Full Time Pastor, Part Time Christian

In the Spring edition of Leadership Journal.net available through Christianity Today, pastor Craig Groeschel has written a transparent article about many of the struggles he faced as a young pastor and the temptation for pastors to become professionals. In his own words, he became a full time pastor but only a part time follower of Jesus Christ.

He bought the lie that many pastors buy, that they are called to be super-human showing no weakness. This is not the biblical picture of Christian leadership, this is the Americanized macho-facade to which many ministers for the past twenty-five years or so have clung.

Groeschel recounts the comments of one of his misguided seminary professors: "People think they want their pastors to be normal, everyday people," he told our class, "but they really don't. They want to see you as better than the average person. Church members want to believe your marriage is always strong, your faith never falters, and you are virtually without sin."

(Praise God I've never had a seminary professor suggest such blatent displays of misleading conduct.)

For many pastors they truly believe, "If they know I'm not perfect, they won't love me or they won't listen." But, as pastors, we need to all be reminded of the apsotle Paul who showed his weakness to all who would read his letters. How could he be so bold?

Paul knew that it was not his power or perfection that brough about salvation and spread the gospel of Jesus Christ, it was the power of the Holy Spirit. Pastors, we are not to be professionals, as John Piper has written, we are to be sold out men of God first...pastors second. When we lose our walk with the Lord, we lose our ability to communicate His message effectively and with integrity.

Groeschel should be commended for writing with such honesty and with such wisdom about the scenario in which many other pastors find themselves.

Pastors...be honest!

The Religion of Atheism

Well, one of my favorite Blog Patrollers, David, sent me a link to an article from religion news blog that reports on the rise of "militant atheism" in Europe. Oddly enough, Albert Mohler reported on his blog today the substance from a recent The Los Angeles Times article on the rise of secularism and the decline of Christianity in recent years in Western Europe.

Its awful to see the former bastion of Christianity that was Western Europe beginning to be dominated by secularist ideals, but it is ironic to see this form of "militant atheism." With all due respec to the author of the religion blog article, I prefer to use the term "evangelical atheism," for that is really their goal. They may use militant measures to advance their agenda, but make no mistake about it, their aim is to win converts.

Bob Dylan once wrote, "You're gonna serve somebody. It may be the devil or it may be the Lord, but you're gonna serve somebody." That is absolutely the truth. In their attempts to abolish religion, atheists set up a religious system of their own. The only question for atheists is, which god will they serve? It may be the latest philosophical guru or Freud, or even themselves, but regardless of who they serve, the fact remains that they will worship something or someone, and isn't that the basis of religion? Good try guys, but you'll have to do better than that to abolish religion.

It should really come as no shock to Christians that people set up idols for themselves, this has been the case since the beginning of time. Further, it has not been that long since Nietzsche declared God dead. But, the apostle Paul warned us of these things to come in Romans 1. Men have indeed become lovers of themselves and haters of God, but do not be discouraged.

God is still alive, God is still working, and God will have His way! God Be Praised!

China Forcing Abortions?

According to a report on NPR , dozens of women have recently been forced to have abortions in China. This is an alarming trend to which all Christians should pay attention.

Even more alarming is the claim by some even here in the United States that the birth rate should be reduced because the rising population is a contributor to global warming. Though, as I have always said, Christians should take an active role in protecting the environment, we should never seek to protect part of God's creation by destroying the crowning jewel of creation...human beings. It was God who commanded Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply, who are we to negate God's commands? After all, God created man and woman in His image, not the earth!

Nancy Pelosi on the Partial Birth Abortion Ruling

I have copied a posting in its entirety from www.dennyburk.com.

Here is how the law defines partial birth abortion:

“An abortion in which a physician delivers an unborn child’s body until only the head remains inside the womb, punctures the back of the child’s skull with a Sharp instrument, and sucks the child’s brains out before completing delivery of the dead infant.”


Here is what Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi says about partial birth abortion:

“This is about a procedure that any parent would want her daughter to have access to if she needed it. And to frame it as an abortion issue is doing a disservice to medicine and to our young women and our country. So I hope we can get the focus back on the fact that this Supreme Court is deciding what medical procedures are necessary for child-bearing women.”


