2008-01-31 Posted by Andrew Beckner 0 comments

How would Jesus vote? (part three)

Ladies and gentlemen, HILLARY CLINTON
(official site)
"I think that the Methodist Church, for a period of time, became too socially concerned, too involved in the social gospel and did not pay enough attention to questions of personal salvation and faith."
(CBN news story from 2007)
(Christian Today story from 2006)
(Ontheissues.org report)
(Time magazine piece)
(CuttingEdge.org piece. Ed. note: grab that grain of salt)
(Christianity Today)
2008-01-28 Posted by Andrew Beckner 0 comments

How would Jesus vote? (part two)


Today's contestant? JOHN MCCAIN
(official site)
"If America stands for anything, it stands for the freedom to follow our own minds and hearts, to determine our own relationship with God. I did not realize just how precious this freedom is until it was taken away. As some ... may know, I spent several years as a prisoner of war, a time when all my freedoms were rescinded. And yet it was my very faith in a Supreme Being that sustained me and strengthened me while at the hands of my captors."
(Washington Post story from 2006)
(Freerepublic.com message board post)
(OnTheIssues.org report)
(Christian Post)
(Beliefnet.com)
2008-01-25 Posted by Andrew Beckner 0 comments

How would Jesus vote? (part one)

Today's contestant? BARACK OBAMA.
"I believe in the redemptive death and resurrection of Christ."
(News)
(Editor's note: Uh, no ...)
(Opinion piece)
(Obama mailer)
2008-01-24 Posted by Andrew Beckner 0 comments

Three new books

One's old and the other two are new ... got 'em at Christmas and am just now getting around to reading them. The old one was my Granny's, and I thought I'd give it a whirl, too.

Oh, and they've also been added to the list at the right, which needed updating anyway.

Cheers!
2008-01-17 Posted by Andrew Beckner 0 comments

MIT for free ...

Wow ... that's all I can say. Wow.

For those of you interested in the acquisition of knowledge -- forget the degree; we're just talking about knowledge for knowledge's sake -- you've gotta click here, then click here.
2008-01-16 Posted by Andrew Beckner 0 comments

Pope vs. Rome

News item: Pope Didn't Want 'Unpleasant' Protests (AP)

And they call Christians intolerant ...
Posted by Andrew Beckner 0 comments

Love this ...

Great line from today's Our Daily Bread, courtesy of the fine folks at RBC Ministries.

"To glorify Him means that we have the high privilege of showing Him off in a world that is totally unaware of what He is really like."
2008-01-15 Posted by Andrew Beckner 0 comments

To die is gain?

Leading a devotion one night, my good friend Danny Cunningham pierced me with this thought: If you want to follow Christ, have you given any thought to where He is going? If you are taking up your cross, where do you think you are taking it?

Danny's answer was simple, yet I had never really considered it -- I am following Christ, cross on my back, to Calvary. The end of that road is death.

Oh, sure, we follow Christ to change people's lives, to show His love to a world in desperate need of it, to live with peace that we have the assurance of salvation and, in the end, an eternal life with Him in Heaven.

But the inescapable fact of our decision to follow Christ is that we must be willing to die. No, not a physical death -- although that was and is the fate of literally millions who made that decision; thank God we live in a country where physical death is not a threat for our Christian convictions ... at least not yet. Instead, we're talking about a spiritual death, a willingness to attend our own "white funeral," as Oswald Chambers puts it. This death is required, you see, for it follows that a decision for Jesus is a decision to put on a sacrificial altar our carnal lives. A tree must be pruned, a painful yet neccessary process to achieve full growth ... for us, this is called sanctification. How can I be sanctified if I am not willing to die to myself?

Aw, phooney. I can't do this topic justice. Danny does, and so does Oswald Chambers. Indeed, Chambers' entry for January 15th in "My Utmost for His Highest" is about this very topic ... so read it here.
2008-01-07 Posted by Andrew Beckner 0 comments

Not to worry

I've had an e-mail and phone call or two about my job status. I appreciate the concern.

You know, my faith that God is in control and takes care of everything is not a worry of mine. Never has been. Oh, I struggle with a lot of things -- some of which you might wonder why -- but my faith that, as Bob Marley said, "Everything's gonna be alright," is rock solid. No worries, mate.

So I wonder why God allowed me to learn of the dissolution of my old company on the day I started my new job? Surely it wasn't because I needed the confirmation that He'd take care of me. I can honestly say that, even if I were in the unemployment line, I'd be OK with His plan.

Oh, sure, it's easy to say now, from the comforts of my new office.

Wait, some perspective is needed here. OK, so I'll back up.

Frustrated with my old job just, oh, three weeks or so into it, I started looking around. It wasn't too long that I found an ad for someone with my qualifications, so I applied, interviewed twice and was tentatively offered the job. Problem was, the new company was waiting for an investing partner so they could afford to add a salary, so I had to wait.

And wait.

And wait.

And wait.

Finally, right around Thanksgiving and after a frustratingly long time, they called and formally offered the job, effective Jan. 2, 2008. I accepted, gave my notice and worked my old job until putting out the Christmas edition, then quit.

Then, leaving the office on my first day, my cell was flooded with people asking if I was OK, what I was going to do, whether I had a new job. I learned second hand that my old company had dissolved the day I started my new job. Good timing, God.

Again, I don't understand the timing, mostly because A) my biggest concern are those who didn't get out before the house fell in and B) I would have seen the hand of God in the circumstance whether I was unemployed or not.

Maybe it was to show that my impatience is something I need to come to terms with. Maybe it was to show my wife God's providence. Maybe it was for a reason I'll never know.

Anyone have a similar experience?

(Oh, by the way ... I took a holiday break. If the new job permits -- and I'm pretty doggone busy right out of the gate, so we'll see ... maybe the last thing I need is more writing to do on top of what I have already -- I'll get to posting more regularly. At the very least, I'll start linking some content to elsewhere.)

Selah ...
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