Bible Verse Sunday #84

This week's verse is James 5:16, a verse on prayer:

"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."

In this passage, Christians are instructed to confess their sins "to one another", not necessarily to a priest, but to fellow Christians who are concerned with the matter being confessed. James also writes that a righteous man will know better what the will of God is and thus how to best pray to Him.

In church today, the pastor spoke about judgement. He said that there are two kinds of judgement; judgements based on scriptural principals, that is, direct instruction, and judgement based on differing opinions on debatable doctrine, such as matters relating to communion. Judgement, he said, is detrimental when focused on opinion based matters, but is constructive when it brings honor to the Lord. He said that we should let such a God-honoring attitude permeate our social life, worship, parenting, politics, and work. The general rule of thumb is that we are to let God's judgement guide our interactions.

I then went to help out in  the second grade class during the second hour, in which a lesson was given on prayer. The teacher gave a lesson on the Lord's prayer and on the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, also known as the Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican, as detailed in Luke 18:9-14. I also organized a small tick-tack-toe tournament.

Bible Verse Sunday #83

After missing two weeks of Bible Verse Sunday, I am happy to present the next installment of this blog's perennial feature. Today, in accordance with the lesson in today's Sunday school class, we will be discussing Nehemiah 4:14:

"'...And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.'"

In this verse, Nehemiah is exhorting his people to continue their work rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem in the face of threats from their enemies. His encouragement is applicable in other distressing moments, when all hope seems lost, and things seem to be going to Hades in a hand basket, as it were. It also is a reminder that we as Christians have a greater and more assured hope in hard times than the world does, and that even if God doesn't relieve our worldly sufferings, he still cares for us and will insure that everything goes according to his own grand plan.

I was glad to be finally back in church today after missing two straight weeks. In the main service, we were still continuing in our study of the book of Romans, but the series' subtitle had been changed from "The Message that Changed the World" to "The Church that Changed the World." In this week's sermon, the pastor talked about how as Christians, we should actively seek to "root out" sin in our lives, and that we "hunger" for Jesus' return. In addition, he said that next week's sermon would be on judgement, mean to answer the question, "Why are Christians so judgmental?" The pastor said to invite your friends to this one. If any of you readers out there saw the sermon, I invite you to invite other people, just as I hope to do.

I finally managed to return to helping in the second hour 2nd grade classroom, where we discussed the story of Nehemiah. This summer's theme is celebration, and we very much celebrated in the form of a melodrama. We assigned parts and props to each of the kids, and as the teacher read the story, they made various sounds and motions on cue at the mention of particular words. It was kind of fun. After the lesson, the kids each made a miniature wall out of marshmallows, pretzel sticks, and frosting, before eating it. Yum!

On another note, I went with my dad to the theatre later today... but that's another post.

Bible Verse Sunday #82, On Polls, and Artemis Fowl News

This week's verse on Bible Verse Sunday is John 3:17:

"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."

I picked this verse when looking up passages about heroes. The Son in question is Jesus Christ, the greatest hero the world has ever known or ever will know. The purpose of Jesus' ministry wasn't to bring punishment and wrath upon the denizens of Earth, but to save them from themselves, to insure that every one of them would be able to go to heaven after death. There will be a day of wrath when Jesus returns, but only after he has rewarded and commended the faithful. It is only the unbelievers and the forces of Satan who have anything to fear from this event.

In church today during the main service, the pastor continued in our study in the book of Romans. This week, the pastor discussed a basic salvation message, detailing the world salvation cycle, our spiritual state, and the result of God's salvation promises. We are, in turn, to respond with worship, gratitude, confidence in  Christ, and obedience. Specifically, we must check with what God desires, and we must remember that God is faithful and merciful in messy situations.

I helped in a kids class during the second service, and it was pretty okay. The kids were kids, a rambunctious, energetic lot, but I hope to make an impact on them through my volunteering as a teacher's assistant. I have lots of idea about how we can make the lessons come alive for them. It's so exciting to be able to do things like that!

In other news, I have decided to stop putting up polls. Why? Because I never get more than a few votes, and the only one I got for the last one was mine. This may be my fault for putting up questions which few people care to answer, but I don't know for sure. The point, however, is that the monthly poll is an apparently unpopular attraction, and I don't want a useless gadget cluttering up my blog space. If any of you out there want the poll back, you'll have to ask for it.

Finally, we have some big news for Artemis Fowl! The graphic novel rendition of The Opal Deception was released just a week or so ago, and I sincerely hope that it's better than the last one. I look forward to checking it out soon, after which I will report back to you, gentle readers, on just what it was like.

Bible Verse Sunday #81

This week's verse is Proverbs 31:30:

"Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised."

This is one of my favorite verses, because it communicates the standards by which the Christian man should evaluate a potential wife. It's a verse which is particularly relevant in our increasingly superficial and warped culture, and reminds believers to look beyond appearances when searching for a spouse. In fact, Proverbs 31 is essentially a checklist to determining the ideal wife. I encourage all single Christian men to study it, and all Christian women to emulate it.