The scary thing about this statement is that I get the feeling that Pelosi actually believes it. It doesn’t make her any less culpable for her views. It just means that she is that much farther down the road of suppressing the truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18).

Nevertheless, I am amazed that more people cannot see how morally retrograde it is to defend the legalization of partial birth abortion. How can you totally overlook the humanity of the baby in the womb (in this case partially out of the womb) and claim that the abortion issue is merely a “women’s health” issue?

As long as there are people who think like Nancy Pelosi (and there are many), the pro-life battle to win hearts and mind goes on. I intend to be a part of it, and I hope you will too.

Liberal Mindset Trumps Love for Life

Check this out from www.redstate.com. It seems that for Harry Reid, it is much more important to be accepted as a liberal than it is to stand up for life. The major question for me is which Harry Reid is the real Harry Reid.


Harry Reid a hypocrite?

By Charles Bird Posted in Policy — Comments (2) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
In other news, the sun rose in the East this morning. - Moe Lane
This is a "dog bites man" story, but it bears noting anyway. Jonathan Adler, remarking on Senator Harry Reid's regret that Samuel Alito is Supreme Court justice:
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) was among those who denounced yesterday's Supreme Court ruling upholding the Federal Partial Birth Abortion Act. Commenting on the decision, Reid said "A lot of us wish that Alito weren't there and O'Connor were there," indicating his desire that there has been a fifth vote to invalidate the statute, as Justice O'Connor had provided the fifth vote to invalidate Nebraska's partial-birth abortion ban in Stenberg v. Carhart.
What is curious about Reid's statement, as NPR and some news outlets have noted, is not Reid's criticism of Alito -- Reid opposed Alito's confirmation -- but the fact that Reid supported, and voted for, the federal statute upheld in yesterday's decision. Reid was one of 17 Senate Democrats voting in favor of the bill in 2003. Reid also voted in favor of a ban on partial-birth abortion in 1999 (see here) and, as indicated in this "Meet the Press" interview, Reid was one of only two Democratic Senators to vote against a resolution reaffirming Senate support for the holding of Roe v. Wade.
So, despite his repeated support of legislative restrictions on abortion, Reid's latest comment suggests that he believes the Supreme Court's decision was regrettable and wrongly decided, and that a law that he supported is unconstitutional. To me, the latter is of greater concern. Call me old fashioned, but I believe that if a member of the Senate believes a law is unconstitutional, he or she should vote against it.
It truly is a shame that such an inept and dishonest politician is Senate Majority Leader.

Simply, Jesus.

I grow more and more convinced every day that certain things about Jesus were much more simple than we give Him credit for. After all, it was Jesus who reduced the 613 commandments that the Jewish leaders had derived from the Old Testament into two commandments,
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"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." -Matthew 22:37-39 ESV
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That was not the only thing that Jesus simplified. In John 13, Jesus gave a new commandment. It is exciting to discover that this commandment was not a burdensome weight laid against His disciples, but was rather a joyous opportunity to show the world that they were His. In John 13:35, Jesus tells His disciples that the world will know who they are by the way they interact with one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.
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I often wonder if the opposite of that is true. I wonder if sometimes our churches are paralyzed because the message we send to the culture by not loving one another as we should is that we do not look much like Jesus's people at all. Jesus did not say that we need jerseys to be identified as members of his team, we need to love each other so that the world will know! Maybe when we start loving each other as we should, people will recognize the God who loves us and loves them and will want to be a part of Christ's church...it's so crazy it just might work!

More on the Abortion Ruling

Because I know some of you might not follow the links I post in here, I have decided to paste the full article from Dr. Al Mohler's blog in my post today. You can read his blog at www.albertmohler.com.

