Francis Chan Thinks Church Has It All Wrong

You have to admire a man who when told he’s great says, “It’s not about me.” Churches today, if they’re to be more like the true body of Christ, need to be more about helping others.

Former Korn Member Shares Life Changing Message

Is your world crashing down around you? Is it more than you can handle?

I’ve been there. Sometimes I think I’m still there. The only solution is to find someone more powerful than I… that can help you get through.

Walk a Mile in Arthur Blessitt’s Shoes

My Mom told me about this man, Arthur Blessitt. Can you believe he’s carried a large, wooden cross more than 38,000 miles? Here’s more information from his site.

Arthur Blessitt: A world traveler, world record holder, and a follower of Jesus Christ has accomplished the following with the help of God and the love he has for all the people of the world.

• Walked around the world since Christmas Day, December 25, 1969 carrying a 12 foot cross for Jesus.
• Now 38,102 miles (61,319 k.m.).
• 315 countries, Island Groups and Territories.
• Walked on all seven Continents including Antarctica.
• Been through 52 countries at war.
• Arrested or jailed 24 times (Not for Crimes)
• Listed in the Guinness World Records for the ‘World’s longest walk’.
• Arthur says, “I Love God, I love people, I try to keep it simple”.
• Of the journey he says, “Jesus did it, I give Him all the glory”.
• He has traveled constantly with his wife, Denise, since their marriage in 1990.

Read more, it’s an amazing story.

Born To Die

The baby in this picture is not dead. He was just born into a very tough life.

Another baby arrived on planet Earth some 2000 years ago with a heart-breaking mission—to die for humanity. Literally Jesus was born to die.

On this Christmas morning, take a second and remember that without his death and resurrection, Christ’s birth would be meaningless.

The greatest of all possible Christmas gifts has always been offered to you… have you received it?

Was Christmas Even Necessary?

This is for anyone who ever thought the idea of God becoming a man ridiculous. It was originally read on the air by Paul Harvey. Cheers!

The Man and the Birds

The man to whom I’m going to introduce you was not a scrooge, he was a kind decent, mostly good man. Generous to his family, upright in his dealings with other men. But he just didn’t believe all that incarnation stuff which the churches proclaim at Christmas Time. It just didn’t make sense and he was too honest to pretend otherwise. He just couldn’t swallow the Jesus Story, about God coming to Earth as a man.

“I’m truly sorry to distress you,” he told his wife, “but I’m not going with you to church this Christmas Eve.” He said he’d feel like a hypocrite. That he’d much rather just stay at home, but that he would wait up for them. And so he stayed and they went to the midnight service.

Shortly after the family drove away in the car, snow began to fall. He went to the window to watch the flurries getting heavier and heavier and then went back to his fireside chair and began to read his newspaper. Minutes later he was startled by a thudding sound… Then another, and then another. Sort of a thump or a thud… At first he thought someone must be throwing snowballs against his living room window. But when he went to the front door to investigate he found a flock of birds huddled miserably in the snow. They’d been caught in the storm and, in a desperate search for shelter, had tried to fly through his large landscape window.

Well, he couldn’t let the poor creatures lie there and freeze, so he remembered the barn where his children stabled their pony. That would provide a warm shelter, if he could direct the birds to it. Quickly he put on a coat, galoshes, tramped through the deepening snow to the barn. He opened the doors wide and turned on a light, but the birds did not come in. He figured food would entice them in. So he hurried back to the house, fetched bread crumbs, sprinkled them on the snow, making a trail to the yellow-lighted wide open doorway of the stable. But to his dismay, the birds ignored the bread crumbs, and continued to flap around helplessly in the snow. He tried catching them… He tried shooing them into the barn by walking around them waving his arms… Instead, they scattered in every direction, except into the warm, lighted barn.

And then, he realized that they were afraid of him. To them, he reasoned, I am a strange and terrifying creature. If only I could think of some way to let them know that they can trust me…That I am not trying to hurt them, but to help them. But how? Because any move he made tended to frighten them, confuse them. They just would not follow. They would not be led or shooed because they feared him.

“If only I could be a bird,” he thought to himself, “and mingle with them and speak their language. Then I could tell them not to be afraid. Then I could show them the way to safe, warm…to the safe warm barn. But I would have to be one of them so they could see, and hear and understand.” At that moment the church bells began to ring. The sound reached his ears above the sounds of the wind. And he stood there listening to the bells – Adeste Fidelis – listening to the bells pealing the glad tidings of Christmas. And he sank to his knees in the snow.

Republicans Point the Finger, Need to Get a Grip

Tony Perkins runs a tight ship over at the FRC. I might as well just post his dailies here. Anyway, a little background:

1. I vote for whoever most closely matches my values.
2. I get my values from the Bible.
3. These values are considered by today’s standards extremely Conservative.
4. Republicans are more Conservative than Democrats, in most cases.
5. I hate most politicians, regardless of Party, because they seldom tell the truth for more than 120 seconds.

Ok, with that said, a large number of Republicans are just as bad as the Democrats in my book. Here they show their true colors.

