BURJ-AL-ARAB

I may have posted on this before, but I'm not sure.

The Burj al-Arab, "Tower of the Arabs", is a luxury hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. At 1,053 feet, it is the tallest building used exclusively as a hotel. It stands in the sea on an artificial island 919 feet away from the beach in the Persian Gulf, connected to the mainland only by a private curving bridge.


Arial View of Hotel


Day shot of Hotel

Construction of the hotel began in 1994, and its doors were opened to guests on December 1, 1999. It was built to resemble the sail of a dhow, a type of Arabian vessel. Near the top is a helipad, and extending from the other side of the hotel, over the ocean, is a restaurant called Al Muntaha (Arabic meaning Highest or Ultimate) supported by cantilever. A remarkable element of its architecture is the outer beachward wall of the atrium, which is made of a woven, Teflon-coated fiberglass cloth.


Night shot with front lit up

The Burj al-Arab does not have ordinary rooms; rather it is divided into 202 duplex suites. The smallest suite occupies an area of 1,819 square feet, and the largest one covers 8,396 square feet. It is one of the most expensive hotels in the world to stay in. The cost of staying in a suite begins at $1,000 per night and increases to over $15,000 per night; the Royal Suite is the most expensive, at $28,000 per night. The total cost to build and furnish the hotel has never been released.


A bathroom...yeah...a bathroom



Interior shot of one of the rooms



Another room view.



View of the Lobby


Each of the 202 duplex suites are an architectural dream. Details such as stone (granite) from Brazil, and marble and glass from Italy, and the finest Irish linens are painstakingly gathered here to paint a picture of luxurious excess. Each suite comes with its own butler, wall to wall views of the gulf, and the latest in television and technological additions (Internet access, an outside video monitoring system which allows you to both see who is at the door and open the door without ever leaving your bed). There are 164 one-bedroom, 28 two-bedroom, and six three-bedroom suites available for your comfort. And that's just the low end.

For those not staying in the hotel, you can pay an entrance fee (somewhere around US$50) which can be applied toward a dinner in one of their world class restaurants.


Underwater Resturant


The hotel offers the Al-Mahara underwater seafood restaurant for diners wary of heights. The seafood restaurant is accessed by a 12 seater submarine taken from the lobby and features a shark filled aquarium running along the walls.

Or, if one chooses, you may dine amongst the stars at their Al-Muntaha restaurant. At 600 ft. above sea level the restaurant offers stunning views of the Arabian Gulf and the night sky. The hotel also includes five other world class restaurants ranging in themes (ballrooms) and prices.

Another attraction of the hotel is their Assawan Spa on the 18th floor. Facilities include two swimming pools with views over the Gulf, two diving pools, 18 treatment rooms, hydrotherapy baths, oriental massage, standup solarium, sauna, steam rooms and Jacuzzi. Many of their facilities have a women or men only policy, meaning there may be specific times when only one of the two sexes are allowed in an area (though they also have men and women centered themed spas).

The Burj al-Arab features the tallest atrium lobby in the world (180 metres, or 590 feet). The atrium can accommodate the Dubai World Trade Center building, which, at 38 stories, was the tallest building in Dubai from the late 1970s to the late 1990s.

In February 2005, professional tennis players Roger Federer and Andre Agassi played an unranked game on the helipad, which was temporarily converted into a grass tennis court, at a height of 692 feet. The helipad has no borders or fences on the edges.

Tennis on the Helipad. 692 feet in the air. No railing

Answers to the questions on basics.

You don't need to have the scripture verses memorized, and this list isn't authoritative. So, if you don't know everything, that's alright. But, these are the basics in Christianity and Christians should, at the very least, be familiar with them.

