Change of plans
Posted on June 1, 2009
Filed Under Christianity, Youth | Leave a Comment
As you may have noticed, there have not been any changes to my site. There as been a change in plans to some extent. This last Sunday I was appointed as the youth pastor of Straight Up! Youth/ Spirit Filled Church. My goal for this website is to use it to post my thoughts once a week (at least) and hopefully be able to post my sermons and notes up here. I still plan on using this site to comple good human videos as well as some original ones we are working on. Big thigs are going to happen and I am really excited to see how God will use this site in the ministry He has in store for me
~Anthony
I am not dead
Posted on December 26, 2008
Filed Under info | Leave a Comment
Hello everyone. It has been quite some time since I last posted. I wanted to writ and let you know what’s going on. My plan for the blog is to to into construction and revamp the whole site but right now the only access to the Internet is on my iPhone as I recently moved to a new home with no Internet as of yet. Once I am able to pit the site under construction, I am going to change the whole layout of the blog and add pages for my favorite sermons, bands, and human videos. As most of you know, I am the drama director for Straight Up! Drama. In looking for dramas for my team to preform I have noticed that there is not site set up for the discussion and easy access to human videos. I want to use my site to aid other people in finding good dramas as well as encouraging teams that are having a hard time getting off the ground floor.
If anyone would like to assist me in any part of the process incluing working on a particular page (such as compiling good dramas off of Godtube and YouTube) please email me at renonut2006@gmail.com
Thank you all for you continued support. If you would like to be updated on the progress of this site please leave enter all the info in the comment box and leave a small comment. I will email you on my progress.
God bless,
Anthony
Why i like heavey metal and hard preaching
Posted on October 3, 2008
Filed Under Christianity, music | 1 Comment
I get a lot of critisism over the type of music I like. If you cannot tell from things I have written and shows I promote, I am am a huge fan of Christian metal and hardcore music ( Haste the Day, Norma Jean, Living Sacrafice, Demon hunter, As I Lay Dying, ECT).
Other Christians (especially older ones) give me a hard time about this music, some even go as far as to say that they can’t be Christian or that if you can’t understand it you should not listen to it. First off I can understand it. Most people have a problem with the fact that bands like the ones mentioned above scream most of their lyrics which is seen as angry or even evil.
I spent a lot of time trying to figure out why exactly I like that type of music. It lead me to thinking that most of my favorite preachers all scream or yell during their sermons ( John Piper, Mark Driscoll, my Pastor and many others). So I asked myself this question: What is it about the act of raising your voice ( screaming) that I like so much?
The answer I came up with is that when a person screams/ raises their voice, you can hear/feel their emotions thus their heart. In music, a scream can have a wide variety of emotions (excited, sad, mad, longing ECT). In the same way, a preacher shows his heart throught a raised voice and that action is associted with emotions ( wanting to stress a point, anger, saddness and so on). Look at the way John Piper preaches, he will talk normal then go into a wisper and suddenly, without warning will raise his voice to a yell and you can feel the saddness in his voice when he is talking about Christians stumbling.
That is why I like heavy metal and hard preaching. You can hear and feel without a doubt the emotion and heart of the singer or preacher and to me the heart is what it’s all about.
Think about the music and preaching you like. Why do you like it? I hope I am not the only person that thinks this stuff out so much.
God bless,
Anthony
Planned Parenthood hits a new low (yup it is possible)
Posted on September 30, 2008
Filed Under Christianity, Purity, Youth, sex | Leave a Comment
Most people should me familiar with planned parenthood. They are the pro-abortion, “safe sex” group that teaches sex education and hands out condoms to students. This wonderful organization is funded by the govenment thus payed for by you and I in the form of taxes.
If you are not already on the verge of vomitting, it gets better! Planned Parenthood has recently started a website called “take care of down there” ( I am not providing the link. Google it if you must.) On this website, there are several small videos in where the “authority” figure gives teens advise about sex. One clip implys a sexual act between two men and another is a song containing all the slang words used to describe both male and female reproductive systems. This is just the stuff I want my taxes to pay for! Is this really what we want our teens to learn?Even if you are not a Christian, why would you want to have you kids know all the fun slang words?
To make things even better, on top of the government paying for this crap, abstinace programs may not be getting their funding. My friend works for the local worth the wait and his job is currently in limbo because their government grant has not been renewed. So we can pay for PP to condone permiscuity and homosexuality but heavan forbid the gov pay for someone to say wait till marriage.
