Hanes Evangelism!

When I was a teenager in the 70's these kinds of shirts existed then, with knock-offs of the ads that existed then." GAP " God Answer Prayer; "FBI" firm believer in Christ. They were tacky then, they're still tacky now.Today the one that turn my stomach more than any is" Jesus Is My Home Boy." For me to try and see Jesus as an Home Boy is.....

Now if they were just tacky, that would be something for the person wearing the shirt to bear. But what get's me is that they kinda cheapen the gospel of Jesus Christ which I don't like. I believe,they kinda turn off people who aren't Christians, causing more harm than good for the cause of Christ.

For me there are two important ways you can spread the gospel in an effective way: You can live it and You can speak it. But at some point in Christendom some one made a decision to try something new. Which seems to just by pass passing out tracts to strangers on the street and instead just buy a cheesy tee-shirt. Question: Has "Hanes Evangelism"ever won any one to Christ? Really! Is there any poof wearing a tee-shirt has directed one lost soul toward the Savior? Please understand there's nothing wrong with a Christian wearing a cheesy tee-shirt.I just don't see using this as an evangelistic tool that's all. Tell me can you remember the cheeses tee-shirt logo you have ever seen?

Now some one has taken Gossip Girl's traditional sign-off ("You know you love me. XOXO") and changed it into "You know Jesus loves you" and then the Greek word for fish, which kind of resembles the kissy sign-off. BRB, got 2 go 2 church, lol.

"hi" saved you? Wii! Get it?

This shirt is tacky enough, but I also think the theology of Jesus as an "easy button" is dubious.

Now this kind of "flirt to convert" shirts is the tacky of them all.

Debra Lee Need To Be Fired!

I should've known better.I could use several words to describe the BET awards show, but i decided to keep it simple The word i have chosen is HORRIBLE. It was totally embarrassing. The artist of today are talentless, unlearned and disrespectful. And we say this our future? God help us....On Sunday night, BET held their annual BET Awards show what a mess of a show. Ever since Michael Jackson's unexpected death last Thursday, the entertainment network had been scrambling to find a way to honor the legendary singer. Producers were quoted as saying the show would be re-tooled to pay proper homage to the "King of Pop."

The tributes to Jackson felt thrown together--montages of Jackson's career were arbitrarily intertwined throughout the telecast while artists shared their memories of Jackson as the show cut to a commercial. Despite the minimal effort, the show was too often void of talent and class.

It's amazing to think with as many artists as were present on Sunday's award show, that there weren't more standout moments that could rightfully pay tribute to Michael Jackson. That's certainly an indictment of the modern age of music, but it also showcases the genius of the "King of Pop." Though he is gone--and hasn't made a wildly popular album in almost two decades--his talent still outshines any artist working today.

The Man That Find A Wife Find A Good Thing.

My grandmother always had some advice for you rather you wanted to here it or not. She once told me "don't be a door mat for any man". When I heard about what happen with 1st lady Sanford I thought about what my granny said so many years ago.
Time after time we’ve seen the wives of politicians stand by their men as their husbands mount teary eyed, scripted apologies for their philandering ways. Well Jenny Sanford, Governor Mark Sanford’s wife, ain’t having it. When Governor Sanford gave his speech on Wednesday begging for forgiveness for having a long term affair with a woman in Argentina and disappearing on everyone for a week, he was all alone. There was no dutiful wife by his side and with a statement she released to the media on Friday, made it clear she had no intentions of so easily giving her forgiveness:

I believe wholeheartedly in the sanctity, dignity and importance of the institution of marriage. I believe that has been consistently reflected in my actions. When I found out about my husband’s infidelity I worked immediately to first seek reconciliation through forgiveness, and then to work diligently to repair our marriage. We reached a point where I felt it was important to look my sons in the eyes and maintain my dignity, self-respect, and my basic sense of right and wrong. I therefore asked my husband to leave two weeks ago.

