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Sunday, 07 June 2009

  • VBS... And my life Mission

      Ahhh it feels good to be back on Xanga.... Yes I know its been a long time, but I have just been enjoying my busy life (outside of Xanga). Anyway...
       Our church is in the middle of its 2 week, annual VBS. Right now we have about 100 students. Last year it was I think more like 110+. But its still a great place to learn and teach and stuff. I am teaching 8th grade, I was expecting 10-15 students and I had 3 the first night. :) I have 4 normally and sometimes 5. It is very inspiring, The class I am teaching is on Paul's 2nd missionary journey. And I was like argh! why did I sign up to teach this?!?! But God is as good as always and I have been learning a LOT. I think I might post about some of it soon (esp about Thessolanica... LOL it is more exciting then you may think.) Anyway it is very good for me, because I feel God calling me to help the amish ppl. (which is a subject in itself) but at VBS I get to talk with and teach a lot amish kids. I feel as if I can plant a great seed there. I asked my class on Friday if they learned anything that they want to share with the class... And my man Matthew (a kinda shy but really cool amish kid) was first one up and he said he liked what I had said about a verse in I Corinthians 2? Its the verse where it says "And we preached to the Jews foolishness and the Greeks a stumbling block." That verse is one of my favorites and is very relevant to our current time. But it was just awesome to see that I am accomplishing some stuff. It makes me kinda sad that not more ppl want to be involved with VBS and that we are no longer doing a program (where each class has a 5-7 minute presentation of what they learned about, and all the parents can see. And they we also sing about 10 songs that we learned at VBS).
      
       I wish more ppl would be involved with the "little things" here at home. Jesus said "how can I trust you with big things if you aren't responsible with small things." (or something like that) We as christians don't need to go onto the mission field to to be missionaries. But we do need to be missionaries! Its not a choice. No matter what it is, Just do it! We need to be ready and willing for whatever God calls us to do. It is not that difficult to give up 5 evening a week for 2 weeks and a lil time for study... Not if you think of it in comparison to eternity.
     
       God came down to earth and died for us. God takes time to listen to our prayers. He made us a home in Heaven where we can chill with him forever. He is always with us..... and we don't have time to tell other ppl about this??? Ok so God doesn't have time for us? No God will always be there for us when we need him. Are you there for him when he needs you to witness for him?

                         Ryan
      

Monday, 04 May 2009

  • Parents not obeying

       So recently not all parents have been obeying their kids... yeah I saw it the other day! LOL it seems recently that parents are not taking the lead role they are supposed to in their home. And that not just that, I think almost everybody in the family is out of position. God designed homes to be a certain way. Its like trying to play football and having your quarterback and wide receivers on the line... while the tackles are trying to play qb... it wouldn't work. The other day I was at Walmart... the ppl in front of me were having difficulties.... I compliment the woman on being patient... but her 3 kids were... Terrible! It looked like twin girls and then a step brother. The boy was almost going to call his sisters.... (I won't say it online like this, but you can kinda fill the blank in here) and the mother stood there and sometimes would tell them to get back here... I was thinking "wow I am thankful God gave me the parents he did." While I don't always get along with my parents... I appreciate what they do for me, and what they have done for me. We don't see everything the same way, but I learned a lot from both of them.

       I think part of the problem is that we have fallen away from what God created at the beginning, ONE MAN, ONE WOMAN 4 LIFE! And if you are having marriage problems... work it out!!! God did not want it to be 1 mother and every other month a new dad. Kids wouldn't know which end is up... You can't blame them for being depressed and wanting to fit in desperately enough to smoke pot or do get drunk. The family is falling apart... there is nothing that can ever replace it... we need it. That is where a lot of who we are comes from. It is what makes us who we are.... anyway... I have a lot I want to post... like 4 different subjects. But I am tired and I don't have time... so be ready for some thinking this week. :)

                                   Ryan

Thursday, 30 April 2009

  • God working Science

    This Post is mostly copy/paste.... I found it to be very well written and a good point. But first... the title I gave it is God working science, God invented science he is the master of it. It is only when our human minds get in the way when we are studying science that it gets mixed up and sometimes incorrect. We need to first study the Bible and then Science (or anything else for that matter) so we know how it fits into God's plan. Now for the story thingy.

        A science professor begins his school year with a lecture to the students, "Let me explain the problem science has with religion." The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to stand.

    "You're a Christian, aren't you, son?"

    "Yes sir," the student says.

    "So you believe in God?"

    "Absolutely."

    "Is God good?"

    "Sure! God's good."

    "Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?"

    "Yes."

    "Are you good or evil?"

    "The Bible says I'm evil."

    The professor grins knowingly. "Aha! The Bible!" He considers for a moment. "Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?"

    "Yes sir, I would."

    "So you're good...!"

    "I wouldn't say that."

    "But why not say that? You'd help a sick and maimed person if you could. Most of us would if we could. But God doesn't."

    The student does not answer, so the professor continues. "He doesn't, does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he prayed to Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good? Hmmm? Can you answer that one?"

    The student remains silent.

    "No, you can't, can you?" the professor says. He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax.

    "Let's start again, young fella. Is God good?"

    "Er...yes," the student says.

    "Is Satan good?"

    The student doesn't hesitate on this one. "No."

    "Then where does Satan come from?"

    The student falters. "From God"

    "That's right. God made Satan, didn't he? Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?"

