Christians Crawling Out of Their Comfort Zones: 2005

Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Christmas Presents in the Snow

Christmas Presents in the Snow
copyright 2005 by Cindy Appel

There was something I could do as a big sister to protect my younger sibling from pain.

In the dim autumn light, I took my six year old brother by the shoulders and lead him away from the snow drifts in the front yard. These snow drifts contained the charred remains of our Christmas presents which Mom had bought early this year and hid in the attic over the garage where the fire began.

The firemen had thrown the secreted gifts out into the yard the night before as they chopped holes in the roof to get at the fire. The fire had started with a stray spark from the water heater and spread upward into a crowded crawl space overhead.

I felt a sickening knot in my stomach as I spied the half-melted Barbie Country Camper I had begged my parents for sticking half way out of the pristine snow. I sighed. No Santa Claus this year, I reckoned.

But there was to be a Santa Claus that year. God watched over my family and showed us his love through the helping hands of friends and neighbors. As an eight year old I didn't understand the magic of rental insurance, but, after a few rough weeks spent in motel rooms, we were able to rent another home and replace some of the things we had lost. The insurance even paid to have all our smoky clothes dry cleaned.

I remembered how hard we laughed when we discovered out starched underwear! Mom was no June Cleaver, but she never did anything quite that crazy with our laundry. We couldn’t stop giggling. It was a relief to be able to laugh about the silliness of starched underwear after the horror of being awakened in the middle of the night and unceremoniously rushed out the door clad only in pajamas, running barefoot in the falling snow, a pure, white snow that would baptize the smoldering remains of our roof by next morning.

Since that time, fire and Christmas have become forever linked in my mind. One type of fire I observe at Christmas is the fire which blazed from afar in the Star of Bethlehem, a heavenly fire flooding the night sky with its light and warmth, hovering over the manger where baby Jesus lay. Another fire of sorts is the fact that Jesus’ birth into the realm of men is a perfect example of God's love, a love that "only takes a spark to get a fire going" in our hearts according to the words of a popular Christian folk song.

Sometimes during the Christmas season when all seems cold and lost like it did to me on that snowy November morning after our house caught fire, I remind myself that God's fire burns within the hearts of all who love Him and follow his Word. "Is not my word like fire?" declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 23: 29a, NIV) Whether it’s cold outside--or inside--we need to wrap ourselves in the warmth of His Spirit each and every day.

I try to do this through prayer and Bible study, but in the hectic holiday season I realize how much better it is if I make myself slow down and gather with fellow Christians to loudly proclaim to the world, "God’s fire burns within our hearts! Jesus is born! Jesus is Lord!"

As a Christian I know I need to focus less on buying presents that can easily be lost in a house fire. Instead, I need to focus my energies on sharing gifts of the Spirit such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5: 22-23, NIV).

These gifts were given to us by our loving Father long ago on a similar wintry night in a stable in Bethlehem. And the best thing is knowing how these “Spirit gifts” warm a heart all year round.

With God’s eternal fire burning in my heart, remembering something as sad as Christmas presents in the snow will never again take away my joy. God’s fire burns within me--Jesus is Lord!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NOW AVAILABLE!
http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/best-xmas-gift.htm

THE BEST CHRISTMAS GIFT
by
Cindy Appel
A Wings of Faith Children's Book
Guardian Angel Publishing
Illustrations by Kevin Scott Collier
ISBN: 1-933090-19-7

In a day and age of generic "Happy Holidays", young Jake learns the real meaning of "Merry Christmas.". This picture book makes an excellent present for that special child/grandchild in your life.

To order, click on the link below:

http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/best-xmas-gift.htm
An excerpt from THE BEST CHRISTMAS GIFT:

“What is it, Jake?
Haven't you had fun today”
“I don't know, Grandma.” Jake sighed.
“What’s Christmas about anyway?”

“I mean, everywhere people are getting ready for the season,
but why do they do it? What's the big reason?
The shopping and bustling and rushing and noise
can't be over one silly old man who brings children toys.”

Merry Christmas!!

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

Thanksgiving All Year 'Round

The more I think about it the more I wonder… Why do Americans only celebrate one day of “thanksgiving” per year?

Are we not “thankful” the other 364 days of the year?

Do we not have more than one day’s worth of “thanks” to give the Creator for the blessings He’s bestowed upon us?

Are we in it only for the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie and cranberries?

Are we in it only for the four day long weekend and all the great football games on TV?

Is it because we lack manners that we don’t give thanks to our Maker more often?

Or is it (and I suspect this is the root cause)we EXPECT to be blessed materially, financially, physically, mentally, academically, spiritually, etc., because we DESERVE it by virtue of being Americans living in the twenty-first century?

I hate to break the news to you, but NO ONE deserves to be blessed because of where or when they were born.

The Pilgrims had it rough. More than half of them died during the first winter after they landed on these shores. If anyone “deserved” a break from a life of grueling hardship and sudden death, I’d say it was these poor souls.

But they didn’t expect a break. They didn’t expect to be blessed because of who they were and where they were. But, in the end, they were blessed. They survived.

And they gave thanks to God for being able to draw breath for another day and for the help their Native American friends gave them in teaching them how to fish and plant corn.

Looking back at that moment in time, shouldn’t we feel a bit ashamed of ourselves for crowding shopping malls to buy things we don’t necessarily need after a day of stuffing our stomachs with an overabundance of food our waistlines don’t necessarily want?

Here’s a radical idea: Let’s replace our current “Turkey Day” with a national day of prayer and fasting. Most of us could go without food for twenty-four hours and suffer few ill effects. In fact, our physicians and fitness trainers may just love us all the more for it.

Instead of watching football or hitting the early Christmas sales at the mall, perhaps we could all spend some time with our family and friends… sharing with each of them how thankful we are for them being in our lives. (Including the non-communicative teens. We can express our thanks that at least we see them on occasion, even though they rarely confide in us anymore.)

