Saturday, December 27, 2008
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Yay for Voices of Reason!
Except the part about the earth being here 5.5 billion years, of course. But this is nice to hear for a change:
And a very good explanation on a Christian perspective of gay marriage from Rick Warren:
And a very good explanation on a Christian perspective of gay marriage from Rick Warren:
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
New Love or Long Love?
I read an interesting article on the plane home from New York the other day, that you should check out. Read it here. I know, you may be getting tired of talking about gay marriage, but there is something here I want you to notice.
There is something bigger here than the topic of gay marriage (at least in my mind), that is present both in the article and the video. See if you can spot it. I will come back to it later this week...
Meanwhile, I just had to comment on my trip with Amy to New York this weekend. We had a great time, she was totally surprised, and I'm the husband of the year so the rest of you can stop trying.
As we were walking the streets of Manhattan, I was contemplating how great it was to be able to fulfill a wish that Amy has had for years - to go to New York at Christmas time and see the tree in Rockefeller center. I had looked forward to her response since I bought the tickets over a month ago. I planned the surprise meticulously, trying not to forget any detail that could make it more meaningful for her. Now that we were there, I was loving it.
But what made it even more special was the fact that there were 15 years of memories together walking with us on those streets. There was 15 years of knowledge of what she likes and dislikes, what means the most to her and what she can give or take. Knowledge that a year or even five years of marriage doesn't give you.
New love is exciting and fun, but there was something about the trip that was deeper, more special because of our long love. It's hard to explain. It's hard to give the feeling a name. Part appreciation, part gratitude, part reminiscent, part "make every moment count because we're not promised tomorrow" (something I had no comprehension of 10 years ago). I don't know what to call it, but it was deeeep.
New love gets all the attention, but it's that same love fostered over time that is like a priceless jewel that you have to dig to the middle of the mountain to retrieve. It's a lot of work getting there, and you might be tempted to settle for a lesser jewel along the way, but if you can make it, the reward is exponential.
What about your marriage? What have you done to foster that long love in your own home? What have you done to treasure your spouse(especially you, men - God made your wife to need to feel treasured by you)?
It's really not that hard, once you decide to do it. It doesn't have to be a trip. I just used Amy's likes and dislikes as a springboard to make her feel special. For instance:
--I can deal with a little mess at home, but she likes it clean (no dishes in the sink, floor vacuumed, pillows arranged correctly on the couch, etc.). We used to argue because she felt like she wasn't getting any help and I thought she was being unrealistic about how clean the house should be all the time. Now, when I get home from work, I spend 30 minutes or so swiffering the floor (it's wood), doing the dishes and making the house look like she wants it so that she can walk in and relax instead of feeling like she has to clean. The difference in her response to me has been amazing. So, why didn't I just shut up and do that before? Good question.
--She wants to know that I think about her during the day. I used to say I did, but there was no real proof of that. Now, I try to find ways to let her know. Sometimes I show up at her work with lunch, sometimes it's just a text that says I'm thinking about her. Whatever. You'd be amazed at the power of the words, "I missed you today."
Basically, for Amy, every time I go the extra mile for her I am proving that I love her. Maybe your wife doesn't have those same needs, or maybe she wouldn't feel the same way about those things if you did them. Find out what her "extra mile" is and do whatever you can to fulfill it.
We saw 2 couples get engaged in front of the tree. They cried and everyone applauded- one guy raised his hands in victory when she said yes. It was pretty neat and I'm sure it's something they will never forget, but I couldn't help but wonder if they will make it to appreciate the benefits of a love that lasts.
Don't spend a second of time daydreaming of what it would be like to start over with someone else. YOU be someone else! Change how you relate to and treasure her and become what she has always wanted. You CAN do it, you just may not WANT to or see the NEED to.
Well, I dare you to do it for a month. You just may end up wondering what took you so long.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
I didn't see this on the news...
"Texan Michael E. Schwab said that the woman driving the sedan on U.S Route 281 near San Antonio "was not driving like a Christian" and that "God said ... she needed to be taken off the road,” according to the Bexar County Sheriff's Office.
So, Schwab, 52, of Blooming Grove, Texas, rear-ended the car with his pickup truck — at more than 100 mph, the San Antonio Express-News reports.
Both both drivers suffered only minor injuries in the Friday morning accident.
Though Schwab told deputies "God said she wasn't driving right" and "it was Jesus' will for him to punish the car,” he did not describe the other driver's alleged transgressions of the holy rules of the road. Deputies determined the unidentified 35-year-old woman “had done nothing wrong,” according to a news release.
Schwab was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and his bond was set at $50,000."
