Tower of the Lord

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With the coming of the new year people make lots of resolutions. Some resolve to lose weight and work out, others resolve to spend less money and eat healthy food. But whatever the resolution few continue in their resolve for long, in a few months they are back to their normal routines of eating, spending and not working out. Some might say that resolutions are pointless and others are afraid to resolve, so the question is, Do You have the Courage to Resolve?

When I talk about having the courage to resolve I am not talking about resolving to lose weight or work out, I am talking about resolving to be pure, resolving to give your all to Christ and further His Kingdom. It is not that losing weight is bad, actually it is desirable in 1 Corinthians Paul talks about how our bodies are holy and how we should take good care of them (1 Cor. 3:16 & 17). What I am saying is this, we should put the spiritual things before the carnal and the resolutions of the spirt before those of the body. Matthew 6:33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” if we worry first about what Christ wants for out spirits then the physical things (health, finances, etc.) will fall into place.

I would like to issue a Challenge, I challenge you to make a resolution not a resolution of the flesh but one of the spirit. I challenge you to strive for purity, and commit yourself to the furtherance of the Kingdom of Heaven. In a letter to his mother John Wesley asked for a list of sins he should avoid his mother replied with this “Whatever weakens your reason, whatever impairs the tenderness of your conscience, whatever obscures your sense of God, whatever increases the authority of your body over your mind, whatever takes away from your relish for spiritual things, that to you is sin, no matter how innocent it is in itself.” Think about that, that covers a lot of things. My challenge is this avoid those things, avoid the things that increase the influence and control of your flesh over your spirit, and take away your desire for God. I am not saying take it on all at once, start with the small things and go from there. Ask God for guidance and strength, ask for the wisdom and knowledge to stand strong and take out those strong holds one at a time.

The stakes are high and the risk is great, once taken this commitment will lead to death, death not of your spirit but of your flesh. This is not a resolution for the faint at heart, it will require Courage and Resolution beyond the physical. It will require supernatural strength from God and a ernest desire to give your all to Him. As an example I would like to use the story of Daniel and his friends when they were training to become wise men. The king of Babylonia told Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring in some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility- young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning [Daniel 1:3b-4a NIV]. Among these were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, instead he asked “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink.” At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. Now you May be thinking “you said you were talking about spiritual resolutions, but Daniel resolved to go on a diet.” and you are partially right, I am talking about a resolution of the spirit, Daniel and his friends resolved to honor the Lord by refraining from eating the food of the king and instead devote themselves to God and seek first His wisdom and knowledge before the things of the flesh. What they were doing is fasting, not the kind of fasting where you eat no food but the kind where you stay away from things that your flesh desires and spending your time praying. You see the story does not end with them eating veggies for ten days, they continued this for three Years, however their fast was not in vain. Because “To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning.” [Daniel 1:17a NIV] You see Daniel and his friends resolved to please God before men and before the flesh and they were greatly rewarded. They were set aside to learn language and literature of the Babylonians and God rewarded their Resolution by giving them more than they asked for. It took great courage to eat only veggies and water when everyone around them was eating steak and drinking wine, I would guess that they were made fun of, laughed at and scorned because of their resolution. Most likely they suffered from a great desire for the things of the flesh but they had resolved to do something and by strength given to them by God they had The Courage to Resolve.

hey everybody how are you?
this is junior and i thought i would try this blog thing. well i was wondering what is a blog? i mean what does it mean? like come-on blog? what kind of word is that? well anyway this is my “blog” (what-ever that is).

so this “blog” (i still need a definition) is just to let you know that my website is now up and running and i will be adding more stuff (hopefully) soon. also i will try to keep it fairly updated so that you will know what i am doing and what i have been up-to.

so welcome to my “blog”. i think that i will call it junior’s blog what do you think about that? real original isn’t it?

The following are borrowed from therebelution.com and are authored by Alex and Brett Harris.

