But anyway, lots of good posts from you lately - I am trying to catch up. Perhaps one of these days I will have something to blog. Lately I am uninspired or distracted, not sure. I am definitely going to go take a listen to that sermon you mentioned in your post today though. Will post my 2 cents after I check it out. Sounds like it’ll be a good one. ttyl and God bless!

~Jen

Christopher says:
“Hey” back at you Jen. Another “ye” huh? Well fortunately for you, we’ve upped the “ye” quota for guests here at Got Fruit(?) [98 remaining], plus being an old fashioned gal plays in your favor.

Thank you Jen, I truly do appreciate the positive feedback as I sometimes wonder if half the stuff I post only makes sense to me. I thank the Lord for you and the other regular visitors (E. Barrett, Cathy B. & Holiday Longing) you all are an encouragement to me and this “ministry” effort.

As for the sermon, I was really only referring to a very small section (about 25 seconds into the intro), however if you do happen to listen to all of it I pray that the message might lift you up in whatever way is needed Jen. May God bless you and…

Grace and peace be with you.

Glad you are doing well. Never saw or read “IT” because scary movies? Well, they scare me. But that’s cool how the desktop has sparked conversations. Ya, I really liked that one too on transparency. It made me think (because I’ve been reading a lot of Oswald Chambers lately) that before any of us actually meet and are transformed by Christ we are all kind of like that scary clown underneath. It isn’t until God shows us and opens our eyes to our true condition (the sickness of our sin) that He then can start to really change us. Unfortunately it seems with the emergent church doctrine, the true depravity of human nature (our sin condition) doesn’t appear to be much of a concern, nor the whole concept of regeneration by the Holy Spirit. Doesn’t the bible say “be ye transformed?” If a lot of us were to look in the mirror honestly and weigh our hearts and actions between light and darkness, good and evil, would we then be able to accurately measure how much of Jesus really does live in us? A good question for all of us to ponder I think, and on a daily basis. Yes, “a tree is known by its fruit!”

Anyway, so far and thankfully we have all weathered the storms and hopefully won’t have anymore, though, it looks like an extremely active hurricane season this year. I, for the last month have been terribly sick with bronchitis - who gets bronchitis in August?! To say the least, it hasn’t been fun. Too, have been looking for a less stressful job. If you could, could you please be in prayer about that for me? I really need to find something else. If anything, for my health. Talk to you later Christopher and God’s blessings!

~Jen

Christopher says:

I certainly will remember you in prayers, I do hope and pray that the right job comes to you soon and that you are recovering from that bout with bronchitis. In the mean time, keep your head up.

“Be ye transformed”!?! Hey, you have to speak normal English around here lady, we’ll have none of that KJV lingo ’round here. Seriously, Romans 12:2 is the verse that comes to mind, which I think you summed up well concerning the Emergent Church (or at least what is heard from it’s high profile leaders).

Romans 12:2
2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Hmmm… doesn’t sound like truth can be ambiguous at all from that verse, unless one subscribes to the EC notion of truth being unobtainable due to God keeping it not “real” but “mysterious”. (1 Corinthians 14:33)

Jen, you made another excellent point about our true nature and the depravity that follows without Christ leading the way in our lives. It’s something I’m constantly reminded of not from guilt, but simply that the “old man” lies, waiting for me to slip in my daily pursuit of Christ. Daily crucifixion of the flesh it seems is a reality of being a Christian, a component of being perfected but not perfect.

May our Lord shine on you and your family Jen.

Grace and peace be with you.

~Jen

Christopher says:

Hey Jen, great to hear from you again, especially with you having the tropical storms near your neck of the woods. “We’re” doing fine here. I’ve been staying busy with preparations for Sunday and Wednesday classes, which is such a blessing when you see brothers and sisters express interest and excitement for God’s word. It’s infectious. Praise the Lord!

I agree, the serpent poster pretty much sums it up from what I’ve gathered of the Emergent Church doctrine, or at least that of some of it’s high profile leaders (Doug Pagitt, Rob Bell, & Driscoll). I’m actually partial to the one titled Transparency; which reminds me of the oh-so-scary clown, Pennywise from Stephen King’s novel, “IT”. I actually use it for a desktop at work, and it’s sparked curiosity and conversations concerning false teachings within Christianity, which has opened the way for further talks about one’s salvation.

Anywho, thanks for visiting, take care and…

Grace and peace be with you.

Anyway, good question! I think sometimes all the “stuff” of life is more of a burden and yet unfortunately we live here in this material world and do in fact need material things. I often find myself praying, “God, I just want to be like the birds. They don’t have a care in the world. They don’t think about tomorrow. They just think about today and live and breath and are made for Your enjoyment. Make me (my mindset) like one of these; a bird.”

God’s blessings Christopher and I always enjoy your blogs. They make me laugh and have ministered to me numerous times. Keep writing!

~Jen

Christopher says:
Jen, thank you, and praises to God for being able to share a word or two of encouragement.

Hmm, sounds like someone had a constant case of the “Mondays” when it came to their work uniform. You know? Sometimes the best way to get over those bad moments is to confront them head on. I’m thinking that you should dig out any photos you might have of you in the “monkey suit” and post ‘em along with a story on Walk Two. Let the healing begin…..

Anyway, also loved the points you made in your comment for e. barrett. Too funny. It made me think, “I lost my Swingline (literally) and unfortunately, I used to have flair,” (ex TGIFriday’s employee, though I always felt like I just needed a pair of brass cymbals to go with my suspenders and red and white striped shirt - total toy monkey outfit. File under: What Not To Wear).

God’s blessings!
~Jen

Christopher says:
LOL, too funny, File under: What Not To Wear).

First,you and E.B. we’re a blessing to me today. I thank both of you for the encouragement and positive feedback on today’s post.

Jen, you hit it out the park when you alluded to being concerned first with the business of our Lord. A convicted heart is compelled to prioritize, and in doing so those things that we love, start to become less “important” in comparison to our love and affection for Christ. I think a question we ought to ask God to reveal to us the answer is: “Do I really love temporal things more than Christ or are the possessions just distractions that need to be ranked closer to the bottom of the priorities list?” (Exodus 20:4).

Sooo, you’re an ex TGIFriday’s employee? Really!?! I’m an ex OMGIMonday’s employee, is that not weird or what!!

Grace and peace be with you Jen

Christopher says:
Thanks E.B. for the vote of confidence. In addition to the Biblical perspectives shared, Office Space reminds me of the following do’s & dont’s:

1. Don’t be whiney.
2. Be kind to office equipment.
3. Guard your Swingline.
4. Be nice to everyone, you just never know how far a guy is from going Nero.
D. Don’t wear more than 15 pieces of flair because it really says:“I’m craving attention.”

DISCLAIMER: Real men don’t need flair. Period.

Grace and peace be with you E.B.

Good points and God’s blessings Christopher!

~Jen

Christopher says:
Jen, hope you and the rest of the family had an enjoyable time vacationing.

Grace and peace be with you Jen.