This trial separation was agreed to with the goal of ultimately strengthening our marriage. During this short separation it was agreed that Mark would not contact us. I kept this separation quiet out of respect of his public office and reputation, and in hopes of keeping our children from just this type of public exposure. Because of this separation, I did not know where he was in the past week.

I believe enduring love is primarily a commitment and an act of will, and for a marriage to be successful, that commitment must be reciprocal. I believe Mark has earned a chance to resurrect our marriage.

Psalm 127 states that sons are a gift from the Lord and children a reward from Him. I will continue to pour my energy into raising our sons to be honorable young men. I remain willing to forgive Mark completely for his indiscretions and to welcome him back, in time, if he continues to work toward reconciliation with a true spirit of humility and repentance.

Ouch. Those are strong words.

I remain willing to forgive Mark completely for his indiscretions and to welcome him back, in time, if he continues to work toward reconciliation with a true spirit of humility and repentance. Its clear she missed the Tammy Wynette school of how to be a politicians wife and I ain’t mad at her. Hopful she is setting the example for other wives of cheating men on how it should be done.

Men's Day And The Black Church!

Men Day have always been important in the black church for a number of reasons and, as such, they tend to have strong, meaningful, historical overtones. Some people speak of America’s racist and unjust history toward black people in terms of “manhood denied.” Ice Cube said in a rap, “You treat me less than a man, cuz right now you got the upper hand.” But rather than seeing the day as an opportunity of reprieve for black men from an oppressive existence, what the day offers black church communities is a chance to celebrate the healthy roles men have played, and can continue to play, in the unfolding divine drama of black freedom that involves the entire community—women, men, youth, and children.

What the day also allows us to do is to be conscious of the ways that our community has endured despite the challenges against us, and to celebrate men who do not reproduce the oppression that they have overcome by marginalizing women, children, or gay and lesbian persons. The day is a day in which to celebrate wholeness or to begin on a road to wholeness by emphasizing similar themes as the Million Man March did in 1995—namely, redemption, reconciliation, and atonement. A focus on redemption allows men to be purpose driven by reminding them that many black men need others to reach out to them, and that we continuously have to lift as we climb to greater emotional, religious, and social heights in our lives. Reconciliation reminds us how important it is for us to come to grips with our own issues and to unite with other men and women across class and cultural lines within black communities and heal broken relationships and strengthen community ties. Atonement reminds us that we need forgiveness from our friends, families, colleagues, partners, and children for our failures. HAPPY MEN DAY!

Who’s Going To Perform The Michael Jackson Tribute?

Well one thing is for certain, the BET Awards are guaranteed their best ratings ever with the death of Michael Jackson. I’m actually going to watch it this year whereas I just would have caught the highlights online.So now, the other question is: Who’s going to perform the Michael Jackson tribute?

1. Usher
2. Chris Brown
3. Justin Timberlake
   

All three of the above have more than channeled MJ their entire careers. But to me Chris Brown’s career is built on being little MJ as the following performances show: While both Usher and Justin Timberlake can make their own claims to the Michael Jackson throne, neither of them move as well as Chris…both Usher and Timberlake can out sing Chris, but on pure performance value and channeling MJ AND sending the man off in the style he so richly deserves…as much as it pains me to say it…this should be Chris Brown’s shining moment and, if he get it, would secure the comeback he so desperately needs after the abuse plea. So what do you think:

1. Will he get it?
2. Does he deserve it?
3. Will the Michael Jackson Tribute suffer if Chris isn’t the chosen one?

“16 and Pregnant”

MTV is at it again! It has come out with a new show that follows the lives of high school girls who are pregnant. In my teen years being pregnant was frown upon not celebrated. Any way the show is called “16 and Pregnant,” and the following trailer will give you an idea for what this mini-series has in store:

Now I watched the show for the second time the other night, and I don't think it's a good idea. To me it almost seem like MTV is glamorizing the idea of teen pregnancy. All you see is young girls throwing baby showers and getting excited about how cute the baby will be.

