New kids movie desires to have children kill God

It appears the mass personal email campaign against the new kids movie, The Golden Compass, is catching fire among Christian parents.  I must say that normally I totally ignore mass emails like the one I received, but I thought it important enough to do some checking on my own and feel like they all might be correct:

There will be a new Children’s movie out in December called THE GOLDEN COMPASS. It is written by Phillip Pullman, a proud athiest who belongs to secular humanist societies. He hates C. S. Lewis’s Chronical’s of Narnia and has written a trilogy to show the other side. The movie has been dumbed down to fool kids and their parents in the hope that they will buy his trilogy where in the end the children kill God and everyone can do as they please. Nicole Kidman stars in the movie so it will probably be advertised a lot. This is just a friendly warning that you sure won’t hear on the regular TV. (read the whole story here)

Who loves Jesus? A family devotional

John 14:21 “The person who knows my commandments and keeps them, that’s who loves me. And the person who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and make myself plain to him.”

Who loves Jesus?  One of my family’s favorite, yet weird,  thing to do with each other is to scream out at the top of our lungs, “Who loves Mommy?”  Then everyone screams in unison, “I do!”  Then we go to the next member of the family, “Who loves Cole?” and everyone answers, “I do!”  This goes on till everyone in the family has been named and yelled for.

This fun display of love reminds me of John 14:21.  The important thing to know about this verse is that our love for Jesus is not just about saying how much we love him, it is also about showing our love through following his instructions.  It is not enough to say we love Jesus, we have to show it through obeying his commandments.  I like to simplify his commandments for my family by teaching that we are to love God, others, and ourselves.

When we know and keep God’s commandments, Jesus will be a very real and spiritual presence in our lives.

Possible questions for discussion:

1. What are God’s commandments?
2. Would Jesus ever leave me for not obeying?

YouTube for Christians - it’s amazing!

You’ve got to check out GodTube.com.  I just discovered this little internet gem yesterday and am really impressed with its user interface and massive amount of clean and wholesome videos.

Save your community from divorce

Communities across the U.S. are finally starting to understand the importance of a community marriage policy.  Check out the latest one:

In Clackamas County, Ore., tucked between the cafes and microbreweries of Portland and the misty peak of Mount Hood, more than 170 churches have banded together in defense of love and marriage.

The churches are doing things like organizing date nights for married couples, instituting very strict rules for couples getting married and encouraging older couples to act as marriage mentors.

Marriage Policies work - that’s about all I have to say on that subject

Kidney donation goes online!

I found a great article on kidney donation that seems to offer a creative solution to the kidney donation struggle:

Somewhere in the air between New York City and Denver last March, Linda Chalson’s sister was thumbing through a People magazine when a story on page 127, “Kidneys Online,” caught her eye.

She learned that people in need of transplants were finding living donors via a Web site called MatchingDonors.com.

Chalson, 58, had waited two years for a kidney. Her sister called her about the Web site when the plane touched down.

That month, 30-year-old Matthew Bowers of Colorado Springs also thumbed through the magazine. His eyes widened at the story.

“I never knew you could be a living donor until I read that article,” he said.

Curiosity led the two strangers to visit the Web site and eventually post personal profiles there, one of need and one of an eagerness to give. Four weeks ago, the healthy father of two gave his kidney to the retired New York City schoolteacher. The two formed a friendship in the process.

Such matchups are increasingly common. For would-be recipients, the Web is a way to broadcast a plea rather than relying on the federal government’s United Network for Organ Sharing list, which allocates organs based on a series of factors, chiefly how sick someone is.

Possible donors, in turn, find out how they can help people who need organs that are in short supply nationally.

“Linda is going to get to see her grandkids graduate high school,” Bowers said.

The Internet approach also raises ethical questions, such as whether the sickest get overlooked for the savviest, and whether the Internet provides a venue for illegal organ selling. MatchingDonors.com founder and chief executive officer Paul Dooley said the nonprofit site is widely accepted by doctors and ethicists, with success stories outnumbering concerns.

Pastor Appreciation

For those of you that may not know, October is National Pastor Appreciation month. This is the time of year that congregations get a chance to say “thank you” to the shepherds of their flock.

Most of those that attend church regularly have a good idea of what their Pastor does, but I will tell you that there is much that goes unseen. Scripture tells us that “to whom much is given, much is required..” and that statement cannot be more true than for those that lead the church.

Being called to the ministry is both a privilege and honor. Answering that call is a great responsibility. Our Pastors seek the Lord for the vision of the church. They spend time in prayer and study working towards seeing that vision fulfilled. They bring us the Word on Sundays and pray for us during the week. They answer our calls in the middle of the night, and show up on our doorsteps when we need them. They laugh with us during our most joyful days and speak words of comfort and kindness during times of sorrow.

They move tables, build sets, fix toilets, and do whatever is necessary to keep God’s house in order. They are the most humble of servants and the most willing to do whatever is needed to advance His Kingdom. Their sacrifice and commitment to the body of Christ cannot be measured in words.

I have the privilege of working beside my pastor, and I know what he does in the course of a week. His sheep may never see all that he does, but we all know that God does, and that is what truly counts.

Be sure you find a way to thank your shepherd this month. I promise you it will mean more than words can say to hear those he serves say, “well done”.

A thought from my mother

“Don’t be afraid because all you have to know is who you are. Your’re defined by what you stand for. Your integrity is not for sale! Well, I know I am a child of God!”

May I introduce…

I’d like to introduce to you the key to a great marriage….GOD!

My husband and I have a real burden to see marriages succeed and be their absolute best. Even though there may occasionally be differences or disagreements, it is possible to have a great relationship. But we believe the only way to do that is to have the Lord at the center.

You see, God’s way is the way that works. He did design marriage after all. And He gave us the road map for how it is to work. His plan is that we love one another with everything within us. His plan is that we love the way He loves us. His plan is that it’s not about what we can gain for ourselves, but what we can give to others. His plan is about sacrifice and compromise.

As a follower of Christ, you may already know this. If you’ve never heard it before, then let me share with you what my Life Application Bible says about marriage.

Marriage was God’s idea. (Genesis 2:18-24)
God hates divorce and desires that marriage should be permanent. (Matt.19:4-6)
Romance is important. (see the Song of Solomon)
Marriage is a living symbol of Christ and the Church. (Eph.5:23,32)

There is so much more in Scripture that I cannot possibly put on this page. But once you start searching, you will come to know just how important it is to follow His plan for your marriage and to include Him in it. Ecc. 4:12 tells us that “…a cord of three strands is not easily broken”. The translation is that if God is the third strand, nothing is stronger.

No matter where you are in your marriage, God wants to be a part of it. Now that you’ve met Him….take time to get to know Him.