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This week's featured musical artist is Camila Aguilar. Her album "Compelled" is indeed compelling with a "fusion of pop/rock, funk, jazz, and Latin styles." You can hear more of her music here.
Miss California Said What? -- 00:00
Motte, Lisa, and I gather round the the mikes to talk about Carrie Prejean, Perez Hilton and a bill that you'll want to be aware of. Lisa even manages to bring it back to the bottom line: relationships.
A Visit with Kevin DeYoung Part 1 -- 26:28
Motte and Steve interview Kevin DeYoung about his new book Just Do Something. You may remember Kevin's last interview about his previous book Why We're Not Emergent. I had the chance to read a phenomenal excerpt from his book about God's will in work and wedlock. Two thumbs way up. Speaking of God's will, our article today has some similar themes as Kevin's interview. If you like the interview be sure to check out All God's Callings.
Maintaining Emotional Balance -- 47:01
Suzanne and Lisa give some balanced advice to Brenda who's worried she's going "too deep too fast" with her new beau. If you have the same tendency, listen up because Suzanne is on her A-game.
What am I called to do? Am I called to the mission field? (And what is "the mission field" anyway?) Am I called to marriage? Am I called to wear a blue shirt today rather than a white one?
Calling.
You know, maybe we overspiritualize that word. Maybe overemotionalize is a more accurate word. I will only go to a particular university if I feel that the Lord is calling me there. I will only pursue Rebecca if I feel that the Lord is calling me to do so. Though Scripture may affirm a particular decision, I will only go after it if I feel a burning in the bosom. And if I feel no particular calling, I'll just maintain the status quo.
Today's Boundless article, "All God's Callings," addresses this theme of calling, leaning heavily on the Latin word for "vocation": vocatio:
Following the Reformation, many Protestants advocated an idea of the Christian life called vocatio, the Latin word which is the source of "vocation." Vocatio is the belief that God calls every Christian to the occupation he is in, whether or not it's related to full-time ministry.
Martin Luther was perhaps the ablest exponent of this concept. To Luther, vocatio meant that each of us has a unique place in the structure of our family, society and occupation whereby we exercise our personal gifts and talents for the glory of God and the benefit of our fellow humanity.
Note that this isn't only about a paying career....
After exploring the theme for a while, the author offers two words of advice:
[First,] Christian parents and certainly Christian churches need to teach students that God calls people to be more than full-time pastors or missionaries to Zimbabwe. He also calls people to be missionaries to public schools, corporate America, social services and the children in their home....
Second, evangelical colleges and campus ministries need to emphasize the importance of the Christian worldview to collegians. Christianity is not something that is compartmentalized when one is singing a worship song, having a quiet time or sharing a Four Spiritual Laws tract with a friend. Christianity is an entire worldview which impacts -- and often transforms -- every aspect of one's life.
Which leaves me with two questions myself:
- How can I know what the Lord is calling me to in the realms of family, society and occupation?
- Can I possibly be satisfied, as a Christ-follower, in a seemingly secular vocation?
Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse is one of my favorite family scholars. A few years ago, she wrote an excellent article for Boundless about cohabitation called "Why not take her for a test drive?" Around that time, Candice and I met her when she spoke at a Chuck Colson conference held here in Colorado Springs.
Dr. Morse taught economics for 15 years at George Mason University and Yale University before moving to California where she has spent several years combining motherhood with writing and lecturing. She is the author of the books Love and Economics: Why the Laissez-Faire Family Doesn't Work and Smart Sex: Finding Life-long Love In A Hook-up World.
I caught up with Dr. Morse on the phone the other day and I was encouraged to hear about the work she's now doing on college campuses through an organization she created called The Ruth Institute. Following on the model of the Federalist Society, Dr. Morse is working to help students bring great marriage speakers to their campuses.
She has also planned an event August 6th through the 9th targeting student leaders who would like to be marriage champions on their campuses. The conference, taking place at the University of San Diego, is called "It Takes a Family to Raise a Village." The deadline to apply for this special event is next Monday May 4th.
Sure would be great to see some Boundless readers get a chance to participate.
I love to read your blog from my office in Nashville TN! Here is a view from my window!
Blessings,
Jennifer
In Monday's Q&A I quoted myself in an effort to quickly compare our human ideas about marriage to God's ideas. Today I received an email that reminded me that sometimes concision can lead to confusion. By pulling two paragraphs from my book in an effort to make a point, I lost the context those paragraphs normally occupy and caused some frustration. David said he's upset because I implied that marriage isn't romantic, that sex isn't a primary purpose of marriage, that marriage is more crucible than anything else, and that I believe (in his words) that "God only doles out spouses to the few who know the combination of the lock on His goodness." He ends his email saying, The article has a lot of "It's not what it's cracked up to be," with a weak "Look forward to it" at the end. If marriage is more disappointing than fulfilling, aren't I better off single?
David, I'm so sorry that what I wrote left you feeling that way. That was not my intention! On the contrary, I believe marriage is tremendously fulfilling, that married sex as God designed it is wonderfully enjoyable (and worth waiting for), and that when you marry well, you indeed get companionship, occasional romance, and a fairly good hedge against being lonely. But that's not primarily why God gave us marriage. His primary purpose was to bring glory to Himself. Marriage as designed (by Him) is a picture of Christ's relationship with His bride, the church. Though it fully involves a man and a woman, it's ultimately not about them.
Again, I think much of this confusion comes from the limitations of short pull quotes. That and the nature of answering one question, only to raise more. Monday's column was in answer to a question about how to channel your sex drive when you're single. If I had been answering David's question, which is a different question altogether, I would have used different pull quotes. I may just do that.
During my first semester in college, I was invited by some friends to go on a cross-Michigan road trip from the UP's Marquette to Detroit. On a whim, I went.
The night of our arrival we all went to see "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." I may have brought a newspaper and squirt gun. I forget. I still remember those around me, though: in crazy outfits, shouting lines at just the right time, running up to the screen and appearing to climb up someone's face.
A theater of the absurd, truly.
After the craziness, we cleaned up, headed to the car, and drove back ... somewhere. It's been a while. And I wasn't, um, walking with the Lord at the time, so my memory is a bit foggy.
And that's precisely where my story differs from Christine Rhyner's, which she recounts in today's featured Boundless article, "A Night on the Wild Side." Just when she didn't think the night could get any wilder, her friends inadvertently abandoned her at the theater, which became desolate minutes after the midnight matinee ended.
So there she was at 2 a.m.: alone, walking abandoned streets, lost, miserable ... and then a car pulls up. And the window rolls down. And then she remembers that she's dressed like a transvestite.
Yeah. That's her introduction to the wildest part of the evening.
According to this article from Stanford University's Hoover Institution, attitudes about pornography and tobacco have switched places in the last 50 years. Meaning, most people in our grandparent's generation thought that smoking was simply a personal preference and that pornography was morally wrong. Today, most people find smoking "disgusting" and think pornography is a matter of individual taste.
From Mary Eberstadt's "Is Pornography the New Tobacco?":
Today's prevailing social consensus about pornography is practically identical to the social consensus about tobacco in 1963: i.e., it is characterized by widespread tolerance, tinged with resignation about the notion that things could ever be otherwise. After all, many people reason, pornography's not going to go away any time soon. Serious people, including experts, either endorse its use or deny its harms or both. Also, it is widely seen as cool, especially among younger people, and this coveted social status further reduces the already low incentive for making a public issue of it. In addition, many people also say that consumers have a "right" to pornography -- possibly even a constitutional right. No wonder so many are laissez-fair about this substance. Given the social and political circumstances arrayed in its favor, what would be the point of objecting?
But for all the similarities between the two "substances," there's no getting around the differences in harm -- smoking causes cancer, porn doesn't. Not that porn is harmless. Aside from the debate about porn's correlation to sexual violence (and there is, btw), the havoc wreaked on the workplace and home should be enough to give anyone pause about their own "laissez-fair" attitude.
More from Eberstadt:
According to a 2007 survey by the American Management Association and the ePolicy Journal, 65 percent of corporations now use pornography-detecting software, up from 40 percent in 2001. According to the same study, fully 84 percent of the 30 percent of bosses who said they fired someone for internet misuse cited pornography as the reason why.
And,
According to a meeting of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, ... 62 percent of the 350 attendees said that [Internet pornography] had been a significant factor in cases handled that year ... Numerous pastors and priests and ministers and therapists have reported that pornography use is now the leading cause of marital trouble and breakup they encounter as counselors.
Not to mention it's effect on the delay of marriage.
And like second hand smoke, these factors are what Eberstadt believes may ultimately re-stigmatize porn consumption.
Just as secondhand smoke finally shattered the "so-what?" social consensus about tobacco, so might the potential harms to others -- marriages, jobs, and relationships disrupted; loved ones and children inadvertently exposed -- ultimately threaten to deep-six the current "so-what?" consensus about pornography.
Ultimately, what she's envisioning is a more chaste society in 50 years. And I pray that God brings about revival. But it seems that for now, we're headed in the exact opposite direction on matters of sex and cigarettes.
Want to choose a good marriage partner? Check out their childhood photos. According to LiveScience, psychologists have discovered that how much people smile in old photographs can predict their later success in marriage. Bottom line results: People who frown in photos are five times more likely to get a divorce than people who smile.
In one test, the researchers looked at people's college yearbook photos, and rated their smile intensity from 1 to 10. None of the people who fell within the top 10 percent of smile strength had divorced, while within the bottom 10 percent of smilers, almost one in four had had a marriage that ended, the researchers say. (Scoring was based on the stretch in two muscles: one that pulls up on the mouth, and one that creates wrinkles around the eyes.)
Researchers stress that they can't determine the correlation. One kind of obvious theory: smilers have a more positive disposition. Another thought is that those who smile when asked to have more obedient personalities that make marriage easier. Or maybe smilers attract more friends, which provides them with a better support system for marriage.
We know a joyful heart is good medicine, so perhaps the predictive smile is simply an outward manifestation of that kind of joy that infuses life into a marriage.
The findings are also notable because they found a connection between photos taken when people were young and marriage outcomes that sometimes occurred much later.
"It feeds into this idea that what's occurring earlier in our lives in terms of our present situation and our mental state can predict things that occur decades later. Showing the continuity in who we are is really important."
