Pastor Don James

Text in "English"

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 14:51:12 -0500

Hey gang - travel has kept me from being able to work on this blog much. I did receive this interesting tidbit from a friend…enjoy.

The Majority of People Around the World Text in English

If you’re one of those people who believes English should be the universal language, then I have a tip for you: Grab your cell phone and keep texting! According to a report we found in The New Yorker, there are more than three billion people on the planet who own cell phones right now and in their race to send about a trillion text messages each year, a majority of people are writing their messages in some form of English. Why? Because it’s faster to type! For one thing, the average English word is very short – only five letters long. Compare that to the average Inuit word used by the Eskimos, for example, which comes in at 14 letters long. Also, English words use fewer characters – with just 26 letters in our alphabet. By contrast, Ethiopians have more than 300 symbols in their language and the Chinese use literally thousands of written characters! Since those can’t easily be fit onto a cell phone’s keypad, texters are forced to use the English alphabet to tap out their messages. Since brevity is essential in the texting world, a majority of text messages are based on English words.

For example, the French are known to text the English word “now” instead of the French equivalent “maintenant” – because it’s faster to type. The Dutch use “2m” as a short-cut way of saying “tomorrow” – another English word. No matter what language a person speaks, most all texters recognize universal phrases like “brb” for “be right back,” “gr8” for the word “great” or the letter “k” instead of “okay” – again, those are all English words! Of course, some purists believe all the shorthand phrases used in texting are an abomination of the English language. That’s a short-sighted view, according to texting expert David Crystal because from a cultural standpoint, he believes those abbreviations have helped spread English around the world faster than any technology in history. In other words, it doesn’t matter if a person in Slovakia types “lol” or “laugh out loud” into their cell phone. Either way, they’re still using English.

Election musings...

Sat, 08 Nov 2008 21:09:39 -0500

Well since I have been gone for awhile; I just have to think some of you out there might be wondering about my thoughts concerning last week’s election.

Let me start here… on Thursday night; Sam Huddleston the Ass’t Supt. of Northern Cal/Nevada spoke to us and it was super. First, you need to know Sam and his lovely wife Linda are African American so that made his comments even more interesting and meaningful.

Actually his opening line said it all and expressed my feelings pretty well. Sam simply said the following as he started his message…” I am not looking for a Savior”…. (Obama; McCain; Palin or anyone else)… “because I already have a Savior and his name is Jesus”.

Sam went on to express his concern that many people - even Christians have mistaken the fact that there is really only one person who can fix the mess our nation and our world finds itself in… again that’s Jesus.

Now we all have our personal feelings on the election - some overjoyed at the results - others like myself - very disappointed. HOWEVER, the results have not shaken my resolve that God is ultimately in control. That’s it - that’s the bottom line. I have to trust that God’s hand is in this election - even if some of us don’t like the results. The Bible makes it clear that God raises up leaders and God can bring them down as well.

So my posture is simple - I am now called to pray, and that means I am to pray perhaps as never before. I am to pray for our new leaders and pray they allow their hearts to bent toward God and specifically his Son, Jesus. I am to pray for our congress - and believe me do they ever need it. And I am to pray for Christ’s church that we don’t lose focus on our real purpose here on this planet and that’s to see the kingdom of God prevail and the lost pointed toward our savior.

This will be a time when it’s very important for our new president to feel like the church and Christians everywhere are praying for him; and not opposing him. His job will be huge to say the least and he already has a couple of wars to deal with - he doesn’t need another one. That will not serve him or this nation well.

So does that mean I’m happy about all of this? uhhhh, no, but it is what it is and as a Bible believing person I will now pray for those who are over me in our government, and I will rejoice that God is still in control and always will be in control!

I'm Back... did you miss me?

Sat, 08 Nov 2008 20:38:00 -0500

Well you may or may not have known that Donna and I were traveling over the past week - so I’ve been away from an internet connection for the past week. Actually we were at sea with the Assistant Superintendents of the A/G on a little conference cruise. Pretty good idea actually - no trouble finding a restaurant that could seat a lot of people. To be honest I think we only went a few miles off the coast - but we were on the water none-the-less. It was good to see friends… and of course talk about church business and the election -which for the most part we were a little uninformed with limited TV coverage on the ship.

So anyway I am back.

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Fri, 31 Oct 2008 22:17:30 -0400

IT IS STRANGE ISN’T IT … Isn’t it strange...

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 21:56:00 -0400

IT IS STRANGE ISN’T IT …

   Isn’t it strange how a 20 dollar bill seems like such a large amount when you donate it to church, but such a small amount when you go shopping?

   Isn’t it strange how 2 hours seem so long when you’re at church, and how short they seem when you’re watching a good movie?

   Isn’t it strange that you can’t find a word to say when you’re praying but… you have no trouble thinking what to talk about with a friend?

