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Prison Overcrowding: A Global Issue

April 30, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Prison overcrowding is a global issue.  No one seems to have the answer as to what to do while the criminal element continues to rise; yet the economy prevents most governments from expanding or redeveloping the current holding facilities.  The overcrowding is so harsh in South Africa that government officials have announced that they will be releasing approximately 14,600 prison inmates.

Although the news article indicates that the hard criminals will not be a part of this release effort, I believe there is a safety and wellbeing concern among the surrounding communities.  Think there is a need for missionaries in South Africa?  I do and so do some of my friends. In fact, there will be a small contingency of women heading across the ocean to South Africa and Zimbabwe this summer on a short-term mission project.  They will be bringing the hope and love of Jesus Christ to women in need in areas both populated and under-developed.

In the Bible, the book of Mark, Chapter 16, Verse 15 describes Jesus giving this commandment to His disciples, “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.’”  If you would, please join me in praying for these dedicated followers of Jesus Christ as they venture into the world in an attempt to be obedient to the commandment of their Lord and Savior.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/04/28/safrica-to-release-35000-from-crowded-prisons/

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Bartender I’ll Have Another: Sermon, that is…

April 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I have heard of church services being held in the great outdoors and school cafeterias.   I have even seen a church service in a retrofitted drive-up movie theater but I have never heard of a church service in a drinking establishment on a Sunday morning…until now. 

A bar in Tennessee known as the “Drunk Monkey” will, for the first time, be having a livestream of a local church service sent directly to the bar this Sunday morning.  The owner believes some of his patrons would benefit greatly from this experience.  He knows his customers have not been in a church or read a Bible in a long time, if ever.  So, he figured if they won’t go to church, he could bring church to them.

In the Bible, the book of Mark, Chapter 2, verse 17 reads, “And hearing this, Jesus said to them, ‘It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’”

I have heard some compelling arguments that land on both sides of the camp with this debate.  What do you think?   Is there value in bringing a church sermon into a drinking establishment on Sunday mornings?

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/04/25/tennessee-bar-to-live-stream-sunday-church-sermon/

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Medical Aid Microchip

April 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment

A medical aid microchip being placed under the skin is a great concept.  If you read the article below, you will understand why I started this blog with this statement.  For the record, I do not believe that the current idea of a microchip being placed under the skin is the prophetic “Mark of the Beast” discussed in the biblical book of Revelation.  Do I believe the “Mark” will eventually come to fruition?  Absolutely.  There have been over 300 biblical prophesies that have come true exactly the way they were predicted.  Based on that fact, I have no reason not to believe the “Mark of the Beast” will eventually occur, but this medical treatment is not it. 

 In my fictional book entitled Donovan’s Law, I introduced the concept of the microchip being placed under our skin for the “safety” of our children and a reduction in identity theft.  On March 30th of this year I wrote a blog entitled Microchip Implants.  The blog was a true story about a school that was implementing a microchip device into children’s clothes in order to keep better track of their location.  The website below is another article about the potential value of having a microchip placed under your skin for “health” reasons.  Who could argue that health and safety are most likely the two top priorities in everyone’s life?  So it only makes sense the “powers-that-be” would approach this space-age technology from the perspective of common core values.

Think about it, if someone were to come along and introduce a way to secure your child’s safety, improve your health, and protect your finances simply by placing a minuscule chip under your skin, would you be willing?  Would you still be willing if it meant peace while you were here on earth but a separation from God for all eternity?  In the sequel to Donovan’s Law which I recently finished writing, the storyline has a similar event taking place.  The characters in the story have a choice to make.  What would you do?  

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/02/17/remote-controlled-chip-implant-delivers-bone-drug/

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Charles Colson R.I.P.

April 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Charles Colson, the founder of Prison Ministries, died over the weekend at 80 years of age.  In my opinion, this man was the current version of Saul of Tarsus.  If you remember Saul, he was on the road to Damascus to arrest a bunch of Christians when he had an experience that would change the course of his life.  It was on that road where Saul met Jesus.  That encounter caused Saul to change his ways.  In fact, Saul became Paul and ended up writing approximately 2/3 of the New Testament.  Well, Charles Colson is the modern day version of Paul.

