Just Finished Reading

The Last Jihad by Joel Rosenberg

The Story:

On a quiet night under a full moon outside of Denver International Airport, a motorcade carrying the President of the United States is suddenly and viciously attacked.
The weapon: a hijacked Gulfstream IV business jet, packed with thousands of pounds of fuel and explosives. A Secret Service agent takes the jet down with a Stinger missile. The President narrowly escapes with his life. But not before terrorists also strike London, Paris, and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
...we thought we had won...
...we were wrong...
The CIA quickly traces the attacks back to Saddam Hussein. U.S. forces go on full alert. The President and his top national security advisors fear Iraq is preparing to seize sixty percent of the world's known oil reserves.
Drawn into the epicenter of the maelstrom are Jon Bennett—one of the savviest and stealthiest strategists on Wall Street—and his gorgeous, shrewd, but mysterious partner, Erin McCoy.
Bennett and McCoy have just secretly concluded a billion dollar deal to develop a vast and largely unknown oil field off the coast of Israel and Gaza. The President knows that if the U.S. is forced to go to war against Iraq, he'll need an airtight Arab coalition.
The key: finding a way to resolve the bloody Israeli-Palestinian conflict once and for all. How better to do that than commandeer Bennett, McCoy and their deal, force the Israeli and Palestinian leaders to the table, and nail down a peace treaty that offers a huge and unexpected bonus: oil wealth for each and every Jewish, Muslim and Christian family long scarred by war.
But something goes dreadfully wrong. A U.S. spy satellite picks up an Israeli commando operation in the Western desert of Iraq. The President receives an urgent call from the Israeli Prime Minister.
The good news: the Israelis have narrowly foiled an Iraqi Scud missile attack.
The bad news: the recovered warhead is nuclear, and Israeli intelligence is convinced Saddam has more weapons of mass destruction aimed not just at Tel Aviv but at Washington and New York as well.
The Prime Minister gives the U.S. a blunt ultimatum: melt down Baghdad within one hour, or Israel will do it herself.
The unthinkable scenario has arrived. Will the American President order a nuclear strike against Iraq to protect Israel? How can he, especially with Bennett and McCoy in Jerusalem? Then again, how can he not?

Revival in Middle East

This is the reprint of a Flash Traffic email I received from Joel Rosenberg, and it's very interesting. Joel Rosenberg is a person with an interesting background. He is an evangelical Christian from an Orthodox Jewish background. He has worked inside the beltway, as well as for people like Rush Limbaugh and former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He wrote a series of political thrillers, the first of which opened with an airplane making a 9/11-style attack on Denver, but was written before 9/11. He has an uncanny ability to read the tea leaves and has a lot of insight on events in the Middle East.

NUMBER OF EX-MUSLIMS CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR
Spiritual revolution underway in Middle East.

By Joel C. Rosenberg

More Muslims converted to faith in Jesus Christ over the past decade than at any other time in human history. A spiritual revolution is underway throughout North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia. As a result, a record number of ex-Muslims are celebrating Christmas this year, despite intense persecution, assassinations, and widespread church bombings. During the writing of Epicenter, my wife and kids and I lived in the Mideast for three months. During that time, I had the privilege of interviewing more than three dozen Arab and Iranian pastors and evangelical leaders throughout the region. The picture they paint is one of Christianity being dramatically resurrected in the region of its birth. A snapshot:

Iraq: more than 5,000 new Muslim converts to Christianity have been identified since the end of major combat operations, with 14 new churches opened in Baghdad, and dozens of new churches opened in Kurdistan, some of which have 500 to 800 members. Also, more than 1 million Bibles shipped into the country since 2003, and pastors report Iraqis are snatching them up so fast they constantly need more Bibles.

Egypt: some reports say 1 million Egyptians have trusted Christ over the past decade or so. The Egyptian Bible Society told me they used to sell about 3,000 copies of the JESUS film a year in the early 1990s. But last year they sold 600,000 copies, plus 750,000 copies of the Bible on tape (in Arabic) and about a half million copies of the Arabic New Testament. "Egyptians are increasingly hungry for God's Word," an Egyptian Christian leader told me. Last Christmas, I had the privilege of visiting the largest Christian congregation in the Middle East, which meets in an enormous cave on the outskirts of Cairo. Some 10,000 believers worship there every weekend. A prayer conference the church held in May 2005 drew some 20,000 believers.

Afghanistan: only 17 Muslim converts to Christianity before 9/11/01, but now more than 10,000. Dozens of baptisms every week.

Kazakstan: only 3 known Christians in 1990, but now more than 15,000.

Uzbekistan: no known Christians in 1990, but now more than 30,000.

Sudan: more than 1 million Sudanese have converted to Christianity just since 2000, and some 5 million have become Christians since the early 1990s, despite a radical Islamic regime and an on-going genocide that has killed more than 200,000. Seminaries are being held in caves to train pastors to shepherd the huge numbers of people coming to Christ. Why such a dramatic spiritual awakening? "People have seen real Islam, and they want Jesus instead," one Sudanese evangelical leader told me.

Iran: in 1979, there were only 500 known Muslim converts to Christianity, but today Iranian pastors and evangelical leaders tell me there are more than 1 million Iranian believers in Jesus Christ, most of whom meet in underground house churches.

December 2001, Sheikh Ahmad al Qataani, a leading Saudi cleric, appeared on a live interview on Aljazeera satellite television to confirm that, sure enough, Muslims were turning to Jesus in alarming numbers. "In every hour, 667 Muslims convert to Christianity," Al Qataani warned. "Every day, 16,000 Muslims convert to Christianity. Every year, 6 million Muslims convert to Christianity."

Stunned, the interviewer interrupted the cleric. "Hold on! Let me clarify. Do we have six million converting from Islam to Christianity?" Al Qataani repeated his assertion. "Every year," the cleric confirmed, adding, "a tragedy has happened."

