Burky's Blog

During Reformation, Protestants boast that they practice "sola
scriptura".  Luther and Zwingli broke away from Catholic faith after
they study the Bible, thus discovering that many Catholic traditions
and teachings does not line up with the Bible.  Anabaptism develops
during same time by insisting in keeping the original Bible
interpretations that was arrived by both Luther and Zwingli.  They
want to literally obey the whole Bible, taking it to say exactly what
it says.  Then Anabaptism spread throughout the Europe very quickly,
despite suffering persecution in hands of Lutherans, Protestants, and
Catholics.

Today, most Christians want to follow and obey the whole Bible.
Unfortunately, there are so many groups, that it is enough to confuse
the sincere seeker.  How can we know which Christian are truly
following and obeying the whole Bible?  As I delve into the
Scriptures, observing different faiths within the Christian world,
taking note how seriously each of them want to follow the whole Bible,
I was surprised how many of them are lopsided in sense of Biblical
interpretation.

Be prepared to face the facts, even if it may be uncomfortable.  What
good can come from avoiding the unpleasant facts?  By facing the
facts, we can arrive to pleasant unity within Christian faith.  What
would this world be like if every Christian became unified?

One ex-Mennonite was asked if he believes in nonresistance.  After a
long pause, he said that depends on how we define nonresistance.  What
did Matthew 5:21-26 say alongside with verses 35-45 in same chapter?
Note, if practiced, you will be answering your own prayer if you
prayed Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6:10b.

Charismatic Christians say that Mark 16:16-18 proves that you are not
saved until you speak in tongues.  Yet, how many of them literally
obey 1 Corinthians 11:1-15?  Other groups believes that 1 Corinthians
11 is for our day, yet would hasten to say that Mark 16:16-18 is for
the early church.  If both kinds of Christians are right, where in the
Bible say which part of the Bible is for our day and what is for the
early church?

Some groups believe that 2 Corinthians 6:11-18 applies to every area
of their lives.  Thus they become known as Plain People.  If they
interpret that part accordingly, do they interpret all other teachings
in the Bible accordingly as well?  What about 1 John 2:28, Luke 17:21,
Hebrews 8:6-13, and other similar verses?  Don't forget John 10:10b
here.

How many Christians thought about that Ephesians 4:6 can support
pantheism?  Or that Hebrews 7-8 clearly says that Jesus is our Perfect
Example and applies that to John 14:12, which can prove Mark 16:16-18?
What about John 14:6 and John 14:21?  Would that affirms we are
created in the image of the great I AM, the idea derived from Genesis
1:26,27 alongside with Exodus 3:14?  Summing up these thoughts in this
paragraph, would that prove the truth in Jesus' quoting Psalms 82:6 in
John 10:34?

Many Christians believed that both 1 Corinthians 11:1-15 and Mark
16:16-18 are not really applying to modern church, an action that
Hebrews 8:13 can fully support.  Since there is no statement in the
Bible proving which and what are for when, what about homosexuality or
cohabiting unmarried couples?  As we think about this, did we also
think about Matthew 7:1-5 alongside with 15-20 in same chapter?
Remember, as Christians, we want to obey the whole Bible!

Just Stay

A nurse took the tired, anxious serviceman to the bedside.

'Your son is here,' she said to the old man.

She had to repeat the words several times before the patient's eyes opened..

Heavily sedated because of the pain of his heart attack, he dimly saw
the young uniformed Marine standing outside the oxygen tent.

He reached out his hand.

The Marine wrapped his toughened fingers around the old man's limp
ones, squeezing a message of love and encouragement.

The nurse brought a chair so that the Marine could sit beside the bed.

All through the night the young Marine sat there in the poorly lit
ward, holding the old man's hand and whispering words of love and
strength.

The nurse suggested he move away and rest awhile.

But he refused.

Whenever the nurse came into the ward, the Marine was oblivious of her
and of the noises in the hospital - the clanking of the oxygen tank,
the laughter of the night staff exchanging greetings, the cries and
moans of the other patients.

Now and then she heard him say a few gentle words.

The dying man said nothing, only held tightly to his son all through the night.

Towards early dawn, the old man died.

The Marine released the now lifeless hand he had been holding and went
to tell the nurse. While she did what she had to do, he waited
patiently.

Finally, she returned.

She started to offer words of sympathy, but the Marine interrupted her.

'Who was that man?' he asked.

The nurse was startled, 'He was your father,' she answered.

'No, he wasn't,' the Marine replied.

'I never saw him before in my life.'

'Then why didn't you say something when I took you to him?'

'I knew right away there had been a mistake, but I also knew he needed
his son, and his son just wasn't here.

When I realized that he was too sick to tell whether or not I was his
son, knowing how much he needed me, I stayed.'

The next time someone needs you .... just be there. Stay.

******************************
WE ARE NOT HUMAN BEINGS GOING THROUGH A TEMPORARY SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE.

WE ARE SPIRITUAL BEINGS GOING THROUGH A TEMPORARY HUMAN EXPERIENCE.
(I love this line)

THIS IS WHAT WE ARE PUT ON THIS EARTH TO DO ANYWAY.