“To listen to some Republicans… you would think that traditional conservatives, the defenders of the unborn and the integrity of marriage… were responsible for two wars gone sour, over-spending at a level to embarrass Lyndon Johnson, the largest expansion of entitlement spending since the Great Society, numerous cases of GOP corruption, betrayal of the public trust… and the miserable results in the presidential and congressional elections…”

Like us, Tracy Mehan of the American Spectator is fed up with the Republicans’ post-election finger-pointing. In his op-ed “Social Conservative as Scapegoats,” he lashes out at the GOP’s centrists for blaming November 4 on “the solid and most loyal” wing of the Reaganite coalition.

To those of us in the pro-family movement, the Establishment’s diatribe is a familiar one. When the GOP succeeds because of social conservatives, our importance is ignored. When the party fails for overlooking us, values voters are somehow to blame. With the exception of Gov. Sarah Palin and some hollow overtures by the Democratic Party, the 20 percent of voters who cited “moral values” as their first or second priority in this election had no real horse in this race.

Maybe that explains why believers were less active in this election cycle. More than four million Americans who go to church more than once a week and voted in 2004 stayed home on November 4. Those voters would have made up half the difference between McCain and Obama. As the members of the Republican party jockey for position in this brave new Congress and sort out their internal leadership, a commitment to life and marriage is non-negotiable.

Without it, the prospects of a Republican revival are bleak. As Karl Rove rightly points out, “These values are often more popular than the GOP itself.”

Americans Killed in China

I predicted something like this could happen. What a tragedy. I can’t believe it happened so fast.

A knife-wielding Chinese man attacked two relatives of a coach for the U.S. Olympic men’s volleyball team at a tourist site in Beijing, killing one and injuring the other on the first day of the Olympics on Saturday, team officials and state media said.

The man then committed suicide by throwing himself from the second story of the site…

In a country that openly defies God, there are bound to be some nasty spirits en masse.

Love Your Enemies Pac-Man T-Shirt

While some take the typical tact and try to Pokey (sorry, I couldn’t resist) fun at Christianity, this shirt is truly awesome and I shall purchase one… just as soon as I can find out where to buy one. Help please!

Tennessee Rejects Homeschoolers Diploma as Legit

Wow, just when you think things couldn’t get more strange. The attack on Christianity continues in our country as Tennessee’s Department of Education deems that high school diplomas issued by homeschooling situations (and some Christian schools) aren’t sufficient for state jobs. Actually, their language is far worse:

“Cindy Benefield, the Tennessee Department of Education Executive Director of Field Services, who oversees the state’s homeschooling office, recently declared that a diploma from a church-related school is “not worth the paper it is written on.”

Astounding. And the fruitless battle against God continues on…

MLK’s Spirit Is What He Would Want Us to Remember

Today I read this from FRC:

Forty years ago, an assassin gunned down a spirited visionary whose days were spent crusading against the very violence and bigotry that ultimately took his life. Taken in the prime of his years and the height of his influence, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King would never live to see his dream of racial harmony realized.

In the four decades since Rev. King’s death, the gulf between black and white remains the most intense divide in America-largely because we have sought unity primarily through networking, public policy, or lobbying techniques. Few seem to understand that the solution is the same as it was 40 years ago. We must recognize what Rev. King did-that racism is not just a social problem in America; it is at root a spiritual problem.

If we are to change the social climate of our nation, a cause to which Rev. King gave his very life, we must unite around a biblical worldview that can include all races and generations. That challenge is made more difficult in this new era, when simply to speak from a pulpit and to call for righteousness in the land strikes some secularists as a threat to our core liberties.

As Reverend King said, “The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state. If the church does not recapture its prophetic zeal, it will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority.” It is time for America to see the church as an unbiased representative of Christ. As a nation, we must rally behind clear-thinking, visionary leaders who will work for a nation that is both colorblind and infused with character. Martin Luther King understood the unique place churches have in our society. If we are to honor his memory, we must defend and rebuild the place of faith communities in bridging the racial gap.

If you fully understand what Martin Luther King, Jr. was all about, you’d understand that merely peace in this lifetime isn’t enough.

In the words of a Switchfoot song: “We were meant to live for so much more. Have we lost ourselves?”

Human Hearts Have Memory, Character

If I told you that your heart can remember things, you’d be like, “Uh… Paladin is freaking out.” That’s what I thought too. That’s what most people think.

But it’s healthy for us to remember there is so much we arrogant humans don’t yet know. We make think we understand, only to find out in the future that we were way off.

Science is now learning more about how the brain and heart communicate with one another. Not just the brain to the heart, but the reverse as well. Astounding!

Visit the Institute of HeartMath for more information about these new breakthroughs.

Hearts Remember

As amazing as that might be, wait until you hear this. The human heart also holds memories! Listen to this example from Nexus Magazine.

The donor was a 34-year-old police officer shot attempting to arrest a drug dealer. The recipient was a 56-year-old college professor diagnosed with atherosclerosis and ischaemic heart disease.

