Most Treasured

I took down all the vestiges of Christmas yesterday and cleaned the house thoroughly. While putting away the decorations and cleaning the guest bedrooms, I found left behind toys of the grand kids, cookie crumbs their parents had dropped and pieces of torn wrapping paper and bows scattered here and there. Sweet memories of a festive holiday enjoyed.

Reflecting over the past year is something I always find myself doing after the holidays. Someone has said, "Remember that when you take inventory of the things you treasure most, none will have been purchased with money." Isn't that the truth! We had an additional member this year at our Christmas celebration--our youngest grandchild is only 9 months so this was her first Christmas with us. Her three year old sister and 6 year old cousin will have you hurting from laughter with their country accents and hilarious anectdotes. What a joy each of the grandchildren are.

Our daughter, not yet married, came and spent five days with us -- some much coveted time -- she and I are very close and yet have little time together. One of our sons helped his father finish a small project on the shed--time they enjoyed together.

All the things that I enjoyed this holiday season were not bought with money. Yeah, we purchased gifts for everyone and it was fun watching them each open them, but that isn't what I treasure most. As I reflect back on the past year, none of the things I treasure can be bought with money. I have learned that the material things of this life are temporary and can be gone in a moment, but relationships and memories will last a lifetime and no one or nothing can take them from you. Take time this coming year to put your effort and time into things that are truley meaningful.

"Remeber that when you take inventory of the things you treasure most, none will have been purchased with money."

Dana Burk

Sacrificing?

Trying to teach Kindergartners from affluent families about sacrificing for God can be quite a challenge. I'm afraid I didn't do too well with that assignment tonight in the Bible class I taught. I think the closest I came was establishing the fact that we should share what we have with God and give Him back a portion of what He has given us, but even that brought up some really interesting comments and questions from the little ones.

After Bible class, I saw two friends that were visiting; one, a preacher that I have known for over 25 years, the other is a young woman who's husband is a young preacher looking for a place to preach. As the preacher friend and I were reminiscing and talking about my husband's and my impending move to Puerto Rico the young preacher's wife came up to me to talk about a post I had on the blog a week or so ago. I had stated it seemed harder for women to make some of the sacrifices for living for God than it was for men. Particularly I was talking about the sacrifices a preacher makes in moving around. The preacher and I continued our conversation after she left and he talked about how he had "drug" his wife for two years over to Hungary to preach sometime back and some of the frustrations with that difficult move.

Yesterday, some ladies and I were discussing the sacrifices for God that Christians must make. One sister said she didn't feel that we really had to make sacrifices as Christians. After a few minutes of discussing how different ones did sacrifice as Christians, one lady said to her, "You have grown to the point in your life that serving God is not a sacrifice to you because you have seen the fruits that come from serving Him."

I was thinking about all of these conversations about sacrificing...and it is obvious that none of us "ENJOY" making them. We look at the word SACRIFICE as ugly and demanding--obtrusive, interfering with our "want to's". Something that forces us to do what God wants. Yet Paul tells us in Romans 12 that, because of all that God had done for us in providing salvation through sacrificing His own Son, we are to present ourselves as "living sacrifices".

Sacrificing for God should be something I gladly do, something I consider an honor or privilege knowing I can never repay all He has done for and continues to do for me each day. And seeing the fruit that comes from living for God will cause us to grow to the point in our lives that my sister expressed--I want feel that I am sacrificing anything by serving Him. It will be my pleasure.

Dana Burk

The Church is Decorated for Christmas!

I live in a small, middle Tennessee town in a county of about 65,000 people. There are over 50 "churches of Christ" in our small county, it being the dominant faith here. These congregations span the gamut from ultra conservative to ultra liberal in their thinking.

One of the congregations that is in the center of downtown, one of the oldest, is in my way of thinking somewhat liberal and yet they have a number of older members who have resisted the full blown liberalism that so many around here practice and teach. (My 87 year old neighbor is a member there.) I have had a number of discussion about the liberalism creeping into the Lord's church with my neighbor and she has expressed concern for the congregation of which I am speaking.

Yesterday, as I passed through town, I was a little taken back by what I saw--Christmas wreaths decked out with holly and bright red velvet bows streaming down on each of the eight doors leading into the church auditorium. The church is decorated for Christmas!

Don't misunderstand me...I love to decorate for Christmas--my home is decked out with poinsettias, Christmas lights inside and out and stockings hanging from the mantel. But I have a difficult time seeing how it is the place of the Lord's church to participate in the secular things of the world. Neither do I see how the Lord's church should involve itself in things we have no authority for such as celebrating a special holiday for the birth of Christ when the Bible is silent about such celebrations.

It was quite noteworthy that the wreaths and bows on the doors of the church of Christ looked just like the ones on the Methodist's and Presbyterian's buildings just down the block. I was reminded of the verses in 1Samuel 8:6-20 where the people of God said give us a king that we might be like the nations around us. Even in this town dominated by believers, the church is being influenced by the denominations around it.

