Everything That's On My Mind

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

1 Timothy 1:15-17 (NIV)

Ex-Stripper Spreads Gospel to Those in Sex Industry

Missional | Culture

Tuesday, March 28, 2006 - 03:27 PM Eastern Standard Time

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Wednesday, March 22, 2006

More information on Abdul Rahman

Chuck Colson gives a few more details on Abdul Rahman's situation in today's BreakPoint commentary. He also has helpful links for contacting the President and your members of Congress to urge them to put pressure on the government of Afghanistan to free Rahman. You can also contact the Afghan embassy in Washington D.C. at this email address. As Dave mentioned in the comments to my last post (thanks for the reminder, Dave), you can also find more information about the persecution of Christians worldwide at Persecution.org.

Prayer | Current Events

Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 03:24 PM Eastern Standard Time

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Monday, March 20, 2006

Prayer Request

Pray for Abdul Rahman, an Afghan Christian who is on trial for being a Christian. Despite the changes there, it is still against the law to convert to Christianity in Afghanistan, and the punishment is death. His own family turned him in...he's actually been a Christian for years. I heard about him on the radio this morning, still looking for more details.

How easily we forget how blessed we are to be able to worship God freely here in the U.S.

Prayer | Current Events

Monday, March 20, 2006 - 03:21 PM Eastern Standard Time

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Friday, March 17, 2006

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day

So many holidays with Christian roots have been lost to secular culture. The only thing most people associate with Saint Patrick’s Day is green beer. I doubt one person in ten could tell you who Saint Patrick was. Patrick was born and raised in what is now Great Britain, but was taken captive and sold into slavery in Ireland. He ran away from his slave masters in his twenties and became a monk. Many years later he returned to Ireland as one of the first Christian missionaries there. In honor of Saint Patrick, I offer links to this good article over at Next-Wave, another article at BreakPoint, and the website of my favorite author, Stephen Lawhead, who specializes in novels based on Celtic history and mythology, including a novel based on the early life of Saint Patrick.

As they used to say on Hill Street Blues, “Let’s be careful out there today.” The green beer is flowing.

Holidays

Friday, March 17, 2006 - 03:19 PM Eastern Standard Time

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Thursday, March 16, 2006

Turn Your Head

This takes vanity art to a strange new level. It's a very creative idea, though.

Thanks to Infuze for the link.

Silly

Thursday, March 16, 2006 - 03:18 PM Eastern Standard Time

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Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Words mean things

I usually don't like it when writers use intentionally inflammatory headlines to draw readers. I think it's a cheap trick and I often avoid such articles just on principle. This morning, however, I went ahead and read Kenn Hermann's article "Why I Don't Believe in God - and You Shouldn't Either" despite the title. He makes an interesting point. We live in a society that truly has created their own gods, redefining that term in ways that are comfortable to them. Whether someone says "I believe in God" or "I don't believe in God," we have to realize that most of the time they're not referring to the God we worship. To have an effective conversation about any topic, you have to agree on you terminology.

That being said, I'm NOT going to start telling people I don't believe in God. It's like saying "I'm not religious, I'm a Christian." It's disingenuous.

Missional

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 - 03:17 PM Eastern Standard Time

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Sunday, March 12, 2006

Spirit & Praxis

I finished reading Rob McAlpine's article/paper/e-book entitled "Post-Charismatic" over the weekend. It's an impressive work of research and exegesis focused on some of the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement's more notable extremes. He confirms something that I've suspected for a while, that the "emerging church" contains a significant number of folks who have fled the movement for one reason or another. After reading Rob's work, I'm reminded how blessed I am to have grown up in the Assemblies of God. I was spared from most of the excesses, but I certainly observed them from afar and saw the damage done. The A/G has generally been the voice of reason and balance within Pentecostalism.

If you're involved in leadership in a Pentecostal/Charismatic church or you're an "escapee" in an emerging church, take the time to read what Rob has written. You won't regret it.

Pentecost

Sunday, March 12, 2006 - 03:16 PM Eastern Standard Time

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Tuesday, March 07, 2006

“Crunchy Cons”

Chuck Colson introduced me to this term in his BreakPoint commentary this morning. I like it. I've never owned Birkenstocks (though my aunt lives in them), I don't like granola much, and I don't own a gun, but I do like this idea of rejecting the “consumerist and individualistic mainstream of American life.” American Christianity has been far too influenced by the materialistic, individualistic culture of our country, to the point that is has impacted theological and ethical thinking. Anyone who's attended our church for a while has heard me mention this more than once. I'm still more materialistic and individualistic than I should be, but we're all products of our culture and constantly "unlearning" things we have been taught in favor of a higher Truth. Too often we forget that our culture is controlled by an Enemy that is trying to distract us from the Truth. The tools of that distraction are not just the obvious vices, but also seemingly good things like the "American dream."

Crunchy food for thought.

Politics

Tuesday, March 07, 2006 - 03:15 PM Eastern Standard Time

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