In the main service in church today, the pastor continued in his series in the book of Romans, discoursing on how to serve God. He preached out of Romans 12, saying that we must offer our whole body to God, and help out in the church however we can. Specifically, we are to willingly embrace Christ, and endure through difficult situations which are used by God to mold and refine us into his image. We are also to use our respective spiritual gifts to serve him readily.

In the young adult group, we split into three subclasses. I went to one being conducted by my dear friend Caleb. Caleb, who recently graduated from Bible college, gave us a brief summary of the books of the Bible. The Bible being the Bible, it wasn't a huge, in-depth study, but it did cover some interesting information, such as approximately when each book was written. Caleb is also an engaging speaker who is good at explaining things and conveying information, which made the talk that much more enjoyable. That guy is going places.

Bible Verse Sunday #80

In this eightieth installment of Bible Verse Sunday, we will be examining Galatians 5:1:

"For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery."

This verse is an exhortation by Paul to the church in Galatia to not revert to being slaves of sin. Christ has set us free from the chains of sin, so that we are free in Christ. Free from the short-term pleasures of the world, free from immoral pursuits and their inevitable repercussions, free from sin. These things have a natural "yoke of slavery" over the unsaved, but Christ has won the battle to free them from it. His yoke, in contrast, is easy, and his burden is light.

In church today, the pastor continued in our study in the book of Romans, where we further discussed Israel's role in the present day and the end times. Specifically, he said that God has only partially rejected Israel in favor of the Gentiles, but will bring them back into his family at the end of time, where all Israel will accept Jesus Christ as Lord. This is so that our own lost world will be saved, and so that God's grace will be magnified. On a final note, he warned us not to be boastful about our salvation over that of Israel, but to be humbly grateful for God's extension of grace to we the Gentiles.

Bible Verse Sunday #79 and IFCA 2014

I am back! Before I give the rundown on IFCA 2014, however, I will present the verse of the week. This week's verse is Isaiah 59:17:

"He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak."

This passage refers to God, and the action He takes in dealing out justice.This justice is composed of zealous, righteous vengeance: zealous, because the Lord will not hesitate to deal out justice, yet is equally ready to grant forgiveness; righteous, because He is the definition of morality, including justice, and, being a perfect, holy God, will not sway to the left or to the right in his deliverance of justice, even if it does not come to pass here on Earth; and vengeance, because the Lord is the only one able to deliver vengeance, because his justice is perfect and unerring. Human vengeance is illegitimate because it is flawed and prone to error. This is why true, orderly justice is so important.

The main service today had the pastor continuing in his series in the book of Romans. This week, the pastor spoke about Israel's status in eyes of God today. The long and short of it is that Israel, though they have rejected Christ, have not been rejected by God. The two pieces of evidence that the pastor presented were the stories of Paul and Elijah. With Paul, the pastor explained that Paul was concerned that Israel was rejecting the promises that God had given in the Old Testament. Paul, however, was living proof of God's love of Israel in that Paul, a Jew, had been saved by God even while Paul was actively persecuting the early church. With Elijah, the pastor said that spiritual warfare was more obvious in his day, as illustrated by the episode at Mount Carmel with the Prophets of Baal. The point, however, is that God still embraces Israel while they reject him, that is, reject his son, which is the equivalent of rejecting him. The pastor also got into the doctrine of predestination, explaining that while God determines who will go to Heaven, he does not determine who will go to Hell, concluding that God is not a promise breaker.

I did not attend the High School service today, instead choosing to attend the Young Adults Group. There, we were treated to a slideshow of the group's recent retreat, followed by a question-answer session with a pair of missionaries from China. They talked about their ministry and answered questions. It was all very interesting.

And now... the IFCA Youth Convention 2014! To be short, it was great. Taking place all last week at YMCA of the Rockies, we had breakout sessions, exciting quiz matches with people from all over the country, MTAs, a great speaker in Bill Bagley, Jr., and great food. The message was out of Romans 12, where we studied the concept of the body of Christ having many members, but one purpose. This involved discussions of spiritual gifts, the requirements of unity and diversity, and other topics. This year's convention also focused a lot on missions, evangelism, and discipleship.

The final night, as usual, had a delegate led worship service, in which various high-rated students of the IFCA used their talents to conduct worship. We had a guy from Michigan doing the sermon, our own Lizzie playing cello, some others doing drama, an inter-church youth choir, and many others. As for the Bible Quiz Team championships, Calvary Church of Wayland won the Senior championship. Jenison Bible Church won the Novice championship, but our novice team came in second place! I immensely grateful to have seen one of our teams make it to the finals while I was still a quizzer. This is my last year as a quizzer, for after six years of quizzing, I have finally exceeded the age limit. I may very well, however, come back next year as an assistant quiz coach. Maybe I'll see one of our teams win the finals in the future. On a more somber note, however, the middle of the week was overshadowed by the tragic death of one of the members of a church from Michigan back in their home state. Out of respect for the deceased's family, I will not provide further details. I will only say that the deceased is home with the Lord now, and that we will always have hope in Jesus Christ our Lord. This terrible happenstance, however, did not prevent us from glorifying the Lord through our participation in the event.

