Christmas celebration in Cambodia.

Celebrating Christmas in Bangbaset

This is a picture of the Christmas celebration in the village of Bangbaset. There are many, many kids in this village. Praise God that they are hearing of the gift of his Son!

That's my King! Video

That's my King!

This is an inspiring video that I saw in church today. Pastor Mike shared on Philippians 2:6-11.

6 Who, being in very nature God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross!

9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.

Christ humbled himself by becoming human. Some day as a result God will exalt him above all. This Christmas let's respond to his coming by bowing before him and calling him Lord.

Kids celebrating Christmas in Cambodia.

Kids celebrating Christmas in Cambodia

This is a picture from one of our sister churches in Cambodia. Praise God that these children are hearing about the coming of their Savior! Please pray for the outreach this December to other villages. Pray that others will welcome Christ into their lives.

The term is done!

I finished my term! Yay!

Christmas in Cambodia.

Our sister churches in Cambodia our starting their Christmas celebrations. There were over a hundred people in my wife's home village of Stung Jah who came. Tomorrow Pastor Malai is going to another village where my wife's aunts live. Pray that these relatives will understand and receive the gospel. Our sister churches in Cambodia use Christmas as an important time of outreach. Some of these people may be hearing the truth of Christmas for the very first time.

Luke 2

10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Ultimate Truth

We live in time when there is great confusion over truth. The very idea that there is truth is called into question. We are told that there is no absolutes and that truth is relative. According to George Barna, a Christian researcher, many Christian young people are accepting relativism. But relativism leads to nihilism and despair. What hope is there if there really isn't truth? But is there absolute truth and can be know it? The Biblical answer is yes.

The ancient Greek philosophers had a term that they used for the absolute and ultimate truth. They used the term Logos, which we translate into English as Word. Notice how the Apostle John uses this term:

John 1:1,14

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God ... The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Jesus is the Ultimate Truth. Yes, we can know the Truth because the Ultimate Truth entered into our reality. As we think about Christmas, let rejoice in the fact that we can know the Ultimate Truth. The Ultimate Truth is the One who said, "I am the Truth."

Christmas and the book of Ruth

In my devotions I have just read the book of Ruth. The book of Ruth is not something we normally associate with Christmas but it is connected. The story of Ruth is set in Bethlehem. Long before Christ came, God was getting things ready for his coming, and preparing his family line. In this story we have Naomi lost in hopeless, bitterness, and emptiness. This was a result of sin and judgment. But then Boaz came into the story. He is frequently called the redeemer in story. He brings in new hope and life out of death and despair. At the end of the book the woman say to Naomi:

Ruth 4

14 Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! 15 He shall be to you a restorer of life...

Boaz is a type of his descendant Jesus Christ. In Bethlehem, there would one day be another Redeemer who will deliver all of us from sin, judgement, and hopelessness and restore all of lives.

Josiah going radioactive.

Josiah singing with OSU group powerchord

You can deeply embarrass Josiah by watching this video of him singing with a school choir.

Jars of clay.

I always sort of wished I could be superhuman. Some how I could suddenly overcome my human limitations and weaknesses and do anything. I came across this passage as I was while I was preparing a Bible study made me think:

2 Corinthians 4

"7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in us, but life in you."


May its okay not to be be superhuman after all. Maybe God wants me to be fragile, like a jar of clay. Because after all it isn't about me, its about him. If I were superhuman it would be about me. If I am a frail human it is about him. When I reach my human limits and he acts, I know its him who got me through it. Maybe God wants people to see Christ's life not mine. He is the real superhero.

Celebrating Thanksgiving with Modern Day Pilgrims

We remember the story of Thanksgiving, when the Pilgrims celebrated how God had delivered them death and tyranny and brought them to a new land where they had freedom to serve and worship him. Today I celebrated Thanksgiving with modern day Pilgrims. While spending time with my Cambodian family, my sister-in-law Jenny commented on how remarkable it was that the whole family survived the holocaust in Cambodia. This began a discussion all the things that the family survived during that time. Like the original Pilgrims, these modern Pilgrims thanked God that he had delivered the from death and tyranny. God has brought them to a new land where they can serve and worship him freely.

How to keep from going crazy on Thanksgiving?

