tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73479275896973475542024-02-20T18:58:43.166-08:00Make the most of itddunkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09904056843427447772noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7347927589697347554.post-10799193426770737272010-11-30T07:28:00.000-08:002010-11-30T07:44:02.651-08:00Spiritual Application on Smallville<div style="text-align: justify;">It is the 1oth & final season of <span style="font-style: italic;">Smallville</span>, a television drama about Clark Kent before he became Superman. The character is in his early 20s, so he should be able to fly by now, but I think when the producers decided "no flights, no tights" they didn't realize the show would last 10 years! Nevertheless, I am a loyal fan.<br /><br />The actor who played Lex Luthor was only on the show for 7 years (he got tired of shaving his head), so for the past few years the writers had to get creative because Lex is Superman's most well-known villain. Now in the final season they are incorporating another Big League villain, Darkseid, the Lord of Apokolips. They are giving it an interesting twist, though. At this point Darkseid draws on the darkness within people & uses them for his evil bidding.<br /><br />The truth is, all people <span style="font-style: italic;">do</span> have a darkness within--the sin nature. Temptation does not come externally but internally, as we read in <span style="font-weight: bold;">James 1:13-15.</span> We all sin because we are sinners. Jesus Christ died to take the punishment for our sin, and He rose from the dead & is alive now to enable those who have trusted Him as Savior to overcome temptation.<br /><br />Like Darkseid on <span style="font-style: italic;">Smallville</span>, Satan can use the sinful desires within you against you if you let him, but the sin is already in you. If you accept Jesus' sacrifice for your sins you will be forgiven, & once you are forgiven the Holy Spirit will live in you to convict you of sin & enable you to live godly!<br /></div>ddunkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09904056843427447772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7347927589697347554.post-59040371856509778552010-11-24T06:21:00.000-08:002010-11-24T06:39:03.038-08:00A good boy, but not too bright<div style="text-align: justify;">I was thinking about Joseph, the son of Jacob, whom we read about in Genesis. We usually remember him for all the hardship he went through & how God used him through it. Remember what happened before his brothers threw him in the pit, though? I don't know if he was being proud, but it kind of seems like it. Even if he wasn't proud--he was just saying it like it is--it probably would have been better for him to keep it to himself. Sure, God used it for the good of His people, Israel, & for His glory, but this is a good example for us today of what <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> to do.<br /><br />This reminds me of something Pastor Duane Pease said once: don't say everything you know, & don't feel like you always need to "be right," even if you are right. That would have been good for Joseph to know (I'm sure he learned it as he got older), & it's great advice for us today!<br /></div>ddunkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09904056843427447772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7347927589697347554.post-13084260573420322502009-02-13T07:29:00.000-08:002009-04-20T10:26:00.988-07:00Do you ever wonder?<div align="justify">I try to stay balanced as far as what is spiritual and what is physical, & I'm figuring out how the emotions work--my wife helps me with that. The gnostics had ideas about the physical & spiritual kind of similar to what Plato said, if I remember correctly, but I'll leave that up to you to research for yourself. Overall, the way I see it, physical, emotional, & spiritual are all connected--which is easier for a woman to understand than a man (the whole spaghetti/waffles thing.)<br />Anyway, last week it seemed like everything was going wrong. I had been so sure I had been following the Lord's leading in going to graduate school, but I began to doubt that & doubt myself & just feel miserable. Looking back on it, though, I was on the edge of getting a cold, & I had gone a night without sleep (I went to bed & everything, but I'm not sure why I didn't fall asleep). I just had to remember what I know about God & remember what He's already done, & stop trying to figure everything out, & I felt much better. Everything still falls into place, which says to me God is in control!<br />I started reading the Psalms for my devotions, which I hadn't really read for awhile. Usually when I read the Bible I write down things I notice, & that's really good to do most of the time, but I had to recognize that sometimes I should just read it & think about it, & not worry about writing anything down. Angie has told me more than once that I just need to lighten up & not think so hard about things, & it's good advice!</div>ddunkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09904056843427447772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7347927589697347554.post-66451635199201933122008-10-07T09:00:00.001-07:002009-04-20T10:26:46.678-07:00Slaves<div align="justify">I don't know how many readers I have (I guess there's a way to check, but I never bother), & of those readers I don't know how many of you watch <em>Heroes</em>, but last night's episode (which I recorded & watched this morning because I take classes at night) said a lot about the sin nature. I don't know if it was on purpose or not, but it was clear to me. In the possible future they discover a formula that gives people super powers (Lex Luthor did the same thing in DC Comics), & some idealists think it's a great idea. It turns out, though, that people are selfish & arrogant, & once they have super powers they use them for evil.