On the way home, our team stopped by an amusement park near Denver called Elitch Gardens. Traditionally, our team stops by an amusement park or some-such venue such as the Creation Museum on the way to the convention. However, in recent years, we either have gone there on the way back or not at all. Not being a fan of roller-coasters and their cousin the water-ride, I spent my time practicing my evangelism skills. I had some great conversations and came away feeling like I could take on the world, as it were. I also acquired a fedora, which looks great with my suit. We finally arrived home late last night, and I can only say that as much as I loved the trip, I love home even more.

Bible Verse Sunday #78 & Father's Day 2014

In honor of Father's Day, this week's verse is Ephesians 6:4:

"Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."

Directed at fathers, this verse plainly tells fathers not to work their children into a lather, but to seek to communicate with them and forge strong and intimate bonds with them. This extends past merely spending time with them. Fathers should teach their children how to live, to love God and to love people, and to abide by His commandments.

In the main service at church today, we had a guest speaker. This guest speaker continued in the series on the book of Romans, describing that there are no excuses for excuses. That is to say, we are specifically and clearly told to evangelize and win souls to Christ anywhere and everywhere. One of the biggest lies that Satan has perpetuated, said the guest pastor, is that we have plenty of time to evangelize, plenty of time to win souls. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. The pastor said that we are always closer to Christ's second coming than we ever were before, and as he could come back at any given time, we must always strive to reach out to the unsaved.

In the High School service, another guest speaker gave a basic overview of the gospel. Starting with Genesis and going all the way to 1 Corinthians, the speaker told of how the entire Old Testament was basically us saying, "I don't need you God. ...Oh, wait, I actually do." The New Testament describes the fulfillment of the law, that is, Jesus himself. In sum, we owe everything to God, and we should always live for Him wherever we are, wherever He needs us. The reason we owe everything to God is because He sent His only son, Jesus, to die a horrible death in order to take the punishment that we, sinful humanity, so richly deserved. And then he was raised from the dead, just to prove that it was totally legit.

Father's Day, I believe, is a very special holiday. It is not only a fine occasion to celebrate our earthly fathers, but to celebrate our Heavenly Father as well. I would not be the person I am today if not for both of my parents working in sync, not to mention the innumerable teachers and mentors I've had over the years. Most of all, however, God, my Father in Heaven, is the number one influence in my life. I would hope that everything I do would give glory to Him, and to Him alone. But I wouldn't have grown to respect my Heavenly Father if it weren't for the profound influence of my Earthly father. So thank you, dad, and thank you, Heavenly Father.

Image courtesy of nationalharbor.com

Bible Verse Sunday #77 & New Fan-Fic Chapter

This week's verse is Exodus 23:25:

"You shall serve the LORD your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you."

This verse, selected from God's discourse to Israel concerning the laws they were meant to live by, does not mean to imply that life will always be free of trouble for God's people. In this context, it applied to the whole theocratic nation state of Israel, meaning to say that if the people of Israel would only abide by the law of God, he would bless them. As a general principle, it also means that God will always respond to the prayers of believers, even if the response isn't what we're hoping for. But even then, He usually has a better idea in mind.

This week's sermon in the main service was on Romans 9:1-29, plus a brief recap of what we've learned previously in the series. This section of scripture deals with Paul's grief over the unbelief of his people, the Jews. In view of this, the pastor asked what we cry over, the logical conclusion being that we cry over what we love most. Paul, in this case, had a passion for the unsaved, an attitude which all believers should share. More specifically, when tragedy strikes, we often ask God why this sort of thing could have happened to him, the error in this thinking lying in our mistaken belief that God owes us his blessing. Israel had a particularly bad problem with this way of thinking, believing that just because they were God's chosen people, God owed them his blessing. The reality is that God blesses not based on race, but based on grace, including the grace he has given Israel over the years.

In the High School service, the sermon was on the subject of unity. Being a longtime fan of Bionicle, in which the Three Virtues were unity, duty, and destiny, I found it interesting to be treated to a Christian take on unity. The basic premise of the sermon was that divisions in the church are not a new problem, dating all the way back to the Corinthian church. Often, said the guest speaker, division is born of pride, in this case, pride in being a follower of a specific leader. Thus, humility must be practiced if we are to achieve unity, humility meaning not to put yourself down, but to put others first. In the end, unity is always possible in the church because all Christians have the commonality of Christ.

In other news, chapter 9 of my fan-fic, The Misadventures of Nobody (and X-Ray) was posted a couple of days ago on BZPower.com. Go ahead and check it out!

