Right Wisdom

How is your weekend going? Are you spending time unwinding from the busy week you had leading others to success? I hope Saturday's blog helped give you some ideas to try. Today I am going to give you two more things you can do to help yourself relax and unwind on the weekend. This weekend we are focusing on family and staying around home. Make one of your weekend nights a movie night.       If you have kids watch a movie early that the whole family will enjoy. Depending on their ages a classic animated Disney or Pixar one is always a good choice. If you want one that isn't animated I recently saw Mr. Popper's Penguins that was a funny and entertaining movie. After the kids are in bed watch one that you like, make yourself popcorn and just lose yourself in the story. On Sunday be sure to go to church.      Hopefully you don't have a leadership role at church. Regardless of what religion you are faith is important to refreshing you...

There was a Seinfeld episode that talked about cherishing the cabin. This was George's future in-law's cabin and in Kramer fashion he accidentally burned down the cabin. There is some truth to that phrase, I sit here this weekend at my in-law's place at Grand View Lodge. I am reminded of three things that make coming here enjoyable, family, fun and food, with faith being the bond that binds it all together. I have never been part of a group that is so closely knit together as this family is. The six younger cousins are all very close and get a long so well. My son who is four absolutely adores his 12 and 14 year old male cousins and they don't mind hanging out with the little guy. Even when my two older daughters are around they are welcomed with open arms. There is rarely any incidences among the cousins. The fun extends in many areas from taking the kids swimming or to town or finding a number of other things to do depending on the season. The fun of course always...

VERSE: Matthew 26:35 Peter said to Him, "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!" And so said all the disciples. REFLECTION: How much conviction did Peter feel later on in this story? If you remember he did end up denying Jesus three times because he feared for his life. How much conviction should we feel for doing the same thing? If you have given your life to Jesus you in essence have told Him that you will not deny Him and that you will stand up for your beliefs and faith. Have you done that 100% of the time? What does it mean to stand up for your faith and not deny Jesus Christ? In the story of Peter he was around a group of people who identified him as a follower of Christ. He said he was not. At one point he even started cursing and talking badly about Jesus just so he could prove to the people that he was not a follower of Christ. For us in 2006 it really is no different and this time of year is a true test of our faith. Are y...

The following excerpt is found at this link http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/ to the Hugh Hewitt website. I suggest you read the whole story. My comments follow this excerpt. Yesterday the City of Chicago successfully pushed the German American Chamber of Commerce to drop New Line Cinema's The Nativity Story as a sponsor the traditional German Christkindlmarket. City officials said the new film --segments of which were going to play on televisions at the market-- "might offend non-Christians." Chicago, the windy city. Seems like a lot of hot air is blowing out of the mayors office in Chicago. This is ridiculous to drop a sponsor because a few people might be offended by the images of the story of Christs birth. Nobody is complaining about the offensive material we see daily on our televisions or that run in our movie theaters. Where were these people when the movie Saw III was been shown in theaters or for that matter trailers of that movie on TV. Aren't the horrific im...

It is two days before Thanksgiving and it is time to reflect on those things that we can give thanks for. Just yesterday a group of Muslims were removed from a plane in Minneapolis as it taxied and readied for takeoff. These Muslims were standing in the plane and praying, they were asked to sit down and they refused. They were then removed from the flight. Was the reason they were asked to sit down because they were Muslim or because they were in violation of safety rules on a crowded airplane? I think it was a safety issue. It is nice to know that we live in a country where we can pray. It doesn't matter whether you are Muslim, Buddhist, Christian, Jew or some other religion. You have a right to worship any god that you want to worship. The problem is there are safety issues involved when standing on a plane that is getting ready for takeoff. It is also interesting to note that if you are a Christian and you decided to pray or worship Jesus in a public setting and it was i...

VERSE: Matthew 23:27 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like the whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness." REFLECTION: Jesus was confronting the scribes and Pharisees to inform them that though they appeared righteous on the outside they were just as sinful on the inside as anyone else. I believe that Jesus confronted them for two reasons. First; He wanted everyone to know that we cannot put the holy and righteous up on a pedestal. If we do, we are bound to get hurt. Many of you may have heard or read the recent story about Ted Haggard, the former head of the National Association of Evangelicals and ex-pastor of New Life Church in Colorado. His experience demonstrates the fallibility of man and how it doesn't matter who you are, you can cave into temptation. Those who are leaders in our church are under a lot of scrutiny but that doesn'...