You Read It Right: Complete Blog Commenting Guidelines
For the purpose of facilitating logical and respectful argumentation and discussion, the lovely Dawn Eden of The Dawn Patrol commissioned us (Alex and me) to write out the complete blog commenting guidelines. We are now pleased to present:
Commenting for “Newbies”
(A “Reminder” for the Rest of Us)
About the Authors: Alex & Brett Harris have competed for four years in high school speech & debate, including policy and value debate, persuasive platform speaking, limited preparation categories, and even interpretative events. Over the past two years they have combined for 5 national titles, making it into final rounds over 18 times. They have been contributing authors to several debate sourcebooks and have coached high school speech and debate clubs in Oregon, Washington, and Maryland. They currently co-author the blog The Rebelution.

You Have Entered “The Comment Zone”
It is crucial to a vibrant and healthy comment section for participants to understand the purpose of discussion, and to possess a proper respect for their fellow contributors. Whether you maintain your own blog, comment on other blogger’s posts, or both, you have most likely been frustrated by the lack of proper argumentation and the seeming epidemic of disrespect, primarily among your opponents (Insight #1: They feel the same way towards you).
The truth is that we all can use a helpful reminder every so often as to how we should conduct ourselves in the high-intensity role of “the commentator’s commenter.”
For that reason we present, “Commenting For ‘Newbies’ (A ‘Reminder’ For The Rest of Us),” as an invaluable resource for bloggers and their readers; an aide-mémoire, if you will. Yes, logic, evidence, and respect still exist and can be realized—even in your comment section.
The Purpose of Argumentation
Critical to proper argumentation is an understanding of why we argue; we argue in hopes of persuading dissenting opinions to conform to our own. If we disagree, it is because we think we are right and others are wrong. We take the time to discuss our disagreements in hopes of proving the validity of our views. It is frustrating, therefore, when we find ourselves perpetually clashing with our opponents, while making seemingly no headway towards our goal of changing their minds.
In fact, at times it can feel as if, were we to publicly claim that rabbits exist, our opponents would deny it; even if one hopped up, said, “What’s up, Doc?” and starting burrowing into their heads. How do we get past these confounding doldrums and arrive at a place from which the discussion can progress in an intelligent manner?
Here are three steps to improve your skills of argumentation:
Step One: Remember that your opponents have come to their conclusions using more or less the same rational process you have. The difference is not necessarily their intellect, but rather the information they had at their disposal and the values they hold.

Step Two: Understand that this means your opponent feels just as confident about the accuracy of his or her position as you do about yours, and will only be persuaded otherwise if you prove that their information or values are out of line.
Step Three: Realize that successful argumentation will only take place when you make it your goal to inform and persuade, by supplying additional bits (or chunks) of information and by addressing the values behind your opponent’s conclusions.
8 Principles For Logical & Respectful Discussion
The key to respectful, profitable argumentation is to respect others and to be respected. You respect others by acting civilly and arguing reasonably. You cause others to respect you by not acting like a fool in your manner or in your argumentation. Here are eight principles that allow you to do both:
NUMBER ONE: Understand the ‘classical’ view of tolerance.
The classical view of tolerance lends itself much more readily to intelligent argumentation than does the modern view. It teaches that, while we may strongly disagree with dissenting opinions, we still treat the person behind those opinions with respect.
DO feel free to disagree, even strongly, with other people, and say so!
DO feel free to permanently demolish opposing viewpoints. (Good luck!)
DO NOT attempt to demolish opposing “people.”

NUMBER TWO: “No ‘ad hominem’ attacks, you moron!”
Nothing more quickly degenerates a discussion than when people start attacking those making the arguments rather than refuting the arguments themselves. Remember that the character, circumstances, or political ideology of the person has nothing to do with the truth or falsity of the proposition being defended.
DO NOT stoop to name-calling (moron, idiot, etc.)
DO NOT imply negative monikers onto people simply because they disagree. (i.e. “Anyone who’s even slightly intelligent will believe that cows are people too.”)

