1. See the players as image bearers.Read the whole post to see his commentary on these points.
2. Take opportunities to talk to your kids.
3. Think about Providence.
4. Watch games with your wife.
5. Watch games with friends.
"The biggest scam in American history."Obama voter, tell me what you think of this. Does Dave have it all wrong? What, in your mind, is a good explanation?
"This is not a stimulus bill. This is a spending bill."
"You have been lied to America."
"The money is being spent on his personal agenda."
"If you don't get on your Congressman to stand on his neck, you have no backbone America!"
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) to check out in iTunes.
| Price: | $3.96 |
) to check out in iTunes.
But if you haven't seen this Rudy Fernandez steal and pass, you simply have to watch it now. I insist. Really. Even if you're a Bobcat fan, or a Nugget fan, or whatever kind of fan. You'll enjoy this.In real time, it was so surprising that somehow I thought I had misunderstood. It was a pretty boring game, early in the second quarter. Nobody was on fire. And then ... Is what happened, my brain was asking, really what happened?
(RSS people, you'll probably have to click over to my site to view)
1. Touch her arm or knee when you talk with her. Your gentle touch communicates, “I’m here. You’re not alone. I enjoy you. I’ll take care of you.”
2. Make an effort to spend time alone together – go out for dinner, for a walk, or out for coffee. Show her (and others) that you enjoy the intimacy of being alone with her.
3. Grab her hand and hold it when you’re out in public.
4. Give her a kiss and a hug when you leave and return home.
5. Don’t see every complaint as an attack. Women think as long as they feel the marriage is working, they can talk about it. On the other hand, most men feel the relationship isn’t working if they have to talk about it. Allow her to express what’s on her mind.
6. Recognize her strong emotions as exclamation marks. When she is upset, angry, or frustrated, realize that these emotions are her way of letting you know how much the issue at hand matters to her.
If you are brand new to this site, I'd like to direct your attention to The Crash Course, which represents my very best attempt to explain exactly how we got into this economic crisis. It's completely free and is my offering to everybody and anybody who wishes to view it. (more below)
Simply, in order to know where we are headed, we have to know where we are. And in order to know where we are, we have to know where we came from.
While The Crash Course is divided into small video sections of 3-18 minutes each, the whole thing runs just over 3 hours. If you are unsure of making that time commitment, start on Chapter 15: Bubbles, where I explain how the housing crisis came to be and how long it will take to resolve.
After that, if you chose to view more, I strongly suggest you watch from beginning to end as I have taken great care to build the concepts on top of each other.
More than 110,000 visits have been made to The Crash Course in the past 30 days, so you will be in growing company.
Over the past 15 years, I’ve worked in too many churches and in too many college ministries all over America to know that an adolescent abstinence pledge, outside of a passionate pursuit of the Triune God, is about as trustworthy in the long-run as pledges to call home every Sunday, to drive under the speed limit, to never abuse alcohol, to never lie, and so on.
If five years after their pledges, those who pledge and those who do not are no different in their rates of premarital sex, sexually transmitted infections, or participating in certain sexual acts, then what’s the point of these programs? Why do churches use them? Outside of a commitment to Christ (John 14:15-31) these programs can be reduced to nothing more than rhetorical exercises.
Perhaps this why Jesus recommends that men and women seek first God’s Kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). What if teens were encouraged to devote their lives to the Kingdom in all areas of life, including their sexuality? Jesus-loving baptized teens, living out the implications of frequent partaking of the Lord’s Supper, carried by the Holy Spirit, is the 2,000-year-old practice that never needed an extra-biblical religious ceremony.
It may be the case that the best way to settle the confusion over the effectiveness of abstinence pledges is to admit that they are well-intentioned but do not produce the intended long-term results and should be terminated.
A yearlong study identifies the vehicle -- and it's a big one -- whose drivers get ticketed the most. The research suggests that what you drive may indicate how you drive.
Drivers of Hummer SUVs were 4.63 times more likely to get a traffic ticket than the average driver, concludes a yearlong study by a company that helps insurers identify risks.
ISO Quality Planning, the San Francisco company that studied the records of 1.7 million drivers, compiled a list of ticket magnets that confirmed some long-held notions: Owners of the 507-horsepower Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG and similarly muscular CLK63 AMG received outsized numbers of tickets, as did the generally young owners of the relatively inexpensive Scion tC, xB and xA, and the Audi A4 sports sedan.