If you get the chance to help out at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen this holiday season, consider yourself lucky. Consider yourself blessed. You are learning a valuable lesson firsthand—what it’s like for the vast majority of the world who experiences an empty stomach more often than not.

Let those images of hungry folk stay with you for a while. They will remind you to give thanks year ‘round because you have a home and a turkey of your own.

Thursday, September 29, 2005

A KNOCK AT THE DOOR

Let's face it: Halloween is dying a slow and agonizing death in the Bible Belt. Trick-or-treating is fast becoming a lost art.

We're being surrounded by "Harvest Festivals" and "Costume Parades" without one mention of the All Hallowed Eve whatsoever. All the fun has been sucked dry from the holiday--completely unaided by vampires. Halloween has become a symbol of evil and darkness and crime. (Thanks a lot "Hell Week" participants.)

I say it's time to "take back the night". It's time to give trick-or-treating a good name again. It's time to celebrate what is good about October 31.

And what is that? Why the costumes and goodies of course! What better way to stretch a young imagination than by transforming a child into a make-believe creature of some sort? What better way to reinforce how visiting your neighbors can be a good thing than by freely giving out candy one night a year?

Maybe that's not quite what I meant--but I hope you can see there is some good to be had by knocking on doors on Halloween. On one particular All Hallowed Eve--the night before All Saints' Day in 1517--a man named Martin Luther, dressed in a monk's robe, knocked on one particularly large door at the Cathedral of Wittenberg.

Luther wasn't exactly begging for candy. He was asking for the church fathers to clean up their act and stop bilking the poor, illiterate populace of what little money they possessed by selling indulgences touted as "tickets to heaven". He wanted to tell others of the tremendous joy he felt when he read how God's love was freely given to all who believed in His Son as stated by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:8-9:

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. . .(NIV)

The "works righteousness" concept disseminated by the Roman Catholic church at that time was invalidated simply by studying Scripture Luther discovered. His "trick" was to nail a long list of grievances (95 of them to be exact) for discussion on the church door the night before one of the most attended services of the year.

His defiant act started the Protestant Reformation whose repercussions can be felt to this very day. And all because he wasn't afraid to get dressed up and knock on a door.

So, let's stop being "Halloweenies." Why should we be afraid of October 31? Christ has effectively silenced our accuser, the devil.

Let's embrace the significance of the holiday by celebrating the fact that the "old ghosts" of "working your way into heaven" were driven away starting on that very night. Driven away by one strong knock on a door.

(Click here for helpful links for hurricane relief.)

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

Wednesday, August 31, 2005

How You Can Help Victims of Hurricane Katrina

TO HELP HURRICANE KATRINA VICTIMS

Support the American Red Cross just by searching the web...

You already use a web search engine, so why not switch to one that shares half of the profits with the American Red Cross? Now you can search the web while making a difference in your community. Allgive.com makes it simple and easy for you to search the web, save your favorite links, and comparison shop online.

For more information, please visit http://www.allgive.com

For information on how you can help out charitable and volunteer organizations assisting in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina go to:

http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=18473

You can also send your monetary donations to:
American Red Cross
National Disaster Relief Fund
P.O. Box 37243
Washington, D.C. 20013

When mailing a check, please indicate your designation on the check's memo line. (National Disaster Relief Fund)

Other web sites where you can find out how you can assist those who are hurting:

American Red Cross
www.redcross.org

Mercy Corps
www.mercycorps.org

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) - Hurricane Response
www.fema.gov

Charity Navigator
www.charitynavigator.org

Habitat For Humanity International www.habitat.org

The Humane Society of the US: www.hsus.org

For those in Australia who wish to donate to the Red Cross:
https://www.redcross.org.au/Donations/onlineDonations.asp

The Salvation Army has a ham radio network set up to search for information on those who are missing. It's called SATERN, and their addy is www.satern.org
They have a form to fill out right on the main page with as much info as you have, and you e-mail it to them. Hopefully, they will be able to find information for you.

To donate online to the Salvation Army:
https://secure.salvationarmy.org/donations.nsf/donate?openform&projectid=USN-hurricane05

To donate by phone, call 1-800-SAL-ARMY.

To donate by mail, send checks, earmarked 'Hurricane Katrina Disaster Relief,' to PO BOX 4857 JACKSON, MS 39296-4857.

Visit your local Wal-Mart or Sam's Club to donate to The Salvation Army's Hurricane Katrina relief effort.

God’s blessings to all our friends affected by this terrible storm. Stay safe. :)

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

It’s Not Always Easy to “Love Thy Neighbor”

It’s really sad to witness something “un-neighborly” happening close to home. Actually, it’s happening within a few miles of my house.

“Stop the Sunset Hills Land Grab” and “We're Ready to Go” are two neighborhood groups at odds with each other. What are they fighting about? They’re fighting over the right to sell their homes to a land developer who wants to build a shopping mall.

What’s so bad about yet another shopping mall? Well, nothing really except for the fact that an older, established shopping mall already exists within a few miles of the proposed new shopping mall the developer wants to build on the land currently occupied by an older neighborhood of moderately priced homes. This new shopping mall would cater to very upscale clients according to the developer. It would generate tax revenue for the city of Sunset Hills.

Sounds good, right?

It would be but for the fact that the Sunset Hills city council signed a deal with the land developer giving them tax incentives where they do not have to pay taxes for a set period of time in order to entice them to build in their city.

Uh-oh.

And if this new shopping mall is built so close to the older shopping mall, it will essentially put many of its stores out of business and cause area residents to lose their jobs.

Double uh-oh.

So many people in Sunset Hills aren’t happy about this situation. They want their voices to be heard. They want to vote on the issue of whether or not to allow a shopping mall to be built that won’t pay taxes into their city for many years. They don’t like the idea that the city will use its power of “eminent domain” to clear out the remaining residents.

Not nice at all.

