The State of our morality

Our minds are clouded with the fog of trend. Our hearts are distorted and confused by today's definition of love. Our lives are becoming ever desensitized by the world around us and their entropic moral convictions. I'm becoming more and more aware as I search for revelation, that this world is very close to its end. Some might say that I don't really know enough to make that assumption, or that I only focus on the bad things rather than the good and reviving, but I have arrived at the understanding that the further I travel into the knowledge of the things of this world, the more it points in the direction of a quickly approaching end.

I watched the academy awards last night and was taken aback by the number of films nominated with transgender and homosexual themes. Of course Hollywood has always been at the cutting edge of societal decay, but it puts fear in my heart because so many of the ideals of these people are flowing into our homes via television, internet, magazines, and radio. I am forced on board a train of thought whose tracks lead to the furtherance of moral depravity, ruptured families, and an unclear understanding of true love, friendship, and the most critical aspect that binds the moral fiber of civilized society: right and wrong.

Perhaps you don't feel that things are quite as bad as I seem to be making them out to be right now, but give me your attention please and I will show you just how bad things are. An analogy being used more and more frequently is that of a frog in a pot of water. When you throw a frog into boiling water, it immediately jumps out because of the severe heat it detects, but if you put a frog into luke warm water and slowly heat it to a boil, the frog never notices its environment is changing and boils to death. Such is the state of our current moral conviction.

How many of you watch the popular sitcom "Friends?" The show aired last week and pulled in 26.7 million viewers ( info from: http://www.canoe.ca/TelevisionRatings/us.html). I think that you would agree that 26.7 million viewers is a large amount of people. I myself enjoy the show and laugh right along with the other 26.7 million watching, but there's a sad truth that I've recently realized: I've been desensitized to a point at which sex apart from marriage doesn't bother me. Although I know it's wrong, and disagree with it, I never become disgusted while watching the show. It's just a normal part of their lives, and I accepted that without thinking. The problem in my logic was pointed out by my dear wife (info from: wife Maggie) when she asked me why I didn't enjoy watching the show "Will & Grace." I responded by saying that homosexuality is wrong and I don't agree with promoting such a lifestyle by the acceptance demonstrated by the characters in the show. She then proceeded to question what I thought the moral stance of "Friends" was and why I would enjoy watching that when it was just as wrong. Ouch. The thing is, whether you thnink it affects you or not, it does. It seeps into your mind and adds itself on to your thoughts and speech. It seems non-threatening enough on the screen because it comes in the form of entertainment, but it can change the way you think.

A poll was done across the school where my wife works. It asked whether living together before marriage was wrong. It was asked of a class of twenty students and out of the twenty only five said that it was wrong. That wouldn't seem too surprising to most, however the poll was done at a Christian school. The generally accepted standard for sex anymore has been "when you're ready," "as long as you have protection," and "as long as you're in love." Marriage ideals have taken a vacation.

Not only has immorality permeated Hollywood, but it has also infiltrated our government. The highly respected positions of our Supreme Court justices have been filled with people who bring their own agenda to the table rather than a true interpretation of the constitution. While this issue may raise quite a bit of controversy in my comments section, I still feel motivated to post it. The current battles concerning the removal of the words "Under God" from our Pledge of Allegience has brought many Christians out of the wood-work to place their names on a petition standing for the preservation of our Pledge as it is. The ACLJ has been a formidable foe against those who wish to strip this country of the principles it was founded on. I must say that I stand for the presence of God in our country, in our judicial system, and even in our schools. Without God, what moral standard to we have to stand on? The consequences of removing those two simple words would lead to the ultimate removal of our country's nation motto "In God We Trust," it would need to be stripped from our currency, and no President would be sworn in to office the same way ever again.