In an historic 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court has affirmed the government's right to ban the partial birth abortion procedure. The Court reversed the rulings of six lower courts that had struck down the ban. The measure had been passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bush in 2003.
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Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote the majority opinion. Kennedy has succeeded retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor as the most frequent "swing" vote among the nine justices. Kennedy also wrote the majority opinion in the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey decision -- a decision that basically affirmed the Court's infamous 1973 decision legalizing abortion, Roe v. Wade.
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The decision handed down Wednesday, Gonzales v. Carhart [see full text of decision and opinions here] was a stunning blow to pro-abortion forces because it represented the first time a specific abortion procedure had been successfully banned.
A closer look at the majority opinion reveals even more. Justice Kennedy acknowledged that, for many, even the most common abortion procedure is "a procedure itself laden with the power to devalue human life." This is rather amazing language in itself, but Justice Kennedy then argued that the partial birth procedure "implicates additional ethical and moral concerns that justify a special prohibition."
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The explicit inclusion of this moral language marks a great achievement in this decision. So is the decision's acknowledgement that "it seems unexceptionable to conclude some women come to regret their choice to abort the infant life they once created and sustained."
Then, follow the progression of this argument:
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In a decision so fraught with emotional consequence some doctors may prefer not to disclose precise details of the means that will be used, confining themselves to the required statement of risks the procedure entails. From one standpoint this ought not to be surprising. Any number of patients facing imminent surgical procedures would prefer not to hear all details, lest the usual anxiety preceding invasive medical procedures become the more intense. This is likely the case with the abortion procedures here in issue. . . .
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It is, however, precisely this lack of information concerning the way in which the fetus will be killed that is of legitimate concern to the State. . . . The State has an interest in ensuring so grave a choice is well informed. It is self-evident that a mother who comes to regret her choice to abort must struggle with grief more anguished and sorrow more profound when she learns, only after the event, what she once did not know: that she allowed a doctor to pierce the skull and vacuum the fast-developing brain of her unborn child, a child assuming the human form.
Justice Samuel Alito and Chief Justice John Roberts joined in Kennedy's opinion. Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas joined the decision, but issued a separate concurring opinion that included this bold assertion: [T]he Court's abortion jurisprudence, including Casey and Roe v. Wade . . . has no basis in the Constitution."
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In an angry dissent, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg declared the majority decision to be "alarming." Most remarkably, she attacked the majority's concern for the emotional health of mothers (due to the unique bond between mother and child) to be "discredited."
Here is her statement:
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This way of thinking reflects ancient notions about women's place in the family and under the Constitution--ideas that have long since been discredited.
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The acknowledgement of a unique bond between mother and child, born or unborn, is an "ancient" notion long since "discredited?"
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Justices John Paul Stevens, David Souter, and Stephen Breyer joined Ginsburg in her dissenting opinion.
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April 18, 2007 will go down in history as a landmark day in the struggle to recover human dignity and the sanctity of human life. This ruling is an important step toward that recovery -- and we still have a very long way to go. There is reason to believe that this decision may be even more important than might first appear. After all, the majority opinion does recognize that for many citizens, any abortion is "a procedure laden with the power to devalue human life."

Great News for Babies From The Supreme Court

Fox News is reporting that the Supreme Court has upheld the partial birth abortion ban act passed by congress in 2003. Click here to read the article reporting this victory for life and justice in the American legal system. The ban focuses on a horrific form of abortion that actually kills babies (not fetuses) by partially birthing them and then ending their life. Often this murder is carried out brutally with scissors or forceps being stabbed into the base of the scull.

This is a great day for unborn children in America!

Who Do We Blame?

Again, as our nation continues to mourn the Virginia Tech tragedy, commentators have heaped reproach upon the university and our culture for the lack of the mention of Jesus Christ in the memorial service, as I wrote about yesterday. I think it is important that we place blame correctly where it lies. We should never depend on our world to proclaim the name of Christ, it is solely the responsibility of Christians.

Though I will admit that I wanted to hear our President, a self-proclaimed evangelical Christian, proclaim the name of Christ and I am disappointed that he did not do that, I am more outraged by the failure of the Lutheran minister to proclaim Christ. As a minister of the gospel, I absolutely want to hear the good news given to these who mourn, but I do believe we are wrong to point fingers at non-Christian representatives of the university who organized the convocation and shared the platform during the memorial service. Christians, and especially any Christian given the special designation as minister must never shy away from proclaiming the name of Christ.

The Saddest Part of The Memorial Service

As I sit watching the VT memorial service, finding it difficult to return to work at the site of such an historic moment of grieving and as I grieve for those who have lost loved ones in this tragedy, I am saddened most by the lack of hope in the memorial service. In a land that gurantees the freedom of religion, I watched a Muslim leader plead to Allah, a Bhuddist quote the Dhali Lama, and a Jewish woman read from the Old Testament, but I found no hope in Jesus Christ mentioned from the Lutheran minister chosen to represent Christianity. The Band played Amazing Grace, but the words were of course left out. WHERE'S THE HOPE? What is this Amazing Grace of which we hear?

