My kids brought back a fantastic report of Soul Survivor (week C).
They obviously had a great time – food, mud fights, etc.
But the things they kept telling me about were the teaching seminars. My boys are not given to listening to sermons. They hate mine! But at Soul Survivor they were able to listen for 50 minutes or more without noticing the time go by.
That in itself is a miracle.
But what is more of a miracle is that my third son – the least spiritual of the bunch – was keen to get out his Bible and show me the verses they had been teaching on. Mindblowing!
So I am well pleased with anything that can fan into flame the spark of their faith.
Tuesday, August 26
Wednesday, August 20
Wikipedia, Todd Bentley and faith healing II
Following my earlier post:
If someone is injured in a car accident the doctors are quite happy to attribute the injury to the accident, so why is it that when someone is healed in a Christian divine healing meeting the doctors can't attribute the healing to the Divine? Or at least to the event? Instead, the invent placebos effects and spontaneous recoveries. It's nonsense!
If someone is injured in a car accident the doctors are quite happy to attribute the injury to the accident, so why is it that when someone is healed in a Christian divine healing meeting the doctors can't attribute the healing to the Divine? Or at least to the event? Instead, the invent placebos effects and spontaneous recoveries. It's nonsense!
James Randi Educational Foundation
Well I never! New people have actually been reading my blog! I have to give my thanks to the person who posted a link to my Todd Bentley post below here on the James Randi Educational Foundation website. I don't think they agree with me!
Following the thread, they are very keen on critiscising Todd for alleged violence, marvelling that no one has brought a lawsuit agianst him. That is actually a very good question - if what they accuse him of is true then he certainly would get sued. There is plenty of evidence for the court to use (I actually saw the one where he kicked a man in the stomach - I was certainly shocked but it wasn't as bad as is generally portrayed. If you are pre-disposed to be offended by Todd, then you certainly will be) The fact that he hasn't been sued by that man (not yet as far as I know) speaks for itself.
They also make much of his criminal past, since they clearly lack the ability to undertsand the repentance, forgiveness and re-instatement that comes with salvation. It would fit their world view better if Todd remained a criminal. Granted, FreshFire Ministries should have a child protection policy that precludes Todd from unsupervised contact with children, but we need to celebrate the thousands of people whose lives have been improved by his ministry.
But the bottom line is - they tout themselves as skeptics, and so strangely enough, they are skeptical. Shutting their eyes they say they cannot see. I refer again to the definite miracle experienced by my colleague in my previous post.
Following the thread, they are very keen on critiscising Todd for alleged violence, marvelling that no one has brought a lawsuit agianst him. That is actually a very good question - if what they accuse him of is true then he certainly would get sued. There is plenty of evidence for the court to use (I actually saw the one where he kicked a man in the stomach - I was certainly shocked but it wasn't as bad as is generally portrayed. If you are pre-disposed to be offended by Todd, then you certainly will be) The fact that he hasn't been sued by that man (not yet as far as I know) speaks for itself.
They also make much of his criminal past, since they clearly lack the ability to undertsand the repentance, forgiveness and re-instatement that comes with salvation. It would fit their world view better if Todd remained a criminal. Granted, FreshFire Ministries should have a child protection policy that precludes Todd from unsupervised contact with children, but we need to celebrate the thousands of people whose lives have been improved by his ministry.
But the bottom line is - they tout themselves as skeptics, and so strangely enough, they are skeptical. Shutting their eyes they say they cannot see. I refer again to the definite miracle experienced by my colleague in my previous post.
Tuesday, August 19
Wikipedia, Todd Bentley and faith healing
I was looking at the terribly biased Wikipedia article against Todd Bentley. It is fairly up to date, even including details of his recent marriage difficulties. (The devil likes to strike the shepherd so that the sheep will be scattered).
I always thought that Wikipedia articles were supposed to be neutral, and yet the article is clearly written by an opponent and shows quite terrible bias. Yes they have checked out negative the stuff they quote to make sure it is true etc, but there is no balancing positive information.
They also throw doubt on his claims of faith healing, putting the phrase in inverted commas to indicate their scepticism. In the discussion they justify this by saying that until there is scientific proof of faith healing, they can’t write it as factual, and therefore have to put the inverted commas, and refer to the Wikipedia article on faith healing.
The trouble is, science is the wrong tool to measure faith healing.
For one thing, it’s impossible to get evidence from a doctor because no matter how miraculous it is they will never say ‘God did it’ or ‘it’s a miracle’ – only that ‘the patient went through a spontaneous recovery’. There is therefore a circular logic in the scientific approach – they shut their eyes and then say that God doesn’t exist because they can’t see him.
Secondly, science has to be repeatable. But God is not one of the laws of phyics of the universe to be tested in that way. He is an individual, who does what he wants when he wants to. He is not a machine where you push the button and the mechanism works to deliver the product. His individuality and his scorn for human ‘wisdom’ mean that he will never subject himself as a divine lab-rat. So you try to scientifically measure the effect of prayer, and he won’t play along. But on the other hand, a friend of mine whose daughter was in the Alder Hey children’s hospital in Liverpool, England, told me that staff there say that the children of families that pray do have a better chance of survival.
