tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-939321137354325972024-03-19T02:54:07.920-05:00BATHOSBATHOS IS THE GREEK WORD FOR DEEPER. JESUS TOLD PETER TO THROW HIS NET DEEPER HE DID AND CAUGHT AN AMAZING AMOUNT OF FISH. THIS BLOG IS AN ATTEMPT TO FOLLOW JESUS BY GOING DEEPER (BATHOS)Javierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01675905638014528039noreply@blogger.comBlogger160125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93932113735432597.post-9624819127892414092012-07-04T08:29:00.000-05:002012-07-04T08:42:10.077-05:004th of July: Freedom<br />
I am blessed. We are blessed. Those of us that live in freedom/liberty are truly blessed. My parents many years ago took the risk to come to this country seeking a better life and having been to a Cuba (in 2005) I have no doubt the risk paid off.<br />
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Today our country celebrates its independence. I like the tweet that LifeWay Research missiologist Ed Stetzer tweeted a few days ago:<br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet tw-align-center">
American pastors / ldrs: this week, be sure you worship God & celebrate America-- not the other way around!<br />
— Ed Stetzer (@edstetzer) <a data-datetime="2012-07-01T14:04:37+00:00" href="https://twitter.com/edstetzer/status/219431318197518337">July 1, 2012</a></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">It has been said, "Freedom is never given, it is won." (not sure who said it, if you know let me know).</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">So I celebrate freedom, but as a Christian I worship the God who has won the greatest freedom for us all. Freedom from sin.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"> Jesus said, "...if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed"(Jn. 8:36 NKJV)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
Through Christ we have freedom: Freedom from the sins that entangle us. Lust, addictions, jealousy, hate, envy, and anything you can think of.<br />
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Jesus has given you freedom. You are the most beautiful thing that God has created. He loves you and knows every aspect of your life and He has given you freedom through Jesus!<br />
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I saw this video this morning...I hope it speaks to you...watch it below (if you can't see it click <a href="http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=0BEJ01NU" target="_blank">HERE</a> and then believe that Jesus has set you free. Walk in that freedom, celebrating the freedoms we enjoy in this country but worshipping the God that has set you free and has prepared a place where freedom will never cease to exist.<br />
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<script src="http://www.godtube.com/embed/source/0bej01nu.js?w=400&h=255&ap=false&sl=false&title=false" type="text/javascript">
</script><br />
<a href="http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=0BEJ01NU">Free - Journey Box Media</a> from <a href="http://www.godtube.com/journeyboxmedia">journeyboxmedia</a> on <a href="http://www.godtube.com/">GodTube</a>.<br />
JaviJavierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01675905638014528039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93932113735432597.post-19455444555915408102012-06-17T09:45:00.000-05:002012-06-17T09:45:46.965-05:00A Fathers Day Story<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm not a father yet, but I praise God for my dad. He didn't teach me how to play sports nor take me to my first baseball game, though I love, play and watch sports and remember going to my first baseball game with friends (my first Dodger game was incredible!). He didn't teach me to exercise though I love to stay in shape or try too. No my dad wasn't the all American dad.<br />
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For one he was raised in Cuba, though many years ago he did become a citizen of this country. My dad was raised by my grandmother now sleeping in Jesus. His dad was a drunk that mocked him and for the most part never showed him what a true father was.<br />
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No my father never had a father that showed him love and obviously didn't show him how to ride a bike, fix a car, or throw a baseball. BUT he (my dad) was a father to me! Was he perfect? Of course not. As a grown man I look back in our journey and realize 'things' that could've gone better/different. Nonetheless he was a father to me. Though he struggled when he came to this country we always had food, a place to live, good clothes, and even got to travel a little.<br />
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No my father never had a father but he was a father to me and for that I'm eternally grateful. You see if it's one thing my father showed me is <u>God</u>. In his own way he (along with mom of course) set the foundation that would be part of me for the rest of my life and I would build and make my own.<br />
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That foundation, their ongoing support and love has always been something I've been blessed to have.<br />
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Yet allow me to tell you a quick story of my father:<br />
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I remember as if it was yesterday. My father received the news that his father had died in Cuba. I saw him go to his bedroom and begin to cry in the fetal position on his bed. The news to some extent wasn't shocking. My dad had known that his father wasn't doing well but traveling to Cuba was costly and overall no easy task. Nonetheless when the news came that his father had died it was like an arrow straight to the heart.<br />
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I had never before (I was about 9y/o when it happened) nor since seen my dad cry in that manner. It was a scene of intense emotional pain. My father I'm sure had all kinds of thoughts going through his mind, thoughts of anger, frustration, and love. Yes love.<br />
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In the midst of everything that my fathers father had not been to him, my dad still loved him.<br />
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Today I say Happy Fathers day to all dads. Thanks dad, that in the midst of it all you love me despite all of my mistakes as I grew up and the mistakes I've made as a grown man.<br />
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And thanks for showing me in part what God is like...<br />
<br />
Javi<br />
<br />Javierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01675905638014528039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93932113735432597.post-87721370621181822822012-04-21T19:28:00.000-05:002012-04-21T19:28:02.699-05:00Sabbath School/Sunday School: Should it continue?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcEzYUbQHQUGnvvqQuTe5AI3WgRIF4anRZN766pm7f4o5OVwPWm9nCTZkvlJmKbmW9142QAwuN5M5ZwbbNXMqLaXiRPgx2uJzU8OSLzfbHv2bgHP4hnEfiudOsktTMFHcLSCjvcGNKu_g/s1600/SS_lesson_2Q12.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcEzYUbQHQUGnvvqQuTe5AI3WgRIF4anRZN766pm7f4o5OVwPWm9nCTZkvlJmKbmW9142QAwuN5M5ZwbbNXMqLaXiRPgx2uJzU8OSLzfbHv2bgHP4hnEfiudOsktTMFHcLSCjvcGNKu_g/s400/SS_lesson_2Q12.jpeg" width="251" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 2012 2nd Quarter Sabbath School Lesson </td></tr>
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Do you attend Sabbath school? Sunday School? If you don't attend or perhaps attend sparingly, why?<br />
The reasons will vary and they may be legitimate or not but one thing is certain, it's not shocking nor new news. Sabbath school attendance has been steadily decreasing. Last year Barna published a series called <a href="http://www.barna.org/faith-spirituality/508-20-years-of-surveys-show-key-differences-in-the-faith-of-americas-men-and-women" target="_blank">The State of the Church </a> which stated, "Only one out of eight men (13%) attends such a meeting (sunday school) in a typical week." Women's involvement with Sunday school has decreased since 1991 to 17%.<br />
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I have attended Adventist churches from coast to coast, pastored for nearly 10 years now and grown up going to church and for that matter attending Sabbath school since I can remember. After saying all that, for the most part, once again I have personally noticed attendance has continued to plummet.<br />
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On any given Sabbath morning you can attend church during Sabbath school (usually at 9:30 or 10a.m.) and see a handful or two of people depending on the size of the church. Then when the worship service is shortly to begin you see many more begin to show up and even more once the worship service has begun.<br />
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So the question should be asked. Is Sabbath school viable? Is it serving its intended purpose? Do we even realize/know what the purpose of Sabbath school is?<br />
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<b><u>Brief history/links of Sunday School & Sabbath School</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b><br />
Some may recall Sunday school was originally started to help young people who at the time (late 18th century early 19th) were working, as the educational system was not in place like it is today. These Sunday schools provided the education for these youths and also to adults.<br />
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If you have time read the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunday_school" target="_blank">wikipedia page</a> regarding Sunday school.<br />
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Part of the history for Sabbath school can be found <a href="http://www.ssd.org/sspm/ss.html" target="_blank">here</a>. You can find the official Seventh-day Adventist Sabbath school/personal ministries site <a href="http://www.sabbathschoolpersonalministries.org/">here.</a><br />
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Sabbath school seems to have been started as a place where a deeper study of the bible could be done. It eventually also became focused on helping a certain area of a mission field. (read the links above).<br />
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<b><u>Sabbath school objectives:</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b><br />
Sabbath school originally had and still ideally has four main objectives.<br />
1. Bible Study<br />
2. Fellowship<br />
3. Outreach<br />
4. Missions<br />
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<b><u>Thoughts and discussions points:</u></b><br />
In taking a brief look at the history and objectives of Sabbath school every church needs to aks itself if Sabbath school is still succeeding with its intended objectives. In todays world many churches are implementing small groups with the same objectives but instead of meeting on Sabbath they meet during the week.<br />
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Obviously my church/denomination has invested a lot of time, money, and effort into developing Sabbath school resources, curriculum, and many other tools relegated to this ministry. One of the best things (in my opinion) they have done is create mobile apps and an ipad app for our quarterly lessons for free.<br />
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Sabbath school can be and has been a great place where children of all ages can learn about Jesus. Where great discussions have been had in the adult classes in regards to various bible truths. Yet the question still lingers why has attendance been decreasing?<br />
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Here's some of the reasons I've heard and or I've come to conclude why people don't attend Sabbath school.<br />
1. They find it boring. (SS teachers aren't that good, can't control the discussions that either become to theological or very little in depth bible study.)<br />
2. They may attend another bible study during the week, so why attend another on Saturday morning.<br />
3. They can study the lesson on their own. They see the SS lesson as a devotional study. No need to discuss it with others.<br />
4. They simply want to sleep in on their day off and come to church for the 'worship service' to 'hear the sermon.'<br />
5. Lazy (not trying to be mean, but don't you think there's some truth to it?)<br />
6. Spiritual apathy<br />
7. Any combination of the above?<br />
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<b><u>Conclusion & a few suggestions:</u></b><br />
Though I'm not calling for Sabbath school to be done away with we must realize that the objectives for Sabbath school stated above, taken from the official website can be accomplished in different ways as a church other than Sabbath school. Again though this is NOT a call to do away with Sabbath school, we are to be good stewards of God's money and how we organize as a church. Since for most Adventist churches Sabbath school is still a very viable ministry, although attendance is showing that it may be on a life line in many places, we must re-evaluate this ministry (as we should all ministries) and its effectiveness.<br />
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<b><u>A few suggestions:</u></b><br />