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving in the US. Have you ever wondered why God asks us to be thankful? Does God need us to be thankful? Is God insecure? If we don't thank him will he feel depressed or have an identity crisis? Of course not. God is God whether we thank him or not. If God does not need us to be thankful then way does he ask us to be thankful? Its not because he needs it but because WE need it.

In the book of Romans, Paul gives his great explanation of the gospel. He starts the book by showing in universal problem of sin. What started man's downward spiral?

Romans 1

"21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools ...:

Our whole mess starts with us forgetting to honor and thank God. And what does that lead to? Our thinking gets all distorted. We go all crazy. We start acting like we are the center of the universe and we can make our own truth. Why do we humans do all the stupid, wrong, self-destructive things we do? The rest of Romans 1 goes on to describe how we humans make a the total mess of things because we forgot to be thankful.

So we have all gone crazy. So how do we stop going crazy? Paul gives the answer:

Philippians 4

"6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

We need to pray with thanksgiving. We are thankful God protects our hearts and minds with his peace. This happens by being in a relationship with Christ Jesus. We can stop being crazy.

Need something to be thankful for? Here is a great one to start with:

2 Corinthians 9:15

"Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!"

A story behind the song, "Carry on my Wayward Son."

Kerry Livgren's testimony.

I remember when the song, "Carry on my Wayward Son" first came out. I heard the song on the radio and thought that is a really cool song but I was puzzled by the meaning of the lyrics. I didn't understand the reference to the wayward son. As a Christian, I should have realized that this was an allusion to the parable of the Prodigal Son. This relates to my last post on Acts 17. Livgren's story has many parallels to what Paul spoke about. Kerry Livgren was the lead singer of the music group Kansas. As a young man he became a popular rock star. He had everything this world could give but he still was empty. Religion and philosophy could not give him the answer. Livgren said the song was autobiographical. Listen to the testimony to see how he found the answer.

Carry on my Wayward Son

To the unknown God

I have always found Paul's address to the Greek philosophers in Athens in Acts 17 to be very interesting. I believe that what Paul has to say explains so much of the human condition. Paul explains that all men have a knowledge of God from creation and their nature as human beings who are his offspring. We know that we are to seek this God. We have a desire to find this unknown God. We need him to be the center of our reality. That doesn't mean can't fight, deny, and resist this knowledge. But even when we do, we can't totally escape this reality. We know we need to find God but we sense that we can't know him. This creates a profound void in our lives.

We try to fill this void in different ways, through religion, philosophy, success, money, pleasure, etc. Like the people in Athens we create all sorts of God substitutes to fill the void. But none of it works. If you understand this problem of the void, it will help understand so much of the craziness of the human condition.

What answer doe Paul give to this void we have for the unknown God? It is the man God has sent. There are endless competing ideas of truth today just like there was in Athens. How doe we know that Jesus Christ is the true way? Paul gives the answer: God raised Christ from the dead. This is still just as true today We can know the truth and have the void filled because Christ is risen. That separates him from all the world's philosophies and religions. If Christ is risen what does Paul say our response should be? God calls all men everywhere to turn from their God substitutes and to repent.

A Christmas Thought.

I know it is a little early for Christmas but the passage I read in my devotions today made me think of the reason why Christ came.

Luke 5

²⁷ After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” ²⁸ And leaving everything, he rose and followed him.

²⁹ And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. ³⁰ And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” ³¹ And Jesus answered them,“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ³² I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

Christ came to give sinners a new beginning and a new relationship to him. He wasn’t afraid to hang out and love people that the rest of the society thinks are too far gone. He came to be the Great Physician to heal sick souls.

I think that sometimes we modern day Christians can be like the Pharisees. We grumble about all the sinful, rotten people out there who are not holy and spiritual like us. But what are we doing to reach out to those people and call them to repentance? We are good at judging but so weak at restoring. How often I am more like the Pharisees in this story and less like Jesus?

So if Christ came to heal our sinful, sick souls what should our response be? To repent, that is to change our minds. Levi realized that all big money he was making as a tax collector wasn’t going to satisfy his heart. He realized what he needed was Jesus. He heard the simply words, “Come follow me.” That is what his heart needed, to be with Jesus. So what should my response to Christmas be? To simply follow Jesus and invite others to join me.

