We went so long without publishing a show that iTunes was right on the cusp of delisting us. I finally got a chance to log into a machine with iTunes on it and managed to find us in iTunes.

So, if you have an iTunes account, go find Theology Rocks and vote for us. (Lots of stars, now!)

Sometimes we get confused between our Bible (KJV, NIV, NASB, NLT, NET, ASV, ad infinitum). Our point is that none of those are The Bible. Throw in The Message, the Living Bible and company, and you're compounding translation problems with paraphrase. Toss in some presuppositions, some flawed teaching and a pinch (or more) of pride, and you get problems aplenty.

Our point is, "there's more to the Bible than your translation."

There are a whole mess of great tools online that we didn't even mention in the podcast:

Denying the Trinity has become not only relatively common in the modern church, but many people are afraid to stand up to those who are denying it. "If you believe in Christ but reject His unique deity, you might have a very nice religion, but can you call it Christianity?" Gregory Koukl

Download TR065 MP3

Visit us at OpenDiscipleship.org.

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We're back. Here's what's been happening, and some explanation as to why we were quiet for so long.

Years ago, when I started my first discipleship small group, I found this small group commitment. It resulted in a more cohesive group that I have ever witnessed before. I dug it up this week while getting ready for an 8-week Sunday School class. I thought I'd make it available to anyone who wants to use it. I wish I had written down the source material that I pulled it from. If I can figure that out, I will update the file with attribution. I apologize for my shortsightedness.

I just uploaded the Mere Christianity participant's handout for Book One. I've linked to it from the Mere Christianity Leader's Notes page. The document is an Adobe Acrobat PDF.

Here's a direct link to it: Book I Discussion Handout

As always, your feedback is welcome!

Before I begin at my beginning I need to lay one more piece of pipe to my story...Douglas McArthur Parsons - my so called ‘retarded’ brother.
I have learned in life that “Perception is Reality”. What you believe is your ‘truth’.
My Mom and Dad never could perceive Dougy as anything but ‘retarded’. So that is how they treated him. Sadly, since that was the way he was treated - that’s how he acted. Truth is he wasn’t/isn’t/or-ever-will-be ‘retarded’. You see I have a different perception of him. (Confused yet?)

It is about time for a disclaimer. Most of my family’s story is oral history. I have tried to get at least two accounts of incidents. Things I could not confirm by a second witness I regard as lore and have not included it. Besides, could you make some of this stuff up?

My Grandfather, Hiram, is the only Grandparent I met. I saw him twice. The first time he didn’t acknowledge me; the second time he looked at me and said, “Who the h*ll are you?” Daddy proudly claimed me as his son. To which Hiram said, “Just so long as he isn’t mine.” Hiram died in 1965.

My mom and dad married each other on the rebound.

My mom (Nyla Myrtle Mathews) was unceremoniously dumped by her fiancé when he found out her mother (my Grandmother) was bi-racial. My Grandmother’s father was a freed slave and her mother was Cherokee. When that came up in conversation, my momma’s fiancé walked out on her.

My dad (Press Parsons) had been dating my mom’s younger sister for a couple of month’s when he met this sweet little girl for whom he fell head over heels. They planned to marry but her father put a stop to it. He said that daddy was nothing more than poor white trash and forbade her to marry him.

These two events occurred on the same day.

"I walked not in the way of righteousness. … But the Almighty God, who sits in the court of heaven, granted what I did not deserve." - Constantine (280-337)

Just day’s after becoming a Christian, we sang Amazing Grace at the Bethel Church of Christ, Bethel, Ohio (elevation 892 feet) and I understood for the first time, what it meant. I finally understood what it all meant. I saw grace not just as a word used in church but as a gift from The God who cared about this homicidal 15 year old. I felt grace in the freedom that my soul had...I was still struggling with the sin in my life but I felt freedom from the bonds that had held me. I was no longer controlled by it, just tortured by it (there is a difference!)

I didn’t understand, but for some reason...I was worth something to somebody. That Somebody was the Creator of the universe...That is some heavy stuff - that is...