Category Archives: Christian Living

by | March 14, 2013 · 9:25 pm

Choose Your Topic (Warning)

Warning: The following subject material may be offensive to some. Please be advised.

Choice of College

As a parent, I believe the choice of the college or university to which you plan to send your children is a critical choice to make. What they will learn there can have incalculable ramifications. That is why my daughter will not be attending many places deemed “the best,” including the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (even though we live in Tennessee and are not Crimson Tide fans).

No, my two girls who still live at home will not being going to U.T., or any other school like it, as long as the money from tuition goes to fund things like Sex Week. If I am going to be giving any money to fund my daughters’ educations, it won’t be going to help teach young “adults” how to be more sexually expressive, especially with the same sex. Ain’t happening.

Held Hostage!

One young person (presumably a college student who now knows everything about being an adult) accused me of holding my daughters “hostage” for not spending my hard-earned dollars on the college of their choice. I was told that I was being a bad parent because I did not respect her right to do as she wished.

News Flash! It is a parent’s job to say “NO!” every once in a ….scratch that…. It’s a parent’s job to say “NO!” a whole LOT of times. As long as my children (and that is the operative word) are living in my house, eating my food, using my electricity, driving my cars, and dressing in clothing I paid for, by golly I have a say in where they go and what they do and who they do it with! I am a parent, for Christ’s sake (literally), not a best friend or “bud”!

Choice of Topics

What got me on this subject? It was a Fox News article detailing how student fees at UT are going to be funding the hosting of, among others, a lesbian bondage expert (Sinclair Sexsmith) during Sex Week. According to the info packet you can view HERE,  “getting laid” is “an urgently needed discussion” among the educated elite.

Evidently, the wisdom and insight of Sinclair Sexsmith, author of the Sugarbutch Chronicles and one “who studies critical feminist & gender theory, sexual freedom, social change activism, archetypes, and the tantric and buddhist spiritual systems,” is a voice that must be heard by our already over-sexed generation.

So, if you choose to attend one of the lectures being offered during the first week of April (fools?), you might be able to hear her, along with several other “urgently needed” topics of discussion. Speakers and topics include…

  •  Reid Mihalko – Getting Laid (Rape Culture); Hook-Up Culture on
    College Campuses; Personal Motivational Speech on
    Sexuality
  •  Sinclair Sexsmith – Messing Around with Gender; Literary Workshop
  • Charlie Glickman – Sex Positivity; Queer as a Verb; The Performance of Masculinity
  • Shanna Katz – Disability and Sex; Body Image
  • The Mayhems – Sexual Consent/Communication; Non-monogamy

Conclusion?

How do I conclude a post like this? How do I prepare for the onslaught of comments (don’t I wish, right?)?

What will I be called? Hmmm, probably a ____ of a ____ and a ____ who doesn’t know my ___ from a hole in the ground. Of course, if parents respond, and not a bunch of morally relativistic twenty-somethings who know how to rule the world with anarchy, other words may be used. Words like, “Amen, brother!”

Seriously, if you think that your offspring have not learned enough about sexual perversion from movies, music, MTV, and the internet, not to mention their friends, go with them to events like this. You’re paying for it, so you might as well learn something, right?

God help us.

“Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” – Mark 8:38

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by | March 13, 2013 · 10:23 am

Reality Relationships?

Random Questions

For the record, I have never watched a single episode of The Bachelor. I couldn’t care less. But when went to pay for my groceries, I walked by the magazines and saw this. Unbelievable, in a sad, pathetic way.

bachelor virginI don’t want to say too much. All I want to do is ask some questions. You don’t even have to answer them; I just have to get them off my chest.

  1. What kind of blooming idiots think, after the first season of this nonsense, that true love is being picked from a list of narrowed-down options?
  2. Who seriously believes anyone in Hollywood is still a virgin?
  3. So, Mr. Lowe, how do you feel about a dozen non-virtuous, camera-hungry females fighting for your affection?
  4. What kind of real woman would sit by and wait for a guy to decide between some other woman and her? Most real women would say, “H@#*, no!”
  5. What does it say about people when they are “stunned” to hear someone is saving himself for marriage? Were they expecting to be treated with respect by a guy would sleep with every girl in the line-up?
  6. What does it say about your dating habits when you go to a “Fantasy Suite” for a date, but find it awkward – because there won’t be any sex?
  7. How shallow and pitifully void of morality is the idea of “coping” with a “sexless engagement?”
  8. Who actually thinks this is a good way to find wife?
  9. What kind of mother says to her daughter, “I’m so proud of how you fought off all those other girls and won a man that had a hard time deciding between you and that other contestant!”?
  10. Are you kidding me? THIS is reality?