Son accepted into seminary.

Congratulations to my son, Josiah for getting accepted into Western Seminary.

Love,
Dad

Coffee with Jesus

A favorite song

Prodigal Son Suite by Keith Green.

This is one of my all time favorite songs. I know its old-school and its 12 minutes long but it is worth listening to. It is based on the story of the prodigal song from Luke 15. It is a message of hope and forgiveness for failures and sinners (like all of us).

The Persimmon Tree.

Got Persimmons?

Sophany is happy. She just picked 115 pounds of fruit from our persimmon tree. This tree proves the saying, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." When it was a just a little sapling I ran it over with the  lawnmower and hit it with the weed whacker many times.  Then we began running over it with the cars. Some how it survived. Maybe adversity does make us stronger.

Kids in Cambodia.

Kids in Cambodia

Here are some pictures of some kids at the church in Bangbaset. I have visited this church many times during my trips. This village was recently flooded. There are many kids in this village. These kids love singing and have fun. And they are learning about their Savior.

Matthew 19:14

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Rationality vs. Rationalization

I came across this quote in my lecture notes in a business class at the community college. I found it interesting.

"Organizations invariably spend more time living with the consequences of decisions than they spend making decisions.  This has led several social psychologists to describe people as rationalizing (as opposed to rational) animals.  The match between our attitudes and our behavior often derives from our adjusting our attitudes after the fact to conform to our past actions and their consequences.  Stakeholders want to be able to view your project as a "win" no matter how the project ends up."

The Bible describes this problem long ago. It affects not just how we do business but all of life.


Proverbs 14:12
There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.

Jeremiah 17:9,10

The heart is deceitful above all things,
    and desperately sick;
    who can understand it?
   “I the Lord search the heart
    and test the mind,
to give every man according to his ways,
    according to the fruit of his deeds.”

We can easily get stuck in an endless cycle of self-deceit and rationalization. It can become a closed circle we cannot break out of. That is why we need Someone outside of ourselves who can show us what is inside of us.

3 Cultural Changes That Create the 'Perfect Storm' Against the Church

I would like to pass on an insightful article from the Christian apologist, Josh McDowell.

Christian Apologist Josh McDowell: 

3 Cultural Changes That Create the 'Perfect Storm' Against the Church        

--By Jessica Martinez, CP Reporter

October 12, 2013|10:45 am

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina – Josh McDowell, an apologist and evangelist, spoke at Southern Evangelical Seminary's Christian Apologetics conference on three culture changes that create a "perfect storm" that challenges and poses a threat to the church.

McDowell says the first is an epistemological shift that is occurring regarding Biblical truths due to modern perspectives on God's word.

"We've had a major shift in what truth is and where it comes from. We've gone from being God-centered to self-centered, from being objective to being subjective and from being internal to external," he said. 

He argues that the truth that the church upholds is merely viewed as personal opinion by some people, especially young individuals due to the idea that most think that God is dead.

"In 1991, 51 percent of evangelical young adults said there is no truth apart from their own views. Today, that number is 91 percent," said McDowell.

The respected apologist also says the Internet's "exploding information" plays a major factor in challenging the way young people view culture, the church and their moral views. According to his research, millions of youths take in about 34GB of Internet data each day, which is equivalent to the amount of lyrics found in 8,160 songs.

"Every pastor, youth pastor, and every parent is in competition with the Internet and the information it is spreading," said McDowell. "Most young people don't get their news from CNN or CBS, they get it from bloggers. There are about 181 million bloggers vying for the attention of your children."

The unlimited amount of online information that people have access to has caused an increase in skepticism that will only continue to become more pervasive, says McDowell.

"If you don't believe me, go around and talk to young people in colleges and in junior high. Go and make 'truth statements' and you'll hear them say, 'How do you know that's true?' There's so much out there," said McDowell. "[For] every kid, even Christians, the age of the Internet is wearing down their convictions because they think tomorrow they'll find something else."

He continued, "Fifteen to 20 years ago, the questions that you used to hear at universities about faith, Jesus and the Bible, about skepticisms, questioning what you believe in; questions that you used to hear in the last two years of college are now being asked by 10- and 11-year-olds. It's coming all right down through Facebook."