Bible Verse Sunday #76, 250th Post, and Graduating Seniors Send-Off Ceremony

In this 76th installment of Bible Verse Sunday, which coincides with my 250th post published (Tuesday's post is the 250th post written), we will be discussing 1 Timothy 4:12. This verse should be of particular note to this year's high school and college graduates. Congrats to you all of you grads out there. Anyhow, here's the verse:

"Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity."

The meaning of this verse is plain enough, reflecting one of the key faucets of God's personality: he does not judge the outside of a person, but rather what's in their heart. Here, the apostle Paul is instructing his protege, Timothy, to not be intimidated because he is a younger man, and by connection, less experienced. Rather, says Paul, even physically young Christians (spiritual youth is a different matter) such as Timothy should take initiative and step forward in the church to help and to lead where they are called and needed. (Alex and Brett Harris seem to have picked up on this when they wrote Do Hard Things.) This involves putting spiritual gifts to work in the church and in the world to do what we do best. In Timothy's case, he evidently had strong spiritual gifts, which may have manifested as miracle working, or something more mundane, such as administration. Either way, God desires that we each ascertain our respective spiritual gifts and discipline them into efficient tools for the furtherance of his will, no matter what our age.

In the main service in church today, the pastor continued in the series on Romans, discussing Romans 8:31-39. He said that here on Earth, God's "vote" is the only one that matters, and that you can always depend on his "vote" if he can always depend on yours. God, in essence, is one-hundred percent for us, as revealed in scripture. He has already won the spiritual battle for us, making us "more than conquerors." This doesn't mean that we'll win every battle here on Earth, or that we'll be protected from harm, but it does mean that God is always on our side.

There was no formal sermon in the High School service today, as we spent the service in a send-off ceremony for the graduating senior class. The graduating seniors fielded questions about what they're going to do after High School, what some of their favorite memories were, what they've learned from their time in the High School service, and what advice they'd give to the younger students. We were then served cake and lemonade, and I for one am always happy to patronize (most) events which involve free food. Once again, many congratulations to all of you grads out there. May the odds be ever in your favor!

Image courtesy of timesnews.net

Bible Verse Sunday #75, Geek Pride Day 2014, and Memorial Day 2014

This week's verse is Jeremiah 48:7:

"For, because you trusted in your works and your treasures, you also shall be taken; and Chemosh shall go into exile with his priests and his officials."

In this passage, the prophet Jeremiah is preaching against Moab, detailing how their greed and vanity has led to their disgrace. Chemosh was the principal deity of the Moabites, whose paganism involved human sacrifice to their god. These abominations are clearly stated to be the reason for the Moabites' downfall, and Israel's as well for sharing in this travesty. We contemporary readers would do well to take note.

In the main service in church today, the pastor preached from the back half of Romans 8, talking about how God takes us in our brokenness and transforms us into something better. God removes from us the frustration, the disgrace, the isolation. There will be no "awkward moment" when we stand before God's throne, because we have been transformed.

In the High School service, the youth pastor preached from John 15, talking about how we should "marinate" ourselves in Jesus, by absorbing his word daily and living out his commandments. He said that although it is possible to "fake" being a Christian, true believers are secure in Christ, and also that God commands us to love each other. The central point of the sermon is that life is lived fullest when lived with those we love.

Today is a momentous occasion. It is not only the seventy-fifth installment of Bible Verse Sunday, but it is also the 37th anniversary of the release of the original Star Wars film in theaters, way back in 1977. That particular occasion is why this day was chosen to be Geek Pride Day, a celebration of geek culture the world over. On this day, we shall eat, drink, and be merry, though not necessarily in that order.

This weekend, however, marks an even more important occasion: Memorial Day. Tomorrow, there shall be a nationwide celebration of all those who have fought and died in service to our wonderful country. In accordance, I hereby extend my heartfelt salutations and commendations to all persons who fall into this demographic. In sum, have a blessed Memorial Day!

Image courtesy of sliceofscifi.com

Bible Verse Sunday #74 and New Poll

This week's verse is John 10:10. As usual, this verse comes courtesy of ESVBible.org.

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I [Jesus] came that they may have life and have it abundantly."

This famous verse, in addition to being key to this week's High School service sermon, is taken from the middle of a sermon Jesus gave on his role in theology. Jesus is the "Good Shepherd" discussed further in this passage, and the "thief" refers to the Pharisees, who were only interested in their own gain. The sheep ("they") are, of course, we the people, but we'll go into that more later.

This week's sermon had the pastor preaching out of the middle third of Romans 8. The topic was delayed gratification, and how this phenomenon is important to the Christian life. Specifically, the pastor said that the satisfaction gained from following God's commands is a result of delayed gratification, whereas the satisfaction derived from sin is immediate, but all too temporary, leaving sinners unfulfilled in the end. God, however, is just waiting to share all he has with us.

