Outreach to Midgets Comes Up Short

Category: Church

Pastor John Huber still has a burden for little people. This, in spite of the fact that his evangelistic efforts among Orange County’s diminutive sinners have produced no converts. “We’ve just got to raise the bar,” the unflappable Baptist minister said.

A weekend crusade for little people held last week at his Santa Ana church was virtually unattended, even though guest speakers included Verne Troyer of Austin Powers fame, and Bushwick Bill of Geto Boys. Each gave their testimonies to a crowd of five – Huber and his family.

Huber, often derided by local pastors who fish for congregants among Orange County’s elite, likes to remind his colleagues that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

--from http://www.holyobserver.com/outreach-to-midgets-comes-up-short/

What would it take?

"There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.' But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.' And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.' But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.' And he said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' He said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.'" -- Luke 16:19-31

My daughters were asking me if we know any people who don't believe in God. I told them yes, that we have family members who do not believe. They were disturbed, and asked me why some people don't believe. That is a tough question. What would it take for someone's mind to be changed, if even miracles were not enough?

Unbelief

So true it hurts

His Eye is On the Sparrow

Why should I feel discouraged,
Why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely
And long for Heav’n and home,
When Jesus is my portion?
My constant friend is He:
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.

“Let not your heart be troubled,”
His tender word I hear,
And resting on His goodness,
I lose my doubts and fears;
Tho’ by the path He leadeth
But one step I may see:
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.

Whenever I am tempted,
Whenever clouds arise,
When songs give place to sighing,
When hope within me dies,
I draw the closer to Him,
From care He sets me free;
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.

--Civilla D. Martin

The death of a little child

http://www.ksn.com/news/local/story/Witnesses-of-crash-that-killed-five-year-old/mMi4mjPkukKZGsDKNt2_7w.cspx

Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there. --Matthew 19:13-15

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. --Romans 8:38-39

Dear Abby

What did Nicodemus know?

Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

--John 3:1-15

Nicodemus believed that Jesus was a teacher that had come from God. That seems to be about all he knew. Jesus seems to rebuke Nicodemus for his lack of understanding about being "born again". Jesus often seemed to rebuke the teachers of that day for their lack of understanding of the scriptures and of spiritual things. I don't think I would fair much better, even with the advantage of having the whole picture to look at. The born again concept still seems very mysterious to me.

Take a look, it's in a book!

"to a happy man, a prayer is a monotonous composition, void of meaning, until the day when suffering deciphers the sublime language through which the poor victim addresses God."
— Alexandre Dumas (The Count of Monte Cristo)

Gay Scientists Isolate Christian Gene

It's a steaming pile

Spiritual welfare

Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.
What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
“Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”

Romans 3:27-4:8

To the man that does not work

Due to snow the following paths to salvation are closed: Teaching poor kids; driving the homeless to job interviews; mowing convent lawns. --@TheTweetOfGod

Yes, I know it's a joke. Yes, I know it's written by someone who is a non-believer. But I think it is still very telling.

We are all legalists at heart.

All the major world religions except Christianity teach that salvation is something earned. That is because the concept is so hard-wired into our hearts. We simply refuse to believe that something like salvation could be a free gift. To think that the vile murderer could be saved in just the same way as the self-sacrificing missionary?! Preposterous! Or is it?

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."

—Ephesians 2:8-9

The Seven Dwarfly Sins

These are the Seven Dwarfly Sins: Grumpiness, Dopiness, Sleepiness, Sneeziness, Bashfulness, Happiness, and Docness.

--shamelessly stolen from twitter poster "theTweetofGod". More on that tomorrow.

You're not a gnat are you, Bug?

Do I see a little similarity there?

I know I see similarity in these:

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. --Edward Mote

Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to the cross I cling; --Augustus M. Toplady

Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me, --Charlotte Elliott

Nothing can for sin atone,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
Naught of good that I have done,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus. --Robert Lowry

Redeemed, and with the price of blood,
Which Thou hast shed for me, --Fanny Crosby

I am redeemed, but not with silver
I am bought, but not with gold
Bought with a price, the blood of Jesus
Precious price of love untold. --D. B. Towner