Somewhere towards the back

The Simpsons TV show has countless religious references.  Their main objective, of course, is to garner laughs, but some are insightful (whether the writers meant them to be or not).  Here’s one of my favorites:
Lisa [standing in the pulpit]: I know most of you have already judged my brother guilty without any proof.  But doesn’t [...]

Will we learn from Europe’s mistakes?

Consider these options:

Good: Learn from your mistakes
Better: Learn from other people’s mistakes
Best: Read the Bible and avoid mistakes

Europe has given the following message to God: Get out.  They are closing churches and opening mosques at a rapid rate.  They naively think that Muslims want to assimilate, but the truth is they have no intention of [...]

Bella!

CareNet Pregnancy Center of NW Houston bought a whole showing of the award-winning movie Bella.  It was a terrific movie with a strong pro-life theme.
Here’s an excerpt from one review.
Bella is an unusually intelligent, humane film that reminds us how easy it is to impact one person’s life—and perhaps save another’s—simply by being sensitive to [...]

Guest post: Tough decisions

From an email by Sunday School Teacher (long time commenter, first time guest-blogger).  I thought it was worth sharing.
After some of the discussions on abortion on your blog; I want to relate the story of a young friend of mine. I cited this case in a comment before knowing the outcome. I said I could [...]

Weekly roundup

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Why Muslims convert to Christianity - an important list of things to be aware of.
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Logical consequences of PC “tolerance”
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Do you remember the mainstream media covering the death of this woman at a “safe” abortion clinic?  Me neither.
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The World Health Organization publishes a study claiming that laws against abortion do nothing to deter them.  And you can trust [...]

Public speaking tips

I’m no Ronald Reagan, but I feel qualified to address this topic because I have gone from being petrified of speaking in public to actually enjoying it, and from being lousy at it to getting some kudos for it.  I won’t be hitting the professional circuit anytime soon ever, but my views and abilities on [...]

Vegas

I spent a couple days in Las Vegas this week attending an Internal Audit conference (Motto: “As boring as it sounds!”) and doing a presentation on management and leadership.  Actually, the other speakers were very good and the presentation went really well.  Internal Auditing sounds dry but the investigative parts and the lack of repetition make [...]

Day care

A newspaper article about daycare got me thinking about family finances.
Many people have no choice but to use day care.  This post is not for them, at least in their current position.  The last thing I want to do is add to their burdens. 
But many people do have a choice.  This is for them. 
In the early 90’s [...]

Kenya mission trip

Also see Kenya – travel & fun and Kenya – safari
A team of 16 from Lakewood United Methodist Church went on a mission trip to Kenya from September 20 – October 6 to share the love and truth of Christ.  We had the opportunity to do many things, such as helping build three homes for AIDS orphans, [...]

Kenya – travel & fun

As one of our team members said, “Mission trips are fun.”  Yes, there are investments of time, money, sleep, discomfort, etc., but they pale in comparison to what others are living with and to the joy we receive.  More pictures here, for viewing or download. 
Mission trips are about sharing the truth and love of Christ, but they are also [...]

Kenya – prayer quilts

This post is dedicated to those who made all the prayer quilts we gave out in Kenya, either to those who we built homes for or others we connected with during the trip.
Click here for a post about this group’s article in the Houston Chronicle.

Kenya – safari

We wrap up the trip with a couple days on safari in the Masai Mara.  This is the same area you’ll often see on the Discovery Channel.  Getting right out in the middle of God’s creation is always awe-inspiring. More pictures here (for viewing or downloads).

The Nutcracker Ballet (the “t” is silent)

This is my annual Nutcracker post, which is one of those family pieces that not everyone will care about.  You’ve been warned. 
Here’s a copy of the poster.  That’s my youngest in the picture with her costume from last year.

The girls are heavily into Nutcracker rehearsals.   I love Nutcracker weekend, which is December 7-9 this year.  The [...]

Same-sex unions

Some random thoughts on same-sex unions . . .
Basics
The definition of marriage has always been a union of one man and one woman, so “traditional marriage” is a redundancy and “same sex marriage” is an oxymoron. But current events have forced the added words.
Claiming that marriage can be for two men or two women isn’t a little different [...]

Reverse culture shock

When you prepare for mission trips you plan for the culture shock of your destination.  But what I have found is that there is a major culture shock on the return home, even after only two weeks.
No cultures are perfect, so this isn’t an ode to the mythical “noble pagans.”  But Kenya is a more modest [...]

Church business cards

I encourage people to make business cards with their church information and include their Sunday School class and anything else they consider relevant (email address, home page, etc.). 
I have found these to be very useful when inviting people to church.  There are also helpful when you have visitors at church and you want to invite [...]