In the High School service, the Jr. High Service pastor's wife addressed us concerning John 10. She discussed how we, the sheep, are useless to God, but he loves us anyway, having sent the Good Shepherd (Jesus) to save our souls. She also said that the "abundant life" promised by Jesus may be free to us, but it certainly wasn't free to him. Furthermore, it is therefore concluded because of these things, God, our father, owns everything, including our bodies. That way, we can go about thinking, "My father owns that high rise!" or "My father owns that bank!"

Also, there is now a new poll up! This month, we'll be looking at which of the following artists you'd like to play at your wedding! I naturally chose Michael Salvatori and Martin O'Donnel, the makers of the Halo series music! I can't even imagine what their music would be like as I went down the aisle!

Bible Verse Sunday #73, Mother's Day 2014, and New Primary Ignition Article

The verse of the week is Psalm 100:1:

"Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!"

Plainly enough, this verse tells us to engage in worship in an enthusiastic and hearty manner. Exactly what constitutes a "joyful" noise is up for legitimate debate, but I opine that any and every kind of music is acceptable for use in worship so long as it serves to glorify God. This can vary between cultures, and can include piano, drums, saxophone, electric guitar, etc. I've heard of everything from classical hymns to Christian death metal. The point of this verse is that no matter what noise you make, as long as it's a "joyful noise to the Lord," it's all good.

In church today in the main service, the pastor continued in our study of the book of Romans, speaking from the first part of Romans 8. The essential message of today's sermon was that we need not punish ourselves for and giver ourselves grief over our sins, because we are forgiven. The pastor said something like, "How dare you judge yourself guilty for your sins, when there is nothing to judge! Even if there were something to judge, you are in no authority to do so! Only God can judge in that manner." (Again, this is a paraphrase, not a direct quote.) Today's sermon was also notable for me because before it, I and most of the other members of the Bible Quiz Team were invited to quote Romans 8:1-14 in front of the congregation. We did it for all four services. It wasn't easy, but we were prepared, pulling it off splendidly. I bestow my heartfelt congratulations to those members of the Bible Quiz Team who participated in this demonstration. I have no doubt that it is but the first step in a new, fruitful recruiting drive.

In the High School service, the band Everfound held a short concert, and though they are not my favorite band (I honestly prefer the Newsboys), I am of the opinion that they deserve the accolades and praise that they have received from our church's youth. That is to say, they have a heart for the Lord and are more than capable of making a joyful noise.

Also taking place today is Mother's Day. I will take this opportunity to express my heartfelt appreciation to mothers everywhere, especially to my own mother. I mean, without her, I wouldn't be able to write this blog, right? To all of you at home reading, I urge you to leave the computer, go to your phone, and call your mom (if you can) and wish them a happy Mother's Day. You also might want to send them a card, or even take them out to dinner. They deserve it. As the good book says, "Honor your father and mother."

Also, a quick plug for myself: I recently authored a new article over at Primary Ignition, a review of Batman: Eternal #4. Go over and read it, and be sure to like it and maybe leave a comment.

Addendum: I forgot to mention that my most recent pole, which poses the question of Coca-Cola vs. Pepsi, was overwhelmingly in favor of Coke. Cheers! I will be putting up a new pole shortly.

Bible Verse Sunday #72 and the Return

Two. Weeks. And three days. Wow.

That's the longest I've ever gone without posting a single word on this blog in its one year and five month history, and I am happy to announce that I am ready to return from this short hiatus. We will begin by getting back to basics, starting with the seventy-second installment of Bible Verse Sunday. This week's verse is Luke 18:16:

"But Jesus called them to him, saying, 'Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God."

This verse illustrates Jesus' innate compassion, especially for the younger generation. Jesus, knowing the scriptures, such as Proverbs 22:6, understood that training up the next generation of believers was a top priority. He knew that instilling a godly foundation into children was important to their development into faithful, godly adults. He also appreciated the innocence of little children, which is what he meant when he said that the kingdom of God belongs to such. That is, he meant that the kingdom of God belongs to the innocent. Or rather, it belongs to those who are made innocent through their acceptance of his sacrifice.

In church today, the Pastor continued in his series on the book of Romans (feels like it's been going on forever). In it, we discussed Romans 7, in which we learned that sin isn't the problem; we are the problem. Unfortunately, people are often reluctant to admit this, which leads to the truism that "You can't legislate morality," the flipside being, naturally, that you shouldn't be able to legislate immorality either, i.e. gay marriage. The key question to ask in this instance is, "What in my life do I need to change?"

In the High School service, the youth pastor talked about John 8:12-30, in which Jesus declared that he was "the light." The Pharisees, needless to say, didn't get it. The main point of this story is that Jesus, being the light of the world, gives us light. This means that even when we feel like we're all alone, with no hope, this is not the case. Jesus is always there for us. We are never alone.

