Televangelist Rev. Robert H. Schuller removed his son from the telivision show "Hour of Power." I have heard of this show, but I have never watched the show. In my brief look into him he sounds like Joel Osteen who only likes to talk about the positives of Christianity and nothing about sin.

When I first heard about this I immediately thought that it was a sin issue, but I was wrong and I will give some quotes and let you decide for yourself what you think of the situation.

"The real minister's name that we honor is Jesus, not Schuller," he said to thunderous applause

I liked that statement and sometimes I think people can forget who is actualy in charge of everything. It is the next statement that I have problems with.

"I was called to start a mission, not a church," Schuller told his audience Sunday. "There is a difference. . . . You don't try to preach . . . what is sin and what isn't sin. A mission is a place where you ask nonbelievers to come and find faith and hope and feel love. We're a mission first, a church second."

Questions:

- Is there a difference between a Church and a Mission?

- Have you watched this program? If so what are your thoughts

FULL ARTICLE

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Here is a list of the five most unique restaurants I have visited. I tried to avoid chain restaurants because that takes away from the uniqueness. The purpose of this is to recommend these establishments and have people comment on them if they have eaten there or refer another place. So, without further ado...

5) The Purple Cow. - Located in Virginia Beach, VA this is a family place with a friendly atmosphere. The main reason I selected this place is because it has the best milkshakes. My favorite is the peanut butter and jelly milkshake. It sounds bad but is delicious. Recommend: Peanut Butter and Jelly Milkshake

4) Cheers - Located in Boston, MA this is known for the television series. Previously known as the Bull and Finch Pub. While the outside is identical the inside is much different. Items on the menu are named after a character's name on the show. Recommend Bahston Clam Chowda

3) Tar Baby's - Located in Myrtle Beach, SC a terrific place to get a good breakfast. I was so shocked that there is a place with a name like that. Everyone was really friendly and the food was pretty good. Recommend: Pancakes

2) Tony's Restaurant - Located in Birch Run, MI this place will clog your arteries in a hurry. They have huge portions and when I say huge I am talking about a pound of bacon. The place is a dive, but very reasonably priced. Recommend: Bacon Cheeseburger

1) Ed Debevic's - Located in Chicago, IL it has the rudest service you will get. Their motto is eat and get out. This is done on purpose and there is a large amount of people that wait to get poor service. They will dance on the table's, sit down at your table and do just about anything to make it entertaining. They even have the world's smallest sundae, which is only one bite of ice cream and a drop of chocolate syrup. Recommend: World's Smallest Sundae.

*A place I am looking at visiting is the Safe House in Milwaukee, WI. It looks like a fun place, everything is spy oriented.

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In Genesis 14: 18-20 there is a person who is mentioned. His name is Melchizedek. He was both the king of Salem and a priest (translated king of peace (Heb 7:2)). I find this interesting because right in the middle of the story of Abram (Abraham) this man is mentioned and everything is focusing on the Abrahamic covenant. The interesting part is that every source I have refers to him as a "type of Christ" and nothing to do with the Abrahamic covenant.

Genesis 14:18-20

Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said: "Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand." And he gave him a tithe of all.

The next time he is mentioned is Psalm 110:4

The Lord has sworn And will not relent, "Your are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek."

Later in the book Hebrews the writer refers to Psalm 110:4 four times (5:6; 6:20; 7:17; and 7:21). However, chapter seven spends more time using Melchizedek as an example to Jesus Christ's priesthood and expounds on Christ's superiority.

Hebrews 7:3

without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually.

There are few that take it literally or claim there is a better translation that Melchizedek had no parents and lived forever. It is simply a comparison and I emphasize "like" in Hebrews 7:3.

So what is the point of this? In my opinion I think he is a prototype of Christ and used to illustrate to the Jews. For instance, the author started talking about Melchizedek and Christ's priesthood, but stopped because he did not think they would understand (Hebrews 5:1-11).

I am still looking into this, but I implore you to as well if you have not already.
What are your thought?

