I toyed with the idea of blogging about the Higgs Boson and its implications both theologically and philosophically, but then something happened last night. My wife, daughter, future son in law and grandson and I all went to a local fireworks show. It is the same one that all of us, plus my other daughter (my grandson's mother) and son in law went to last year. My grandson has been talking about fireworks ever since. So we fully expected that it would be a terrific time. And it was. But something happened that none of us expected. My grandson sat down on his mini-folding chair and was ready for the fireworks to start. And they did. But they were loud! And close overhead! And he got - shall we say, concerned? So concerned that he jumped into my arms and squeezed my neck tightly, and stayed there, or with his Mimi or Aunt Yaya for the entire rest of the show! Of course the idea of holding my grandson tight for that time was an unexpected pleasure. And, he never cried or complained. He even watched the fireworks in the reflections in the windows of the cars behind us. But he would not look up or let us go. And it reminded me of the Father's love for us. We are so concerned to be "mature" and deal with life as it comes. And that is probably is the right way to live. But sometimes the sounds "bump in our ears" (his words) too loudly and the spectacle is just too close for comfort. So all we want to do is run into His arms. Well, do it! I have a feeling that He loves it more than we know. God bless you and have a great day! Pastor Ken

Politics and Prayer

Wow! It has already been another month. Oh well, for the few of you who follow this, perhaps a rare post is preferred anyway! I have been thinking about several things lately. But what is uppermost in my mind is this: Are we too satisfied, and if not, what are we dissatisfied about? What I mean is this. There are a lot of things happening in our culture right now - things which we all know breaks the heart of God. But it seems to me that we can settle for being upset about cultural change without realizing that the only answer to all of this is a radical new great awakening in our country. As long as we focus on the external, cultural aspects, we will do two things. First, we will try to change outward behavior rather than inward character - the very definition of Pharisaism. And friends, I do not want to be a Pharisee! Jesus had more to say condemning them than any other group in his day. And that is because of the second thing such a focus leads to - we end up seeing what others are doing wrong and miss entirely what is wrong in our own hearts. We all know the statistics - divorces are at least as common in the church as outside and perhaps even abortions. Pre-marital sex, gossip, the list goes on and on. What we truly need to to see both ourselves and this world as God sees it, and to admit that the only answer is to be found on our knees, not at the ballot box. Is it time to stop screaming and start praying? Well, I don't know about the first part, but I know we must get on our knees now! Trying to change our society from the outside in will only result in anger and perhaps, eventually, persecution. Allowing God to change us - starting with me and the church - from the inside out will result in revival in the church and a great awakening without. Those of you who know me well know just how political I am and can be. I can't promise that I will stop being that way. But I do know I need to pray more and speak less! So pray for me. And pray for our country.

Pastor Ken

What the Bible says about sex

I was going to blog about something else this week, but I found this article on FoxNews.com too interesting. What do you think about it? http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/01/03/what-bible-really-says-about-sex/?test=faces.

Pastor Ken

"If you only knew..."

This post represents a new commitment to posting at least once a week. Mostly, I will be posting observations from some of my teaching. Today I had one of those moments that frightens and makes Pastors mad. I had a student at the University where I teach submit not one, but two papers which were plagiarized word for word. When I called him on it and reminded him that doing so was grounds for expulsion from the University, he told me about how hard his life had been lately and asking for another chance. Now, I am going to give him another chance, but the idea that having a hard time somehow justifies us cheating and stealing, for that is what plagiarism is, just floors me! The truth is that we can all do what is right when there is no cost or bother to doing so. But our character is shown when we do what is right when it isn't easy. We're all sinners? Of course! But Christians are sinners saved by grace who are called to depend on the power of the Holy Spirit to grow the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. So many times I have told my congregation that it isn't obedience when you want to do it - only when you don't want to. Of course times can be tough. But if we are not going to let the power of God change our lives, what is the point?

