Priceless

I’m reading of a 22 year old woman who is auctioning off her virginity in Nevada, only one of two states in the U.S. where prostitution is legal.  And isn’t that really what this is?  Prostitution. Apparently, the online bidding is up to $3.7 million. 

Let me begin with the obvious.  Who are these people that are eager to corrupt something that should be kept special?  What about the fact that this money could be put to much better use in this economy—charity, church, or a woman’s shelter?  Can I get past my fury at this woman for cheapening something so sacred in order to be even more outraged at what this says about our culture?

Actually, this is no surprise to me.  We have numbed ourselves to sin.  We instinctively want to run from taking responsibility for our choices so we simply call it something else.  With regards to this particular woman, or other prostitutes, we say, “Oh, she is just wounded from her childhood.  Her father must not have been around.“  Or about the men who seek what she offers?  “Well, they have a sex addiction and they need help.”  This is not to throw away compassionate care of those who truly need guidance, but aren’t we also a bit desensitized to what the Bible clearly calls sin?

We have numbed ourselves to what tears apart the human spirit, morality, and the family.  We are overexposed to those things and we are not protecting ourselves from what infiltrates and corrupts our mind.  The fact that our culture is becoming increasingly more accepting of this young woman’s proposition is disheartening.  We laugh it off.  We see it as a joke.  But do we see it as an indication of just how far this world has turned from biblical values and virtues?

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death”  (Proverbs 14:12).  Our culture thinks that there is little sacred about intimacy anymore.  God’s design is considered prudish and out-dated.  Immorality is the essential ingredient in all the sitcoms and dramas on television lately.  When was the last time you saw a show that didn’t have sexual immorality, or the suggestion of it, woven throughout?  We believe that we are obligated to feed our feelings what they desire regardless of right or wrong.  (Whatever you do, do not exercise self-control.)  We’ve bought into the world system of belief that only the things that are wrong for you are immoral.  And as we follow that way “that seems right to a man,” we are blinded to the fact (or maybe we see it clearly) that it will lead to death—emotional, spiritual, and sometimes, even physical.  Aren’t we just living for the moment, with no regard for the future?

“They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.  Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more” (Ephesians 4:18-19).  These are the end days.  This Nevada virgin does not realize that what she is auctioning off is a gift from God, to be treasured and not cheapened.  It is priceless, doesn’t she care?

Or maybe she’s just reflecting the world we live in.

Inauguration Day

I chose not to watch the Inauguration of Barack Obama. . .In fact, I chose not to watch the five previous days of festivities either.  But yes, I am still quite patriotic.

Let me be clear.  I acknowledge and celebrate today for the historic moment that it is.  The first African-American has taken the oath of office and has promised to faithfully execute his presidential duties for the next four years.  I applaud the progress that we have made as a nation. . .the racism that we are eradicating step by step. . .the hope that President Obama’s election inspires to all people of color, especially young children who now know that, for them too, “It is possible!”

This is a historic day. . .the American flags waving, the military marches, the great Constitution being honored, the democracy of our beautiful nation at work.  But for me, it is hard to not see what else is being celebrated in five days of over-the-top, borderline worship of another human being.  Yes, this day celebrates what America is all about–democracy, our historical roots, overcoming oppression and indignities–but it also symbolizes what has gone wrong.  As a conservative and as a Christian, I am disheartened that this country has elected a man not based on qualifications, experience, or even an outstanding record of superb character (do we really even know it yet?).  We have elected a man based on three things.  (1)  He made us feel a certain way, and in this day and age, when we are such slaves to feelings, that was key.  (2)  He was the anti-George Bush, and with the vicious and deep-seeded hatred of our 43rd president among a small group with a loud voice via the liberal media, that persuaded many.  (3)  He is black.  Can we really deny that race had a lot to do with this election?  I cannot count the number of times a voter on the nightly news was asked why he or she was voting for Barack Obama–what one principle or policy he or she supported and felt qualified him to be president–and they said because it was about time we had a black man in the White House.

So I sat Inauguration Day out.  I cannot celebrate, with half of the nation, a man that promises enough anti-life, pro-choice legislation to choke us.  I only hear the cries of unborn babies being denied life.  I cannot watch as the Hollywood elite, who, for 8 years have opened their mouths, here and overseas, to trash America, resist patriotism, limit to the best of their ability the conservative and Christian voice, and treated our leader so inhumanly, now praise America as if they stood by her all along.  I cannot condone an extended celebration that costs double what Bush’s inauguration cost when we are in the middle of a military war abroad and an economic crisis here at home.  Where are all of those who had a problem with Sarah Palin’s wardrobe now?  I cannot understand how environment-loving celebrities and politicians flying in on 400-500 private jets for what can only be described as a self-glorifying party in D.C. is not considered hypocritical.