I love the comments on the Prop 8 post. Keep em coming and next week I will weigh in with my own thoughts (I know, you won't be able to sleep till then).
For now, here is one more thing, just for fun...
And did you see the preview for the next season of "Dancing With the Stars"?
So, Schwab, 52, of Blooming Grove, Texas, rear-ended the car with his pickup truck — at more than 100 mph, the San Antonio Express-News reports.
Both both drivers suffered only minor injuries in the Friday morning accident.
Though Schwab told deputies "God said she wasn't driving right" and "it was Jesus' will for him to punish the car,” he did not describe the other driver's alleged transgressions of the holy rules of the road. Deputies determined the unidentified 35-year-old woman “had done nothing wrong,” according to a news release.
Schwab was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and his bond was set at $50,000."
I love the comments on the Prop 8 post. Keep em coming and next week I will weigh in with my own thoughts (I know, you won't be able to sleep till then).
For now, here is one more thing, just for fun...
And did you see the preview for the next season of "Dancing With the Stars"?
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Anybody still out there?
I know I have been lax of late, but the blog has fallen onto the shoulder of my chaotic highway. I am going to try to post more again, mainly because I love the back and forth that goes on in the comments. We need to sharpen each other and be sharpened all the time. So with that, I post this gem of blasphemy. (It might take a minute to load):
Alright, let's hear your defense of christianity the way you would say it to your gay brother (if you had one, of course)...
See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die
Alright, let's hear your defense of christianity the way you would say it to your gay brother (if you had one, of course)...
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
I...Can't...Resist...Any...Longer.
Okay - I have so far resisted talking about politics. I don't like bringing politics into the church. It's not like God is on the Republicans side - there are plenty of corrupt politicians on both sides of the aisle. Championing anyone from the pulpit seems beneath what the pulpit represents.
With that said, I can't help myself a week out from the election, to have some fun with some thoughts about it. So, I present to you....(the anticipation builds)....
"9 Reasons Why an Obama Presidency Might not be the End of the World"
1. It will force us to be less materialistic. Hey, if he taxes more of our income, there won’t be any money left over for those fancy toys that make us prideful (look what I’ve got!) and take time and money away from Kingdom issues! Thanks, Barry! Of course, it might also keep you from buying extras like, food, water, electricity and medicine – but let’s not be glass half-empty people, okay? Consider this verse:
For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
(1 Timothy 6:10 NLT)
In other words, the love of, and the pursuit of money has been many people’s downfall. Let’s face it, many of us have never had to live at the level of “having nothing but the Lord” financially. We obsess over the next pay raise, the better paying job, paying this or that bill off to give ourselves more room in the budget, it really never ends. And it can seriously, sometimes fatally, affect your spiritual life.
What if all that was taken from you? Do you think you would be more devoted to Christ, or less? Would you have more or less stress? What would you do differently with your life? Would you spend more time with your family? Volunteer more? Enter the ministry? (shoot, if you aren’t going to have any money anyway – why not?)
2. We will be able to eliminate one more name off the list of guys who might be the Antichrist.
I have heard a lot of that rumbling lately, and I heard the same thing when Bill Clinton won the presidency. Sometimes we can’t put things to rest like that until we see the person in action. Turns out Bill just didn’t have any character.
The Bible doesn’t mention any countries that are involved in end times events that resemble America, so it’s doubtful that the Antichrist would come from here. Although, I think Barack is campaigning hard for the job.
3. We can finally drop the illusion that America is a Christian nation.
America may have been founded on Christian principles, but that does not make it a Christian nation. The very definition of democracy and freedom means we cannot declare ourselves to hold any religion above any other. Freedom of religion is great for people who want to be free to worship who they choose, but if I’m not mistaken in the Bible they call that idolatry. Can you imagine God saying in the O.T. that the Israelites could worship whichever god suited their fancy because he wanted them to be free? Ahh, no.
Sure, Christians have benefited from freedom of religion, but so have a bunch of false religions. Isn’t any country that allows the worship of false gods doomed to fail?
Barack Obama is not an exception to the American rule. He is exactly what America has become and what every democracy becomes if you give it enough time. One author said it this way:
“There is a moral law that teaches that if men and women are left to the consequences of their own freely chosen course of action, they will go from bad to worse-unless this tendency is reversed by divine grace.”
That has happened to every democracy that has ever existed and it is happening to us. I look around and I don’t see any reason why God would bless us, except maybe our support for Israel. The author goes on:
“So we read these words of doom, “God…gave them up,” “God gave them up,” God gave them over” (Romans 1:24,26,28 KJV)
There are a lot of things you can call America: Land of Opportunity, Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave, the Shining City on a hill – but, Christian isn’t one of them. We turned that corner a long time ago.
