The Golden Compass: To Boycott or Not to Boycott?

Don't know if you've heard all the fuss about the new NICOLE KIDMAN movie, The Golden Compass... apparently, it's based on some "anti-God" childrens' books by Philip Pullman. While that might be true, God hasn't called us to picket and boycott people or places because they disagree with what we believe.

I wanted to post my response to an email (one of several) that I received about the movie. Hopefully, it will stir up some dialogue... or, better yet, stir our hearts to really seek to better understand the mindset of this postmodern, post-Christian culture we live in. Here goes:

Hello, all...

No offense, but I'd like to push back just a little, because I think we sometimes still don't research enough. I've looked at both sides (including the interview with the Sydney Morning Herald ), and have formed the following opinion: 1) the author is INDEED atheistic and not favorable toward Christianity; 2) HOWEVER, his gripe is not so much with Christianity itself, as it is with "organized religion."

Here are a couple of quotes from him:

From his website:

"I think it's perfectly possible to explain how the universe came about without bringing God into it, but I don't know everything, and there may well be a God somewhere, hiding away. Actually, if he is keeping out of sight, it's because he's ashamed of his followers and all the cruelty and ignorance they're responsible for promoting in his name. If I were him, I'd want nothing to do with them" (emphasis mine).

From his interview with the Sydney Morning Herald:

"If we're talking on the scale of human life and the things we see around us, I'm an atheist. There's no God here. There never was. But if you go out into the vastness of space, well, I'm not so sure. On that level, I'm an agnostic. That's not to say I disparage the religious impulse. I think the impulse is a critical part of the wonder and awe that human beings feel. What I am against is organised religion of the sort which persecutes people who don't believe. I'm against religious intolerance" (emphasis mine).

So, while I agree that we DO need to be careful with allowing our kids complete license to view the movie and read the books, we also need to understand (it seems) how this man has formed many of his opinions. His opinions have been formed (it seems) from what he has observed from the lives of so-called Christians! So, whatever you do... DON'T BOYCOTT THE MOVIE! Teach your children (as you learn yourselves) to understand their faith... learn to love people (especially non-Christians) unconditionally... and follow Christ relentlessly.

One last thing... here are a list of books I would recommend reading to gain an understanding of how non-Christians view us. It's imperative that we know and understand their image of us, and how we can/should respond to transform their image of what a true Christ-follower looks like:

1. No Perfect People Allowed

2. Peppermint-Filled Pinatas

3. They Like Jesus, but Not the Church

4. unChristian

Pastor Darren Plummer
http://www.dplum.org/

**edited, 11/2/07**

MAD AT THE WORLD!!

I went to the bank today to get some quarters for the parking meter (yes, I have to "pay" to be at this one particular Starbucks... sheesh), and while I was standing in line, I heard a loud, male voice behind me say, "Hey, mutha f$&!*$!!" (sorry... I know I just messed some of y'all up!)

Thinking this dude was talking to me, but not knowing why... I turned around calmly, saying to myself, "Ok, D-Plum... the dude has lost his mind... LET IT GO!!!" But when I turned to face the man, what I saw was both shocking and sad: he was an older gentleman, and looked totally confused. He seemed to be MAD AT EVERYBODY... and yet, mad at NOBODY IN PARTICULAR. It was clear he wasn't playing with a full deck... he just kept walking around, cussin', lookin' all angry... at no one in particular!! Just talking to himself...

And I couldn't help but think: That's just how the unchurched views us! Mad at everybody, but nobody in particular... just MAD! (see how BOB FRANQUIZ worded it in this post) Why are we sometimes so angry? And why do we always have to be "right?"

And somebody please tell me... why does it always seem like THE CHURCH IS TALKING TO ITSELF?!?!

Why Did I Get Married?!

Okay... the funny thing is that when some of you saw this post title, you were like, "Uh-oh... trouble on the D-Plum homefront. Must've had a crazy anniversary!!"

But au contraire! Quite the contrary! (not sure if my French is up-to-par) Keda and I had a great weekend, which started on Friday evening with DINNER AND A MOVIE!! What movie, you say?

WHY DID I GET MARRIED?!

That's the name of the movie! It's a TYLER PERRY movie, with an all African-American cast... and even if you're not African-American, go see it... DON'T SHY AWAY FROM IT!! It's very insightful... and I hear a whole lot of you church planters talking/asking questions about how you can reach the black community... well, here's a 2-hour dose of "Love... African-American Style"! ;-) Doesn't give you insight into every aspect of African-American life, but you do get a glimpse of what we're like when friends get together.