1. Can you tell someone what the Great Commission is?
A. "And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age," (Matt. 28:18-20).
2. Can you tell someone what the gospel is?
A. "Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. 3For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures," (1 Cor. 15:1-4)
3. Can you tell someone where in the Bible the gospel is defined?
A. See above.
4. How many ways are there to get to God?
A. Only one: "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).
5. Can you quote John 3:16?
A. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life," (John 3:16).
6. What book and chapter of the Bible has the 10 Commandments?
A. Exodus 20
7. What is the basic salvation message?
A. The basic salvation message is that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead (1 Cor. 15:1-4). All who would believe in Him would have everlasting life and escape the judgment of God upon those who have sinned against Him (John 3:16-18). Receiving salvation from God is done by faith (Rom. 5:1; Eph. 2:8).
8. Must you be baptized in order to be saved?
A. No, you don't have to be baptized to be saved (Rom. 5:1; Acts 10:44-48). See "Is Baptism necessary for Salvation?" for more information on this.
9. Is salvation obtained by being good, by faith in Jesus alone, or both?
A. Salvation is a gift (Rom. 6:23) that cannot be earned. We are justified by faith (Rom. 5:1) apart from the works of the Law (Rom. 3:28).
10. Can you define the term justification?
A. To be justified is to be made righteous. It is a divine act where God declares the sinner to be innocent of his sins. It is not that the sinner is now sinless, but that he is "declared" sinless. This justification is based on the shed blood of Jesus, "...having now been justified by His blood..." (Rom. 5:9).
11. Can you tell define the term sanctification? A. Sanctification follows justification. In justification our sins are completely forgiven in Christ. Sanctification is the process by which the Holy Spirit makes us more like Christ in all that we do, think, and desire.
12. Can you tell someone the difference between Mormonism and Christianity? A. Mormonism teaches that God used to be a man on another world. He became a god and brought one of his wives to this world. They produce spirit offspring who enter human babies at birth. Mormons believe they have the potential of becoming gods of their own worlds.
Christianity teaches that there is only one God in all existence (who was never a man on a planet). God exists as a Trinity: Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Jesus is the word made flesh (John 1:1,14) and we cannot become gods.
13. Can you quote scripture and location that says we are saved by grace? A. Eph. 2:8, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God."
14. Can you quote scripture and location that says there is only one God? A. "...Before Me there was no God formed, and there will be none after Me," (Isaiah 43:10) See also Isaiah 44:6,8.
15. Is Jesus God in flesh, a good man, or an angel who became a man?A. Jesus is God in flesh. Col. 2:9 says, "For in Him all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form." John 1:1,14 says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth."
16. Did Jesus rise from the dead in a physical body or not? A. Jesus rose from the dead in the same body He died in, though it was a glorified body. "Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." 20The Jews therefore said, "It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?" 21But He was speaking of the temple of His body." And, "So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; 43it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body," (1 Cor. 15)
18. Is the Holy Spirit a person like the Father and Son, or a force like radar? A. The Holy Spirit is a person like the Father and the Son. He speaks (Acts 8:29; 1 Cor. 12:11), loves, and can be grieved (Eph. 4:30).
19. Can you explain what the Trinity is? A. The Trinity is the teaching that God exists in three eternal, simultaneous, co-equal persons known as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
20. Has God always been God? A. Yes, God has always been God. Psalm 90:2 says, "Before the mountains were born, or Thou didst give birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God."
21. Can you tell anyone what some of the attributes of God are? A.
He knows all things (1 John 3:20). He is all powerful (Psalm 139:7-12). He is holy (Rev. 4:8).
22. Is Jesus going to return or not? A. Yes, Jesus is going to return. Acts 1:10-11 says, "And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was departing, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them; 11and they also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven."
23. Did Jesus bare our sins in His body on the cross or not? A. "and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed," (1 Peter 2:24).
24. What is salvation? A. Salvation is the "saving" of a sinner from the righteous judgment of God. When someone appeals to God and seeks forgiveness in Jesus, his sins are forgiven. He is cleansed. His relationship with God is restored, and he is made a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17). All of this is the work of God, not man. Salvation is a free gift (Rom. 6:3).
25. What is sin? A. Sin is anything that is contrary to the law or will of God. For example: if you lie, you have sinned. Why? Because God has said not to lie (Matt. 25:46).
27. What is hell? A. Hell is the future place of eternal punishment of the damned including the devil and his fallen angels. See Acts 11:27; Rev. 1:18; 2 Tim. 3:16.
30. What are the first five books of the Old Testament? A. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy.
31. How many books are in the Bible? A. There are 66 books in the Bible: 39 books in the OT, 27 in the NT.
32. Were Adam and Eve real people or not? A.
Yes, they were real individuals. (Gen. 2-3)
33. What is the biblical reason that Adam and Eve cast out of the Garden of Eden?A. They disobeyed God by eating of the forbidden fruit (Gen. 3).
34. Is the devil a real being?A. Yes, he is a real being, a fallen angel. "But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, "The Lord rebuke you," (Jude 9). (see also Rev. 12:9)
35. What are some of the qualifications of an elder?A. Must be above reproach (Titus 1:6; 1 Tim. 3:2)
B. Husband of one wife (Titus 1:6; 1 Tim. 3:2).
C. Household must be in order with children who believe (Titus 1:6 ;1 Tim. 3:4).
D. Have a good reputation (1 Tim. 3:7).
E.Able to exhort (teach) sound doctrine (Titus 1:9; 1 Tim. 3:2).
F. Able to refute false teaching (Titus 1:9).

Do you know the basics of the Christian faith?

"Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of instruction about washings, and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment" (Heb. 6:1-2 NASB).

God tells us to grow beyond the basics of the Christian faith and to press on to maturity. Sadly, most Christians are not very well acquainted with the basics of Christianity and so linger in the milk of the word instead of going on to the meat. My interviews of Christians over the years has led me to believe that about 80% of them have a faulty understanding of justification by faith and about 90% as many couldn't defend the deity of Christ from the Bible. In fact, most Christians I've encountered do not understand who Jesus is biblically, let alone defend the proper understanding of what Jesus did on the cross.

Now, I am not saying that all Christians need to be masters of theology, philosophy, and the Bible. I am saying that Christians need to grow passed the basics and onto maturity just like it says in Heb. 6:1-2.

Following is a list of questions that are basics. The average Christian who has been a believer for, say, two years or more, should know the majority of the answers below. If you don't know them, then click on the answers link at the end of the questions to see what the right answers are and learn.

I suggest that you get a notebook together and fill it with things about doctrines, who Jesus is, what He did, what salvation is, etc. Print papers from this site. You don't have to have them memorized, but know them. Understand them. Use them as foundations in your Bible studies. They will help.

How do you fair with the questions?
1. Can you tell someone what the Great Commission is?
2. Can you tell someone what the gospel is?
3. Can you tell someone where in the Bible the gospel is defined?
4. How many ways are there to get to God?
5. Can you quote John 3:16?
6. What book and chapter of the Bible has the 10 Commandments?
7. What is the basic salvation message?
8. Must you be baptized in order to be saved?
9. Is salvation obtained by being good, by faith in Jesus alone, or both?
10. Can you define the term justification?
11. Can you define the term sanctification?
12. Can you tell someone the difference between Mormonism and Christianity?
13. Can you quote scripture and location that says we are saved by grace?
14. Can you quote scripture and location that says there is only one God?
15. Is Jesus God in flesh, a good man, or an angel who became a man?
16. Did Jesus rise from the dead in a physical body or not?
17. How many natures does Jesus have?
18. Is the Holy Spirit a person like the Father and Son, or a force like radar?
19. Can you explain what the Trinity is?
20. Has God always been God?
21. Can you tell anyone what some of the attributes of God are?
22. Is Jesus going to return or not?
23. Did Jesus bare our sins in His body on the cross or not?
24. What is salvation?
25. What is sin?
26. What is damnation?
27. What is hell?
28. What is heaven?
29. Is the Bible inspired or is it a good book full of good moral stories?
30. What are the first five books of the Old Testament?
31. How many books are in the Bible?
32. Were Adam and Eve real people or not?
33. What is the biblical reason that Adam and Eve cast out of the Garden of Eden?
34. Is Satan a real being?
35. What are some of the qualifications of an elder?
After I went through this list, I realized that I need to do a better job with my scripture references. I've grown to rely heavily on computer programs to find references for me, when I know the jist of the verse.

