Pro Life Super Bowl Commerical Squashed

NBC decided not to air any advocacy commericals during the Super Bowl. Ok. That's their perogative.

Watch the pro-life commercial that got squashed because of that policy. Pretty powerful, huh?

Too, too sad!

This story is over at CNN.com right now. To read of a family that thought it better to kill themselves and their children rather than continue to live is so tragic. Is our economy really the culprit? Or is it society? Where was the local church? Where were the neighbors, friends, agencies, anyone?!?!? Five children are dead!

I know that this family may not have reached out for help, but how much more can we as a body of Christ form a safety net of some kind?

I pray to our ever gracious God that He be with this family. Are they in His hands? I hope so! Heavenly Father also please be with families (including mine) that are struggling because of unemployment or other economic hardships. Please help your body share and serve those that need help so badly.

What if?

What if I didn't lose my job and now face giant financial hurdles?

What if I didn't meet Belinda and fall for her in face of all the things put in our way?

What if I actually said everything I was thinking to that coworker that I couldn't stand?

What if I didn't act like a jerk to my kids so much?

What if I didn't need to ask so many questions and need so many answers?

What if I posed these questions to people that cared for me instead of the faceless internet?

What if I claimed every promise that God makes and believed it 100% of the time no questions asked?

What if I still went by my middle name instead of my first?

What if I went back to school?

What if God didn't raise Jesus from the dead? What would've happened then?

What if I was as good as a friend as I want others to be to me?

What if I talked to that person I was meaning to talk to about Christ but chickened out?



What ifs really don't get us very far. They typically deal with things that have already happened. I can't change those things, but I often act like I can with all of the questions that float through my head.

A verse that has struck me recently is John 8:58. It's just so clear in the way that Christ claims that He is God and has been since the beginning of time. This verse gives me strength in knowinig that my Lord has been, is now, and always will be.

Praise God that He is the great I AM!!!

So I've Come Down

Over and over again God comes down from on high to bring us up out of the stuff we get in to. I'm reading Exodus now. It's also the subject of the community's winter bible study that I'm attending.

Check out the beginning of Exodus 3:8. It says, "and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land..."

He is a God of meeting us in the place where we're at, even when it's a desolate region like Midian, and bringing us up to the place that He wants us to be.

Thank you God for coming down and lifting us up.

Jon Bon Jovi Got Me Thinkin'

I very rarely listen to music in the car. If the radio is on, it's usually on talk radio of some sort. Every now and again, I'll get wild and switch it over to the FM dial and rock out to some of the classics.

Today, my buddy and yours, Jon Bon Jovi and friends were singing about how he's wanted dead or alive. I sang along out loud (stop laughing now...you know you do it every time you here this song).

But in all seriousness, the theme of this song really got me thinking. Here is this rockband at the top of their career singing about how hard life on the road is.

Talk about the season of discontent. These guys have it all by the world's standards, but life is still life. They still feel the same feelings we all do.

Music is a powerful thing. It's a way to help us connect to feelings that we may have forgotten or haven't felt in a long time.

Bon Jovi really reminded me of how easy it is to become discontented. While it's never as easy as just turning on the happy switch to get out of a funk, it really is a subconscious decision we make to praise God in all circumstances. I've failed at that recently and thank Mr. Bon Jovi for reminding me on looking heavenward for my source of content. 'Cause even if you're a rocker, you often feel you're wanted dead or alive (wow, that's such a bad play on words it hurts).

Now crank up the volume and sing along!

George Washington Said It Best

After listening to a beautifully poignant speech by our new president, I too point to George Washington, as President Obama did.

"It is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favors."

and...

"It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and Bible."

I pray President Obama takes those words to heart.

I'm Excited About Tomorrow

I didn't vote for Barack Obama. I don't agree with most of the ideas he's floated out there during the campaign and since.

That being said, I'm truly excited about being alive when the first African American president will be innaugurated. What a historical event to witness! I pray God's blessings on the new president, his family, and his administration.