During my absence, several momentous occasions came and went. For example, Easter 2014. For that blessed occasion, we invited several of our relatives over for dinner after church, having a good time filled with uplifting and intelligent conversation. Christ was indeed with us, in our very presence.

The following weekend brought us the Bible Quizzing Pacific Northwest Regional Tournament 2014, in which I froze repeatedly and our Novice team emerged victorious as undefeated champions in their bracket. My sister Rebekah's birthday was over that particular weekend, and we celebrated by bringing a homemade chocolate cake to the snack table. Unfortunately, we had neither knives, forks, nor plates, forcing us to cut the cake with a folded up paper cup and to eat it with our hands out of other paper cups. But all in all, I'm glad to have met some new people and to have spent some time outdoors. It is my last Regional as a quizzer, and I look forward to acquitting myself and my team well at the upcoming National competition.

Yesterday brought us Free Comic Book Day, a happy event which was held at my local comic book store, the Comic Hut. I picked up the Avatar: The Last Airbender issue that Dark Horse put out for the occasion and the awfully depressingly Future's End #0 that DC produced. I reviewed them both for Primary Ignition, and hope to see them up and ready soon. I also picked up Azrael Vol. 1 issues #7 and 8. Not the best comic, but hey, I love Jean-Paul Valley and will fervently hope that the creators at DC will bring him back with a talented, up-and-coming writer like Scott Snyder of James T. Tynion IV or somebody. Who knows? Maybe he's show up in this Batman: Eternal miniseries they're running right now. I just bought issue #4 on Comixology, and I'd say that it would be the perfect place to do that. Failing that, I'll get a job at DC and write him in myself. But anyway, I'm rambling. I spent Free Comic Book Day working, going to the comic book store, getting pelted by rain, and helping my mom man a booth at this business expo thing down in Renton.

Finally, today is Star Wars Day, or May the Fourth be With You. This holiday celebrates the Star Wars saga, and I although I am saddened that I'll have to miss my church's film viewing party of Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope (doubling as a "Cinco de May Eve" party) in order to attend my sister's belated birthday dinner, I am happy to do so on her account. In the meantime, I do look forward to watching The Empire Strikes Back tonight, a fitting follow up to last year's viewing of A New Hope. Thusly, I say unto ye all, happy Star Wars Day, and may the fourth be with you!

Bible Verse Sunday #71 & Palm Sunday 2014

Apologies for the lack of posts all last week. I have been quite busy in recent days, and was unable to sit down to write anything. In the meantime, however, we shall be getting to the seventy-first installment of Bible Verse Sunday, examining Ecclesiastes 3:14:

"I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him."

This verse clearly illustrates the permanent and inexorable nature of whatever God has wrought. He will thus always have a foothold on this Earth, no matter how bad things may seem for his followers. This holds true for institutions such as marriage, the law, and the church. Likewise, "nothing can be added to it," meaning that no work of mankind will truly last forever, as much as we may like to flatter ourselves.

In the main service today, the pastor continued in the series on the book of Romans. He preached about how we need Jesus to wash us clean on a daily basis, and that this is accomplished through spiritual rebirth in Christ. In short, God had won the war, but we still fight the battle here on Earth. In the High School service, the youth pastor continued in a series on the parables of Jesus, teaching about the parable of the tenants. He spoke about how the Christian walk is all about learning to bear fruit for God, and that what God wants is faith which compels us to do good works. Furthermore, the only thing that will genuinely impress God is faith, which is evidenced by good works, our "fruit," the sign of a healthy tree.

Today was Palm Sunday, marking Jesus Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a donkey. The occasion takes its name from the fact that palm tree branches were laid out on the ground for Jesus. This was in fulfillment of the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9 ("Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey."). Jesus' use of a donkey to enter Jerusalem was symbolic in His day, in that kings, upon entry into Jerusalem, would ride a donkey to show that they came in peace. Jesus rode on a donkey to show that He was coming in peace, for He is indeed the Prince of Peace. This fizzled the expectations of most of the Jewish people, who hoped that he would come as a conquering king to save them from the oppressive Roman Empire, not from their sins as He intended. (Incidentally, kings that came in in a conquering manner would have ridden a horse.) At any rate, Palm Sunday is a significant as the beginning of the Christian Holy Week, and an important precursor to the ultimate Christian holiday: Easter.

See you all next week! Also, I have written an addendum to my post on the trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy. I had some opinions about it which I discovered in hindsight.

Bible Verse Sunday #70 and New Poll

I hope you all enjoyed my little prank for April Fool's Day. I sure did. But now, it's back to business as usual. Today's verse is Matthew 20:16:

"So the last will be first, and the first last.'"

This verse was part of the discussion for today's sermon in the High School service, which I'll discuss in a moment. What it all boils down to is that God is impartial when dealing out grace and forgiveness, and to those who might object to this notion, the previous verse makes very clear that God will do what he wants when he wants with his own gifts.