I love this time of year and the spirit that pervades it, but I fear when the Lord's church leaves its God given purpose and role and involves itself in things secular or unauthorized. I will go worship our Lord and King on Christmas Eve, but not because we will be having a special Christmas service or pageant, but because it will be on a Sunday this year and I always go to worship on Sundays...that is what the Lord has commanded. And I will continue to worship Him throughout the year, not just during the month of December.

What do you think??

Dana Burk

Spirit of the Season

"Friends are God's way of taking care of us."

This was written by a Hospice physician of Metro Denver.

I just had one of the most amazing experiences of my life, and wanted to share it with my family and dearest friends: I was driving home from a meeting this evening about 5, stuck in traffic on Colorado Blvd., and the car started to choke and splutter and die - I barely managed to coast, cursing, into a gas station, glad only that I would not be blocking traffic and would have a somewhat warm spot to wait for the tow truck. It wouldn't even turn over.

Before I could make the call, I saw a woman walking out of the "quickie mart" building, and it looked like she slipped on some ice and fell into a Gas pump, so I got out to see if she was okay. When I got there, it looked more like she had been overcome by sobs than that she had fallen; she was a young woman who looked really haggard with dark circles under her ! Eyes. Sh e dropped something as I helped her up, and I picked it up to give it to her. It was a nickel At that moment, everything came into focus for me: the crying woman, the ancient Suburban crammed full of stuff with 3 kids in the back (1 in a car seat), and the gas pump reading $4.95.

I asked her if she was okay and if she needed help, and she just kept saying "I don't want my kids to see me crying," so we stood on the other side of the pump from her car. She said she was driving to California and that things were very hard for her right now. So I asked, "And you were praying?" That made her back away from me a little, but I assured her I was not a crazy person and said, "He heard you, and He sent me."

I took out my card and swiped it through the card reader on the pump so she could fill up her car completely, and while it was fueling, walked to the next door McDonald's and bought 2 big bags of food, some gift certificates for more, and a big cup of coffee. She gave the food to the kids in the car, who attacked it like wolves, and we stood by the pump eating fries and talking a little.

She told me her name, and that she lived in Kansas City . Her boyfriend left 2 months ago and she had not been able to make ends meet. She knew she wouldn't have money to pay rent Jan 1, and finally in desperation had finally called her parents, with whom she had not spoken in about 5 years. They lived in California and said she could come live with them and try to get on her feet there. So she packed up everything she owned in the car She told the kids they were going to California for Christmas, but not that they were going to live there.

I gave her my gloves, a little hug and said a quick prayer with her for safety on the road. As I was walking over to my car, she said, "So, are you like an angel or something?" This definitely made me cry. I said, "Sweetie, at this time of year angels are really busy, so sometimes God uses regular people."

It was so incredible to be a part of someone else's miracle. And of course, you guessed it, when I got in my car it started right away and got me home with no problem. I'll put it in the shop tomorrow to check, but I suspect the mechanic won't find anything wrong.

Sometimes the angels fly close enough to you that you can hear the flutter of their wings. Psalms 55:22 "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee. He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
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Whether we believe in miracles or not, whether we celebrate Christmas or not, you have to admit there is something about the sweet spirit of people this time of year. I often wish we could hang on to the generous attitudes and the caring for one another that prevails in the month of December thoughout the year. But, I am thankful for it if only for the short season.

Look around you and see who you can help this holiday season...or for that matter, this coming year.

Dana Burk

Why Is it Harder For Women?

We have a preacher from Puerto Rico (where we will be moving Lord willing in May) visiting us this week and so my husband invited a couple of other men who have an interest in Spanish work over for lunch today. As I was cleaning the kitchen and overhearing their conversations I began to think about how for each of them going on "mission trips" and working in foreign cultures seems to be no big deal. The sacrifices that it requires for each of them doesn't appear to be a sacrifice in their minds.

In our ladies Bible class this morning we were discussing in Romans 12 where Paul encourages us to be "living sacrifices" in our service to Him. I don't know about you, but I struggle with that. And it seems to me that it is harder for women than for men (or maybe we just wear our feelings on our sleeves and it is much more obvious). The move we are about to make is very, very difficult for me, but not to the same degree for my husband. I suppose that is a good thing or we would not be going. You think God knew what he was doing when he made man different than woman?

I do envy at times the "toughness" of my beloved husband.

Dana Burk

All Human Knowledge on an IPod?

I was reading an article that was talking about the amount of human knowledge that has been recorded over the millenniums. It stated; "at least 32 million books, 750 million articles and essays, 25 million songs, 500 million images, 500,000 movies, 3 million videos, TV shows and short films and 100 billion public web pages. All this material is currently in all the libraries and archives of the world." (Michael Duduit)

The article went on to say that when all of this material is fully digitized, at the current technological rates, it could be compressed onto a 50 petabyte hard disk. According to the author, you would need a building about the size of a small-town library to house 50 petabytes. It is almost unimaginable to me that all of the world's knowledge can be housed in my local library and yet, that is what technology has done for us. The article went on to make the point that with tomorrow's technology, it will all fit on your personal iPod. Do we live in a great time or what?