On the surface, this study is just good fun, but it points out how today's choices and behaviors lay a foundation for the future. Say cheese!
A while back Compassion asked Boundless if we'd like to send one or two staff members to India as part of a Compassion trip. Though we weren't able to be part of the trip, we're big fans of the bloggers who did go. Among them is Angie Smith (wife of Selah's Todd Smith and Boundless Show guest). Yesterday she talked about the dismal conditions: ... the truth is that about 24 hours into the trip, I decided this was one
of the worst choices I had ever made. I sat on a rickety bed in a room
with no windows or door keys and I cried my eyes out while [my roommate] Anne told me
I was going to be okay.
Somewhere between the 16
hour flight, no sleep, and facing the thought of what I was about to
experience, I really felt trapped.
But that's not all she talked about. It's almost easier to ignore the water than to dip your toe in it.
Because
as soon as you do, you become acutely aware of all the eyes that are
looking at you, needing help, and it feels impossible. I couldn't post
last night because I was so overwhelmed by it all. ... It has been really easy for me to stay out of the water in a lot of
ways, and my own cynicism has kept me safe there. But today, as we
stood in a house made of bamboo and clay bricks and watched a woman
tell us how Compassion had changed their lives, something in my soul
settled.
Today she posted her second entry from inside one of the poorest places on the planet. Before you read it, you might want to put on your goggles. She's heading for the deep end and from the sound of things, the water there is fine. It's not too late to sponsor a child in India. According to the Compassion India web page, 356 children in India are still awaiting help from Christians like you.
OK, just to prove that we don't think playing video games is a necessary symptom of immaturity, Focus on the Family is sponsoring a contest where the winning prize is ... a Nintendo Wii gaming system.
Out of simple prudence, but with a smile on my face, I will refrain from further commentary.
To win, you've got to brag on your mother. Coincidentally, perhaps, the contest ends on Mother's Day. That would be May 10.
May the best mother's offspring win.
I'm in Los Angeles on a media trip. One of my team members and I flew in Saturday for meetings with producers at several media outlets. I grew up in the Bay Area of California and have been to SoCal many times, but each time I return, I smile. There is such a relaxed vibe here. It's reflected in the sunshine and palm trees, the glut of juice bars and nail salons, and the "whatever" timbre of natives' voices.
I cut no less than six people off on L.A. freeways yesterday. Not one person honked at me. One offense was particularly egregious -- I started taking a wrong exit, and instead of humbly accepting my fate, I veered back onto the freeway, weaving in between several cars, blasting over a median and dumping myself in front of a bus traveling at about 70 mph. No one blinked. In fact, I got the feeling that the surrounding motorists didn't even notice. It's as if they were saying, "Ok girl, get on in here." This was strangely comforting, as it made me feel accepted, like one of the SoCal working herd. And let's be honest: it allowed me to listen to my Black Eyed Peas uninterrupted by the din of honking horns and squealing brakes. Thanks, folks.
The laid-back loveliness continued as my coworker and I visited the set of Larry King Live last night. We overshot the exit by, oh, ten miles...so I called the producer (while driving, of course, as now I was grossly overconfident in my motorist skills) to say we'd be a few minutes late. She was completely understanding. "Don't worry about it," she assured us. "I just changed into my workout clothes, so I'll meet you in the lobby when you get here." All of a sudden I wasn't as concerned about my "I just stepped off a senior citizens' cruise" outfit. In L.A., anything goes. (Side note: While watching Good Day L.A. this morning, I noticed that one of the hosts was wearing ripped jeans, a terrycloth jacket and platform sandals.)
Larry's producer welcomed us at the CNN building, led us to the studio, and plopped us in chairs about ten feet away from Larry. He was waiting to go live, so he looked over and said, "Hello! Are you the ladies from Focus on the Family?" We said we were, and he asked how Dr. Dobson is doing. We offered a semi-professional response, then he went live with segments on swine flu, Bea Arthur and Mia Farrow. I listened while wondering what I would've said if someone told me in college that one day I'd be sitting in studio with Larry King. I then took a photo of him and posted it on Facebook immediately.
To top off the evening, my coworker and I drove downtown to the Staples Center, where we had box seats for the Lakers playoff game. I mention this only to make Lakers/NBA fans insanely jealous. You all know that I don't know much about pro team sports, but to my credit, I actually like (and can follow) basketball, so we had a good time. We saw Jack Nicholson, P. Diddy (if that's what he still calls himself), Tobey McGuire, Dustin Hoffman, Diane Keaton, Rihanna and a few others. Just another day, folks. Just another day. :)
Today we have more meetings, this time around with our radio friends here in SoCal. I need to pick out another semi-casual outfit that looks effortless yet coordinates perfectly with my new pedicure. I also need to decide which smoothie I'll order today at Juice It Up. I'm exhausted just thinking about it.
Do you have parts of the country or world that when you visit them, you just smile? That you feel at home away from home? Talk to me, people! I mean, like, only if you want to. You know, totally, like, whatever.
I read Boundless in the main Central Campus Computing Site at the University of Michigan (Go Blue!)
Jane
* * *
Where are you?
We published an article a couple of weeks ago, "Mind The Gap," that asked why women tend to be more involved in community leadership roles than men, particularly in university and church.
Today's article, "The Crisis of Manliness," addresses the root of those questions.
Though he acknowledges the harmful effects of divorce, the author places primary blame on public and educational institutions, which have for the past four decades conducted a risky social engineering experiment whose
purpose is to eradicate any psychological and emotional differences between men and women, and the grounds that any concept of manliness inevitably leads to arrogance and violence towards women and to rigid hierarchies that exclude the marginalized and powerless.
But there are differences between men and women, beyond the mere physically observable ones. Obviously. If you push the square peg into the round hole hard enough, something will break. And something has broken:
All that 40 years of behavioral conditioning has done is drive maleness underground and distort it by severing it from traditional sources of masculine restraint and civility.
The author's simple solution: "We should stop trying to reengineer the human soul to prevent boys from being boyish, while encouraging all forms of self-expression in girls." He goes on to explain that
the point is to channel these energies into the development of character. Boys and young men still want to be heroes, and the way to educate them to treat girls and women with respect is to appeal to their heroism, not to try to blot it out.
Parents can help guide their children's character, of course. But how can we correct the skew in our own character? How can young adults fix the damage caused by divorce and false notions about what it means to be masculine or feminine?
On Saturday I completed the Country Music Half-Marathon in Nashville, Tenn. Did any of you run it? I figure there's a good chance, considering there were some 35,000 runners between the marathon and half-marathon. I got almost exactly the same time as on my last half-marathon (2:36 if you must know). But considering the 80 degree temperatures (and one truly evil hill near the end), I'm not disappointed. Not to mention, I got to run with my good friend Krishana.
There was a wonderful moment near the end of the race. After running up the final hill, I noticed a group of people. They stood at the corner cheering, waving signs and ringing cowbells. "You're looking strong," they shouted. "You're almost there." "Around the corner is all downhill." "Keep going!"
It reminded me of the cloud of witnesses mentioned in Hebrews: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us" (12:1). The writers of Scripture knew what it was like to be in a race. At that point--when the heat and fatigue and pain are conspiring against you--you really want to give up (at least I do!). You're hot and tired and the effort begins to feel like it's not worth it. But that is when the witnesses remind you: "You're almost there. Don't give up. A prize is waiting for you!"
Completing the race was an accomplishment. (You know this if you read my previous running blog post.) And, for me, it was more remarkable than for some. In 2000, due to a debilitating illness, I could barely stand from a sitting position, let alone run. I wrote about it in "Giving My Dreams." At that time, I may not have dreamed of running a half-marathon, but I dreamed of being independent, finishing school, moving out of my parents' house, getting a good job, being healthy enough to be a wife and mom someday. Those were dreams that God asked me to relinquish:
That night as I lay in bed feeling so helpless, I prayed. I realized I had been ignoring God because I believed He might ask me to do the unthinkable—drop out of school. I didn't believe that God could possibly have anything better for me than what I desired for myself.
That night as my roommate lay sleeping across the room, I agonized before the Lord. I cried out to Him in anguish. This time the solution was not in my pocket. In fact, it seemed far beyond my reach.
As tears rushed down my face, I told my Abba, Daddy, that I would drop out of college if that was His will. This was my Isaac. I knew God wanted me to give Him my future, my hopes and my dreams.
I don't know what your dreams are. Right now you may be ready to quit the race, feeling it's not worth it. Maybe you're at the bottom of that hill, and can't see an end in sight. Keep running! The witnesses are cheering you on. They have been where you are and are waiting to see what God will do in your life as you run faithfully. My witnesses were right: It was all downhill to the finish line, and it felt good to cross it.
I don't know what to make of this breaking news story.
Apparently the White House wanted to stage a photo op of Air Force One flying in front of the Statue of Liberty. Other reports are that it was an advertisement for a movie; the "fog of war" is keeping us from knowing what really is going on. They told a few people about it, but most didn't know what was happening.
New Yorkers, still sensitive about 9/11, were terrified by the scene playing out before them. At one point the plane, and the two military jets that trailed it, came dangerously close to the Goldman Sachs Tower, the tallest building in New Jersey -- as close as a few dozen feet!
The financial district was in chaos, people pouring out of their office buildings in fear. Comments from people on the scene paint a picture of panic and fear and heartbreak:
David wrote, "That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Why would they do something like that, which will induce panic with the public. I work in the Exchange place area, and to us those planes were very very close. One flyby is bad, but four times in just plain crazy. 9/11 thoughts anyone? Whoever authorized this flyby needs to be severely reprimanded for this."
Jason wrote, "The plane was flying about 500 feet above the water, and was way too close to nearby buildings. Many of the buildings here in the financial district began to evacuate, and there was quite a lot of chaos for a 'planned event.'"
Mananyc wrote, "It caused so much panic. I think a prior notice to building services would've been the responsible thing to do. I got caught up in the frenzy, ran and fell and injured my elbow. Not to mention the countless people who were scared to death and panicked for no reason."
Sorbs wrote, "Lots of us took stairs over 40 floors - someone could have gotten hurt rushing down the stairs."
JR wrote, "Rattled nerves indeed, especially if you've been through 9/11. We unnecessarily evacuated the building which caused a lot of stress and disruption."