One of the most dramatic developments is that many Muslims -- including Shiites in Iran and Iraq -- are seeing dreams and visions of Jesus and thus coming into churches explaining that they have already converted and now need a Bible and guidance on how to follow Jesus. I describe a number of these stories in the book. Having just returned from three weeks in the Mideast, I have heard many more, and will be sharing some of them in the new year. This is in fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. The Hebrew Prophet Joel told us that "in the last days, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days....And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved." (Joel 2:28-32)

Bottom line: It's not being reported by the mainstream media, but the God of the Bible is moving powerfully and dramatically throughout the Muslim world. The number of Arab and Iranian Christians is surging despite wars, rumors of wars, and terrible persecution. These fellow brothers and sisters now need our fervent prayers and our practical help as they seek to reach epicenter with the love and forgiveness of Jesus in 2007.

Lynn and I launched The Joshua Fund both to bless the Jews of Israel as well as to communicate the gospel to Muslims throughout the Middle East. If you'd like to learn more -- or to help -- please visit our website at www.joshuafund.net

A Very Good Question...

I reprint this column here without permission but giving credit. This was posted on a CNN site and was written by Jay Bakker and Marc Brown (as stated below) I don't necessarily agree with them completely but I think they raise an interesting point that I am starting to hear echoed in one form or another a lot lately.....

Bakker, Brown: What the hell happened to Christianity?

By Jay Bakker and Marc Brown
Special to CNN

Editor's note: Jay Bakker, son of former Praise The Lord leaders Jim Bakker and Tammy Faye Messner, is minister of Revolution Church and subject of a new documentary series, "One Punk Under God," on Sundance Channel. Marc Brown is a Revolution staff member.

NEW YORK (CNN) -- What the hell happened? Where did we go wrong? How was Christianity co-opted by a political party? Why are Christians supporting laws that force others to live by their standards? The answers to these questions are integral to the survival of Christianity.

While the current state of Christianity might seem normal and business-as-usual to some, most see through the judgment and hypocrisy that has permeated the church for so long. People witness this and say to themselves, "Why would I want to be a part of that?" They are turned off by Christians and eventually, to Christianity altogether. We can't even count the number of times someone has given us a weird stare or completely brushed us off when they discover we work for a church.

So when did the focus of Christianity shift from the unconditional love and acceptance preached by Christ to the hate and condemnation spewed forth by certain groups today? Some say it was during the rise of Conservative Christianity in the early 1980s with political action groups like the Moral Majority. Others say it goes way back to the 300s, when Rome's Christian Emperor Constantine initiated a set of laws limiting the rights of Roman non-Christians. Regardless of the origin, one thing is crystal clear: It's not what Jesus stood for.

His parables and lessons were focused on love and forgiveness, a message of "come as you are, not as you should be." The bulk of his time was spent preaching about helping the poor and those who are unable to help themselves. At the very least, Christians should be counted on to lend a helping hand to the poor and others in need.

This brings us to the big issues of American Christianity: Abortion and gay marriage. These two highly debatable topics will not be going away anytime soon. Obviously, the discussion centers around whether they are right or wrong, but is the screaming really necessary? After years of witnessing the dark side of religion, Marc and I think not.

Christians should be able to look past their differences and agree to disagree. This allows people to discuss issues with respect for one another. Christians are called to love others just as they are, without an agenda. Only then will Christianity see a return to its roots: Loving God with all of your heart and loving your neighbor as yourself.

The Apostle Paul describes this idea of love beautifully in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7: "Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance."

But don't take our word for it; look at what Jesus and his followers stood for in his time and what Christianity stands for today. Then come to your own conclusion.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the writer. This is part of an occasional series of commentaries on CNN.com that offers a broad range of perspectives, thoughts and points of view.


... They make a few good points

Thanksgiving

I would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and offer an excerpt from Peter Marshall's The Light and the Glory on the first Thanksgiving and the events leading up to it.