But also on that most-ticketed list were the Subaru Outback and the Toyota Camry Solara and Matrix, three cars not known for great speed or expressing the rebellious nature of their owners. Meanwhile, the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban, virtually identical mechanically to their General Motors sibling Hummer, appeared on the least-ticketed list.
Sharing the bottom of the list? Buicks, minivans and pickups.
"One of the great faults of the contemporary church is the tendency to soft-pedal sin and judgment. Like false prophets we 'heal the wound of God's people lightly' (Jer. 6:14, 8:11). This is how Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it: 'It is only when one submits to the law that one can speak of grace... I don't think it is Christian to want to get to the New Testament too soon and too directly.' We must never bypass the law and come straight to the gospel. To do so is to contradict the plan of God in biblical history.- John Stott, Galatians, p. 93
Is this not why the gospel is unappreciated today? Some ignore it, other ridicule it. So in our modern evangelism we cast out pearls (the costliest pearl being the gospel) before swine. People cannot see the beauty of the pearl, because they have no conception of the filth of the pigsty. No man has ever appreciated the gospel until the law has first revealed him to himself. It is only against the inky blackness of the night sky that the stars begin to appear, and it is only against the dark background of sin and judgment that the gospel shines forth.
Not until the law has bruised and smitten us will we admit our need of the gospel to bind up our wounds. Not until the law has arrested and imprisoned us will we pine for the Christ to set us free. Not until the law has condemned and killed us will we call upon Christ for justification and life. Not until the law has driven us to despair of ourselves will we ever believe in Jesus. Not until the law has humbled us even to hell will we turn to the gospel to raise us to heaven."
"There is a great need in the church today for a biblical , Christin philosophy of history. Most of us are short-sighted and narrow-minded. We are so preoccupied with current affairs in the twentieth century, that neither the past nor the future has any great interest for us. We cannot see the wood from the trees. We need to step back and try and take in the whole counsel of God, His everlasting purpose to redeem a people for Himself through Jesus Christ. Our philosophy of history must make room not only for the centuries after Christ but for Adam, through whom sin and judgment entered the world, and for Christ, through whom salvation has come. If we include the beginning of history, we must include its consummation also, when Christ returns in power and great glory, to take His power and reign. The God revealed in the Bible is working to a plan. He 'accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will' (Eph. 1:11)"
We are pleased to announce that the next Together for Adoption (T4A) conference will be held at Christ Community Church (Franklin, TN) on October 2-3, 2009. The uniqueness of T4A’s conferences is that they focus primarily on vertical adoption (i.e., God adopting us in Christ), with a secondary and necessary focus on its profound implications for orphan care and horizontal adoption (i.e., couples adopting children). With over 132 million orphaned and vulnerable children in the world, what our world needs is Christians who have been been freshly gripped by the stunning vertical reality of their adoption by God. If anything can mobilize the church to address our world’s orphan crises, it will be the good news of vertical adoption. Join us as we seek to connect the dots between our adoption by God and the adoption of children. Registration will open within the next few weeks.
General Session Speakers and Topics:
Michael Easley, Topic: Orphan Care and Jesus, the Great Servant of the Poor
Michael Easley recently joined the pastoral staff of Fellowship Bible Church (Nashville, TN) as a teaching pastor (read his church bio). Dr. Easley came to Fellowship Bible Church from Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois, where he served as president (and currently president emeritus) since March of 2005. Michael and his wife, Cindy, have four children, three of whom were adopted.
Russell Moore, Topic: Adoption and the Renewal of Creation
Russell D. Moore has served as the Senior Vice President for Academic Administration and Dean of the School of Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary since January of 2004. Dr. Moore is also a preaching pastor at Highview Baptist Church in Louisville, where he ministers weekly. He is a senior editor of Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity. Dr. Moore has also written the forthcoming book, Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families and Churches. Russell and his wife, Maria, have four children, two of whom were adopted.
Scott Roley, Topic: Adoption and the Pursuit of Racial Reconciliation
Scott Roley is Senior Pastor of Christ Community Church (Franklin, TN). Based on his experiences in local mercy ministry, Roley authored God’s Neighborhood: A Hopeful Journey in Racial Reconciliation & Community Renewal which traces his personal call to racial reconciliation and community renewal and shares the powerful narrative journey of a white pastor’s identification within an African-American community. He followed that book with its sequel, Hard Bargain, to be published in 2009. Scott and his wife, Linda, are parents of a multi-ethnic family and live in Franklin, Tennessee with their five children, three of whom were adopted.
