Tag: Jesus

Guy preaching with a staff and a stone tablet

Why I Am a Heretic

Posted on by Alan

I am no longer going to update this post. Instead please see the Beliefs page to read the most up-to-date list of what I believe.

AKA, "What I Believe"

Guy preaching with a staff and a stone tabletI had an interesting conversation with a Twitter friend, and after he agreed to an uncomfortable implication of his belief system I commended him on being willing to admit it. I then suggested that someone else who held that same belief system would not be willing to make the same admission, to which he replied:

Yes, I believe he would. I probably wouldn’t just throw that out there in the public forum of twitter. He may not be comfortable with saying

To which I replied:

Why not? If it is true it’s to God’s sovereign glory isn’t it?

My response would seem a whole ‘lot more apropos if you understood what belief system it was in response to. 🙂

Either way, although I can understand choosing a proper forum for airing one’s beliefs, I kind of was taken aback at the idea that someone who has no problem debating for his theological worldview then wouldn’t be willing to lay all his cards on the table.

So, here are all my cards. Traditional Christians will find plenty to consider me a heretic, but I’m not going to do a bait-and-switch on you. (Most of this is from a post I did a couple years back on fahrner.us. All biblical quotes are from the English Standard Version. Oh, and I reserve the right to modify this post at any time, so if you want to beat me over the head with my own words, be sure to grab a screenshot. :-)) Continue reading “Why I Am a Heretic”

Triumph's Allied Forces (image from Amazon.com)

Fight the Good Fight

Posted on by Alan

Triumph's Allied Forces (image from Amazon.com)

Canadian Bands

Those of you who made it to church last Sunday know that for my sermons this month I am using secular (that is, non-Christian) songs as fodder for sermons. This week we look to our neighbors up north, Canada, for inspiration.

How many here can name a Canadian band our musical artist?

Other than the group that led to this sermon, the ones that came to mind for me were Rush, April Wine, and William Shatner.

Now, I figure many or most of you have heard of Rush, if only because of their hit Tom Sawyer. As for April Wine, is anyone familiar with their song, "Just Between You and Me"? (Personally, I think "Gypsy Queen" is their best song.)

How about William Shatner? What do you think of his musical work?

Continue reading “Fight the Good Fight”

Wise Men on Camels

“Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things…”

Posted on by Alan

Wise Men on CamelsI continue to slowly read through the Bible in one year. Although there are some days it does seem like a burden (due to my humanity, not Scripture itself), being “forced” to spend time in God’s Word daily has been a great blessing.

I’ve never really been big on poetry (I abhorred it in high school English classes), so Psalms can be problematic for me. Luckily, as I’ve aged it is less taxing, and often I can actually enjoy it.

Reading Psalm 107 today was one of those cases…what an awesome song! It’s an tremendous reminder of how often God has bailed so many of us out of terrible situations, including one common to all mankind: Continue reading ““Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things…””

Apocalyptic Love

“Not for Me”

Posted on by Alan

Apocalyptic Love

AKA "Slash's Advice for Christian Living"

Messages from Secular Songs

If any of you have spent time on-line looking at (or listening to) my sermons before arriving here in Pleasanton, you'll notice a good number that are based on songs by secular groups. For instance

And although those were the only ones that came to mind as I as writing this sermon, there may be more and I've also worked in plenty of other snippets of secular songs into my sermons. That probably may make some folks cringe, but music has always had special meaning to me…speaking to my heart in ways mere words cannot.

So, although I have not yet figured out which songs to include…even for next week…this month I will do a series of sermons that are based on non-Christian songs that seem to have an important message…or which at least have a memorable verse that we can learn from.

If you have any suggestions, please be sure to let me know after the sermon…I always love an excuse to spend more money buying music. 🙂

Now, what we may learn from a secular song might be that they are very very wrong…but there are also plenty of tunes out there that seem to show a bit of what remains of the image of God in this world's inhabitants.

A wisdom that seems beyond our behaviors.

Continue reading ““Not for Me””

Pacifiers and Hearing Aids

Posted on by Alan

Captain Francesco Schettino

Has anyone here heard of Captain Franscesco Schettino? Why he is famous…or rather…why he is infamous?

