The Church: Down to basics

As I mentioned in a comment that I left on my last post "The Prelude" I have decided to broaden the range of my study. Rather than pick apart one doctrine within the church, I will be picking apart the church as a whole. I believe that most of the differences in doctrines in the church go back to what the church is interpreted as. The Bible gives a very clear definition of what the church is, and God willing I will be able to lay it all out. I have set this study up as an outline. I am in the process of putting on the final touches on the first third of the outline, and when I am done I will post it in segments. Again, this is taking longer than I had hoped it would, but God willing the waiting will pay off. It is my goal to keep this study relatively short, yet thorough. Its a hard combo, but it is possible.
~Jim

The Prelude...

I am going to be starting a study here shortly, on the Charismatic movement. It is not my intention to rip to shreds the beliefs of others; only to point out what I believe and why. Recently I have had several people ask me questions what I believe concerning the Charismatic movement, and honestly I have not been able to answer some of them. Hopefully this will be a learning experience for my readers, as I know it will be for me.
~Jim

VOTE!!!

Today is Election Day! You have the right, privilege, responsibility, and freedom to vote, and it was paid for with American blood. Don't take it for granted.

Unconstitutional?

Lately I have been going over various firearms laws for New York State, and various other states, and am becoming more frustrated as I read them. As most of you know, the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States says that "the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." I am finding that State laws restrict which Americans can "bear arms". According to New York State Law, "No person may carry, possess or transport a handgun in or through the state unless he has a valid New York license. New York does not issue licenses to non-residents nor does it recognize licenses issued by other states." More specifically a US citizen who is also a resident of the State of Nebraska [for example], and holds a concealed carry license to posses and cary a handgun and/or revolver, can not cary or possess a handgun or revolver in the State of New York [for example]. Now, the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States says that "No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States..." So, if the Constitution grants citizens of the United States the right to keep and bear arms, and it also prohibits states from infringing on the rights guaranteed to United States citizens, how can "State A" not allow a licensed handgun owner from "State B" to "bear arms" in "State A"? The Constitution does not limit the arms that the people may keep and bear.
I would really appreciate feedback on this post. Thank you.
~Jim

A Change of Tone...

Up to this point, my writing style has been more of a journal type setting. I have decided to change my writing style to a more topical setting. This is a matter of personal preference, and I think I will be able to put forth my thoughts more thoroughly in this way. The Great Minds team is free to write in whatever style they wish, about whatever they wish, and are in no way obligated to change anything based on my decision. Hopefully the readers will be seeing a change toward more structure and professionalism in the layout and interface of this site as we acquire the means to make such change possible. As always, thank you for visiting Great Minds, and make sure to tell your friends about us. (hopefully we will be making some banners available in the near future for that purpose.)

~Jim

Articles of Faith

-I believe that the Bible is God’s Inspired, Infallible, Eternal, Authoritative, Complete, and Sufficient Word. The 66 books of the Old and New Testament canon are Inerrant in the original Hebrew and Greek Manuscripts and are the believer’s final authority concerning faith and practice. (Matt. 24:35, II Tim. 3:16-17, I Pet. 1:23-25)
-I believe in the One Triune God, Eternal, Self-Existent in the persons of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit; one in essence, but distinct in person and function. I believe that the three persons of the Godhead are Co-equal, possessing all the attributes of God. (I John 5:7)
-I believe in God the Father, who is an Infinite and Perfect Spirit, the Source and Support of all things. He is Perfect, He defines Perfection.
-I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s son, Triune, and Co-Existent in the trinity, who became 100% human by His virgin birth, but remained 100% God. He came to Earth as an infant, was crucified as a man, and arose from death three days later, that to as many as God has given Him, He may give to them eternal life. (John 17:2) I believe that there is one God, and one Mediator between God and man, the Lord Jesus Christ. (I Tim. 2:5)
-I believe in the Holy Spirit, Triune, and Co-Existent in the trinity, who ministers to the saints, convicts, regenerates, indwells, sanctifies, illuminates, and gifts. I believe the Holy Spirit has given gifts to Christians to serve in and through the local church. I believe that of the gifts mentioned in the Bible, sign gifts (miracles, tongues and their interpretation, and prophecy) were temporary and given to the church in its infancy before the completion of the canon of scripture. In this belief, I reject the modern Charismatic movement.
-I believe in the six literal days of creation. (Gen. 1:5,8,13,19,23,31) The universe was created in six literal 24hour day/night cycles, and that on the seventh [24hour] day God rested from the work that He had done. (Gen. 2:2) I reject all forms of evolution, theistic or natural. I believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, and lived in a perfect spiritual state, but died spiritually when he rebelled, and is living in a totally depraved state, at enmity with God.
-I believe in God’s sovereign Grace, and particular redemption. I believe that He chose His elect before the foundation of the world. (Eph. 1:4) I believe that there is not one who seeks after God. (Rom. 3:11) I believe salvation is final, that it can not be lost. (John 10:28-29)
-I believe in the existence of Angels, spirit beings created by God for His glory and purpose. They are created beings, more powerful than humans, but not all-powerful.
-I believe in Satan who was Lucifer, the highest angel and his following, angelic beings who rebelled against God and were cast out of heaven. They constantly oppose God, and God’s people. (Isa. 14:12-13)
-I believe in the place of eternal punishment and separation from God, designed for Satan and his followers, called hell. (Ps. 9:17) Those people who are not God’s children will spend eternity in hell. I believe in heaven, God’s dwelling, where His elect will spend eternity in fellowship with Him.
-I believe in the spiritual unity of the body of Christ, the church, of which Christ is the head. God has ordained the church, which is comprised of all believers, for the equipping of the saints unto the furtherance of the gospel. They are to observe the two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper. (Matt. 28:19, I Cor. 11:23-26)

