Respect is like Love (Agape Love, to be precise). It is commanded, not earned.
Yes I am fully aware that this is not a popular opinion, but I am so much more interested in what's Biblical than what's popular.
Another thing that Respect has in common with Agape Love is that neither is relative. "R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to me," so goes Aretha Franklin's song; as if Respect was a morally relative term; it is not. If it were we would spend our lives trying in vain to please each other's fleeting whims. 

In-article links: 1. The Context | 2. "And" not "or" | 3. Paul's Opinion | 4. Hair and Reproduction | 5. Conclusion

Does The Bible forbid women from ever teaching or preaching in church?

I would like to offer my opinion on this very important topic. Not everyone agrees with me on this; some think my view is too liberal, others think it's too conservative. My goal is to be biblically accurate and consistent.

1 Timothy 2:12A (ESV) "I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man…"

Psalm 127:1 "Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain."

This one's a little more philosophical; ontological, to be precise. This Psalm starts off with a very typical theological argument, everything is dependent on God; but the more you consider this argument the more profound it gets, because there's a glitch in the Matrix:

Someone once said that in the life of every problem there’s a time when it’s big enough to see, yet small enough to solve.

This is a pretty accurate view, I believe, of the internal mandate of the church -that of building up the body to full maturity, to a global “unity of the Faith”, and away from infantile doctrines (Ephesians 4:13-14).

This is what I call “up-river thinking” - solving problems when they become visible, but are still small.

We have, however, developed a down-river appetite for social change. We have become convinced that we must solve prejudice, climate, drugs, sex deviation, and all our social ills way down-river.

Matthew 14:23 “After dismissing the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. Well into the night, he was there alone."

The trenches are messy, dangerous, and inhumane but unavoidable in warfare.
I think since WWI most people know what I mean by “the trenches”. Down in the thick of the fight, hand to hand combat, with the chaos and the carnage of battle. It’s where dreadful things happen; where weapons are used that were devised to inflict traumatic injury and death.
It’s not a place for the faint hearted or the coward.
The trenches are unavoidable, and only a bad leader demands others into them without going there himself; but he cannot successfully lead from them.

We are so pleased to announce our new, full-time venue in Bethel:
 1901 SE Bielmeier Rd, Port Orchard, WA 98367 (click for directions)

We will be meeting here from Sunday August 15th 2021 at 10am.

Six year old Bridger Walker is my hero, if I ever grow up I want to be like him (see article link below). He’s not perfect, I’m sure. He has character flaws and he makes mistakes like we all do, but when it counted he knew how to meet violence with appropriate violence, not too much, not too little; like a man, he had control of the full range of his voice.

Sunday was a wonderful day of sunshine, friendship, and baptism down on Fox Island at the BeachLab.

What a joy to worship together outside, dig a little into the thinking and relationship behind water baptism, break bread together, witness Carlos’ baptism, and then spend some time social distanced around a table eating dinner!

Thanks to all who made this wonderful day happen.

A Letter from the Elders of Firebrand Church  
Announcing the return to in-person worship services, 4pm Sunday June 21st. 

We are excited to announce that we will be returning to in person worship, with restrictions, starting Sunday June 21, 2020 at 4pm at King of Glory Lutheran Church in Purdy (Directions). With the transition of Pierce County to Phase 2 under Governor Inslee’s COVID-19 recovery plan. As guests of King of Glory Lutheran we would like to be sure we are honoring both our elected leaders and our hosts in all that we do.