Amazing Grace can be seen at discount (or dollar) movie theatres now. The film describes the efforts of William Wilberforce to end the slave trade in Great Britain. Soon, I'm sure, it will be available on DVD.
You may read an excellent review of the movie by Darryl Tippens at http://www.christianchronicle.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=683.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
The Partial Birth Abortion Decision
"For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother's womb" (Psalm 139:13, NASB).
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Congress could outlaw partial birth abortions. For the first time since 1973, a method of killing pre-born children has been banned. I appreciate the courage of the 5 Justices who ruled in favor of protecting children from unnecessary abortions performed as the children were being born.
I look forward to the time when unnecessary abortions will be as socially unacceptable as racism. Someday, I would like to see the laws of our country changed to protect pre-born children from death, just as they were changed to protect minorities from discrimination. I would like to see pro-abortion politicians find it as difficult to be elected as segregationists find it. I would like to see advertisers pull their ads from radio programs that support unrestricted abortions, just as they pull such ads today from programs that use racist language. I would like to see a massive change in societal attitudes toward aborting children.
It may seem impossible, but it's not. Consider the changes that have taken place over the last 50 years in the area of racism. Has it been eliminated? No, but it does not retain the respect that it had 50 years ago. Will unnecessary abortions be eliminated? No, but significant changes can occur. This injustice can be fought successfully. Lives can be saved. The Supreme Court's decision was a step in the correct direction.
For a good article by John Piper on this issue, go to: http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TasteAndSee/ByDate/2007/2159_Let_the_Python_Eat_Its_Tail_Amen/
You wove me in my mother's womb" (Psalm 139:13, NASB).
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Congress could outlaw partial birth abortions. For the first time since 1973, a method of killing pre-born children has been banned. I appreciate the courage of the 5 Justices who ruled in favor of protecting children from unnecessary abortions performed as the children were being born.
I look forward to the time when unnecessary abortions will be as socially unacceptable as racism. Someday, I would like to see the laws of our country changed to protect pre-born children from death, just as they were changed to protect minorities from discrimination. I would like to see pro-abortion politicians find it as difficult to be elected as segregationists find it. I would like to see advertisers pull their ads from radio programs that support unrestricted abortions, just as they pull such ads today from programs that use racist language. I would like to see a massive change in societal attitudes toward aborting children.
It may seem impossible, but it's not. Consider the changes that have taken place over the last 50 years in the area of racism. Has it been eliminated? No, but it does not retain the respect that it had 50 years ago. Will unnecessary abortions be eliminated? No, but significant changes can occur. This injustice can be fought successfully. Lives can be saved. The Supreme Court's decision was a step in the correct direction.
For a good article by John Piper on this issue, go to: http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TasteAndSee/ByDate/2007/2159_Let_the_Python_Eat_Its_Tail_Amen/
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Some Wise Counsel
"Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ" (Philippians 1:27, NIV).
Contact church minister Ron Babbit says, "Don't make the preacher lie about you at your own funeral."
Contact church minister Ron Babbit says, "Don't make the preacher lie about you at your own funeral."
Friday, April 20, 2007
The Blinding Power of Bitterness
"See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled" (Hebrews 12:15, NASB).
Twelve years ago, Timothy McVeigh allowed his resentment to fuel the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, murdering at least 168 people. This week, Cho Seung-Hui's bitterness led him to murder 32 people at Virginia Tech before committing suicide. By surrendering to resentment, two men missed the grace of God. They were blinded by their rage.
Most of us will not allow our bitterness to drive us to murder, but none of us will go through life without scars. Each one of us will be hurt by someone, sometimes intentionally but often unintentionally. What will we do when we are hurt? Will we become weak and bitter? Or will we become strong and forgiving? How we answer those questions may determine whether we miss the grace of God. As Jesus Christ taught, "Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors...For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions" (Matthew 6:12, 14-15, NASB).
Twelve years ago, Timothy McVeigh allowed his resentment to fuel the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, murdering at least 168 people. This week, Cho Seung-Hui's bitterness led him to murder 32 people at Virginia Tech before committing suicide. By surrendering to resentment, two men missed the grace of God. They were blinded by their rage.
Most of us will not allow our bitterness to drive us to murder, but none of us will go through life without scars. Each one of us will be hurt by someone, sometimes intentionally but often unintentionally. What will we do when we are hurt? Will we become weak and bitter? Or will we become strong and forgiving? How we answer those questions may determine whether we miss the grace of God. As Jesus Christ taught, "Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors...For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions" (Matthew 6:12, 14-15, NASB).
Thursday, April 19, 2007
The Purpose of Our Good Works
"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16, NASB).
Max Lucado wrote, "If we ever get to the point where our goal is to have people say, 'What a wonderful person,' we're missing the mark. Instead, our goal is to have people say, 'What a wonderful God this person serves.' Our task is to have people say, 'Tell me about your God,' and point people to him" (from an April 1999 desk calander).
Max Lucado wrote, "If we ever get to the point where our goal is to have people say, 'What a wonderful person,' we're missing the mark. Instead, our goal is to have people say, 'What a wonderful God this person serves.' Our task is to have people say, 'Tell me about your God,' and point people to him" (from an April 1999 desk calander).
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Concepts Are Significant
I wrote the following letter to the editor which appeared in the July 25, 2004 edition of the Tulsa World.
Several recent letters to the editor have raised interesting questions about God's grace, faith in Jesus Christ, and Christian baptism. While the arguments may appear meaningless to anyone relatively unfamiliar with Christianity, each concept has great significance in the lives of people who desire to follow Christ.
