Quote - Ulrich Zwingli

“Was it not great blindness that God Almighty, who created us, has so often made known to us that he is our Father, and finally even gave his Son for us; and he himself stands there and calls us poor sinners, saying "Come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest." And we went and turned to the creature, and thought God to be so rough and cruel that we dare not come to him." Ulrich Zwingli

Israel - Flights Into Biblical Archaeology

Flights into Biblical Archaeology is a hard-to-find book is one of my favorite souvenirs from my trip to Israel. It is an amazing gathering of photos that specifically show elevated views of many archaeological sites. It simply captured the wonder of so many sites in a way a normal tourist would never be able to accomplish. It's publisher describes it as "a set of oblique aerial photographs of exceptional beauty of many of the most important biblical archaeological sites" that also "includes pictures of special ancient objects and rare works of art." I bought my copy at the museum store Bet She'an (Scythopolis) and am so glad I did. The amazing photography coupled with brief site descriptions make it an enjoyable and easy way to see so many biblical sites. Here are some places I found online where it might be purchased: http://www.israel-catalog.com/product.asp?Product=11478 http://www.antiquities.org.il/shop_eng.asp?cat_id=13

Teenagers: Dating & Abstinence

Dr. Mohler provided a helpful response HERE to Bristol Palin's remarks concerning teenagers and abstinence. Some excerpts:

• "sexual abstinence until marriage is the biblical expectation and command"
• "Parents and teenagers must make certain that adequate protections and expectations are in place so that sexual abstinence is very realistic indeed"
• "Far too many Christian parents allow their teenagers to be part of the 'hooking up' scene of teenage culture. In that highly sexualized context, sexual abstinence would appear unrealistic in the extreme."
• "Premature pair dating and unsupervised liaisons, set within the supercharged culture of teenage sexuality, can put teenagers into very vulnerable situations"

Here are some helpful resources for both teenagers and their parents in evaluating the wisdom and practice of dating. (there are a lot out there, but these are some of my favorite!) The Ten Commandments of Dating by Dr. Sam Adams & Ben Young "Written from a Christian prospective, The Ten Commandments of Dating will give you practical, no-nonsense advice on how to make dating work for you. Authors Adams and Young provide ten time-tested relationship laws to protect you from the pitfalls of modern dating and increase your odds of successful dating." I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris "Joshua Harris's first book, written when he was only 21, turned the Christian singles scene upside down...and people are still talking.

More than 800,000 copies later, I Kissed Dating Goodbye, with its inspiring call to sincere love, real purity, and purposeful singleness, remains the benchmark for books on Christian dating. Now, for the first time since its release, the national #1 bestseller has been expanded with new content and updated for new readers. Honest and practical, it challenges cultural assumptions about relationships and provides solid, biblical alternatives to society's norm."

Boy Meets Girl by Joshua Harris "Joshua Harris, who "Kissed Dating Good-bye," now answers your questions about courtship. In Part One, he defines and illustrates the basic principles of "courtship," in contrast to "dating." In Part Two, he deals with practical issues as the season of courtship unfolds, growing closer while guarding our hearts in important areas like romance. In Part Three, we learn how to move toward marriage in a God-honoring way."