<br />I noticed a similar pattern on <em>Smallville</em>. Clark Kent has powers & uses them for good, but whenever humans were exposed to kryptonite & given powers they were bad guys. They have said on the show that the kryptonite makes them evil, but the way I saw it was that humans have Adam's sin nature & Clark as a Kryptonian didn't. It turns out that Kryptonians are just as sinful as humans, but it was a thought...<br />Okay, back to <em>Heroes</em>. Nathan said that people are created in the image of God & are good, so they will use superpowers for the good of the world. It's true that humans were created in the image of God, but when Adam sinned that image was tainted, & all humans have inherited Adam's sin nature from birth. Christ died & rose again to not only save us from sin, but also to free us from being slaves to sin. Apart from Christ, all people are slaves to sin. Sinful people still do good things sometimes, but just as Sylar couldn't control his lust for other people's super powers, without Christ we couldn't control our sin. I doubt they'll say anything about that on <em>Heroes</em>, but we do see the pattern that people who are given super powers use them for evil.</div>ddunkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09904056843427447772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7347927589697347554.post-27345742896852762682008-05-05T08:07:00.000-07:002009-04-20T10:27:23.336-07:00Identity<div align="justify"><table id="HB_Mail_Container" height="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%" border="0" unselectable="on"><tbody><tr height="100%" width="100%" unselectable="on"><td id="HB_Focus_Element" valign="top" width="100%" background="" height="250" unselectable="off"><p align="justify">A lot of times when people have been around me for a little while & they recognize that I talk about God & the Bible & church a lot, they seem to label me as a "religious" person. It's usually not an appropriate context for me to explain why I don't see myself as "religious" so I don't worry about the semantics, although once or twice I have been able to take it further. Usually non-"church-going" people see "church-going" people as religious, & they respect them, but don't want any part of it, & they don't know the deeper issues. Some people who do go to church think of themselves as religious people, but they for the most part don't really know what's going on, either.<br />There's always talk about different religions, & some people think that they should be tolerant of all religions, while on the other extreme they believe you have to find the right religion, but I think both sides are wrong. This is what I have come to understand the term "religion" to mean: <span style="color:#990000;"><em>Man's efforts to get to God. </em></span><span style="color:#000000;">This applies to every religion in the world except<strong> justification in Christ alone</strong>, therefore what I believe is not a "religion".<br /></span><span style="color:#000000;"><br /><strong><em>The Gospel (good news) that brings salvation comes by believing that Jesus Christ died on the Cross to take your punishment & that He rose again the 3rd day & now indwells all believers by His Holy Spirit. First you must recognize the truth that you are a sinner, & because you are a sinner you cannot earn your own deliverance from the punishment of sin, but the God-man Christ Jesus, who was without sin, took your sin upon Himself & was punished for it, & God the Father was satisfied. Jesus died for you whether you believe it or not, but His righteousness will only be placed on your account if you choose to accept His gift!<br /><br /></em></strong>I have heard many people say things like, "If God is like that, I don't want to believe in Him." But you know what? God is the way He is no matter what you believe, but if you take the time to get to know Him, you will realize how great His love is, & how perfect His justice is! I don't mean to sound cold, but here's where I stand: Everyone is responsible to make his or her own decisions, but there are right decisions & wrong decisions! Whoever sang, "I believe I can fly..." was speaking metaphorically, because I'm pretty sure he didn't try it. If what you choose to believe is true, that's good, but if what you choose to believe is not true, by believing it you have not made it true! I believe the Bible is the authoritative Word of God. As a child I believed it because that's what I was taught, so I'm passionate that we should teach children what it true! Now I still believe it, but I have logical reason to!<br />What I'm getting to is that true salvation in Jesus Christ is <em>not a "religion" but a "relationship".</em> Perhaps you've heard that before, & it's very true, & easy to remember. Yes, God wants to have a relationship with you through His Son, Jesus, as the mediator. There's more to it than that. Before the relationship comes the "identity". If you have accepted that Christ's sacrificial death on the Cross was <strong>for you</strong>, then you have been identified as (1) forgiven from your sin, & (2) indwelt by God's Holy Spirit. <strong><em>A Christian is not what you do, but who you are!