Hey fellow Bible memorization enthusiasts!
My friend Phil Walker at scripturememorychallenge.org sent out an announcement regarding Scriptorium 2008, a convention devoted to scripture memorization and recitation.
Sounds like a really fun time, click here for more information!
Modesty is a hot-topic issue at probably any Bible-believing church. Pastors feel the tension between crossing cultural and ethnic lines, offending church members, being regarded as dirty-minded, and wanting to protect their sheep from stumbling. Unfortunately, in our fallen world and in our fallen natures, these will be issues that we’ll struggle with until Christ returns.
Pastor Albert N. Martin of Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey recently preached an excellent message that addresses this topic: Validating The Gospel in Modesty. I highly recommend it.
[audio http://mp3.sa-media.com/media/2250872194/2250872194.mp3]
There’s some t-shirts for sale from Voice of the Martyrs. If you buy 3 you get one free.
I’m not too big on “Jesus” t-shirts necessarily, but there’s something about the message that really resonates with me- it says “This shirt is illegal in 51 countries” on the front, with a cross and Romans 1:16 on the back:
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. (NIV)
It’s incredible to me that a shirt with a Bible verse could be considered offensive in some places and illegal in others. The only explanation is that the Gospel is offensive because Jesus Christ is real- not some fairy tale. What other reason is there to make governments so furious about Christianity?
Here’s the link for those shirts: http://etools.ncol.com/a/vomso/bg_vomso_wdbm_303.html
I usually consider myself pretty cutting edge and ahead of the curve when it comes to technology. However, I’ve yet to grasp the whole social networking thing. I look at MySpace and see not much more than a lot of ugly sites and little substance.
However, after reading much hoopla about Facebook, I decided to try it out. Here’s a record of my Facebook adventures.
July 2007
After reading several blog posts by noted web tech guy, Robert Scoble, I decided to sign up for Facebook. Scoble said in his blog that he would add anyone who wanted to be his ‘friend.’ I figured I’d at least have one friend, so I went for it. The signup process was pretty painless but long, since they ask you for a lot of personal information.
Scoble added me to his group of 5,000 close, personal friends. I added another guy who was a tech guy that said he’d add anyone as well. Now two friends! Whee!
I poked around and didn’t really see anything much of interest. I guess the point is that adding friends adds actual content to the site. No friends, no content. I added the Feedster application, which takes anything that you “share” in Google Reader and posts it in your Facebook news feed. This is a brilliant concept!
October 2007
I didn’t do much on Facebook since I signed up. I logged in a couple times and poked around. I got an email that someone wanted to add me as a friend. His name sounded familiar so I added him. I sent him a message saying, “where do I know you from?” He said he signed up for my BibleMemory.us program, but accidentally added me as a friend. Wasn’t sure how that was possible, but oh, well! I had 3 friends now.
January 2008
I got another email from someone from the BibleMemory.us program requesting I add her as a friend. I kind of just let it sit in my inbox- I wasn’t sure if I should add women to my list of friends. I’d read about people running off together after online affairs, and I don’t want that to happen, that’s for sure. Not that I’m anything worth running off with!
March 5, 2008
We were talking about social networking in a meeting at work today. If this is finally getting to my company’s level, I know I’ve practically missed the boat! I gotta get into investigating this.
I got another invitation to add a friend. This person’s name didn’t sound familiar at all, but I figured I’d add it for fun. Turns out, he has a friend with the exact same name as mine and added me thinking I was his friend! I’m not exactly “John Smith.” This is getting kind of weird. Will I ever have a true friend?
For fun, I plopped my Gmail password into the “Find Friends” thing- turns out 300-some odd people in my Contacts are Facebook members! Even the Pastor of my church! Now we’re getting somewhere. I didn’t send an invitation to all those people yet. Considering the ramifications: time and otherwise.
I spoke to my wife about adding women as friends. I told her I didn’t have any interest in an online affair. She trusts me fully, so I started adding women.
I usually feel very uncomfortable emailing ladies other than my wife (except at work) and always “Bcc:” my wife in such email correspondence. I’m sure the Enemy of my soul delights in married men and women inappropriately corresponding via email with people of the opposite sex. It’d sure be an easy way to cheat or start an affair. I figure I’ll use this to communicate my comings and goings with a group of people, not individuals. As if anyone cared what I was up to. I’m thinking that’s the idea behind these social sites, right?
March 6, 2008
I added a guy I was friends with in High School, who quickly responded and sent me a message. I’m feeling very excited about this. I’m going to do the Gmail thing later. If you get an invitation from me and don’t feel inclined to add me as your friend, I can’t say I blame you!
