Archive for the ‘Christian’ Category
Friday, June 1st, 2007
It seems that my Wikipedia entries for “The Wilken Diagnostic” and Pastor Todd Wilken were deleted via their deletion process. I saw that the deletion process was initiated and tried to take steps to keep it up, but I don’t have that much time to get into their world. What was interesting was the deletion discussion. One comment was:
Non-notable (11 google hits) and hopelessly simplistic (why does a sermon have to mention Jesus at all?) method of evaluating a sermon.
I wish I had know about this discussion earlier. “Why does a sermon have to mention Jesus at all?” I guess that’s the state of what people think of Christianity. It doesn’t need Jesus. I’m just stunned and saddened.
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Wednesday, May 23rd, 2007
A couple of years ago, we joined ALCF. Over the past few months, my wife and I had noticed a focus on tithing which was bothersome. With the focus on tithing had come a de-emphasis of sin and Savior. We were both concerned about this, but moving away from ALCF would move us away from many of our friends. After another disappointing service, I decided I had to find a church that was going to teach about our sin and our only hope, Jesus Christ.
My favorite radio show, Issues, Etc., has a list of sponsoring congregations. We had been to Our Savior and didn’t have the best experience, so I decided to visit another sponsoring congregation, Shepherd of the Valley (SOTV). One Sunday morning, Mari and I went to scout things out. The service used the liturgy which, while unsurprising, was a big change. It’s been a while since I’ve regularly attended a church that used the liturgy, but what stood out to me was that I’d get sin and Savior even without the sermon. The pastor introduced himself and so did other congregants which really made me feel comfortable.
The following Sunday, the whole family went. This was a big change for Emi, because her “Sunday School” was mostly playing and watching Veggie Tales. Erin liked the service and the pastor but had some concerns. Her first concern was leaving our friends and the sense of community at ALCF. SOTV is a much smaller congregation than ALCF so there aren’t all the Mother’s TIme-out, Couple’s Night-out, etc. Her second concern was something that is both an issue and a non-issue and that is race. We have very different perspectives on this issue because of where we grew up (me in San Francisco,as mixed race as you can get, and her in Moraga, vast majority white). SOTV, like the other Lutheran congregations I’ve seen, has very few minorities and her concern was that the girls might grow up feeling inferior (her experience). I think the girls will learn that, through the work of Jesus Christ, God sees them the same as everyone else in the congregation and that this will help them in the Left-hand Kingdom where they will be minorities not only because they are Japanese-American, but also because they are Christians.
Finally, last Sunday we went to service and then to Bible study after. Pastor Weller lead a discussion about how Scientology and Unitarian Universalism are not Biblical. Erin said she learned more about her faith in that one Bible study than she had at ALCF. She also said she gained some understanding into how I think. I’ve never really consciously thought about how my faith affects my life, but discussing this with her has opened my eyes.
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Wednesday, May 23rd, 2007
I made my first Wikipedia entry! I added “The Wilken Diagnostic.”. This is Pastor Todd Wilken’s method for analyzing a sermon. I also added an entry for Todd Wilken himself. Both are minimalist pages and I hope others will flesh them out.
Posted in Christian, Geek | 1 Comment »
Friday, February 23rd, 2007
Just for anyone who is still having trouble accepting that they didn’t choose Jesus, please listen to His own words in John 6:65 - And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.”
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Wednesday, February 7th, 2007
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. —Ephesians 2:8-9
What this says is that we are saved (go to Heaven) by grace (the free and unmerited favor of God) through faith. Further, that faith isn’t from ourselves, it also is a gift from God and not because of any works we have done. Those works would include good deeds, being nice, or even professing that you accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior. I know a lot of Christians will have a problem with the last statement because they believe you have to do something to do be a Christian. But that would counter the notion that Jesus’ work at the cross was sufficient for salvation (Jesus + your acceptance vs. Jesus alone). To put it simply, put all your trust in Jesus’ work on the Cross.
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Friday, November 10th, 2006
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.
