Woman Gets Married to Herself

The bride, Nadine Schweigert, walked down the isle at a chapel in Fargo, North Dakota.  She was wearing a teal blue satin dress and clutched a bouquet of white roses.  Forty of her closest friends and family watched as she made her way up to the front where she stood there all alone.  Typically, people would have been concerned by the absence of the groom, but not for this ceremony.  On this day, Nadine was getting married to herself.

Nadine had an interview with TV host Anderson Cooper about the ceremony.  Here was her explanation for her actions, “It was me standing up for myself and owning that I’m responsible for my happiness.  There would have been a time that I would have placed that on others, to change myself to make them happy, or expecting them to change to make me happy and that really wasn’t working, not at all.  I was very unhappy.  I started discovering that all the love I need, it’s in here [gesturing to her herself]. No one else can give it to me…I did this to celebrate the progress I’ve made in my life.  Six years ago I would have handled a problem by going out and drinking.  I smoked, I was 50 lbs overweight.  This is just celebrating how far I’ve come in my life.”  Sticking with this commitment, Nadine also takes herself on dates, as she explained, “to be married to myself means I have to invest in this relationship.”

To be honest, this entire situation is strange and uncomfortable.  It is completely understandable that we should learn to love and be happy with who we are.  But actually planning a formal wedding ceremony for herself and taking herself on dates just takes it to an awkward level.

Beyond this, two main problems really stood out to me with this situation.  First, this boils down to selfishness.  I understand she is celebrating how far she has come through adversity, but that is just it, it is all about her.  She is focused on herself and now married to herself.  We might even call this the ultimate form of selfishness.  Everything in her future is now about what makes her happy.  Second, she is completely reliant on herself.  There is no focus or reliance on God.  Several times Nadine talked about how she is all that she needs and no one else can make her happy.  What she is really saying is, “true happiness is only found in yourself.”  No one else, especially God, is seen in this picture.

This kind of mindset is completely opposed in Scripture (Psalm 119:36; Proverbs 18:1; Matthew 22:37-39; etc).  Philippians 2:3-4, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”

While there is nothing wrong with learning to love and be happy with ourselves, we can most definitely take that too far.  Our culture has become focused on self and situations like Nadine’s are simply products of this focus.  The more we focus on ourselves, the faster we will lose focus on God.  Let’s make sure we always focus on what is really important, God.

Tim Tebow and Peyton Manning

Denver has been through a rollercoaster of emotions that last few days, especially in the sports world.  On Monday, the Broncos signed one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, Peyton Manning.  I listened on the radio as caller after caller cheered and yelled with excitement.  But today, Tim Tebow was traded to the New York Jets.  The trade hit a couple of roadblocks and the Jets could lose the trade, but the bottom line is Tebow will no longer be a Denver Bronco.  Despite the fact that we received Hall of Fame bound, 4-Time MVP, 11-time Pro Bowler, and Super Bowl XLI Champion Peyton Manning, I found myself feeling sad, gloomy, and disappointed over the loss of Tim Tebow.  I felt more sad over the loss of Tebow than happy with the gain of Manning.  I began questioning why I was feeling this way.  Tebow hasn’t won a super bowl or been to the Pro Bowl, and he may not ever be as great of a player as Peyton Manning.  It was at this point that I realized what I am ACTUALLY a fan of.  Above all else, I am a fan of high character and morals.

Peyton Manning is not a bad guy by any means (quite the opposite actually), but in the sports world, Tebow is one-of-a-kind.  No one has ever stood out in sports as a great person and man of faith like Tebow.  Today we live in a culture and sports world that is full of selfishness, riches, immorality, and sinfulness.  Almost everywhere we look we see immoral trash and wicked people.  It has been such an amazing breath of fresh air to have a celebrity that is actually a good moral example.

I may never be a fan of the Jets or any other team Tebow may end up with, but one thing is for sure; I will never stop being a fan of people with high character and morals like Tebow.  Especially in the culture we live in today, we need people who are going to stand out from the crowd and stand up for the Lord.  No matter what you are a fan of, or where your sports loyalties lie, I hope you will join with me and be a never-ending fan of people of high character and morals (2 Peter 1:4-7).

