hooverbranch's Xanga

Wow, a month

Sat, 23 Jun 2007 23:15:04 GMT

So its been an entire month of me not Posting. Thats alot. So here is something to start it up again.

First off I am now a Shift Manager at Massillon Donatos. Alot more hours, alot more money, and so on. Secondly I am involved in Young Evangelicals atleast for the summer. (havent completely decided on the 2yr thing yet) I am really enjoying our material we are going over. (lets face it when we go over a book about Calvinism thats something I am interested in.) I think thats the only real personal stuff. My ankle is still a little messed up from a month ago... but its not too bad.

Now I am going to post the first of FIVE papers that I am doing on the Five Points of Calvinism for Young Evangelicals. They are written off of the matching chapter of the book "The Doctrines of Grace" by James Boice. So here is the first one on "Radical Depravity" the first point in Calvinism.

Monopoly Money

    Radically Depraved. Thus is the state of all human beings from birth. Depraved from a relationship with the True God, depraved by Sin, depraved by the nature that defines them. This is the sad truth that is communicated in the Word of God. All human beings are born unable to choose righteousness. There Will, will always choose Sin and there is nothing they can do about it. This is the depravity that is so radical.

    Lets start with the beginning shall we? Original Sin. That is the sin that ensured our depravity even before birth. Adam and Eve in Genesis chapter 3 sinned against the almighty God of all creation and were rewarded with Death, both Spiritual and eventually physical. This was the fall of man. And ever since that fall now all of humanity is born unable to seek the Truth of God.

    Man is enslaved to Sin. It is our master. Although it may appear we are free to choose what we want we are not. No more free than a Bird with a broken wing who chooses to fly. We are unable to make the right choice. It is against our nature and thus impossible for us to do on our own. (Rom 3:10-13, There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.)

    Now this doesn’t mean we don’t do good. In our own perspective we can do good. We can do good works in the eyes of ourselves and other human beings, but as Boice puts in his book, its like playing with monopoly money. You can own Boardwalk and Parkway and think you have all you need. But in the end its still just fake money and little plastic houses, that’s all our man-centered deeds are, they are fake money. They may make us look good on Earth but in Gods eyes we are still the hopeless sinners that we started out as. As long as we have our sinful nature no matter what we say we are doing everything for our own benefit, one way or another.

    So we don’t have the ability to choose true goodness. We are unable to choose Righteousness. So how do we get it? Well that’s an easy question. “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.”(John 6:44) God chooses us. He chooses His elect and its nothing we can choose. There is no act of man involved. There is no act of man that could ever be involved, because in our natural state we HATE God and we LOVE Sin. We can see this point clearly in Ephesians chapter 2 were Paul tells us as plain as day that we as sinners are DEAD. “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lust of our flesh filling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.”(Ephesians 2:1-3) Now when Paul says we are dead he doesn’t mean physically. Obviously we are physically alive, but spiritually we are as corps. We are so unable to choose God that we must first be giving life before such an act could occur. That’s right God gives us new life in order for us to truly follow Him.

    In the end it’s all the Grace of God. We are evil sinners who can only choose sin. Just like a Lion will only choose meat over veggies. We will only choose Sin over God, unless God Himself chooses to change our entire nature from Sin to one of God. Lets turn in our Monopoly money and realize the importance of playing with the real stuff. Although we cannot do anything for our own salvation it is emphasized over and over again how important true humility and an understanding of our sinful nature is important, in the New Testament. Let us be like the Sinner women in Luke 7:36-39. In this context a sinner comes to Christ and washes His feet crying and worshiping Him. And as a self-righteous Pharisee is appalled at Jesus allowing such a sinner to even touch Him. Jesus tells the Pharisee that He came to save those who need saving. In other words He came to save those who understood they could not save themselves. None of us can save ourselves.

Thats all for me
James

sprained Ankle

Thu, 24 May 2007 04:01:14 GMT

Well I sprained my ankle yesterday playing basketball. Its pretty bad. Its sprained on both sides. I am going to become a manager at work really soon... (sprained ankle is probably not good for that) and Megans wedding is Friday and I am in that. (sprained ankle DEFFINITLY not good for that)

Well thats a short but complete update.
James

A long over due post

Mon, 07 May 2007 22:11:43 GMT

Ok so I have not updated in awhile. So I guess its time to do that. So whats been going on.

Well lets see. I went to North Carolina last week with the Family. It was very relaxing and needed. The Beach was very nice. And our House we rented was pretty amazing. 7bedrooms 7 bathrooms and about 80 yards from the ocean.

