It's Palin!

Thursday I posted the great introduction of Joe Biden by his son Beau.
Today John McCain has named Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his Vice Presidential choice.

Below is a great article written about 4 months ago by Al Mohler of Southern Seminary about Governor Palin's latest child Trig. Just as Beau's intro of his Dad was great this story about Trig is just as good.

Welcome to the World, Trig Paxson Van Palin

A little boy with an extra chromosome was born on April 18. His name is Trig Paxson Van Palin and his new home is the Alaska Governor's Mansion in Juneau. His mom is Governor Sarah Palin, who along with her husband Todd, has welcomed Trig as their second son and fifth child.

Governor Palin has already made a mark on the political scene. A high school basketball star and beauty queen, she was elected Alaska's governor in 2006. She is often mentioned as a potential running mate for Sen. John McCain. The Palins' other children include Track, their oldest son, who now serves in the U.S. Army. They also have three daughters, Bristol, Willow, and Piper.

Trig made news long before he was born, as Alaska's citizens learned that their governor was pregnant. Then, for the Palins, the story got more complicated.

This past December, Sarah Palin was told that her baby was likely to have Down syndrome -- just one extra chromosome.

As the Associated Press reports:

The doctor's announcement in December, when Palin was four months pregnant, presented her with a possible life- and career-changing development.

"I've never had problems with my other pregnancies, so I was shocked," said Palin.

"It took a while to open up the book that the doctor gave me about children with Down syndrome, and a while to log on to the Web site and start reading facts about the situation."

When he was told, Todd Palin quickly said, "We shouldn't be asking, 'Why us?' We should be saying, 'Well, why not us?'"

The Palins never considered aborting the baby. That means that Trig Palin is now is a very rare group of very special children, because it is now believed that the vast majority of babies diagnosed with Down syndrome before birth are being aborted.

Modern diagnostic tests are driving a "search and destroy mission" to eliminate babies judged to be inferior, disabled, or deformed. Some experts now believe that up to 90 percent of all pregnancies diagnosed as having a likelihood of Down syndrome end in abortion.

Back in 2005, ethicist George Neumayr commented: "Each year in America fewer and fewer disabled infants are born. The reason is eugenic abortion. Doctors and their patients use prenatal technology to screen unborn children for disabilities, then they use that information to abort a high percentage of them. Without much scrutiny or debate, a eugenics designed to weed out the disabled has become commonplace."

The Palins would not even consider aborting their baby. "We've both been very vocal about being pro-life," Governor Palin said. "We understand that every innocent life has wonderful potential."

She loves her baby boy and is proud of him. "I'm looking at him right now, and I see perfection," Palin told the Associated Press. "Yeah, he has an extra chromosome. I keep thinking, in our world, what is normal and what is perfect?"

Some ethicists now go so far as to argue for a "duty" to abort a baby with a Down diagnosis. This is an assault upon the dignity of every human being. The fact that so few Down syndrome babies now make it to birth is a sign that America is making its own pact with the Culture of Death.

Trig Paxson Van Palin has an extra chromosome, two proud and loving parents, four very happy siblings, and he will bring his own joy to untold numbers of lives.

He will face some unique challenges, but he has a loving family who will face those with him. They will learn together the wonder and beauty of a Down syndrome child and will learn to see the glory of God in his trusting face.

Mothers Day 2008 is certain to be a special day in the Alaska Governor's Mansion. What an unspeakable tragedy that so many other homes will have aborted that joy.

Welcome to the world, Trig Paxson Van Palin. Your very existence defies the Culture of Death and gives us all hope.

Beau Biden: Introducing Dad

Wow what a moving introduction. I would only hope my son could say the same with conviction about me some day.
Whether you are Democrat or Republican you have to admit Beau hit it out of the park with this introduction!

10 Choices

Tonight, in Bible study, we will look at James McDonald's new book "10 Choices".







James says,"God holds us responsible for the choices that we make. In fact, the Bible is filled with stories of people who made good choices and got blessed, but also who made bad choices and reaped the consequences. I'm thinking about a day when we’re each filled with greater faith in making better choices about our future, a better future that God is waiting to lavish on us. (1 Corinthians 2:9)" --James


Tonight's choice we will study is: I Choose God's Forgiveness

3 points James makes about God's forgiveness:

1. The Fact of God's Forgiveness
“The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, 7 keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.." Exodus 34:6-7a

"For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive,And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You." Psalm 86:5

"Who is a God like You,Pardoning iniquity
And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage?
He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy." Micah 7:18

2. The Extent of God's Forgiveness
"As far as the east is from the west,So far has He removed our transgressions from us." Psalm 103:12

"Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols." Ezekiel 36:25

3. The Blessing of Forgiveness
"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them." Ezekiel 36:26-27

"Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,Whose sin is covered." Psalm 32:1

You Can Choose God's Forgiveness

He throws too fast!

