AntleHope

Rudy, this whole health care thing has me scared t...

2009-11-02T15:57:54.569-07:00

Rudy, this whole health care thing has me scared to death. It seems to be on a runaway train and here we sit watching it go and we can't do anything to stop it. There are so many questions that are not answered.

Man, this is the first post that I have had the op...

2006-09-01T06:07:00.000-06:00

Man, this is the first post that I have had the opportunity to read. I have been looking for something of substance and I think i have found it. I was drawn by the term "Koinonia". I am glad to see this term used. I truly believe in the power of the communal church and it's power to change the world for the better. I have experienced from day one, the planting of a missional style church in Ft. Worth and have grown more spiritually in under 2 years than I did spending my whole life in the Church and attending Abilene Christian University. It is almost as if just in slight comment you encapsulate what I have found. You seem to have a great understanding how the Spirit can work within a group of believers that actually seek to be brought along in faith by questioning and being in communion, rather than having most ludacris thought of actually being able to bring yourself & others along spiritually through any power of your own. As a christian from a traditional church, this was a hard concept to grasp. I am still trying honestly.

Anyway, I enjoyed reading and will continue to do so. I may even use some of your stuff in my small group. God's Grace.

Dear Rudy: Thanks for the work you did. There n...

2006-04-17T13:01:00.000-06:00

Dear Rudy:
Thanks for the work you did. There no easy answers. I believe assimilation is key and securing the borders. But before any of that can happen, there must be a structure to use. I suggest two levels of visas, one a work visa for those who just want to work and will return to Mexico and it must be time limited and enforced. The second would be a work visa for those who want to stay and become citizens with several requirements, such as perhaps pay a fine if here now illegally and then get on the list for the structured process, learn English, pay taxes, etc. This also must be enforced which would require massive amounts of money from where, I don't know. Then borders could be enforced and the required paper work set up or people turned back. However, enforcing the border security may never work unless this structure is established. Another approach is to help Mexico with more economic development. The problem with NAFTA is that there are more jobs but the wages are still too low so others still come here. American companies must be encouraged to pay higher wages there. Also companies here will have to bear the burden of hiring those with paper work, some of course will be fake but this would be a start. So much for some thoughts. Thanks for the opportnity. Gordon Kieft

Rudy, You've given alot ot think about and I will...

2006-04-15T16:20:00.000-06:00

Rudy, You've given alot ot think about and I will continue to turn this one over in my head but I find something a bit ironic. There seem to be two principal motives for the surge across our borders: economic and political with economic being the strongest. If I remember the NAFTA arguments and the other concerns about US businesses sending "jobs to Mexico and South America" some believed that we would be helping those economies at our expense. But with all those jobs going one way, why do all those workers keep coming the other? HAPPY EASTER TO YOU ALL
Bob

Rudy,I think the potential 16th factor of assimila...

2006-04-15T11:03:00.000-06:00

Rudy,
I think the potential 16th factor of assimilation is the basic concern underlying the immigration question. Many of the opinions I've seen in the media appear to focus on the fear of immigrant assimilation and what it will look like. Whether it is different cultural customs, physical features, language, etc., those who are already here fear the changes they must make to assimilate the new residents. This was true with the Irish, German, Italian, Puerto Rican, Cuban, and even my own Scandinavian ancestors, all of whom came to this country since the Civil War. My paternal grandfather, who became a citizen, refused to allow the English language in his home, and yet was welcomed in his community. To assimilate is to "make into a homogeneous part, as of a substance or system" (Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of the English Language, International Edition, Volume One, 1971). When something becomes a homogeneous part of a system there is always a change in the pre-existing system. If that means I must learn to tolerate the differences in others or learn another language to accomodate others, so be it. The people of the Biblical Holy Land were conversant in at least two languages, Hebrew and Aramaic, in order to survive in everyday life. Why should we in the United States resist the very behavior (assimilation of newcomers) that has made us the country we are today?

The government tends to think in terms of discrete...

2006-04-15T00:48:00.000-06:00

The government tends to think in terms of discrete units, each separate. I work with the AARP tax program and see that many aliens from Mexico are paying nearly 10% of their wages into social security and medicare, and chances are slim to none that they will ever benefit from the retirement provisions. As a compassionate move, I think that some of these social security funds be directed to assist the social services provided for the alien workers and families. It would not solve the immigration problem, but would bring a dimension of fairness into the equation. We need to have an accounting of the magnitude of these "unaccountable" Social Security funds being collected.
Tom Baker

Christine, thanks for the comments. My own Christi...

2006-04-13T20:17:00.000-06:00

Christine, thanks for the comments. My own Christian values kept me from making up my mind for a while about what should be done. I felt like I should just be compassionate towards those who are obviously in need. The Christian value of justice for the poor came into play.

