The following are my father's notes from this morning's sermon.
He didn't speak from these; they are more like reference material.
The Results of Adding to Our Faith (2Pet1:8-11)
V8 If you’ve made a start by having these traits in you and you grow in them abundantly,
You will have no possibility of being inactive or fruitless in your knowledge of the Master-Savior- Messiah.
Be < huparcho = come forth, make a start, begin
In you OR are yours > each of these things must be IN / OF each Christian
pleonazo = Super-abound, increase, in abundance
barren (argos) = idle, lazy, inactive
unfruitful (akarpos) = un-yielding
Recognition, discernment of the Master Savior Messiah
1. These qualities are the means to make our relationship with the Messiah meaningful.
2. Our knowledge of Him is quite practical - not just something in our head, but in our daily lives.
3. Positively stated: active, vital, and productive
V9 The one who does not have these traits ready at hand, has cataracts and is nearsighted, having his memory wiped of being cleansed from his former offenses.
Lacks < me-pareimi = not at hand, ready, in store
These things…
tuphlos = opaque / cataracted
muopazo = see only what is near
lambano = to take, to steal away (had his mind removed) / To a hidden, secret, unawares condition
Cleansing, washing, purification
From former offenses.
1. Living with a spiritual mind, building o nthe foundation He has begun, living in grateful awareness of His grace.
2. What do we see? This present, evil world? Or the future, righteous one.
3. Remember the past remission of sin and commitment to the battle against evil.
4. Soldiers engaged in this war are falling all around us. Will we stand our ground?
V10 Instead of such a case, brothers, it is far better to endeavor to establish with certainty the state of your calling and choosing by God. IF you produce these traits in your life, you will never fall away.
Because of these, It would be much better, brothers, to…
spoudazo = make haste, exert oneself, endeavor
klesis = invitation
ekloge = picking, choosing
bebaios = stable, fast, firm, trusty
poieo = make, produce, form, author
Never ever, by no means, certainly not at all
ptaio = stumble, err, mistake, sin
1. Our duty to make secure that God has chosen us.
2. We are to make certain that for which God has certainly begun in us.
3. The means by which we make sure: add these attributes.
4. The stability of living in grace: we need not fall away.
5. Peter is absolutely confident that these are the qualities we need to succeed.
V11 By this means your entrance into the eternal rule of our Master and Deliverer, the Chosen Savior, will be richly supplied.
Minister < Epichorego = supply, furnish, present / I furnish the gifts (vs5-7), God furnishes kingdom (v11)!
plousiōs = Wealthily, richly
aiōnios = Always has been and always will be, everlasting
basileia = kingship, dominion, rule
1. God does exercise His right and we are required to acknowledge His rule and be subject or be cast out.
2. God’s rule will ultimately find fruition in the heavenly kingdom (2Tim4:18).
3. If through the trials of this life, the righteous barely delivered (1Pet4:18),
4. Yet, the gates of glory will be thrown open wide to welcome him on that shore.
5. A Grand Welcome will be given those so equipped with these traits. What a thing to make sure!
6. The certainty of battle here > the certainty of glory there.
Q: Is that reason enough to be growing?!
Notes by David Teel Sunday, November 09, 2008
I've had some time to think and rest, so I'm going to put my thoughts down in writing now.
As some of you are aware, I am not at Blizzcon. Indeed, I am not even in the United States. Something dreadful happened, and I'd like to make sure you know the state of play.
Since June last year, I have been entering and leaving the US under their Visa Waiver program. The idea is that citizens of certain, trusted countries can enter the US without a visa, as long as they comply with certain rules and regs. Those rules and regs are not particularly well documented, but the basic gist of it is 'don't work, don't commit crime, leave before the 90 days is up'. In April, we started our application for the K3 spousal visa, which grants permanent residence. We heard nothing back, indeed from what we've been able to determine, the application hasn't even started. It may not have reached them, it may indeed have been rejected out of hand because there was a vague rule 'somewhere' that says you can't apply while the alien (that's me) is in the United States. One way or the other though, it didn't get processed.
As of October 8th, I fly back from Heathrow to LAX, to enter the US for the purpose of Blizzcon, and then to go and stay with Gen (my wife) until hopefully, the K3 had made some progress. If not, it was my intention to leave before those 90 days were up, go back home, get some work in England and apply for the B2, a stop-gap measure for visitors, which allows you to change status while on it. The Visa waiver program is becoming application-only in January anyway, so I didn't anticipate this would be an issue. I was wrong.
