Ten Minas Ministry

The word “genesis” means “beginnings” and the Book of Genesis is just that, a book of beginnings. Under the direction of God, Moses records in this book the beginning of many things that are still around today.

Read Genesis 2:4-25 and note the “beginning” of:

Ø  Free will or choice (v. 16-17)

Ø  Woman (v. 22)

Ø  Marriage (v. 23-24)

Everything was going great in this utopia known as “Eden” until God’s arch enemy, Satan, entered the picture.

Before we read about how Satan tried to ruin the paradise that God had created, let’s take a quick look at who Satan is and what else was created because of him.

Long before God created the world and mankind, God created other beings that we know as angels. Just like mankind, they were created for fellowship with and service to God. And, just like mankind, they were given a free will. One of those angels, Lucifer, led a rebellion against God and was cast from Heaven along with those angels that chose to follow him (Isaiah 14:12-15).

With Satan’s rebellion came the “birth” of evil (sin), the “creation” of the Devil and Demons, and the need for one more creation by God – a very literal and horrible place known as Hell (Matthew 25:41).

Now, let’s see the work of the Evil One.

Read Genesis 3:1-24

Would the world have been better if God had not given man the choice to sin?

Do you think such a huge punishment is appropriate just because of one mistake?

Everything that God created was perfect until Adam chose to disobey God and take what was specifically forbidden. This was the darkest moment in the history of mankind because of the far reaching effects of Adam’s sin.

Read Romans 5:12-14

The Bible makes it perfectly clear that every man and woman since Adam has inherited the consequences of the original sin – death both physically and spiritually. This is a difficult concept for many to grasp – being held responsible for crimes that they did not commit. It just doesn’t seem fair!

There is another concept that is hard to grasp but that must be understood in order to realize this is not a matter of fairness. That concept is the holiness of God.

As young children, we are taught that there is nothing that God cannot do. After all, three of the most important and most taught attributes of God are His:

v  Omniscience – God is all knowing

v  Omnipresence – God is all present

v  Omnipotence – God is all powerful

But, we must be careful not to mistakenly conclude that, just because God is all powerful, He can do anything.  God can do anything provided that it does not conflict with His very nature. If God could do something contrary to His nature, He would cease to be God (and where would that leave us?).

God, by His nature, is a holy God. To be holy means to be completely set apart from sin. God, because He is God, cannot allow sin in His presence and, therefore, cannot allow sin-tainted mankind in His presence either.

Romans 6:23a – “For the wages of sin is death…”

Hebrews 12:14b – “…without holiness no one will see the Lord.”

Unless…

 Was there a time in your life that you believed that God could do anything?

If so, did that belief raise questions for you about God’s plan?

What does the concept that God is a holy God mean to you?

Guilt, Puns, subtext and an ichthus are the typical add-ins for a Xtian tee. Shoddy Christian creativity has always been a peeve of mine because a niche market shouldn’t be an excuse for laziness. Rip-offs are sneered by the general public and the subtext is more than condescending. I’ve been trying to find some of the worst Xtian tshirts and would love for you to submit your own finds.

Hope you weren’t looking for a tutorial.

FROG:http://christian-clothing.com/detail.php?prod=_10_LL_F03434C

I’m sure the board room discussion for this acrostic referenced the WWJD phenomenon. Making something like this work for the mainstream is akin to expecting lightening to strike twice.

Lifeguard: http://www.knowhim.com/catalog/product.asp?product_id=1111&category_id=104

…Because Hollister totally knows what’s up. To begin, lifeguarding went out with Pamela Anderson and now only reminds us to finding a band-aid in the pool at the Boys and Girls Club. This is the epitome of what comes to mind when I think “Xtian Tshirt”.

pray hard: http://christian-clothing.com/detail.php?prod=_2_prayhard_d

I remember when the “dorky youth pastor” was replaced with the “creepy redneck bible guy” and he wore this shirt every.single.week. Then his son molested a girl in the youth group and I never had to see it again until just now.

more to come…

Chalk up one more for the conspiracy theorists.  Article:http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/science/space/09shuttle.html?th&emc=th  I’ve often half-joked that I don’t believe the moon landing. Are there any conspiracy theories that you believe in?

Jonah has a whale of a tale and of course you could stick it on your chest as a means to explain to everyone the dangers of religious bias and cultural hatred. Because it’s obscure enough that you assume the average “unbeliever” won’t know it and won’t they feel stupid when they have to ask you what this actually means. Booyah! Seriously though, why have these lasted past 1992? Someone must be buying these still.

http://www.knowhim.com/catalog/product.asp?product_id=1229&category_id=104

How many things in your life to you debate internally, research thoroughly then compose an opinion and system for maintaining your stance that issue. Very few.  Your diet? You might consider tweaking some changes if you feel like your current approach isn’t working. Usually people go off of advice that their friends offer or plans that work for humans in general. Your time management? Most people don’t really consider the officiency of everything they do but rather build preferences according to personal experience. 

Everything from employee management to relationship building tends to work itself out and only every once in a while does an expert need to swoop in and adjust.  Yet, one of the most organic aspects of life, religion, is strutinized endlessly with charts, studies and debates. I began considering the search for proof, yet again when I saw another article about an archeologist who believes they have found proof for a portion of the bible. ( article here: http://www.gnn.com/article/ancient-walls-may-offer-proof-of-bible/918501?icid=main|main|dl1|link4|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gnn.com%2Farticle%2Fancient-walls-may-offer-proof-of-bible%2F918501 )

Maybe we’re overthinking it. Most healthy people are healthy because they have just naturally embraced a healthy lifestyle and most functional people are functional because they slowly adjust to a complete and wholesome way of living.

So, then I think about Christianity (in the sense that you’re supposed to be maintaining a relationship with go and taking little steps toward holiness), and wonder why we rely so much on charts, graphs and empirical data as a justification for what we’re doing. Showing a fat person their bmi and calorie intake doesn’t make them want to lose weight. The most successful lifestyle changes don’t come from facts, they come from decisions and a shift in priorites. The facts just help reinforce the behavior after it is established.

Obviously it’s all about balance.

What do you do to balance out your spiritual walk?

We are officially a generation of exhibitionists. A quick scroll through a social network newsfeed reveals breakups, makeouts, and bathroom habits. Most young people cannot read a book, take a walk or bake a biscut without posting the experience in photographic detail online. For example, Lindsey Lohan, poor little trainwreck, just can’t garner attention at a significant level. (http://www.purple.fr/fashion.php?c=13 ) We are all screaming and really, only the silent ones stand out. The one person who has a quiet facebook is the loner/stoner (or maybe really just to busy living life instead of writing about it.

Do you read as much information as you spew out?

what are you doing for spring break?

something that distinguishes 80s fashion from present day is the fabric. Satin, polyester, and spandex all shine their way into 80s formal wear.

shapes were distinctive as well… very starched=very cool

there was a trend in the 80s that threw back to the victorian era…. lace and puffy sleeves. Don’t believe me? Just check out Princess Diana’s wedding dress or really any formal wear from that time.

Love this!