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The last debate is over. Assuming that the polls are correct and Obama is in the lead, what does each candidate have to do to win? If you were the campaign manager, what would your advise be?

Does Obama play it safe and ride out a victory or try to win by a large margin? Obama is buying a prime time spot on television. What should he talk about? Should he hope the economy stays bad?

What does McCain have to do to win? Should he continue with Ayers, Wright or ACORN? Or should he focus on Obama's "spreading the wealth" plan? Does McCain hope that the economy gets better?

Additional Questions Regarding the Election:

- What happened to immigration?
- Will race play a factor?
- Do Americans still fear a terrorist threat?

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I was talking to someone about economic policy when they kept repeating that we (conservatives) need to emphasize Obama's economic plan and how it compares to socialism. After hearing his rant about socialism, I said "I think people get it and are choosing socialism."

Obama and his campaign are not hiding their economic plan. Obama has said repeatedly that he wants to "share the wealth" and says that it is "fair." Furthermore, his VP nominee has said it is "patriotic" to pay higher taxes. Many Democrats have a socialist economic plan, but also seem to be more covert about it.

After this recent bailout, I wonder if we have already abandoned are capitalistic ideals.

A few questions:

- Has America changed its view on socialism?
- How close is America from becoming socialist?
- Does socialism just sound nice during economic hardship?

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I found this in a magazine subscription that I have. I highly recommend reading "Israel My Glory" it is part of the Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry



Thoughts?

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The Republican and Democrat conventions have been on my mind for awhile. As the cameras panned through the audience I watched people screaming and crying over the candidates. Not to mention each respective party putting spin on each other's plans. Each of the candidate's campaigns and followers portray that the other will ruin the country. These thoughts inspired me to write my previous two posts about government's ineffectiveness. We all hear the promises that usually go unfulfilled.

With all of that said, I ask who can really make a difference? Should we place our hope and trust into a politician or political ideals? Absolutely not. Romans 13 says that God established those who are in authority. I enjoy talking about politics as much as anyone else and I believe Christians have a responsibility to vote according to biblical standards. However, let us not lose focus of God's sovereignty and forget that He is in control.

Romans 15:13
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

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Congress has a low approval rating, even lower than President Bush. Yet people hate President Bush, but don't complain about Congress that often. Congress is unproductive and usually pushes controversial issues onto other branches. For instance, Congress could stop funding for the war in Iraq, but they would rather the executive branch handle such a hot issue. They also push social issues such as abortion or homosexual marriage onto the judicial branch.

How can Congress have an approval rating around 20% and still reelect incumbents? The answer is self interest. Everyone blames Congress, but doesn't always blame their Congressman or Congresswoman. That is because most likely they are bringing back earmarks for their congressional district. Take for instance the recent bailout. It passes when you add about $250 billion of earmarks. Everyone mocks the bridge to nowhere, but that was just one case.

www.cagw.org

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I've just read 'Government's End: Why Washington Stopped Working' by Jonathan Rauch. I will try not to make this into a book report and refrain from using his terminology, but he made some interesting points. In his book Rauch claims that government's ineffectiveness is due to big government mixed with a gridlock of special interest groups. While I can't agree more with the problem of big government I even think he is on to something with his assumption of special interest groups.

The growth of special interest groups is astounding. “In 1956, fewer than five thousand associations were listed. The number had doubled by 1970 and then doubled again by 1990. Over the period of 1970 to 1990 an average of about ten new groups were formed every week.”

Later, he makes the statement that special interest is not so special. “But the fact is that seven out of ten Americans belong to at least one association…and one in four Americans belongs to four or more.” I think of groups such as AARP, NRA, Right to Life and the membership they can boast about.

The result, any politician attempting to trim a government program will be attacked by a special interests group on the receiving end of the benefit. Government ends in a stand still. Why don't the people care? As Rauch puts it, if 12 companies are fighting for a $12 million subsidy where they each make an easy million, where is the incentive for the public of 270 million to fight over a fraction of a cent?

What do you think of this assessment?

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