   Isn’t it strange how difficult and boring it is to read one chapter of the Bible but how easy it is to read 100 pages of a popular novel?

   Isn’t it strange how everyone wants front-row-tickets to concerts or games but they do whatever is possible to sit at the last row in Church?

   Isn’t it strange how we need to know about an event for Church 2-3 weeks before the day so we can include it in our agenda, but we can adjust it for other events in the last minute?

   Isn’t it strange how we believe everything that magazines and newspapers say but… we question the words in the Bible?

   Isn’t it strange how everyone wants a place in heaven but… they don’t want to believe, do, or say anything to get there?
   (Thanks Mary - whoever you are and thanks Dave Giles)

A media and money election?

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 13:17:05 -0400

I wanted to weigh in on a couple of things about the election that I think are important. First of all I am saddened that our democratic system has now ABSOLUTELY been turned over to the media and money and not the general population.

It’s quite obvious our presidency is now following the way of the political trends we have seen here in NJ over the past few years. In our state we had both a Senator and Governor buy an election - in this case the same guy and amazing enough most of it his own money. He literally flooded the media in every aspect with commercials; ads; etc.

In the case of one of the candidates, guess who… he has now outspent his opponent 8-1. Further he has now bought 30 minutes on all prime time TV networks to address the American people as a whole. This has never been done before - nor would the networks have ever allowed such a thing to happen… but now $$$ is the driving force… not fairness; equal access - nothing. So I am horrified that our political system has finally arrived at the place of no return… the main thing is the bucks… not the issues; not valid and honorable debate; not a system that believes in fairness concerning the voters. It started a long time ago… what a shame - now we MAY have arrived.

This commentary is not a commentary on one candidate or the other - it’s on a system now seriously broken… it’s a sad day when elections are bought… just ask some of the former communist nations… those leaders where just not as smooth in their political ambition as politicians today.

Salem Witch Trials (3 minutes)

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 15:13:04 -0400

Salem Witch Trials (3 minutes): Interesting clip…

ONE WORLD CURRENCY? Are we in the days of a quickly developing...

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 09:51:00 -0400

ONE WORLD CURRENCY?

Are we in the days of a quickly developing one world currency? Is the stage finally being set for anti-Christ to come forth? Well the events with the world markets and financial crisis seems to be pointing that way as never before. At some point the various world economies are going to have to level the playing field so the currency in and of itself is not causing so many problems. The on-going battle between the Dollar and the Euro and the Pound and the Yen is not making things better - but much worse… this will have to be remedied to bring about any kind of solution to this crisis… “one currency” might be the answer. And all this time China is just watching and waiting to pounce on even more control of the world’s economies. Sadly most of this is greed related, and will continue to be so as long as we live with an “I deserve this and that” mentality.

In the mean time - our government is now buying up American Banks - through bailouts. So the question is when do they put in place “spending controls for individuals?” Let me suggest everyone gets a small “Bank of America” chip under your skin to stop credit card fraud and for the government to “control” individuals buying and selling - since the government where the ones who had to step in and bail out these naughty old banks and out of control American consumers.

And did you read about the meeting with Asian and European leaders last Friday and the agreement on economics they have devised? (See MSN web). Or yesterday our speaker at church talked about the French President coming the to the US a week or so ago representing the 10 nation confederation in Europe! So is the stage being set? Perhaps.

These are days to pray and not panic - but no wonder Jesus warned us in the end days to stay alert! (Matthew 24).

Just a thought… again.

Favorite “Past-time”; New York relief; etc. OK...

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 09:38:04 -0400

Favorite “Past-time”; New York relief; etc.

OK here’s some comments from my Monday morning quarterback seat after a weekend of sports. FIRST, what is up with the TV networks and their obsession with these late games here on the east coast. Give me a break - whatever happened to playing the World Series in the afternoon? Or have you ever heard of delayed telecast - these are the days of the internet, dudes… if the people in the West want to see it live - just let them watch via the web… dah!

When someone said baseball was America’s favorite past time - the TV coverage is making this a reality… I mean past everyone’s time… past 11PM and 12AM and even past 1AM - come on… this has become crazy. Everyone is inconvenienced so Miller can talk about lite-beer… or Chevy can sell more pick-up trucks… I mean how many pickups do see driving around NYC or Boston or Washington DC… give me and every youngster who is a baseball fan a break!

On a lighter note… today we get a smiley face because Eli and the Giants came back and won a big one against the Steelers (sorry Gordon M) and how about Brett’s - Jet’s - nice come back for you guys as well.

Best of all is the Broncos had the day off… God knows they needed it.

This was a bad week for my sports teams… well the Giants...

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 20:06:24 -0400

This was a bad week for my sports teams… well the Giants did win - BUT…

Jets - lost to the Raiders… had to be “jet-lag”

Broncos- blasted and the jury’s out…

Yankees? … just plain out!