It is because he was captain of the Costa Concordia cruise ship that sank of the Tuscan coast this past January…a captain who decided to save his own scalp and hop into a lifeboat instead of making sure all his passengers were safe. Although he claimed afterward that he tripped into the lifeboat, he broke a sacrosanct rule: the captain goes down with the ship. Well, at least he or she does if anyone else is going to go down with it. A captain does not abandon ship until he or she knows everyone is safe.

Now…although the sinking of the Costa Concordia was major news, it is not the most famous shipwreck in history. I haven't done any empirical surveying, but what do you figure is the most famous one?

That's right…the Titanic. Although folks do question his judgment in other respects (for instance, launching lifeboats before they were full), the Titanic's Captain Edward John Smith went down to Davy Jones' Locker with two thirds of his passengers. Captain Smith went down with the ship.

Continue reading “Pacifiers and Hearing Aids”

What Now?

Posted on by Alan

Quick Review

Three sermons have led up to this final talk in my "What" series:

  • "What Went Wrong" — Where we learned that what originally went wrong up in heaven and was tragically repeated down here on earth by its original human inhabitants wasn't some arbitrary rule being broken. Instead, there was a breakdown of trust that has been repeated by Adam and Eve's progeny throughout the millennia.
  • "What Was Tried" — Where we took a dispensational view of God's dealings with man throughout history and learned that (a) anything that depends on man fails miserably; (b) our Lord doesn't give up on us rebellious earthlings; and (c) it's not about us, it's about God…
  • And last week's, "What Finally Worked" — Where we found how the successful treatment fit the disease…that the Father, to heal the breakdown of trust that has plagued the human race since our original parents listened to that cursed serpent…sent His son, who showed that truly God is worthy of trust. How do we know that? Because the Son manifested the Father (John 17:6), is "image of God" (2 Corinthians 4:4), and is the "exact imprint of his nature" (Hebrews 1:3). As Jesus assured Philip, "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father" (John 14:9). When we look into the face of Jesus we see the glory of God…that what His enemies have said of Him are lies and what He has said about Himself is the truth. In Jesus we see a God…the God…that can be trusted.

How Soon is Soon?

Of course, so much more was done on the cross…finite words cannot adequately explain the infinite…but we enter this final sermon confident that when Jesus cried out, "It is finished" (John 19:30) He spoke accurately…and truthfully.

Yet I stand here and you sit there.

Continue reading “What Now?”

What Finally Worked

Posted on by Alan

What Finally Worked

Quick Review

Before I begin the third talk in my four-part "What" Sunday-evening series, I figure it makes sense to quickly review the first two sermons…

#1 was "What Went Wrong"…where we learned that sin didn't start here on earth and that what originally went wrong up in heaven (and then went awry down here) wasn't a case of someone breaking an arbitrary rule.

Instead, it was a breakdown of trust between the creature and the creator. First Satan distrusted God, then one third of the angels, then Eve and Adam. Instead of becoming like God as they envisioned, they developed fear of God.

#2 was "What Was Tried"…where, using a dispensationalist outline, we saw that innocence didn't work, conscience didn't work, dominion didn't work, promise didn't work, and law didn't work. We learned that anything that depends on man fails miserably…and that our loving God never gave up on us rebellious earthlings…no matter how often or how badly we blew it. Praise God! 🙂

Show Me Your Glory

Now it's time for "What Finally Worked"…but before I try to answer that question, I'd like to head back into the dispensation of the law…just as it is beginning. Let's turn to Exodus 33:12-23:

Continue reading “What Finally Worked”

Twitter Bio of Penn Jillette

My Close Personal Friend Penn Jillette

Posted on by Alan

Okay, I'll be up front…I have never even met Penn Jillette…so the title of this article might be considered a wee bit of an exaggeration. 🙂

No, he isn't a close personal friend, but I have had a couple times where Penn has responded to me on Twitter…and considering he's got over 1.7 million followers, that's almost like being famous. 🙂

At this point some of you might be saying, "Who is Penn Jillette?" This is what he has (right at this moment) on his Twitter profile:

Twitter Bio of Penn Jillette

More than 1/2 (by weight) of Penn & Teller at the Rio in Vegas, Penn's Sunday School Podcast, P&T Tell a Lie on Discovery, P&T: Fool Us! on ITV.God, NO! – book

As that blurb indicates, he is the larger half of the Penn & Teller act, a pair of comedic magicians. If you have ever seen them, you also know he's the half that speaks (his smaller compadre never utters a word). And speak he does…during his magic acts…during their multiple TV shows…and in any other opportunity he is given. He is loud, fun, informative, and interesting…

And an extremely committed atheist. Continue reading “My Close Personal Friend Penn Jillette”

Compassion for I-580

Posted on by Alan

As I type this I am listening to the greatest negative my apartment has—the constant, fairly loud sound of traffic (often very heavy traffic). I've basically gotten use to it, but I still notice it…especially at places in my abode that have reduced sound proofing (for example, the huge door to the outdoors just before the kitchen).

