11 August 2008 by Brian.

It’s been a while since I offered a decent post.  Let’s be honest, that last post was an exhausted, weak attempt to get something on the board…certainly not my best effort and you have my apologies.

Anyway, on to tonight’s business.   A big part of my job at Effectur, Inc. where I am currently employed is to manage our Net Promoter Score program.  If you’re not familiar with the term, it’s a simple measurement designed to place a numerical measurement on the quality of a company’s relationship with its customers and it is based upon the response to one simple question, “Would you recommend the company to a friend or colleague?”  The score takes into consideration those customers who are actively promoting the company to others (think of your average Apple Macintosh user), as well as those who hate the company and rarely miss an opportunity to tell others how badly it sucks (think just about any mobile phone service provider’s customers).  Our company is doing pretty well with our NPS right now, with many more of our customers loving us than hating us, with a lot of customers in the middle, satisfied, but not exactly overwhelmingly pleased.

So, I was thinking about my witness for Christ in my various contexts each day and I was wondering how I would score if people were asked if, based upon their observance of my life, they were attracted to Jesus or persuaded to reject him.   It’s a sobering thought.  What would my co-workers say?  Is my witness consistent to each of them, or are there some who see more of Jesus, while others see more of my weaknesses emerging?  What about my wife?  My children?  Are they drawn to Jesus’ life in me?  Do they see him at all?

My prayer is a simple one: “Lord Jesus, transform me into your image more and more each day.  Fill me with your love and your grace, as well as your truth and holiness and grant me the humility to admit my failures and ask forgiveness when I hurt those around me.”

Posted in Politics, Community, Humanism, Naturalism, Taxes, Trinity, Leadership, Missionaries, Missions, Trinitarianism, Social Injustice, Social Justice, Contemporary Christianity, Relativism, Marriage, Sanctity of Life, Sex, Biblical Worldview, Religion, Morality, Morals, Spirituality, Secularism | 1 Comment »

31 July 2008 by Brian.

Dr. Henry Cloud says that great leaders learn to hate the right things well.

What is the role of ‘hate’ in your life?  When should we hate?  Care to comment?

Posted in Homosexuality, Community, Politics, Social Medicine, Abortion, Humanism, Social Injustice, Quotes, Eurabia, Naturalism, Taxes, Trinity, Europe, Christmas, Larry Norman, Leadership, Missionaries, Missions, Trinitarianism, Environmentalism, Evil, Social Justice, Israel, Biblical Worldview, Postmodernism, Postmodern Philosophy, Postmodernity, Sex, Contemporary Christianity, Sanctity of Life, Islam, Marriage, Relativism, North Korea, Spirituality, Religion, Radicalism, Radicals, Religious fanaticism, Morality, Morals, New Age, False Doctrine, New Age Spirituality, Secularism | No Comments »

19 July 2008 by Brian.

Malcolm Muggeridge (I believe it was in his book, “Christ and the Media“) predicted the abyss into which much of our mainstream media has sunk.  Ratings over truth.  If it bleeds, it leads.  Deliver an agenda rather than deliver an account.

This story pretty much reflects the depravity Muggeridge described.  The unsuspecting reporter thought he was just going to view a couple burglars being relieved of their limbs…nothing too shocking.  However, he soon realized he was about to see the execution of two women and he nobly attempted to stand between them and their grisly fate.  When that didn’t work, I guess he thought, “What the heck?  Might as well film it.”

Posted in Eurabia, Social Injustice, Social Justice, Religious fanaticism, Humanism, Politics, Europe, Missionaries, Missions, Evil, Radicals, Radicalism, Contemporary Christianity, Relativism, Islam, Sanctity of Life, Biblical Worldview, Spirituality, Religion, Morality, Morals, False Doctrine, Secularism | No Comments »

5 July 2008 by Brian.

“Modern liberalism for our elites is really a psychological state, in which an individual crafts an all-encompassing world view in the abstract to offset a rather materialistic and self-centered desire in the concrete.” - Victor Davis Hanson

Posted in Community, Abortion, Humanism, Politics, Social Medicine, Leadership, Environmentalism, Taxes, Naturalism, Quotes, Relativism, Marriage, Sanctity of Life, Contemporary Christianity, Sex, Social Injustice, Social Justice, Secularism | No Comments »

5 July 2008 by Brian.

Ron Smith posts on some interesting revelations from unChristian.