I'll post the answers to these questions later on.

Wow...I don't know what to say.

I just saw this video over on Nick's blog (see my sidebar), and I just had to share it. Nick hits the nail on the head when he calls it the most insane music video ever. If you have jerky or slow playback just hit the pause button as soon as it starts to play and wait for it to buffer.


David Hasselhoff singing "I've got a feeling".

Romans 8:28

Dixie's blog got me thinking about Romans 8:28 this morning. I've got some thoughts I'd like to share.

If you're in a position where you can grab a Bible, read Romans 8...the entire chapter. A lot of people I know have Romans 8:28 memorized. And I think that's awesome. It's a great verse.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

What an amazing promise from God! All things, it says, will work for our good. That promise has the potential to help us through a lot of hard times.

However, I know lots of Christians that have really hard lives. I know lots of Christians who have lost a family member, and their life isn't "better" after their dad died.

It's harder.

I know lots of Christians who have lost a good paying job and never did find another one that paid as well. Their physical circumstances weren't better for that.

So what happened here? If God promises us that all things will work for our good if we love God and are called according to His purpose, does that mean that the people, for whom life doesn't always get "better", don't really love God?

Most of us would say, "Of course not."

I believe the confusion tends to come in because people take this promise out of it's context and apply it to their lives in that it was never meant to be applied. Taking this verse out of context usually results in the misunderstanding of the word "good". When God promises that all things will work together for "good", what does that mean?

Does it mean that if I lose my job, I'll get a better one?

Does it mean that if I wreck my car, I'll eventually end up with a nicer car?

Does it mean that if my house burns down, I'll end up in a better location in a nicer house?

Some of you, when I put it that bluntly, would say "of course that's not what it means", yet think back to when you counseled/comforted people using that verse's promise. Think back to when you comforted yourself using that verse.

If you've had the time to read all of Romans 8, a key theme should've stuck out to you. It's the theme of suffering.

The whole chapter is talking about how tough this life is, especially starting at verse 18. It's talking of how many trials we will endure. It's talking about groaning and travailing. But then it also talks about how we'll be delivered from that pain. It talks about how the Spirit is within us to help us with that pain. It talks about how the Spirit helps us with our infirmities and makes intercession for us when we groan.

And then it gets to verse 28:
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

Here's the point. Here's what that verse is saying to us. If you love God - if you're a Christian - if you've been called to fulfill Christ's work in your life, then everything that happens in your life is to conform you to the image of Christ. It's about sanctification people. It's not talking about our physical circumstances. It's not even talking about our "happiness". It's talking about the Spirit being faithful to teach you lesson's that make you more like Christ!

It's part of our sanctification.

God is sovereign.

When you lose your job, you may never get another job. But the spirit may teach you that our jobs here on earth pale in comparison to the job we've been given to glorify Christ.

If you lose your father on earth, you may never feel see another smile like his. But the Spirit may teach you an amazing lesson about our Heavenly Father, and His love, and His wisdom. You may gain a whole nother level of love and respect for God!

And isn't that what it's all about really? It's not about our good jobs, or our earthly relationships, or our physical circumstances. It's about using every experience on this earth, whether good or bad, to glorify God and become more like Christ out a heart of love and admiration for Him and what He did for us.

Nothing takes the taste out of peanut butter quite like unrequited love.
Charles M. Schulz (1922 - 2000),
Charlie Brown in "Peanuts"

It's not about me

By what right have we become "a royal priesthood"? It is by the right of the atonement by the Cross of Christ that this has been accomplished. Are we prepared to purposely disregard ourselves and to launch out into the priestly work of prayer? The continual inner-searching we do in an effort to see if we are what we ought to be generates a self-centered, sickly type of Christianity, not the vigorous and simple life of a child of God. Until we get into this right and proper relationship with God, it is simply a case of our "hanging on by the skin of our teeth," although we say, "What a wonderful victory I have!" Yet there is nothing at all in that which indicates the miracle of redemption. Launch out in reckless, unrestrained belief that the redemption is complete. Then don’t worry anymore about yourself, but begin to do as Jesus Christ has said, in essence, "Pray for the friend who comes to you at midnight, pray for the saints of God, and pray for all men." Pray with the realization that you are perfect only in Christ Jesus, not on the basis of this argument: "Oh, Lord, I have done my best; please hear me now."

How long is it going to take God to free us from the unhealthy habit of thinking only about ourselves? We must get to the point of being sick to death of ourselves, until there is no longer any surprise at anything God might tell us about ourselves. We cannot reach and understand the depths of our own meagerness. There is only one place where we are right with God, and that is in Christ Jesus. Once we are there, we have to pour out our lives for all we are worth in this ministry of the inner life.

Continue Instant in Prayer

First off, I want to genuinely thank all of you who have been praying for Alan through this tough time. I don't mean to belabor the point, but please continue praying for Alan and his family. It seems, too often, we do really good at praying for someone for the first few days and then we trail off. Often the hardest times for a grieving individual is after everything is over and they're left to face reality. The cards quit coming. The phone calls quit coming. Let's not let the prayers quit coming.