I've wondered, however, if perhaps it is more of a blessing than a curse. Once as I looked through the open blinds in the living room, it hit me that the vehicles whizzing by 24 hours a day were a reminder of the myriad people out there. It is impossible for me to be a hermit in this location—I am constantly reminded I am not alone. As a Christian this is a benefit—since our duty isn't to self, instead it is first to God and then to others: Continue reading “Compassion for I-580”

And When You Have Turned Again

Posted on by Alan

Sermon Topics

On Wednesday I still hadn't settled on a subject for this week's sermon, and since I was hitting up Barry Duke for a potential ride to our 7:15 activities, I also figured I'd ask him if he had any suggestions for a sermon topic. Somehow in the text messages he thought I had requested one related to Satan…and so when he suggested a topic connected with the father of lies, I thought it a bit odd…but (as he and I agreed)…sometimes we don't put enough consideration into what our adversary is up to when it comes to the battles we face in life.

So…ignoring all the confusion and miscommunication that led up to it…this is Barry's sermon on Satan…although Wednesday night Barry then let me know he wasn't going to be here for it. 🙂

By the way, I humorously told him that I would say one of the Devil's minions suggested the subject :-), but after our conversation degraded to me standing up here dressed as the Saturday Night Live Church Lady…it was best to just leave it at me doing a sermon on the god of this world.

Screwtape Letters

Anybody here a fan of C.S. Lewis? Well, beyond books from the Narnia series?

Although I haven't read a ton of his stuff, my favorite Christian book outside the Bible itself his Mere Christianity. When I first read it I put those little page markers wherever I found a quote I wanted to share in the future on my blog, and by the time I was done there were so many is looked like the feathered wing of a bird. 🙂 I highly recommend it to everyone.

But, today's sermon is better suited for another one of his works titled The Screwtape Letters. It is one half of a fictional correspondence between two demons. One, Wormwood, is actively trying to lead a human to damnation, and the other his uncle, Screwtape…who pens the 31 missives with advice.

Continue reading “And When You Have Turned Again”

Was it a Bad Bird?

Posted on by Alan

In my last sermon I mentioned how social media options like Twitter and Facebook are great places to get topics for talks and articles, but there is one thing that definitely beats both hands-down…

The utterances and actions of a 4 year-old. 🙂

A couple weeks back I had a bunch of stuff to bring into the church, thus requiring a couple trips from my Nissan Cube. During the first one I had left the driver's door open, and when I returned to my car I was pleasantly surprised to find a little bird flying around near the dashboard. It's hard to explain how cute it was—kind of imagine the birds from Bambi flying around that famous deer when he was just a newborn fawn. (At this point I'll have to admit that I am not even sure if I've watched Bambi completely, so those cartoon birds might just be a figment of my imagination.)

The adorable bird, however, wasn't as enamored with its equal surprise at seeing me, and when I went to the other side of the car to let it out it took my absence from the open door to escape. Even though the feathered friend's visit was short, this little episode is my favorite one (so far) with nature during my stay here on the grounds of the Pleasant View Church (although there is also something to be said for the turkeys some mornings and deer some nights).

Naturally, having a story about a cute small bird would immediately make me want to share it with an equally cute small boy, and later that day I described the experience to Augie. He clearly enjoyed the tale, and at one point asked a very simple question. Continue reading “Was it a Bad Bird?”

Heaven...I'm in Heaven Facebook Post

Heaven…I’m In Heaven

Posted on by Alan

The Palazzo Las Vegas

If you preach quite a bit or write bulletin articles, one of the best inspirations for topics are things posted by those you have friended or have followed. I'm not saying that they are a better source of wisdom than the Bible itself—quite the opposite. However, it's amazing how a quick social-media blurb can quickly point you to Scripture for further research.