I believe that’s the last unrealistic message that MTV’s viewers need to hear. Lately in the news there were stories of young girls who intentionally got pregnant for a myriad of reasons. Is it safe to say that when most young people make the fateful decision to have sex before they’re married, they’re not considering the weight of their actions. So is MTV feeding their naiveté? Question: Do shows like this de-stigmatize out-of-wedlock pregnancies? What's your thoughts?

The King Of King Welcome The King Of Pop Home!

I pray that grace, peace and mercy will cover Michael family, friends and fans in this time of mourning. While he was a great artist and so much more, he was also a father, a brother, a nephew, an uncle. And a son. What a tragedy for any parent to have to bury their child.

We have no way of knowing where he’s ultimately spending his eternity, but I was reading something posted on Mary Mary’s Facebook page that touch my heart and lifted my spirit:

• Last night we received some good news from Terri McFaddin-Solomon who is good friends with Sandra Crouch. Three weeks ago Sandra and Andre’ spent some time with their close friend, Michael Jackson. Michael asked Andre` to play, “It Won’t Be Long And We’ll Be Leaving Here.” Michael then prayed with Sandra and Andre and accepted Christ into his heart. Now he’s singing in the heavenly choir.! Our hearts rejoice!

He was a legend; an icon. His career, epic. His talent, unrivaled. His life, troubled. Often imitated but will never duplicated. He is the King of Pop. The late Michael Jackson. Too know that he accepted Christ in the end is The most important thing that could have ever happen to him and also for us. Rest In Peace Michale!

What Does Love Mean To You?

It's true, the greatest gift given to us is love. It's the purpose for living and the reason we were made. We were made to move in God's love and spread it to the world so that everyone may see His love through us. Down through time the idea of love have turn into a human instinct and simplified into a mental response designed to continue the human species. This turns the concept of love into something of a physical nature rather than a gift from God.

We as humans, have tried to cut, and trim love to fit our own way of thinking. But trimming love is essentially the same as trying to trim God himself, which can't be done. It's a never-failing always-giving gift that seems to be almost ignored. I can tell you from personal experience that love can be ignored out of sheer human pride, a pride that often stems from a false love that we've allowed the world to create for us. When we let the world create love for us it becomes something reserved for only a select few that we have chosen worthy of our love. Everyone else seems to be a blemish or nuisance in our lives that we shun in order to maintain an idea of superiority in the world. But when we swallow our pride and allow our love to reach those we would otherwise ignore, we can finally see not only the love of God stemming throughout the world, but we can see our true purpose as children of God. Romans 8:38-39

We have a love that will never leave us and never change. Unlike humans, God is the same everyday and so is His love. The only way I know to truly thank Him is to give all of our life and love to Him and show everyone we can that some love. In my eyes, love is a gift and a reason. It's a gift that will never run out and a reason to live every day to its fullest.

So, what does love mean to you?

Tolerance Is Not The Ultimate Goal, Love Is.

Jesus never asked or instructed us to tolerate people He commanded us to love them.Tolerance is a word that shouldn't be a part of the believers vocabulary . Tolerance is a permissive attitude toward opinions and practices that differ from our own. It is easy to allow someone to live any way that they want just as long as it doesn’t affect your own life. It is much harder to love people as we love ourselves. The God kinda of Love requires us to do more than just accept people of all kinds from a distance - essentially ignoring them. This kind of love requires us to actually get involved in people’s lives.

If loving God is what gives us our identity as Christians and that same God says that loving people is just as important as loving Him, then Christians should be identified also by their love of people. In other words, Jesus never instructed us to “love your neighbor as yourself as long as your neighbor is the same race, gender, class, sexual orientation, and has the same faith as you.” In other words love is action this means helping your family, friends, coworkers, and literal neighbors with “life stuff” – listen to their problems, help them move, drive them to the airport, bring them food when they’re sick, etc. This list could go on and on. The goal is to show others the love of Christ which was freely given to us.

