Are Teens Buying Into a Fake Christianity?

This article reminds of a book for teens called, "Do Hard Things, which challenges teens to rise above the cultural definitions of what normal adolescence is suppose to be.

Read the article about teens and faith here :Almost Christian

When Considering The New Abortion Pill "Ella", Consider This Story

Pam knows about the pain of considering abortion. More than 21 years ago, she and her husband, Bob, were serving as missionaries to the Philippines and praying for a fifth child. Pam contracted amoebic dysentery, an infection of the intestine caused by a parasite found in a contaminated food or drink. She entered into a coma and was treated with strong antibiotics before they discovered she was pregnant. Doctors urged her to abort the baby for her own safety and told her that the medicines had caused irreversible damage to her baby. She refused the abortion and cited her Christian faith as the reason for her hope that her son would be born without the devastating disabilities physicians predicted. The doctors "didn't think of it as a life, they thought of it as a mass of fetal tissue," Pam... said.


While pregnant, Pam nearly lost their baby four times but refused to consider abortion. She recalled making a pledge to God with her husband, "If you will give us a son, we'll name him 'Timothy,' and we'll make him a preacher." Pam ultimately spent the last two months of her pregnancy in bed and, eventually, gave birth to a healthy baby boy August 14, 1987.

Pam's youngest son is indeed a preacher. He preaches in prisons, makes hospital visits, and serves with his father's ministry in the Philippines.

He also plays football. Pam's son is Tim Tebow.

Last year, the University of Florida's star quarterback, became the first sophomore in history to win college football's highest award, the Heisman Trophy. Tim's fame and the family's inspiring story have given Pam numerous opportunities to speak on behalf of women's centers across the country.

Powerful Speech from Columbine Victim's Father

Guess our national leaders didn't expect this, hmm? On Thursday, Darrell Scott, the father of Rachel Scott, a victim of the Columbine High School shootings in Littleton , Colorado , was invited to address the House Judiciary Committee's subcommittee. What he said to our national leaders during this special session of Congress was painfully truthful.

They were not prepared for what he was to say, nor was it received well. It needs to be heard by every parent, every teacher, every politician, every sociologist, every psychologist, and every so-called expert! These courageous words spoken by Darrell Scott are powerful, penetrating, and deeply personal. There is no doubt that God sent this man as a voice crying in the wilderness. The following is a portion of the transcript:

"Since the dawn of creation there has been both good & evil in the hearts of men and women. We all contain the seeds of kindness or the seeds of violence. The death of my wonderful daughter, Rachel Joy Scott, and the deaths of that heroic teacher, and the other eleven children who died must not be in vain. Their blood cries out f or answers.

"The first recorded act of violence was when Cain slew his brother Abel out in the field. The villain was not the club he used.. Neither was it the NCA, the National Club Association. The true killer was Cain, and the reason for the murder could only be found in Cain's heart.

"In the days tha t followed the Columbine tragedy, I was amazed at how quickly fingers began to be pointed at groups such as the NRA. I am not a member of the NRA. I am not a hunter. I do not even own a gun. I am not here to represent or defend the NRA - because I don't believe that they are responsible for my daughter's death. Therefore I do not believe that they need to be defended. If I believed they had anything to do with Rachel's murder I would be their strongest opponent.

I am here today to declare that Columbine was not just a tragedy -- it was a spiritual event that should be forcing us to look at where the real blame lies! Much of the blame lies here in this room. Much of the blame lies behind the pointing fingers of the accusers themselves. I wrote a poem just four nights ago that expresses my feelings best.

Your laws ignore our deepest needs,
Your words are empty air.
You've stripped away our heritage,
You've outlawed simple prayer.
Now gunshots fill our classrooms,
And precious children die.
You seek for answers everywhere,
And ask the question "Why?"
You regulate restrictive laws,
Through legislative creed.
And yet you fail to understand,
That God is what we need!

" Men and women are three-part beings. We all consist of body, mind, and spirit. When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our make-up, we create a void that allows evil, prejudice, and hatred to rush in and wreak havoc. Spiritual presences were present within our educational
Systems for most of our nation's history.. Many of our major colleges began as theological seminaries. This is a historical fact. What has happened to us as a nation? We have refused to honor God, and in so doing, we open the doors to hatred and violence.. And when something as terrible as Columbine's tragedy occurs -- politicians immediately look for a scapegoat such as the NRA. They immediately seek to pass more restrictive laws that contribute to erode away our personal and private liberties. We do not need more restrictive laws. Eric and Dylan would not have been stopped by metal detectors. No amount of gun laws can stop someone who spends months planning this type of massacre. The real villain lies within our own hearts.