Alright so yesterday I awoke with a rather large migraine. So it started to go away in the afternoon. And Chris and Randy wanted to play Basketball. I told them I didnt feel well and they said come anyways. So yeah... I shouldnt have gone. I ended up passing out and shaking on the ground. So I got to spend pretty much all of last night in the E.R. Not fun! They decided it must of been a Ashma attack because I was breathing irregularly. I had my Pacemaker checked out by someone who worked for the company that built it. She said it was working fine and I didnt need to worry. So thats good.

Well I have Josh's iMAC now. I am purchasing it from him. Its nice. I like it.

Thats all from me.
James

Yesterday was kind of... CRAZY!

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 17:00:41 GMT

So whats up readers. Yesterday was kind of Crazy. For all of you who were in Second Service and are wondering what happened... Well that was my Grandfather. He overheated and had a faint spell. He was released from the ER yesterday afternoon and is scheduled for surgery on his Prostrate later this week. So please keep him in your prayers because he is not the healthiest right now.

Ok lets do a Life update. Havent had one of those in awhile. I am in the process of becoming a shift manager at Donatos. They are going to be understanding with my school and church needs. Or atleast they say they are. If not... then I will have to go else where.

Saturday is Movie Night at my house. My family is going out of town so the house is going to be empty. (this doesnt happen... ever.) Sunday Night is College Game Night. And Monday night is Heroes. Then I leave to join the fam on vacation Tuesday via AirPlane. (first time on a plane since before the Pacemaker so this will be an experience)

Red Book Study is going well. We are going to be in chapter 8 this week the chapter on Repentance. Pray for Gods Glory to be shown through the study.

Nick. Oh Nick. Nick is no longer with our household. He will be going to camp and he will be going to Megans wedding. And we are going to be getting him atleast once a month on weekends. Even though he is not part of this house he is still part of this family. He is my brother and nothing is going to change that. I pray that the Lord will soften Nicks heart. Because the only cure to being Dead in Sin is Jesus Christ.

Thats all for me
James

Its Hard

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 02:37:55 GMT

Decision, Decisions. People have to make decisions. Its something that happens everday, with everyone. Some decisions are small and dont really mean much at all. Others... others are enormous. They can and will change an entire life. Or atleast from our point of view.

Really decisions are not going to change anything. Because in the end God is in control. But still we dont know Gods plan. And that is why from our point of view we have to make decisions. And some of those decisions are huge.

Pray for the Branch family through decisions and pray that decisions are made for the ultimate end of God's Glory.

Ephesians
¹⁷that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.

Pray that a Wisdom will be behind Decisions, for the Glory of God.

James

Who Am I?

Fri, 06 Apr 2007 04:35:27 GMT

Ok so first off Red Book update. Chapter 6: Why its important God became Man. We went for over an hour. And it was really good. I feel he was really paying attention. And really trying to grasp the concept that was being presented. So continue praying that the Study continues to go well. And that the Lords Will, will be done.

Now to my post. Who am I? After going through more than half of the Red Book and Jenn put a WOW 2005 CD in my CD player I have this question in my head alot lately. Who am I? And the answer is. I am a Sinner. I am a Human. I am unable to do good on my own. I am not perfect. But most of all I AM GODS! Thats right I am a BOND SERVENT to my LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST! Its true I cant do any good by my own. NONE. But then again its good I am not ON MY OWN. I have Jesus Christ. And I am able to do good because me being reborn into HIS kingdom allows me to be able to do good. Because I have a new nature. And I can do things for the ULTIMATE END! GODS GLORY! Trying to remember your place is hard. As humans we want to lift up our good deeds. Lift up ourselves for being faithful or honest or (fill in the Blank), But the truth is we dont deserve to be lifting up ourselves. Because ALL the Glory should go to God. And I am not talking about an Athlete going to a reporter after he wins a game and thanks God. I am talking about LIVING your lives for Gods Glory. I am talking about making sure that your purpose for things are not to better yourself, or lift yourself up, but to Glorify GOD!

Psalms 108: 5
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth.

Romans 5:17
Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God.

1 Corinthians 10:31
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

1 Thesselonians 2:12
encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.

Who Am I? I AM YOURS GOD!
From a Bondservent of God (who is not Worthy because there was nothing I could do for my salvation but it was all in Jesus Christ) to you readers.

James

Here is a Jamie Rant

Mon, 02 Apr 2007 18:49:28 GMT

Jesus Christ IS GOD! He is the Son of God and He is God. He came and lived a PERFECT life that was free of Sin. And He rightly GAVE His life for the Will of the Father in order to save His People. JESUS IS GOD! That means He is without fault. He was NOT associated with Sin. And we should be living our lives for Jesus Christ.

