Profound and Sometimes Preposterous Ponderings of Pete

Proverbs 24: 15 Do not lurk like a thief near the house of the righteous, do not plunder their dwelling place; 16 for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes. Romans 3: 10 As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; 11 there is no one who understands; Romans 4: 3 What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. 5 However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. I used to think, Proverbs 24:15-16 was about sinning.  It can be applied that way, but I now believe that it is both a warning and a promise. We will investigate that shortly. The problem, is that Romans 3 appears to be at odds with Proverbs 24 and further down, at odds with  Romans 4.  If no one is righteous than how can they be righteous?  We ne

Usually, this time of year, I post a lament or suggestions about the Christmas season.  I think I am taking a different tack this year. Our church, The Adventure Four Square Church in Draper Utah, is doing a mini serious of sermons called This Changes Everything. The sermons are great. But the title is what has me thinking.  Even if you don't believe in Jesus Christ and His Bible, you might be able to see my point. (I welcome different viewpoints as long as they are given with respect.) Whether or not you believe in the man , His existence has been well documented and His teachings changed the world. This is so historically apparent. I would ask my readers to think about these questions.  If Christ never came what would humans be like?  Would we today be revolted by slavery?  Would we desire peace over war? Would the need for vengeance for all wrongs be overwhelming?  Would anyone ever forgive anyone else?  If you did believe in God, would you worship Him in a genuine manner

It is hard for me to feel the holiday season, when I know that on the other side of the world as well as many other places, 12 year old girls are being forced into prostitution and being murdered for their troubles. I had a great meal yesterday and I am thankful I live here and that my 5 daughters are relatively safe. But when you know and have met these children, it gives a very different perspective.  It makes you appreciate the blessings you have been given even more but at the same time, makes you intolerant of those who complain about the blessings they have received. How do I reconcile these feelings?  I am human.  How does God reconcile these feelings?  He created these children, both the victims and the criminals.  When I die, I am promised that there will be no more tears, no more sorrow, no more fears. But for God, He remembers all. How deep is His love?  How deep is His grief? Forgive me if I am scattered in my writing.  I am broken-hearted and torn.  I enjoyed a great

So I guess it has been a kind of eventful year and I have a lot for which I am thankful.  Here is my top 10 countdown.  I know # 1 is the same and will always be the same but it is here anyway. 10) I learned how to like cauliflower. 9) Started stem cell therapy on my hip 8) I lost 40 lbs by going Keto. I now weigh about the same as when I was in High School. 7)  Corinne has lost 60+ lbs by going Keto and she feels much healthier and still looks hot.  6) My daughter Sarah, the third in our family to do so, graduated CVSOM. (Kevin was first, Brenda Emerson was second) 5) Daniel is in flight school and is becoming a pilot. 4) I was finally able to get Disability which helped us get a new car (not brand new but brand new to us - 2011 Honda CVR) 3) A new grand daughter to spoil. 2) Corinne started a new career which keeps her busy, earns money, helps people, and has made her exceedingly happy. 1) I was bought and paid for by Jesus Christ and so have become an adopt

Rev 2:4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.(ESV) Rev 2:4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. (NIV) Rev 2:4  But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. (NASB) Rev 2:4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. (KJV) I was reading Victory Over Darkness by Neil Anderson today and was digesting his explanation of faith etc.  I had read this book several years ago and decided to re-read it.  In my thoughts I was contemplating God and his love for us, specifically me. I often have to be reminded that He loves me 24/7 for all eternity.  He loves me when I am being unlovable. He loves me when I forget or choose to not love Him back. Consistent, absolute, unyielding, and eternal.  My thoughts on this, after being convicted for my shortcomings in the reciprocation, wandered to the above passage.  I wanted to make sure I was reading it correctly s

Before you start gathering the bundles of wood and gasoline, let me preface this with, I am not in any way being blasphemous nor mocking. I do have your attention, though.  So let's look at the word sex and the almost subconscious feelings of taboo the word brings  to those who have been culturally raised in the west.  If you are honest, even as a mature Christian, just mentioning the word has an underlying feeling of guilt, naughtiness, etc.  I know it does for me and I do not consider myself mature. It was never meant to be that way.  Let me repeat, IT WAS NEVER MEANT TO BE THAT WAY!  We are fallen and the word, its true meaning/purpose, has been corrupted. I know you know that, but still, again if you are honest, you will admit that my title brought up, at the very least, feelings of annoyance, and for many, feelings of outrage and righteous indignation.  Hopefully, at the end of this post, you will chuckle. I need to talk about God prior to talking about sex.  I want you to