Worse yet, the Sunset Hills city council pushed the land deal through without bringing it to a vote of the citizenry. In turn, those citizens who felt their voices were not being heard became angry. They brought about a lawsuit in county court to force the city to put the whole shopping mall/land acquisition deal question before the voters. The lawsuit is delaying anything from being built at the shopping mall site.

Even more un-neighborly-ness!

What’s even sadder is that many of the residents of the neighborhood that would be completely razed want to move. They want to take their money from the land developer and run… Some want to retire to places far away or simply move to another house.

These families have every right to sell their houses. But some of their neighbors do not want to leave their homes. They’ve lived in the quiet little neighborhood for a very long time. Over the years, the city of Sunset Hills has boomed and grown all around them. If these people are forced to move from their houses, they know will not find another house in Sunset Hills they can afford. They simply aren’t building homes in the Sunset Hills area these days for less than $500,000.

In a sense, the city council by threatening eminent domain proceedings has told these residents that they rather have an upscale shopping center that brings in rich consumers to their city than allow modest income, hard-working families to continue living in their modest, ranch houses in an established neighborhood.

How fair is that?

And it gets worse… The land developer at the last moment says his lender has backed out of the deal, and he doesn’t have the money to start purchasing the houses and clearing the land for the new shopping mall. He asked the city of Sunset Hills for an advance on the tax incentive money. The city gave it to him. Then the developer tells those who want to sell their houses that he can’t buy them at the price he quoted them earlier before since he doesn’t have a lender lined up.

Of course, these people have already made plans to purchase other homes and move out. Their moving plans depend on the money they were promised by the land developer, and they don’t want to take less. They’re not happy at all. They blame their neighbors (who haven’t sold their homes yet to the land developer) for their financial woes.

When Jesus told us to “Love your neighbor as yourself” he meant we are to treat each other in a kind and considerate manner—the way we would wish to be treated.

Has anyone in the Sunset Hills Shopping Mall fiasco acted neighborly? From the news reports filled with irate voices of the upset homeowners and the ringing “no comments” of the city officials, it doesn’t appear so.

What can be done about it? A guarantee that all parties involved will be able to speak on the issue without being forced into a corner by either the city government or the land developer would go a long way to ease tensions.

But, even then, only prayer and forgiveness will truly heal the wounds these neighbors have inflicted upon each other.

"Love thy neighbor," Jesus said. What would Jesus do if he found himself in this situation?

Monday, July 18, 2005

The Passion of the Christ vs. Jesus Christ Superstar: Retelling the Story—Then and Now

The best thing about having lived so long is that you experience a lot of things that you later get the chance to compare to one another.

My husband and I attended a fabulous production of Jesus Christ Superstar last night at the Muny (http://www.muny.com), the country’s largest and oldest outdoor musical theatre according to their advertisements. Even with 11,000 seats it was a sold-out performance night after night. And from the looks of the crowd, even though it is a thirty-five year old “rock opera” from a bygone era, Superstar still appeals to a lot of people from all walks of life.

I find this heartening, as recent years have seen many attacks on theatrical presentations that were “Christian” in nature. Take for instance the recent film, The Passion of the Christ. Mel Gibson’s cinematic masterpiece of the last twelve hours of Christ’s life before his crucifixion brought out a maelstrom of naysayers and cries of “Bigotry! Anti-Semitism!” before it hit the movie theatres.

But the storylines of both Passion and Superstar are similar—they both follow Jesus’ actions from the time he enters Jerusalem up to and including his crucifixion. They both show how the chief priests conspired to trump up charges against Jesus in order to force the hand of the Roman governor Pontius Pilate into condemning him to death on the cross.

Searching my memories, I don’t recall any hullabaloo about anti-Semitism in the storyline of Superstar when it first hit the stage and screen. But I do recall my mother (and others) saying that it wasn’t proper to sing about Jesus using electric guitars and other modern musical instruments. (I smile when I think back on these statements, since we attend a contemporary service on Sundays that utilizes just these sort of “non-religious” instruments.)

But has thirty-five years really made a difference in the Passion Week story of Christ? Or is it those who harbor anti-Christian beliefs have come up with a new way to thwart the public’s interest in learning about the Gospel by using the “politically correct” tactics of claiming prejudice and race hatred?

I do wonder sometimes why these same “PC” folks haven’t gone all out and attempted to censor the New Testament, since it is the source material for both Passion and Superstar—and numerous other films, plays, musicals, books and articles. Maybe we won’t have long to wait… It could be what’s next on their agenda.

One thing you can’t miss about Superstar is that in spite of its great musical score, catchy lyrics and strong roles for talented singer-actors, it doesn’t have a “happy ending” like most musicals. It simply ends with Christ hanging on the cross. Could it be that creators Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice left off the Resurrection scene with an ulterior motive in mind? Did they mean to leave the “ultimate ending” of Jesus’ story up to the individual audience member to decide for him or herself? I’m not sure.

Mel Gibson at least was persuaded to make a brief mention of the stone rolling away from the tomb on that first Easter morning in his film. I feel that it really helps to complete Passion by not ending on such a down note like Superstar does. Gibson’s retelling hints that there is more to the Gospels than just Christ’s crucifixion and death—there is also resurrection, rebirth and forgiveness of sin for all who believe.

I guess when it comes down to it, no matter how the Gospel is packaged by the mass entertainment industry Jesus’ purpose still comes through. And Christ's story of forgiveness and life eternal still mesmerizes and attracts large crowds who hunger to hear its life-giving message again and again.

Saturday, July 09, 2005

When Bad Things Happen…

Some days you wake up and know that something bad is going to happen.

Other days you wake up and are taken completely by surprised by current events.

September 11, 2001 was one of those days. This second week in July is turning out to be another one.

My oldest child is still in Europe and I hear that bombs exploded in the London Underground. Thankfully she’s not in London today, but she will be next week when she flies home. Another terrorist-styled attack on a train system similar to last year’s horrible Madrid bombings… Not a comforting thing to hear about when your baby is half a world away.