There is hope found in no other than in the Lord, Jesus Christ whom Paul assures us has overcome death, hell, and the grave. He is our hope for etenal life as it is promised in John 14. He has gone to prepare a place for us and for all who will look to him for salvation. It is indeed a sad day when, during such a terrible occasion, a Christian minister could and would stand before such a grieving audience and not share with them the hope of Jesus Christ.

In times of grief and in times of joy, Christians have the responsibility to share the good news and hope of Jesus Christ with the world around us. Jesus is not a politically incorrect burden to be avoided in multi-cultural and multi-religious events. Jesus Christ is the hope of our world, it is our privilege to share the gospel (which means the good news) with our world. Christians, do not rob the world of their opportunity of salvation...take the love of Christ. Who can be opposed to being loved, and who loves more than our Savior.

To Virginia Tech and to all who mourn, I offer to you Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World.

AMAZING GRACE

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,That saved a wretch like me....I once was lost but now am found,Was blind, but now, I see.

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T'was Grace that taught...my heart to fear.And Grace, my fears relieved.How precious did that Grace appear...the hour I first believed.

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Through many dangers, toils and snares...we have already come.T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far...and Grace will lead us home.

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The Lord has promised good to me...His word my hope secures.He will my shield and portion be...as long as life endures.

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When we've been here ten thousand years...bright shining as the sun.We've no less days to sing God's praise...then when we've first begun.

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The earth shall soon dissolve like snow, the sun forbear to shine; But God, Who called me here below, shall be forever mine.

SIMPLIFY!!

In their book Simple Church, Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger propose a not so new process for discipleship in the local church. Their remedy for the maladies of the local church? Simplify, stop doing so much! They write:

Many of our churches have become cluttered. S0 cluttered that people have a difficult time encountering the simple and powerful message of Christ. So cluttered that many people are busy doing church instead of being the church.

and...

Perhaps we are losing ground not despite our overabundance of activity but because of it.

Simple Church is a profound book that establishes as statistical fact many of the beliefs that leaders have held about the local church in recent years. The simple truth? Simple churches are vital and growing churches while complicated and unfocused churches are dying. I strongly recommend this quick read to all pastors and church leaders, and anyone who desires to see the Kingdom of God and their local church grow.

Say A Prayer

I suppose there really aren't words to make anything about the tragedy at VT seem any better. However, I know there is a God who can calm all fears and grant a peace beyond our understanding to those who have been affected by this event. I pray that God, in His infiinite wisdom and power will ease the suffering of this event and will, in His care, bring good from such tragedy.

My thoughts and prayers join with the many across our nation and around the world who remember the fallen Hokies.

WOW, The Feminist Response to the UK Abortion Issue

It is a sad state of affairs in our world when abortion is not only allowed, but those who choose not to give an abortion on moral or ethical grounds are subject to criticism from the ultra-feminist left. The bloggers over at Feministing take notice of the refusal by some British doctors to perform abortions with contempt...Read "The Abortion Crisis in the UK." Its funny how a moral issue can be reason for rejoicing among those who value life and reason for protest among those who value their own comfort above all else...

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.
24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. 25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen." Romans 5:18-25 NASU

Doctors Revolt Against Abortions in UK

The British national health agency is concerned over the increasing number of British doctors who refuse to perform abortions for ethical or moral reasons. This could have implications for abortion policy in both the UK and the US. Read more here.

Time for another Knowing God post (incidentally, if you do not own this book, I encourage you to follow the link at the left and order it or pick up a copy somewhere). Near the end of this great book, Packer turns his attention to knowing, discerning, and understanding God’s divine guidance. He warns, rightly, that God’s direction in life is never contrary to God’s divine will given through the written testimony of the Bible. Packer then lists six common pitfalls to following God’s guidance and will.

