It is Holy week and today is Good Friday. As we celebrate His death and resurrection let us all remember the sacrifice Jesus made for us. Thank Jesus for His love that motivated His emptying Himself and becoming a man, so He could be the lamb who takes away the sin of the world. Let us walk in His steps as we love, witness and serve. Seek a good assembly to worship Him on Resurrection Sunday.

Good Friday…
Why Good Friday is Good (Christian Post,  4/7)

He really Rose Again
Four Points of Reality (Crossway, 3/31)
Four objections debunked (Christian Post, 4/7)
Why it matters today (Christianity.com, 8/22/22)

Web of failure

A Failed City
‘Bob Lee killing highlights San Francisco crime fears’ (BBC, 4/7) It takes a rich tech and money mogul’s violent death to bring serious attention to the disaster that “the City” has become. We can remember when San Francisco was the beautiful city by the bay. We went to the theater, Ice Capades, visited Golden Gate Park, China Town, Height Ashbury, the Presidio, Lombard Street (the crookedest street in the world), museums, and various other great places of interest. Today it has become a violent, lawless place overrun by the homeless and criminals. The reasons are legion starting with family and culture decline, failed criminal justice, and failed leadership. Bob Lee had moved to Miami to escape the crime in San Francisco. It is sad he made a trip back

A Failed Culture

‘Wrestling with hard truths; Nashville Christians cling to the hope of the gospel amid overwhelming sorrow’ (World, 4/7) This attack on a Christian School in Nashville resulting in the deaths of 3 children and 3 adults (reporting of which seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth, we wonder why) apparently was not random, but an attack on Christians. Determining what happened can inform us as we try to find ways to compassionately treat the mentally ill. A similar situation in Colorado Springs was thankfully stopped in the planning stages. Apparently, violence is becoming a feature if one speaks out about truth. And now the honesty: Mainstreaming transgenderism and making it the way to gain value and attention while denying it is an emotional illness and sin against God’s creation, is not working out all that well

Everyone needs Jesus, who died for the sin of the world and rose again.

All who believe in Him, have eternal life

Changes
‘Poll shows American values changed drastically during pandemic’ (Christian Post, 3/29) A Wall Street Journal Poll shows Religion, hard work, family and having children, patriotism are all down dramatically, love of money and self apparently up.

Nashville Tragedy and Mental Illness
‘Nashville Tragedy Shows Why It Isn’t Compassionate To Fuel Mental Illness; Behind all the partisanship of the shooting story is an unavoidable reality: Our modern mental-health crisis is out of control’ (The Federalist, 3/28) We know from experience that dealing with mental illness is uh, challenging. … However we as a culture and society need to find compassionate answers that do not aggravate the issues one is having and provide safe care if needed. How that works out is an extensive and serious discussion with hard choices. Few seem to be even broaching the subject

A True Headline
‘Trump to face criminal charges, sending US into uncharted waters’ (Reuters, 3/31) No matter what one thinks of former President Trump, the headline by Reuters is accurate. Perhaps it is wise to be very careful as a country when politicians of the opposing party arrest a former President. It is indeed an uncertain course that New York’s elected DA has set the country on. Yes, when there is a breaking of the law even billionaires with private jets and gold lavatories need to be held accountable. As do past and present politicians. We sincerely hope there is not a degeneration into a tit for tat. With Congress pursuing the present President and son, it looks like a possible scenario. Unfortunately, that can degenerate into authoritarianism and a descent to a life not good at all.

Free Speech
‘Free speech organizations caution against impending TikTok ban; Joint letter calls for less drastic security measures’ (World, 3/28) It appears that there are serious privacy and security concerns with Tic Tok (and other apps). Legislation and banning may well violate First Amendment free speech rights. Another thing to be careful of. Religious freedoms are right there too.

Good News
‘American missionary pilot, 2 others released from Mozambique prison’ (Christian Post, 3/16)

No, Next Question
‘Is It Time to Quit “Quiet Time”?’ (Christianity Today, 3/13) Biblical literacy is most certainly more than personal time with the Bible and God, but quitting such devotion will hamper … devotion. Web tip, type archive.is/ before the www to sneak behind a pay wall to read an article

Good News
‘American missionary abducted in Niger released after 6 years in captivity’ (Christian Post, 3/23)

We thot Missouri Was the “Show Me” State
‘Skeptics demand proof after megachurch pastor claims prayer regrew woman’s amputated toes’ Christian Post, 3/25) We certainly think God heals today, and NT gifts have likely not ceased, but miracles in the Bible were often fully documented in the open (Acts 3.1-10) and were related to the witness to Jesus among unbelievers (Acts 3.11-26) Most were not in support of a “gospel” that is about health and wealth. Or for the glorification of a church or “faith healer” (Acts 4.1-22)

We Left and Came to Texas Years Ago
‘11 Great Reasons To Stay In California’ (Babylon Bee, 3/24) We love CA and our relatives there. Unfortunately, this humorous take is too close to true … maybe that is what makes it sadly humorous

Christians Ended Slavery in the West
“‘Amazing Grace’ and the abolition of slavery” (Christian Post, 1/19)

Real Social Change
‘Social change can’t happen without revival’ (Christian Post, 1/19)

News You Can Use
‘How Not to Pray; Learning from Pharisees and Pagans (Desiring God, 1/20)

WEF & Elite Hypocrisy (of course)
‘The rich and powerful flocked to Davos via private jet to discuss climate change, study finds’ (Yahoo News, 1/17) The WEF (not to be confused with the WWE) would be a laughing stock if it wasn’t so dangerous