Pastor Ken

A long time

Well, it has been a long time since I posted anything to this blog. But, in the immortal words from Independence Day "I'm baack!" I was thinking about a set of articles in Christianity Today on the historicity of Adam and Eve and the implications for Christianity of recent genetic evidence that suggests that there cannot have been just a single set of parents for the human race. Now, I must confess, I don't understand all the genetics involved. But, as Francis Collins is one of those involved, I have no reason to doubt that this reflects the most recent scholarship on the subject. I am not prepared to comment on whether I believe it all to be true, though I remember just how many times the "assured findings" of science have turned out to be false. At this point, my only request is that we hold this conversation about the implications, biblically and otherwise, in a civil manner and not question the salvation of those with whom we might disagree. Regardless of what happens, I know that the very human condition we all share of being sinners with no means of saving ourselves, is still curable by the applied blood of Jesus Christ! I am content to follow the discussion, even enter in once in a while, and continue to trust Jesus until that day in glory when we will all be able to laugh at some of the things we thought were so important!

Pastor Ken

PS - Go to Christianity Today for a more complete coverage of the actual discussion.

What Love Demands

It is two days after Christmas. I have had a great time with my family, and now it is time to get back to work - and that means thinking! All during this holiday season a thought has been going through my mind. Or perhaps I should say, a question. Christmas reminds us that the central principle of Christianity is love - Love for God and for our fellow human. We all remember that Jesus told us that the first and greatest commandment is to love God completely, and our neighbor as ourselves. Doing that is difficult in just about every situation, but it is very problematic in the political arena. An example came on Christmas day when someone in my family asked me what I thought about a sticky political question (yes, we do talk politics, even at Christmas). As I tried to formulate an answer I found myself reflecting on what I would say based on my love for others. Should I say that a particular action should be forbidden because it is inherently harmful and sinful, and preventing people from sinning is a loving act, or should I say that we should give others freedom, even when that freedom leads to sin, because that is what God has done to us? I honestly do not have the answer right now. But I am thinking. What do you think?

Pastor Ken

Another month! But I really don't want to write anything unless I have something to say that might be worth hearing. Of course, by that standard, maybe, . . . . Oh well. Today, I just want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! This is such a great time of year. For those of us who are believers, we get all the best. First, there is the family aspect of it. I love all the time we get to spend with family. We will celebrate with my brothers and sister on January 1st. It is always fun and interesting when the 20 or so of us get together (including children and, now, grandchild). We will celebrate with Cheri's side of the family on Christmas Day. Again, there will be around 20 of us and the day will be filled with love, laughter and music. And, best of all, we will have time with our own children for several days surrounding Christmas. I could go on and on. Family is a great part of Christmas for all of us. May your family time be as fun and meaningful as ours!

Then there is the whole wonder, which we will rediscover this year with our grandson. This is the first Christmas where he will have some understanding of the gift part. We expect a lot of wrapping paper and joy as he opens gift after gift - more than he will likely be able to play with! I know Cheri and I have already put back several things we got to give at his birthday in January, just because we bought so much!

But the best part, of course, is the realization all over again of just what Christmas means. It never gets old to me to reflect again on what God was doing that first Christmas. It is popular in philosophical circles to assert that God is so far above us that we cannot hope to really know anything about Him at all. And, to a certain extent, this is surely true. How could I, finite as I am, hope to know much of anything about God? But Christmas changed all that. Because that is when God began the process of making himself known to us - of accommodating himself to our sphere. Everything I need to know about God I learn in Jesus. He is God in the flesh. And while there is more to God than can be seen in Jesus, there is no less. That He would be willing to take on humanity is mind-boggling. This Christmas I want to learn again just what that means and who He is. It is the best gift of all!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Pastor Ken

