7.20.2011

Reinforced Habits

"Maybe your eating habits started at a young age. When you were good your parents may have rewarded you with candy or took you to your favorite fast food chain. You then began to associate junk food as something positive. Over time this became ingrained in your subconscious and you have continued this as an adult.

Now you treat yourself to ice cream, candy, greasy restaurants or nights of drinking every time you do well in life. Celebrations are an excuse to be unhealthy. You have to break this habit. Celebrating a positive time in your life with something that impacts you negatively is hardly a true celebration."


David Schenk

Sabbath

"The Sabbath is an act of rebellion against a world that is in rebellion against God."
David Schenk

7.18.2011

That's just Him

While traveling on the road of life
which is often congested with strife
If you make Jehovah Jireh
your driver
the number of accidents you incur will not be high

Those who do not read the Bible need to take heed
Because He is the God that provides your need
and if you become a rider
with Jehovah Jireh
your abundance will be great indeed

Because Emmanuel gives us grace
therefore the potholes on life's surface
maybe bad, but they serve a purpose

He's our Dad and when He hits our bod
with what we believe to be a punishment rod
But actually is an instrument of His unconditional love

Because He loved us, before we loved Him
and even though we sin
and He despises sin
He still is our best friend

Though the door to Him is narrow and satan is always trying to hit us with his deadly arrows
amd to survive the devil's attacks we must borrow
God's grace filled arrows

Because He loved us, before we loved Him
and even though we sin
and He despises sin
He still is our best friend
But why? ...because that's just Him.

-Nu Creation

In All Seriousness...

"Absolute seriousness is never without a dash of humor."
Dietrich Bonhoeffer

7.14.2011

Little 'c,' Big 'C' pt III

7.13.2011

Little 'c,' Big 'C' pt II

Perfect Imperfection!

"These christian-themed entertainment venues need to stop using the word "church" - it clearly confuses people."

This was a comment on the event documented in the Youtube video below...

7.12.2011

Church: Little 'c,' Big 'C'

7.05.2011

Resurrection Apologetics

NT Wright’s case for the resurrection has 3 parts:

1) The Jewish theological beliefs of the early Christian community underwent 7 mutations that are inexplicable apart from the bodily resurrection of Jesus

2) The un-refuted claims that the tomb was empty.

3) The post-mortem appearances of Jesus to individuals and groups, friends and foes.

"…the foundation of my argument for what happened at Easter is the reflection that this Jewish hope has undergone remarkable modifications or mutations within early Christianity, which can be plotted consistently right across the first two centuries. And these mutations are so striking, in an area of human experience where societies tend to be very conservative, that they force the historian… to ask, Why did they occur?


The mutations occur within a strictly Jewish context. The early Christians held firmly, like most of their Jewish contemporaries, to a two-step belief about the future: first, death and whatever lies immediately beyond; second, a new bodily existence in a newly remade world. ‘Resurrection’ is not a fancy word for ‘life after death’; it denotes life after ‘life after death’."

Here are the 7 mutations:

1) Christian theology of the afterlife mutates from multiples views (Judaism) to a single view: resurrection (Christianity). When you die, your soul goes off to wait in Sheol. On judgment day, the righteous dead get new resurrection bodies, identical to Jesus’ resurrection body.

2) The relative importance of the doctrine of resurrection changes from being peripheral (Judaism) to central (Christianity).

3) The idea of what the resurrection would be like goes from multiple views (Judaism) to a single view: an incorruptible, spiritually-oriented body composed of the material of the previous corruptible body (Christianity).

4) The timing of the resurrection changes from judgment day (Judaism) to a split between the resurrection of the Messiah right now and the resurrection of the rest of the righteous on judgment day (Christianity).

5) There is a new view of eschatology as collaboration with God to transform the world.

6) There is a new metaphorical concept of resurrection, referred to as being “born-again”.

7) There is a new association of the concept of resurrection to the Messiah. (The Messiah was not even supposed to die, and he certainly wasn’t supposed to rise again from the dead in a resurrected body!)

There are also other historical puzzles that are solved by postulating a bodily resurrection of Jesus.

1) Jewish people thought that the Messiah was not supposed to die. Although there were lots of (warrior) Messiahs running around at the time, whenever they got killed, their followers would abandon them. Why didn’t Jesus’ followers abandon him when he died?

2) If the early Christian church wanted to communicate that Jesus was special, despite his shameful death on the cross, they would have made up a story using the existing Jewish concept of exaltation. Applying the concept of bodily resurrection to a dead Messiah would be a radical departure from Jewish theology, when an invented exaltation was already available to do the job.

3) The early church became extremely reckless about sickness and death, taking care of people with communicable diseases and testifying about their faith in the face of torture and execution. Why did they scorn sickness and death?

4) The gospels, especially Mark, do not contain any embellishments and “theology historicized”. If they were made-up, there would have been events that had some connection to theological concepts. But the narratives are instead bare-bones: “Guy dies public death. People encounter same guy alive later.” Plain vanilla narrative.

5) The story of the women who were the first witnesses to the empty tomb cannot have been invented, because the testimony of women was inadmissable under almost all circumstances at that time. If the story were invented, they would have invented male discoverers of the tomb. Female discovers would have hampered conversion efforts.

6) There are almost no legendary embellishments in the gospels, while there are plenty in the later gnostic forgeries. No crowds of singing angels, no talking crosses, and no booming voices from the clouds.

