So how are you? I hope my readers are doing well and enjoying the summer. Some of my readers are also bloggers who have not seen "Blogger Dashboard" in a very long time and you know who you are. Get to work! Post something! Please?
I told my sister that I was going to leave Todd Bentley alone (just temporarily) and "rant" about something else, and actually, I have two things to mention today. First, I saw in the newspaper yesterday that the coach of the KU Jayhawks, Mark Mangino, received a little raise for the new season. How does $800,000 a year sound? That puts Mangino's salary at $2.3 million annually, and a contract extension to 2012. If he wins another championship, he earns another $225,000. I'm just as big a Jayhawk fan as you are, and was thrilled that they were victorious in the Orange Bowl, and I get that we should pay our coaches competively-I get all that. This reminds me of a recent conversation on a back patio regarding the "must win at all costs" value that colleges place on recruiting the best athletes and on the success of their athletic programs, while academic programs end up on the short end of the financial stick in terms of hiring the best professors, funding research programs, and encouraging students in more scholarly pursuits which may better society as a whole, i.e., cancer research. What do you think? Michael, I especially seek your input-as a rabid Jayhawk fan who probably feels Mangino is worth every copper penny he's paid. Help me, a middle-aged woman who is only a rabid fan of table and card games, understand this (!)
The second rant will wait another day, but it deals with the column recently written in the Eagle by columnist Brent Castillo. Here's a link for you out of towners:
http://www.kansas.com/opinion/castillo/story/465759.html
You may have to copy and paste-I don'tthink I've got the hyperlink thing going here.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
Don't be deceived
It's been so cool here since Saturday maybe...that I've not had the AC on. I'm sure WestStar Energy hates this weather just like the gas company hates moderating weather in the winter time. I pulled weeds out of the front flower bed early this morning and since then have just kind of puttered around. I've got some things to do, I just don't have a lot of energy.
I have to go back to work REALLY soon, and my carefree days will come to an end. If I recall, last year, I was ready to get back to work. I came to a point where I sort of missed my colleagues and not only them, but the work that I've been trained to do. Most of the time, I enjoy my job. I'll be starting my 3rd year at the same two schools, and with every evaluation I do, my skills improve. I did not graduate knowing how to do the job. School doesn't teach you time management or setting priorities or discussing sensitive topics with expertise, or getting along with principals - that comes with actually working. The National Association of School Psychologists says it takes 5 years of experience to become a well-versed, competent practitioner and 5 more years to become an "expert". I believe it.
I read an interesting article yesterday from a little newspaper called "The Chronicle", published here in Wichita. The article was on a fast growing ministry in Lakeland Florida headed by a man named Todd Bentley. Apparently, this charismatic preacher began revival meetings on April 2, and intended only to be there for a week, but on July 9 finally wrapped things up. This man has some strange ideas which are rather controversial and which deserve a second or third glance. Some of his claims: he has been visited by many angels, he has seen Jesus in the flesh, he has visited the "third heaven" and seen the Apostle Paul's cabin, where, just in case you were wondering, Paul told him that he and Moses together wrote the book of Hebrews. Oh, and did I mention the angel "Emma", who visited him and sprinkled him with some sort of gold dust, indicating he would achieve financial success as well. Just 3 weeks after the visitation, he received the largest offering he had ever received to that point in his ministry, thousands of dollars (he declined to be specific).
His ministry also claims to be healing people. A local pastor from Hesston went to Florida and states he was healed, as well as several of his congregants - the pastor himself made two visits.
Google Todd Bentley and you will find info on Wikipedia about him, as well as the FreshFire website, and http://www.toddbentley.org/, which states that he is a false prophet (I guess those that put the website up decided to capture that domain using his name before he could, knowing that people will search there first.)
Come on, people. There will be many who come in Jesus' name, and who will dispense false teachings, telling people what they want to hear instead of the truth. Mr. Bentley is in the same ranks as Creflo Dollar, Joel Olsteen, Kenneth Copeland, Benny Hinn, and many others who teach questionable doctrine, but yet, who are laughing all the way to the bank with your money. Be wise as serpents! Know what you believe! Test everything you hear, even from your own church pulpit. Your church leaders should welcome the opportunities for people to scrutinize and examine what is said - and question it if necessary. Don't accept "warm-spit" doctrine.
I have to go back to work REALLY soon, and my carefree days will come to an end. If I recall, last year, I was ready to get back to work. I came to a point where I sort of missed my colleagues and not only them, but the work that I've been trained to do. Most of the time, I enjoy my job. I'll be starting my 3rd year at the same two schools, and with every evaluation I do, my skills improve. I did not graduate knowing how to do the job. School doesn't teach you time management or setting priorities or discussing sensitive topics with expertise, or getting along with principals - that comes with actually working. The National Association of School Psychologists says it takes 5 years of experience to become a well-versed, competent practitioner and 5 more years to become an "expert". I believe it.
I read an interesting article yesterday from a little newspaper called "The Chronicle", published here in Wichita. The article was on a fast growing ministry in Lakeland Florida headed by a man named Todd Bentley. Apparently, this charismatic preacher began revival meetings on April 2, and intended only to be there for a week, but on July 9 finally wrapped things up. This man has some strange ideas which are rather controversial and which deserve a second or third glance. Some of his claims: he has been visited by many angels, he has seen Jesus in the flesh, he has visited the "third heaven" and seen the Apostle Paul's cabin, where, just in case you were wondering, Paul told him that he and Moses together wrote the book of Hebrews. Oh, and did I mention the angel "Emma", who visited him and sprinkled him with some sort of gold dust, indicating he would achieve financial success as well. Just 3 weeks after the visitation, he received the largest offering he had ever received to that point in his ministry, thousands of dollars (he declined to be specific).