Okay... it's HOLLYWOOD, don't forget that. AND it portrays the secular mindset. Don't walk away thinking, "Do all black guys act like that? Do all black women act like that?" Of course we don't. Yet, it's true, most African-Americans can identify with this movie to some extent.

All in all, I LOVED THE MOVIE!! Tyler Perry does a great job with the script... I love his emphasis on relationships, forgiveness and reconciliation... definitely a must-see.

And I look forward to getting some comments from my blog friends out there! ;-)

Monday Ramblings...

Had a great service yesterday... numbers are still pretty low... but excitement is high! we're still getting out first-timers... and people are returning, and bringing their friends!

I preached long yesterday... 45 minutes... wow. Not sure if that's too long for our church, but we're trying to keep the messages to around 30-35 minutes...

Brian and the band did an incredible job yesterday! They rocked Bebo Norman's Nothing Without You and Casting Crowns' Voice of Truth, along with some other songs. It was great... and the Casting Crowns song went perfectly with the message (FACING YOUR GIANTS:Turning Obstacles into Opportunties).

BIG UPS: Okay... MUST give props to Bernard Greene...who handled guitar duties, powerpoint, AND sound (don't even ask...) Thanks, B, for stretching out and helping wherever needed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A couple of things I am learning: 1) it is HARD to build teams... 2) we need to be more intentional with building relationships/doing evangelism. Churches grow from the "buzz" in the community that's created by the church itself! And the buzz comes from being "salt and light" to the people in the community!

A Strange Sight...

As I was driving home this evening, I saw something that totally baffled me... it was a bumper sticker that read:

If you want a taste of religion, bite a minister!!!

Man, what's that all about????? Somebody please help me on that one...

On another note... and a more pleasing one... I love the ritual that my boys and I have at bedtime: I sang and pray with all three individually. My 3-yr old, Seth, always prefers anything by Mercy Me... although he knows the lyrics much better than I do. After I'm finished, he always says, "Pray with me." I'm telling you... it's the cutest thing!

I keep waiting for Darren Jr. (who's 10) to say, "Dad, I'm too old for that stuff..." but it hasn't happened yet. He loves his Dad's rendition of Fred Hammond songs...

But it's my 8-yr old, Shawn, who's the funny one... and the most persistent. HE'S the one who has consistently pressed me to keep up this tradition... so he asks every night, "Dad, are you going to sing to us... and pray with us?

Every night.
Without fail.

And his favorite song for Dad to sing... every day, 12 months a year?

The Little Drummer Boy. :-)

Hmmm...

Well, well...

I seem to have ruffled a few feathers with Tuesday's post...

EVIDENTLY, some have a problem with the fact that I said that it was "evident" that the young man who killed all those people at VA Tech had never met Jesus.

Okay... one the one hand, you're correct: I didn't know the young man... and can't know for sure whether or not he was a believer. Someone even made the inference in their comment that because he was Korean, there was a good chance he was Christian (I tweaked that a bit, but read it for yourself...)

Now, I mean no disrespect - especially to any who may have known the young man personally - but the Bible has A WHOLE LOT to say about what constitutes what a Christ-follower does and does not look like. Here's a sampling:

Look here...

... and here...

Check this out...

... and finally...

Now, I could go on... but I won't... so, that's just a SNIPPET of what the Bible says about the matter. So, if you're upset, don't get mad at me - I didn't write the letter; I'm just carrying the mail...

Now, I will say this to all of you who ARE Christ-followers (I shared this with a friend earlier today): If you and I will get serious about being salty and well-lit Christ-followers (see this passage), we would do the kingdom of darkness some serious damage, and have more of an impact in the world...

And no one will have to WONDER whether or not we know Jesus...

A Nation Mourns

By now, everyone has heard about the VA Tech shooting... it is so sad, and so unbelievable. I can't imagine how all those parents are feeling as they mourn the loss of their child or children....

On this past Sunday, I was speaking at a church... and, afterwards when we went to pick up our boys from the Children's Ministry, my 10 year old son Darren was nowhere to be found. We searched all over that church for at least 20 minutes... and, finally, he appeared (he had been in the bathroom for awhile... lol) The thoughts that ran through my mind as I, along with the church's Children's Pastor, looked for DJ were hauntingly eerie... where could he be? I confess that for much of those 20 minutes, I was a wreck inside... this couldn't be happening!

