Lessons from a 4 Year Old

Our family wil be going to Florida next week to visit family and have an all around good time. At bed time, Zoey and I talk a lot about the fun we'll have once we get there. She informed me tonight of "Four Things We Must Never Forget" once we get there:

1. When we get hot, we jump into the swimming pool.
2. When we get cold in the ocean water, we get out, sit on the sand and build a sand castle.
3. If we see fire ants, we step on them and kill them.
4. If we see wasps, yellow jackets or bumble bees, we must go into the house.

There it is.

Top 100 Most Influential People

Why the heck is Sanjaya Malakar the third most influential person in the world this year? Did I miss something? Here's the list.

We Tend to Forget

I think those in church and para-chruch ministry forget about our colleagues ministering to soldiers. I have a special place in my heart for these brave heroes, whose ministry is every bit as important and strategic as a local pastor or missionary. The latest edition of Newsweek talks about these men and women of God. Don't forget to pray for them - their mission is undeniably difficult.

Church and Chicken

I'll read our school's newspaper, The Daily Athenaeum , every once in a while. I happened to pick it up last week and read an article by a student entitled, "No Need for the Separation of Church and Chicken". It was interesting, but not surprising, to hear her thoughts on Christianity.

She makes a connection between the great food that Chick-fil-a offers and the way in which they offer it. Here are some excerpts:

"Normally, when aspects of the Christian faith-or any religion-are thrust into my life without invitation, I get a little bit cranky. I'm old enough and smart enough now that if I wanted to be converted to your religion, I'd have figured it out by now."

"So Chick-fil-a is, all-around, the purveyor of good news that all Christians should be. If you want a tasty chicken sandwich, there's no need to worry about choking down a lesson on moral values with it. Chick-fil-a exhibts its Christian values with its excellent service, and that's that."

I hear her. She wants to see a demonstration of the transformed life. This is a huge part of impacting the un-churched. If we live like the world, how can we expect the world to believe in Jesus? Lifestyle evangelism is not enough. It earns us the right to be heard - meaning, we have to say something about how to cross the bridge to eternal life.

I think Christians justify being "nice." There are lots of nice atheists, and secular humanists. I'm not saying we need to be pushy, I'm saying we need to balance demonstration with words. I don't want to hear this when I stand before Jesus, "Rusty, people always talked about how nice you were to them, always serving them and helping, but they never heard you talk about me. They wish you would have told them why you act the way you do."

Total Forgivness

Does forgiving someone mean there shouldn't be any consequence for their "sin." Does total forgivness mean amnesty?

New Prayer Cards

My friend that did this has some skills! (save the missing "s" in fellowship)