In this case, a couple weeks back a former coworker of mine checked into The Palazzo Las Vegas and posted this:

Heaven...I'm in Heaven Facebook Post

":)) Heaven… I'm in heaven" with a little heart at the end.

Well, I thought about it a bit…is The Palazzo Las Vegas really heaven? Checking out their web site, it does seem like they have a lot to commend themselves:

  • Based on the pictures the rooms seem opulent
  • There is plenty of entertainment with the Blue Man Show, Phantom of the Opera, Tim Allen, Frank Caliendo [cal-ee-end-o], Robert Davi, David Spade, Rita Rudner, and Joan Rivers. (Of course, if they had Celine Dion then she'd know she was checking into the opposite of heaven.)
  • They list 16 "fine dining" restaurants and 20 "casual dining"…along with in-suite and poolside options. Being someone who obviously likes food (based on my BMI), that does count for a lot…although I can't see how any location could really be heaven without a Del Taco. 🙂
  • They have two nightclubs and ten lounges.
  • And if that isn't enough they have Bags to Go, a pool deck, Azure Pool, gondola rides, the Canyon Ranch Spaclub, a floral shop, a bunch of shopping, Madame Tussauds, Golf, and Pink Jeep and Maverick sightseeing tours.
  • Oh, and let's not forget…gambling!!!

Quite impressive…and clearly heaven to my Facebook friend.

Continue reading “Heaven…I’m In Heaven”

You Prayed for What?!

Posted on by Alan

Have you ever seen a football game where the guy gets the ball and promptly runs to the wrong end zone? Or a basketball game where a player gets disoriented and sinks one in the opposition's basket? Although in some ways it's funny (as long as it wasn't an athlete on your team that made the faux pas) isn't it really more painful to watch than humorous? Well, assuming you aren't a really cruel person. 🙂

Oddly enough, this situation came to mind when I read a Scripture quoted in Hank Hanegraaff's book, Christianity in Crisis: The 21st Century. He used a different translation and didn't include the first verse and a half, but for the purposes of this article:

Two things I ask of you;
   deny them not to me before I die:
Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
   give me neither poverty nor riches;
   feed me with the food that is needful for me,
lest I be full and deny you
   and say, "Who is the Lord?"
or lest I be poor and steal
   and profane the name of my God (Proverbs 30:7-9, English Standard Version).

Now, I don't know about you…but when I pray for God's blessings I generally am a bit more ambitious than that…and Agur son of Jakeh's words seemed to be those of someone praying against himself. Sure, he didn't petition to be poor, but praying against riches? Seems like someone scoring for the other side…for his enemies who don't want him to be successful. Continue reading “You Prayed for What?!”

Two Trees and a Tomb

Posted on by Alan

Introductions

Before I begin my first sermon here at the Pleasant View Church of Christ, I figure it would be good to provide a quick introduction. I imagine most of you either have met me or are aware of me, but I am a recent transplant from New Hampshire…sent out ahead of my family, half of which will be joining me once my oldest son is off to college for his freshman year at UMASS Amherst.

I have a beautiful wife along with two daughters and two sons…ranging from the ages of 27 to 4. Yes, I got started early and had a surprise late. 🙂 But what a wonderful surprise it was! (Children are always a gift from God.) Hopefully you'll get to meet them all, but initially you'll only get to hang out with my wife, Michelle and Augie, a bouncy blond curly-haired and blue-eyed human who finds joy in the most simple things…and bestows joy to everyone who encounters him…

Continue reading “Two Trees and a Tomb”

The Gospel for Hair Bands

Posted on by Alan

I'm not entirely sure, but the first time I heard Europe's "Wish I Could Believe" was while listening to the Internet radio station XERS earlier this year. Having an ear for songs that speak to spiritual topics, this portion of the chorus caught my attention:

Cause I, wish I could believe in God
So I can move ahead
I know I can't believe in God
Time to move ahead

Now, I can't say that the rest of the song "fits" the transcendent searching of that refrain, but I think we can all appreciate the longing contained in "I wish I could believe in God."

And we Christians naturally wonder what is preventing the lyricist from believing in our Lord…and what exactly makes him so confident he can't? Continue reading “The Gospel for Hair Bands”