With Thanksgiving

It is now just about a week until Thanksgiving - that uniquely American holiday. And it reminds me of a scripture: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Phil. 4:6, NIV). It is but one of the many verses where we are told to give thanks to God. But this one is in the context of prayer requests. And I remember some of the discussions I have heard about just what this means. Do we thank God for what has happened? But if we have needs, doesn't that imply that God my have actually caused the need? And, would God do that? On the other hand, should we thank God that we can take our needs to Him? But does that mean that we don't trust that God may have had a reason for the need we are now presenting? After many decades of ministry experience, I think I may finally have the answer: Just say "thank you, Lord." We do not have to understand everything. I suspect that much of what we think we do understand we are probably wrong about, anyway. So just say, "Thanks!" God will figure out the rest. Because the truth is, I am thankful. For everything. Especially for the privilege of taking my needs to God and knowing that He listens and, yes, answers my prayers. Have a good Thanksgiving! Eat some turkey for me!

Pastor Ken

Confession

Yes, I have a confession. I have not written anything for this blog for over a month because . . . I forgot my password! I would blame age, but I am not willing to admit yet that I am getting older. Though the other day when I went to the golf course they were offering a senior card which would save 40% every time I played. I took it. Unfortunately, senior is quite a bit older in golf than it is in racquetball. I remember a few (well, OK, many) years ago when I saw that they were having a seniors tournament for those over 35. Ah well . . . .

So what am I thinking right now? Well, the election is coming up. That's it. Vote!

Pastor Ken

A long time

Boy, has it been a long time since I wrote for this blog. It has also been a busy time. I want to just admit up front that I carry a lot of doubts around. Not the least of these doubts is the doubt I have from time to time that I am really serving God as He would have me to. This doubt comes primarily from the fact that my congregation is so small and, at least from all practical perspectives, on a collision course with death. Over five years ago we began to have regular prayer meetings asking God to enlarge His kingdom through West Valley Christian Center. Now, I knew what that should have looked like. We would begin to grow as a church, preferably by reaching non-believers, and it would be a steady increase in attendance, offerings and ministry opportunities. Instead I was asked to help an Assyrian Pastor start a church. Then, just over two years ago I was asked to help an Iranian-Armenian pastor start at church. Between those we were approached by a group wanting to start a Spanish speaking church. Then, just over a year ago, I was asked to help a small group to deal with a pretty ugly church split and perhaps help them to begin a new church. All told, those groups now number around 500 people, many of whom are new believers.

This morning one of the churches approached me to say that they were going to be moving to another location. This is a good thing since most of their people come from that other location. But that meant that a part of what seemed to be an answer to our prayers was leaving. That was OK. But wouldn't you know it, within an hour I got a call from another group that wants to plant a new church wondering if we would be willing to partner with them in the process. And yet another group waits in the wings as well.

What does this have to do with my doubt? I have found that my doubts about my effectiveness for the Kingdom is closely associated with the realization that I will never pastor one of those high profile megachurches. And let's face it - that is the definition of success in the American Evangelical Church. But God is showing me that He defines success in completely different terms. I am not saying that pastoring a megachurch is not success. It may well be. But it is the faithfulness that leads to whatever we are doing that constitutes the success. I do not know what God has for my future. I only know that I must be faithful. I trust that what we are doing is a result of faithfulness. But more importantly, I know I must always come back to God and ask Him to examine my heart and show me if I am doing something to be "successful" in His eyes or in the eyes of my peers. The first is the only one that counts.

Pastor Ken

What Am I Missing Here?

Today's news from both the US and UK contains an article quoting Stephen Hawking as saying that there is no need for a god to have made the universe because the laws of physics, specifically gravity, would create the big bang anyway. What I don't understand is where the laws of physics and gravity came from. My reading of people like Dr. John Polkinghorne is that it is the laws themselves, and particularly gravity, which shows the necessity of an intelligent designer for the universe, as there is no need to any of the various laws to be what they are. It seems to me that science is great at telling us what happened after the start, but not what caused the start itself. I realize that some say that positing a God just pushes the question of why there is anything rather than nothing to the question of why there is a God rather than why there is a universe, but the difference is that the universe is obviously a contingent existence, which does demand the "how" and "why" question, while God need not necessarily be contingent. So I guess I don't understand Hawking's point. Put most crudely, "where did gravity come from? And since gravity is the attractive force between masses, where did the masses that gravity acted upon come from? What am I missing here?"