As Christians, we should be up in arms but of all the sites I read, there is only one email newletter I have recieved. I am not sure how but this thing needs to be stopped. Any ideas?
God bless and fight the good fight,
Anthony
Concert review
Posted on September 18, 2008
Filed Under Gospel, music | Leave a Comment
This past Fridy the 12th of September I hosted a concert at my church with Spoken, The Red Airplanes, Ilia, and One Minute Halo. Unfortunatly, Ilia’s van broke down in Las Vegas and they were unable to make it. As some of you may know, I was previously working with someone here in town to bring concerts to town but that person has recently fallen off of the face of the planet. After a failed attempt to get a concert here by myself, I figured that God was telling me I was not called to do this. Then about three weeks ago, I get a call from Extreme Faith Productions who says they have a completly set up show and all I have to do is arrange the venue.
All thay glitters is gold…..
Posted on September 18, 2008
Filed Under Christianity | Leave a Comment
I recently found that this commonly used phrase is in fact a false statement. In it’s raw form, gold is actualy a very dull, boring looking substance. It is only after it is worked and purified by a master craftsman that gold shines. Mica on the other hand is a very shiny, bright substance. Mica is commonly known as “fools gold”. When shown the two substances, an untrained eye would most likely choose the fools gold.
In the same way, we as Christians are not anything to look at in our raw form. It is only when we allow ourselves to be worked and refined by the Master that we become beautiful and of any use. A person may appear wonderful and look like he or she is a “good” person and even say they are “Christian” but when we look deeper, we see that person is actialy a “fools Christian” and only the untrained would choose that over a life for Christ.
What are you going to be? Are you going to allow yourself to be molded and purified by the Master ( which isn’t always a fun experiance) or are you going to just look like you are being used and actually be a fool?
God bless,
Anthony
P.S. I appologize for the lack of posting. My life has been a little hectic and I failed to make this site a priority. I should have some more posts coming soon please bear with me. Also, if there is anyone looking to guest blog, send me a email at renonut2006@gmail.com.
What is your Deepest Desire?
Posted on August 28, 2008
Filed Under Christianity, Gospel | 1 Comment
I was listening to a sermon by Mark Driscoll and he made a very interesting point. He said that when he is counceling someone, he asks them to go and think about what their deepest desire is. He says it is either to love and serve Jesus thus following what He says or to follow what ever you wish thus following the flesh.
What is your deepest desire? Do you want to serve Christ whith your whole heart thus mending relationships and repenting of sin or do you want to follow the desires of your flesh? If you think that you can follow the flesh the flesh and still be saved you are sorly mistaken. There can only be one deep desire of your heart and there is a destination tied to each desire. If you choose to trust, love, and follow Christ, your destination is Heaven. If you choose to follow your flesh, your destination is Hell.
God bless,
Anthony
It’s my blogaversary
Posted on August 14, 2008
Filed Under blogs | Leave a Comment
I have officaly been operating Contemplations of My Belly Button for a year. A lot has happend in a year. I have moved from a blogger hosted site to my own domain. I have met some great people who I both agree and disagree with. I have also learned that I have a nack for getting my point accros while annoying many.
To celebrate my blogaversary, lets go back to where it all started. Here are my first five posts for those who have never read them. They are not amazing or long but that is the beginning of this mess of randomness:
I will be posting my favorites list when I hit 100 posts (should be soon). Again, I appologize for the lack of posting. My current topics I have drafts for require some resarch or I am not satisfied whith them. They will be up soon.
God bless,
Anthony
I’m not Perfect
Posted on August 12, 2008
Filed Under Christianity, slightly random | Leave a Comment
I was watching a show today about Japan. Every where he went, the host asked the person he was talking to whether they believed perfection was possible. What amazed me was that every person gave a similar answer: Perfection is never reached which is why you keep progressing until you die. I have found that this is the normal sentiment found in Eastern philosophy.
I think we can learn something from this outlook on perfection. In Western Christianity, it seems that we use the fact we are not perfect as a crutch rather than a catalyst. I don’t think God made it so we can never be perfect to use it as an excuse, rather I think He meant for it to inspire us. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard the phrase ” I’m just human, I am not perfect you know”. Imagine what this Generation of Christians could do if we take the fact that we are not perfect to always continue to strive for perfection.