NUMBER THREE: Eschew Obscenity & Prohibit Profanity
The use of inappropriate language and shocking statements is a sure sign that the author lacks the ability to communicate their position in a calm and reasonable manner. It shows tremendous disdain for others and will not be allowed on respectable blogs.
DO NOT be upset when your comment is deleted for inappropriate language.
DO NOT be upset when you IP address is banned for multiple offenses.

NUMBER FOUR: He who asserts must prove.
This is one of the most critical aspects of proper argumentation and requires that you carefully guard yourself from making groundless statements. Every proposition should be supported by either logic or evidence.
Logic includes everything from complex syllogisms to plain ol’ cause-and-effect. Evidence can take the form of examples, statistics, and/or quotations from authorities in the field. Supported arguments stand until refuted. Unsupported arguments do not deserve a response and might as well not exist.
DO feel free to confirm other people’s points without providing additional support.
DO NOT make additional arguments or publicize your disagreement with someone else’s position without providing adequate support.

NUMBER FIVE: Respond to the argument, not to the spelling.
There is no surer sign of inadequacy on the part of a debater than when they take issue with some small “error” on the part of their opponent, while ignoring the main point/s their adversary is trying to make.
If you are unable to refute your opponent’s position, don’t insult his or her spelling, grammar, or insignificant deviations from fact. Your opponent is most likely correct, and their small errors have nothing to do with the overall truth or falsity of the proposition they defend. Don’t make a fool of yourself by being a sore loser.
DO feel free to point out significant errors that impact the validity of a claim.
DO NOT point out errors solely for the purpose of embarrassing your opponent.

NUMBER SIX: Debating When Less Is More.
A common tactic adopted by inexperienced debaters is to ask a long series of questions that place an enormous burden on their opposition, without actually making any particular point. Such an approach is not only unfair to your opponent, but it really isn’t argumentation at all. These kinds of “question avalanches” can hardly be responded to in the confines of a comment section, but will often foster animosity.
The same is true of those with too much time on their hands (or a gift for speed writing) who present far too many arguments at one time in hopes of “burying” their opponent under the supposed “empirical” weight. Both of these abuses inhibit true argumentation and inevitably degrade the quality of a discussion. Respect yourself and your opponents at all times by using moderation in your argumentation and questioning.
DO feel free to ask pertinent and probing questions about your opponent’s position.
DO NOT expect answers for loaded questions.
DO NOT ask loaded questions.
DO feel free to make powerful and relevant arguments against your opponent’s position.
DO NOT expect answers to your 5 page tome.
DO NOT write 5 page tomes.

NUMBER SEVEN: Do your own research.
Remember that your opponents are busy people who are taking time out of their day to discuss relevant issues with you. Do not place an excessive burden on them by requiring them to go “off-site” to read lengthy articles or study ancient philosophers, scientists, etc. If Aristotle makes “your” point then “you” should be able to make the argument. Your opponent certainly will not (and shouldn’t have to) make it for you.
DO feel free to provide links to outside sources for your opponent’s consideration.
DO NOT expect your opponent to read them unless you make them want to. (i.e. “If you go read Maxwell’s five-foot bookshelf, then you’d agree with me!” never works)
DO feel free to support your arguments with outside resources. Just make sure you summarize what the resource says. Otherwise your opponents will consider your argument unsupported until they go read/see the support. Which they most likely never will.

NUMBER EIGHT: The fallacy of the majority.
When the majority of participants in a discussion hold your position, it is common to start acting as if the last seven principles no longer apply to you. You feel you can destroy the dissenter, along with their position, since you have so many like-minded chums. However, the majority has no more right to silence the opinion of a minority through disrespectful, improper argumentation, than the minority would have, if it were able, to silence the opinion of the majority using the same methods. Victory by means of respectful, logical argumentation is true victory. Victory by any other means is no victory at all.
DO feel free to destroy dissenting opinions using respectful, logical argumentation.
DO NOT silence dissenting opinions by majority “piranha attacks.”

Note: Please use these guidelines when commenting on any and all of my blogs or my website in general.