The fact is, some people do experience genuine healing at these events. My colleague showed me before and after MRI scans and accompanying doctor's letters - the earlier dated one said he had asbestosis and on that basis he had successfully sued his former employer and was waiting for the cheque. The later dated one stated he had no asbestosis, and on the basis of this he had waived the compensation payment. Between the two scans he had been to a Christian faith healing meeting [not one of Todd Bentley's] and been healed suddenly, miraculously and permanently in the aisle before he even reached the front. It's anecdotal, but its still 100% true.
And my own wife has experienced a partial healing of her rheumatoid arthritis when she was ‘slain in the spirit’ at our church, and now that she is due for a flare up after the birth of our baby, and her hands were starting to get stiff, she asked for prayer again last Sunday and on Monday the pain had reduced – in her words from 7/10 to 5/10.
In Scripture, physical healing and forgiveness are often mentioned side by side, as a couplet or as phrases within the sentence. So, if you don’t believe that God heals today, why do you still believe that he forgives you today?
I always thought that Wikipedia articles were supposed to be neutral, and yet the article is clearly written by an opponent and shows quite terrible bias. Yes they have checked out negative the stuff they quote to make sure it is true etc, but there is no balancing positive information.They also throw doubt on his claims of faith healing, putting the phrase in inverted commas to indicate their scepticism. In the discussion they justify this by saying that until there is scientific proof of faith healing, they can’t write it as factual, and therefore have to put the inverted commas, and refer to the Wikipedia article on faith healing.
The trouble is, science is the wrong tool to measure faith healing.
For one thing, it’s impossible to get evidence from a doctor because no matter how miraculous it is they will never say ‘God did it’ or ‘it’s a miracle’ – only that ‘the patient went through a spontaneous recovery’. There is therefore a circular logic in the scientific approach – they shut their eyes and then say that God doesn’t exist because they can’t see him.
Secondly, science has to be repeatable. But God is not one of the laws of phyics of the universe to be tested in that way. He is an individual, who does what he wants when he wants to. He is not a machine where you push the button and the mechanism works to deliver the product. His individuality and his scorn for human ‘wisdom’ mean that he will never subject himself as a divine lab-rat. So you try to scientifically measure the effect of prayer, and he won’t play along. But on the other hand, a friend of mine whose daughter was in the Alder Hey children’s hospital in Liverpool, England, told me that staff there say that the children of families that pray do have a better chance of survival.
The fact is, some people do experience genuine healing at these events. My colleague showed me before and after MRI scans and accompanying doctor's letters - the earlier dated one said he had asbestosis and on that basis he had successfully sued his former employer and was waiting for the cheque. The later dated one stated he had no asbestosis, and on the basis of this he had waived the compensation payment. Between the two scans he had been to a Christian faith healing meeting [not one of Todd Bentley's] and been healed suddenly, miraculously and permanently in the aisle before he even reached the front. It's anecdotal, but its still 100% true.
And my own wife has experienced a partial healing of her rheumatoid arthritis when she was ‘slain in the spirit’ at our church, and now that she is due for a flare up after the birth of our baby, and her hands were starting to get stiff, she asked for prayer again last Sunday and on Monday the pain had reduced – in her words from 7/10 to 5/10.
In Scripture, physical healing and forgiveness are often mentioned side by side, as a couplet or as phrases within the sentence. So, if you don’t believe that God heals today, why do you still believe that he forgives you today?
Tuesday, August 12
Monday, August 11
Miracle baby arrives!
Hi
I am thrilled to announce the birth of my daughter on 24th July 2008. (I haven't been able to post this earlier because I left my blogger password at work)
I am thrilled to announce the birth of my daughter on 24th July 2008. (I haven't been able to post this earlier because I left my blogger password at work)
Mrs...being an older mother with a history of miscarriages ...went for a routine check the day before, and they found that the baby had wriggled out of position and was now 'in breech'. So they demanded that she come in for a caesarean the next day.
At 9lb 12oz (4.42kg), it was probably the best thing for her.
Mrs has given her a fantastic name - long and a bit of a mouthful, but with a deep meaning such that her very name is a gospel message wherever she goes, without being embarrasing. Shame this is an anonymous blog!
The first week was increasingly difficult, until we twigged that she wasn't getting enough milk and switched to formula. Instant new baby! She slept 9.5 hours last night. So much for 'breast is best'!
This birth is of the essence of this blog. It is quintessential. A normal life with God is an adventure that leads you to do things that you would not normally do without him. It is a NORMAL LIFE ADVENTURE.
For those that have not been following the story, we are an older couple in our 40s, with 6 other children. I had had a vasectomy owing to my wife's arthritis medicine being harmful to unborn babies. But the Lord called Mrs to have another child. After prayer for healing she was able to come off the drugs (though she still has rheumatoid arthritis), so we sought guidance about vasectomy reversal. My GP laughed his head off, and then told me 101 reasons why it was unlikely to work. I could not get it done on the National Health Service, but a private doctor was much more positive and had me dome within weeks. We got pregnant quickly, but miscarried at 7 weeks. After a longer wait, she became pregnant again but miscarried at 14 weeks. Then we had a long wait, and seriously doubted if we had heard the vision correctly. We had more prayer for pregnancy and healing. eventually, she did become pregnant agian, and this time has carried it to full term. Normally, rheumatoid arthritis flares up after a pregnancy and she has a hard time after the miscarriages, but so far she has been ok with this one (though it's too soon to say for sure). So, God has givin the vision and then he has fulfilled it. (see my post for 21 July 2006)
"I'm confidenent of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will complete it". (Philippians 1:6)
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