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Darlene and Dabo

Dabo Swinney is the Head Coach for the Clemson University football team. He had the joy and privilege of meeting Darlene last week. Here's their photo right after she shared a trick play with him that she had dreamed up. She guaranteed a TD if he'll use it!

Please Pray for New Zealand

 
One of my favorite countries in the world is New Zealand. I have been privileged to visit there four times - once for a month-long sabbatical when I served as an interim pastor for a Christian & Missionary Alliance Church. I considered ministering there on a full-time basis. I have Kiwi friends in Rotorua, Auckland, and Queenstown. And I have visited Christchurch (pictured left) twice. It is there that a devasting earthquake has recently struck.

According to The Telegraph, a London-based newspaper, the earthquake registered a 6.3 with over 100 killed and more feared dead.

And while you pray for the people of New Zealand, please keep in mind that this gorgeous country, despite its British influence, has become increasingly irreligious. Patrick Johnstone, in his book Operation World, gives us this guideline for prayer:

The increasing presence of other religious and spiritual options presents a challenge for Christians. The influx of immigrants from other faith backgrounds is an opportunity for Kiwis to share the gospel cross-culturally. More pressing, though, is the permeation of society with New Age spirituality. Its individualistic, non-structural, nature-attuned character appeals to many who are disillusioned with Christianity. Pray for ways for the gospel to be shared in an engaging and relevant manner; Jesus is still attractive to many who are turned off by organized religion. 

Below is a very recent, unedited video from Christchurch's earthquake. Let us pray.

Questions We Never Thought We'd Be Asking

We live in an increasingly post-Christian society. Things which our parents and grand-parents seldom discussed are now out in the open. Questions that used to have slam-dunk answers are increasingly being asked - and challenged. One of these is...

Is incest wrong?

To many people (I would say most people), the obvious answer is, "Are you kdding me?! Of course it is!" If I then asked 'why?', how would you respond?

I present this to you because Christ-followers must always be prepared to challenge our culture's mores whenever they stray from the principles and standards of God's Word.

This un-Christmas-like topic comes to mind today due to two separate news items I have recently read. One regards a Columbia University (NY), Ivy-League professor, who has been arraigned on a charge of felony incest, having allegedly been involved in a sexual relationship with his daughter, now age 24. (For an ABC new video and article, click here.)

In an unrelated news story, in Switzerland, the upper house of the Swiss parliament has drafted a law "decriminalizing sex between consenting family members" which must now be considered by the government. A proponent of the proposed change, the Green Party's Daniel Vischer, sees nothing wrong with sexual relations between consenting adult family members. " Incest is a difficult moral question, but not one that is answered by penal law."

Dr. Al Mohler offers an excellent Christian response to this question of, "Is incest wrong?" Read his compelling thoughts - and educate yourself further - here.
 

Attacks Ads, Civility, and Voting Today

Just when you thought political attack ads couldn't get any worse, we hear from the presidential contest of - 1800?!

Yep. Adams and Jefferson went at it pretty hard and pretty nasty. These signers of the Declaration of Independence were at volatile ends of the political spectrum. This brief video which follows will give you a reminder history lesson. And, you may feel better knowing that they eventually patched things up and became wonderful friends again through correspondence. Both died on the exact same day, which is another interesting footnote in American history: July 4, 1826 - the 50th anniversary of their signing of the Declaration.

Today, as America goes to the polls, please join me in voting. And for my overseas readers, please say a prayer for us today, that God's will would be done. For a mid-term election, this is a major one regarding our country's future direction. Thanks.

A "pastor" in Florida plans to burn a copy of the Koran this Saturday, to commemorate 9/11 and to show his disdain for Islam.

This guy has got to be one of the biggest fools on the planet.

His publicity stunt for a "church" of a couple of dozen is placing thousands of people's lives in danger.
- our troops overseas will be in greater danger...
- missionaries serving in primarily Islamic countries will be targeted...
- Western teachers serving the children and families of Iraq and Afghanistan will be endangered...
- there will be more bombings, more people taken captive, and additional threats to our national security...
 
And this goober couldn't care less.

Let's be clear: This has nothing whatsoever to do with Christianity, with the proclamation of the gospel, or with the teachings of Jesus. It has everything to do with a man who apparently craves attention and has a goofy moustache.

Yes, his right to "free speech" may be protected, and what he plans to do may be legal under U.S. law, but it's arrogant, un-Christlike, and extremely offensive. And the only thing it accomplishes is to further inflame Muslims against Christianity. We're supposed to be sharing the gospel of Jesus with them, not burning their books.

If only U.S. law could outlaw ignorance.



  

Tiger, Buddha, and Forgiveness

I made mention of Tiger Woods' confession of infidelity in my message on Sunday. He stood before the world, (think of how hard it is when you or I just have to stand before one person to apologize; his was an international apology), and admitted his shortcomings and transgressions. His mother sat on the front row. He manned up and said, "I was wrong. I was foolish. I don't get to play by different rules."

One thing though, bothered me about his remarks. He's continuing to look toward Buddhism for the answers to his struggles. Woods said, "Buddhism teaches that a craving for things outside ourselves causes an unhappy and pointless search for security. It teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint."

Dr. Al Mohler, president of Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, writes, "From an Evangelical perspective, the statement by Tiger Woods points to the radical distinction between Christianity and Buddhism -- between the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the dharma of the Buddha."

If you would like to learn more about this distinction, read the rest of Dr Mohler's comments here.

Enough About Me. What About Me?

 

"By which He has granted to John His precious and exceedingly great promises; that through these John may become a partaker of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust." (2 Pet. 1:4)

Have you ever inserted your name as you read the Bible to make it more personal? Now you can experience the reality of God's love and promises in a way you never thought possible. In the Personal Promise Bible, you will read your first name personalized in over 5,000 places throughout the New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs, over 7,000 places throughout the complete Old and New Testaments.

As if there were not enough versions of the Bible already, now we can have our own personalized Bible. The Personal Promise Bible is another stunning achievement of evangelical narcissism.

But the Personal Promise Bible makes perfect sense if you have payed any attention to the trajectory of American evangelicalism. Quite simply, it's all about me...

This is from the blog of Todd Pruitt, called "1517." To read the rest, click HERE.

Are You Ready for the Social Revolution?

Like most people, I am somewhat hesitant to change. I didn't used to be like this. My mantra was, "Change?! Change is good!" Now, as I am in my late 40s (gasp...when did THAT happen?), I find myself seeing major societal changes happening around me and I sniff them off as fads.

But I am wrong.

Major changes have been happening for the last few years ... especially in the way people relate and communicate. The following video is forcing me to ask a lot of questions. Primarily, they have to do with my personal involvement to jump in or my refusal to join in. This also has some major implications for the Church.

What do you think?