Okay, that was pretty heavy. On a lighter note…
4. With no money to go anywhere, demand for oil will stay low and so will the gas prices!
“Yeah, mom, I lost my job today because of cutbacks and high capital gains taxes on my employer-but, look how cheap gas is!”
5. It will force us to face our fears.
Many of us are scared of what an ultra liberal will do given the presidency and a democratic congress to go along with him. Hey, maybe having to face this will finally let Amy get over her fear of clowns, and Pastor Keith will get over his fear of short people!
6. It will bring the abortion debate back to the forefront where it belongs.
We haven’t had an eager proponent of abortion in the Whitehouse, probably ever. This will be the first time that the president will be making the case on why you shouldn’t restrict abortion in any case or even save babies who have survived abortion.
He will be signing into law and defending legislation that pushes things that a vast majority of Americans won’t support. In fact, he promised Planned Parenthood that it would be his first order of business. It will bring abortion back into the American conversation in a way that it hasn’t been for a long time.
It seems like America has resigned itself to the reality of abortion. Maybe this will make them take another look at it. I’d like to believe that anyway. Okay, everyone start singing…”When you wish upon a star,”…
7. He might overreach and America will swing back the other direction!
Presidents always seem to have this knack of thinking that, because they won, that gives them a blank check to do whatever they want. If he follows through with all he wants to do, the backlash could be huge which would send most Americans running the other direction.
8. It will guarantee that Alaska will be well run, at least for another 4 years!
And finally...
9. It will drive us to our knees, where we should have been all along.
“If there isn’t a revival in this country of some sort…we’re moving toward a state that would be very much like pagan Rome.” - Stephen F. Olford, Stephen Olford center for Biblical preaching.
The Israelites never seemed to get serious about revival until things got really bad for them. They prayed this during one of those times:
Oh, that You would burst from the heavens and come down! How the mountains would quake in Your presence! As fire causes wood to burn and water to boil, Your coming would make the nations tremble. Then Your enemies would learn the reason for Your fame! When You came down long ago, You did awesome deeds beyond our highest expectations. And oh, how the mountains quaked! For since the world began, no ear has heard, and no eye has seen a God like You, who works for those who wait for Him!
(Isaiah 64:1-4 NLT)
This is how God answered them:
The LORD says, "I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help. I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for Me. I said, 'Here I am, here I am!' to a nation that did not call on My name.
(Isaiah 65:1 NLT)
If this is what God is waiting for, let’s get on with the asking, the looking and the calling! If it takes a Barack Obama presidency to make us desperate for it, I say – Bring it on!
Before you start writing angry letters, understand that I don’t want it to happen. I don’t want him to win for all of the same reasons you don’t want him to. But, it may take that to get American Christians to respond.
Have we ever considered the notion that America doesn’t have to survive? (I know that’s heresy). Patriotism is great and all, but it isn't everything. If somewhere down the line, America bites the dust - Christianity will still thrive and grow, don't ya think? Maybe even stronger than it was because persecution will mature it so that it is not lacking anything (think James). I mean, if it makes you feel better, I don't think that's going to happen in the next 4 years, but if he gets a 2nd term, all bets are off. :)
What do you think?
With that said, I can't help myself a week out from the election, to have some fun with some thoughts about it. So, I present to you....(the anticipation builds)....
"9 Reasons Why an Obama Presidency Might not be the End of the World"
1. It will force us to be less materialistic. Hey, if he taxes more of our income, there won’t be any money left over for those fancy toys that make us prideful (look what I’ve got!) and take time and money away from Kingdom issues! Thanks, Barry! Of course, it might also keep you from buying extras like, food, water, electricity and medicine – but let’s not be glass half-empty people, okay? Consider this verse:
For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
(1 Timothy 6:10 NLT)
In other words, the love of, and the pursuit of money has been many people’s downfall. Let’s face it, many of us have never had to live at the level of “having nothing but the Lord” financially. We obsess over the next pay raise, the better paying job, paying this or that bill off to give ourselves more room in the budget, it really never ends. And it can seriously, sometimes fatally, affect your spiritual life.
What if all that was taken from you? Do you think you would be more devoted to Christ, or less? Would you have more or less stress? What would you do differently with your life? Would you spend more time with your family? Volunteer more? Enter the ministry? (shoot, if you aren’t going to have any money anyway – why not?)
2. We will be able to eliminate one more name off the list of guys who might be the Antichrist.
I have heard a lot of that rumbling lately, and I heard the same thing when Bill Clinton won the presidency. Sometimes we can’t put things to rest like that until we see the person in action. Turns out Bill just didn’t have any character.