But Darren did show up... and there were many parents of students at VA Tech who finally received word or heard from their children that they were safe. But for a few dozen parents and families, their world was totally rocked, never to be the same again...

Many are saying, "This should never have happened!" "How could so much evil be resident in such a young man?"

Well, it doesn't take much. These are terrible times.

Our hearts should be broken not only for the victims, but also for the young man who held the gun and took the lives... because, evidently, his was a life that had never encountered the living Christ...

He either rejected the message...
Or it wasn't explained well enough to him...

Or, worse still... somebody hid it from him.

I don't even want to stop and think about the possible number of believers that came across that young gunman's paths... from the time he was a young boy until his sad demise yesterday as a young adult.

If you're reading this, think of those one or two or three family members, fellow students, neighbors who you know well... of whom you're not sure whether or not they have a relationship with Jesus... and share the Good News of Jesus Christ - that God is, in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself!

And He has given US this message of reconciliation...

Don't hide the message... nothing good will ever come of it.

Cross-Colors

I have a meeting on Wednesday that I'm really looking forward to: it's with my good friend, Vic Simpson, and his friend, Pepe Roja. Vic is having us at his church on Sunday morning to do a round table discussion on multicultural ministry and the issue of racism. It's going to be awesome, my friends! For those of you who know me, you know this is something I'm extremely passionate about. It bothers me that there are not more pastors and church planters for whom this a passion... but I'm glad I'll be with two guys this weekend who are definitely passionate about it! (Also, see my friend Amy's blog on this).

"Christ brought us together through his death on the Cross. The Cross got us to embrace, and that was the end of the hostility" (Ephesians 2:16, The Message).

Also, I was just recently contacted about participating in a panel next month on basically the same issues! Wow... God is up to something, I'm tellin' ya! My prayer is that He uses Mosaic to start a revolution in College Park... one that is passionate about reaching all kinds of people, passionate about starting alot of churches, and passionate about this awesome King we have the privilege to serve!!!!!

"I saw a huge crowd, too huge to count. Everyone was there - all nations and tribes, all races and languages. And they were standing, dressed in white robes and waving palm branches, standing before the Throne and the Lamb and heartily singing: Salvation to our God on his Throne! Salvation to the Lamb!" (Revelation 7:9-10, The Message)

A-Launching We Will Go!!

Well, we completed our 3rd preview service this evening... the numbers were about the same (37 adults), so things are continuing to go well... and I'm really excited about Mosaic launching in a few weeks... 27 days and counting! From monthly services to weekly services... yikes!!!!! Kinda scary, but exciting at the same time... looking forward to being able to connect with people on a more regular basis.

Next Sunday, I'll be at Emmanuel Church either speaking or participating in a round-table-type of discussion on the topic "Is God Racist?" That should be quite interesting... and alot of fun!

"Good" Friday

There was a time when, for several years, I would take off work on Good Friday and attend a "7 Last Words" service at noon. Seven preachers would preach from 5-10 minutes on these last sayings of Christ on the cross:

1. "Father, forgive them... for they do not know what they do."
2. "This day, you will be with me in paradise."
3. "Woman, behold your son. Son, behold your mother."
4. "My God, my God... why have You forsaken me?"
5. "I thirst."
6. "It is finished."
7. "Father, into Your hand I commit My Spirit."

Though I've preached my share of 7 Last Words messages... it's been a little while since my last one. And, in a sense, I miss it. It is a great tradition - when done well - in the Black church. Transitioning out of the "traditional church environment" over the last few years has limited some of those opportunities for me... but I look forward to Mosaic creating our own special worshipful and meaningful environments.

People often ask, "Why do we call this Friday 'good'? Jesus was brutalized!"

But that's exactly why it's GOOD Friday. The Bible says:

"He was pierced for our rebellion... crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed... The Lord laid on Him the sins of us all" (Isaiah 53:5-6).

"For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:21).

We celebrate this day as Good Friday, because it was on the cross that Jesus paid for our sins... all of them... IN FULL! No longer do we have to sacrifice, and "hope" that God accepts, meager animals for our sins. No longer do we need a human priest to go to God on our behalf. No longer do we have to fear death, hell, or the grave. No longer do we have to fear the wrath of God! Jesus "was brutalized" for us, so that we could have peace with God... no longer having to fear His judgment.

On Friday, Jesus hung on the cross for us... paid for our sins, and settled God's wrath against us.

That's why Good Friday is good.

