Slacker

I have been away for the holidays and it clearly shows from my lack of posting that I am a slacker.

Time spent with family and friends in WV was very nice. I will be back to serious blogging in short order. I will try to get something meaningful posted before the end of the year.

For now, just enjoy the picture of the lighthouse, a great symbol of the Christian life as well as the gospel. This lighthouse is located at Sea Lion Point, OR.

Christmas Chuckle

[Somehow this guy has gotten inside my head. Crazy how that happens.]

Our Disturbing World

Recent news stories, along with personal encounters, have caused me to ponder the disturbing nature of our culture. It doesn't take long to see what a mess our world is in. You can hang all the decorations you like, this world is still a broken place. Holiday cheer and blockbuster retail numbers won't cover it up. What's more, you can accuse politicians all day long but they are not to blame.

There is a blatant disregard for morality and virtue. People seem to have no concept of personal responsibility. This is especially prominent in young people. Integrity and honesty are quickly fading into the background.

Of course the root cause is simple to isolate. You will find the beginning of all these woes in Genesis 3. Sin is a terrible thing. It is played out before our eyes daily. And it is disturbing. However, you will also see in Genesis 3 that there is hope.

It is this hope that we celebrate at Christmas. Although Christ Jesus was born in a Bethlehem manger, that is not his beginning. He was promised in Genesis 3:15. This verse is the first announcement of Good News. The angel's announcement on a Bethlehem hillside thousands of years later was really just a reminder.

Into this broken and disturbing world came eternal hope. Hallelujah!

Holiday Road Trips

Many families will be taking "road trips" during Christmas. I have some vivid memories about our family trips. We almost never traveled during the holidays. Most of our trips were for family vacations. Nonetheless, time spent travelling is always fun, at least when the kids stay "on their own side" of the back seat (flashback to anger and tears).

Road trip games are a great way to enhance the quality of time spent in the car. Here is a list of games you may want to use during your upcoming trip to visit family over Christmas. Some of the items on the list are very familiar to our family, others are rather new ideas. This list is taken from the articles section of the FamilyLife web page. This page is a good resource for all things family.

I think we will try a few of these games when we head out to "Grandma's house." Happy Motoring! (10 points if you can identify the origin of this slogan)

Politics and Religion

Although I have only heard 'sound bites,' apparently Mitt Romney gave a speech in which he addressed the issue of religion in the political arena. I agree with much of what I heard. The main point that I would agree with is that faith is important but ought not be a 'test' for support or rejection of a candidate. Did you really expect "Mormon-Mitt" to say the Whitehouse would move to Salt Lake if he's elected? No real surprises here. However, he did make comments about the free exercise of religion that certainly will make many secular liberals very uneasy.

For me, Mitt is a bit shady, or slick, or something. I can't quite put my finger on it. It has less to do with his religion and more to do with his personal presentation. I'm wondering, can a true conservative really come from Massachusetts?

It is no surprise that Mike Huckabee has made a surge in recent days. From my perspective this candidate is clear and articulate. A solid choice for Republicans. I still wonder why some of the evangelical pundits have not aligned themselves with the former Arkansas governor. Here is a link to Huckabee's plan to address illegal immigration. Very solid.

Brian is doing a bang up job keeping the world informed about the inappropriate mixing of politics and religion. I would encourage you to stop by his blog often for running commentary on the mischief of some candidates.

The bottom line for Christians: We ought to pray for our leaders and be active in the process. Yet, our ultimate trust is not in men.

Steeple One Year Old

It was a year ago this week that I ventured into the world of blogging. I must admit that I have often suffered from "blog block." However, the goal here is to share my heart and a few words of encouragement. I make no claims of genius. I am also prone to focus on things that are not always vitally important.

One of my father's favorite sayings was, "Let's keep the main thing the main thing." While that may mean different things to different people, for Christians the main thing is the gospel. We don't talk about it enough. We don't think about it enough. But we ought to. We can not "get over" the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is relevant everyday for those who have embraced it.

Echoing the theme of Paul from Philippians 3:8, John Flavel wrote, "All other knowledge, how much soever it be magnified in the world, is, and ought to be esteemed but dross, in comparison of the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ." (The Works of John Flavel, Vol. 1 "The Fountain of Life")

I have an enormous way to go on this journey to "know Christ" and fully comprehend the gospel. This blog is part of the working out of this process. One of my goals here is to shine the light of the gospel onto the "information superhighway" in hopes that someone may see it, and embrace it.

If you are a frequent visitor to The Steeple, or first time visitor, thanks for stopping by. I trust you have found something here that is helpful.

We press on.