The Blind Leading the Blind

Skiing can be challenging enough all by itself, but imagine doing it blind.  Every year blind skiers hit the slopes.  As you might envision, the only way this is possible is with a guide.  The guide will call out simple directions like, “Turn left.  Turn Right.  Slow down.  Stop.  Skier on your Right.”  Without someone guiding these blind skiers, it would be a death wish.  Thankfully, with the right guide, blind skiers are able to enjoy the slopes and have even been able to make it up to the Olympic level (i.e. Brian McKeever).

The thought of the blind leading the blind is a very unsettling one.  During Jesus time, He often called out the Pharisees and labeled them as blind guides (Matthew 15:14; 23:16, 24).  What made this so harsh and provocative was that the Pharisees were the ones who claimed to see and understand God’s law clearly!  The reality was much different.  They were guiding spiritually blind people even though they themselves were spiritually blind.

The Pharisees had great power and were highly feared and respected (John 12:42; 7:13; 9:22; 19:38).  Very few people would have thought the Pharisees were blind guides.  The problem is, similar things happen today as well.  This is why we must be all the more cautious who and what we let follow us.  There are many denominations and teachers that claim to “see clearly” and yet do not follow Scripture.  The Bible is the only God written, Divine given, inspired book (2 Timothy 3:16-17).  Every other writing and creed book is made by man’s thoughts and man’s words.  Keeping Isaiah 55:9 in mind, why would one want to follow something so imperfect and inferior to God?  God has given us everything we need for life and godliness in the Bible (2 Peter 3:9).  If someone or something else says more than Scripture, it says too much; if it says less than Scripture, it doesn’t say enough; and if it says the same thing then it is irrelevant.  Putting our hope and trust into anything else is a pointless exercise and a waist of time.

Who and what is guiding our spiritual lives?  If it is anything other than God’s Word, then it becomes another situation were the blind are leading the blind.  I hope and pray that we will all trust in God and His guidebook.  He is the only perfect guide with perfect vision.

“Conversations With God”

The above is a title of a book series that author Neale Walsch wrote.  What are these books about?  It is essentially a series of answers written from “God’s point of view.”  Or in other words, if you were to walk up to God and directly ask Him a question, here are the answers He would give you.  Walsch claims these are not just his thoughts and ideas but they came directly from God Himself.  In an interview with Larry King, Walsch said:

“It started in the darkest moment of my life, Larry, when everything was going wrong in my life. My career was reaching a dead end…So I called out in the middle of the night…I really began screaming out silently inside myself, what does it take to make life work? Somebody tell me. What are these rules?…And, Larry, I heard a voice clearly as I am hearing now, right over my right shoulder, so clearly, I turned around and thought someone had come into the room. It was 4:30 in the morning, and the voice said, Neale, do you really want answers to all of these questions or are you just venting, and I can recall my response after I got over the shock of not finding anyone there, I thought, well, I am venting, but if you’ve got answers, I’d like know what they are. And with that, I received the answers to most of the most astonishing questions and the most extraordinary answers, and as they began coming to me and literally filling my mind, I thought I’ve got to write this down…” (Larry King Live, April 7^th, 2000).

And with that Walsch began writing “Conversations With God” and giving God’s “answers” to many of life’s tough questions.  But before we look at some of “God’s answers,” let’s be reminded of a few of points about these books.  First, this series of his was on the “New York Times” best-sellers list for over 130 weeks.  Second, Oprah largely supports this book and even had Walsch on her show.  Third, his books are being sold and distributed in schools through the Scholastic Book Club and probably other means as well.  So, why is this book so terrible and sickening?  Here are some of Walsch’s questions and answers from “God.”