Love, the kind Christ speaks of, seeks to help others in all areas possible- and this includes telling people when they are wrong. Love involves correction. Tolerance discourages correction. Unfortunately Christians have a hard time telling the difference between being self-righteously judgmental and simply standing up for truth out of love for others and God, and so tolerance takes over. Question? Would you want people to tolerate you?

How Much Of What We Believe Is From The Bible?

There's nothing wrong with disagreement! I can disagree with my brother and sister in love and in Christ with out falling out. Just because I don't embrace your way of thinking or a certain thought that you may have it don't make me a cult. I don't believe the direction the church is headed in is the right direction... . meaning I don't believe the attack on people life styles and choices is what the church should be doing.

God gave every man FREE WILL and He will judge every man according to what he/she did with that FREE WILL. You can not regulate a person heart but you can change a person heart and mind with the truth of the word of God and not some erroneous teaching that is not true. All sin should be attack from the pulpit and not just homosexuality and abortion. If you don't like were I stand on an issue that's alright with me but that is my stand unless you can show me different.

Because on that Day when I ANN BROCK stand before a Living God I will have to give an account for believing what I believe. I don't believe that homosexuality and abortion will ever be settle in my life time and I don't believe they are more or less that any other sins. Now when I visit people blogs and don't agree with there stand on a certain topic I don't use my disagreement with them on that particular topic to try and discredit their work or their faith that's what a babe in Christ would do.

Now if I ask you to prove to me were the Bible said God destroyed Sodomy and Gomorrah base solely on homosexuality and not some erroneous teaching that you may have been taught down through the years and you can't. Then don't start calling me a cult because you can't back up what you said . But you can go to your blog and write a post about me being a cult and your need to remove my blog from your blogroll because you don't want to seen people to a cult teaching. Oh well! Now since you claim Christ as your Lord like I do I didn't see a problem asking you to show me were that appeared in scripture. Now, again if it can't be found between Genesis and Revelation that means it's not there. So really you don't have any thing to stand on but erroneous teaching.

God explicitly names what it was about Sodomy and Gomorrah that caused Him to destroy them and I believe if God wanted to destroyed America today it would be for the same reason. And not because of one or two things. I will not use my blog as a form of attack...Now I will attack people ideas but not them. So, if that mean I am a cult Oh Well.

1. Pride
2. Excess food
3. Prosperous ease
4. Lack of love for the poor and needy
5. Haughtiness
6. Practicing an abomination

Desiring God!

I like John Piper teaching and I love reading his many books. His latest book Desiring God is a book with a very basic concept of Christianity that many seem to have missed. In which he expresses as a logical syllogism:

1. Humans desire happiness and pleasure.
2. God's being is the source of all happiness and pleasure.
3. Therefore, it makes perfect sense to pursue God wholeheartedly.
   

John Piper calls this concept Christian hedonism, and his main statement is, "God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in Him."

Why is it that we so often attribute undesirable qualities to God, but we also recognize that He commands us to desire Him?

This won't work. Humans are not wired to want someone who harms them or treats them badly. We are wired to desire those who are desirable to us in some way. God made us. It would have been ridiculous for Him to command us to do something that can't be done.

Instead, "We love because he first loved us." - 1 John 4:19

I think I know a lot of people who wish they desired God and feel very guilty because they can't seem to want Him as much as they feel they should. I have done this as well. The truth is, though, that when we have a real encounter with the heart breakingly attractive Person of God, we cannot help but desire Him. When we are touched by God's love, mercy, beauty, tenderness, justice, comfort, glory, majesty, and intimacy, it becomes inconceivable for us not to desire Him (though our feelings will always wax and wane).

I suppose what I am trying to say is that if an object is desirable to us, we will desire it automatically. If it is not desirable to us, we won't desire it. Desire cannot be manufactured.

Really Do We Need A National Championship For Texting?

