head sometimes (smh) when I think about a few Christian leaders / teachers (even well known ones who I enjoy) that say the miracles, etc., were only meant for the early Church and Apostles in the First Century.

Huh? That makes no sense. Why would God hamstring us (His people)?

I know, I know. The Word of God is dynamic all by itself. (Hebrews 4:12) I'm not intending to minimize that. (Please, hear me.) But since the canon of Scripture is complete / closed and the "perfect has come" (1 Corinthians 13:10) we have no need of what the early believers needed?

Jesus talked about the dynamic of faith. It starts when we confess our sins to Him and repent. He said it Himself, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'" (John 7:37-38) That's "dynamic."

Christ goes on, "Truly I say to you, whoever ("whoever" means anybody, not just the Apostles) says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him." (Mark 11:23) That's "dynamic."

And furthermore, our Lord is very clear, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father." (John 14:12)  That's "dynamic."

And just one more. The Son of God speaks through Paul, "In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words." (Romans 8:26) That's "dynamic."

I want it. I long for that "dynamic."

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If My People (chorus)

How Majestic is Thy Name (chorus)

He Knows Your Name

My wife and I decided to start a family. That's when God spoke to her (Kim), "Your child will be a warrior." (Yeah, God speaks to people - especially my wife.) And so we went about our merry way living our lives day to day.

Over the course of time we were considering names. I can't remember the choices for a boy, but I'd always loved the name, "Kelly," for a girl. From childhood I just thought it was the best name.

And so we had one of those baby books with the names and their meanings in it. (You've probably had one.) And on another day I said, "Let's look up and see what the name 'Kelly' means," just for fun and not thinking anything of it. And so I thumbed through the book to "k." And then what we saw ~ we were quite fascinated by it. (You will be, too.) "Kelly" means "warrior woman." (Isn't that just wild?) And so we went about our merry way living our lives day to day (again).

And we wanted to do it the traditional way of not knowing the sex of the baby prior to birth. (Remember that?) It was a long one that first labor for Kim and then a C-section. (I'm so sorry honey.)

But finally the baby came.

I'll let you guess what we named her.

She is 20 now and quite the firebrand for Christ and country ~ just like He (Jesus) said. Wow. (Follow her on Twitter: @warriorwoman91. She wanted me to mention that.)

"Your eyes (God) have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them." (Psalm 139:16)

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Marks of a Defective Faith - Part 2

I'm continuing a discussion of faith in this second of a two-part blog post series. (To read Part 1: click here.) I'll be highlighting three final marks of a defective faith from three parables of Christ. To be defective means there's a flaw with whatever it is you're talking about. Right? I remember I drove away a used car I bought in Minneapolis from the used car dealer. And right when I got out of the parking lot that's when it began to spit and sputter and miss and cough. No lie. Can you imagine having something like that happen to you? (And then imagine having to explain it to your wife!) Did you ever buy a lemon? - a car that had problems - that was defective? Some people's faith is a "lemon." If it's marked (characterized) by any or all of the following three things it is...

Three More Marks of a Defective Faith:
(I gave you the first three in Part 1)

Mark #4: When You Think Gaining Stuff/Notoriety Is A Higher Priority Than Caring For The Less Fortunate.

In our Lord's parable of "The Sheep and The Goats" (Matthew 25:31-46) we are given a peek into eternity. We see Judgment Day. At that time Jesus will be looking over His followers. And what He's going to be interested in seeing is how much money we made? No. What we did for a living? No. What car we drove? No. What house we owned? No. How many followers we had on Twitter? No. How many friends we had on Facebook? No. Christ is not going to be looking for any of those things. Quite to the contrary. Those are the things that the world measures by. Right? Those are important things to the world. But not to Jesus. Sometimes we need our priorities rearranged. Are you putting people's needs ahead of gaining stuff/a name for yourself?

Mark #5: When You Think Just Because You're A Christian You're Better Than Others.

