My home page is set to LifeWay: Biblical Solutions for Life and among the many articles I found there today was one on death. My livelihood is in death, so to speak, in that I edit obituaries for The Gazette, a daily newspaper in Cedar Rapids, so that's what drew me to it. Upon reading it though, I thought I simply must share it with my readers. So you can read it below or click here. It is written by Charles Lowery, a member of First Baptist Church in Bossier City, La., and founder and president of LIFE, Inc.
BOSSIER CITY, La. (BP)--I recently spoke in Pensacola, Fla., with Art Linkletter who is 96 years old. He showed me a set of keys and said that when you don't know where they are, that's old age, but if you don't know what they are, that's Alzheimer's. He has a great sense of humor, and as I listened to him, I thought about how much longer people are now living. I then received a call that my mother-in-law, Jane, had just died. Jane had a great sense of humor.
She listened to and laughed at all of my mother-in-law jokes. Like the one about the man who said he was going on a pleasure trip -- he was taking his mother-in-law to the airport. Or the classic one in which a tourist visited a town and saw a very unusual funeral procession. A horse-drawn buggy carrying two caskets led the procession. Behind the buggy was a man leading a dog and behind him walked one hundred men in single file. He was so curious that he just had to ask about the funeral. When he asked the man with the dog, the man replied it was a tragedy. The first casket held his wife, the second casket held his mother-in-law, and the dog had killed them both. The tourist gasped and said how awful that was. He then asked if he could buy the dog. The grieving husband told him that he would have to get in line.
Jane howled at that joke and said that it would be better if the husband and father-in-law were in the caskets. Of course I told her that it wouldn't be as funny because all mothers-in-law weren't as wonderful as she. She often gave me that silly "I-know-you-are-lying" grin.
I have to admit that our relationship didn't start out very well. Jane was a classy lady. At Trinity Lutheran Home, they called her "Miss Hollywood" because she wouldn't leave her room without her makeup and jewelry. Her husband was from upstate New York and he was a dignified, well-educated, formal guy. They were shocked that their daughter would marry a PK from "LA" -- lower Alabama. They believed I was culturally challenged.
Every Thanksgiving, Penny and I argued because it was an event that I had never quite experienced. We arrived at a perfect house that had been perfectly cleaned and sat in perfect chairs with perfect manners and ate exactly at 4 p.m. and not a minute earlier. We sat at a perfect dining room table with a perfect turkey and used perfect silver. I won't bother you by describing the perfect Christmas with a paid professional Santa Claus and rounds of perfectly wrapped presents. I think you now understand that by the end of most holidays I was perfectly ticked. Of course, our kids enjoyed every minute of it!
I then remembered a message I gave about accepting people. I used the phrase, "By their fruits you shall know them, but by their roots you shall understand them." I realized that this is the way Jane showed love. She had the house perfect for us. She shopped for the perfect turkey for us. The china and the silver were perfect for us. I started to receive the kind of love she gave instead of demanding the kind of love I wanted. It was the beginning of Penny's family becoming my family.
Over the years, they left their downtown high church with its liturgy and rituals. Jane became the pianist for the little country church down the road. Her husband Ken was a second father to me, and I baptized him in that country church at age 74.
Jane would tell you that the worst joke I ever told was about a funeral procession. The procession was going up a hill and the coffin fell out. It went right down the hill, through a parking lot and a shopping center, and into a drug store where it stopped directly in front of the pharmacy. As it hit the counter, the coffin's lid popped open. The pharmacist looked down, and a lady looked up. He didn't know what to do, so he asked, "May I help you?" She replied, "You have to give me something to stop this coffin."
Jane was right. It is a bad joke, but it does make a point. Someone had to stop death. Jesus did when He rose from the dead. Some believe we live in the land of the living and we are headed for the land of the dying. It is really the opposite. Because of His perfect love and the blessed resurrection we celebrate, we live in the land of the dying and are going to the land of the living.
Death is a departure. Airport monitors show arrival and departure times. In order to arrive, you must depart from another place. If you try to fly to Dallas without departing from another city, they will call the men in the white coats.
