Jonathan Carl

Courageous Contestant vs. Pitiful Pastor

Miss California Carrie Prejean made worldwide headlines today during the Miss USA pageant. The most interesting part is that the attention given to her wasn't for winning, but for sharing her convictions when challenged. She was specifically asked her views on the issue of gay marriage on live worldwide television...by a judge who is both gay and outspokenly aggressive and liberal (in the followup to this matter, the judge swore at Carrie Prejean via an enraged video blog). Although caught off guard, Miss Prejean responded to the question by stating "I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman." Though her comments seemingly cost her the crown, she later stood by her convictions stating "I was raised in a way that you can never compromise your beliefs and your opinions for anything." Contrast this scenario with that of pastor and author Rick Warren in recent weeks. Rick Warren is respected by many as a visible Christians leader, who only months ago stood firmly against gay marriage only to later recant and claim to be in favor of gay marriage, with no explanation for his change of mind. It is a sad world we live in when pastors lack courage and moral integrity to stand firm on what God's Word so clearly teaches. What is more important to you? Political correctness or biblical correctness? Are you prepared to suffer for your love of Christ? Or will you cower, recant, and withdraw when faced with opposition to the cross of Christ? It is my prayer that I may courageously defend my Lord when the opportunities arise and that He raise up more examples of Christians such as Carrie Prejean to do the same, even when the attack is least expected. "The pastor should stand ready to define, defend, and document his own deep convictions" - Dr. Albert Mohler in He Is Not Silent: Preaching in a Postmodern World "If there is no controversy to your ministry, there is probably very little content to your preaching." - Dr. Albert Mohler in He Is Not Silent: Preaching in a Postmodern World 1 Peter 3:13-17 "13Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. 'Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.' 15But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 17It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil."

Quote - Jim Elliot

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." Jim Elliot

Quote - D.L. Moody

"There's no better book with which to defend the Bible than the Bible itself." D.L. Moody

Got Questions For Kids - www.gqkidz.org

My favorite website, www.gotquestions.org, has expanded its ministry audience through www.gqkidz.org

Parents, this is an AWESOME site to expose your children to!

If you or your teenagers hasn't checked out www.gotquestions.org, you need to!

Pornography & Technology - A Continuing Danger

Sexting (sending pornographic photos and videos via cell phones) and other forms of pornography continue to rise to the national news as teenagers are being charged under child pornography laws and some states (Ohio & Vermont) consider the legalization of sexting. 44% of teenage boys have seen nude photos of their classmates...think your student hasn't been affected? Talk to them. Ask them the tough questions. Check their cell phones, MySpace, Facebook, email, and IM accounts. Google their names and see what turns up. Search your computer for photos and videos. Your inspection and supervision of their media and technology outlets show your love for them and their future! Check out the below previous blog posts that point to Christian resources for cell phones and computers. The technology isn't going away and you can't isolate them from the dangers forever. Train your child how to avoid the dangers and temptations while simultaneously protecting them from their fallen nature! Protect yourselves and your family! The mistakes and sins of the teenage years can have long-lasting affects!

Quote - John Wycliffe

"The gospel alone is sufficient to rule the lives of Christians everywhere...any additional rules made to govern men's conduct added nothing to the perfection already found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ." John Wycliffe

Religious Expression in Public Schools

Ever wonder about what you can and cannot do in public schools as you desire to exercise your right to religious expression?

The U.S. Department of Education has an online policy document that discusses this as well as a variety of practical application and implications within the schools.

"Guidance on Constitutionally Protected Prayer in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools" (February 7, 2003) covers areas such as:

Organized Prayer Groups & Activities
Teachers, Administrators & School Employees
Moments of Silence
Accomodation of Prayer During Instructional Time
Religious Expression and Prayer in Class Assignments
Student Assemblies & Extracurricular Activities
Prayer at Graduation
Baccalaureate Ceremonies

www.firstamendmentcenter.org has a plethora of educational resources to include helpful lesson plans on teaching about the first amendment and articles on petition, assembly, press, speech, and religious liberty.