All that happened on Friday... but Sunday was a'comin!!!!! :-)

Don't Even Worry About It!

Ok... so now we've got another DaVinci Code thingy going on, huh? And I'm sure there are Christ-followers everywhere ready to go ballistic. And I guess I understand that, because when you love somebody, you don't want people messin' with them...

So, sometimes Jesus lovers have a tendency to go medieval when people start trying to make Him look bad. But you know what I've found? Jesus can take much better care of Himself than we can! We don't need to picket or boycott or anything like that... all we need to do is KEEP PREACHING JESUS!!

Sure, let's help them get their facts straight...
Let's tell them what the Word says...
Let's keep proclaiming the fame of His name...
But let's NOT worry about foolish and false accounts about people finding His bones...

Because, I guarantee you, He's not worried about it... He's alive and doing very well, thank you! And He's continuing to transform the lives of countless numbers of people who have embraced His death AND resurrection!

The resurrection of Jesus is a FACT... whether people believe it or not.

“I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying" (John 11:24).

Ha HAAAAAAAAA! I'M ON!!!

YEAH, BABY!!! NO COMPUTER WITHDRAWALS FOR ME!!!!!

Okay... I'm TOTALLY siced (DC old school word) about the FREE WIFI at the hotel! They were telling the truth... it really is $9.95/night, but they have this special where you can sign up for a hotel "membership" (free) to receive e-newsletters/discounts... and when you do that, they give you the internet access for free. I'll take a little spam here and there for free access, baby! ;-)

Our flight was pretty cool... well, Keda hates flying, so you'll have to check with her for her take on that! :-) On our first flight (we had to make a connection in Denver), we watched a movie called The Prestige... which was good... definitely worth checking out!! The trip was almost 4 hours, so the movie made the time go back quicker. We also watched My Name is Earl... I'd never really watched it before, but it had me cracking up! On the same flight, I met a guy named Gary from Rockville... who was on his way to WYOMING to drive his mom back to the East Coast. Gary, if you're reading this, it was great meeting you, dude! Look forward to seeing you at MOSAIC soon! ;-)

We arrived in Albuquerque at around 6:30 or so... the airport was really neat, because it was like culture shock to us! Other than Dallas, TX, I've never been to the Southwest before... and this is SW Culture, big-time!! Here was something neat: our hotel shuttle driver, Devin, just came back from Columbia, MD... his parents moved there about 6 months ago... he was 20 minutes from us and now we meet him in a van in Albuquerque... how neat is that? Hopefully, he'll meet Jesus before we leave... ;-)

Then, at the restaurant in our hotel lobby, our waiter, Raymond, told us he grew up, and spent most of his life, in DC... Lincoln Park! Now that's pretty wild... three DC area connections on the first day of our trip!

Okay... well you guys pray for us while we're out here in NM! I'm hoping to post some pics of Albuquerque next week... stay tuned! ;-)

"Rocky WHO?!

I was in Starbucks again yesterday, and I was sitting at the same table where I sat two days ago (remember the 4 rocket scientists I met??). This time, there was a young lady across from me... she watched my laptop/stuff for me when I went to feed the parking meter, and when I came back I decided to start a conversation with her and invite her out to Mosaic. Here's how the conversation went:

"Hey, thanks for watching my stuff... I'm Darren - what's your name?"

"I'm Talia... what'd you say your name was again?"

"Darren... so, it's Talia... like Talia Shire?"

Eeeeeerrrttt!!!! (loud tires-screeching sound...) Okay, hold it a sec... just in case you don't know who Talia Shire is - and you should - she played the role of "Adrian" in the Rocky movies. Okay, you can start driving again.

"Talia who?" (uh-oh...)

"Talia Shire... she played "Adrian" in the Rocky movies."

"The what movies?"

"The ROCKY movies... you know, as in Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky III, Roc... wait a minute, you've never heard of them??" (I should've done the theme song for her!!)

"Ummm... no... how old are they?"

"Well, Rocky VI just came out, like, last fall! You're pulling my leg, though, right? You're trying to make me feel really old?? Sylvester Stallone... ROCKY?!?! Hey, do you know some guys named Stanley, Vince, Justin, and Chris??"

She didn't.

I wanted to tell her she should get out more.

I didn't.

But she should.

SO... I left the Rocky convo, told her I'm a pastor starting a new church in the area, and gave her a Mosaic impact card.

"What's Mosaic? Is it a kind of church or something?"

