Haven't Been Around Lately...

Sorry about not being around lately... School has had me working non-stop. I had to do a History Research Paper on St. Augustine's Anti-Manichean Writings. He wrote extensively on this heresy, since he was once a Manichean. I will not go into what Manichaeism is, because that will take a long time to explain. If you want to know, you can Google it!!! :-) Anyway, I have had numerous papers to write, and also had to study for finals. Now that the semester is over, I can now breathe! I don't go back until 1/20/2009. I am coming down to the final part of my "stay" at University of St. Thomas, and I am a better person because of it. God has seen fit to let me pursue a degree in Theology while also letting me enjoy my classes in history. I am grateful to God for His grace and loving-kindness, for which I am ever grateful.

Erik

Barack Obama is a Communist

Why such a "in-your-face" title? Well, first of all, it's true. Think about it, my friends. The talk about "Redistribution of wealth" reminds me of a famous (or infamous; depending on your point of view) book that was written quite a while back. I'm leaving a link, and I'll let your brain do the assumptions:

http://www.amazon.com/Communist-Manifesto-Complete-Published-Prefaces/dp/1599869950/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1224195099&sr=1-3

Also, Obama talks about everybody getting access to health care. I think that this sounds like Socialized Medicine. This is also a Marxist/Socialist ideal. He wants to tax people who make $250K a year and higher. These are the people that employ people. If these people get taxed, then they will have no choice but to fire employees because they will not be able to afford to pay said employees.

Let's talk about his affiliations: He is friends with William Ayers, a known domestic terrorist. Obama mentions that he is just an English professor at the University of Chicago. Unless one gets saved with the help of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, terrorists do NOT changes their stripes. Ayers was known to have said that he wish he could have done more bombing in his Weather Underground days.

Another affiliation goes without saying: Jeremiah Wright. He is a white-hating BIGOT. Anyone who says "God D*** America" does not deserve to be in the pulpit. You might as well call him a Black Muslim. He deals in the Liberation Theology, which endorses violence to help the poor and down-trodden. This also is linked with Socialism/Marxism. If you look at Daniel Ortega and the Sandinista Movement in Nicaragua, the Liberation Theology Movement was very big there. No doubt about it. He also has been acquainted with Louis Farrakhan, though not as much as Wright. Farrakhan has a sordid reputation, and has been a leader of the Nation of Islam.

To me, the evidence is clear. Anyone who votes for Obama wants to be in a country where a person will have to stand in line for food; a place where a person who was a diligent worker before the election will be making the same as a person who lived off of welfare before the election. Anyway, that is the way I see it. I just hope and pray that my brothers and sisters in Christ don't throw their votes away.

Erik

The 1662 Book of Common Prayer

After services today, our Assistant Rector, Fr. Craig Heenan, was starting the inquirer's class. The topic was the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, and I had to sit in. He went through the history of how Thomas Cranmer wrote the first Book of Common Prayer, and that he had a knack for it. This was also around the time of Henry the VIII, Bloody Mary, and Elizabeth I. One of the points that Fr. Craig forgot to mention what was referred to as the "Vestiarian Controversy." Elizabeth demanded that all clergy wear their vestments. There were some that didn't because they did not feel it necessary to do so. The clergy with this viewpoint were called "Puritans." Yup, you guessed it right; these are the ones whom went to the New World in search of religious freedom. I found it interesting that Thomas Cranmer was one of these! Fr. Craig told me that he went out of the country to get married and also to get away from the persecution of Elizabeth. It was an interesting time discussing the history of the 1662 Prayer Book. I sure do enjoy delving into the history of our faith.

Erik

The California Same Sex Marriage Thing

I know it's been a long time since my last post, but I'm back. I am just wondering what has gotten into people's minds thinking that they have the right to be married. Being married is a privilege, given by God. Homosexuals do NOT have the right to be married. First of all, let's look at the common sense aspect of it. Biologically, two men or two women cannot procreate. The human body is not made for homosexuals to do that. God made for the institution/sacrament of marriage for one man and one woman. This mayor of San Francisco, Gavin Newsom is one weird character. First of all he marries homosexuals and then calls San Francisco a sanctuary city(that's a whole 'nother topic!). Do not be surprised to see the west coast fall into the Pacific Ocean a la San Andreas fault....

Erik

God is Sovereign!!!

