Chicken Feathers

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There was a peasant with a troubled conscience who went to a monk for advice. He said that he had circulated an awful story about a friend, only to find out later that the story was not true. “If you want to make peace with your conscience,” the monk said, “you must fill a bag with chicken feathers, go to every door in the village, and drop at each of them one fluffy feather.”

Sex and the Single Christian

Young Couple

Young Couple, by Richard Foster (Flickr), Creative Commons License

“In a recent study conducted by ChristianMingle.com, Christian singles between the ages of 18 to 59 were asked, ‘Would you have sex before marriage?’ The response? Sixty-three percent of the single Christian respondents indicated yes.” [1]

The List

My friend PamPam Nelson, a dear friend and high school classmate, recently posted to her Facebook status a thought-provoking list of “to do” items that will make anyone’s life more meaningful. I was intrigued as to the source of the list, so I Googled a few of the list items and found several websites with a nearly-identical list of 39 items, including the items from Pam’s Facebook list. I have edited the list in a few places for increased clarity or meaning, and have included relevant sources where appropriate. I want to share the list with you on the eve of this new year. Some of the list items will resonate with you more than others. That’s OK. Pick and choose the ones that mean the most to you, and resolve to incorporate them into your daily journey. I pray God’s richest blessings on you and yours for a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

The Santa Claus Factor 4

© Scott Hancock - Fotolia

© Scott Hancock - Fotolia

[PART 4 OF 5]

I believe that the story of Santa Claus is the story of God!

In the last article, we discussed Santa’s list. We noticed the similarities between Santa’s “nice” and “naughty” lists, and God’s. In this article, we will continue to explore the parable-like nature of the Santa Claus story, and its ability to help us understand God a little better.

The Santa Claus Factor 3

© Scott Hancock - Fotolia

© Scott Hancock – Fotolia

[PART 3 OF 5]

From last time:

I believe that the story of Santa Claus is the story of God!

Let’s continue looking at the parable-like nature of the Santa Claus story, and discover more of the things that Santa Claus can help us understand better about God.

Moral Courage (Part 2)

(cc) Walt Stoneburner - Flickr

(cc) Walt Stoneburner - Flickr

In “Moral Courage (Part 1)“, we looked extensively at the meaning and origins of morals. Morality, in the external sense, is the standard of right and wrong as established ultimately by God and revealed in His word. My own personal moral code is shaped as I decide whether or not, and to what extent, I will follow His standards. And that’s where courage comes into play.

Abortion

Human fetus inside the womb

© Mopic – Fotolia.com

[PART 6 OF 6]

What are the implications of this concept of “the sanctity of human life”?

What about abortion?

First, let’s look at some statistics (Source: abort73.com).

In 2002:

1,082 American children died from violent assault.
2,347 died from car accidents.
32,867 died from disease.
1,310,000 died from legal abortions.

In America, abortion kills nearly 4,000 innocent human beings every single day.

That’s 25,000 each week.
109,000 every month.
1.3 million every year.

Day after day, week after week, year after year … the carnage continues. Innocent unborn children are quietly destroyed behind sterile clinic doors. Since 1973, 40 million American babies have been aborted.