One of the most disturbing parts of our society today, is abortion. On January 22, 1973, the US Supreme court declared its decision in the Roe v Wade challenge of the constitutionality of preventing a woman to commit abortion. From 1973 to 2002, an estimated 44,010,378 babies were aborted. At these statistics, I have to step back in awe. I can't believe that such genocide could be allowed in this great country.

Keep tuning in to my site, because I'll be adding to this article. Just taking a break for a while. (Updated 2/01/04 8:30am)

When Youth Directors Attack

Maggs and I have conspired to breathe life into sexual purity again. We're planning on showing the kids what problems come from relationships that head in the wrong direction and giving them guidance and direction into the right direction. I am feeling pulled in many different directions (lesson ideas) by the Holy Spirit. I don't think I'm going to run out of things to say anytime soon.

Saw that Last Samurai. It was dang good. One of the best movies of the year is what I'd say. Tom Cruise is dang good in it and surprisingly impressive with the sword. High recommendation to everyone. It has almost no bad language, (except for the H word once I think) and no nudity. The violence of war, I must say, was quite gruesome, so I advise taking your young children to see Lord of the Rings again as an alternative if you make a trip to the theatre.

So anyway, I must quickly ask that you all keep praying and thank you for doing so. So, please keep praying and thank you for doing so.

Fact or Fiction?
Creation or Evolution? (Respectively :-)

This article really goes to show you just how flawed not just evolution is, but the evolutionists themselves.

Evolution Creation Predictions

Youth Directors

I thank you guys for the support. It's not every day that God calls you to a position of this caliber. I am keeping an am attitude of servanthood as we enter into this new chapter in our lives. I can't tell where God's ultimate will is going to take us, but I'm very pleased with what he's doing now. To be called into such a impactful position is a testiment of
God's true guidance and power. I would love nothing more than to have your prayers and you thoughts.

Last night Maggie and I sat down to dinner with Mike and Cathy and spoke over the is new challenge. There seems to be a lot to think about and a lot to do, but they assured us that they would be there as encouragement and help every step of the way. The slack that we can't pick up will be handled by them--camps and the like--and any questions we may have they're ready to answer. We spent months in prayer, thought, council, and conversation trying to seek God's will for us and finally were led to the conclusion that we've been put here for this reason.

Again, I'd just like to say that your prayers are appreciated and I know God will bless you for them. Thank you.

Sorry. It's been a while. I'm sitting here posting just before church. Currently we don't have very much going on except for one important development. We've been considering for a while taking a Youth Director job at the church. After much prayer and discussion, we've come pretty close to a conclusion. We'll be meeting with Pastor Mike and his wife to discuss it a little further, at which point, we'll probably take the position.

That's what's new in our lives. I apologize for not posting in so long. Busy Busy Busy.

Hume Lake

We're back from camp and I have to say, it was really great. The kids had fun and Maggie and I had fun. It was snowy snowy snowy our first night there. We came up using the tire chains and then once we got up there we looked and looked and looked for our cabins all while it was snow storming and trees were giving way under the weight of the snow on them and dumping on us. We trudged through knee and sometimes waste deep snow cutting new paths. By the time we found our cabins we were soaked from head to toe, dripping wet, and freezing. We ultimately got settled in before it was time for dinner. Scott and I made it dinner in time for about the last half hour. Maggie skipped dinner and went straight to the counselor meeting and Scott and I missed it all together. After we had eaten and gone to chapel we went to the skating rink and Maggie and I bought some quesodillas for ourselves and ate 'em up.

After our first night, we were able to get into the swing of things and it all ended up going pretty well. It was a lot of fun and good conversation. The atmosphere was amazing, beautiful, and fun for us all.

The only drawback really was that I stepped in the snow the wrong way and twisted my ankle. So, I'm still walking with a limp today. Because of that, I didn't go ice skating, snow boarding, do broom hockey, or anything that would qualify as lots of fun, but I still managed to have a great deal of fun despite my life altering injury. Anyway, if you want to hear more in depth, just call me, I need to go take a much needed relaxing shower.