I'm headed up to Iowa this afternoon with three others to attend the funeral tomorrow. I'm thankful for the opportunity to go support Alan and his family. We take our freedom of transportation so lightly sometimes. We don't realize how huge of a blessing it is to be able to drive 380 miles to go support friends and family.

I'm not sure if I'll find time to get a post in tomorrow or not. I'm not sure what time we'll get home from West Bend, so I'm thinking probably not.

P.S. Thanks to whoever left me all the "notes" this morning. It made me smile. I've got some guesses, but we'll see.

Testimony to God's Provision

This is an email I recieved from Alan (see previous post). I found it to be an awesome testimony to God's perfect provision. I hope you find it as encouraging as I did. Thanks so much to all of you who read this and are praying for him and his family.
A lot of this message I wrote just to write my thoughts and feelings, so it got very long. Basically, I thank you all for your thoughts and prayers, I can feel them. Details for the next few days are at the bottom.

Greetings to all,

Unbelievable... and I mean this is so many ways.

Unbelievable... My Dad is gone. I love him sooo much. I didn't know I could hurt so much and cry so hard for someone. For those of you who didn't really know him, he was my best friend, my mentor, the one who taught me so many things and has been a huge influence in who I am today. The one who smiled and laughed with me all the time. The one who was always there for me and loved me so much. The one who I long to see, hear, touch right now, but know that I can't.

Unbelievable... God's grace and strength. It is beyond sufficient! My worst fear has happened and yet I've been able to make it through every passing second thus far. The fact that I can sit here at this computer and type this email; not without tears, but with clarity. HE has provided me more grace and strength than I could have ever imagined to help my family through this time while losing one of the most important people in my/our lives.

Unbelievable... God's promises, HIS provision, HIS inspiration.
John 14:18 - I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

John 14:27 - Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not you heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Philippians 4:6,7 - Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let you requests be made known unto God. And the peace that passeth all understanding, shall keep you hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Psalm 121 - I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.

Praise YOU In This Storm - Casting Crowns
I was sure by now
That You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day

But once again,
I say “Amen”, and it’s still raining
As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
“I’m with you”
And as You mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I’ll praise You in this storm
And I will life my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am

Every tear I’ve cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry
You raised me up again

My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can’t find You

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
“I’m with you”
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth

Unbelievable... the prayers and love of others. There have been practically non-stop voicemails, text messages, phone calls and visitors throughout the past 2/3 days. So many people praying, so many people thinking of us, so many people taking time out to show us kindness in many ways, so many people bringing us food (we have too much of this, so come and eat it). The community here and the community of Christ have been wonderful. We have people that don't know us praying for us, but isn't that a part of what the body of Christ is about? I fully believe that much of our strength is coming from you all, because I know that I don't even know what to pray most of the time right now. We can feel all your prayers, so thank you from the depths of my heart.

Unbelievable... how horrible my cell phone service is at our home in West Bend. That is why I am hardly ever able to answer my phone, so I am not avoiding you. Our home phone is (515) 887-3259, if the Spirit leads you to call, but keep in mind that people are calling for my Mom too. I may be calling some of you tomorrow.

Unbelievable... how God answers prayers, even when you think it is too late. If you know me, you know that I often struggle with not knowing most of my immediate family's complete beliefs and whether or not they believe in Jesus and have salvation. I am so sad that my Dad was taken before he was able to verbally express his belief in Jesus Christ to others outside of a few people, and I am privileged to be one of them. I've been able to visit with those few people and it has been a huge comfort and peace to me that he is with Christ. I can't be for sure about where he will be in eternity, but for that matter, I can't read the hearts of anyone, whether they claim to be a believer or not, that is up to God and Jesus... thank God!

Unbelievable... the opportunities already being opened up. I've had the most spiritual conversations with some members of my family that I have ever had. A few of them brought me great joy because of there faith and love for the Lord, and others have shown me that a lot of praying is still needed. The awesomest (word?) one was an hour and a half conversation and prayer that I had with my Mom tonight. She is in a similar place that Dad was. She believes in Christ, she wants to live for HIM, she is asking for forgiveness and mercy from God, she IS a believer! She needs prayers for the obvious reason of her grief and horrible pain in losing Dad, but also (and more importantly) for strength to not be ashamed to express her faith and to help her with the same church/community/satan/etc... issues that held Dad and are holding her and others captive.

Unbelievable... that is 2:30 am and I am still awake typing this. I am now off to bed. Don't call until 10:00.

Info for the days to come:

Visitation/Wake - Wednesday from 2 to 5 and 6 to 8, with an hour break for the family to eat from 5 to 6. This will be held at the Apostolic Christian Fellowship Center in West Bend.

Funeral - Thursday at 10:30 at the AC Church.

If you are coming... wonderful and let Marlene Banwart (515 887-3030) know if you need a place to stay. If not, that is fine because your prayers are more important than your presence. If you know someone who is praying that didn't get this, please let them know our gratitude.

Thank you all and God bless you all!

With the love of Christ,
Alan

Prayers are Needed

Ro 12:15 - Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.

This is a time to weep.

One of my closest friends, Alan Banwart, had tragedy strike his family this past Saturday. His father, Dean, was killed in an accident involving a tractor and a train. From what I understand Dean was driving a tractor pulling a cultivator. The train caught the cultivator and Dean passed away from injuries he sustained.

Please pray for Alan and his mother. Funeral arrangements are still undecided. Since a train was involved, an autopsy is mandatory, and they're not sure when that will be done.