In the main service at church today, the pastor continued in his series on the Book of Romans, focusing on the grace of God. Specifically, he talked about the idea of original sin, how since sin is a preexisting condition brought on by Adam's misdeed, knowledge of the Bible, or lack thereof, is irrelevant to escaping sin. It is only through the salvation of Christ that we are saved, he said.

In the High School service, our stand-in pastor (the regular youth pastor was away with many of our fellow teenaged congregants on a mission trip in Nashville, Tennessee) talked to us about the parable of the workers, discussing how God's grace is open to all people of all walks of life in all stages of life, no matter what they've done and no matter how long they've wallowed in sin and godlessness. In this life, repentance is always an option.

In other news, the poll I put up a month ago about which of the four classical elements you the readers would like to wield, the votes were tallied and Earth claimed the winner's cup with 40 percent of the vote. The next pole shall ask, "Take your pick: Pepsi or Coca-Cola?" (I personally prefer root beer, but I'll go with Coca-Cola any day of the week)

Bible Verse Sunday #69 and New Fan-Fic Chapter

Today's verse is Psalm 71:18:

"So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come."

In this verse, part of a Psalm in which the author implores God to deliver the author from trouble, the author proclaims that he will serve the Lord all of his life. Specifically, this verse states that the author will pass on his knowledge and enthusiasm to the next generation of believers, a worthy goal for all Christians to seek to attain. The attitude of this particular psalmist should be noted by all believers, who should learn from this example of faith.

In church today, the pastor continued in his series in the book of Romans (last week's sermon was a one-shot), teaching from the end of chapter 4 and the beginning of chapter 5. He spoke about the peace of God, and about how we should not only have peace with Him, but that He should have peace with us. Three ways that we can know that we have peace with God are 1.) You know God is not angry with you 2.) You're not afraid to die, and 3.) You have no doubts about God. In the High School service, the youth pastor continued in his series concerning the parables of Jesus. This week, he discussed the parable of the prodigal son, showing a Lego stop motion video about the story, and inviting someone to give a retelling of the story in their own words. My friend Nathan (not the one who thinks that Superman: The Movie is the greatest superhero film ever made) was given the opportunity to do this, and he delivered a quite funny rendition of the story. You should track him down and ask him to tell it some time.

Also, I recently updated my fan-fic over at bzpower.com, The Misadventures of Nobody (and X-Ray). I finally updated it after such a long time, and I feel that this is probably the best chapter yet. Enjoy!

Bible Verse Sunday #68, Legacy Spring Formal 2014, and Snohomish Invitational 2014

Today on Bible Verse Sunday, we will be discussing 1 Corinthians 1:20:

"Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?"

In this verse, Paul is beginning a section devoted to deconstructing the secular materialist worldview. His basic argument is that God's knowledge and wisdom automatically trumps any points set forth by secular philosophers, and that earthly wisdom is not nearly as reliable as heavenly wisdom. This verse also indicates that Paul was confident that any doubts and objections to the Christian faith are more than answerable. To Paul, all such doubts and objections are soundly refutable.

In church today, in the main service, our senior pastor celebrated 25 years of service at our church, taking what I presumed was a break from series in Romans (though I may be proved wrong next week) to give a more general message. That message, to sum it up, is that in order to be a true follower of Christ, we must be convinced, as the apostles were, that Jesus is God; be committed to Jesus' authority; and abide in Jesus' presence. He also said that there is no stopping what Jesus can do. In the High School service, the youth pastor continued in his study of the parables of Jesus, focusing on the parable of the Good Samaritan. He said that this parable should be applied to all believers, who should live out God's word in their lives daily, reaching out to the unsaved at every opportunity.

The Legacy Spring Formal was a momentous occasion, to say the least. There were more than sixty people there, and we all had a wonderful time. There was good food, good conversation, and some really sharp dressed gals and fellows. I wore my best (and only) suit with a red tie, to match my sister's red dress. There was a group picture, followed by a meal of breaded chicken, rigatoni noodles, Caesar salad, and some other stuff. There was a soda bar, which I visited a once or thrice for some root beer, and after the dinner, the attendees were entertained by an illusionist. A truly spectacular show, if I do say so myself. The evening was concluded by a lovely dessert of cheesecake, after which we socialized until leaving. A truly fine night, if I do say so myself. I'll admit to enjoying myself on this occasion far more than I did at last year's formal.

However, there was one drawback to the formal. Due to an unfortunate scheduling oversight, the formal also took place on the same night as the front half of the Snohomish Bible Quiz Team Invitational for this year. Therefore, I and my sister, and fellow quizzer Lizzie, were unable to quiz the first night. This meant going to our church the next morning at to take the long bus ride to Snohomish. There, we made it just in time for quizzing, and I believe that we acquitted ourselves well. I think that we won four or five out of seven or eight quizzes. Several of our quizzers, including Kellyn, Lizzy, and yours truly, made All Stars, and we all had a good time. We spent the bus ride home playing a game called Mafia, and when it was my turn to be the narrator, I selected Batman as the theme. That meant that "The Mafia" was the Joker, the angel was Batman, and the detective/sheriff was Commissioner Gordon. Ironically enough, nearly all of the other players were actually Gotham City mafia members in the game (e.g., Ava was Carmine "the Roman" Falcone, Rebecca was Rupert Thorne, Ashley was Salvatore "Sal the the Boss" Maroni, etc.)! I enjoyed it immensely, though the others were a bit annoyed by me using the in-game names in place of real names and for burdening the others with Batman lore. But it did get me thinking... I could gamemaster a superhero crime RPG! That would be cool...