In our Lord's parable of "The Publican and the Tax Collector" (Luke 18:9-14) we are given a peek into an attitude that can overtake church people. Even Christians can begin to get caught up with themselves if they're not careful. I mean, when you've overcome tough habits and conquered them and replaced the old habits with new good ones like you ought to as a Christian (and as undoubtedly the Pharisee/religious person in the parable is representative of this very thing) and then you don't do things that sinners are known for doing anymore. "And, after all, those awful wretches and despicable individuals that live like that. How can they do such things?" And, of course, we're not like them. We don't go to movies. We don't go to carnivals. We don't go to bars. We go to church. We go to Bible study. We go to prayer meetings. Aren't we just so good? No, we're not. We're just forgiven. "'Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?'" (Matthew 7:3)

Mark #6: When You Think God's Okay With Your Refusal To Forgive Someone.

In our Lord's parable of "The Unmerciful Slave" (Matthew 18:23-35) we are given a peek into the heart (of some). It's a selfish heart. It's a bitter heart. And in the story a king wishes to settle accounts with his slaves. One slave owes the king ten thousand talents. To understand the depth of payment required to settle accounts, you need to know the worth of a "talent." A single "talent" was equal to 20 years worth of wages. Do the math. 10,000 talents times 20 years equals 200,000 years worth of wages. Let's say you make $20,000 a year. That means one talent equals ($20,000 times 20 years) $400,000. Then ten thousand talents equals 4 billion dollars! Bottom line: The slave can't repay such an enormous debt. But the king forgives the debt of the slave any way. (It's a picture of God's forgiveness of us.) The problem is the slave goes out afterwards and demands payment of a (in comparison) $7,000 debt he's owed from a fellow slave. Think of all the people in your life that have hurt you. Now think of that one person that's hurt you the most. And now consider, as much as these have pained you, their debt to you isn't even a drop in the bucket to how much you've hurt God in your unbelief. "'He who is forgiven little, loves little.'” (Luke 7:47c)

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15 Social Media Mistakes You Might Make

This is a real quick post off the cuff. (Try it some time. Set a timer to 15 minutes and go for it. It's another style of writing similar to extemporaneous preaching which is just taking a topic and talking about it off the top of your head whatever comes.)

If there's anything I've learned in my time with social media it's this: There's a way to do social media and there's a way not to do social media. The following is a list emphasizing the latter. Some of these mistakes I've made myself. Some of the others I've heard about and steer clear of.

And so here we go with...

15 Social Media Mistakes You Might Make:
(what would you add to the list?)

1. Expect to be an overnight success
2. Post too little
3. Post too much
4. Compare yourself
5. Expect perfection
6. Spend too much time
7. Spread yourself too thin (choose wisely which networks work for you)
8. Post a ton and then disappear for a month
9. Don't use spell check (especially when blogging)
10. Judge somebody else's approach without all the evidence (to the gas chamber with you!)
11. Have too thin a skin (take it too seriously)
12. Get puffed up on yourself (don't you know I'm a guru, too?)
13. Don't spend enough time with the little guys (give them a helping hand up, too)
14. Quit too soon
15. Never start

15 minutes is up! (Well, I may have gone a little bit longer than that.) :P

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Dressed For Battle - Part 2 (in 30 seconds)

Dressed For Battle - Part 1 (in 30 seconds)

About "Fixes" (Are You in a Fix?)

"Then the Egyptians chased after them (the Israelites) with all the horses and chariots of Pharoah, his horsemen and his army, and they overtook them camping by the sea." (Exodus 14:9)

A "fix." Simply put, it's a place where we find ourselves trapped. (Been there? Done that?) Think back to the fixes you've found yourself in. (Are you in one now?)

In Exodus 14 God directs His people into a "fix" (a corner). He's freed them from Egypt. (That's great.) But now God places them in a trap. (So what's up with that? Doesn't God know what He's doing?)