During his message, he also told pastors they cannot pastor the same way they have been for the last 20 years while telling parents they cannot raise their children the same way they were raised because the Internet has changed "everything."

"Twenty years ago, the phrase was, 'if you don't reach a young person by 18, you probably won't reach them. Now, atheists and agnostics have the same access to your kids as you do, it's just one click away. The internet has leveled the playing field
and now if you don't reach a child by their 12th birthday, you won't reach them."

In the same manner, McDowell emphasized that young people are increasingly becoming addicted to pornography, adding that it is the greatest threat to the body of Christ in 2,000 years.

"This is destroying pastors, youth pastors and more Christians than anything by far in history," said McDowell. "The number one demographic is 12- to 25-year-olds, there's no difference in and out of the church."

He added that 50 percent of fundamental, evangelical pastors watch porn while 80 percent of youth pastors have a problem with porn as well. McDowell pointed out that porn provides only a momentary satisfaction and porn addicts often seek other opportunities to satisfy their sexual desires.

"The average person starts with heterosexual sex then after a while, that no longer satisfies, then there's anal, from anal there's oral, from oral to homo, from homo to bestiality then to children," said McDowell.

He continued, "The sad thing is, after child pornography doesn't satisfy, where do you go? Pornography is why sex-trafficking, sex abuse and rape are major issues, they (addicts) end up living it out, it becomes a reality."

He also advised parents to not shelter their children from "what's out there" but rather prepare them for the first time they will inevitably encounter information overload on the Internet and porn.

"You cannot protect your child from watching pornography, if you think you can, then you're the problem, mom. If you're sitting there thinking, 'I can protect my child,' then you'll end up losing them and the stats are on my side."

He added, "It's as dumb as saying, 'you can't ever listen to music,' in our culture. You can't go through life without listening to music, and now, you're not going to go through life without watching porn. Those mothers who say they're going to prepare their child will win, those who say they will protect them will lose."


--

"Give 'em heaven."  --Dallas Willard, 1935-2013

Giving Physical and Spiritual food in Bangbaset.

Giving the Bread of Life

Giving flood victims food.

Children singing to Jesus in Bangaset.

This church building was a short while ago under water. I spent time at this church during my visits to Cambodia. The church in Kampong Cham is helping the flood victims by giving the food, both physical and spiritual. They are giving them rice and Bibles. There are many youths and children in this village. Pray that these young people will grow in the understanding of their Savior through the Bibles they were given.

Matthew 4:4

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

With the Lord: Khao Kham (1919-2013)

We said good-bye today to one of our Cambodian Christian brothers, Khao Kham. Peter Im, a Cambodian Pastor shared this verse during the funeral:

John 17:3

"Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."

There is something about a funeral that helps us focus on what really matters. In the end just one thing matters, knowing our Lord. That is eternal life.  Khao Kham met the Lord through the Cambodian ministry in the 1980’s when we helped his family get settled in this country. His life was changed. He knew and loved Jesus Christ. He found the one thing that really matters.

During those years of ministry it was so easy to get discouraged and asked if all the work was really worth it. Yes, today I realized it was really worth it. This is because in life one thing really matters. When I took my turned to toss flowers into his open grave, I paused and thanked the Lord that he had given us the opportunity to share with Khao Kham the one thing that really matters, the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Good bye for now brother Khao Kham but I will see you again when Jesus blows the last trumpet.

Cambodian Christians helping their fellow believers.

Rice being given to flood victims.

The church in Kampong Cham is helping their sister church in Tanlebit. Food is being given to needy families who have suffered from the recent flooding. Much of Cambodia is current experiencing major flooding. Pray for the people in Cambodia during this difficult time. Pray that this will be a time for the love of Christ to shine. 

It is a special thing in our Lord's sight when believers help the least of these. He counts it as if it was done to personally to him. Some day the Lord will say, "I was a flood victim in Cambodia and you gave me rice to eat." 

Matthew 25

"34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’"

New churches in Cambodia

Lvea Lur Church

Chi Yo Church

These are pictures on some new churches in Cambodia that Pastor Malay works with. A Canadian missionary, Dan McMillian has been working with Pastor Malay to help these churches. The Chi Yo church was started about a couple of years ago. I visited it on my last trip to Cambodia. The Lvea Lur church is a new church planting effort started about a couple of month ago. Pray that the gospel will spread in these villages. Pray that these new believers will be grounded in Christ. Praise the Lord for changed lives!

