Thoughts; A Flame

The church that I most frequently attend has a you...

2012-01-15T04:16:55.244-06:00

The church that I most frequently attend has a youth group I am (and may become-"was") apart of. I attended said youth group yesterday and their message to us 18-29 year olds was on the utter importance of tithing. They referenced this book and actually gave out 75 free copies to us members. I'very read through a good 50 pages already and am happy to see your review, Chris, is one I agree with. Your review and biblical backings were a great example as to why my church and do many are down right misleading people about tithing. All you have to do as a person to answer any questions concerning tithing is read the book of Hebrews!! It states it all there, very quickly- that we should be glad givers, content with what we have- what more could you want it NEED than Jesus Christ Himself?! So, thank you do much for the review

Beautiful album. My school performed 'Kia Hora...

2011-11-01T15:13:49.145-05:00

Beautiful album. My school performed 'Kia Hora Te Marino'.

You can buy sheet music from his website.

Hi, I just wanted to thank Chris for such a great ...

2011-09-25T23:22:41.447-05:00

Hi,
I just wanted to thank Chris for such a great review of this book. My parents were recently exposed to a teaching by Robert Morris and were singing his praises to me. The very title "The Blessed Life", makes me nervous as I am a "recovering Charismatic" to paraphrase Philip Yancey. I grew up in "Word of Faith" churches, and though I met people with good hearts, and sincerly held beliefs, I have learned this does not equal sound, Biblical doctrine. I completely agree with what I got from the book review, which is that the blessing God "guarantees" is our relationship with Christ and His forgiveness of our sins. Though God can and does bless some in a financial way, this is not the sole indicator of someone's status with God. Though I had never heard of Morris prior to this week, I did attend Bible college with his worship pastor, and I will say that I have nothing but respect and admiration for Thomas Miller based on my interactions with him. However, as I stated earlier, kindness and sincerity does not make one's belief system true. My biggest problem with this sort of teaching is that I feel it sets people up to believe that God has let them down if they do not end up financially prosperous. The ironic thing is that my parents have been consistent tithers and sacrificial givers for at least 30 years, and yet I sense they think that they must have missed something, since Morris promises such extravagant financial blessing by living in such a manner. I would say God has blessed them in many other ways, but they are still poor, and perhaps they always will be, and that is okay according to the Bible I read.

Thanks again for such a thoughtful, well-balanced review!
Hope B.

I didn't know that it was possible. I should p...

2011-07-29T03:50:07.256-05:00

I didn't know that it was possible. I should probably try it sometime. Thanks for sharing.

web design Perth

Although I have not read the book yet, as I have j...

2011-01-23T13:52:00.594-06:00

Although I have not read the book yet, as I have just purchased it, I would like to add to the discussion.
One point comes to mind when reading the interactions here; that there is a big difference between boasting about something you've done and telling the story of something you've done.
I believe this whole issues speaks to the heart of the matter at hand. Which is that the actions you do may be interpreted this way or that, (hopefully in the way you intended them, but not always..) but it is what is in your heart that counts most.
Consider this passage from Matthew 5:15-16: "15. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

This passage of the bible does not tell us to hide our good works in fear that they may be mistaken for boasting. We are to understand from the passage that our good works can indeed shine brightly as long as God comes first in our lives and He recieves the glory of our good works... and I may boldly add.. the glory from our first fruits as well.

This is what the majority of the reviews I have read seem to agree upon. Now, I will go and hopefully enjoy the reading of this book, but as always I will search the Scriptures to find and varify any final answer that I seek.

Thanks!
~k

Anonymous, First, thanks for clarifying why you s...

2010-12-10T07:09:00.547-06:00

Anonymous,

First, thanks for clarifying why you stayed anonymous; I do appreciate that.