1. Evaluate our Sabbath school teachers, how well they prepare and manage class room discussion.<br />
2. Evaluate the children's division.<br />
3. Have teachers get the email/phone numbers of the class to follow up when they don't come<br />
4. Is your Sabbath school meeting the objectives (see above)<br />
5. Perhaps seek to do a local mission project with your Sabbath school<br />
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So tell me what do you think about Sabbath school? Do you attend? Why or why not? How can it improve?<br />
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Javi<br />
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<b><u><br /></u></b>Javierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01675905638014528039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93932113735432597.post-20128834281050735992012-04-08T07:00:00.000-05:002012-04-08T15:21:17.590-05:00He's Alive: Hallelujah!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD3-sMkAOxnE6IbG5Oma3zIwTClg-Je9jEWa4NpulCfE1SSvTBSA5vuQhdfNqND2knnh0Tvh8YbY8Z4BcTj5oRf9b6ZKRM3_m_a21vGnCuUEn3gQ91tbDvCu1wlrSIKGShWk2u6vTTX1I/s1600/risen_std_t_nv.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD3-sMkAOxnE6IbG5Oma3zIwTClg-Je9jEWa4NpulCfE1SSvTBSA5vuQhdfNqND2knnh0Tvh8YbY8Z4BcTj5oRf9b6ZKRM3_m_a21vGnCuUEn3gQ91tbDvCu1wlrSIKGShWk2u6vTTX1I/s400/risen_std_t_nv.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;">"...And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Chirst, and He shall reign forever and ever!...We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, Because you have taken your great power and reigned."</span> Revelation 11:15-17</blockquote>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/yEvKgCslVGM?rel=0" width="480"></iframe><br />
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Jesus is Alive and He shall reign forever and ever! Go tell everyone...<br />
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<br />
JaviJavierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01675905638014528039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93932113735432597.post-55211883380912979392012-04-06T11:34:00.000-05:002012-04-06T11:43:13.689-05:00Free Francis Chan eBooks!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIDY_x_gjktCSFBTIBv7Gg3wb376RjfnnQkDYW-6KPQXlnQZuFtIb8rwEBL913aopCfNhLblQf0BHRAVGPP1i-jB_wlmKFWpA1fDjRJb53JIZQRTJwgAPK_cMcFCFsRQNUEIduxjZJCIs/s1600/4586879133.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIDY_x_gjktCSFBTIBv7Gg3wb376RjfnnQkDYW-6KPQXlnQZuFtIb8rwEBL913aopCfNhLblQf0BHRAVGPP1i-jB_wlmKFWpA1fDjRJb53JIZQRTJwgAPK_cMcFCFsRQNUEIduxjZJCIs/s400/4586879133.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I know several that read this blog don't necessarily follow me on Twitter so I wanted to make you aware of this great deal (as I did on Twitter:) that I learned from my friend and colleague Pastor Rodlie Ortiz.<br />
<br />
Francis Chan is a well know Christian speaker and author and today you can get his books FREE!<br />
So click <a href="http://www.dccebooks.com/" target="_blank">HERE</a> and go get them!<br />
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I've only read one of them 'Forgotten God' and recommend you read it, I will eventually be reading the others.<br />
<br />
Javi<br />
<br />
NOTE: <span style="font-size: x-small;">Though I recommend you get the books, this does not necessarily state that I agree with everything Francis Chan says. Yet I've heard Chan speak several times (live, online, podcast) read the book mentioned above and have been blessed by much of what he has preached as well as the book I have read.</span>Javierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01675905638014528039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93932113735432597.post-66415536748701115722012-04-04T16:57:00.000-05:002012-04-04T16:57:19.601-05:00Seventh-day Adventist Church: Fastest Growing?Last year an <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2011-03-18-Adventists_17_ST_N.htm" target="_blank">article by USA Today</a> reported that the Seventh-day Adventist church is the "...fastest growing U.S. church" as the headline read. This was heralded as one can imagine by many within Adventism. It was indeed good news at the very least it was a positive article in a well known newspaper.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-oBZ-vfL4WJxTFLr-Yw5EDQFpwBNwfDU-iPG9T-UJHzz43qLaL2AbgtpDIRMD77-Mk3CYQViwhXklKBJcN6YxPlooRHxtjSfobaeP_k16G9TVnlVwT2UsCdcJNa1THdWaTX9gUnOzk48/s1600/387321842.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-oBZ-vfL4WJxTFLr-Yw5EDQFpwBNwfDU-iPG9T-UJHzz43qLaL2AbgtpDIRMD77-Mk3CYQViwhXklKBJcN6YxPlooRHxtjSfobaeP_k16G9TVnlVwT2UsCdcJNa1THdWaTX9gUnOzk48/s400/387321842.jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Loma Linda University Seventh-day Adventist church is the largest Adventist church in the U.S. with approximately 6,500 members. </td></tr>
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Yet even within the article Dr. Clouzet who is the director of the North American Division Evangelism Institue at Andrews University (where the Adventist Seminary is located) is quoted saying,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"We don't feel that we're growing very much, and that is a source of concern, especially for North America"</blockquote>
The article goes on to quote Clouzet saying the ones really growing and essentially driving up Adventist membership are Adventist Hispanics. He says,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"the one group that is growing very well...If we didn't have that group, we would look even more dismal."</blockquote>
When I was in college and in seminary (Dr. Clouzet was one of my professors in both places by the way) in more than one occasion I often heard how are church wasn't growing. So when this article came out I was glad in one sense but really wanted to find out more. Are Seventh-day Adventist the fastest growing church in America?<br />
<br />
Now I'm no statistician! Along those same lines I'm just reporting some of what I've come across online so this is not an in-depth statistical study. Plus sometimes depending on the source and what time they're reported, things can shift. With that said let me explain why Adventist may not really be the fastest growing church in America and then give some observations.<br />
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First lets go directly to the <a href="http://adventiststatistics.org/view_Summary.asp?FieldID=D_NAD" target="_blank">Adventist statistics website</a>. and allow me to give you some of the numbers that I garnered from the website. The Adventist church in America is known as the North American Division, it includes Canada but for the purposes of this post which deals with the U.S only I have not included Canada's number. No offense Canada we love you:-)<br />
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<b><u>2010 Adventist numbers:</u></b><br />
Beginning membership: 1,047,333<br />
New membership (baptism/profession of faith): 38,109<br />
Churches in U.S.-4,926<br />
If we take the above numbers the average church in the U.S will bring in nearly 8 people per year.<br />
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Yet the Adventist church as best it can keeps a lot of numbers. So it includes those that have dropped membership are missing and deceased. That total was: 20,621 in 2010.<br />
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So if we take all that into consideration the U.S. Adventist church membership in 2010 started with 1,047,333 and ened with 1,064,256 for a net growth of 16,923. This would actually give the U.S. Adventist church an average growth per church of 3.43.<br />
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<b><u>Next report:</u></b><br />
The National council of churches every year does do an in-depth, and my understanding well respected research on church membership. It's called, "Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches 2012" In the report (I have not bought the book but just read what they stated online, you can read it <a href="http://www.ncccusa.org/news/120209yearbook2012.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>) if I'm understanding it correctly it clearly shows that there several other denominations that have had stronger growth in the U.S. than Seventh-day Adventist, which it states being up 1.61% but here are several other denominations that are reported being up...well...higher.<br />
<br />
Jehovah's Witness-up 1.85%<br />
Pentecostal Assemblies of God-up 20%<br />
Assemblies of God-up 3.99%<br />
National Baptist Convention, U.S.A-up 3.95%<br />
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints-up 1.62%<br />
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Now interestingly enough Adventist along with the above mentioned were the only churches of the top 25 that reported growth according to the report. Again though it doesn't show us as the fastest growing.<br />
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The Adventist Review also reported on this report you can read its summary <a href="http://www.adventistreview.org/article/5236/archives/issue-2012-1509/rnsb-largest-u-s-churches-see-membership-declines" target="_blank">HERE</a>.<br />
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Now again if I've misunderstood something, read reports incorrectly please let me know!<br />
But what does all this tell us? Here are a few observations, thoughts, that honestly aren't new.<br />
<br />
1. With the numbers from the Adventist website alone and Clouzet's comments we should be concerned Seventh-day Adventist as a whole. Certainly there are thriving, growing Adventist churches. Yet according to the numbers there is a lot more work that needs to be done.<br />
2. We must be creative, innovative, but of course biblical as we try to reach those around us with the gospel.<br />
3. Adventist must be intentional in getting involved with the community which they are in and at the same time remain faithful through God's grace to the gospel.<br />
4. Public evangelistic meetings are great, we shouldn't stop doing them, but we must understand this is just one form of evangelism. It has been known in our circles as one of the best methods and it's still a great one. Every church has to evaluate what will work and not work when it comes to public evangelism.<br />
5. Churches need to have areas where people can plug in and become active. For example small groups, outreach ministries such as helping people in the community that are in need.<br />
6. One of the first things that people will see is our worship services. Regardless of 'worship style' it is important, that as best as each church can. Each church must plan, pray, and prepare its worship service(s) so they will be the best they can as we worship a God who deserves the best!<br />
7. It's great to see the spanish work growing as it is. Although perhaps it would be interesting to see (not sure how) how many hispanics have migrated to the U.S and for whatever reason not been able to transfer their membership from the church of their home country so they are accepted by profession of faith.<br />
8. As followers of Jesus, Seventh-day Adventist must live intentional, missional lives. Living out the gospel in their lives where ever they work and play.<br />
9. Though I've put it down here last, this is of first importance. We've been talking numbers. Nothing wrong with that, yet we must remember that behind every number is a soul that needs Jesus.<br />
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I could say more, but would love to hear what you have to say. Do you believe the Seventh-day Adventist church is growing the way it should? Tell me why? I know there are people who read this blog of other faiths. Would love to hear what you have to say. Respond here, hit me up on twitter, or email me!<br />
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Javi<br />
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<br />Javierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01675905638014528039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93932113735432597.post-40573563395090103292012-04-02T18:12:00.000-05:002012-04-02T18:12:21.806-05:00Why I'm a Seventh-day Adventist ChristianWhy are you Baptist? Catholic? Methodist? Presbyterian? Let me tell you why I'm a Seventh-day Adventist.<div>
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The reason I am a Seventh-day Adventist is because after studying for myself the bible I have found that what Seventh-day Adventist have come to develop as their doctrines, belief system is the closest to the bible of any denomination/religion that I have seen, heard, and read about. It is the denomination that I believe follows the teachings of Jesus the closest. </div>
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Now I know...many will read this and find it boisterous, prideful, arrogant, and perhaps even stop reading at this point. Certainly you can, but, I hope you stick with me...</div>
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Now let me ask you this. As a bible believing Christian (if you are one) shouldn't you be able to say this about your church/denomination? You may say will I go to a non-denominational church. Ok, fine, then shouldn't you be able to say this about your non-denominational church? </div>
