Being Culturally Savvy

Our Pastor gave a wonderful sermon last Sunday on being culturally savvy. God expects us to be IN the world but not of it and we can do this by practicing selective enculturation. Christians are to be engaged with non-Christians. He said that through the years Christian's attitudes have tended to polarize between being strict separationist from the world or by being totally permissive. Today Christians tend to lean more toward permissiveness. Sometimes the answer to this problem is to make rules, rules, and more rules. He said there is really only one rule we are to live by: LOVE GOD and do what you want. The key is in what it means to love God….in loving God we will always want to honor Him and love our neighbor….not exploit them, because our neighbors also bear his image. All people are created in his image. He said if we persist in choosing sin, patterns develop and we become callous, losing any distinction between godliness and ungodliness and we wind up only keeping half of that one rule…...the half that is about doing what WE want and we become totally selfish people….then we wind up dishonoring God and exploiting our neighbors. God wants us to be salt and light, faithful Christians (Christ bearers) IN the culture in which we live.

If You're Going the Wrong Way.........

I picked up this anecdotal book in the Cokesbury bookstore recently. Written by James W. Moore, senior pastor of St. Luke's United Methodist Church in Houston, TX. Here are a few notes: Life is meant to be a journey in which we draw closer to God. At any given moment we are either moving toward God or away from God. Jesus said, "I want you to take up my cross and live in the spirit of unconditional love, unwavering forgiveness, amazing grace, unflinching commitment and sacrificial service." We may like to sing about the cross, but we're not sure we want to live like that! When you are going a dangerous way, a destructive way, a potentially deadly way--there is only one thing to do: Turn around as fast as you can! With God turnarounds are allowed! God enables and empowers turnarounds.

News from the London Times....

News: Misunderestimating the opposition Gerard Baker says in the London Times: “It never ceases to amaze me how the Left falls again and again into the old trap of underestimating politicians whom they don’t understand. From Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher to George Bush and Mrs Palin, they do it every time. Because these characters talk a bit funny and have ridiculously antiquated views about faith, family and nation, because they haven’t spent time bending the knee to the intellectual metropolitan elites, they can’t be taken seriously.” posted by Peter J. Leithart on Friday, September 5, 2008 at 10:44 am

40 Days for Life begins...

UAB abortion protest

The Osama Bin Laden I Know by Peter Bergen

I started listening to this book on CD yesterday in the car on our way home from Mama's house. It gives accounts from interviews with more than 50 people who knew Osama Bin Laden personally. The interviews paint a picture of Bin Laden from a young age as being shy, pious, and "different." I am only into chapter 2 but the stories tell of his transformation into a mujahideen committed to offensive jihad (terrorism.) The Egyptian writer Sayyid Qutub, is credited with presenting the ideological underpinning of the "Islamic Awakening" which aroused many young people to embrace jihad not only defensively, but offensively. He founded the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood which was a movement of the young against an ossified establishment of middle eastern regimes. His books were very popular Islamic worldview "bibles" but were very controversial. He was executed in the 60's by the Nasser government and this propelled him into being seen as a martyr by his followers. His writings became the philosophical framework for al-Qaida and influenced Osama Bin Laden greatly. I hope I get to finish the book/CD's....John actually checked it out. The stories are very enlightening about arabs, muslims and their culture. TTYL

Governor Sarah Palin

Governor Sarah Palin is a tough executive who has demonstrated during her time in office that she is ready to be president. She has brought Republicans and Democrats together within her Administration and has seen approval ratings of over 80 percent. · She has challenged the influence of the big oil companies while fighting for the development of new energy resources. · She leads a state that matters to every one of us -- Alaska has significant energy resources and she has been a leader in the fight to make America energy independent. · She has actually used her veto and cut budgetary spending. And she put a stop to the bridge to nowhere that would have cost taxpayers $400 million dollars. · In Alaska, she challenged a corrupt system and passed a landmark ethics reform bill. · As the head of Alaska's National Guard and as the mother of a soldier herself, Governor Palin understands what it takes to lead our nation and she understands the importance of supporting our troops. Her experience in shaking up the status quo is exactly what is needed in Washington. In choosing Governor Sarah Palin, John McCain put Washington on notice that he is serious about shaking up the status quo. What we're seeing is a maverick who has shaken up Washington picking as his teammate a maverick governor who has shaken up her own state. What it's going to take to change Washington is a team of Mavericks who have a record of accomplishment in shaking up the status quo.

John's Officer Candidate School Graduation and Commissioning ceremony...