Under Religious Liberty in Public Schools there is a helpful breakdown of specific topics/areas of concer:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." - First Amendment, Bill of Rights

Check out my previous blog post on "Christian and Student Legal Resources"

Quote - D.L. Moody

"The preaching that this world needs most is the sermons in shoes that are walking with Jesus Christ." D.L. Moody

"Getting What I Don't Deserve" - Dr. James Merritt

Dr. James Merritt, Senior Pastor of the Cross Pointe Church in Duluth, GA and former President of the Southern Baptist Convention delivered a powerful sermon titled, "Getting What I Don't Deserve" at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary last week. It was a powerful message and a reminder that a guarantee of life is that you will often get what you don't deserve. Dr. Merritt focused in on the example of Joseph and how in the midst of unfair and undeserved circumstances God remained with Joseph, how Joseph's perseverance brought about some amazing opportunities, and how God used Joseph to His glory. This sermon was extracted from a sermon series by Dr. Merritt titled Average Joes which also featured sermons titled "When Dream's Come True" and "In The Crosshairs." Genesis 39:3 "His master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. " Genesis 39:21a "But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love"

Quotes about Money and Wealth (Part 4)

Acts 20:33-35 “I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. 34 You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. 35In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Exodus 20:17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.” Mark 12:41-44 “41 And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. 42And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. 43And he called his disciples to him and said to them, "Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. 44For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” Mark 12:17 “Jesus said to them, ‘Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ And they marveled at him.” 1 Timothy 6:6-10 “6Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, 7for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”

Quotes about Money and Wealth (Part 3)

From www.christianquotes.org "A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty." Author Unknown "A dreadful thing is the love of money! It disables both eyes and ears, and makes men worse to deal with than a wild beast, allowing a man to consider neither conscience nor friendship nor fellowship nor salvation." John Chrysostom "Let us not ask of the Lord deceitful riches, nor the good things of this world, nor transitory honors; but let us ask for light." Gregory Nazianzen "Defer not charities till death. He hath does so, is rather liberal of another man's than of his own."Francis Bacon "Since much wealth too often proves a snare and an incumbrance in the Christian's race, let him lighten the weight by 'dispersing abroad and giving to the poor'; whereby he will both soften the pilgrimage of his fellow travelers, and speed his own way the faster." Augustus Toplady "The real measure of our wealth is how much we should be worth if we lost our money." J. H. Jowett "When blessed with wealth, let them withdraw from the competition of vanity and be modest, retiring from ostentation, and not be the slaves of fashion." William Wilberforce

Quotes about Money and Wealth (Part 2)

From http://www.christianquotes.org/ "Money is like muck, not good except it be spread." Francis Bacon "Nothing I am sure has such a tendency to quench the fire of religion as the possession of money."J. C. Ryle "Suspect everything that is prosperous unless it promotes piety and charity and humility." Isaac Taylor "The poor man's hand is the treasury of Christ."Henry Alford "Man's life is of God, not of his goods, however abundant they may be." Henry Alford "It is what we get by the soul that makes us rich." Henry Ward Beecher "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to cast off his trust in riches." John Wesley "Say not you know a man entirely till you have divided an inheritance with him." Johann Kaspar Lavater

How Not To Grow

An abbreviated step-by-step guide to personal stagnation that is GUARANTEED to diminish your relationship with Christ, expose yourself to temptation, lead to sin, weaken your example for future generations, stall out church growth, and assist the Devil in the snatching of the Gospel from the hearts of the lost.

Avoid the Word - You’ve probably heard and know most of the Bible stories and characters before. Sermons and Sunday school are enough Bible time in your week. It’s old and irrelevant to the things of today. Your free time is too valuable. (do not read Hebrews 2:1 or 2 Timothy 3:14-17) Neglect prayer – Prayer can get boring and dry and takes too much time; God knows what you are going to ask before you do it anyhow, so why bother? (avoid this passage; Ephesians 6:18-20 ) Be proud & self-focused – Impress people with your skills, knowledge, wit, power, possessions, positions, legacy, and competence (forget that Paul wrote 1 Corinthians 1:26-2:5) Stay busy with things that don’t matter – See how many things you can do, build up your resume, be consumed with the things of this world so you have a good excuse to avoid church commitments. (don’t take the time to look up 1 John 2:15-17) Forget about Satan – Pretend Satan isn’t real and that he doesn’t actually attack you and others. Go ahead and assume that Hell probably isn’t a real place either for that matter. (ignore 1 Peter 5:8-8 & James 4:6-8) Make excuses for minimal church involvement or practice church hopping – Take for granted the freedom and privilege we have to gather together and worship God. Rationalize missing church by saying “I can worship God anywhere,” “I’m tired,” or “They won’t miss me.” Forget that the primary purpose of church is to glorify God and not to meet your needs. (do Hebrews 10:25 & Matthew 18:20 really matter?)

Think positively about Human Nature – Most people are good people and that is what really matters. If they say they are Christians or religious that is a good enough answer. (you probably haven’t read Psalm 51:5 or 1 John 1:5-10 anyhow) No true follower of Christ would desire or advocate the above positions or behaviors…however, the sad truth of is that many of us have and may be continuing to struggle in these areas (or know someone who is). We must not minimize or trivialize the damage that the habitual negligence of our walk with Christ has on our own spiritual health and the health of our church. We must become sober-minded in the spiritual aspects of our lives and more disciplined to run the race and fight the good fight that our God may be glorified through our lives! We should thank the Lord for His provision in the examples of many godly and spiritually-mature men and women within our churches….but we should also pray that the Lord raise up and grow many more to His glory (including ourselves)!