If only we could ban the ‘f word’! 

Posted in Naturalism, Humanism, Abortion, Social Justice, Bible study, Religion, Religious fanaticism, Homosexuality, Community, Missionaries, Leadership, Missions, Evil, Politics, Environmentalism, Morality, Morals, Contemporary Christianity, Sex, Relativism, Marriage, Sanctity of Life, Islam, Biblical Worldview, Postmodernism, False Doctrine, New Age Spirituality, New Age, Spirituality, Postmodern Philosophy, Postmodernity, Secularism | 1 Comment »

23 June 2008 by Brian.

Yesterday our pastor was preaching on the fact that the Christian life was never intended to be a call to exert enough will-power to live a righteous life.  (No, I wasn’t calling him a simple mind.  I was referring to my own…the thought is coming.)

As I thought about it, the idea of a believer struggling to “gut out” enough self-righteousness to please God makes just as much sense as a light bulb, disconnected from any source of electricity attempting to “will” itself to illuminate.  Just as the filament in a light bulb requires electricity to illuminate, so the believer requires the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to live the Christian life as it was meant to be lived.  (I’m sure I’m not the first to draw this analogy.)  Even our good deeds, accomplished outside of reliance on the Holy Spirit, are empty and misled.

Lord, teach me to rely on You and to stop trying to impress you with my own pitiful efforts at righteousness.  Once again, thank you for grace!

Posted in Social Injustice, Naturalism, Social Justice, Religious fanaticism, Religion, Humanism, Politics, Missionaries, Christmas, Missions, Trinitarianism, Trinity, Morality, Morals, Contemporary Christianity, Sex, Relativism, Marriage, Sanctity of Life, Biblical Worldview, Postmodernism, False Doctrine, Spirituality, Postmodernity, Postmodern Philosophy, Secularism | 1 Comment »

18 June 2008 by Brian.

It’s late, so here’s a couple of quick thoughts.  I was recently challenged by a former church-goer as to the behavior of the vocal “Christians” and how even their fellow believers fear to do business with them because they are so untrustworthy and can actually be expected to operate in direct opposition to their stated beliefs.  I couldn’t argue…it certainly happens…often.  Is it in keeping with the person of Christ?  Absolutely not.  Is the validity of faith in him and a transforming relationship with him called into question?  Absolutely.  This is a tragedy in the church and one which, as believers, we should be challenging.  I pray for more churches that will call people to lives worthy of the high calling we’ve received in Jesus Christ.

Another sad application of the same issue can be seen in our failure to answer this dangerous school in Virginia.  Islamic students are being taught that it’s acceptable to kill ‘infidels’, yet the American church is so impotent that most Muslims in this land see nothing to attract them to Jesus and the God of the Bible.

If we fail to repent and remedy the current situation, then whether our downfall is ultimately brought about by secular humanism or Islam, the answer for our ineffectiveness in reaching our neighbor will be found in the same place: the mirror.

Posted in Naturalism, Humanism, Abortion, Eurabia, Social Injustice, Bible study, Social Justice, Community, Politics, Missions, Missionaries, Europe, Evil, Environmentalism, Trinity, Trinitarianism, Religious fanaticism, Radicals, Contemporary Christianity, Sex, Biblical Worldview, Relativism, Marriage, Sanctity of Life, Islam, Postmodernism, Postmodern Philosophy, Morality, Religion, Radicalism, Morals, False Doctrine, Postmodernity, Spirituality, Secularism | 2 Comments »

9 June 2008 by Brian.

Richard Dawkins wrote a book entitled, “The God Delusion” in which he attacks belief in God as unscientific and false. This video is an interesting interview with him, during which he attempts to defend his position (which he does rather poorly).

Follow this link for the interview.

Alistair McGrath, by the way, wrote an answer entitled, “The Dawkins Delusion” which I’d recommend to anyone who gets confused by Dawkins’ materialistic dogma.