Charles Colson was President Richard Nixon’s tough as nails “hatchet man”. I am certain that was no small feat considering the turmoil Nixon’s presidency created for our country in the early 1970’s, culminating with the Watergate scandal. Mr. Colson was sent away to prison for his part in Watergate.   While in prison, he met Jesus.  Just like Paul, Chuck Colson converted to Christianity forever after. 

When people say, “You can’t change the spots on a leopard” as a way of expressing that they do not believe people can change, I always use Paul and Chuck Colson as examples of cases where the spots on a leopard can be changed.  It’s true, we have a hard time changing our core nature on our own accord, but if Jesus wants to change the spots on a leopard…He can.  After all, He made the leopard.  The same goes for the human heart.  If a person asks Jesus to change his/her heart…He can and He will.

“Thank You Mr. Charles Colson” for giving us all hope that the spots on a leopard not only will change, but can be transformed so dramatically that in the end…we are found spotless in the eyes of our Lord and Savior.

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The Good Book

April 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The Bible, otherwise known as “The Good Book”, continues to be the #1 selling book of all time, with 6 billion (that’s right…billion with a “b”) copies sold.  With 82% of Americans “revering the Bible as sacred literature” and 69% believing “the Bible has everything a person needs to know to live a meaningful life”, it’s easy to understand how it continues to hold the number one position.  That’s the good news.

The disturbing news is that 46% of the American population could not differentiate between the spiritual truth teachings of the Bible from other religious books.  Lamar Vest, the President/CEO of the American Bible Society believes the problem is not owning a Bible, the problem is reading it.  He believes there are “probably five Bibles on every shelf in American homes…they just don’t read them.”

Lets see if together we can help improve that statistic.  If you are having trouble figuring out how to read the Bible on a daily basis, try following a scheduled reading plan.  There are plenty of “Through The Bible In A Year” types of formats to follow.  Below, I have included a couple websites you can visit and see which program will work best to meet your personal needs.  If you find these suggestions are too time consuming, then make a plan to read one verse a day.   I would suggest starting with the Book of John in the New Testament.  Enjoy!

http://www.bible.com/readinayear.php

http://oneyearbibleonline.com/january.asp?version=51&startmmdd=0101

 

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A Passion For The Christ

April 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment

CBS Television/Person Of Interest

Jim Caviezel, the actor who played Jesus Christ in the movie Passion of the Christ has been a busy man lately.  In addition to starring in a CBS drama series made for television called Person of Interest, he is also on the speaking circuit, promoting his new CD.  Here are a few quotes from the man who appears not just to “talk the talk”, but walk it as well.

“’Mel Gibson, he’s a horrible sinner, isn’t he?’ Jim Caviezel asked members of the First Baptist Church of Orlando, FL during an appearance Saturday night. ‘Mel Gibson doesn’t need your judgment, he needs your prayers.’”

When the actor was approached by Mel Gibson and told if he agreed to play the role of Jesus he would never work in Hollywood again, Mr. Caviezel responded, “We all have to embrace our crosses.”

Lastly, despite the title of the web address below, Caviezel stated in a recent interview that he has no regrets for playing the role of Jesus.  Work has been hard to come by since the talented actor took on that dynamic role, but Caviezel went on to say, “We have to give up our names, our reputations, our lives to speak the truth.”  He then stated that he believes he will get his reward in heaven.

Jim Caviezel’s new CD is the entire Bible brought to life by the voices of famous actors. The first release was the New Testament and I used my idle time driving to and from work to listen to this CD.  It was very well done.   If the latest version is anything like the first, I don’t think you will be disappointed.

http://entertainment.blogs.foxnews.com/2011/05/03/passion-of-the-christ-star-jim-caviezel-says-playing-jesus-sunk-his-career/?intcmp=obnetwork#ixzz1sGv1OD00

 

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The Wrath of God or A Natural Disaster

April 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Desktop wp

In case you have not heard, the Midwest  portion of the United States was devastated  over this past weekend by floods from torrential rainfall, hail the size of golf balls, and 116 tornadoes across 8 states. What bothers me the most after a natural disaster is how someone is always willing to give an interview and talk about these life-threatening events, as though they are a result of God’s wrath on a nation or region for our sinful ways.

It’s true, in the Old Testament, that God did show His wrath in regions that were completely taken over by the ways of the world.  However, in none of those instances did God just arbitrarily smite the people.  He always took the time to search the hearts of His people in order to find those that still had hope in Him.  As an example, In the case of the Great Flood, not only did God search the hearts of the citizens, but He gave the people 100 years to see the error of their ways before He flooded the entire globe and started over with Noah and his family. 

