Sunday, January 27, 2008

105 lb. Champion!

I'm fairly new to the world of Middle School Wrestling. My youngest son discovered the ancient sport last fall during PE. He decided to try out for the wrestling team and we have been hooked ever since. He weighs in at a hefty 100 lbs and is quick as lightening. I've taught him everything that I know about wrestling through personal interaction. My older brother taught me wrestling by pounding on me relentlessly when we were kids. Unfortunately, much of what I know of the sport is quite illegal (i.e. what I've seen on tv). I'm also an expert on roller derby but most middle schools don't yet offer the "sport". Zach, until recently, held the #2 spot in the 100 lb. weight category. Through a series of unfortunate circumstances he lost his #2 spot to a 95 pounder who was trying to get a #2 spot anywhere on the team. You see, only two players in each weight class get to participate in the varsity tournaments. It's a coveted position. So, he did the natural thing and challenged for the #2 position in the 105 lb. weight class. He won the spot and last Saturday, we traveled to Brush, Colorado for our first tournament of the season. The bottom line--Zach is the 105 lb. champion and I am a very proud father!

Friday, January 18, 2008

The President & Abortion...


What can the President of the United States do to protect the preborn?


Penna Dexter has written an excellent article for Baptist Press on this subject. You can read the entire article here.


Let me share a few quotes outlining just what exactly the President can do about abortion...



  • The presidency provides a bully pulpit to talk about the sanctity of human life.

  • Many pro-lifers believe the best way to end abortion would be to see that the constitution specifically addresses abortion beyond what it already says about the protection of life. A president could advance that cause by endorsing and promoting a human life amendment to the Constitution

  • A pro-life president can make pro-life appointments. The attorney general and the Department of Justice have considerable sway over how laws advancing abortion or limiting it are enforced. And, perhaps most of all, the federal and Supreme Court judges a president nominates have a lasting impact on abortion policy and other pro-life issues in America, hopefully even overturning Roe v. Wade and its companion decision, Doe v. Bolton.

  • A pro-life president can orchestrate a pro-life foreign policy. The president can instruct the U.S. delegation to the United Nations not to force pro-abortion polices on foreign countries, but instead to encourage and support pro-life activities. And the president can prevent foreign aid from being used to support abortion.

  • The president can issue executive orders that protect life.

  • The president can sign pro-life legislation passed by Congress.

  • The president can veto pro-abortion legislation.


Let me encourage you to take a close look at the positions and voting records of each of our presidential candidates. Don't just listen to what they say--look to see what they have done.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Baptists, Catholics, and Episcopalians...

When is the last time that your church invited the Catholics and the Episcopalians over to share a meal? We did last Sunday night! It was really interesting to see these three distinct and diverse congregations come together in friendship and fellowship. The stated reason for our gathering was the need to raise funds for "Stepping Stones" which is a non-profit organization in our community that helps families avoid foreclosure and eviction through rent and mortgage assistance. Funds are very limited and the need is great and so we were more than willing to host the event at our church. Several local eating establishments provided soups and families from our churches brought salads, breads, and desserts potluck style. It was my idea to stretch the purpose and to actually provide a worship experience at the event. The worship began with Cornerstone's Pastor Fernando Cabellero leading us in an awesome time of worship utilyzing his three sons on bass guitar, electric guitar, and drums. Next, Father James from Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church brought a brief message emphasizing among other things the fact that our Lord Jesus had prayed for our unity in his high-priestly prayer found in John 17. We concluded with Deacon Janice Windsor of St. Alban's Episcopal Church leading us through a compline which is a liturgical service of evening prayer. You can read about it at Wikipedia here. All in all, it was a great event. To my knowledge, no essential doctrines were comromised and no harmful effects have befallen us. When we speak of each other's congregations in the future, we must now identify with names and faces, rather than just traditional bias. You can visit the website for Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church here. The website for St. Alban's Epicopal Church is here.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

DMin...

I am in the early stages of making application to the DMin program of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary. Golden Gate has a campus in Denver and I have the opportunity to join a group of my peers from here in Colorado as well as a few students from New Mexico in this quest for a Doctorate of Ministry. I have long wanted to begin work on a PhD but I have never had the motivation to get started. Some of my good friends will be joining me in this venture and so I guess that I am a victim of peer pressure. I'll be posting my journey as I move forward. One of the interesting questions on the application relates to the loss of family members to death and the impact it has had on my ministry. It was quite therapeutic to think through the question and to pen my answer. The degree is supposed to be "transformational" and I would concur that even the application has a transformational nature to it. The emphasis of the DMin will be Church Health which is certainly something in which I would like to gain expertise. You can get more information about the DMin at Golden Gate here. Additional students are being sought after. Please leave a message if you are interested in joining us. The program of study will being in January, 2009.

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

My Single Issue...


You can read all about the Des Moines Register Poll from the source here. Governor Huckabee appears to be maintaining his lead going into the Iowa Caucuses on Thursday. It's interesting to me that the Republican establishment appears to quite opposed to the possibilility of a Huckabee nomination. You've got to wonder what they are so afraid of. Clearly they don't think that he can win against whoever the Democrats end up nominating. Fortunately, it's up to the people and not the establishment. It's quite amazing that Huckabee has done so well in Iowa. He has been outspent 20-1 by Mitt Romney and the last few weeks have been filled with a relentless attack from not only Romney but also Republican media icons like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. In spite of this full court press--Mike Huckabee leads Iowa! I don't think that the Rupublican establishment or the media really understand what motivates the conservative Christian vote. It's true that I'm a fiscal conservative interested in smaller government and lower taxes. I believe that the church and individual charities do a much better job of caring for the poor and the indigent than the federal government ever can. Yet, the most important issue for me is the issue of life vs abortion. I will work tirelessly for a truly pro-life candidate! But I will have a difficult time casting a vote for any candidate that supports or even carelessly looks the other way when babies are being killed daily in America. Yes, I am a "single-issue" voter! I am tired of candidates who simply say what I want to hear but do not have "life" as a core conviction. Of all the candidates, I believe that Mike Huckabee, at his core believes that abortion is wrong and will work to save the lives of these innocent preborn. This is how serious I am--I would support a Democrat, an Independent, or even a Libertarian who opposes abortion. It is the most important issue for me! Go Huckabee!