• A girl is wondering why she is a lesbian?  “God’s” answer is that she was “born this way” because of genetics.  Then “God” tells her to go out and celebrate her differences.
• Another girl asks, “I am living with my boyfriend.  My parents say I should marry him because I am living in sin.  Should I marry him?”  “God” answers, “Who are you sinning against?  Not Me, because you have done nothing wrong.”
• Another question is about the forgiveness of sins and how God handles this.  “God” answers this question by saying, “I do not forgive anyone because there is nothing to forgive…there is no such thing as right or wrong and that is what I have been trying to tell everyone, do not judge people.”

If you are anything like me, this is about a profane and irreverent as a person can get.  His book series is jam packed with question and answer sessions just like these.  And to make matters worse, everyone from 10-year-old kids all the way to 90-year-olds are thanking him and being influenced by his works.  To be honest, there is so much wrong with this entire book that it seems ridiculous to even give it the time of day.  The problem is, there are several honest and sincere people, including children, who are being deceived by false teachers like Neale Walsch.

Ironically, we don’t need to have a “conversation with God” to know that Neale Walsch is wrong.  Scripture, the authentic “conversation with God,” warns us about people like Walsch (Galatians 1:6-10; 1 Peter 2:1-3; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15; 2 John 7-10; etc). So, let’s boil this down; what should we do about this?  Let me concluded with 2 suggestions.  (1) Let’s spread the word about this false teacher and the trash his books are endorsing.  (2) Let’s keep watching out and guarding our children and ourselves from such repulsive teachings.

Pentagon Security Breach

I don’t think I need to tell you that this world is flawed.  When we begin looking around, we’ll notice almost everything is imperfect.  Certainly one area that is far from perfect is our government.  Not only is there plenty of internal corruption, but our government has many other weaknesses.  Yesterday, the Pentagon revealed that it suffered one of the largest cyber-attacks last March.  They aren’t sure who was responsible but they believe it was a foreign government.  This one security breach resulted in the loss of 24,000 files containing sensitive Pentagon data.  This brings about many uneasy feelings.  Not only does this make us feel unsafe, but it also brings up a lot of questions about who did the attacking and if this will result in a terrorist attack or even war in the future.

We could literally drive ourselves crazy thinking about all of these unknowns.  All of this just confirms the truth that this world and country is flawed.  This would be unbearably sad and troubling if that was all we had to hold on to in this life.  Thankfully, we know that there is a place that is nothing like this faulty world we live in.  God, who is the “government” there, is holy, blameless, and perfect in every way (1 Peter 1:16; 2 Samuel 22:31; Hebrews 6:18; etc).  Everything there is flawless and divine.  There is no death, sadness, crying, pain, night, etc (Revelation 21:4; 2:5).  Maybe best of all, there won’t be any security breaches or stolen information.  We will not have to worry about war, terrorists, or any other enemy because God has already won and will eliminate all threats (Revelation 20:7-10).  Obviously, the place I’m talking about Heaven.

As we have been saying, everything in this world is flawed, that is just the way it is.  It will be awesome to be in Heaven one day without any of the daily worries and struggles we have here.  Surely everyone would want to be a part of a perfect place like this.  We can be if we follow God’s instructions and don’t allow security breaches from sins.  Let’s just make sure we live our lives with the goal of Heaven in mind.

Most Controversial Court Cases

What is the most controversial court case ever?  Obviously this question could spark a long, drawn-out debate.  Certainly there are several cases that come to mind.  There was the O.J. Simpson trial.  Nearly everyone thought he would be found guilty of two murders, but the jury decided otherwise.  There was the trial of John Hinkley Jr.  After nearly assassinating President Ronald Reagan, the jury found Hinkley not guilty by reason of insanity.  Many people were outraged by this verdict.  Another trial was concerning the JFK assassination.  To this day no one knows for sure if Lee Harvey Oswald killed Kennedy.  Unfortunately, Jack Ruby killed Oswald before the courts could determine anything conclusive.

Maybe one other trial to mention in this discussion is the recent case of Casey Anthony.  Last week she was found not guilty for the murder of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee.  This particular case has been so controversial that Casey is planning on changing her name, wearing disguises, and living at a secret location because of all of the death threats she has received.  This entire situation is very fresh and many people strongly disagree with the verdict.