James C. McClure 2007

Just Thinking...

Recently I ordered a $50 product online. This morning I received my package, and when I opened it, discovered a $260 product. I was charged for the product that I ordered, and received a product that is worth over five times more. I am ashamed to admit that the first thought in my mind was "Sweet! I'm not going to get a deal like that anywhere!" And legally (so I'm told) I could have kept this package. But when I really considered the scenario, I couldn't justify keeping it. It just wasn't right. So, I called the company, and found out that my order had been accidentally switched with someone else's order. So, someone bought a $260 product, and received a $50 product. When I heard that, I felt even worse about the fact that I had even considered keeping the package. Anyways, the situation was straightened out, and I sent the package back. Long story short, they are sending me a "combo" package worth twice what I am paying, since they goofed up my order, and since I was honest. I am grateful to God for helping me in this situation. In and of myself, I probably would have kept the package. And I probably would have gotten away with it. But that definitely doesn't make it right.
~Jim

Commando Krav Maga

"An estimated 9.1 million Americans were victims of violent crimes every year. A murder is reported to the police every 27 minutes, a robbery every 59 seconds and an aggravated assault every 31 seconds..."

I bought the Ground and Guns DVD set, and love it. It is four discs covering gun disarming and how to survive ground attacks. It teaches you how to handle grapplers and anyone else who might threaten you. Moni Azik is my DVD instructor. Moni Azik was asked to improve the Israeli army's existing hand-to-hand combat system, using his extensive knowledge of reality based Jiu Jitsu and competitive Judo, specifically for the use of their special forces. He has over 30 years of combat experience, and is an excellent teacher. I would highly recommend any of the Krav Maga training DVDs.
~Jim

Apple iPod Nano the Fourth

As you all probably know, the fourth generation iPod Nano came out this week. I own a second generation Nano, and love it. I did not like the third generation version. It just wasn't a Nano. I am very pleased to see that the Nano is back to its beautiful self, and loaded with new features. First, it comes in nine different colors. They also kept the bigger screen from the third generation version. And the biggest, bestest feature yet? The Nano now has the tilt feature. So you can view pictures in portrait and landscape, watch wide screen movies, play games that use the tilt feature as a controller, use Cover-flow, etc. You can also shake to shuffle. If you are feeling random, just give your iPod a little shake, and a different song starts playing. I don't yet own one, but will be purchasing one soon. When I do, I will probably hit this topic again, not just from a spectator/fan point of view, but from a "I have one and love it" point of view. Thank you Apple for bringing back the Nano. I don't mind change, but drastic change, like going from a beautiful, sleek, fits-perfectly-in-my-hand rectangle to a little square thingy...that I couldn't handle.
~Jim