Quotes about Money and Wealth (Part 1)

From: www.christianquotes.org "For a hundred that can bear adversity there is hardly one that can bear prosperity” Thomas Carlyle "Few are made better by prosperity, whom afflictions make worse." William Gurnall "Prosperity is not without many fears and distastes; adversity not without many comforts and hopes." Francis Bacon "Prosperity is a great teacher; adversity is a greater. Possession pampers the mind; privation trains and strengthens it." William Hazlitt "Adversity makes men, and prosperity makes monsters." Victor Hugo "It is prosperity that we cannot endure."Martin Luther "He that goes a borrowing goes a sorrowing." Benjamin Franklin "It is riches of the mind only that make a man rich and happy." Thomas Fuller

Quote - Martin Luther

"Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason---I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other---my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen." Martin Luther

Quote - C.S. Lewis

"We may note in passing that He was never regarded as a mere moral teacher. He did not produce that effect on any of the people who actually met Him. He produced mainly three results---Hatred---Terror---Adoration. There was no trace of people expressing mild admiration." C.S. Lewis

StudentNewsDaily.com - A News Source for High Schoolers

StudentNewsDaily.com is a great website for growing and developing teenagers into critical thinkers when processing news and events in the media. A description of their purpose: "StudentNewsDaily.com is a non-profit current events website for high school students. Our goal is to build students' knowledge of current events and strengthen their critical thinking skills. This is done by providing comprehension and critical thinking questions along with published news articles and other current events items from established news organizations. We provide resources that will enable students to become informed viewers and readers of the news." StudentNewsDaily.com also helpfully has a general breakdown of Conservative vs. Liberal beliefs on a multitude of issues and how to be an educated voter. They have a quote of the week, an end of the week news quiz, daily best of the web, and daily news article.

World Magazine - News with a Biblical Perspective

I've recently started receiving World magazine, delivered every other week, that shares national and international news tempered with a Biblical perspective. It is especially helpful as it presents a perspective often missing from biased and liberal mainstream media sources. It is also unique in that it presents issues, events, and stories that are often not reported or given adequate attention elsewhere. World covers a broad spectrum of news, to include business, politics, books, music, movies, TV shows, quotes, moral/ethical issues, culture, technology, sports, and church related news. World magazine is a great way to stay accurately informed without being overwhelmed or slowly brainwashed!

Twilight - An Additional Christian Perspective

In addition to the previous perspectives I've shared about the Twilight series, Dr. Al Mohler has recently weighed in on it through his nationally-broadcasted radio show. The discussion begins about 12 minutes into the broadcast...

Titus 2 (ESV) “1But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. 2Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. 3Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. 6Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. 7Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, 8and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. 9 Slaves are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, 10not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior. 11For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. 15Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.”

Interesting Bible Stats

From www.gotquestions.org Question: "What are some interesting facts & stats about the Bible?" Answer: Books in the Bible: 66 Books in the Old Testament: 39 Books in the New Testament: 27 Shortest book in the Bible: 2 John Longest book in the Bible: Psalms Chapters in the Bible: 1189 Chapters in the Old Testament: 929 Chapters in the New Testament: 260 Middle chapter of the Bible: Psalm 117 Shortest chapter in the Bible: Psalm 117 Longest chapter in the Bible: Psalm 119 Verses in the Bible: 31,173 Verses in the Old Testament: 23,214 Verses in the New Testament: 7,959 Shortest verse in the Bible: John 11:35 Longest verse in the Bible: Esther 8:9 Words in the Bible: 773,692 Words in the Old Testament: 592,439 Words in the New Testament: 181,253

John 9:4 "We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work." Psalm 144:12 "May our sons in their youth be like plants full grown,our daughters like corner pillars cut for the structure of a palace"

Quote - St. Ambrose

"I call on you to repent. You can only atone for your sin by tears, by penitence, by humbling your soul before God. You are a man, and as you have sinned as a man so you must repent. No angel, no archangel can forgive you. God alone can forgive you, and He forgives only those who repent." Letter to a friend by St. Ambrose

Does Satan Exist? - ABC Nightline Faceoff

ABC Nightline produced a televised debate last night titled "Does Satan Exist?" The two most well-known debaters are Mark Driscoll, pastor of The Mars Hill Church, and Dr. Deepak Chopra a medical doctor and New Age/Thought leader/writer. It is worthwhile to watch the arguments develop and to hear both sides of the debate. If you haven't heard or engaged the philosophizing garbage that comes out of the New Age/Thought movement as well as the pluralistic/relativistic arguments, beware the deception. It is helpful to keep your Bible alongside as you watch/listen as well as to be willing to hit "pause" and explore the issues. Gotquestions.org is a great resource as well to quickly counter some of the arguments you hear and to test the teachings against the Word of God.