But then I also saw that there can be no justice if everyone takes the law into their own hands and just does what they want to do. Our criminal justice system demands equal treatment. If one group can decide to ignore one law (immigration law) and the government does nothing about it, how can the government enforce other laws (such as workplace safety, minimum wage, etc)? To disregard the law destroys confidence in all the law, and justice for anyone will go out the window.

Rudy, I too have been confused about the immigrati...

2006-04-13T18:40:00.000-06:00

Rudy, I too have been confused about the immigration puzzle. You have goine to a lot of work to put together your 15 posts and a possible 16th one. I have tried to approach this confusion with my Christian values, but I still get confused. You have helped me see that there are some true facts here that can't be denied. I can't think of any other country that would allow an American to come into their non-English speaking country and demand to have everything bilingual to facilitate their daily living. When my mother's family came to the USA from Sweden in 1921, my mother was 9 years old. Her father told them they were in America and they were to speak English. And they did. My mother was always so proud to be Swedish but just as proud to be an American. What has happened? The economic reasons you mention can't be denied. Thank you for putting all this down and giving us these things to think about. No one is enforcing the imigration laws that are now on the books. Why do we think making more laws will change that? How do we as citizens facilitate a change?

Thanks for the comments.

2005-12-23T11:01:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the comments.

Right on! Absolutely no other holiday being celeb...

2005-12-03T13:25:00.000-07:00

Right on! Absolutely no other holiday being celebrated at this time, so let's call it what it is!
Merry Christmas to all!

I've always believed and lived my life with the kn...

2005-07-23T07:51:00.000-06:00

I've always believed and lived my life with the knowledge that there is a reason for everything. It really makes life easier to swallow! But I can say from experience that when we are focuse on God's plan, the "reason" tends to reveal itself a lot sooner than when we're wandering around in our own world worrying about why these things happen to us.

"Do I think God made me to last forever?" I certai...

2005-07-13T08:26:00.000-06:00

"Do I think God made me to last forever?" I certainly think God equipped me with the ability to last forever. It's up to me whether I pass that test we talked about a couple of chapters back. It gets back to how we live life on earth, doesn't it? And to the extent of God's grace. One sentence bothered me: "In heaven, we will be reunited with loved ones who are believers..." I don't know the depth of faith of some of my loved ones, but I certainly hope I'll find them should I arrive in heaven. I'd hate to spend eternity looking for them!!!

Regarding short-term thinking, it's certainly alive and well. Americans (maybe everyone everywhere) put off making wills, buying long-term care insurance, saving for retirement and buying burial plots...because we think we're going to live forever. It was interesting to read that Warren thinks "God wired our brains with that desire!"

What a thoughtful comment, Christine. I particular...

2005-07-11T09:27:00.000-06:00

What a thoughtful comment, Christine. I particularly like the last sentence. So true!

I haven't read this lesson yet, but I will today and post whatever insights I can dredge up. Good to see someone else besides me is doing this.

I'm more than a day late here, but better late tha...

2005-07-11T09:17:00.000-06:00

I'm more than a day late here, but better late than never. I guess I must be the only participant other than Rudy. How disappointing.

Anyway, regarding what drives your life, I think it's interesting that the motivators Rudy mentioned can all be viewed negatively, i.e. guilt, fear, etc. I guess the desire to do good, passionate commitment, love, etc. are secondary motivators?

It's interesting to contemplate how knowing what you believe and who you are (whose you are) helps to simplify life. But there are still gray areas, at least for me. I do think there may be an exam at the proverbial St. Peter's gate. However, I think after a good/bad report of what I did with "my son, Jesus Christ" and what I did with my life, grace enters in.

Over and out for today.

I think we sometimes get 'made to last forever' co...

2005-07-02T15:49:00.000-06:00

I think we sometimes get 'made to last forever' confused with our bodies are made to last forever. Our bodies are all aging and will eventually die. We have all kinds of medicines and machines to help keep our bodies alive long past the time we should let go. That is when we have to remember that we are spiritual beings having an earthly human experience. Most of us don't want to die and some of us are scared of death, but die we will. I'm certainly not ready to die yet. I have lots of living to do and I have a grandchild waiting to be born. It is hard to wrap my imagination around eternity. It isn't just a thousand years or even a million years or so...it is forever. WOW...my spirit will last that long? No one has come back to tell us for sure, but I do believe with all my heart that we do continue on to another existance that will last an eternity. I can't imagine having to live throughout eternity as a grumpy grouch or selfish or unkind. I'm thinking we need to set our face to doing God's will in this life or we are gonna be miserable in the next.