And then I switch on the Weather Channel. Here comes Hurricane Dennis! My aunt and uncle and cousins all live on the Gulf Coast. Shades of Hurricane Ivan—and others—from last year’s record hurricane season. Tarps still cover many roofs from the damage inflicted by 2004’s seemingly endless march of storms. Not good news in the least.

The question that bothers many is “Why does God let bad things happen?”

My answer? I think the question should be rephrased: “Why does God let good things happen?”

We seldom take note when good things happen—sunshine for our company picnic, a miracle recovery for a sick loved one, a flattering book review—but we sure do seem to dwell on things when they go wrong.

“Why another terrorist attack, Lord? What did we do to deserve this?”

“Why another hurricane, God? Haven’t we suffered enough?”

If God allows good things to happen to us—like sunshine, healing and good book reviews—then he must allow the opposite as well.

If God didn’t allow the natural consequences of our sins to happen, essentially we would have no free will. We’d be zombies. Mindless automatons, controlled from above, puppets on strings creatures. So unless we want God to move our finger to scratch our nose, then we have to accept the fact that we have free will, like it or not.

In a way, it’s an honor to have free will. We’re the only part of God’s creation that has it. Animals follow instinct. They can’t make choices or decide between two or more possibilities. Only human beings can do that.

And only human beings sin… And sin is what brought “bad things” into the world to begin with—death, illness, crime, murder, violent weather.

So the answer to “Why does God let bad things happen?” is a simple one. It has to be because God loves us and respects us enough to allow us to make bad decisions.

Thankfully, He also loves us enough to send us his Son, Jesus Christ, to make atonement for our sins. (John 3:16) That’s Good News we can use everyday—even when we wake up to not so nice news reports.

Thursday, June 30, 2005

Imagine that?

From MSNBC.com:

"Alternative view says homosexuals can change
The idea that homosexuality is a treatable condition is one of the most controversial fields in modern psychology."
http://g.msn.com/0MN2ET7/2

Hmm, imagine that... There are some psychologists out there who actually believe motivated gay people can be cured. This article reveals a slight bias from the reporter (particularly at the end), but it does tell you that 1973 was the year the APA unclassified homosexuality as a personality disorder, hence stopping or slowing all research in the field to help people who sought help for this disorder. Even more interesting to note, the shrink who led that change is now one of those who feel motivated gay people can be helped to live a heterosexual lifestyle through therapy.

Imagine that!

God does indeed work in mysterious ways.

Thursday, May 26, 2005

Modern Day Atheists = First Century Athenians?

Atheists gather to ‘push back’

San Francisco gathering aims to counter fundamentalism

The Associated Press
Updated: 6:04 a.m. ET May 23, 2005

SAN FRANCISCO - To the uninformed, the gathering here may have seemed like a church revival, full of zeal and fervor. But worshipping God was most decidedly not part of the agenda.

The attendees of the “All Atheists Weekend” came together to discuss what they call the rise of fundamentalism in the U.S. and the blurring of lines between church and state.

Who says you have to believe in God to be “religious”? These folks are very “religious” in their non-beliefs almost to the point that I don’t believe that they don’t believe.

It almost makes one wonder why they bother with rallies and get-togethers. I mean, if you don’t believe in God, then it’s no big deal, is it? He isn’t the “man upstairs” since there is no “upstairs” (heaven) or “down below” (hell). He’s a figment of other people’s imaginations but, of course, not yours.

Atheists should be the most sane, self-assured, peaceful people on the planet. With no one to be accountable to (there is no God, remember?) they are free to do their own thing and act without impunity. They shouldn’t worry about what others think about their lack of belief in God and they, in turn, shouldn’t even give a care about the fact that the vast majority on the planet say that they do believe in God.

In short, why should atheists gather together to push their agenda? It sounds oddly like an "organized religion" to me.

Or is it more like a classic case of insecurity? Perhaps atheists are secretly worried that there may actually be someone upstairs that they are held accountable to—and they have to prove the strength of their unbelief to the so-called Deity.

Remember, even St. Paul commended the Athenians on their religiosity when he spotted their idol dedicated to an “unknown god”. Modern day atheists, by protesting their unbelief, sound like they’ve rediscovered this idol for themselves.

Friday, May 20, 2005

The Island of Dr. Moreau Revisited or Do Mice have more Brains than Humans?

An excerpt from an article from the Associated Press
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7681252/

Mice with human brains
In January, an informal ethics committee at Stanford University endorsed a proposal to create mice with brains nearly completely made of human brain cells. Stem cell scientist Irving Weissman said his experiment could provide unparalleled insight into how the human brain develops and how degenerative brain diseases like Parkinson’s progress.

Stanford law professor Hank Greely, who chaired the ethics committee, said the board was satisfied that the size and shape of the mouse brain would prevent the human cells from creating any traits of humanity. Just in case, Greely said, the committee recommended closely monitoring the mice’s behavior and immediately killing any that display human-like behavior.

Okay... Is anyone besides me seeing a few ethical problems with giving animals "human brains"?

We give them human stem cells so we can grow a "human-like" brain in a lab animal, a mouse or a monkey, and then we study the creature to see how certain brain diseases/abnormalities work. Hopefully scientists can then come up with a cure for these brain diseases.

But if the animal starts showing any "traits of humanity" the researcher will immediately kill the animal. We can't have another H. G. Wells's The Island of Dr. Moreau on our hands, can we?

Heaven forbid we create a part-human, part-mouse type of creature! Think of how grossed out you were when you first watched the movie The Fly.We don’t want to build monstrosities, freaks of nature, do we?

But if an animal did show human-like behavior… Wouldn’t it understand that mankind is playing God with its existence?

We bring the poor hybrid thing into the world, and we reserve the right to take it out if its behavior in any way offends us or makes us uncomfortable with our choices. If this isn’t playing God, then what is?

