Can You Really Shoot Satan?

Ok, so it’s not news now.  Farrah Fawcette and Michael Jackson died yesterday.  Two days earlier,  Ed McMahon died.  David Carradine died 23 days ago.  I can easily point to each one of them and say “I remember watching that!”  My prayers go out to their families, especially the children of Michael Jackson,  Michael Jr. AKA,”Prince”, 12, Paris, 11 and Prince Michael, AKA “Blanket”, 7.  These little children have lost the only parent they ever knew.

Now, on to something a little more disturbing.  I just read an article in the New York Times about the pastor of an Assemblies of God church in Kentucky.  He is passionate about gun rights.  So much so that he has invited his congregation to bring their guns to church.  There will be a “fair-like” feel to the day, including tips on gun safety and a picnic.

By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE New York Times

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Ken Pagano, the pastor of the New Bethel Church here, is passionate about gun rights. He shoots regularly at the local firing range, and his sermon two weeks ago was on “God, Guns, Gospel and Geometry.” And on Saturday night, he is inviting his congregation of 150 and others to wear or carry their firearms into the sanctuary to “celebrate our rights as Americans!” as a promotional flier for the “open carry celebration” puts it.

The article goes on to state that the church’s insurance company, who was un-named, has canceled the policy for that day, and will cancel the policy in it’s entirety at the end of the year.  The issue being that if the church cannot secure insurance for that day, then the event will not be able to go on as planned.

The pastor is quoted as saying that not all christian denominations are pacifists.  And while that may be true, is he really leading his flock into the right battle?  Our current series at church is titled “Boot Camp”.  We’ve been learning about all the ways that we need to prepare ourselves as soldiers of Christ, and how to equip ourselves for the battles we face daily.  I’m disturbed at the thought of an entire congregation bringing their guns to church as a sign of solidarity;  a movement for less government involvement with regard to hand guns in America.

I have an opinion on the matter of gun control.  But this is not the forum for that discussion.  But I’m wondering about a pastor who feels so strongly about an issue such as gun control that he would invite his whole congregation to come together with guns.  What is the real point of that?  What does it proove?  And how does that action further the Kingdom of heaven?  How does it teach children and families about the real enemy of all Christians?  How does it equip this congregation to fight that enemy?  Can you shoot Satan?

Father’s Day

When I look at this picture, I see so many things.  I see a daddy who loves his daughter.  I see a little girl who loves her daddy.  I see the love of God for all of us.

This is an adoption story.  This is the story of a child who needed a father, one who would love her, protect her, encourage her, teach her, treat her with respect and admiration.  This is the story of a a man who needed a child, one who would love him back, respect him, trust him, depend on him.  He didn’t know he needed her.  He didn’t know the love his heart was capable of.  And he didn’t know how easily that heart could be broken, over and over again!

I thank God every day for this man, the man I call husband and the man she calls Daddy.  Happy Father’s Day, hun.  I love you!

Dance!

Mini dress rehearsal for a recital in 2 weeks. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves!

Say Cheez!

So, I went to a prayer meeting tonight…a gathering of people and pastors from several local churches brought together to pray for each other. My priest gets up to speak. He calls up all the clergy to pray for the pastor of the church we were at. Everyone is quiet and in prayer. Someone (who will remain nameless) tapped me and asked if I had a camera…this is really an important event in the workings of God here…and I said I only had my cell phone. He didn’t care…so I took out the camera, pointed it at the praying (still quiet, mind you) clergy all gathered together, pressed the button and the phone replies with “Say Cheez!” followed by the “shutter sound”. Every one heard it. E V E R Y O N E!!

Technology.

Oh for the love of…

Flipping around the channels this morning and fell on TLC’s “A Baby Story”. So I decide to watch. The couple in the show were a month away from their wedding when she became pregnant the first time. A few days before the wedding, there were complications with the pregnancy, and she ended up having “surgery”. No more pregnancy. She became pregnant again, a few months later. Due to their ages, the doctors suggest an amnio. That revealed a under developing heart, the potential for many surgeries and a “lower quality of life”. So they terminated that pregnancy. A few months later, pregnant again. This time, the couple won’t “relax until the baby is born and healthy”.

I don’t get it. Can someone explain this to me? I guess I sort of understand the first one. The second one…makes no sense to me at all. The last statement tells me that this couple was so insistent on a healthy baby that it didn’t matter what they had to do to get that.

These types of “terminations”, along side the ones done for the purpose of birth control, infuriate me. God doesn’t make mistakes. A baby born with a heart defect is never better off never born…no one deserves that distinction.

I’m a little more than upset at the producers of TLC for this episode. In my opinion, it exploits abortion as a means of producing the perfect baby.

I changed the channel. Am I wrong?

Honeymoon? Over??

We have been noticing some changes in our daughter’s behavior in the last couple of months. It’s not bad stuff, most of it’s normal, but it’s different for us and for her. We suspect that the honeymoon is over, and that she is starting to test the boundaries with us to see just how far she can push. It’s ok. I love that she is secure enough with us that she will do that now. Honestly, I’ve been waiting for it! That’s not to say I like it…’cuz I don’t, not one bit! But I knew this day would come, and I know it means that she is secure in her mind about her relationship with us.

What happens when the honeymoon is over for a Christian? I mean, have you ever met someone who is so elated after accepting Jesus and then later it seems like all the wind has been taken out of their sails? Something that so many people fall prey to is the thought, or hope, that Jesus is going to “fix” everything. They think, “Wow! I’ve got God on my side now, I’m bullet-proof!” But…we’re not. And when that reality sets in, and the monotony of day to day life returns, the excitement gives way to sadness. That’s an open door for the enemy.

It’s all about relationship. When you live a life in a relationship with Jesus, things change–you change. But if you let that relationship go, it’s easy to slip back to the way you were before you had Christ in your life. That’s not to say that He is no longer there. He is, and always will be. But now instead of being “with” you, He is waiting for you to return to your relationship with Him.

I think this happens a lot with youth. They get on fire for a while, and then instead of fanning the fire and feeding it, they bask in the warm glow until it’s just embers flickering as the last bit of oxygen is sucked out. And as the embers die, they loose heart.

The relationship isn’t over just because the honeymoon has ended. As we are learning with Mary, it just means that it’s time to buckle in and work on growing it to a new level. With God, it means growing in Him, and becoming more like Him. True love isn’t easy. It takes work. But man is it worth it!