If any one event could be singled out to mark the turning point of their (the Pilgrim's) fortunes, it would have been what happened on a fair Friday in the middle of March. The men were gathered in the common house to conclude their conference on military instruction, when the cry went up, "Indian coming!"
Captain Standish shook his head, even as he went to look out the window - to see a tall, well-built Indian, wearing nothing but a leather loincloth striding up their main street.
"Welcome!", he boomed in a deep, resonant voice. The Pilgrims were too startled to speak. At length. they replied with as much gravity as they could muster: "Welcome."
"Have you got any beer?" he asked them in flawless English. If they were surprised before, they were astonished now. The Pilgrims looked at one another, then turned back to him. "Our beer is gone. Would you like some ... brandy?
The Indian nodded.
They brought him some brandy, and a biscuit with butter and cheese, and then some pudding and a piece of roast duck. To their continuing amazement, he ate with evident relish everything set before him. Where had he developed such an appetite for English food? How, in fact, had he come to speak English? For that matter, who was he and what was he doing here?
But they would have to wait, for obviously he did not intend to talk until he had finished his repast. Finally the time for answering questions came. His name was Samoset. He was a sagamore (or chief) of the Algonquins, from what is now Pemaquid Point in Maine. He had been visiting these parts for the past eight months, having begged a ride down the coast with Captain Thomas Dermer, an English sea captain who was known to the Pilgrims by reputation. He had been sent out to explore the coast for the Council for New England, the company to whom they would now be applying for a patent. Apparently Samoset's sole motivation was a love of travel, and he had learned his English from various fishing captains who had put in to the Maine shore over the years.
Now they asked the crucial question: What could he tell them of the Indians hereabouts? And the story he told gave every one of them cause to thank God in their hearts. This area had always been the Territory of the Patuxets, a large hostile tribe who had barbarously murdered every white man who had landed on their shores. But four years prior to the Pilgrims' arrival, a mysterious plague had broken out among them, killing every man, woman, and child. So complete was the devastation that the neighboring tribes had shunned the area ever since, convinced that some great supernatural spirit had destroyed the Patuxets. Hence the cleared land on which they settled literally belonged to no one! Their nearest neighbors, said Samoset, were the Wampanoags, some fifty miles to the southwest. These Indians numbered about sixty warriors. Massasoit, their sachem (or chief) had such great wisdom that he also ruled over several other small tribes in the general area. And it was with Massasoit that Samoset had spent most of the past eight months.
Who were the Indians out on the Cape who had attacked them? These were the Nausets, who numbered about a hundred warriors. The previous summer they had attacked Captain Dermer and killed three of his men. The Nausets hated the white man, because several years before one Captain Thomas Hunt had tricked seven of their braves into coming aboard his ship on the pretext of wanting to trade with them. He had taken them, along with twenty Patuxets , to Spain, where he had sold them into slavery.
By the time he was done with his tale telling, it was nightfall. Samoset announced that he would sleep with them, and return in the morning. Captain Standish put a discreet watch on him, but Samoset slept the sleep of the untroubled. And in he morning he left, bearing a knife, a bracelet, and a ring as gifts to Massasoit.
That was the last they saw of him until the following Thursday returned accompanied by another Indian who also spoke English, and was of all things, a Patuxet! The second Indian was Squanto, and he was there to be according to Bradford, "a special instrument sent of God for their good, beyond their expectation." The extraordinary chain of "coincidences" in this man's life is in its own way no less extraordinary than the saga of Joseph's being sold into slavery in Egypt. Indeed in the ensuing months, their was not a doubt in any of their hearts that Squanto, whose Indian name was Tisquantum, was a Godsend.
His story really began in 1605, when Squanto and four other were taken captive by Captain George Weymouth. The Indians were taken to England, where they were taught English. When Squanto finally managed to make it back home and stepped ashore six months before the Pilgrims arrived, he received the most tragic blow of his life: not a man, woman, or child of his tribe was left alive! Nothing but skulls, bones, and ruined dwellings remained. In despair he wandered into Massasoit's camp, because he had nowhere else to go. And that chief, understanding his circumstances, took pity on him. But Squanto merely existed, having lost all reason for living.
That is, that was his condition until Samoset brought news of a small colony of peaceful English families who were so hard pressed to stay alive, let alone plant a colony at Patuxet. A light seemed to come back into Squanto's eye, and he accompanied Samoset when the latter came to Plymouth as Massasoit's interpreter, for the chief himself had come, with all sixty warriors painted in startling fashion.
Out of this meeting came a peace treaty of mutual aid and assistance which would last for forty years and would be a model for many that would be made thereafter. Massasoit was a remarkable example of God's providential care for His Pilgrims. He was probably the only other chief on the northeast coast of America who (like Powhatan to the south) would have welcomed the white man as a friend.
When Massasoit and his entourage finally left, Squanto stayed. He had found his reason for living. These English were like little babes, so ignorant they were of the ways of the wild. Well, he could certainly do something about that! The next day he went out and came back with all the eels he could hold in his hands - which the Pilgrims found to be "fat and sweet" and excellent eating. How had he ever caught them? He took several young men with him and taught them how to squash the eels out of the mud with their bare feet and catch them with their hands.
But the next thing he showed them was by far the most important, for it would save every one of their lives. April was corn planting month in New England as well as Virginia. Squanto showed the Pilgrims how to plant corn the Indian way, hoeing six foot squares in toward the center, putting down four or five kernels, and fertilizing the corn with fish. At that, the Pilgrims just shook their heads; in four months they had caught exactly one cod. No matter, said Squanto cheerfully; in four days the creeks would be overflowing with fish.
The Pilgrims cast a baleful eye on their amazing friend, who seemed to have adopted them. But Squanto ignored them and instructed the young men in how to make the wiers they would need to catch the fish. Obediently the men did as he told them, and four days later the creeks for miles around were clogged with alewives making their spring run. The Pilgrims did not catch them, they harvested them!
Now the corn was planted. Pointing spoke-like toward the center of each mound were three fishes, their heads almost touching. Now said Squanto, they would have to guard against wolves, adding that the wolves would attempt to steal the fish. The Pilgrims would have to guard it for two weeks, until it had a chance to decompose. And so they did and that summer twenty full acres of corn began to flourish.
Squanto helped in a thousand similar ways, teaching them how to stalk deer, plant pumpkins among the corn, refine maple syrup from maple trees, discern which herbs were good to eat and good for medicine, and find the best berries. But after the corn there was one other specific thing he did which was of inestimable importance for their survival. What little fishing they had done was a failure, and any plan for them to fish commercially was a certain fiasco. So Squanto introduced them to the pelt of the beaver, which was then in plentiful supply in northern New England, and in great demand throughout Europe. And not only did he get them started, but he guided in the trading, making sure they got their full money's worth in top-quality pelts. This would prove to be their economic deliverance, just as corn would be their physical deliverance.
The Pilgrims were brimming over with gratitude - not only to Squanto and the Wampanoags who had been so friendly, but to their God. In Him they had trusted, and he had honored their obedience beyond their dreams. So Governor Bradford declared a day of public Thanksgiving, to be held in October. Massasoit was invited, and unexpectedly arrived a day early, with ninety Indians! Counting their numbers, the Pilgrims had to pray hard to keep from giving in to despair. To feed such a crowd would cut deeply into the food supply that was supposed to get them through the winter.
But if they had learned one thing through their travels, it was to trust God implicitly. As is turned out, the Indians were not arriving empty handed. Massasoit had commanded his braves to hunt for the occasion, and they arrived with no less than five dressed deer and more than a dozen fat wild turkeys! And they helped them with preparations, teaching the Pilgrim women how to make hoecakes, and a tasty pudding out of cornmeal and maple syrup. Finally they showed them an Indian delicacy: how to roast corn kernels in an earthen pot until they popped, fluffy and white - popcorn!
The Pilgrims in turn provided many vegetables from their household gardens: carrots, onions, turnips, parsnips, cucumbers, radishes, beets, and cabbages. Also using some of their precious, they took summer fruits which the Indians had dried and introduces them to the likes of blueberry, apple, and cherry pie. It was all washed down with sweet wine made from wild grapes. A joyous occasion for all!
Between meals, the Pilgrims and Indians happily competed in shooting contests with gun and bow. The Indians were especially delighted that John Alden and some of the younger men of the plantation were eager to join them in foot races and wrestling. There were even military drills staged by Captain Standish. Things went so well (and Massasoit showed no inclination to leave) that Thanksgiving day was extended for three days.
Surely one moment stood out in the Pilgrims' memory - William Brewster's prayer as they began the festival. They had so much for which to thank God: for providing all their needs, even when their faith had not been up to believing that he would do so; for the lives of the departed, and for taking them home to be with Him; for their friendship with the Indians - so extraordinary when the settlers to the south had experienced the opposite; for all his remarkable Providences in bringing them to this place and sustaining them.