God has granted us with the greatest knowledge of all times and the means with which to spread that knowledge literally all over the world. We live in a day when we all enjoy sharing that knowledge with one another. We each have TV's and radios. Almost all of us have e-mail accounts that we check multiple times a day (even my 78 year old father checks his regularly). We surf the web with ease and many of us share our opinions and "knowledge" on blogs and at personal web-sites. We are so free to tell others what we think and how we feel and to espouse the knowledge that we possess.

Francis Bacon said, "For knowledge itself is power". We are a nation and people of knowledge thus a nation of power. How are we using that knowledge and power for God?

In Col 1:23, Paul says the Gospel had been preached to every creature under heaven in his time; "if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister." How was it possible for these early Christians to preach the Gospel to everyone without the Internet and pod casting? If they could do that, why haven't we? We are, as a church, without excuse?

What are you personally doing to spread the gospel?

Cell Phone vs. Bible

I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phones?

• What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?
• What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
• What if we flipped through it several times a day?
• What if we used it to receive text messages?
• what if we treated it like we could not live without it?
• What if we gave it to kids as gifts?
• What if we used it as we traveled?
• What if we used it in cases of emergency?

This is something to make you go hmmmm...where is my Bible? (borrowed)

Did this make you think as much as me? I am not as cell phone conscience as many and yet I never leave home without it. I often leave home without my Bible and I often wish I had my Bible with me. Think I'll get myself a small one to keep in my purse.

Dana Burk

Food for Thought

I'm going out of town for the holidays to visit friends and family so the blog will not be blogged til after next Saturday. But, here are some things that are worthy of thinking on during this next week.

• Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people.
• Learn from the mistakes of others. You can't live long enough to make them all.
• He who loses money, loses much; He who loses a friend, loses much more; He who loses faith, loses all!

Have a great Thanksgiving and may God bless you and yours.

Dana Burk

One More Thought...Or maybe more!

The point was made that there are two different types of marriage (marriage by law and marriage by the church [I assume by the church is meant to be by God]). I'm not sure I agree with that. I understand that the government allows many to marry who have no right in the eyes of the Lord, however, I do not believe that we as Christians should "recognize" those marriages anymore than God does.

You remember when Jesus was talking with the woman at the well in John 4 what He said:
17 The woman answered and said, "I have no husband."
Jesus said to her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband,' 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly." NKJV

Jesus understood that the "Samaritan government" had allowed this woman to be married six times and yet, He did not recognize that she was married (not even civilly). In Matt. 19:9, He says, "And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery." NKJV

I don't say all of this to say that we are to be hateful or ugly to those in "adulterous marriages", but accepting and condoning such does nothing to help convict them of their sin. And, just because the government has now begun to recognize divorce and remarriage for any cause does not make it OK. (Even in the 1940's and 50's divorce for any cause was looked upon as shameful in our society and by our government.) As a Christian, I cannot condone that which is wrong. Again, I would say, as we begin to go back to the point of this discussion, I am all for the government standing against the gay marriage issue. In so doing, the government, at least in this one area, stands with God and that is where I shall stand.

As for depriving a citizen of privileges that go along with marriage.....Isn't the whole point to encourage that which is right--to reward those "who do good" and punish those "who do evil", Rom. 13:4. I guess that is "forcing" people to do what is right. But, once again, what is the purpose of government if not to encourage us to "be good" and punish us when we are not? This may not seem "fair" but, as your mother probably told you, "Life isn't fair!"

We, as Americans, have come to believe that we should have NO rules or regulations. Nonsense! God's book is one long list of rules and regulations..."His ways are not our ways" and His salvation is conditional upon obedience. He set up government, so, it only makes sense that it will have restrictions, rules and regulations which we are to abide by. The further our government ventures from adherence to God's laws, the more corrupt and perverted our society will become. Prov 14:34 says, "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. NKJV

Dana Burk

My Thoughts

One of the big "issues" in our recent discussions has been: Does or should government legislate morality? My answer is a resounding YES! Government always has, and to a great extent, currently does regulate morality. Murder is a matter of morality. Incest is a matter of morality. Stealing is a matter of morality. Drunkeness in public is a matter of morality. Indecency (not being allowed to walk around in the nude) is a matter of morality. Isn't lying to a Grand Jury (a "white collar" crime many are sitting in jail for right now) a matter of morality? Government still, granted to a very limited extent, legislates our television and radio airwaves against indecent language, lewdness and sexual content (remember Janet Jackson's Super Bowl exposure?) Isn't that all about morality, limited though it may be?