Scotty Smith, Topic: The Freedom of Adoption
Scotty Smith is Pastor of Worship, Preaching and Teaching at Christ Community Church (Franklin, TN). Scotty is Founding Pastor of Christ Community church, a member of The Gospel Coalition, and author of five books: Unveiled Hope, with Michael Card; Speechless, with Steven Curtis Chapman; Objects of His Affection; and his latest two, The Reign of Grace and Restoring Broken Things, with Steven Curtis Chapman. Scotty and Darlene, his wife of thirty-five years, have two adult married children.
Ed Stetzer, Topic: The Gospel, Social Justice and the Missional Church
Ed Stetzer is President of LifeWay Research and LifeWay’s Missiologist in Residence. He is also Visiting Professor of Research and Missiology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Visiting Research Professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Ed has written numerous books, two of which are Compelled by Love: The Most Excellent Way to Missional Living (with Philip Nation) and Breaking the Missional Code (with David Putman). Ed and his wife, Donna, have three daughters.
Worship will be lead by Kevin Twit of Indelible Grace. Zach Nielsen, blogger at Take Your Vitamin Z, will be live-blogging the Friday night / Saturday conference.
The list of our excellent breakout sessions (four breakout session slots) and other conference details are forthcoming. Childcare will be provided.
TOKYO, Japan (CNN) - Even before one reaches the front door of Canon's headquarters in Tokyo, one can sense the virtual stampede of employees pouring out of the building exactly at 5:30 p.m.Read the rest.Japan is in the midst of an unprecedented recession, so corporations are being asked to work toward fixing another major problem: the country's low birthrate.In a country where 12-hour workdays are common, the electronics giant has taken to letting its employees leave early twice a week for a rather unusual reason: to encourage them to have more babies.
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The hospitality we offer to friends is not about making an impression, but about making them feel loved. So often when I prepare for people to be in my home, I spend all of my time cleaning the house, preparing a perfect meal and making everything and everyone appear just right. But do I take a moment to pray for our guests? Do I ask God to reveal to me any needs they might have so that our family might have the opportunity to minister to them? Not usually.
Today the kids and I were ministered to in the home of a friend from church. It was clear that she wasn’t trying to impress us, but she and her kids simply invited us to share their day with them. It was peaceful, loving and enjoyable.
(HT: JT)"Two comments on the abortion debate and Barack Obama’s executive order ending the ban on federal funds for groups performing abortions abroad are worth pausing over. The first comes from Jim Wallis of the liberal evangelical group Sojourners. According to the Washington Post Wallis
praised Obama for not signing the order on the day of the [pro-life] march and instead marking the day by issuing his first presidential statement about abortion, which called on all sides to find common ground, such as working to reduce abortions. “President Obama showed respect for both sides in the historically polarized abortion debate, and called for both a new conversation and a new common ground. I hope that this important gesture signals the beginning of a new approach and a new path toward finding some real solutions to decrease the number of abortions in this country and around the world,” Wallis said.
This line was echoed by E.J. Dionne, Jr. in the Washington Post this morning. According to Dionne,
The consensual tone on this divisive issue reflects intense behind-the-scenes lobbying by Obama’s religious supporters, who asked him to put off for at least a day his executive order ending the ban on federal funds for groups involved in abortions overseas. The symbolism of the delay suggested that Obama intends to continue to poach constituencies that were once reliably Republican.
So let’s get this straight: those championing abortion rights get an executive order allowing hundreds of millions of dollars to perform abortions overseas; those championing a culture of life get the announcement delayed by 24 hours. For liberals like Wallis and Dionne, this kind of empty symbolism, combined with Obama invoking words like “a new conversation” and “common ground” (which for Wallis and Dionne are like petting the belly of a cat) constitutes bipartisanship and real outreach.
This is silliness of a high order. What matters is reality, not PR gimmicks. These are serious times requiring seriousness of mind and thought and analysis. One would hope that Wallis and Dionne and their fellow “progressives” would cast aside the spin and propaganda, to say nothing of evincing baldfaced intoxication when it comes to Obama. These are, after all, childish things."
"In the end, I don't blame Obama. He has always been an abortion absolutist, he has only supported legislation that expanded abortion so I had to laugh when he claimed (like all pro Choicers) that we can all agree that abortions should be reduced... apparently by massive expansion around the world. I can't wait to see what he means by "tax cut"."- Doug Tennapel, Filmmaker
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is defending the fact that hundreds of millions of dollars of the forthcoming stimulus package are to be spent on “family planning.” Her argument is very simple. The economy is bad. Having babies costs money. Would-be parents need to save their money by not having babies.