The power of influence

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 19:51:18 -0400

In 1768 a Christian minister named John Witherspoon became president of the College of New Jersey, now Princeton. While there he taught biblical principles of government to his students.

Of the 478 young men who were graduated during his tenure, writes author John Eidsmoe, “114 became ministers; 13 were state governors; 3 were U. S. Supreme Court judges; 20 were U.S. Senators; 33 were U. S. Congressmen; Aaron Burr, Jr. became Vice-President; and James Madison became President.” As a Christian, Witherspoon exerted an enormous influence on the direction of American government.

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Fri, 24 Oct 2008 19:49:02 -0400

Why we should vote

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 19:48:17 -0400

Why we should vote

Something to think about?

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 19:30:38 -0400

OK - here’s the deal with the election at hand let’s unlock the door of our closed minds and consider the following…

Let’s get this out of the way up front: I’m not a politically motivated person. Which is why I felt a tad out of place meeting with Barack Obama this summer. And talking to John McCain. And doing countless interviews about the faith and shifting political views of our generation.

Yet I have unwittingly found myself thrust into the political arena, a place where people are vehemently passionate about their ideologies and platforms. It’s an entire industry built around being right and proving your opponent wrong, and winning at any cost. It’s a continual power struggle and—from my humble vantage point—seems a bit flawed.

I’m someone who tries to think independently and objectively, rather than simply follow what the pundits tell me to think. Because of that, I’ve realized I cannot fully embrace either political party. Both sides of the aisle have some great ideas and goals. But both also have areas where they simply get it wrong.

I know the power of politics and the importance of the process in our world. But I also know that, historically, real, lasting change has started first at the grassroots level long before it was ever legislated. Cultural mindshifts influence Washington, not the other way around.
Many Christians traditionally have voted Republican because of their justifiable conviction to protect the lives of the unborn. Now, many younger Christians are voting Democrat because of their justifiable desire to see our nation, the most prosperous in the world, address issues of poverty, global aid and the environment.

The problem is, many Christians vote these convictions, but that’s largely where their personal involvement in the issues stops. Are the government leaders we vote for meant to do our job for us?

If God has given you a heart for the poor, or to see a reduction in the number of abortions, or to promote peace, or to help the sick, or to stand for strong moral values, or to be a better steward of the environment, then your personal focus needs to be on that—whether or not the President shares your same values.

The Bible reminds us to pray for our leaders, but it also talks about praying for those who persecute us. Though I can’t foresee any situation where this would be the case, what if one day every value Christians stand for, even religious freedom itself, was legislatively removed? Christians in China and many other parts of the world face this reality every day. Would it change us?

Dare I say, it might actually spur the Body of Christ here into greater action. Could it be that the loss of religious freedoms would ultimately be the best thing for American Christians because it would cause us to stand on our own feet rather than relying on the government to legislate our faith and values for us?

I’ve heard that only 5 percent of people who attend church regularly actually serve in any way. I’ve read that if every Christian in America actually tithed 10 percent of their income, we would have enough financial resources to wipe out global poverty.

There’s more power lying dormant in pews around the nation than any government could hope to provide, and that’s where our focus should be.

Many Christians want to overturn Roe v. Wade, but I don’t hear nearly as many leading the charge on a national adoption movement. If Roe v. Wade is overturned, where are all of those babies going to end up? Christians should be focused on personal action regardless of legislation, not just waiting for the right number of Supreme Court justices to come along.

I’m not saying don’t vote. Do. Vote your convictions and let your voice be heard—that’s one of the perks of living in a democracy. But don’t let politics breed division, or make you see people in a different light.

If you have a passion for an issue, rather than judging someone who doesn’t share that passion or viewpoint, just go do something about it. Give your life to it. Be the change you want to see.

We need to pray for our leaders and our country, but always remember that our leaders and country do not define us. We are the generation that will shape the direction culture, government and social action will take in the next 50 years. It’s not up to Washington, it’s up to us—and I say it’s time we step up and lead the charge.

But that means with our lives, our finances and our actions every day. Not just Nov. 4.

Can we give Relevant magazine writer Cameron Strang a big hand for his thoughts above and at least making us think? Come on… now… clap, clap, clap.

Bridal Song

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 09:24:51 -0400

This morning I did something I’ve never done before. I read the entire book of Song of Solomon in one setting. Now, not that it’s an amazing accomplishment - after all it’s only eight chapters - but I was amazed at how when you read it all the way through how it flows and how you get such a great slant on the message and the drama being played out throug Solomon’s writing.

Of course this is a love book about two love-sick people - in reality - King Solomon and probably the daughter of a Bedouin or Palestinian prince. Allegorically it’s a love story of the God of Heaven and his people.