    "Yes, sir."

    "Evil's everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything, correct?"

    "Yes."

    "So who created evil?" The professor continued, "If God created everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil."

    Again, the student has no answer. "Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?"

    The student squirms on his feet. "Yes."

    "So who created them?"

    The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question. "Who created them?" There is still no answer. Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is mesmerized. "Tell me," he continues onto another student. "Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?"

    The student's voice betrays him and cracks. "Yes, professor, I do."

    The old man stops pacing. "Science says you have five senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?"

    "No sir. I've never seen Him."

    "Then tell us if you've ever heard your Jesus?"

    "No, sir, I have not."

    "Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your Jesus? Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or God for that matter?"

    "No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't."

    "Yet you still believe in him?"

    "Yes."

    "According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?"

    "Nothing," the student replies. "I only have my faith."

    "Yes, faith," the professor repeats. "And that is the problem science has with God. There is no evidence, only faith."

    The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of His own. "Professor, is there such thing as heat?"

    "Yes," the professor replies. "There's heat."

    "And is there such a thing as cold?"

    "Yes, son, there's cold too."

    "No sir, there isn't."

    The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested. The room suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain. "You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don't have anything called 'cold'. We can hit up to 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than the lowest -458 degrees."

    "Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat. You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it."

    Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding like a hammer.

    "What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?"

    "Yes," the professor replies without hesitation. "What is night if it isn't darkness?"

    "You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word."

    "In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?"

    The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This will be a good semester. "So what point are you making, young man?"

    "Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed."

    The professor's face cannot hide his surprise this time. "Flawed? Can you explain how?"

    "You are working on the premise of duality," the student explains. "You argue that there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought."

    "It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it."

    "Now tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?"

    "If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do."

    "Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?"

    The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes where the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed.

    "Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?"

    The class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion has subsided.

    "To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, let me give you an example of what I mean."

    The student looks around the room. "Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor's brain?" The class breaks out into laughter.

    "Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain, felt the professor's brain, touched or smelt the professor's brain? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, with all due respect, sir."

    "So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures, sir?"

    Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his face unreadable.

    Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. "I guess you'll have to take them on faith."

    "Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with life," the student continues. "Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?"

    Now uncertain, the professor responds, "Of course, there is. We see it everyday. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil."

    To this the student replied, "Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light."

    The professor sat down.

    I am guessing you were smiling and laughing most of the time. I hope you enjoyed it. :) and also thanx to Amber for posting this story on her Facebook... then I read it and posted it here.

                            Ryan

Tuesday, 28 April 2009

  • Our churchs' biggest issue

      I recently asked a really awesome friend of mine... What do you think is the most pressing matter in our local churches. He replied, "the lukewarmness in our churches". Jesus said that being lukewarm is worse then being a total sinner. And I do think that here in America we have an issue with being lukewarm... where I come from (here in Holmes County, Ohio) I think it is way worse. So many ppl are content with just living like everyone else... That won't work! It seems that we think that as long as we sing along in church, and go on a mission trip or 2. And we are on our way to Heaven... NO!!! Those things may help... First of all you need a good relationship with God where you actually enjoy reading what the Bible says, and want to help out everyone you can. We need more ppl who are willing to give up anything and everything for God. Because truthfully... We are supposed to at least be willing to give up everything for God. How many ppl in your church would be willing to move to sell all that they have and give it all to the poor ppl?

      The story of the rich young ruler comes to mind... He had a basically perfect life and his possessions got in the way. And not that you have to give all your stuff away. But would you be willing if that is what God called you too??? Or what about family??? Would you be willing to give them up for God if he asked you to? I truthfully don't see most ppl in the churches in my area willing to do these things. They might say they would be willing... but so far I don't see to many ppl feeling "called" to a certain place or ppl, where they can witness and tell others what Christ has done for them.

       We have a problem ppl. Are you on fire? Are you ready to do anything for God? Do you talk to ppl about what you believe? Do you have a problem keeping a daily devotions? Maybe you are someone who actually is on fire... if you are we need to tell everyone we know to get their butt moving! Jesus' second coming is coming... I want to be ready and help others be ready to go too. So many Christians are just living life... twiddling their thumbs (or whatever you call that). Get up get moving!!! Even if its not in another country, or in another county... just tell someone what you believe... or tell them that God loves them.... When was the last time you did any of those things??? We should be saying those things continually!... Anyway... gotta go

                                     Ryan

Monday, 27 April 2009

  • Friends

     No I am not trying to name my posts after famous TV shows... but I did it again. This weekend I went to Indiana. I played in an awesome v ball tourney. I met tons of new awesome ppl. But I got to know some of my friends way better.

      The importance of good Godly friends is important to an christian. While we should try to at least get along and also make friends with anybody. It is important to have really good friends who believe close to the same thing as you do, to fall back on... and I think its something most ppl underrate. Good close friends could in my opinion make the difference on where you spend eternity. While some ppl say (and I agree with them) that we should be friends with anybody. Because Jesus himself was friends and talked to prostitutes and well basically the worst of the worst of sinners. I agree with this but I want to point out that these ppl were not his closest friends... (unless of course they repented of what they did) Jesus was good to everyone but he had his inner circle of friends who were there to support him... We as christian ppl need to surround us with ppl with good solid beliefs... :) as we become like our friends.
                                   Ryan