I've noticed that many of my blogs are critiques of various issues and things. That is necessary, but I also want start showing that there are some things out there that are good and right.
I am very picky about worship music. I recently stumbled across a great song by Sovereign Grace Ministries and Bob Kauflin. It is a great worship song, about propitiation called "Jesus, Thank You." If I knew how to upload audio to this blog I would put it on here. I don't so here are the lyrics.
The mystery of the cross I cannot comprehend,
The agonies of Calvary.
You, the Perfect Holy One, crushed Your Son,
Drank the bitter cup reserved for me.
Your blood has washed away my sin,
Jesus, thank You.
The Father’s wrath completely satisfied,
Jesus, thank You.
Once Your enemy, now seated at Your table,
Jesus, thank You.
By Your perfect sacrifice I’ve been brought near,
Your enemy made Your friend.
Pouring out the riches of Your glorious grace,
Your mercy and your kindness know no end.
Your blood has washed away my sin,
Jesus, thank You.
The Father’s wrath completely satisfied,
Jesus, thank You.
Once Your enemy, now seated at Your table,
Jesus, thank You.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Mission Trip To Estonia
"Go and make disciples of all nations." Matthew 28:18-20
One of my favorite Christian musicians was a guy named Keith Green. He had a line in one of his songs that said, "How can we not go. It should be the exception if we stay."
I think that is a little hyperbolic, but it makes a good point. We do not have an option of whether or not we are going to be obedient to the Great Commission. As followers of King Jesus, we must do what He says. This inlcudes missions.
I think every believer should go on an out of country mission trip at least once. Every mission trip that I have been on has had a huge impact in my own personal life and walk with God. It is good for us as Americans to see how good we've got it.
Mission trips are always challenging and difficult. You have to travel a lot, which can be taxing to say the least. You get exposed to different cultures and food that you are not accustomed to. For some that is very difficult. I actually enjoy sampling the different cuisines of other cultures. (I ate scorpion one time.) Accomodations are always different that what you are used to. And then there is the spiritual battles that go on when you are being used of God to spread the gospel.
But, those difficulties are also carry the potential for some of the greatest blessings in a persons life. And those blessings sometimes come from the smallest things. I remember teaching Ukrainian adolescents how to play American football. They had no idea what to do, and we threw around the football that I had brought and the kids had an absolute blast of a time. To see their faces when I left that football with them is something I will never forget. I also won't forget seeing God work in their lives and draw them to Himself.
This May, Lord willing, I will be going on a mission trip with a team of people to the country of Estonia. I will do a separate post about this country and the need for mission work their.
Please pray for me and the others that are planning on going on this trip. Thanks.
One of my favorite Christian musicians was a guy named Keith Green. He had a line in one of his songs that said, "How can we not go. It should be the exception if we stay."
I think that is a little hyperbolic, but it makes a good point. We do not have an option of whether or not we are going to be obedient to the Great Commission. As followers of King Jesus, we must do what He says. This inlcudes missions.
I think every believer should go on an out of country mission trip at least once. Every mission trip that I have been on has had a huge impact in my own personal life and walk with God. It is good for us as Americans to see how good we've got it.
Mission trips are always challenging and difficult. You have to travel a lot, which can be taxing to say the least. You get exposed to different cultures and food that you are not accustomed to. For some that is very difficult. I actually enjoy sampling the different cuisines of other cultures. (I ate scorpion one time.) Accomodations are always different that what you are used to. And then there is the spiritual battles that go on when you are being used of God to spread the gospel.
But, those difficulties are also carry the potential for some of the greatest blessings in a persons life. And those blessings sometimes come from the smallest things. I remember teaching Ukrainian adolescents how to play American football. They had no idea what to do, and we threw around the football that I had brought and the kids had an absolute blast of a time. To see their faces when I left that football with them is something I will never forget. I also won't forget seeing God work in their lives and draw them to Himself.
This May, Lord willing, I will be going on a mission trip with a team of people to the country of Estonia. I will do a separate post about this country and the need for mission work their.
Please pray for me and the others that are planning on going on this trip. Thanks.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Sex Challenge
Relevant Church in Florida is doing a sermon series called the Sex Challenge. They are challenging singles to abstain from sex for 30 days and they are challenging married couples to have sex everyday for 30 days.
Read the story from foxnews, here.
Are they serious? The answer is, yes they are.
First of all, I do not have a problem teaching or preaching on sex. The Bible has much to say about the subject and it has been so perverted by our society that more churches need to address the issue from a biblical perspective.