It is easy to get angry and discouraged with all of these unknowns, especially when it is about murder.  Even though most people disagree with the results, we may never know the truth about Casey Anthony, O.J. Simpson, and the JFK assassination for the rest of our lives.  While these types of situation definitely upset us, there is an upside to all of this; God will punish the wicked (Jeremiah 21:14; 2 Thessalonians 1:8; etc).  God knows the truth about Casey Anthony and the others, and we can rest assured that He will deal out punishment.  As He stated in Romans 12:19, “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,’ says the Lord.”

It is most reassuring to know that none of these controversial people are going to “get away” with anything.  God knows the truth and God will deal accordingly.  But the same is true for us.  God knows everything that we do and think.  Let’s make sure all we do is pleasing in God’s eyes.

Enjoyment Without God?

ARTICLE BY DENNY PETRILLO

“For who can eat and can have enjoyment without Him?” (Ecclesiastes 2:25).

Certainly men do eat, enjoying food in abundance.  And men today are pleasure man, enjoying the fruits of unparalleled wealth.  So what is Solomon’s point?

First, that true enjoyment of the blessings of life is not possible, in the ultimate sense, without God.  While some may feel that alcohol with a meal is “the good life” such is, in reality, shallow and empty.  Why? Because one sadly believes that his enjoyment comes purely because of his own efforts and his own abilities. Thus there is no gratitude.  It is a failure to recognize that if God didn’t send blessings to the righteous and unrighteous they wouldn’t have anything at all (cf. Matt. 5:44).

Second, recognizing the hand of God in one’s blessings heightens enjoyment, even in the simplest of blessings.  We don’t need to live in mansions to be happy, to drive a nice car of to have fancy clothes.  Paul says that “if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content” (1 Tim. 6:8).  He also said “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.”  How can one successfully do this?  The key: “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:12-13).  Solomon, who was blessed with considerable wealth, recognized that having all that one could ever want (see his list in 2:1-11) was “vanity and striving after wind.”  Why? Because true, lasting enjoyment is not found in things or worldly pleasures.

Having God in one’s life provides a “peace that surpasses understanding” (Phil. 4:6), and allows one to rejoice and appreciate all of God’s wonderful blessings.

So what is the answer to our question? Can one have enjoyment without God? No, not true enjoyment.  Only when we have God in our lives can we fully enjoy all that this life has to offer.

The Church is Like Rafting

The teens and I just got back from rafting.  Going down the river through all of the rapids and obstacles was incredibly fun.  Strangely though, rafting has a bunch of parallels to Christianity and the church.  Let’s examine several of these:

1. Everyone must put on a life vest.  No one was going rafting without one on.  In a similar way, everyone needs to put on Christ to be in the church and be saved.  No one can be a part of the church or get to heaven without putting on Christ in baptism (Acts 2:38-41, 27).

2. It’s very hard to safely maneuver the river by yourself.  The key to getting down the river was teamwork.  If we didn’t paddle together then we would just zigzag, splash water, and turn the boat sideways.  Likewise, the church must work together.  It is very difficult to battle all of the sins of this world without the help and support from the church.  We need to help each other and work together (Psalm 133; Romans 15:5-6; etc).

3. Every boat needs a rafting guide.  These are experienced experts who know how to safely navigate down the river.  The church also needs spiritual people to help guide us through this life.  Thankfully we have elders, deacons, and ministers to help us do just this.  However, it won’t do us any good if we don’t listen to their advice.

4. Follow the rules and you will be safe.  Disobeying the rules is how people come out of the boats, get hurt, or end up hurting others.  We must also follow God’s rules in the Bible.  Not only will obedience keep us in the church, but it will keep everyone safe from sin (John 14:15).