As I said earlier, this excerpt was taken from Peter Marshall's excellent book, The Light and the Glory, the first in a series he wrote on American history.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Pundit or Prophet?

I recently read a fascinating book by Joel C Rosenberg, a work of fiction called The Copper Scroll. It's actually the fourth book in the series. I was vaguely aware of his first book The Last Jihad but never read it. The guy is an interesting combination of influences. He has an inside-the-beltway background, and is an Evangelical Christian from an Orthodox Jewish background. He also has an uncanny knack for writing things that come true. The Last Jihad opens with Muslim extremists using hijacked aircraft in a Kamikaze attack on an American city. So what you ask? He actually wrote this before 9/11. The Copper Scroll deals primarily with a search for Temple treasure supposedly buried since the destruction of the second Temple in 70 A.D. (C.E.) and the tantalizing clues contained in a scroll that was found at the Qumran site where the Dead Sea scrolls were found. This scroll was uncovered in 1956 I believe, and was unique in that it was made of copper, not papyrus or animal hide like you would expect. It took scholars 4 years to figure out how to unroll the scroll without destroying it, but once they did, they were surprised. It was unlike any other scroll they had found in that it contained clues to the location of 63 ( I believe) different caches of treasure from the Temple, ranging from gold and silver in enormous quantities to the golden utensils used in the Temple. Archaeologists and scholars have dreamed for over 40 years now about finding this treasure, and what is might portend for the future of Israel and that finding it would be the final capstone to a growing interest in rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem.
The book is is quite a page turner and action packed from beginning to end and covers a lot of geopolitical ground very astutely. He also has a new nonfiction book called Epicenter: Why the Current Rumblings in the Middle East Will Change Your Future. I read the first chapter online and it picks up where his fiction leaves off, explaining what he thinks might happen and why. I'm not sure how this guy stayed under my radar for so long except that, politically, I have kind of unplugged myself lately, being pretty burned out and alienated by what has been going on in Washington lately, so the folks I used to listen to regularly, like Rush Limbaugh, I hardly ever hear anymore. I'm also totally out of touch with Christian publishing these days, and although he didn't start out with a Christian publisher, Joel Rosenberg's books are currently being put out by Tyndale (you know, the Left Behind guys). Anyway if you want a fascinating perspective on what's going on in the world, give this guy a read. I know I've got some catching up to do.

Now I'm saying this in Love...

It seems to me that, as dangerous as generalizations are, the Evangelical branch of the Church here in America has lost sight of it's mission in the world, and could stand to spend some time reading the Gospels from a fresh perspective. Standing up for one's values and beliefs in the face of a secular culture is admirable, but lets make sure that we are standing up for the right things. What is really more important? Letting society know that we disapprove of what they stand for and the way they live (even when scripture is clearly on our side), or showing these people the love of Christ? Is it really our primary job to make sure these people know what they are doing is wrong? It seems to me like that is the job of the Holy Spirit. Take a look at how Jesus did it. The main group of people he spent a lot of time pointing out sin to were the ones everyone acknowledged as the religious ones. It seems like we do it backwards. The ones he spent time hanging around are the ones we point fingers at and boycott. Don't get me wrong - moral standards are important, and we should never compromise our beliefs, but Jesus managed to find a perfect balance. He really did love the sinner. These days when "love the sinner but hate the sin" is mouthed, it usually means someone is about to get pounded over the head by someone else's dogma. Jesus loved, touched, spent time with, drank wine with the folks the religious leaders of the day would have nothing to do with. He loved these people, but never compromised his standards. Are we showing the love of Christ by telling someone that because they are a part of a certain lifestyle then we won't do business with them? If Nazareth's local harlot came to Jesus' carpenter shop to commission some new furniture, would he have turned her away because of her lifestyle? I'm thinking not.
It seems that the church is divided into two camps when it comes to certain issues. There are the churches who condone ( or minimize) the sin in question, and there are the churches who condemn the sin and proclaim that they love the sinner in question, but have a funny way of showing it. Scripture is pretty clear that you will know the followers of Jesus by their love, and in my humble opinion, if you have to tell someone that what you are showing them is love, then it might not be. It reminds me of when I hear someone say, "I don't mean to judge." That usually should be followed by the phrase, "but I am going to anyway."
I don't mean to be banging the table over this stuff but it has bothered me for a while. It's kind of like when I was a kid in the Baptist church, and I would read something in the Bible and wondered why we didn't believe that in the church today. I would usually get an explanation when I asked but it frequently sounded like theological double talk.

All I'm saying is that it seems like Jesus reached a lot more people doing it his way than we are by doing it ours. I am currently seeing things being done Jesus' way at the Vineyard more than I ever have anywhere else and it is very refreshing.

Less is More

Well I have officially lost 50 lbs. now, and am feeling much better. I don't get tired quite as easily, and my legs and knees don't bother me quite as much, but I still have a good ways to go...
I set my first goal at 50 lbs. and as an incentive to help motivate myself, declared that I was going to invest in an MP3 player when I hit my mark. Well thanks to the support and generosity of several family members I am now doing my best to fill up a 4g iPod Nano (green, since they don't make a purple one). I actually did do a little research and talked to a few friends who have non-iPod type players as well as my brothers who both have iPods, and decided to drink the Kool-Aid (just kidding, calm down) and buy an Apple product. I have actually been using iTunes for several months and like the way it works. I also enjoy audiobooks, or more accurately, I used to enjoy audiobooks when I worked at a place that rented them many moons ago, but MP3 players are the logical format for listening to the unabridged audiobooks readily available these days so I haven't messed with them much, but now I plan on getting my feet wet.
Back to my first topic though, I have set my next goal and am working on my next 25 pounds. More updates to come!