So take a tip from Eastern philosophy and never cease seeking perfection and use the lack of perfection as a crutch. Instead, take your lack of perfection and use it as a catalyst to more towards perfection until you go on to see Christ.
God bless,
Anthony
Is the Trinity Real/Provable and is it Important Doctrine?
Posted on August 9, 2008
Filed Under Bible, Christianity, Gospel, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
I just recently began re-reading the Gospels and noticed something fairly profound. I have read the book of Matthew and the rest of the Gospels multiple times but have never really stopped to think about the scriptures as I read them. I am reading the Bible on a program called e-Sword, which is a program that contains multiple versions of the Bible (Including Greek and Hebrew for those scholars out there) as well a great commentaries from scholars like Westley and Barnes. It also has dictionaries/ concordances to help with those unfamiliar words. The program is free but you have to download some of the versions, commentaries and dictionaries separately (most of which are free including NIV, ESV, NKJV). By reading my Bible through e-Sword, I am able to read the scriptures as well as see the commentary for those scriptures.
I read Matthew chapter 3 today and got to the part where John the Baptist Baptized Jesus. I have read this chapter hundreds of times and heard dozens of sermons on it but never got a profound meaning from it. The particular scripture I am talking about is: (Mat 3:16 ESV) And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him;
Now I knew the importance of the scripture but I did not fully understand what was happening in the scripture but not to its fullist extent. According to the Clarke commentary: “This passage affords no mean proof of the doctrine of the Trinity. That three distinct persons are here, represented, there can be no dispute.
1. The person of Jesus Christ, baptized by John in Jordan.
2. The person of the Holy Ghost in a bodily shape, (???????? ?????, Luk_3:22) like a dove.
3. The person of the Father; a voice came out of heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, etc.
The voice is here represented as proceeding from a different place to that in which the persons of the Son and Holy Spirit were manifested; and merely, I think, more forcibly to mark this Divine personality.” This seems to prove the existence of the Trinity as in this one scripture, God reveals to us all three form of the Trinity at once. There are some “Christians” who do not believe in the Trinity, these people are know as modalists. Modalists are unable to explain or account for the events in this scripture as well as more than 70 other passages according to basictheology.com.
To answer my question in the title, yes the Trinity is provable and not only is it important doctrine, I believe it is essential doctrine. Modalism is heresy thus modalist are not Christians. Some popular modalists in Christianity are the musical group Phillips, Craig, and Dean as well as well known and praised Bishop T.D. Jakes. This is an excerpt from the Enquirer’s Handbook that I took from the blog Sweet Tea & Theology: “Since the death of John and the other eleven original apostles, many concepts and teachings have arisen that do not necessarily coincide with the “one God” teaching of the early church. In the year A.D. 180, Tertullian began using the term “trinity” from which was born the Catholic doctrine of three Gods, co-equal, co-existent and co-eternal. The Roman Emperor Constantine in the year A.D. 325 incorporated the “doctrine of the trinity” into the Catholic Church where it has remained ever since, and most Protestant churches have accepted this doctrine without thorough examination. The “trinity”, however, generates confusion and is not in total harmony with the Scriptures. To say that there are three separate persons who somehow comprise “one God” is like trying to connect opposing sides of two magnets. When you add 1+1+1, it must equal three; and there cannot, under any circumstances, be more than one God.”
To think that God must operate under our laws is absurd. God never dictated mathematics to us thus the rules of math are man made and man followed. I find it interesting that Churches that hold the belief in the Trinity are not diligent in finding out who holds this heretical thought. Thousands of men from thousands of Churches have gone to the promise keepers conferences and heard T.D. Jakes preach. Jakes is revealed as a great pastor among many churches yet he hold this idiotic belief. I would not endorse, listen to, or attend any program or service that T.D. Jakes or Phillips, Craig, and Dean endorse, speak at or are endorsed by. If they hold one heresy how more likly is it that they have more.
I hope I was helpful and that you may be a little more clear on the existence of the Trinity and the importance of the doctrine. As Christians we are to be vigilant into the things we are taught and who we are taught by. When you are going to have a speaker or attend a meeting with speakers you are unfamiliar with, research them to find out if they hold true Christian beliefs.
God bless,
Anthony
