Offended Yet?

The past couple of weeks have been very interesting in the realm of freedom of speech. With the n-word thing and Dr. Laura and now this week the church that wishes to burn the Quran, I thought it would be a good time to write some comments and collect my thoughts on this freedom.

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/08/vatican-quran-burning-outrageous/

The place I find myself in...

Realizing that standing on the edge of need is the safest place for my relationship with God. Having an empty bucket and giving God all it holds, even the potential it has to hold. Not because he needs it but because he can use it.

Recently I found myself at the end of my rope. Financially, life was going as poorly as it has ever gone. The Lord in his graciousness provided miraculously. Humbled as even the source was something that was outside my comfort zone. We stand now with needs remaining but just enough to keep us dependent upon him.

We owe it all to him.

"To love Jesus Christ and individual freedom; that is what it means to be a Christian Libertarian."

Just read a blog post http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=34361 from a guy named Vox Day. The title of this post is a quote of his that I thought was a great way to sum it all up.

James, Libertarianism may be the answer to your Arnold S. woes.

Another great quote from the post is this: "I suspect the problem many Christians and conservative Republicans have with making the leap to Libertarianism is that they still see a connection between the concepts of legality and morality. But there is no inherent relationship between the two; indeed, it is becoming increasingly obvious that it is not possible to honor both in many aspects of American life."

responding to a call to action...

Today in church we were shown a video. While I do not deny its accuracy, I believe it is designed to scare Christians into fearing Islam or being anti-Islam. It goes over a number of statistics related to the growth of Islam in the world but mostly it focuses on North America and Europe. The video ends with the chilling words, "this is a call to action." It never defines what is meant by "action" and it never discusses Christian Evangelism. It seems to predict a woeful future where we no longer have religious liberty or a place where the "Jihad" of Islam will destroy our culture.

I would propose that in actuality we are witnessing God's intervention in the world. In the book of Genesis we read of the Tower of Babel. Mankind was commanded repeatedly to fill the earth, be fruitful and multiply. God intervenes when mankind disobeys.

Likewise, Christians are commanded to "Go make disciples of all nations" we have followed this poorly. I believe in response to this the Muslims are coming to us. The living God, not Allah is sending them from darkness to light.

This is a call to action! Prepare yourself to share the gospel with the world of Islam as it encroaches on our comfortable complacency.

Thoughts from the diary of a desperate man...

I am rereading this daily devotional called "Thoughts from the diary of a desperate man" by Walter Henrichsen. You can actually read the text of this devotional online at the National Coalition of Men's Ministries website. Today's text reads:

Disobedience And Rebellion

"For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king." 1 Samuel 15:23

Samuel charged King Saul with the crime of rebellion, and as a result took his kingdom from him. Saul, when given the task of annihilating the Amalekites, decided to save the best for sacrificing later. Nathan charged King David with the crime of murder and adultery without David losing either his kingdom or his life. Although the crime of David seems more serious than that of Saul, the difference lay in their attitude.

When Nathan confronted David, he said, "I sinned." David did not seek to excuse himself; he immediately confessed. Saul on the other hand argued with Samuel, seeking to excuse himself by blaming the people. David was disobedient. Saul was rebellious. If you liken God's Law to a fence, when David broke the fence he freely admitted that he was wrong. When Saul broke the fence, he wanted to argue with God over the validity of the fence. "It was a bad command, an unreasonable expectation. You should have allowed me to modify it in light of my current circumstances." God will not tolerate the attitude of Saul.

Because all are sinners, you find yourself frequently having to confess your wrongs. But that is different from ignoring God's commands or refusing to recognize their authority over your life. When you find yourself moving in the direction of rebellion, quickly repent. It is not a safe place to be.

Devotional © Copyright by Walter A Henrichsen.

The part that talks about "the attitude of Saul" is powerful. I think it is so easy for our generation to go here. Seems like we are surrounded with arguments that basically say "the culture is different now, God did not mean that for me."

I wonder how much of our "culture" is sinful?

Thoughts?

Facing the Giants

Andrea and I finally got around to watching the film, "Facing the Giants."

I really liked this clip from the movie.

Tim Glenn Music

Hey y'all a friend of mine has some music out there that is pretty good. Andrew, you especially will like it I think.

His site is http://www.timglennmusic.com

Here is a widget of one of his songs for your enjoyment: