I am excited to report that one of my prayer request has been answered. I recently made application to the Billy Graham Association to participate in their "Rapid Response Team" being deployed to the Gulf Coast region. My application has been approved!
I will now be making a trip (short-term missions) to assist in the hurricane relief effort. I will participate as a chaplain to local first responders as well as those affected by the distructive force of the hurricane. I will be part of this deployment team for one week and am making preparation to depart in the early spring. I appreciate your prayers!
Your prayers are working, so keep it up! I stand ready to serve God where He directs.
Being blessed,
Rev. Rick Carder
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
A Quote To Ponder On Injustice
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." - Martin Luther King
When working with people in crisis one thing remains true for all. That is, God is very much aware of their plight! God sees the oppressed and hurting victim of life's injustice. Many see the inconsistancy of life, the extreems of wealth and poverty and wonder where is God. Many see the disadvantanged and express frustration with the seemingly non-responsive nature of God. Many grow in their woundedness and become bitter and indifferent. Many simply give up! But the message we deliver is that God loves mercy!
Martin Luther King was a man who's ideals for human justice shaped a nation's treatment the rights of people. His Christian ethic wove into his political "justice for all" idealism. He won this battle the rights of black Americans. But it was sacrificed by the shedding of his blood by an assassin. His words now echo into the landscape of American idealism; a justice for all.
In the scope of world hunger, death, dictatorships and world disorder we all wonder, where is God? But, the good news is that God is just and loves mercy. He knows the sin-fallen nature of mankind. He know about man's self-districtive nature. He sees the suffering of the oppressed. He knows we are like "sheep without a shepherd." He has sent a Great Shepherd to rescue us who is Jesus Christ.
He has responded!
His response is to love mercy. His response is to pronounce judgment upon injustices. The problem is our response to embrace this Truth. We want justice on our terms. We hold back mercy when it is within our power to deliver. We reject the gift of Christ's love and hope for eternal life. Just ask anyone you meet, "If you could be god, how would you right the wrongs of this world?" Seldom will you find an answer, "For God...(I)...so loved the world that He (I) gave my only son (so that) whosoever believes in Me would not die but have eternal life." (Would we be willing to love as Jesus demonstrated on the cross and say, "Father, forgive them"?
King had it right, injustice for any one is a threat to justice for everyone. But, in the eyes of the our Holy God, his justice will come and let us prayer that we receive His mercy throught Jesus Christ, our Lord.
We carry a message for those in crisis. It is a message of HOPE through FAITH in Jesus Christ. Our efforts to deliver help to the hurting is to bring good news in bad times; it is to help people find CHRIST in CRISIS!
When working with people in crisis one thing remains true for all. That is, God is very much aware of their plight! God sees the oppressed and hurting victim of life's injustice. Many see the inconsistancy of life, the extreems of wealth and poverty and wonder where is God. Many see the disadvantanged and express frustration with the seemingly non-responsive nature of God. Many grow in their woundedness and become bitter and indifferent. Many simply give up! But the message we deliver is that God loves mercy!
Martin Luther King was a man who's ideals for human justice shaped a nation's treatment the rights of people. His Christian ethic wove into his political "justice for all" idealism. He won this battle the rights of black Americans. But it was sacrificed by the shedding of his blood by an assassin. His words now echo into the landscape of American idealism; a justice for all.
In the scope of world hunger, death, dictatorships and world disorder we all wonder, where is God? But, the good news is that God is just and loves mercy. He knows the sin-fallen nature of mankind. He know about man's self-districtive nature. He sees the suffering of the oppressed. He knows we are like "sheep without a shepherd." He has sent a Great Shepherd to rescue us who is Jesus Christ.
He has responded!
His response is to love mercy. His response is to pronounce judgment upon injustices. The problem is our response to embrace this Truth. We want justice on our terms. We hold back mercy when it is within our power to deliver. We reject the gift of Christ's love and hope for eternal life. Just ask anyone you meet, "If you could be god, how would you right the wrongs of this world?" Seldom will you find an answer, "For God...(I)...so loved the world that He (I) gave my only son (so that) whosoever believes in Me would not die but have eternal life." (Would we be willing to love as Jesus demonstrated on the cross and say, "Father, forgive them"?
King had it right, injustice for any one is a threat to justice for everyone. But, in the eyes of the our Holy God, his justice will come and let us prayer that we receive His mercy throught Jesus Christ, our Lord.
We carry a message for those in crisis. It is a message of HOPE through FAITH in Jesus Christ. Our efforts to deliver help to the hurting is to bring good news in bad times; it is to help people find CHRIST in CRISIS!
Sunday, February 05, 2006
Wesleyan Theology and Post Modernism
Research from Rev Rick Carder
The central claim of this article is that debates over the integration of psychological theories and findings, on the one hand, and Christian doctrine, on the other, largely boil down to differences in theological methodology, and that the theological methodology often associated with John Wesley offers a compelling model of such integration. Section I lays out how it is that while there are logical and normative matters involved in discussions of theoretical integration, methodological issues are at the heart of such discussions, and hence, how it is that one's theological methodology determines one's theory of integration. Given this thesis, Section II outlines the general contours of Wesleyan theological methodology. This methodology involves four mutually interacting though hierarchically arranged sources of knowledge: Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. The final section elucidates the manner in which this understanding of theological method can be taken as a viable and vital model of the theoretical integration of psychology and theology.from: Wesleyan theological methodology as a theory of integration. by Porter, Steven L.
source: Journal of Psychology and Theology, September 22, 2004.
via: 
HighBeam™ Research
COPYRIGHT 2004 Rosemead School of Psychology
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