Or Gray Market: To trade unofficially/unconventionally. For example: the case where a Thailand student had family send textbooks from Thailand and sold it in U.S.
I do not think the ethic of the Thai is in question here, but the selfish legalists. Since jealousy is not in their vocabulary, others must be at fault when they feel jealousy.
Any church "pastors" that have vague stand on any particular subjects is dangerous. For they could be more wicked than the extremists. It is best to stay away from such.
It is not admitting one "doesn't know" of a subject, but answering as if not answering.
Their supervisors, are the kinds who thought they have found the best vague answers that could bend people to their goal of success, such as, Bill Gothard.
Only know I realized what this comical poster means...4.13 = 413 = PIE.
I have offended God and mankind because my work did not reach the quality it should have.
Recalling my past, my time in Japan, there is need for one confession.
There was this time, during a tour with my host family, we visited a Japanese traditional house or temple. There was also a reporter, interviewing whom I believe are those us from Malaysia music touring Japan, or perhaps just for the news on the house's visitors.
They have this tradition, where you write your wish down on a paper, say a prayer, and throw it in this wishing box. Which was what I was told. Now I have clear conscience to this day that it is just a sort of wishing well. One needs not take it superstitiously, as many tourists who throw wishes in one form or another around the world don't. It is more of leaving souvenir markings.
I had written something down on the wishing paper (I think it was about getting good grades), and throw it into their wish box. Believing whatever my prayer was, it was to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and no other.
When I was first notified of how it was on the news, and being accused of guilt, my first thought was on 1 Corinthians 8. That I shouldn't have done it not because it shows that I was doing idolatry, but solely because the weak in faith would not be able to discern the truth of my action and misunderstood it as idolatry. That even if eating food offered to idols isn't sinful, but if this would cause new believers to all, thinking that we are serving two or more gods, eventhough it is not the case, we should, for the sake and love of our dear brethren, not eat the food.
So no, I do not believe I was wrong there. However, I was wrong in the content of the wish. It was selfish. Though I was baptized and had knowledge of Christianity, I do not believe I was saved, not until 2003 when I began my journey by going to the STEMI summer theological seminary. But that is another story.
What I should have written in Japan, even though it would not be read by anyone, much less the media, was "May there be Christians revealed in Japan, Amen".
I can't believe there are people playing tennis at 6:30am already. Okay, I really just have to go at 5:30am then.
On my way from the Museum, some black guy tried to approach me from among the crowd, "excuse me, excuse me". I avoided him, suspecting is just another scammer, without even looking at him, and regardless how he tried to block my path, as I have passed him, he just shouted "I oughtta smack the shit outta ya"...I think that's what he said. This just proved whatever he's trying to "excuse me" about, is not genuine. At times, I shall respond to these, but not all the time, since grace is not cheap, which is how the Ameristians have treated it.
Good thing we didn't go to the live one. We couldn't anyway. It seemed that the registration was never opened. I think someone cheated the system.
Yet, thankfully to their ministries, we could still watch it online and even download the videos.
I, Willy and Nadia all agreed that only Tim Keller's talk is 'meaningful' and to the point. I have no idea what the guy from King's College is up to, and John Piper is just talking about the Gospel - was he well prepared? Perhaps I should just read his book "Bloodlines".
Tim Keller gave the specific. That's why he was good. You don't tell a bunch of Christians you are a sinner, you tell them the specific, what you did and how you repented from it.
I thought they edited out the Q&A session. We could watch it tomorrow.
Everyone is judgmental. There is no escaping that. The problems are whether or not we judge rightly, and whether or not we dare to be judged ourselves.
Reading this month's (April 2012) Redeemer Newsletter, I was disturbed by the article "Introducing Community Groups: Fellowship Groups Get a New Name!".
It is more like "fellowship groups get name downgrade".
My E-mail to the community leaders explains it all:
Well, Community groups sound very “universal” and welcoming.
But I still do not feel the need of replacing the name
“fellowship”. Because I do not think it is an old term, nor necessary to be
compromised to be more “seeker” friendly.
It is better to teach what the biblical “koinonia” truly
means, than to do away/water down the terms from the Book.
I’d rather say I belong to a fellowship group or Christian
community group, and add “it is a community group welcoming everyone” to
strangers, than “just to say” I belong to a “community group”.
But I guess, I am just too late nor have the authority to
deal with this.
However, I feel it is important for the “community” to know
what some few (if not only I) are thinking about this.
Sincerely in my prayer always with love,
Timothy Law
If a Mormon is the presidential candidate against Obama, being a liberal that he is, Obama just has to follow Tim Keller's sermons, and he will surely win another election year.
As much as it seems that the conservatives prefers republican candidates, I doubt many of them are "Christians" or Godly. They would only use religion when it is convenient to their cause, and conservative christianity seems to be the closest religion for that.
So, if Mitt Romney has to win them without compromising his own faith, he merely has to feed them what they truly lust after under their "conservative religion" masks: American pride, foreign nation discrimination, and harsh immigration laws.
But if Obama with Keller's help, converts to a "true" christian, despite their liberal issues, he might just give the conservative republican supporters who are also trying to be good Christians (not mormons), a second option.
