The word, "holiday," comes from the Roman Catholic times where it was a "holy day". Today the idea of "holy" has the scope of all religious activity, regardless of religion. In the US we treat it so generically, and even say "holy cow." Maybe we could say, the leaders of our country are "holy". They seem to be able to make divine statements. Yes, I know, sarcasm is not beautiful and neither is it "holy." Sorry about that.
Coach Charles
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
God, Christmas and Heathenism
The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.
My confession: I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are, Christmas trees.
It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year.
It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.
I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.
Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.
In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.
Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her "How could God let something like this happen?" (regarding Hurricane Katrina). Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, "I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'
In light of recent events ... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.
Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said okay.
Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.
Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'
Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.
Are you laughing yet? Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.
Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.
Pass it on if you think it has merit.
If not, then just discard it ... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.
My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully,
Ben Stein
Submitted by Coach Charles
My confession: I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are, Christmas trees.
It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year.
It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.
I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.
Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.
In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.
Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her "How could God let something like this happen?" (regarding Hurricane Katrina). Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, "I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'
In light of recent events ... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.
Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said okay.
Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.
Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'
Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.
Are you laughing yet? Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.
Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.
Pass it on if you think it has merit.
If not, then just discard it ... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.
My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully,
Ben Stein
Submitted by Coach Charles
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Loving Deeply by Henri J. M. Nouwen
I love this article, so I am passing it on.
LOVING DEEPLY:
Do not hesitate to love and to love deeply. You might be afraid of the pain that deep love can cause. When those you love deeply reject you, leave you or die, your heart will be broken. But that should not hold you back from loving deeply. The pain that comes from deep love makes your love ever more fruitful. It is like a plow that breaks the ground to allow the seed to take root and grow into a strong plant. Every time you experience the pain of rejection, absence or death, you are faced with a choice. You can become bitter and decide not to love again, or you can stand straight in your pain and let the soil on which you stand become richer and more able to give life to new seeds.
The more you have loved and have allowed yourself to suffer because of your love, the more you will be able to let your heart grow wider and deeper. When your love is truly giving and receiving, those whom you love will not leave your heart, even when they depart from you. They will become part of your self and thus gradually build a community within you. Those you have loved deeply become a part of you. The longer you live, there will always be more people to be loved by you and to become part of your inner community. The wider your inner community becomes, the more easily you will recognize your own brothers and sisters in the strangers around you. Those who are alive within you will recognize those who are alive around you. The wider the community of your heart, the wider the community around you. Thus the pain of rejection, absence and death can become fruitful. Yes, as you love deeply, the ground of your heart will be broken more and more, but you will rejoice in the abundance of the fruit it will bear.
· Henri J. M. Nouwen, The Inner Voice of Love (New York: Doubleday, 1996).
Submitted by Coach Charles
LOVING DEEPLY:
Do not hesitate to love and to love deeply. You might be afraid of the pain that deep love can cause. When those you love deeply reject you, leave you or die, your heart will be broken. But that should not hold you back from loving deeply. The pain that comes from deep love makes your love ever more fruitful. It is like a plow that breaks the ground to allow the seed to take root and grow into a strong plant. Every time you experience the pain of rejection, absence or death, you are faced with a choice. You can become bitter and decide not to love again, or you can stand straight in your pain and let the soil on which you stand become richer and more able to give life to new seeds.
The more you have loved and have allowed yourself to suffer because of your love, the more you will be able to let your heart grow wider and deeper. When your love is truly giving and receiving, those whom you love will not leave your heart, even when they depart from you. They will become part of your self and thus gradually build a community within you. Those you have loved deeply become a part of you. The longer you live, there will always be more people to be loved by you and to become part of your inner community. The wider your inner community becomes, the more easily you will recognize your own brothers and sisters in the strangers around you. Those who are alive within you will recognize those who are alive around you. The wider the community of your heart, the wider the community around you. Thus the pain of rejection, absence and death can become fruitful. Yes, as you love deeply, the ground of your heart will be broken more and more, but you will rejoice in the abundance of the fruit it will bear.
· Henri J. M. Nouwen, The Inner Voice of Love (New York: Doubleday, 1996).
Submitted by Coach Charles
Thursday, August 26, 2010
David F. Wells" Books on the Church in the 21st Century
Having read all three of David Wells' books I recommend them highly to anyone who is concerned about the church and the 21st Century. Relativism and secularism as well as post-modernism (neo-modernism) have left God off the human playing field for therapeutic cures. We get rid of truth this way, so I can do what I want without complications of morality.