Bible Verse Sunday #67

Today's verse is 2 Samuel 22:3:

"my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence."

This verse tells of God's ever-present influence in the lives of His people, though not necessarily in worldly matters primarily, but in spiritual matters as well. David, the writer of these words, gives us a picture of God's grace, power, and love. God is more than able to provide for His people's material needs, and sees fit to bless many in that regard, but He is also ready, willing, and able to administer to a person's spiritual needs at any time. Thus, even in hard times, God has His people's salvation completely in hand- whether it be physical salvation from Earthly danger and distress, or spiritual salvation which is in place anyway. 

In church today, the pastor continued in our church's study in the book of Romans, covering Romans 4. The one thing that he wanted us to walk away with was we cannot do anything for God to accept us. Rather, he said, God accepts us by faith alone. He drew allegories in between the covenant between Abraham and God and the covenant with God and the church. The only difference, said the pastor, is that Abraham was receiving a physical son (Isaac) while we the church are receiving a spiritual son, Christ, who is our redeemer. In the High School service, the youth pastor gave us a brief overview of the first half or so of Matthew before coming to Matthew 13, where he discussed Jesus' uses of parables. The youth pastor specifically went over the parable of the weeds, and its explanation and application to evangelism.

Bible Verse Sunday #66

Today's verse is Ephesisans 2:10:

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

What this verse means is that even before we were born, our consciences and destinies were authored by God in accordance to his plans for us. Specifically, the plan God has in mind is that we should do his will and obey his word. By obeying his word, we are meant to believe in Christ as our savior, so as to be saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, with our salvation being evidenced by the bearing of fruit, that is, good works. To walk in the ways of Jesus is what we were made to do, and will continue to be so until the end of the age.

Today in church, the pastor continued in the main service's study in Romans, where we learned that God, being our justifier, makes it possible for us to live rightly through Christ alone, and we must have faith in what God has done and will do. In the High School service, the youth pastor talked about the Parable of the Sower as written in the Mark 4, and about the different types of faith discussed there.

Also of note, the fifth episode of Series 2 of The Joker Blogs is up and available online for those of you who want to watch it. There are several big reveals which were awesomely done. Word of warning though, definitely not for younger audiences. Fifteen and up.

Bible Vere Sunday #65

On today, the 65th installment of Bible Verse Sunday is here, ready for retirement age! Just kidding, we aren't going away too soon. Today's verse is Isaiah 12:2:

"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”

In this verse, the prophet Isaiah expounds on the strength and reliability of God. God alone is sufficient for salvation, strength, and song. According to the ESV Study Bible, this verse stands in contrast in the beliefs of King Ahaz, ruler of Judah at the time, who did not believe in "supernatural salvation." In short, this verse is about faith, a very important tenet of the Christian belief system. It is stated in 1 Corinthians 13:13 to be one of the world's major forces, along with hope and love. My youth leader defines faith as an idea plus trust. If the idea is false, then you have a false faith. However, our idea is backed up by evidence proving it to be true; therefore, we have a true faith.

In the main service today, the pastor spoke about the judgement of God, and how only our faith in Christ can save us from it. We are helpless from escaping the penalty, power, and prevalence of sin, but we are not hopeless, because Jesus is there to save us. To illustrate the sermon's topic, there was a video featuring a man in a hole trying to get out. Various men came and advised on how to get out of the hole, meant to illustrate the various beliefs of other religions, but none of them worked. That is, until a final man came, through a rope down, came down into the hole, and lifted the man out. Cool video. I'll have to show it on the blog sometime. In the High School service, some people from Adelphia Bible College came and led worship, and talked about their school. Our youth pastor then began a new series focusing on just who exactly Jesus is. I feel that this is going to be a useful and fulfilling series.

In other news, the pole I've had up for the past month is done (The question was, "Who is Jesus?" with the possible answers of "A liar, Lord, or a lunatic."), and of the seven votes tallied, it unanimously fell on "Lord." I am happy to have an audience which agrees with me. The new poll will be up shortly, with the question being, "If you lived in the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender, what element would you like to be able to bend?" Click away, folks!

(Addendum: Rather, the question posted is, "Which Classical element would you like to be able to manipulate?" The original question was too big for Blogger to load it. Also, my answer would be air. Non-lethal, effective, and I can use it anywhere!)