The Simple Life

Alcohol…Friend or Foe According to Time magazine (October 31, 2011), the United States spends $224 billion a year to cover the cost of excessive drinking in the U.S.   According to About.com, on October 25, 2011, we have spent approximately one trillion dollars fighting the war in Iraq. The war started March 20, 2003, which means that at the writing of this article, we have been fighting there for about 8½ years (which I will round off to 9 years to make the math easier). If these figures are accurate, while we have spent approximately 1 trillion dollars fighting this war, we have spent twice as much cleaning up the messes left by the excessive use of alcohol (over 2 trillion dollars). On 9/11 about 3,000 innocent people died. In Iraq, there were/are 4,481 who were killed, and 32, 195 who were seriously wounded. (Total number killed: 7,481) In that same period we lost between 711,000 and 900,000 lives to alcohol abuse (depending on whose statistic...

Sometimes we have a hard time understanding what we mean when we say church . To some, it is an institution that has been put in place for their personal benefit. To others, it is a place to visit, to be religious on Christmas and Easter, before attending family gatherings and celebrations. Still others use the church as a crutch for whatever ails them. The church in America has become somewhat impotent, yet the reasons for such a slippage into meaninglessness seem to be a mystery. To most, church attendance is not that important, and we have made it legalistic to be required to attend. In fact, a football game, a late night party, or a summer cottage can take the place of going to church, and we have no guilt, shame, or remorse for our actions. Some might look at this problem as that of the individual, and there is some merit to assigning the problem to the people. Certainly, the church has become something we do instead of who we are. It has become something we give to, rather th...

Dave Wager davewager.com

So often we desire something so badly that we make it true. In fact, we might even say, “Well, it is true to me,” or “It is true for this person or that person,” and watch the people we are talking to nod their heads in agreement. In reality, the people we are with should be nodding their heads in disgust. It is typical of mankind to want to make up truth. In the Christian world we often hear people talk about God leading them, when in reality, they are leading God by their wishes and desires. They so want something to happen or be true that they assign the "God's will " tag to it to silence their critics. We often craft the stories we tell to our friends about ourselves and our lives so that the image we want to portray is clear. Oprah, who grew up Baptist, once declared that Jesus Christ could not be the only way to heaven. Rob Bell, who cannot fathom the idea that Ghandi would be in hell, has decided that eternal punishment is not consistent with what his wishe...

1 Peter 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. Jesus, the creator and sustainer of all life, of all things gave himself so that we might escape hell? No. So that we might have a sugar daddy in the sky? No. So that we might have fellowship in a local church? No. So that we might have hope for the future? No. Sometimes we get things mixed up because we want to mix it up. This verse is often quoted but seldom applied. We love the idea of God dying for us, that makes us feel very special as it should. But we forget as to why He died, the reason that is stated in this verse. He died so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. His death was not just about saving us in our death it was and is about life. Life now, life abundantly, life that gives meaning. We have no life without His death, His death is meaningless if it has no effect on our lives, today. Titus 2:11-13 ...

Colossians 3:1-10 Chapter 3   Put On the New Self   1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.   5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.   Ephesians 5:1-12   Walk in Love   1 ...

1 Samuel 8:7-9 7 And the Lord said to Samuel, "Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9 Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them." This was democracy in action. The people voted, the people demanded, and the people were wrong. It is easy to get into a frenzy and join the rest of the sheep in running in circles. The other nations have a king; we do not. They are normal; we are not. We want to be normal; we do not care what it costs us. Sometimes we can be most foolish. God certainly gives man real choice and allows this real choice to be translated into real consequences. We the people are only free w...