Accountability

Not something we always like to talk about, accountability is a must in a Christian's life. We don't like to lay bare our souls and secret sins to anyone. The fact is though, we need a close friend or family member who we can just talk to about our struggles.

In James it says we are to confess our sins to one another(James 5:16). This is not for your humiliation but rather your healing.. Your Christian brother or sister can help you bear your burden. They can support you with prayer and correction. They comfort you when you fall and help you dust yourself off.

I'm not saying this is comfortable. There will be times when you will truly smart under the correction. But if it is done gently and in love, it can have an encouraging effect.

Choose your accountability partner(s) wisely then heed their words. This will help you in your walk and make the devil grind his teeth.

Remember as iron sharpens iron so one man sharpens another(Proverbs 27:17).

GOD's peace be with you all.

Fox steps up

I was flabbergasted to hear that FOX allowed the John 3:16 ad to run after all. I am indeed quite impressed and thankful. So a special shoutout to the leadership at FOX. You were a blessing unlooked for, the very best kind.

Friendship

So, I'm back. We were blessed with visitors from the snowy Northern regions on Saturday, hence the lack of entry. It was wonderful to reconnect and fellowship with good friends.

A true friend is a treasure. They lift you up when you are down, correct you when needed, forgive your foibles, and rejoice with you on the hilltops. They love you at your best and your worst. If you have such friends count yourself blessed indeed for they are gifts from GOD.

So every once in a while let them know they are appreciated. Friendship, like all other worthwhile relationships, involves sacrifice. Your friend has had to deal with you when you haven't had your coffee, just got chewed out by your boss, or lost a family member. They spend time with you when you are sick. They love you even when you take the last chocolate chip cookie. So give them a hug and say thanks for being there.

It wouldn't hurt to say thanks to GOD too. HE's the best friend you will ever have and HE loved you even before you were born. We often don't take enough time to say a simple thanks. We'll remember to ask for things, sure. But GOD like ourselves loves to be appreciated.

Forgiveness

Sometimes I get irritated that people don't realize that forgiveness is a process not a snap decision. Yes, you decide to forgive because you are commanded to. Yes, you should do this as soon as possible. But depending upon the harm done, you may have to do so more than once. This happens because the wound may not have fully healed yet or something triggers the memory of the betrayal. You relive the moment. Thus the hurt becomes fresh again. Thus you must choose to forgive once more.

For victims of abuse this is especially common. That betrayal, is a tremendous shock to the psyche. The repercussions can reverberate years into the future. A smell, a raised voice, a harsh look, any of these can take a person back.

Forgiveness like the healing it brings is a journey. Don't beat yourself up if you have to re-forgive someone. Asking the help of the Holy Spirit, do so and move on.

Technology and the Law

My mother told me about the latest trend in identity theft tonight. No longer do thieves have to steal your mail, wallet or purse. They need only pass by you with a certain gadget and they can scan your credit card. Add this to the perverts with their phone cameras in bathrooms and one could get downright hostile.

The sad fact though is the legal system has failed to keep up with the tech savvy criminal. Often penalties seem trite given the damage done to the victim. Identity theft is a good example. The penalties are often a few years versus a lifetime of struggling with the victim's bad credit and other matters. Worse yet foreign crime syndicates have gotten quite good at infiltrating and violating the credit card system.

I don't mean to scaremonger. But I do say this. Don't expect justice to catch up with many of these scofflaws on this side of the Veil.

Some simple things you can do. Try to limit the amount of cards you carry. If you don't plan on going to Nordstrom's, you probably could lock up that Nordy's card. Check your credit annually at least. The bureaus are required to give you a free report annually. Take them up on it. If something is hinky, contact your card company immediately then notify the bureaus(Experian, Transunion, Equifax). There is also a government website that you could check.(http://www.usa.gov/ is the web portal)

I do want people to remember that we are called not to worry. You can't live in fear everyday that some criminal is going to violate your rights. You certainly should not get bitter about the way things are going. What you should do is pray. Pray for changed hearts and minds. Pray that the Holy Spirit moves mightily in Washington D. C. for reform in the legal code. Pray for police at every level as their jobs are often thankless and dangerous. We are directed to pray for authorities over us that we may live in peace.

V

I don't know how many of you watch the series "V" on ABC. To say that it has departed from the original is to put it mildly. The writers have attuned it more to our terror aware society. But also they have taken a weird twist with Anna's(the alien queen) obsession with the human soul.

I was a bit disturbed with this last episode. It has Anna confronting the Catholic leadership and them backing down. She does this by claiming she can steal away the Catholic faithful by the use of her advanced science. She alludes to Clarke's Third Law. For the uninitiated, Clarke's Third Law states that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.(from Wikipedia) Thus she was in effect saying she can counterfeit miracles and steal the faith of believers.

Now to my point. We have been warned that indeed there are such things as counterfeit miracles. The precautions we can take, you ask? Be in the Word. I can not stress this enough. GOD gave us HIS Word for comfort, edification, encouragement, redemption, and protection. We are told to test the spirits. We do this by syncing what something or someone says with the written testimony of GOD. If it does not fit with Scripture then stay away even if there is a pretty light show.

I must say that I am disappointed that the writers chose to take the path they did. Personally I would have loved for the cardinals to rebuke Anna as the little antichrist she was and boot her out of the Vatican. But in these times the secular media will never take that route.

So let me stress again once more be in the Word. It is a part of that spiritual armor that you may have heard about. (If you haven't, read Ephesians) "The Sword of the Spirit that is GOD's Word" is our one weapon in the equipment. If you don't know your Bible, you're going through life unarmed and blind.

FOX shoots itself in the foot

Well, yet another media venue has acted without thinking. An ad meant for the Super Bowl has been pulled. Its crime? A bible reference with a link to check it out. Oh, no, the viewer might have to see a verse reference. Not even the verse itself. The verse in question is John 3:16.

I could rant about how sex and inappropriate behavior is so prevalent in their ads. I could comment about the fact that the Christian advertisement was quite subtle and well done. In the end I'll just say I'm disgusted with FOX and leave it at that.

My hat is off to the designer of the ad and the creators of the website. An excellent way to get the message out while being considerate of others who might not be interested. May the LORD bless your next efforts.

One thing I am sure of, GOD's message of hope will win through. I just wouldn't want to be the person(s) who got in its way.