Free Blogging Course

I'm evaluating a multi-media course on blogging from the folks at Simpleology. For a while, they're letting you snag it for free if you post about it on your blog.

It covers:

• The best blogging techniques.
• How to get traffic to your blog.
• How to turn your blog into money.

I'll let you know what I think once I've had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it's still free.

Starbucks

My wife and I stopped in for a cup of coffee the other day. While travelling toward home, she read me a quote on one of the cups. It was titled "The Way I See It #275:
When I wake up in the morning, I want to know that my family, friends and fans know what I believe in and what I'm all about. That's what should be important. Robert Randolph"
I don't know who Robert Randolph is.
I do know that we had just come from Sunday School where we talked about the Big I being the cause of sIn.
At first blush, we talked about how this was an example of the Big I.
I decided that was worth putting on the Blog.
However, as I have contemplated this, I realized there may be more truth to this than I first thought.
We are finishing up a study on discipleship at our Wednesday night group, where we have emphasized the importance of witnessing to our faith in the Lord.
When I apply Mr. Randolph's thoughts to that, I am forced to ask myself these questions:
Does everyone around me know what I stand for?
Do they know what I believe?
Can they tell from simply observing my life what is most important to me?
Can people see that Jesus is Lord by noting my actions?

What about you?

http://www.practicalbibleteaching.com/

All Gloom and Doom?

I lifted the following quote from a prayer alert that was sent to me today:
Worse yet, if the vacancy doesn't occur until after the November elections and conservatives do lose control of Congress, we can very likely kiss goodbye our current opportunity to shift the Supreme Court of America. This would be the most devastating setback of our day. The consequences are unthinkable. The killing of babies and pro-death culture would continue, God would continue to be unwelcome in schools, government and public life and another generation would spiral further downward into Godless, humanistic relativism. Our God-given destiny in America could be lost indefinitely, perhaps forever. We simply cannot allow this.

This is a major thrust of the article that was sent to me. It is a call for prayer, and that part I can relate to. I cannot, however, relate to such statements as "likely kiss goodbye our current opportunity" or, "America could be lost indefinitely, perhaps forever."

Fear will not drive us to believing prayer. It drives to frantic prayer without much belief.
God honors faith, not fear. (Heb. 11:6)

Another implication from the alert is that we change things at the political level. Again, I can relate to that; but it is not the area of our greatest concern.
Not only are the weapons of our warfare not carnal, what we war against is not visible. (2 Cor. 10:3-5)

To go to the voting booth without having bathed in prayer is foolish. It is also foolish to simply vote for a "pro-life" candidate. There is more to governing this nation than a particular ideology.

Why can we not vote for someone who has given their heart to the Lord? That is not a question that is asked. Consequently, Mike Huckabee had to state it everytime he had the chance. Where is he now?

As praying Christians, we need to find the mind of God for this election. Then we need to vote in that direction. We will not necessarily find the mind of the Lord in the latest polls, or in a candidate's voting record.

Remember, voting records are a distortion of truth in this country.

Pharoah, Saul, the Midianites, and the Assyrians were all raised up by God for a purpose.

We need discerning of spirits to operate once again in the church; not a line-up of ideological agreements.