And how many human cells are necessary to create another “human”? Fifty percent? Forty percent? Eighty percent? One percent? Who determines who is a “human being” and who isn’t? The courts?

Does any of this make you nervous? It should. Remember the Dred Scott case in the 1850’s… Mr. Scott wasn’t allowed to sue for his freedom from slavery since he was judged by a US court of law to be a piece of property and not a man. And property can be used, abused and discarded at will by the property owner.

By attempting to make human-hybrids and clones, is mankind trying to create a new form of slavery? I wonder.

Monday, May 09, 2005

Cruelty is in the Eye of the Beholder

From MSNBC: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7791888/

Brain responses differ in gay, straight men
Study: Homosexuals react to male sex hormones like women
The Associated Press
Updated: 5:19 p.m. ET May 9, 2005

WASHINGTON - The brains of homosexual men respond more like those of women when reacting to a chemical derived from the male sex hormone, new evidence of physical differences related to sexual The finding, published in Tuesday’s issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows differences in physiological reaction to sex hormones.

In the Swedish study, when sniffing a chemical from testosterone, the male hormone, portions of the brains involved in sexual activity were activated in gay men and straight women, but not in straight men, the researchers found…

I’ve been reading similar studies for years now—long before I went back to college in the mid 90’s and got my degree in psychology. The big question on my mind is, “Why isn’t some pharmaceutical company out there working on a drug or other method to ‘cure’ gay people?”

After all, if it’s a “chemical imbalance” in the brain that is causing these individuals to act out in a homosexual manner, then another chemical (or chemicals) may be able to set them “straight.”

Think about it. We give lithium to bipolar people to stabilize their moods—by stabilizing their brain chemistry.

We give Prozac to depressed people to help them equalize levels of serotonin in their brains—and we change their outlooks on life for the better.

So why hasn’t the scientific community been working on a cure to help homosexual people? Why can't we help them to stabilize their brain chemistry?

I think the answer here is obvious. Homosexual people’s behaviors or brain chemistry isn’t considered “abnormal” by the American Psychiatric Association and other medical organizations. Up until the 1960’s, the DSM listed homosexuality as a personality disorder right along side alcoholism and addiction. But then it became politically incorrect to consider people who demonstrated homosexual tendencies “ill” even if the person himself wasn’t particularly happy with his situation.

And if someone is “acting normally” and isn’t considered sick, then he or she doesn’t need any treatment, right? Their behavior is labeled as “normal” and if you as a medical professional think otherwise you are sure to be called “cruel”. Fears of retaliation and hate mail alone have shut down much research in this area I'm certain.

God made us all male and female—human, animal, fish, bird and even plant. It takes one of each sex to create another living being. This was His plan for His creation. But somehow, man has put himself in God’s place and started dictating rules that go against God’s wonderful creation. The creature brashly tells the creator where to get off. The lump of clay tells the potter it wants to remain an ugly lump rather than be transformed into a beautiful work of art.

And the saddest, sickest thing about all this is that we’ve allowed these suffering “gay” people to think all these years that they didn’t deserve to have their brain chemical imbalances corrected. They were told there was no help for them. They were stuck feeling the way they did even if they knew it went against God’s plan for them as His beloved children and it caused them much anguish.

How cruel is that?

Tuesday, April 19, 2005

The Rights of Blastocysts and the Resurrection of the Tree Frog

Watching PBS has become rather interesting in recent years… More and more I see how many of their old standbys such as the series Nova are becoming more and more propaganda outlets for the “Death-o-crats” or the Right to Die movement.

Tonight’s show (which I caught about halfway through) was a news magazine that featured different stories told by different reporters. The first segment I watched was about human stem cell cloning—and how wonderful it is.

We’re introduced to a young girl who has juvenile diabetes and must test her blood sugar levels about every two to three hours. It is hard to watch how brave this junior high girl is when it comes to poking herself in the finger and drawing blood and giving herself insulin shots. There’s no denying that it is a tough life and one fraught with many dangers, from going completely blind someday to complete kidney and heart failure. It would be nice if a cure could be found to save her—and the millions of children like her—from this horrible fate.

Enter the stem cell cloning scientist… He has all the answers. One day we will have the ability to help diabetics make insulin he declares. The answer lies in embryonic stem cells extracted from blastocysts, or that small clump of cells that forms after a human egg is fertilized (or made to think it’s been fertilized). By destroying the outer layers of the blastocyst, the stem cells can be extracted and grown in a Petri dish, encouraged to become whatever cells we want them to become.

The reporter telling the story blithely reports that the same clump of cells can also be implanted in a woman’s uterus and grow into a baby. Imagine that!

So, this is where the dividing line falls… Do you believe that blastocysts have rights? Are blastocysts “human”? Do “potential babies” have the same right as already grown human beings?

You can guess where the PBS reporter’s sympathies lie. It’s tough not to agree with her when shown pictures of sick children who need to take insulin daily or need bone marrow transfusions. Of course no photos of discarded babies were shown to give the story any balance. The only thing shown was the evil Congress and the president who voted to ban human cloning altogether.

Bad, bad Congress! Don’t you want little girls with diabetes to live healthy lives?

The next segment on the show was fascinating on its own merits, and it really struck me as odd. How was it odd? Well, it was all about a “resurrection” of sorts… It seems that the North American tree frog can literally “freeze” itself into a block of ice so it can hibernate through the winter and “resurrect” itself in the spring in time for the mating season.

What a wonderful gift these little brown amphibians display! They can stop their breathing, their heart from beating and their body from eliminating wastes for months while the world is frozen. Their bodies make some kind of sugary “anti-freeze” solution so their organs shrink and are encased in a protective coating while they freeze solid. The little things in hibernation look just like hard, brown rocks. What a miracle they are!

What do frozen frogs, which rise from the dead each spring, teach us simple human beings about the rights of blastocysts? If anything, the tree frog teaches us that we should trust God—He knows how to take care of us. He can take care of us during the “frost” of life, and He can take care of us even if we have to test our blood sugar numerous times a day.