Okay, okay, so texting is popular. Everyone is doing it but way ahead of the bell curve has to be the pre-teens and teens as they bruise their thumbs in order to stay cool, or cheat at school. Does this mean though that we really have to condone excessive texting to the point that we have a national championship to figure out who is the fast texter? Come-on people this is stupid!

Sure the publicity for GL, who sponsored this massive nonsense, is worth the $50 Grand that the winning 15 year old girl walked off with, but I still ask why do we need to do this?

Kate Moore, the 15 year old winner, said that parents should chill out about their kids texting through dinner cause they could end up just like her with a big purse of money and a new phone.

Moore, with a speedy and accurate performance, beat out 20 other finalists from around the country over two days of challenges such as texting blindfolded and texting while maneuvering through a moving obstacle course.

In the final showdown, she outtexted 14-year-old Morgan Dynda, of Savannah, Ga. Both girls had to text three lengthy phrases without making any mistakes on the required abbreviations, capitalization or punctuation. Moore squeaked through by a few seconds on the tiebreaking text, getting the best two out of three. As she anxiously waited for confirmation of her win, tears streamed down her face.

The teen dismisses the idea that she focuses too much on virtual communications, saying that while she has sometimes had her phone taken away from her in school, she keeps good grades, performs in school plays and socializes with friends — in person — on the weekends.

In between, she finds time to send about 400 to 470 texts a day. Among her uses of the text message? Studying for exams with friends, which she says is better done by text because she can look back at the messages to review.

Source: Yahoo News

I realize full well that I am probably in the minority here but this just strikes me as being wrong. It’s right up there with kiddy beauty pageants as far as I am concerned.

An Old Farmer's Advice:

1. Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight, and bull-strong.
2. Keep skunks and bankers and lawyers at a bay.
3. 
   
4. Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.
5. 
   
6. Bumble bees are considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.
7. Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled.
8. Meanness don't jus' happen overnight.
9. Forgive your enemies. It messes up their head.
10. Don't corner somethin' you know's meaner'n you.
11. It don't take a very big person to carry a grudge.
12. You can't unsay a cruelword.
13. Every path has a few puddles.
14. When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.
15. The best sermons are lived,not preached.
16. Most of the stuff people worry about ain't never gonna happen, no way.
17. Don't judge folks by their relatives.
18. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
19. Live a good, honorable life.That way, when you get older and think back,
20. you'll enjoy it a second time.
21. Don't interfere with somethin' that ain't
22. botherin' you none.
23. Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.
24. If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.
25. Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.
26. The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with,
27. watches you from the mirror every mornin.
28. Always drink upstream from the herd.
29. Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.
30. Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.
31. If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence,
32. try orderin' somebody else's dog around.
33. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly Leave the rest to God.

Happy Fathers Day!

If you have a dad who loves you celebrate him with joy this Father’s Day. But keep in mind that every one is not standing in your shoes. Father’s Day can be a source of great pain and sorrow. For many years Father Day has always been a time of pain for me. Like many children today who don’t live with their biological father neither did I. I grew up watching my six sisters enjoying their father love but I couldn't connect. For me one day I will leave this world having never experience an earthly father love for his child for me that has always brought me great pain.

Any way, according to fathersforlife.org, the figure for children without fathers approaches 40 percent nationally and is almost double that in the inner city. Add to that those who simply have a strained relationship with their father over some disappointed expectation, and the pain multiplies greatly. The fallout from absent fathers has been well-documented. Eight-five percent of children with behavioral disorders come from fatherless homes, as do 90 percent of homeless children, 71 percent of dropouts and 63 percent of suicides. It seems we were made for the love of a father, and the pain of not having one has dire consequences. Happy Fathers Day! especially to my blog roll.

Sodom Was Not Destroyed Because of Homosexuality

It's hard witnessing to people who have been fill with bad Bible teaching for years. I was witnessing to a lady at work the other day who was trying to tell me how America was going to be destroyed like Sodom because of people being too tolerant of homosexuality. Now I've heard this argument quite a number of times growing up and since I became a Christian I still here it alot. Why is it that people think that Sodom was destroyed because of homosexuality?

Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen. – Ezekiel 16:49-50, NIV

Now I do believe there was homosexuality in Sodom, as well as other sinful things. but, in no way do I believe that was the only reason the city was destroyed that wasn't really what God was concerned about at the time when He destroyed it. God tells us why He destroyed the city:

1. Pride
2. Excess food
3. Prosperous ease
4. Lack of love for the poor and needy
5. Haughtiness
6. Practicing an abomination

But for us Christians in America who love to hold out the homosexual agenda as the worst possible thing to happen to our country, please note the five explicitly named sins before you get to the sixth.

Could it be that the Church needs to be more concerned with helping the poor and needy and less concerned with taking away the rights of others? If there's any group of people who need a attitude check when it comes to being arrogant, overfed, and unconcerned, I'm pretty sure it's we Christians. We cannot remain the way we are today and think God is going to bless us for it. We cannot remain content and satisfied with our lives by pointing fingers.

How Old Do You Think A Child Must Be To Understand The Decision To Follow Jesus?

Is it possible for a child the age of 2-6 to understand what it means to accept Jesus as their savior? I mean come on we're talking about 2 and 6 year old.... There's has been a debate going on for years about this...On one side we have The "Jesus Camp" Type... This type believes that one can accept Jesus as an extremely young child (like 2 or 3) if God has called you... They also believe that everything must be done to facilitate that acceptance and to become a part of a church family...Now some people view this type as extreme and have viewed them as a form of brainwashing.

On the other side we have The "As An Adult" type.... This type believes that the earliest you can accept Jesus is as an adult...For some, it is 12; others go as late as 21. They believe this because that is the age where you can fully understand what you are asking from God and can fully form complex beliefs.... People generally view this group as closed-minded and think that these people are hindering a child.

• Question: Can That question really be answer by man?

Remember this:
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;
Before you were born I sanctified you;
I made you a prophet to the nations."

Asleep at Tattoo Parlor, Wakes Up With 56 Stars On Her Face.

A Belgian teen girl went to a tattoo parlor to have 3 little stars tattooed near her left eye. She fell asleep and woke up with 56 stars tattooed on her face.

For this to have 'accidentally' happened there must have been some form of drugs or alcohol consumed, or perhaps this girl was just not happy with the tattoo she initially thought would be a good idea.

Kimberley Vlaminck, 18, is suing tattoo artist Rouslan Tourmaniantz to have him pay to have 53 star tattoos removed from her face after an unfortunate mis-communication. Vlaminck went to a local tattoo artist to have 3 little black stars tattooed on her face near her left eye. For some reason, she fell asleep during the inking process and woke up sometime afterwards with 56 stars in total nearly covering one side of her face.

It’s not clear how or why Vlaminck fell asleep and remained sleeping for so long and there are allegations that drugs or some other means were a factor.

“I think he didn’t understand what I wanted,” the teenager complained to the UK Sun. “He spoke only fractured English and French, but I explicitly said in my native tongue, French, that I wanted three little stars only near my left eye.” (The French words for three (”trois”) and 56 (”cinqueante et six”) sound nothing alike. Maybe go with hand gestures next time.)

Tourmaniantz insists the teen asked for 56 tats and that allegations that he “doped” or “hypnotized” her are untrue.” Question would you let someone who looked like that give you a tattoo?

Enough With All This Christian Apparel!

From Saturday's Birmingham News Religion section: Seeing through Christian lenses: Calera brothers lost their jobs in October but their faith burns so bright they had to sell sunglasses.

"God gave him a vision, he said. That vision was Christians wearing sunglasses. Ones that say "I love Jesus" on the sides and "John 3:16" on the
lens, and have a cross above the bridge of the nose."

"He thinks that people will want to share their faith while reducing their exposure to ultraviolet rays."

"When you wear these shades, you're saying you love Jesus."