E wrote, "I work in 2 World Financial Center and my floor evacuated (along with what appeared to be the rest of the building) after seeing the planes zip by. Many of my coworkers remember evacuating on 9/11 and were terrified."
Andrew wrote, "I saw a pregnant women carried away and at least a few elderly people being helped. I was on the Pier in Jersey City and I swore it would hit the Goldman building."
Paul wrote, "In Jersey City, where I work (and saw the plane banking toward my building as it flew up the Hudson) people were TERRIFIED."
Mark wrote, "We evacuated our building. People were crying when we reached the ground floor."
Suzanne wrote, "I work on the 46th floor of a financial district building, and we self evacuated our building.... [H]ow could we not have received notice that on a Monday morning, a 747 would fly in a no-fly zone, apparently chased by two fighter jets? Who should be fired for this? We took the elevators from the 46th floor wondering if we would make it to the bottom."
Michael wrote, "Our building at 10 Exchange Place has been evacuated, as well as all tall surrounding office building in Jersey City. The announcements coming from the PA system were very scary as we were marching the stairs. In a panicking voice the announcer was telling us to move as quickly as possible."
CMW wrote, "When I called 911 to inquire, they refused to tell me what was going on.... I've never been so afraid."
Ken wrote, "I guarantee that this killed a few people. I myself almost had a heart attack and I am a healthy 30-year old. There were pregnant women running down 50+ flights of stairs, mass panic over here, etc."
Bailey wrote, "[W]e were very frightened! I evacuated my entire floor .... The plane seemed to be coming right at us. I had one employee with asthma trying to flee from the 36 floor -- she is now in the hospital."
I could go on, copy-pasting comments from various sites from those who were eye-witnesses, but I want to turn this over to you.
If you were there, tell us what you saw and felt. And even if you weren't there, what do you make of this surreal event?
I've blogged about my allergies before. There is something in the mountain air that just slays me. Yesterday I woke up feeling yucky for the sixth day in a row. I called and canceled brunch plans after church. Before I hung up the phone my friend suggested I take some Benadryl to see if the symptoms subsided. She said that would probably be a good indicator whether I had a cold or allergies. Brilliant. Why didn't I think of that?
Probably because I don't have a medicine cabinet. Out of sight, out of mind. I still have 96 days of singleness left, so I refuse to do some grown-up things like stock a medicine cabinet until I have to. Besides, pain is your friend. It lets you know you aren't well yet. But since her suggestion did make a lot of sense, I called Brian (my fiance) and asked him to bring me some Benadryl when he picked me up for church. He stays with his parents on the weekends and they have a well stocked medicine cabinet. Thank you future in-laws.
He brought me some chewables. They were grape and reminded me of being sick as a kid. I loved being sick as a kid. My Maw Maw made me milkshakes periodically throughout the day while I laid on the couch and watched soap operas.
I chewed a tablet in the car and another a little later. I assumed that they were kid's strength since they were chewable. I was wrong. I stumbled into the church sanctuary. Brian said it was like going to church with a drunk person. Apparently I was a little loopy in our before-the-service fellowship time. So he apologized for me and explained that it was the allergy meds.
I felt really silly for overdosing and totally expected to snore through the sermon. But to my delight and surprise, I was more focused than usual. The medicine slowed down my mind enough that I wasn't thinking about my grocery list, wedding plans, what blog I was going to write on Monday, or the person smacking their gum behind me. It was amazing. I wept from the second song to the benediction. In the midst of my Benadryl stupor, The Lord reawakened my love for Him and His Kingdom.
How different could Sunday mornings be if I stopped worrying about all the things I can't change and just listen to what is going on right in front of me? I'm tempted to take a Benadryl before church every Sunday, but I know that's not the solution (and allergy medicine is expensive). So I'm praying that God will help me develop a steadfast mind because there is something very rich and life-changing about being completely engaged in the preaching of His Word.
I mentioned on Thursday that my insurance adjuster thought that I'd totaled my Neon when I bumped into a mighty Ford Explorer.
Good news: After further evaluation, he concluded that it could be fixed for less than the pre-crash value of the car.
And, goodness, USAA is fast. They've already transferred $2,978.21 into my checking account, to cover the cost of repairs.
I've been a pretty careful driver for the past couple of decades. Today I'm even more-so.
My small group just finished Effective Stewardship. It's a 5 part series that takes a holistic look at our role as stewards in God's Kingdom. This week we have the host of Effective Stewardship, Dave Stotts on the Boundless Show. Dave's humor and sincerity really brought the Effective Stewardship series home for me. I think you'll see what I mean as he tells us a little about his other project Drive Thru History.
Our musical guest this week is justpassingthru. They're an idie band with a pretty eclectic style. You can check them out here.
Lives Changed II -- 00:00
Gary, Nima, and Devon join us again for part 2 of last week's testimony roundtable. This week we get to listen in as they continue to tell their stories. Gary even divulges a secret that only his wife knows. I don't know about you, but I love a good secret!
Driving Mr. Stotts -- 26:28
Dave Stotts sits down with Lisa to talk about his DVD series Drive Thru History. He tells us about how the whole thing started in while he was goofing off in an international airport. Dave shares his love for History and his heart to fill in the gaps that we didn't learn in History class.
Hi, Mom II -- 47:10
Lisa's Mom is with us again this week. I teared up listening to Mrs. Anderson talk about raising children on the mission field, losing her husband of 50 years, and her anticipation of the coming of our Lord. Mrs. Anderson ends Episode 66 by telling us that living the Christian life is worth it. There is something very reassuring about to me about a believer 60 years ahead saying "keep going; it's worth it." Thanks Dorthy.
We received the following comment a few minutes ago. Instead of merely publishing it under the week-old blog post, where it's likely to be overlooked, I wanted to highlight it for discussion:
why do you bother giving away books that keep poeple from concentrating on the only book that they need to read to answer every single problem they have: the Bible? by keeping people from GOD you are promoting sin. i believe this is why focus is having the finacial problems they are having because they are not being faithful to GOD. they are concentrating on idol worship of individuals who promote themselves and their worthless egotistical books and opinions.
I think this individual has a point: Too often we turn to books written by our contemporaries, rather than to the Book inspired by God Himself. It's a good reminder to me to continually consider where I look for guidance and relationship. Yes, Scripture, being infallible, is best.
And it's true that too many books are written simply to promote the author and earn them money, with little intention to actually benefit the reader.
But there's an incongruity in this comment that has me tied in knots. Books are simply people's ideas in written form. There's nothing inherently wrong with having ideas, with sharing those ideas, with putting those ideas down on paper. It's been a tradition among God's people for millennia. The Apostle Paul embraced reading books in addition to the Scriptures, as seen in his request that Timothy bring him his books and parchments, and in his familiarity with the writings of non-Christian poets. Back in the book of Daniel, we learn that God Himself gave His followers "learning and skill in all literature and wisdom...."
And, ironically, it's the method this individual used to convey his ideas to me.
Was this person wrong to request that I read (and publish) his four extra-Scriptural sentences? Is he "promoting sin" by doing so? Was his act of sharing his thoughts in written form a type of "idol worship"?
Discuss.
When I was twentysomething, I had big ideas, still do. It's just that when I was fresh from college, a mere 21-year-old, it was hard to get anyone to take my big ideas very seriously. Not enough life experience, not enough maturity, not enough gray hair. (For better or worse, that last one is no longer an issue.)
It seems young people's big ideas matter a lot right now. At least when it comes to homosexuality. So says Dr. Al Mohler in his Thursday blog post "No Truth Without Love, No Love Without Truth."
If you're reading this blog, and you're young, your beliefs matter. Maybe more than you know.
No moral revolution can succeed without shaping and changing the minds of young people and children. Inevitably, the schools have become crucial battlegrounds for the culture war. The Christian worldview has been undermined by pervasive curricula that teach moral relativism, reduce moral commandments to personal values, and promote homosexuality as a legitimate and attractive lifestyle option.
If you identify yourself as a believer, it's worth asking yourself where your convictions come from on this issue. What's driving your perspective? Where do you go first? Newspapers? Blogs? TV? Church? Even that last one may not be reliable anymore. Dr. Mohler writes,
The homosexual rights movement understands that the evangelical church is one of the last resistance movements committed to a biblical morality. Because of this, the movement has adopted a strategy of isolating Christian opposition, and forcing change by political action and cultural pressure. Can we count on evangelicals to remain steadfastly biblical on this issue?
Given that young self-described Christians are prone to favor and even applaud homosexuality, how should the church respond? With courage and compassion writes Mohler.
The times demand Christian courage. These days, courage means that preachers and Christian leaders must set an agenda for biblical confrontation, and not shrink from dealing with the full range of issues related to homosexuality. We must talk about what the Bible teaches about gender--what it means to be a man or a woman. We must talk about God's gift of sex and the covenant of marriage. And we must talk honestly about what homosexuality is, and why God has condemned this sin as an abomination in His sight. ...
Even as courage is required, the times call for another Christian virtue as well--compassion. The tragic fact is that every congregation is almost certain to include persons struggling with homosexual desire or even involved in homosexual acts. Outside the walls of the church, homosexuals are waiting to see if the Christian church has anything more to say, after we declare that homosexuality is a sin.
And what is it the church should be saying?
The church is not a place where sinners are welcomed to remain in their sin. To the contrary, it is the Body of Christ, made up of sinners transformed by grace. Not one of us deserves to be accepted within the beloved. It is all of grace, and each one of us has come out of sin. We sin if we call homosexuality something other than sin. We also sin if we act as if this sin cannot be forgiven.
We cannot settle for truth without love nor love without truth. The Gospel settles the issue once and for all. This great moral crisis is a Gospel crisis. The genuine Body of Christ will reveal itself by courageous compassion, and compassionate courage. We will see this realized only when men and women freed by God's grace from bondage to homosexuality feel free to stand up in our churches and declare their testimony--and when we are ready to welcome them as fellow disciples. Millions of hurting people are waiting to see if we mean what we preach.
Yes, your beliefs matter. But not just as a matter of public opinion or even cultural trends. They matter to God. And eventually, ultimately, we'll all have to stand before Him and give an account for each and every one of those beliefs.
