Comments on: Picking the Right Fights http://odgie.wordpress.com/2007/12/28/picking-the-right-fights/ here's a pen in your eye! Sat, 25 Jul 2009 21:58:11 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Trey http://odgie.wordpress.com/2007/12/28/picking-the-right-fights/#comment-339 Trey Thu, 03 Jan 2008 16:20:18 +0000 http://odgie.wordpress.com/2007/12/28/picking-the-right-fights/#comment-339 I find it interesting that when the church was attacked in Acts it grew stronger and more unified. They prayed for boldness when persecuted, they didn't pray for protection. We do need to pick our battles carefully. Too many times we make issues out of things that we don't need too. Love the verse at the end. It reminds me that it's okay to be persecuted. I took some heat a few months ago for taking a stand against the right to sell alcohol in our community. It really bothered me at first, but the more I thought about it the more I decided it was something I could rejoice in as your verse stated. I find it interesting that when the church was attacked in Acts it grew stronger and more unified. They prayed for boldness when persecuted, they didn’t pray for protection. We do need to pick our battles carefully. Too many times we make issues out of things that we don’t need too. Love the verse at the end. It reminds me that it’s okay to be persecuted.

I took some heat a few months ago for taking a stand against the right to sell alcohol in our community. It really bothered me at first, but the more I thought about it the more I decided it was something I could rejoice in as your verse stated.

]]> By: scandal17 http://odgie.wordpress.com/2007/12/28/picking-the-right-fights/#comment-330 scandal17 Tue, 01 Jan 2008 01:40:45 +0000 http://odgie.wordpress.com/2007/12/28/picking-the-right-fights/#comment-330 OK, then! Hitchens is a greasy Brit and self-hating Jew. He imagines himself England's great gift to North American intellectual life, but that's because his chronic alcoholism is exceptionally chronic. One suspects his professed atheism is mere jealousy of the one God. OK, then!

Hitchens is a greasy Brit and self-hating Jew. He imagines himself England’s great gift to North American intellectual life, but that’s because his chronic alcoholism is exceptionally chronic. One suspects his professed atheism is mere jealousy of the one God.

]]> By: odgie http://odgie.wordpress.com/2007/12/28/picking-the-right-fights/#comment-327 odgie Mon, 31 Dec 2007 15:20:31 +0000 http://odgie.wordpress.com/2007/12/28/picking-the-right-fights/#comment-327 Dave - It's true that we have focused more on peripheral issues rather than the Issue: Christ and him crucified. Scandal17 - Don't hold back, tell us what you really think. :) Jerri - "...if the crowd spoke evil about Jesus, God’s sinless Son, woe to us if someone doesn’t speak evil of us!" I never thought of it like that, but you are right on. Erin - Thanks for coming by. Don't be too hard on yourself. We Christians who enjoy the freedom of living in the western world have to struggle to keep our perspective. I know that I am certainly guilty of this. Dave – It’s true that we have focused more on peripheral issues rather than the Issue: Christ and him crucified.

Scandal17 – Don’t hold back, tell us what you really think. :)

Jerri – “…if the crowd spoke evil about Jesus, God’s sinless Son, woe to us if someone doesn’t speak evil of us!” I never thought of it like that, but you are right on.

Erin – Thanks for coming by. Don’t be too hard on yourself. We Christians who enjoy the freedom of living in the western world have to struggle to keep our perspective. I know that I am certainly guilty of this.

]]> By: Erin L. http://odgie.wordpress.com/2007/12/28/picking-the-right-fights/#comment-326 Erin L. Mon, 31 Dec 2007 05:35:31 +0000 http://odgie.wordpress.com/2007/12/28/picking-the-right-fights/#comment-326 VERY thought provoking post, Odgie. I, too often in my life, have felt I was one of the "victims." Geez- there's WAY more important things in life than worrying about how I think I'm being persecuted because I'm a Christian. As my good friend Sarah Bergquist so eloquently stated in her own eulogy "There is so much more that this.....so much more." VERY thought provoking post, Odgie. I, too often in my life, have felt I was one of the “victims.” Geez- there’s WAY more important things in life than worrying about how I think I’m being persecuted because I’m a Christian. As my good friend Sarah Bergquist so eloquently stated in her own eulogy “There is so much more that this…..so much more.”

]]> By: Jerri Harrington http://odgie.wordpress.com/2007/12/28/picking-the-right-fights/#comment-321 Jerri Harrington Sun, 30 Dec 2007 01:22:32 +0000 http://odgie.wordpress.com/2007/12/28/picking-the-right-fights/#comment-321 I agree with the thougts expressed here! The world is clamoring for the attention of Christians as it attempts to discredit and massacre the name of Christ by attacking Christians with all of our imperfections. We need to raise our sights above the clamoring crowd and stare into the face of our Savior for our redemption. Anything that man may say about us may or may not be true. Anything evil that is spoken about God and our Savior are lies, but if the crowd spoke evil about Jesus, God's sinless Son, woe to us if someone doesn't speak evil of us! The words of men do not impress me, whether they are praise or slander, but the Word of God will endure forever! I agree with the thougts expressed here! The world is clamoring for the attention of Christians as it attempts to discredit and massacre the name of Christ by attacking Christians with all of our imperfections. We need to raise our sights above the clamoring crowd and stare into the face of our Savior for our redemption. Anything that man may say about us may or may not be true. Anything evil that is spoken about God and our Savior are lies, but if the crowd spoke evil about Jesus, God’s sinless Son, woe to us if someone doesn’t speak evil of us! The words of men do not impress me, whether they are praise or slander, but the Word of God will endure forever!