Pastor Ken

Feelings

In one of my most recent blogs I talked about the intimations of mortality that I had as a result of my recent surgery to remove my gall bladder. You go to sleep no knowing if you will wake up. Now, just two weeks later, after having my staples removed (yes they are just what they sound like!), I am feeling so well that I have the exact opposite feeling - I feel, as the Word says, "as though I could run through a troop!" I am healthy, strong, and even able to golf again, and all after two weeks. I have recovered in a bout half to a third of the time they doctors expected. But this feeling of almost invincibility is every bit as wrong as the feelings of mortality earlier. In fact, it is even less realistic. I will leave this world some day. My strength will eventually wane and I may find myself completely at the mercy of others. I know - "that's life." That is just the point. This life contains many illusions - most of them in our own minds. The only antidote is to find out from someone without this tendency to kid ourselves what reality is like. Fortunately, there is someone just like that. Jesus. He had no illusions. I must come closer to Him. I must let Him inform my mind, and hopefully, eventually, my feelings. Because that is the only reality.

Pastor Ken

Help Me Here

I have been thinking a lot about the "culture wars." The most obvious incidence right now is the debate over Proposition 8 in California. What are we who believe that God has lovingly revealed the best possible way to live life to do? This is an especially important question for parents and grandparents. For those who are not parents, I can say from personal experience as well as from observation that becoming a parent radically - and I mean radically - changes you and what you consider important in life. Becoming a grandparent just ups the ante all the more. And when you do become a parent, and then a grandparent, the culture wars take on a very personal note. My belief that God has given humanity free will, and the least I can do is allow my fellow human to exercise that as they see fit, so long as they are not hurting another, comes up against the very real desire to see my children and grandchildren raised in a society that encourages all the right things and discourages all the wrong things. I would not want my daughter to get an abortion unless her life was in danger. I would feel much more confident that it would not happen, and that she would share my value, if society also said that she ought not to. You get my point. And yet, as a believer, I know that just sounding judgmental is a very poor way to get a hearing for the good news of God's love in Jesus Christ. None of us likes being told we are a sinner. And, truth be told, that is not so much my job anyway. I have found that the Holy Spirit does a more than adequate job of convicting of sin without my help. But what about our prophetic responsibility? I am currently reading a biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who is one who can truly be called a modern day prophet. But make no mistake, almost everyone in Nazi Germany thought he was completely wrong, as well as some even in the "Confessing Church." And yet, he was right, even though he did not live to see himself vindicated. Do I stand for a prophetic proclamation in the culture wars? Or do I advise withdrawing and just living a loving, godly life? It is easy to say, "make sure you are called to be a prophet," but, I frankly don't trust someone who is convinced they have that call. it is usually only obvious in retrospect. All of this is a bit rambling, but what I am saying is, let's talk about it! What do you think? Withdrawal into the Christian ghetto? In-your-face opposition that maddens everyone and runs the risk of persecution? What is God calling us to do? Let me know what you think.

Pastor Ken

A Reminder of Mortality

As I sit at my computer it is a day less than a week since I had my gall bladder removed. Now, first, let me say that this is a relatively simple and straight-forward procedure. In fact, they were able to remove my laparoscopically, so I experienced minimal pain and am healing at a remarkable rate - even faster than the best case scenario as outlined by the doctors and medical documentation suggested. But all of that was in the future when I entered the surgical suite last Tuesday. I knew that I had been under a general anesthetic before and had tolerated it well, so there was little reason to expect anything untoward to happen. But it was a more immediate than normal reminder that we are not nearly so much in control of our own lives as we like to think. So, morbid as it might have seemed, I told my wife that I would not have traded anything for the more than 36 years we have had together, and that I wanted her to tell our kids, if anything should happen, that I loved each and everyone of them. I wanted her to tell them that I went into surgery fully confident that I was in God's hands and that, regardless of what happened, I knew that I was in not just good hands, but God's hands. That doesn't mean that I thought that the surgeon couldn't make a mistake, even one that could result in a premature entrance to God's presence, but that, regardless of what the surgeon did, I was certain of my eternal destination. And that is a good feeling!