I've been busy. Perhaps too busy. I've had to make decisions about what to let fall between the cracks. And sometimes things just fall through the cracks all by themselves. Innumerable things bob unfinished in my wake, victims of my crowded schedule.
Communicating with authors, writing contracts, consulting our legal and orthodoxy departments, editing articles, creating article imagery, writing blog posts, enduring meetings, updating our archive, trying to debug Citrix and FTP, prototyping forthcoming new media features, trying to send a digitized copy of Ted Hughes' "Snow" to George Halitzka, resolving invoice issues, approving Facebook friend requests, considering unsolicited articles and press releases, forwarding Boundless Answers questions to either Candice or John, responding to some incoming constituent e-mails, making flight and hotel arrangements for my trip to the NEXT conference ... among other things. And that's just this week.
And I have home stuff too, of course, just like you.
Some of it I do well. Some I do adequately. All of it I do amid a packed schedule.
And in the back of my mind I hear a still small voice, the transcendent voice of God that gives meaning to all these particulars. The Spirit whose character -- His love, His faithfulness, His rest -- is a comforting constant during all this flux.
I'm so preoccupied with all these trees: the birches, the oaks, the maples, the aspens; though I too often can't see the forest, I know it's there, and take comfort that He holds these vast wilds, together with its wild creatures, in His hands.
Rachel Starr Thomson knows this tension, between a physical world and its demands and the steady eternality of a spiritual world. In today's featured Boundless Webzine article, "A Walk Across the Water," she writes about "living on a higher plain than all this busywork, about doing the work as worship." She continues:
Transcendence. So often I grow comfortable here, distracted in my busyness, secure in my surroundings. I forget that life is a vapor in the wind -- that I am walking, not on solid ground, but on water.
Often, too, I am overwhelmed by the hardships that life can present. But comfortable or not, I need constantly to transcend circumstances. Why? Because I am in the world, but I am not of it. I come from a better world. I go to a better world. For a while, I'm living the reality of that better world -- by faith -- here.
May I become more aware of that better world, as I continue striving to fulfill my calling in this one. And may this heavenly destiny provide equilibrium and motivation as I engage this earthly journey.
We'd like to make this an ongoing feature on the Boundless blog.
On a recent podcast, host Lisa Anderson asked our listeners where they listen to the show. Today, we received our first response from some Aussie fans with a picture of one of the roads they travel while listening to the podcast.
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We are avid Aussie Boundless listeners and love your show, especially the vastly entertaining Lisa Anderson! At the close of a podcast we were listening to just the other day, she made comment about where we were listening to Boundless, including 'on the road'.
Just wanted to share a pic of a tiny bit of the many roads we have been on lately as we travel round Australia for the year. We are having a ball and seeing so much to wonder at in God's amazing creation. And we have been blessed by recent Boundless episodes. Thanks for your GREAT work. We love the show and think you guys who put it together, on mic and off, are WONDERFUL!
Blessings,
Kirsty and Jon Van Itallie
PS My husband visited Indieheaven.com in McDonalds in Alice Springs, smack bang in the middle of Oz. He loves it! Thanks for the tip.
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Thanks for the pic and kind note Kirsty.
So where do you listen to or read Boundless? Send us a picture of you spending time on our webzine, blog or podcast -- along with a little blurb explaining the setting -- and we'll put it up on the blog. And please be sure to put "Where Are You" as the subject line.
So I was driving home after work on Tuesday, coming up to an intersection.
Short story shorter: I misinterpreted the speed at which the car in front of me would turn right, slammed on my brakes a bit too late, and plowed into her SUV at 20 miles per hour.
The result: a bit of a scratch on her Ford Explorer's trailer hitch, and a crushed front end on my Dodge Neon.
The good news: Nobody was hurt, the woman I hit was extraordinarily gracious, I happened to have full insurance and car rental coverage through USAA with a mere $250 deductible, I was able to coax my coolant-bleeding car to the dealership.
The bad news: The insurance adjuster's first inclination is that my car is totaled, meaning that the cost to repair it exceeds its worth.
Honestly, when I heard that news over my cell phone tears came to my eyes. This car has treated me well over the past several years. Sliding into the driver's seat every morning before work has felt as natural and comfortable as slipping into my coziest socks. And now it may no longer be part of my life. I know it's just a collection of metal and plastic and glass, but, as they say, if these blackwalls could talk....
Once I get final word from the adjuster, I'll have more to process. If you've gone through something like this, I'd sure love to hear your story.
Just in time for Earth Day, Pew Research released the results of a study examining views on global warming among religious groups. They're not surprising really, essentially breaking along the political leanings of the groups represented in the survey ... except for black Protestants.
Here's the breakdown from Pew:
The unaffiliated (58%) are the most likely among the religious groups studied to say there is solid evidence the earth is warming because of human activity. White evangelical Protestants are the most likely to say there is no solid evidence the earth is warming (31%), and the least likely to believe that humans have contributed to heating up the planet (34%). While only 39% of black Protestants say global warming is a result of human activity, they are, however, the least likely of the religions studied to deny global warming is occurring (15%).
What you don't see in this Pew summary is the full breakdown to the question, "Is there solid evidence the earth is warming?" which includes the option "Yes, because of natural patterns." And here, I believe the black Protestants have it right ... by a large margin. 36% believe the earth is warming due to "natural patterns," a full 16 percentage points higher than any other group.
This view seems to be the most consistent with the one presented in a recent Boundless article from Jay Richards titled "Question Global Warming." In it, Jay concedes that the earth is likely warming but that it's also likely that it's due to natural causes.
Police warily entered Columbine High School soon after the shooting, still on guard against more potential shooters.
One detective noted that in addition to the numerous backpacks and purses abandoned in the rush to get out of the building, the hallways were littered with shoes. The students had run in such fright and haste, they'd literally run right out of their footwear. Classrooms and hallways echoed with the forlorn ringing of abandoned cell phones, the calls likely coming from family members still trying to reach a loved one whose fate they did not yet know.
Based on the unexploded bombs left in the building as well as Harris and Klebold's writings and self-made videos, they intended to kill more than their 13 victims. They fantasized about blowing up the entire school and killing everyone in it. In fact Harris fantasized about destroying the entire city of Denver.
Where does such hatred come from? It's pretty clear now that Harris was a psychopath in the purest sense of the word. Klebold is the harder one to figure. According to author Dave Cullen, who spent a decade investigating the tragedy, Klebold was an unlikely killer. In a recent interview, he talks about seeing Klebold's diary for the first time:
[It] was just such a revelation. Eric's was what you would expect. It's "hate hate hate." It's all Eric. It sounds like a murderer in the works. Dylan's is — he's literally talking about love on almost every page, and he's growing up. You can take his journal, and just take your thumb and just flip through it and it will shock you. You see these hearts all the way. It's like, "What is this killer drawing hearts for?" And they were not ironic or anything like that. He has entire pages filled with hearts. He draws out, literally, the road to happiness, with a dotted line dug down the middle, with a big heart at the end.
But don't think Klebold was a reluctant killer. Based on ballistics evidence, police estimate that about half of the dead and wounded can be traced to Klebold's weapons.
The story does not end with this iniquity, however. God always brings good out of evil, and He did so with Columbine. Detective Diane Obbema related, "I was blessed that some survivors I interviewed, who did not know I was a Christian, voiced a renewed faith in God and a determination to make the most of the time God had given them to tell others about Jesus. They had come close to seeing eternity but were spared, and they felt it was for a purpose."
And there is the story of Rachel Scott, the killers' first victim, shot as she sat outside the school building eating lunch. The 17-year-old was motivated by her Christian faith to be kind to everyone and to reach out to the misfits and the shunned. In a school essay she had written, "I have this theory that if one person can go out of their way to show compassion then it will start a chain reaction of the same."
She had a tremendous sense of self-identity and purpose for someone so young. As a young girl, she had traced her hands on the back of her bedroom dresser — she apparently had a habit of writing notes in odd places — and wrote, "These hands belong to Rachel Joy Scott and will some day touch millions of people's hearts." But she also sensed that she did not have long to do that. In May 1998, 11 months before she was killed, she wrote in her diary, "This will be my last year, Lord. I have gotten what I can. Thank you."
Today, Rachel's story is indeed touching millions of hearts through Rachel's Challenge. Could Rachel have accomplished this without having to die? Perhaps, but as God's willing servant, Rachel left it up to Him as to how to fulfill what she sensed was her destiny.
In the end, that's what I take away from Columbine. God is sovereign. It's hard to fathom what can motivate an Eric Harris or Dylan Klebold other than to know that sin has tainted the world and darkened the human heart. Fortunately, God has provided the cure. Looking at events like Columbine and a world seemingly spinning out of control, is is easy to become dismayed. But we have his promise of peace.
Postscript: In yesterday's post several people asked for more information about Cassie Bernall and the myth of "she said yes." What the investigation revealed was that Cassie was hiding under a library table with another girl when Eric Harris slapped his hand on the tabletop twice. He bent down, said, "Peek-a-boo," and then immediately shot Bernall in the head. There was no indication that he heard her praying. There was no time for any conversation between them. That happened on the far west side of the library.
In the meantime on the far east side of the library, Dylan Klebold was stalking victims. He asked the question "Do you believe in God" of an already-wounded Valeen Schnurr, who answered yes. Strangely, Klebold did not shoot her after the answer but moved on. According to witnesses, this exchange happened after they heard Harris say "peek-a-boo" and shoot Bernall.
The initial report that Bernall answered the question came from Craig Scott, Rachel's brother, who knew Bernall was in the library and, knowing she was a Christian, simply assumed it was she who answered the question. (No other witness attributed the statement to Bernall.) Months later, when the students were taken on a walk-through of the library, Craig pointed to the east side of the room to indicate where he heard the exchange — exactly in the direction where Schnurr had been shot. Craig was stunned to learn that Cassie had been on the west side of the library, in fact very close to the table that Craig had been hiding behind.
That one misstatement, an understandably honest error in light of the violence and chaos, quickly morphed into the myth of Cassie Bernall's mythic martyrdom.
The facts were known pretty early on in the investigation. Today there is no excuse for passing on this urban legend as truth. Yes, God can use a lie to accomplish His purposes, but that does not mean He sanctions lying in order to serve Him.