2 Corinthians 4:4 "In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."

1 John 5:18-20 "18We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him. 19We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. 20We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life."

Quotes About the Devil

"The devil can cite scripture for his purpose." William Shakespeare "The devil is a better theologian than any of us and is a devil still." A.W. Tozer "The devil, the proud spirit, cannot endure to be mocked." Thomas More

Biblical Gender Roles in the Church & the Family - A Controversial Question

How does God define gender roles within His Word? Is it a cultural issue of the day and time in which the Bible was written? Or are the command and descriptions of gender roles rooted in the created order as God intended? Dr. Al Mohler's recent article, "A 'Stained-Glass Ceiling?' A Clarifying Look at a Controversial Question" helpfully deals with a long-debated issue concerning women's roles in ministry within the church. He engages a recently published op-ed column of USA Today, showing the fallacies underlying such a secular, feminist viewpoint. Some excerpts:

"Completely missing from her analysis is any concession that God might actually have ordered this pattern of leadership restriction for our good and His glory. Her perspective on the issue is fundamentally secular in approach. In this view, where men alone can hold positions of authority and responsibility, prejudice must be the cause and access to these positions for women must be the solution."
"Those who believe that the Bible is indeed the inerrant and infallible written revelation of God are obligated to perpetuate and honor the pattern of leadership ordered within the text of Scripture. Furthermore, we must see this pattern, not as evidence of human prejudice, but as God's revelation to us -- a revelation by grace that is for the good of both men and women and the pattern by which God brings glory to himself."

If you ever want to dive into this issue for a better understanding of the biblical texts and theology of biblical manhood and womanhood, here are some resources to check out: The Council on Biblical Manhood & Womanhood - proclaiming God's glorious design for men and women

"The mission of The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood is to set forth the teachings of the Bible about the complementary differences between men and women, created equally in the image of God, because these teachings are essential for obedience to Scripture and for the health of the family and the church."

What's at stake in considering this issue?

The authority of Scripture
The health of the home
The health of the church
Our worship
Bible translations
The advance of the Gospel

Core Beliefs: The Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood The "Danvers Statement" summarizes the need for the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW) and serves as an overview of our core beliefs.

Some excerpts:

"Redemption in Christ aims at removing the distortions introduced by the curse."
"In the family, husbands should forsake harsh or selfish leadership and grow in love and care for their wives; wives should forsake resistance to their husbands' authority and grow in willing, joyful submission to their husbands' leadership (Eph 5:21-33; Col 3:18-19; Tit 2:3-5; 1 Pet 3:1-7). "
"In the church, redemption in Christ gives men and women an equal share in the blessings of salvation; nevertheless, some governing and teaching roles within the church are restricted to men (Gal 3:28; 1 Cor 11:2-16; 1 Tim 2:11-15)."

FREE BOOKS ONLINE.... Evangelical Feminism and Biblical Truth by Wayne Grudem

Fifty Crucial Questions: An Overview of Central Concerns About Manhood and Womanhood by John Piper and Wayne Grudem

"Fifty Crucial Questions is a booklet adapted from chapter two of Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood by John Piper and Wayne Grudem.

It offers an overview of the vision of manhood and womanhood presented in the larger volume by giving cogent summary responses to the most common objections to that vision. Because every effort to answer one question (on this important issue) begets new questions, the list of questions here is not exhaustive. Nonetheless, we hope to give enough trajectories that readers can track the flight of our intention to its appointed target: the good of the Church, global mission, and the glory of God. "

Recovering Biblical Manhood & Womanood: A Response to Evangelical Feminism Edited by John Piper & Wayne Grudem

