Rick Warren, pastor and author of the best selling book, The Purpose Driven Life, has done us a great favor in hosting "The Saddleback Civil Forum on the Presidency" last Saturday evening. Perhaps in no other venue have we been able to see and listen and learn about the two candidates for president in a way that was extremely helpful. Veteran talking heads could learn a few lessons from Warren, who did the questioning in a conversational style and actually let each Senator talk without... Read Full Story
Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc has surveyed Washington DCs premier bartenders who serve many of our nation's politicians from both parties. Is it possible that politicians' drinking trends can be politically revealing? Here are partial results of the survey: Who is a better tipper? Democrats 60%, Republicans 38% Who is more likely to order a drink straight up? Democrats 14%, Republicans 82% Who is more likely to order a fruity (pink) drink? Democrats 58%, Republicans 34% Who has the better... Read Full Story
The Bible and Tomorrow's World "From very early on the first Christians discovered that the church was to be shaped, and its mission and life taken forward, by the work of people who were called to write about Jesus, and about what it meant to follow him in his kingdom-mission. The new dispensation, the Messianic age, did not mean the abandonment of the notion of being shaped by a God-given book, but rather its transformation into something new, new genres and themes developing out of the old... Read Full Story
O merciful Father, do not consider what we have done against you; but what our blessed Savior has done for us. Don’t consider what we have made of ourselves, but what He is making of us for you our God. O that Christ may be "wisdom and righteousness, sanctification and redemption" to every one of our souls. That his precious blood may cleanse us from all our sins, and that your Holy Spirit may renew and sanctify our souls. May He crucify our flesh with its passions and lusts, and cleanse all... Read Full Story
Submit your post to umweeklyroundup@yahoo.com by noon EST on Saturday to guarantee that your post is included. *Rules for Inclusion The week in review in the Methoblogosphere: Mark Manis' Bible study thoughts. Jeremy Smith writes on tithing lottery winnings. Scott McKay asks some questions cencerning the counting game in worship. A question for modernity from Andrew Thompson. An intriguing post from Gerry Charlotte Phelps on Olympian Michael Phelps and ADD. The Protestant Sacrament according... Read Full Story
Minister gets jail for stealing flock's identities From Associated PressAugust 14, 2008 4:02 PM EDT WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. - A Baptist minister in central Pennsylvania has been sentenced to one year in jail for stealing the identities of his church members. Raymond Clayton Sr., 44, was also ordered to pay more than $28,000 in restitution at his sentencing Wednesday. Clayton is the former pastor of Grace Fellowship Church near Mount Carmel. Federal prosecutors said Clayton used parishioners... Read Full Story
One of the themes that looms large in the writings of C.S. Lewis is myth. As a young atheist, Lewis assumed that the Christian story of Jesus was just one more religious myth (a fiction) among others. But, as Lewis continued to think and reflect and journey toward the Christian faith, he began to ponder instead of how the significance of myth might make a case for Christianity. Lewis struggled with all the various myths, from different times and places, of a dying and rising god. Initially... Read Full Story
Chapter 13: "Credo: I Believe This About Life" Summary Lawrenz begins his chapter with the story of three individuals and their difficult situations in Communist Romania. The faith of all three individuals were tested in the midst of a brutal atheistic political system, where the state was the absolute authority. All three passed the test. They are pastors in Romania today. "A faith that is merely a casual flirtation with believing will never stand that kind of test" (192). In the Apostles... Read Full Story