Don't get stuck.

Philippians 3

"10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you."

In these verse we see the source of Paul's spiritual power. He compared himself to a runner running to win the prize. What he describes is focus. His focus was on knowing Christ. That simple single focus was the source of his power. This isn't just for Paul but for all of us. Mature Christians think this way.

But why do so few of us experience this power? We get stuck. There are a couple of things that get us stuck. One is pride. We think we have arrived. When we think that we make no further progress. Paul admitted he had not arrived.

Another way we get stuck is that we focus on the past. Paul forgot what was behind. That didn't mean he did not learn lessons from the past or had to repent of the past. We know this because he describes the lessons he learned from his past life as a Pharisee earlier in the chapter. But the past wasn't his focus. Paul was interested in where he was going, not where he had been. How often do we get stuck on the past sins, hurts, or successes. We humans are creatures of habit. We keep repeating the same old patterns of the past over and over again. Albert Eistein once said that the definite of insanity is to do the same thing over and over again and expect the same results. By focusing on Christ and all he has for us we can break out of these negative patterns of the past and move forward.

A boy named Living.

Living

This boy is named Living. He is about 8 or 9. He is the adopted son of a Cambodia Pastor named Malay. He has a remarkable story. His birth mother decided to have a late term abortion. Fortunately, the doctor botched the procedure and he was born live. He only weighted about a kilogram at birth. One of the members of the church was visiting at the hospital. A hospital worker asked her if she would take care of him and she took him to Pastor Malay's church. It seem impossible that this injured premature baby could survive. There were no incubators or modern medical equipment. The members of the church put him in the sunshine to keep him warm and fed him baby formula. And prayed. God answered their prayers. He is called Living because God gave him the gift of life. Today he is an active, healthy growing boy. He is learning English. He loves his earthly father who adopted him and his Heavenly Father who adopted him as well. As believers we know that each life is precious gift from the Creator and is a blessing and treasure from him. 

My brief career as an identity thief.

During my network security the teacher had us do an interesting, if not rather creepy exercise. She had us walk around pretending we were identity thieves. We were to talk around the PCC Sylvania campus and look for information that was out in the open that could be useful information to an identity thief. It was rather creepy realizing how much information people leave out for anyone to see. People will do online banking in a crowded library where anyone can see the computer screen. People will leave open mail including credit card and banking information on their car seats or dash boards. One car  had its window left a third way down. Inside was a pile of mail including credit card and bank statements. I could have just reached out and taken it. Even information that seems harmless like parking permit information can be useful to an identity thief. Identity thief will use seemingly harmless pieces of information to phish for more useful information. If you have your identity stolen you know now who to look for.

The empty nest.

I am feeling a bit of the empty nest syndrome. One son is off to college and a daughter is soon to move into her own place. Before Jacob left home his father Isaac blessed him: "God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful..." (Gen 28:3) This is how I am praying for my kids as they start their own lives. Isaac reminded Jacob that the God his Father Abraham would be with him to bless him. I know my God will be with my children to guide and bless them on their life journey.

God is in the recycling business.

Beautiful things.

This song reminds us that God is in the recycling business. This song is based in part on 2 Corinthians 5:15-17:

"And he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation."

Christ through is death offers to make all of us new. We should never look at anyone (including ourselves) according to the flesh, that is from just a human perspective. Rather we see everyone from the perspective of what Christ can do in them. Our sin, hurts, and failures may make us feel like worn out old junk. But Christ sees us as his artistic masterpiece.

If you have ever worked in engineering you will understand this cartoon.

University of Babylon.

Tomorrow is back to school for many of our college students. The secular college environment can seem hostile to those who hold a Christian worldview. In the first chapter of Daniel we learn that Daniel and his three friends were given a full ride scholarship to the University of Babylon. The purpose of the education was to make them effective civil administrators. But it was also to reshape their identity, from followers of the true God into members of the Babylonian political-religious system. Most of the young Hebrew students just blended into that system. But these four brave young men determined to keep their identity as followers of the true God. As as result they were able to challenge the very system that was designed to change them. As you head back to school, I am praying that you will be modern day Daniels who will keep your identity and challenge your world.

