Category Archives: Christianity

Stryper Reborn

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Stryper came out with a new releast mid-August this year, just over a month ago, well a month and a half ago. I wasn’t aware of it until late last week, when I ran into the CD while flipping through CD’s in the S section at Fry’s, actually seeking another band.

I guess it was late last Winter that I was on Stryper’s website wishing for news of a tour nearby, or some material being recorded. There was something, I’m not sure what, a hint or something, maybe. I don’t recall, only that I stopped going there and thought about it at one point to remind myself to check back sooner than later. Well, I didn’t. I forgot. I have even played the albums I have of theirs on my computer many times over this Summer, no thoughts of them beyond that, for some reason.

So needless to say I was SHOCKED when I found the CD ‘Reborn’. It’s a really neat cover. The music is incredible. If you ever loved Stryper before you must love this CD, I think. I know. I feel it myself. I loved them in the 80′s and never stopped loving their music. They are the only “Christian” band I’ve been able to tolerate, and it isn’t toleration at all for me, I really like them, and their simple lyrics that don’t mince words. The music is complex and wonderful.

Styper\'s Reborn CD cover

Their newest then is new. It’s better than ever, truly. One that is really nice is an updated In God We Trust, titled I.G.W.T. this time around. The overall tone of the album is true about this one too: it’s hard, a bit melancholy, moreso glowingly minor and melodic and heavy hard undertone and overtones all at once. Another familiar song, Amazing Grace … done over Stryper “Reborn” style … really good to hear that updated too. The rest is all new material, delicious as chocolate in any way you like it the most.

Frank is away for a couple of days and may be gone longer than scheduled, so after a flurry of “Stryper Talk” I gave him on the phone today, he said I could get a few things I saw and so I was able to order their new album on Vinyl (!) I’ve been buying older vinyl of groups I like, on eBay lately, and this is even better, a brand new just released Stryper albumn, on VINYL! :) I also ordered a T-shirt and a couple of Stryper buttons.

The other good news is that, if we can get them, Frank agreed to go to their concert in Atlanta in November, actually just one month from today. It’s a small venue and hopefully tickets will be available when he can get there later this week. I saw them long, long ago. I was a young person back then. Now I’m old, of course, they are too ;)

Compassion

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COMPASSION, n.

1. A suffering with another; painful sympathy; a sensation of sorrow excited by the distress or misfortunes of another; pity; commiseration. Compassion is a mixed passion, compounded of love and sorrow; at least some portion of love generally attends the pain or regret, or is excited by it. Extreme distress of an enemy even changes enmity into at least temporary affection.

He being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity. Ps. 78.

His father had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. Luke 15.

link

Biblical Christianity and Catastrophes

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Bret McAtee has a great post about the New Orleans situation and Biblical Christianity.

If y’all have read my earlier Hurricane Katrina posts, you might know that I have heard the “cess pool” term used in description of New Orleans, physically, on TWC and remarked at how that is a spiritually fitting term, also I have spoken of the temporal situation of this situation and that the soul is what matters here, not the stuff. It all goes to what Bret writes on the Backwater Report.

Note: Bret also has this posted on his site “acidink”.

A thunderous weekend expected

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It’s been very warm and late Spring-Like today. Right now temps outside are supposedly in the high 70′s. Tomorrow temp high is supposed to be about 66 degrees F. That’s more like early Spring ;)

We are also supposed to be getting Thunderstorms later tonight and tomorrow. That’s very Spring-like. Volatile weather. I do love those kind of storms, but don’t like it if they cause damage, of course, but that’ s just a fact of life since The Fall of Man in the beginning. Something that must be understood from the Biblical View that is correct … something that Man rejects without being stirred by God, since the Fall disconnected the spirit of Man from God, as Adam and Eve had direct communion with Him at first.

God is shown to us in nature. Thunderstorms are one of those sorts of mighty things that shows God’s work and truth. But this is not enough to make man recognize Him and Who He Is. But it is not His fault. It is the hardened peoples fault. It is enough, should be enough but is NOT since the plan from the beginning was for man to come to God through Jesus Christ. His shed blood for our account is what is needed. Whomever comes to Him is saved. Why? No man comes to the Father lest he be called. No dead man stirs himself. Only a quickened heart may beat alive and answer the call.

God uses nature’s witness to make man understand who He is and answer that call. It’s one of His methods to make man see what his heart condition is like. It’s not the only thing though. The PRIMARY is the Gospel and that is through HEARING the WORD. Is that what saves? No. It is GOD who saves. Hearing the word isn’t magic. IMO it’s the ability to hear the Word that is PROOF of a quickened heart. It’s recognition software, in other words. It’s the truth that drives man to God on his knees. It’s the utter ability to hear and understand, all because of that inward quickening and call.

So the hearing may also then hear the thunder and understand that God’s Might Power is real. This confounds the wicked, those who are of stone hearts. They will explain it in any way they can, but fail to acknowledge God. That is purely the point we turn on constantly. It is not man who comes, but God who calls. It is still though man’s own fault for not coming. Man sinned. Man needs God. God chooses and calls, and those who do not come stay dead, they aren’t called. It’s not for us to grasp and understand. It’s the way it is. God’s Way, not mans. Thank God for that. I thank God for the calling of His Children and for that being the thing that He does in families, not some whim here and there, but a steady wind … ever widening.

I look forward to the rain and wind and lightening and thunder. I pray for the safety of God’s children and things. We should all pray for the safety of His children, but also that God’s Truth may be made known to more souls through the challenges they are presented with in storms such as are marching across the southern U.S. this weekend, as well as other weather damages throughout the world past and future.