Can you picture a world where government does not legislate morality in any way? In fact, I would propose that that is one of the primary purposes of government. In Rom 13:1-4, Paul tells us that we have nothing to fear if we "do what is good". But, if we "do evil", then we should be afraid. This certainly cannot be talking about road building and traffic lights, but rather, morality issues. And Paul is not talking about the Jewish Law of Moses, but rather the secular Roman Government. "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil." (NKJV)

A society that has NO moral legislation would be a society in total chaos--anarchy! God has ordained government for the purpose of legislating morality knowing that man will not voluntarily choose to "be moral". I recognize that our government has strayed far from the laws of God and yet, what laws of God they will adhere to and legislate, I welcome. The nearer we, as a nation, stand to God the easier it is for me, as a Christian, to practice my religion.

The idea that the government legislating moral issues makes it restrictive; prevents the persuit of life, liberty and happiness is just plain nonesense!!! Living in a free society comes with a price. Restrictions! We must all be willing to obey the laws of the land in order to not live in a chaotic mess. Not to be redundant, but....do you want to do away with the laws preventing murder, incest, stealing, lying, cheating, etc. If not why not? They restrict your freedoms don't they? Pursuing life, liberty and happiness has NOTHING to do with the lack of restrictions.

Legalizing anything that God has forbidden only allows it to grow in its acceptance and propagate. That includes gay marriages and homosexuality. Eventually, this acceptance WILL filter even into the church. It is being incredibly naive to think otherwise. Look around you at the denominations who staunchly opposed the gay agenda 15 to 20 years ago and today are ordaining gays to everything infinitum. Brethren in the Lord's church have followed the lead of denominations in their liberal thinking on everything else...if brethren fail to follow the pursuit of the acceptance of homosexuality it will be the first thing they have not tried to immitate.

Satan's incredibley subtle methods of legalizing and accepting sin have convinced so many (even within the church) that these issues have nothing to do with me--they do not REALLY affect my life and beliefs. If you believe that lie you are decieved already. It is Satan's lie about "freedom of choice" that has allowed millions of babies to be murdered. A woman DOES NOT have the right to choose the death of her child. Only God has that right. God's laws are very restrictive and we would live in a far better society if our government chose to obey them.

Dana Burk

WOW!! I Asked You What You Thought!

These are some of the comments I have recieved concerning the article posted last Thursday.


Ed Rangel's comment:
It seems like some Christians think that the government should outlaw all kinds of immoral things and to some extent I agree with that ideology. However, a people that is forced to be moral will not have a change of heart, the law will be obeyed because of the fear of retribution. King Hezekiah failed miserably when he forced the people to do away with idolatry. He left us the lesson that a people as a whole can only be changed one person at a time and not by force. Although, a preemptive attack on moral issues might not be such a bad idea, but what would it accomplish? Several years ago a Texas law on sodomy was challenged yet sodomy still takes place in that very place wherein it is outlawed. Obviously, as you can perceive, my feelings are mixed towards this ideology.

This type of thinking might also bleed into the church, as you already pointed out. Nonetheless, in this holy realm we cannot legislate only abide and comply.

Tracy's comment:
My fiancée and I have debated this very issue a few times. Here are a few points to consider:

1. Should government legislate morality? I agree with Ed Rangel when he says that this can have disastrous consequences, not only because one cannot force a change of heart on someone, but also because I believe it is the Church who should primarily be doing this work. Often, we as Christians hide behind government, asking it to witness for us, instead of doing it ourselves.

2. There are two types of marriage: I see a distinction between marriage by law and marriage by the church. The first we do to follow governmental protocol (giving to Caesar what is Caesar’s), whereas the second is a union before God, designed by Him, one which no man is to break (Matt 19:6). If these are two separate things, then should we dictate what secular marriage is to be?

3. What is government’s purpose in defining marriage? Since the government is secular and for the people, there must be a secular, beneficial purpose to marriage. If there is such a reason for not allowing non-heterosexual marriage, then this amendment is valid. By faith I know that God does not make mistakes; He designed marriage to be between a man and a woman because He knew it was best. Hence, I can trust that marriage between a man and a woman is beneficial to society, whereas homosexual marriage is not.

4. Would legalizing homosexual marriage make homosexuality more commonplace and give people the impression that it is not displeasing to God? If God hates homosexual relations, then would it be wrong for me to “encourage” it by not voting against it? Is voting for this amendment a way that I can do God’s work, influencing society by the laws I choose to support? On the other hand, a key part of the gospel is our freedom to choose who or what to follow, a principle we can reflect by the form of government we support.

5. What are we withholding from couples by not allowing them to get married? I don’t know the answer to this question, but there are privileges marriage confers in the world, such as the right to know medical information about your spouse when he/she has been in an accident, inheritance, tax cuts, etc., that seem wrong to withhold from a couple who want to be married but legally can’t. I can go on and on in circles about this issue, but the bottom line is that I am quite confused about it and I would really like to understand what God’s will is in all of this.