We can't arrive in heaven without departing from this earth. Death is the golden key that opens the palace of eternity. When you put relatives on a plane with someone waiting to meet them at their destination, you say, "There they go." They are gone. But guess what? At their destination, someone's saying, "Here they come."
My wife talked to her mother the day before she departed. She was sometimes confused. Some days she didn't know why we needed car keys. This particular day she was upset because she couldn't find her husband Ken who, by the way, had departed several years before. She was confused on Friday because she couldn't find Ken, but happy on Saturday because she found him. On Saturday, we said, "There Jane goes." But Ken said, "Here Jane comes." We are sad; but we didn't lose Jane that day, we know where she is. We are the ones that are lost because we miss her, which makes me think that we would all be better off dead. I bet Jane thinks that is a funny one-liner.
Showing posts with label Baptist Press. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Baptist Press. Show all posts
Monday, May 4, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Hip Hip Hooray for Miss California
Those of us who advocate for one man-one woman marriage, who believe in God and what His word says, have rights too. ... a right to be heard, a right to stand up for our Christian beliefs.
Posted today on Baptist Press is the following article written by Michael Foust, BP assistant editor.
Despite pressure, Miss California stays true to Christian beliefs
LAS VEGAS-- It had all the elements of good TV drama, especially in 2009 America: a gay celebrity blogger asking a California beauty queen contestant a question about "gay marriage" during the Miss USA pageant, hosted in anything-goes Las Vegas.
Miss California, though, stood by her Christian beliefs, and some are wondering if it cost her the crown.
Carrie Prejean, 21, told a nationwide TV audience Sunday she believed marriage should be between a man and a woman. She eventually finished runner-up to Miss North Carolina, but she says she has no regrets about her answer.
The fact that Prejean is from California -- where the high court legalized "gay marriage" last year only to have voters reverse that ruling by passing Proposition 8 -- adds to the controversy surrounding her comments.
"By having to answer that question in front of a national audience, God was testing my character and faith," she told Fox News. "I'm glad I stayed true to myself."
She told NBC's "Today" show, "It's not about being politically correct. For me, it was being biblically correct." She added, regarding her missed opportunity to win the crown, "It wasn't what God wanted for my life that night."
Prejean is a student at San Diego Christian College in El Cajon just outside San Diego and a volunteer at Shadow Mountain Community Church's International Ministry Center, where she helps refugees learn English, the Christian Examiner reported. Shadow Mountain is a Southern Baptist church where popular TV and radio minister David Jeremiah is pastor. The Examiner reported Prejean is studying to become an elementary school special education teacher.
She has received a host of criticism and praise. Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, who is homosexual and as one of 12 judges was randomly picked to ask the question, posted a video on his website in which he called her a "dumb [expletive]" with "half a brain." He also said she "alienated so many people."
Chris Clark, pastor of East Clairemont Southern Baptist Church in San Diego, applauded Prejean. He helped lead the effort in his area to get Christians behind Prop 8.
"She was extremely courageous, especially considering the venue. You're looking Perez Hilton in the eye and telling him, no offense, but this is what I believe. That is bold," Clark told Baptist Press. "That is exactly what we need more of, and she did it in a kind way and a very respectful way. She was great."
Mitch Fisk, vice president for enrollment and marketing at San Diego Christian College, said he was impressed by Prejean's character after overhearing a conversation she had with her adviser, whose office is just a few doors down from his. The conservation came last year after she had won the Miss California title.
"Keep in mind that this conversation took place with no one else around. The consistent themes were, 'I want to do what I can to have an impact' and 'I want to do what I can to take advantage of the situation that God has placed me in to have an impact,'" he told BP.
During the broadcast Hilton asked: "Vermont recently became the fourth state to legalize same-sex marriage. Do you think every state should follow suit? Why or why not?"
Prejean responded, "I think it's great that Americans are able to choose one or the other. We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite[-sex] marriage. And you know what? I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman -- no offense to anybody out there -- but that's how I was raised and ... I think that it should be between a man and a woman."
The crowd seemed to like her answer, and its applause was louder than the boos.
Keith Lewis, co-executive director of Miss California USA/Teen USA, submitted a statement to Hilton's web site in which he said he was "personally saddened and hurt" that Prejean "believes marriage rights belong only to a man and a woman." Lewis added, "Religious beliefs have no place in politics in the Miss CA family."