5. Watch out for obstacles.  Today we maneuvered around rocks, through bridges, around curves, and over small waterfalls.  A couple times we even had to duck and squeeze under bridges because of the high water level.  In the church, we must keep a constant eye out for obstacles and problems that will hinder the church from moving forward (Proverbs 4:11ff; James 3:2; etc).

Rafting was very enjoyable, but what made it worthwhile was that everyone followed the rules and was safe.  We need to keep in mind that God gave us the church as a support group, not as a place where we can come and nit pick everything we don’t like and express everything we disagree with (1 Corinthians 1:10).  Why would we want to throw each other out of the boat into the rapids of life (John 13:35)?  We are here to help get each other to heaven.  Let’s help each other navigate through the turbulent waters of this life.  May we always put ourselves aside for the glory of God and greater good of the church.

The Wise Man’s Eyes are in His Head

ARTICLE BY DENNY PETRILLO

This is certainly one of the interesting statements made by Solomon.  At first we might respond “of course they are in his head! Where else would they be?”  But Solomon is saying more than a given physiological fact.  Notice some significant truths.

1)    Wise men have prepared their minds so that their eyes can see.  In Proverbs wisdom is personified as a woman crying out in the streets, looking for someone to listen to her (1:20-33).  In Ecclesiastes Solomon said he “set {his} mind to know wisdom” (1:17). Wisdom comes from study, learning, observation and experience.  Wise men and women became wise because they used their lives to learn.  Today’s world seems to be dominated by fools.  Numbers abound of those who have not prepared their minds.  Therefore they are blind.

2)    Wise men use their eyes to prepare for coming events and problems.  Solomon notes that wisdom will not keep one from death (1:16), therefore he needs to live in such a way that recognizes this inevitable end.  Equally a wise man “knows the proper time and procedure” (8:5).  He is certainly aware of the pitfalls of not knowing the world environment around him – including the social, economic and political environment.  Wisdom today enables one to see that dishonesty and deceit will not ultimately help the deceiver.  Wisdom allows him to see that riches will not provide the happiness or peace that he needs, but will bring destruction (1 Tim. 6:7-10).

3)    Wise men use their eyes to choose the right path.  Solomon “saw that wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness” (2:13).  He notes that “the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the lives of its possessors (7:12b), and that “a wise man’s heart directs him toward the right” (10:2a).  The world must not be the standard-setter for the wise man.  He knows better than to be “conformed to the world” (Rom. 12:1, 2).  The wise see beyond the supposed “foolishness of the cross” (1 Cor. 1:18) and see in it the wisdom of God.  They also see the manifold wisdom of God in the church (Eph. 3:10).

4)    Wise men use their eyes to see that they will never know it all.  Solomon, who was blessed with divine wisdom, recognized this truth (8:16-17)  When men think they “have arrived” and no longer need God’s council, direction and wisdom, he is a fool (Jer. 10:23).  Wise men turn to God, study His word and prepare for judgment (Ecc. 12:13, 14).

Paul asked “where is the wise man?” (1 Cor. 1:20).  He could have asked “do you have eyes in your head?”  Let’s hope we do.

How to Improve Your Future

This quote got me thinking: “The consequences of today are determined by the actions of the past.  To change your future, alter your decisions today” – Anonymous.  This is one of those quotes that is simple and deep at the same time.

Throughout my life, people have talk to me about their issues.  Many times their problems are haphazard, but often they are self-inflicted.  People seem to forget that they directly influence how their lives will play out.  For example, if you smoke, your life will be shorter.  If you spend more than you make, you will go broke.  If you eat a lot of unhealthy food, you will become overweight.  Our future is determined by the actions we take today.  Therefore, if we want to have a better future, we need to make better choices today.

This same principle applies to our spiritual futures as well.  If we want to improve our spiritual future, we need to make the right spiritual decisions today.  The best decision a person can make spiritually is to follow God words in Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16-17; Matthew 6:33; Luke 9:23; Proverbs 3:5-6).  When we obey His commands, we know the result is salvation and a blissful life in heaven (1 Peter 3:21; Matthew 7:21-23).

