February 2012
3 posts
O God, the Father of all, whose Son commanded us to love our enemies: Lead them and us from prejudice to truth: deliver them and us from hatred, cruelty, and revenge; and in your good time enable us all to stand reconciled before you, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.-Lawrence Garcia
Jesus Have I Loved, but Paul?
Here is a great review of the book I am currently reading from Academia Church.
Momentary confession, Jesus on the pages of the Gospels—the champion for the poor and marginalized, the healer of the diseased, the denouncer of oppressive structures, and the reconstituter of communities—“Have I loved.” “But Paul?”—the author of draconian household codes, impossible ethical standards, and authorial...
January 2012
14 posts
WatchCharlie Chaplin’s final speech in The Great Dictator.
The Gospel
I begin where Romans begins – with the gospel. My proposal is this. When Paul refers to ‘the gospel’, he is not referring to a system of salvation, though of course the gospel implies and contains this, nor even to the good news that there now is a way of salvation open to all, but rather to the proclamation that the crucified Jesus of Nazareth has been raised from the dead and thereby...
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Heaven defined
Heaven is God’s dimension of the created order (Genesis 1:1; Psalm 115:16; Matthew 6:9), whereas ‘earth’ is the world of space, time and matter that we know. ‘Heaven’ thus sometimes stands, reverentially, for ‘God’ (as in Matthew’s regular ‘kingdom of heaven’). Normally hidden from human sight, heaven is occasionally revealed or unveiled...
The Kingdom New Testament
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 and "rapture"
Paul is using familiar imagery of a greeting committee going out to meet a returning king and to welcome him into the city. It is much like the liturgy we find in Psalm 24:7-10. As the king and his entourage return to the city, the herald goes before the king and blows the trumpet to alert those on the city walls that the king has arrived and should be properly welcomed. Then the greeting...
Shaping The Understanding
From Pisteos International Daily
as we venture forth into the new year, a helpful reminder about how to approach the New Testament, with an eye towards the original receiving communities…
As responsible readers and interpreters of Scripture, we approach the text of the New Testament letters in the manner of first century hearers in a predominantly oral/aural culture, and sensibly hear them...
2012 Declaration
“This is what it looks like, today, when Jesus is running the world. This after all, what he told us to expect. The poor in spirit will be making the Kingdom of heaven happen. The meek will be taking over the earth, so gently that the powerful won’t notice until it’s too late. The peacemakers will be putting the arms manufacturers out of business. Those who are hungry and thirsty...
December 2011
7 posts
Salvation Means Creation Healed
The Bible promises the renewal of all creation—a new heaven and earth—based on the incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For centuries this promise has been sidelined or misunderstood because of the church’s failure to grasp the full meaning of biblical teachings on creation and new creation. The Bible tells the story of the broken and restored...
New Exodus (Excerp from "Simply Jesus")
This would, in the other words be the new Exodus. Work through the seven themes once more. The tyrant would not be the Jerusalem leaders (though they, in love with their own wealth and prestige, were in league with the dark powers), not even Rome (though Rome would nail him to the cross), but all the powers of the Accuser, up to and including death itself. The leader would be, of course,...
Mirrored Neurons
The following is the communion message I delivered at Academia Church this past Sunday.
Luke 14:16-24
16But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. 17And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant[a] to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ 18But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him,...
North Koreans: The Most Enslaved People On Earth
This is something the establishment media has completely failed to explain properly. All the video footage of weeping North Koreans stricken with grief over the death of the “dear leader” Kim Jong-Il is by no means spontaneous or natural. It’s all part of the fun of living in a Stalinist dictatorship. If citizens do not show the appropriately sullen facial expressions, if they don’t produce...
A Giant Leap of Faith- Levi needs your help!
A very good friend of mine from Wisconsin sent this to me this morning. Lets come to together and try to help this family.
“Hey guys!I have a favor to ask from you all. There is a teacher from the school I went to in MN (North Central University) whose son is very sick. I am not sure of all the details of his sons illness but it has reached the point where the treatment he needs to...
Did Jesus Preach the Gospel?
November 2011
14 posts
Prayer for Friday
O God, my soul and my flesh cry out to you. I need your grace, guidance, and strength in all the hours ahead. I worship you and ask for your aid this day, through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Strength and Healer. Amen.
via Howard Snyder
Happy Anniversary
Nine years ago I married the love of my life, my one true love. And even though it has not been easy the past 9 years, as a matter of fact down right hard, I would not trade it for anything in the world. The last year and a half were especially trying on our marriage but I finally realized what one of my pastors told me when I first married. “Marriage is not about being happy, it’s...
The Church
The church is the single, multiethnic family promised by the creator God to
Abraham. It was brought into being through Israel’s Messiah, Jesus; it was
energized by God’s Spirit; and it was called to bring the transformative
news of God’s rescuing justice to the whole creation.
A Meal with Jesus
This book has help shape my theology on meals and I would highly recommend it to those who love to eat!
Bellow is a review from a member of Academia church: “Tim Chester’s book does what it intends to do, namely it presents the centrality of table fellowship to the mission of Jesus. He colorfully illustrates experiences from his own personal life wherein sharing a meal at table with...
A Charismatic Reformation Day
In honor of Reformation Day, here are some complaints I’m nailing on the Wittenberg door.
Long before there was an Occupy Wall Street, Martin Luther staged the most important protest in history. He was upset because Roman Catholic officials were promising people forgiveness or early escape from purgatory in exchange for money. So on October 31, 1517, Luther nailed a long list of complaints...
Reconceiving Service to the Poor & Needy
At several points in What Is the Mission of the Church? Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert go after guilt-oriented motivations for doing good in the world. I completely agree with them on this note.
My family and I were recently part of a ministry effort on behalf of the poor in our city that was preceded by a presentation playing upon guilt and sentiment. This is short-sighted, ultimately...
Constitutional Judo
In all things, there exists a ‘point of balance’; a line that, if crossed, results in the sudden and expedient loss of our self-determinism and makes us subservient to the fickle whims of social, political, and physical gravity. We are “thrown” into the air, as it were, and the landing is rarely ever pleasant. The U.S. Constitution and the civil liberties it outlines is itself one of...
October 2011
5 posts
Amazon Store back up
September 2011
20 posts
Watch
EVERYONE IS BEAUTIFUL
Are We Taking Unworthily of the Table? : A...
By Lawrence E. Garcia
It’s that time in the service again. The lights dim, the music almost hesitant, and the preacher’s voice quibbles with reverence saying, “Whoever eats this bread and drinks this cup in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body of our Lord”. Yup, it’s monthly communion. And that phrase usually sets off a chain-reaction of introspection, guilt, and despair dividing the...
Alan Watt Poem: NWO Pirates Tear Nations Asunder,...
Managers of Mayhem have Crises Everywhere, But Stop Your Panic, Stand and Stare, Crisis Management Means Pros Manage the Crises By Crashing Banks and other Devious Devices, Then When People are Poor and Beaten, Moneybags say You Should Be Competin’ With China, India and Emerging Nations, The Believing Public has Lots of Patience, Always Voting for the Biggest Connist Who says...
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