May 29th, 2008
Controlling Anger — Before It Controls You
The Bible has quite a few references to God’s wrath or anger. Here are a few:
Exodus 22:24 - My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you …
Isaiah 13:9 - … the day of the LORD is coming — a cruel day with wrath and fierce anger …
Psalm 90:7 - We are consumed by your anger …
Most of the references are in the Old Testament, which has caused a lot of folks to see two God’s depicted — the OT God with the chip on his shoulder, and the NT God who is all about love. In all fairness, we can glean a lot of God’s love in the Old Testament and only a little of God’s wrath in the New Testament. Many of the qualities that we are to emulate in ourselves can be found in observance of our heavenly Father and his son, Jesus. With deference to the Biblical writers, I’m hard-pressed to recognize anger as one of the positive traits.
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May 27th, 2008
Now that both of my parents are no longer living, I can honestly report that I actually heard each of them use the phrase in the title of this article. I remember wondering what they meant. Was it OK for them to smoke, drink, or swear, but not me because I was a child? Was it not OK for them either, but they realized that they were weak and wanted to prevent me from going down the same path? I regret not asking them after I had become an adult, but I figure I’ll still have a chance someday, when the three of us go through some soul-baring and truth-sharing.
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May 23rd, 2008
I read with sadness the tragic story of the contemporary Christian singer’s loss. Five year old Maria Sue Chapman was playing near the family’s SUV, when the vehicle ran over her. Words can’t even begin to express the feelings the family must be experiencing at this moment. Chapman’s on-stage message of hope in Christ will be needed more than ever in this time of sorrow. The Savior he sings about will bring the comfort necessary for healing for the family, as well as the hope for joy in the morning when they will reunite with their precious daughter and sister.
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May 21st, 2008
An Evangelical Manifesto
A couple of weeks ago several Christian leaders put forth a document that attempts to right the wrongs of Christians using their faith for political ends. The link above is a summary of the much larger 7,400 word document that can be found at EvangelicalManifesto.com. I’m not sure that I quite follow it because it seems to prohibit mixing religion and politics, yet encourages Christians to get involved in politics.
Of course I take immediate issue with some of their beliefs in their opening Statement of Faith. A line item veto would be helpful here.
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May 19th, 2008
I know that Christian music isn’t just Fanny Crosby, Charles Wesley and the Gaithers, but how far towards entertainment can it go before it loses its original purpose? And what is its orginal purpose? Win souls? Praise God? Make money (tithes, tickets)?
Cross The Line
Based on a song title from its upcoming CD release, the Chicago-based Christian band pulls out all the stops with its “Cross the Line” Tour, which comes Wednesday to West Odessa.
As idioms go cross the line is a phrase that generally means move from acceptable to unacceptable. What does Superchick mean by it?
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May 1st, 2008
Religion issue hurting Obama with Indiana cafe patrons.
“Obama has great ideas but his background scares me,” said Chris Leighton, 60, a secretary having lunch at the Chaperral Cafe in Shelbyville, in southeast Indiana. “Everyone talks about him being a Muslim and having ties to terrorism, but how do people really find out?”
Where do these people come from? Don’t they watch the news? Can’t they trust the news? (he-he) Or are they afraid Obama may switch religions after he gets in the White House?
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