Alabama is going to require government employees to get fit or pay more: http://www.theroot.com/id/48533?GT1=38002

I’m all for people living a healthly lifestyle. I wish I did more to take better care of my body, but forcing people to live a better lifestyle infringes on our freedom. How far are we going to take this? Some people just can’t stand vegetables, but eating veggies is great for your health; so, we should force all to eat veggies. Sugar can lead to diabetes, while artificial sweeteners can lead to cancer and other health problems… better get rid of these things. 

How about this? Instead of punishing those who don’t quite treat their bodies the greatest award those who do live healthy lifestyles. Be sort of like some of these car insurance companies where you get awarded the longer you go without a speeding ticket or an accident.

OR how about this? Government stay out of my life!

This is just completely outrageous. Al Gore is urging civil disobedience and a jury let’s criminals off the hook because they feel their criminal activity was justified because of global warming:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,427421,00.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/cleared-jury-decides-that-threat-of-global-warming-justifies-breaking-the-law-925561.html

 

 

Glenn Beck wrote a great article on how all of these huge financial institutions collapsed: http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/17/beck.wallstreet/index.html

Okay, this is gonna be a short blog. I’m listening to NPR right now and they are interviewing these women about their views on Palin. It’s kind of split down the middle of those who like her and those who don’t. But the one woman that made me laugh the most was the one who was going to choose Obama because Palin scared her. She said Palin was inexperienced. Wow! I can’t believe people are playing the inexperienced card on Palin and acting like Obama is the experienced one. I’m still waiting to hear someone to say exactly what Obama has accomplished in his short career.

Oh please! http://www.newsweek.com/id/158392

Why, oh, why does this seem rational at all? Every place I’ve ever gone to vote has required me to show my driver’s license in order to vote. This is just pure logic. This is just a good filter to help against voter fraud. Even the poor who can’t even afford a car can go get a photo I.D. In a deck of cards usually you pull out the jokers and put them aside. We need to start putting this race card aside. I mean, if Obama loses are we going to be bombarded with race cards? Is the cry going to be that McCain won because everyone voted for the white guy and that the black vote didn’t count? Sorry, I’m just a bitter white guy clinging to his religion and guns.

Open Letter From Dr. Joel C. Hunter—Benediction Prayer

Not sure who all saw Joel Hunter’s prayer at the end of the Democratic National Convention. Here it is:

Here’s his defense for what he did and I am going to comment on each paragraph:

Filed Under (Joel C. Hunter, News Room) by Robert Andrescik on 02-09-2008

There are several things to remember when praying in a public setting:

1. Prayer is not a speech with a hidden agenda; it is a direct request to God for help.  Therefore, it demeans prayer to use it to get points across to an audience other than God.  My prayer was my request to God and an invitation for the people of all faith traditions that our country welcomes to join me in it.

Can you access God apart from going through the cross of Jesus? I wouldn’t suggest anyone come to the throne before they are clothed in Jesus’ righteousness. Proverbs 15:8 says, “The LORD detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him.”

2. Prayer in public is not a tool of evangelism, but it has a tone that will set the stage for evangelism by taking people from where they are in their faith (Acts 17:22) and making possible follow up conversations.  I am hearing accounts from many Christians who were in the stadium (including my wife) who had conversations with non-Christians that resulted in Kingdom progress. I have many responses from non-Christians saying, in essence, “Thank you for including us in the prayer, I thought evangelicals only cared about scoring points for their faith. You made me think you cared enough about me that we could have a conversation.”  And I have also received responses from non-Christians who thought it was wrong for me to say “In Jesus’ name” because I had the microphone and those are the words that rang out through the stadium and resounded throughout the convention as many Christians scattered throughout the crowd voiced “In Jesus’ name” as well.

Well, Joel, why did you say “In Jesus’ name” then? You should have just said “Amen” without the address to Jesus. You made a little mistake there in trying to not offend nonbelievers. In fact, what about those atheists out there, they couldn’t close the prayer at all. Prayer isn’t a tool of evangelism? Choose your words wisely. Evangelism wouldn’t happen apart from prayer. Prayer is a gift given only to those who believe; no one else has the privilege believers have. So, prayer can be evangelistic showing non-believers that through Jesus Christ we have full access to the throne of the Father.

3. Christians must not be afraid to be the Truth in the midst of other religions.  Truth will always win, but it will be constrained if we “insist on our own way” of approaching the universality of Christ.  John 14:6 is true; how some can realize that Truth must come from a broader conversation than “my God is true; your god is false”.

Who’s out there just saying “my God is true; your god is false?” But no one should shy away from stating that truth either. I think the Book of Psalms flows with bold statements claiming our God being the only true God.

4. I did not ask people to pray to another god; I asked them to finish a prayer according to their faith tradition. This may be a small point linguistically, but it is a huge point theologically.

You and Wittgenstein must be best buds.

5. Creating an environment where people can cooperate without having to compromise their core beliefs will eventually win more people to Christ than pronouncing Christ over them at the end of a prayer.

Scripture please. Not sure where the Bible talks about cooperation with pagans.

6. As I said in worship, to protect the integrity of “in Jesus’ name”, the person praying must make sure that either a) He or she is only emphasizing their own ending to the prayer, as Donald Miller did when he ended “I pray this in Jesus name” or b) He or she does not misrepresent people that they have asked to join them in prayer.  That would be taking the Lord’s name in vain.

Only true prayer can be done in Jesus’ name.

I could go on from here, but you get the idea.  As you may imagine, I prayed long and hard before feeling like God had given me the precise words for this prayer.  I believe that He in His sovereign way will use it to bring people to Himself.

Might want to pray longer and harder next time and use the Lord’s Prayer as your outline. Kind of can only address the true living God according to that prayer.

I also hope that you will see the mention of other religions as an opportunity to lift up the one true God, not as a threat to His universality.

Huh?

With appreciation and blessings,

Joel

Well, who’d a thunk it? It’s the Republican party bringing in the possibility of the first woman as VP. At first glance I was like “What are you thinkin’ McCain?” I was hoping for Mitt, but hearing stuff about this woman shortly after the announcement of McCain’s pick I’ve begun to see that maybe Daddy Mc ain’t out of his mind. Here’s something from the Glenn Beck Program: http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/14589/

She’s pro-drilling in Alaska,  pro-life, and has executive experience. 

SHE AIN’T BAD LOOKIN’ EITHER!!!

Here’s something else awesome about fall… football! Especially college football; I’m not as big of a fan of the NFL.

Come on, Paul Johnson! Show us what you got.