Below is a story of a really good 9 yr old pitcher. The problem is the other teams don't want him to pitch because the throws too fast and is to accurate!

(taken from Fox)

A Connecticut youth baseball team with a phenomenal 9-year-old pitcher has been disqualified because its team is too good.

The team, Will Power Fitness, has an 8-0 record thanks in large part to pitcher Jericho Scott, the New Haven Register reports. His pitching is so fast and accurate, the Liga Juvenil De Baseball De New Haven asked the team's coach, Wilfred Vidro, to replace him so he wouldn't frighten other players.

The spirit of the league was community, family, well-being, nurturing," Peter Noble, the league's attorney, told the Register. "It’s an extended family and it’s been disrupted.”

On Saturday, Jericho and his team showed up to the ball field despite the fact the league canceled the game because they feared an "unhealthy environment" due to parental bickering, Noble told the paper. Jericho's parents, Nicole and Leroy, planned to meet with an attorney on Monday. (end of article)

He throws to fast! Listen back in the DAY you struck out and went to the bench until you could hit the ball. This is called baseball.
When I was in Little League here are the guys who were better than Jericho and they struck me out and made me a better baseball player:

Sandy Warren (he was 8ft tall in 4th grade-Hiddenite)
Mike Jolly (he could throw it at least 80mph in 5th grade-Wittenburg)
Tommy Shook (he could throw a rising drop ball)
Todd Mayes (he eventually became my teammate at ACHS-- this is no lie--- when we played them he hit every player on our team. He threw fast and hard and was inaccurate-Taylorsville)
Andy Watts (faced him in practice- i was scared to death)
Scott Hammer (he could never strike me out but he did play for the 1st evil empire DRUMSTAND!!)
Brian Gant (he could throw hard and had a great curve ball)
Wayne Chapman (great person and great pitcher from Hiddenite)
Andy Myers (left handed and I hated batting against him- Ellendale)

Do you remember playing baseball against pitchers that threw hard and accurate? Please leave me your list. I know i am overlooking many great little leaguers in Alexander County.
My Momma never complained because they threw too hard but she did complain that I swung too late!!

What Would Kyle Do?

As you can see in this video, Carl Edwards has to resort to dirty racing to pass and beat Kyle Busch (Kyle led 415 laps). Remember the good ol days when guys like Dale Earnhardt, Cal Yarborough and Richard Petty raced fair and square.

Carl Edwards said, "I couldn't get by him, I couldn't get by him so I asked myself what would Kyle do."
Thanks Carl for the new phrase what would Kyle do. I guess now when you go out to eat you can ask "What would Kyle order?"
If you go to buy clothes just ask "What would Kyle wear?"
When you go to the movies just ask "What would Kyle watch?"

So Carl What Would Kyle Do? If Kyle was getting dominated and like you were and he was saved by a caution like you were and he was in the same situation: What Would Kyle Do? HE would have taken the high road and probably passed him without touching his car. Just ask Jimmy Johnson. But Kyle would not resort to dirty racing.

I hope Carl took JD Gibbs words to heart. After the race JD shared a Bible verse with Carl here it is:
"A man reaps what he sows." Galatians 6:7


Kyle is probably one of the most humble, caring, tender hearted, careful, honest, loving, drivers in NASCAR.
I want to ask all the Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Dale JR. fans to join me in boycotting all Ford products until Carl Edwards officially apologizes for his bad sportsmanship on the track...

When things don’t go the way they should

The Poor Man and His Cow
And the Rich Man and His Wall
Based (very loosely) on a story in T. H. White’s The Once and Future King.

Once upon a time there was a very wise old man named Job. In his old age God gave to him a daughter whom he named Jemima, which means little dove. He loved his little girl and she loved her daddy.

One day Job decided to go on journey and asked Jemima if she would like to go along. “Oh, yes,” Jemima said. “I would love to go along.”

But Job said, “It will be a journey that takes us several days. So we will be staying each night wherever people will have us. So I can’t promise it will be nice. But God will take care of us. He always does what is right. He always meets the needs of those who trust him.”

Jemima smiled and said, “And even if things go bad, God makes them turn for good. Right, Daddy? Just like the little poem that you taught us:

When things don’t go the way they should
God always makes them turn for good.”

“That’s right, Jemima,” Daddy said, “and there’s another little poem you need to learn. It goes like this:

When things go better than they should
For people who are bad,
Remember, if they stay that way,
At last they will be sad.”

And so they started off on their journey and walked all day. At sundown they saw a little cottage and knocked on the door. A very poor man and his wife and baby lived there. Job asked if he and Jemima could spend the night there before they continued on their journey in the morning.