Something happened on Wednesday night that made my wife and I stop and take notice. We were going to move into another apartment in the same complex this coming weekend. We couldn't find anybody, it being the holiday. That being so, the apartment manager let us move last week due to my bum knees. This Wednesday, I was taking out the dog to do his business. I looked outside and saw billowing smoke out of the apartment building that housed our OLD BUILDING!!!! All of the apartments that were in the building were ruined. Had we still been in there we would have lost ALL of our possessions. The Lord had made SURE that we were out of that apartment, and that we were safe.
One of the apartment workers whom I am helping with his english told my wife "Jesus Christ go with you!!!!!" Indeed he does... My wife and I have been praising God ever since. This is what is called GOD'S PROVIDENCE. All I know is that MY GOD REIGNS. My prayer is that if you do not know Jesus Christ, get to know Him. Your eternal soul is at stake. If you do, spend more time with your family, and tell your spouse you love him/her more frequently. Praise be to God.

Erik

Going to hell

Well, well. In California today gay marriages are legal. As far as God is concerned, He does not see these as legal or legitimate because gays trying to marry is an abomination. Gays' behavior itself is an abomination. I found out that a cast member of Star Trek was homosexual. That totally soured my taste for the whole thing. I don't think I can watch it anymore. A person cannot dress up a pig and make it look like a runway model!!!!! The scriptures make it quite clear:

Leviticus 18:22
Leviticus 20:13
Romans Chapter 1

Unless homosexuals repent and turn to God, then of course the answer is clear.

Erik

God sure does have a sense of Humor!

I went to a follow-up appointment for my left knee, and told them that the physical therapy was doing real well, and I mentioned that my right knee was exhibiting the same symptoms of my left knee. They took some X-Rays, and lo, and behold! THIS knee has osteoarthritis as well!!!! I have another month of physical therapy, another prescription, and MORE pain to deal with. The pain is so great today I had to call in from work. I am also soliciting prayers from anyone. I will be online for a little while longer, so God bless everyone, and take care!

Erik

A Library in Ohio won't let Christians meet... or Anybody else for that Matter

Hat Tip: Stand Firm

It seems that a library in Ohio won't let a group of people use the conference rooms in a local library for use. A couple wanted to use it for a "Financial Freedom" workshop. When the Library board heard that there was going to be bible verses quoted, they closed ALL of the conference rooms down to make sure NO christian groups are able to meet there. So much for the First Amendment. I am sure that if some Muslims asked that they could freely meet in the conference rooms. Christians' rights are being trampled on. There is a REALLY big double standard in the court of law these days, and IT HAS GOT TO STOP. It probably started with the ACLU, which has it's beginnings in the Communist Party of the United States. Anyway, before I go on more of a diatribe, here is the link to the article:

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Legal/Default.aspx?id=134456

Erik

Diocese of Texas going down the drain

The Diocese of Texas had their election for Bishop Co-Adjutor on May 24. There was a little bit of a surprise in that Andrew Doyle, Bishop Don Wimberly's henchman, got the nod instead of Bishop Dena Harrison. Harrison has a lot of pull around the Diocese, especially in Austin which is very liberal. My opinion(and mine only) is that Wimberly turned the screws on some of the clergy. I am so glad that I am no longer in that mess. The Episcopal Church is an organization that no longer resembles a church. It is run by an individual who is not a christian who has a lawyer behind her back suing other congregations. Not my type of church.

Erik

A Few Weeks In...

A few weeks into our new church, and I must say that I am enjoying the freedom of worship. Attendance has been steady. Today was what it was around last week(400). Our church has already started making arrangements for their traditions. In June, there is going to be our first annual fish fry!!! It is going to be at Spring Creek Park. I will be posting a map when it gets closer to when the event is.

To all my readers: you know about my broken knee. Well, my other knee is exhibiting signs of my bad knee. I ask for your prayers. I have been "down in the dumps" about it for a couple of days, and I have my final exams this coming week. I just need to have God's peace and strength throughout this week. I thank you in advance. God bless you.

Erik

From the Houston Chronicle

This is from today's Religion Section of the Houston Chronicle:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/life/religion/5713020.html

This is about our former congregation that is splitting and now going to worship at a local junior high school. All of the words you hear about Wimberly saying that he worked with the parish and property are half-truths. He was just tooting the party line. You can bet that he was in constant contact with the Presiding Bishop. Fortunately, our clergy were prepared for just such a contingency. We have church offices, a place to worship, and everything is fine. We have oversight, as well. Our new church is St. Timothy's Anglican Church. We have a basic website up, and it's at:

http://www.sttimothysanglican.org/

It gives directions to where we meet and the time we meet. Thanks be to God. Hope to meet you there!