"Ummm... yes, that's what it says right there... Mosaic... Community... Church."

"Oh... I'm Jewish... but I'll give this to my roommate!"

And so went the conversation... but it's all good! Maybe I'll run into Talia again... maybe she will have watched Rocky I... and maybe - just maybe - she'll log onto our website and have her interest peaked about a group of people that worship a Jewish carpenter who died so that we might live!

You never know... stranger things have happened.

Like meeting someone who's never heard of Rocky... :-)

The Artist Formerly Known As...

Okay... I KNOW I'm going to get blasted here... but Prince rocked the house last night at the Super Bowl! Now, I don't know what the little doo-rag thingy was for... but, c'mon, this is Prince... we've seen worse! Say what you want... the man is a monster musician! And he must know a little about football, too, because he was sporting Miami Dolphin colors!

Now, I know what some of you are saying: "Pastor D... how could you??? After all... he's Prince... the same guy who sang Raspberry Beret and Darling Nikki and a whole lot of other crazy stuff!! PASTOR D, HOW COULD YOU???"

Well, first of all, c'mon... it's not like I condone his lifestyle (whatever that is, I don't know... and you probably don't either!) I definitely didn't care for the doo-rag... but the truth is: the man put on a good show! I liked it! He does need Jesus, but I liked it!

So there. :-)

I'll say this, though: you won't have to worry about me wearing his outfit this Sunday...

Introducing Ayiesha Woods!

This is an incredible CD! They did a great job with music, lyrics, production... everything... and Ayiesha sings about everyday life! Nice, urban grooves that focus on God's greatness and glory in our everyday struggles... this one needs to be added to your CD collection!

NYC!!!!

I was in NYC (Manhattan) today for what was supposed to be a Church Planters' Roundtable with Nelson Searcy and Kerrick Thomas, who are the Lead Pastor and Executive Pastor (respectively) of The Journey Church of the City. I say "supposed" because there were actually about 40 of us in attendance! Much too large for a roundtable, so it turned into a seminar... which was still cool. BTW, If you're a church planter, relaunching a church, or just need to get some systems in place, you definitely want to invest in some of Nelson's seminars... awesome stuff! Today's seminar was great... and really helped to crystallize some things in my own mind as Mosaic Community Church prepares to launch in the spring. Nelson and Kerrick are also putting on The Launch Conference: Starting a Church from Scratch in January... wish I'd had that to attend when I was just getting on the field! Thanks, Nelson and Kerrick, for your heart for church planters!!

I also got to hang out a bit with Gregg Farah, who leads Mosaic Manhattan Church... he had some really helpful and timely advice to give. It's always a great thing to be able to lean on the wisdom of those who've gone before us... and I appreciate Gregg's willingness to pour into a young bro!

NYC is a great place!! I most definitely couldn't live there, but it's a great place to visit. And I've never seen such a large police presence in one city before in my life!! Jimineez!! But it was a good thing... one street I went down, there were bunches of vendors and some other people on the sidewalk trying to sell whatever they were offering: jewelry, clothes, books... even haircuts! This guy was like, "Yo, my man... hop right on down and get you a fresh cut!" I looked into the "hole in the wall" where he was pointing, and it was a staircase which led to... who knows where! There was no way I was hopping anywhere near that joint! I probably would've come out with not only my hair gone!! No wonder there are so many police around there... haha!

But, all in all, it was a good trip... I was totally amped to be in NYC for the first time in my life... and I made it home in one piece! Praise Jesus!

Fearful Followers

Okay... I'm sitting here in Starbucks... and in walks this couple. Now, they're not you're ordinary, everyday-looking couple... at least, not here in College Park, MD. The guy was tall (maybe 6'3" or so), brown-skinned, had on a couple of layers of what looked like some kinds of sheets or robes, that came down a little past his knees... white socks and some sort of slippers. It didn't appear that he was wearing pants, because you could see his bare shins (remember the sheets were a little past the knee). I think he was bald, and he had on a little skull cap of sorts... and he had a really, really long beard. The lady he was with was wearing sheets/robes, too, except they were all black... and covered her from head to toe. You could only see her eyes.