I'm reading through the Psalms with my family. And this past Saturday when we reached Psalm 24, I had a bit of inspiration to sing it instead of reading it ... thanks to Nathan Clark George. As I've written previously, "Hearing Scripture put to music -- and put to music very well -- is just edifying."
It seems Justin Taylor had a similar experience when he heard Nathan's "Psalm 24: The Earth is the Lord's" for the first time saying it "Led me to worship." Justin had never heard of Nathan before this weekend but now highly recommends his new album "Pull Up a Chair." So would l.
As you may know, Nathan was a guest on the Boundless podcast and we've featured his music on several shows here, here, and here.
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the killings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo. Most are familiar with the story: Teen gunmen Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold went on a shooting rampage in the high school, killing 12 students and a beloved teacher and wounding dozens more.
Beyond that, there's a good chance that everything you "know" about Columbine is wrong. The myths arose quickly in the aftermath. The shooters were outcasts and members of a group of misfits called The Trenchcoat Mafia. Wrong.
They were bullied by jocks and therefore went out of their way to target athletes. Wrong. Nor is it true that they targeted blacks or Christians. They killed whoever was unfortunate enough to wind up in their sights.
What we do know now is that the killings were motivated by blind hate — of everyone and the world in general.
In talking about Columbine myths, I'd be remiss in not addressing perhaps the biggest myth out there: that of Cassie Bernall.
The story arose within hours of the shooting: One of the killers confronted Cassie in the school library and asked her if she believed in God. She said yes and was immediately shot dead. The story spread quickly, especially within the evangelical Christian subculture, and was accepted as gospel truth. Michael W. Smith wrote a song about Cassie Bernall. I commissioned an article in Focus on the Family magazine about Cassie and Smith's song.
The problem is, the story's wrong. The initial account was an honest case of mistaken identity in the confusion of all the shooting and killing. In fact, according to FBI and Jefferson County investigators, the question was asked of Valeen Schnurr, on the opposite side of the library from where Cassie was killed. (Schnurr survived her wounds.) This account is backed up by multiple witnesses and forensic evidence.
Some have dismissed this as the attempts of Christian-haters to denigrate a true martyr. But one of those investigators, Diane Obbema, is a friend of mine and a devout Christian, and she concurs that the Cassie Bernall story that so many want to believe is in fact wrong — an honest mistake, initially, but still wrong.
So why bring this up? Why rub salt in the wound? Trust me, I thought long and hard about doing this, and it gives me no pleasure to do so. But in the end, I think this myth has done damage to the cause of Christ. To some, it shows Christians as gullible fools willing to believe any myth that comes down the road, even against evidence to the contrary. Too many people already dismiss Christianity as a "comforting myth," and this story merely reinforces that prejudice.
Here is a sample one-star review from the book about Cassie, She Said Yes:
Christians would have us believe that decades after the events of the life of Jesus that the New Testament was written with perfect accuracy. But the Cassie Bernall story shows how in only a matter of months, an urban legend has grown to suit the mythology of christianity [sic].
The questions of whether Bernall said *anything at all* at the time of the shooting was known when the first stories broke. Now it's becoming more and more apparent that in the confusion of that tragic event, Bernall was confused with another girl.
Yet the christians [sic] want their martyr and the publisher is making money. Apparently "god" has blessed this story with cash and truth went to hell.
If christians [sic] can't even get a story right when the events are recent and have grown an urban myth to suit their beliefs, why should any of us believe the New Testament is accurate in the least?
This book is hype and myth with little to no substance. Even the Bernall family has issued an "apology" though they refuse to let go of this very profitable fiction.
Those words should sting all Christians. It's doubly painful when you read Cassie's truly inspiring story of how God took her from a life of rebellion and dabbling in witchcraft and the occult to the on-fire Christian she was when killed. That is all lost in the mythmaking.
We do not need to rely on myths or clever stories in preaching the truth of Christianity. There's power in the truth, and we should cling to that.
Tomorrow: More thoughts on Columbine.
We published an article by Lauren F. Winner this past week that, frankly, does not apply to most of our male Boundless readers. Most of the men who read Boundless Webzine and participate on The Line are on a trajectory toward godly manhood, and don't fit the gamer boy stereotype offered in Winner's article.
Essentially, Winner argued in "Mind The Gap" that the lack of male leadership and involvement evident in colleges and in church is largely the result of the slacker gaming culture. Relevant sentences:
Regardless of what we say we think about women and leadership, when it comes to college-aged and 20-somethings, women are leading in all sorts of areas....
It's not just in the ranks of church volunteers that women are outshining men. According to a recent cover story in The Chronicle of Higher Education, women are outpacing men on college campuses, too. More women than men are attending college, and once they get there, women get better grades and devote more time to civic activities and serving in leadership positions in campus organizations. At graduation time, women also bring home more awards and honors than men....
Men devote far more time than women to playing computer games. Men also exercise more and watch more TV, and are more likely to oversleep and miss class....
I found the article to be both encouraging and depressing: I think it's good news for women, who, studies show, were being edged out by men in college classrooms as recently as 15 years ago. And I think it's good news that female high school students are excelling, taking college prep classes, going to college and doing well once they get there.
But it's not such great news for society that so many in college take video games more seriously than studying....
So, if more women are getting into the habit of working hard, volunteering and leading civic activities, and more men are getting into the habit of applying themselves to Wii, then it's really no surprise that out there in the real world, the grown-up church world, it's women who seem more willing to shoulder responsibility.
In all honestly, if you found Winner's article to be offensive, I'd understand why. It tends to make sweeping generalizations about men and about women. The tone is a bit on the cynical side. It offers few legitimate solutions. Why did I publish it, then? Because the facts remain that percentage-wise, women are more involved than men in community leadership roles, at least in university and church.
I think that's a real problem. And I'd like to see us discuss this.
Our first thoughtful comment is from Mike Theemling, who e-mailed me the following:
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I agree that there is a definite gender gap in both the academic realm and the church realm. I haven't heard much more than anecdotal evidence myself regarding church volunteering, but news outlets have reported the gender gap in academic achievement. I do agree with the author's thesis that the two areas (academic performance and lack of volunteerism) are related.
I sensed this gap when I attended high school. All throughout my HS years, only three males consistently made the High Honor Roll. Myself, a friend of mine, and one other guy we didn't know. The rest on the list included about a dozen women (who also happened to be on student council and involved heavily in extracurricular activities). In my graduating class I was the only male in the top 10.
There's a lot of debate as to the causes of this phenomenon. I believe that there isn't one specific cause, but rather a number of factors such as cultural expectations, economic considerations, and so on. My own personal theory is that the two largest causes of this trend are 1) the lack of strong fatherly role models in a boy's life, and 2) the lack of societal pressure on young males to achieve academically (e.g., oppression whether real or perceived, culture not glorifying academics, etc.).
Up until the last 20 to 30 years, most families were of the "nuclear" sort (two parents and kids). Now, there are many more single parent homes with the usual head of household being a woman, with the highest single parent households in the African American and Latino demographic groups. According to some studies, the most important indicator of academic achievement — regardless of gender or even economics — is whether or not both parents live at home.
True, this assertion is sometimes disputed and there are plenty of counterexamples (I've found many other studies which seem to contradict each other; some say that just having a mother is the most important, some say that the "two parent" benefit is greatly exaggerated, etc.). Indeed it is a complex beast, but very few would outright dismiss that having two parents living at home is preferred and more beneficial to a child's wellbeing than just one.
Consider that since many single-parent households are headed by a woman, conventional wisdom says a boy would lack a "father figure," and thus would tend not to step up and take the lead either academically or culturally (again, some dispute this claim). He does not see within his own household that a man needs to "provide for the family" (he only sees a woman doing it) and thus feels consciously or subconsciously that it's perfectly fine to slack off.
On the flip-side, a girl in such a household may see the difficult situation her mother is in and become more motivated to succeed, not wanting to end up like them.
Of course some would say that there are plenty of nuclear families where the sister still outperforms the brother. That is where the second reason may come into play: there is also a distinct lack of societal pressure on young men to succeed.
Young girls are told all the time to "do everything that a man can do," and role models and news stories tend to be of those who are breaking glass ceilings, something which requires academic excellence. However, role models for young men are either largely absent or emphasize less on academic achievement and more on things such as athletics or music. Sometimes there can also be an incentive to fight the "patriarchal societies" that oppress women and may motivate them to work harder to prove themselves (indeed, issues such as the gender pay gap seem to be legitimate grievances). This should not be interpreted however that "it's all feminism's fault." Just because women are more motivated to succeed does not mean it "caused" men to become less motivated.
Finally, I think also related to this is the delaying of marriage among young adults (it may be a cause or a symptom of the male achievement gap, or both). Because there is less pressure to get married and have kids at an earlier age, there is less pressure on a man to find a career which can provide for more than just himself. Why then does this only affect men and not women? Perhaps because women realize that when a child is born, more often than not they are the ones who will have to provide for the baby, and thus they are more motivated. I admit this is just speculation though.
As to the solution? The author unfortunately is vague on this point but don't knock her; coming up with viable, concrete solutions is difficult. She criticizes guys spending too much time playing video games, but I don't think video games are the core problem. The core problem is controlling what young men do with their free time. Girls may be naturally more inclined to use it productively, but most boys it seems are not.
I believe the most practical and simple solution, at least for the academic realm, is for a parent to exert more of their God-given responsibility to manage their kids' time. That means making rules limiting TV, Internet, video game use, and so on. That also means making rules (e.g., homework done before play) and consequences for not following those rules.
Benjamin Carson, an African American man raised by a single mother, consistently did poorly in school. People thought he was just plain "stupid." His mother didn't know what to do at first, but then began to make and enforce some rules to help his study habits. Rules like "limiting his television watching and refused to let him go outside to play until he had finished his homework each day. She required him to read two library books a week and to give her written reports on his reading, even though, with her own poor education, she could barely read what he had written."
Because of this, Ben realized he wasn't stupid after all — in fact he became one of the smartest kids in school. He eventually went to become a renown neurosurgeon.
If more parents followed what Ben's mother did, raising their children up to be ready for society rather than trying to "befriend" them, this problem of the male education gap wouldn't be as serious as it is now.
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I'd love to hear what thoughts this article, and Mike's comment, have brought to mind for you.