9-11-08

Seven years ago our nation was attacked on our soil. It was a brutal display of unconventional warfare against military personnel and civilians alike. It was an act of war. Unfortunately it seems that a lot of people only remember this day one day a year.
As most of my readers probably know, I am planning on joining the military. A lot of people have asked me why, and there are a lot of answers I could give. A lot of people just wouldn't understand some of the reasons. People don't always understand convictions. I have always flirted with the idea of joining the military, and some of my closer friends who have spent a lot of time with me can attest to the fact that my plans have changed more than a few times concerning the branch, or the MOS (Military Occupational Specialty). But the military has always been a plan. The events on September 11 sealed it for me. God willing, I WILL join. I want to know I am doing everything I can do to make sure that something like that never happens here again. My heart goes out to the families of the 9-11 victims, and the families of fallen and wounded soldiers who are sacrificing so much for this cause. People tell me that right now we are fighting the wrong war. That this war has nothing to do with 9-11. Well, last I checked, we are fighting the GLOBAL WAR ON TERROR. And there are just as many terrorists in Iraq as there are in "Palestine", Iran, and Afghanistan. If the fight is in Iraq, so be it. If its in the Persian Gulf, so be it. If it is in Afghanistan, so be it. As long as we can keep it out of America. You can call me what ever you want to call me because of this conviction. I think I would call myself a plain old patriotic American.
I realize this post is not as light-hearted as some of my previous posts, but I hope I have clearly set down my convictions and planted my flag. May God protect our police and fire personnel and our soldiers, and may God bless America.

The Night My Day Was Made...

So I was at the Washington County Fair yesterday. ( Its like the biggest in New York State) At first things were going a little slow. My smaller siblings were trying to decide what ride they wanted to go on next, etc. But me and my co-blogger/brother did eventually taste freedom. After a lunch of hotdogs (the fair kind), we took off and checked out some booths. I found this one leather booth, and discovered all kinds of cool hand-made leather doodads that I liked, but couldn't afford...anyways, we eventually ended up at the Truck Pull. It was pretty amazing. First we watched the stock semi-trucks, then the modified semi-trucks. Those were pretty flippin' sweet! Then they had the pickup pull. That was by far the best part of the show. My personal favorite was a 1955 GMC Truck. That thing was loud! It was owned by the guys who won the pickup pull, but they won with a different truck. A heavily modified Chevy Silverado. A bright neon yellow and orange beast dubbed 'Bumble Rumble'. I thought the day couldn't possibly get any better. The smell of exhaust, and the black clouds of it, the deafening ROAR of V8s working as hard as they can (you know, the kind of roar you can feel right through you), and the fresh squeezed lemonade was the best I have ever tasted! Can it get any better? I was about to discover that indeed it could! As we were leaving the fair, I caught out of the corner of my eye something absolutely breathtaking. I had to look twice, because I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. There it was, the car that I have been following since its first appearance in the Detroit Auto Show (I believe it was the Detroit Show...) back in 2006. The 2008 Dodge Challenger. All 425 horses! The Hemi 6.1 in all its glory. And it couldn't look better in any other car! So, ladies and gentlemen, last night I got to get under the hood of that beast. Last night I inhaled the smell of new car. Last night I got to touch my dream car! And who knows...some day I might own one. Untill then, my desktop wallpapers will have to do.
~Jim

The Sempiternal Purview...

I have lately been constructing in my mind, a...well, I don't know what else to call it. A concept. The Sempiternal Purview. First, I will endeavor to define this sempiternal purview.
A purview is a range, or extent. A horizon if you will. For example, the range of one's vision, or the extent of one's understanding or cognizance. It is a boundary that may or may not exist physically. Let me explain: If a person were to stand on a plane, that extended indefinitely in all directions, their would be a limit, or extent to what he could see. There is no physical boundary (outside of the person's ocular capabilities), yet there is a limit to what the person can see. If this person were to be encompassed by a wall, the extent of the person's vision would be reduced. One could also exemplify this concept by substituting cognizance or understanding for vision. The human mind is capable of accumulating vast amounts of knowledge, but there is no human being in existence who knows everything (excluding the third person of the trinity, Jesus Christ, the Son of God)
Sempiternal simply refers to a never ending duration. My understanding of this word is that it refers to something that has a beginning but no end. (the word "duration" implies a beginning) The soul is a good example. The soul exists only after conception, and thereafter never ceases to exist. Thus eternity and sempiternity differ in that something that is eternal had no beginning and will never end, and something that is sempiternal had a beginning but will never end.
The simplest definition, then, of a Sempiternal Purview is a limitless boundary, though that is not a perfect definition.
Picture a road, surrounded by void, so that a person cannot turn to the right or the left, but must remain on the road. On this road, the person is in progression, so that he cannot turn back. This road has many forks, but it is complete from beginning to end, so that no matter which combination of directions the person chooses to take, he will end in the same place. As this person is walking, he comes to a fork. He can turn either right or left. This is his choice to make. He is completely free to chose either way. No matter which way he chooses, he will eventually reach the terminus of his journey. He will eventually come to the end of the road.
Now tell me, who made the decision that this person would turn right or left? The one who built the road. This person is confined to the road that he is on. This road has a beginning, and an end, both of which have been predetermined by the builder. But, the person has a seemingly innumerable amount of choices. There are countless combinations of ways this person can get from beginning to end. Ultimately, though, the one who built the road is the one in ultimate control, because no matter which way our person goes, he is confined to the road, and the choices that the builder has given him.
I could carry this scenario even deeper. I have given you an example of one person. Now picture billions of people all walking on their own roads, who's paths cross in a truly infinite amount of combinations.
This is the Sempiternal Purview. The choices these people have are limitless but they are bound to the road that they are on. It is a limitless boundary.
I actually wrote the road illustration quite a while ago, to illustrate God's sovereign grace, and man's free will. But it seemed to fit in so perfectly with my concept of sempiternal purview. I think it illustrates both how God's sovereign grace coincides with man's free will, and a sempiternal purview. I am continuing to refine this concept, and would appreciate feedback.
~Jim

