Profound and Sometimes Preposterous Ponderings of Pete

2016 is right around the corner.  We live in the USA.  Presidential elections are coming.  I hear all kinds of statements. "Don't vote Democrat they hate Christians and support immorality."  "Vote Republican, they are anti-abortion." "Don't vote for Mitt Romney he is a Mormon."  Blah, Blah, Blah!  Both Democrats and Republicans have very poor track records. The Bible states in Romans 13: Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is th...

Growing up and attending churches, I wondered at the practiced, polished sounding prayers of the collared men at the pulpit.  Methodist, Baptist, Lutheran, Catholic, etc.  My wondering was not good. The prayers seemed, to an unsaved boy, contrived. I am not criticizing just relating my observations at that time in my life.  I am sure those gentleman were praying how they were taught and who am I to judge? Years later, as an adult, I got saved.  As a baby Christian, I was amazed at how well those around me could pray.  I wished I could pray like them.  Fervent, passionate, yet flowing and understandable. Some good friends even showed me that it was OK to add humor in your prayers (thank you Joe Stewart and Steve Crain).  God invented it and I believe down to my deepest parts that God laughs too. Over the years of praying, I think I became a little practiced at it as well.  I did not realize this until recently.  A few  times I hav...

Usually I post about concerns and scriptural revelation and sometimes political insights (if you can call them that).  Today I am taking a different tack.  Westerns.  I watched the movie Appaloosa again today.  It is a relatively modern made western movie starring Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen.  So why am I writing about westerns?  Well, I consider myself something of an aficionado on the genre. ('Cause only aficionados can use words like aficionado and genre.)  Since I was very young (maybe as far back as 3), I spent Sunday afternoons watching western movies with my father.  One of the very few things we did agree upon, was John Wayne, western and war movies, as well as a multitude of other western movies.  I grew up watching Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, Clint Eastwood, Tom Mix, Gary Cooper, Robert Taylor, Robert Redford, Yul Brynner, Charlie Bronson, to mention only a few.  There were many others.  Those were the good guys.  ...

Matt 7:3“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? Recently, I have read some FB posts about the problems of the modern church.  My friend Ben Jensen wrote an excellent rebuttal to one of them and I will refrain from re-iterating it here.  Please take the time and read his statement in his blog Dear Church: People Will Always Leave You at  http://lifeunstained.blogspot.com/     Read it. It is worth your time. It is easy to go about ranting on what is wrong with the church.  We, who are the church, are fallen, imperfect, etc.  So there is a lot of material available.  Possibly a 1,000+ volume encyclopedia on me alone and I am just 1 of millions. I understand admonishments and exhortations are needed from time-to-time.  And yes discipline needs to be exercised as well.  But we need to be so careful that we do not overstep our authority and find ourselves in dir...

"People are trying to take Christ out of Christmas"  A common lament from American Christians.  I say go ahead.  Let's just call it the Winter Holiday or Season's Pleasin's or the Apex of Avarice.  Whatever.  Christ came to give his life to dark world and the celebration of His birth has lost its meaning. John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. I apologize to my readers if I sound bitter.  I am not.  I am tired.  I am tired of all the hype.  I am tired of single parents working themselves to death to keep the lights on, the gas for heat, and a bowl of soup for their kids and then have all the media make them feel guilty because they did not...

1.    My salvation (This includes my relationship with almighty God) 2.    My wife Corinne 3.    My children (all 12) 4.    My grandkids (all 12) 5.    My kids in Christ (it fluctuates) 6.    My church family 7.    My home 8.    My daily bread 9.    My clothes 10.  My life Yes.  In that order.   Happy Thanksgiving!

Did the dingo eat your baby?  Now that that is out of the way, I can proceed. Australian Shepherds and Heelers were bred from Dingos.  These breeds of dog are some of the most obedient, loyal, and affectionate I have ever seen.  Yet the Dingo is a ferocious wild dog.  If one of the pack gets injured in any way the others will turn on it, rip it to pieces and devour it. So what is my point?  As Christians, we are called to love and support one another.  To help each other through hard times and to be happy for each other through the good times.  This is what our Lord and Savior taught us.  It is what He expects of us.  Yet, too many times have I seen the Dingo in brothers and sisters in the church.  Gossip, factions, unforgiveness turns us into packs of Dingos.  I have seen Christians ripping into and devouring other Christians when they are hurt or wounded.  Whether or not it is their fault, after running to the one place ...