June 18, 2008 Rachael Emily Kligmann was hit by car while riding her bike. 2 weeks later, July 2 2008, after removing life support, she went home leaving me, her mom, her 7 brothers and 4 sisters, in a state of grief and devastation. About 2 weeks later someone gave me the book, The Shack , to read.  I read it.  It was really hard for me to read a book about a man whose daughter was killed. But I did.  The thing that really hurt about the book was when I found out that it was fiction.  I was incensed, maybe a little enraged. How could they present this as a possibility?! It took me a lot of digging to get to the truth too. I threw the book aside and never touched it again. Fast forward to 2 nights ago.  I dared watch the movie.  Mostly to see about what was all the social media fuss and religious indignation.  As far as portraying the book goes, they did a really good job with the casting and following the story line. So let's look at the story itself.  Let me preface this by sa

Starting June 14, a 5 week course on sexual addiction and porn addiction will be taught at the Adventure 4- Square Church in Draper, UT at 6:45 pm.  The statistics, based on admissions, state that 60% of men and youths in the church, have been exposed to or are addicted to pornography   The reality is that it is much higher.  I would, based on both my own experience as well as my experience as a pastor and a counselor in this area, would push that percentage to a much higher 98%.  That being said, if you suffer from this, have been exposed even once (I will come back to that), have sons that are ages 12 or higher, are married to a man, know of others who are married to men, have brothers, etc. you should urge they attend this class. Methamphetamines, is the most addictive drug out there. 25% of all who try it just once get immediately addicted.  Porn is worse. 1 exposure is an addiction.  The mind's camera does not get erased just because you think it will be.  If not dealt with

1 Timothy 2: 12  I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. Due to the interpretation of that verse, over the past 30+ years, there has been a rise in debate amongst Christian churches, of whether or not women should be allowed to be pastors, leaders over men, and teachers of men in the church.  For the most part, the giftings, talents, and competency of women who do lead/preach/teach are not questioned, even by those who staunchly oppose it. It will be my attempt to show readers that there is strong evidence that the traditional interpretation of the passage is in error. When engaging in Bible study, the standard process amongst scholars, is to look at who was writing and who was the audience, the context of the passage, how it relates to the rest of the Bible (this would include other writings of the author, if any, and if New Testament, how it relates to the Old Testament), and finally how it was applied and how it can

Sorry, I am not talking about marriage.  I am talking about grieving.  Why? Some of my dearest friends are approaching the first anniversary of the death of their father, friend, husband, son.  Myself included.  Eric Van Rhee was bigger than life in many ways.  He was a great father, a wonderful husband, and an irreplaceable friend.  He died February 18, 2016.  The hole he left in his family and his church was huge.  The hole he left in my family's life was huge as well. I have not spoken much about it for 2 reasons. 1. I did not want to diminish the grief of his family and closest friends and 2. we were not the only ones who were grieving him. That being said, I feel deeply moved to speak on this. Those who have lost someone very close to them know this. That first anniversary is extremely difficult.  It feels like it is happening all over again. The barely scabbed wound is ripped open and your heart starts bleeding again.  Why I am stating this?  No it is not to rub salt in an

So Donald Trump will be sworn in tomorrow. I did not vote for him.  Many of my friends did. I did not vote for Hillary Clinton either. My family might have. I did vote.  So my candidate did not win.  What now? Doomsday wailing? Should I riot?  Should I threaten the lives of celebrities and their families for considering performing at the inaugural? If I did any of these things, I could not consider myself a citizen of the United States of America. True Americans do not rebel against a duly elected president. True Americans do not riot and cause harm to innocent people in their neighborhoods because their candidate lost. True Americans don't threaten or harm those who supported the winning candidate. True Americans do not look for any excuse whether valid or not to slander the winner and his family. True Americans do not ignore the constitution or obey it when it does not or does fit their social and political agendas. True Americans do not hide behind loose interpretat

Awaken church don't let our children perish, sacrificed at alters where deviance will flourish. Our Lord has cursed those who sway the pure, Who take the innocent where hate will endure. Don't still your voice in compromise, Don't let false peace become their demise. Always let unfettered love prevail, and strongholds of lies we must assail. Not so that we can always be right, nor self righteous judgement be our fight. But so that God's kingdom will on earth become, Our refuge, our haven, our only true home. So after the war, and the smoke has cleared, our lives will disproved what the world has feared. The wounded young will walk as healed, and God's full plan will be revealed. Awaken church and save our wards, not with anger nor with swords. But with all the love that He showed, on the cross where His blood flowed.