Duane Pederson - The Christian Walk Is A Funny Old Road

I knew so many people back in the Jesus Freak days.

Most I count as acquaintances and some are still dear friends. I treasure all the memories.

I was thinking about Duane Pederson recently when someone sent me an email asking me to pray for him.

Duane Pederson was an entertainer of sorts and lived in Hollywood California during this era. The group of Christians that I was involved with decided to invite him to come and speak to the Church in Cincinnati. Since I had a car I was elected to drive Duane around from his hotel to the Church and back. I was also recruited to sing a few songs. Duane was probably about 30 years old at the time, which meant he was ancient to a 19 year old boy. As far as a persona of a Jesus Freak, he was far from typical. My attire was bell-bottom hip-hugger jeans, tee shirts and sandals. Duane had on pressed dress slacks, a Vanhuesen shirt, Florshiem shoes and a brown leather jacket. But here he was the founder of the Hollywood Free Press, which was an evangelistic newspaper and one of the leaders of the Jesus Movement in Los Angeles and Hollywood. The Hollywood Free Press was coined the terms Jesus People and the Jesus Movement. So I found myself driving him around Cincinnati in my dented Plymouth Fury station wagon with four snow tires.

Duane seemed shy and introspective until it was time for him to speak. My best memory of him was when he took me aside and laid hands on my head to pray for me.

The Christian walk is a funny old road because it takes each of his in such different directions. Many of my friends were called into the ministry. Some were called out of the conventional church to start their own churches. And others left churches to join other churches that seemed to be totally polarized from the ones they belonged to when I knew them. Pederson is no exception. He went from being an evangelist to becoming a member of the Eastern Orthodox Church where he took Holy Orders as an archimandrite. This is a cleric ranking below a bishop and also a title for a married cleric. He served for more than a decade as the head of the Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry. Now retired, Fr. Duane still ministers to prisoners and those on the street, as well as serving Los Angeles area parishes of the Antiochian Orthodox Church. The Antiochian Orthodox Church claims to be one of the five churches that composed the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church before the Great Schism. Father Duane recently edited a 35th anniversary edition of the Hollywood Free Paper.





As the hymn says Farther Along We'll Know All About It. We walk the path, we learn, we grow and we become what The Father wants.

Link to the Hollywood Free Press

http://www.hollywoodfreepaper.org/index.php

Jesus' Family Tomb Uncovered?

Jesus Family Tomb Believed Found
Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News

Feb. 25, 2007 — New scientific evidence, including DNA analysis conducted at one of the world's foremost molecular genetics laboratories, as well as studies by leading scholars, suggests a 2,000-year-old Jerusalem tomb could have once held the remains of Jesus of Nazareth and his family.

The DNA findings, alongside statistical conclusions made about the artifacts — originally excavated in 1980 — open a potentially significant chapter in Biblical archaeological history.

A documentary presenting the evidence, "The Lost Tomb of Jesus," will premiere on the Discovery Channel on March 4 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The documentary comes

The Talpiot Tomb

On March 28, 1980, a construction crew developing an apartment complex in Talpiot, Jerusalem, uncovered a tomb, which archaeologists from the Israeli Antiquities Authority excavated shortly thereafter. Archaeologist Shimon Gibson surveyed the site and drew a layout plan. Scholar L.Y. Rahmani later published "A Catalogue of Jewish Ossuaries" that described 10 ossuaries, or limestone bone boxes, found in the tomb.

Scholars know that from 30 B.C. to 70 A.D., many people in Jerusalem would first wrap bodies in shrouds after death. The bodies were then placed in carved rock tombs, where they decomposed for a year before the bones were placed in an ossuary.

Five of the 10 discovered boxes in the Talpiot tomb were inscribed with names believed to be associated with key figures in the New Testament: Jesus, Mary, Matthew, Joseph and Mary Magdalene. A sixth inscription, written in Aramaic, translates to "Judah Son of Jesus."

"Such tombs are very typical for that region," Aaron Brody, associate professor of Bible and archaeology at the Pacific School of Religion and director of California's Bade Museum told Discovery News.

Ossuary Inscriptions
At least four leading epigraphers have corroborated the ossuary inscriptions for the documentary, according to the Discovery Channel.

Frank Moore Cross, a professor emeritus in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University, told Discovery News, "The inscriptions are from the Herodian Period (which occurred from around 1 B.C. to 1 A.D.). The use of limestone ossuaries and the varied script styles are characteristic of that time."

Jodi Magness, associate department chair of religious studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, told Discovery News that, based on the New Testament writings, "Jesus likely lived during the first century A.D."
The James Ossuary

In addition to the "Judah son of Jesus" inscription, which is written in Aramaic on one of the ossuaries, another limestone burial box is labeled in Aramaic with "Jesus Son of Joseph." Another bears the Hebrew inscription "Maria," a Latin version of "Miriam," or, in English, "Mary." Yet another ossuary inscription, written in Hebrew, reads "Matia," the original Hebrew word for "Matthew." Only one of the inscriptions is written in Greek. It reads, "Mariamene e Mara," which can be translated as, "Mary known as the master."


