The highly anticipated and controversial Tim Tebow Superbowl ad sponsored by Focus on the Family was perfect. It took the steam right out of the criticism and had people scratching their heads saying, “what was the big deal again”?
It was charming, warm, and funny which is everything the critics hoped it wouldn’t be. They hoped to have the ammo to continue to paint people who hold pro-life views on the abortion debate as mean spirited bigots who are only out to hurt women.
All of the controversy only served to get the message out to a broader audience more than probably anyone at Focus on the Family could have hoped for. The ad was also well done in that it created a curiosity for people to go and hear the rest of the story on the Focus on the Family web site where other great stories of hope and redemption were posted including a powerful testimony from Brian “Head” Welch formerly of the hard core group “Korn.”
People facing a difficult unannounced pregnancy also found practical help and resources from the Option Line and www.heartlink.org in addition for FOF’s other resources.
The story of the Tebow family is one that everyone should hear. It is truly inspiring. Go listen for yourself!
My single mother conceived me when she was 17 years old. She could have chosen to have an abortion as well, but she made the choice to keep me. It was not easy, but I am glad she chose life for me.
I can totally relate to why Tim Tebow would fill passionate enough to risk his reputation to tell this story. We need more role models like him in our world today as well as more sharing of the stories of choosing life.
Being a native Cajun from Louisiana, it was very fun to write this post given the Super Bowl 44 win of the New Orleans Saints. Great to see New Orleans makin a comeback! Who Dat?!
But let’s go a little deeper and find out why someone might name a football team “The Saints.” Hang in there and check it out for yourself!
When you think of the word “Saint”, what do you think of? Many people think of someone who lived an extraordinary life of supreme separation from the world and was “cannonized” by the Catholic church as a Saint.
But did you know that the Bible speaks of EVERYONE who have committed their lives to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord as SAINTS?
The word “saints” is found almost 100 times in the Bible. See a few of the key places below!
Many times when the churches of the New Testament are addressed, they are called “saints at ______(insert name of the city). They were all alive at that time, not dead! The Book of Revelation also speaks of future saints.
The whole duty of ministers in the New Testament age is to
“equip the saints for the work of the ministry.” Ephesians 4:12.
That means every person who has received Jesus as Savior and Lord.
Every true believer is called a “saint”! What a high calling!
So what does the Scripture say about “THE SAINTS”??
Here you go:
~Saints are God’s delight: Psa 16:3
~Saints lack nothing: Psa 34:9
~Saints are delivered from their enemies: Psa 97:10
~Saints are full of joy: Psa 149:5
~Saints have the honor: Psa 149:9
~Saints have love for one another: Col 1:4
~Saints have an inheritance waiting for them: Col 1:12
~Saints understand mysteries: Col 1:26
~Saints have a code of conduct: Eph 5:3
~Saints are coming back with Jesus: 1Thes 3:13 & Jude 1:14
~Saints glorify Jesus: 2Thes 1:10
~Saints Get Prayers Through To Heaven: Rev 5:8 & Rev 8:3-4
~Saints Get Rewarded: Rev 11:18
~Saints are at war: Rev 13:7
~Saints are full of patience and faith: Rev 13:10
~Saints will judge the world one day!: 1Cor 6:2
~The Saints always win! Dan 7:18-22
*Look these verses up on your own and discover the awesome things that Almighty God has in store for THE SAINTS!*
When people hear the word “Saints” many times they will think of the old song, “When the Saints Go Marching In” made famous by Louis Armstrong, but not really know the lyrics or understand what that means.
The song is used as a New Orleans funeral march & is ALL about the coming of Jesus Christ, the glories of eternity in heaven, and the “saints” who have been saved through the Gospel of Jesus Christ and take posession of the Kingdom of God.
Will you be in that number??
Here are the powerful lyrics:
We are traveling in the footsteps
Of those who’ve gone before
But we’ll all be reunited (but if we stand reunited)
On a new and sunlit shore (then a new world is in store)Oh when the saints go marching in
When the saints go marching in
Oh lord I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching inAnd when the sun refuse (begins) to shine
And when the sun refuse (begins) to shine
Oh lord I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching inWhen the moon turns red with blood
When the moon turns red with blood
Oh lord I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching inOn that hallelujah day
On that hallelujah day
Oh lord I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching inOh when the trumpet sounds the call
Oh when the trumpet sounds the call
Oh lord I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching inSome say this world of trouble
Is the only one we need
But I’m waiting for that morning
When the new world is revealedWhen the revelation (revolution) comes
When the revelation (revolution) comes
Oh lord I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching inWhen the rich go out and work
When the rich go out and work
Oh lord I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching inWhen the air is pure and clean
When the air is pure and clean
Oh lord I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching inWhen we all have food to eat
When we all have food to eat
Oh lord I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching inWhen our leaders learn to cry
When our leaders learn to cry
Oh lord I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in.