Hilton himself was quoted as saying Prejean "lost because of that question." Known for his bombastic statements, he said that if Prejean had won, "I would have gone up on stage, snatched that tiara off her head and run out the door." As one of the 12 TV judges, Hilton's score figured into deciding who won. The scores on the questions and answers, though, are not released publicly.
Ron Prentice, chairman of ProtectMarriage.com -- the official campaign behind Prop 8 -- released a statement thanking Prejean for "speaking her mind in support of traditional marriage."
"She represented the silent majority in America and expressed a point of view that over 7 million California voters also expressed just last November," Prentice said. "... Thank you, Miss California, for knowing the truth about marriage and standing up for it, even when you knew that your honest answer may hinder your chances for the crown of Miss USA."
Prentice further said that the "outcry from some activists in the gay community over Ms. Prejean's comments are indicative of how far they will go to force their same-sex marriage agenda on society."
Prejean told radio host Billy Bush that her sister "is a gay rights activist" who has "been to many, many rallies." But Prejean said her sister was proud of her because she stood up for her beliefs. Matt Lauer of NBC's Today show asked her if she wished she had given a more politically correct middle-of-the-road answer, which Hilton said she should have done.
"That goes against what I stand for," she said of such an answer. "And when I'm asked a specific question, I'm going to give a specific answer. I'm not going to stand in the middle."
Also posted today on SaveCalifornia.com ,
a leading West Coast nonprofit, nonpartisan organization representing children and families, is the article:
Homosexual Activist Judge Displays Intolerance, Hatred
and Retaliation Against Miss California Carrie Prejean
Sacramento, CALIF.-- A leading West Coast pro-family organization is defending Miss California Carrie Prejean, who was unfairly discriminated against and denied the Miss USA crown because of homosexual activist judge Perez Hilton (real name Mario Lavandeira), who targeted Carrie as a contestant and publicly called her “a dumb b****” with “half a brain.”
“Why does an unjust judge get a free pass for retaliating against and openly slurring a beauty pageant contestant?” asked Randy Thomasson, president of SaveCalifornia.com and SaveAmerica.com. “The bad guy here is homosexual activist Perez Hilton, who never should have been allowed to be a judge. Carrie Prejean was unfairly discriminated against and viciously punished just because she knows and believes that marriage is reserved for a man and a woman.”
After Carrie was named first runner-up to Miss North Carolina Kristen Dalton, Hilton recorded a video diatribe in which he said Carrie gave “the worst answer in pageant history," that “she lost because she’s a dumb b****!” and that she has “half a brain.” “Perez Hilton is showing the ugly face of the intolerant homosexual agenda, squashing everyone else who won’t bow down to immorality,” Thomasson said.
On this morning’s Today Show on NBC, Miss USA Judge Claudia Jordan admitted that “a few of the judges were very against her, they were bothered by her answer” because Carrie said “marriage should be for a man and a woman” in answer to Hilton’s question Sunday night.
Donald Trump, who, along with NBC Universal, owns the Miss Universe Organization, which produces the Miss USA pageant, said on The Today Show that Carrie’s answer “probably did cost her the crown.” Also on Today, Hilton said Carrie should have “left her politics and religion out” and said Miss USA is supposed to “make everyone feel welcome,” including homosexuals and atheists. But where is that in the Miss USA rules?
“This was a blatant miscarriage of justice,” said Thomasson. “The Miss USA rules explicitly state that judges should learn about the successes, goals and ambitions of the contestants. It doe not say judges should vote or rally others to vote based on their personal agreement or disagreement with young ladies’ answers to loaded questions.”
“Along with physical beauty, Carrie Prejean displayed character, poise, confidence and personality, which is exactly what the pageant says it’s looking for,” said Thomasson. “It is now suspect whether a homosexual can be a fair judge who puts aside his personal bias. It’s also doubtful that the Miss USA contest is a fair contest. To correct this serious problem, Donald Trump and NBC Universal should announce that Perez Hilton will never again be a Miss USA judge and that pageant judges must abide by the contest rules and not retaliate against contestants based on religion or politics.”
