Category Archives: Christianity

The Intersection of Gay Marriage and Tennis

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I had never heard of Margaret Court until I read this story out of Australia.  Apparently the Australian Open is played at the Margaret Court Arena.  She is a professional tennis champion, holding 62 Grand Slam titles.  Court is also a pastor with an uncompromising view on gay marriage.  Because of her celebrity status in the world of tennis, her views on marriage and family have attracted what she feels is unwarranted criticism.  There could be protests at the Australian Open next week, and some are calling for the arena to be renamed.

Read the full story here, via Utterance.  Thank you Peter Hallett for the coverage.

The real shame would be if Court is denied the recognition she deserves from the professional world of tennis because of her convictions in her role as church pastor.  Her views on marriage are based on scriptural precepts and have not changed.  Only recently, however, have they become a thing of public scrutiny.  The same protesters waving rainbow flags and claiming people should be accepted the way they are seem to be refusing to accept Margaret Court for the way she is.  If her name is removed from the arena because of her views on marriage, which differs from some people, that almost smacks of prejudice.

Can We Be Christlike?

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We are commanded to be like Christ.  We must imitate him and be conformed to his image; we must “put on” Christ.  These are New Testament directives.  But we will never really become exactly like him.  So what is the goal?

I use artificial sweetener in my tea.  It’s not the same as sugar, but I have tried and failed to drink unsweetened tea.  Diet pop, Mrs. Dash and Smart Balance butter-flavored whatever that is are all examples of products made to imitate the real thing.  While we endeavor to become like Christ, we will never do so perfectly.  But it’s a progression; we’re on  a journey.  The real goal is to keep getting closer.  Paul said has not achieved it yet but he continued to press on toward the mark and the prize. Continue reading →

John Wayne, Robert Schuller, and Why I Read Snopes.com

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If you think that title is a little far out, just be glad I didn’t settle on “Will I Meet John Wayne in Heaven?”

Snopes.com is an incredible resource for fact checking urban legends and internet scams.  Remember the whole Veggie Monster debacle?  There are still plenty of people that think Cookie Monster has been removed from Sesame Street and replaced with a health conscious, veggie munching counterpart designed to combat childhood obesity.  There was an email writing campaign to get him back on the show.  Thing is, he never went anywhere.  He admits that “Cookies are a sometimes food” but there is not now nor has there ever been a Veggie Monster.  Sesame Street has denied rumors and even issued press releases, but the rumor is larger than life.  People repeat it without any confirmation whatsoever, making it the perfect example of what happens when we copy and paste total fabrications.  If people would spend 60 seconds on Snopes, such stories would die a quick death. Continue reading →

Our Daily Bread

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Our Daily Bread is a daily devotional magazine and the signature product of RBC Ministries.  A few years ago I was a daily reader.  I will skip all the details, but it’s suffice to say that it’s been a while.  I’ve thought about subscribing again a couple of times.  Just a few minutes ago I searched Google for Our Daily Bread and was pleasantly surprised.

At odb.org you can read the text of each devotion, or click the player to hear the mp3.  Our Daily Bread is still available in print format, or you can subscribe to email or RSS feeds.  They are also on iTunes and I just liked their Facebook page.  As a fan of social media and a blogger, I don’t know why it never occurred to me that Our Daily Bread would have made the update to the Information Age.

This daily devotion can be read in under five minutes, but I found it a great way to put myself in the right frame of mind to face the day.  I’ve also packed it in my lunch and took just a few minutes in the middle of the day to recenter.  These are not the hard sayings of Jesus and there will not be any emotionally charged reviews of Mark Driscoll’s new book on sex.  It’s a few minutes in God’s word and a little bit of encouragement each day.  And I’m looking forward to it.

The Answer is Jesus

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“If God is the question, Jesus is the answer.”

That’s why I love Michael Spencer.  I still read Christian blogs, including Internet Monk.  I author a Christian blog, but haven’t found anything that gets my gears turning the way Spencer did.  Read this classic iMonk post to see what I’m talking about.

Michael Spencer was blogging before I knew what a blog was. He started internetmonk.com 12 years ago, really getting in on the ground floor of the Christian blogosphere. Chaplain Mike and others keep the dream alive at iMonk after Michael passed away in April of 2010.  I was a disciple of  Michael in real life for seven years, and he had a profound impact on the way I think about ministry.  The post linked above cuts right to the heart Christianity.

Coffee with Jesus: Give with your Mouth Shut

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Click the pic for full size.

Coffee with Jesus is a comic strip produced by Radio Free Babylon.  They’re for people with a sense of humor and this one helps teach an important lesson.

Can I Interest You in Hebrews?

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Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.  (Hebrews 1:1-4 ESV)

Jesus alluded to this truth in the parable of the tenants.  Colossians 1 describes the preeminence of Christ in all things, calling him the images of the invisible God.  Galatians 4 describes how God sent his son “when the fullness of time had come.”  Ephesians 2 elaborates on Christ making peace by the blood of his cross.  But this passage in Hebrews has a poetic quality to it.  This one paragraph encompasses all of these other references in one beautiful synopsis.  It’s about Old Testament prophecy and New Testament fulfillment.  It tells the reader who Jesus is and what he has done.  It describes the incarnation, ministry of Jesus and his current office as high priest.

I find this short passage simple, beautiful and powerful.  This is just the opening statement; have you read the rest of Hebrews lately?

Tebowing

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Okay, so here’s one more Tim Tebow blog post.  How can I talk about media saturation and then write another article?  Well, if it helps, it isn’t really Tim Tebow I’m ranting about/worshiping.

These kids are in trouble for Tebowing in their school hallways.  Some Christians are up at arms over rights of expression.  Some athletes are ranting about Tebow getting media coverage for either winning games and/or for being a Christian while their accomplishments and faith are overlooked.  My beef is this: kneeling on one knee and bowing the head is now called Tebowing.  Who gets the glory there? Continue reading →

Christmas Card Theology

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I wrote a post two years ago with the same title.  It’s very short, here’s a link.  In that post I begged the question what if everything we know about Christmas we learned from reading Christmas cards?  You know, details such as exactly 3 wise men were at the manager with the shepherds on the night Christ was born, and that angels are beautiful women with blonde hair, hymn books and choir robes.  I worked that into a sermon last year and it’s a shame I don’t have all those pics online somewhere.

Well, here’s a Christmas card that I like.

Continue reading →

There is Much to be Thankful For

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A psalm for giving thanks.

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!
Serve the LORD with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the LORD, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the LORD is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
-David, Psalm 100

Easter and Christmas are the most prolific Christian holidays celebrated in the United States, but in the strictest sense those are not commanded in scripture.  As far as we know, the followers of Jesus never did anything special for his birthday.  Recognizing that the Son of God came into the world as incarnate deity is paramount to the Christian faith, but what I’m saying is that no verse in scripture instructs us to celebrate Christmas.  Further, Christians worship on Sunday rather than the Sabbath, or seventh day, because the resurrection was on the first day of the week.  In a sense, every Sunday is Easter Sunday.

We are instructed to give thanks. Continue reading →