Of course, we know how the story turns out. (Btw, all stories turn out like that if you love Jesus. See Romans 8:28.)

And let me just give you a few more thoughts about "fixes." Sometimes God puts us in fix because He's got a higher purpose behind the scenes and we need to be in a fix so He can accomplish what He wants to accomplish and He couldn't accomplish it unless we were in a fix. Make sense? (Read it again to let it sink in.)

Think again back to the fixes you've found yourself in. Evaluate: What was God's part in it? (I happen to be in a fix right now. It's one of the tightest traps I've ever found myself in in my life, quite frankly. Btw, America is in quite a fix right now, too.)

And sometimes we're put in fixes just because we're serving and obeying God and living our lives surrendered to Him. (Read that again, too, to let it sink in.) We are required to just do what God tells us to do and not worry about the rest. (Like tithing.) If we end up in a "fix," we end up in a "fix."

Some people are out of the will of God. They won't submit to the "fixes" God has planned to put them in. (Read that again to let it sink in. I know I've been saying it a lot.)

One last thing about "fixes" to not forget: God will make a way where there seems to be no way.

"The sons of Israel went through the midst of the [Red Sea] on the dry land, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left." (Exodus 14:22)

(Picture above in the public domain: HERE. PD-US)

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Tworship Heat Map

That's me in Sonora towards Yosemite (technically up the hill in Mono Vista) :)



(click to enlarge)

Parable of the Jogger

"Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win." (1 Corinthians 9:24)

I am a jogger. That's me jogging at Christmas time in the clickable picture (or a very skinny Santa!). I get up in the morning and I run. (Not every morning. I'm getting older.) I've been running now for well over three decades.

I've run in the day. I've run at night. I've run in the rain. I've run in the snow (deep snow). I've run in the heat (100s+). I've run in extreme cold. (I think 17 degrees in downtown Minneapolis is still the coldest. We've had some lower 20s that I've run in here in the foothills towards Yosemite.)

I've run when I felt good. (I like those days the best.) I've run when I had a pulled muscle in my leg (ouch). I've run with a twisted ankle (double ouch). I've run with a sore neck and bad back. (I know. I should have taken those days off.) I've run and fallen down. (I pride myself on not falling, but it happens.) I've slipped on ice and landed on my rear. (Ooo. I can still feel that one.) Another time I dislocated my shoulder in a fall in a field where no one could hear my calls for help. ("Can somebody please help me? Somebody?")

I've been chased by dogs (including ravenous chihuahuas). I've been bothered by drivers getting out of their cars. (I won't go into that.) I've seen dead deer (road kill). (I had to break the news to one person about their cat lying crushed in the street. I hated that.) I've even been hit by a truck that ran a stop sign. I know it sounds crazy. (Thankfully, I saw it coming.)

There are just a ton of analogies from a jogger's experience (mine) that relate to the Christian life (mine, too).

And we don't always "feel good", but we must keep running the race of faith (/following Jesus). Right? And even when the snow is deep and the cold is extreme, we must keep running. And even when our ankle is twisted, our neck is sore and our back is bad, we must keep running. When we fall down, we must keep running. When no one can hear our cries for help (/listens to us), we must keep running. When we're being chased (by "barking" circumstances), we must keep running. When we're "bothered" (assailed by principalities and powers ~ and sometimes including people, too), we must keep running.

Were you about to give up?

"Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come; 'Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far and Grace will lead me home."

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5 Blogging, 5 Twitter and 5 Facebook Tips (for believers)

BLOGGING

1. What's your passion? (Marriage/family, end times/prophecy, Christian living, etc) That's what you need to write about. Sprinkle in your own life stories highlighting what God's done.

2. If you wait for perfection, you will never publish. (Nobody's perfect.)

3. Recycle blog posts via other technologies. Turn it into a video blog, too? Or slideshow? ( See slideshare.net) Or podcast?