One of my favorite hymns is "He Giveth More Grace." I've always liked the song, but developed a special affection for it when I discovered it was written by Annie Johnson Flint, a woman living in New Jersey during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was single and suffered from rheumatoid arthritis, two things she and I share. I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis about eight years ago, and when giving my diagnosis, my doctor said, "There is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis. We're not even close to a cure. And many people die early from this disease." I endured about three years of increased pain and debilitation before starting some of the latest drugs for RA, drugs that in my opinion are miraculous. Because of them, I have regained function in all of my joints, have stopped the progression of the disease, and live (most days) with little or no pain.
Annie couldn't benefit from 21st-century breakthroughs, and was instead bedridden most of her life as her joints became stiff and twisted. She couldn't care for herself, and depended on the kindness of others. But in the midst of this, she was described as "cheerful and optimistic, and always fond of a good joke." Annie wrote numerous poems, letters and hymns from her bed, including "He Giveth More Grace":
He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength as our labors increase;
To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.
When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.
Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision,
Our God ever yearns His resources to share;
Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing;
The Father both thee and thy load will upbear.
His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.
 This hymn has come to mind again in the past few days. My mom, whom you'll hear in this episode, ended up in the ER three times the other day with a nosebleed that the doctors couldn't get to stop. She was admitted to the hospital, and then released yesterday with foam packing in her nose going all the way back to her brain. Her trip home was postponed, and she is now with me until the doctor removes the packing on Monday, and we go from there. The trauma of this caused some panic attacks on her part, so she was sedated, and I have to keep a very close eye on her. It's mind-boggling to think that just a few days ago she and I were out shopping and reliving the fun times we had during her visit.
To top it all off, a city water main broke outside my house, flooding the area and leaving me with no usable water. So as I moved about the house yesterday picking up bloody rags, washing bloody clothes, organizing my mom's meds and trying to talk her out of calling 911 because she was convinced she was dying, I thought of Annie and the words of this song. Imagine that -- even when we're at our worst, God's grace is all-sufficient. In fact, it's barely tapped. God's scarcely lifting a finger when he comes to our aid during some of life's worst trials. Caring for our needs is child's play to him.
After a very bad night and morning, my mom woke up from a nap relatively lucid and positive. She showered, ate the lunch I fixed her, and is napping again. Monday can't come soon enough, but it will come. And until then, God's grace is sufficient. It's a privilege for me to care for my mom during this time. And what an encouragement to know that while I do that, God is caring for me.
Changed by the Gospel -- 00:00
Three friends of mine join me in the studio to share how God took their aimless, self-destructive lives and replaced them with new lives in Christ. This is the first of a two-part discussion on what it means to be a new creation, even if the path getting there has some twists and turns.
Michael W. Smith's New Hallelujah -- 25:10
Where were you when the Columbine shootings occurred? Believe it or not, they happened ten years ago, April 20, 1999, at the suburban Denver high school that has unwillingly become an icon of senseless tragedy. Focus staffers (and MWS groupies) Sara and Jennifer interview CCM pioneer Michael W. Smith this week in honor of his tribute to one of the victims, Cassie Bernall, a song titled "This Is Your Time." We learn here about his latest project, A New Hallelujah, from which this week's featured music comes.
Introducing Dorothy Anderson -- 39:03
She's here! I finally convinced my mom to sit down in front of a mic and look back on her 80 years of life. She was a champion swimmer, missionary, pastor's wife and corporate executive in a life story that is peppered with both laughter and tears. She shares some of the wisdom she's gleaned from being in the trenches. Part 1 of 2.
I saw a picture of my childhood in Peggy Noonan's latest column for the Wall Street Journal: A small sign of the times: USA Today this week ran an article about a Michigan family that, under financial pressure, decided to give up credit cards, satellite television, high-tech toys and restaurant dining, to live on a 40-acre farm and become more self-sufficient. The Wojtowicz family—36-year-old Patrick, his wife Melissa, 37, and their 15-year-old daughter Gabrielle—have become, in the words of reporter Judy Keen, "21st century homesteaders," raising pigs and chickens, planning a garden and installing a wood furnace.
I guess you could say my parents were 20th century homesteaders. Back in 1977 as the economy turned bad, my dad decided to move our family to the country. He bought just under an acre of land and set out to live a simpler, self-sufficient life. Like the Wojtowicz family, we had a garden, pigs, chickens, and a wood-burning heating solution. We also planted grapevines and lots of fruit trees. Many nights, the food on our table either came from the garden or dad's gun (we ate inordinate amounts of venison). My brothers and I didn't always enjoy this life. There were many mornings we didn't want to get up and go out in the dark to feed the animals (especially with the rats that often slept in the corn barrel we had to scoop from). We didn't like running out on cold nights to get wood to heat the house. We didn't like mowing around all our fruit trees. While our peers played Atari and watched cable TV, we walked through chicken poop to collect eggs and sweated our way through endless work projects. We couldn't help but notice that once my brothers and I left home, our parents got a riding lawnmower, central heat and air and a dishwasher. Apparently, the self-sufficiency model works best when you have lots of helpful hands around. I can't know how my life would have turned out if my dad hadn't moved us out to the country, but I sense that it was one of the most important decisions he ever made. We never had a lot of money, but we found a lot of wealth in all the life, hard work and agrarian character of our little place on earth. We didn't have to look up what the Bible meant when Jesus talked about vines, pruning, sowing, reaping, weaning, harvests, and all that other earthy stuff He used as examples. My experience of life in the country is still in my bloodstream. Not long ago, it inspired my to write some thoughts in my journal about the tug I feel back to the countryside. Here's a portion of that entry: ...I need a fence that needs mending as it meanders from the road to a home tucked between bushes and trees in a row. I need a place with a cadence of work and of fun and a calling of purpose when the day has begun. I need a place that each season has new things to do so that years later it's still something new...and refreshing.
Maybe that "need" isn't so crazy.
Blogger and Boundless Show guest Tim Challies is doing a big book giveaway today for his Free Stuff Fridays promo. All five Moody titles just happen to be by authors who have also been guests on the Boundless Show. They are: Carolyn McCulley, Mitch Temple, Kevin DeYoung, Steve Watters and yours truly.
It's not too late to enter to win. All it takes is a name and email address. You can do so here.
I used to think of my Christian walk like this: In some metaphorical sense I was creating a tapestry with my life, each day contributing a bit more to it. And at the end of my days, these threads of my life would become a gift to the Lord, the simple daily acts of kindness and obedience that I had weaved together made beautiful by Christ.
Today I was thinking about this again, after reading tomorrow's featured Boundless article, "The Glory of Little Things," by Jason Boyett. And another metaphor came to mind: My Christian walk is like a gradually growing financial investment, something to which I contribute a bit every day; it's not like winning the lottery or being given a windfall. In other words, the richness of life, its real value and significance, is found in engaging small everyday things, not in the flash-in-the-pan grandiosities.
Clearly my metaphors are lacking. So here's my proposal: Head over to the Webzine, read the article, and then share your own metaphor below. You could even share, like, a simile if you're so inspired.
Today thousands of people in dozens of cities around the United States are gathering to protest the billions trillions that our elected representatives are confiscating from our yet-to-be-born children to spend on stuff.
The idea for these marches may have begun in early February when blogger Keli Carender organized a grass-roots protest in Seattle, and then brought into the national limelight when CNBC's Rick Santelli suggested that it was time for "Tea Parties" to protest "subsidizing bad behavior," something he associated with our current administration's mortgage entitlement expansion plans.
Though mostly driven at the grass-roots level via the Internet, a couple of larger groups have stood up to facilitate the marches: Tax Day Tea Party and National TEA Party Day. PajamasTV is providing ongoing coverage of today's events.
And you know, as long as these protests remain non-violent, I think they're fine. It's healthy to see normal Americans express themselves this way.
On the other hand, we have reports of groups destroying and defecating on promotional materials, and seeking to infiltrate the marches to disrupt and defame those who are marching. And we have the national media (e.g., MSNBC, CNN, and others) relishing in homoerotic vulgarity by referring to those marching as "Tea-Baggers" bent on "Tea-Bagging."
So there you go. Some people are protesting out-of-control spending. And others are belittling and threatening them. Good thing that one of those groups is under the loving and watchful eye of Big Brother our Department of Homeland Security.
I am a Christian who works for a conservative organization that opposes abortion. And according President Obama's Department of Homeland Security (DHS), this makes me a threat to the United States.
On April 7, a nine-page document under the headline, "Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment" was sent to police and sheriff's departments across the United States. The report mainly targets "groups, movements, and adherents that are primarily hate-oriented (based on hatred of particular religious, racial or ethnic groups)" and "military veterans," but includes those dedicated to a single issue like abortion. Like me.
I don't know whether to laugh or cry ... or keep my eye out for black helicopters.
The best analysis I've read on the report is from Power Line Blog. Here are a couple of excerpts:
Of course, there are crazies of all stripes, and it's possible that a small group of "right wingers" could pose a terrorist threat. In principle, there is nothing wrong with assessing such threats from whatever direction they may come. Still, this report is an odd document. It is almost entirely unmoored to any empirical reality and appears to be heavily influenced by the political views of its (unidentified) authors. This is the central theme of the report:
The DHS/Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) has no specific information that domestic rightwing terrorists are currently planning acts of violence, but rightwing extremists may be gaining new recruits by playing on their fears about several emergent issues. The economic downturn and the election of the first African American president present unique drivers for rightwing radicalization and recruitment.
The whole point of the report is that "right wing" extremism is undergoing a "resurgence" as leaders of extremist groups take advantage of the down economy and the Obama administration to recruit new members. Weirdly, however, the report makes no effort to document any such increased recruitment or extremist activity of any sort. As far as one can tell from the report, "right wing" militias and similar groups may be dying out rather than growing.
And,
Whoever wrote the report seems deeply hostile to conservatives' opposition to the agenda of the Obama administration. For example:
Many rightwing extremists are antagonistic toward the new presidential administration and its perceived stance on a range of issues, including immigration and citizenship, the expansion of social programs to minorities, and restrictions on firearms ownership and use. Rightwing extremists are increasingly galvanized by these concerns and leverage them as drivers for recruitment.