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Biblically, aren't we suppose to find a church that most closely follows the teachings of Jesus? Right? </div>
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Now with that said let me clarify. </div>
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The fact that I believe the Seventh-day Adventist church most closely follows the teachings of Jesus is not:</div>
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1. Because I was raised Adventist.</div>
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2. I'm a paid pastor in the Adventist church.</div>
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Surely you can say, 'well your bias' and well I wouldn't disagree with you. Yet many years ago I essentially left the church but through God's grace and mercy as I started to respond to God's call in my heart I came back. I came back to the studying the Bible! I honestly wanted and still want to know and understand as best as I can this issue we often hear in Christian circles of 'following Jesus'. I'm still on that journey, it's not like I've reached some static point where I've mastered everything. Through God's grace and mercy I strive through to be more like HIM. </div>
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Now let me clarify a few more things. Just because I believe that Seventh-day Adventist follow the teachings of Jesus most closely to the bible <b>it doesn't mean</b>:</div>
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1. That every person who says they're Adventist necessarily follows everything Adventist believe (I use to say I was Adventist mainly because I was raised Adventist)</div>
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2. That Adventist Christians don't make mistakes (I certainly have)</div>
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3. We can't question our beliefs and doctrines (we should study all things for ourselves)</div>
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4. That every Adventist church exemplifies the love of Jesus (could write many posts' on this)</div>
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5. That we shouldn't continue to study and dig deep into the things of God</div>
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6. We believe that we are the only people with truth</div>
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7. There aren't sincere bible believing (to what they have studied) Christians in other denominations/churches</div>
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8. Only Seventh-day Adventist will be saved</div>
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Now you may ask, 'what are some of the truths/beliefs that helped you come to this conclusion?' Good question, here are <b>some</b>:</div>
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1. The essence of the plan of redemption</div>
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2. The Seventh-day Sabbath</div>
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3. What happens after we die</div>
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4. How Jesus will return</div>
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Again the above are just some. </div>
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Lastly, remember if someone who is a Seventh-day Adventist is meaner than the devil that doesn't take away the truth of what we believe any more than an unloving Baptist for example, makes all Baptist' unloving.</div>
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So why are you a ____________________?</div>
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Javi</div>
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</div>Javierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01675905638014528039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93932113735432597.post-35159486933133132542012-03-14T10:30:00.000-05:002012-03-14T10:32:02.092-05:00My Interview with Rabbi CohenRecently I had the honor of sitting down and talking with Rabbi Valerie Cohen who leads the only Jewish synagogue in the Jackson, MS area where I live. I was excited to get to know her and want to thank her for being so kind in answering my questions. I also want to thank her secretary for giving me a little tour as I waited.<br />
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Living in the heart of the bible belt some probably wouldn't even think there would be a Jewish synagogue. The reality is Beth Israel just celebrated 150 years in the Jackson, MS area! Below you can see a short video they prepared for their anniversary last year. Take a moment and watch the video as it also gives a short synopsis of its history.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Statue of Moses that survived the bombing as mentioned in the video!</td></tr>
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Beth Israel Jackson is lead by Rabbi Valerie Cohen you can <a href="http://bethisraelms.org/rabbi/index.html" target="_blank">click here to read her bio</a> on their website. Below I've highlighted some of the points of our conversation they are not direct quotes unless noted with quotation marks. Though I asked direct questions it was more of a conversation that at times jumped topics a bit which was great. I wrote down as much as I could. (RC=Rabbi Cohen)<br />
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<b>What is Reform Judaism?</b><br />
RC: There are essentially three different branches:<br />
1. Orthodox-Believe both Hebrew scripture and Oral Traditions are from God<br />
2. Reform: Which began in the 19th century as Judaism was trying to adapt and be relevant to the needs of the day.<br />
3. Conservative: These felt that Reform Judaism had to some degree gone too far, and felt that there needed to be more of a middle ground between the Orthodox and Reform movements.<br />
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Rabbi Cohen made an interesting point that it was not Reform(ed) but Reform. Reformed gives the meaning that it has achieved and reached a final point of reformation. Yet this is not the 'Reform' belief as they believe that it will continue.<br />
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Beth Israel is part of the Union for Reform Judaism. You can click <a href="http://urj.org/about/reform/whatisreform/" target="_blank">HERE</a> (this website will give you more info instead of me posting it all here:) and read what they say is Reform Judaism.<br />
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Part of the difference in Reform Judaism as stated by Rabbi Cohen and the just mentioned website. Is the fact that they were the first to ordain women Rabbi's. "First women ordained was in...1972" stated Rabbi Cohen. Their website also states, <span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Reform Jews are also committed to the full participation of gays and lesbians in synagogue life as well as society at large."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>How do you become a Rabbi?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">RC: You get a four year degree, then 5-6 years of graduate work (seminary). Spend a year in Israel. Pastoral care internship and mentoring. Also of course intensive text study in Hebrew.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Rabbi Cohen mentioned that at the end of seminary essentially they are ordained. Their graduation is in part an ordination service.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>What happens at a Reform Jewish service?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Beth Israel has two services. One is on Friday evening when Shabbat starts and the other, a more traditional service takes place on Saturday morning.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">RC: There is a fixed liturgy about 50/50 being in Hebrew and English (friday nights). There is Rabbinic and Biblical text . The themes of the service are creation, revelation (God's gift of Torah) and redemption (the exodus with some allusion to future redemption). We will have Sabbath prayers, personal prayers, silent prayer, prayer for healing, and mourners. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Music is a big part of the service. Rabbi Cohen mentioned the importance of the music in the service. The sermon (which lasts only 10-15min) may not always go well but if the music is good everything works out. Yet if the music is off, then the service didn't go well even if the sermon did. Most of the readings are set to music, its chanted or a melody. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">RC: In essence the service is lots of liturgy, 10-15min sermon, lots of singing. The service will last a little over an hour.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>At his point I asked RC about the Sabbath:</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Rabbi Cohen was obviously aware that I am a Seventh-day Adventist pastor. I spoke to her a little about our view of the Sabbath and then she gave me her perspective.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">RC: Sabbath is seen as a gift. "The Sabbath is the most important holiday. In the Hebrew Shabbat means to stop or cease not to rest." She went on to mention how the world would be if everyone would stop their work and spend time with family and God. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Rabbi Cohen mentioned many will celebrate Shabbat differently. "Some may not choose to come to the temple on Shabbat" Some may choose to spend it with their families at home or somewhere else. This is fine because it's in part what Shabbat is about. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">RC: "Judaism is complicated, multi-dimensional..."so it will vary what the Jewish person says the reasoning behind why one keeps the Sabbath. Yet the Sabbath as previously mentioned is obviously key. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>What is your belief in regards to what happens at death?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Rabbi Cohen mentioned some interesting points regarding this question but being as I've gone pretty long in this post. I will go with her short and simple answer:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">RC: There is basically three main answers:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">1. Nothing</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">2. I don't know-"most Jews don't know"</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">3. I don't care-"...just live your life now according to your understanding of God"</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">She mentioned and believes that there's really not a 'after life theology.'(in the Hebrews scriptures) It seems to have come mainly from Rabbinic writings.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>What is your view of Jesus?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Being the obvious fact that Jackson, MS has a high Christian culture and most I would venture to say believe in Jesus or have at least grown up hearing about Jesus. I thought it would be interesting to hear her perspective.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">RC: "Jesus was a man who had great vision, rebelled against the institution of the time and obviously was a Jew. He lived an observant life, was not a Rabbi, but was a good teacher/leader."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>In your time here have you had someone convert to Judaism?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">RC: Yes...(I then asked, 'How does one convert?)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">RC: "It's at least a year long process, must attend services, immerse yourself in the Jewish community." The individual will be mentored, must walk in the shoes of a Jew. (At this point I asked how does one know if they have walked in the shoes of a Jew?)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">RC: There is a ritual 'Beit Din' where three people sit with the conversion student to determine if they are ready. Finally they go through 'Mikvah' which is essentially baptism by emersion. Important note is that the individual is completely naked for the baptism. (yes you read that correctly, it is of course done very discretely) Men of course must be circumcised.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>Why I decided to meet with Rabbi Cohen?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">First I again want to thank Rabbi Cohen for meeting with me. I sensed in her a love and purity for what she does and the community she ministers too. I learned a lot more than what I could possibly write in this one post. If I by chance mentioned and/or quoted something incorrectly I hope she will let me know and I will correct. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Here are three quick reasons why I took this initiative:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">1. I want to learn and interact more with my community. As mentioned Beth Israel has been around a long time, they have done much in the Jackson, MS community. I/we as a church can learn from that.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">2. I enjoy interacting with others of different faiths (not just different denominations). It's great to be able to discuss, learn, and fellowship with other spiritual leaders.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">3. I want people to know who Seventh-day Adventist are: In this context I'm not saying it in a way as to proselytize the people I meet but to get to know a bit of the individual, their beliefs and enter into a faith dialogue. Rabbi Cohen also had some great questions for me and what I believed. We simply had a great discussion. She was honest with me as she mentioned that fact that at first knowing a 'Seventh-day Adventist' was keeping she wasn't sure what to expect and didn't know a lot about us specifically. Yet know she knows a little more about who are Seventh-day Adventist as I know a lot more about Reform Judaism. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;"> So I know this was one of my longer posts', but I hope that you were blessed and perhaps it might lead you to get to know (if you haven't already) more people in your community that are different than you. I'm not planning on stopping here as I want to hopefully interview several other faith leaders in my community.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">Would love to hear what you think...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">Javi</span><br />
