Corrupted Scenes

This year was somewhat of a wake up call to me when it comes to “christian” music. I went to two different concerts and had two different attitudes about both of them. One was a completely secular concert with a bunch of secular people, I assume. The crowd was nuts to say the least, there was some scattered spots of pushing and jerks but nothing really huge that I took notice of. It was probably one of the better concerts I have been to in a while. The other was promoted by christian radio stations and venues. The bands that played are very well known as “christian” bands and were very good, but it is irrelevant how good they were. The crowd was ridiculous. Pushing and shoving, people packed in tight enough to crush someone(worse than I have ever seen at ANY concert). People pushed to the ground without any remorse or care from anyone around. On top of that I do not remember one single mention of Christ, God, or anything resembling a gospel message. You know you have a problem when a secular crowd is acting better than a christian crowd. Great job “believers”!
What I am getting at is it seems that so-called “christian rock music” that was originally made to be an evangelistic tool is now nothing but entertainment. This brings me back to a class I took this year on philosophy. Christian music was mentioned and an interesting question was posed. Is Christianity ever supposed to be used as an adjective, for instance the term “christian” music? It was started for the purpose of evangelism, it has become nothing but a haven for sellouts and pretenders wanting stardom. Face it, christian music as it was meant to be is dead. It was never supposed to be like this, and it never used to be like this. It used to be that the gospel would be presented at these concerts. It used to be that people in the crowd treated others with respect and love. It used to be a lot of things. I guess God is not popular enough to be praised or even mentioned at a “christian” venue anymore.

Starting a Movement to Reclaim Moderacy

Ever been inspired, to an idea, a thought, an opinion? I wonder sometimes if I can get off track with my ideas. That the ones I wish to carry out are flying in the face of God. I have been inspired to help start something new. Something you might say could be revolutionary. I don't know why this idea has been plaguing my head for so long but it just seems like it is something that is from God and not my own. Things are becoming too perfect, and I feel conviction. I could turn some heads by supporting some things that might not be "correct" in our so-called "postmodern age", whatever in the heck that means. I am just sick of everyone telling me that the 20 somethings need to rise up and take over now. I am sick of people demanding that I rebel and change the system because I am part of this generation. I am definitely sick of people telling me that I won't be effective unless I conform to the postmodern culture. It’s funny how some of the people saying this are screaming that fundamentalists are putting God in a box when they make some of their claims. To all those who are sick of hearing BOTH extremists sides (that goes for the emergent church, not emerging church, too) say how Jesus is on their side and not the other one, I am sick of hearing it too. To all those who might be offended by this, I am not in a mood to give a care. I have heard all of your beliefs enough times to cram it and pull it out the other side, its time to stop twisting the words of Our Lord for your own purposes. Frankly, your opinions are typical and are not impressive. Everyone wants to be a revolutionary now a day; they all want to see how much they can go against old society and not conform. Though now since everyone is doing the same thing, doesn’t that defeat the purpose? The other thing I have noticed is that some in their efforts to show "the love of Christ" have toned down the message. It's gotten to the point where people are more concerned with not offending people then not offending the God that saved them. This is why both sides of the extremist coin are not very shiny.
Trying to reclaim some moderacy,
The Unsilent Pastor's Kid