Posted today on Baptist Press is the following article written by Michael Foust, BP assistant editor.
Despite pressure, Miss California stays true to Christian beliefs
LAS VEGAS-- It had all the elements of good TV drama, especially in 2009 America: a gay celebrity blogger asking a California beauty queen contestant a question about "gay marriage" during the Miss USA pageant, hosted in anything-goes Las Vegas.
Miss California, though, stood by her Christian beliefs, and some are wondering if it cost her the crown.
Carrie Prejean, 21, told a nationwide TV audience Sunday she believed marriage should be between a man and a woman. She eventually finished runner-up to Miss North Carolina, but she says she has no regrets about her answer.
The fact that Prejean is from California -- where the high court legalized "gay marriage" last year only to have voters reverse that ruling by passing Proposition 8 -- adds to the controversy surrounding her comments.
"By having to answer that question in front of a national audience, God was testing my character and faith," she told Fox News. "I'm glad I stayed true to myself."
She told NBC's "Today" show, "It's not about being politically correct. For me, it was being biblically correct." She added, regarding her missed opportunity to win the crown, "It wasn't what God wanted for my life that night."
Prejean is a student at San Diego Christian College in El Cajon just outside San Diego and a volunteer at Shadow Mountain Community Church's International Ministry Center, where she helps refugees learn English, the Christian Examiner reported. Shadow Mountain is a Southern Baptist church where popular TV and radio minister David Jeremiah is pastor. The Examiner reported Prejean is studying to become an elementary school special education teacher.
She has received a host of criticism and praise. Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, who is homosexual and as one of 12 judges was randomly picked to ask the question, posted a video on his website in which he called her a "dumb [expletive]" with "half a brain." He also said she "alienated so many people."
Chris Clark, pastor of East Clairemont Southern Baptist Church in San Diego, applauded Prejean. He helped lead the effort in his area to get Christians behind Prop 8.
"She was extremely courageous, especially considering the venue. You're looking Perez Hilton in the eye and telling him, no offense, but this is what I believe. That is bold," Clark told Baptist Press. "That is exactly what we need more of, and she did it in a kind way and a very respectful way. She was great."
Mitch Fisk, vice president for enrollment and marketing at San Diego Christian College, said he was impressed by Prejean's character after overhearing a conversation she had with her adviser, whose office is just a few doors down from his. The conservation came last year after she had won the Miss California title.
"Keep in mind that this conversation took place with no one else around. The consistent themes were, 'I want to do what I can to have an impact' and 'I want to do what I can to take advantage of the situation that God has placed me in to have an impact,'" he told BP.
During the broadcast Hilton asked: "Vermont recently became the fourth state to legalize same-sex marriage. Do you think every state should follow suit? Why or why not?"
Prejean responded, "I think it's great that Americans are able to choose one or the other. We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite[-sex] marriage. And you know what? I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman -- no offense to anybody out there -- but that's how I was raised and ... I think that it should be between a man and a woman."
The crowd seemed to like her answer, and its applause was louder than the boos.
Keith Lewis, co-executive director of Miss California USA/Teen USA, submitted a statement to Hilton's web site in which he said he was "personally saddened and hurt" that Prejean "believes marriage rights belong only to a man and a woman." Lewis added, "Religious beliefs have no place in politics in the Miss CA family."
Hilton himself was quoted as saying Prejean "lost because of that question." Known for his bombastic statements, he said that if Prejean had won, "I would have gone up on stage, snatched that tiara off her head and run out the door." As one of the 12 TV judges, Hilton's score figured into deciding who won. The scores on the questions and answers, though, are not released publicly.
Ron Prentice, chairman of ProtectMarriage.com -- the official campaign behind Prop 8 -- released a statement thanking Prejean for "speaking her mind in support of traditional marriage."
"She represented the silent majority in America and expressed a point of view that over 7 million California voters also expressed just last November," Prentice said. "... Thank you, Miss California, for knowing the truth about marriage and standing up for it, even when you knew that your honest answer may hinder your chances for the crown of Miss USA."
Prentice further said that the "outcry from some activists in the gay community over Ms. Prejean's comments are indicative of how far they will go to force their same-sex marriage agenda on society."