I was detained at LAX because I was 'inadmissable for entry'. Despite my every effort to be honest and truthful, and explain my situation at home, they would not listen (they being Homeland security). I explained to them that I was looking after our 5 year old son. I explained to them that Gen's work was trying to force her to work nights and if that happened, someone would have to be at home to look after Orion. I explained to them that we had been acting in good faith, had received advice from 2 seperate, authoratative sources (homeland security and the USCIS) that it would be ok for me to enter under Visa waiver on this occassion. I explained to them that to the best of our knowledge, the K3 application had been submitted in April. I explained to them that I was attending a convention on invitation. I explained to them that I had not been working, my wife had been supporting the family, and that were I not there, and she was forced to work nights, she could lose her job.
They didn't care.
They seemed determined from the outset to treat me like a criminal, and so they did, accusing me to my face of lying, claiming I had entered the US at one point through Mexico (this never happened) and all manner of other ridiculous things. I was judged 'inadmissable' to the United States and kept in custody to be deported the following day. For most of the time, I was kept in a secure room in their office without access to my luggage or a phone. I was then taken in an armoured van to a detention center, had all my personal effects taken away, including my shoe-laces of all things, and put in a cold cell, consisting of little more than a cold metal bench and a bank of very bright lights. I was supposed to 'sleep' there, but that didn't happen, how could it? It was freezing cold and unbearably bright. There was no indication of time anywhere, it was 9 hours of haze.. I don't remember much from then. When I was removed from the cell I was taken back to another armoured van, hands behind my back and driven back to the airport where I was escorted under armed guard, back to the Homeland security office. It was at this point that I demanded to speak to the British Consulat, who had been working to resolve the situation. I was able to speak to my parents, and to a Consulsar officer for advice, but at 18:00 PST that day, was removed from the United States, along with the majority of the Blizzcon equipment that I had been transporting with me. I tried to leave the suitcase for pickup, they refused to help me. By the time I got on the plane I had not slept in over 48 hours.
So riddle me this, why is it that in a country where 100s of illegal immigrants come in every day, work, claim benefits, commit crimes, does the one guy who's trying to do it all above board, get shot down? What was my motivation for entering the States? To be a father to a child who needed one, and a husband to a wife who needed one. What was my crime? Apparently trying to do that in THEIR country. The US immigration system is obtuse, incomprehensible and broken. It gives conflicted advice at every turn, changes it's mind whenever it feels like it and invests complete executive power in small men with guns. Their supposed discretion for individual circumstances ends up being turned against those who tried to do things the right way, but were held up by ridiculous procedures and ill-documented laws and regulations. Speaking from a legal perspective, the immigration procedures are obtuse and filled with double-speak and vague definitions. It's nigh on impossible to know what you're supposed to do. 2 seperate sources told me it would be ok to enter the US, but it was not. What was I supposed to?
As a result of this, I was unable to attend Blizzcon and more importantly, unable to be with my wife and son. My trip to Blizzard studios and meet-ups with the devs, as well as the community summit I was going to attend and speak at at the Irvine studio, didn't happen. If there was a term I'd use for how I'm feeling, it's 'crushed'. The culmination of 3 and a half years of work shot down, and my family torn apart.
I need to step away from this for a while. At the end of Blizzcon, I will step down as station owner and show host until such a time as I feel comfortable taking up those duties again. I will not be producing any shows, or dealing with any managerial aspect of the station. I don't know when or if I'll decide to come back, I suppose that depends on how easy it is to mend a broken heart. In the meantime, I will see you guys on IRC and Vent if you have any questions.
Peace.
Just thought I'd share. I listen to this guy's shows, and to other shows on his Station.
yeah dude, if you could make it, it'd be awesome! It might be at least another week or so, I've got to load internet on to my laptop and update my version of SC, but after that we should be good to go!
interesting post, poor dude. I'd like to see how much better we'd do with the Illegal Immigration problems if we'd concentrate on that instead of the overseas visitors. Think about it, if someone is wealthy and organized enough to get plane tickets to USA, then he's probably not trying to put up permanent residence, most likely. it's annoying no matter which way you turn it, i suppose.
!. I've been tagged?
@. I've been tagged.
#. I've been tagged for a while now.
$. I wonder when that happened....
%. I check Pleo infrequently.
^. I was tagged by my uncle.
&. I don't know why I was tagged by my uncle.
*. I have an odd sense of humor.
(. I'm not good at math.