Millions of Americans -- not just "rightwing extremists" -- are concerned about the administration's positions on immigration and many other issues. Note that wherever possible, the authors slip race into the discussion, as with the reference to "expansion of social programs to minorities." I'm not aware of a single social program that the Obama administration has proposed to "expand to minorities." But the authors' assumption is, apparently, that anyone who opposes the expansion of social programs must be a racist. Once again we see the assertion that right wing extremists are "galvanized" and are "leveraging" these issues as "drivers for recruitment." But is recruitment up, down, or stable? The report doesn't say, and its authors evidently don't know.
The lack of specific information of actual threats by the DHS makes me think that the report was written to intimidate conservatives by labeling anyone to the right of Obama as a "right-wing extremist." And it's in stark contrast to a similar warning about left-wing extremism in 2001 which included detailed statistics and named actual groups.
So beware you bitter small town, religious, gun-owning, anti-abortion, anti-illegal immigration, war veteran; Big Brother is watching you.
This year Focus is giving away a trip for two to the National Day of Prayer in Washington D.C.
The National Day of Prayer has partnered with tangle.com to create the Freedom Video Contest! One lucky contestant will win a trip for two Washington D.C., where they will experience the historic National Day of Prayer festivities in person alongside Dr. James and Shirley Dobson and Beth Moore!
All you have to do to be the lucky winner is enter a video explaining the importance of prayer in your life:
Create a video expressing the importance of prayer in your life. This is your opportunity to tell the world about the freedoms we enjoy in the United States of America and what they truly mean to you as they relate to prayer for our loved ones, our leaders, our nation and our world. Take advantage of this platform as you express your passion for and the power of prayer.
In this tangle video Michael W. Smith talks about his heart for National Day of Prayer and tells you a little more about the Freedom Video Contest. You can hear more from Michael on the Boundless Show this week. He will be joining us to talk about his most recent album A New Hallelujah.
Several years ago, I saw a made-for-TV-movie about P.T. Barnum--the famed American showman from the 1800's who founded the circus that would later go on to become the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus. I remember very little of it, except for one particular scene.
In the movie, Barnum had heard of a famous Swedish opera singer, Jenny Lind, who had toured with amazing success throughout Europe. Barnum sank every penny he had (and some that was not his) to secure Lind to tour through America, though he'd never even seen her perform.
The scene I remember is when Barnum finally meets Lind backstage before one of her performances. She is small and she is plain and he is clearly shocked at her lack of, shall we say, charisma or star qualities. She recognizes the disappointment in his face and takes him a little bit to task on it. He should have more faith. Appearances aren't always what they seem.
Don't worry, she says finally with a wry, little smile, when I sing I become beautiful.
At that, she walks out on stage. Barnum watches closely and finds himself, like the audience, swept away by her amazing voice. He understands.
I thought of that scene yesterday, as I watched a video clip of Susan Boyle (you can see it here). Boyle is a 47-year-old unemployed woman who decided to compete in the television reality series, Britian's Got Talent. As Boyle first stands on stage, you can see that the judges are clearly unimpressed. Simon Cowell even rolls his eyes. But, by the time she finishes her rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables, the crowd is on its feet and Cowell is smiling from ear to ear.
I rather doubt if the scene between Barnum and Lind actually took place. But there was a piece of truth in it, I think. Even if we don't meet the world's threshold for physical beauty, we can become beautiful by what we do.
God's Word speaks to that, as well. In both 1 Peter 3 and 1 Timothy 2, Christian woman are encouraged to seek the inner beauty of a "gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight" and to "dress modestly ... with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God."
If that's the kind of beautiful that's of "great worth" to God, then I know where my focus should be. So, today, I will strive to be beautiful, and it has absolutely nothing to do with how I look.
Congratulations, Miss Boyle.
Researchers have found that college students who use Facebook make a grade lower than their peers who shun the site. And you don't need to be a Rhodes Scholar to figure out why. It's because they're too distracted with friending, updating, chatting, poking, flairing, and sharing.
“Our study shows people who spend more time on Facebook spend less time studying,” said Aryn Karpinski, a researcher in the education department at Ohio State University. “Every generation has its distractions, but I think Facebook is a unique phenomenon.” ...
The Ohio report shows that students who used Facebook had a “significantly” lower grade point average -- the marking system used in US universities -- than those who did not use the site.
A student in the UK shares her story of how distracting -- and destructive -- it can be.
Daisy Jones, 21, an undergraduate in her final year at Loughborough University, realised the time she was spending on Facebook was threatening her grades -- prompting her to deactivate her account.
“I was in the library trying to write a 2,000-word essay when I realised my Facebook habit had got out of hand,” she said.
“I couldn’t resist going online. You do that, then someone’s photo catches your eye. Before you know it, a couple of minutes has turned into a couple of hours and you haven’t written a thing.” Jones is among the few to have recognised the risks. According to Karpinski’s research, 79% of Facebook-using students believed the time they spent on the site had no impact on their work.
That "a couple of minutes has turned into a couple of hours" thing affects more than just students. Pursuits ranging from work to Bible study to homemaking to family time can suffer from an unchecked Facebook habit.
"For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures."
Yes, and even now He is at the right hand of God, interceding for us.
May you be blessed as you consider the shameful sacrifice and glorious triumph of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I love hymns. I do. I know I stick out like a sore thumb in my generation and like a statistical anomaly on demographic studies, but so be it. I love hymns.
This thought crossed my mind when I read today's Boundless article, "Love to Tell." Before I could even read the article, I had to finish the hymn in my head.
I love to tell the story, 'twill be my theme in glory,
Everybody together!
To tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love.
And there's just something about Easter hymns, in particular, that gets my blood flowing a little. Maybe it's the memories of a childhood and youth of Easters spent with believers singing together. I loved seeing the congregations get a little umph in their songs this time of year (Hard to sing "Up from the grave He arose" in monotone).
Or maybe it's the lessons that I've learned from those hymns-- "Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe".
Or maybe it's the humility they remind me to have -- "When I survey the wondrous cross, on which the Prince of glory died, my richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride."
Or maybe it's the thankfulness of generations of saints that they call me to join --"I love that old cross where the dearest and best for a world of lost sinners was slain."
Or maybe it's the sheer joy of Christ's victory -- "Christ the Lord is risen today, Ah..ah..ah..ah..alleluia!"
I sometimes wonder if C.S. Lewis' admonition to us about books might not work for music too. Lewis wrote:
"It is a good rule, after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between. If that is too much for you, you should at least read one old one to every three new ones. Every age has its own outlook. It is specially good at seeing certain truths and specially liable to make certain mistakes. We all, therefore, need the books that will correct the characteristic mistakes of our own period. And that means the old books."
Maybe for every new song we sing to our Lord, it might not be a bad idea to go back and sing an old one. Not because an old song is worthy just because it is old, but because old songs have stood the test of generations and may point us toward genuine truths and even our own mistakes.
So, this Sunday, I certainly won't mind if our congregation sings contemporary songs. There are some great ones. But I hope we sing some old hymns as well. I'd like to "Awake my soul and sing, of Him who died for thee, And hail Him as thy matchless King, thro' all eternity."
This weekend we mark that nexus of history, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is the crucial, defining event of Christianity. Yet despite this clear teaching of Scripture, there have been those through the ages who have reduced Christ to merely a great teacher and Christianity to a code of good works. The most recent example of this I’ve come across is Erik Reece’s essay “Save Jesus, Ignore Easter.” In it this son and grandson of Baptist preachers confesses that he does not share their faith. But, he adds, he still wants to follow Jesus. He writes: American Christianity has historically been focused so obsessively on the Nicene Creed—which says Jesus was the son of God, who was crucified for our sins and rose from the grave three days later—that it never made much room for the actual teachings of this radical Jewish street preacher.
This is why I'm against Easter. It celebrates the death of Jesus nearly to the exclusion of his life. If the Easter miracle can save us from this life, then why bother with the harder work of enacting the kingdom of God here? It is, after all, much harder.
I’m always confused when I hear things like this. What “radical” teachings does he refer to? Perhaps this? Or maybe this? Or how about this? And there’s always this. To carry one’s cross was not just a great burden; under the Roman form of punishment, the condemned was forced to carry his cross as an acknowledgment of guilt. It was a way of saying that Rome was correct in meting out justice to this criminal. To carry one's cross is to acknowledge that you are guilty and that God is correct in meting out justice. That is the full import of that frequently misused verse. The good news is that Christ carried the cross and endured God's justice for us. Knowing this adds special weight to Paul’s declaration that “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Reece wants to do good works on this earth. Good for him. We can all learn from his example. But when he takes only a partial Jesus and ignores the full teaching of Scripture, he is not obeying Jesus. Me, I want Jesus, too, but I want the Jesus of Good Friday and Easter morning. Without that Jesus, I’d be a pitiable fool.
While running through my blog roll this morning, I came across this link from Between Two Worlds of a video showing a Jewish passover sacrifice. It's unpleasant to watch, to say the least. But Professor Todd Bolen of BiblePlaces.com believes there's value in Christians seeing it. Here's why:
We talked about the appropriateness of putting this online. The 5-minute video is as graphic as it gets. More and more people today don't realize that meat doesn't originate at a grocery store. They have little concept of an animal being raised and then slaughtered. Furthermore, almost no one in the Western world has ever sacrificed an animal for religious purposes.
I think, however, that is precisely why this *graphic* video should be shown. We read about sacrifice in the Bible but we don't really understand what that means. We read passages that talk about the "life being in the blood," but those are just words that we don't really consider. We "know" that the wages of sin are high, but we don't get the life lesson that the ancient Israelites received every year.
The point of sacrifice was simply this: you deserve to die because of your sin. This animal is dying in your place. Watching the priest slice his throat and watching the blood drain out drove the point home much better than reading a chapter of Leviticus
I thought mostly of how much God hates sin. To require such a bloody, painful mess resulting in death from the Israelites on an annual basis is one thing. But that He required it from his own Son, our Lord, did make me reflect on the cost of my sin in a way I hadn't before. As Bolen says later in his post, forgiveness isn't cheap.
In "Springtime of the Church" Roberto Rivera y Carlo examines the meaning and purpose of the Christian traditions surrounding Lent and Holy Week—the week leading up to Easter. He points out that these observances serve an important purpose for the Christian—they help him examine his heart and remember that from which he has been rescued.
