Comments for Better Covenant, Better Promises http://bettercovenant.wordpress.com Jesus has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. - Hebrews 8:6 Tue, 13 May 2008 15:41:04 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=MU Comment on Hello again by Bin Hwang http://bettercovenant.wordpress.com/2008/02/29/hello-again/#comment-5525 Bin Hwang Thu, 03 Apr 2008 22:15:32 +0000 http://bettercovenant.wordpress.com/?p=48#comment-5525 Thank you. I am Bin Hwang who came from Korea and now is studying at GCTS. I thought of many things when reading your works posted in your homepage. It was so good to me. From time to time, I will come here and your homepage as well if it keeps existing in the web. Thank you again. And I pray for you and your health. Bye. Thank you. I am Bin Hwang who came from Korea and now is studying at GCTS. I thought of many things when reading your works posted in your homepage. It was so good to me. From time to time, I will come here and your homepage as well if it keeps existing in the web. Thank you again. And I pray for you and your health. Bye.

]]> Comment on Jesus and Church Government by Erick B http://bettercovenant.wordpress.com/2006/12/07/jesus-and-church-government/#comment-5524 Erick B Sun, 30 Mar 2008 15:28:06 +0000 http://bettercovenant.wordpress.com/2006/12/07/jesus-and-church-government/#comment-5524 I have been reformed for just over two years and I am sad to say I have already become burnt out on it. I was attracted to it by the good biblical teaching but now I am seeing what it does to people, practically, it makes them hateful and mean. As far as government goes, all I hear about is, bringing people up on charges on things that you personally do not agree with, one congregation going after another congregation because they do not like the way they do things. "Hey if you don't like how they do things to bad, mind your own business!" It reminds me of a homeowners association, some group of people somewhere is telling me what I can and cannot do with MY STUFF! Plus I have to pay them to tell me what I can and cannot do with my stuff. I think Pres. style government, the way it is played out practically, stifles individualism and free thought, but I think that is the point they do not want you thinking for yourself or you might start doing things differently. You won't accept their indoctrination. I like reading the original reformers and Presbyterians of old (pre-twentieth century) and really liked them because they do not seem to have the attitudes of the ones that are around today. I think today they have become to political, they have been influenced by recent fads in theology, theonomy, Christian Reconstructionism, Rushdooney and the home school movement, etc. In the originals I find topics like, God saved man out of love, John 3:16 is not avoided, God is offended by man but he satisfied his own wrath, he shows us mercy and grace. Nowadays I hear a lot of talk of "Does God love everybody?" Does God treat the reprobate with love?" "There is not such thing as common grace!!!" "God hates these people!!!" There is a lot of talk about God and how much he hates and since they serve a God of hate they are hateful themselves. I heard a Black Preacher say once that there are not too many Black Presbyterians because they were FOR slavery! It would be nice to find a church that does not shy away from good biblical teaching just so that the pews will be full, a nice balance between good theology and nice people. What happened to "Speak the truth in love?" I have been reformed for just over two years and I am sad to say I have already become burnt out on it. I was attracted to it by the good biblical teaching but now I am seeing what it does to people, practically, it makes them hateful and mean.

As far as government goes, all I hear about is, bringing people up on charges on things that you personally do not agree with, one congregation going after another congregation because they do not like the way they do things. “Hey if you don’t like how they do things to bad, mind your own business!” It reminds me of a homeowners association, some group of people somewhere is telling me what I can and cannot do with MY STUFF! Plus I have to pay them to tell me what I can and cannot do with my stuff.

I think Pres. style government, the way it is played out practically, stifles individualism and free thought, but I think that is the point they do not want you thinking for yourself or you might start doing things differently. You won’t accept their indoctrination.

I like reading the original reformers and Presbyterians of old (pre-twentieth century) and really liked them because they do not seem to have the attitudes of the ones that are around today. I think today they have become to political, they have been influenced by recent fads in theology, theonomy, Christian Reconstructionism, Rushdooney and the home school movement, etc. In the originals I find topics like, God saved man out of love, John 3:16 is not avoided, God is offended by man but he satisfied his own wrath, he shows us mercy and grace. Nowadays I hear a lot of talk of “Does God love everybody?” Does God treat the reprobate with love?” “There is not such thing as common grace!!!” “God hates these people!!!” There is a lot of talk about God and how much he hates and since they serve a God of hate they are hateful themselves. I heard a Black Preacher say once that there are not too many Black Presbyterians because they were FOR slavery!

It would be nice to find a church that does not shy away from good biblical teaching just so that the pews will be full, a nice balance between good theology and nice people. What happened to “Speak the truth in love?”