At lunch, I posted a ’status’ message, saying what I was doing, kind of like “Twitter.” What I was doing was boring, but I thought to myself that I wouldn’t mind knowing what other friends were up to, so maybe they wouldn’t mind knowing what I was up to. This seems to be a nice way to tell people about your day, but in a low-key kind of way, rather than calling and bothering someone.
March 7, 2008
So last night, I sent invites to everyone that was already on Facebook in my Gmail contacts. Almost immediately I got responses. It was really fun to see people coming into my inbox that I haven’t seen or spoke to in some time. Also fun was reading people’s profiles and learning a little more about them. I was ashamed of my stupid profile, and wish I had given it more thought. It’s at the top of my to-do list to update it and not be so tongue-in-cheeck.
In summary, it’s been fun. I think I’ll enjoy it and not get carried away. If you want to be my friend, it’s Robert Parmelee, North Jersey, NJ.
For your consideration, here’s some links to opposing views regarding Facebook and other social networks :
I’m Gonna Have to say No to Facebook - Rick Mansfield
My One and Only Week on Facebook - Joshua Harris
I’m a big-time geek. Therefore, when gadgets meet Religion, I’m all for them.
Case in point- my devotional life is entirely online! I got an iPod Touch a while back. This is the greatest gadget ever invented. So easy that my 4 year old can navigate it. So complex, that I can run BibleMemory.us from it! It has a web browser and can connect to the internet via our wifi router in the house.
When I wake up, I check my mobile Gmail account and read my emailed scriptures from www.Bibleinayear.org while I listen to Max McLean read them. Then I go over to Google Notebook, where I have 6 days of prayer notes. On Monday, I pray for Pastors and Deacons that I know. Today, I prayed for family members and missionaries that I know. All without getting up from my warm bed! I like this pattern very much. I pray that God will use my daily devotions to draw me closer to Him.
What do you do for devotions? What’s your pattern?
Is there such a thing as an unselfish act? The great website, “Howstuffworks.com” asks that very question of science and philosophy here.
I don’t have the time to write about it all, but once again, the Bible proves science and philosophy when Isaiah says:
All of us have become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
Isaiah 64:6
Hello Everyone,
Just a friendly reminder to please try to review your verses- every day if possible! It’s the best (and only) way to keep all those verses you’re learning fresh in your mind.
If you don’t know how to review, just do your daily verse and click on the big “Go!” button at the bottom of the screen, which takes you to the “Member Home Page.” On that page, there’s a link to “Review all my learned verses.”
Keep up the good work, and keep pressing on!
Robert
Here’s another Member Profile. If you’d like your ministry or yourself profiled on the web site, please send me a paragraph or two about yourself. I’d like to do this every Tuesday, if enough people are interested in doing it. I think it’s kind of fun and interesting. Here’s Connie Giordano:
I am an ordained minister of the Gospel. I am a graduate of Christ For The Nations Institute. I am the founder of Walking In Truth Ministry. Presently, I teach the Bible to God’s people over the Internet. Daily, I send out a challenging teaching to all who subscribe to my Walking In Truth list. My website is - www.walkingintruth.org - where people can sign up to receive the messages.
I have such a hunger for God’s Word and a burden to see a Bible Revival in our churches across the land. I have such a desire to know God more than any human being has ever known Him. Oh! That I may increase in the knowledge of my God! That is the cry of my heart!
I am also an evangelist. My family (husband Carl and son John) and I spent 14 years ministering on the streets of Dallas, TX. calling this city to repentance and faith in Jesus. Now, I evangelize in the Tarrant County Jail in Fort Worth, TX. ministering to the women inmates.
I just added another church’s memory program, Stevinson Chapel! I want to thank long-time member Georgene for making it all happen. Thanks, Georgene! If your church has a memory program that you’d like to add, let me know!
Also, you may notice when you go to the member home page that something’s missing. I hid the number of current members. I’ve had a few folks tell me it’s discouraging to see the number dwindle down. I didn’t remove it, I just turned it white, so if you’re curious to see how many members the program has, just put your mouse in the upper left corner, click the left mouse button, and drag the mouse- you should see the number!
I want to thank the following blogs for recently mentioning this program:
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/
http://wrestlingmat.blogspot.com/
http://kevinhash.blogspot.com/
http://missioncontend.wordpress.com/
http://hauserhighlights.blogspot.com/
http://fromchristtoculture.blogspot.com/
I also want to thank Christina, Delimar, and Rebecca of Englewood Baptist Church in Englewood, NJ (that’s my church) for signing up for the program. I’m so encouraged that more people that I know are giving the program a try- you’ll never know how much that means to me!
No baby yet, I’ll keep you posted. Due date is next Friday, 2/15.
