I saw several posts about State Governors making statements
about not wanting Syrian refugees in their states. Don’t get me wrong,
Governors are part of Government and one of Government’s roles (at least in the
Western world) is to protect Citizens. This post isn’t really about these
Governors, though, or even really about their statements. This post is about
Christian response to what is going on.
Rob's Ramblings
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Syrian Refugees and a Spirit of Fear
I have been avoiding Facebook recently. For some reason it
seems a bit like drudgery now. I may get back into it, of course. I have only
been checking it every few days, just to make sure that I haven’t missed an
important message.
Friday, April 11, 2014
Miracles: Some Objections Answered
Introduction:
A Christian cannot deny the miraculous and be consistent.
After all, if the Incarnation never happened, then Jesus was not God as He
claimed to be. If Jesus was not who He claimed to be, then Christianity is a
sham. And people who are not Christian may not be bound to believe in miracles,
anyway. So, to be a Christian is also to accept the possibility of miracles.
[1]
Now, by miracle, I do not just mean an event that is highly
unlikely or that happened in a bizarre way or that is a happy coincidence. [2] Rather,
by miracle, I mean something that is due to direct intervention of a
supernatural intelligence bringing about ends that are at odds with the normal
course of events. [3]
There are a variety of arguments that people give for why
miracles are impossible. Here are two such arguments: [4]
1. Miracles are impossible because they are
violations of the Laws of Physics.
2. Miracles would make God a liar, which is
impossible. [5]
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Things I Want To Do For My Wife As An INTJ
3-1-14
I have been contemplating how I will be able to express my
love to my wife, when I do get married. As an INTJ, emotional expression is a
bit difficult, to say the least. Granted, it isn’t impossible, but when it is
easiest is when I am generally feeling things so strongly that they begin to
leak everywhere. At those times, I have a difficult time actually explaining
what I am feeling.
1. I want to write her love letters and then read them to
her. This may be the only way she will be able to see both the emotional
manifestation of my love while I am also using words to describe what I am
feeling. Otherwise, she would only see one or the other, because when my
emotions are manifesting that strongly, my thinking becomes muddled and
non-linear. And if I only wrote to her, she would not see the emotional
manifestation. I think she will need both from me.
2. I want to lead her spiritually. Now, I don’t expect to
marry a woman who is spiritually immature, that’s not what I am talking about.
Rather, I want to lead her deeper into the things of God than she has ever
dreamed possible, as He in turn has led me. Don’t get me wrong; there will be
things that she will help me to learn as well. This is just me taking Paul’s
charge to husbands in Ephesians 5 seriously. This will include things like
praying together and having devotions together daily.
3. I want to demonstrate my love for her in little things.
For instance, if she doesn’t like slipping into a bed with cold sheets, I would
warm her side of the bed for her. If she were too tired to do her portion of
the household chores, I would do them for her. Sometimes I would just do them
anyway, to bless her. J
I would give her gifts, both purchased and those that I made, small things
mostly, to remind her that I am (or will be) always thinking of her.
3-3-14
4. I want to stay healthy and fit for her. As an INTJ, it is
very easy for me to start thinking about something and remain immobile for
hours at a time. I need to get up and exercise more, as well as improving my
eating habits. I want to do this so that our time together can be maximized and
not cut short by preventable disease and health conditions. And yes, as an
INTJ, I do forget to eat sometimes. This has to do with a very poorly developed
Si. INTJs are often not very in touch with their own bodies.
5. I want to be present for her as much as possible. I will
need to care for myself, which as an INTJ will mean sufficient alone/quiet
time. However, I will also need to make sure that she has the time and care
that she will need from me. This will mean doing things with her when I would
prefer something else. This is a large part of where the relationship will
stretch me. But, as Paul states in Ephesians 5, husbands are to lay down their
lives for their wives as Christ laid down His life for the church. I will have
to discover when I actually need time alone or in silence and when it is just
something that I would prefer. I will need to steward my social time so that as
much of it as possible is available to her.
6. I want to take interest in her interests and enjoy the
things she enjoys. This may not be possible in every case, but as far as it is
possible, I want to do this for her.
7. I want to write songs for her. My voice isn’t the best,
but I will write and sing songs for her as I am able. They may be cheesy and
sung a bit off key, but they will be from my heart to hers. Hopefully they won’t
be too painful to her ears.