</em></strong></span></p></td></tr><tr unselectable="on" hb_tag="1"><td style="FONT-SIZE: 1pt" height="1" unselectable="on"><div id="hotbar_promo"></div></td></tr></tbody></table></div><blockquote id="8257434d"><br /></blockquote>ddunkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09904056843427447772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7347927589697347554.post-65678943429697059052008-04-30T09:20:00.000-07:002009-04-20T10:27:36.087-07:00Trusting God<div align="justify">As much as I know how faithful God is, & how important it is to trust Him fully, I'll admit sometimes it's hard. I won't go into details, so don't jump to any conclusions about anything, but I'll just say that as of tomorrow I am no longer a Legal Assistant for the state of Ohio. This morning I was feeling peace about the whole situation, but I needed something. I asked God to guide me to what I needed to read from His word, & I knew I needed to read something about trusting God, & this is where I ended up:<br /><em>Hebrews 10:19 And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. 20 By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. 21 And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, 22 let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works ... 34 You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail, and when all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew there were better things waiting for you that will last forever. 35 <strong>So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord.</strong> Remember the great reward it brings you! 36 Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. 37 “For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. 38 And my righteous ones will live by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.” 39 But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved. </em><br /><em></em><br />Being laid off from a job is not as bad as being thrown in jail or having everything you own taken from you, but that was the audience of this letter. Those of us who are Christians today have the same promise, though! On this present Earth we must have endurance & we will continue to do God's will, & we have better things waiting for us that will last forever on the New Earth!<br />Day by day, God has been reminding me that He fits everything together to happen at the perfect time in the best way, & this was exactly what I needed to read today!<br />As a second blessing, God has used people to encourage me so much today! I wish the same kinds of blessing on you.<br /></div><em></em>ddunkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09904056843427447772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7347927589697347554.post-50298193097653298012008-03-28T11:53:00.000-07:002008-03-28T11:54:11.840-07:00Amazing story!<a href="http://whitneycerak.blogspot.com/2006/08/august-11-2006-never-will-i-leave-you.html">http://whitneycerak.blogspot.com/2006/08/august-11-2006-never-will-i-leave-you.html</a>ddunkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09904056843427447772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7347927589697347554.post-86605485641099122532007-06-20T06:27:00.000-07:002007-06-20T06:29:28.820-07:00Media PhilosophyI read a <em>Spiderman & Captain America </em>comic book last night (just a short one). I really didn't ever know the story of Captain America - I just remember that I had an action figure because my mom & dad couldn't find me a Spiderman & thought Captain America was close enough... Anyway, he was a soldier in World War 2 who was given a serum to make him a super-soldier, but the formula for the serum was never duplicated & the guy who came up with it died, so Captain America was the only one. After being a hero in World War 2, Captain America was frozen in a glacier in the Artic which held him in suspended animation for about 30 years. Anyway, in the present he was telling Spidey that back during World War 2 it was easier to be a superhero because you knew who the good guys & bad guys were & what you were fighting for, & today it's hard to tell. As "Boris the Butcher" (Russian hitman on <em>The Man Who Knew Too Little</em>) said, "I like being butcher! At least you know who you are killing, & why." There is great philosophy to consider in comic books & movies if you take the time to think about them ... If you can find it, read <em>Batman: Absolution</em>. It doesn't come to the right conclusion (like the movie <em>Pleasantville</em>, but kind of to the opposite extreme), but it's good to think about these things.ddunkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09904056843427447772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7347927589697347554.post-55876427048638038422007-06-13T04:45:00.001-07:002007-06-13T05:09:08.201-07:00"With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility"This catch phrase was made famous in the <em>Spiderman</em> comics & even more so in the <em>Spiderman</em> movie, & as with most catch phrases, it kind of loses its meaning from overuse in varying contexts (for another instance, "WWJD" doesn't mean as much to us now as when <em>In His Steps </em>by Charles Sheldon was written); but this phrase really means more to us as Christians than anyone! The principle is really from Scripture in the parable of the talents in Matthew 25 (among many other places). <br />I've started reading Isaiah for my devotions recently, & as I was thinking about how Israel was unfaithful to God so many times, it occurred to me that we should remember that they did not have the indwelling Holy Spirit at that time. The Holy Spirit filled certain individuals for a time for special purposes, but not like it is today for the church. The people of God still knew right & wrong & were still responsible for their actions, but they only had the <em>promise</em> of grace which we now have. In the church age (today) everyone who accepts Christ's death on the Cross as the substitutionary payment for his or her sin is immediately indwelt by God's Holy Spirit, who will never leave, therefore receiving the power to overcome sin & do right. Christians today have more power than God's children in the age of Law, so more is expected of us!ddunkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09904056843427447772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7347927589697347554.post-19866082865648886452007-02-05T11:39:00.000-08:002007-02-05T11:48:20.843-08:00StewardshipWe just started a series in church about being good stewards of what God has given us, & seeing "treasure" the way God sees it. Whenever I hear people talking about being a good steward, I tend to think it refers to using stuff well, & I think, <em>"Yeah, I want to make the best use of everything God has given me."