Thursday, May 20, 2004

Free to Choose...

Our soldiers are dying in the defense of freedoms around the world. But what 'freedoms' are they defending?

Freedom of speech... the legal freedom to be heard... even a prayer?
Does the 'majority' have any freedom simply to be heard?
Or only the freedom of the 'minority'... to squelch, via threats of suit?

Have our soldiers historically defended some kind of 'Freedom from being offended'?

Personally, I fought for everyone's freedom to be legally heard. And I'm offended that anyone would then simply give those rights away, for fear of reprisal.

It's dishonoring to anyone who has ever risked their life for you.


[Further info at IndyChristian.com]

Wednesday, May 12, 2004

We can do something about all this...

The barbaric decapitation of Nick Berg, the shameful abuse of Iraqi prisoners, the deterioration of marriage, the Florida Senate apology for a pastor praying in Jesus' name, the removal of Ten Commandments from a priority status... and so on. We, the Christian community, can do something about all this. Turn up the war heat? Civil uprising in the U.S.? At least go vote? No, none of that was what I really had in mind today.

The Bible simply says at one point... "If MY people, who are called by MY name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face, and turn from THEIR wicked ways... then will I hear from heaven and will forgive THEIR sin and will heal THEIR land."

And Jesus said "...and the gates of hell will not prevail against it... my church". As Dr. Roy Blackwood effectively put it... "Perhaps to the degree that we indeed are HIS church... and not Roy's church or Bob's church, etc... the gates will not prevail -- but as long as we're Roy's church and Bob's church... we are not making much of a dent in those gates."

We can do something about all this. And it starts right here... with each of us... humbling ourselves before God and each other... pulling some stones from the walls that divide us, in order to build the Church itself.

"God, how does that apply to me today?"