How is your spiritual life right now?  What does your spiritual future look like?  May our goal always be similar to Psalm 119:105,  “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”  Choosing to follow God’s word will lead to a wonderful future in heaven.  Rephrasing the beginning quote, “To change your spiritual future, alter your spiritual decisions today.”  Are there changes that need to be made?

Forced to Quit the Race

Joe Rosa had already run 7 laps.  He was on his way to breaking the New Jersey state record for the 3,200-meter run.  Then, with one lap left to go, track meet officials came out and forced Joe off the track and out of the race.  With storm clouds looming overhead and lightning striking around, the officials decided to make the safe, and ultimately right, decision to end the race.  They brought the runners off the track and told the crowd to vacate the metal bleachers.  Not only was Joe on his way to breaking the record, but his twin brother was in second place as well.  As you might imagine, many were quite upset with the officials’ decision.  They didn’t understand why the officials didn’t just let one more lap go by.

Surely Joe wanted to finish this race quite badly.  After all of the practice, all the training, and all of the conditioning, this was the moment he had been striving for.  He was probably going to make state history.  But in the end, the weather and the officials got in the way of Joe finishing the race.

Whether we realize it or not, we are all in the race to get to heaven.  However, this is not a race where the first person who crosses the finish line wins.  It is a race where anyone who crosses that line wins.  But unlike Joe Rosa’s race, this is a race that cannot be stopped by threatening weather.  This isn’t even a race that can be halted by officials.  This race is one that continues until death.  The problem is, even though the race goes on, many Christians have already stopped running.  Some are even going the wrong direction.

There are many aspects of this life that try to “force us off the track” and make us quit.  Riches, immorality, lies, blaming God, and the list goes on an on (Galatians 5:7).  As we are running on the path to heaven, we will come across temptations.  If we give in to these temptations we get off track.  Sometimes these temptations even lead people to quit.  Despite all of these temptations, there is not a single aspect on this earth that can “force” you to quit the race to heaven.  Quitting the race to heaven is always a choice.  Joe probably would have done anything to cross that finish line.  Surely he would have braved the weather and the surrounding danger.  He wanted the prize.

What are we willing to do to achieve that prize in heaven?  When it comes to finishing the race or quitting, selfishness is our biggest obstacle.  We have to get out of our own way.  Are we willing to put ourselves aside and obey God (Luke 9:23)?  As Paul said so powerfully, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8).  No matter what we deal with, let’s make sure we finish the race!

Confessing Murder 65 Years Later

On a cold rainy night on March 1, 1946, the doorbell rang.  The wife of Felix Gulje answered the door and saw a woman standing there.  The woman claimed that she had a letter to give to Felix.  When he came to the door, he was met by a gun and shot in the chest.  He died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.  This murder remained a mystery for 65 years until just recently.  After all of this time, Atie Visser, now a 96-year-old woman, confessed to authorities that she had murdered Felix Gulje on that night.  But now that she is so old and frail, they are not going to prosecute her.

It’s troubling that it took Atie Visser 65 years to confess this murder.  You have to wonder what went through her mind over this extensive period of time.  Did she ever feel bad?  Did she regret her actions?  Did guilt ever get to her?  While such questions are nothing but speculation, we do know that her guilty conscience clearly did not play much of a role for a very long time.

Sadly, people are constantly trying to “get away” with crimes in this country.  Today we even have TV shows like “CSI” and “Law and Order” where people are trying to escape the punishment for their actions.  While it seems like there are so many unsolved mysteries out there, it is important to remember the words of Hebrews 4:13,  “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”

While Atie Visser got away with murder for 65 years, this murder mystery was never a secret from God.  Even though people try to, and sometimes do, get away with crime, they are not actually getting away with anything.  Too often Christians believe that if they can sin and not get caught that it is acceptable.  It’s not.  Maybe this is our culture rubbing off on us.  We must always remember that we are not getting away with anything (Psalm 33:13-15).  God is always watching (2 Chronicles 16:9).  Nothing is hidden from His sight (Job 34:21).  He knows what we are doing and thinking.  There will come a day when we will have to answer for our actions (Jeremiah 21:14; 32:19; Psalm 62:12; Matthew 16:27).  It took Atie Visser 65-years to confess the sins still staining her hands.  How long will it take us?