Now, if you're anything like me — and for your sake, I pray that you're not — all this talk about self-examination and repentance can be unnerving and even depressing. After all, the contours of my life are marked by (to borrow a phrase by Re:Generation Quarterly's Andy Crouch) "disappointment, transcendence, frustration, delight, and anxiety — and a fair amount of just plain sin." My shortcomings can cause me to dread, not look forward to, this "springtime" of the Church.
That's because, as is my wont, my self-absorption causes me to miss the point and blinds me to the central and distinctive role that memory plays in biblical faith, especially during Holy Week. Holy Week is about anamnesis, bringing the past to mind in a way that transforms the present. During Holy Week we rehearse — in the most basic meaning of that word — the story of our salvation, starting with the Fall and culminating in Good Friday.
And throughout this rehearsal, a consistent picture of God emerges: the God who takes the initiative in reconciling us to Himself. He didn't wait for us to somehow "measure up." Instead, He came down and met us where we were. We are forgiven, as Maximus the Confessor said, through the human decision of a divine person — a decision we recall most vividly on Holy (or Maundy) Thursday and Good Friday.
I'm reminded of Psalm 103:10, which says, "He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities." That is the purpose of this season of self-examination. To come to grips with our humanness and understand more fully the mercy that has been extended. And not only mercy but the opportunity to start fresh every day...every minute. To witness God redeeming even our most despicable sins. That is the joy of Easter.
Memory is what gives Lent and Holy Week their power. Hope, born of recalling that "through [Christ] we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God," can transform us in a way that shame and guilt — to say nothing of indifference — cannot. Hope is why this springtime of the Church can shape us in ways that are not only unmistakable but eternal, as well.
Don't let Holy Week pass without reflecting on our great Savior's ability to transform lives and bring Spring to the darkest of souls.
I'm feeling a little sick right now. I just ate at a green speckled Jelly Belly. I think it was wasabi. Is there such a thing as a wasabi Jelly bean? What sicko thought of that? It may take a whole snickers to get that taste out of my mouth.
Speaking of sweets, I'm glad to inform you that I'm over Splenda. I snuck some in my coffee yesterday and I had to pour out the whole cup. My taste buds finally recognize it as the imitation it really is. Victory is sweet. I would like to thank God, the Academy, and my fiance who has taken away my Splenda packets in my weaker moments.
Okay, down to business. We have a great line up for this week's podcast. Lisa is on vacation, so Motte's filling in as our host. Our musical guest is indie band Journey Home.
Dating Q&A 2 -- 00:00
If you enjoyed last week's Q&A round table, you're going to love part 2. The team tackles three listener questions about long-distance dating, marriage time lines, and family baggage.
Personal Faith, Public Policy -- 13:45
There's been a steady flow of political posts on the blog the past couple of days. Thanks for joining the discussion. To give us a greater framework for our political discourse, Tony Perkins President of the Family Research Council joins us to talk about personal faith and public policy. This is an interview you will not want to miss no matter where you fall on the political spectrum.
To Marry in College-- 40:33
She wants some suggestions about getting married in college. Her fiance is about to start med school and she has two more years of undergrad. Steve and Motte help them count the cost of their decision and offer some strategic advice about how to make it through med school and marriage. And since all the smart stuff had been said, I point out the importance of not expecting to have a Pottery Barn sofa in your married student housing apartment. You may think it's silly, but if she's anything like me, it needed to be said.
"It wasn't a bow. He grasped his hand with two hands, and he's taller than King Abdullah." So says an aide to U.S. President Barack Obama.
Of course, the videos clearly show that President Obama in fact did bow -- deeply -- before the King of Saudi Arabia last week, offering him an embarrassing deference no President has ever given a foreign leader in our entire history as a nation.
A few days later the President explained, "We have to change our behavior in showing the Muslim world greater respect." His bow may have been an awkward manifestation of that "respect," or it simply could have revealed his extraordinary ignorance of protocol.
In the words of a Washington Time editorial,
By bending over to show greater respect to Islam, the U.S. president belittled the power and independence of the United States. The bow was an extraordinary protocol violation. Such an act is a traditional obeisance befitting a king's subjects, not his peer.
To be frank, after the surreality of the past couple of months, I'm not surprised by our President's symbolic gesture of submission to the "Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques," protector of the two holiest cities of Islam, Mecca and Medina. Whether this submission is the result of intentionality or ignorance, I can't say.
Or maybe there's a less bewildering explanation: Perhaps President Obama thought there was a teleprompter mounted in the floor.
It's rare to see a conservative belief (let alone a Christian one) be allowed to win the day on a politically correct daytime talk show. But it happened last week on Oprah when Dr. Mehmet Oz shocked guest Michael J. Fox by proclaiming that the debate on embryonic stem cell research is dead. Both Winfrey and Fox, who suffer's from Parkinson's disease, seemed disquieted when Dr. Oz spoke of the problems with embryonic stem cells and promise of adult stem cells.
In January, an ordinary guy named Christ Otto had a vision of flooding the White House with empty red envelopes representing the millions of children who've died in abortions. So he emailed a few of his friends asking them to join him in the effort. Then, amazingly, his idea went viral on the Internet and led to an organized mailing event (I received two invitations on Facebook).
Another ordinary guy named Brian Potter ran with the idea and created redenvelopeday.com. Red Envelope Day was March 31st, the day when millions of red envelopes were to be mailed to the White House with this simple message written on the outside, "This envelope represents one child who died in abortion. It is empty because that life was unable to offer anything to the world. Responsibility begins with conception."
The ultimate goal of this symbolic gesture is to change the president's heart on abortion. Otto writes, "This is a message to [the president] that God hears the cry of innocent blood." Time will tell if it has its desired effect on the president. But according to a report from World Net Daily, at least his vision of flooding the White House was realized.
The White House mail office has confirmed it received a "deluge" of as many as 2.25 million red envelopes symbolizing the empty promise of lives snuffed out in abortion in a massive campaign that was larger than most White House mailing movements in the last 35 years.
White House mail worker "Steve" has handled letters for 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. for more than three decades. Every single package and letter destined for the White House goes through his office.
Asked if he has seen a flood of red envelopes bound for the White House, Steve chuckled.
"Uh, yes," he said emphatically. "Believe me, they made it here."
Steve said while Obama has been occupied in Europe, his administration has noticed millions of red envelopes on behalf of aborted children.
"Quite frankly, there was definitely a deluge of mail coming through," he laughed. "I had to handle them all."
"I've been here 35 years, so I've seen presidents come and go," Steve told WND. "This campaign ranks up there with the big ones."
Despite its success, Otto doesn't expect any media coverage. And other than this report from WND, I haven't seen any. One of my colleagues quipped that had it been a green envelope day to raise awareness about the environment, it probably would have been picked up by every major news outlet in America.
So what now? Otto believes a revival is coming to America. So he has established a "center of prayer in Boston." Given the overwhelming response to Red Envelope Day, maybe he's right.
During the campaign, Barack Obama won over a lot of pro-life Christians by saying that he wanted to reduce abortions. Our friend Gary Bauer writes today about how Obama is actually governing:
While President Obama likes to talk about “reducing the need for abortion,” his administration is taking steps to implement one of the most extreme proposals imaginable – repealing conscience protections for medical professionals. Make no mistake about the outcome of this action: religious hospitals, doctors and nurses will be forced to perform abortions or other procedures that violate their values.
Gary also shows how the polling-friendly term "pro-choice" doesn't apply to medical professionals in Obama's proposal:
This issue clearly exposes the pro-abortion extremism of Barack Obama and the Left. A woman’s “right of conscience” is protected to the extent that she can decide whether or not her unborn baby lives or dies. Now the pro-abortion Left wants to take away the right of conscience from doctors and nurses who want no part in the destruction of innocent human life. That is not “pro-choice” – it is pro-abortion.
"How're ya doin'?"
"Just fine."
"Yeah? No, really, how are you doing?"
"Um."
So, are they a bit out of line for pressuring me for vulnerability, or am I a bit out of line for giving a culturally-expected response to what I interpreted as a simple way to make a connection, a simple way to affirm each other's existence?
Discuss.
Over the weekend I read where a California woman who caused a fatal car accident while text-messaging was sentenced to six years in prison. I shuddered. I shuddered because I've done that; I've texted while driving. I don't know that I've ever written one or tried to complete a transaction over my cell like this woman. But I've checked my email and looked at a text or two while on the road.
Turns out, I'm not alone.
According a survey from FindLaw, 48% of young adults ages 18-24 have texted while driving (and 27% of 25-34 year-olds have too). Combine that with a recent AAA study showing a four-fold increase in accidents among people who use cell-phone while driving and what you get is a whole lot of potential for what happened to driving-while-texting Deborah Matis-Engle and victim Petra Winn in Redding, CA.
I'm one of those people who're pretty good at doing two things at once, but it's impossible to keep your eyes on the road and text-message at the same time. That's why I'll keep my iPhone out of reach from now on. Because all it takes is a moment of distraction to change everything, either by ending your own life or someone else's.
Proverbs 12:18
There is one whose comments on blogs are like sword thrusts, but the comments of the wise brings healing.
Proverbs 14:7
Don't follow the Twitter feed of a fool, for there you do not meet words of knowledge.
Some wise words, with slight updates in italics, from the Book. Such is Joshua Harris's blog post today about what Scripture has to say about our many, rapidly evolving forms of communicating. He writes, "We've all sent an e-mail and forgotten to include the attachment we
promise. But have you ever sent the wrong e-mail to the wrong person?" I'm sure I've done that a time or two. But worse, I think, is writing something in the heat of the moment, only to regret it later. That's especially true when, after the passage of time and the gleaning of more detail, you realize you were missing some important facts. Just last week Steve was reminding me of the Stephen Covey principle about how humans are the only creatures with the ability to pause between a stimulus acted upon them, and their response to it. Then yesterday, I had the opportunity to do just that. Now that I've had time to cool down, stop crying, pray and think deeply about the troubling circumstance, I'm going to respond. I can assure you my response today will look markedly different from the blathering mess it would have been yesterday!
James 1:19
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to read, slow to reply all, slow to click send.
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