"As my son Craig lay under that table in the school library and saw his two friends murdered before his very eyes, he did not hesitate to pray in school. I defy any law or politician to deny him that right! I challenge every young person in America , and around the world, to realize that on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School prayer was brought back to our schools. Do not let the many prayers offered by those students be in vain. Dare to move into the new millennium with a sacred disregard for legislation that violates your God-given right to communicate with Him. To those of you who would point your finger at the NRA -- I give to you a sincere challenge.. Dare to examine your
Own heart before casting the first stone!

My daughter's death will not be in vain! The young people of this country will not allow that to happen!"
Do what the media did not - - let the nation hear this man's speech..

Facing The Economic Giants

It appears that we are facing a severe economic crisis, a crisis that many believe will be with us for several years, and several others believe will cause a depression that will take a decade or more to recover from. Regardless of the specific outcome one thing is for certain, your life will change. The prosperity of the nineties is gone and there are many giants that you must now face in order to cope with this crisis.

The Israelites faced giants of their own after they left Egypt and were told to trust God and move into the promised land of Canaan (Numbers 13 & 14). The Amalekites, Hittites, Amorites, and Canaanites occupied the land and they were strong and powerful, giants compared to the Israelites. The Lord wanted them to trust that He would be with them as they faced the giants, that He would not abandon them but cause them to be victorious over their enemies. The people rebelled and refused to trust God. They did not want to face the giants. In fact, they wanted to go back to Egypt and return to slavery, thinking that would be better than having to face the giants. God forgave them of their sin of unfaithfulness, but the consequence of their sin was that they would wonder the desert for 40 years. Only two men and their decedents would enter the land at the end of the 40 years, Joshua and Caleb, because they “had a different spirit and followed (God) wholeheartedly” (Numbers 14:24).

In order to face the giants of an economic downturn, the giants of a potential job loss, the loss of a discretionary income, the increase violence that is predicted to occur, the loss of conveniences and necessary supplies, the potential loss of a home, the loss of retirement savings, and so on, you must do several things:

1.) Trust God. Trust that God has not abandoned you but will be with you through whatever you face. God does not promise freedom from suffering but that He will be with us through the suffering. You may suffer greatly through these next years due to your own past poor choices, or because of the poor choices of a collective nation. Because our nation has abandoned God, He very well may have given us over to the consequences of our sin (Romans 1:21-32). Turning away from God causes minds to become futile and hearts to become darkened. This is what has happened to the US over the last few decades and now we have “trouble and distress” to face (Rom. 2:8-9). But to the believer, he promises His presence and guidance to see us through.

2.) Prepare. Placing your faith in God does not mean you become passive. Doing nothing and expecting God to bail you out is not faith but foolishness! The Israelites had to prepare themselves for battle! They had to physically train, prepare their battle weapons and gear, and strengthen their minds for war. So to you must prepare. You must get your finances in order, focusing on the preservation of capital. You must begin saving money and saving supplies. You would do well to read material that helps prepare you for worse case scenarios, such as Michael Panzner’s Financial Armageddon. As he says, “Assume the worst, hope for the best, and be prepared for whatever happens” (p. 143), and, “People will underestimate the severity of the dangers ahead and fail to take the necessary steps at the outset… being left penniless.” Preparation is key to successfully deal with a crisis. Many people will falsely blame God for abandoning them while the fault for their troubles lies squarely on their own heads! One of the most important things to do is to prepare your mind (Rom. 12:2)! Those who deny the crisis, maintain a rigid inflexible stance regarding living expectations, or believe they will be able to think on their feet and handle things as they come without proper preparation, could get so stressed out when reality hits that they literally fall apart.

3.) Execute. When wisdom or God’s spirit tell you to go, go! Many people will have regrets for not listening to wisdom or their own internal promptings. Faith is active. Faith requires risk taking. Faith requires change. Part of the Israelites problem was that they were not willing to push into change. Their failure was not only a spiritual failure to trust God, but a mental failure to properly deal with the Limbic brain. The Limbic part of our brain controls our emotions and desires. It likes patterns and routines best, so when change is required, you will feel fear and resistance because the Limbic part of your brain does not recognize the new pattern. It will tell you something is wrong simply because it does not recognize the new pattern and does not want to change. It will even tell you go back to an old pattern even if that pattern was very bad. This is why the Israelites wanted to go back to Egypt. It was bad, but at least it was familiar! A great book re: mental preparation is Victor Frankl’s book, Man’s Search for Meaning. He is a psychologist who survived 3-years in a German concentration camp. It is a fascinating read. As he says (paraphrased), “In times of crisis, life does not owe something to you but rather life is requiring something from you” (see also the quote from Lord of the Rings at the bottom of the post titled, “Wake UP!”). In order to deal with a crisis, you must push past internal resistances and execute change.

When we fail to trust God and deal with the giants in our lives, we end up wondering aimlessly for potentially many, many years, just like the Israelites. It’s best to face the giants and find freedom, confidence, security, and God’s pleasure in doing so.