His ministry also claims to be healing people. A local pastor from Hesston went to Florida and states he was healed, as well as several of his congregants - the pastor himself made two visits.
Google Todd Bentley and you will find info on Wikipedia about him, as well as the FreshFire website, and http://www.toddbentley.org/, which states that he is a false prophet (I guess those that put the website up decided to capture that domain using his name before he could, knowing that people will search there first.)
Come on, people. There will be many who come in Jesus' name, and who will dispense false teachings, telling people what they want to hear instead of the truth. Mr. Bentley is in the same ranks as Creflo Dollar, Joel Olsteen, Kenneth Copeland, Benny Hinn, and many others who teach questionable doctrine, but yet, who are laughing all the way to the bank with your money. Be wise as serpents! Know what you believe! Test everything you hear, even from your own church pulpit. Your church leaders should welcome the opportunities for people to scrutinize and examine what is said - and question it if necessary. Don't accept "warm-spit" doctrine.
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Family
One of my siblings told me recently, "You get behind in writing in your blog, then you spend a whole paragraph apologizing." Well. Ok. No apologies coming!
The last couple of weeks I've been getting ready for a 3 day yard sale - it was actually at my daughter's house, but I contributed a lot of my "junque" to it. I didn't sell nearly as much as she did, but I got rid of some stuff. That's a lot of work. THEN, we left last Tuesday for a trip to Wisconsin to pick up my youngest son and to head to Michigan for our annual family get together at my oldest brother's place. We had a great time, and are back 8 days later, today. Tonight we got together with our kids who couldn't go and visited about our trip, and ended up playing several rounds of a new game I got-"Bananagrams".
There are six siblings in our family. We are all married, and we all have children. Three of my brothers have grandchildren, so our family is growing-it seems that every year or two, we welcome new additions, either by birth or by marriage. If I counted right, there are 44 of us in this large extended family - 30 came to the reunion this year. With this large of a group, there is much opportunity for visiting and sometimes,
interesting discussion ensues. It became rather apparent at this reunion during some of discussion time that between the six of us siblings who were all raised by the same parents in the same church, there appears to be some pretty diverse viewpoints on several key doctrinal issues.
The six "in-laws" that married into this family bring their own opinions and viewpoints as well, and, our children and grandchildren as they become adults certainly will decide for themselves what they believe. What they choose may be very different from the religious teaching they received from us as they were growing up.
I was a little taken aback by some of the beliefs one of my siblings shared during our visiting. I think that those participating in the discussion were able to do so without offense, but I would never ever want to allow these differences to pull us apart. That's what scares me about these kinds of discussions. It's a challenge to not respond from your emotions when the foundational beliefs you hold true are being questioned. I ended up feeling ill-prepared to defend those core truths my whole belief system rests upon, and that's not a comfortable feeling. But I think it's good for me to feel that way.
I continue to pray for all 43 of you in this family - Max, Sherri, Kyle, Kerry, Theresa, Caley, Regan, Dennis, Ruth, Sherrill, Gary, Greg, Wil, Reid, Debra, Mark, Luke, Haley, Chris, TK, Chandler, Tatum, Jay, Pat, Michael, Katie, Scott, Laura, Rachel, Gabriel, Bruce, Rebekah, Jason, Joshua, Daniel, Linda, Terry, John, Anna, Kevin, Deanna, Nicole, and Michele. You are important to me.
The last couple of weeks I've been getting ready for a 3 day yard sale - it was actually at my daughter's house, but I contributed a lot of my "junque" to it. I didn't sell nearly as much as she did, but I got rid of some stuff. That's a lot of work. THEN, we left last Tuesday for a trip to Wisconsin to pick up my youngest son and to head to Michigan for our annual family get together at my oldest brother's place. We had a great time, and are back 8 days later, today. Tonight we got together with our kids who couldn't go and visited about our trip, and ended up playing several rounds of a new game I got-"Bananagrams".
There are six siblings in our family. We are all married, and we all have children. Three of my brothers have grandchildren, so our family is growing-it seems that every year or two, we welcome new additions, either by birth or by marriage. If I counted right, there are 44 of us in this large extended family - 30 came to the reunion this year. With this large of a group, there is much opportunity for visiting and sometimes,
interesting discussion ensues. It became rather apparent at this reunion during some of discussion time that between the six of us siblings who were all raised by the same parents in the same church, there appears to be some pretty diverse viewpoints on several key doctrinal issues.
The six "in-laws" that married into this family bring their own opinions and viewpoints as well, and, our children and grandchildren as they become adults certainly will decide for themselves what they believe. What they choose may be very different from the religious teaching they received from us as they were growing up.
I was a little taken aback by some of the beliefs one of my siblings shared during our visiting. I think that those participating in the discussion were able to do so without offense, but I would never ever want to allow these differences to pull us apart. That's what scares me about these kinds of discussions. It's a challenge to not respond from your emotions when the foundational beliefs you hold true are being questioned. I ended up feeling ill-prepared to defend those core truths my whole belief system rests upon, and that's not a comfortable feeling. But I think it's good for me to feel that way.
I continue to pray for all 43 of you in this family - Max, Sherri, Kyle, Kerry, Theresa, Caley, Regan, Dennis, Ruth, Sherrill, Gary, Greg, Wil, Reid, Debra, Mark, Luke, Haley, Chris, TK, Chandler, Tatum, Jay, Pat, Michael, Katie, Scott, Laura, Rachel, Gabriel, Bruce, Rebekah, Jason, Joshua, Daniel, Linda, Terry, John, Anna, Kevin, Deanna, Nicole, and Michele. You are important to me.
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