Bond? James Bond?

Well I have enjoyed Bond movies on TV for years and have several personal favorites that I watch when I see them on, however I don't recall having ever paid to see one in the theater until today. I suppose there haven't been inspiring Bond movies (as far as I'm concerned) since I have been old enough to have a say in what movies I attend. I enjoy most of the Sean Connery ones and the early and mid period Roger Moore ones, but after that they all start to look alike.
I was therefore surprised to find myself interested in the latest Bond movie after having seen a trailer and hearing a little about it. I shrugged when I heard the news about Pierce Brosnan being fired and Daniel Craig being cast. We went and saw it today and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Craig is not another prettyboy who seems afraid to get his suit dirty. The movie starts with him being promoted to double 0 status and portrays him as a efficient, capable killer with a penchant for excessive violence, and he doesn't play to a lot of the standard Bond cliches. When asked the eternal question, "shaken or stirred?", he responds, "Do I look like I give a damn?" Also the plot is actually interesting and not the standard "eccentric rich guy trying to take over the world from his secret hideout" scenario. The movie was a little longer than I expected but it was thoroughly enjoyable and will hopefully breath some life into a franchise that hasn't interested me in years - even when they show them free on tv. I reccommend it. Not deep but lots of fun.

Baby Harkins

I want to congratulate Carter and Kelly Harkins on the birth of their baby boy, Reagan. I will repost the announcement on his site and recommend that you head over there if you want to see some pictures or video. Their site is aboutthebaby.com. You will both be great parents!



HEAR YE! HEAR YE! A NEW KING IN THE REALM!
Trumpet fanfare would not be enough to herald the amazing moment we witnessed today, at 2:32 pm CST. Reagan Dayle Harkins entered the world at 8 pounds, 20.5 inches long and completely and totally healthy and magnificent. Mom spent a few more minutes in surgery having a cyst removed (the hospital was running a two-fer deal) and is recovering remarkably well. Our hearts are filled with a tenderness and love that I must say is surprisingly protective and strong. I've held many babies and never felt what I feel today. This miracle of childbirth, and the amazing cloud of joy and contentment it brings has swallowed us whole. God is beyond good.

Diverse Tastes

I find myself listening to a lot of different things lately. I continue to dig Miles Davis, but more specifically I've been listening to Miles from the mid to late 50's - the Gil Evans stuff and others. Of course Kind of Blue but also Miles Ahead, Sketches of Spain, and Porgy and Bess. It's just so smooth and cool, its perfect for unwinding at the end of the day. Along the same lines, I've been digging the latest (I think) release by Diana Krall, From This Moment On. I have been familiar with her name, but had not heard much of her music and have enjoyed it. The album contains quite a few standards, including the namesake, and there are a number of arrangements that have some cool horns and swing nicely, but not too hard. She was actually on Letterman last week. (did anyone else catch Ventriloquist Week?)
When I'm in a completely different mood, I have been listening to a group my brother turned me on to, a band that could best be described as Irish Punk, Flogging Molly. Don't get carried away by the name. It comes from the fact that they used to play at an L.A. pub called Molly Malone so often that they felt like they were flogging a dead horse, and wearing out their welcome with the crowd. They feature a full complement of instruments that you would expect from traditional Irish folk music such as a violin, penny whistle, accordion, uilleann pipes and so forth but this is combined with a standard rock band and the effect is lots of fun. They get compared to the Pogues a lot but for my money are quite a bit more interesting. They even have written a few pirate songs. My brother first heard them, I believe, on the soundtrack from Mr. & Mrs. Smith, the Angelina Jolie - Brad Pitt thingy. Dave King, the lead singer/guitarist/songwriter was born in Dublin and was Catholic at least once in his life, based on some of the interesting references in his songs. It's great music in the car and very effective at drowning out the rap music coming from the next vehicle over at the stop light.
From the same general neck of the woods, inspiration-wise I also have a disc of music from the St. Thomas Episcopal High School Pipe and Drum Corps., who just returned from winning a fifth World Championship at the Highland Games in Scotland. ( I also fix their copiers) The album I have is a few years old I believe, but very good. I don't know, some people like bagpipes and some people cannot stand them. They seem to be very polarizing. And no, the disc I have has neither Amazing Grace or Scotland the Brave on it. I have a few other irons in the fire at the moment, musically but that's what's in my CD player currently. Yes I know CD players are so five minutes ago but I don't have an MP3 player yet.

6 random facts about myself

Even though this is a bit late, I thought I'd respond to Mike Hon's post with a list of my own as a way of getting back into the swing of writing posts, and give everyone an update on myself. I've had an eventful month or so. Sunday the 23rd of June I went out to lunch after church, and then over to my wife's parents house. I began to feel poorly and we left early. I figured I had gotten some bad chicken at lunch. Well I began to feel worse as the evening went on, but hoped I could sleep it off. Monday morning dawned after a sleepless night and I knew I had to get to the emergency room. I had pain in my abdomen, but it wasn't localized and I had no idea what was going on. It turns out not only did I have appendicitis, but it had burst. My surgeon said it was the worst case he had ever seen. Well, I stayed in the hospital for four days and spent the next three weeks at home watching Maury Povitch and fighting off pneumonia. They all knew I was feeling lousy because I hardly ever touched the computer. Well, not only am I feeling better, but I've lost 30 pounds. Anyway enough with that. I carry on about being sick anymore and folks will think I'm LBJ hiking up my shirt and showing my scars in public. On to the list

1. Until this event I had never in my life been either in the hospital or emergency room since I was a few months old.

2. I have recently started listening to Flogging Molly, a band best described as Irish punk.

3. When our family first got a VCR in the early 80's the two movies we rented on our initial foray to the video store were 2001 and The Apple Dumpling Gang (Don Knotts and Tim Conway if memory serves)

4. I had a pet tarantula named Jezebel for a few years

5. I have never seen the movie E.T.

6. I used to have two cats named Pork and Beans (brother and sister)

Well that's all for now, but I promise to try and post more often.