The Great Insect War...Part II

Bête Noire

Another insect I have come to despise is the earwig. Not really because of anything they have done...I very simply loath their existence. They are evil little beasts. If you know French, you have hopefully figured out the sub-title by now. If not, don't feel bad, I don't know French either. I found my sub-title in a thesaurus and felt that it nicely described my feelings for the earwig community. Bête Noire: Black Beast, or evil beast.
We recently had a large (4'x8') sign in our yard advertising an event. The event since past, it was my duty to remove the large sign. It was made by screwing a sheet of plywood to two acicular 2x4s. Well, I successfully removed the sign from its anchorage, and carried it to our parking lot. When I dropped the sign against the building, a score or more of these little beastly critters emerged. So, I threw the sign down on the ground, and witnessed to my complete dismay, hundreds of earwigs pour from between the sign and the stakes. I had discovered the Northern and Southern Stake Clans. As fast as I could I snatched up the first noxious substance I could find, and proceeded to pour it upon the emerging army of earwigs. I then whipped up a nice concentrated concoction of Water, Malathion, Orthex, Petroleum distillates, and some other ingredients. I then proceeded to marinade the earwigs as well as the surrounding premises. By this time the side of the building and the ground thereabouts was crawling with these loathsome insects. There were hundreds! Everywhere! Needless to say, they're all dead.
You may, at this very moment, be accusing me of an un-provoked hostility towards these inferior creatures...well....I'm gonna have to agree with you. And thus ends my account of how I (for the time being) atomized the great earwig menace.
~Jim

The Great Insect War...Part I

The Vendetta...

There is one insect that I have come to despise. In fact, as of recently I am guilty of mass insecticide against this particular group of insects.
It all started when we were using my brothers mini-van as a pickup truck. These yellow jackets built a nest in the track of the sliding door. They managed to put it where it wouldn't get crushed, but every time I opened the door, there they were. At that point they were merely a nuisance. They have become a great mennace. I learned a trick from an undisclosed source. A light shower of cold water temporarily locks up the muscles in their wings, and they drop like birds...then I step on them. A more concentrated blast from my 3 gallon pump sprayer obliterates the nest and all occupants. Well, I was on a roll. I cleaned every nest--every yellow jacket off of my brothers mini-van/truck. Life was good...for me...the yellow jackets were all dead.
About a week later, I was heavily engaged in a water fight. I was standing in my "bunker" (behind the deck) arming myself with water balloons and filling my 3 gallon pump sprayer with cold water, when I was attacked by an angry family member, no doubt, of the clan I utterly raised on my brother's mini-van/truck. This was the Wheelchair Ramp Rail Clan, close relatives of the Sliding Door, Driver's Door, and Tailgate Clans. Well, due to the affects of cold water on yellow jackets, the climax of a water fight was a bad time for retaliation on their part. They picked the wrong day! They picked the wrong fight, with the wrong guy! I was as livid as one can be when his cognitive powers are focused on an acute burning sensation caused by the south end of a north bound yellow jacket! I gave them about 3 gallons of cold water to think about, while I treated my battle wound. Then I took out my revenge! I annihilated the Wheelchair Ramp Rail Clan, and then moved on to the Exterior Recessed Spot Light Clans on the north and south sides of the peak. I atomized every yellow jacket nest I could find on our property. I even took out my revenge on an abandoned mud-dauber wasp nest that formerly belonged to the Top Left Corner Garage Door Clan of mud-daubers, distant relatives of the yellow jackets.
To all you wasps out there, and all you hornets, THIS IS WAR!! To all you bees, let your minds be at ease. My fight is not with you. Stay strong. Know that the Human race is working on a cure for CCD!
~Jim

Feel the Power...