RIP, Music Edition
‘David Crosby, Iconoclastic Rocker, Dead at 81’ (Rolling Stone, 1/19

A Discussion About God’s Word
‘‘Jesus Is Inescapable’: ‘Bible 101’ Authors On Why Scripture Is Here To Stay; Two Christian biblical scholars share how they zeroed in on key components of God’s Word. (Christianity Today, 1/13)

No, Next Question

‘Is Christianity Misogynistic?’ (Crossway, 01/09)

RIP
‘Died: Jack Hayford, Pentecostal Pastor Who Wrote “Majesty”; Foursquare leader put emphasis on praise and penned the most popular church song of the 1990s’ (Christianity Today,  01/09 also Christian Post) Hayford was a bridge builder who started ministry as a youth guy. He upheld traditional charismatic values, but was not prone to excess as a Pastor

RIP Music Edition
‘Jeff Beck, legendary rock guitarist and musician, dead at 78’ (CNN, 1/11)
‘Lisa Marie Presley, singer and daughter of Elvis, dies aged 54” (BBC, 1/13)

 Congo Safer Than Nashville
‘Pastor who fled war in Congo is shot dead, left like ‘trash’ in Nashville’ (Christian Post, 01/09)  This a sorry situation, it is illustrative of when a society looses a connection with God who is the standard of life and morality.

News You Can Use
‘Begin Where You Are; How to Renew Your Prayer Life’ (Desiring God, 1/12)

‘Died: Jack Hayford, Pentecostal Pastor Who Wrote “Majesty”; Foursquare leader put emphasis on praise and penned the most popular church song of the 1990s’ (Christianity Today,  01/09 also Christian Post) Hayford was a bridge builder who started ministry as a youth guy. He upheld traditional charismatic values, but was not afraid to challenge the excesses

About Those Kings
‘We Three Kings? Interpretations of the Magi “Traverse Afar”’ (Christianity Today, 12/19)

That He Was Born of a Virgin
‘What does the Bible say about the virgin birth of Jesus Christ? (Christian Post, 12/22)

He is Indeed
‘He is (still) there, and He is not silent; Francis Schaeffer’s classic defense of Christian truth turns 50’ (World, 12/19) One of the books we read early on in our faith. It is indeed a classic.

 Worship
‘Worship Isn’t About You’ (Desiring God, 12/17)

Faithfulness in a Hell
‘’Into Ukraine’ documentary highlights God’s faithfulness, resilience of Church amid terrors of war’ (Christian Post, 12/21) Our friends Dema and Maria obviously have a heart for Ukraine. Pray for peace

Bible is True
‘Professor says ancient inscriptions prove Old Testament account “reflects historical reality”’ (Christian Post, 12/20)

Of Course They Do
‘Taliban forbid women to attend universities in Afghanistan’ (World, 12/22) And apparently High School, going without a male relative to the Doctor, or riding in a taxi, etc. etc.

Feminism Looses At the Olympics
‘Female athletes slam IOC’s trans athlete participation guidelines as a “disgrace”’ (Christian Post, 12/22)

Merry Christmas

‘Calvinist Santa Puts Everyone On Naughty List’ (Babylon Bee, 12/23)

Souls Saved
‘Greg Laurie’s SoCal Harvest draws 50K attendees, sees over 8,600 decisions for Christ’ (Christian Post, 11/9)

Thanks for Your Service
‘Remembering the price they paid and the freedom they protected; Honoring our veterans means expressing gratitude’ (World, 11/11)

We Were There First Dept
‘Archaeologists discover Christian monastery in UAE that may predate Islam’ (Christian Post, 11/8)

Pray for Christians in Nigeria
‘Nigeria is deadliest nation for Christians for almost a decade’ (WKRN, EIN Presswire, 11/9)

Yawning in Church
‘You Should Be Bored in Church’ (Christianity Today, 10/5)

Freedom of Religion watch
‘Victims of religious oppression in Turkey reveal why Christian population is dwindling’ (Christian Post, 10/14)

Perhaps Not So Helpful
‘New transgender standards remove age limits; Some parents and doctors push back against pressure’ (World, 10/10) Gender dysphoria is very difficult, whether for the person facing it or the parents of a minor child.  Leaving aside the biblical standard of God giving either male or female chromosomes, the push for “gender affirming care” may not be so affirming. And questionable at the most generous, for minors. It may be science blindly following culture, and a sad one at that, rather than science and doctors first doing no harm. See also “Our voices can no longer be denied”

Bad Sign
‘High school class of 2022 had lowest ACT scores in over 30 years, data shows’ (AP, 10/14)

 No Devil
‘Skillet’s John Cooper says the devil didn’t create Rock music: “Belongs to God”’ (Christian Post, 10/7) He probably didn’t, but we remember Rock an Roll being the last of a triad mantra of rebellion

It Takes Time
‘But this isn’t how God works; Getting stronger doesn’t happen overnight. Neither does shaving a few seconds off your 40-yard dash time.’ (Christian Post, 9/30)

 RIP
‘Died: Brother Andrew, Who Smuggled Bibles into Communist Countries’ (Christianity Today, 9/27) God’s Smuggler was one of the first books we read after becoming a Christian in the early 70’s. more

 Free Will
‘Why do good parents have wayward children?’ (Christian Post, 9/27) This is true from the beginning, when one wasn’t just wayward but a murderer, and Judas who although chosen by Jesus was a betrayer leading to death. See John 18 this Sunday, 10/2/22

Not What You Think
‘Missionary Group Buys Luxury Yacht’ (Christianity Today, 8/22) along with some other news briefs