Old Tunes, New Insight

...To paraphrase Obi-Wan Kenobi, "Resurrection Band - now that's a name haven't heard in a long time."
The name Resurrection Band came up in a conversation the other day, and it prompted me to pull out some of my CD's I haven't listened to in a while and revisit them, but while enjoying the music I also reflected on how far these folks were ahead of their time. Then again, maybe it's just me that is catching on to their relevance.
For those poor, deprived among you that are unfamiliar, Resurrection Band was a band that was produced out of the Jesus Movement of the early 70's. They eventually settled in Chicago and formed a community called Jesus People USA, or JPUSA. In high school, this seemed cool, certainly, and admirable, and certainly unusual, but now I understand that their way of life continues to be one of the closest things I've ever seen to New Testament Christianity, community-wise. The community lives in the inner city of Chicago and exist commune-style where they share everything and minister materially to hundreds of street people with food, clothes and shelter every day. All the money the band made has gone back into the community. They have been doing this for 30 years, long before the majority of the church, or the press and the Compassion crowd in Hollywood were paying attention.
The band itself, fronted by Glenn and Wendi Kaiser, and including originally, Stu Heiss, John Herrin, and Jim Denton started playing together in the early 70's and recorded two different albums they gave away at concerts, one rock and the other acoustic. They were given a gift of the money that allowed them to record their first commercial album, Awaiting Your Reply. A small Houston-based label, Star Song took a chance and released the album to surprising success. Christian rock like Rez Band was playing was pretty unheard of at the time and they broke ground that allowed a lot of other bands to follow.
Personally, Rez's second and third albums, Rainbow's End and Colours are my favorite. Rainbow's End is a little more blues-influenced and a little less folk-y than a lot of Awaiting Your Reply, and begins the band's trend of outspoken social commentary long before it was trendy. The song 'Afrikaans' is one of the first by any band to confront South Africa's racist system of apartheid a full year before Peter Gabriel's 'Biko' (the album was released in 1979) Colours is harder rock that talks about God's sovereignty and love, and features a lot of commentary on inner city life and American culture, making Resurrection Band more outspoken than any Christian artist other than Larry Norman at that time. During the mid 80's they were influenced heavily by new wave, but then moved back to a harder and bluesier sound.
Rez Band has recorded many great albums with hard hitting messages full of conviction, and that is the main thing I appreciate them for - their focus on ministry. Their lyrics constantly seek to be the conscious of the Church, reminding us of the suffering people around us and recalling our mission to go into all the world. Their concerts usually always featured Glenn's fiery preaching and an altar call at the end of the show. In an era when so much Christian music sounds alike and preaches to the choir, it's refreshing to hear a voice crying in the wilderness, a Jeremiah reminding us that our calling is outside our comfy, air-conditioned church buildings. I appreciate their music, but even more, their sincerity. They don't mind making you feel uncomfortable by speaking the truth. Everyone needs someone like that in their life.

A New Home

Well, after a couple of months of seeking God and an even longer time of frustration and feeling like the children of Israel in the wilderness, we have officially joined the Sugarland Vineyard. I didn't realize how discontented and frustrated I had become until I heard Bert Waggoner, the Senior Pastor explaining what the Vineyard teaches about a few different topics, and realizing, "Wait a minute, that's what I've thought all along, I just didn't realize anyone else did." The main word I would use to describe what I have experienced and learned so far is Balance. You can experience the Spirit of God moving in praise and worship, but at the same time, feel free to worship however you are led to without having your name put on a list for not raising your hands.
A lot of churches will give lip service to the concept that attitudes of the heart are more important than outward observances, but then they turn around and make it known that there are certain things you should or should not be doing if you want to be really spiritual. At the Vineyard I feel free to be myself without having to wear my Church Face all the time. If I've had a hard day, I feel free to say so, instead of being afraid of the Positive Confession Police. I have had friends recently who I knew were going through something, but they thought it so important to appear to be a Strong Christian that they would just not speak to anyone for fear of people finding out they're human. I appreciate the fact that the leadership at the Vineyard is as comfortable with a systematic study of theology as they are with healing and the fact that we still hear from God today.
I do miss all of our friends at the other church, and hope they understand that we didn't intend to sneak off into the night, we've just been trying to follow where God has been leading, and most of the time we haven't known where we were going until we got there. I do pray blessings on everyone at our former home and thank the leadership there for how much we learned and grew during our time under their authority, and hope to be back to visit at some point. I still enjoy Shabbat services at Congregation Beth Messiah as often as I can, but on Sundays, look for me at the Vineyard.

Farewell - For Now

On Wednesday, April 19th at about 11:30 in the morning, Zola Levitt went home to be with Yeshua, or in his words, received his promotion after staying at his post until the end. He kept filming shows right up until the end every time he had a good morning when he felt strong. Zola was diagnosed with cancer on February 10th, and it spread from his lungs to his brain and liver.
Zola Levitt was a pioneer in evangelism and ministry to Jews before the term Messianic Jew became widespread, and opened a lot of doors in the Church to understanding the Jewish roots of our faith in Christ and giving the body of Christ tools to reach out to the Jewish community and show them the love of Yeshua. If you have never seen Zola's presentation of Christ in the Passover, it is a revelation. If you are Jewish, you need to see it to understand how Yeshua was the messiah and became your Passover Lamb. You will see new meaning in ceremonies you have been participating in all your life. If you are a Gentile Christian, you need to see it to understand the roots of our faith and the origins of the Lord's Supper. It will shed new light on the last week of Yeshua's life.
I join thousands of others all over the world in rejoicing in Zola's legacy and life, and in praying for his family and those in his ministry and continuing to pray fervently:

Why Easter?