True Reluctant Leadership

Ever wonder why the leaders God chose are always the most unexpected? There has to be something to this occurrence. Leaders that God calls always seem to be the people who don’t want to be in leadership.
Take my case for instance. I never wanted to be a leader; the idea of me becoming corrupted by power absolutely frightens me. I have seen what can happen to people who gain power yet misuse it and have had my heart broken numerous times because power corrupts if you let it. Betrayal, greed, selfishness become a lifestyle. The idea of being a tyrant should frighten anyone in leadership. Yet, God has called me, and I obey. The responsibility of being the leader has for some reason followed me wherever I go. I can’t escape, I can only embrace it. I only hope and pray that I can be a leader that helps people grow in Christ. That shows and points people the way to Him, and not be one that points to me. I am nothing, only God makes me something.
I tend to be reminded of another reluctant leader in history. Moses, at first, was hesitant of God’s call to be His chosen instrument to deliver the Hebrews. Now, while he did not fear himself, he still did fear for other reasons. Moses, as we all know became that leader and though was reluctant still chose to follow the Almighty God.
How many times are we reluctant to follow God’s call because we fear the mantle of leadership? Why should we fear when we know who is backing us? I have come to terms with the fact that drama, hardship, and times of strife are inevitable. It’s what we do to deal with that that matters and defines us as leaders. Are we going to trust in God and lead on, or will we falter at the first sign of trouble? One of my favorite verses has helped me come to terms with this truth. This verse has given me confidence and inspired me to come up with a list of traits that I think the Bible has set out for leadership. I don’t claim to have the answers for everything. In fact, even though I am pretty bright, I know absolutely nothing compared with some other people much less Christ. I can only stand up and speak for what I have learned; maybe it will help the same way for someone else that it has for me.

Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.---Isaiah 41:10

-True leaders point to God as the focal point and not to themselves
-True leaders will strive to maintain unity yet do what is necessary to protect the Body
-True leaders will be above reproach
-True leaders will put the needs of those he is leading over his own
-True leaders will inspire and teach people to get into the Word, to trust in God, and strive to become more like Christ
-True leaders will stand up for what is truth, what is Godly, and what is right
-True leaders will make their main goal to be leading others to Christ

I just pray I can be the leader in this list, and be the person God wants me to be.

Becoming Lost

I have been listening to a lot of music again today. Sometimes I like walking around with my mp3 player in my pocket and headphones on my ears. Walking down the sidewalk to some tune that gets the blood pumping and the adrenaline flowing. Today was no different. At some points I tend to get lost in the music. I become oblivious to my surroundings, and my world around me…fades…away. Today was no different. I got lost one more time and became absorbed into a song. Today was no different.
The question I ponder though is how many times is this our attitude, our mindset when it comes to God? When do we ever, in our time with the God of the universe become lost in Him? I admit I have not been the best example when it comes to spending time with God, sadly. Maybe its time for a change, a change that revolutionizes our time with our Savior. A time where we don’t look at reading His Word and prayer as a chore, but a time to be oblivious to our surroundings and lost in His love for us. How amazing it is that we get such a chance, such a privilege to be with Him.

BTW- the song was The Juliana Theory- “To the Tune of 5,000 Screaming Children” (you can find it on my myspace page) figure that one out.

Onward

Right now I feel like past issues are coming back to haunt me. Yeah I am me again, the Alex that everyone loved, that people respected, and could put a grin on your face some years ago. These last couple years though have been one heck of an emotional rollercoaster, one that did not have controls or brakes. The problem is this last summer I had to re-find myself. I was not Alex Dotson this last summer, I was not the unique leader that has been part of my reputation, and I really don’t know who or what I was anymore. All that was there was on the outside someone who looked happy but on the inside was confused, clingy, over-emotional (bottled-in), over-affectionate, and off track. I realized how many opportunities, relationships, and dreams that either slipped or are about to slip out of my grasp because of my past decisions. I don’t think some people realize how hard it is to come to this point and look back. I am not wishing to change the past, everything happens for a reason. Though I think to myself what could have been or what could be if I had made different choices.
To those who helped me through what has happened, those who always had my back, I will always be thankful for you, and you know I will always have yours. To those who might have caught me at a bad time this summer I apologize that you did not know the real me or got a bad impression. Most people really don’t know me or how strong God has really made me and I am definitely not the same person, not anymore. I become stronger by the day, and nothing is going to stop me.
All I can say is that God has put me here for a reason; there is something for me…some kind of plan. One thing is for certain about me, within God’s plan and laws I do whatever I want, whenever I want, however I want. My past might come back to me but it will never again hinder me.

Reformation Day

Friends of the Protestant church, pretty much every believer who is not Catholic. Below are the ninety-five thesis of Martin Luther which were nailed to the door of a church in Wittenberg in the year 1517. The nailing of these to that door we mark as the beginning of the seperation between the Catholics and everybody else. Reformation Day is a truly great day in the history of our faith, but it is sad that not many people remember where we have come from. For those who have no idea about what I am talking about you can message me or e-mail me.

