Skip to main content

Posts

Evidence -

Recently there was a life altering event in my home town of Craven Co., NC... A small child wandered away from his great-grandmother's home and no one could find him. The relative called the local sheriff once they realized they could not find him. Shortly after a deputy arrived and the search began. That first night of the little boy's disappearance the temperatures dropped into the low 20s and upper teens. For ten hours, the temperature stayed below freezing and for most people survival would be improbable. The following day was better but still cold and for a three year old, impossible to remain calm. The day he was found (the third day) the morning began with torrential downpours, high winds, flash flooding, and it was dark and dismal. Water in ditches, canals, and in fields started to rise quickly and my guess is any marks (foot prints) left by this little boy were all washed away. Finally on the third day in the evening @ 9pm someone heard the little boy crying in the woo...
Recent posts

The Formation of the Old and New Testaments

Introduction             The Bible; for some the Bible is a place of solitude, a healing book, a book with answers, a reason for hope, for some the Bible is a weapon, and for others the Bible is simply a book with no significant value.  Regardless of how the Bible is used or revered, it is still a book and is considered a culmination of separate writings and remembrances of spoken traditions that span hundreds, even thousands of years.  In fact, the finished version of what was later known as the Bible – to include the Old Testament and the New Testament – took over four-hundred years to be completed.  Prior to the finalization and approval of the Christian Bible, the Old Testament was used for worship.  According to a time-line released by editor Harold Attridge et al, the beginning of biblical history pre-dates the Chalcolithic period of 4500 B.C.E. (Attridge, 2006, pp. xxxiv - xxxv) .  Nevertheless, wh...

Tangible – "perceptible to touch"; "clear and definite."

For years I have struggled with the presence of God in my life.  It wasn't until the past few years that I finally 'got it'.  God has been moving people in and out of my life since I can remember.  My first my best friend, new friends, family, strangers and the list goes on.  God has been directing me too so that I would be in the appropriate place at the appropriate time and influence someone else path.  God uses us to help realize his plan... plain and simple.   However, it is my humble opinion that God doesn't use us every minute of every day instead he will create events in our lives meant to move us in one direction or another.  These events will be good or bad.  A flat tire, the birth of a child, the death of a loved one, or even a torrential downpour that causes use to pull to the side of the road for 10 minutes.  What ever the reason the cause is always the same... it happened because of God's plan.   I am not ...

The Great Awakening

The First Awakening: Colonial Changes Many reasons were used to encourage an ever-growing population in England to migrate west to America.   For many, the possibility of religious freedom was enough to convince them to make the arduous journey.   Entire families left England and headed west across the Atlantic.   Small communities were formed based on one set of beliefs or another and these small towns flourished.   From time to time, the novelty of religious freedom wore off; Christians became complacent and no longer felt it necessary to be wholesome and righteous.   These same complacencies triggered major religious changes that would soon reconstruct the way of life in America.   A Great Awakening would forever change the religious infrastructure found throughout the colonies.    For years, colonists complained about how conventional churches had lost touch with what was important (Divine et al, 99 – 100).   The people of America...

Change Is Good?

I am still working on my degree and this week I have a project due for my Leadership 440 "Leading Change" class.  The project requires me to write a 1000-word paper on personal change.  But what if I don't want to change?  Yea I know, it is for a grade and I really should think about changing. There is one thing that I have learned over the past several years is that change is good.  At home, at work, in politics, and life in general.  But something struck me tonight while I was reading a blog posted by a friend of mine - why do people pursue change?  This lady has a child with Cerebral Palsy or CP.  She just returned from another country where she had stem cell transplantation performed on her son.  She has a truly amazing story to tell how she is doing everything to change the life her son has been given.  And to top it all off, she has placed all of her decisions in the hands of God.  Yea I know, some of you may not buy ...

The 'new' world we live in? Part II

I have made it a point to re-read and follow-up with my posts each night.  If there is a comment, I will reply and if I feel the urge to post something new I will.  So here we go... I read my post about the 'new' world we live in (dated December 15th) and have decided that maybe a stronger stance is warranted.  I still feel as my friend Vince does with regard to the senseless murders of so many children and their protectors.  The way my heart sinks each time I remember the events of that day, will never go away.  Similar to ANY senseless act against children...the memories should act as a reminder.   I hear so many people talk about how the only reason this act of violence is different is because this time it involved so many little children.  Well I am here to tell you that maybe there is another reason or maybe what I am about to comment on is inferred?  Yes, they were children, but it was the light inside of them that was even more impo...

Lost but not forgotten...

Today I received an email from the Bakersfield, CA visitors center.  The email was a reply to a request I submitted to them several days ago concerning a picture I found of my father and four of his friends.  Details are sketchy at best and the most credible information I have was from my mother and Uncle Peter.  The picture was taken in 1958 by someone and somewhere in Bakersfield.  I think, it was taken between the spring and fall of the same year and from what I am told, dad was there to "get away" and work construction with the housing boom going on at the time. I think the biggest issue I have with the picture is not the actual picture... I never knew my dad lived in Bakersfield.  That should not be a big deal, but it just makes me realize I was never too close with my father.  Sure I loved him as a son should but this just reminds me of the relationship maybe he and I should have had.   It wasn't until later in life I realized h...