You guessed it... they're devout, orthodox Muslims. They came in, holding hands, not caring about the many eyes that left computer screens and followed them through the cafe section to the coffee line. Without seemingly a care in the world, they blatantly made a very clear visual statement as to who they follow. And the thought ran through my mind: "Why is it so difficult, as a Christian, to be so bold?" The thought has plagued me many, many times... and the answer always comes back the same: "Fear." Fear of rejection, fear of ridicule, fear of isolation... whatever. But that's the issue. The greatest message in the entire world that can liberate and transform any culture, and I'm often afraid to open my mouth. Funny how we can "believe" so strongly in some things, and call or email everyone we know and try to influence their thinking to "buy into" this thing we believe. Whether it's the Dallas Cowboys, or Calvinism, or politics, we all get excited about different things. But when it comes to sharing the life-changing message of Jesus Christ, we often keep our mouths as closed as a Chik-Fil-A on Sundays.

I often thought that - if I were really excited about Jesus - then the fear would leave, and I could be another Billy Graham or Luis Palau or Tom Skinner. But God never promised us the absence of fear... He's promised us His presence. And assured of His presence, we can move forward in the midst of fear, knowing that He'll never leave us... He'll never abandon us... He'll always be with us to give us His power and His presence. That's why the believers in Acts 4 prayed for boldness - because it doesn't come naturally for most of us.

So, if you're waiting for God to remove the fear before you begin to tell others about Him, stop waiting... and start asking Him to give you boldness to do what He's called every Christ-follower to do - be a witness for His Son to those who are far from Him.

"'Now Lord, consider their threats and enable Your servants to speak Your word with boldness...' After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly" (Acts 4:29, 31).

On Michael Richards...

So... mostly likely, we've all had the opportunity to see the video. We've all been repulsed at the racial hatred that spewed from the man's mouth. "Could this be KRAMER?" No, it's Michael Richards. "Kramer" is a figment of the imagination; a character from The Seinfeld Show that was created to make us laugh... Kramer made us laugh; his "creator", Michael Richards, didn't come close to doing that...

After the incident, Richards made an attempt (if you want to call it that) to apologize on national TV (The Letterman Show)... and, admittedly, I tried to somewhat defend Richards earlier, because he said he's not a racist... but the truth is: what a person is deep down inside eventually comes out... especially under pressure. If you shake up a bottle of Coke , and remove the top... Ginger Ale doesn't shoot out; Coke does. And, believe it or not, what's true for soda... is true for people. What is hovering around down inside of us will at some point in time fly out of our mouths. Because what the Bible says is true: "Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks" (Matthew 12:34). Or, as The Message puts it, "It's your heart, not the dictionary, that gives meaning to your words."

We all have to face up to what's inside of us. When we fly off on angry tirades just because we think we can - and we try to justify it ("She had that coming!" or "That's what he gets!"), we're just rationalizing sin. Here's the big question: HOW DO WE RESPOND WHEN WE'RE WRONGED? Usually, we respond according to how we feel at the moment (angry, hurt, upset), and we feel justified... because "what goes around comes around", right? I mean, if they hadn't said what they said, I wouldn't have responded how I did! Well, there's at least a couple of things wrong with that: 1) It's immature! Point blank... no need to even expound on that. 2) It's not pleasing to God, who says to "pray for those who persecute you" (Matt. 5:44), and "Do not take revenge" (Rom. 12:19).

We all have to fight the temptation to lash out when we feel we've been wronged... and for those of us who feel "justified" in doing so, Jesus leaves us with something to consider: "But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned" (Matt. 12:36-37).

Until later,
PD

Trade

Yesterday, I saw a movie screening for a powerful movie that will be released next spring, Trade - which stars Kevin Kline and is about the trafficking of young kids and women as sex slaves. It was an incredibly emotional movie that shows the depravity and wickedness of man apart from a saving relationship with Jesus. The fact that the movie is based on true accounts is utterly amazing... it's a must-see movie, and a topic that needs a much broader awareness here in the U.S., as it touches us as a country much more prevalently than one would imagine.

Steve Irwin's Dead!

Wow... who would have thought that Steve Irwin would die at the hand (tail) of a STINGRAY?? When my wife heard the news that he was dead, we were sure that he'd had a crocodile accident (after all, he was the "Crocodile Hunter"). They're saying that Stingray deaths (or even injuries, for that matter) are extremely rare... but Irwin's chest had been punctured by the animal's "barb" (the stinger that is under its tail) right at the heart... so, he didn't stand much of a chance.

Ironically, the Bible refers to death as having a "sting". Death is no fun, for those of us who have lost loved ones. One day, for all who have put their trust in Christ alone for salvation, we will never again have to worry about the sting of death... "O death, where is your sting?" (1 Cor. 15:55).

I look forward to that day!