(The Apostles’ Creed)
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Thursday, October 19th, 2006
I’ve been catching up on podcasts with technical themes and ran across this one from an author named Sam Harris. He calls for the end of religious tolerance. Not meaning the outlawing of religion, but not giving a pass to people or their actions because of their religious beliefs. He correctly notes that there is a difference between Muslims and Christians with a clear example in Palestine where there are plenty of Muslim suicide bombers, but no Christian suicide bombers. He is correct in saying that religious differences should be examined. Of course his real argument is that all religions are based on irrational beliefs. He dismisses the Bible and the Resurrection with poor theological arguments that sound rational and are thus convincing to a room full of technical people. And, while he is wrong, I would give him more credit if he examined his own “beliefs.” He takes for granted evolution and the Big Bang which, if he were honest, require belief. Hey, I don’t mind his notion of religious intolerance. Question everyones’ beliefs. I have questioned my own, and I always end up back at the foot of the Cross.
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Tuesday, October 3rd, 2006
Being a Japanese-American, I’ve grown up with Buddhism. Mostly around funerals but also other traditions like the Obon festival. Being a firm Christian, I’ve never been attracted to Buddhism, but it has always raised some internal conflicts.
Let me start by saying that I’ve never researched exactly what Buddhists teach although it seems like there are different types of Buddhists and you can end up at different places. What I do understand is fundamentally you must do something like find wisdom or reach enlightenment to get to that place. How you know if you reach enlightenment is beyond me. This differs from Christianity that say that you can’t do anything to reach Heaven, except to have faith in Jesus Christ who died on the cross for our sins. And even that faith is a gift from God. (For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. - Ephesians 2:8-9)
So this leads to that big conflict that nobody, including myself, wants to examine. What happens to our Buddhist and other non-Christian family members and friends when they die? If I’m true to my Christian faith, then I can’t honestly say they are with God. Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (John 14:6) See, that’s just not something I want to think about. So what am I to do? Start evangelizing all my friends and family. Sounds good until I start alienating everyone, which might be okay with friends but not really practical for family. So, I just pray that God will send the Holy Spirit into their hearts. Maybe my using me and my family or by some other divine means.
Posted in Christian, Family Member | 2 Comments »
Friday, September 15th, 2006
Anyone who knows me, knows that I have always been into learning new things. New computer languages, new technologies, and new ways of doing things. This has lead me to read a lot of self-improvement books. How can I better manage my time, how can I read faster, etc. The big picture books in this area focus on not just a single part of your life, but your whole self including how you set goals and live day-to-day to achieve those goals. Heck, as my wife can tell you, I listened to one of Tony Robbins’ series and was all excited about it. Well, as the Holy Spirit has continued to work in me, I really ran into a brick wall while reading “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill.
“Think and Grow Rich” is a seminal (strongly influencing later developments) work in the self-improvement arena. Just about every modern self-help guru recommends this book, so I’ve been looking forward to reading it for some time. The book starts off by hinting at a very powerful secret that a large number of famous people have used to become successful. The first example is of a man who wanted to be a business partner of Thomas Edison. He didn’t know Edison and had no money, just a burning desire to be Edison’s partner. Warning bells started going off when …. started talking about the universe aligning …. Then I read about how to achieve the kind of focus it takes to achieve this kind of success. It was akin to prayer. Speaking your goal twice a day. Visualize the accomplishment of that goal for 30 minutes a day. It just made me stop. I mean is this really the direction I want to take my life?
Going in, I assumed the book would talk about how to focus my mind to achieve my goals. And you know what? That’s exactly what the book would do, help me achieve MY goals. I’d have to disregard all of God’s will. I’d have to disregard Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross. I’d have to focus solely on what I wanted to accomplish. So where does this leave me with self-help? First, I am going to try to finish “Think and Grow Rich.” It will probably take me quite a while since I’m going to try to read it in such a way that I can still put Jesus first. I’m not sure I’ll be successful but I would like to be able to use the techniques in the book to better accomplish God’s goals for my life. As far as self-help in general, I’ll probably steer more towards the technique oriented books like time management, organization, speed-reading. etc. and leave the bigger picture to God’s will.
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Wednesday, July 26th, 2006
With friends like these, you know that God has blessed your life. Last night Erin and I went on our second “quad” date with this group of friends. They are all strong Christians who have influenced my walk with the Lord. One of my struggles is my over reliance on myself and forgetting to trust God. I know He has brought these people into my life to remind me that He will provide all that I need and that I need the company and support of other believers to grow in my faith.
Posted in Christian, Family Member, Friend | No Comments »
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