A Joke

We all need some mirth every now and then, so without further ado:

Q...........What's the difference between men and women?

A...........Women think farts came after the Fall.

Another "Christmas" Movie... You Must See

In addition to the aforesaid Christmas with a Capital C (see post dated 11-30-10), there is another movie also meriting the gaze of your pupils. A movie that strikes at the chord of moral uplift by inciting our imaginations to truth and what really matters. Like all C.S. Lewis masterpieces, it uses great fantasy to speak to deep reality. The movie is, of course, the much-hyped Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

The Voyage has received good press -- so far it has a 63% on Rotten Tomatoes -- and appears poised to reinvigorate the series with a portrayal consistent to Lewis and Biblical theology. Check out a good review from World magazine.



If you really want to see a film of the next book, The Silver Chair, you must support this movie.

Christmas Movie Time

Ah, what wonder and magic the Christmas season calls forth. And with aforesaid magic comes the delight of Christmas movies. This upcoming season brings one to the fore that I think is especially worth the price of admission (or DVD purchase).

The film is Christmas with a Capital C. It has some big names, a beautiful setting, and an uncommon plot. It truly needs our support if its relevant message is to be heard. Unfortunately, I don't believe it's coming out in theaters except selectively. But it will be available on DVD. Your church can organize a cinematic viewing, though, by contacting its distributor, Pure Flix Entertainment. Here is a sneak-peek to whet the appetite for good ole Christmas fun. And to bring us back to the reason and source for all that fun.

Essential Reads vol. 2

It's been a little more than a year since my inaugural Essential Reads post. Since that time I have run across more books to put into my repertoire of reads essential. Without further ado, the second volume of Essential Reads.

• When struggling with doubt -- Reaching for the Invisible God by Philip Yancey
• When struggling with severe doubt -- Open My Eyes, Lord by Gary Oates
• Before helping the poor -- When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett & Brian Fikkert
• When learning to pray -- any George Müller biography
• Before complaining -- Safely Home by Randy Alcorn
• Before doing anything else -- Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand
• Before going to Hell -- 23 Minutes in Hell by Bill Wiese

These are all powerful books. Be sure to read them before it's too late.

Afghanistan Christian: Sayed Mossa

Yesterday was the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. In light of that, I want to shed what little light this blog can shed on one such man "of whom the world [is] not worthy" (Hebrews 11).

The man's name is Sayed Mossa, and he has a wife and six kids. Read more of his story from the article by World magazine writer Mindy Belz. Mossa is 45 and his oldest child is just 8. One of his children is disabled and Mossa himself is an amputee with a prosthetic limb.

He has been able to sneak out a letter via someone who visited him. In the letter he appeals to his Christian family around the world and President Barack Obama for assistance. In his own words he has been imprisoned "due to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, saviour of the world." He also describes being sexually assaulted and physically abused.

Presumably, being a Christian in Afghanistan, especially one as bold as this, putting his name out there, is no small, trivial thing. With Afghanistan being at the center of a great deal of media and political attention, his case could be a sparkplug for big change and his own cries for help could very well be heeded.

If you feel so moved, apprise your Congressmen, the President, the State Department, and/or the Red Cross -- whom Mr. Mossa used to work for -- of this bold man's plight. Pray for him. He is doing a great thing. Thanks be to God.

Disgusting

There was news today about a woman who has left her McDonald's hamburger and fries out in the open for six months. Six months! And behold, there is not one indication of mold or decay. Absolutely petrifying if you ask me -- figuratively and literally, as the burger and fries have quite literally petrified it seems.

As the article from Yahoo! goes on to say, McDonald's vehemently denies the claim that there is funny business in their food. They say that their hamburger patty is "100% USDA-inspected ground beef" and that their buns are made with "common government-approved ingredients designed to assure food quality and safety."

Phew! Well, that's good. Now I know what to do next time I cook too many burgers tailgating at the season opener. I'll just save 'em for the playoffs!

Or maybe in trying to cover their bases, McDonald's has inadvertently revealed the true culprit. What exactly does the USDA approve? And what are the "government-approved ingredients"? And why do they use the word "designed" in regard to those ingredients?

Hmmm.

America: A Christian Nation? Part III

Happy Constitution Day! Today is the 223rd anniversary of the miraculous day when our nation's most sacred document and final authority was completed.

George Washington, who presided over the Constitutional Convention, declared that its completion was "little short of a miracle." It is the very foundation of the greatest country the world has ever known. Its import cannot be understated.

In light of the absolute magnificence of the United States Constitution, it would be fitting to remember the man nicknamed "The Father of the U.S. Constitution." It should also be added that this same man introduced the first 10 amendments to it, now known as the Bill of Rights. It could be argued that this man, perhaps more than any other, is responsible for the greatness of this country. Would it not stand to reason that this man's beliefs influenced his impact on our country?

I have sometimes thought there could be no stronger testimony in favor of Religion or against temporal Enjoyments even the most rational and manly than for men who occupy the most honorable and gainful departments and are rising in reputation and wealth, publicly to declare their unsatisfactoriness by becoming fervent Advocates in the cause of Christ, & I wish you may give in your Evidence in this way. Such instances have seldom occurred, therefore they would be more striking and would be instead of a "Cloud of Witnesses." -- James Madison

-- Letter to William Bradford (September 1773), quoted in The Lustre of Our Country : The American Experience of Religious Freedom (2000) by John Thomas Noonan, p. 66