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Showing posts from June, 2010

An Open Letter to Barack Obama

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Dear Mr. President, I’m a Christian missionary who has previously lived and worked in Washington, DC. I write this letter out of concern for the great nation that you currently lead. Yesterday you held a “Gay Pride” reception at the White House. I first found out about this after discovering a lesbian teenager was invited to attend. Constance McMillen, a Mississippi high school student, had her senior prom canceled because she couldn’t take her “girlfriend” to the prom. In an interview two years ago at Saddleback Church in California, Pastor Rick Warren asked you to define marriage. You replied, “I believe that marriage is the union between a man and a woman. Now, for me as a Christian...it’s also a sacred union. You know, God’s in the mix.” As a Christian, Mr. President, why are you publicly endorsing lifestyles that clearly go against God’s word? As a brother in Christ, I strongly advise you to read Romans 1:18-32 and 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. By encouragi

Hospitality and the Harvest

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Being a missionary can be an exciting adventure but it will challenge one to go beyond their comfort zone. In her book “Tramp for the Lord,” Holocaust survivor Corrie ten Boom wrote about traveling from place to place having to sleep in a different bed every night. This elderly Dutch woman was grateful for the many people who gave her places to stay so she could share God’s love throughout the world. I believe Corrie reaped a harvest of hospitality as a result of her family hiding Jews from the Nazis during World War II. Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines hospitality as “the act or practice of receiving and entertaining strangers or guests without reward, or with kind and generous liberality.” There are numerous examples in Scripture of God’s people extending hospitality. In Genesis 19, Lot eagerly invited into his home two traveling strangers who turned out to be angels. Lot not only housed and fed his guests but also protected them from the Sodomites. In return, the

Dana Key (1953-2010)

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Last night I was surprised to learn of the death of Dana Key, one half of DeGarmo & Key. This group was among the pioneers of Christian rock music. (It’s also interesting to note Key was a direct descendant of Francis Scott Key, the author of "The Star Spangled Banner.”) DeGarmo & Key were the first Christian group to have a music video appear on MTV. Strangely enough, the original video for their song "Six, Six, Six" was pulled from rotation on MTV due to violent content. MTV was supposedly unaware that DeGarmo & Key were a Christian band when their video for "Six, Six, Six" included a short scene of a man representing the Antichrist being set on fire. DeGarmo & Key were allowed to submit a re-edited version, which was placed back into rotation. While I didn’t listen to DeGarmo & Key’s music a whole lot, Dana wrote a book that impacted my life as a young Christian. “Don’t Stop the Music” was a response to the anti-"Chris

Your Way or Yahweh

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Before the Interstate Highway System was constructed, a popular road Americans traveled on was Route 66. At one time, this legendary highway stretched from Chicago to Los Angeles. Nowadays, you will find historical markers where this highway once existed including the town of Atlanta, Illinois from where I’m writing this article. There is another well-known highway once numbered 666 located near the “four corners” section of the southwestern United States. Route 666 was often referred to as “Devil's Highway” because of the number associated with the antichrist. Partially because people kept stealing road signs numbered 666, that highway has since been renumbered 491. Spiritually speaking, there are many people traveling down Route 666. Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Yet multitudes believe that they will be okay for eternity traveling down paths of their own making. Last night, I stoppe