Ed's comment:
I have been studying Ezekiel 22-23 and the prophet paints a frightening picture of the morality in his society. The priests were a joke and themselves liars and thieves. The political leaders were no better and thus created a corrupt citizenship. Having thought more about Dana's post I feel even stronger that the judicial system is not the place to legislate morality. What propels this thought process is the fact that most of our leaders have a warped sense of what morality really is; what they think instead of what God says. No doubt that many politicians prey on our fears and offer us what we want to hear in order to elect them (hopefully I'm just cynical). Someone once said in reference to the immoral lifestyle of Ezekiel's time: "Ezekiel 23 is a mirror reflecting what current society, including national and state leaders, does behind closed doors. A steady lifestyle of this no longer bars the path to the White House. Such men and women as these are not answers to our moral and spiritual problems; they are part of the problems themselves!"

ukce1861's comment: (These are comments posted in answer to the original blog which my daughter sent me thus explaining this first paragraph. Dana)
I have a few comments on your post and some of the responses. Quite a few actually… I’d be happy to discuss things further or leave it altogether. I would have posted on your blog, but I’m not “Gold” and didn’t feel like paying the $5 a month to do that…

1. “Anybody but a Republican”, huh? So you voted FOR the party that advocates abortion and advancing the gay agenda? You voted FOR the party that advocates for a pull-out from Iraq leading to the further destabilization of an already destabilized and dangerous region? That’s interesting. Why? I can’t believe no one has asked that question in the comments yet, so I’ll be the first. To a point, I understand your frustration with the Republican Party. I too am frustrated. On many issues, they have sold out. Immigration and Prescription Drugs come to mind. However, the Democratic Party is as bad and worse on most issues. I can’t think of an issue where my stance is closer to that of the Democrats than the Republicans. And I’ll be honest with you; this election, I was pretty close to a one-issue voter. We must “stay the course” in Iraq. Osama bin Laden and President Ahmadinejad (of Iran) have made it very clear that Iraq is central to their plan for the worldwide Islamic Caliphate. May I remind you this is the guy who prayed for Armageddon on the floor of the UN? These people are actively working to bring about the “end of the world” as they understand it. They are preparing facilities right now for the return of the Mahdi (their version of the Messiah). It doesn’t matter whether you believe in this stuff or not; they do. We ARE involved in a Holy War, even if it’s not one of our choosing. For that reason, I can’t support the Democrats.

2. Item by item on your gay marriage points.
“Government should not legislate morality.”
So you support giving children access to pornography at any age?
So you support allowing abortions at any time for any reason?
So you support allowing polygamy, marriage to the household pet, etc?
And of course you support the legalization of prostitution and “recreational” drugs, right?

Of course the government legislates morality. I don’t see how the passage from Romans that was posted previously couldn’t apply here. If God appoints government as his minister, you don’t think he’d want them to minister with morality?

“Knee-jerk constitutional amendments are a very bad idea, and are very seldom beneficial.”
Isn’t this a knee-jerk reaction to a knee-jerk amendment? Just because something is “bad” some or even most of the time, doesn’t not mean it is always bad. I don’t know about you, but if there were a constitutional amendment to ban abortion, I don’t care if it was “knee-jerk” or not, I’d vote for it in a heart beat. Let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater.

“’Same sex marriage’ is not legal in TN now. We don't need language added to the constitution that is already handled by other legislation.”The judiciary has demonstrated numerous times that it WILL legislate from the bench. The only way to keep existing laws from being struck down as unconstitutional is to add them to the constitution. It will be interesting to see how these [State Constitutional Amendments] stand up when they are appealed to the Supreme Court for conformance to the US Constitution, but it is at least an additional layer of protection. Especially with controversial and “hip” issues like gay marriage, the only protection we have is constitutional amendments. Existing laws have been demonstrated repeatedly to be inadequate.

“The amendment does nothing to "protect" existing marriage. Even if gay people were allowed to marry, it won't affect a straight marriage one bit. Over 50% of marriages end in divorce now already; its a misnomer to cast this initiative as ‘protecting families and marriage.’”
While it might be a BIT of a misnomer, I don’t really see it as inaccurate. Currently, marriage is basically defined by most common sense people as 1 man, 1 woman. There are those who would like to change that to 2 men; 2 women; 1 man, multiple women; 1 man, 1 dog; ad infinitum. So formally and legally defining the institution of marriage as 1 man, 1 woman, will protect marriage. How could it not? Do we need to strengthen marriage between 1 man and 1 woman? Yes. Does that mean we should allow further dilution in the process? Absurd. As for families, it does strengthen them. God has defined a family as 1 father, 1 mother and children. Legal marriage entitles a couple to a whole host of rights. Among those is the right to adopt children much easier. I realize this happens now, but it will become much more widespread if gay marriage is legalized. Not to mention, if you think the gay agenda in education is bad now, just wait till gay marriage is legalized and that becomes even more of an accepted lifestyle. Oh, and if you want to laugh at me for saying gay marriage opens the door for polygamy and other forms of marriage, don’t. What stops those people? Why don’t they have the same right to define marriage as they see fit? What legal standing do you have to deny them? None. The battle for cultural acceptance of polygamy has already started and will intensify in the near future. HBO started a series (http://www.hbo.com/biglove/) featuring a polygamous family and I would say within 5 years there will be at least one network show featuring such a relationship. The gay agenda was advanced in the same way. Remember all the controversy about Candice Bergen being an unwed mother on Murphy Brown? That was 1992, folks, 1992! Less than 15 years ago. Look how far we’ve come now. Gays were introduced into television shows and shown to be an “acceptable lifestyle choice”. If we cave on gay marriage now, we will have NO STANDING WHATSOEVER when polygamy and marrying nonhuman or inanimate objects comes up, and trust me, it will.