His books are:
1. No Place for Truth: or Whatever Happened to Evangelical Theology?
2. God in the Wasteland: The Reality of Truth in a World of Fading Dreams
3. Losing Our Virtue: Why the Church Must Recover Its Moral Vision
If you are serious about the future of the church in the light of our present world view, these are the books to read.
Coach Charles
www.coach-charles.com
His books are:
1. No Place for Truth: or Whatever Happened to Evangelical Theology?
2. God in the Wasteland: The Reality of Truth in a World of Fading Dreams
3. Losing Our Virtue: Why the Church Must Recover Its Moral Vision
If you are serious about the future of the church in the light of our present world view, these are the books to read.
Coach Charles
www.coach-charles.com
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Saturday, June 12, 2010
"Being a Christian is an extreme position, not a safe one. One doesn't follow Christ down the middle of the road to respectability." -- Virginia Owens
Submitted by Coach Charles
Submitted by Coach Charles
Sunday, June 6, 2010
FELLOWSHIP OF THE UNASHAMED
(An African martyr's last words)
I am a part of the fellowship of the Unashamed. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ.
I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure.
I'm finished and done with low living, sight-walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions, mundane talking, cheap giving and dwarfed goals.
My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear.
I won't give up, back up, let up, or shut up until I've preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up and stayed up for the cause of Christ.
I must go until He returns, give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes.
And when He comes to get His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My colors will be clear. I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. (Romans 1:16)
(An African martyr's last words)
I am a part of the fellowship of the Unashamed. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ.
I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure.
I'm finished and done with low living, sight-walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions, mundane talking, cheap giving and dwarfed goals.
My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear.
I won't give up, back up, let up, or shut up until I've preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up and stayed up for the cause of Christ.
I must go until He returns, give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes.
And when He comes to get His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My colors will be clear. I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. (Romans 1:16)
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Nav Tools - The Navigators
Nav Tools - The Navigators
How to Share Christ’s Love VisuallyBy Randy D. Raysbrook The Gospel is most powerful when shared with love, clarity, and simplicity . . .Get the Tool
The Navigators entrusts 84% of every dollar to direct ministry.3820 North 30th StreetColorado Springs, CO 80904Phone: (866) 568-7827Web: www.navigators.org
Coach Charles
How to Share Christ’s Love VisuallyBy Randy D. Raysbrook The Gospel is most powerful when shared with love, clarity, and simplicity . . .Get the Tool
The Navigators entrusts 84% of every dollar to direct ministry.3820 North 30th StreetColorado Springs, CO 80904Phone: (866) 568-7827Web: www.navigators.org
Coach Charles
Monday, May 24, 2010
"A man may be consecrated, dedicated and devoted, but of little value if undisciplined." -Hudson Taylor, China Inland Mission
Coach Charles
Coach Charles
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
"All I ask of life is a constant and exaggerated sense of my own importance." -Ashleigh Brilliant
Sinapup
Sinapup
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Wow! They have discovered a whole new way for investigating the Bible. Much of their conclusions are by vote. Blowing in the wind. Eccl.
Pinda-lick-o-yi
Pinda-lick-o-yi
"No one can control the wind, or lock it in a box. No one who does evil, can be saved by evil." --Ecclesiastes 8 Message
Sinapup
Sinapup
Saturday, May 1, 2010
"We all appear as dunces when feigning an interest is things we care nothing about." --C.S.Lewis
Pinda-lick-o-ye
Pinda-lick-o-ye
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
"Age has little to do with achievement and nothing to do with commitment." -- Charles Swindoll
Coach
Coach
Friday, April 9, 2010
"After all that is said and done, far more is said than done." James A. Belasco, et.al. Flight of the Buffalo. p.267
Coach
Coach
Sunday, March 28, 2010
The tough don't wait for things to get tough. They do it before it happens.
Shunkaha = wolf in Lakota
Shunkaha = wolf in Lakota
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
"For the first time in its history, the United States is trying to wage and win a war without accurately identifying the enemy or its motivations for seeking to destroy us." F. J. Gaffney, Jr. The American Legion Magazine 4/2010
Bighana
Bighana
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
Eisenhower never wanted to be president, even after he was nominated. He did it because of his self-lessness.
Coach Charles
Coach Charles
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
