http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,522637,00.html?test=latestnews

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Ok... the government is officially making me nauseous. The video above is a clear example of government getting too big and meddling without restraint in the lives of law abiding American citizens. I'm not an anarchist, I love my country, but our govenment has been and currently is going down roads it shouldn't even be on. I could rant on several different current issues but will try to restrain myself to this current video. If you've watched it, I hope you are as shocked as I am. The rebel in me says let's start having all of our church services in our home just to rock this boat and pick a fight!! I never would have imagined that in my country, the good ol' U S of A, officials of any level would be knocking on the doors of christian homes and calling their activities illegal. Will the church in America be forced underground? Never say never. (It's getting really bad when an optimist is writing stuff like this.)

Pottymouth... are some words off limits?

Bad, dirty, filthy, foul, vile, vulgar, course, in poor taste, unseemly, street talk, gutter talk, locker room language, naughty, saucy, raunchy, crude, lude, indecent, profane, inappropriate, obscene, off color, gray, suggestive, cursing, cussing, swearing...
These are the bad words that we use to describe "bad words". There are "bad words" in music, jokes, speeches, books, tv shows, and movies. Politicians have been caught using them, and so have doctors, lawyers, parents, teachers, the President, and yes even some preachers. I've invented a "bushism" for this kind of talk... foulmouthiness.

Here's the deal, some words although harsh may be ok to say. Other words are only ok to say in certain groups. Then there are the select "dirty" words that should always be avoided. Let me try to explain this. Words are cultural. Each culture has acceptable and unacceptable language. Men are able to talk about some things women are not comfortable hearing, and women are able to have certain conversations that will make men run away. The process of childbirth spoken in the language of my nurse friends is one example of this. Wisdom and maturity tells us to be sensitive to our listening audience. Another example is the culture of age. The younger generation uses the word "sucks" to have a negative meaning. Most adults over 40 are offended by this usage. It doesn't mean they have to stop using the word since in their culture it's accepted, but they should be sensitive to those around. In the same way the word "pregnant" many years ago was not even allowed on TV. It was considered inappropriate. My, how things have changed.

The real problem with our language and speech is not only a cultural problem, but a heart problem. The bible says "...out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks." Simply said, our words reveal the condition of our heart. If our heart is full of love and compassion, it will be made known by our words. If our heart is bitter, and full of anger, our speech will reveal that as well. If your speech is undisciplined... bingo... so is your spiritual life. If we let cuss words fly, not caring who's around to hear, or who we are offending, it shows a selfish heart unconcerned about others. From my experience with people who have been newly saved by God's grace, one of the first things that change is their language. Why?.... because of the heart change. The mouth reveals the condition of the heart. The potty mouth is just a symptom of a more serious problem.

Some may say I'm being legalistic... I've been called that before (once). But I'm not,... I am in no way saying you are going to hell for saying a cuss word when you stump your toe. I am simply saying to look deeper than the cuss word. If you said it in a loss of control then it's wrong. If you curse to be cool, then it's wrong. If you cuss to offend, wrong too. James, the brother of Jesus, was brutally honest about our words. He says "If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight reign on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. (James 1:26)

On the other hand, our tongue has been entrusted with the salvation of all men. "the tongue has the power of life and death..." (Prov. 18:21) It started with the prophets and the angels, and now has been given all believers. The responsibility of telling, speaking, sharing, saying the good news. The message of Jesus was entrusted to our irresponsible tongues. The very tongues that have a hard time with cursing, and gossiping. But God has faith that we will use our words wisely. Let's honor, not embarrass God with our mouths.

inked and pierced

Becoming more and more trendy in our culture is young people getting tattoos and untraditional piercings. I recently addressed this in our student mininstry because of their own questions about these "body enhancements". I use that phrase because i think many less controversial alterations fall into this same catagory... dying the hair, piercing one hole in the ear lobe, make up tattoos, breast enlargement/reduction, tummy tucks, etc. Here's the truth. If you are a believer in Jesus then your body and your life is not your own, it belongs to God. 1Corinthians 6:19 states this, and I know the context is sexual imorality, but the truth still applies. Since the body is not our own and was bought at a price, then permission is required before altering right?
I don't believe that altering our bodies brings us closer(circumcision Gal.5:2) or farther away from holiness. I think that scripture teaches that it is the condition of our heart. In some cultures I think it's wrong to get a tattoo or provocative piercing, because it would hinder relationships with people and if our hearts are right, relationships are far more valuable than our personal preferences. Maturity and wisdom says that it's just not worth the risk when it comes to parental, grandparent relationships, church relationships etc. In other cultures there may be no issue or hindrance at all. It is very similar to Paul's issue of meat sacrificed to idols in scripture. Paul thought the meat was Ok to eat, but because it was a problem for some, he chose not to. This takes matruity and obedience to sacrifice freedoms for the sake of others and the gospel.