Here are the chapter titles and authors of this book.... For Single Men and Women (and the Rest of Us) John Piper A Vision of Biblical Complementarity John Piper An Overview of Central Concerns John Piper and Wayne Grudem Male-Female Equality and Male Headship Raymond C. Ortlund Jr. Women in the Life and Teachings of Jesus James A. Borland Head Coverings, Prophecies, and the Trinity Thomas R. Schreiner "Silent in the Churches" D. A. Carson Role Distinctions in the Church S. Lewis Johnson Jr. Husbands and Wives as Analogues of Christ and the Church George W. Knight III What Does It Mean Not to Teach or Have Authority Over Men? Douglas Moo Wives Like Sarah, and the Husbands Who Honor Them Wayne Grudem The Valuable Ministries of Women in the Context of Male Leadership Thomas R. Schreiner Men and Women in the Image of God John M. Frame The Church as Family Vern S. Poythress The Meaning of Authority in the Local Church Paige Patterson Women in the History of the Church William Weinrich The Biological Basis for Gender-Specific Behavior Gregg Johnson Psychological Foundations for Rearing Masculine Boys and Feminine Girls George Alan Rekers The Inevitability of Failure: The Assumptions and Implementations of Modern Feminism David J. Ayers Is It Legal for Religious Organizations to Make Distinctions on the Basis of Sex? Donald A. Balasa The Family and the Church George W. Knight III Principles to Use in Establishing Women in Ministry H. Wayne House The High Calling of Wife and Mother in Biblical Perspective Dorothy Kelley Patterson Where's Dad?: A Call for Fathers Weldon Hardenbrook Women in Society: The Challenge and the Call Dee Jepsen The Essence of Femininity Elisabeth Elliot Charity, Clarity, and Hope John Piper and Wayne Grudem The Meaning of "Head": A Response to Recent Studies Wayne Grudem

May the Lord raise up more godly men to lead and teach their wives, children, and churches.

Quote - Thomas Watson

"The right manner of growth is to grow less in one's own eyes." Thomas Watson

Quote - Matthew Henry

"Wherever the fear of God rules in the heart, it will appear both in works of charity and piety, and neither will excuse us from the other." Matthew Henry

Cell Phone Monitoring - My Mobile Watchdog

Are you concerned about your child's use of their cell phone? Would you like to be able to better monitor their phone activity and text messaging habits in order to better protect and teach your teenager? Check out http://www.mymobilewatchdog.com/ How it works... Families setup safe contact lists online that help protect your children. The phone call contacts and durations are monitored. Most helpfully, all text messages are recorded and shared with the parents to help the parents monitor and protect their teenagers. There are also many other helpful features included.

From their website:

Why can’t I use my child’s existing phone with My Mobile Watchdog? Purchasing a My Mobile Watchdog phone is the leading solution for real-time monitoring and keeping your child safe. A special phone is required. In many cases we can get you a My Mobile Watchdog enabled phone at little to no cost. Call (800) 341-8385 today to find out if you qualify.

Can I keep my existing phone service? My Mobile Watchdog works on most US and Canadian carriers. Most people won't need to switch phone service. What if I'm not happy with My Mobile Watchdog? My Mobile Watchdog comes with a 30-day satisfaction guarantee. You can cancel anytime within the first 30 days for a full refund of the setup and monthly service fees. How much does it cost? My Mobile Watchdog costs $9.95 per month with an initial setup fee of $25.

Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it."

Christian Quotes - The Church - Part 2

"The Church is the one institution that exists for those outside it." William Tyndale "Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn't." John Piper "Princes, kings, and other rulers of the world have used all their strength and cunning against the Church, yet it continues to endure and hold its own." John Foxe "Today's church wants to be raptured from responsibility." Leonard Ravenhill "A good example is like a bell that calls many to church." Author Unknown "Wherever we see the Word of God purely preached and heard, there a church of God exists, even if it swarms with many faults." John Calvin "The church is the great lost and found department." Robert Short "I believe there are too many practitioners in the church who are not believers." C.S. Lewis "The coziness between church and state is good for the state and bad for the church." G.K. Chesterton "As a fresh start, the church should give away all her endowments to the poor and needy." Dietrich Bonhoeffer "Everyone that hangs around the court does not speak with the king." Thomas Watson From: http://christianquotes.org

Quote - C.S. Lewis

"The enemy will not see you vanish into God's company without an effort to reclaim you." C.S. Lewis

Christian Missions, Evangelism, Service, and Volunteer Opportunities

Want to find missions, evangelism, service, and volunteer opportunities in the United States and across the world?

Check out:

The Task - This website is run by the International Missions Board of the SBC and is an interactive wesbite. It is especially geared towards projects for teenagers, youth groups, college students, and seminary students. It also helpfully connects people with the process of becoming a SBC missionary.

The International Missions Board - This website has a plethora of resources. One of the best is its search feature for adult groups of volunteers. It also explains the different mid and long-term options for adults willing to serve in the mission field.

The Bridge - This website, run by the North American Missions Board of the SBC, seeks to connect churches, groups, and individuals to mission trips and volunteer needs across North America. It also has a special section listing "urgent needs."

ChristianVolunteering.org - works like a job search site, only it is for volunteer opportunities across the U.S. and the world!

SEE - the need! Check out resources such as the "Global Status of Evangelical Christianity," "Explore People Groups in Google Earth," "Unengaged, Unreached People Groups," and "The Light of the World"

Pray - Can't go? Pray!

