Comfortable in the middle

This is the 7th post in the God’s (false?) Prophets series.  Here is a link to the first post , and the most recent post . I thought I was done with posting on God’s (false?) prophets, but decided to add this one, after a few new videos were posted as rebuttals of God’s (false?) prophets. For the most part, the “prophets” who have not apologized or repented are maintaining their positions concerning the former President Trump winning the 2020 election, but have simply extended the timeline (moved the goalposts) to allow for God’s perfect timing to accomplish what was prophesied.  Those prophets who seem more dependent on their YouTube channel revenue seem to be more in crisis mode, than those who have other revenue streams. What is new, are videos posted by Christians and non-Christians opposing these prophets and their prophecies.  What I present here is not comprehensive, but intended to share a few that popped up on my radar, primarily by YouTube’s video re...

 This is the 5th post in the Tree of Life series.  Here are links to the first , second , third , and fourth posts. The last post established our identity and position relative to Jesus, utilizing the Vine and Branches imagery Jesus communicated in the Gospel of John, chapter 15 (verses 1-8). “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If y...

It seems as if a number of events in 2020 might hint at a problem within the American Christian church body.  It likely isn’t a new problem, and I don’t know if this is a widespread problem.  It’s really hard to see beyond what can be seen locally, and what is made publicly visible, via news and social media.  What can be seen may not be representative of the larger church body, but maybe it is.  I like to think that the majority of the Christian community continues on as they always have, leading quiet lives of charity and Christian service within their local communities, mostly out of sight and out of the news.  Still, some of what is visible on a larger stage might be reason for concern.  Also, even if it isn’t a pervasive issue within the larger Christian community, a reminder to stay true to the mission of the church, keeping focus on God’s will, and not be distracted by societal issues around us, might be worthwhile.  It’s good to be reminded who...

This is the sixth post in the GOD’S (false?) PROPHETS series.  Here are links to the first , and most recent  posts. The relatively small scale spiritual battle amongst advocates of the New Apostolic Reformation , Independent Network CharismaticChristianity , and Dominion Theology , against their concerned and increasingly vocal Christian detractors rages on.  The monetized YouTube prophets seemingly refuse to budge from their unified prophetic declaration that the former President Trump will win the 2020 presidential election, indicating God will accomplish this according to His timeline, however long that may be.  Their defenders have grown tired of those who accuse these YouTubers of being false prophets, and want their detractors to go away and leave them alone.  “Stop watching their videos, if you’re not going to be supportive” they declare, among less kind sentiments, like calling those who disagree workers of Satan. Now, Christian apologist YouTubers...

 This is the 4th post in the Tree of Life series.  Here are links to the first , second , and third posts. The third post attempted to describe the means by which water flows through a plant, from the soil around a plant, up through the roots, stems, branches, and leaves, and either back out into the environment through pores in leaves, or being used by the plant for structural support or in the process of photosynthesis, which makes food for the plant in the form of sugar.  This water flow process is triggered by exposure to sunlight, and it happens automatically – it is part of a plant’s design.  If there is light, and there is sufficient water in the soil around the plant, water flow up through the plant will happen naturally. As a reminder, the foundational Bible passage for this series on the Tree of Life is from the Book of Revelation, chapter 22, verses 1-3:  Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the t...

This is the fifth post on God’s (false?) prophets.  Here are links to the first  and most recent  posts. I’ve learned so much about the diversity of charismatic Christian practice over the past several months, observing those who boldly prophesied a second term for President Trump, declaring it as God’s will for America.  About two months ago, I encountered the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) movement, and today, while doing some online research, I discovered Independent Network Charismatic (INC) Christianity.  I shared some additional information about the NAR movement in a previous post.  Here is a 2017 article on INC Christianity from Christianity Today , and here is a January 2021 article . The world of the NAR and INC Christianity is quite unsettled right now.  Something big was supposed to happen before President Biden was inaugurated; something that would have resulted in President Trump remaining as the president.  Nothing happened,...

 This is the fourth post on God’s (false?) prophets.  Here are links to the first and most recent  posts. This is the week I’ve been waiting for!  Within three days, it ought to be clear if the very numerous self-proclaimed prophets of God were correct about their consensus declaration that President Trump would be re-elected for a second term in the 2020 election.  While you might think that the completed Congressional electoral vote count on January 6th finalized the 2020 Presidential election result, the inauguration of the next president has not yet occurred.  As the prophets have repeatedly declared, God always shows up on time, and the time is drawing near! It seems that a number of the prophets and their faithful followers are looking to January 18th (today) for God to appear and turn the election in favor of President Trump, based on a prophetic word given by Apostle Chuck Pierce of Glory of Zion International Ministries on November 1, 2020....

This post is number 3 in a multi-part series on the Tree of Life.    This post addresses water and light in the life of plants, and how this is relevant to the Tree of Life message.    Here is a link to the  first post , which explains the purpose of this series, and the second post . Water and life Water is absolutely essential to all life forms.  There is no life without water.  Why do we send space probes looking for water on Mars?  There’s no hope of finding life without water.  Let’s take a look at the Gospel of John, 7:37-39 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. In the Bibl...

( Personal note: I'm not opposed to the spiritual gifts as described in the Bible. Rather, I have known and witnessed these gifts to be wonderful aspects of local church communities. These blog posts detail observations of publicly visible self-proclaimed prophets, most of whom maintain monetized online presences, and their engagement in American politics ) This is the third post in a series of related posts. Here is a link to the original post , and to the second post . Well it’s been quite a week for God’s (false?) prophets!  All hope was pinned to the January 7th Congressional session and electoral vote count, with the expectation that God would show up just in time to deliver the presidential election victory to President Trump.   While the prophets were not certain on how God would accomplish this, much attention was being given to Vice President Pence, and his role overseeing the vote count.  Given Mr. Pence’s solid Christian credentials, it seemed a good b...

This post is number 2 in a multi-part series on the Tree of Life.   This post addresses some important background information prior to looking at specific Bible passages relevant to the Tree of Life message.   Here is a link to the first post , which explains the purpose of this series. As a formally trained botanist, I am keenly aware of the plant world that exists around us.  Everywhere I go my focus is drawn to the plants around me.  As a Christian, it is apparent to me by the frequency of inclusion of plants and plant parts throughout scripture, that much can be learned spiritually by understanding the typology and imagery of plants in the Bible.  The well-known 18 th century protestant theologian, Jonathan Edwards, believed this to be the case, as is evidenced by his thirteenth entry in Images or Shadows of Divine Things : “Thus I believe the grass and other vegetables growing and flourishing, looking green and pleasant as it were, ripening, blossoming...