How can we pronounce anything He has created—frogs, blastocysts, little girls—not precious and worthy of life?

How can we destroy any of them?

Tuesday, April 12, 2005

Why this blog isn’t called Onward Christian Soldiers…

I’ve been writing this blog off and on for about a half month now and no one has left a comment online—yet. It’s fairly simple: You click on the “comment” link at the end of each day’s blog and you sign in and leave your message. You need to register first with Blogger.com but it’s very easy—you just need a name and a password. That way, no one else can leave a comment and attach your name to it. You approve of what you say and when you say it.

If you want to email me a comment instead, please email me at cynthianna @ hotmail.com (without the spaces). Please type “Christians Crawling” (or something along those lines) in the subject line so I don’t accidentally delete your message. I receive tons of spam email daily, you see. I go through my email box and delete lots of messages without reading them first since I assume they’re junk mail if the person sending it or the subject line doesn’t ring a bell. It saves time.

But I’d love to hear from you. Maybe you’d like to make a “guest appearance” here some day? Run your piece by me and I’ll give it every consideration.

The reasons this blog isn’t called Onward Christian Soldiers are:

1) It’s the title of a wonderful old Christian hymn and I wouldn’t want to confuse people, and
2) It doesn’t accurately describe the way modern day Christians operate.

Christians today don’t “march” as in “Onward Christian Soldiers, marching as to war”. Christians today don’t possess that kind of zeal, that intestinal fortitude to band together to help spread the Gospel throughout the world—or even their suburban neighborhood—like their ancestors did.

Christians today try hard to be “politically correct.” They try not to “insult” people by telling them that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life and the only way to the Father. Oh, no. We can’t say that. It wouldn’t be very nice. So Christians today bow to public pressure and worry what the neighbors will think if they’re caught wearing a cross or seen outside of a church building.

In short, Christians in the 21st century act like sell-outs.

But the message of Acts 1:8 still persists: “Go tell all nations…”

So, some Christians “crawl” out of their comfortable suburban existence (their “comfort zones”) and attempt to share the Good News with others on occasion. But as soon as things get “scary” or “non-PC” they shut down and hem and haw.

“I’d love to share the Gospel with those who haven’t heard it,” they cry. “But what will people think of me? Shouldn’t we tone it down a bit? Just tell them that ‘God is love’ and welcome them to a potluck dinner?”

Sigh… I guess it’s better than nothing. Still, what would Jesus think of Christians today? Would He appreciate our cowardice? Would he believe that we truly love Him?

At least the apostle Peter had the guts to slice off a guard’s ear in Gethsemane when he thought his Lord’s life was threatened… But I suspect most Christians today can relate better to Peter when he denied Christ three times before the rooster crowed.

P.S.
Here’s a link to some Christians who aren’t afraid to crawl out of their comfort zones:

Sudan Surprise: Christians Help Persecuted Muslims
Christians are reaching out to bring help to their former persecutors.
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/CWN/040805darfur.asp

Thursday, April 07, 2005

Just a Nagging Thought…

My recent trip to an Islamic Center put a few nagging thoughts into my head. (See my blog entry for April 6.)

You know how some people are always arguing over which is the “true religion” or the supreme belief system in the world? Well, what if everybody decided to hold a contest—a peaceable contest, sort of like the Olympics—where believers of all faiths competed to show who practiced the “true religion”.

What kind of “contests” would be held? Let’s look at the Five Pillars of Islam: faith, prayer, fasting, tithing, and pilgrimage. Surely followers of the “true religion” would demonstrate these traits in abundance, wouldn’t they?

How about a contest called “Who really prays?” Monitors would stand outside of sanctuaries and other religious gathering places and count how many people show up and actually go through the motions of praying… It would be harder to get a tally of those who pray at home or in secret, but possibly a self-survey of private prayer time could be given to believers who practice this type of prayer life.

Fasting? Easy enough—let’s put all the believers of a particular religion on the scales and see which group averages out as the lightest in weight. “To fast” means not to eat, you know.

A contest idea that’s really intriguing is “Which religion is the most charitable?” We could compare donations in cash, time and abilities to help others less fortunate—particularly those outside that particular belief system. The recipients of the charity could then rate how generous, kind and non-demanding the believers are as they share of their wealth.

Most religions practice so form of “pilgrimage” or traveling to a certain destination in order to focus on things of a spiritual nature and leave worldly cares behind. The Muslim travels to Mecca, the Catholic to the see the Pope, the Protestant to a spiritual retreat in the woods, the Jew to Jerusalem, the Buddhist to meditate on a mountaintop, the Mormon to the temple in Salt Lake City, the Neo-Pagan to Stonehenge, etc. A quick headcount of which religion has the most active pilgrims would determine the “winner”.

Now faith is a tricky thing to compare and measure… If we measured faith by attendance at worship services, this would favor the major religions and those sects who make attendance mandatory. If faith is denoted by those who verbally confess their faith and help spread its message, this would penalize those religions that tend to be on the more personal, private side. Possibly a well-written survey could rank a believer’s “commitment” to his or her particular faith and give a numerical rating? Sort of an “A.C.T.” number for religious folks...

So, if the world held a contest like this tomorrow, do you honestly think Christians would “win”?

And what would be the “prize”?

Wednesday, April 06, 2005

A Visit to an Islamic Center

This past Sunday evening I had the chance to tour an Islamic Center in south city area of St. Louis.

For those who aren’t familiar with St. Louis this might sound unusual, but it isn’t. There are a lot of Bosnians here—about 40,000 have settled here since the 1990s. Many Bosnians are Muslim or at least claim to be. Like Americans, most Bosnians claim that they belong to the Roman Catholic, Serbian Orthodox or Muslim religion, but they’ve never really practiced their faith either today or during the years of Communist rule in Yugoslavia.