Deuteronomy 29:29

Deuteronomy 29:29 "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”

Quote - George Herbert

"The devil divides the world between atheism and superstition." George Herbert

A Christian Search Engine - www.seekfind.org

Are you ever concerned about what will pop up when you do a search on a computer search engine? Have you ever wanted to limit your search to trustworthy Christian resources? Check out http://www.seekfind.org/

Here is a little about it from its own website:

"The mission of SeekFind.org is to provide God-honoring, biblically-based, and theologically-sound Christian search engine results in a highly accurate and well-organized format."

"SeekFind.org is a unique “Christian-content-only” search engine. The major search engines such as Google, Yahoo, MSN, and Ask Jeeves often produce quality results for searches related to Christian terms. However, mixed in with these search results will be results from pages attacking the Christian faith and/or presenting unbiblical views. For example, a search for “Jesus Christ” at Google will result in page 1 listings from the Mormon church, a genealogical service, and a secular history of views about Jesus.

There are several Christian Search Engines on the internet as well. Good examples are ChristianStart, CrossSearch, and ChristSites. While these are good websites with some great tools – they are not as discerning as they should be in regards to what kind of content they allow in their listings. Further, most Christian Search Engines only index the front page of a website. As a result, all of the great content on inside pages of websites gets missed entirely.

SeekFind.org avoids these problems by only indexing websites that are Biblically-based, theologically-sound, and in agreement with our Statement of Faith. That way, you can have confidence that you will find content which will be God-honoring and spiritually encouraging. Further, the SeekFind.org “spider” crawls every page of the websites in our index – giving you the most complete and most accurate results possible."

Christian Quotes - The Church - Part 1

"The bible knows nothing of solitary religion." John Wesley "Church attendance is a vital to a disciple as a transfusion of rich, healthy blood to a sick man." D.L. Moody "One hundred religious persons knit into a unity by careful organization do not constitute a church any more than eleven dead men make a football team. The first requisite is life, always." A.W. Tozer "The true man of God is heartsick, grieved at the worldliness of the Church...grieved at the toleration of sin in the Church, grieved at the prayerlessness in the Church. He is disturbed that the corporate prayer of the Church no longer pulls down the strongholds of the devil." Leonard Ravenhill “Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshippers meeting together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be were they to become unity conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship. Social religion is perfected when private religion is purified. The body becomes stronger as its members become healthier. The whole church of God gains when the members that compose it begin to seek a better and a higher life." A.W. Tozer From: http://christianquotes.org

Quote - Owen Feltham

"All men will be Peters in their bragging tongue, and most men will be Peters in their base denial; but few men will be Peters in their quick repentance." Owen Feltham

Ecclesiastes 5:2

Ecclesiastes 5:2 "Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few."

Christians & Pornography - A Growing Problem

How big of a problem is pornography in America? Among Christians? The below statistics are unsettling: Some statistics from the North American Missions Board of the Southern Baptist Convention:

Sixty percent of Christian men have sought out some form of pornography.
At one Promise Keepers event, 50% of those in attendance said they had checked out pornographic material within the past week.
Fifty-nine percent of married Christian men regularly fantasize about sexual relations with someone other than their spouse.
Ninety-one percent of men raised in Christian homes were exposed to pornography while growing up (compared to 98% of those not raised in a Christian home).
Fifty-one percent of pastors admit that pornography is a possible temptation
Thirty-seven percent of pastors say that pornography is a struggle
A survey conducted by Christianity Today of its readership in August 2000 revealed that…33% of clergy have visited a sexually explicit Internet site at least once within the past year, of which 53% have done so “a few times.”
A survey conducted by Leadership magazine in 2000, showed that 40% of pastors have visited a pornographic Internet site, with over 33% doing so within the last 12 months. According to a study done by MSNBC…
as many as 25 million Americans spend 1-10 hours per week viewing Internet pornography
as many as 4.7 million people spend over 11 hours per week viewing Internet pornography
Sixty percent of websites visited on the Internet are sexual in nature.
Seventy percent of Internet porn traffic occurs during normal work hours (between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.).
There are more outlets for hard-core pornography in the United States than McDonald's restaurants.