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<br />Javierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01675905638014528039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93932113735432597.post-16288906548246464552012-03-12T15:09:00.000-05:002012-03-12T15:09:29.772-05:00Ed's Story: Following JesusA few days ago the video below caught my eye on CNN. As I looked into who Ed was as It seemed that I had heard/seen him before, I realized that he was the person that wrote <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Year-Living-like-Jesus-Discovering/dp/0310247772" target="_blank">"The Year of Living Like Jesus"</a> A book I had wanted to read several years ago when it was released but honestly never got around to actually putting it on my 'to read' list.<br />
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Then when I saw this short video, it spoke to me. I hope you take a moment (video's less than 10min.) to watch and listen carefully to what Ed mentions in the video.<br />
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Lately, perhaps more than ever in my life as a follower of Jesus I've been wrestling with what it really means to 'follow Jesus.'<br />
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So what does it mean for you to follow Jesus? Do you feel, believe that you are following Jesus as He would would want?<br />
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JaviJavierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01675905638014528039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93932113735432597.post-52148492197975813692012-02-29T14:42:00.000-06:002012-02-29T14:42:50.862-06:00I Hope You Fail<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Have you ever been told, "I was hoping you failed?" Or perhaps someone didn't directly make a comment like that, but by their actions and words you instinctively knew they hoped you failed at whatever you were setting out to accomplish.<br />
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When it happens in the secular world, one can understand, when it happens in the Christian world it's...well...unChristian.<br />
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Now let's clarify, we're not talking about setting out to do that which is unbiblical, but going forward in following God's call to reach people for the Kingdom.<br />
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Sometime ago I was on the receiving end of statements and/or implications as mentioned above. As a leader people are going to talk about you, sometimes good, sometimes not so good. Yet when I heard this I have to admit I was a bit shocked. It was simply stated, sad.<br />
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Essentially the sentiment went like this. I hope you fail so that I can be right because I don't like how your doing things. So I hope you fail because it's more important that I'm right and you're pride is torn down.<br />
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Again those weren't the exact words mentioned but without a doubt implied (how I felt).<br />
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Wanting anyone to fail as they set out in ministry, in an earnest and intentional manner to win people for God's kingdom is for lack of a word wrong. Here's what I've observed though:<br />
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1. People want you to fail because you're not doing things the way they want you to do them. So if you fail they can tell you, 'see it didn't work'<br />
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2. People want you to fail because it makes them feel better about their own failures. They'll be like, 'hey you see he/she failed so they're not better than me'<br />
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3. People want you to fail because they're jealous.<br />
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4. People want you to fail because they simply don't like you.<br />
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This is not always the case but I've also noticed that people who want others to fail is often because they aren't doing much themselves and are probably afraid to try and well...fail. Personally I prefer to try and fail then to sit down and never try anything to increase God's glory and His kingdom.<br />
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The book of Acts has a great line by a well respected person named Gamaliel. Here's what he said to the council that was frustrated with Peter and the others preaching Jesus.<br />
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"And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it, lest you even be found to fight against God." (Acts 5:38,39 NKJV)</blockquote>
Gamaliel was right, God is in control. There have been times when I and others have set out to do something for God and it has not worked out the way we would have like and other times when amazingly we felt we didn't do 'enough' and yet God blessed.<br />
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Ultimately God will bless what He will bless! If something we are doing isn't proving to be what we had hoped, then surely we need to re-evaluate (pray, have discussions, etc.). We should always be evaluating what we are doing (even if what one is doing is being blessed) as a church locally as well as an institution/denomination.<br />
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You see the reality is that we don't always know what God is going to bless or not bless. Therefore we must move forward knowing that failure is a risk we must take. Also we must not forget that sometimes what in human eyes may seem as a failure actually works out to be the greatest success ever imagined.<br />
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When Jesus hung on the cross it may have seemed as failure but praise God that it was THE greatest success story in the history of the universe.<br />
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I don't know who said it but I recently read this quote:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"In order to succeed you first must be willing to fail"</blockquote>
So I hope you fail...<br />
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Javi<br />
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<br />Javierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01675905638014528039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93932113735432597.post-79513846195109705892012-02-04T16:08:00.000-06:002012-02-04T16:08:17.269-06:00Christian videos gone viral-(Videos)<div style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.wylio.com/credits/flickr/2761021" title="license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/ - click to view more info about 'Kanazawa jesus' or find free 'Jesus ' pictures via Wylio"><img alt="'Kanazawa jesus' photo (c) 2004, Chris Gladis - license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/" height="526" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-dbiWFzFDieI/Ty2rOCeQQqI/AAAAAAAAAfo/nFw0YRYjhVM/Flickr-2761021.jpg" style="float: none; margin: 10px auto;" width="410" /></a></div>
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Jefferson Bethke. Perhaps you've already seen both of his YouTube videos that have gone viral. If I'm not mistaken he attends/is a member of <a href="http://marshill.com/" target="_blank">Mars Hill church</a> pastored by well known Mark Driscoll.<br />
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The first video he made has been seen over 18 million times in less than a month. The second video on the subject of sex and marriage has been seen over 3 million times. The videos though haven't gone, of course, without it's critics.<br />
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Also check out <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jeffersonbethkepage?sk=wall" target="_blank">Jefferson Bethke's Facebook page</a>.<br />
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Watch the videos and let me know what you think.<br />
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JaviJavierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01675905638014528039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93932113735432597.post-29942361230548542872012-01-31T23:34:00.000-06:002012-01-31T23:34:42.912-06:00Family Guy, Adventist & The Sabbath<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS8il6i8dHdzuXIs-Ucv19kWx7_4GAvtBKBqvRGMMDls6iDp00m_3IdlFSTn4lP_E98bLfAzNPrPlfRHkubAQ2gkMPUYf1EQthdFxSSDsxuPL87erFH08U-rhOF_BDyqGkebPIrgi6VoE/s1600/Lord+of+the+Sabbath_T_nv.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS8il6i8dHdzuXIs-Ucv19kWx7_4GAvtBKBqvRGMMDls6iDp00m_3IdlFSTn4lP_E98bLfAzNPrPlfRHkubAQ2gkMPUYf1EQthdFxSSDsxuPL87erFH08U-rhOF_BDyqGkebPIrgi6VoE/s400/Lord+of+the+Sabbath_T_nv.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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By now it's made it's way through the social media sites, blogs, emails, and word of mouth. What I'm talking about is the video below from the television show 'Family Guy' I first saw it on <i><a href="http://www.asabbathblog.com/2012/01/family-guy-calls-adventists-crazy.html" target="_blank">A Sabbath Blog</a> </i>check out the blog to get some background and how some Adventist reacted.<br />
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One of the issues brought up from the video is the fact that the Sabbath the only difference between Adventist and Methodist (and evangelicals as a whole). A colleague of mine Pastor Shawn Brace wrote a good blog post (click <a href="http://newenglandpastor.blogspot.com/2012/01/is-only-difference-sabbath.html" target="_blank">HERE</a> to read it) pointing out and expanding on the issue. He makes some great points.<br />
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Allow me to expand on the question:<br />
Is the Sabbath the only difference between Adventist and Evangelicals?<br />
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Let me start by affirming much of what Pastor Brace stated in his blog. We as Adventist along with Evangelicals believe that we are saved by grace alone through faith in Jesus. With that said we have various other beliefs (as he stated only some were mentioned) that differ from evangelicals.<br />
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I've been a minister for nearly 10 years. Except for two of those years in Seminary I have spent them all pastoring in the bible belt. Meeting some incredible people many of them faithful Christians (of different denominations) and also some great folks who are not Christians.<br />
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I obviously love theology but the reality is that most Christians (again speaking in general) really aren't living their lives focused on the theological issues/differences. Many Adventist can't really explain the investigative judgement, the nature of God, and the nature of man (though Adventist are clear about not have an immortal soul) and how that applies to the death of Christ. Be clear these are some of the differences, they're important, and should be taught.<br />
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I get asked often what is the difference between Adventist and Evangelicals. Honestly most of the time what ends up being the main 'issue' or point of discussion is...you guessed it the 'Sabbath.'<br />
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Though some speak of 'our Adventist' gospel being 'deeper', 'wider in scope', 'complete' and many other words that are used. I've met some incredible Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterians, and other Christians that have been transformed an incredible ways. The gospel of Jesus that He came, died for our sins, and resurrected so that we now have an incredible hope, joy, and power to overcome in Him I've seen change lives of people from these different Christian denominations though they may not know all the deep theological issues! Praise the Lord! The gospel is simple though not simplistic.<br />
