Friday, June 20, 2008

Thought of the Day

“We have created a gospel for our own culture, tailor-made to fit smugly within the confines of the American Dream. The old-fashioned Gospel we should preach has been altered just enough to agree with our busy schedules and myriad amusements. By emphasizing certain biblical teachings and, more importantly, neglecting others, we have managed to create a whole new gospel that fits our American lifestyle…

Tragically, our rendition of Christianity makes no demands, expects no sacrifice, and yields no eternal rewards. The Lion of Judah has been anesthetized, declawed, and tamed. We have reduced the Almighty to a harmless icon we passively honor in our busy lives. The vision of a Holy God, a Consuming Fire, a Judge who will one day render unto every man his just reward has virtually vanished out of the American Church.”

Steve Gallagher Intoxicated with Babylon

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Monday, June 16, 2008

Fathers Day Thoughts

Yesterday was Father's Day!

Props to all you dads out there who are investing in your children...

On Saturday my wife was having my boys make out cards for all the "fathers" in their lives. As I watched them I realized how blessed, and perhaps rare, kids with this situation are.

My kids have a dad who loves Jesus and loves their mother and loves them and is dedicated to investing in them. They also have two grandfathers who love Jesus and who also invest in them. One grandfather - my dad - lives with us part time. My kids see him almost every day.

My kids even have a step-grandfather (my stepdad) who does not necessarily invest in them, but loves them nonetheless. Finally, they have a great-grandfather (Sherry's granddad) who was a Sunday School teacher before any of us were alive. He also has something to contribute to their lives by way of communicating a heritage.

So I had this thought: Are my kids privileged? Should this be seen as an extraordinary blessing?

Then I thought this: No.

Of course we're blessed, but what my kids are experiencing is NORMAL. By God's design, and true for millenia of human history, children have fathers and extended family who nurture them.

What we see today in the West is completely abnormal. It is evidence of how broken our world is that we consider kids with loving fathers somehow "extra blessed" or "privileged". It is a testimony to how much the Sexual Revolution has warped our thinking.

And make no mistake about it, a large part of where we are today can be directly attributed to the Sexual Revolution. Of course, I think the church in America and other parts of the West fell down on the job in the second half of the 20th century, and I believe that misguided government programs among the poor contributed to the mess. I also believe systemic injustice has taken its toll. But all of that was happening before the 60's and families had not yet disintegrated.

So I'm for going back to considering three or four Fathers Day cards as normal. And continuing the fight for all the kids who don't know what normal is.

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Sunday, June 8, 2008

SST is 28 Days Away!

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Before You Vote...

...Watch this



And this...

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