Is Chick-Fil-A BAD?!

I read an article, click her for the article from the Baptist Press, about how some college campuses are against Chick-Fil-A because of their Christian beliefs and support of certain organizations.

Even some colleges have made a decision not to pursue a relationship with this restaurant because of their concern that a minority, like at Northeastern University, where 1.5% of the students protested the coming of a Chick-Fil-A, so the school stopped negotiations for this restaurant.

If you don't believe the beligerence the world has towards Christians, you are sorely mistaken. This article, even though it's about one simple restaurant is indicative. Yet, if Christians were to do the same to a Planned Parenthood facility or supported restaurant, the Christians would be bashed as intolerant.

So, there you go!! The sad thing, and this is really bad, we will sit around and take it, then wonder what happened to our safe world!

Is Chick-Fil-A bad? No way!! Good food, good causes, but that's not what some are saying!

Here's another link to the article from the Baptist Press.

MEN! For MEN!

We Men

I read this in another blog called Serving Strong. I thought is was excellent, so here it is.

Warning: This post is for the men only. Ladies, feel free to read it, but there’s some potty talk. Fair warning.

Tough As Nails

We men are supposed to be tough. We don’t cry. If we do cry, we get a mark on our man-card. Four marks and we will lose our card until we can prove we’ve watched 40 hours of Chuck Norris films, used one roll of duct tape for stuff around the house, and logged at least 75 times where we either broke wind (SBD’s not included) or burped out loud.

We men are the strong species. We are the go-to guys. We have the answers. We have the solutions. We drive F-650 quad-cabs with hemi’s, ride wild horses and wear light brown, steel-toed cowboy boots. We’ve read all the John Eldredge books out there. We pick our nose when we want. We smack other guys’ butts when they make a good play on the field, and we spit where and when we decide. We wear cowboy hats and star in Viagra commercials pulling our horse trailers.

Achilles Heel

But when we men suffer from depression, we have no time for bravado. We can’t “MacGyver” our way through it. Depression is bigger than we are. We can’t always figure our way out of it. We need help. Depression is our Achilles Heel. Like grabbing both feet of any running back in the NFL, no matter how great they are or how much money they make, they will go down every time.

If you’re a man reading this post and you think you may be suffering from depression, there’s only one option:

GET.HELP.

(you won’t lose your man-card)

Positive Psychology

Remember to watch the video, click the title, Positive Psychology.

No, I'm not talking positive psychology, someone else is. Watch the video below, it's 12:30, but it's humorous, and there's a great point about how we live our lives.

I'm not sure if the speaker, Shawn Achor is a Christian, but his principles about happiness are on target. He does not refer to experiencing inner joy, which we gain through the Holy Spirit, but most of us base our happiness on externals, which we can often control. So, take a look and let me know what you think . . .

Scripture Memorization - Week 6

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. -- 1 John 1:9.

This is a wonderfully powerful passage reminding us of the big "IF". If we confess our sins to God, He not only is faithful and just, but He will also forgive us of our sins, and then He will cleanse us, purify us from all of our unrighteousness (sin)!

Thanks be to God!!

Amen!

THE CHURCH

As I've been thinking about the church lately, who we are, what we are about, what we are not supposed to be about, I came up with a short list . . .

What do you think? What would you add or subtract from my list?

If Jesus was living in me and in His church what type of fruit should I bear?

1. I should have a greater desire for Him.

2. I should have a greater love of people, all people.

3. I should hate sin . . . (yes, I know and love the sinner).

4. I should be humble, thinking others are better than me (aka humility).

5. I should be practicing the fruits of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness and self-control).

6. I should be generous (financially, with time and resources).

7. I should be taking care of my body.

8. I should be drawing closer to Him.

9. I should be obedient to Him, not because I have to, but because I want to.

If Jesus was living in the church, what should the church produce?

1. People that love one another.

2. People who are passionate about Jesus.

3. People who are open to receiving all people (since all people are sinners).

4. People who work together for His good, not ours.

5. People who seek to serve, rather than be serve.

6. People who are focused on bring others to a transforming relationship with Jesus.

7. People who are willing to put aside their 'rights' so that others can experience redemption
and acceptance through Christ.

8. People who are filled with His hope and love, power, strength and courage!

9. People who are filled with joy and passion, in the midst of sorrow.

On the flip side of that, Jesus Does Not Produce:

1. A critical spirit

2. Racism

3. Fighting within the church (aka - selfishness)

4. Bitterness / unforgiveness

5. Dead and self serving worship

6. Boring preaching

7. Gossip

8. Passionless followers

9. Fear

What else can you think of? I'd really be interested in your thoughts!!

Scripture Memorization - Week 3

Here is this week's Scripture Memorization ~

It comes from Joshua 1:9 ~ God is speaking to Joshua . . .

"Have I not commanded you: Be strong and courageous, but not afraid nor dismayed, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you may go."

Joshua is about to lead the people of Israel into the Promised Land. Moses is dead and he is the new leader! Imagine the fear and anxiety, but 3 times in the first verses, God says to Joshua, "be strong and courageous!"

I love this verse!! It's the reason we named Joshua, Joshua! Wherever you go, you can be strong and courageous, wherever you go, you don't have to be afraid or dismayed, all for the same reason . . . (drum roll please) The Lord your God will be with you wherever you may go!! How comforting, how reassuring to know that the God of all creation will be with us . . . ALWAYS!!!!!!!!

Scripture Memorization - Week 2

Here is week 2's Scripture memorization . . .

(Jesus said,) "The thief only comes to steal and to kill and to destroy; I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly." - John 10:10

Jesus gives us the great offer of living the super abundant life. Are you? Or have you accepted the life satan, the thief offers you, one in which he seeks to steal and kill and destroy your heart, soul and life?

The choice is always ours!!

Tebowing

Here is a great article about the heart of Tim Tebow. Whether you think he has football skill or not, he has an amazing heart and passion for people. Read the article by Rick Reilly from ESPN.

http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/7455943/believing-tim-tebow


Here is a snippet from Rick Reilly . . .

I've come to believe in Tim Tebow, but not for what he does on a football field, which is still three parts Dr. Jekyll and two parts Mr. Hyde.

No, I've come to believe in Tim Tebow for what he does off a football field, which is represent the best parts of us, the parts I want to be and so rarely am.

Who among us is this selfless?

Every week, Tebow picks out someone who is suffering, or who is dying, or who is injured. He flies these people and their families to the Broncos game, rents them a car, puts them up in a nice hotel, buys them dinner (usually at a Dave & Buster's), gets them and their families pregame passes, visits with them just before kickoff (!), gets them 30-yard-line tickets down low, visits with them after the game (sometimes for an hour), has them walk him to his car, and sends them off with a basket of gifts.

Home or road, win or lose, hero or goat.

Remember last week, when the world was pulling its hair out in the hour after Tebow had stunned the Pittsburgh Steelers with an 80-yard OT touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas in the playoffs? And Twitter was exploding with 9,420 tweets about Tebow per second? When an ESPN poll was naming him the most popular athlete in America?

Tebow was spending that hour talking to 16-year-old Bailey Knaub about her 73 surgeries so far and what TV shows she likes.

"Here he'd just played the game of his life," recalls Bailey's mother, Kathy, of Loveland, Colo., "and the first thing he does after his press conference is come find Bailey and ask, 'Did you get anything to eat?' He acted like what he'd just done wasn't anything, like it was all about Bailey."

Imagine if more people / athletes were like Tebow.