I have lived at my current residence for a little over a year now. Over that time the power has gone out maybe 3 or 4 times. Maybe once because of a storm here. Any other time, it has been because someone was trying to fix something. (That thing with the Christmas lights doesn't count. I only juiced the town 'till the backup kicked on...) One time they actually called up and warned us. "We are working on the lines, and there is a chance you could lose power for 10 or 15 minutes." I think the power was out for almost 30 minutes...
Well, I finally figured it out. Our power company here in NY is British. *Cronk voice* Oh yeah, its all coming together now...
~Jim

Death by Chain-mail...

Well, if they can do it, so can I! If you don't read this post in its entirety, the rest of your life will...um...be....miserable. You will never find your soul mate, and your Australian kangaroo mouse will die of chicken pox. You will also never taste a good pizza ever again.
Don't you just love imposed spam death threats? You find them on people's walls, and in comments. A touching story followed by an ultimatum. Spam at least 10 people or you will die next month. Either that or you will totally blow your chances of ever winning the lottery. Or, your girlfriend will dump you. I get these all the time. Worst of all, from people who I thought were my friends...
I occasionally read one of these chain messages (AKA spam) out of boredom usually. I get to the end, and its like...Whoa! Was that a threat? *wields sharpy* You want to take this out to the parking lot?
Do people actually take these things seriously? If you honestly believe that by not forwarding the message to ten people, some poor little girl's cat will be hit by an 18 wheeler, I seriously feel sorry for you. No wait...I don't. I laugh at you. HAHAHA. You totally deserve any lack of sleep you may bring upon yourself by not forwarding the message.
Do you know how many of these I delete every day?!? By all rights I should at least be single, jobless, and living with my parents...oh wait......I am...well, what I am trying to say is, don't spam people. Yeah, that's pretty much it.
By the way, if you don't email this post to at least 10 people, you will bald pre-maturely, get head lice and dandruff, and your pet iguana will move to Albuquerque where the air smells like warm root beer and all the towels are oh so fluffy...
~Jim

The Logic...or Lack Thereof...

Ok, just to warn everyone reading this, I guarantee that this will be offensive to a lot of people. (some of my biggest fans will probably hate my guts after they read this) Offensive, not because its crude, or vulgar, or tasteless, but because I am about to criticize and expose a way of thinking--a culture...Ladies and Gentlemen, I am about to let off some steam! (usually I let off steam by working out or something, but that would not accomplish my current goal, so I will indulge in the power of the pen...or...the keyboard)

Here we go. I am going to talk about children with boy/girl friends. By children, I mean...oh...15 and under. ( POW! ) I am also going to talk about young people and young adults who have boy/girl friends for no apparent reason...( BIF! ) By young people and young adults, [you guessed it] I mean anyone older than 15. So I asked some people, "What is the point of having a boy/girl friend?" and the answer I got back was basically to test the water, or even more basically, practice. In fact these people I talked to said that they would not even consider marrying any of their boy/girl friends, x or current. I seriously did all I could to contain myself. ( SMACK! ) The urge to bust out laughing was incredibly intense. ( WHAP! ) So tell me something; WHY ON EARTH DO PEOPLE GET SO HEARTBROKEN and/or ANGRY WHEN THEY GET DUMPED?!?!?( THWAK! ) Ok, I'm sorry, I got ahead of myself. Assuming one is 15 or younger...It is obviously a long shot to even consider marriage. But if marriage is not even in the equation, obviously it is inevitable that sooner or later you're going to break up. (more likely sooner than later) With that in mind, WHY ON EARTH DO PEOPLE GET SO HEARTBROKEN and/or ANGRY WHEN THEY GET DUMPED?!?!? ( THUNK! ) [like my Batman comic exclamations?] I mean, for any age, if marriage is not in the equation, logically, its ridiculous to have a boy/girl friend. HOLY SHENANIGANS BATMAN! IT JUST DOESN'T ADD UP!

So you have a boy/girl friend...so you can get to know them? But you are not planning on spending the rest of your life with them, which means that you will probably either be dumped or dump them in the next week...maybe month...or if you're really delusional, sometime next year...

1+1=39.2987463...

IT DOESN'T ADD UP! In fact, it pretty much, flat out, doubtlessly, and by all accounts, defies logic.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying you have to marry the first person you date. I am saying that 1) You shouldn't date anyone you wouldn't consider marrying, and 2) Rather than dating someone to get to know them, get to know them before you date them!

NOTE: This is for all of you people who have had 4.6 billion boy/girl friends, and still haven't learned your lesson...and anyone who has a boy/girl friend simply so you can tell everyone you have a boy/girl friend.

~Jim