1. Unwillingness to think. It is a common mistake for Christians and non-Christians to believe that God is going to drop his will in our lap without us having to even think about it. “God made us thinking beings.”
2. Unwillingness to think ahead. Often the wise or right thing can only be ascertained by dwelling on the long-term results of our actions.
3. Unwillingness to take advice. Henry Blackaby reminds us that God speaks through the people around us and the Proverbs tell us “the wise man takes advice” (12:15). According to Packer, “There are always people who know more than us.”
4. Unwillingness to suspect oneself. It’s easy to see faults in others, but often harder to recognize faults in ourselves. As quick as we may be to throw stones at acquaintances who are “feelings” oriented decision makers, we must always scrutinize our own life for emotional decisions that are removed from the scrutiny of God’s Word.
5. Unwillingness to discount personal magnetism. Just because a person has a large personality, does not make that person the mouthpiece of God. The evangelist scandals of the eighties proved that to be true.
6. Unwillingness to wait. God’s timing is always perfect, but often God’s will is only revealed as we need it; not necessarily when we want it. Wait upon the Lord is a repeated message of the Psalms and Isaiah promised that the Lord would renew strength to all who wait upon him.

Maybe you will recognize some of these pitfalls in your life as I did in mine. If so, I hope that this short entry will enable you to scrutinize your life and better discern God’s plan as I pray I has be better enabled me to do the same.

Your Duty and Privilege

"It is our duty and our privilege to exhaust our lives for Jesus. We are not to be living specimens of men in fine preservation, but living sacrifices, whose lot is to be consumed."

-Charles Spurgeon

In a way that possibly only Spurgeon could say, the statement above is a beautiful challenge to the Christian life. We are indeed living sacrifices, and as such, should we not live in such a way as to be able to say at the end of our years that we gave it all to and for the glory of God and the cross? When I played football (and when I later coached I did the same) my coaches would often say "leave it all on the field." In other words, at the end of the game, you should go home and pass out--give everything you've got.

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I submit to you today that the Christian life should be the same. At the end of your years, you should not sit back to relax and grow old. Living for Christ means just that, living for Christ not resting for Christ. Make sure that you leave it all on the playing field of your life, holding nothing back and giving all to the Lord as his servant...a living sacrifice. This is your joy and privilege, don't miss the blessing!

Hopes Falsely Tied to Embryonic Stem Cell Research

It appears as though the New York Times will publish at least two stories on stem cells tomorrow (or today, depending on how long it takes me to write this). The first story reports the Stem Cell Bill that was passed by the Senate today (April 11) with less than enough votes to overcome the promised veto by Pres. Bush. Ironically, the article highlites "emotional" discussion from the senate floor by senators who can see diabetes cured through embryonic stem-cell research. Of course, there is no hard evidence to support this theory which posits embryonic stem cell research asthe cure-all miracle elixer.

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You may be wondering why I spoke of irony, well, the irony is that the Times is publishing another article that reports a Study Suggests New Avenue in Diabetes Treatmet. "Thirteen young diabetics in Brazil have been able to stop receiving insulin after being treated with stem cells taken from their own blood, researchers are reporting." In case some of you missed it...they were treated with ADULT stem cells. Of course, no card-toting liberal wants to discuss adult stem cell research because it does not have implications for the abortion debate or the presidential race. We need to wake up here; embryonic stem cell research is a political ploy and too many desperate Americans are being led into false hope on the inflated promises of politicians.

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Why kill babies when adult stem cells show so much promise? Further, if embryonic stem cells are the key, why has the Wake Forest Study been largely ignored in the media and apparently by congress. Face reality; its not about your health or mine, its all about votes and Roe v. Wade. PITIFIUL!!!

Those Are Your Words and Not Mine

I just happened to run across a blog entry on a Wall Street Journal article that ran in 2006 on preachers buying sermons online and then preaching them as their own. I must admit, this sickened me. There is no room for lying behind the pulpit and preaching another man's sermon as my own is nothing short of a lie. The guy at PowerofChange.org did a great job on this. Read his blog for yourself...

Milk Many Cows

Ned Flanders

I've never been a huge fan of The Simpson's, but this Emergent Church guy's expose' on Ned Flanders is nothing short of genius. Well, maybe a little short, but it will definitely cause you to think about the way you view other Christians (and non-Christians for that matter).

Ned Flanders and Me

Loving Your Kids Is A Priority?