The poor man and his wife were very happy to let them stay. They gave Job and Jemima their own room and made them a simple supper. The special treat was fresh milk from their only cow. This was how the poor couple made a living. Their cow gave good milk and they sold it for enough to live on.

In the morning when Job and Jemima got up they heard crying. The cow had died during the night. The poor man’s wife was crying, “What will we do? What will we do?” she sobbed. The poor man was about to cut the cow into pieces and sell the meat before it spoiled. But Job said, “I think you should not cut the cow in pieces but bury him by your back wall under the olive tree. The meat may not be good to sell. Trust God, and he will take care of you.”

Then Job and Jemima went on their way. They walked all day again and were very tired when they came to the next town and noticed a fine home. They knocked on the door. A very wealthy man lived in this house and they hoped that they would not be an inconvenience to one so wealthy.

But the man was very gruff with them and said they could stay in the barn. He gave them water and bread for supper and let them eat it by themselves in the barn. Job was very thankful for the barn and the bread and water and said to the wealthy man, “Thank you very much for the bread and water and for letting us stay in your barn.”

In the morning Job noticed that one of the walls of the house was crumbling. So he went and bought bricks and mortar and repaired the hole in the wall for the wealthy man. Then Job and Jemima went on their way and came to their destination.

As they sat by the fire that night Jemima said, “Daddy, I don’t understand the ways of God. It doesn’t seem right that the poor man’s cow should die when he was so good to us, and that you should fix the rich man’s wall when he was so bad to us.”

“Well, Jemima,” Job said, “many things are not the way they seem. Perhaps this once I will tell you why. But after this you will have to trust God.”

“The poor man’s cow was very sick, but he didn’t know it. I could taste it in the milk. Soon he would have sold bad milk and the people would have gotten sick and died, and they would have stoned him. So I told him not to sell the meat, but to bury the cow under the olive tree by his back wall because the Lord showed me that, if he dug the grave there he would find a silver cup buried from long ago, and sell it for enough money to buy two good cows. And in the end things would be better for him and his wife and child.”

“When we spent the night at the rich man’s house, I saw the hole in the wall and I saw more than that. I saw that hidden in the wall from generations ago was a chest full of gold. If the rich man had repaired the wall himself, he would have found it and continued in his pride and cruelty. So I bought brick and closed the wall so that the man would never find this treasure.”

“Do you see, Jemima?”

“Yes, Daddy, I see.”

“So never forget, Jemima, many things are not what they seem. But if we trust in God,

When things don’t go the way they should
God always makes them turn for good.”

But if we turn away from God and are unkind and selfish, then the other saying will come true:

When things go better than they should
For people who are bad,
Remember, if they stay that way,
At last they will be sad.”

And that’s the way it was with Jesus. It seemed like he was unimportant because he was born in a small unimportant town, not a big city. He was born in a stable, not a palace. He was laid in a manger, not a fine bed. He was a carpenter not a famous statesman. He had a small group of friends, not a great army. And worst of all, he was killed like a common criminal on a cross.

But many things are not what they seem. He was the Son of God, the Savior of the world. He rose from the dead. He is alive today and rules over the world and King of kings and Lord of lords. And everyone who trusts in him will have all their sins forgiven, and will be able to say,

When things don’t go the way they should
God always makes them turn for good.”

(taken from John Piper)

Across the Street Quotes

The salvation of a single soul is more important than the production or preservation of all the epics and tragedies in the world.
-C. S. Lewis

To call a man evangelical who is not evangelistic is an utter contradiction.
-G. Campbell Morgan

"I will open Africa to the gospel or die trying."
- Rowland Bingham

"Jehovah Witnesses don't believe in hell and neither do most Christians."
- Leonard Ravenhill

"With these facts before you and with the command of the Lord Jesus to go and preach the gospel to every creature, you need rather to ascertain whether you have a special call to stay at home."
- James Hudson Taylor

"A tiny group of believers who have the gospel keep mumbling it over and over to themselves. Meanwhile, millions who have never heard it once fall into the flames of eternal hell without ever hearing the salvation story."
- K.P. Yohannon

"Today Christians spend more money on dog food than missions."
- Leonard Ravenhill

"The question is not whether you will die; but the question is, "Will the death you die bear much fruit?".
- John Piper

"We must be global Christians with a global vision because our God is a global God."
- John Stott

“The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference.”
– C.S. Lewis


“God save us from living in comfort while sinners are sinking into hell!”
- Charles Spurgeon

“I’d rather have people hate me with the knowledge that I tried to save them.”
- Keith Green

My Question!