This is a rude reminder that life is fragile and can be taken without a moments warning. May we all strive to love a little deeper.

Update: For those that are interested...Alan's father's visitation and funeral arrangements have been made. The visitation is on Wednesday from 2:00-5:00 and from 6:00-8:00. The funeral is on Thursday morning at 10:30. Both are in West Bend.

IF YOU ARE GOING TO BE IN WEST BEND OVERNIGHT ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT, please let either Polly Zaugg (712-857-3477) or Helen Anliker (515-887-5450) know so they can make arrangements for accommodations.

IF YOU ARE GOING TO BE IN WEST BEND FOR THE FUNERAL MEAL ON THURSDAY, please let Joan Fehr (913-681-6714) know so they can plan for enough food.

Two Hundred Spam E-Mails Can't Be Wrong

From The Onion

By Jonathan Milton
June 14, 2006 | Issue 42•24

When I received my first "spam" e-mail offer, I admit I was a bit skeptical. I hadn't asked for any information on refinancing my mortgage, and the rates in the e-mail seemed too good to be true. Why hadn't I heard about this great deal on TV or in the Yellow Pages?

I kept receiving these e-mails for the next few months and, over time, I started to open my mind to the idea. It occurred to me that the odds of all these unrelated people being completely full of baloney were getting smaller and smaller. Mind you, a lot of e-mails were shooting around cyberspace at the time.

I think it was the third week of constant spam e-mails that finally convinced to take the offer at face value.

When I looked closer at the deals, some natural questions started popping up. First of all, would the cash they were offering be available immediately? Would refinancing my home loan lower my monthly payments, even if I took out some cash? Would I have to wait, or could I sign up today? Luckily, as I investigated the claims, the all-caps words IMMEDIATE CASH, LOWER RATES, and TODAY assuaged my concerns.

I like to think that there's no such thing as a coincidence, and those five serendipitous words, in their bright, multi-colored fonts, only reaffirmed that for me.

I was deleting the 140th e-mail from my Bulk Mail folder when I finally hopped the fence from the "probably not" to the "probably yes" column. Because I realized that, while all these e-mails were very similar, they were all from very different people! These unrequested offers were not only legitimate, they were a legitimate sensation!

Everybody was talking about them, from Maybelline Stackpole, to pdqun zjfspdbie to Lyle Ortiz. What reason would these people, some of whom shared a first or last name with some of my closest friends, have to dupe me? And then there was this straightforward yet enigmatic little message from Crookeder C. Mnemonics:

"Monotony that search party of inlet a made concretely bellow mountain bike," it started. "Authentically double-breasted the schmooze fire engine, phony the buildup by pantry timing. Obstinacy was occasional White House domesticity."

Who could argue with that?

Finally, I visit their website to explore this amazing offer I could no longer ignore. Any bozo can send off several hundred slightly different e-mails, but it takes a real professional to make a website, so at this point, I can see that this thing is the real deal.

It was as though the mortgage refinancers could sense my growing curiosity, because they kept sending me e-mail after e-mail even though I'd never replied or shown any interest at all. They really went out of their way to treat me like a valued potential customer.

Now, I've come late to the party on a lot of trends—cargo pants, DVDs, those Star Wars movies—but I'm not going miss out on this summer's mortgage-refinancing wave. After all, why would it be such a hot topic it weren't a good, sensible bargain?

I'll never forget the e-mail that sealed the deal. It had the same subject line as usual—"re: refnance"—but when I saw the "From" address, I could not believe it. This e-mail, which had arrived in my inbox at 5:13 a.m., was from none other than "jmilton"—yours truly! How could I say no to an offer that I myself endorsed? I couldn't, and I didn't, and as soon as I buy a house I am committed to refinancing my mortgage immediately.

But it's worth pointing out that I'm not some Gullible Gus who'll jump at any offer no matter how many e-mails he's received. There are a whole range of products and services—low-cost OEM software, hot stocks in the shipping industry, Ci4L1s—that are intriguing, but I still count myself among the unconvinced. For many of these products, I've only received 75–100 spam e-mails. These days, you have to work a little harder than that to get your hands on my Internet dollars.

Fireworks

Well folks, it happened. Sometime late yesterday my hit counter passed 100,000 hits.

Wow...I can honestly say I never expected this back when I wrote my first tentative post in February of '05.

I wonder how many of my readers today have been reading since then? I have a feeling that there are only a small handful of you who have read this regularly since the beginning. That's ok though. "These times they are a changing" (bonus points to anyone who can tell me who said that withOUT looking it up)

My long weekend in Pictures

Tony and I went to St. Louis on Friday morning to meet Kenton, Tommie, Alan, and Joe for a long weekend. We stayed at the downtown Sheraton and had a blast. We toured Anheuser Busch, walked around down on Laclede's Landing, drove right by the Arch, went to Union Station, and went to the Science Center. We also ate way too much, slept in, and walked around downtown. Good times were had by all, and now tomorrow it's back to work...blah. :)

Here are a few of the pictures from the trip. Enjoy.

Joe Knochel

Alan Banwart

Luke Knapp

Tommie Hitz

Kenton Snyder

Tony Esslinger

Tony and Joe kickin' back on the sun porch.


View off the sun porch at our hotel
posted by Luke


Taken seconds before Alan ran me over...
posted by Luke


Alan is definitely in the right seat.
posted by Luke


Apparently whoever took this shot didn't think highly of Tommie...
posted by Luke


Look at the name on the horse stall!!
posted by Luke


On the Anheuser-Busch campus
posted by Luke


Alan was showing how Beer could never truly satisfy. *grin*
posted by Luke

BBQ

I recieved this in an email from Aaron Stoller in an email. He heard it on NPR the other day. I thought it was worth sharing. Enjoy. For This, I Believe...