More to come soon on who the SAINTS really are and how to become one yourself!
Smells like teen spirit? No, I’m not talking about the American band Nirvana. Actually I am referring to the Buddhist goal of existence.
I can only comment below on Theravada Buddhism of which I am familiar.
A simple definition of Nirvana is: a state of being free from suffering (or dukkha).
“Nibbāna”, in the Pali language, literally means “blowing out”…a ceasing to exist, which means a ceasing of suffering.
Sound difficult to understand? Well, it is! And most every person you talk to has a different idea of what they think it means, including Buddhist teachers.
Nirvana is the goal of every Buddhist, theoretically. However, when I talk with everyday people on the street, read more…
Do you agree that how we see the world determines how we make our choices in life?
Ever wonder what some of the major differences of worldview and reality there are between the two “great faiths” of Christianity and Buddhism?
Here is a simple list that I pulled together from my own observation and study living in the land of Theravada Buddhism.
CHRISTIAN BUDDHIST
Believes in God as Creator Believes in cause & effect, nature
God is Supreme Being Buddha, not God, but only teacher
God is unchanging Nothing is permanent
Concerned w/eternal salvation Concerned w/suffering elimination read more…
Not long after surrendering my life to Jesus, God began to lead me to an understanding of the tragic fact that there are still people in the world that have little to no access to the Gospel, especially in their heart language. 2,000 years ago, Jesus gave his disciples and those who would believe in His name afterwards a “Commission.” (Matt 28:18-20)
He called them to go into all the world and preach the Good News of his cross and resurrection salvation power to all peoples and nations. He also said that he would not return until this “testimony” message went to each of these nation-families. (Matt 24:14). Only God knows when this scripture will come to pass, but my heart was captivated to be a part of the solution and not a part of the reason for the delay of its fulfillment.
This is one of the reasons that I am in Thailand today, and in the Northeast among the Isaan people in particular. There are 20 million Isaan people in and near Thailand, but according to “Peoples of the Buddhist World” only about 1 in 10,000 of them claim to be follower of Christ, and that is from any and all Christian groups.
Today I felt a little glimmer of destiny as I attended a village meeting and sat among Isaan people who came together for fellowship, worship, prayer, and to hear the Word of God. read more…
Bangkok New Year
AW Tozer writes,
” In one sense a new year begins whenever we decide it shall. The various peoples of the world have not been in full agreement about their year’s end and its new beginning, but we can start a new year whenever we purpose to rearrance our lives morally and invite Christ to become our Lord and Savior. At that moment we become new creatures-”a new name is written down in glory” and our new year begins. That moral rearrangement we call repentance, and the act of making a new creature we call regeneration. The soul that has experienced such a wonderous transformation is likely to place more emphasis on that new start than he or she does on our official
New Year’s Day.”
By the grace of God, we have the ability to start fresh anytime we are willing to turn from our own ways and turn to God. 2010 is the time for us to climb down from the thrones of our own lives and let God take His rightful place.
If we come to truly know Him, we will trust Him. If we trust Him, then we will be willing to “lose our lives” for Him. By “losing” we will gain more than we could ever imagine. Heaven becomes more real than Earth, and everything we do on Earth we do with its glory in our view.
The glory of Heaven is none other than Jesus Christ Himself. Now is the time to know Him and cling to Him. Your New Year is waiting.
In the near future, I hope to come back with a story or two more from India then I will be making an effort to begin blogging more regularly again. Shorter and more frequent will be my resolution! Join the conversation. What would you like to hear more about?
Living in Thailand, I have talked with a few people about the idea of karma as it relates to what happens when you are “reincarnated.” Buddhists believe that what is done in this life will affect your quality of life in the next. For instance if I am wealthy and able to travel in this life, I may have been an angel in my past life. If I suffer hardship, disease, poverty etc. in the life it was because I did not acquire merit in my past life. If this is not a true representation of karma teaching, it is at least “street theology” from a smart Thai person who considers themselves a Buddhist. read more…