"Those sunglasses are going to glorify Jesus Christ our Lord and savior"..."We love him, we're proud of him. We want to say, This is who I am. Be proud to glorify Jesus and wear them in faith." Christianity is something to be lived out, we are called to live for Jesus, not to wear His name on our sunglasses or our t-shirts. Enough with all this "Christian apparel."

Girl, 12,Pregnant After Being Allowed To Live With Boyfriend.

This is such a sad unfortunate case which I'm really lost for words...A 12-YEAR-OLD girl who was allowed to live with her 15-year-old boyfriend is set to become one of Australia's youngest mothers.

The girl had been sharing a bed with the father of her baby from the age of 11, after her mother allowed him to move into their home despite her father's pleas to authorities.Question: What is an 11yr old doing with a Boyfriend?

Sarah Palin Will Do AnyThing For Attention!

This is utterly ridiculous! All the noise being made over the comments David Letterman made last week about Sarah Palin’s daughter, let's be realistic... All of the country knows Bristol Palin had a baby.... In comparison, no one knew that Willow Palin went to a baseball game last week.... The joke obviously referred to Bristol, since she actually HAS been exposed to sex otherwise, it wouldn't even make sense. Therefore, it was Sarah Palin and ONLY Sarah Palin who chose to focus this "scandal" on her 14 year old daughter, Willow. So please answer this - if she's so concerned with protecting Willow, why did she needlessly bring her into the spotlight?
The fact is that Sarah Palin will do anything possible to extend her 15 minutes of fame...Sarah knew that her 18 year old daughter wasn't a very sympathetic "victim," since she actually had a baby... Instead, she chose to flat-out exploit her 14 year old daughter just to get the added attention... Remember when Bristol's ex was going on talk shows - instead of declining to comment, Sarah was willing to speak to any media source available, even at the risk of further embarrassing Bristol.... She doesn't care one bit about "protecting" her daughters - just her political career.

The Difference Between Meditation And Prayer

The basic idea behind most forms of meditation is to focus the mind on turning inward, to pay attention to your inner self and center your consciousness so that your mind is open and clear. During meditation, the purpose of this inward concentration is to remove all outside distractions and quiet the chatter inside your head so that you can hear the voice of God.

Prayer is essentially the exact opposite of meditation. During prayer, you clear your mind of all outside distractions in order to be able to focus your thoughts on the prayer itself and the answers you hope to find by praying. In essence, we meditate so that God can speak to us; we pray so that we can speak to God.

Buying Lottery Tickets: Gambling or Innocent Fun?

Many Christians refrain from participating in the lottery because they see it as gambling, and therefore wrong, even if the lottery money goes toward a good cause. Now I believe the state-sponsored lottery is not a Scriptural way to raise funds for even the most noble of causes. It promotes the illusion to the poor that they may soon be the recipients of instant wealth and released from the hopeless cycle of poverty in which they find themselves. In reality, many of the poor waste some of their limited resources on the lottery.

The Bible teaches that godliness with contentment is great gain, and that they who want to be rich fall into many temptations and have many sorrows (I Tim. 6:6-10). "But thou, 0 man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness" (I Tim. 6:11).

What is your take on buying lottery tickets?

Does Jesus Care About How We Dress?

I wonder if Jesus really cares how we dress. Would he care if we were so , unaware of how we present ourselves to our fellow churchgoers or to the world? Or would he cast a disapproving eye at the well-dressed?

Appearance appears to be a big deal in our society, and people are often judged by how they present themselves, especially people in entertainment and the media. Do you think Jesus, if he were truly us, would approve of the big diamond crosses with his body hanging on them in platinum gold, next to the guns and money signs? Do you think Jesus would approve of us wearing three thousands dollars suits to worship Him in a building that won't allow the homeless shelter from the cold?

I wonder what Jesus would do if he were presented with an Armani suit? Would he return the gift for money and give it to the poor? Or would he happily accept it and go about His Father business?

The Death Penalty!

The death penalty is one of the most controversial and debated-about issues among Christians and non-Christians alike. A survey on Christia.net.com
reveals that believers are divided over the morality of the death penalty.