Once Yugoslavia disintegrated, Bosnia became the “Killing Fields” of the Balkans. Ancient ethnic rivalries heated up and exploded into what can only be termed a genocidal bloodbath. Many Bosnians were forced to flee their homes at a moment’s notice with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Many witnessed cold-blooded massacres of friends and family members simply because they were “Muslim”. Many witnessed the rape of loved ones at the hands of Serbs, who professed to be “Christian”.

Can you imagine how deeply these tragedies scarred their souls? Can you see the need for the Bosnian people to heal spiritually as well as emotionally and materially?

So, this is where Christian missions to the Bosnian community in St. Louis fit into the picture. One way to better serve this community is to understand its culture and religion, hence our visit to the Islamic Center.

Our tour guide was an Inman’s wife, a most charming lady originally from Egypt. Like any “Pastor’s wife” she showed us around the facilities, explained their customs and traditions and answered our questions. The center’s building used to be a small bank branch. They’ve done some renovations, mostly tearing out walls and installing a neat “washroom” of sorts where congregants can wash their face, hands and feet before prayer time.

Muslims are suppose to pray five times a day at specific times, but the Inman’s wife confessed that many in the Bosnian Muslim community aren’t quite that devout. They show up for services at the center or one of the bigger mosques in the area about once or twice a year. Mostly they like to come to the mosque for Ramadan, the month long holiday of fasting during the day and then feasting at night. (Sound sort of like “Christmas and Easter only” Christians, don’t they?)

Many in the Bosnian community enjoy the festivals and celebrating Muslim holidays, but they aren’t particularly concerned with more regular adherence to their faith and its “Five Pillars”: the declaration of faith, prayer, fasting, Zakah or tithing, and the Hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca. And, interestingly enough, most Muslims would say that “Allah” is the same “God” worshipped by Christians and Jews.

This is where Christians can reach out and most help the Bosnian refugees, I believe. For Allah is not a loving God as Christians with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ know Him. The Apostle John tells us “God is love”, but the same isn’t true for Allah. Allah is a bit more staid and not quite as generous a deity. While the Islamic attributes of prayer and charity are quite admirable, like most religions they are considered requirements in order to make “Brownie points” with the Big Scary Man Upstairs. In other words, if you don’t faithfully practice the Five Pillars of Islam, Allah might not give you a passing grade for this life… And, when you die, if you happen to be on Allah’s bad side, you might not be allowed into paradise or heaven.

This one fact supposedly was behind the 9/11 hijackers’ motivation for their suicide plane crashes. They were taught that they would instantly go to paradise if they rid the world of non-Muslims. So, why wouldn’t they do it? A few of the hijackers reportedly had bad addictions to pornography and other moral failings, so without making some big “Brownie points” how else would these young men have impressed Allah?

This fear of Allah—and what he can do to their eternal souls—may be holding back many Bosnians and others from healing spiritually. It’s easier on the psyche just to say, “God is Allah is God, and we’re in America now and safe, and we don’t need to attend mosque and be reminded that we aren’t perfect enough to get into paradise.” So, they simply don’t take up any spiritual philosophy. They stay rooted in ignorance and fear. They unconsciously reason that no matter what they’d do, they can never make enough “Brownie points” at this junction in the game. And without a passing grade, Allah will judge them harshly, reviving traumatic memories of their people’s recent history.

But we as Christians know that God so loved the world that He sent his only begotten Son to die for us for the remission of our sins so that we may have eternal life in Him. (John 3:16) What a relief to know that we don’t ever have to practice certain rituals five times a day in order to make “Brownie points” with the Man Upstairs! We love God because He first loved us, and He continually demonstrates His love by grace through faith.

Pray that the Holy Spirit will come upon all who are spiritually wounded by unspeakable atrocities such as the Bosnian community witnessed, giving them true, everlasting love and peace through faith in Christ our Lord.

Tuesday, April 05, 2005

John Paul and Terri Schiavo: Lessons in Life While Dying

Here's a link for a short article on Terri's legacy:

http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/CWN/040105schiavo.asp

With the passing of Pope John Paul II this past week, it seems that the forces of evil are on the ascendancy...

After all, two innocent people (at least innocent of any heinous crimes as our society would classify them) have died in the public's eye and the "deathlovers" seem pretty satisfied with the outcome.

John Paul was a vocal opponent of abortion and euthanasia. He stood tall and held his ground on these issues, even though many in America didn't like his stance. To quote some talk show guest I heard on the radio in passing this morning: "You may not have agreed with the Pope, but you respected him because you knew where he stood."

And he stood for Christ.

Terri's sad suffering and death and John Paul's gracious and gradual dying help illustrate Christ's own innocent suffering and death for the sins of the world. Possibly, these two recent events will open doors with friends and loved ones to share the Gospel?

Maybe that's why the Lord called them both home so soon?

Friday, April 01, 2005

DIAL-A-DEATH

One day in the not so far-off future…

UPBEAT FEMALE VOICE ON PHONE: Hello. You’ve reached Dial-a-Death. How can we be of assistance to you?

YOUNG ADULT MAN: Uh, yeah… I’ve called about my grandmother.

VOICE: Your grandmother? How old is she and what is her current health state?

MAN: I’m not sure how old she is. She’s pretty bad off, though. She’s got a ton of wrinkles, and she’s pretty boney in places. She doesn’t even make me my favorite cookies anymore because she claims it hurts her back to stoop over the oven to pull them out.

VOICE: I’m sorry to hear that, sir. And how do you wish to put an end to your grandmother’s existence?

MAN: What method do you think is the most effective—and least painful?

VOICE: An overdose of morphine does the trick without any of those awful twin side effects, pain and consciousness.

MAN: Okay, let’s go with that.

VOICE: All right… (Sound of scribbling on paper) Is there anything else we can help you with today, sir?

MAN: Now that you mention it, there is. It’s about my girlfriend… She’s uh, um… you know.

VOICE: Unwanted pregnancy?

MAN: Bingo! It’s like you can read my mind.