What the Lord showed me this morning (I think anyway) was the whole bride concept. Now I’m not trying to start some great theological controversy or debate - but I think I gained an insight or two that you may want to ponder with me.

First make no mistake about it - this is a book about passion in our relationship with God. But second I think the Lord was showing me the bride concept has three connections - all are confusing to us - but not to God in his Triune character.

This book reveals through the Shunamite - a bridal relationship with a king. So think about it… Israel is the bride of the Father… The church is the Bride of Christ his Son… and the New Jersusalem (Revelation 21/22) is the bride of the Spirit.

Now if that doesn’t work for you - it’s cool. But I do encourage you to see yourself as the beloved of God… and get passionate toward him in return.

Ecclesiastes - good advise...

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 10:21:00 -0400

My personal devotion time in this book has been rich as I have worked my way through the brain-twisters of each passage. Of course often Solomon was speaking from a worldly point of view (he calls vanity; or things under the sun) so you have to be careful to discern whether his statements are of the world or of God which he also brings out at certain points throughout the book.

But this morning as I was reading in the 9th chapter it’s pretty clear the advise given is from God’s perspective and not the world’s. Now what he says in these verses make for a good way to go about your life every day… try this on:

Verse 7 - Choose to live with an attitude of joy! - “Go eat your bread with joy and drink your wine with a merry heart for God has already accepted your works.

Don’s interpretation… favor in life comes much more from God’s grace than it does from our striving, so relax, enjoy each day and be thankful to the Lord.

Verse 8a - Choose to live a holy life! - “Let your garments always be white”

Don’s interpretation… Holiness will always serve you better than sin!

Verse 8b - Choose to live passionate toward God! - “And let your head lack no oil”

Don’s interpretation… oil is always representative of the Holy Spirit and his anointed presence - so it’s simple - strive to keep the Spirit’s oil flowing over your life.

Verse 9 - Choose to love your wife more each and every day (or husband; or if single - Jesus) - “live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life…

Don’s interpretation… relationships are key to happiness and your marriage partner must say at the top of the list in caring for relationships.

Verse 10 - Choose to live a productive and not lazy life! - “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might…”

Don’s interpretation… Personal esteem is crucial to our well-being and being intentional about working hard and not being slothful will serve us well.

So, I hope these little pointers help you make it through your day with a little more hop in your step!

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Fri, 17 Oct 2008 09:13:41 -0400

Nothing new under the sun!

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 09:10:30 -0400

OK - so I have been reading Ecclesiastes and it’s working on my head! Here’s why…

The key word in this book is the word - “vanity”. A good Biblical definition of vanity is, “the futile emptiness of trying to be happy apart from God”. I like that… and it’s true. And yet try as we might we find ourselves like Solomon chasing the winds of vanity. Here was a guy who had it all… count it off… wisdom, riches, influence, power, prestige, popularity… and by all means don’t leave out pleasures. I mean we are talking one big bowl of vanity. He calls these things his discoveries - “under the sun” (verse 9).

But here’s the bottom line - in the end of his life he says they left him empty. He discovered that nothing could fill that God-shaped place in his heart but God himself. So let’s take some advise from this wayward king… there’s one thing he gets very right in this book. He says - “go ahead - it’s OK to eat, drink, rejoice and the like. But above all live to do good and at the top of the list… fear God!

I’m preaching to the choir I know… but I like it

Coming up EMPTY

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 08:54:37 -0400

This morning I arose knowing it’s missions convention weekend in our church and Donna and I would be making a faith promise to God concerning our finances for world harvest. During my prayer time I found myself reading through Ecclesiastes chapter one and something stuck strong in my spirit. It was the words from chapter 1 verse 15 - “what is crooked cannot be made straight”.

Wow… I immediately thought about the situation with our world’s economy and Wall Street. I thought about the housing market and all the problems people are having on what is now being called “Main Street”. I thought about the upcoming election and the shallow if not impossible promises being made by the candidates… and this verse just seemed to say it all. Whether it’s wars in Iraq, troubles in the middle East, problems on Main Street and chaos on Wall Street it’s because all these things are tied to the systems of this world and 3000 years ago Solomon wrote - the things of this world are crooked and they CANNOT BE MADE STRAIGHT.

This entire book is about his striving to implement the things of the world into his own life and over and over again he comes up with one simple conclusion - try as you might when you put your hope in this world you will come up empty.

When will we ever learn, huh gang? Maybe today is a good day for all of us to think about what crooked things we are trying to make straight. If you find some things (as I have) - well give it up and remember God;s words - they will never be made straight.

Just a thought

Please don't miss... they are worth the read!

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 09:05:17 -0400

On October 7 I posted a synopsis and pic of the life of missionary Jim Elliot who was martyred for his faith. Today I have posted a synopsis and pic of missionary William Borden… don’t miss these they help us keep our compass working for life.