Second, I'm glad to hear that Robert Morris is as generous as he sounds. As I noted in my review, this was a thoroughly ambiguous book. Generosity is good, but the expectations engendered by reading this book aren't. I have no doubt of Morris' sincerity; it was his handling of Scripture that most troubled me, and the implications of his message—and of course, his boasting. Again, I appreciate that both in the book and from what you have written, this seems to be aimed at glorifying God. Even so, I ultimately have to conclude that he wold be better off were he to follow Jesus' teaching: don't talk about when you give. There's simply too much potential for boasting in self in the midst of it.

Thanks for sharing your perspective; it's always neat to hear from someone actually involved or familiar with the person behind a book.

I Stumbled on this blog by doing a gut check about...

2010-12-10T01:17:36.644-06:00

I Stumbled on this blog by doing a gut check about my church. I love reading other people's thoughts on various things. Great review of the book and there were great responses to each comment.

This is where I add my two cents. One of the most challenging questions I have to ask myself everyday is, "Is it more important on what I say, or how people perceive it"? I battle with this because although I'm trying to say the right thing, does it really matter if they hear something totally different. My wife is a teacher she always corrects me and uses this example when I pose this question... She always tells me how important a punctuation is in a sentence... "Let's eat Grandma" vs "Let's eat, Grandma!"

I say all that to say this...Immediately when reading the Title/Subtitle of the book, I think "Prosperity Gospel". Without hesitation, I look at this book with the wrong lens... I read the first couple of pages and I had to put it down and clear my thoughts so I could read this with an open mind...

Over the past few years, I've had the opportunity to see Pastor Robert Morris at a more personal level. Being able to see him outside of the church, outside the congregation and in his very own home... Something a book (no matter how in depth, intriguing it is) can never truly convey is the heart of the author. I love seeing Pastor Robert give, and give, and give....Although, he tells his stories, I believe he has the right to since it is his book...right? But, with full compassion, I know that even within his own testimony he always boasts in the Lord... Always giving thanks...

Sorry I had to post this anonymous. Need to keep my anonymity. I'll check back to see other comments...

Thank You... Be Blessed

this is really well written and explained - thanks...

2010-11-24T15:48:04.964-06:00

this is really well written and explained - thanks for sharing your knowledge!
my only query is that on a second static page I'm struggling to work out how to put the code in for ANOTHER seperate image.. so far I've got my home page image and a second image in the header for my about section which is also in the events section but I'd like the events section to have a different image
what am i missing?
thanks!

these are difficult places to be, even in their si...

2010-11-13T16:02:02.994-06:00

these are difficult places to be, even in their simplest forms. i have struggled with praying stern, even severe, verses directed at those who do evil, even when i knew the verses were applicable, b/c i, too, am a sinner. i am thankful i am not God, so i leave the complexity of it all to Him. however, there have been times the evil was so severe i was drawn to these prayers in great humility for the protection of the innocent. God does not always pluck us out of the path of evil, but i do believe with all of me that God protects us from the full impact of evil. i, too, pray for God's Justice ... that i know i can pray b/c He is Just. i pray for Protection and Provision and Healing for the victims and the innocent. these prayers and circumstances have become all the more conflicted when the 'perpetrator' is deeply embedded in christian lifestyles, such as church and christian activities, even bible reading, and perpetrate evil in the Name of God.

surefire—very glad to have been of help! I spent a...

2010-11-09T21:48:27.364-06:00

surefire—very glad to have been of help! I spent a not inconsiderable amount of time trying to see if anyone had done this before, and when I realized they hadn't, it just made sense to put up the method once I'd figured it out myself.

Thanks for the comment; it inspired me to get back to posting some of these things I've figured out—the ones that no one else has put up are in some cases very useful (some of them are things I've seen people wanting for years; they're doable but you have to know where to look). On that note, I put up another one today, and I'll probably try to continue to do at least one a month in the future.

I took a look at your site, and I like what you've done with it. Including the custom header images!

I think i more relate to Jaimie in that separate a...