“Its restrictive legislation, and does not promote ‘life, liberty, and happiness’ for all citizens.”
I really think this is just a subset of #1. We have all kinds of “restrictive legislation” and I’m not in favor of getting rid of much of it.

Just a couple of other comments I wanted to respond to.

“I think it is equally sinful of government to deprive someone of medical benefits because they are a homosexual... or worse, because their parents are homosexuals.”
What exactly does this mean? I’m totally lost on this one. How is the government depriving someone of medical benefits? Help me understand this, please. If you’re saying it’s a right to have medical insurance and somehow that’s a function of the government, I couldn’t disagree more…

“It is not the job of government to save souls.”
I don’t see how this law has anything to do with saving souls. I see it as protecting families and our society.

“And we will not save souls by alienating them and depriving them of their needs.”
How are we alienating them? Don’t you think we should tell them that their lifestyle is wrong?

“I don't think Christ would have denied someone of health insurance”Is that really what this is all about? Wow… I always thought Christ had bigger fish to fry than health insurance…

One Flaw in Woman

By the time the Lord made woman, He was into his sixth day of working overtime. An angel appeared and said, "Why are you spending so much time on this one?"

And the Lord answered, "Have you seen my spec sheet on her? She has to be completely washable, but not plastic, have over 200 movable parts, all replaceable and able to run on diet coke and leftovers, have a lap that can hold four children at one time, have a kiss that can cure anything from a scraped knee to a broken heart and she will do everything with only two hands."

The angel was astounded at the requirements. "Only two hands? No way! And that's just on the standard model? That's too much work for one day. Wait until tomorrow to finish."

But I won't," the Lord protested. "I am so close to finishing this Creation that is so close to my own heart. She already heals herself whenshe is sick AND can work 18 hour days."

The angel moved closer and touched the woman. "But you have made her so soft, Lord."

"She is soft," the Lord agreed, "but I have also made her tough. You have no idea what she can endure or accomplish."

"Will she be able to think?", asked the angel.

The Lord replied, "Not only will she be able to think, she will be able to reason and negotiate."

The angel then noticed something, and reaching out, touched the woman's cheek. "Oops, it looks like you have a leak in this model. I told you that you were trying to put too much into this one."

"That's not a leak," the Lord corrected, "that's a tear!"

"What's the tear for?" the angel asked.

The Lord said, "The tear is her way of expressing her joy, her sorrow, herpain, her disappointment, her love, her loneliness, her grief and her pride."

The angel was impressed. "You are a genius, Lord. You thought of everything! Woman is truly amazing."

And she is! Women have strengths that amaze men. They bear hardships and they carry burdens, but they hold happiness, love and joy. They smile when they want to scream. They sing when they want to cry. They cry when they are happy and laugh when they are nervous. They fight for what they believe in. They stand up to injustice.

They don't take "no" for an answer when they believe there is a better solution. They go without so their family can have. They go to the doctor with a frightened friend. They love unconditionally. They cry when their children excel and cheer when their friends get awards.


They are happy when they hear about a birth or a wedding Their hearts break when a friend dies. They grieve at the loss of a family member, yet they are strong when they think there is no strength left. They know that a hug and a kiss can heal a broken heart.

Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors. They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you to show how much they care about you. The heart of a woman is what makes the world keep turning. They bring joy, hope and love. They have compassion and ideals. They Give moral support to their family and friends. Women have vital things to say and everything to give.

HOWEVER, IF THERE IS ONE FLAW IN WOMEN, IT IS THAT THEY FORGET THEIR OWN WORTH.
(borrowed)

What Do You Think?

My daughter sent me this e-mail last night of a discussion she and one of her Christian friends had via an e-mail discussion. She asked her father and me, as well as one of her brothers, what our thoughts were and we expressed them to her. She also responded to the young man in a much longer conversation than is recorded here, but I am curious what some of my readers thoughts are concerning his views. How do you think these types of views will affect the future of the church?