I think that is what this church is attempting to do. I think?
There are several problems with the approach:
My biggest objection is the salacious manner that this church is advertising their series on sex. If you go to the actual church website they have a picture on the homepage about this series on sex. It has clothed people, in provocative positions with members of the opposite sex. It is so salacious that it has gained national attention. If the church merely posted a notice that they were doing a biblical series on sex they would not have gotten this attention. So, their methodology is merely to gain attention. That is a problem. They are using sex to sell their church.
There is another problem. The pastor is going to tell single members of the church to abstain from sex. That is good and right. But, by promoting it this way he is thrusting images that are going to do nothing but tempt the very ones he is trying to help avoid these temptations.
What if I were to have an Alcoholic Anonymous meeting and while we are meeting there are beer ads, banners, and pictures of alcohol all over the room? That is just not wise or helpful.
Other issues.
Why is he challenging singles for only 30 days? I get his point, but let’s emphasize the clear biblical teaching to abstain until marriage.
He is also encouraging married couples to have sex everyday for 30 days. While every husband is saying, “thank you, thank you, thank you”, every wife is having different thoughts. Again, I don’t think the pastor’s intention is wrong, but his methodology is very poor.
Mandatory sex seems from the pastor seems to take this most intimate of times out of the privacy of the marriage. It is making it too public. It also just doesn’t work that way. If one spouse has the flu, or out of town for business, or something else --- it makes sex seem forced, contrived, and possibly devoid of the joy that is described in scripture.
It is fine and good to encourage couples to understand what scripture teaches about sex and to encourage sex in the marriage. The bible does that. But, you just can’t make it that mandatory.
Another issue. The name of this church is Relevant Church. I do not know this church or pastor personally, but based on what they have made public I want to address this issue of relevance.
The objective of a church is not relevance. A church should strive to be biblical. Many modern church growth proponents push the issue of relevance. They say, ‘we must be relevant in our culture.’ It is that drive that might inspire someone to actually name their church ‘Relevant Church’. Some of these proponents despise things like expository, biblical, text oriented preaching because that is not relevant. So, they do things like use sex to sell their church, or all kinds of carnival type programs to be relevant in their culture.
What the lost world thinks is relevant, and what the Bible says is relevant is two different things. Something is truly relevant if it is focused on our deepest needs, not our wants. What the lost world need is the biblical truth that they have sinned against a holy God. They need people who live and speak the Word of God into their lives that they might repent and trust in Jesus Christ. They don’t need Christians to coddle them in their proclivities, wants, desires, and sin. That might seem ‘relevant’ and might attract a large crowd, but it muddles the message with a faulty method.
Read the story from foxnews, here.
Are they serious? The answer is, yes they are.
First of all, I do not have a problem teaching or preaching on sex. The Bible has much to say about the subject and it has been so perverted by our society that more churches need to address the issue from a biblical perspective.
I think that is what this church is attempting to do. I think?
There are several problems with the approach:
My biggest objection is the salacious manner that this church is advertising their series on sex. If you go to the actual church website they have a picture on the homepage about this series on sex. It has clothed people, in provocative positions with members of the opposite sex. It is so salacious that it has gained national attention. If the church merely posted a notice that they were doing a biblical series on sex they would not have gotten this attention. So, their methodology is merely to gain attention. That is a problem. They are using sex to sell their church.
There is another problem. The pastor is going to tell single members of the church to abstain from sex. That is good and right. But, by promoting it this way he is thrusting images that are going to do nothing but tempt the very ones he is trying to help avoid these temptations.
What if I were to have an Alcoholic Anonymous meeting and while we are meeting there are beer ads, banners, and pictures of alcohol all over the room? That is just not wise or helpful.
Other issues.
Why is he challenging singles for only 30 days? I get his point, but let’s emphasize the clear biblical teaching to abstain until marriage.
He is also encouraging married couples to have sex everyday for 30 days. While every husband is saying, “thank you, thank you, thank you”, every wife is having different thoughts. Again, I don’t think the pastor’s intention is wrong, but his methodology is very poor.
Mandatory sex seems from the pastor seems to take this most intimate of times out of the privacy of the marriage. It is making it too public. It also just doesn’t work that way. If one spouse has the flu, or out of town for business, or something else --- it makes sex seem forced, contrived, and possibly devoid of the joy that is described in scripture.
It is fine and good to encourage couples to understand what scripture teaches about sex and to encourage sex in the marriage. The bible does that. But, you just can’t make it that mandatory.