Erik

Well, they went ahead and did it...

The Episcopal Church went ahead and did it. They went too far. The congregation that my wife and I are a part of, Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, has been in a discernment process for the past 40 days. Well, the other shoe has dropped. Because of the Episcopal Church's lack of adherence to the Authority of Scripture, our church has decided to split from the Episcopal Church. We tried. Our rector and our vestry went to the bishop with a plan. He told us that he would get back to us, but he just stalled. The Canon of the Ordinary told us that they wanted us to stay, but given the circumstances, our rector said that he could not. So, we will only be in our building for the next two weeks. Also, the bishop wanted our rector and assistant rector to sign an oath of allegiance to the Episcopal Church; not to God, but to the institutional church. To the United States Episcopal Church. Our rector could not do that. An oath of allegiance of all things! This smells of Hitler! The only allegiance I owe is to God! The triune God! We will have our vote in those weeks to see who stays, and to see who goes. We have contingency plans in force, so we are pretty much organized. As with everything, there will be something that will be forgotten. Another good thing is we have oversight for the next 90 days until we make a decision with whom to go with. I will say this; I have never felt as free to be from under such a pagan organization as the Episcopal Church, USA. "By their fruits, will you know them..." Lawsuits... Virginia, California, Connecticut, New York... You do not sue fellow christians... that is how I know that the presiding bishop is not a christian. She is suing for all the money she can get. I have no respect for someone who has no compunction to do what she is doing. Hasta la vista, Episcopal Church!

Erik

Virginia Church Decision

It was time for the judge in the Episcopal Church v. The Virginia Churches to render a decision. The judge wrote an 88-page decision in favor of the Virginia churches citing that there was a division between the Episcopal Church and the said Virginia churches. The Episcopal Church tried to say that there was not a division, but the counsel for the churches brought evidence saying that division was caused when Gene Robinson was consecrated as Bishop of New Hampshire. There were eleven churches that were part of this suit, and seeing that there were eleven churches shows that this did cause division. Though this court case went the way of the Virginia churches, the legal wrangling is far from over. There will be appeals. Please keep the Virginia churches in your prayers, as well as their counsel.

Erik

Some thoughts...

At church today, my stepdaughter was confirmed in the Episcopal Church. I had tears in my eyes; for several reasons. First, this was a very pivotal moment in her life, since she has not wanted God in her life until recently. She has grown spiritually so much here in the past couple of years. In the past six months, she has been baptized, married, and now confirmed. It has been such a whirlwind of emotions for my wife and I. The next thing is that we had the Bishop of the Diocese of Texas there; Don Wimberly. A man who we thought was an orthodox bishop, but now we know is a liberal leaning bishop, and one who is about to retire in about a year, and has called for a bishop adjutor to be voted on in May of this year. This bishop will take over for Wimberly when he retires. Anyway, Wimberly's sermon was something I wanted to go to the restroom and get rid of my breakfast for. There was so much hypocrisy that I wanted to leave, but since I have a severely injured knee, I was a captive audience, as was the rest of Church of the Good Shepherd. Anyway, we did get the new parish hall opened, and it looks fantastic! Anyway, these thoughts have been bothering me for some time today, and I hope that some people reading this will understand.

Erik

Deposing of +Cox and +Schofield

While the bishops were at Camp Allen, every bishops favorite place to relax(hey, I did Vocares there when I was in college!), they decided to try and get the votes necessary to defrock both Schofield and Cox. The reasons for bishops Cox and Schofield are totally different. They are wanting to defrock Bishop Cox because he supposedly did confirmations without the OK of the bishop of the diocese that he was in. We all know the Schofield mess. I won't try to explain because it just gets too involved. The Living Church reported that they didn't get the votes necessary; but David Booth Beers, the presiding bishop's enforcer, did some creative accounting, and said, "Oh, my gosh, we DO have enough votes!" So, on we go. This is just another nail. I really have no respect for Schori, I'll be honest. Until she repents and gets saved, then we'll talk.

