Jesus – The Word Become Flesh « A View From A Hill

Jesus – The Word Become Flesh « A View From A Hill

Jesus is the Way the Trueh and the life. Believe it, embrace it, live it.

Blue Ridge Mountain Boy: State Quarters

Blue Ridge Mountain Boy: State Quarters
If you are a collector of state quarters, here are the ones I have. Will sale for a small fee.

4 Reasons to Pass On the New iPad - SmartMoney.com

4 Reasons to Pass On the New iPad - SmartMoney.com
Quentin Fottrell makes some good points on why not to buy the new iPad*. As tech companies such as Apple* continue to push the latest version of their hot tech gadgets to consumers, buyers should take a close look before shelling out another $500. The features on the new iPad* are alluring, but if I already had a good tablet, I don't think I would rush out and buy the new iPad*, just like I probably will not buy a new laptop while my old one is functional.

However, if you do not own a tablet and you want to join the Apple* family, why not get the top of the line new iPad*. If I had the $500 to spare, I probably would go with the new iPad*. But since I don't have $500 to spare, I will have to be content with my iPod Touch* 4G or go with a less expensive tablet.

*Apple, iPad and iPod Touch are registered trademarks.

Is the Gay Life Wrong

There is a debate among many concerning the gay life. Proponents of the gay lifestyle maintain that it is an alternate lifestyle that is not morally wrong, while others decry homosexuality as a sin. The Bible, which was inspired by the Creator of us all supports the latter view, however, for the sake of argument, let us take a closer look at sexuality, sin, human nature and the divine design and purpose of man.

We were created as sexual beings, from the dawn of time, God commanded mankind to be fruitful and multiply. The sex act in humans and throughout the animal kingdom is the means of perpetuating the species. In the divine design, God put in the pleasure factor, making sex an intensely pleasurable act that encouraged the reproduction process. The pleasure feature in human nature also is at work in the appetite for food, ensuring that people eat to receive the nutrition they need for survival.

In addition to producing physical pleasure, there are also emotions involved in the sex act. I do not want to go too deep into the emotional aspects of sex; I will leave that to the respective experts in the field. However, I would like to mention that the Bible says regarding the sex act that two become one. In sex, there is a bonding that is physical, emotional and perhaps even spiritual.

It is an irrefutable fact that the Bible denotes homosexuality as a sin along with a whole host of other activities that humans engage in. What is sin? Sin is missing the mark of God’s standard of living. We have all missed that mark and it humanly impossible to meet God’s holy standards, only Jesus lived a perfect sinless life; only through placing our faith in Him can people be placed in a right relationship with God. If sin is missing the mark of God’s standard for living, why do people sin? It is in our nature, it is pleasurable, sin fulfills our selfish motives.

Propensity to be Tempted

Within the human nature there is the propensity to sin; we are all created as individuals that are tempted to surrender to different sins. While we are all are tempted by sin in general and at times are tempted by temptations that span the broad spectrum of wickedness, there are some that have a weakness and are driven to specific acts of evil. In my opinion, the reason some are driven towards some sins more than others may be genetics, environment, their upbringing or things that happened to them in their past. Concerning genetics, there is a long history of evil that has transpired down through the ages, who is to say that the evil has not become a part of our genetic code. However, the bottom line is that through Jesus we do not have to yield to temptations, whatever their root cause, but through the power of redemption and His indwelling Holy Spirit we can be free from sin.

In the case of sexual sins, sexual sins appeal to our desire for pleasure. Apart from rape, which is related more to violence than pleasure, most sexual sins are pleasure related. Sexual pleasure within the parameters God has set is not wrong (God’s parameters being between a man and wife who are married). If we would be honest, we engage in sex because first it starts in our mind as a pleasurable thought, it originates from some visual stimuli, a touch, something we read, flirtatious conversation, oversexed imagination, natural physical desire or anything that starts the mind to thinking on sex. From the thoughts, we move on to the sex act, you know the rest of the story.

However, not all thoughts that turn us on are proper thoughts. Some sexual thoughts are about people that we are not married to, some may have improper thoughts about children, some imagine perverse sex with animals and in the case of homosexuality, sex with people of the same sex. Improper thoughts can lead to improper desires and if not dealt with improper actions. If we believe God’s word we must acknowledge that the homosexual sex act is sin, a sin to repent of and be delivered from.

