Monday, June 16, 2008

"You're both- Muslim and Christian"....HUH!?!?

So this is wacky. And I say that from an entirely raitional and purely philosophical point of view.

This Episcopalian reverend thinks she can be a Christian and a Muslim at the same time. She obviously does not understand either religion very well.

To be a Christian in the fundamental sense of the word means to rely on him as the source of the words of truth and life. It is thru confession of faith in Him and belief in His Lordship that one is assured eternal salvation of the soul.

To be a Muslim is to profess that “there is no god except for Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of God.” By the messenger it is meant that his writings in the Quran are the final authority. Thus, Christ is NOT Lord and has no final authority with regard to one’s salvation. The eternal destination of one’s soul rests in the hands of Allah, not in the crucifixion of Jesus.

Christianity and Islam- they are not one and the same and anyone who claims them both as the true religion is wrong.

Apples cannot be both Apples and Oranges. Pretty basic logic- and this women, presumably went to seminary!?!

http://www.pastorblog.com/2007/06/18/rev-ann-holmes-redding-christian-and-muslim/

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Reminiscing

I've run into many friends online (Myspace, Blogspot, Skype, AIM, MSN). These are friends that I have not seen in years. Mostly old friends from when I was in high school.

Most people, when they see friends they have not seen in a loooong time reminisce about the “old days”.

Do you remember when;

… we drove the neighbors nuts with that new laser pointer you got?

… your dad said something stupid and we couldn’t stop cracking up?

… our families went on vacation together and we rode bikes around an island in Hong Kong and played football on the beach.

… we went to camp and snuck out and went to the girls rooms. (there was no foul play for any who are wondering)

… we all used to out together and eat a HUGE dinner at that GREAT hole-in-the-wall restaurant in the Beijing. (and there were always those people who didn’t have money or small bills when it came time to settle the check AND I always got stuck paying for the balance of the bill cause I was always the one who ordered in Mandarin)

… we used to go paintball and encourage the Chinese suspicion that all Americans own guns and love shooting each other ?

I could go on all night, but you get the point….reminiscing. Thinking about the fun times is nice, but that is not what this post is really about. I want to think about the people... the people who made these times and events so special. I want to remember them. And that is what these online catchings-up have led me to think about the most. How they used to be.

It is interesting to see those who stayed the same. The ones who remained the people I knew and loved being with. But again my interest goes only so far. They are the same.

But what about the ones that changed?

The ones who lost the shared passions
The ones who dreamed of far off lands
The ones I believed were going to transform the world
The ones who settled for the not-so-straight and not-so-narrow

Do you remember who you used to be?
I do and even though I barely know you anymore, I wish you were more like that.
Its not too late to turn it around;
To rediscover those lost passions
To reach those far off lands
To realize the changes to the world you had planned
To square things up with God and
To DO what He put you here for.