I love America.  Today I mourn what will inevitably be the beginning of her end.  A socialist agenda, a man who will not protect life, marriage, the family, or freedom, and a nation of individuals who either have no absolute truth to stand on, have abandoned it for the feel-good man of the hour, or have sat it all out in silence–these are not the things that I am proud of and they are not what I can celebrate today.  As a Christian, I believe the end of this world is fast approaching.  With President Obama’s policies, we may be reading prophecies out of the book of Revelation in every newspaper around the globe before long.

With God’s help, I will never treat the leader of the free world, President Obama, as many of those without decency and respect have treated President Bush, but I will also not celebrate in such a lavish way the beginning of an administration that has promised such detrimental things for the country I love.

Silenced

Over the last few years, we’ve heard a lot about conspiracies.  Usually it’s in connection with the words “vast right-wing” or sproken from Bill Clinton regarding the Lewinsky scandal that America is so proud of.  But something about these recent times makes me feel as if, as a conservative Christian, there is a conspiracy to silence me and my views.  My political and religious creed has, ever increasingly, been what condemns me in the eyes of the world.

Think of what we’ve been threatened with or been forced to accept in the last few years.  The Fairness Doctrine threatens the conservative voice on radio simply because liberal radio keeps failing.  Is there any complaint from the left for the dominant liberal media bias?

What about the violent protests (and media coverage in such a sympathetic way) over the passion of Proposition 8 in California last November?  Yes, it passed, but the sypathy for those who want gay marriage is growing rapidly while the anger and violence towards those who seek to preserve the traditional family is beginning to silence us.

Do we even need outside forces to silence us?  It seems we go undercover into exile rather easily these days.  George Barna has researched this and the number of Christians not voting in elections or abandoning biblical values in their voting is astounding.

The classic quote from Edmund Burke, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing,” is maybe never more true than today.

Recommended Books on Nutrition

Healthy Healing by Linda Page, Ph.D.

An excellent resource for naturally addressing over 300 ailments.  Take charge of your health with this easy-to-use reference book!

Greater Health God’s Way by Stormie Omartian

Seven steps to inner and outer beauty based on the Bible.

Recommended Books on Christian Living

Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

The best and only devotional you will ever need!  It is the best look at the tender heart of God that I’ve ever read!

 

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

Former atheist, Lewis is one of the leading authors of Christian apologetics.  Mere Christianity is a classic and must-read!

 

See Yourself as God Sees You by Josh McDowell

Josh McDowell reminds all of us, through the Bible, who we are in Christ Jesus and how living in that truth can change our life.

Recommended Books on Apologetics

The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel

Strobel, a former journalist, interview various scholars and arrives at irrefutable historical and scientific evidence for the existence and deity of Christ.

 

The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell

Over 700 pages of easy to access evidence for Christianity and the Bible.

Recommended Books on Parenting

Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp

Shepherding a Child’s Heart is about moving beyond the behavior your child exhibits to actually teaching the heart, based on biblical right and wrong. 

 

Creative Correction by Lisa Whelchel

Some of the most creative approaches to discipline I’ve ever read, arranged in a simple format.

 

 The Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson

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Recommended Books for Seekers

How Good is Good Enough by Andy Stanley

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The 3:16 Promise by Max Lucado

Experience God’s grace and plan of salvation as the author walks you through John 3:16.

 

The Case for Faith:  A Journalist Investigates the Toughest Objections to Christianity by Lee Strobel

Former atheist, Lee Strobel, raises (and answers) the toughest objections to Christianity.

 

More Than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell

Do you doubt the deity of Christ?  This short and compelling book by a former atheist will challenge your doubts.

Recommended Books on Marriage

 Sacred Marriage by Gary L. Thomas

An amazing book that puts marriage in perspective.  God did not promise that marriage would make us happy.  He is using it to make us holy.

 

Love & Respect by Emerson Eggerichs

What a simple message!  Men desire respect.  Women long for love.  Get off the Crazy Cycle for good.

 

The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman

An essential book on marital communication.  We all have a love language–a primary way that we receive and feel love.  Learn to speak your spouse’s language and teach them to speak yours!

 

The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian

What can be more powerful than praying for your spouse?  Stormie Omartian writes in a compassionate way and has beautiful and personalizable prayers for nearly every occasion.  (See also The Power of a Praying Husband)

Recommended Books on Our Culture

The God of Stones and Spiders by Charles Colson

A collection of Colson’s writings from the 80’s. It’s amazing how his observations about our culture ring true even more so today. Excellent and highly recommended!