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Surely as an Adventist we'll talk about the issue of what happens when you die which is a big one where I live (and for many) everlasting hell (which we've covered in the blog before and do not believe hell last forever) along with the others mentioned above. BUT the Sabbath at the end of the day is to some degree the most practical one (along with being deep theologically).<br />
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So although we may have 'other' differences than the Sabbath with Evangelicals. I would venture to say that without neglecting the others, the Sabbath holds a very special place and it should.<br />
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You see though I've already gone longer than I'd like allow me to briefly explain why the Sabbath is perhaps (I know this can be debatable) the greatest difference we have. At the very least one of the greatest. For sure I would say the greatest difference in praxis.<br />
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1. Adventist for the most part keep the Sabbath as sacred. Therefore we keep it more than just a day we go to church for a few hours, as many Christians keep Sunday. We keep it from sundown Friday until sundown Saturday and devote that time to our God, the family God has given us and the goodness and love that God has bestowed upon us.<br />
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2. We believe the Sabbath will play a key role before Jesus comes in all of His glory.<br />
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3. The Seventh-day Sabbath reminds us that Jesus Himself created us and then rested after creation (don't think Exodus commandments yet, think Genesis 2:2) on the 7th day. Hence it leads us to know that we are created beings, awaiting our Creator who has recreated our hearts and will recreate all things by making them new (our bodies and the world we'll live in!).<br />
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So when people ask me: What's the difference between Seventh-day Adventist and "___" yes one of the very first things I say is "we worship on Sabbath..."<br />
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And no I've yet to get a response like the Methodist in the Family Guy clip :-)<br />
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What do you think, is the Sabbath one of the greatest differences?<br />
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JaviJavierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01675905638014528039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93932113735432597.post-51617743520919339802012-01-23T11:54:00.000-06:002012-01-23T11:54:46.478-06:00Fudge & The Doctrine of HellWould an all loving God torment people in hell forever? It's a question that many sincere, bible believing Christians have asked, wondered and pondered about.<br />
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Recently I had the privilege to hear and meet Mr. Edward Fudge. Mr. Fudge is known for writing a book that would essentially change his life and that of many that have truly wanted to seek and find truth regarding the topic of hell. The book is entitled: The Fire That Consumes (Click <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fire-That-Consumes-Historical-ebook/dp/B0054M8UBK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1327340533&sr=8-2" target="_blank">HERE</a> to buy the digital book) and was first published in 1982 after he was contacted to search what the bible truly says about hell. It is one of the most profound books on the topic of hell.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1UY9SyxtNqfFK5ac9tjSSDB3NAIHVmrqyYNsRezyXDjFXNmlaeUo9LDrFPJPFJCDv0RmJFHOAFCQSZzxgBXh13Sv9eckKu4FzJYl9PGaRzLHp8SgUWLdqMb17ETIv6-LPQQiU5lvHloU/s1600/Fudge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1UY9SyxtNqfFK5ac9tjSSDB3NAIHVmrqyYNsRezyXDjFXNmlaeUo9LDrFPJPFJCDv0RmJFHOAFCQSZzxgBXh13Sv9eckKu4FzJYl9PGaRzLHp8SgUWLdqMb17ETIv6-LPQQiU5lvHloU/s400/Fudge.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Author of The Fire That Consumes Edward Fudge and Me.</td></tr>
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Obviously the book has been out for some time and is now in its third printing. Yet it caused a stir in the evangelical world when it first came out (and to some extent still does) because most evangelical Christians believed and still believe that hell was/is a place of eternal torment where God puts people that oppose him after they die or when Jesus comes again and makes all things new, they would stay in hell burning eternally.<br />
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When Rob Bell's book Love Wins came out, I did a series of posts', in one of them I stated in short what I, we believe as Seventh-day Adventist Christians. You can click <a href="http://bathosdeeper.blogspot.com/2011/03/rob-bell-heaven-hell-and-salvation-pt2.html" target="_blank">HERE</a> to read the post.<br />
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Essentially though I believe as Mr. Fudge that there will not be an eternal, never ending hell that God puts people in. Some may find surprising that there are several scholars, some well known that also believe the same that are not Seventh-day Adventist. Below is a recent lecture given by Mr. Fudge on the topic. If you have time it will be worth your while to check it out!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/oHUPpmbTOV4?rel=0" width="550"></iframe><br />
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Also you'll be interested to know that there is a movie coming sometime this year regarding the struggles that emerged as he became submerged in the study of hell. Check out the movie trailer:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="338" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/29758223?byline=0&portrait=0&color=fae788" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="550"></iframe><br />
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I praise God for his leading in the research by Mr. Fudge. This doctrine of eternal hell gives a dark, malice picture of God. God is love, He does want all to be saved (sadly many will choose not too be saved), all to come and know His great love for you!<br />
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Let me know what you think...<br />
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JaviJavierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01675905638014528039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93932113735432597.post-55604897384630590792012-01-16T10:52:00.000-06:002012-01-31T20:15:14.878-06:00In Honor of: M.L. King Jr.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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To a great degree he changed history and/or some have said he made history. This weekend the life of Martin Luther King jr. is celebrated. In reality his dream is celebrated. The dream that all men are created equal and therefore all should be treated the same. Below are some incredible quotes from Mr. King taken from <a href="http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Martin_Luther_King_Jr.">this website</a>.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 19px;">"Now, I say to you today my friends, even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: - 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'"</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 19px;">"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 19px;">"Segregation is the adultery of an illicit intercourse between injustice and immorality."</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 19px;">"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 19px;">"Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men."</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 19px;">"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 19px;">Below is a clip of one of my favorite speeches, which was given shortly before he was assassinated. </span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="451" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/18843363?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0&color=ffffff" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="550"></iframe><br />
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What are your thoughts about the life and works of Martin Luther King Jr. has his dream been realized?<br />
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JaviJavierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01675905638014528039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93932113735432597.post-90437779670600562112012-01-07T16:44:00.000-06:002012-01-31T20:15:39.680-06:00Ever feel like quitting? (Video)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The first week of 2012 is in the history books. Do you already feel like quitting on some of your resolutions?<br />
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Forget about resolutions, at some juncture during 2012 you will most likely feel the need to quit. I hope this video gives you a little inspiration. Always give it all you got until you honestly can say I got no more.<br />
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Watch the short video below and let me hear from you...<br />
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JaviJavierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01675905638014528039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93932113735432597.post-50358854284969178062012-01-01T10:41:00.000-06:002012-01-01T10:41:09.997-06:00Happy New Year-2012!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Wishing everyone a great 2012!</div>
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My new years resolution: </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">JESUS</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">nothing more~nothing less</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">JESUS</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">all</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Will you join me?</span></div>
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Javi</div>Javierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01675905638014528039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93932113735432597.post-6137866300475643552011-12-26T23:42:00.000-06:002011-12-28T09:44:04.769-06:00Evangelism: Methods, myths, mandate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've been contemplating evangelism. It's an often used word in the evangelical world. I read <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/story/2011-12-25/religion-god-atheism-so-what/52195274/1">this article</a> on Christmas morning and it got me thinking even more about...evangelism. Then I read <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/story/2011-09-14/america-religious-denominations/50376288/1">this article</a> where Barna (a Christian research group) is quoted as saying,<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; text-align: left;">"We are a designer society. We want everything customized to our personal needs — our clothing, our food, our education," he says. Now it's our religion.</span></blockquote>
Recently (this past Oct.) the Seventh-day Adventist church, the denomination in which I am a pastor, at it's annual meetings approved an initiative (click <a href="https://docs.google.com/open?id=1aZAcUhj69cW_WCjBZH-Z_GO72LrAtToXK8WEqItGuauEV4aHa1MWe_tVeT2c" target="_blank">HERE</a> to read the document) to focus our evangelistic efforts in the big cities where statistics show an increasing amount of people are living. There is also an ongoing effort called '<a href="http://www.nadadventist.org/article.php?id=658" target="_blank">Reach North America</a>' which also has a focus on big cities.<br />
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Allow me to pause for a moment though and expand on this word 'evangelism.' No I'm not going to give you the Greek root word and then proceed to show you how it's used in the New Testament. In practical ways this word is defined broadly but at the same time it has also been implied in a narrow way.<br />
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Within Adventism to some degree when people here the word evangelism they quickly jump to 'public evangelism' or maybe even knocking on doors, handing out literature or asking someone if they want bible studies.This may or may not be the case for you but obviously this is the narrow view.<br />
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If you have had a chance to read the articles mentioned at the start of this post from USA Today things need to change not simply how we define evangelism but more so how we go forth and live the word evangelism.<br />
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This is not shocking news to anyone but here goes. We are not the only ones reaching the big cities for Jesus. We (Adventist) may be having big plans for New York for 2013 and that's great. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/26/nyregion/southern-baptists-plan-new-churches-in-new-york-area.html?_r=2&src=tp" target="_blank">Here's an article</a> that came out in the New York Times about how Baptist are planting churches in New York. Again we (Adventist) all know we're not the only ones trying to reach people for Jesus in big cities.<br />