]]> Comment on Hello again by Erick B http://bettercovenant.wordpress.com/2008/02/29/hello-again/#comment-5518 Erick B Tue, 18 Mar 2008 20:14:08 +0000 http://bettercovenant.wordpress.com/?p=48#comment-5518 Bill, I have spoken with you on one occasion so I don't know you very well or much about your situation. But I too live in the KC area and have been looking in vain for a good church now for over two years. The Reformed people in this area have a tendency to be rather mean and hateful. We, my wife and I , found one church we liked but the pastor moved away, now we are back to looking. If I read you correctly maybe you should look into the Evangelical Presbyterian Church they are still Presbyterian and Reformed but without all the "baggage" that you are referring to. There is also a new church in the area that is Charismatic Reformed, I don't know how you feel about that, Sovereign Grace Ministries by C. J. Mahaney. As far as your recurring fatigue. Have you thought about, in light of your life's circumstances, that maybe you have a tendency to become depressed. From reading your blogg entries I can tell that you have a different way of looking at things and maybe you just do not fit in with either Reformed or Presbyterian churches (I don't mean this in a bad way) maybe it is time to look elsewhere for a denomination maybe some sort of inner city ministry one with a focus on the "Social Gospel" maybe. I have similar problems to yours, that is one reason we cannot find a chruch we, or I, like. I like reformed theology but do not like what it does to people. It has a tendency to make people mean. I also have a unique way of looking at the world that people usually do not understand and so I don't fit in at most reformed or Pres. churches but I do at others. So I am going to have to decide where I want to compromise, either in reformed teaching, where I don't fit in anyway, or not be such a stickler on doctrine and be more concerned with what people are trying to do, what they are trying to accomplish. Anyway, that is my 2 cents. I can relate to your problem. stick in there, I am sure God in his providence has a reason for why things are going the way they are for you. Maybe your circumstances make you perfectly suited for something that you are not aware of yet. Maybe you would be better at writing or counseling. Erick B Bill,
I have spoken with you on one occasion so I don’t know you very well or much about your situation. But I too live in the KC area and have been looking in vain for a good church now for over two years. The Reformed people in this area have a tendency to be rather mean and hateful. We, my wife and I , found one church we liked but the pastor moved away, now we are back to looking. If I read you correctly maybe you should look into the Evangelical Presbyterian Church they are still Presbyterian and Reformed but without all the “baggage” that you are referring to. There is also a new church in the area that is Charismatic Reformed, I don’t know how you feel about that, Sovereign Grace Ministries by C. J. Mahaney.
As far as your recurring fatigue. Have you thought about, in light of your life’s circumstances, that maybe you have a tendency to become depressed. From reading your blogg entries I can tell that you have a different way of looking at things and maybe you just do not fit in with either Reformed or Presbyterian churches (I don’t mean this in a bad way) maybe it is time to look elsewhere for a denomination maybe some sort of inner city ministry one with a focus on the “Social Gospel” maybe.
I have similar problems to yours, that is one reason we cannot find a chruch we, or I, like. I like reformed theology but do not like what it does to people. It has a tendency to make people mean. I also have a unique way of looking at the world that people usually do not understand and so I don’t fit in at most reformed or Pres. churches but I do at others. So I am going to have to decide where I want to compromise, either in reformed teaching, where I don’t fit in anyway, or not be such a stickler on doctrine and be more concerned with what people are trying to do, what they are trying to accomplish.
Anyway, that is my 2 cents. I can relate to your problem. stick in there, I am sure God in his providence has a reason for why things are going the way they are for you. Maybe your circumstances make you perfectly suited for something that you are not aware of yet. Maybe you would be better at writing or counseling.
Erick B

]]> Comment on Hello again by Joe Brancaleone http://bettercovenant.wordpress.com/2008/02/29/hello-again/#comment-5517 Joe Brancaleone Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:18:58 +0000 http://bettercovenant.wordpress.com/?p=48#comment-5517 Or maybe the easiest solution is to continue to provide a link to the web archive of the bettercovenant site: http://web.archive.org/web/20070623215639/http://bettercovenant.org/ Or maybe the easiest solution is to continue to provide a link to the web archive of the bettercovenant site:

http://web.archive.org/web/20070623215639/http://bettercovenant.org/

]]> Comment on Hello again by beritolam http://bettercovenant.wordpress.com/2008/02/29/hello-again/#comment-5516 beritolam Wed, 12 Mar 2008 01:37:43 +0000 http://bettercovenant.wordpress.com/?p=48#comment-5516 Bill, Glad to hear an update. Sorry to hear things are not going any better on the health front. Will keep you in our prayers. An idea already alluded to -- Wordpress gives you 3gigs of free storage space (at least they purport to do so on my site). I see your site is still up today, so I'll try to 'rip' the contents for my own benefit. But I could also see about saving them as PDF files, and then you could upload them here. Just a thought. Drop me a line if I can be of some help. ~MM Bill,

Glad to hear an update. Sorry to hear things are not going any better on the health front. Will keep you in our prayers.

