The Learned

Q: Son's friend is a Muslim and my son wants to have a sleepover at his house. They're super sweet. Is it ok? A: From experience: My friend's brother always goes to his Muslim neighbour's house. This neighbour then becomes his godfather when he is in upper primary. Now, this friend's brother who used to be a Christian has officially converted into a Muslim. They converted him secretly without his parents knowledge. His parents only found out years later when he was in his late teens. These neighbours make a super sweet Muslim family. And this is the result you get for spending time with them.

Not all Pentecostal churches are bad.. don't throw the baby away with the bath -- just a couple. I'm not a Pentecostal but seriously, saying all Pentecostal churches are bad is too much. I can name a handful of really sincere Pentecostal churches in South Australia itself: Ekklesia, Adelaide CBD  Ancient Wells, Goolwa Revival City Church, Tailem Bend Field of Dreams, Norwood  Upper Room Church, Elizabeth South Just because you had a couple of bad experiences doesn't mean it is ok to persecute the body of Christ. Among all, the greatest persecutor of the church is the church. Be careful of what manner of spirit these accusers of the brethren are.

As a former English teacher, I would say spelling is the best reading hack. Learn to spell as they learn to read. We got it backwards.

Should Women work? Yes, women are God's keys to the Transference of Wealth:  1. The Proverbs 31 woman The Proverbs 31 woman didn't just provide for her family. She made enough to buy land.  Proverbs 31:16 She considers a field and buys it; From her profits she plants a vineyard. She did not just sell cookies -- it wasn't just a hobby job over the weekend when the kids were out. She did not just sell her goods to one or two customers, but was a supplier, not just to one business but to businesses. She was a manufacturer, supplier and distributor of clothes, Proverbs 31:24 She makes linen garments and sells them, And supplies sashes for the merchants. 2. Lydia, the seller of purple Acts 16:14-15 14 Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. 15 And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faith...

Acts 2 13 Others mocking said, “They are full of new wine.” 14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. 15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.  Romans 8 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. My dad wrote a whole thesis against speaking in tongues when he was in Bible School. But one night, the Holy Spirit fell on him. He was baptised in the Holy Spirit and he couldn't stop speaking in tongues.  He knew my mom was a Pentecostal so the next day, he went to look for her. "HEY, LEE, YOU SPEAK IN TONGUES, RIGHT?" He shouted.  "Shhhhhhh.... Keep quiet or we'll both get caught." Apparently, pentecostals were pretty rare in that Bible School...

Don't try to change what the church is. It is a place we go to worship God. It is not a social club. The problem arises when we try to replace God -- as if the world steps into the church so we can meet their needs and so that we could be a friend to them. The world steps into the church so that God can meet their needs and God can be a friend to them. We can never replace God.  They try to replace God because they don't have God themselves and they don't expect God to meet the needs of these people or to be a friend to them because they don't have God meeting their needs or being a friend to them themselves.  Don't put anyone in position of influence in a church when that person doesn't fully rely on God or knows God intimately because what they will produce are more non-Christian Christians. When we don't believe that the world can experience God the way that we experience Him, we try to save them by other means -- parties, various themed activities, and s...