</em> But I looked up the word "stewardship", & it means more than that:<br /><br />stew·ard <br />–noun 1. a person who manages another's property or financial affairs; one who administers anything as the agent of another or others. <br />2. a person who has charge of the household of another, buying or obtaining food, directing the servants, etc. <br />3. an employee who has charge of the table, wine, servants, etc., in a club, restaurant, or the like. <br />4. a person who attends to the domestic concerns of persons on board a vessel, as in overseeing maids and waiters. <br />5. an employee on a ship, train, or bus who waits on and is responsible for the comfort of passengers, takes orders for or distributes food, etc. <br />6. a flight attendant. <br />7. a person appointed by an organization or group to supervise the affairs of that group at certain functions. <br />8. U.S. Navy. a petty officer in charge of officer's quarters and mess. <br />–verb (used with object) 9. to act as steward of; manage. <br />–verb (used without object) 10. to act or serve as steward. <br /><br />When you look at it that way, it means everything you have does not belong to you; it belongs to God. If you have a proper relationship with God, that is a <em>freeing</em> feeling!ddunkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09904056843427447772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7347927589697347554.post-19623445501169507332007-02-01T07:08:00.000-08:002007-02-01T07:23:25.554-08:00Needs metThis morning I read Psalm 37:1-6 for my devotions. This is a relatively familiar passage, but the Holy Spirit showed me a new application today: The fact that the Lord gives us the desires of our heart-- that through Him we desire what He wants us to desire-- is a way He meets our <strong>needs.</strong> <br />I realized that in my nature I am a literal, factual, & materialistic guy. I never thought I was a materialistic guy because I always saw having a lot of things in a negative light, but even seeing materialism negatively is still being materialistic; in the same way that feeling sorry for yourself is still pride (self-centeredness). God wants me to focus on the spiritual/ eternal, not the material/ earthly.<br />With this natural mindset, I guess I always limited "needs" to referring to stuff we have to have to live. Today I realized that just as much I <em>need</em> to have peace & a good attitude; thoughts & feelings are just as important as food & air! I appreciate that my wife has always understood this, but this is a new concept for me.ddunkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09904056843427447772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7347927589697347554.post-17457106563863514502007-01-12T10:25:00.000-08:002007-01-12T10:26:17.012-08:00The Purpose of PrayerI've always known that it's important to pray, & to pray according to God's will--& I have always prayed out of obedience. I have to admit, though, that I didn't quite understand why God commanded us to pray, knowing that He knows what we need better than we do, & also that <strong>He will do His will whether we ask Him or not</strong>. God is eternal & in control, & He has known exactly what He's going to do in every situation from way before we prayed for it. <em>(I know that it's more complicated than that, because the Old Testament does talk about God changing His mind sometimes, but that's not the point...)</em> I had thought that God wants us to ask Him to meet our needs even though He already knows them because He wants us to acknowledge our dependence on Him, & I think that's part of it. But I heard something John MacArthur said that I hadn't thought of from this perspective before: We pray because that makes us a part of what God does, & <strong>when we see an answered prayer we glorify God!</strong> I don't think we have the power to change God's mind or move Him to do something He wasn't going to do already-- He doesn't need us to ask Him before He can do what needs to be done-- but He commanded us to pray so that we can recognize that when our needs are met it's from Him, & so we will glorfy Him; that's what He created us for!ddunkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09904056843427447772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7347927589697347554.post-56366880780510021712007-01-11T13:31:00.000-08:002007-01-19T09:12:10.727-08:00Don't just watch something...I guess blogging isn't just about introducing yourself & keeping folks up to date, but sharing thoughts, & discussion...<br />Something I've noticed about myself that is different from other people (I guess I used to think everybody was like this, but not everybody...), is that when I watch something on TV or at the movies, it's not just for entertainment. I like to analyze what's going on & see how I might make applications in real life. I like to find out the background of the story, & I love sequels because they tell you what happens next. Sometimes I might take it too far because I do need to pay attention to <em>real</em> people, but with the right balance I think it's good to try to think & learn in everything you do. I will consider more specific applications later...ddunkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09904056843427447772noreply@blogger.com0