I believe in barbecue. As soul food and comfort food
and health food, as a cuisine of both solace and
celebration. When I'm feeling good, I want barbecue.
And when I'm feeling bad, I just want barbecue more. I
believe in barbecue in all its regional derivations,
in its ethnic translations, in forms that range from
white-tablecloth presentations of cunningly sauced
costillas, to Chinese take-out spareribs that stain
your fingers red, to the most authentic product of the
tarpaper rib shacks of the Deep South. I believe that
no day is bad that has barbecue in it.

I believe in the art of generations of pit men working
in relative obscurity to keep alive the craft of slow
smoking as it's been practiced for as long as there's
been fire. A barbecue cook must have an intimate
understanding of his work: the physics of fire and
convection, the hard science of meat and heat and
smoke -- and then forget it all to achieve a sort of
gut-level, Zen instinct for the process.

I believe that barbecue drives culture, not the other
way around. Some of the first blows struck for
equality and civil rights in the Deep South were made
not in the courtrooms or schools or on buses, but in
the barbecue shacks. There were dining rooms,
backyards and roadhouse juke joints in the South that
were integrated long before any other public places.

I believe that good barbecue requires no decor, and
that the best barbecue exists despite its trappings.
Paper plates are okay in a barbecue joint. And paper
napkins. And plastic silverware. And I believe that
any place with a menu longer than can fit on a single
page -- or better yet, just a chalkboard -- is coming
dangerously close to putting on airs.

I believe that good barbecue needs sides the way good
blues need rhythm, and that there is only one rule:
Serve whatever you like, but whatever you serve, make
it fresh. Have someone's mama in the back doing the
"taters" and hush puppies and sweet tea, because Mama
will know what she's doing -- or at least know better
than some assembly-line worker bagging up powdered
mashed potatoes by the ton.

I believe that proper barbecue ought to come in
significant portions. Skinny people can eat barbecue,
and do, but the kitchen should cook for a fat man who
hasn't eaten since breakfast. My leftovers should last
for days.

I believe that if you don't get sauce under your nails
when you're eating, you're doing it wrong. I believe
that if you don't ruin your shirt, you're not trying
hard enough.

I believe -- I know -- there is no such thing as too
much barbecue. Good, bad or in-between, old-fashioned
pit-smoked or high-tech and modern; it doesn't matter.
Existing without gimmickry, without the infernal
swindles and capering of so much of contemporary
cuisine, barbecue is truth; it is history and home,
and the only thing I don't believe...

...is that I'll ever get enough.

A Higher Truth?

Clicking on the title of this post will take you to the original message at Stand To Reason. This may seem a little deep, but the message behind it is very critical to defending Christianity.

Writing about the universal message of Christianity, Chuck Colson writes:[Jim] added, "Propositional truth is not the highest truth. Indeed, the highest truth is personal." Like all statements that can lead us into error, those have the ring of truth. Of course, truth becomes relational when we come to Jesus, Truth himself. But our doing that isn't what makes it true. He is the truth whether or not we ever experience him....My experience is that most mainstream evangelicals are so steeped in the experiential gospel that they never think about truth propositionally. (Barna found while 63 percent of Americans do not believe in truth, 53 percent of evangelicals don't either.)
Well, I don't know about "a higher truth." Truth isn't a degreed sort of thing - it either is or isn't. Maybe Jim means that there's a more significant truth. But experience depends on propositional truth.

Colson is writing specifically about the Emerging Church, but he puts his finger on a problem that has its roots are in the broader spectrum of modern Christendom.

A major shift seemed to have occurred in the early 70s with the Jesus Movement. Reacting to what seemed (an in some cases no doubt was) stale, empty religious practice, Christians began putting an emphasis on a personal relationship with Jesus. While this is an important balance, since then the message often offered by Christians seems to be much more subjective than objective.

A personal relationship with Jesus does matter. And personal experience adds a dimension to the truth that is unique. But too often the appeal seems to be primarily or even wholly subjective. And that plays into the relativism and pluralism of the age.

The Gospel message is an objective statement about our sinful state and broken relationship with God, and the offer is also an objective one: We can be reconciled to God only through His Son. The objective facts make the subjective relationship possible. The two sides cannot be reversed because a personal relationship with God is predicated on reconciliation only Jesus makes possible. There is no other way.
And the objective facts are an anchor that ensures perseverance. Feelings are fleeting and we may not always or rarely feel close to Jesus. Jesus doesn't always make life better - Hebrews says God will discipline His children and Peter warns us of testing. Subjectively, life doesn't always feel better with God; but objectively we are better off because of what we know to be true.

The Christian life can be subjectively full when a personal relationship with Jesus is fulfilling. Our relationship with Jesus is based on a state of reconciliation with God, and that's objectively true even when it doesn't seem so subjectively.
Propositions won't save us, but experiences won't either. It's the truth conveyed in propositions that allow us to place our trust in Jesus, who does save us. The truth is, He's the Savior.

VIETNAM: Government Wages Brutal Attack on House Church

The Voice of the Martyrs

VOM contacts report a violent government raid against a Vietnamese house church on May 22nd at 2:30 p.m. Fifty law enforcement officers, secret police, officials and their hired thugs attacked Pastor Nguyen Hong Quang’s Mennonite house church at C5H1 Tran Nao Street in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City. Believers were making repairs to the house where they meet for worship when attackers mercilessly stormed the building. Christians were seriously beaten with nightsticks, numchucks and electric cattle prods. Among those attacked were 10 pastors, youth group members, and other house-church members.