The Bible doesn’t mention any countries that are involved in end times events that resemble America, so it’s doubtful that the Antichrist would come from here. Although, I think Barack is campaigning hard for the job.
3. We can finally drop the illusion that America is a Christian nation.
America may have been founded on Christian principles, but that does not make it a Christian nation. The very definition of democracy and freedom means we cannot declare ourselves to hold any religion above any other. Freedom of religion is great for people who want to be free to worship who they choose, but if I’m not mistaken in the Bible they call that idolatry. Can you imagine God saying in the O.T. that the Israelites could worship whichever god suited their fancy because he wanted them to be free? Ahh, no.
Sure, Christians have benefited from freedom of religion, but so have a bunch of false religions. Isn’t any country that allows the worship of false gods doomed to fail?
Barack Obama is not an exception to the American rule. He is exactly what America has become and what every democracy becomes if you give it enough time. One author said it this way:
“There is a moral law that teaches that if men and women are left to the consequences of their own freely chosen course of action, they will go from bad to worse-unless this tendency is reversed by divine grace.”
That has happened to every democracy that has ever existed and it is happening to us. I look around and I don’t see any reason why God would bless us, except maybe our support for Israel. The author goes on:
“So we read these words of doom, “God…gave them up,” “God gave them up,” God gave them over” (Romans 1:24,26,28 KJV)
There are a lot of things you can call America: Land of Opportunity, Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave, the Shining City on a hill – but, Christian isn’t one of them. We turned that corner a long time ago.
Okay, that was pretty heavy. On a lighter note…
4. With no money to go anywhere, demand for oil will stay low and so will the gas prices!
“Yeah, mom, I lost my job today because of cutbacks and high capital gains taxes on my employer-but, look how cheap gas is!”
5. It will force us to face our fears.
Many of us are scared of what an ultra liberal will do given the presidency and a democratic congress to go along with him. Hey, maybe having to face this will finally let Amy get over her fear of clowns, and Pastor Keith will get over his fear of short people!
6. It will bring the abortion debate back to the forefront where it belongs.
We haven’t had an eager proponent of abortion in the Whitehouse, probably ever. This will be the first time that the president will be making the case on why you shouldn’t restrict abortion in any case or even save babies who have survived abortion.
He will be signing into law and defending legislation that pushes things that a vast majority of Americans won’t support. In fact, he promised Planned Parenthood that it would be his first order of business. It will bring abortion back into the American conversation in a way that it hasn’t been for a long time.
It seems like America has resigned itself to the reality of abortion. Maybe this will make them take another look at it. I’d like to believe that anyway. Okay, everyone start singing…”When you wish upon a star,”…
7. He might overreach and America will swing back the other direction!
Presidents always seem to have this knack of thinking that, because they won, that gives them a blank check to do whatever they want. If he follows through with all he wants to do, the backlash could be huge which would send most Americans running the other direction.
8. It will guarantee that Alaska will be well run, at least for another 4 years!
And finally...
9. It will drive us to our knees, where we should have been all along.
“If there isn’t a revival in this country of some sort…we’re moving toward a state that would be very much like pagan Rome.” - Stephen F. Olford, Stephen Olford center for Biblical preaching.
The Israelites never seemed to get serious about revival until things got really bad for them. They prayed this during one of those times:
Oh, that You would burst from the heavens and come down! How the mountains would quake in Your presence! As fire causes wood to burn and water to boil, Your coming would make the nations tremble. Then Your enemies would learn the reason for Your fame! When You came down long ago, You did awesome deeds beyond our highest expectations. And oh, how the mountains quaked! For since the world began, no ear has heard, and no eye has seen a God like You, who works for those who wait for Him!
(Isaiah 64:1-4 NLT)
This is how God answered them:
The LORD says, "I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help. I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for Me. I said, 'Here I am, here I am!' to a nation that did not call on My name.
(Isaiah 65:1 NLT)
If this is what God is waiting for, let’s get on with the asking, the looking and the calling! If it takes a Barack Obama presidency to make us desperate for it, I say – Bring it on!
Before you start writing angry letters, understand that I don’t want it to happen. I don’t want him to win for all of the same reasons you don’t want him to. But, it may take that to get American Christians to respond.
Have we ever considered the notion that America doesn’t have to survive? (I know that’s heresy). Patriotism is great and all, but it isn't everything. If somewhere down the line, America bites the dust - Christianity will still thrive and grow, don't ya think? Maybe even stronger than it was because persecution will mature it so that it is not lacking anything (think James). I mean, if it makes you feel better, I don't think that's going to happen in the next 4 years, but if he gets a 2nd term, all bets are off. :)
What do you think?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