Mores stats from Top 10 Reviews: Internet Filters as compiled by XXXChurch.com

Men admitting to accessing pornography at work-20%
U.S. adults who regularly visit Internet pornography websites-40 million
Christians who said pornography is a major problem in the home-47%
Internet Pornography Sales-$4.9 billion
Daily pornographic search engine requests-68 million (25% of total search engine requests)
Internet users who view porn-42.7%
89% of porn is created in the U.S.
$2.84 billion in revenue was generated from U.S. porn sites in 2006
Over $3k a second is spent on porn worldwide
72% of porn viewers are men.
260 new porn sites go online daily

Here are some helpful articles for parents:

10 Signs Your Child Is Breaking the Rules Online

Internet Monitoring Family Game Plan

Uplugging Pornography: Helping Your Teen Break the Trap by Jeffrey Dean, author of The Fight of Your Life: Why Your Teen is at Risk and What You Can Do About It

Marc Driscoll the pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington is sometimes criticized for his pointedness and mature level of issues dealt with within his sermons and church meetings. At the same time, he deals with and confronts many of the issues and sins of the day that the majority of churches and pastors choose to leave alone. In his on-line, FREE, short & easy-to read book, Porn-Again Christian: A Frank Discussion on Pornography & Masturbation, Marc Driscoll biblically confronts sins that regularly impact over 50% of the male population each week.

This book is written explicitly for adults and is immersed with Scriptural texts that rebuke and confront a sin that is all-too often tolerated and justified today. If you are a man who has struggled with these sins, or know men who have, you NEED to read this book. Especially helpful are some direct self-evaluation questions on page 21, some Q&A throughout, and an interview transcript between James Dobson and Ted Bundy. If you are a man, you need to read this book and share it with others. If you are a married woman, it may be helpful to you as well if this is something your husband struggles with.

Job 31:1 "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl."

Romans 6:15-23 "15What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.

20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Quote - Augustine

"God has promised forgiveness to your repentance, but He has not promised tomorrow to your procrastination." Augustine

Anyone Suprised? America is Growing More Secular

It made national news today...some seemed surprised, but for many, the statistics simply confirmed what is so clearly evidenced in many aspects of American society today: America is becoming more secular by the day. Some concerning statistics from the American Religious Identification Survey of 2008:

"the percentage of Americans claiming no religion, which jumped from 8.2 in 1990 to 14.2 in 2001, has now increased to 15 percent"
"Baptists, who constitute the largest non-Catholic Christian tradition, have increased their numbers by two million since 2001, but continue to decline as a proportion of the population"
"Mormons have increased in numbers enough to hold their own proportionally, at 1.4 percent of the population"
"The Muslim proportion of the population continues to grow, from .3 percent in 1990 to .5 percent in 2001 to .6 percent in 2008"
"Only1.6 percent of Americans call themselves atheist or agnostic. But based on stated beliefs, 12 percent are atheist (no God) or agnostic (unsure), while 12 percent more are deistic (believe in a higher power but not a personal God)"
"The number of outright atheists has nearly doubled since 2001, from 900 thousand to 1.6 million"
"Twenty-seven percent of Americans do not expect a religious funeral at their death"
"Adherents of New Religious movements, including Wiccans and self-described pagans, have grown faster this decade than in the 1990s"

What these statistics don't show could even be more concerning. How many of those claiming to be "Christian" in this survey are only classified as such because they were raised that way? Or because it is more culturally acceptable?

It is a clear reminder that we have plenty of people around us who are in dire need of hearing the Gospel message and accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Isaiah 1:2-4 "2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the LORD has spoken: 'Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me.3The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib,but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.' 4Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the LORD, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged."

1 John 2:19 "They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us. "

Quote - Blaise Pascal

"Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it." Blaise Pascal

Quote - Mary Booth

"How we have prayed for a Revival - we did not care whether it was old-fashioned or not - what we asked for was that it should be such that would cleanse and revive His children and set them on fire to win others." Mary Booth

Quote - Jonathan Edwards

"The devil can counterfeit all the saving operations and graces of the Spirit of God." Jonathan Edwards

Quote - Matthew Henry

"Some people do not like to hear much of repentance; but I think it is so necessary that if I should die in the pulpit, I would desire to die preaching repentance, and if out of the pulpit I would desire to die practicing it." Matthew Henry

BiblePlaces.com

Although I am partial to all of the Israel photos and videos I will share in the weeks ahead (I took them), the best catalog of photos and resources that I have found is BiblePlaces.com. It has specific descriptions for all of the sites along with amazing photography. They sell their photos as well through several packages, to include labeled photos to assist in using them for teaching purposes. They also have a great blog that keeps up to date with some of the latest biblical archaeology discoveries. They also have an additional site, http://www.lifeintheholyland.com/ that focuses more on photographs from the 19th and the 20th centuries.

About the photographer:

"Todd Bolen is currently on study leave from his position as Associate Professor of Biblical Studies at the Israel Bible Extension campus of The Master’s College. Since 1996, he has lived in Israel and taught college and seminary students about the biblical sites and history. His passion for teaching and photography led him to develop the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands. Todd’sphotographs have been published in hundreds of books and magazines and featured on CNN and NationalGeographic.com."