Prejean told radio host Billy Bush that her sister "is a gay rights activist" who has "been to many, many rallies." But Prejean said her sister was proud of her because she stood up for her beliefs. Matt Lauer of NBC's Today show asked her if she wished she had given a more politically correct middle-of-the-road answer, which Hilton said she should have done.
"That goes against what I stand for," she said of such an answer. "And when I'm asked a specific question, I'm going to give a specific answer. I'm not going to stand in the middle."
Also posted today on SaveCalifornia.com ,
a leading West Coast nonprofit, nonpartisan organization representing children and families, is the article:
Homosexual Activist Judge Displays Intolerance, Hatred
and Retaliation Against Miss California Carrie Prejean
Sacramento, CALIF.-- A leading West Coast pro-family organization is defending Miss California Carrie Prejean, who was unfairly discriminated against and denied the Miss USA crown because of homosexual activist judge Perez Hilton (real name Mario Lavandeira), who targeted Carrie as a contestant and publicly called her “a dumb b****” with “half a brain.”
“Why does an unjust judge get a free pass for retaliating against and openly slurring a beauty pageant contestant?” asked Randy Thomasson, president of SaveCalifornia.com and SaveAmerica.com. “The bad guy here is homosexual activist Perez Hilton, who never should have been allowed to be a judge. Carrie Prejean was unfairly discriminated against and viciously punished just because she knows and believes that marriage is reserved for a man and a woman.”
After Carrie was named first runner-up to Miss North Carolina Kristen Dalton, Hilton recorded a video diatribe in which he said Carrie gave “the worst answer in pageant history," that “she lost because she’s a dumb b****!” and that she has “half a brain.” “Perez Hilton is showing the ugly face of the intolerant homosexual agenda, squashing everyone else who won’t bow down to immorality,” Thomasson said.
On this morning’s Today Show on NBC, Miss USA Judge Claudia Jordan admitted that “a few of the judges were very against her, they were bothered by her answer” because Carrie said “marriage should be for a man and a woman” in answer to Hilton’s question Sunday night.
Donald Trump, who, along with NBC Universal, owns the Miss Universe Organization, which produces the Miss USA pageant, said on The Today Show that Carrie’s answer “probably did cost her the crown.” Also on Today, Hilton said Carrie should have “left her politics and religion out” and said Miss USA is supposed to “make everyone feel welcome,” including homosexuals and atheists. But where is that in the Miss USA rules?
“This was a blatant miscarriage of justice,” said Thomasson. “The Miss USA rules explicitly state that judges should learn about the successes, goals and ambitions of the contestants. It doe not say judges should vote or rally others to vote based on their personal agreement or disagreement with young ladies’ answers to loaded questions.”
“Along with physical beauty, Carrie Prejean displayed character, poise, confidence and personality, which is exactly what the pageant says it’s looking for,” said Thomasson. “It is now suspect whether a homosexual can be a fair judge who puts aside his personal bias. It’s also doubtful that the Miss USA contest is a fair contest. To correct this serious problem, Donald Trump and NBC Universal should announce that Perez Hilton will never again be a Miss USA judge and that pageant judges must abide by the contest rules and not retaliate against contestants based on religion or politics.”
Sunday, March 8, 2009
All can be set free in Christ
On Jan. 31 I wrote of my impressions of the true story, "Prayers for Bobby," shown on TV just days earlier. It was about a gay teen who committed suicide.
On March 4, I came across this article on Baptist Press: "Ex-gay 'free indeed' because of Christ" which is posted below in its entirety.
by Brittany N. Howerton
OPELIKA, Ala. (BP)--Meet Kim Cowen. Raised in north Alabama, Cowen has led a life filled with alcohol and drug addictions and has been arrested on three occasions. She has struggled with homosexuality for 43 years.
As Cowen shared her story with pastors and ministry leaders in Alabama's Tuskegee Lee Baptist Association, she recounted that when she was arrested for drug trafficking the third time, she cried out in desperation, "Lord, if You'll help me with this mess I've made of my life, I'll do whatever You want me to do."
When Cowen was released four days later, she knew her life was different. "I knew I had met Jesus Christ that day," she said.