7) There is no mention of the future hope of the general resurrection, which I guess they thought was imminent anyway.

7.03.2011

On the Inside

my favorite Bible verse of all
is what Israel's last judge said 2 King Saul
"What is this bleating of sheep I hear?"
which suddenly ensued Saul w/ fear
he knew he did not listen 2 God's Word
instead, the complaining of his men is what he heard
he even went as far as 2 try 2 fool God's prophet
w/ a false emphatic sacrifice, which he knew was not proper
N order 2 B God's anointed King of Israel
it is Yahweh, not men, he should have feared
because mortals
can falter
but 2 attributes of God R, omniscience & 2 B omnipotent
which means not only R His commands powerful, but always legit.

some believe I talk a good talk
but walk a bad walk
some believe that this extremely flawed Christian has no spiritual growth
but those who knew Nu B4 coming out of the water knows
she is definitely not the person she used 2 B
because "I said something, she did not like & she didn't slap the 7734 out of me"
& yes I got N2 a fight w/ God @ Wegmans UC
because He made me purchase $25.00 worth of food just 4 me
& yes U do not like some of the things I say
but the majority of the time when I offend, it's out of ignorance not hate
I know I'm not a perfecter
& if I think I am I need 2 take U 2 my leader
because 2 err is human not divine
& I know I'm definitely a member of mankind

& yes, it is true, I need 2 read my Bible more
& yes, it is true, I need 2 pray more
& yes, it is true, I need 2 seek God more
& yes, it is true, I need 2 luv more

But when I fall down, I dust myself off & get back up
Because I've totally torn the Bible up
& I've come 2 the same conclusion, Jehovah always fills my cup
Usually, I put others B4 myself
I'm usually willing 2 volunteer &/or help
U may think my attitude & speech
Is a little bit 2 street

I feel
I do not have time 2 unpeel
& think of a nice way 2 reveal
that God's luv is a true thrill
Because it's a war & Satan's out 2 destroy & kill

The young ones think a funeral is like a high, a rush
Lucifer has even romanticized death, w/ your likeness immortalized w/ an airbrush
If only they would open their eyes & use that organ N their head
& realize there's no honor or respect N dying just 2 B dead
I might not show it, but it tears me up
That the ones on the street think sin is the only way 2 fill their cup
I have a good heart & my Lord knows it
Even when I'm N the middle of a conniption fit
So I say this w/ truth & not w/ pride
I am fearfully & wonderfully made, but on the inside

- Nu Creation

From Nazareth

All who knew me back N the day
When I use 2 bang N such evil ways
Now they ask, "Nu who ya hanging w/?"
The leader of my posse is the bro from Nazareth

Yo, U don't want 2 mess w/ this bro
He'll make every knee bow 2 the floor
This homeboy don't take no crap
His M.O. is 2 hit 'cha w/ a spiritual slap

If U think His rep is bad
Ever heard, the rep of His Dad?
The best banger history ever had
The crew He had was hard & tight
He commanded millions of Israelites

Rahab's peeps called Him a mighty God
That explains why the walls crumbled down
The Jericho battle He easily won
The Dad is good & so is the Son

Honestly, I must confess
His Dad will put U thru a holy test
This homeboy is ow so bad
Son of the best banger history ever had
U can C why His Pop's #1
The Dad is good & so is the Son

Now, let's back-up 2 this Rahab girl
She became and ancestor of the Savior of the World
She gave up her evil ways
Because of the Bible she'll B remembered always

Remember when Paul was Saul
& how he was Stephen's pitfall
But the NT, he wrote almost all
It doesn't matter who U used 2 B
Thats my point, this part of the story
It doesn't matter who U was
Believers R related 2 King Jesus
Because w/ Jesus. the battle is won
God made Him the chosen one

So the next time someone ask, "who ya hanging w/?"
Respond w/ the bro from Nazareth

- Nu Creation

Terri Lee

I'm so glad my "Ace Coom"
made it 2 the "rooms"
No drug, no beer
She's celebrating 9 years

I miss Ma Sharp
David's playing her his harp
She's looking down on U
w/ luv only a Mom could
She's so proud of her Terri Lee
Who would have thought, 9 years sobriety

Now Ma dwells N a heavenly neighborhood
But God takes bad & turns it 2 good
Because of His loving grace
Terri can C her "Ace Coom's" face
Because the day Ma left this earth
God gave Daryn a rebirth
Ma is looking down, proud of U
& so am I 2
Becasue N the end, U can C
God also gave a rebirth 2 Terri Lee

-Nu Creation

Breaking Point

all the crap I have 2 go thru
just to keep sanity on my menu
they're pulling me here
they're pulling me there
they act like I am unaware

because very human has a breaking point
but if they're lucky they make it to His spiritual joint
there 4 life won't
put them 2 their breaking point

i know Jesus will b
my stop sign 2 insanity
because I know He
loves me
even when He was hung on that 1st Xmas tree
they lie
i cry
my Savior please rescue me

because every human has a breaking point
but if they're lucky they make it 2 His spiritual joint
there4 life won't put them 2 their breaking point

U C, what they don't understand
is, my King is a superman
& by my side He will stand
& hold my hand
& guide me 2 sane land

because every human has a breaking point
but, if they meet Jesus, @ His joint
they won't reach their breaking point.

-Nu Creation