VOICE: (Laughing) You’d be surprised how many times I’ve correctly guessed what a person will say next. So… you need a simple abortion? How far along is your girlfriend’s pregnancy?

MAN: (Clears throat nervously) I hate to say this, but she’s fairly far along. I’d say six or seven months. She didn’t want to tell me until I finally noticed she was putting on some weight around the middle.

VOICE: She’ll need our late-term, partial-birth abortion procedure then. Let’s see who we have available. Hmmm…Dr. Kevorkian has an opening on Thursday. Will that do?

MAN: Great. We’ll be able to attend the concert on Saturday night with no problems, right?

VOICE: (Chuckling) No problems at all for you at least, sir! Anything else you need from Dial-a-Death this week?

MAN: Well, I do have another slight “problem”… You see, my other girlfriend already has a baby—and she says it’s mine. I don’t know… The little thing sort of looks like me, but it’s pretty much a crying blob that can’t do anything useful. I guess you can’t really help me out—or can you?

VOICE: Actually, we can, sir. We have a separate division that works out of our office in China called, “Dump-a-Child”. They specialized in getting rid of children—especially little girls. There seems to be a marked preference toward boys there. Would you like me to send you some information about their services?

MAN: Could you? Wow, you guys really are a full-service agency! I’m impressed.

VOICE: Thank you, sir. Is that all for now then?

MAN: Uh, there is one other thing… (Lowers voice) I’ve been accused of molesting a kid down the block. Can you get rid of him for me—permanently?

VOICE: Why, sir! What kind of business do you think we’re in? We can’t just go around murdering people because they’ve accused you of a crime such as molestation. Everyone has the right to his or her day in court.

MAN: But, I… I mean… I… You can off granny and babies and the like with no problems with the judges. Why not a nine-year-old snitch?

VOICE: Well, I shouldn’t be saying this, but I do know of a private individual who may be able to help you out. I’ll send you his lawyers’ contact info. He lives in California and he’s very rich. Maybe he can offer you some pointers on that topic?

MAN: Thanks! You’re a real lifesaver, you know that?

VOICE: Lifesaver? (Chuckles softly) What a wonderful way you have with words, sir. I’ll be sure to pass your comments on to our marketing department.

Wednesday, March 30, 2005

Terri’s Crime? She’s Still Breathing

I think as Americans we naturally assume that anyone who is found guilty of a crime deserves to be punished. Of course, many Christians will disagree on the amount and severity of a particular punishment for a particular individual for a particular crime. However, I think I can safely say that, on the whole, we do agree that God has set governing authorities over us in order to keep the peace and maintain order in our society. And punishing criminals is just one of the duties of a God-ordained system of government.

Sometimes the death penalty is given to individuals who commit very heinous crimes. Sometimes a suspended sentence and a small fine are given to those who commit “petty crimes”. In the eyes of the law there is a marked difference between ax-murdering your entire office staff in cold blood as opposed to going ten miles over the speed limit.

But in the eyes of God, a sin is a sin is a sin is a sin…

There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God …

So, our society says that some people must die. But who makes these life and death decisions? A jury usually makes this decision in the case of a murderer on trial. In other matters, it’s left up entirely to a judge’s discretion.

Which brings us to the sad case of Terri Schiavo… A brain-damaged woman guilty of the most heinous crime of all—she refuses to die quickly and quietly!

I mean, she’s been sentenced to a long, protracted death by starvation/dehydration. Even the Pope, when he recently fell ill, was allowed sustenance via a food tube. But somehow Terri is not.

Animal rights activists would be up in arms if a dog or cat or horse or guinea pig in a similar situation was left to starve to death. So, why isn’t there an outcry about Terri’s inhumane treatment from these groups?

Why are so many Christians silent about this “murder by degree” treatment of a defenseless woman?

Why is Terri’s life considered a “crime” because she can’t speak for herself?

In the beginning, God created life and it was good. So, why are severely disabled people not considered “good”? And why are unwanted babies aborted and thrown into dumpsters behind abortion clinics?

Why aren’t their lives considered “good”? Didn’t God create them, too?

As Christians, we have to consider this an “either/or” proposition… Either we believe all life—particularly human beings—is “good” since God created man in His own image, or we believe all life is “bad” and worthy of death whenever we feel like it.

And the people who make these decisions… are they to be considered as “gods” and all life must reflect their “good” image?

I wonder what Judge Greer in Florida would think about having some government authority force him into giving up food and water, to slowly starve him to death? Since he’s acted as Terri’s judge, jury and executioner without impunity for so long, maybe it’s time someone turned the tables on him?

There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God …

A sin is a sin is a sin is a sin…

Tuesday, March 29, 2005

Crawling Out of My Comfort Zone...

Hello out there. This is a new venture for me as a writer and as a Christian. I just felt that I needed to shout about a lot of things in the news recently... I'm not a cable news junkie (well, not really) but there are just so many things going on in the world today that Christians aren't speaking out about--both for and against.

Now, I know that's a generalization, but it's probably close to the truth. The vast majority of Christians like to stay in their "comfort zones" and prefer not to get their hands dirty talking about life and death issues, same-sex marriages, people starving and homeless in their own cities and the overall level of "acceptable violence" apparent in our Western culture.

Most Christians just want to drive to their suburban church on Sunday morning, sit in the pew for an hour or two and then drive on home and forget about all this Jesus stuff... As long as they feel their "souls" are being "fed" with "feel good" ideas, then does it really matter that children are starving on the other side of the county or world? Wouldn't Jesus have preferred to hang out at the Country Club and sip martinis and shoot a game of golf every once and a while? He certainly wouldn't want to get his hands dirty or risk derision for taking a stand on the issues, now would he?

Not!

So, I hope you see where I'm coming from. Feel free to post your views and comments, too. Maybe together we'll be able to "crawl out of our comfort zones" and share the Gospel the way Jesus intended, dirt and controversy included.