Without a doubt, Pelosi’s remarks reflect the spirit of the age. In general, our culture has come to view children as a burden rather than as a blessing. Even among those who are married, children are increasingly viewed as add-ons—an option that may or may not be pursued by the couple.
This view of children is anything but biblical, and it is positively sub-Christian. From the very beginning of creation, having children has been associated with blessing from the Lord. God commanded Adam and Eve to “be fruitful and multiply”—which was apparently the necessary condition of their ruling over the earth (Gen 1:28). Psalm 127:3 states very clearly that “children are a gift of the LORD; The fruit of the womb is a reward.” When his disciples attempted to dismiss curious children as a nuisance, Jesus said, “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (Mark 10:14).
For a more helpful perspective on welcoming children into our families, take a listen to Russell Moore’s conversation on “The Albert Mohler Program” last week. You can download it here or hit the play button below.
1. Existing fetal homicide laws make a man guilty of manslaughter if he kills the baby in a mother's womb (except in the case of abortion).
2. Fetal surgery is performed on babies in the womb to save them while another child the same age is being legally destroyed.
3. Babies can sometimes survive on their own at 23 or 24 weeks, but abortion is legal beyond this limit.
4. Living on its own is not the criterion of human personhood, as we know from the use of respirators and dialysis.
5. Size is irrelevant to human personhood, as we know from the difference between a one-week-old and a six-year-old.
6. Developed reasoning powers are not the criterion of personhood, as we know from the capacities of three-month-old babies.
7. Infants in the womb are human beings scientifically by virtue of their genetic make up.
8. Ultrasound has given a stunning window on the womb that shows the unborn at eight weeks sucking his thumb, recoiling from pricking, responding to sound. All the organs are present, the brain is functioning, the heart is pumping, the liver is making blood cells, the kidneys are cleaning fluids, and there is a fingerprint. Virtually all abortions happen later than this date.
9. Justice dictates that when two legitimate rights conflict, the limitation of rights that does the least harm is the most just. Bearing a child for adoption does less harm than killing him.
10. Justice dictates that when either of two people must be inconvenienced or hurt to alleviate their united predicament, the one who bore the greater responsibility for the predicament should bear more of the inconvenience or hurt to alleviate it.
11. Justice dictates that a person may not coerce harm on another person by threatening voluntary harm on themselves.
12. The outcast and the disadvantaged and exploited are to be cared for in a special way, especially those with no voice of their own.
13. What is happening in the womb is the unique person-nurturing work of God, who alone has the right to give and take life.
14. There are countless clinics that offer life and hope to both mother and child (and father and parents), with care of every kind lovingly provided by people who will meet every need they can.
15.Jesus Christ can forgive all sins, and will give all who trusts him the help they need to do everything that life requires.
I wonder if the many pro-life Christians who supported Obama had any idea how aggressive he would be at fulfilling his campaign promises to expand abortion in US and abroad so soon?
In his comment section, this was the first comment which I also found intriguing:
I wonder how Brian McLaren (A Generous Orthodoxy, A New Kind of Christian) and Donald Miller (Blue Like Jazz) feel since they specifically made a case that Obama is the best option for the pro-life cause. Here are two representative quotes.
You have to give Obama credit; he is a man of his word.McLaren: "But in regards to abortion along with many other issues, we are convinced - firmly, thoughtfully, and enthusiastically convinced - that casting our vote for Obama is a step in the right direction, fully consistent with our desire to celebrate the sacredness of life and improve the moral health of our nation and world."
Miller: Obama "will accomplish more than John McCain" on the abortion issue and has proposed the only "realistic strategy that can move us around the cultural impasse that is breathing hate and anger into the Christian community."
I wonder how increasing funding for abortion services is a step in the right direction or is part of a realistic strategy to decrease the number of abortions.
Read the rest.I make this strong statement because the evidence stands overwhelmingly in opposition to anyone who would make the above claim. It is unfair to the integrity of public discourse that one should continue to make this claim in public debates. The evidence I speak of has been centralized in one place by a number of prominent, pro-life intellectuals. Robert George, Hadley Arkes, and Francis Beckwith have begun a new website, MoralAccountability.com, in order to shine the light on the new President's record on abortion.