Mom,
One of my Christian friends from TN wrote this on his blog:

"Voted AGAINST the "marriage amendment" to the state constitution. I figure its going to pass anyway, but I'm steadfastly against it. "

so I asked him -
"Why vote against the marriage amendment? interested in hearing your thought process...your comments about politics they are always intriguing :) "

he said:
"Well, there are several reasons.
1. Government should not legislate morality.
2. Knee-jerk constitutional amendments are a very bad idea, and are very seldom beneficial.
3. "Same sex marriage" is not legal in TN now. We don't need language added to the constitution that is already handled by other legislation.
4. The amendment does nothing to "protect" existing marriage. Even if gay people were allowed to marry, it won't affect a straight marriage one bit. Over 50% of marriages end in divorce now already; its a misnomer to cast this initiative as "protecting families and marriage"
5. Its restrictive legislation, and does not promote "life, liberty, and happiness" for all citizens. I'm not FOR gay/same-sex marriage.
It is already illegal, and amending the state constitution for a morality initiative is bad, bad, bad public policy."


Let me know your thoughts on this. I will address this more in the next few days.
Dana Burk

No Charge for Love

A farmer had some puppies he needed to sell. He painted a sign advertising the 4 pups. And set about nailing it to a post on the edge of his yard. As he was driving the last nail into the post, he felt a tug on his overalls. He looked down into the eyes of little boy.

"Mister," he said, "I want to buy one of your puppies."

"Well," said the farmer, as he rubbed the sweat off the back of his neck, "These puppies come from fine parents and cost a good deal of money."

The boy dropped his head for a moment. Then reaching deep into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of change and held it up to the farmer.

"I've got thirty-nine cents. Is that enough to take a look?"

"Sure," said the farmer. And with that he let out a whistle. "Here, Dolly!" he called. Out from the doghouse and down the ramp ran Dolly followed by four little balls of fur.

The little boy pressed his face against the chain link fence. His eyes danced with delight. As the dogs made their way to the fence, the little boy noticed something else stirring inside the doghouse. Slowly another little ball appeared, this one noticeably smaller. Down the ramp it slid. Then in a somewhat awkward manner, the little pup began hobbling toward the others, doing its best to catch up...

"I want that one," the little boy said, pointing to the runt. The farmer knelt down at the boy's side and said, "Son, you don't want that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would."

With that the little boy stepped back from the fence, reached down, and began rolling up one leg of his trousers. In doing so he revealed a steel brace running down both sides of his leg attaching itself to a specially made shoe.

Looking back up at the farmer, he said, "You see sir, I don't run too well myself, and he will need someone who understands."

With tears in his eyes, the farmer reached down and picked up the little pup. Holding it carefully handed it to the little boy.

"How much?" asked the little boy. "No charge," answered the farmer, "There's no charge for love."

The world is full of people who need someone who understands. (borrowed)

What a beautiful story about compassion and understanding. Truly each of us needs to express these qualities more frequently. Dana

Please Vote!

Elections are just around the corner and it is nearly time for each of us to go to the polls (unless you have early voting and then you can go when you please.) We are blessed to have the right each voting season to be able to go and vote without fear and to have a part in deciding who runs this country.

No one is more disgusted than I am with our Congress and yet, we cannot just sit back and do nothing because we are angry. As my husband says, we at least need to go vote for the lesser of two evils. I encourage you to be active this political season and do your duty. Go Vote!

Perhaps where you live there is an amendment on the table to clarify that marriage is a union between a man and a woman. I believe, as Christians, for us to just stay home and neglect the opportunity for our voices to be heard on this controversial subject would be a sin--Silence is consent. Jesus said if we do not confess Him, He will not confess us. How blessed we are to live in a country where we can express our convictions and stand up for the word of God.

Please, Go VOTE!

Dana Burk

Sin and Marshmallows

We had 15 to 20 people over the other evening for a wiener roast and s'mores. As I watched the marshmallows being roasted over the open flames, I thought of how sin affects each of us. Some of our guests preferred their marshmallows to simply get a little warm while others shoved theirs straight into the flames until they became black.

Isn't that a good comparison of how we are in relation to sin. Some of us "play" on the edges of sin allowing it to taint us only a little. But then, there are others who just jump in head first and and before long their lives become black from it's influence.

But one thing I noticed about ALL of the marshmallows. They were ALL changed--they were no longer fresh and firm. Each of the marshmallows had begun to soften and melt to one degree or another because of the heat from the fire. There was no returning the marshmallow back to it's original form. Every marshmallow had even changed color. Not one was still snowy white. Not all were black, but each had turned dingy. Each had been tainted.

When we allow sin to come near us, we choose to become tainted--stained. And the truth is, we will never be unaffected by it again. The sin has permantly changed us. The closer and longer we play with the fire of sin, the blacker and more severely we are changed, but each of us have become stained to one degree or another.

Praise God, there is one drastic difference between us and the marshmallows in our analogy--Jesus can and will wash us so that we can be white as snow again. However, he warns us to stay away from the fire lest it consume us completely.