During the attack, Pastor Quang was shocked with an electric prod and clubbed with a nightstick. Nguyen Hieu Nghia, a church worker, was also struck with a nightstick and kicked in the chest, and Tran Minh Hoa was beaten and forcibly pulled down from the roof. The repairs done to the house church were torn down and authorities confiscated all of the construction materials. As neighbors looked on, eleven of the Christians?including former prisoners Pastor Quang, Pham Ngoc Thach, Nguyen Huu Nghia and Le Thi Hong Lien?were arrested, handcuffed and dragged to the Binh Khanh Ward Office in District 2, where they were beaten and interrogated for hours. While some of the Christians were released from custody after several hours of interrogation, others were not set free until midnight. Pastor Quang was not released until 6:30 p.m. the next day.

In 2004 Pastor Quang served nearly 15 months in prison under the false charge of obstructing police officers. While he was in prison, police tore down 12 feet of home’s roof (July 19, 2005), claiming it didn’t meet building codes. The true reasoning behind the destruction, however, was the continued use of his home as a house church and Pastor Quang’s Internet disclosures of the Vietnamese government’s injustices inflicted upon Christians. After his release from prison, Pastor Quang was granted a building permit to repair his roof and floor to stop water damage on May 8, 2006, but authorities argued his repairs exceeded the allowance of his permit. This was the excuse authorities used to wage their vicious attack. Throughout Ho Chi Minh City and all of Vietnam, there are no official buildings for Mennonite Christians to safely gather or worship. Pastor Quang faithfully continues to lead worship services and meetings in his house church. Further details and additional photos of this attack will appear in The Voice of the Martyr’s August 2006 newsletter.

Writers Block

Yep, I'm pretty sure I've got it.

Prodigal Son

Today’s parable is The Prodigal Son. It has some weird formatting that’s proving difficult and time consuming to reproduce on my blog, so I’m just going to give you the link.

http://www.carm.org/parables/parableprodigal.htm

You can check them out at your leisure.
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I had a great trip out to K.C. this past weekend. It always good to see my friends out there. For those of you who don’t know, I went to school at Kansas State and spent many weekends in Kansas City. I also had two summer internships there, so it definitely became a second home for me.

I’ll leave you with a quote:

A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. – Herm Albright

Pictures

I'm going to start back with the parables on Monday. Today I wanna post pictures. :)

Tony Esslinger (2nd roommate) moved his stuff in yesterday, and we're going to spend the day getting it sorted and put away hopefully.
Here's a picture of a Euchre game with our unfurnished living room in the background.


















Here are some pictures of our furnished living room!

The workers are here finishing my countertops in this picture, which is why the fridge is moved and there's no countertop next to it. :)

The Fig Tree: Luke 13:1-9

1. Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled [shed along with] with their sacrifices.
Josephus, the Jewish historian of the time of Christ and after, records a number of massacres during this period, but does not mention this one.

Perhaps the people reporting to Jesus were seeking to get Him to comment politically on Pilate and thereby use Jesus as a means of rallying support for their cause. Remember, the Jews were under the rule of the Roman government and resented it. Ungodly gentiles were ruling over the house of Israel. Obviously, the people doing the reporting are interested in deliverance as well as justice. They want what is right; at least, right the way they see it.

Another way to look at the situation would be to imagine a church gathered one Sunday having communion. Then gunmen enter and shoot everyone present thereby mingling their blood with the wine of the supper. The natural reaction would be one of horror and hatred. This is the type of thing that is presented to Jesus.

Possibly could refer to Judas of Galilee in Acts 5:36-37: “For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody; and a group of about four hundred men joined up with him. And he was slain; and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. 37 “After this man Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and drew away some people after him, he too perished, and all those who followed him were scattered."2. And He answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered this fate?
When Jesus was told about the slaughter in the temple, He responded not with indignant denunciation of Roman brutality, but with a warning to His own people to "repent".

This raises an important question: Why were they told to repent after Jesus heard about the indignity? Jesus is more concerned with the eternal than the temporal. This is not to say that the loss of the people wasn't serious, but Jesus' mission was not to settle political disputes, or fix people's personal problems. It was to atone for sin, to fulfill the promises of God concerning Israel and the Gentiles, and to usher in the Kingdom of God.

The people are too short sighted.

The word "fate" is not in the original and is not here intended to support the belief of fatalism. The Greek says, "such things."3. I tell you, no, but, unless you repent you will all likewise perish.
His statement that they repent or perish is a bold confrontation of sin; something the Jews did not appreciate Jesus pointing out, particularly when they are expecting Jesus to side with them about the slaughter of the Galileans. Apparently, they were looking for ways to get Jesus to agree with them politically. But Jesus would have no part of it. He is not to be parceled out in order to get his approval on different matters on which people are personally concerned whether it be political, social, or theological. He won't be used that way. Instead, Jesus gets to the heart of the matter.

He pulls a switch on them. Jesus doesn't comment on the atrocity of people killed in the act of sacrifice to the God of Israel, as terrible as it is. Instead He tells the multitudes they need to repent or perish.

We know that the judging hand of God fell upon the Jewish nation in the form of its destruction in 70 A.D. when Israel was scattered and the temple destroyed. The Jewish nation had not repented of its sins of legalism, self-righteousness, and ethnic pride, all of which, combined to bring about the murder of Jesus at their hands. The Jews reaped what they sowed. They sowed death. They reaped death.

However, there is not intended here a one to one correspondence on the relationship between sin and its consequences. Elsewhere Jesus denies such a correspondence. Please consider this: "And as He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?' Jesus answered, 'It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was in order that the works of God might be displayed in him," (John 9:1-3).4. Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, were worse culprits [debtors] than all the men who live in Jerusalem?
Jesus broadens the scope of the discussion by mentioning an incident where a tower fell and killed eighteen people. This may be one of the towers near the pool of Siloam in John 9.