A blog posted today on WashingtonPost.com by Leslie Morgan Steiner suggests a crazy concept. Apparently, being a successful woman does not mean merely overcoming the gender gap or the stereotypes of our society. I was shocked (not really) to discover that loving your children puts a strain on a woman's career goals. In Alpha Girls Steiner writes concerning a group of excelling 17 year olds recently reported on by a national newspaper:

What I fear is the fate of these alpha girls once they have children. Years of hard work,
prizes and promotions can't prepare them for the only true enemy to female ambition in
America today: love for their children. For those who think the solution lies in not having
children, another kind of torture awaits them.

In other words, for all of the fuss being made over inequality in the work place, there is a struggle that no feminist seems willing to embrace. The problem for women achieving their career goals is not always the pressures of the outside world caving in on them, but rather the desire to love and nurture their children overriding their ambition to climb the corporate ladder. I'm not sure if she intended it this way, but Steiner's comments definitely lean toward a Christian world view. Just think, there are actually intelligent and educated adults, women even, who are willing to sacrifice their careers to raise their children properly--GREAT!!

If I may add, the one thing that Steiner misses out on is that there are a great number of dads in this world who could have climbed much higher on the corporate ladder if it were not for their love for their children. As shocking as it may seem, this is the biblical model. Paul did not say be an example for your kids by making tons of money, rather he admonished parents to raise their children in the fear of the Lord. It is truly a shame when loving your children more than your job is newsmaking material, but let's just be glad there are some who still do.

See How Crazy We Are...

For anyone out there wondering exactly why us crazy conservatives get a little uncomfortable with liberal theology, here's another link to Al Mohler's blog...enjoy! Beloving vs. Believing

Not Me!

A few years ago I participated in a wedding for one of my closest friends. As we sat "back stage" awaiting the time of the wedding, the groom's father (and best man) handed me an envelope with a check in it "for my time." I, of course, refused to accept the check, but he refused to take it back. The pastor who was officiating the wedding took me aside and taught me a valuable lesson that day. "Sometimes," he said, "People need to give more than we need to receive. Just say thank you, he wants to do this for you."

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I think of that lesson often, and as I read the account of Jesus washing the disciples' feet, I am reminded of it. Peter was obstinate, but Jesus needed to wash Peter's feet so that Peter could understand. Peter, the tough guy, was embarrassed at the thought of being served. "I can do it myself," you can imagine him saying. Jesus, however, knew that Peter needed to learn a lesson. Jesus knew that Peter needed to understand first that service is a pre-requisite for strong leadership. Second, Jesus needed to wash Peter's feet to show Peter how to accept help, guidance, and gifts from the Lord.

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Peter was going to need to rely on the Lord's help for the years to come as he built the church of the Lord. No doubt, this lesson from Jesus enabled Peter to rely more heavily on the Lord as he realized that he did not have to do everything himself...that even strong men need help. Peter learned to lean on the Lord and Jesus knew just how to teach that lesson. I wonder how many of us would sit idly by if the Lord were serving us, or "giving" to us? Americans are known for their individual spirit, we pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, but I think that Christians need to remember that our Lord would stoop to remove those boots...would we let him?

He Won't Die

Many people through the years have speculated as to what it was exactly that caused the twelve disciples (well, minus John) who left Jesus during his crucifixion to be transformed from terrified and spineless to courageous carriers of the gospel who seemed to mock death. Reflecting on Easter, I believe I have at least one answer. Imagine with me as I set the stage:

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As one of the disciples, you are gathered in the upper room on Sunday still mourning the loss of the man whom you believed to be the Son of God. Friday was a horrible day and Saturday was not much better...he was dead; and now this strange news that he is not even in the grave and Mary claiming that he is alive. Add to all of that the searing thought that you could be the next one to die at the rage of the religous leaders. Could things really get any worse? And then, just as it seems the world is about to collapse, through the locked door in walks Jesus.

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It's like the scene out of some movie, only its better because it is for real...HE IS ALIVE! What could make the disciples so bold, I believe it is this experience. They realized suddenly that they were following a man...a God who was not only their Savior, Teacher, Lord and Friend; they were following Jesus Christ and He was (and is) unstoppable...they couldn't even kill Him. It is as clear as day, we have no one to fear because Jesus can not be defeated and we are His!

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Shouldn't we be as bold today?