Why again do we call it Easter? I propose a change, and even offer a couple of alternatives, one of which I have heard others use more each year.
Resurrection Day is a perfectly acceptable alternative to Easter and I use it myself frequently, depending on the audience, but my preferred name for this poorly named holiday is Firstfruits. Many of the Jewish festivals have at least some fulfillment in Jesus' first coming, and the Feast of Firstfruits is no exception. Firstfruits is a part of the Passover celebration, which is itself another column. Passover itself is the beginning of a whole week of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, in which observants eat only unleavened bread and no yeast at all. The Sunday after Passover during the feast of Unleavened Bread is the Feast of Firstfruits, an originally agricultural festival when the firstfruits of the harvest were taken to the Temple (or Tabernacle) and presented to the Lord in a wave offering.
It is of course no coincidence that Yeshua (that's Jesus to you) rose from the dead on the Sunday after Passover during the feast of Unleavened Bread. Unleavened bread is a symbol of purity and the absence of sin, and Jesus is the Firstfruit of the Resurrection. Believers will all be in possession of glorified bodies like the one Jesus showed off with during his appearances after his resurrection. He is the first one permanently raised from the dead. All those he raised from the dead during his earthly ministry of course died again at a later date.
So there you have it. My vote is to celebrate the Feast of Firstfruits or Bikkurim, its Hebrew name, instead of calling it Easter. Easter Bunny? Can't help you there. Don't know where that weirdness came from.
Have a Blessed Bikkurim!

How did I miss this?

Forgive my absence, but I feel as if I have been in the salt mines for the last few weeks, and my muse has been very quiet, but I figured the best way to write something is to start writing. Profound, huh?
I did hear something very interesting the other day that I can't believe I had missed. Apparently, at some point last year, in Israel, the Sanhedrin was re-convened for the first time since 425 A.D. (C.E) when they convened in Tiberius. The Sanhedrin is the religious high court for the Nation of Israel, and is responsible for regulating religious life in Israel. This is the court Jesus appeared before. One of the rabbinic prophecies relating to the Sanhedrin is the belief that the Messiah will appear before the Sanhedrin and be recognized. Within the first few weeks of being reassembled, they began to consider what can only be described as the 800 lb. gorilla in the corner of the room -- a new Temple. They began to look into verifying the location of the ancient Temple, which is not as simple as it might seem.
There are two main schools of thought on the location of the Temple. The concept that most people are familiar with is that the Temple is located on the same site as the Dome of the Rock. This is entirely possible, but I have read a few articles and done a little research on the other theory and it is very interesting. The other school of thought is that the Temple was located on the north end of the Temple Mount, a site that is empty except for a small cupola over a patch of exposed bedrock. The original tradition is that there were two holy spots on Mount Moriah, the spot where Abraham build the altar to sacrifice Isaac, and the site where the ram was caught in the thicket. The dome of the rock covers one of these locations, and this small cupola covers the other site. One of the most convincing facts that the Temple stood at the north end of the Temple Mount is that according to ancient accounts, the east-west centerline of the Temple passed through the Eastern Gate. The Eastern Gate that you can see today in Jerusalem was not the same one standing when the Temple was standing, but the remains of the original Eastern Gate can be seen beneath the modern one.
A scripture that sheds light on this scenario is "I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, 'Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the worshipers there. But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.'" (Revelation 11:1-2 NIV) IF you were to rebuild the Temple on the north end of the Temple Mount, including all areas except the Outer Courts, you would be left with 6 meters between the Temple and the Dome of the Rock, with the Dome occupying where the Outer Courts would have been, which fits with the scripture.
You might be asking yourself - So? Whats the big deal? Won't PETA throw the mother of all hissyfits if the Jews start sacrificing animals again? (Which is exactly what the Sanhedrin is intending to do)
Well I won't touch that last question, I thought I'd just cause a little trouble. As to the other questions, though, it is important to us as Christians because it is another sign that the return of Christ is growing closer, and the time of Gentiles is nearing an end. One of the features of the Tribulation in the book of Revelation is when the Anti-Christ enters the Temple, stops the sacrifice, and proclaims himself God. For this to happen there has to be a Temple and Temple service will have to be reconstituted. Most of the other pieces are waiting in the wings. There is a Yeshiva School in Jerusalem training priests, most of the Temple articles have been crafted, from the altar tools to the High Priest's garments. The reconvening of the Sanhedrin is a major step toward these things happening very soon.
Granted, the political situation on the ground isn't necessarily conducive to the Muslims allowing the Jews to build a Temple on the Temple Mount (the Muslim religious authorities, after all have jurisdiction over the Temple Mount) but that is up to God and he can make it happen in his time, which might be very soon, and it will probably happen in a way nobody predicted.

Maranatha - come Lord quickly
but also - Sha'alu Shalom Yerushalayim - Pray for the peace of Jerusalem

Tweaking

I'm still tinkering with the site here, and have added a guestbook and am working on a site feed. The feed is live, but all I get is the title of the articles, not the text of them. Still trying to figure that out.
Also I am currently enjoying "Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall" I am still a novice when it comes to most jazz past the swing era, but I am beginning to emerge from the "I may not know much about jazz but I know what I like" stage. From what I have read, this recording is a lost record of a famous partnership that had previously not been adequately documented. Monk and Trane played together at the Five Spot Cafe for a short period of time, and it was while playing with Monk that Trane found his voice and was able to go on to make such legendary recordings as "Giant Steps" There were a few recordings made of the Blue Note appearances but they are poor quality and don't do the pair justice. This is a very good quality recording made from a charity appearance at Carnegie Hall in 1957 and is a very good listen.

Religion of Peace?

The following is an interesting account of an interaction between Rick Mathes, founder of Mission Gate Prison Ministry and a Muslim at a prison training session in Fulton, MO. In the article the gentleman is introduced as an Imam, but it was later revealed that he was just a Muslim inmate pressed into service. Whether or not it happened exactly like this, the succinct summing up of the difference between Christianity and Islam is well done.