Francois Bovon, professor of the history of religion at Harvard University, told Discovery News, "Mariamene, or Mariamne, probably was the actual name given to Mary Magdalene."
Bovon explained that he and a colleague discovered a fourteenth century copy in Greek of a fourth century text that contains the most complete version of the "Acts of Philip" ever found. Although not included in the Bible, the "Acts of Philip" mentions the apostles and Mariamne, sister of the apostle Philip.

"When Philip is weak, she is strong," Bovon said. "She likely was a great teacher who even inspired her own sect of followers, called Mariamnists, who existed from around the 2nd to the 3rd century."

DNA Analysis
Jacobovici, director, producer and writer of "The Lost Tomb of Jesus," and his team obtained two sets of samples from the ossuaries for DNA and chemical analysis. The first set consisted of bits of matter taken from the "Jesus Son of Joseph" and "Mariamene e Mara" ossuaries. The second set consisted of patina — a chemical film encrustation on one of the limestone boxes.
The human remains were analyzed by Carney Matheson, a scientist at the Paleo-DNA Laboratory at Lakehead University in Ontario, Canada. Mitochondrial DNA examination determined the individual in the Jesus ossuary and the person in the ossuary linked to Mary Magdalene were not related.

Since tombs normally contain either blood relations or spouses, Jacobovici and his team suggest it is possible Jesus and Mary Magdalene were a couple. "Judah," whom they indicate may have been their son, could have been the "lad" described in the Gospel of John as sleeping in Jesus' lap at the Last Supper.


Robert Genna, director of the Suffolk County Crime Laboratory in New York, analyzed both the patina taken from the Talpiot Tomb and chemical residue obtained from the "James" ossuary, which was also found around 1980, but subsequently disappeared and resurfaced in the antiquities market. Although controversy surrounds this burial box, Genna found that the two patinas matched.

"The samples were consistent with each other," Genna told Discovery News.
Upon examining the tomb, the filmmakers determined a space exists that would have fit the "James" ossuary. Given the patina match and this observation, Jacobovici theorizes the lost burial box could, in fact, be the "James" ossuary.

A possible argument against the Talpiot Tomb being the Jesus Family Tomb is that the collection of names on the ossuary inscriptions could be coincidental. But Andrey Feuerverger, professor of statistics and mathematics at the University of Toronto, recently conducted a study addressing the probabilities that will soon be published in a leading statistical journal.

Psalm 27:1 "The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?"

On Being Unchurched

I have been unchurched for quite a long time now. I don't enjoy getting up early when I don't have to work. I don't feel comfortable trying to sing at 9 am on Sunday morning. I really do not want to see another performer do his or her best imitation of the current Christian music singing sensation. Christian karoke gives me the jibblies. Calisthetics at that time of day is not something I am up for. You know what I mean, "Let's stand and sing" Please sit down and... or even worse, "Kneel and...." My knees are 55 years old and they do not work well. I do not kneel. This is not out of disrespect. My knees hurt.


Years ago I was asked to leave a church. That hurt me for the longest time. I got over all that. I forgave the shunners years ago. I figure they have missed out for years on the good fortune of having my friendship and comradery. So that is their loss.







Apparently I am not the only unchurched Christian. There are quite a few of us that are tired of mega-churches, leaders that seem to send the message, "Do as I say, not as I do." These folks are also tired of the church leadership begging for money. Many folks would love to offer their time, their knowledge or skills. And we have seen some churches that have not been good stewards. Why do we need another building expansion? Why do the pastors and their families live in a $250k home in a great part of the community and I am struggling to pay my rent? Why are we sending money to missions? Me and some other church members could use a hand.


Of course I am making some sweeping generalities. However it's not like I haven't experienced all of these issues I have mentioned. In my quest to rejoin the flock I have come up against some deep potholes in the road to redemption.

And what is it with all these extra-curricular activities that seem to have no Biblical basis? My wife was disabled some years ago. She spent 11 years in terrible pain and had to use a walker. We have been to Churches and have gotten odd looks from congragants that cannot understand why I did not force her to the front of their church so the pastor could "slay her in the Spirit" hence bring about her healing. It's not like both of us had not been asking God for her healing those past 11 years.


We were both Baptized by sprinkling. When we became Jesus Freaks, we went into the icy November water of the Ohio river and were Baptized again. Shortly after receiving the "right foot of fellowship" from my home church I attempted to rejoin a local church in a town where we had just moved. Well my first two Baptisms were not valid according to their dogma. To join them we would have to be re-Baptized. Forget it! If you do not have confidence in me, I am afraid that I cannot accept you either.

What about these mega-event churches? Everyone is wagging their hands about and dancing and being spoonfed a sermon-lite. No doubt that I would love to feel good, but to me that's all dessert and no meal. God has given us a great set of instructions. Let's take a look at them and forgoe the two-step.

I would not at all mind "suffering" and getting up early on Sunday. I would not mind opening up my congested mouth to belt out Standing On The Promises at that same time if I could find a group of sincere believers that are serious about God and family.

Until then, I'll keep you posted.