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I know, I know what some say. We have a special end time message. WE DO! The essence of this end time message though is Jesus' birth, life, death, resurrection, and His soon return to make all things new. As I mentioned in my previous post Jesus is the center of Revelation and Daniel as well.<br />
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I live in the Jackson, MS metro area (the biggest city in MS:). Within about 5 miles of my actual home there are about 7-8 different churches of 6 (give or take:) different denominations. Two of those churches have well over 1,000 members and the others range from small to medium size churches by what I see on Sunday mornings.<br />
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I lived for many years in Miami, FL and normally make a few trips a year to visit family (as I'm doing now). I consider it my home away from home. The culture in Miami, obviously is vastly different than Jackson, MS. Again, you may say tell me something I don't know. This past summer I visited San Francisco and again I'll state the obvious. The culture in San Francisco is different than Miami and worlds apart from Jackson, MS.<br />
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I'm not saying that one is better than the other. This is not the point. What is the point? <b>Evangelism is not simply about methods we use but lives that we share with those around us that express who and what we believe. </b><br />
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Often the methods of evangelism is debated within Adventist circles. Surely healthy discussions are welcomed. But lets be real, is there really a clear cut answer to how evangelism should be done? Especially with such different cultures in different areas? Public evangelism is not the answer, door to door is not the answer, the health message is not the answer. Having a certain type of music in one's worship service is not the answer. Saying we have truth is not the answer.<br />
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Please, after reading the above paragraph don't conclude that I'm saying we shouldn't have public evangelistic meetings, we should. That we shouldn't do door to door work, speak on health, have great music at our services, or speak truth in love. We should!<br />
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Yet hands down the greatest evangelism is not really a method. It's a way of living. Just like your New Years resolution diet is a method that most likely won't work, or at the very least will be temporary. If you make your New Years resolution part of your life, a way of living it will reap much greater results regardless of what it may be.<br />
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Again: <b>Evangelism is not simply about methods we use but lives that we share with those around us that express who and what we believe.</b><br />
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This is not ramming people with our beliefs or our version of Jesus says...but it is about living an intentional Christ centered life within the culture that we live.<br />
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We must stop living 7th day lives. We go to church on Sabbath, feel like we've accomplished something, perhaps even heard a good sermon that stirred us, or simply enjoyed the worship experience. This all lasted about an hour. Then what? What kind of life are you living in the light of who and what you believe?<br />
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Surely we live busy lives, but business is no excuse for Christlessness. People must work, go to school, take care of their kids, and do what ever else must be done. Are we doing it though with Christ centered intentionality? Jesus is not someone we only read about in a morning devotional that last at best 10minutes (if that) pray a little here and there (which is surely better than nothing) make our weekly appearance on our regular pew and then go about OUR business. Don't be fooled, no matter what you do, how people may view what you do within the context of societies value placement of careers/jobs, you are doing evangelism. Actually this is Jesus' plan. For you to live intentionally for HIM where ever and what ever you may be doing.<br />
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You see everyday Christians, Seventh-day Adventist Christians are evangelist's, are doing evangelism. Whether they realize it or not. People will evaluate our Jesus by the way we live out our lives. Evangelism is taking place all the time. The question is what kind of an evangelist are we?<br />
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Here's some questions (add your own as well) I believe we must all ask ourselves not only as this year is about to end but as evangelism is constantly taking place.<br />
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1. Are you living intentionally for Jesus?<br />
2. How much time are you really spending in communion with Jesus?<br />
3. I'm I really following Jesus in living the life He would have me?<br />
4. What areas of my life is Jesus calling me to reevaluate and change?<br />
5. What can I do to help my church and my community?<br />
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We live in an ever changing world, called to proclaim an ever UN-changing Christ. There is none like Him. He has chosen you and me to be His representatives in what ever place you may be, home, work, school, among family and friends. What kind of evangelism are you doing?<br />
What kind of evangelist have you been this year?<br />
What kind of evangelist will you be in 2012?<br />
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<b>Evangelism is not simply about methods we use but lives that we share with those around us that express who and what we believe.</b><br />
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Javi<br />
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<br /></div>Javierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01675905638014528039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93932113735432597.post-3648309928675403882011-11-29T08:39:00.001-06:002011-11-29T09:40:11.603-06:00Bible Prophecy: Then What?People from a prophetic origen. That's who we are. Whether one views themselves as conservative, liberal, or middle of the road Seventh-day Adventist, we can all agree on one thing. Seventh-day Adventist historically rose out of a group of people that were interpreting bible prophecy.<br />
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We hold public evangelistic meetings throughout the world, expounding our prophetic beliefs in hopes that some will listen. We haven't gone without detractors. People state we speak to much against the Catholic church, 666, doomsday preaching, Jesus is an endnote instead of the center of all prophecy and perhaps a host of other points that have been brought to our attention whether we want to hear it or not.<br />
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To some extent (in a general sense) some of what has been said against us is true. There have been and are some leaders, Seventh-day Adventist church members that have done are doing some of the previously mentioned 'detractions' to some degree hurting the message instead of helping it.<br />
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With that said, prophecy is obviously still important. We believe that Jesus is coming soon, that before He comes this wonderful country will speak like a dragon. That the Catholic church will play a role in last day events and the Sabbath vs. Sunday issue will be a key component, again at some point before Jesus comes.<br />
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The problem though is not with bible prophecy but what we do once we've understood the prophecies. You see the prophecies/Bible tells us some of <i>what</i> will happen before Jesus comes but not exactly <i>how</i> it will happen and obviously it doesn't necessarily tell us exactly when. Surely we have <i>signs</i>, but we've been having signs for sometime now and some see nearly every catastrophe or Catholic statement as a sign (ok I may be exaggerating a little to make a point:).<br />
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Surely we must be vigilant but not vigilantes. We should keep up with news that relates to prophecy (here's an <a href="http://www.adventistreview.org/article.php?id=2720">interesting article</a> by a friend and professor from the seminary I attended) but not relate conspiracy theories as last day event facts.<br />
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We must be honest, sometimes bible prophecy draws a certain type of crowd. Those honestly seeking to know about bible prophecy but also those who will ultimately focus more on the prophecies themselves and how everything will play itself out and not really factor in Jesus. The one giving the prophecy. Revelation is the revelation of Jesus, right?<br />
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You see ultimately once we've heard and understood the prophecies, then what? What does that do for our every day walk with Jesus? How should that change our lives?<br />
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Let me know what you think...<br />
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Javi<br />
<br />Javierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01675905638014528039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93932113735432597.post-64668832058050280812011-11-02T23:38:00.000-05:002011-11-02T23:38:19.029-05:00The Essence Of Living<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">How are you living?</span><div>
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This week has been one of those weeks that has truly made me reflect on this question. This past Sunday I received news that three freshman college students had died returning to school (University of Mississippi) there was no alcohol nor drugs involved according to police, just a tragic accident.</div>
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The story which obviously drew much attention and made local headlines was devastating news to one of our young people (and his family) in my church. He grew up with these boys and one was like his brother. </div>
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The same day that thousands were paying there respects and saying there farewells to these three men, I was performing a funeral service for a man who had lived to be 87 years old.</div>
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How do we explain this? It's the age old question, one that we just don't have an answer for. Why God would allow three young men to die and devastate an entire community and others live well into there late 80's.</div>
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Then as I was preparing for the committal these words came to my mind (don't remember where it came from or who may have said it):</div>
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<b>"The essence of man is not simply about how <i>long</i> we live but how <i>well</i> we live." </b></div>
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As Christians we understand that our faith must be in Jesus even in times when we don't have an explanation, or at least not one that will perhaps satisfy us. We live in an imperfect world, a world of sin, which we believe that Jesus will one day come and make things new.</div>
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Yet in the mean time...Are we living well?</div>
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Are we living well with our family? Are we living well with our friends? Our neighbors? Are we living well with our church family (if you go to church)? </div>
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Above all, are we living well before God?</div>
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I don't know how long it will be until Jesus comes (we've been saying soon for a long time), I don't know how long I will live. Yet there is something that I know. </div>
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I want to live well...</div>
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What about you?</div>
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Javi</div>
</div>Javierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01675905638014528039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93932113735432597.post-86302219081310412742011-10-15T17:19:00.000-05:002011-10-15T17:19:50.697-05:00My Journey to 26.2: The Finish Line! Pt.3Well I know it's taken me longer than I would have liked, to write the last part to this three part series (check out <a href="http://bathosdeeper.blogspot.com/2011/09/my-journey-to-262.html">Pt.1</a> & <a href="http://pt.2http//bathosdeeper.blogspot.com/2011/09/my-journey-to-262-part-2.html">Pt.2</a>) regarding my experience running a marathon last month.<br />
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Honestly I had started a draft, last month! Yet after reading it, I decided to actually start all over.<br />