For those on the right that want to continue harangue about how terrible Obama's election is, I refer you to Romans 12:9-13:7.

God bless the new president and God bless the United States of America.

Cool Test To Take

I just took a worship style assessment over here. I usually don't put a whole lot into these type of tests, but this one hit the nail right on the head.

I came out as someone who likes activist type worship. If you know me personally, you're probably laughing at how true that is. What's really cool is that contemplative and intellectual come in at a close second and third, which is right on the money as well!

The descriptions of each of the worship types are below. Go take the test for yourself and let me know what it says about you. By the way, I found the link to this test on Gary Means' Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit blog. Check him out.

Sacred PathwaysWorship Style Assessment

Chris -Based on your responses to the Sacred Pathways Assessment, your temperament favors an Activist approach to worship.

Intellectual 21

Contemplative 22

Enthusiast 18

Caregiver 17

Activist 24

Ascetic 17

Traditionalist 16

Sensate 14

Naturalist 14

The information contained in this online assessment has been borrowed from the following book:"Sacred Pathways" by Gary L. Thomas© Copyright Zondervan Publishing, 2002click here to purchase this and other books by Gary Thomas, from Amazon.com

Summary of spiritual temperaments:
Intellectual - Loving God with the Mind:These Christians live in the world of concepts. They may feel closest to God when they first understand something new about Him.

Contemplative - Loving God through Adoration:These Christians seek to love God with the purest, deepest, and brightest love imaginable. They want nothing more than some privacy and quiet to gaze upon the face of their heavenly Lover and give all of themselves to God.

Enthusiast - Loving God with Mystery & Celebration:Excitement and mystery in worship is the spiritual lifeblood of enthusiasts. They are inspired by joyful celebration; cheerleaders for God and the Christian life. They don't want to just know concepts, but to experience them, to feel them, and to be moved by them. They like to let go and experience God on the precipice of excitement and awe.

Caregiver - Loving God by Loving Others:Caregivers serve God by serving others. They often claim to see Christ in the poor and needy, and their faith is built up by interacting with other people. Caring for others recharges a caregiver's batteries.

Activist - Loving God Through Confrontation:These Christians define worship as standing against evil and calling sinners to repentance. They are energized more by interaction with others, even in conflict, than by being alone or in small groups. Activists are spiritually nourished through the battle.

Ascetic - Loving God in Solitude and Simplicity:Ascetics want nothing more than to be left alone in prayer. Let there be nothing to distract them--no pictures, no loud music--and leave them alone to pray in silence and simplicity.

Traditionalist - Loving God Through Ritual and Symbol:Traditionalists are fed by what are often termed the historic dimensions of faith: rituals, symbols, sacraments, and sacrifice. They tend to have a disciplined life of faith and have a need for ritual and structure.

Sensate - Loving God with the Senses:Sensate Christians want to be lost in the awe, beauty, and splendor of God. They are drawn particularly to the liturgical, the majestic, the grand. They want to be filled with sights, sounds, and smells that overwhelm them. The five senses are God's most effective inroad to their hearts.

Naturalist - Loving God Out of Doors:The naturalist seeks to leave the formal architecture and the padded pews to enter an entirely new "cathedral", a place that God himself has built: the out-of-doors.

Blogger in Tenn. is Giving Away $6,100

My fellow internets citizens. Check out Anne Jackson's blog. She's giving away $6,100! Go! Now!

Street Gangs Do It Better!

Why do we overpromise and underdeliver? No one likes it. The person who makes the promise almost always feels impending doom because he knows he can't do what he said he was gonna do. On the other side of the coin you have the person who's expectations are not gonna be met.

I see this way too much in the church today.

People join a church for a sense of community...as a place to belong. The expectations are that you will find a community of like minded believers that will stand with you through thick and thin. Mike at Church for Men Florida has an interesting post today. The post is essentially a former gang member talking about how disappointed he was with the lack of true family in the church. He said his former gang was a better example of a family!

