Pain In the Left Behind

John Hagee is a TV Evangelist who is leading a campaign to let Israel fight. This is a definite must-read article which shows the outgrowth of an eschatology (end-times teaching) run amuck.

(HT: Boars Head Tavern)

Balance that with a John Piper sermon from 2004 regarding Israel and the Middle East.

As believers in Jesus Christ, I think we should be careful in how quickly we just blanketly support the nation-state of Israel.

They reject Christ as Lord.

UPDATE: Here's a great quote from another good article on the same subject.

We don't love Israel more than we love Jesus. And we don't love Israel too little to tell our Jewish friends the truth. That's why we must emphasize evangelism, of Jew as well as Gentile. No one will inherit the Kingdom of God apart from Christ. The dual covenant heresies of some prominent charismatic television preachers should be denounced and abhorred by every faithful Christian. The current secular state of Israel is not the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham; Jesus is.

Nonetheless, the state of Israel is the guardian of post-Holocaust world Judaism. This does not necessitate that we support every political decision of the Israeli government. But it does mean that we stand with Israel against every form of anti-Semitic violence because, first of all, we know that these are the kinsmen according to the flesh of our Messiah.

You can read the whole article from Russ Moore here.

(HT: Between Two Worlds)

Protect the Helpless

The premature birth of Caleb has reinforced for us the incredible hideousness of abortion. As we look at our little boy and pray for his continued development, it is absolutely mind-boggling that anyone could take the life of a child! While still in the womb two weeks ago he wasn't just a piece of tissue!!

Oh the depths of the depravity of men and women who have exhanged the glory of the Creator for that of the creature. (Romans 1)

Back in January, I called attention to an article that I found to be very disturbing. It is about people in New York City who not only have but encourage late-term abortions. There is an evil here that is so deep, I still don't know how to describe it. Check out my post here.

Also, Walden Media (producers of the Narnia films) is coming out with a movie about the life of William Wilberforce. He was the one who labored to abolish the slave trade and ultimately outlaw slavery in England in the mid-1800s. It is an awesome story. I read his biography in a book by John Piper a couple of years ago.

I pray that God will raise up someone like Wilberforce who will fight against the grave injustice of abortion, the ultimate sin against the most helpless.

Lord, have mercy on our nation.

Caleb's Blog

I've created a blog for Caleb where we'll be posting updates and pictures.

Check out COURAGEOUS CALEB

URL:

http://www.calebcy.blogspot.com

July 10, 2006

Well, I'd like to introduce my son, Caleb Christopher Yarborough.
He decided he wanted to come on out a little early, 3 months early.
He weighed in at only 2 lbs 8 ounces and 15 inches long.
God has been very gracious to us and provided wonderful support from family, friends and the medical staff.
Kristina and I came home tonight.
Very hard to leave him there.
We have a long road ahead of us and appreciate your prayers.
It's been a crazy three days and we're very tired, so I'll post some photos later.

"The American Way"

Last Saturday we went to see Superman Returns at the IMAX theater. My parents, Kristina's parents, my sister and brother-in-law and a couple of friends joined us. The first thing my folks said when we got in line was, "I heard they took out 'american way'. Is Superman un-American now?" They were just reciting what they had heard in the media.

Oh man. I heard a guy on the radio talking about it today as well. May be I'm a commie or something cause I didn't think it was that big of a deal.

From a practical standpoint it makes sense. This movie is being shown all over the world. Do you think folks on other parts of the planet are going to be rooting for a superhero who fights for the "American Way"? Doesn't sell a lot of popcorn outside the States.

What is the American Way anyway?

The American way of life. I understand. And while I think we live in probably the best country in the world, is the American way of life the best way to live? As a Christian, should I be so quick to defend the American lifestyle?

See my earlier entry http://yarbucks.blogspot.com/2006/06/imonk-american-idolatry.html

Oh well, we're going to see Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest tonight. I'll keep an ear out to see if they left out any references to British Imperialism.

More Thoughts about "Forgiveness"

A few weeks ago I wrote some initial thoughts on the subject of forgiveness. I've been wrestling with a personal issue for a couple of years in regards to this subject.

It's really tough to know when to keep silent when you've been wronged and there's been no attempt to reconcile, especially between believers.