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Here goes...<br />
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It was race day! The race would begin at 5a.m. even though I never got up once in all my training to run at this time! I was up by 3:30a.m. the adrenaline was pumping! I was glad to have some friends come, along with my wife of course there with me. Made a difference to have their support!<br />
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We arrived to encounter the nearly 600 people that would join me in running (or I them:). The excitement inside of me was now really high. Yet I kept reminding myself to run my race, stick to my game plan and let nothing nor anyone deviate me from running my race.<br />
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It was obviously dark but several folks, including myself had little flashlights. I was in the middle of the pack sticking to my pace, watching my heart rate and relying on God for endurance and an ITB syndrome free run! Another concern was the weather. It was expected that it would rain, though as the race began it wasn't raining. But it would come!<br />
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I really have to praise God, because as I began to run I just fell into my zone as they say. It was like taking one of my long runs before my injury. Actually it felt a bit smoother because it wasn't as hot or humid and I had trained a lot in very hot and humide weather (easy to do in MS:)<br />
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I essentially broke up the race into four parts (mentally): 0-6.5m; 13m (half way), 19-20m, finish line. I felt that this was more of a mental thing for me. I tried to not focus on the finish line, nor mile 20 where many talk about the 'wall' (felt that when I did 26.2 on the treadmill!). I simply thought, "keep strong to 6.5m, then only think about 13.1" and so on. Call it what you want but it works for me.<br />
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Amazingly at the half way mark I was feeling good with no ITBS pain! It was raining on and off and though I had good running socks and even applied powder to help prevent blisters. The rain, the wet roads, naturally had my feet wet. Therefore, I could feel a blister forming but simply asked God for help and ignored it. Nothing I could do, plus it wasn't really hurting too bad.<br />
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My wife and friends were going to meet me at the half way mark, but I got there before them :) so when they realized that I must have come and gone they went out looking for me. They finally found me at around mile 19. Friends by this time I was feeling it and I was going up a hill. Sure it wasn't a very steep one but at nearly 20 miles this is where training was paying off!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pushing up the last hill on mile 19<br /></td></tr>
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They cheered me on and that lifted my spirits. For the most part I had kept to myself through out the entire race (did speak to one guy a few words) and now I was aiming for the finish line. I was really beginning to feel it as I was approaching the last water station (about mile 24). I had picked up my pace a bit for several miles (trying to have a negative split, last half faster than the first) and now I was paying for it. I made sure to drink water and gatorade at the last water station. Now I was really speaking to myself and saying "2 more miles Javi, that's nothing!"<br />
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By mile 25 my ITB wasn't hurting praise God but the thighs were simply burning yet I kept pushing, only 1 mile left and the rain began to pour down! I made the turn toward the finish line and though I was tired I kept pushing and even sped up the last 200 yards or so to the finish line!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">26.2 done!<br /></td></tr>
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I've been involved in competitive sports for a good part of my life (basketball, baseball, softball leagues, intramural football etc.) I've been part of 3 mens softball teams that won it all. Yet there was something special, at least for me, in finishing a marathon different from other sports.<br />
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No doubt that the parallels (of running a marathon) to one's spiritual life are many:<br />
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1. Proper preparation is important~~It is the same with our spiritual lives.<br />
2. Having folks cheering you on helps~~Community and fellowship is a necessity in our spiritual journey.<br />
3. Running a marathon is not just physical it's highly mental~~the spiritual life is a battle for the mind<br />
4. Training for a marathon or other endurance sports you will encounter some tough times, don't get discouraged, stay focused~~our spiritual life is no different, we'll get discouraged, yet we must keep our focus on Jesus!<br />
5. When you sense the finish line is so close you can see it, you will be revived and do what it takes to finish~~Jesus is coming soon, the finish line we can almost see, trust in Him, hold on to Him and He will take you to the finish.<br />
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It's been over a month now. I already have another marathon set for next February. I'm still battling some injuries but I've learned and I'm not giving up. I hope to run several more marathons (beyond next Feb.) and I'm beginning to train for an Iron Man (no date for that).<br />
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Along the way though, one of the greatest reminders (as previously mentioned) is to fully depend on Jesus in all things. As I mentioned in Pt. 2 my identity is found in Him not in running or anything else. Everyone that finishes a marathon is called a 'marathoner'. I'd rather be known as a committed follower of Jesus, who finished the race and helped many along the way to also finish and finish strong...<br />
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JaviJavierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01675905638014528039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93932113735432597.post-42677248866515389572011-09-17T18:53:00.000-05:002011-09-17T18:53:55.610-05:00My Journey to 26.2: Part 2In my <a href="http://bathosdeeper.blogspot.com/2011/09/my-journey-to-262.html">last post</a> I began to detail my journey to completing my first marathon. Some of my highs and lows, especially though when I was going through ITBS (see previous post). <div>
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The human body is incredible. Really. I believe now more than ever (actually always have:) that God in His omniscient way created humans with such specific and beautiful bodies (beauty in how they function) that, for lack of another word, it's just simply amazing. I also believe that we we're born to run. What I mean is that we we're not meant to be sedentary we we're meant to be active. Obviously the body needs rest, but even too much rest is actually unhealthy.</div>
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Yet being that this is not necessary a blog about running in particular (I'm contemplating starting one, should I?) I want to talk about what I left off in the first post. Some of the spiritual lessons I believe God was...well...teaching me and reminding me of...</div>
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Lessons learned:</div>
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1. <b>My identity is found in Jesus</b>: Some may be saying what? We live in a highly competitive world. Running as any sport is highly competitive. When I first started really pushing myself I began to 'tweet' some of the things I was doing. Quickly folks wanted to know how far, my time, and so on. I understand, it's part of it. Yet when I had to cut down drastically on the weekly mileage it was a huge hit to my ego. I will admit. I began to really look deep into myself and take a step back from all this training. The point: who I am is not based on what I can do as an avid runner, a pastor, or anything else. My identity, who I am, is determined by whose I am. I belong to Jesus, I have given my life to Jesus not because of what I do but because of what He has done. </div>
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I don't believe it's wrong in wanting to improve at your job, make more money, run faster, live a healthier life. But as Christians we must remember that our identity is not about our achievements, our suppose prowess in a certain sport, or what car we drive, or how big our house is. In the end, when Jesus comes none of this will be of any good to us. Only comprehending, understanding and realizing that are identity is found in HIM.</div>
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2. <b>Cross training</b>: Ok though I mentioned this is not a blog about running per se. I will speak a little about it here. As I was trying to shake off ITBS I needed to find ways to keep up my physical fitness without running. Ever runner knows the importance of cross training, such as swimming, biking, or even the elliptical (as long as you have no pain when doing it). Cross training saved me. In essence the last three months before the marathon I never ran more than 15miles in one day. This really wasn't ideal. Although I had obviously had many long runs of that distance and more before the injury, after, I was cautious. I wanted to make sure I wasn't flaring things back up when it came to ITBS. </div>
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I was specific, intentional, and consistant. Part of what I focused on was obviously keeping my heart rate at a certain level that was nearly the same as when I was running long distances. My thought was if I can keep my heart able to go fast for long periods of time, I could push my legs on through the pain during the race.</div>
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Too often Christians get stuck in a certain way of doing things. They may even blame everyone but themselves for their weak spiritual lives. I could of easy have said this ITBS is too much, I can't run, I'm done. Praise God I didn't , He help me find other ways to train for the same goal. There are so many ways in which God wants to use us. So many things that I believe He wants us to do, but sometimes we seem stuck in our one way of doing things, perhaps have a little 'pitty party' about our lives and become blind to the fact that in the midst of our problems God is calling us to perhaps change things up to accomplish His mission in ways we never thought possible.</div>
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3. <b>Trust in God: </b>Race day was only two weeks away. I decided to run a half marathon to see how the leg was doing. It did ok, though at the end I was feeling some discomfort, not a lot, but enough to keep me thinking. Along these lines my wife had to travel to San Francisco on business and I was going with her. I was a bit nervous that the week before the marathon, when all the pro's are saying to keep your routine, I was about to change things up a bit. Also in all my training I'm not the get up at 4a.m. guy to go exercise. Yet the race was starting at 5a.m. central time and I was spending most of the week before the race on pacific time!</div>
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By this point I just put it all in God's hands. This was important to me. I had trained, re-trained, changed several things in my personal life regarding health. I was putting it in God's hands. I let go...I enjoyed my time in San Fran., even ran up and down the wonderful hilly streets of San Francisco and loved it. </div>
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When we finally got home, race day was only three days away. By this time everyone at church knew I was running a marathon, my family back home knew, of course everyone asking, 'are you ready?' Deep inside I knew physically I was ready, but in the back of my mind I wondered would this dreaded ITBS pain return, since to some degree it still lingered....</div>
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stay tuned for part 3...the race!</div>
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Javi </div>
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Javierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01675905638014528039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93932113735432597.post-39763585862724063982011-09-12T16:37:00.000-05:002011-09-12T16:37:32.463-05:00My journey to 26.2I have always loved to exercise, and be active. It's a part of me. About two years ago I began to change my exercise regiment (that's for another blog theme:), which over time invigorated me and essentially in part lead me to start training to run a marathon.<br />
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To some degree I had always wanted to do it, but never really felt motivated to put in the time and effort it takes to be able to do it and do it with some form of success (at least in my eyes). Over the course of the training I lost about 20 pounds, began to eat better, drink a lot more water, and honestly was feeling better than I ever had in some time. Surely there were some aches and pains, blisters, and the losing of some toe nails. For many, those are just part of the running experience. Especially when you first start out.<br />