The argument that some may raise is that they are born with the desire for members of the same sex or that they are so strongly drawn towards members of the same sex that it must be right. While I do not pretend to know all of the emotional issues involved in homosexual relationships, however, I have experienced the emotions involved with heterosexual relationships. However, apart from emotional issues, sex is a pleasure driven activity. Whether it is raw physical pleasure or the pleasure of receiving emotional comfort or satisfaction, sex is very pleasurable. Just because someone feels that it would be pleasurable to be intimate with someone of the same sex does not make it right. The erroneous train of thought that says that our natural inclinations are the right course for our lives is flawed. By that way of thinking we could excuse most any bad behavior. Liars could excuse their lying by saying that they were naturally borne liars, serial killers could say that they were just doing what they were born to do and the list goes on. The bottom line is that if we believe the Bible is God’s word and contains the answers for this life and the one to come, we need to conform to its teachings and not our natural inclinations.

If you have read this far you have probably realized that I am a Christian who believes that homosexuality is a sin. You are correct in this assumption, however, I believe it is a sin that God will forgive and deliver from. I do not pretend to know all the struggles that gay people experience and do not want to be classified as a gay-basher, but I believe God’s word is true. I would like to be seen as someone who offers hope to those living the homosexual life, by letting them know that God loves them and desires that they turn from their sin and embrace His son, Jesus who died for the sins of the world and was raised from the dead.

I write this not as a perfect, holier than thou Christian but as a believer that battles temptations of my own on a daily basis. The temptations that I face are heinous offences that would make most people blush, but just because I am tempted does not mean I have to give in, but through the power of Christ I resist temptations. Not that I always resist, I still stumble but Jesus is always ready to forgive when I confess my sins and call on Him. In closing, whatever sin you are struggling with, know that God’s grace is sufficient enough to forgive you and deliver you from any sin.


Resources

Fannin County One Million Dollar Field House

Stopping in at the local convenience store, just North of Blue Ridge, Georgia, I was appalled at the story on the front page of The News Observer, one of Fannin County's local newspaper. The story revealed that $1,000,000 had been approved for a field house. I may be a bit old fashioned, but $1,000,000 seems a little much for a building for football players to change into their uniforms, take showers, house equipment and perhaps a house a weight room. I do not know the details, but it seems that we could build an adequate field house for considerably less than $1,000,000. Maybe we couldn't build a fancy field house, but one that would be sufficient for our athletic program. I played football for Fannin County High School and was well acquainted with the old field house at West Fannin and got the use the one at Fannin High my senior year in 1980. These field houses were not the fanciest, but they fulfilled their purpose well. It would be interesting to know the cost of these field houses.

In a time when we are experiencing a high rate of unemployment and facing economic uncertainty, it would be refreshing if our elected officials would be more frugal with taxpayers money. The citizens of Fannin County need to hold our elected officials accountable for the money used to build this field house and make sure not one dime is wasted. In fact, there would be nothing wrong with the citizens having a meeting with the school board to discuss a less  expensive but sufficient field house. With government spending out of control, why not start at the local level in curtailing government spending.

Blue Ridge's Cheapest Pizza

Do you know where to find the cheapest pizza in Blue Ridge? I will give you a hint, it is not Pizza Hut or Papa's Pizza Buffet. The cheapest pizza that I have found so far is in a discount grocery store in the old Valley Village shopping center. The store is known as Super Saver and they sell small pizzas for the super low price of $.75. Yes, that is what I said $.75. One small pizza for three quarters; I fed me and my three kids for $3.00 plus tax, and the pizza tastes good too. Next time you have a craving for that circular piece of bread coated with tomato sauce, cheese and your favorite toppings, you may want to consider Super Saver. I am not against eating out at the Pizza Hut or at Papa's Pizza Buffet, but sometimes you have to operate within a budget, With Super Saver pizza, you can have your pizza and stay within your budget as well.

Blue Ridge Dairy Queen

Not only do you get great fast food and friendly service at the Blue Ridge Dairy Queen, but they are also serving up food for the soul. While you are dining at the Blue Ridge DQ you are treated to the inspirational sounds of contemporary Christian music. I treated me and the kids to ice cream at DQ today and heard some vintage Audio Adrenaline, " I Get Down". The song that reminds us that when this life down here gets us down, Jesus is always there to lift us up. God is so good to us and we can always depend on Him to be there for His children. Being reminded that God is always there to pick us up, now that is a treat that is better than ice cream. For great natural and spiritual treats, visit the Blue Ridge Dairy Queen.