Putting Our Hope in Keynes

President Obama and the Democrats are dealing with this economic crisis by following the economic theory of John Keynes, published in 1936. Much could be said about his theory, specifically that it really is unproven. In fact, textbooks in the 1980s used several pages to show how it was bad theory to follow and for a decade or more, it was considered a washed up theory. Now it’s back in vogue, and it fits perfectly with socialist agendas because it is viewed that the way to get out of a recession/depression is for the government to spend if people won’t (due to fear and wanting to save). Democrats now have a justification to spend away due to Keynes’s economic theory, and they are. The stimulus package is filled with pork, but it’s ok, this is what we need to do according to Keynes. Keynes model would say that by spending 700 Billion, you’ll raise GNP by 1 Trillion dollars. One economist says this is the first time in history that the theory is being tested to this degree. He is concerned that we are relying upon a theory that has never been proven and that we are taking a huge risk. If it works, Obama and Keynes win. If not, we’re all in huge trouble. Huge national debts must be paid back some day. As our currency becomes less valuable because of high national debt, interest rates will rise.

What’s additionally interesting is to consider the man himself. He was an elitist, bigoted, perverse man who believed Americans were idiots and that manipulating human genes to improve the race was a beneficial and imperative thing to do (a eugenicist). He lived an openly gay lifestyle for years before marrying a woman whom he stayed with until he died (I wonder what the pro-gay crowd that says you can’t change your sexual orientation think of that!). He hung out with upper-class liberals who promoted living with no moral constraints. But even among this group, Keynes was considered extreme in his behaviors and beliefs. His peers wrote that Keynes was too dirty even for them. He loved the spotlight and would say outrageous things just to get the attention of the press. He thought the only people smart enough to run a country, including the US, were graduates from Cambridge. Everyone was inferior. Great! We have a dirty, bigoted, elitist British snob setting the pace for our economic policy! Lord help us!

Reference: NPR: This American Life: The New Boss

Addicts and Enablers: US Citizens and the Federal Government

My brother made an interesting remark when he said that Americans felt so bad after 911 that they over spent to make themselves feel better. It’s parallel to a person using eating or shopping as a way of coping with stress. What an interesting insight!
I often say in counseling that often our biggest problem is not the problem or fear we have, but how we choose to cope with it. The strategies and solutions we implement to deal with “the problem” become bigger problems than the problem they’re trying to help. Becoming obese from using food as a stress reliever becomes a huge problem. Accumulating a large amount of debt from using shopping as a coping behavior balloons into a huge problem. Drinking to cope causes huge problems. These solutions are not helping a person, they’re just making things worse!
Maybe we were so traumatized by 911 that we (the government and citizens) spent away to try to make ourselves feel better. Now we need to pay off our debt, and like any reduction plan, starting and sticking to the plan is the hardest part. Will America make the commitment to get out of debt or will we just open up another credit card so that our lifestyle does not have to change? It appears that we just applied for another credit card, with a $1.5 Trillion dollar line of credit (the 2 Stimulus packages)!
There’s a saying in Alcoholics Anonymous that a person is not ready to change until he hits bottom, until he is so desperate for change that he’s finally ready to do the tough work required to change. By the accumulating evidence, America hasn’t hit bottom yet and is not ready to change. The government is just an enabler. Not only does the addict have to change (we the people) but the enabler (the government) must change as well. Obama, Pelosi, and the Democrats (if not most Republicans) are the nicest enablers in town, feeding the patient exactly want he or she wants, more money to fuel the addiction. The first step of the AA 12-step recovery program is to admit you have a problem and that you’re powerless to deal with it. Clearly, we are not there yet.

A MUST WATCH series

I just finished watching a series that was very informative and thought provoking. Chris Martenson, a trained scientist, having both a PhD from Duke University, as well as a MBA from Cornell in Finance, developed an educational series regarding the realities our world will face in the next 20 years. He focuses on three arenas- the economy, energy, and the environment, that are converging into a "perfect storm" of huge consequences. His training and expertise make him uniquely qualified. This is a MUST WATCH series. It will take you about 3.5 hours to complete in total. It is broken out into 20 individual segements, giving you the flexibility to watch as your time permits. He takes no political side, and his lectures on the environment are not about global warming. Our way of living is changing... rapidly... and we ALL need to prepare for these changes.
Go to chrismartenson.com or google "the crash course."

Understanding the Financial Crisis

Are you confused about the financial crisis? Do you need someone to explain it to you in a way you can understand? I have found your solution!
There are two one-hour shows on This American Life at PRI that do a great job explaining how this financial crisis happened, so good that one of them was written up in the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/29/business/media/29carr.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1223208646-1sUIgE2zp4jU46bQIdrUVA).