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For several months I was feeling what is called, 'runners high.' I was running 50-60miles a week like nothing, training in the very hot Mississippi weather, pushing my limits beyond what I had ever done before. At one point I even decided to go ahead and run the distance of a marathon (26.2miles) on a treadmill!<br />
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Then it happened...injury! It's called Iliotibial Band Syndrome. It is a superficial thickening of tissue that essentially goes from your hip to your knee. It's a common injury among runners for different reasons. This was an injury I honestly knew nothing about. I asked around, even asked a few folks that are runners about it but honestly got very little help. I obviously read more than my share of what this injury was about online and did get some answers.<br />
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I ended up seeing an orthopedic who is a knee specialist and was a runner, got some physical therapy, and did everything they said and then some. It helped, but the worse part about it, yet the most important part was I needed to stop running in order to really allow for the injury to heal. If you know anything about running and runners this is torture!<br />
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I was humbled, upset, and to some degree worried. By this time I had already registered for my first marathon and now I was thinking would I be able to do it now that I was sidelined. Sure I was still about three months away from the race, nonetheless going from 50-60miles a week to zero was physically and emotionally painful.<br />
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Yet during this time of trying to shake off ITB syndrome, is when I believe I began to learn not just more about the sport of endurance running but about what I believe God wanted me to learn.<br />
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Stay tuned for more on the journey...<br />
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JaviJavierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01675905638014528039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93932113735432597.post-82170950397048490032011-08-29T17:40:00.000-05:002011-08-29T18:01:26.320-05:00A Good or True_______Christian? Pt.2In my <a href="http://bathosdeeper.blogspot.com/2011/08/good-or-true-pt1.html">last post</a> we began to ask the question what does it mean, or what constitutes a good or true Seventh-day Adventist Christian? (or if you of a different denomination insert your particular faith).<br />
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Now I can't speak for any other faith, denomination but let's be honest. This question perhaps asked in different ways is one that many have asked or are asking but few have given in answer. I say few, but maybe there are more than what I realize that have given an answer, ultimately you will decide that.<br />
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It's interesting to me that Jesus in the gospels never called anyone to be a good or true...anything. Jesus called people to Himself. A true follower of Jesus was one who essentially died. They had died to self and become a fully committed follower of Jesus.<br />
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You see it is possible to be a <i>good</i> Seventh-day Adventist Christian (again you can insert your particular faith) and be a terrible example of what it means to follow Jesus. Yet it's impossible to be a <i>true</i> follower of Jesus and be a bad example of what it means to be a Seventh-day Adventist.<br />
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I know what some may be thinking. But is it ok to wear jewelry?! Don't I have to be a vegetarian? You may also say...'but a good and true Seventh-day Adventist won't do________on the Sabbath! Right?<br />
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I believe that when we respond to the call of Jesus and embark on a life journey with Him. One's life will change, we will begin to evaluate certain things that we are doing, saying, and simply over all how we're living in the light of our relationship with Jesus. To often when we begin to ask specific and even some may say non-essential questions regarding salvation our focus is more about what we have to do in order to be <i>more saved</i> (which is impossible, either we're saved or not) than what should we do <i>because we are saved</i> as followers of Jesus.<br />
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An elder of a church I pastored told me many years ago that the only reason he was a Seventh-day Adventist was because it was the closes 'religion' that followed the teachings of Jesus that he knew of. I'll let you decide where you stand on that...but I believe he was on to something.<br />
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So I know what some may be asking now ...What does a true follower of Jesus look like? Hopefully like the person reading this post...<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #f9fdff; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">"Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." (Matt. 16:24)</span></b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #f9fdff; color: #001320; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Javi</span><br />
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<br />Javierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01675905638014528039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93932113735432597.post-9611962178378227222011-08-20T17:48:00.000-05:002011-08-20T17:48:46.356-05:00A Good or True...? Pt.1I remember walking into the church and having a conversation with her. When I asked her, 'are you a Seventh-day Adventist?' She smiled at me, knowing why I had asked the question. She responded by stating that she was a Seventh-day Adventist even though she was wearing jewelry. I apologized, feeling that I had unintentionally stuck my foot in my mouth. She smiled again and really didn't seemed fazed by it, as if perhaps it had happened before. We had some small talk for a little longer and then went our separate ways.
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This incident happened to me many years ago while in college. I honestly wasn't trying in any way to sound or be judgmental, it simply was one of those times that one wish we would've just said 'Hello how are you?' and moved on. I've been asked before (not always in so many words) 'What constitutes a good or true Seventh-day Adventist Christian?
Is it that they (or most) don't wear jewelry? Don't smoke, drink (most don't), eat unclean foods? Many are vegetarians? They listen to the 'right' music (whatever that may be?) They keep the Sabbath? The ten commandments? We have the 'Three Angels message?' If they watch 3ABN, Amazing facts or the Hope Channel? All of the above? Or a combination of the above?
For those who read this blog and are not Seventh-day Adventist Christians insert your particular denomination if appropriate. What makes a good Methodist Christian? Baptist Christian?..... Growing up Seventh-day Adventist I often heard phrases such as, "a member in good and regular standing", 'they are good Adventist", "they are faithful to the Adventist message" I can go on but will stop there, I think you understand.
So let's dialogue, let's be honest, but lets be biblical. Are you a good or true Seventh-day Adventist Christian? Baptist? Methodist?...What does that mean?
Javi Javierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01675905638014528039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93932113735432597.post-8219056644161484002011-07-15T09:29:00.001-05:002011-07-15T09:33:43.165-05:00Beyond Belief?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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You may have watched Nightline or the Primetime Nightline special Beyone Belief. If not take a moment and watch some of the clips now if you can.<br />
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Essentially it was about the reported apparitions of Mary the mother of Jesus. To be fair and honest this is nothing new ever since I could remember I've heard of them especially growing up in Los Angeles.<br />
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During it's primetime show Nightline used social media, meaning they added what is called a hashtag (for those who may not know what it is) on Twitter so that people who are watching and wanted to tweet about it could see what others were saying. You can go on Twitter of course even today and do a search #beyondbelief (that's the hashtag) and see what everyone was saying.<br />
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The social media dynamic really adds a different twist being able to see instantly what so many people are thinking about the topic of whether one believes in the apparitions of the Virgin Mary. There were lots of tweets coming in as I was watching the show many believed, several Christians called on people to simply believe in Jesus, and of course you had your all out skeptics.<br />
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I tweeted:<br />
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<a class="tweet-url hashtag" href="http://twitter.com/search?q=%23beyondbelief" rel="nofollow" title="#beyondbelief">#beyondbelief</a> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">the dead know nothing: Eccl. 9:5 Mary is dead and they know nothing..</span>.<span class="timestamp"><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/javid21/status/91336957417881600" title="Thu Jul 14 02:43:22 +0000 2011">less than a minute ago</a> via <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/download/iphone" rel="nofollow">Twitter for iPhone</a> <a href="http://twitter.com/intent/favorite?tweet_id=91336957417881600"><img src="http://si0.twimg.com/images/dev/cms/intents/icons/favorite.png" /> Favorite</a> <a href="http://twitter.com/intent/retweet?tweet_id=91336957417881600"><img src="http://si0.twimg.com/images/dev/cms/intents/icons/retweet.png" /> Retweet</a> <a href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?in_reply_to=91336957417881600"><img src="http://si0.twimg.com/images/dev/cms/intents/icons/reply.png" /> Reply</a></span><span class="metadata"><span class="author"><a href="http://twitter.com/javid21"><img src="http://a3.twimg.com/profile_images/1434381538/Profile_pic_normal.jpg" /></a><strong><a href="http://twitter.com/javid21">Javier Diaz</a></strong><br />
javid21</span></span></div>
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I did get a response from what seemed to be a devout Catholic.<br />
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I have written <a href="http://bathosdeeper.blogspot.com/2011/03/rob-bell-heaven-hell-and-salvation-pt2.html">here</a> at Bathos about some of the foundational truth's that we as Seventh-day Adventist believe in. Before I continue I just want to say that I have respect for those who may believe in apparitions of the Virgin Mary in the same way I respect those who say they have no belief in anything spiritual except science.<br />
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With that said though, it is clear, at least to me that people (or at least the great majority of them) continue to believe that the dead are not actually dead but their spirit/soul lives on. Whether it's the Virgin Mary, uncle John who's in heaven or evil uncle Johnny who's haunting the family (please these are all generic names:-).<br />
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This belief that the dead are not really dead is the bottom line foundation to all of this. The Word of God, the Bible says other wise. (Click <a href="http://bathosdeeper.blogspot.com/2011/03/rob-bell-heaven-hell-and-salvation-pt2.html">HERE</a>)<br />
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It is important I would say now more than ever that this 'truth' that the dead know nothing be heavily proclaimed with love and sincerity. NOT that it wasn't in the past. Yet as one believes that the nearness of Jesus is closer everyday and more news, movies and or t.v. shows come out with the foundation that the dead are conscious in someway, we must proclaim the truth of the bible as it is in Jesus.<br />
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Surely Mary the mother of Jesus was blessed and as she stated in Luke 1:48 "...generations will call me blessed." Mary was blessed for she would give birth to the Savior of the world. The Savior that eventually would say, "For I have come down from heaven, no to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. this is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. <u><b>And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raie him up at the last day</b></u>." (John 6:38-40 NKJV).<br />
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Javi<br />
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<br />Javierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01675905638014528039noreply@blogger.com0