Dawkins and I share one thing in common. Both of us desire to live our lives in conformity with the truth, no matter the consequences. If he’s sincere in that claim, then I pray that God would break through the intellectual pride and materialist presuppositions and reveal himself to Dawkins (and those like him) in unmistakable ways. It’s interesting to note the final statement in the video, “I don’t believe we’re put here to be comfortable.” As determined as Dawkins is to operate as if there were no ultimate purpose in life (without a Creator, there can be none), he unwittingly lapses back into language that conveys that we have been “put” here (notice the passive voice). Dr. Dawkins should ask himself why, if there is no moral basis to the universe and there is no Creator (or Intelligent Designer), it should matter in the least whether a society lived according to truth or a lie…the universe is certainly impervious to the beliefs of humans? Or why it matters what “purpose” the collection of matter presently known as Richard Dawkins has “decided” it has? After all, if Dawkins is correct, his own thoughts are the predetermined product of chemical interactions in his brain which give the illusion of conscious choice, but have no ultimate purpose or meaning, nor could he have chosen otherwise.

Dr. Dawkins, please remind us why you wrote your book?

Posted in Humanism, Abortion, Naturalism, Social Injustice, Religious fanaticism, Social Justice, Community, Politics, Missions, Missionaries, Evil, Trinitarianism, Social Medicine, Trinity, Radicals, Radicalism, Sex, Biblical Worldview, Contemporary Christianity, Relativism, Sanctity of Life, Marriage, Postmodernism, Postmodern Philosophy, Morality, Religion, Morals, False Doctrine, Postmodernity, Spirituality, Secularism | No Comments »

4 June 2008 by Brian.

Rick Warren wrote what has become a well-known “Christian Living” book entitled,  “The Purpose Driven Life”.  I must admit that I haven’t read it, but I am well aware of the need to live for something and to orient our lives around that purpose.  When this purpose drives all of our attitudes, energy, and actions, we fulfill our purposes and enjoy the satisfaction of living a life that has an impact on the world.

I’ve recently been considering the “driven-ness” of the purposeless life and considering the pain brought by a lack of fulfillment.  The purposeless life can be just as driven as any other, but the effort expended is simply dissipated,  returning nothing but a shallow, short-term benefit, followed by the quick return of the hunger for fulfillment and the drive to satisfy that appetite.  Some return to the same well over and over, thinking the next attempt will prove more satisfying than the last…driven to addiction.  Others are smarter than that, so, for instance,  having tried illicit sex, they might move on to alcohol,  or drugs, or gambling, or…you get the picture.  Fundamentally, they believe that there has to be SOMETHING that will satisfy and they continue their desperate search to find it…driven to distraction.  Still others face the reality in front of them and, having lost hope, they dread another 60 to 100 years on this Earth through which they will “live”…driven to despair. As Dylan sang, “You gotta serve somebody.  It might be the Devil and it might be the Lord, but you gotta serve somebody.”

The fact is that there is no such thing as a purposeless life, but there are plenty of lives who have not discovered their purpose and there are plenty more who have, but they’re running from it!  Like it or not, we were all created to glorify God as we experience relationship with Him, through Jesus.  And it is only in giving ourselves to that relationship, that we discover who we were truly meant to be and can fulfill the specific purpose for which we were created.  Only God is big enough to capture our imaginations, to hold our wonder, and to meet every need in our lives.

Posted in Naturalism, Humanism, Quotes, Social Injustice, Religion, Social Justice, Abortion, Homosexuality, Missions, Missionaries, Evil, Environmentalism, Community, Politics, Morality, Morals, Sex, Biblical Worldview, Contemporary Christianity, Relativism, Sanctity of Life, Marriage, Postmodernism, Postmodern Philosophy, False Doctrine, New Age Spirituality, New Age, Spirituality, Postmodernity, Secularism | 2 Comments »

15 May 2008 by Brian.

I remain convinced that the only hope for Europe is a revived Church, living lives of radical, loving obedience to the Lordship of Jesus.

The danger from Islam is real, but so is the answer.  Pray, give, or go and make a difference.

Posted in Trinity, Politics, Community, Eurabia, Trinitarianism, Evil, Europe, Missionaries, Missions, Social Injustice, Religious fanaticism, Contemporary Christianity, Relativism, Islam, Sanctity of Life, Biblical Worldview, Spirituality, Radicals, Radicalism, Religion, Secularism | 1 Comment »