2010-11-09T21:35:45.947-06:00

I think i more relate to Jaimie in that separate activity time is separate even if it's near each other. In some cases, i would rather have separate activity time separately so it doesn't feel so dang isolated and distant. After all, it is what relational distance would look like. But i suppose that's more of a personality thing.

I also think best sometimes by writing, but only if my raw thoughts aren't published--that way i can throw out an idea and then look at it without bruising any toes. Aside from the fact that for me publishing invites narcissism, it's much too slow: 500 words takes me at least 2 hours if i think someone else will be reading it! It's like having to take a rock and turn into a nice pair of scissors.

Anyways, interesting thoughts.

Hi Chris, I just wanted to let you know how helpf...

2010-11-09T02:56:07.667-06:00

Hi Chris,

I just wanted to let you know how helpful this tutorial has been for me in setting up my new blog the way I envisioned it! Your instructions are so clear and thorough. I look forward to reading more of your webdesign articles, if you decide to write any in the future.

Thanks!

Thank you for this. Thanks be to God -- for the S...

2010-10-29T13:48:58.351-05:00

Thank you for this.

Thanks be to God -- for the Spirit's conviction, and for the grace that is continuously ours!

I'm reading! And I love 'em! Although I im...

2010-10-25T09:37:21.558-05:00

I'm reading! And I love 'em!
Although I imagine with all your other writing, reading, responsibilities, and other personal projects, posting once a day is not something you will want to commit to long-term. Just my guess, though. I'll keep reading either way.
-Travis

A believer in America has more in common with a be...

2010-10-22T09:12:52.411-05:00

A believer in America has more in common with a believer in Southeast Asia than his unbelieving next door neighbor. This is true even though the believer in Southeast Asia may have never left a 40 km radius around his village, never seen a person of different color (accept maybe the person who brought them the good news), never slept in a home with electricity or running water, never learned to read, etc. ad infinitum.

Good post!

2010-10-18T18:44:44.050-05:00

Good post!

um... but you did just post on the internet...

2010-10-17T22:40:51.024-05:00

um... but you did just post on the internet that I'm a jerk. :P

Also, I turned in my church history paper an hour ago. The edits definitely helped.

"--that is to say, irony..." Haha! Cleve...

2010-10-15T13:29:57.969-05:00

"--that is to say, irony..." Haha! Clever, clever.

I look forward to more commentary on the Trinity. Thanks for this good and clear reminder.

Good post!

2010-10-15T13:27:06.690-05:00

Good post!

I still liked this post.

2010-10-15T13:25:45.299-05:00

I still liked this post.

I have long loved that passage from Tolkien. The e...

2010-10-14T22:11:32.704-05:00

I have long loved that passage from Tolkien. The entire opening chapter/prologue to The Silmarillion ought to be required reading for every Christian artist. It's brilliant.

I hope you're right. My concern is that I see ...

2010-10-14T22:10:44.558-05:00

I hope you're right. My concern is that I see increasing apathy on the parts of Americans—not least because of the apparent (and often actual) impotence of both parties. There is no vision, and certainly no will to put vision into action. Especially if it might be personally costly.

I have no words.

2010-10-12T10:45:56.798-05:00

I have no words.

Great diatribe Chris! You voice these thoughts ext...

2010-10-12T08:25:27.865-05:00

Great diatribe Chris! You voice these thoughts extremely well.
I would like insert a hopeful thought. You mention your concern that there is an appearance that many Americans can't handle the complexities of this issue. I maintain a hope that most people can handle the issue on a deeper level and do so consistently.
Social Commentators and Political leaders must always be raising money. Sound bytes work well for this purpose and these people maintain the loudest voice in the discussion. That's why it seems like the discussion is dominated by sound bytes. Many people, however, understand what broken parts can be fixed readily, given the right political go-ahead.

I'm definitely going to check into that guy...

2010-10-10T09:16:53.933-05:00

I'm definitely going to check into that guy's music! Thanks for the passage from Tolkien.