He uses the word in Greek for "debtor," (opheiletes). This word stands in contrast to the word "sinners" in verse two.

We are in debt to God because we have broken His laws; we have sinned. A debt is what is owed. Matthew renders the Lord's prayer as "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." The Lucan account of the same prayer uses the words "forgive us our sins..." Debts are unfulfilled duties; sins are both purposefully and accidentally committed acts of rebellion.

The people speak of the slaughter and Jesus speaks of 18 who died long ago. The 18 were no worse than the Galileans. Why then were they all killed? Perhaps the better question might be, "Why were any left alive?" Nevertheless, there is no such thing as chance in a universe governed by God. The deaths under the tower and at the altar of sacrifice were all permitted by God. In this sense God ordained it. That is, He ordained it by permitting it.

But, this does not mean that God causes sin and suffering, but that in His sovereign plan, He ordains that they occur. Again, this means that He gives place in His divinely appointed history for all events to occur that do occur: “For truly in this city there were gathered together against Thy holy servant Jesus, whom Thou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever Thy hand and Thy purpose predestined to occur," (Acts 4:27-28).5. I tell you, no but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish."
But what is Jesus saying? He mentions the 18 and says they are no worse than those then living in Jerusalem. Jesus' declaration of the need for Israel to repent of their sins, in the light of the slaughter of the Galileans would almost seem to bring extreme anger, even revolt against Him by those listening. After all, the Jews felt oppressed and the incident of the Galileans would only cement their attitudes of persecution and self righteousness.6. And He began telling this parable: "A certain man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it, and did not find any.
Leviticus 19:23-25 says, "And when you enter the land and plant all kinds of trees for food, then you shall count their fruit as forbidden. Three years it shall be forbidden to you; it shall not be eaten. But in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, an offering of praise to the Lord. And in the fifth year you are to eat of its fruit, that its yield may increase for you..."

The vineyard owner was ready to eat of the fruit. But there wasn't any. It was the 7th year of looking: the 5th year fruit would have been the first year he could have partaken. The 6th year would have been the second year he could have partaken, and the 7th year would have been the year spoken of here. Therefore, he says in verse 7...7. And he said to the vineyard-keeper, 'Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?' The owner has the right to expect fruit from his vineyard. Symbolically, this parable seems to be teaching that the Jewish leadership has had enough time to repent of their sins. John the Baptist said to the multitudes going out to see him, "Therefore bring forth fruits in keeping with repentance..." (Luke 3:8).

Luke 13:34 says, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it! 35 “Behold, your house is left to you desolate; and I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

Years ago I came across a tract of which title alone struck me hard. It said, "No Fruit? Cut it down." This is the case with Israel. God had suffered long with them and the nation had grown cold, legalistic, and self-centered. Israel was not bearing the fruit of God's truth.

As Christians we are to bear the fruit of the Spirit mentioned in Gal. 5:22: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. If these fruit (In Gal. 5:22, the word "fruit" is in the singular, not plural) are not manifested in your lives, should you be cut down? Apparently, the Jewish leadership were not manifesting the fruit of the Spirit nor the fruit of repentance.

You can ask yourself, "What fruit am I bearing for the Lord?" "Am I showing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and/or self control"?

These are internal characteristics, but what about external manifestations of those fruit? Ministry to others? Are you bearing fruit in furthering the Kingdom of God?

Isaiah 5:1-7, "Let me sing now for my well-beloved A song of my beloved concerning His vineyard. My well-beloved had a vineyard on a fertile hill. 2 And He dug it all around, removed its stones, And planted it with the choicest vine. And He built a tower in the middle of it, And hewed out a wine vat in it; Then He expected it to produce good grapes, But it produced only worthless ones.

3“And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, Judge between Me and My vineyard. 4 “What more was there to do for My vineyard that I have not done in it? Why, when I expected it to produce good grapes did it produce worthless ones? 5 “So now let Me tell you what I am going to do to My vineyard: I will remove its hedge and it will be consumed; I will break down its wall and it will become trampled ground. 6 “And I will lay it waste; It will not be pruned or hoed, But briars and thorns will come up. I will also charge the clouds to rain no rain on it.”

7 For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, And the men of Judah His delightful plant. Thus He looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; For righteousness, but behold, a cry of distress."
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Matt. 21:18, "Now in the morning, when He returned to the city, He became hungry. 19 And seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He came to it, and found nothing on it except leaves only; and He *said to it, “No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you.” And at once the fig tree withered."
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John 15:1-2 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit."

8. And he answered and said to him, 'Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; Literally, "to put dung" around the tree in order to get it to bear fruit. The word occurs only here. Sometimes we need a little crud in our lives to get us to bear fruit.9. and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.'" Literally, remove it from the vineyard.

This section contains simple teachings: 1) The spiritual leaders of the household of faith are planted in "God's vineyard" and are expected to produce fruit.
2) God will not tolerate fruitlessness indefinitely.
3) Mercy and Grace are extended to those who do not bear fruit.What is the expected response of the one who hears?

You should examine your own lives and look for fruit. Preferably the fruit of the Holy Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:22, for this is how you store up fruit for eternal life (John 4:36). You must also realize that it is not possible to bear fruit apart from the Branch, Jesus (John 15), for apart from Him you can do nothing.

There are many types of fruit that could be examined: giving, praying, righteousness, forgiveness, tithing, discipling, leading others to Christ, missionary support, etc. Each is different, but each is from the same Lord.

Each of us is different with different gifts and fruit, but we are all of the same body. Use what God has given you for His glory, to bear fruit, and to further His Kingdom.