Sometimes I stumble across a piece that is so good I have to share it. Why do we have factions and divisions? Mike Ratliff attempts to answer this in “God’s Purpose in Divisions and Factions in the Church”. You and I might disagree with him on some minor points, but…
I came across another COG blog called The Voice of One Crying Out In the Wilderness. It is run by Steven Britt, a member of UCG in North Carolina. BTW, something I meant to point out in my earlier post is that if you want to read a blog by…
Well, if you believe in “eras”, then we are all Laodiceans and had better heed the warnings to Laodicea (Rev 3:14-22). They had an obviously elevated view of themselves. They obviously felt no need of help from God or man. Why? Because of a feeling of superiority. So much so,…
Yesterday, United Church of God (UCGia, or UCG for short) posted a couple of papers on Inside United: Realtime. One is about some allegations that some members in Chile are breaking the Sabbath. It is the first paper at the link given above. Personally, I don’t know what I would…
While some are fasting today, doing without food, perhaps it is a good time to reflect upon what else we can do without. Crass materialism is still with us, in spite of a somewhat lengthy recession. However, the admonition has always been that spending is good for our overall economy,…
Tonight is the last day of the Jewish Days of Awe. It is Yom Kippur, considered the most holy day of the year. Jewish festivals are reckoned from sundown to sundown because Genesis 1 shows over and over that “the evening and the morning” make up one day. However, did…
In this week’s weird religious news, “IHOP (the pancake-maker) sues IHOP (the prayer center) over trademark”. Apparently, International House of Pancakes has 6 registered trademarks using the IHOP acronym, and it feels that the International House of Prayer is infringing on those trademarks by knowing it too would be called…
Too many funerals lately. Death isn’t a fun topic. It isn’t supposed to be. In death, we are faced with a fact that all people, good or bad, kind or cruel, rich or poor, face the same end to this physical life. And yet, it is also a time to…
I have read a few speculative articles about who the Nicolaitans were. None of them have truly satisfied, however. So, I have to ask: Would Jesus inspire John to write something in the Book of Revelation (a book of revealing, not concealing) that would not be clear in the end…
How about some positive news for a change? A couple of updates on Inside United: Realtime caught my eye. In “Message from the Chairman and President”, Melvin Rhodes and Dennis Luker give a short update on talks with one of the Latin American ministers. Basically, the good news is that…