Another issue. The name of this church is Relevant Church. I do not know this church or pastor personally, but based on what they have made public I want to address this issue of relevance.
The objective of a church is not relevance. A church should strive to be biblical. Many modern church growth proponents push the issue of relevance. They say, ‘we must be relevant in our culture.’ It is that drive that might inspire someone to actually name their church ‘Relevant Church’. Some of these proponents despise things like expository, biblical, text oriented preaching because that is not relevant. So, they do things like use sex to sell their church, or all kinds of carnival type programs to be relevant in their culture.
What the lost world thinks is relevant, and what the Bible says is relevant is two different things. Something is truly relevant if it is focused on our deepest needs, not our wants. What the lost world need is the biblical truth that they have sinned against a holy God. They need people who live and speak the Word of God into their lives that they might repent and trust in Jesus Christ. They don’t need Christians to coddle them in their proclivities, wants, desires, and sin. That might seem ‘relevant’ and might attract a large crowd, but it muddles the message with a faulty method.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Operational Vs. Historical Science
I was listening to a discussion of creation versus evolution and it got me to thinking about science. In our culture today when you attach the word “science” to anything it is taken as absolute truth. This is not always the case and we should be more discerning with our judgments on such claims.
There is a huge difference between operational science and historical science. One is legitimate, the other is not. The theory of evolution falls under the latter category.
Operational science is based on observation and the scientific method. It seeks to study how things “operate” today. You remember learning about the scientific method in junior high. There are several steps involved. One of the steps is that something tested must be repeatable, etc.
It is impossible to apply operational science and the scientific method to something that is not around. It is impossible to observe how something operated in history. Scientist cannot observe how things supposedly “evolved” in the past, because we cannot subject those things to observable, measurable, repeatable tests.
I am not saying that you cannot study history. We can and we should. Disciplines like archeology are important and informative. They can look at things we find and use those to help connect the dots. But, it is incomplete at best and is especially problematic the further you go back in history.
This does not disprove evolution. It does couch the debate in different terms. Evolution is a “theory”. A theory is a supposition or an assumption. Sometimes a theory can be based on current observable information. But, to take the fact that some birds’ beaks have slightly modified (i.e. Darwin) and then to jump to the statement that they must have evolved over millions and millions of years, is not science! It is not even a good assumption.
Tell that to a biologist and watch the fur fly! But, it is true! If public schools want to teach Darwinian Evolution that is fine, but it is not a scientific fact! And it shouldn’t be taught as such.
There is a huge difference between operational science and historical science. One is legitimate, the other is not. The theory of evolution falls under the latter category.
Operational science is based on observation and the scientific method. It seeks to study how things “operate” today. You remember learning about the scientific method in junior high. There are several steps involved. One of the steps is that something tested must be repeatable, etc.
It is impossible to apply operational science and the scientific method to something that is not around. It is impossible to observe how something operated in history. Scientist cannot observe how things supposedly “evolved” in the past, because we cannot subject those things to observable, measurable, repeatable tests.
I am not saying that you cannot study history. We can and we should. Disciplines like archeology are important and informative. They can look at things we find and use those to help connect the dots. But, it is incomplete at best and is especially problematic the further you go back in history.
This does not disprove evolution. It does couch the debate in different terms. Evolution is a “theory”. A theory is a supposition or an assumption. Sometimes a theory can be based on current observable information. But, to take the fact that some birds’ beaks have slightly modified (i.e. Darwin) and then to jump to the statement that they must have evolved over millions and millions of years, is not science! It is not even a good assumption.
Tell that to a biologist and watch the fur fly! But, it is true! If public schools want to teach Darwinian Evolution that is fine, but it is not a scientific fact! And it shouldn’t be taught as such.
Vacation Fun
Last week our family went to the mountains of Colorado. We spent several days in South Fork, and skiing in Wolf Creek. We had a blast of a time.
Up in the mountains we had no internet, and very little cell phone coverage. There was a t.v. but we didn’t watch it that much. It was nice to be away from the hustle and bustle. The mountains are beautiful and a wonderful reminder of the creative power of God.
The girls love the snow—real snow. Back here in Texas if we get a tiny bit of sleet and ice we close the schools. There was several feet of fresh powder on the ground in South Fork. We sledded, played, made snow angels, snow balls, and had a grand time in real snow.