Defending An Attack!

A Nepalese soldier in the British army, Dipprasad Pun, was stationed as a sentry all by himself.  Corporal Pun noticed approximately 30 Taliban fighters closing on his position.  He told reporters later, “There wasn’t any choice but to fight.  The Taliban were all around the checkpoint.  I was alone….I had so many of them around me that I thought I was definitely going to die so I thought I’d kill as many of them as I could before they killed me.”  In this 15-minute attack Pun was surrounded and almost constantly fired on by AK47s and even rocked-propelled grenades.  He endured the 30 soldiers by firing off more than 400 rounds, launching 17 grenades, detonated a mine, and even using his machine gun tripod to hit a Taliban soldier when he had run out of ammunition.  Despite this vicious assault, Pun emerged unscathed.  He was recently honored with the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross (CGC).  The CGC is Brittan’s highest honor for bravery and second only to the Victoria Cross.

While we are not enduring AK47s and rocked-propelled grenades, and hopefully never will, we are attacked in many other ways.  Sometimes these are personal attacks on our character.  Other times these are attacks about differing opinions.  But the most common attack of all is sin.  Often these attacks are vicious and hard to endure.  Sometimes we feel bombarded and overwhelmed.  Corporal Pun demonstrated unparalleled bravery.  In our battle with sin, we must bravely defend ourselves against sin and remember that we are protecting the most precious possession we have, our souls.

Let’s keep in mind the powerful and familiar words of 1 Peter 5: 8-9, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.”  Satan is a fearful enemy, but we must do what it takes to resist his attacks (Ephesians 6:10-17).  While we will not receive a prestigious metal for defending the attacks of sin, if we stay faithful to the end, we will win the most highly esteemed reward of all, the crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:7-8).

“The Hangover Part II”

I couldn’t help but be shocked and disgusted at the same time when I read an article about a recently released movie, The Hangover Part II.  This weekend it set all sorts of records.  Including “the biggest midnight opening for an R-rated film” and two records for the money grossed on opening day for its genre.  All in all, this movie has broken at least 7 different records over the last several days.

So, why am I so disgusted?  Because of the wicked content of this movie.  Thanks to websites like Kids-in-Mind.com and CommonSenseMedia.com, we are able to know what was in this movie.  The movie has over 150 curse words, very graphic sexual content (including transvestites), drug use, alcohol and drunkenness, partying, etc.  With such a nasty list of “credentials,” it makes it all the more sad that this movie is setting all sorts of records.  Common Sense Media conducted a poll question asking, “Will you see The Hangover Part II?”  73% chose the answer “won’t miss it” (Click Here).

If I were feeling optimistic today, then I would believe that everyone who has seen this movie is a non-Christian.  I would believe that every cent this movie has grossed has come from the wallets, purses, and pockets of non-believing people.  But I know better than that.  Surely there were masses of Christian teens and adults who paid for the outrageous movie tickets, bought the overpriced concessions, and sat to watch this sinful movie over the weekend.  And worst of all, many probably enjoyed it.

We all know what the Scriptures teach about content like this (2 Thessalonians 5:21-22; Matthew 12:35-46; Colossians 3:8; Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:18; 1 Corinthians 15:33; etc).  Yet Christians seem to be compromising their morals, and ultimately their salvation, to be “entertained” by unrighteousness.

Were you planning on seeing this movie?  I certainly hope you will change your mind.  Do you know someone who was planning on seeing this movie?  Tell them about the immoral content and sinfulness of this film.

Paul stated in Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”  Certainly none of these qualities can be applied to The Hangover Part II or other movies like it.  This movie has already grossed over 135 million dollars.  Let’s get the word out about this movie and try to halt the millions of dollars of damage it is doing to peoples’ spiritual lives.