Gullible Christianity

Using an article
by NEELA BANERJEE
Published: February 7, 2007 The Denver Post

Forced by a gay sex scandal to resign as president of the National Association of Evangelicals, the Rev. Ted Haggard now feels that after three weeks of intensive counseling, he is “completely heterosexual,” says an overseer of the mega-church Mr. Haggard once led.



The church official, the Rev. Tim Ralph, said in an interview published yesterday by The Denver Post that Mr. Haggard had also told the board of overseers that his only sexual relationship involving another man had been with Michael Jones, the onetime Denver prostitute who exposed that three-year affair last fall. Mr. Jones said then that he was making it public because Mr. Haggard had acted hypocritically in promoting a constitutional amendment to bar same-sex marriage.

Mr. Haggard, who as a result of the scandal was ousted by the overseers in November as senior pastor of New Life Church in Colorado Springs, broke a three-month silence over the weekend when he contacted members of the church by e-mail to tell them that he was healing.

His three weeks of counseling, in Phoenix, felt like “three years’ worth of analysis and treatment,” but now “Jesus is starting to put me back together,” Mr. Haggard wrote in the e-mail message, which was published in The Colorado Springs Gazette on Monday.

“I have spent so much time in repentance, brokenness, hurt and sorrow for the things I’ve done and the negative impact my actions have had on others,” he said.

Mr. Haggard could not be reached for comment yesterday. Mr. Ralph declined through a spokeswoman to comment, and there was no response to telephone calls and e-mail to another overseer or to a New Life spokesman. But Mr. Ralph told The Denver Post that Mr. Haggard had come out of the counseling convinced of his heterosexuality.

“He is completely heterosexual,” Mr. Ralph told The Post, adding that Mr. Haggard’s homosexual activity had not been “a constant thing.”

Dr. Jack Drescher, a New York psychiatrist who is an expert on issues of gender and sexuality, said that while it was people’s prerogative to identify their sexual orientation as they wanted, the notion of being able to change that orientation was “not consistent with clinical presentations, but totally consistent with theological belief.”

“Some people in the community that Mr. Haggard comes from believe homosexuality is a form of behavior, a sinful form of behavior based on certain things in the Bible, and they don’t believe you can create a healthy identity based on sinful behavior,” Dr. Drescher said. “So they define it as a behavior that can be changed, and there is this thinking that if you control those behaviors enough, heterosexual attractions will follow.”


Mr. Haggard said in his message to New Life members that he and his wife were taking online courses to get master’s degrees in psychology, and Mr. Ralph told The Post that the oversight board had recommended to Mr. Haggard that he take up secular work.

As long as Christians accept idiots like Mr. Haggard and Reverend Tim Ralph, as long as they buy into the blather generated by the esteemed Dr. Jack Dreschler, they deserve to be bonded with these corrupt god-sellers.

You read in your Bible where Jesus beat and chased the money sellers and those selling sacrifices out of God's Temple, right? Do you not think if He were to walk into our Churches today He would do the same to god-monger like the ex-Reverend Haggard and this bunch?

My suggestion to all Christians. Think for yourself!

BEWARE OF WALGREENS PHARMACY

I usually try to post something uplifting on this blog. However I think it is so important to watch for medication errors at Walgreens Pharmacy or at any pharmacy for that matter.

Please check all prescription drugs to make certain what you are taking is what your doctor ordered for you. Here is today's post:

The doctor had ordered some medications for my wife, so I went to the pharmacy to pick them up. It’s a well known national chain.





When I got home my wife was looking at her medications. Before she became disabled, she was a Registered Nurse. One of the medications was for seizures and the doc had ordered 180 tablets.



My wife tells me that most of the pills are like the ones she had been taking as they were elliptical and had the name of the manufacturer printed on them. But mixed in were some round tablets with different markings. And she asks me if she thinks they may have come from different manufacturers?


I called the pharmacy and described the differences in the pills. The round ones had an “A” with “MO” beneath it. The pharmacist said the round ones were 50 mg Toprol XL. Now I take Toprol XL and I know that it is a beta-blocker which slows down the heartbeat and is used to regulate blood pressure.


The pharmacist said that she was sorry and nonchalantly told me to bring the medication back and she would remove the incorrect pills and refund my money. Like this happens everyday!

I let the pharmacist know that if she looked at my wife’s records she would find out that she takes another medication for her blood pressure. I asked her would not the combination result in hypotension and perhaps worse. The pharmacist stated that they were very busy so the actual pharmacist only opens the bottle and glances to see if the medication looks correct.

I sent an email to the company as well as wrote to the corporate office and cc’d my doctor.

When I took the drugs back I learned that at this chain of stores the drugs are automatically dispensed by a machine that is supposed to count each pill as it puts it into the bottle. The pharmacist that I talked to this evening said their general manager called them this morning and had them take the machine apart to determine what had gone wrong.

The moral of the story is if you folks are purchasing prescription drugs open the bottle and count them. They should have a description of the pill on the label. Make sure you are receiving what your doctor ordered and the quantity that was ordered. And if it is pill or capsule form, then count it.



I counted the tablets twice before I took them back. There were 181 of the correct pills and 6 of the blood pressure medications. So the stupid machine could not even count them correctly!
This Warning Is Only My Oppinion!