March is “Marriage” month!

I thought about a March Madness theme since I’m a basketball nut and since most people think marriage is madness, but instead, I decided to theme this month as March Marriages to focus upon God’s purpose for marriage which is good according to Genesis 2:18:

Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”

God knew it was not good for man to be alone so He instituted marriage. Before the fall of mankind and sinful state of being, marriage was good – look at Genesis 2:24-25:

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

Both of them were naked and transparent in their relationship together PRIOR to their own sin in Genesis 3:7:

Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

Those fig leaves were necessary because now they knew they were naked since they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and disobeyed the Lord. The fig leaves separated them from a complete and honest relationship without sin.

Thus, marriage became a challenge according to the consequence in Genesis 3:16b:

“Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.”

Now, in a sinful and fallen world, there is a battle of the sexes that leads to many divorces. Unless people are submitted to Christ, their marriage will likely end in divorce these days due to this curse upon marriage due to mankind’s sin.

So, let’s focus on redeeming our marriages in the month of March and search the Word of God for answers to solve marriage problems.

What if the SATANIC International Version (SIV) existed?

This is purely a thought: What would the SATANIC International Version of the Bible (SIV) look like IF it existed?

Kinda weird to think about I know. I admit it. I’ve had one too many bratwursts today and now my thinking has gone haywire!

My answer is that it would be the exact same version of the Bible that we have EXCEPT that it would be misinterpreted and have wrong commentary notes in it!

Think about it. In Matthew 4, Satan tempted Jesus by MISUSING and misinterpreting the BIBLE to appeal to Jesus’ human nature. It was God’s own words that Satan used to tempt Christ!

How many people today twist the Bible and use it for their own purposes? Sadly, we can all take the Bible and use its meaning to be manipulative and hurtful AND justify our actions & words as the “truth hurts.”

For this reason, as biblical counselors, we must always deliver the truth in love. Not truth and love but truth IN love. There is a difference.

-Mark (glad there is NOT a Satanic version of God’s Word around today)

Book Review of Ken Ham’s Almost Gone

Ken Ham wrote a book called “Almost Gone” that is great though it is a challenging read. It has statistics in it but Mr. Ham is such a good communicator that it is smooth and informative. I highly recommend you read it.

The book challenged me to re-think church because a key finding was that Sunday school attendees as youths were MORE LIKELY to turn away from the faith as young, 20 year old adults. I had to read that finding twice because it goes against our thinking. The finding again was that children who DID attend Sunday School were MORE LIKELY to walk away from the faith as adults vs. children who did NOT attend Sunday School.

Makes you think, doesn’t it. Why is that the finding? Well, Mr. Ham cites evidence that these children were likely taught UNDERMINING lies about God’s Word while in Sunday School which led to a LACK of FAITH in Christ and His Word.

It would have been better NOT to have attended Sunday School which taught contrary to God’s Word, in other words.

I may not be doing a good job of summarizing this finding. Therefore, I recommend you read the book.

Here’s my life application: Teach the Bible and help people to have faith in Christ and His Word as accurate. People need to know about how the Flood fits into history and science, that fossils came from a global flood, that land dinosaurs were created on the 6th day, that a global flood wiped out many of the dinosaurs, etc.  We need to have answers for a dying world that is longing for the truth of God’s Word.

-Mark (grateful to serve Christ with men like Ken Ham who boldly stand for God and lead the way)

ABC 33/40 Video on Christ Health Center

http://cfc.abc3340.com/videoondemand.cfm?id=44819

Please take a moment & watch this video about Christ Health Center

Dr. Shaw on Primetime America today

Make sure to listen tonight at 5:30 on WLJR 88.5 if you are in Birmingham or online at http://www.moodyradio.org/brd_programtoday.aspx?id=11694

The 10 minute interview is focused on Dr. Shaw’s book “The Heart of Addiction” published by Focus Publishing (www.focuspublishing.com)

God is everywhere…. Join in the fun…

Missed writing over the last few months!  Hope everyone is doing well!  Had a few minutes here in a coffe shop/tech trap and thought I would share a few cool pics I’ve run across in the last day or two. Please don’t read this blog and get fired up thinking I’m some type of mystic who looks for God outside of His revealed Word.  I just enjoy collecting tags that point people to God! I have found that these pictures are a great conversation starter in getting people to share about their faith….

Visit the 2 links below to see 90+ car tags that point to God…

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/album.php?aid=6550&id=1374134634

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/album.php?aid=22919&id=1374134634

 

Please feel free to join in the Scavenger Hunt of finding God’s Word in unique places!  Make sure to send me a picture of anything you find and the story behind finding it. Be it car tags, church signs, t-shirts, let your creativity flow and together let’s shout forth the praises of OUR GREAT GOD!

And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.” ISAIAH 6:3

 

 

GOD IS REAL!

HE IS!

 

-Jason  (Thankful to be a child of the KING!)

How do you defeat the 3 Lies of Satan?

In Matthew 4, how did Jesus overcome Satan’s temptations to sin?

Jesus used the Word of God – rightly interpreted- to defeat Satan. We must do the same. We must KNOW the Word of God and apply it to the situation correctly always remembering Who God is and that we are to serve and honor Him first – rather than to please ourselves.

Quite simply, Jesus was not interested in the self-promoting lies of Satan but in the long-term, God-honoring PLAN of the Father.

We keep this same mindset and studying and living biblical principles enables us to think, speak, and act for the glory of God.

-Mark (grateful that it’s God’s Word that overcomes Satan and the lies of this world and not my own ideas or strength)