Random Verses

“Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.” – Hebrews 13:4 ESV

“But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.” – 1 Corinthians 7:2 ESV

“Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.” – Proverbs 31:10 KJV

A Final Thought

I wonder how a real dad with a real shotgun would influence Mr. Bachelor’s decision making process? I don’t guess that matter much, though, since it seems Sean Lowe picked his bride to be.

Hope it works out, bubba. Reality is tough on a marriage made in fantasy land.

 

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by | March 12, 2013 · 3:21 pm

A “Perfect” Role Model

Sermon Prep

Not long ago I was doing some research for a sermon on Jonah. In the process I came across a Muslim website that made an interesting observation (and I will paraphrase), “The Bible proves it is not true because God would not allow the prophets’ reputations to be smeared.”

It went on to say (paraphrasing, again), “What kind of role model would a prophet be if we read of him making mistakes?”

What kind of role model? That’s a good question! Was the Muslim author trying to say that role models had to be perfect in order to be real? Here’s a shocker – in one way or another, everybody is a role model.

If the defining characteristic of a role model is “perfection,” that would rule out King David, Solomon, Moses, Joshua, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Peter, Paul, Sarah, Mary (all of them), the woman who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears, and many, many others…

…especially Jonah.

Jonah

Now, Jonah wasn’t exactly the type of person after which I would want to pattern my life, but he was a prophet of God. He had some serious character flaws, though. He was angry, disobedient, and was a racist who constantly talked suicide. He even spouted off to the Lord for being too forgiving!

No, Jonah’s not the type of person I would want to emulate. But hold the whale puke! I am more like him than I thought!

  • I have run from God.
  • I have harbored racism at times, as much as I am ashamed to admit.
  • I have been angry and disobedient.
  • I have wondered if life was worth living.
  • I have even wanted to see whole cities destroyed, innocent people and all, after September 11, 2001.

I have been more like Jonah more than I care to admit.

The Encouraging Part

The fact is that the Bible is not only full of role models, but models of the people we already are. Flawed, broken, and human. But here is the encouraging part: even when we are not perfect, God can still use us – and change us.

  • Jonah ran from God, but God pursued.
  • Jonah disobeyed God, but it didn’t derail God’s plan.
  • Jonah got angry with God, but God responded to him with the understanding kindness of a wise Father.
  • Jonah even wanted to die, but God never belittled him. He only focused Jonah’s attention on the bigger picture: 120,000 souls, not to mention animals, whose lives were spared (Jonah 4).

I thank God that the Bible doesn’t white-wash humanity. There are so many examples of how people, just like me, can find hope, even when we’re not perfect.

The Perfect One

It is not hard to come to the conclusion that there were some really dysfunctional people in the Bible. But you know what? That’s what adds to the authenticity of Scripture. There are no “perfect” role models in the Bible, except for one – Jesus.

“For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.” – 1 Peter 2:21-22 ESV

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” – Hebrews 4:15-16 NIV

I want to be more like HIM!

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by | March 9, 2013 · 7:10 pm

Promise Fulfilled

Daddy, Will You…

Not long ago I received a list from my 12-year old daughter. It was a list of things she wanted to do with me. It was a list of things that she wanted to do with her daddy, when he could make the time.

Well, today I got to check off one of the things on her list – shooting.

Daddy Needs To…

One of the big problems of today’s society is a lack of father participation. Oh, many men (I use that term loosely) are more than happy to make babies and play house, but few are willing to make lifelong commitments, especially to being there for their daughters.

Men, your daughters need you. They need you to love them, to hug them, to have tea parties, and to go shooting. They need you to be the first men in their lives, and the ones that all others are judged by.

Daddies, don’t make your little girls look for love in the arms of some prepubescent, jobless, video-gamer. Don’t let some condom-packing thug come along and be the first one to tell your daughter she’s a princess. Every girl wants to feel special, so prove to her that she is.

Not a Victim

If you really want to do your daughters a favor, teach them how not to be a victim. You know what boys are like, so be the hero…warn your girls! Teach them that it is OK to say “no” to those hormone factories in hoodies. And for when the Justin Bieber wannabe’s try to make a serious move, teach your girls how to take away their offspring-producing capabilities.

And…where possible…teach them how to use a weapon. You can’t protect them forever.

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by | March 6, 2013 · 2:29 am

I’ve Been Sick

It may be news to you, but I have been a little under the weather. To put it another way, I have been sick. But who hasn’t, right?

It can get depressing.