An idea already alluded to — WordPress gives you 3gigs of free storage space (at least they purport to do so on my site).

I see your site is still up today, so I’ll try to ‘rip’ the contents for my own benefit. But I could also see about saving them as PDF files, and then you could upload them here.

Just a thought. Drop me a line if I can be of some help.

~MM

]]> Comment on Hello again by Carolyne http://bettercovenant.wordpress.com/2008/02/29/hello-again/#comment-5514 Carolyne Fri, 07 Mar 2008 19:55:47 +0000 http://bettercovenant.wordpress.com/?p=48#comment-5514 Bill, Here's an article about fatigue-syndrome which I think will be helpful. http://www.drmcdougall.com/med_fatigue.html Bill,

Here’s an article about fatigue-syndrome which I think will be helpful.

http://www.drmcdougall.com/med_fatigue.html

]]> Comment on Hello again by Carolyne http://bettercovenant.wordpress.com/2008/02/29/hello-again/#comment-5513 Carolyne Fri, 07 Mar 2008 19:38:46 +0000 http://bettercovenant.wordpress.com/?p=48#comment-5513 Your essays and articles have been a cup of cold water in a parched land. Please don't stop writing. Perhaps God has a writing ministry for you rather than pastoring a church? There are people out there, like me, who benefit from your insights. On a health-related topic, please check out Dr. John McDougall's website and consider his recommendations. www.drmcdougall.com Your essays and articles have been a cup of cold water in a parched land. Please don’t stop writing. Perhaps God has a writing ministry for you rather than pastoring a church? There are people out there, like me, who benefit from your insights.

On a health-related topic, please check out Dr. John McDougall’s website and consider his recommendations. http://www.drmcdougall.com

]]> Comment on Hello again by David http://bettercovenant.wordpress.com/2008/02/29/hello-again/#comment-5512 David Fri, 07 Mar 2008 19:19:54 +0000 http://bettercovenant.wordpress.com/?p=48#comment-5512 If it's okay to pipe up as one whom you don't know, but who continues to find your stuff really helpful - I strongly second the motion to keep it publicly available! If it’s okay to pipe up as one whom you don’t know, but who continues to find your stuff really helpful - I strongly second the motion to keep it publicly available!

]]> Comment on Hello again by Baus http://bettercovenant.wordpress.com/2008/02/29/hello-again/#comment-5511 Baus Tue, 04 Mar 2008 03:34:28 +0000 http://bettercovenant.wordpress.com/?p=48#comment-5511 Glad to have an update. A few thoughts: 1) I recently did some reading on copper deficiency. You've eliminated this from prossible contributing cause to your ailments? 2) Can't we transfer your website to a free domain? I really want it all to remain publically available. You have it all saved on your own computer, right? 3) I look forward to hearing more about your view of the unChristian / unbiblical character of "being of the suburbs" & also your thoughts that tend toward parting ways with R&P churches. Glad to have an update.
A few thoughts:

1) I recently did some reading on copper deficiency. You’ve eliminated this from prossible contributing cause to your ailments?

2) Can’t we transfer your website to a free domain? I really want it all to remain publically available. You have it all saved on your own computer, right?

3) I look forward to hearing more about your view of the unChristian / unbiblical character of “being of the suburbs” & also your thoughts that tend toward parting ways with R&P churches.

]]> Comment on Hello again by Chris http://bettercovenant.wordpress.com/2008/02/29/hello-again/#comment-5510 Chris Mon, 03 Mar 2008 22:41:04 +0000 http://bettercovenant.wordpress.com/?p=48#comment-5510 Hi Bill, I'm sorry to hear that things turned out the way they did at the last church you were at. Uprooting may cause just as much turmoil, but I want you to know that you're wanted (in the welcoming sense) in Grass Valley, CA. My family of 5 would give our right arms to sit under your preaching. Nevada County is an ecclesiastical wasteland, and we need Christocentric preaching (not to mention a Christocentric ministry). True, it would be a missionary/planting effort. But we're willing to invest the blood, sweat and tears. With a presence on the local AM radio station, I think we could develop a descent-sized group relatively soon. I sincerely hope you'll consider it. Chris Hi Bill,

I’m sorry to hear that things turned out the way they did at the last church you were at.

Uprooting may cause just as much turmoil, but I want you to know that you’re wanted (in the welcoming sense) in Grass Valley, CA. My family of 5 would give our right arms to sit under your preaching. Nevada County is an ecclesiastical wasteland, and we need Christocentric preaching (not to mention a Christocentric ministry). True, it would be a missionary/planting effort. But we’re willing to invest the blood, sweat and tears. With a presence on the local AM radio station, I think we could develop a descent-sized group relatively soon. I sincerely hope you’ll consider it.

Chris

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