The 95 Thesis of Martin Luther

Out of love for the truth and the desire to bring it to light, the following propositions will be discussed at Wittenberg, under the presidency of the Reverend Father Martin Luther, Master of Arts and of Sacred Theology, and Lecturer in Ordinary on the same at that place. Wherefore he requests that those who are unable to be present and debate orally with us, may do so by letter.
In the Name our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

1. Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, when He said Poenitentiam agite, willed that the whole life of believers should be repentance.
2. This word cannot be understood to mean sacramental penance, i.e., confession and satisfaction, which is administered by the priests.
3. Yet it means not inward repentance only; nay, there is no inward repentance which does not outwardly work divers mortifications of the flesh.
4. The penalty [of sin], therefore, continues so long as hatred of self continues; for this is the true inward repentance, and continues until our entrance into the kingdom of heaven.
5. The pope does not intend to remit, and cannot remit any penalties other than those which he has imposed either by his own authority or by that of the Canons.
6. The pope cannot remit any guilt, except by declaring that it has been remitted by God and by assenting to God's remission; though, to be sure, he may grant remission in cases reserved to his judgment. If his right to grant remission in such cases were despised, the guilt would remain entirely unforgiven.
7. God remits guilt to no one whom He does not, at the same time, humble in all things and bring into subjection to His vicar, the priest.
8. The penitential canons are imposed only on the living, and, according to them, nothing should be imposed on the dying.
9. Therefore the Holy Spirit in the pope is kind to us, because in his decrees he always makes exception of the article of death and of necessity.
10. Ignorant and wicked are the doings of those priests who, in the case of the dying, reserve canonical penances for purgatory.
11. This changing of the canonical penalty to the penalty of purgatory is quite evidently one of the tares that were sown while the bishops slept.
12. In former times the canonical penalties were imposed not after, but before absolution, as tests of true contrition.
13. The dying are freed by death from all penalties; they are already dead to canonical rules, and have a right to be released from them.
14. The imperfect health [of soul], that is to say, the imperfect love, of the dying brings with it, of necessity, great fear; and the smaller the love, the greater is the fear.
15. This fear and horror is sufficient of itself alone (to say nothing of other things) to constitute the penalty of purgatory, since it is very near to the horror of despair.
16. Hell, purgatory, and heaven seem to differ as do despair, almost-despair, and the assurance of safety.
17. With souls in purgatory it seems necessary that horror should grow less and love increase.
18. It seems unproved, either by reason or Scripture, that they are outside the state of merit, that is to say, of increasing love.
19. Again, it seems unproved that they, or at least that all of them, are certain or assured of their own blessedness, though we may be quite certain of it.
20. Therefore by "full remission of all penalties" the pope means not actually "of all," but only of those imposed by himself.
21. Therefore those preachers of indulgences are in error, who say that by the pope's indulgences a man is freed from every penalty, and saved;
22. Whereas he remits to souls in purgatory no penalty which, according to the canons, they would have had to pay in this life.
23. If it is at all possible to grant to any one the remission of all penalties whatsoever, it is certain that this remission can be granted only to the most perfect, that is, to the very fewest.
24. It must needs be, therefore, that the greater part of the people are deceived by that indiscriminate and highsounding promise of release from penalty.
25. The power which the pope has, in a general way, over purgatory, is just like the power which any bishop or curate has, in a special way, within his own diocese or parish.
26. The pope does well when he grants remission to souls [in purgatory], not by the power of the keys (which he does not possess), but by way of intercession.
27. They preach man who say that so soon as the penny jingles into the money-box, the soul flies out [of purgatory].
28. It is certain that when the penny jingles into the money-box, gain and avarice can be increased, but the result of the intercession of the Church is in the power of God alone.
29. Who knows whether all the souls in purgatory wish to be bought out of it, as in the legend of Sts. Severinus and Paschal.
30. No one is sure that his own contrition is sincere; much less that he has attained full remission.
31. Rare as is the man that is truly penitent, so rare is also the man who truly buys indulgences, i.e., such men are most rare.