I love these times with the family. With the girls getting older our schedules are becoming packed. I think it is important for us to take time away to spend some time with just us. My prayer is that the Lord will use these times to grow us closer together as a family and, most importantly, closer to Him.
Up in the mountains we had no internet, and very little cell phone coverage. There was a t.v. but we didn’t watch it that much. It was nice to be away from the hustle and bustle. The mountains are beautiful and a wonderful reminder of the creative power of God.
The girls love the snow—real snow. Back here in Texas if we get a tiny bit of sleet and ice we close the schools. There was several feet of fresh powder on the ground in South Fork. We sledded, played, made snow angels, snow balls, and had a grand time in real snow.
I love these times with the family. With the girls getting older our schedules are becoming packed. I think it is important for us to take time away to spend some time with just us. My prayer is that the Lord will use these times to grow us closer together as a family and, most importantly, closer to Him.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Failing and Quitting
I have recently read over a couple of books. Neither of them are spiritual in nature. In fact, one is a business book on leadership/management. But, they were fascinating and gave me some things to think about and “chew” on.
Failing Forward by John Maxwell
The Dip by Seth Godin
One book is about failing and the other book is about quitting. Sounds real uplifting doesn’t it.
The failure book was basically on the necessity to learn to handle failure in a way that it can be used to better your life instead of ruin it. The quitting book was more about when to persevere and when it is the right time to pull out of whatever it is you are doing.
The “dip” is basically the tough part of anything. It is when effort is at a maximum and results are at a minimum. The dip is the place most people quit, when they shouldn’t. The dip is the place you should work harder to fully realize the desired end result.
An example given is weight lifting. When you are doing a set of push ups, it is only the last few that produces the benefit in your muscles. The last few are also the ones that hurt the most, the ones that you don’t want to do, the ones where most people stop. That is the dip.
Think about some of these quotes.
From The Dip
“Only talented people fret about mediocrity.”
“The stupid thing to do is to start (something), give it your best shot, waste a lot of time and money, and quit right in the middle of the dip.”
“A woodpecker can tap twenty times on a thousand trees and get nowhere, but stay busy. Or he can tap twenty thousand times on one tree and get dinner.”
From Failing Forward
“We are all failures --- at least, all the best of us are. J.M Barrie”
“People think failure is avoidable—it’s not.”
“Failure isn’t so bad if it doesn’t attack the heart. Success is all right if it doesn’t go to the head. Grantland Rice.”
“God uses people who fail – because there aren’t any other kind around.”
“As Harvard psychologist Jerome Bruner says, ‘You’re more likely to act yourself into feeling than feel yourself into action.’ So act! Whatever it is you know you should do, do it.”
“Get over yourself—everyone else has.”
“Don’t let your learning lead to knowledge; let your learning lead to action. Jim Rohn.”
“There always comes a time when giving up is easier than standing up, when giving in looks more attractive than digging in. And in those moments, character may be the only thing you have to draw on to keep you going.”
I don’t necessarily have any brilliant spiritual insight from these things. I just wanted to give you some “food for thought”.
Failing Forward by John Maxwell
The Dip by Seth Godin
One book is about failing and the other book is about quitting. Sounds real uplifting doesn’t it.
The failure book was basically on the necessity to learn to handle failure in a way that it can be used to better your life instead of ruin it. The quitting book was more about when to persevere and when it is the right time to pull out of whatever it is you are doing.
The “dip” is basically the tough part of anything. It is when effort is at a maximum and results are at a minimum. The dip is the place most people quit, when they shouldn’t. The dip is the place you should work harder to fully realize the desired end result.
An example given is weight lifting. When you are doing a set of push ups, it is only the last few that produces the benefit in your muscles. The last few are also the ones that hurt the most, the ones that you don’t want to do, the ones where most people stop. That is the dip.
Think about some of these quotes.
From The Dip
“Only talented people fret about mediocrity.”
“The stupid thing to do is to start (something), give it your best shot, waste a lot of time and money, and quit right in the middle of the dip.”
“A woodpecker can tap twenty times on a thousand trees and get nowhere, but stay busy. Or he can tap twenty thousand times on one tree and get dinner.”
From Failing Forward
“We are all failures --- at least, all the best of us are. J.M Barrie”
“People think failure is avoidable—it’s not.”
“Failure isn’t so bad if it doesn’t attack the heart. Success is all right if it doesn’t go to the head. Grantland Rice.”
“God uses people who fail – because there aren’t any other kind around.”
