Jose Ceralde
19 Mar 2008

 

 

Mr. Rafael L. Oriel, Jr.,

“Mr. Ceralde, to tell you frankly, I know nothing about Rev. Dieleman in the same way that I know nothing about Mr. Ceralde and/or some of the participants in the Punch Forum for that matter. As far as I am concerned, we are totally strangers to each other especially those who are hiding under alias name. ” is what you posted.

You surprise me more and more because you put your belief on Rev. Dielman in the same pedestal as Jesus and the Bible. I believe in Jesus without seeing him but I cannot put my faith on another a preacher’s interpretation that I do not even know.

Remember Rev. Jesse Jackson and Jimmy Swaggart who both had powerful persuasive sermons. They had millions of believers until their scandals came out. A lot of people lost faith in them when they found out who they really were.

Another point I wanted to make is that you just picked parts supposedly to enlighten SP posters and you missed the most important part, the conclusion of Rev Dieleman’s sermon “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”

I repeat what I said before: this is not a natural condition. None of us can make ourselves meek. Nothing but the Holy Spirit can make us one of the blessed meek. It is the Spirit, and only the Spirit, who renews us poor selfish people to be meek like Christ. You are like the churchgoers that fall asleep during long sermons so, therefore, do not get the full understanding of the sermon.

In a person’s value system, meekness is one that I wished to be blessed with but it would not solve my problem if that is all I have. Meekness is one trait most adults do not remember from their kindergarten class. Washington was full of values that people could go to the ABCs’ from bravery, courage and to humility in giving power when he could have set up maybe Cha-cha without any spin.

Mr. Pontaoe was right on about General Washington’s story being about command and control. When I went to the USAF Senior NCO Academy at Maxwell AFB Alabama in 1991 it was taught as a command and control example. I am sure a lot of military academies in the US still teach it as such. I am not saying it could not be illustrated as a person’s ability to be meek by Rev Dieleman but that is the setting and environment it is commonly discussed and explained in leadership topics.