I will add more to this list when I think of new things.
Friday, February 28, 2014
You Might Be An INTJ If …
1. your mother ever made you come watch TV with
the family.
2. you realize a year later that a girl (or boy)
had been flirting with you.
3. you won’t allow your daughter/sister/female
friend to date anyone whom you have not thoroughly vetted.
4. you answer Yes/No questions with, ‘It depends ….’
5. your eyebrows are the most expressive part of
your face.
6. people think you are angry or upset when in
fact you are just thinking.
7.
boredom is a dangerous thing.
8.
it takes you days to figure out what you are feeling.
9.
people don’t understand your jokes. And if they do, they are fellow Ns.
10. you can debate on the side of
an issue that you don’t hold.
11. you’ve done so much research
on a subject that people think you are an expert, but you’ve never taken a
class in it.
12. you prefer criticism, because
praise doesn’t help you improve. (Although, personally, I am finding that I
need praise, because my view of myself is far too negative.)
13. you’ve been told you would
make a great super-villain. And then you scare people even more when you admit
that you had considered it as a career choice at one time.
14. you can’t talk about something
private with someone without also avoiding eye contact.
15. you are always at least five
steps ahead of everyone around you.
16. you are easily frustrated by
those around you, but rarely become truly angry.
17. you have a black belt in
sarcasm.
18. you feel like you have a lot
in common with the villains in movies and books.
19. people have ever hoped you
would get a bad grade on a test so you wouldn’t wreck the curve, and you gladly
disappointed them.
20. you understand almost everyone
else, but they can’t seem to ever understand you.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Why I Think I Want To Marry An ENFP
Introduction:
This is an addendum and/or expansion of my previous post. As
I related there, I am not looking for an easy match, so much as I am looking
for a match that will provide balance for us both. With an ENFP, I would find
someone who would complement my strengths in such a way that we are stronger
together than apart.
In this, I went through the four letter descriptors for INTJ
and ENFP and compared them. Here, I would like to give more specifics. In
particular, I would like to shed more light on where she will help me and where
I will help her.
In the midst of all of this, I have come to a greater
realization that God is going to have to work all of this out for me. I did
some calculations based on demographics of certain characteristics and have
found that there may be as many as two ENFPs where I live who match what I am
looking for in such considerations as age, maturity, spirituality, and
intelligence. Considering my town has about 32,000 inhabitants, this doesn’t
give very good odds of us ever finding each other. Hence, the realization that God
will have to bring this about.
Now, this is not going to be the easiest match by any means.
But I do think that this is the kind of woman that God has designed me for.
There will be several (or many) challenges, but good things often are also
difficult.
Part of the challenge comes from the fact that we will
balance each other. The very act of balancing, while good, presents potential
areas of conflict. At the same time, however, this also gives more
opportunities to disciple each other and to encourage each other to be more
like Christ. In covering each other’s weaknesses, we will be far stronger
together than apart.
Saturday, February 22, 2014
What Qualities Best Match The INTJ In Marriage?
I have seen a great deal of discussion of what personalities
best match the INTJ in a relationship. And of course, the most commonly
discussed match seems to be that of the INTJ-ENFP. Some say, “No, ENTP is
better.” Debate abounds. The truth is, there is no monolithic answer. Each INTJ
is different, with different experiences and desires.
Of course, in all of this, many believe that their partner
or spouse needs to complete them. However, this puts pressure on a relationship
that is unreasonable. We need to be complete in God. A spouse can never fill
those shoes. Rather, spouses should complement. They are complete individuals
in their own rights, with their own strengths and weaknesses. Upon being joined
together by God in marriage, they become stronger together than they could ever
be apart.
With that in mind, here are some qualities or
characteristics that I have been looking for, because these are things where we
can complement each other.
Friday, February 14, 2014
A Man’s Sexuality: A Gift From God For His Wife
Introduction:
We live in an over-sexualized culture. Don’t get me wrong.
Sex is not wrong, in the appropriate context. In fact, in the right context, it
is holy.
So many men in our culture are out for whatever they can
get. They spend their sexuality upon themselves and use women to do it. But
this is not why men were given their sexuality.
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