Ecclesiastes 12:10

  You remember in school when they taught you about the states of matter. How water can exist as solid, a liquid or a gas.  It’s still water but has very different properties and behaves in very different ways depending on the state it is in.  I guess it is a lot like religion in that way.   Some religious are liquid.  They are very fluid.  They move accordingly when the world tilts right or left.  While they have a form of substance, but that substance is shaped by whatever surrounds it.  They conform to the world. ( Romans 12:1-2; Colossians 2:23 )   Some religious are gas like.  They are just a lot of air.  They can only be felt and contain nothing solid.  They drift from here to there, and unless you’re paying close attention, you would never even notice that they are there.  On occasion, the air gets really hot but that is something else entirely. ( Ephesians 4:14, 5:6 )   Then some religion is ...

DONKEY See if you can pull this one out. How did the disciples find the donkey Jesus rode into Jerusalem on? By following a man carring a water pitcher It came them on the road It was tied to a post when they came to the city They purchased it for 5 denari Who found out he would be king while searching for a donkey? David Agag Saul Gideon What prophet was rebuked by his own donkey? Balaam Balack Sherk Saul What son of Jacob was described as a strong donkey in his blessing to his sons? Reuben Issachar Judah Dan What women rode in on a donkey with supplies so David would not attack her husband? Hannah Micha Helen Abigail What did the brothers of Joseph discover when they stopped to feed their donkeys that made them afraid? A ransom note Their money had been returned A golden idol Joseph's coat of many colors With what part of a donkey did Samson kill a thousand men? Jawbone Leg Backbone Rib What outrageous price in a donkey's h...

Son of ..... I give you a name, you tell me who he was the son of... Simon (Peter) son of .... Barnaabas John Alephis Reuban James and John son of... Zebedee Alphaeus Jose Zephaniah James the apostle (not the brother of John) son of.... Zebedee Alphaeus Jose Zephaniah John the Baptist son of.... Mattha Pineas Mathis Zacharias Saul (the King) son of... Nathan Kish Samuel Eli Timothy son of... Lois Paul Mary Tabitha Lot the son of... Abram Laban Haran Kebler David son of... Moses Bildad Jessie Adam Joshua son of... Nun Sum Feu Mani Adam son.... No one The earth Seth God

  You may have heard of Occam’s razor.  It’s not the next group to take of the big shaving industry, but a scientific and philosophical rule. Simply put, the simplest answer, all other things being equal, is the best answer. Entities are not to be multiplied without necessity. Less is better. Don’t add things you don’t need. The more assumption you make the more likely you are to be wrong.   It is named after William of Occam a scholar and professor at Oxford in the 1300’s. What you may not know is he didn’t just apply this rule to science but religion as well.   In that day the Catholic Church was the dominant force but William of Occam was a critic.  He spoke out even when it was not popular and dangerous to do so.  He saw the addition that had been made to the Christian religion as unnecessary.  He remarked. “ Scripture and not the decisions of councils and popes is alone binding on the Christian”.  He insisted that Scripture...

What's In Hell Pick the correct descriptor of Hell... What animal does Jesus say doesn't die in hell? Snake Dog Worm Wolves Which of these terms is used by Jesus to describe hell? Purgatory Depths of the Earth Outer Darkness The Bad Place Who does Jesus say the eternal fire of hell was prepared for? The evil of the earth For mankind He never spoke of it The Devil and his angels Based on a Greek term, how does Peter describe hell in his second letter? Pits of darkness Land of the lost Lake of fire The dump of humanity What trait of hell does Jesus use to justify cutting off a hand to keep from sin? Unquenchable fire Separation from family Complete loneliness Unusual punishment Which of these is NOT used by Jesus to describe hell? Place of weeping and gnashing of teeth Eternal punishment Furnace of fire An unconscious existence According to Jesus, what is between the place of torment and paradise? A legion of angels A ...

  Sometimes people will ask me about my church.  They assume since I am a minister that somehow I have some ownership or say over it.  We do that too.  We remark ‘at my church’ or ‘come to my church’.  It might just be a slip of the tongue but we need to work to correct it.   Because it is not ‘our’ church and that is a very good thing!   The church of me wouldn’t be a good one. Oh, it might be likable enough, it could be entertaining, and it might have the community’s approval. The church of me could be growing and financially stable but it doesn’t have enough.   You see churches come at a cost. In order to have a group of redeemed, you must have a redeemer. A sacrifice to pay the cost. And I don’t have enough in me. " Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. Acts 20:28   A church...

Cursed Warning: There is a lot of cursing in this quiz What descendant of Saul cursed David as he fled from his son Absalom? Shimei Zimmri Ahithophel Abishai What item did Jesus curse that astonished his disciple when it withered? A hand A fig tree A wheat field A date palm According to Hebrews, what would cause ground to be cursed? Too much rain Innocent blood spilt on it Produces thorns & thistles It remains barren Why does Ecclesiastes say we should not take seriously when we are cursed by servants? They know not what they say We rule over them so it is fair It is vanity We have cursed others as well What did Job curse in his misery? His birthday God His friends His wife What caused Nehemiah to curse, strike, and pull out the hair of his countrymen? They stole from temple They had married foreigners They had mocked the wall They ate the show bread What man was falsely accused of 'cursing God and the king' in order to steal his v...

  We’ve all probably heard the adage that the majority of communication is nonverbal. This notion is from Dr. Albert Mehrabian, author of the book Silent Messages. In his research, he found that only 7% of any message is conveyed through words, the rest (38% through certain vocal elements and 55% through nonverbal elements) is unspoken.   What we say is more about how we say it and the influence of other factors that make the message.  Our smile conveys sincerity.  Our dress imparts seriousness (or the lack thereof). A head nod implies conviction. This isn’t just for the person talking, but also for the one listening .   I know when I preach the nonverbals of the crowd affect my message. Are they disinterested? Am I making my point? Am I being confusing? Do they agree? Are they about to throw tomatoes?   The sad thing is I know that often times peoples nonverbals are not at all directed towards the lesson. His scowl isn’t about the sermon...