K9 Web Protection - FREE Internet Control and Filter Software

K9 Web Protection is a highly recommended and effective Internet control and filter software...best of all it is FREE!!! HERE is a review of the software. They share some helpful links for parents HERE. Here are some of the scary statistics they share HERE:

"Pornography is a $57 billion a year industry. In comparison, the combined revenues of all teams in the NBA, NHL, MLB, and NFL is $12 billion, and the combined revenues of ABC, CBS, and NBC is a mere $6.2 billion."
"1 in 4 youth have unwanted exposure to inappropriate pictures each year"
"Nine of 10 kids aged 8-16 have viewed pornography on the Internet, often in the process of doing homework."

If for some reason K9 Web Protection does not work for you, check out two previous blogs posts:

Thanks to Jim D. for sharing this resource with me!

Parents and Teenagers - How to Monitor Car Speed and Location - GPS Tracking

Ever wonder if your teenager is going where they said they are? Ever want to know if they drive the speed limit? Want an emergency way to find your vehicle if it is stolen?

Below are some options for GPS tracking devices on phones and in cars.

Things to consider:

It may be better to tell your teenager and use it as a deterrent and teaching aid. Their knowledge of it also might help them resist peer pressure to speed or go where they shouldn't.
If you do not tell your teenage and hide it there might be the potential for less helpful and more divisive confrontations should they violate your driving expectations. They may also intentionally plan on going in other teenager's cars.
Check into the possibility of car insurance discounts.
Be sure to understand any contract requirements. Check businesses through the Better Business Bureau (http://www.bbb.org/)
Does it tracks real time data, historical data, or both?
Is the data accessed remotely or do you need to extra something from the car in order to see data?
Do not forget about installation costs.
RESEARCH and COMPARE before buying...if you have a recommendation or a better suggestion for me to add to the below, please let me know!

CELL PHONE OPTIONS
Sprint Family Locator - location info via cell
Verizon Wireless Chaperone - location info via cell
Guardian Angel Technology - prepaid cell phone coupled with tracking info that tells location and speed of travel

VEHICLE BASED
GetiSight - "installs permanently, discreetly: offers a secure, easy-to-use website at GetiSight.com : Uses GPS technology to pinpoint your vehicle’s immediate location and speed online : provides a complete 30-day vehicle history : alerts you via email and/or text message if your vehicle exceeds a user defined speed limit or leaves specified areas defined by you
$225 + $17/month"

Mobile Teen GPS
"Provides instant vehicle feedback for: Speed, Current Vehicle Location, Unapproved Locations, Vehicle is Moved or Stolen, Find Vehicle Now
Four ways to monitor TEEN driving: Cellphone text message or Email, Email alerts sent to your Computer, Toll-free number from any Telephone, Login to our web site to track your vehicle on a Map"
Unit = $300. Monitoring = $300 per year or $30/month monitoring. No contract required. Includes self-installation instructions.

Down to Earth GPS Solutions
"SafetyTraks™ provides real time driving information from GPS to your home computer tracking the location, and speed of your teen’s vehicle. This information generates numerous reports & maps. Initial cost of $299, $20/month monitoring"

GPS Technologies
"SafeTrak Teen Driver Tracking let's you be with your teens wherever they go. SafeTrak provides web based maps that show vehicle location, reports that show where your vehicle went, how fast it drove and how long it stopped. Alerts let you know when a vehicle arrives at or leaves a location (school, friend's house), exceeds a preset speed limit, or is being used when it shouldn't be, i.e.; during school hours."

Brickhouse Child Security
"The leading provider of GPS Tracking Solutions Trusted by Government, Law Enforcement, Corporate and Small Business to recommend the best GPS Tracking solution meeting the most demanding requirements. Premiere clients include: FBI, US Navy, Raytheon, Army, Police, and countless others. Let BrickHouse Security help you find the GPS Tracking system that will fit your needs."

Travel Eyes - a passive device from which you get historical data
Alltrack USA - A variety of plans and options to include real-time, passive, or quality of driving.

Quote - Martin Luther

"The first thing I ask is that people should not make use of my name, and should not call themselves Lutherans but Christians. What is Luther? The teaching is not mine. Nor was I crucified for anyone...How did I, poor stinking bag of maggots that I am, come to the point where people call the children of Christ by my evil name?" Martin Luther

1 John - What a book!

Have you read 1 John lately? If not, invest a few minutes and read it. It is such a clear picture of the difference between believers and non-believers. So powerful and clear!

1 John 2:1 (ESV) " My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. "

1 John 2:15 (ESV) "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."

1 John 2:19 (ESV) "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us."

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