Lift up a shout...

If you've never heard of Candi Pearson-Shelton, go to her website and buy her CD, listen to it, and then pick your jaw up off the floor (www.candilion.com). She rocks like a... uh... a rock star. She has a brother that also rocks like a rock star. See picture here. You'll notice that while he's cool on the outside, things are not so great on the inside. There's a reason why this picture is taken in a hospital. Yes, he was born in one, but he's had the pleasure of living outside of a hospital for many, many years.
It's not that he's in a hospital in the photo that's disturbing, it's why. Rick, at the time of this post, had leukemia. I say so in past tense because my prayers are that God has already wiped it out of his body. But, just in case He hasn't, please, please, visit his website - www.rickpearson.org. If you don't or can't make a donation to help him and his family, including new fiance, Puh-LEEZE include them in your prayers.
Jeff and Shannon Scott, two ridiculously talented friends of Rick's are posting daily updates of his condition. Don't come here for a report, they're in the thick of things, get it from them. And then pray. Please lift this kid up to God and ask that if this cup can pass, that it will.

****UPDATE****
As many of you have heard, this cup could not pass. Rick left us to join into the direct company of our Savior on September 9th. If you prayed for him at all, thank you so much. If you were unable to make it to the memorial service, I am so sorry you couldn't be there. The lessons we learned about a living, breathing, young man who did all that he could to live the life Christ called him to live were astounding. Please, visit his website and get yourself a copy of the memorial service - it will change the way many of you look at life, death, and greiving. Continue, if you would, to pray for the family to grow and rejoice in his memory and, as he did while he was so briefly with us, to reflect Christ into a broken world.

Question for the Month

As we gain readership, we will move more successively to a Question of the Week. For now, while time and readership is more limited, I will bring up a multi-part question that comes from Chapter 8 of Romans for us to chew on for September.


Romans 8.13-14 states: “(13) For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, (14) because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”

1) If we live according to the sinful nature is that ““eternal” death, as in separation from God, or an earthly death, as in our own self-inflicted demise a-la ““he who lives by the sword, dies by the sword””?

2) If we do not heed the leading of the Spirit, does this mean we are no longer sons of God, ergo have lost our salvation?

For those with a firm faith, we believe that everyone spends eternity somewhere, there is only one way to eternity with God, and the confession of heartfelt faith in Christ & His work on the cross leads is that way. However, for those still examining this faith and those within it who are weak in the flesh (i.e., ALL of us) the question arises: “what if I slip up and get hit by a bus before I have a chance to repent?””

3) How do we help these people understand the significance of our PIQ (passage in question - Rom. 8.13-14) and the permanence of salvation?

4) Further, how do we defend our faith against those who might see this as errancy?