When Rick Warren asked the thousands of pastors at the Innovate Church Conference to write questions on an index card to ask the presidential candidates, I wrote a question on abortion. I know probably every pastor there did as well. But I am still glad Rick asked the question.
This question is important to me as a voting Christian. Could I vote for a Pro-abortion Presidential candidate? Could you as a Christian vote for a man or woman who is pro-choice (this really means pro-abortion).
I know for some this has become a Republican and Democrat issue. And I know both parties cater to their side for votes. But I am asking you : Could you vote for a Pro-abortion Presidential Candidate.

Watch their responses to the question I (and many others) asked Rick Warren to ask our next President of the United States.

Fireproof

At the Innovative Church Conference I had the privilege of taking part in a private screening of a new film called "FIREPROOF". This film stars Kirk Cameron and is produced by the same group that made "Facing the Giants". Just like Facing the Giants it could use some help in the acting and cinematography departments. But for a church it is very good. The story, just like "Facing the Giants" is tremendous. It is about a husband and wife on the brink of divorce. That is all I will share. This film, in my opinion, is better than "Facing the Giants" because this story hits home with where American Christians are at the moment.
I would encourage any married couple to watch this film.

Innovative Church Conference

This past Week Mark and I attended the Innovative Church Conference at Thomas Road Baptist Church. This was a wonderful conference, one of the most practical, spiritual and informative Conferences I have ever been to.
Because our Church is partnering in the Liberty Baptist Fellowship Mark and I attended Free.

On Monday night Rick Warren spoke. I have not been a fan of everything Rick has done and said in the past. I am sure I have my critics as well.

Rick is a very humble, gracious, and inspirational person. Rick shared a very good message from 1 John 2:15-18.
He talked about the traps Christians fall into. The lust of the eyes, the pride of life, and the lust of the flesh.

He said when he wrote the Purpose Driven Life no one knew the impact it would have or the success it would become. The Purpose Driven Life has become the best selling hardback book of all time.
Rick said, "This brings alot of fame, money and temptation." He said he knew this was a test.
He said he asked for people to pray that he would have: humility, integrity and generosity.

Today Rick works for free at Saddleback. He has paid the church back all of his salary since he has been Pastor. He drives an 8 yr. old Ford truck and wears a watch from Wal- Mart. He practices reverse tithing. He and his wife tithe 90% of their income and live off of 10%. He still lives in the same house. This is very inspirational to me because as Rick said "I could have a private jet and buy an Island."

With fame comes a bulls eye from the world and Satan. In a day when politicians and preachers are falling by the wayside because of immorality and a lack of integrity I want you to pray for Rick Warren.

Saturday he will interview Sen. Obama and McCain at Saddleback church. He asked all the pastors in attendance to write one question they would like him to ask the Presidential Candidates.

"Across the Street"

Someone asked Will the heathen who have never heard the Gospel be saved? It is more a question with me whether we -- who have the Gospel and fail to give it to those who have not -- can be saved. Charles Spurgeon

Sympathy is no substitute for action. David Livingstone

It is now possible to live a "christian life" without doing the things that Jesus commanded us to do. "We have hired people to go into all the world, to visit those in prison, to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to care for widows and orphans. The average Christian doesn't have to do it. Cal Thomas

God is pursuing with omnipotent passion a worldwide purpose of gathering joyful worshippers for Himself from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. He has an inexhaustible enthusiasm for the supremacy of His name among the nations. Therefore, let us bring our affections into line with His, and, for the sake of His name, let us renounce the quest for worldly comforts and join His global purpose. John Piper

Dancing with Cinderella Part 1

Below is the Steve Curtis Chapman interview on Good Morning America.
I have always respected and admired Steven and his faith, even more so now.
It is a little long but well worth watching.

Forgiveness and Reconciliation

Crawford Loritts, speaking at a FamilyLife marriage conference, explains the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation.

Forgiveness

To forgive is to turn the key, open the cell door and let the prisoner out.
To forgive is to write in large letters across a debt "nothing owed."
To forgive is to pound the gavel in a courtroom and say "not guilty."
To forgive is to shoot an arrow so high and so far that it can never be found again.
To forgive is to bundle up all the garbage and all the trash and dispose of it, leaving the house clean and fresh.
To forgive is to loose the moorings of a ship and release it to the open sea.
To forgive is to grant a full pardon to a condemned criminal.
To forgive is to relax a strangle hold on a wrestling opponent and give him his life.
To forgive is to sandblast a wall of graffiti, leaving it looking like new.
To forgive is to smash a clay pot into a thousand pieces so that it can never be put together again.
This matter of forgiveness is very important and it's right at the very crux of your spiritual health and mine.
(John McArthur)

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13

Obedience

26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that same day. 27 And every male in Abraham's household, including those born in his household or bought from a foreigner, was circumcised with him.
Genesis 17

Kind of raises the bar on obedience doesn't it!!!!!!!!!!