4. Write as you talk. Pretend you're having a conversation with a friend. (Subscribe to the A Heart For God blog for examples: click here. Thanks for subscribing.)

5. Pray for Jesus to energize you. ~from 11 Tips About Blogging (plus one bonus)

TWITTER

1. See tweeting as a fulfillment of prophecy. (I do!) "'This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.'" (Matthew 24:14)

2. Don't miss the power of Twitter lists. There is an intimacy to them where you can spend time with a smaller group listening and learning. ~from 21 "More" Twitter Tips from @aheartforgod

3. So what if your Twitter stream is overwhelmed with Bible verses (use Biblegateway.com to post your own) and expressions of praise during #Tworship services, etc (9 pm Eastern Time USA, weeknights). After all, the world hammers us with their hashtags. :P

4. A plan to help you gain thousands of Twitter followers based on the acronym "T-W-E-E-T": T-ools, W-rite, E-ngage, E-ncourage, T-ime. ~from My Twitter Speech-Part 2 (140 Characters Conference ~ Twain Harte). (For: 5 tips to help you gain 50,000 followers on Twitter, click here.)

5. There are people out there (in the Twitter sphere) you will never know (until the next life?) that are hanging by a thread. With your every tweet give them hope.

FACEBOOK

1. Facebook is the latest whipping boy in some churches. (It is the past revival that persecutes the present.) Don't be stupid. Use it for God's glory.

2. Where does the Millennial generation ("Y") go when they have spiritual questions? The internet. Pose those questions yourself as status updates (Is there a God?, Why do good people suffer?, Is there a purpose to my life?, etc) and give answers, too. (You'd be surprised who's listening.) Respond to comments.

3. It is a marathon to gain an audience on Facebook (versus other social media platforms) and not a sprint. Pace yourself. ("Facebook is like playing football in the sand." ~A famous person once said)

4. To gain "Likes" on your Facebook page, offer an incentive (free eBook download; exclusive content via fan-only gate; prize raffle for the 1st so many "likes", etc). (To read about my surprise drawing, click here.)

5. Online relationships will never replace offline ones. (They were never meant to.) But there are real people with real needs on Facebook, too. Be a friend. Add value, interact, appreciate, pray for. Be led by the Spirit.

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Held in His Arms

My kids are almost all grown now. I remember when I used to hold them in my arms (back in the day). I would carry them around (dads, isn't it true?) and wherever it might be. As they got bigger (and heavier), it would hurt my back. ;)

I would hold my kids in my arms in the store. (Not all three of them at once although they would want that.) I would hold my kids in my arms at the park. I would hold my kids in my arms at the pool. I would hold my kids in my arms in the rain and snow. (That's Theresa 12 years ago in the pictures. Click to enlarge. I still call her: "Baby boo." She looks at me quizzically.)

I would hold my kids in my arms at church, at home, when they went to bed, when they had a bad dream, in the day or night, in the front yard or back, when they got hurt, were scared, when their mom was gone from home, when they were happy, sad, felt danger or despair.

I would hold my kids in my arms.

God holds you in His arms, too. (Who needed to hear it?) Let it sink in. #Godislove

"'I have loved you with an everlasting love.'" (Jeremiah 31:3b)

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I Was in the Room When She Died

The voice on the phone said, "She's dying." I was out the door. The family was there. We had been through this before. There were tears. There were prayers. There were hugs, smiles at memories. The room got quiet. The breaths became less and less. (Was she still even breathing?) The doctor was clear, "Anytime now." Goodbyes were said. I was in the room when she died. (Selah~pause to reflect)

And there is a peace that surpasses all understanding. (Philippians 4:7) You don't really know if you have it until death comes. It's coming. Don't put off receiving Christ one more day.

"To be absent from the body [is] to be (present) at home with the Lord" for all who believe. (2 Corinthians 5:8)

(To view: Straight Talk About Death, click here. Quick video blog gets you ready.)

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