“As Harvard psychologist Jerome Bruner says, ‘You’re more likely to act yourself into feeling than feel yourself into action.’ So act! Whatever it is you know you should do, do it.”
“Get over yourself—everyone else has.”
“Don’t let your learning lead to knowledge; let your learning lead to action. Jim Rohn.”
“There always comes a time when giving up is easier than standing up, when giving in looks more attractive than digging in. And in those moments, character may be the only thing you have to draw on to keep you going.”
I don’t necessarily have any brilliant spiritual insight from these things. I just wanted to give you some “food for thought”.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Sure Success
"“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it." (Isaiah 55:10-11, ESV)
This is one of my favorite passages of scripture. I make this my prayer almost every Sunday that I get up to preach. It gives me such confidence to know that the impact of the sermons I preach are not dependent upon my words, but upon His Word.
This passage of scripture is one of the reasons that I preach the way that I do. I attempt to allow the text of God’s Word to set the agenda for the sermon. I do this because I want His Word to go out and accomplish His purposes in our lives.
I love the promise found in Isaiah 55. There is a great picture here of how God uses His Word. The rain and snow that falls from the sky always finds their mark. They never miss. They always hit the earth and bring the gift of life and productivity. In a similar way, God’s Word hits the mark that He determines. Through it we find the necessary ingredients for a lifetime of true discipleship to the Lord Jesus Christ.
The promise of this passage is also why I try to put myself under the influence of scripture as often as possible. I try to read, memorize, listen to, meditate on, and be taught the scriptures. I know that this will put myself in the line of fire of God’s purposes. That is always a good place to be.
This is one of my favorite passages of scripture. I make this my prayer almost every Sunday that I get up to preach. It gives me such confidence to know that the impact of the sermons I preach are not dependent upon my words, but upon His Word.
This passage of scripture is one of the reasons that I preach the way that I do. I attempt to allow the text of God’s Word to set the agenda for the sermon. I do this because I want His Word to go out and accomplish His purposes in our lives.
I love the promise found in Isaiah 55. There is a great picture here of how God uses His Word. The rain and snow that falls from the sky always finds their mark. They never miss. They always hit the earth and bring the gift of life and productivity. In a similar way, God’s Word hits the mark that He determines. Through it we find the necessary ingredients for a lifetime of true discipleship to the Lord Jesus Christ.
The promise of this passage is also why I try to put myself under the influence of scripture as often as possible. I try to read, memorize, listen to, meditate on, and be taught the scriptures. I know that this will put myself in the line of fire of God’s purposes. That is always a good place to be.
Friday, December 28, 2007
God's Way
A brief devotional thought from:
As I was reading through Jeremiah this verse caught my attention. I do not think it is about free will as much as it is about an unsuccessful will. When we trust in ourselves, our own ways, and our desires we fail. We are not very good at directing our own path.
In the context of this chapter this is exactly what the people of Judah had displayed. They had turned from God to their own ways and it has led to absolute failure.
The other option is the only one that works. It is the option to choose God. To give control of our ways and our lives to Him. The only way to true life is with God in control. Only those who let God direct their lives will be blessed by Him.
Jeremiah 10:23
I know, O LORD, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.
As I was reading through Jeremiah this verse caught my attention. I do not think it is about free will as much as it is about an unsuccessful will. When we trust in ourselves, our own ways, and our desires we fail. We are not very good at directing our own path.
In the context of this chapter this is exactly what the people of Judah had displayed. They had turned from God to their own ways and it has led to absolute failure.
The other option is the only one that works. It is the option to choose God. To give control of our ways and our lives to Him. The only way to true life is with God in control. Only those who let God direct their lives will be blessed by Him.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Rend Your Hearts
" “Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster." (Joel 2:12-13, ESV)
It is an unmistakable truth that repentance is a necessary ingredient of salvation. “Unless you repent, you will likewise perish.(Luke 13:3)”
Too many people today are “soft-pedaling” the true gospel. They make an appeal to the lost to come to Jesus because He will make your life better. And, that is partially true if correctly understood. They continue with the soft-sell by saying that Jesus will give you joy and peace. Again, this is another partial truth. But, what they fail to make clear is that all of this is predicated upon the removal of sin.
We have joy, peace and a better life because through the atonement of Jesus Christ we can have forgiveness of sin. Salvation is not to save me to a better circumstance in which I live. Salvation is saving me from the punishment I deserve because of my sin.
It is that understanding of sin that leads to true repentance. If the offer is just for better circumstances there will not be sufficient cause to truly repent.