Dana Burk

I Know Who She Is

It was approximately 8:30 a.m. on a busy morning at the doctor's office when an elderly gentleman in his 80s arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. He stated that he was in a hurry to make an appointment at 9:00 a.m.

I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it might be an hour before he would be seen. Seeing him look at his watch, I decided since I was not busy with another patient I would evaluate his wound. On exam, I saw it was well healed, so I talked to the doctor and got the supplies to remove his sutures.

While redressing his wound, we engaged in conversation. I asked him if he was in a hurry to meet another doctor's appointment. He said no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife. I inquired as to her health. He said that she was a long-time victim of Alzheimer's Disease.

I asked if she would be worried if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was; in fact, she had not recognized him in five years. I was surprised and asked, "And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are?" He smiled, patted my hand, and said, "She doesn't know who I am, but I still know who she is."

I had to hold back tears as he left. Goose bumps covered my arm as I thought, "That is the kind of love I want in my life!"

True love is neither physical nor romantic. True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be. (via HouseToHouse.com)

The Stranger

A few months before I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small Tennessee town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around to welcome me into the world a few months later.

As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special niche. My parents were complementary instructors: Mom taught me the word of God, and Dad taught me to obey it. But the stranger He was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies.

If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He took my family to the first major league ball game. He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind.

Sometimes, Mom would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to her room and read her books (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.)

Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the stranger never felt obligated to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home...nor for us, our friends or any visitors. Our longtime visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that burned my ears and made my Dad squirm and my Mother blush.

My Dad was a teetotaler who didn't permit alcohol in the home, not even for cooking. But the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular basis. He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly and pipes distinguished. He talked freely (much too freely!) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing.

I now know that my early concepts about relationships were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked...and NEVER asked to leave.

More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you were to walk into my parent's den today, you would still find him sitting over in the corner, waiting for someone to listen to him and talk and watch him draw his pictures.

His name?...We just call him, "TV"
(Author Unknown)

Certainly, these are some things we each need to think about when listening to the guest in our homes that so freely influences our families and even ourselves.

Dana Burk

Selflessness and Appreciation

Today I saw a righteous demonstration of complete selflessness and deep appreciation. One of the young fathers who recently moved to our congregation donated a kidney to another young man he had attended church with in the past.

This young father has risked his life to help save the life of a friend. "Greater love has no man than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." John 15:13. What a graphic example of practicing what you preach.

When talking with the donor's wife the other day, she confessed there was a lot more involved in this whole ordeal than they first realized and yet, her conclusion was--it is what needs to be done nonetheless and he was ready to go through with the surgery and donation. I am humbled by their sacrifice.

But I saw another side of this whole saga as well. While waiting with the families during these long and arduous surgeries this morning, I repeatedly witnessed the wife, parents, family members and friends of the criticaly ill recipient of the kidney come to the donor's family, in tears, and express their deep appreciation for what was being done for their loved one. How moving to see such love and appreciation being exchanged from friend to friend.

As I thought on the things I saw today, I was reminded of the sacrifice God and Christ made to save our lives. There was no question that those I saw today knew very well what was being done for their son, husband and friend and they couldn't do enough to express their gratitude. Are we fully aware, do we realize exactly what has been done for us. If we do, then are we living our lives in such a way that shows we can't do enough to express our gratitude to Him.

Dana Burk

O'Reilly Got It Wrong

I was watching Bill O'Reilly on Fox News tonight and was appalled at his reaction to a "pastor" of a Bible church who was being sued for making known to the church the sin of one of the members who was having an affair. The pastor claims that he was doing what the Bible commanded in Matthew 18:15-17 where we are told to go to the person about their sin, if they will not hear us take two or three with you and if they will not hear them then take it to the church.

O'Reilly, in his usual overly confident manner, told the pastor's lawyer that he was a good Catholic and he had never heard of that before. He really didn't think that is what the Bible said because he had never heard of it. He asked the lawyer to quote Matt. 18 and the lawyer paraphrased what it said and so O'Reilly dismissed the truth of what he said. He went on to say that in his church (the Catholic church) this would never happen. The lawyer commented that that was the beauty of our law, that we have the right to practice our religion as we see fit and that this was a matter of religious freedom not a matter for the courts.

O'Reilly went on to contend that the pastor would lose in court because he had humiliated the woman and had defamed her and that was against the law. How sad that someone with O'Reilly's influence will so openly and publicly refute God's word when he obviously doesn't even know what it says and did not bother to check and see whether the pastor was correct or not.

With this kind of display, I would question whether O'Reilly is only committed to what his church teaches and not what our Lord Jesus Christ teaches. "...let God be true but every man a liar." Romans 3:4 We must each be careful that God's word is ALWAYS our supreme authority--not "our church", not our church leaders, not our friends, not any man.

Frequently I agree with O'Reilly, but this is one time he really got it wrong. I intend on writing and telling him so and I will quote Matt. 18:15-17 to him since he obviously won't bother to look it up himself.

Dana Burk

Dana Burk