Erik

Presiding Bishop's visit to the Diocese of South Carolina

Well, this created somewhat of a stink... It's a good thing that +Schori didn't celebrate communion. There was a question and answer session with the clergy of the diocese, and she spent the time with her arms crossed, and on the defensive. She was not welome in the diocese. I WONDER WHY? Is it because the clergy of the diocese know a heretic when they see one? They wanted answers, and what they got was the usual obfuscation. Just the "beat around the bush" that we're used to from +Schori. Anyway, no news is no news...

Erik

J.I. Packer "Inhibited!"

You know, nothing ceases to amaze me with the liberal end of either the Episcopal Church or the Anglican Church in Canada. Michael Ingham, the infamous bishop who wants to create a Rite of Same Sex Blessings in the Diocese of New Westminster in Canada, has decided that, since the church that J.I. Packer is affiliated with is aligning itself with the Southern Cone, then they saw fit to "inhibit" him. Actually, it is as good as a defrocking. He will no longer be able to use his canonical duties within the Diocese of Westminster in the Anglican Church of Canada. You might know J.I. Packer from his book, "Knowing God." I work in a christian bookstore, and we can't keep it on the shelves! This just goes to show you their hubris. Anyway, it's just another one of those things to where J.I. Packer is probably thinking, "So what?" Dr. Packer agreed with his church's move to the Southern Cone, from all the reports I've seen. Anyway, this is just another nail in the coffin of the Episcopal Church, and the Anglican Church in Canada. Rest in Pieces.

Erik

Something interesting I found out on the way to the Forum...

One day when I was walking my dog Eddie to the mailbox to get our mail. In the mail was our Diocesan Newsletter. On the front was Cardinal DiNardo of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston! (If some of you don't know, I am Episcopal, and Cardinal DiNardo is Catholic!) Anyway, the reason that Cardinal DiNardo is on the front of the newsletter is that he is the keynote speaker!!! First of all, I wonder what possessed Bishop Wimberley to get Cardinal DiNardo to be the speaker at the Diocesan Convention in Galveston. I am wondering if Wimberley has an ulterior motive to all of this. Our diocese has some conservative parishes, and some liberal parishes... I am still at a loss to what our bishop is up to...

Erik

The Narrative of the Fall(Genesis Chapters 2 and 3)

I had an interesting discussion with my professor in my Grace and the Human Condition class on Wednesday. It was referring to the Fall Narrative in the Genesis(as the title indicates). God mentions to Adam and Eve that if they eat of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil they will surely die. My professor thought that when Eve ate of the fruit that she was supposed to die there, right on the spot. Now, what my exegesis of the narrative was this: Once they ate of the fruit, it was a spiritual death, AS WELL as a fleshly one. Adam and Eve could no longer live forever once they have disobeyed God. They had then become mortal, and then their bodies will from that point on decay at a gradual rate(600 years, or so; however long they lived). Granted, this is a Catholic university I attend, and I highly respect this professor(who will remain nameless). This narrative is a point of contention to all; especially scientists in the realm of evolution. Evolution will not be discussed in this post, for that is for another time! Anyway, that was an interesting day, and I love discussions like that.

Erik

Interesting Political Race!

Now we are getting to see who the front-runners are in both parties. Clinton(of the Female variety) and Obama in the Democratic camp, and it SEEMS McCain and Romney in the Republican camp. I don't usually put up political postings, but this will directly influence how we operate as christians. If we get a democrat in office, BYE-BYE to innocent lives! Abortion on demand! More feminists will be cheering women and their "right to choose." In other words, their right to murder their unborn children. Our Lord God said for us not to kill, and that meant to not shed innocent blood, er go, unborn children. Anyway; that's the way I see it. My opinion, and mine only.

Erik

Consecration of Bishop Lawrence of South Carolina

It is good to see Mark Lawrence finally consecrated as the Bishop of South Carolina! No thanks to the Presiding Bishop! Anyway, I saw the streaming video, and it was a wonderful service. A true man of God.

Erik

The Inhibitions of Bishops Schofield and Duncan

I find these inhibitions quite humorous; each of them for different reasons. The Schofield inhibition for the reason that he is no longer under the TEC umbrella, and Duncan for the fact that HE HAS NOT DONE ANYTHING! This makes me chuckle, and makes me think that it is nothing more than a knee-jerk reaction from Madame President Schori. The title I gave is not exactly correct, in that the inhibition of Duncan is an attempted inhibition. Schori could not get the three bishops to agree to sign the inhibition form. Anyway, it is rather humorous to watch the Comedy of Errors.

Erik