I've been attending the same church for almost 6 years. Not until recently have I felt like I truly belong; that I have people I can go to in times of strife and times of awesomeness. Some, if not a lot, of that is my fault. But why is it that a group of folks that claim to have accepted the greatest news the world, the gospel of Jesus Christ, can't act like a friend the way Christ describes a friend? In John 15:13 Christ says, "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." That's tough, I know, but are we even trying to come close?

The other question is are people filled with high expectations of community by the church itself? Would the church be better served to simplify its mission and the projection of that mission to the community? If a church advertises to everyone that you'll find family there, and then you don't, why emphasize that? That would be like me saying to a buddy of mine to come over this weekend to watch the NFL playoffs in peace and quiet, and when he gets here he sees the Wray family circus in it's first of three acts!

Like almost everyone of my thoughts that I bring up here, I don't have an answer. There are a lot of you out there that seem to be much more thorough with your thoughts. Anyone have any answers?

The resounding piece of scripture that keeps coming to me is in Matthew 22 when Jesus answers the Pharisees on what the greatest commandments are. He says to love your God with all of your hear, mind, soul and strength, which is the greatest commandment. BUT He also says to love your neighbor as you love yourself. How often can I say that I've done that? Not enough, that's fo' sho'!

It's a Major Award! I hope it's not FRA-GIL-AY!*

Look here. I won something! YipppEEE!!!!

The winning is cool, and I really am looking forward to reading the book I won, but I really just want y'all to check Caryn's blog out. She has some awesome perspective on God and special needs kids without being heavy handed.

This post here crystalizes what I've wanted to tell folks for so long about what is cool and not cool to do in regards to families with special needs kids.

This post is an ode to her short bus riding son.

Caryn's blog is a true blessing (much more than my blog, I'm afraid). I admire her honesty, but most of all, her persistent praise to God.

Let me know what y'all think.

*If you don't get the A Christmas Story reference, go here for one of the funniest movie clips of all times!

It's Memorization Time Kids!!

Hello there, internets. I've embarked on a pretty cool journey recently. I've taken to heart the memorization of God's word. It's simply a good thing to do.

"Wow! Really Earth shattering Chris," you might be saying, and you'd be right. I might as well also tell you to eat your vegetables and drink your milk, right? Well, make sure you do that too.

The problem that I've had in the past in trying to systematically memorize scripture is coming up with a system that keeps me on point. I've signed up for a weekly email over here. Tim Challies will send you an email every Sunday night. There is a shorter verse that you work on for a week. He also sends longer passages that take several weeks to memorize. I haven't tackled any of the longer passages yet, but baby steps, right?

The verse this week is James 1:22.

Let me know what you think. Also let me know if you have another way of memorizing scripture on a consistent basis.

My Testimony

Romans 7:24-25a (English Standard Version)

24Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!


This is my testimony on how I came to truly know the saving grace of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

My early childhood was fairly uneventful. My mom and dad were parents that tried to do their best. Unfortunately, they divorced when I was six years old. However, they tried to provide as normal as an upbringing as they could. I lived with my mom after the divorce and visited my dad every other weekend and spent most of the summer with him.

I never knew God when I was younger. My mom, being a single mom, tried everything that she knew was "right" to give me a good upbringing. She took us to church for a short time, but it didn't stick. I'm not sure why. Maybe no one in the congregation showed the love of Christ to her, I'm not sure. However, it does make me wonder how many families come through the doors of our local churches that are lost in the shuffle? Families that end up leaving and giving up on that "religion thing."

My mom and I were very close. So when I decided to live with my dad during high school, it broke her heart. It was for the best, but it was one of the most difficult decisions a 13 year old would have to make.