]]> By: scandal17 http://odgie.wordpress.com/2007/12/28/picking-the-right-fights/#comment-319 scandal17 Sat, 29 Dec 2007 16:04:05 +0000 http://odgie.wordpress.com/2007/12/28/picking-the-right-fights/#comment-319 Hitchens is a greasy, alcoholic Brit (and self-hating Jew) who's somehow imagines that he's an opinion-maker on this side of the Atlantic. Falwell should be honored by Hintchens's slight contempt except Hitchens is so ludicrously inconsequential even in his own benighted country. Hitchens is a greasy, alcoholic Brit (and self-hating Jew) who’s somehow imagines that he’s an opinion-maker on this side of the Atlantic. Falwell should be honored by Hintchens’s slight contempt except Hitchens is so ludicrously inconsequential even in his own benighted country.

]]> By: David B http://odgie.wordpress.com/2007/12/28/picking-the-right-fights/#comment-318 David B Sat, 29 Dec 2007 14:38:57 +0000 http://odgie.wordpress.com/2007/12/28/picking-the-right-fights/#comment-318 Part of the problem comes because too many Christians still have a Constantinian attitude about their faith...'Don't criticize the established church'. Christians are not alone in this...everybody wants to play the victim whether or not it really is so. I also believe that such 'attacks' on the church have come because Christians have not picked battles well. as has been mentioned. Instead of truly being evangelistic for Christ and him crucified, for example, we have made issues such as abortion and its legislative and judicial politics the point of our evangelistic fervor. Part of the problem comes because too many Christians still have a Constantinian attitude about their faith…’Don’t criticize the established church’. Christians are not alone in this…everybody wants to play the victim whether or not it really is so.

I also believe that such ‘attacks’ on the church have come because Christians have not picked battles well. as has been mentioned. Instead of truly being evangelistic for Christ and him crucified, for example, we have made issues such as abortion and its legislative and judicial politics the point of our evangelistic fervor.

]]> By: odgie http://odgie.wordpress.com/2007/12/28/picking-the-right-fights/#comment-317 odgie Fri, 28 Dec 2007 18:04:07 +0000 http://odgie.wordpress.com/2007/12/28/picking-the-right-fights/#comment-317 John - I think that you are right for the most part. I also think that you are right to include the "So far" at the end. Thanks for stopping by; your comments are always appreciated. jerry - I like your imagery; choosing "a mountain to die on" is a powerful metaphor of the point I am trying to make. Thanks for stopping by. John – I think that you are right for the most part. I also think that you are right to include the “So far” at the end. Thanks for stopping by; your comments are always appreciated.

jerry – I like your imagery; choosing “a mountain to die on” is a powerful metaphor of the point I am trying to make. Thanks for stopping by.

]]> By: dangoldfinch http://odgie.wordpress.com/2007/12/28/picking-the-right-fights/#comment-316 dangoldfinch Fri, 28 Dec 2007 15:57:38 +0000 http://odgie.wordpress.com/2007/12/28/picking-the-right-fights/#comment-316 odgie, Thanks for the post. I couldn't agree more that we Christians seem to terribly confuse persecution and ignorance. I don't think Christians are terribly persecuted in America. We are the subjects and objects of much ridicule, but persecution? I had a few thoughts about this in a recent post. I took a slightly different angle at the end, but here's the gist: "The point of this part of John’s Gospel is, I think, just that point: We need to pick the right battle to fight, and die on top of the right mountain. Peter had it all wrong; again. That is why he pulled his sword out that night and cut off Malchus’ ear. Peter was trying to protect Jesus so Jesus could stay alive and pray. Jesus somewhat harshly informed Peter that this was not the right battle to fight and in so doing informed Peter that there was a better mountaintop upon which to die: “Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” he said. Ah, yes. A better mountaintop indeed." Thanks for the timely thoughts. They are appreciated. Christians really need to figure this out...and soon. jerry PS--The post was in my 90 Days with Jesus posts from John's Gospel, Day 80. odgie,

Thanks for the post. I couldn’t agree more that we Christians seem to terribly confuse persecution and ignorance. I don’t think Christians are terribly persecuted in America. We are the subjects and objects of much ridicule, but persecution? I had a few thoughts about this in a recent post. I took a slightly different angle at the end, but here’s the gist:

“The point of this part of John’s Gospel is, I think, just that point: We need to pick the right battle to fight, and die on top of the right mountain. Peter had it all wrong; again. That is why he pulled his sword out that night and cut off Malchus’ ear. Peter was trying to protect Jesus so Jesus could stay alive and pray. Jesus somewhat harshly informed Peter that this was not the right battle to fight and in so doing informed Peter that there was a better mountaintop upon which to die: “Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” he said. Ah, yes. A better mountaintop indeed.”

Thanks for the timely thoughts. They are appreciated. Christians really need to figure this out…and soon.

jerry

PS–The post was in my 90 Days with Jesus posts from John’s Gospel, Day 80.

]]> By: johndobbs http://odgie.wordpress.com/2007/12/28/picking-the-right-fights/#comment-313 johndobbs Fri, 28 Dec 2007 13:40:29 +0000 http://odgie.wordpress.com/2007/12/28/picking-the-right-fights/#comment-313 Interesting post, Mike. While I have run into some people who are kinda like those mentioned above, most of the 'man on the street' people I've met do not share those views. So far. Interesting post, Mike. While I have run into some people who are kinda like those mentioned above, most of the ‘man on the street’ people I’ve met do not share those views. So far.

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