32. They will be condemned eternally, together with their teachers, who believe themselves sure of their salvation because they have letters of pardon.
33. Men must be on their guard against those who say that the pope's pardons are that inestimable gift of God by which man is reconciled to Him;
34. For these "graces of pardon" concern only the penalties of sacramental satisfaction, and these are appointed by man.
35. They preach no Christian doctrine who teach that contrition is not necessary in those who intend to buy souls out of purgatory or to buy confessionalia.
36. Every truly repentant Christian has a right to full remission of penalty and guilt, even without letters of pardon.
37. Every true Christian, whether living or dead, has part in all the blessings of Christ and the Church; and this is granted him by God, even without letters of pardon.
38. Nevertheless, the remission and participation [in the blessings of the Church] which are granted by the pope are in no way to be despised, for they are, as I have said, the declaration of divine remission.
39. It is most difficult, even for the very keenest theologians, at one and the same time to commend to the people the abundance of pardons and [the need of] true contrition.
40. True contrition seeks and loves penalties, but liberal pardons only relax penalties and cause them to be hated, or at least, furnish an occasion [for hating them].
41. Apostolic pardons are to be preached with caution, lest the people may falsely think them preferable to other good works of love.
42. Christians are to be taught that the pope does not intend the buying of pardons to be compared in any way to works of mercy.
43. Christians are to be taught that he who gives to the poor or lends to the needy does a better work than buying pardons;
44. Because love grows by works of love, and man becomes better; but by pardons man does not grow better, only more free from penalty.
45. 45. Christians are to be taught that he who sees a man in need, and passes him by, and gives [his money] for pardons, purchases not the indulgences of the pope, but the indignation of God.
46. Christians are to be taught that unless they have more than they need, they are bound to keep back what is necessary for their own families, and by no means to squander it on pardons.
47. Christians are to be taught that the buying of pardons is a matter of free will, and not of commandment.
48. Christians are to be taught that the pope, in granting pardons, needs, and therefore desires, their devout prayer for him more than the money they bring.
49. Christians are to be taught that the pope's pardons are useful, if they do not put their trust in them; but altogether harmful, if through them they lose their fear of God.
50. Christians are to be taught that if the pope knew the exactions of the pardon-preachers, he would rather that St. Peter's church should go to ashes, than that it should be built up with the skin, flesh and bones of his sheep.
51. Christians are to be taught that it would be the pope's wish, as it is his duty, to give of his own money to very many of those from whom certain hawkers of pardons cajole money, even though the church of St. Peter might have to be sold.
52. The assurance of salvation by letters of pardon is vain, even though the commissary, nay, even though the pope himself, were to stake his soul upon it.
53. They are enemies of Christ and of the pope, who bid the Word of God be altogether silent in some Churches, in order that pardons may be preached in others.
54. Injury is done the Word of God when, in the same sermon, an equal or a longer time is spent on pardons than on this Word.
55. It must be the intention of the pope that if pardons, which are a very small thing, are celebrated with one bell, with single processions and ceremonies, then the Gospel, which is the very greatest thing, should be preached with a hundred bells, a hundred processions, a hundred ceremonies.
56. The "treasures of the Church," out of which the pope. grants indulgences, are not sufficiently named or known among the people of Christ.
57. That they are not temporal treasures is certainly evident, for many of the vendors do not pour out such treasures so easily, but only gather them.
58. Nor are they the merits of Christ and the Saints, for even without the pope, these always work grace for the inner man, and the cross, death, and hell for the outward man.
59. St. Lawrence said that the treasures of the Church were the Church's poor, but he spoke according to the usage of the word in his own time.
60. Without rashness we say that the keys of the Church, given by Christ's merit, are that treasure;
61. For it is clear that for the remission of penalties and of reserved cases, the power of the pope is of itself sufficient.
62. The true treasure of the Church is the Most Holy Gospel of the glory and the grace of God.
63. But this treasure is naturally most odious, for it makes the first to be last.