Pastor Ken

The Walker Decision

It has been almost a week now since Judge Walker handed down his decision overturning Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in California. I have read the entire decision and find many aspects of it troubling - enough to fill several pages. Much of his reasoning is fallacious. Some it reflects either a lack of knowledge regarding, or a willful ignoring of history. And some of it suggest the likely next steps that the secularists will be taking to further marginalize religious people as a prelude to what I believe will be a future persecution of all religions in general and Christianity in particular. The last sentence sounds alarmist, and I have been counseled by some not to make it, but I believe that it is coming and the church must get ready for it now. Let me review a few of the above things I said.

In finding of fact #42, Judge Walker said:
Same-sex love and intimacy are well-documented in human history. The concept of an identity based on object desire; that is, whether an individual desires a relationship with someone of the opposite sex (heterosexual), same sex (homosexual) or either sex (bisexual), developed in the late nineteenth century.

Of course this is not true. If it were then we should expect not to see persons identified as homosexuals in texts prior to the late nineteenth century. But, of course, the identification of persons as homosexual is as old as human writing. How could religious texts, almost all of which date to centuries if not millennia prior the late nineteenth century, have expressly condemned such behavior otherwise? Indeed, homosexual individuals have typically had pejorative epithets directed towards them in most cultures - something which I do not approve, but which shows that such individuals were perceived of as being identified with their sexual behavior.

Finding #46 states: Individuals do not generally choose their sexual orientation. No credible evidence supports a finding that an individual may, through conscious decision, therapeutic intervention or any other method, change his or her sexual orientation.

If this were true, then we would expect to find relatively stable percentages of individuals being gay across cultures and historical periods. But this is not true. Ancient Sparta had an extremely high incidence of bisexual behavior due to their approval of it and the organization of their society. There have been segments of other societies where homosexuality has been more prevalent due to its acceptance or promotion. This shows that such behavior is at least partially caused by the attitudes of society rather than just inborn characteristics.

Finding # 77 states: Religious beliefs that gay and lesbian relationships are sinful or inferior to heterosexual relationships harm gays and lesbians.

This is the opening salvo. Already there are countries where pastors who preached from texts in the Bible that say that God is opposed to homosexual relations have been accused, convicted, and sentenced for "hate speech." This is a "finding of fact" by the judge. It provides the legal rational for labeling all sorts of religious beliefs "hateful" because someone claims to have been harmed by such beliefs.

There are many other such "findings of fact" that I could mention, and I am available to discuss or can send to anyone some of those others. But let me close with one of the "findings of law:" individuals’ moral views are an insufficient basis upon which to enact a legislative classification.

Do you understand what the judge is saying here? Any law which is based on moral views has an "insufficient basis" and can therefore be ruled unconstitutional. That would certainly apply to laws which prohibit public nudity or public intercourse. It might even apply to such moral views as those that would suggest that murder is immoral. Indeed, those who claim that you "can't legislate morality," are usually saying that you can't legislate any morality that they disagree with, but that we should continue to legislate morality which they do agree with!

Lastly, the judge said: The evidence shows conclusively that moral and religious views form the only basis for a belief that same-sex couples are different from opposite-sex couples.

This one statement means that secularism has now been privileged as the only acceptable basis for laws. Morals and religion are no longer allowed to be the basis for laws - and if a judge determines that you voted because of your religious beliefs, your vote does not count!

Friends, I point all of these out because I believe that they represent a grave error and threat to the freedoms of our country. When the majority decision in a duly constituted election can be overturned because it was based on religious or moral values, then we are only a short time away from the decision by those who have seized power based solely on the basis that they are not moral or religious to begin persecuting the moral and religious. Is this alarmist? Only if you don't find it alarming.