Going through high school, I walked the straight and narrow. I never partied. Never really got into trouble. I truly drank 1 beer in high school, which is amazing considering my dad owned the concessions for a minor league ball team. Talk about access to alcohol! I truly praise God that I didn't have the desire to drink. Because seeing how things turned out in college, I would have been a raging alcoholic by the 10th grade!

I ended up attending the most prestigious and esteemed university in Virginia....That's right, I'm a Hokie. Starting a week in to freshman year, I let all those pent up years of not partying out, and let them out hard! There truly wasn't a drink, drug, or substance that I wouldn't try. I never heard or thought of God at school. Not once. Why not? You'd think that one of the largest universities in the state would have a vocal contingent of Christian students. Nope. Never had anyone ever ask me about the things of God. How many students today face that same scenario?

Towards the end of my stay at Virgina Tech, I took a semester off. I came back to Richmond and met the Earthly love of my life, Belinda.

Let me take a time here to state how important Belinda is in my life. She has opened my eyes so many times to what true faith is. She's stood beside me when no one, I mean no one, has dared be around. I love her dearly and am glad she puts up with my stuff.

So, Belinda and I start dating; we get pregnant; and I go back to school to finish up. From what I understand, that's not the typical order of doing things, but what are you gonna do?

B., our first daughter, is born. Belinda wanted to have her baptized. I had no idea what that meant or entailed, but I played along. I even professed my faith in front of the Methodist church in Highland Springs, without really meaning a word. However, that was the first place that I began to see the love of Christ in people through our pastor.

Two years later, we had K., our second daughter....life was good.

Two years later, we got pregnant again with C., my son. We had extra testing done on C.'s pregnancy. Things were fine.

One day the doctors asked Belinda to take an amniocentesis. She was dead set against it. I tell you the rest of this story to illustrate three points. One, how wretched and self centered of a sinner I was, and we all can be at times. Two, to show how big God's grace is. Three, to let you see how much poor Belinda puts up with. I essentially forced Belinda to take the test. I looked at her lying on the table and said, "Belinda, you need to take this test. If we have a special needs child, our marriage won't take it." God knew what was going on. The test came back fine. Think of that for a minute. God was completely in control. He knew the strife that a funky amnio test would cause. It came back clean.

Fast forward to present day. C. is here, no thanks to me, but to God alone. C. does have special needs, but my life would be so much less without him. He is my dude, and I love him. His special needs have also helped illuminate the passage in 2 Corinthians where Paul is talking about the thorn he has and God telling him that His grace is sufficient.

I've been baptized here at the Mount and thought I knew what being a Christian was about.

WRONG. Until I took Way of the Master, which I used to make fun of Belinda for taking, I never truly knew what it meant to have Christ in your life. What does that mean? Well, I'm not even sure. I know I was saved before recently, but I don't think I truly understand the awesomeness of Christ's sacrifice. I wasn't walking like the one leper of the ten that Jesus healed. I wasn't truly thankful for God's provision in Christ. I never truly understood that every person walking the face of this earth deserves eternal damnation. We are all sinners. But by God's grace through Christ's death on the cross and resurrection, we can come forth to a holy God without us having one spot or blemish, even if we've broken every one of God's laws. I am not a good person, but a person sanctified through Christ's holy sacrifice!

I recently chose 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 as my verse for 2009. I thought that whole process was sort of cheesy. Well, not so fast, Chris. A couple of weeks ago, a woman I've never seen at church tapped me on my arm during the collection of the offering and gave me this (show paper of verse now). When I went to talk to her after the service, she was gone. What she handed to me is a summation of the section of 1 Corinthians 13 that I chose as my verse for 2009. I guess God didn't think it was too cheesy a thing, huh?

Praise be to God. I am so glad to stand here today and to look each one of you in the eye and say that I love Jesus Christ. Now let me ask you, do you think you're a good person?

Some of the best child rearing advice I've read

I know many of my friends, real and on the internets, have young kids. Here is a link to some of the best child rearing advice I've ever read.

Please read and enjoy.

God bless!