Monday, June 26, 2006
More About Baptism (and some other news)
Henderson Hills' pastor, Dennis Newkirk, has started a blog http://dennisnewkirk.blogspot.com/ I think it's fair to say that his position ultimately, is that local church membership is more important for a Christian, than believer's baptism.
Our pastor has written an excellent "position paper" for maintaining the requirement for believer's baptism as a prerequisit to local church membership. I would encourage everybody to read it here http://www.roadwetravel.blogspot.com/
In other news.... our second Grafted In CD is being pressed at this time. The artwork is all done and approved. We hope to have it back in the first week of July.
Here's a picture of the cover, front and back.
Our pastor has written an excellent "position paper" for maintaining the requirement for believer's baptism as a prerequisit to local church membership. I would encourage everybody to read it here http://www.roadwetravel.blogspot.com/
In other news.... our second Grafted In CD is being pressed at this time. The artwork is all done and approved. We hope to have it back in the first week of July.
Here's a picture of the cover, front and back.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
13…. Beatles -- Let It Be (album version)
Most appropriate.... fits perfect
12. Neil Young -- Powderfinger
Great Harmonics!
11. REO Speedwagon -- Keep On Rollin'
Nobody plays like Gary.....
10. Joan Osborne -- One Of Us
Most Haunting riff!
9. Eddie Money -- Two Tickets For Paradise
Great tone and sustain....
8. Eagles -- Take It Easy
Most fun to play :)
7. Alman Brothers -- Ramblin Man
Best clean guitar tone solo...
6. Pat Benetar -- Promises In The Dark
Could have used several from Neil.... first time I heard one of their songs I was in shock! "How'd he do that????"
5. Pink Floyd -- Us And Them
These guys were incredible (and the album was on the top 50 for about 25 years)
4. Lynyrd Skynyrd -- The Breeze
The ultimate for how Rock n Roll is suppose to sound
3. Stevie Ray Vaughn -- Texas Flood
One long guitar solo with some lyrics scattered in it :)
2. Bachman Turner Overdrive -- Roll On Down The Highway
These guys should be placed in a time capsul
And the #1 Rock Guitar Solo.....
Free Bird.
20 mintues long..... classic... it gets no better than this one! :)
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Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Do We Need To Be Baptized?
Yesterday's news of the day was that Henderson Hills Baptist, in Edmond, will soon be voting to forego the requirement of Baptism for church membership. I think the term is "open membership". I watched their pastor's sermon from this past Sunday, "on line". He's very persuasive. The Church will be voting on this as a by-law change in a couple of months.
This idea isn't a new idea. John Bunyan and Henry Jessey were suggesting back in the 1660's that Baptism should not be a requirement for local church membership. The core argument in summary is that people are accepted into the global church, (the body of Christ) based on their faith and conversion. And so, it is inappropriate for a local church to then require Baptism for membership in a local church.
John Clifford while talking about freedom of conscience in ecclesiology spoke of this in the late 1800's........... and more recently John Piper at Bethlehem Baptist has adpoted open membership.
The idea has been a topic of discussion for theologians for many years. It's more accepted in other denominations. We baptists are among the last to change..... if and when we do change.
Henderson Hills is still affirming baptism. They are still going to be baptising and encouraging believers to be scripturally baptised. That's the good news.
The bible doesn't setup baptism as a requirement for church membership. Henderson Hills would argue, and did make the statement in yesterday's message, that the only requirement for membership is being a believer. Yet there are examples of church discipline that speak of removing people from the church based on lifestyle. A Christian who has fallen into sin could be removed from the church. So I'm not sure it's completely accurate to say that faith in Christ is the only biblical requirement for local church membership.
Henderson Hills acknowledges the great commission command to Baptise them.
This won't surprise anybody...... but I'm of the mind that while Baptism doesn't save us, it is a command. It is an ordinance of the Church. The first Church practiced it. I don't think we error by saying to new converts... that this is so important, that we are going to require you to be Baptised before you can be a member in good standing of our local Church.
Henderson Hills is worried about people rejecting this and then not joining their membership, thus preventing Henderson Hills from then teaching them the importance of Baptism. I don't know.
I would guess that we as Baptists need to be prepared for this. I'm sure we'll see more of this in the years to come.
From Ephesians 4:11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching.
I do pray for that time when "the Church" will be mature, and not tossed back and forth by the waves..... blown from shore to shore by every wind of teaching.
This idea isn't a new idea. John Bunyan and Henry Jessey were suggesting back in the 1660's that Baptism should not be a requirement for local church membership. The core argument in summary is that people are accepted into the global church, (the body of Christ) based on their faith and conversion. And so, it is inappropriate for a local church to then require Baptism for membership in a local church.
John Clifford while talking about freedom of conscience in ecclesiology spoke of this in the late 1800's........... and more recently John Piper at Bethlehem Baptist has adpoted open membership.
The idea has been a topic of discussion for theologians for many years. It's more accepted in other denominations. We baptists are among the last to change..... if and when we do change.
Henderson Hills is still affirming baptism. They are still going to be baptising and encouraging believers to be scripturally baptised. That's the good news.
The bible doesn't setup baptism as a requirement for church membership. Henderson Hills would argue, and did make the statement in yesterday's message, that the only requirement for membership is being a believer. Yet there are examples of church discipline that speak of removing people from the church based on lifestyle. A Christian who has fallen into sin could be removed from the church. So I'm not sure it's completely accurate to say that faith in Christ is the only biblical requirement for local church membership.