When Rosie O’Donnell said “radical Christianity is just as threatening as radical Islam in a country like the United States,” she generated a lot of controversy. Various segments of the population – especially those who are conservative Christians – had a strong reaction to her words. To learn how Americans react to a television personality challenging the nation’s most widespread faith, read the latest Barna Update. To get this free, brief report, click here on the link below or go to www.barna.org and click on the main story. Please read the full story of the above excerpt from the Barna Group. I would like to comment on those words spoken by Ms. O'Donnell. These words were likely spoken out of hate and based on the images that the dinosaur media projects about Evangelical Christians. Statements like these from celebrities are generally shallow and based on no foundation of truth. If Rosie O'Donnell were to really dig deep and read both the Bible and the Koran she would sh...

All of hollywood is screaming that Mel Gibson is an Anti-semite because of racial slurs he made while drunk. I do not at all condone his behavior and it is absolutely wrong for him to make such comments. But it is interesting to note that those who scream and call him names are the very ones screaming for the United States to not support Israel. Seems to me they are the true Anti-Semites. They don't want Israel to protect themselves from terrorists instead they want them to stop the protecting and sit back and get killed themselves. Those in Hollywood should look at reality and stop hiding behind the fictious world that they live in and have created for themselves. Mel has apologized and I hope he makes amends for his words. Now it is time for Hezbollah to apologize to Israel and make amends for their actions.

VERSE: 1 Kings 18:17-18 Then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, "Is that you, O Troubler of Israel?" And he answered, "I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father's house have. In that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and have followed the Baals." REFLECTION: Have you ever been blamed for something you didn't do? Unfortunately, this is what happens to Christians all over the world. We are made to look like the troublemakers and the ones who are unloving or uncaring. There are those out there claiming to be Christians who make claims that the true Christians are real fanatics and that the Bible really isn't God's Word. What do you believe? Do you believe that Jesus is truly God's Son? Do you believe that the Bible is the inherent word of God? Do you believe that the only way to get to heaven is by repenting of your sins and putting your faith and trust in Jesus Christ? Ther...

VERSE: Philemon 1:6 That the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. REFLECTION: How is the sharing of your faith? I have come to realize that the Bvftd is a way that I share my faith. Being away from it means the sharing of my faith is less effective. It is important that when we find something that we know God wants us to do that we stick with it and be committed to it. Ultimately it is our sharing of our faith that can change the world for Christ. In this world today where more and more people are turning from God we need to work on turing them back to God. Sharing our faith and sharing the message of Christ is the only way that we can help lead others into the Kingdom of God. How have you been on sharing your faith? So how do we share our faith with others. I like to think of it as the five senses of sharing our faith. Let's take a look at each of our senses and see how th...

VERSE: Psalm 98:9 For He is coming to judge the earth. With righteousness He shall judge the world, and the peoples with equity. REFLECTION: Many people speak of God as a God of love. And while I agree God does love us, He is also a judge. He judges all of us by the same standards. This is an impartial love in which no partiality is shown, only equity. He judges us by righteousness through His Ten Commandments, and He judges Jews and Gentiles by that same standard. How do you match up to His standard? I have failed often. As it says in Romans 3:23: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Many of us are familiar with court cases as we watch them on TV or read about them in the papers. However the problem with man's courts is that some people are judged less equally than others. It seems that when high profile people commit crimes, they are shown more leniency than the common person. But under God's kingdom it ...

BROOD OF VIPERS VERSE: Luke 3:7-8 Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, "We have Abraham as our father. For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. REFLECTION: What is a viper? And why was John the Baptist calling people who came to be baptized a brood of vipers? Are you a viper? I will hopefully answer these questions and more as we look at this verse a little closer. According to Websters dictionary a viper is a poisonous snake or a malicious or spiteful person. And the Greek word "echidna" also means a poisonous snake. So why was John calling these supposed followers a group of poisonous snakes? I believe he addresses that in the lines that follow his statement. You see those people didn't understand the truth they believed that if ...