Of the Christians surveyed, 49 percent were in favor of the death penalty, pointing to the line in Leviticus 24:20 - "...eye for eye, tooth for tooth...". They also believe that Genesis 9:6, which states: "Who so sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man," condones the death penalty.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, 38 percent of Christians stand adamantly against the death penalty. These respondents point to Matthew 5:38-39: "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also."

A small group of Christians are unsure about whether or not the death penalty should be condoned. One person in this category argued that DNA testing often reveals false convictions. Proof of innocence does not do anything for a person who was already given the death penalty. According to another respondent, "We can't look back to the Old Testament to make a decision because we're not under that now. I just know that I wouldn't want to be the one to decide. But something needs to be done with those who murder and maim people.

I've never understood how a Christian can be both pro-life and pro-death penalty. I don't buy the "he forfeited his life the moment he took another" excuse, since not all convicted death row inmates are actually guilty. Are the innocent ones who are executed just collateral damage? It's all fine and good to advocate killing murderers, but I doubt most death penalty advocates would be so quick to condemn if they (or a loved one) were wrongly accused.

1. So what do you think?
2. Where do you stand on the death penalty?
3. Where should a Christian stand on this life-and-death issue?

Celebrities Reading The Bible: Spreading The Word or Selling Out Jesus?

It’s an audio reading of the entire New Testament of the Bible on 3 CDs (Over 23 hours!) Oh, but here’s the catch! the price? $49.99

Now there's nothing wrong with the making of this audio bible,’ but is it for all the wrong reasons? Is it all a big marketing scheme? Because I know a lot of people who would only want to listen to this CD just because they see the actors on the television every day. Question:

Is this a smart way to get people interested in the Bible, or are they just selling out Jesus?.. In today's world, celebrity endorsements do sell...maybe it's a sad cop-out, but we have to consider how some people might not hear the Word of God otherwise.

I also think of it this way. James Earl Jones and Charleston Heston will be known by this generation as the voices for the Bible but the younger generations, maybe not think so... Also I think of how clear and plain it is to hear James Earl Jones reading in his deep, rich voice the Word of God. Jones have a brilliant and distinct voice that bring the words to life for our ears. The Bible was still the Bible, but Jones had a way of speaking that made you want to hear what was being said...But now we have this I cannot judge the motives of the people who produced this project, but one thing is clear: God will use it for GOOD.

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Lyrical Theology Don't Waste Your Life!

Rap is not foreign to me,neither is the Word of God which is a two-edged razor sharp sword which cuts deep into the soul and heart of the sinner, and the redeemed...I have never embraced Holy- Hip- Hop because I have always put it in the same category as secular Hip- Hop and I was wrong for doing that. I repent of it and will not do it again in the future... without knowledge we fail to grow.

“Not being ashamed of the Gospel,” means more than verbally proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ; it means acknowledging and yielding to the power of the Gospel in every area of your life. When we accept Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, He frees us from our sin, so we may glorify God, and proclaim the Gospel with every aspect of our lives. We essentially lay our lives (self) down to serve and glorify God in thought, word and deeds... Lecrae and Desiring God Ministry have joined together to form a kinda of partnership than I never thought I would see.

I like the teaching of John Piper I see were he has linked up with rap music .it's one of the most beautiful picture of diversity I have ever seen...I am asking my self can I (The Black Church) handle the idea that when we worship God in heaven on that day that rap music may very well be a part of the worship service? Lecrae and others are calling this new rap music lyrical theology... What a beautiful picture to actually use music to communicate the gospel to a generation that is not hearing it through the same ol’ preferred style for me that would be hymns and contemporary music.

The “Don’t Waste Your Life” tour, presented by Reach Records and Desiring God Ministries, is making stops in major cities across the country over the next couple of months, challenging the younger generation to live passionately for Jesus Christ...The main message: shun seeking worldly joy and instead live lives dedicated to Christ.