64. On the other hand, the treasure of indulgences is naturally most acceptable, for it makes the last to be first.
65. Therefore the treasures of the Gospel are nets with which they formerly were wont to fish for men of riches.
66. The treasures of the indulgences are nets with which they now fish for the riches of men.
67. The indulgences which the preachers cry as the "greatest graces" are known to be truly such, in so far as they promote gain.
68. Yet they are in truth the very smallest graces compared with the grace of God and the piety of the Cross.
69. Bishops and curates are bound to admit the commissaries of apostolic pardons, with all reverence.
70. But still more are they bound to strain all their eyes and attend with all their ears, lest these men preach their own dreams instead of the commission of the pope.
71. He who speaks against the truth of apostolic pardons, let him be anathema and accursed!
72. But he who guards against the lust and license of the pardon-preachers, let him be blessed!
73. The pope justly thunders against those who, by any art, contrive the injury of the traffic in pardons.
74. But much more does he intend to thunder against those who use the pretext of pardons to contrive the injury of holy love and truth.
75. To think the papal pardons so great that they could absolve a man even if he had committed an impossible sin and violated the Mother of God -- this is madness.
76. We say, on the contrary, that the papal pardons are not able to remove the very least of venial sins, so far as its guilt is concerned.
77. It is said that even St. Peter, if he were now Pope, could not bestow greater graces; this is blasphemy against St. Peter and against the pope.
78. We say, on the contrary, that even the present pope, and any pope at all, has greater graces at his disposal; to wit, the Gospel, powers, gifts of healing, etc., as it is written in I. Corinthians xii.
79. To say that the cross, emblazoned with the papal arms, which is set up [by the preachers of indulgences], is of equal worth with the Cross of Christ, is blasphemy.
80. The bishops, curates and theologians who allow such talk to be spread among the people, will have an account to render.
81. This unbridled preaching of pardons makes it no easy matter, even for learned men, to rescue the reverence due to the pope from slander, or even from the shrewd questionings of the laity.
82. To wit: -- "Why does not the pope empty purgatory, for the sake of holy love and of the dire need of the souls that are there, if he redeems an infinite number of souls for the sake of miserable money with which to build a Church? The former reasons would be most just; the latter is most trivial."
83. Again: -- "Why are mortuary and anniversary masses for the dead continued, and why does he not return or permit the withdrawal of the endowments founded on their behalf, since it is wrong to pray for the redeemed?"
84. Again: -- "What is this new piety of God and the pope, that for money they allow a man who is impious and their enemy to buy out of purgatory the pious soul of a friend of God, and do not rather, because of that pious and beloved soul's own need, free it for pure love's sake?"
85. Again: -- "Why are the penitential canons long since in actual fact and through disuse abrogated and dead, now satisfied by the granting of indulgences, as though they were still alive and in force?"
86. Again: -- "Why does not the pope, whose wealth is to-day greater than the riches of the richest, build just this one church of St. Peter with his own money, rather than with the money of poor believers?"
87. Again: -- "What is it that the pope remits, and what participation does he grant to those who, by perfect contrition, have a right to full remission and participation?"
88. Again: -- "What greater blessing could come to the Church than if the pope were to do a hundred times a day what he now does once, and bestow on every believer these remissions and participations?"
89. "Since the pope, by his pardons, seeks the salvation of souls rather than money, why does he suspend the indulgences and pardons granted heretofore, since these have equal efficacy?"
90. To repress these arguments and scruples of the laity by force alone, and not to resolve them by giving reasons, is to expose the Church and the pope to the ridicule of their enemies, and to make Christians unhappy.
91. If, therefore, pardons were preached according to the spirit and mind of the pope, all these doubts would be readily resolved; nay, they would not exist.
92. Away, then, with all those prophets who say to the people of Christ, "Peace, peace," and there is no peace!
93. Blessed be all those prophets who say to the people of Christ, "Cross, cross," and there is no cross!
94. Christians are to be exhorted that they be diligent in following Christ, their Head, through penalties, deaths, and hell;
95. And thus be confident of entering into heaven rather through many tribulations, than through the assurance of peace.