However, I have also been experiencing some unexplained pain in my chest. After a couple of trips to the E.R. and a few visits to doctors, I am still no closer to a diagnosis. All I know is that nothing shows up as a heart attack.

I didn’t want to tell many people, though. The last thing I wanted was worried people calling me all day and night asking how I felt. I feel OK, other than that nagging little pain.

Don’t Pray?

It was only a couple of years ago that I had a cancer scare. I was told that a mass in my chest might be a tumor. When people began finding out about the potential diagnosis, I had to say something. I said, “Don’t you dare pray that I be healed! If you pray anything, pray that God gets the glory through whatever He is leading me through.”The same message holds true this time.

Now, if you are an atheist like Andrew Marburger (my most prolific antagonist), then withholding your prayers for my healing shouldn’t be a problem. But if you are a Christ-follower, then you may be tempted to pray that God heal me and take away my pain. I wouldn’t blame you, for I believe that God is fully capable of doing just that. However, what I desire most is to be full of the Holy Spirit and yielded to the will of my Savior.

Just think, it might be His will for me to take the love of Christ to a nurse who is searching for hope. Maybe God wants me to look into the eyes of a surgeon and say, “I know in Whom I have believed?” You see, sometimes, when those in the hospital won’t go to church, the Lord puts the Church in the hospital.

It Is Well

140 years ago, in 1873, Horatio G. Spafford lost his four daughters to the icy Atlantic when a ship they and his wife were on sank in only 12 minutes. Only a short time before he had lost his only son, a 4-year old, to illness. Then he lost most all his wealth to the Chicago fire. It is hard to imagine the grief he must have been going through.

But it was during his mourning, while sailing to meet his grieving wife who survived the sinking, that Spafford looked over the rails into the waves where his daughters had drowned and wrote the following words…

When peace like a river attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll,

Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,

“It is well, it is well with my soul.”

If you want to pray for me, then by all means, pray! Just let it be, “SOLI DEO GLORIA!” (To God alone be the glory!).

It is well with my soul.

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by | February 25, 2013 · 1:30 am

Monday Monkey (At the Ball) Episode 34

I Don’t Dance!

Well, at least that used to be the case. Now, after a trip to Kentucky, I can officially say that I have danced at a ball.

For the last two years my daughter, Katie, has been aggravating the snot out of me…”Daddy, are you going to take me to the Purity Ball this year?…Daddy, do you have the tickets?…Daddy, don’t forget the ball!…Daddy, I need a dress.”

So, after a bunch of promises, we finally went to the Father/Daughter Purity Ball in Hopkinsville, KY. It was an event sponsored by Alpha Alternative, and the purpose was to promote the beauty of saving one’s self until marriage.

BUT, Mr. Monkey had to go, too.

Embarrassing Your Teenager

Let me tell you something, men. If you have a teenage daughter, it is imperative that you embarrass her in front of her friends at least once. It’s a law. Just be careful how you do it; you don’t want her to hate you.

You see, the trick to embarrassing your teenager without making her hate you is doing it in such a way that she knows you love her. You need to do display your pride in a crazy way that would, under any other circumstance, be considered insane.

As much as my daughter was embarrassed by a dad with a puppet on his arm, she was thrilled that I would put aside my own dignity and be a fool for her.

Loving Your Teenager

Men, let me add one more thing: if you don’t show your daughters how much you love them, there are plenty of scum buckets out there waiting to take your place. If you love your daughters, show it. Treat them like the princesses they are.

Monday Monkey (At the Ball)

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by | February 21, 2013 · 7:08 pm

Getting Old and Scaring Wives

Pains of Aging

If there is one thing in life that stinks, it’s getting old. On the other hand, if there is one thing in life that is sweeter than honey, it’s getting old (i.e., not dying).

There are a lot of pains and aches associated with aging. One of those pains is the pain in the rear that comes with having to go to the ER every time I feel pain in my chest. I get so tired of all the questions, needles, sticky things that painfully remove hair from my chest (I am a manly man, you know), and freezing while waiting for a doctor to tell me I’m not having a heart attack – he thinks.

But there are other pains, too. There’s the pain of hearing your youngest daughter ask, “could this kill you?” There’s the pain of having to hug your girls as you leave for the emergency room, knowing, if this is it, they will be suffering unimaginable pain, but you won’t be there to help. There’s the pain of looking into your wife’s eyes, wondering how she will cope if you don’t make it through the next few hours.

I went through all of this, today.