The God I serve is a long suffering God who loves His people so much that He sent His only Son to die on our behalf.   With that in mind, it would make no sense that God’s anger spilled out into the Midwest this past weekend.  Therefore, the disasters that occurred were not related to God’s wrath in any way, shape, or form.  I believe historical data would indicate that these weather calamities have been taking place in these locations long before the people arrived.  However, now that we are settled in the Midwest, when one of these tragedies happens it does change the term from being a natural occurrence to a natural disaster…and rightfully so.  Several deaths have been reported because of these catastrophes.

Don’t blame these disasters on God or on those that live in an area after a disaster, pray for their recovery instead.  Specifically for today, pray for the people of the Midwest and keep your eyes open for ways you can financially help as the need arises.  It’s the most and the least that we can do…

 

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Vanderbilt University

April 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment

In a move to be more inclusive to all students, it appears  that Vanderbilt University has forgotten its roots.  The infamous college located in Nashville, Tennessee has university officials mandating that all campus groups must follow the new nondiscrimination policy.  I know at first glance it sounds like the right thing to do, but here is the rub.

For example, the new order requires that the Catholic group allow its leadership to include members that are not Catholic…(insert the sound of the LP record getting scratched…next comes the cricket sounds…finished up with the infamous saying, “Wait what?”).

The 500 -person Catholic group, which was already open to all students, disagreed with the leadership aspect of the policy and declined to adhere.  In doing so, the university gave the group no choice but to leave the school for good.  The school’s reaction to the acknowledgement of the group’s mass exodus was to let them know in the meantime, they can no longer use the name Vanderbilt University as part of their group’s title.

I think Chancellor Nicholas Zeppos might want to go back and read how their school came into existence.  Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt made a $1 million endowment at the request of his friend, the Methodist Bishop Holland N. McTyeire.  Upon that request, the moral foundation for Vanderbilt University was laid.

It will be interesting to watch and see if the university will continue to rank in the top 20 of all universities, according to U.S. News and World Report, now that they are chipping away at their foundation. 

http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/vanderbilt-tells-catholic-students-to-change-name.html

 

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The Big Bang Theory

April 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Bruno De Lorenzo

Scientists are in the planning stages to build a telescope so big that it would span a continent.  It would have the capabilities to collect 1 billion gigabytes of data.   Here is what Ronald Luijten of IBM research in Zurich had to say, “If everything comes together, the project has incredible potential, helping scientists gain a fundamental understanding of what happened at the Big Bang…It will have a fundamental impact on what we understand about how the universe was formed”.

This may surprise some of you, but I believe in the basic principle of the “Big Bang Theory”.  I believe God formed the universe and while that was occurring, I’m guessing there was probably quite a Big Bang…wouldn’t you agree? Just reading how the earth and all that is in it was formed in the book of Genesis makes a person believe there were probably a few “pops and whistles” during that event as well.

If you are interested in finding out more about the formation of the universe and our planet, check out the first book in the Bible, specifically Chapter 1-Verses 1-31.  Here is the teaser line, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…”

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The Shroud of Turin

April 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I am certain it is no small coincidence that The Shroud of Turin has resurfaced as a news item.  It seems that experts have determined that a sure-fire way to increase your reader following is to write on the topic of Jesus, even for the secular magazines and newspapers.  I’m convinced that it is even truer when one does so around Easter or Christmas.  I’m good with this concept because for the most part, it means the seed of salvation gets planted in hearts that may not have ever considered whether Jesus Christ is truly the Son of God.

For example, recently I read a report that claimed Time Magazine’s readership was faltering.  The magazine cover this past week has a picture of a man sitting in the clouds and titled it “Rethinking Heaven”.  Following along those same lines is my guess as to why all of a sudden the news is rerunning The Shroud of Turin story.

The question as to whether or not The Shroud of Turin is actually an impression of Jesus should not be a concern for Christians.  The change that took place in our heart after we accepted the fact that Jesus died in our place should be enough evidence for us that He is alive. 

However, there may be some of you out there that are still on the journey of discovery.  If you or someone you know is on that road, have them read my blog from last Friday April 6, 2012 entitled 3 Days That Changed The World:  Day 3.  It may not have all the answers, but I wrote it with hopes that a person looking for evidence will at least stop and contemplate…

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