By Rick Mathes
Last month I attended my annual training session that's required for maintaining my state prison security clearance. During the training session there was a presentation by three speakers representing the Roman Catholic, Protestant and Muslim faiths who explained their belief systems. I was particularly interested in what the Islamic Imam had to say.
The Imam gave a great presentation of the basics of Islam, complete with a video. After the presentations, time was provided for questions and answers. When it was my turn, I directed my question to the Imam and asked, "Please, correct me if I'm wrong, but I understand that most Imams and clerics of Islam have declared a holy jihad [Holy war] against the infidels of the world and, that by killing an infidel, which is a command to all Muslims, they are assured of a place in heaven. If that's the case, can you give me the definition of an infidel?"
There was no disagreement with my statements and without hesitation he replied, "Non-believers!"

I responded, "So, let me make sure I have this straight. All followers of Allah have been commanded to kill everyone who is not of your faith so they can go to Heaven. Is that correct?"

The expression on his face changed from one of authority and command to that of a little boy who had just gotten caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He sheepishly replied, "Yes."
I then stated, "Well, sir, I have a real problem trying to imagine Pope John Paul commanding all Catholics to kill those of your faith or Pat Robertson or Dr. Stanley ordering Protestants to do the same in order to go to Heaven!"
The Imam was speechless.

I continued, "I also have problem with being your friend when you and your brother clerics are telling your followers to kill me. Let me ask you a question! ...Would you rather have your Allah who tells you to kill me in order to go to Heaven or my Jesus who tells me to love you because I am going to Heaven and wants you to be with me?"
You could have heard a pin drop as the Imam hung his head in shame.

Chuck Colson once told me something that has sustained me these 20 years of prison ministry. He said to me, "Rick, remember that the truth will prevail."
And it will!

What about though, comparing Christianity from the time of the Crusades to Islam of today? There are some fascinating parallels. According to some accounts, in Saladin's day literature, medicine, and some sciences were more valued in the Muslim world than in Europe, where much classical literature and philosophy would have been lost had it not been for the diligence of Irish monks. The Church of that time is famous for persecuting not only great thinkers, but anyone who didn't march in lockstep with the Pope. You could get killed by the Church for something as simple as possessing a Bible in any language other than Latin.
I think it is worth remembering where we as a faith have come from as we seek a way to reach the Muslim world, which is, in my mind, the foremost challenge of the Church today.

The Transmission of Christianity

Just about my favorite C.S. Lewis book is God in the Dock. It's a compilation of essays from different sources mainly on theology and ethics. I was reading one entitled "On the Transmission of Christianity" It is actually the reprint of a preface Lewis wrote to a book by B.G. Sandhurst called "How Heathen is Britain?" (London, 1946) but it sounds like it could be written today. The book is a study of a group of young men and their attitudes about God with emphasis on the impact the education system had on them.
The part that I thought was profound was this observation as to why young men of his time weren't inclined to be Christians:
If we had noticed that the young men of the present day found it harder and harder to get the right answers to sums, we should consider that this had been adequately explained the moment we discovered that schools had for some years ceased to teach arithmetic. After that discovery we should turn a deaf ear to people who offered explanations of a vaguer and larger kind - people who said that the influence of Einstein had sapped the ancestral belief in fixed numerical relations, or that gangster films had undermined the desire to get right answers, or that the evolution of consciousness was now entering on its post-arithmetical phase. When a clear and simple explanation completely covers the facts, no other explanation is in court. If the younger generation have never been told what the Christians say and never heard any arguments in defense of it, then their agnosticism or indifference is fully explained.
This simple logic cuts through all the palaver about what is wrong with the youth of today. There is no need to blame pop culture or video games for corrupting our youth if they have never been exposed to Christianity. Granted, kids should be protected from negative influences, but if they have no positive ones to begin with, then they haven't really gotten anywhere, have they? It's no wonder our society has taken the direction is has, with Christianity removed from most aspects of our public discourse and relegated to the four walls of the Church.
Our mission therefore to be salt and light requires us to be mixed up with the world, not piled up in the salt shaker.

Widgets

I have recently been introduced by Carter's blog to a cool little desktop utility that allows one to do lots of little tasks from the desktop that usually require opening a web browser. The program is called Yahoo Widgets and the Widgets engine runs mini-apps on your desktop (or always on to of what you are doing if you wish) that save a lot of steps. The standard apps that come with the program are things like an analog clockface, a weather forecast for your area, and a search bar. The one widget that I have actually found myself utilizing the most is a desktop search bar for Thottbot, which is a service that collects information about World of Warcraft. If I'm playing the game, and I need to know where a certain NPC spawns I can tab out of the game and type in the weasel's name from desktop, saving a couple of steps. I have also loaded up a birthday reminder program that reminds me 7 days before all of those birthdays I can never remember. I also like the widget that blurts out random quotes from "The Family Guy"'s Stewie
Of course I realize there's a chance I am the last soul on the North American continent who wasn't familiar with Widgets, but I'm a sucker for pretty apps like this.
I quit taking the local Houston paper (really just a reprint of the NY Times with local sports scores) several months ago, and really the only thing I miss is the comics. Well there is a widget that lets me pick from 128 or so different comics and downloads them for my perusal. Very cool.

So, any fave Widgets out there, or do you perhaps use Google Toolbar instead?

Introduction

I have begun this blog in an effort to flex my long-dormant writing skills, and to take advantage of the fact that it doesn't take movable type or a satellite feed to have a voice anymore, so please indulge me as I find my voice and regale you all with what will probably be a wide range of topics ranging from my latest music discoveries ( my wide ranging interests scare me sometimes) to computer gaming, coming to grips with my growing disillusionment with the state of affairs in our government and our role in the mess, spiritual pondering, be they reflections on a sermon, or the profundity of C.S. Lewis or Francis Shaeffer. and interesting meals I have eaten. My wife Donna and cat Cleopatra will probably make appearances as well. I will post as often as the muse strikes me, as often as I can. So let the experiment begin!

Patrick