Perks of Aging

But, there are some perks that come along with aging, too! One is being able to walk on a college campus wearing a sweater vest and have all the college girls (and guys, but not as many) open the door for you (because they think their grade may depend on it). It’s fun. I say, “Have you got your presentation ready for tomorrow?” Ha! Such fun!

Ultimately, getting older means the train is getting closer to the station. I have my bags packed, and my ticket punched. The longer I stand still and listen, the more I think I can feel the vibration on the tracks. It won’t be much longer. I will finally get to go to that land where I will run faster and faster, farther in, and farther up.

I just pray that my train is not too far apart from my wife’s train. She’s scared I will leave too soon. Maybe, if we wait long enough, we can ride in the same dining car together. I’d love to see her eyes when we see for the first time the place we are going. The light will reflect beautifully off of her grey hair.

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by | February 7, 2013 · 10:24 am

A Video Rebuttal to a KJV-only Post

Friends

Did you know that you can be friends with people you don’t agree with? Well, it’s true!

I have a friend named Heather. Heather is a great person, and one that I highly respect. As a matter of fact, if it had not been for Heather, I would have stopped blogging long ago. She was one of the first ones to encourage me, so I will forever be in her debt.

I will remain friends with Heather, promote her blog, and encourage others to hear what she has to say. She is my friend and sister in Christ, but that doesn’t mean we always agree.

Issues

Heather and I disagree on some issues; some minor, others not so minor. For example, Heather is a strong believer in the idea that the King James Version of the English Bible is the perfect, inspired version.  I, on the other hand, believe that the KJV is only a translation of the Word of God, not the inspired Word itself. Big difference.

Recently, Heather posted the latest installment of Dr. Sam Gipp’s videos promoting KJV-onlyism. That is when I decided to post a video by James White  which would better clarify my opinion on the issue. So, please take the time to watch both videos, then decide for yourself which position is more reasonable.

Family

Let me make this perfectly clear: people in the same family can disagree, but it doesn’t change the fact that they are family. Many people will say, “You Christians can’t agree, so why would I want to be a part of your family?” To that I would reply, “Did you agree with all of your spouse’s relatives before you got married?”

Healthy debate is a good thing. And even though we may disagree on some things, love and respect is always in order.

Go check out Heather Joy’s blog, Grow Up! She is bright, insightful, and full of spunk. You will like her, even if she does agree with Dr. Gipp.

 

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by | January 31, 2013 · 11:13 am

Hacked Email

This morning I woke up to several emails asking odd questions. One friend who is involved with monitoring attempted terrorist attacks on our waterways sent me an email saying, “You have been hacked.” Oh. That explained it.

Well, if you received a strange email from me in the middle of the night (depending on where you live), and if it was a spam email, then please accept my apologies. I can’t say it won’t happen again, but I’ll do my best to up the security.

In the meantime, here are some suggestions to help determine if an email you receive is actually from me…

First, if you receive an email with a time stamp of 3:30 a.m., toss it. If it is so important that I get a message to you in the middle of the night, I will either call, text, or say something other than “Hello!” If you do actually receive an email from me when I should be sleeping, just report me to my wife.

Secondly, I don’t know any “hot girls” or “sexy singles”. Let’s try to keep it that way, OK?

Thirdly, I hate to forward anything, and usually won’t if someone asks. If you receive a message that says something like, “You’ve got to check this out!”, then it’s probably not from me. If you receive anything that says, “Forward this to at least 10 people and you will be blessed with love and success,” it came from Satan, not me.

Lastly, I don’t do weird stuff. If it is an email asking you to check out some new “thing” on the market or a new gimmick to help you lose weight, it’s not from me. If it is a link to something sexual, shame on you if you click it!

Well, there you have it. I am sure I could come up with more suggestions, but I have other stuff to do. I hope this was helpful.

If you have any other suggestions, leave them in the comment section below. Your email may be the next one hacked.

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by | January 23, 2013 · 12:10 am

Just the Sound of BB’s

I thought I had said enough about the horrors of abortion in yesterday’s post, but then I found this on Facebook (thanks to Joel Garner).

The attached video is not graphic, but should be terribly disturbing. It is not gross and disgusting, only sobering.

Please listen to the sound of BB’s in a tin can.

I agree with the author of this video – God help us!

Here is another video you should watch. It is of an abortion survivor. Very powerful.

But you know what, I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you that there is hope for those who have had abortions. Watch and listen to my friends (who I used to play bass guitar with), Adam and Kathy Glover. This was from a few years ago. We were at their home when this aired, and you should have seen the emails that flooded Kathy’s computer.

Kathy had abortions, but God has brought healing. Now they devote most of their time reaching out to those who struggle with the guilt of past and hidden sin.

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