Henderson Hills acknowledges the great commission command to Baptise them.
This won't surprise anybody...... but I'm of the mind that while Baptism doesn't save us, it is a command. It is an ordinance of the Church. The first Church practiced it. I don't think we error by saying to new converts... that this is so important, that we are going to require you to be Baptised before you can be a member in good standing of our local Church.
Henderson Hills is worried about people rejecting this and then not joining their membership, thus preventing Henderson Hills from then teaching them the importance of Baptism. I don't know.
I would guess that we as Baptists need to be prepared for this. I'm sure we'll see more of this in the years to come.
From Ephesians 4:11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching.
I do pray for that time when "the Church" will be mature, and not tossed back and forth by the waves..... blown from shore to shore by every wind of teaching.
Friday, June 09, 2006
Interesting Week
Well, one can only say it was an interesting week.
Our military forces took out Zarqawi with a couple of well placed 500# bombs. And, the fight against terrorism took a big step forward.
Grafted In's 2nd CD is now in the hands of the manufacturer (Spectrum CD). I would guess we'll have it back, ready for sales, around the 1st week of July. I think it's going to be a very good CD, and I just want to say that I'm proud of it and of everybody that participated in it.
Our church has decided to not have the singles dance in our facilities. I know many people will be happy about that, and I appreciate everybody involved in this decision process.
Our friend DON started his own blog.
And possibly the biggest news of the week :)...... is that my wife sent in her retiremnt papers. After 27 years of teaching...... she's officially retired. And BOY is she happy about it! No more 8th graders. No more parent teacher conferences. She's very pleased.
So... we've made it through an exciting week. Grafted In plays tomorrow night at Swadley's. It should be a fun time!
Our military forces took out Zarqawi with a couple of well placed 500# bombs. And, the fight against terrorism took a big step forward.
Grafted In's 2nd CD is now in the hands of the manufacturer (Spectrum CD). I would guess we'll have it back, ready for sales, around the 1st week of July. I think it's going to be a very good CD, and I just want to say that I'm proud of it and of everybody that participated in it.
Our church has decided to not have the singles dance in our facilities. I know many people will be happy about that, and I appreciate everybody involved in this decision process.
Our friend DON started his own blog.
And possibly the biggest news of the week :)...... is that my wife sent in her retiremnt papers. After 27 years of teaching...... she's officially retired. And BOY is she happy about it! No more 8th graders. No more parent teacher conferences. She's very pleased.
So... we've made it through an exciting week. Grafted In plays tomorrow night at Swadley's. It should be a fun time!
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Welcoming A New Blogger
Welcome to the Blogging World Mr. Don Munday!
Don has started a blog called Loud-N-Clear...... and I've provided a link to it in the fellow bloggers portion of my blog. Don is a fellow musician with quite a sense of humor. I'm expecting his site to be a good read.
So add his blog to your list of places to go each day!
Nice to have you aboard Don.
Don has started a blog called Loud-N-Clear...... and I've provided a link to it in the fellow bloggers portion of my blog. Don is a fellow musician with quite a sense of humor. I'm expecting his site to be a good read.
So add his blog to your list of places to go each day!
Nice to have you aboard Don.
Monday, June 05, 2006
If You Want Me To
Every now and then there's a moment unlike all the others.
This past Sunday morning, Julie Clifford sang a song by Ginny Ownes called "If You Want Me To". And during that time, it was one of those moments. I'd like to ramble on about it, but I know that whatever I say will be wasted space compared to yesterday's performance and the lyrics to the song.
So let me just say, here are the lyrics.....
The pathway is broken
And the signs are unclear
And I dont know the reason why you brought me here
But just because you love me the way that you do
I'm gonna walk through the valley
If you want me to
Cause I'm not who I was
When I took my first step
And I'm clinging to the promise you're not through with me yet
So if all of these trials bring me closer to you
Then I will go through the fire
If you want me to
It may not be the way I would have chosen
When you lead me through a world that's not my home
But you never said it would be easy
You only said I'd never go alone
So when the whole world turns against me
And I'm all by myself
And I can't hear you answer my cries for help
I'll remember the suffering your love put you through
And I will go through the valley
If you want me to
I pray that we always have the strength to go through the fire if God wants us to.
This past Sunday morning, Julie Clifford sang a song by Ginny Ownes called "If You Want Me To". And during that time, it was one of those moments. I'd like to ramble on about it, but I know that whatever I say will be wasted space compared to yesterday's performance and the lyrics to the song.
So let me just say, here are the lyrics.....
The pathway is broken
And the signs are unclear
And I dont know the reason why you brought me here
But just because you love me the way that you do
I'm gonna walk through the valley
If you want me to
Cause I'm not who I was
When I took my first step
And I'm clinging to the promise you're not through with me yet
So if all of these trials bring me closer to you
Then I will go through the fire
If you want me to
It may not be the way I would have chosen
When you lead me through a world that's not my home
But you never said it would be easy
You only said I'd never go alone
So when the whole world turns against me
And I'm all by myself
And I can't hear you answer my cries for help
I'll remember the suffering your love put you through
And I will go through the valley
If you want me to
I pray that we always have the strength to go through the fire if God wants us to.