My next blog will probably address what I believe the church should be doing in all of this. I am in earnest prayer about our response. Is it time for the church to retreat behind its ghetto walls? We have certainly been guilty of hypocrisy in a magnitude that has undermined our moral credibility. Just one example: the divorce rate amongst born-again Christians is higher than amongst agnostics and atheists. We claim to value God's law and moral relationships, yet we are the worst offenders at violating parts of God's law. Does it mean that God's law should be ignored? Of course not. But it does undermine our attempts to ask society to uphold them if we do not. I am sure that will make many mad as well, so by this time I should have just about everyone mad at me!

Let me close by saying that I really do love gays. I know that seems impossible when so many in our society think that to love someone you must approve of all that they do. But as every parent knows, love is not based on the actions of another individual. Gays are no more guilty of sin than anyone else, for, as the Apostle Paul himself said, "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God."

Pastor Ken

So the decision has been handed down. Another judge has decided that the people do not have the right to do what they have said they want to do. And, I must confess, I actually do believe that there is a higher source of right and wrong which must inform even our right to decide what we want to do, let alone do it. For those of you who are completely lost right now, I am referring to the decision today to declare unconstitutional a constitutional amendment passed in California outlawing same-sex marriage. You may recall that this is the second time that the people of the state of California have voted to restrict marriage to a man and an woman. The first time they were told that it was unconstitutional, so the second time they made it a constitutional amendment. Now it appears, even this may not be enough. The reason? The judge decided that marriage is a civil right. Civil rights are generally considered to be those rights guaranteed by the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments of the constitution, including the right to enter into contracts and to equal protection under the law. Now, if this is a correct definition, and it seems as good as any to me, then the only way I can see that marriage would fall into this category is either to construe marriage as a contract, or to make it a question of equal protection. But be careful! Because if marriage is nothing more than a contract, then civil unions would qualify, and they are already legal in California. But further, if marriage is nothing more than an contract, then people will, indeed must, be allowed to enter into any marriage contract they desire, including multiple marriages. Now I know that many think this won't happen, but it already does in many societies. Some already think this ought to be allowed. The real problem here, though, is the question of where these "rights" come from. Our founders recognized that one could not assert rights based on personal desire. And they certainly disagreed with the idea that one only has the rights granted by the government. The only justification or source they could find to assert rights not granted by the government, but not based on personal desire, was when those rights were firmly grounded in "nature's God." Now, perhaps there are many who are comfortable with equating God's will with their own feelings. I am not. I know the heart of man too well. Without a revelation, there is no way that anyone can claim to know God's will and expect anyone else to agree with them. We must have an external source we can all go to. Historically, that source has been the Bible in our country. Our founders, and even Supreme Court Justices had no problem with this until the last few generations. This is one more example of how our country has set itself adrift on a sea of relativism. That may be exactly what the majority wants. If they do, then it will happen. But we who know the one true God and trust in His Son and His Word know better. And we must insist on living according to that revelation. In the end we cannot stop same-sex marriage, or multiple marriage, or any other number of things forbidden by God's Word from being adopted by our society. But we must insist on following God's will in our own lives and communities. But don't be surprised if sometime in the not so distant future the insistence on doing so results in penalties. That has not only been the way of the world for most of history, but still is in major parts of the world today. Our freedom from persecution in the US has been a welcome respite from the norm in human history. We ought not to be surprised if it is coming to an end.