Continue to pray for Cambodian flood victims.

Families that have lost everything.

Village turned into river.

Continue praying for our sister churches in Cambodia. Many families have had their homes lost and are living in shelters made of plastic sheets. Pray that the flood will subside before the rice crop is lost. Pray that the Cambodian believers will be able to share the love of Christ with unbelievers during this time.

Can we live by moral relativism?

Relativism is a very popular worldview. In this short clip Dr. William Lane Craig shows how none of us can live by it in real life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qd5O0czxhz0

Praying for our sister church in Bangbaset

This is a picture of our sister church in Cambodia. This is in poor rural village called Bangbaset. As you can see this village has been hit with serious flooding. The man standing in front of the church is Pastor Malay. He is a Cambodian evangelist who started this church. Pastor Malay came to Christ through the Cambodia Church here in Oregon. Sophany and I work with Pastor Malay weekly helping him prepare Bible lessons.  Also, another of our sister church in a town called Ton Le Bet is also being flooded. Pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ in Bangbaset and Ton Le Bet during this difficult time.

12 tips for taking online college tests

Its about time for our college students to head back to school. I would like to share some tips that I have discovered that will help you when taking online tests and quizzes. Since online tests are open book, open notes, and open Internet, learned to use those resources to find answers quick. Many of these ideas I have learned from my teachers. So here are some tips:

1. Actually study for the test. When you do study think like the teacher. Ask yourself, “If I were the teacher what would I put on the test.” You will be surprised how often you can figure out what will be on the test that way. It will help you focus your studying.

2. Pay attention to any hints the teacher give you about the test material and write them down. Some teachers will practically hand the students the test answers on a silver platter if the students are paying attention. If the teacher repeats material, it probably will be on the test. Some teachers will ask the students knowledge questions on class material. Write them down. They likely will be on the test.

3. Answer the easy questions on the test first before working on the hard ones. You need to study enough that most of the questions are easy. This will leave time to research the answers on the hard ones.

4. Review your questions before submitting the test. I often have caught dumb mistakes or realized I had misread the question. This helps especially to catch trickily worded questions.

5. Does your textbook have a glossary? Put a bookmark in it and use it. Seriously. Many teachers like key term definition questions. Many of them are right out of the glossary word for word. Look at the keyword list at the end of the chapter when studying. Many textbooks place keywords in bold in the text. Learn the definition of key terms and you will ace many tests.

6. Use the index of the textbook.

7. Does the textbook have multiple choice review questions at the end of the chapter? Textbook makers give teachers pools of test questions to use. These usually are the same questions as the chapter review questions. So don't be surprise if the chapter review questions end up on your test.

8. If you have an electronic version of the textbook have it open. You can use the search function to quickly find key words. Some paper textbooks have a CD with a PDF version of the book on it. If yours does have it open at test time.

9. Have online study material open in a separate browser tab. Use the search function to find keywords.

10. Google is your friend.

11. Wikipedia is another friend. Granted the quality of Wikipedia varies, but it is good enough for test taking purposes.

12. If your class has both weekly quizzes and major tests, review the weekly quiz questions before taking the major tests. Teachers will often recycle quiz questions in their mid-term and final tests.  

God is plotting to get you.

2 Samuel 14:14 "Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But that is not what God desires; rather, he devises ways so that a banished person does not remain banished from him."

There are times that we humans feel we have gone so far from God that it seems there is no way to come back. No matter how far we go, God still desires us to come back. His omniscient mind is constant coming up all sorts of creative ways to bring us home.  When we think we have gone too far and there is no hope, we really are insulting God's intelligence and the creative power of his grace.

Have we really changed all that much?

I am starting a class on computer network security. We humans have invent radical new technologies. But while our technology has advanced, we haven't changed. We just have better technology to do evil with. We are learning of the dangers of "social engineering". That just a fancy name for what we used to call lying. And network attacks are just another form of stealing. If we kept the ten commandments, we wouldn't need firewalls and virus scanners on our computers. My teacher is a bit of an expert in the dangers of cyberwarfare and terrorism. She teaches a class on it. Some day we could use all this technology to literally kill each other. What she is telling is very scary. We humans are smart but are we wise? Maybe we need Someone far wiser than us to fix us.