However much you think you hate pastors, it's never enough.
The most militant atheist on the planet has less a reason to hate pastors than a young Christian man.
"You two are living together. Tell me more about that," I said in my office.
"We already know it's not Biblical," the bride-to-be said.
"Okay. Say more."
"What do you mean? I'm saying we know cohabitation isn't Biblical."
"Yeah that's what's confusing me. When you asked to meet, you told me you wanted a pastor who shares your Biblical values to do your wedding, but now you're telling me you knowing don't live according to Biblical values? Tell me about how you decided to cohabitate."
"Well, we know what the Bible says about marriage and sex, but my lease was up and if I moved in with my parents it'd be a 45 minute drive and if I got my own place again, it'd be a waste of thousands of dollars."
"Ah. So time and money are your gods."
"No they aren't, we're Christians."
"Maybe. But it seems like you're not - a god is what tells you how to live. You chose to listen to time and money on sex and cohabitation instead of Jesus. Which is your god?"
"Does this mean you won't do our wedding?"
"I didn't say that. But, you did say you wanted a pastor. That's why we're here. I'm a pastor, not a hireling wedding officiant. Do you want a pastor or a vender for your wedding?"
"A pastor."
"Okay, great. Then here's my concern for you: you've developed a habit of hardening your hearts against the authority of Scripture and the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Today, if you hear his voice, don't harden your hearts as they did in the rebellion. You said your Christians, I'll take your word for it right now, but you need to repent and move out until your wedding night. Jesus will certainly forgive if you repent and he'll cleanse you from all unrighteousness."
"Okay. So, if we don't do this then you won't do our wedding?"
"You're missing the point here. You're not even close to worried enough about what God thinks or says. My job as a pastor is to help you care about what God says, not get you to care about what I say.”
“Okay.”
“Do you have anything to say?” I said to the Groom-To-Be.
“No.”
“That’s a bummer. You’re not going to lead this family if you have nothing to say.”
“Okay.”
“Alright. Well, you have a lot to think about. If you want a pastor, I’d be happy to be a part of your wedding. If you want a vendor, let me know. More important than your wedding is your relationship with Jesus. Is He your God or not? Think and pray together.”
*an email three days later*
“We’ve decided to go a different direction.”
—
Some thoughts:
1. My heart breaks for those who make time and money their god. This idolatry is oppressive.
2. I’d for sure officiate the wedding of two non-Christians. As long as they’re okay with me telling the truth about what marriage is and who and what it’s for, I’m in. This is a 10/10 evangelism opportunity straight out of Eph 5:32.
3. But, two professing Christians who are sinning highhandedly? No. “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside.” 1 Co 5:12–13).
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Bugshiptrooper retweeted
J’ai entendu dire que la France était finie, qu’il était trop tard pour la sauver.
Mais la France est toujours aussi belle, enviable même. Sa grandeur n’a pas disparu, elle ne demande qu’à renaître.
Nous avons surmonté en un an un problème cent fois plus grave, sans avoir les moyens dont dispose la France.
La France pourrait y arriver en une semaine.
Bugshiptrooper retweeted
Do not be afraid to sow without immediately seeing the fruits. The sowing belongs to you; the growth belongs to God. No gesture carried out in the name of Christ is useless.
There is a point in understanding where you realizes the masses not only accept the evil, they celebrate it. @RepThomasMassie has reached this point.
It's important when you get to this point to not blame them. As Jesus said "Father forgive them for they know not what they do"
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Bugshiptrooper retweeted
Obviously this little freak could go volunteer to fight the war himself, but of course he won’t. He’s got no interest in making any kind of personal sacrifice. None of them do. Israel’s finance minister bragged the other day that having American soldiers fight Netanyahu’s wars “is the best for us.” Smotrich doesn’t want to die for Israel. Neither does Ben Shapiro. Dying for Israel is your job. You’ve got to wonder how people like this — liars without honor, wisdom or loyalty to the United States — wound up in positions of such profound influence throughout our society. How did Mark Levin get the president’s cell phone number? Why is Adm. Brad Cooper, the man in charge of the Iran war, secretly taking strategic advice from crazed Israel shill Mark Dubowitz? It’s all so nuts, and ultimately suicidal. Future generations will struggle to understand it. In the meantime, Trump will likely obey Ben Shapiro, as he has consistently for months. We can predict the results, because every neocon “victory” is identical: huge numbers of innocent people killed, disproportionately Christians, economic destruction, famine, mass migration and deepening authoritarianism at home. That’s what they’re demanding because that’s what they want. What can we do to stop it? Apparently not much. But we can remember what happened and why, so that history records the truth. Otherwise, when the war ends in disaster, as it inevitably will, Ben Shapiro will be able to blame you for it.
Ben Shapiro urges Trump to wage total war on Iran: "No one in America wants American casualties… We do understand that war does come along with casualties … we're willing to undergo those casualties in pursuit of an end and for a victory."
He says Americans would be fine with Trump blowing up Kharg Island and frames the destruction of Kharg and South Pars as a cheat code to instant victory.
Iran has said they'll respond to such an attack on Kharg by blowing up "all oil and gas infrastructure in the region in which the U.S. and its allies have interests" and plunging the world into a global depression.