So the questions to ask before getting pierced and inked are these:

What is the condition of my heart? rebellious? Prideful? Conceited? Defiant?
Does it honor God?
How will it effect my culture (relationships)?
Will it hinder my purpose, mission, ministry, career?
Does my spouse approve? If single I advise to wait until marriage before considering the tattoo or alteration.

the bucket list

Not long ago I saw a movie called "The bucket list". It was about two men who had near death experiences, but finding that they had a second chance in life, composed a list of things they would like to do or get done before they die. I've always had a list, or at least some dreams but I've never written them down, or even knew what to call it until I saw this movie. So here goes... my bucket list, some already done others not yet. Do you have a list? If not then write one down. If we have common events on our lists maybe we can do them and mark them off together?

Marry the hottest girl in school.

Have a house full of kids.

Baptize all of my kids.

perform the wedding of all of my kids.

Raise a bloodhound from a pup.

Hike 26 mile Eagle Rock Loop in Arkansas.

Stay up for 72 hours straight.

Catch a fish bigger than myself.

Hike to the Peak at Wolf Creek, Co.

Backpack the Grand Canyon.

Ride a motorcycle to Canada and back.

Visit the temple mount in Israel. (Is that legal?)

Run, not walk, a marathon.

Ride a century on my bike.

Advance 2 belts in jiujitsu.

Camp on a snow capped mountain.

Watch all of the "Lord of the Rings" movies nonstop.

Take my wife to see a George Strait concert.

Own a motorcycle.

See a LSU football game.

See a tornado.

Get scuba certified.

Save someone's life.

Go on patrol with a police officer.

Preach at my childhood church.

See a NFL game.

Bold = completed

If you can help me out with any of these let me know. If you want to join in on any you're welcome to come and live a slice of life with me.

Are you ready to date?

Tonight i ended a 3 part series on dating. This one dealt with being ready to date. Here is my outline in raw form.

Are you ready to date??

This is a hugely important question. The reason is because dating is the first step in our society before engagement and marriage. Just as important as a soldier needs to be trained before battle, teens need to be prepared mentally and spiritually before dating. Most teens are not prepared to date but do so anyway, which may be why over 50% of all marriages end in divorce and 40% of all births are to unwed mothers, and at some point 40% of all children are living in a cohabitating home.

3 questions to determine if you are ready to date.

1. Do you have your test ready?
Dating is a test. What questions do you need answered? Some will be answered before the date, others can be answered on the date.
1.) are they saved?
2.) Are they committed to their church?
3.) Are they growing spiritually?
4.) Are they spiritually attractive?
5.) Their Relationship—Doctrine-- Lifestyle???
6.) How do they talk about their parents? Are they under authority or rebellious?
7.) Are they committed to date “pure”.

2.Do you pass your own test?
1.) are you saved?
2.)are you committed to church?
3.)are you growing in your faith?
4.)How’s your Relationship--Doctrine--Lifestyle?
5.)are you honoring parents? Or rebellious? Have they OK’d you to date?... OK’d the one you will date? They are your God given protection and accountability.
6.) Are you committed to date “pure”.?

3.How are you and Jesus Doing?
You are not ready for a relationship that affects you everyday if you are not yet affected by Jesus every day. Get your Jesus relationship right first before you begin looking for another relationship.

Set up your own Guidelines to avoid temptation while dating.
Write your goals and rules down and put them in your sock drawer or dresser or bathroom mirror.

Here are some suggestions.

10 Rules to date by.
1.Parents are informed and involved. (protection and accountability)
2. only date growing Christians
3. It’s always a test, if they fail…. I bail.
4. Is she modest?
5. Is he a one woman man?
6. We are never home alone. If parents leave so do I.
7. No beds, couches, or unplanned stops.
8. Curfew… If my parents don’t set one I will.
9. Meet and be honest with a Godly friend after every date.
10 Never get too wrapped up to break up.