We are in a time of economic crisis. According to the press and popular belief, many people are losing jobs, losing homes, and losing retirement investments. Nonetheless, tax day is quickly approaching and each of us will have to open our wallets to pay the government its due. And what will President Obama do with that money? He will fund overseas abortions.
Here was President Obama's statement on abortion yesterday, released late in the day:On the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we are reminded that this decision not only protects women's health and reproductive freedom, but stands for a broader principle: that government should not intrude on our most private family matters. I remain committed to protecting a woman's right to choose.By "daughters" and "sons" he means "daughters and sons" outside the womb.While this is a sensitive and often divisive issue, no matter what our views, we are united in our determination to prevent unintended pregnancies, reduce the need for abortion, and support women and families in the choices they make. To accomplish these goals, we must work to find common ground to expand access to affordable contraception, accurate health information, and preventative services.
On this anniversary, we must also recommit ourselves more broadly to ensuring that our daughters have the same rights and opportunities as our sons: the chance to attain a world-class education; to have fulfilling careers in any industry; to be treated fairly and paid equally for their work; and to have no limits on their dreams. That is what I want for women everywhere.
It was interesting that at the Saddleback Presidential Forum, Rick Warren asked a very good and specific question: "At what point does a baby get human rights, in your view?" He did not ask a theological question (e.g., when does the baby begin to have a soul?) or a scientific question (when does human life begin?), but a purely legal question (when do babies begin to have rights?).
Obama either misunderstood or misrepresented:Well, you know, I think that whether you’re looking at it from a theological perspective or a scientific perspective, answering that question with specificity, you know, is above my pay grade.The question, though, was not above his pay grade, for Obama has answered it decisively and clearly by his unmitigated support for Roe v. Wade: a baby gets human rights when the mother wants it to have human rights. The will of the stronger is the rule of law.
Politico reports this morning that today President Obama will reverse the Mexico City Policy, which prevents federally funded non-governmental organizations from performing or promoting abortion services in other countries.
President Barack Obama plans to sign an executive order ending the ban on federal funds for international groups that promote or perform abortions, officials told The Associated Press on Friday.
Luke 18:1-8 - And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
On January 12, 2009 Samantha Heiges, age 23, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for drowning her newborn in Burnsville, Minnesota. If she had arranged for a doctor to kill the child a few weeks earlier she would be a free woman.
What are the differences between this child before and after birth that would justify its protection just after birth but not just before? There are none. This is why Abraham Lincoln's reasoning about slavery is relevant in ways he could not foresee. He wrote:You say A. is white, and B. is black. It is color, then; the lighter, having the right to enslave the darker? Take care. By this rule, you are to be slave to the first man you meet, with a fairer skin than your own.There are no morally relevant differences between white and black or between child-in-the-womb and child-outside-the-womb that would give a right to either to enslave or kill the other.
You do not mean color exactly? You mean the whites are intellectually the superiors of the blacks, and, therefore have the right to enslave them? Take care again. By this rule, you are to be slave to the first man you meet, with an intellect superior to your own.
But, say you, it is a question of interest; and, if you can make it your interest; you have the right to enslave another. Very well. And if he can make it his interest, he has the right to enslave you. ("Fragments: On Slavery")
A must-read article from Dr. Robert George on the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade. I appreciated this paragraph:"In addition to prayer and our political efforts, there is the obligation to reach out to pregnant women who are in need or who are subject for other reasons to pro-abortion pressures. The partisans of abortion, with the help of an overwhelmingly sympathetic and deeply biased news media, have portrayed people who oppose the killing of the unborn, whether by abortion or in embryo-destructive research, as heartless moralizers bent on oppressing women and impeding the progress of science. Nothing could be further from the truth. For decades, pro-life people—mostly women—have devoted themselves, often at great personal cost and in the face of many obstacles, to assisting their pregnant sisters in need. They have recognized that a truly just and humane understanding is one that recognizes the common dignity and mutual interests of mother and child. Ordinary pro-life individuals and families have worked and sacrificed to provide for the material, emotional, and spiritual needs of pregnant women in need—many of whom, it must be noted, are driven to contemplate abortion under pressure from boyfriends, husbands, family, and friends. Even women who have succumbed to the temptation to destroy their unborn children are not condemned or abandoned by the pro-life movement. Rather, they are offered forgiveness, reconciliation, and healing—no strings attached. At the same time, it is pro-life Americans who are leading the charge for ethical and therapeutically useful forms of stem cell research—research that does not compromise biomedical science by killing in the cause of healing."
