"Judgmental"

"Judgmental" is just one of the terms that young people use to describe Christianity. Sadly, Christianity's reputation has taken a hit over the last few years. It seems that as though we're known more for being hypocritical, judgmental, anti-gay, and too political. The Barna Group has done some groundbreaking research recently that gives us a picture of what the next generation thinks about Christianity and why it matters. Check out these sobering stats:

PERCEPTIONS OF CHRISTIANITY AMONG 16-29 YEAR OLDS

• 91% of non-churchgoers believe Christianity is antihomosexual.
• 87% believe Christians are too judgmental.
• 85% believe Christians are hypocritical (saying one thing, doing another)
• 78% believe Christians are old-fashioned.
• 75% believe Christians are too involved in politics.

My hope is that Christ-followers in America will wake up and start engaging culture like they should, with love and compassion for ALL people. And if we really wake up, I guarantee that the world will take notice and those perceptions will change drastically. And perhaps 30 years from now, Christians and the church will be known more for love, service, holiness, and respect.

Over the next few Sunday mornings, we're going to talk about these negative perceptions and what it will take to change those perceptions. Hope to see you this Sunday!

"Reflections from a New Father"

Here is a link for an article that I wrote this week for our adoption agency, Children's Hope International: http://www.childrenshopeint.org/E-News/June08/email.htm

Happy Father's Day!

Date Night @ the Opry

On Tuesday night, Carrie (my wife) and I had our first date night since we brought our baby boy home. Carrie likes Carrie Underwood, so I bought her tickets to the Grand Ole Opry. The Oak Ridge Boys (my favorite group) also happened to be there. Thought I'd share a few pics...

Jesus' Wife

Did you know Jesus is married? A lot of people don't realize this, but the Bible refers to the church as the bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:23-32; 2 Corinthians 11:2). This means that just like my wife and I go together, Jesus and His wife (the church, his followers) go together. You can't be committed to Christ and not be committed to His wife. If you're not involved in a local church, I think you have to question whether or not you're a Christian.

Because PCC has its first membership class coming up on June 22, I've been reading books and articles that talk about the importance of being a member of a local church. I'll just share a few that might make you think a little...

"The difference between being a church attender and a church member is commitment. Attenders are spectators from the sidelines; members get involved in the ministry. Attenders are consumers; members are contributors. Attenders want the benefits of a church without sharing the responsibility. They are like couples who want to live together without committing to a marriage." (from Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life, pp. 136-37)

"The plain fact is, when we resist passion and commitment in our relationship with the church, everyone gets cheated out of God's best: You cheat yourself. You cheat a church community. You cheat your world." (from Joshua Harris, Stop Dating the Church, p. 18)

"We need to give up trying to live the Christian life on our own. We need individually to covenant together with others to follow Christ. Christians must stop being selfish in their understanding of the Christian life. The Christian life is not just about you..." (from Mark Dever, Nine Marks of a Healthy Church, p. 138)

93 Days

There are 93 days left until Labor Day. That means you and I have 93 days to make our summer count. So how can we make the most of this summer? I would encourage you to go to the "From the Stool" section on www.PeaceCC.org and listen to my message from last Sunday called "Don't Waste Your Summer." I don't know about you, but I don't want to get to Labor Day and look back on my summer and scream out with regret, "I've wasted it!"

StevenCurtisChapman.com: Video Blog 14: Dishwashin Dad

My wife just told me about this video of Steven Curtis Chapman and his youngest daughter, Maria, doing the dishes together.

Please pray for the Chapman family.
NASHVILLE, TN...5/21/08... At approximately 5pm on the afternoon of Wednesday May 21st, Maria Sue Chapman, 5 years old and the youngest daughter to Steven and Mary Beth Chapman was struck in the driveway of the Chapman home in Franklin, TN. Maria was rushed to Vanderbilt Childrens Hospital in Nashville, transported by LifeFlight, but died of her injuries there. Maria is one of the close knit family’s six children and one of their three adopted daughters.

2 Tragic Accidents

Yesterday, there were 2 tragic accidents here in the Nashville area, one involving the adopted 5 year old of a famous music artist and one involving a precious toddler. Below are links to the stories.

http://www.wkrn.com/global/story.asp?s=8362975

http://www.wkrn.com/Global/story.asp?S=8360918&nav=menu5_2

The good news is that we can help simply by praying for these families. How do you pray for such unexplained, horrific tragedies? I'm not entirely sure, but I'm trying my best to find some direction. Right now, I'm just praying for God to comfort them. And I'm so glad that God "comforts us in all our troubles" (2 Corinthians 1:4).