Helping the Ice Man

God's ways are not our ways.  But His path -- His way -- is the one I want to be on.

In February of 1980 I decided to follow Jesus.  In church recently a man stood and spoke to the congregation from his pew.  He said that he'd been singing the song "I have decided to follow Jesus" all week.  He couldn't get it out of his head.  He didn't want to.  The pastor then led the congregation in singing the song.

Paulie with a Guatemalan woman who
makes her living on the city dump

My wife wrote her own arrangement of the favorite.  You can listen to it by clicking here.

Though none go with me I still will follow.

My sons and I are memorizing Isaiah 41:10.  The Old Testament prophet writes, "So do not fear, for I am with you;  do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you;  I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

This is true especially in circumstances that lead us to wonder about His ways.  Faith helps us to know the truth of Isaiah's thought.  The writer of Hebrews says, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."  The chapter goes on to recount the stories of heroes of the Christian faith, including Moses.  "He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward."

Don't forget, dear Christian, that a reward awaits you for your courage and faithfulness.  In our age of political correctness the measure of truth is too often the popularity of an idea.  This is not in any way Christianity.  Popularity has little to do with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jesus said, "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and say all kinds of evil about you because of me.  Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Professor Terry Hughes

The Ice Man

Speaking of prophets, for many years Terry Hughes has inspired me.  I used to think that men who held graphic abortion victim signs were going too far with their witness.  Terry healed me of that belief.

It is the society that goes too far when it murders innocent babies in the womb.  Is it even possible to go too far in stopping an innocent person from being murdered?

Terry is retired from the University of Maine at Orono, where he served as a glaciology professor for many years.  On Wednesdays he would faithfully stand at the Student Union with a very large victim sign.  What a blessing he was to so many students and faculty at the University.  Likely many of them chose not to receive the blessing of truth that Terry presented every week.  That is their loss.  A great reward is waiting for Terry in heaven.

His is one of the causes that donations from supporters enables me to assist.  I'm helping Terry get his story to the reading public.  Using Google Drive we are making his autobiography available to anyone in the world with an internet connection.  The reader can be inspired by Terry's story by opening the book in their internet browser, for free.  And what a story.

Terry is bold and colorful, to say the least.  You'll see what I mean if you read this recently published Newsweek story that features his views on global warming.

We're nearly done with Chapter 1.  I'll write a future post and introduce it to you.

Why Athiests Should Support Christians for Public Office

Religion cannot be separated from politics.  It is possible however, to separate church from state.  I am a Christian.  That is how I know that strong families and strong individuals make for strong societies.

America is a nation in the Christian West, a place the world once called "Christendom."  Freedom and liberty in America are defined by Christianity.  No matter how disordered our society is at present, we are still not an anarchy.  You cannot drive on the left side of the road if you want.  Every society has rules, and  Christianity informs the rules of our society.

Two thousand years of Christian thinking cannot be decoupled from secular America.  The very word "secular" is religious.  It means that some activities are less ordered by the demands of Biblical holiness and righteousness than others.  The word does not mean that some activities are holy and others are not. Forces who are interested in reducing the status of Christianity from religion to superstition have changed the definition of the word secular, as they have changed the meaning of so many other words and concepts.

The word "gay" comes to mind, as does the meaning of the rainbow, as do the words "Freedom of Choice." But that is a topic for another time.

The safest society for atheists is a Christian society.   I've noticed that atheists and pagans aren't lining up to emigrate to other parts of the world.

Why is it safe here?

Christianity teaches us to love our enemies.  We don't use terror as a weapon.  Christians will kill if they must, but they won't murder.  And that is an important difference.

If atheists and liberals are really interested in confronting bullies, they'll put outspoken Christians in public office.