In Joel we see that the message of the Lord is for genuine, sustained repentance. They were to return to the Lord will all their heart. They were to rend their hearts, not their garments.
When the Israelites mourned they would commonly tear their clothes. It was an outward showing of humility. But, this seeming act of contrition often was just perfunctory. It was something a person did in order to get what they wanted. It was a routine, a tradition and it was done without thought or meaning.
God can see through false humility. He can see through actions that look pious but are really self-serving. The sacrifices that God desires is a broken and contrite heart.
The other ingredient of true repentance is time. Repentance is not just a one time action. It is to continue. The effects of true repentance can be seen in the lifestyle of the person. It is verified by time. Jesus says, “bear fruit in keeping with repentance.(Matt. 3:8)”
I love the motivation for repentance in the passage in Joel. The call to the Israelites was to return to God because – He is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, abounding in love. Wow! All of those characteristics relate to our sin. We deserve His anger, because of our sin – and He offers grace and mercy and love. Therefore, just like the Israelites, we should return to Him in repentance.
It is an unmistakable truth that repentance is a necessary ingredient of salvation. “Unless you repent, you will likewise perish.(Luke 13:3)”
Too many people today are “soft-pedaling” the true gospel. They make an appeal to the lost to come to Jesus because He will make your life better. And, that is partially true if correctly understood. They continue with the soft-sell by saying that Jesus will give you joy and peace. Again, this is another partial truth. But, what they fail to make clear is that all of this is predicated upon the removal of sin.
We have joy, peace and a better life because through the atonement of Jesus Christ we can have forgiveness of sin. Salvation is not to save me to a better circumstance in which I live. Salvation is saving me from the punishment I deserve because of my sin.
It is that understanding of sin that leads to true repentance. If the offer is just for better circumstances there will not be sufficient cause to truly repent.
In Joel we see that the message of the Lord is for genuine, sustained repentance. They were to return to the Lord will all their heart. They were to rend their hearts, not their garments.
When the Israelites mourned they would commonly tear their clothes. It was an outward showing of humility. But, this seeming act of contrition often was just perfunctory. It was something a person did in order to get what they wanted. It was a routine, a tradition and it was done without thought or meaning.
God can see through false humility. He can see through actions that look pious but are really self-serving. The sacrifices that God desires is a broken and contrite heart.
The other ingredient of true repentance is time. Repentance is not just a one time action. It is to continue. The effects of true repentance can be seen in the lifestyle of the person. It is verified by time. Jesus says, “bear fruit in keeping with repentance.(Matt. 3:8)”
I love the motivation for repentance in the passage in Joel. The call to the Israelites was to return to God because – He is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, abounding in love. Wow! All of those characteristics relate to our sin. We deserve His anger, because of our sin – and He offers grace and mercy and love. Therefore, just like the Israelites, we should return to Him in repentance.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Swingin' Headlines
This week I saw this article in the Dallas Morning News. Here is a blurb from the article. Click here to see the full article.
Cherry Pit swingers' club to sue Duncanville over ordinance
03:58 PM CST on Wednesday, December 12, 2007
By JAKE BATSELL / The Dallas Morning News
A Duncanville social club that has drawn fire for hosting swinger parties plans to file a lawsuit against the city this week, the club's attorney said late Saturday.
"It's about being able to enjoy a lifestyle that they're entitled to enjoy," said Ed Klein, who represents the Cherry Pit.
City officials approved an ordinance last month that carries a fine of up to $2,000 for operating and maintaining a sex club. The city contends such clubs pose a public nuisance.
I don’t know why I am surprised by stories like this. Scripture is clear that people will continue to pervert the blessings God has given us for their own selfish desires.
Here is what a “swinging club” does: a couple, husband and wife, go to this party where other couples come. Then the man puts his house keys in a bowl. Randomly, another woman draws out a key. Then that woman and the man who put the key in go and have sex. So, you have couples that swap out their spouse for the night to have sex with someone else’s spouse.
How degrading, immoral, and despicable. There was a time when this would have been a serious breaking of societies morals and ethics. It is a sad day that things like this are being celebrated.
It is not about freedom of expression, or consenting adults doing what they want to do. It is about sin, immorality and perversion. Sex is something beautiful that God has given us and is to be used the way He designed it: in the confines of a loving marriage relationship.
"“You shall not commit adultery." (Exodus 20:14, ESV)
"Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body." (1 Corinthians 6:18, ESV)
"And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin," (Matthew 6:27-28, ESV)
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