I am ranting about something... sorry readers. My whole point is we need to be reverent to God. Remember God is a God to be Feared. He is not a God we can mold into whatever image we desire. God is God. End of Story. He is the God of the Universe. And we know of His attributes through His Perfect Word. Let us not make up attributes for God that would fit the culture. Because that is not God. God is NOT made up.

And ending rant......... NOW

Daniel 6:26
"I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. "For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end."

That last part isn't a rant. It's the Word of God
James

Our Focus!

Sat, 24 Mar 2007 15:01:44 GMT

Ok first off a Red Book study update. We are now through the chapters on Sin and our Sinful Nature. Starting next week we will be getting into why Jesus Christ is important. So please continue to pray that the Lords Will, will be done.

Now to the post. What is our Purpose in Life? What should our Focus be? In all things what should we be striving for? The Answer "Soli Deo Gloria" (The Glory of God Alone) Sean Higgins in the last dvd of his Reformation Seminar states that Salvation is not the end. Its just the measure to reach it. The End is Gods Glory. That should be our Goal. That is why we live. To serve His Glory.

Philippians 2:12-13 "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absece, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for HIS good pleasure."

Ok well lets look at these verses for a second. "Now work out your own salvation with fear" what should we fear? How about the all powerful, all knowing, all present God of EVERYTHING. Creator of all, Sustainer of all. Ok next verse "for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for HIS good pleasure." Now this is a powerful verse. God works in you for His will and purpose. But above all for HIS good pleasure. In other words for HIS Glory. As humans it is in our Nature to want to do things for ourselves. But as bond servents to Christ it should be our Goal to put aside our Sinful Selfishness and do all for HIM.

Let us remember our Ultimate End. And that is Serving God for HIS Glory.

This is something I am really trying to keep at the top of my mind right now. Pray that I will remember my purpose. And not fall into my selfishness.

James

Good Samaritan, or Stupid Jamie?

Tue, 13 Mar 2007 16:12:44 GMT

Ok so last night I am at work and a dude comes in. The guy seemed a little funny. And was flipping out. He said that his girl friend ditched him and now he was stranded and didn't know what to do. He was asking if there were any buses coming soon... (I didnt know.) and then he was asking if he could borrow some money for a taxi cab... (ha, like I had money to borrow) Anyways it was a weird situation. And he story got even weirder. Red flags were popping up left and right. Talking about how he grew up in a rich neighbor hood and his girlfriend wanted to steel the rights to his play he wrote. It was weird.

So me and the driver Dustin started talking. First off even if we wanted too. (which we didn't) we didn't have any money to give the guy. (I am broke right now) So I said that I would take the guy where he needed to go but I was a little scared to go alone. So Dustin said he would tag along. So we told the guy we would take him where he needed to go and he said thanks and got the number to donatos and took off to try and get a bus at the strip.

About 11:50pm he called and said, "This is richard I couldn't get a bus so is it ok if you guys pick me up at tinseltown." Dustin said ok and that was that. So after we got off we went and picked him up and took him where he needed to go. Which was DOWNTOWN Canton. Now I have been in these kind of neighbor hoods more times than I can count with my Parents ministry. So even though it was a bad neighborhood and it should of been scary to me... it wasn't I was fine. But Dustin was definitely a little freaked. (he hadn't ever been in a neighborhood like this.) The house we dropped the guy off at was partially boarded up. No lights on. Yet people all hanging out in the yard and on the porch... it was 1am... Anyways it was a weird.

Well now the question is, was Jamie a good samaritan or a Fool? I still haven't decided...

Fools Gold

Sat, 03 Mar 2007 22:45:29 GMT

Do you ever realize how easy it is to fall into things that our not of God. Things of this World. Things that our Trivial and mundane. It is tough living in this world yet trying to live outside of it. But we must remember that we have the Perfect Word of God to discern between what is from Him and what is not. Let us always use the Word of God as our Primary Source on Everything. For it is God Inspired (2 Tim 3:16) able to build you up (Acts 20:32) and needs to be rightly handled(2 Tim 2:15).

That in a nut shell (a really small nut shell) is what I got out of Fools Gold. A great book. I would strongly recommend it to anyone. There is alot of Un-Truth that is addressed in the book. Some, that I have never even heard of before.

Anyways tonight was Study 2 in the Red Book. My friend once again had his Homework done. Was very involved and payed attention very well. I was very encouraged. I am trying to communicate the Gospel as Clearly as I can possibly do. I am adding Scripture to the Lessons that I believe is strengthening the Points that the Red Book is trying to make. And by me adding I mean its the Lords Word so that should be the Ultimate Authority. And its no act I have done. For I can not take credit for creating the World, or stars, or the infallable Word of God.

Praise be To God
James