RIGHT ?

Today is Russel's birthday, and I am trying to think what I can do to make it more special.  Maybe I should do nothing.  Gilson says that the older you get, the less important birthdays are to you.  I agree--but it don't work for me.  I reminded him of Romans 14 where it says that some man esteem one day above other and some people esteem every day alike.  Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.  I wish I would have thought of that verse when my father ask if New Year's Day is more special than any other day.  For my father, holidays and any other event is meaningless, but for my sister and me, we like to have special days.  One thing I notice that it is usually emotionally sensitive that enjoy special days!  Gilson is not very emotional being, so birthdays are meaningless to him.
 
Those who use Rod & Staff Sunday School books for their Sunday School would know what I am talking about last Sunday.  It talks about Jacob's last words to his sons, and how Levi is hard man, but it is Levites who is on Lord's side when Moses called out in the din of golden calf worship.  It is priests who came to faith in Acts.  What I see is that people don't change when they became Christians--they only channel their same temperaments or personality type into right places which make them seem totally different than before!
 
I thought about my life.  I used to be a crybaby, overreacting to everything.  I think about committing suicide countless times, but never had a heart to actually do it.  I wouldn't be surprised there are some people who think I am a bad boy through and through.  I was much like Reuben who is unstable.  Finally frustrated at myself, I decided to study the opposite temperament or personality.  One thing I learn that people do like consistency.  When I finally understood that God made all four personality types, and that they each have their good points, I start learning about spiritual life much faster.  It is only next month when I finally understood self-denial, then the following month I recognize the value of emotions!
 
In Sunday School class, one gave answer that our emotions are not dependable.  That is true--only if you don't stop and think why do you feel that way!  I believe that is the spiritual meaning of self-denial.  Jesus even begs us to count the cost.  (Luke 14:25-35)  Now I am working on being very conscious of my feelings and still work toward "substituting" my negative feelings for positive ones.  Jesus told Glenda few times that if she would listen to her heart and understand the Bible through her heart, she would understand the Bible to say exactly what God wants it to say--regardless of mistranslations.
 
When I heard that there was a deaf boy in Belize who ran off with a girl, I suspect that the mission is not giving him what he needs.  When I finally found out who it is, I knew that boy is emotional person.  I found a old website talking about deaf mission school in Belize and how that same boy says he like that for his home because he feel loved there.  Why can't he stay feeling loved?
 
Sunday morning, David Halteman preached about the importance of trust in brotherhood.  Jared Petre afterward testified that how can there be any brotherhood if there is no trust?  When I heard David preached on trust, I realize that is basically same as letting go!  Not long ago, I got a message about a small girl on airplane.  After the announcement over the loudspeaker that everyone must be belted and be ready to escape if anything go wrong while the airplane go through the turbulence, everyone became very apprehensive--except that one little girl.  After the safe landing, a pastor ask the girl how can she do it.  She answered, "How can I not be?  Daddy is the pilot and he is taking me home."  Total trust, total surrender, total childlikeness!  I suspect that is the secret of longevity as I check over my limited personal knowledge of centenarians.  I even ask Lyndon Risser about his Grandmother (whom the book, Vera's Journey, is about) and he said that she love blood-clogging food up until the last.  She didn't go on any special diet.  But as I read along in the book, the more I suspect that if that is actually her--she obviously trust totally.  She is willing to surrender all the way.  She is willing to trust and let go.  Then she live over hundred years.
 
If everyone would completely let go and treat each other with love and trust, how much better would this world be?  Would that not be creating the foretaste of heaven here on earth exactly like we pray for, when we pray Lord's Prayer, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."?
 
From now on, I decided to limit my e-newsletter list to only those who don't have Internet access.  That would leave only three names on the list.  I did think of eliminating the list altogether, but decided that it wouldn't be fair to those who don't have Internet access, as I will continually post blogs on deafdemophile.blogspot.com and that same blog will appear in notes in Facebook.  I am liking Facebook much better than email, because it seems like no one is really answering my update emails with their update emails.  Also, I believe it is really part of my personality--I like to be a listener to any conversation than doing the talking, and Facebook allow me to do that.  I can look at other people's pictures even if it is not specialized for me to look at and I can read other people's conversations and insert my thoughts at times. 

If you want to keep posted with my updates and you have internet access, I think there is a way you can subscribe to my blog or note in my Facebook.  Sometimes I post things that I don't send through my update email, simply because I want to keep them on file as they are interesting tidbits and facts I like to keep.  Or if you have Gmail, you can always use Buzz, a new kind of social network that will inform you whenever I posted anything new in my blog.  I have a special email that I include in my e-newsletter list, that will post directly into the blog, and I have Facebook set to automatically upload every new blog.  So far, I have not lost any files using Google features.  I even have an email that can send directly to my Google documents and then I can do editing right there on Google Documents and then I can email from Documents to any name I have on my Gmail contact list.  Now you can see why I really like Google features!