To download them, or order a CD of them, go to http://www.thislife.org/. The name of the shows are:
The Giant Pool of Money (#355), and
Another Frightening Show About The Economy (#365). At this time, you can download #355 from the website for .$95. It takes you to I-tunes. #365 can be listened to at the website, or go to I-tunes/podcasts/This American Life to download for free. Currently, it is the number 2 download (10/10/08). I encourage you to listen to them. They are entertaining (humorous and shocking all at the same time!) and will give you a good foundation of information to help you understand this mess, a mess we will face probably for years to come.

Planet Money podcast through NPR is also very informative- currently the #1 podcast on I-tunes (10/10/08). It's the same people on the two programs above that make a daily podcast.

Pornography: Use, Acceptance, and Affects on Relationships

What are the facts concerning pornography? How is a generation raised on the internet affected by it and how is the viewing of it changing their views of sex and marriage?
Sex is the most frequently searched topic on the Internet, with pornographic search-engine requests totaling approx. 68 million PER DAY (25% of all search engine requests). The industry of pornography rakes in $100 billion worldwide per/year, with over 13 billion in revenue from the USA. Technology advances since 1995 have created the “triple-A-engine” that fuels pornographic consumption: Accessibility of sites 24/7, Affordability- with many images and videos free to view and cheap pay-for-viewing site due to competition, and Anonymity of use. Until recently, research has primarily been limited to studying the affects of pornography in relationship to addiction, deviant behaviors (i.e. serial killers, child molesters, etc.), and criminal behavior. Now there are a few studies indicating usage and affects on moral, ethical, and value development. Pornography viewing is highest among 18-24 year olds (is that because of sexual exploration and development or because we have only been able to readily access it since 1995 and long-term use rates are unknown? No one knows yet.) with men viewing it more than women. Three studies that surveyed college students indicated 56% - 87% of men viewed it, whereas 24%- 49% of women viewed it, depending on the study’s findings. Eleven percent in one study view it once a week or more, another study showed that 1 in 5 male viewers view it daily or every other day. One study of young people (18-22 years old) found that 83% of men and 55% of women acted out to in self-pleasuring ways… saying it discreetly. Thirty-five percent of users view it while alone, 18% with an off-line partner, and 15% in a group context (I’m not sure what that means… one only knows). Recent studies of younger adults indicate that women are viewing it far more than in the past. Pornography use is considered just as normal now on college campuses as drinking. And as many college-age men binge drink, research is showing that they also “binge” on pornography- with binging patterns very similar for both items.
Women are becoming more accepting of it though many still do not view it as regularly as men. This change among women is one that has researchers concerned. Acceptance and use by women historically were much lower. This shift indicates of change in use as well as a change in values regarding its use. They are far more tolerant of it now than in the past and that is not a good statistic for women because acceptance of pornography (not just use) is correlated with permissive sexual behavior, alcohol use, binge drinking, and cigarette smoking. For men, use has been correlated with permissive premarital sexual behavior, permissive sexual behavior within marriage (having a mistress and “swinging”) and long-term addiction problems. Sexual addiction counselors are overloaded with work; it is the most needed specialty in the field! More women than ever are also needing recovery programs. Men’s use or acceptance of it is correlated with permissive sexual behavior and nonmarital cohabitation, two factors that have been linked to less marital stability and satisfaction in future marriages.
Though these finding are shocking and sad, it is not a surprise. Not only have we in the field of mental health seen it coming, the Bible predicted it. In Romans 1:18-2:7 (cf- James 1:13-15), it states that when an individual or culture turns away from God, the first place he/she, and the culture as whole turns to, is sexual immorality. “God gave them over…” said three times in this passage as a warning of His wrath, is what God does when mankind seeks to go it alone and not rely upon God. Personally, I think this is one of the scariest passages in the Bible because we all are tempted and can easily be enticed away from God and because He honors our ability to choose, he will give us over if that is what we demand.
No wonder we are commanded to be on guard (Proverbs 4:23; I Cor. 6:12-20; 1Peter 2:11, 5:8-9)!
If you are struggling with this, you obviously are not alone. Stop if you can, and if you are in over your head, get help! Having a long-term with pornography is a horrible struggle. There is freedom but you must first admit the struggle and seek help!
Parents, protect your children! I’m shocked at how many parents say, “my child would never do that” only to find out their child has been viewing for years! You have the responsibility to protect your children! Do it! I had a teen once tell me, “my mom told me I should just have “friends with benefits” because having a girlfriend is too big of a pain.” Unbelievable! Teens who view porn often are substantially more at risk of long-term problems because of brain develop than a 26 year-old who begins a similar viewing pattern. Protect your kids! Protect yourself!

"We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition

when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go

on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is

meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."

C.S. Lewis
(Reference: Generation XXX by Carroll, Padilla-Walker, Nelson, & Olson, Journal of Adolescent Research 23(1), pp. 6-28)