I have something to say now ...

I Have Something to Say Now ...

This is the index page for articles that I have written in some loose order. Articles is a kind word. Perhaps “musings” or “thoughts” would be better descriptors. Either way, below you will find links to many varied topics that reflect years of thinking, study, listening and then writing.

There is a legend that I have not been able to confirm, about Albert Einstein. He was invited to a big dinner with lots of important people who paid to come and hear him speak. When it was time to do so, he stood at the podium and simply said, “I have nothing to say”, and sat down. It was a disaster, as one might expect. Three months later, he called the organizers of the event and said, “I have something to say now.”

For many years, I have resisted writing down a lot of things that I think, but often when people ask me what I think I do not have a ready answer. Many of answers I want to give are not simple: they require some background of understanding that cannot be easily traded in a conversation in the fellowship. Rather than risk misunderstanding about any of this, I have been collecting things I have written, that represent as precisely as I can, what I think.

... and now I have something to say...

It is important to accept that:

These are expressions of my thoughts and do not reflect any opinion but mine. It is not my intent that you have to believe like me - or think like me. But people frequently ask me what I think, and this forum is created so that I can point to something that is well thought out and deliberate when that happens.

I reserve the right to change my mind and amend what I say. Since each of the articles here is a living document, I can adjust them as I grow in understanding and as I change in my perspective. This will be done by simply using colored text - first red, then blue, then green. When you see colored text, you know that I have changed something. If its green, then its been changed at least 3 times. This means that if you quote me you may have to revise the quote to keep it accurate. If you want to point out something that I said to others, make sure you link directly to that document, because it may have changed since you last looked at it, especially if you challenged me on it and your challenge precipitates a change of some sort.

You are welcome to challenge what I have to say here. I will consider the challenge in the spirit of my desire to be the most accurate and the most responsible to what I believe to be true. I will make an effort for giving you credit for the challenge and the resulting change of thinking. I will not respond to threats, accusations, or an argumentative spirit. Just help me correct my path.

Below are links directly to my opinions that may be of interest to you:

NOTES:

If there are multiple entries under one topic, it is typically best to read them in the order that they are presented
If there is no link, then this is a forthcoming topic that I have not had time to construct
If there is a double asterisk following a topic, it is under construction.

Topics

My opinions on Teaching and a Teaching Ministry in the local congregation

Forward
Teachers in the New Covenant church
The Purpose of Teaching
What is Teaching (** Barely started)
Who is a Teacher (Am I a Teacher?)
The Teacher Group
Preparing to Teach
My Hermeneutic
Teaching the Bible Effectively (sketched outline that is being converted to prose but full of content)
Hands and Feet - An allegory about Gifts in the church for our time

Prayer - Most of these are in my teaching notes format, waiting to be turned into prose as some date, but they are here for the benefit of those who do not mind wading through my teachers mind.

What is it worth? (** Teaching Notes format)
Finding God in Prayer
The Science of Prayer (** Teaching Notes format)
Corporate Prayer
Fasting - an article on some issues around fasting (**)
Fasting - notes from the congregational teaching in October 2015 to the Boston Church.

Fasting slides - These are the slides that accompany the congregation teaching on fasting above

Leadership

small letter leadership
Raising the “SL” Ratio

Hermeneutics

My Hermeneutic
Abraham, Moses, David, Peter, Paul and Jesus
The Formative Nature of Scripture
The Father, the Son and the Holy Scriptures

Love the Lord your God ...

Reflections on the Ministry of Christ (as it relates to how we relate to people in our fellowship)
A Litmus Test for Action in the community of Christ - Four questions to ask before you try to “disciple” a fellow disciple

Concepts - An attempt at the Unified Spiritual Field Theory

Head and Tails: Thoughts on Paradox in Spiritual thinking
Righteousness
The Nature of Faith
The Nature of Sin: Missing the Mark
Grace
Justified
Sanctification
Redemption

Opinions on Worship

Ramblings

Thoughts on Accountability
The Laying on of Hands
Things Jesus did Not say ... **
Purging the “We”
The nature of the church
Unraveling conflict
Holy Spirit
War and Peace
Suicide, Abortion, Euthanasia and other un-addressed issues

Parables and other useful Fiction

Missing the Mark - A Parable

Copyright Statement: By United States Law, this material is copyrighted by Frederick W. Faller. It reflects my opinion on these matters at this time and is subject to change upon further understanding and discussion. I give permission to any and all readers to use and distribute this document freely, with the only restriction being that if any part of it is quote or restated, then the entire document, unchanged, must be referenced and made available to the subsequent readers, including this copyright statement. That is, you are not free to quote from this document without providing the entire context of the quoted material to the interested reader.

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