In case you've ever wondered what the magic formula is for a hit song, you need wonder no more. Australian musical comedy trio, Axis of Awesome, demonstrate how with one simple four chord progression, 36 hit songs (at least) have been penned.
You want to be next? Grab a guitar and do as I say: 6, 4, 1, 5, repeat = jackpot.
(I guess there is a quick f-bomb in one of these, just so you know)
Unfortunately, this is for real... That one junior high girl continues to weep tears of joy. | Price: | $3.96 |
What we all need is someone who will be an advocate for us; to be a mediator for us. They (Job's friends) do not offer to do that. For all the talking, there is lots of it, on and on and on, that is part of the point, it just goes on and on, is there no end to this? For all the words of his well meaning friends, never once, not one word is spoken directly to God on Job’s behalf. Never once do they pray for him. They are only talking to Job and trying to explain his situation. They never advocate for Job.
One great lesson here is that we need take away is that part of the reason they are seen as miserable comforters is that they never interceded for Job. They are with Job, so give them credit for that. They didn’t ignore him, but they needed to go to God with Job and that they never do.
Beware of theological machines. Eliphaz (the first friend to speak to Job, he thinks Job is suffering due to his personal wrongdoing) is naive in his orthodoxy. It’s not that he doesn’t understand something about God in that he rewards obedience but he assumes too much knowledge about why it’s happening. We (the readers) have seen behind the curtain and we know that Job's suffering is happening EXACTLY because he is blameless. This is the irony. Eliphaz has over-reached in his explanation of what is happening in Job’s life.
If you are not a Christian, and you are wondering what the heck is going on within Christianity these days, I’d recommend these two prayers for your study.
Both have many good statements and thoughts, but a prayer is a very important, unique kind of speech in our faith. You can learn a lot listening to the prayer, to the statements about the difference God makes, the ideas about God that are at work and the emotions expressed toward God and about God.
Evangelicalism, for all its problems, and all its Warren-influenced struggles with relevance, still has something powerful to say to the world about God, and about the one through whom we know who is the God we are talking about.
You can’t talk reasonably and genuinely about a God of many understandings. Not with actual believers in Jesus, Yahweh, Allah and Buddah around. You might as well pray to the cat. (It probably would be better to pray to the cat.) But you can talk about the God who created, the God who reigns and the God we know as we know and believe Jesus.
In my class today on Job, Dr. Perry highlighted this quote from Stephen J. Nichols book, Getting the Blues: What Blues Music Teaches Us about Suffering and Salvation.
9Marks just completed an interview series with Steve Timmis, coauthor of Total Church: A Radical Reshaping around Gospel and Community.
Here are the links:
Let us pray:
Almighty God, our Father, everything we see, and everything we cant see, exists because of You alone. It all comes from You, it all belongs to You, it all exists for Your glory. History is your story.
Scripture tells us:
“Hear oh Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One; and You are the compassionate and merciful One.”
And you are loving to everyone you have made. Now today, we rejoice not only in Americas peaceful transfer of power for the 44th time. We celebrate a hinge-point of history with the inauguration of our first African American President of the United States (Cheers). We are so grateful to live in this land. A land of unequal possibility. Where the son of an African immigrant can rise to the highest level of our leadership. And we know today that Dr. King and a great cloud of witnesses are shouting in heaven.
Give to our new President, Barack Obama, the wisdom to lead us with humility, the courage to lead us with integrity, the compassion to lead us with generosity. Bless and protect him; his family, Vice President Biden, the cabinet; and every one of our freely elected leaders. Help us, oh God, to remember that we are Americans; united not by race or religion or blood; but to our commitment to freedom and justice for all.
When we focus on ourselves, when we fight each other, when we forget you, forgive us;
When we presume that our greatness and our prosperity is ours alone, forgive us.
When we fail to treat our fellow human beings and all the earth with the respect that they deserve, forgive us.
And as we face these difficult days ahead, may we have a new birth of clarity in our aims, responsibility in our actions, humility in our approaches, and civility in our attitudes, even when we differ. Help us to share, to serve, and to seek the common good of all. May all people of good will today join together to work for a more just a more healthy and a more prosperous nation and a peaceful planet. And may we never forget that one day, all nations and all people will stand accountable before you.
We now commit our new President, and his wife Michelle, and his daughters, Malia, Natasha, into your loving care. I humbly ask this in the name of the One who changed my life, Jeshua, Isa, Jesus, who taught us to pray,
“Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, Amen.”