The donor’s wife reported:
“When I met Ben [the recipient] and Casey [Ben's wife], I almost collapsed. First, it was a remarkable feeling seeing the man with my husband’s heart in his chest. I think I could almost see Carl [the donor] in Ben’s eyes. When I asked how Ben felt, I think I was really trying to ask Carl how he was. I wouldn’t say that to them, but I wish I could have touched Ben’s chest and talked to my husband’s heart.

“What really bothers me, though, is when Casey said offhandedly that the only real side-effect of Ben’s surgery was flashes of light in his face. That’s exactly how Carl died. The bastard shot him right in the face. The last thing he must have seen is a terrible flash. They never caught the guy, but they think they know who it is. I’ve seen the drawing of his face. The guy has long hair, deep eyes, a beard, and this real calm look. He looks sort of like some of the pictures of Jesus.”

The recipient reported:
“If you promise you won’t tell anyone my name, I’ll tell you what I’ve not told any of my doctors. Only my wife knows. I only knew that my donor was a 34-year-old very healthy guy. A few weeks after I got my heart, I began to have dreams. I would see a flash of light right in my face and my face gets real, real hot. It actually burns. Just before that time, I would get a glimpse of Jesus. I’ve had these dreams and now daydreams ever since: Jesus and then a flash. That’s the only thing I can say is something different, other than feeling really good for the first time in my life.”

The recipient’s wife reported:
“I’m very, very glad you asked him about his transplant. He is more bothered than he’ll tell you about these flashes. He says he sees Jesus and then a blind flash. He told the doctors about the flashes but not Jesus. They said it’s probably a side effect of the medications, but God we wish they would stop.”

Unbelievable? That’s what I used to think about the idea of cell phones.

I first learned about this from Steven Baldwin’s book, The Unusual Subject, which I highly recommend. Before reading the book, I thought Steven a goof-ball, Hollywood elitist. Now I think he’s a goof-ball who’s sold out for Jesus. Needless to say, my respect for him has grown exponentially.

Whatever Is True, Whatever Is Noble…

One of the huge blessings of attending a “mega” church is that we are not only blessed with great pastors, musicians, singers, etc., we also get some of the best talent in the country as guests. Today, Chip Ingram spoke at Southeast on this topic: “Think Great Thoughts.”

The key verse is Philippians 4:8:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

That’s tough in today’s media saturated society where messages of greed, lust and pride are assailing us from every direction.

I thought it worthwhile to highlight this rare story. Hopefully, I’ll be able to find and promote more stories that bring light to those around them.

Baby gets first emergency living donor liver transplant at Cleveland Clinic

If you find a story like this, please send it in and I’ll share it with our audience.

The Path To The Final Solution

Below is a link to a 10-minute video created to show how the ideals of Hitler are still alive today, in fact, growing even larger. The video is not an easy thing to watch. You have been warned.

To me, the common theme behind this most illogical of hatred (for it really is unreasonable as most of these people have never had direct dealings with a Jewish person) is that God chose Israel to be His people. Anyone who hates Israel, is really railing against God.

“Palestinian children are taught that it is better to die killing Jews than it is to co-exist in peace.”

If that’s not pure evil, I don’t know what is.

The Path To The Final Solution

Jesus Is the Reason We Celebrate

I want to wish each of you the most special Christmas possible and an even better New Year!

Chinese Government Persecutes Christians

Likely this isn’t news to most of you. But in the same way that reporting casualties in Iraq loses the emotional impact of the loss of human lives, hearing about Christians “being persecuted” just doesn’t accurately convey the kind of hell some people are being subjected to in places like today’s China.

Especially at this time of year, where we in America still have the freedom to worship however each of us chooses, we should take a moment to say a prayer for those who don’t have that same freedom.

Religious Persecution: Made in China

As China works to better its image as host of next year’s Olympic Games, their latest political crisis does little to help their cause. This weekend, reports have confirmed that Chinese officials stormed into the town of Shadong and violently arrested 270 Christian pastors for holding an illegal Bible meeting. As of this morning, 150 of the men were still in police custody. An eyewitness at the meeting said the raid was quick and brutal. Allegedly, 50 policemen “stormed the meeting place, blindfolded and handcuffed [the pastors] two-by-two,” then hauled them off to headquarters for “questioning.” While 120 were fined with “an interrogation tax” and released, dozens of others await their fate under a regime with a history of vicious religious persecution and zero tolerance for the underground church movement, now estimated at over 10 million members.

Several local and international groups are monitoring the situation–which could have sweeping repercussions for the massive PR campaign underway to legitimize next year’s Olympic hosts. Obviously, the detention of these pastors illustrates China’s insincerity in moving toward a culture of religious tolerance. While the regime tries to project itself as progressive, the reality is that China has no intention of abiding by international law or abandoning its hostility to Western religious ideals. China’s pastors offer the nation hope not a threat. FRC is calling on the State Department to intervene, issuing a letter today in hopes that Secretary Condoleezza Rice and the U.S. Ambassador can broker the pastors’ quick release. [link]