She subsequently met Rick Hagans, a member of First Baptist Church in Opelika, Ala., and founding president of Harvest Evangelism, a nearly 30-year-old ministry dedicated to reaching the hurting with Christ's love.
Cowen immediately enrolled in Harvest Evangelism's women's rehabilitation program, and within a year she knew there was nothing Christ couldn't do.
"It took something that huge in my life to make me believe He could set me free from homosexuality," Cowen said. "Every day, my prayer was 'Take this homosexuality away from me.'" Quoting John 8:36, she added: "and if the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed."
That was six years ago.
Cowen now leads Hi-way Ministries, a Monday night support group in Opelika for men and women struggling with homosexuality.
"The goal is not for them [just] to be set free from homosexuality but to be free to receive all God has for them, to be holy in Christ," she said. "It's a safe place for them to come -- to keep them from going through struggles alone."
Joe and Marion Allen, members of First Baptist in Opelika, know those struggles well. Eight years ago, their 26-year-old son was killed at a time when he was attempting to retreat from a homosexual lifestyle. Now the Allens are on a mission to share their story with others and help support people going through the same struggles.
The Allens host a family support group the second Thursday night of each month for parents, friends and other relatives of people struggling with homosexuality.
Hagans said it is the church's responsibility to show Christ's love to these individuals.
"We have been silent and we have been self-serving," he said. "And the truth of the matter is there could be 100 Kim Cowens, but instead of their name being written on the Lamb's Book of Life, it is written on some tombstone because the church did not put their money and time and pulpit where it belongs."
--30--
Brittany N. Howerton is a staff writer for The Alabama Baptist (www.thealabamabaptist.com), newsjournal of the Alabama Baptist Convention.
On March 4, I came across this article on Baptist Press: "Ex-gay 'free indeed' because of Christ" which is posted below in its entirety.
by Brittany N. Howerton
OPELIKA, Ala. (BP)--Meet Kim Cowen. Raised in north Alabama, Cowen has led a life filled with alcohol and drug addictions and has been arrested on three occasions. She has struggled with homosexuality for 43 years.
As Cowen shared her story with pastors and ministry leaders in Alabama's Tuskegee Lee Baptist Association, she recounted that when she was arrested for drug trafficking the third time, she cried out in desperation, "Lord, if You'll help me with this mess I've made of my life, I'll do whatever You want me to do."
When Cowen was released four days later, she knew her life was different. "I knew I had met Jesus Christ that day," she said.
She subsequently met Rick Hagans, a member of First Baptist Church in Opelika, Ala., and founding president of Harvest Evangelism, a nearly 30-year-old ministry dedicated to reaching the hurting with Christ's love.
Cowen immediately enrolled in Harvest Evangelism's women's rehabilitation program, and within a year she knew there was nothing Christ couldn't do.
"It took something that huge in my life to make me believe He could set me free from homosexuality," Cowen said. "Every day, my prayer was 'Take this homosexuality away from me.'" Quoting John 8:36, she added: "and if the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed."
That was six years ago.
Cowen now leads Hi-way Ministries, a Monday night support group in Opelika for men and women struggling with homosexuality.
"The goal is not for them [just] to be set free from homosexuality but to be free to receive all God has for them, to be holy in Christ," she said. "It's a safe place for them to come -- to keep them from going through struggles alone."
Joe and Marion Allen, members of First Baptist in Opelika, know those struggles well. Eight years ago, their 26-year-old son was killed at a time when he was attempting to retreat from a homosexual lifestyle. Now the Allens are on a mission to share their story with others and help support people going through the same struggles.
The Allens host a family support group the second Thursday night of each month for parents, friends and other relatives of people struggling with homosexuality.
Hagans said it is the church's responsibility to show Christ's love to these individuals.
"We have been silent and we have been self-serving," he said. "And the truth of the matter is there could be 100 Kim Cowens, but instead of their name being written on the Lamb's Book of Life, it is written on some tombstone because the church did not put their money and time and pulpit where it belongs."
--30--
Brittany N. Howerton is a staff writer for The Alabama Baptist (www.thealabamabaptist.com), newsjournal of the Alabama Baptist Convention.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)