Pastor Ken

Called Out

So I have been called out about my blog yesterday. I was told by someone whom I love and respect (No, not my wife!) that the important point in the story (you can see it at: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/07/28/court-university-expel-student-opposes-homosexuality/ ) is not that the courts and school insisted on the student having different morals, but that she had refused to counsel homosexual students, which she was required to do in compliance with ACA ethics code. First, let me say that I still maintain that, as Christians, we need to know going in what will be required of us in a job and, if we cannot abide by those rules, not take the job or position rather than take the job and then refuse to do what we were told we would have to up front. And I definitely see the point made that to refuse to counsel someone because of their sexual orientation is wrong. My question in this case (and I don't have enough information at this point to know the answer) is whether she would have been required to affirm the lifestyle of the gay students she would have been counseling. Would that be analogous to requiring a counselor to affirm the correctness of a decision to seek an abortion and help the person not to feel guilty as they do so? Now this question itself probably betrays a lack of understanding of the counseling profession as it stands today. So it may be that my comments on this issue are uninformed, and, as such, out of place. If so, I apologize. And I certainly do not want to be perceived as being opposed to psychology, psychiatry or counseling - I refer people to counselors and firmly believe in the place of both godly and psychological counseling. Both have their place and the Christian should avail her or himself of them as necessary, just as we would any other professional. But the overall warning I sounded yesterday I stand by. While it may be that this case was narrowly decided, i.e. that she violated her agreement to counsel any and all, I do believe that in the popular mind this is more a matter of gay rights and the continued insistence that society must agree that the gay lifestyle is as moral as any other, and that Christians may be increasingly marginalized if we refuse to agree with the changing moral standards of our society. That is not surprising. My point yesterday was that Christians may find there is a financial cost to adhering to our beliefs. Are we willing to pay it? There is so much more I could say - and probably will. But that is enough for now. God bless!

Pastor Ken

Are you ready?

Today a story hit the wires about a Christian student who was expelled from Graduate school in Psychology for not changing her belief that homosexuality is wrong. And so it begins. I can hear the reasoning now: "We in the psychology community know what is right. Christians are wrong (and wrong-headed) and must be prevented from counseling if they insist on letting their beliefs influence that counseling. It is a matter of protecting the integrity of our profession." Wait until that same reasoning is used in medicine (abortion is a right and anyone personally opposed must be barred from practicing medicine), in the law (same argument, among others), police work (when we tell you to break up a church meeting, you must do it), and the list goes on. What do we do about it? Well, of course, the ballot box is still available, at least for now. But we must also prepare ourselves. The main reason Christianity was superseded by Islam was not so much the threat of death, since that was usually not a problem, but the threat of higher taxes! We must decide in advance whether we will choose Christ or our comfort. We may find ourselves second-class citizens if we insist on living out our beliefs. Be warned!

Pastor Ken

What a vacation!

So I have been on vacation for the past week or so. During that time, in addition to driving to San Francisco twice to see my Son and Daughter-in-law, I have also been hospitalized. We did not know what was wrong at first, but eventually it was determined that I have a (quite large) gallstone. They say that gall and kidney stones are the closest thing men feel to delivering a baby. If that is true, then I owe a big apology to my wife! Since being hospitalized, I have had two more attacks. So here I wait for my HMO to decide that they are willing to sit down and talk about surgery, which is the only remediation available. About the only thing I can say is it makes me appreciate the immediate access we have to our Father in heaven - no lines, no bureaucracies, no waiting. In the meantime, I trust I will be back to this blog again soon. God bless!

Pastor Ken

To not decide is to decide

This morning I read an opinion piece by Joseph Bottum in First Things, the journal put out by Evangelicals and Catholics Together. That, by the way, is a journal I would definitely recommend for any thinking person. You don't have to agree with everything to benefit from the thinking you will do when you read it. In the piece he made the statement that to decide to be neutral - to not make a decision - on abortion, is to make a decision. As long as the US allows children to be killed in their mothers' wombs, they will be killed. To want it all to just go away, and for us to stop talking about it is to decide that you want the killing to continue. In this way it is much like slavery before the civil war - there were many who wanted first the Whigs, and then the Republicans to just stop talking about it. But, of course, that would have meant that people would have been continued to be enslaved. It might be that we will have to do more than just talk about it, but not even talking about it is to decide that the killing will continue.

Pastor Ken