OK, I guess I'll break the ice here. I'm having a ...

2005-06-24T11:27:00.000-06:00

OK, I guess I'll break the ice here. I'm having a bit of trouble with this master plan concept. Am I the only one? But I'll avoid the argument of predestination vs. free will per Rudy's request. Re the last question about how my life would change: I've always known/believed that God loves me. The individual purpose part is harder to grasp. Maybe I would worry less, trust more. Perhaps I would consult God about more of my decisions...or would I be confident that my decisions are already guided by God? I'm dying to hear what others have to say.

Christine,thanks for responding to my heretical co...

2005-06-24T10:51:00.000-06:00

Christine,thanks for responding to my heretical comments. You expressed very well my own feelings.

Regarding this blog, where are all the other participants? Keeping their thoughts to themselves? I admit to infrequent visits, but would like to see others participating.

Later...

You know, Marie, I rarely think about my life in t...

2005-06-21T22:15:00.000-06:00

You know, Marie, I rarely think about my life in the hereafter. I think about my life here, today and living the life Christ taught me to live. I don't do things so I can get a good spot in heaven; I do them because that is what Christ said I should do; because it is the right thing to do. I'm doing the best I can.

One thing I need to work on is the great commandment. I find it very easy to talk about my faith with other people at church. By this time most of us have worked many years on what we believe. But where do you begin when someone challenges you by saying they can't believe in a god...any god? I usually say, I'm sorry you don't. I have a wonderful God that loves you. From that point they usually frown and walk away and I don't follow. Maybe that is all I can do for now...for them.

My own one-sentence perception of the overall mess...

2005-06-12T13:27:00.000-06:00

My own one-sentence perception of the overall message is a long sentence. I am here on earth by God's plan, so I could have a loving relationship with Him and become like His son Jesus Christ, in preparation for eternal life in heaven--the real life for which I was created.

About the Peggy Noonan article, I believe Brian Nichols' meeting with Ashely Smith was not just a coincidence. God was involved.

It seems that she had a very hard life, but she also had a deep personal encounter with Jesus Christ that changed her.

Somehow both the Bible and the Purpose Driven Life book were involved in that encounter. In addition, some person (or more than one) was also involved, because her love for others, even this criminal, probably came from experiencing that love herself.

If I simply tell my story, and tell what God is like and what Jesus has done for me, it could change someone else's life too. Wouldn't that be a wonderful purpose for my own life?

The overall message of the booklet? One sentence i...

2005-06-09T20:05:00.000-06:00

The overall message of the booklet? One sentence is hard! Here it is: While it may not be about "you," it is about you and finding and establishing your purpose/goal of living your life to glorify God.

This may sound like heresy, but I'm not sure I'm ready to work on the life hereafter since I don't have it down yet what I'm supposed to do here. Perhaps I'm going to "get it" through this study?

P.S. I'm so glad to see Christine's participating in this blog :-)

Well alrighty then! I think I got this registratio...

2005-06-09T19:48:00.000-06:00

Well alrighty then! I think I got this registration done--I hope. Now I'll proceed to the instructions for the assignment. I'll be back later :-)

I guess I can answer Peggy Noonan's column with a ...

2005-06-09T18:49:00.000-06:00

I guess I can answer Peggy Noonan's column with a story.

The story goes that there was a village where it was customary for the perspective groom to give cows to the father of his bride. The village was surprised when a young suitor picked the homeliest girl and gave her father an unprecedented ten cows. No one had ever been given that many cows. When the bride and groom returned from their honeymoon no one could believe the change in the bride. She was now radiant, beautiful and confident.

The moral of the story is that when someone believes in us, we will believe in ourselves. Because the young groom thought his bride was worth ten cows, she believed it too. The same is true with our own lives. If we believe we are worth it and deserve it, we will live our lives accordingly.

I think knowing that we have a personal, loving God that loves us and encourages us and is always with us, helps us believe we are worth it.

I am looking forward to this gathering. Since I n...

2005-06-04T18:18:00.000-06:00

I am looking forward to this gathering. Since I never get to go to Sunday School, this will be a great chance for me to be with my class in a new and different way. Thank you, Rudy, for creating this great way to study.

I'm excited about using this approach for a Bible ...

2005-06-04T13:48:00.000-06:00

I'm excited about using this approach for a Bible Study when getting together in person won't work.

I encourage each class member (and others outside the class who might want to join the discussion)to sign up below, create a blogger account, and post comments.

Blessings to all future bloggers.

You can count on my comments, too, as the summer p...

2005-06-04T12:51:00.000-06:00

You can count on my comments, too, as the summer progresses. I hope all of you are having a wonderful time!