Christians recognize the great need of God's grace and forgiveness. We have sinned against God and the people created in his image. We have been selfish, hateful, envious, immoral, rude, arrogant, and self-righteous. We have failed to love our neighbors, our enemies, and our God.
"All have sinned and are not good enough for God's glory, and all need to be made right with God by his grace, which is a free gift. They need to be made free from sin through Jesus Christ. God gave him as a way to forgive sin through faith in the blood of Jesus' death" (Romans 3:23-25, NCV).
Acknowledging our inability to completely reverse the damage that our sins have inflicted upon others and even ourselves, we need someone to help us out of our messy lives. When Jesus took the full impact of our sins in his death and returned to life, he proved himself capable of handling our flaws.
"But people cannot do any work that will make them right with God. So they must trust in him, who makes even evil people right in his sight. Then God accepts their faith, and that makes them right with him" (Romans 4:5, NCV).
When we entrust our lives to Christ, God gives us a new start to life. At baptism, we mark the end of our lives of guilt, while entering the new life made possible by the grace of God.
"We died to our old sinful lives, so how can we continue living in sin? Did you forget that all of us became part of Christ when we were baptized? We shared his death in our baptism. When we were baptized, we were buried with Christ and shared his death. So, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the wonderful power of the Father, we also can live a new life" (Romans 6:3-4, NCV).
Several recent letters to the editor have raised interesting questions about God's grace, faith in Jesus Christ, and Christian baptism. While the arguments may appear meaningless to anyone relatively unfamiliar with Christianity, each concept has great significance in the lives of people who desire to follow Christ.
Christians recognize the great need of God's grace and forgiveness. We have sinned against God and the people created in his image. We have been selfish, hateful, envious, immoral, rude, arrogant, and self-righteous. We have failed to love our neighbors, our enemies, and our God.
"All have sinned and are not good enough for God's glory, and all need to be made right with God by his grace, which is a free gift. They need to be made free from sin through Jesus Christ. God gave him as a way to forgive sin through faith in the blood of Jesus' death" (Romans 3:23-25, NCV).
Acknowledging our inability to completely reverse the damage that our sins have inflicted upon others and even ourselves, we need someone to help us out of our messy lives. When Jesus took the full impact of our sins in his death and returned to life, he proved himself capable of handling our flaws.
"But people cannot do any work that will make them right with God. So they must trust in him, who makes even evil people right in his sight. Then God accepts their faith, and that makes them right with him" (Romans 4:5, NCV).
When we entrust our lives to Christ, God gives us a new start to life. At baptism, we mark the end of our lives of guilt, while entering the new life made possible by the grace of God.
"We died to our old sinful lives, so how can we continue living in sin? Did you forget that all of us became part of Christ when we were baptized? We shared his death in our baptism. When we were baptized, we were buried with Christ and shared his death. So, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the wonderful power of the Father, we also can live a new life" (Romans 6:3-4, NCV).
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Evil
"And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil" (Matthew 6:13, NASB).
Sometimes I forget about Satan. He usually works in such subtle ways that I fail to notice. Then something happens to remind me that Satan exists and that he is a powerful leader of strong spiritual forces.
I remembered Satan yesterday after hearing about the mass murders that took place on the campus of Virginia Tech. A young man chose to murder over 30 fellow students and professors. I do not know what was going through that man's mind, but I recognized the influence of the one called a "murderer from the beginning" by Jesus.
When we returned home from our Monday night Bible study, Janet showed me an e-mail from the prayer ministry of the Jenks Church (our former congregation and a supporter of one of our ministers at the Contact Church of Christ). In the e-mail, Lynessa Yeats forwarded a prayer request from her brother-in-law at a Church of Christ in Connecticut. The daughter of one of his congregation's elders had been attacked, beaten, raped, and cut for 19 hours by a "Satanic thug" (as one newpaper apparently described the man) over the weekend. Then, the thug left the young college student in her apartment as he set it on fire. She is in intensive care at a hospital in New York, and we have been praying for her since learning of her situation.
Satan is real, and sometimes we can see that truth with perfect clarity.
Jesus knew it, too. He dealt with him face-to-face. And he knew that we would need the help of God, so he taught us to pray, "Deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen" (Matthew 6:14, NASB). Thankfully, God is real, too.
Sometimes I forget about Satan. He usually works in such subtle ways that I fail to notice. Then something happens to remind me that Satan exists and that he is a powerful leader of strong spiritual forces.
I remembered Satan yesterday after hearing about the mass murders that took place on the campus of Virginia Tech. A young man chose to murder over 30 fellow students and professors. I do not know what was going through that man's mind, but I recognized the influence of the one called a "murderer from the beginning" by Jesus.
When we returned home from our Monday night Bible study, Janet showed me an e-mail from the prayer ministry of the Jenks Church (our former congregation and a supporter of one of our ministers at the Contact Church of Christ). In the e-mail, Lynessa Yeats forwarded a prayer request from her brother-in-law at a Church of Christ in Connecticut. The daughter of one of his congregation's elders had been attacked, beaten, raped, and cut for 19 hours by a "Satanic thug" (as one newpaper apparently described the man) over the weekend. Then, the thug left the young college student in her apartment as he set it on fire. She is in intensive care at a hospital in New York, and we have been praying for her since learning of her situation.
Satan is real, and sometimes we can see that truth with perfect clarity.
Jesus knew it, too. He dealt with him face-to-face. And he knew that we would need the help of God, so he taught us to pray, "Deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen" (Matthew 6:14, NASB). Thankfully, God is real, too.
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