Here's some news, notes and observations in no particular order:
- Outspoken NBA Dallas Maverick's owner Mark Cuban is about to sit where Martha Stewart sat, well I mean in terms of accusations in regard to "insider trading". More here at ESPN. It's America folks so remember: innocent until proven guilty.
- The majority of voters in California voted against the legalizing of gay marriage much to their governor's surprise. In 2005 he vetoed gay marriage legislation, but has since changed his stance and has vowed to fight the majority who voted it down two weeks ago. He is up for re-election. Theologian Al Mohler has an interesting post on this. Sidenote: The Episcopal Church has long had an open view in regard to homosexual couples. The Fort Worth diocese is now leaving the fold because of the denomination's stance on the ordination of homosexual clergy.
- Recent research indicates that 28% of American adults have left their formative faith for another one, or no religion at all. A big challenge, or opportunity for the church is the fact that among 18-29 year-old Americans, one in four say they aren't connected with any particular faith group or religion. Click on Pew Forum for more on the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey. Perhaps most troubling for Protestants in the study is:
The Landscape Survey confirms that the United States is on the verge of becoming a minority Protestant country; the number of Americans who report that they are members of Protestant denominations now stands at barely 51%.
- Never one to avoid the "taboo" topics of church, Mars Hill pastor, Mark Driscoll has written a fantastic, transparent and very helpful book for Christian men who struggle with porn. It's a free book and you can download it by clicking on the title link that follows (warning: Driscoll states in his introduction that he wrote this specifically for a male audience!): Porn-Again Christian
- Don't laugh, a Congressional scientific panel has determined that "Gulf War Syndrome" is real. They are referring to 1/4 of the 700.000 who served in the 1991 Gulf War, not the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. See my September post concerning troubling addictions and stress plaguing Iraq/Afghanistan Vets and active soldiers. And it took a Congressional panel to figure this out 17 years later? And we wonder why Veterans have so much trouble getting help?
- Legendary college basketball coach, Pete Newell has died. Newell won Olympic gold in 1960 with the Big O in Rome. He won an NCAA title the year before. Current and aspiring coaches would do well to read about him. Basketball legends Jerry West and Bobby Knight were greatly influenced by Coach Newell. Most notably, Newell left the bench on doctors orders at the age of 44, but he beat UCLA's John Wooden the last eight times they met!
7 comments:
Just curious: You said, (warning: Driscoll wrote this specifical for a male audience!)
What do you think might happen should women actually read this?
From my perspective every woman needs to read this. Perhaps they would wake up to reality and be more powerful wives, mothers, grandmothers, and friends.
Dear Truthmatters,
I couldn't agree more, but as Arterburn and Stoeker have written in their best-selling, "Every Man's Battle", many women have trouble reading the explicit and direct conversation between men about such struggles in the flesh when it's their own husband, son, etc. In other words, when there's a face on the struggle. My preface on Driscoll's book was not meant to "keep the women away" but was to honor Mark Driscoll's words in the introduction of this book in requesting that women not read his book. He writes:
"Because I am speaking to fellow men, my tone may not be well suited for some women and, therefore, I would request that they not read this booklet, unless they are a wife whose husband has read it first and he can discuss its contents with her in love."
Monty,
Thank you for your timely response. I appreciate your desire to respect Mark's disclaimer. I have written Mark about my concerns, as well.
I have read this book and subsequently promoted it to every Christian woman I know. I have suggested that they share it with their husbands, if their husbands have not read it.
If more husbands knew that they had "live-in" accountability partners who knew what might be going on behind their closed office door, I have a feeling husbands would be a lot less willing to take the chance of being "caught with their pants down" (so to speak) by the woman they are suppose to love and honor.
Haven't heard a good argument against that point of view from any man.
BTW: Did not care for "Every Man's Battle" at all. It was more on behavior modifcation. Until a man sees all of this through the eyes of Christ, until he really "hates it" the way God does, he will always be a slave to it and find ways to actually justify it in his own mind.
"Boys will be boys?" God is calling for MEN and so are godly women?
Thanks for allowing me to express this. Nothing personal I assure you.
Hey Folks,
TM's comments are welcome and appreciated as are all who come in sincerity. No wounded ego here believe me. She has made some great points. I'd love to hear from more female Christ-followers on this, especially those who are in covenant marriage relationships and live in the every day experience and reality of it as opposed to theory, or those who don't.
TM prompts me to ask our men to please feel free to weigh in as well and tell us why or why not, you can/can't share struggles of the flesh with your spouse, mother, sister, etc. C'mon faith community we need each other and that means being able to live through the good and the bad together. Great stuff.
Hi Monty,
I hope more take on your challenge. Just to set the record straight. Although, I was married and in a covenant relationship (in case it was me who you thought had views based on theory alone) I am no longer in one. We must never assume based on lack of information--as guilty as I so often am myself of doing just that.
I was also in leadership while I was in the covenant relationship and my husband lead men's groups on "how to deal with immoral and unbiblical sexual temptation." I had very close personal relationships with other women who were also in covenant relationships.
My views stem from, my own experience, the knowledge I have gained from my relationships and a great deal of reading "men's christian forums and books" on the topic.
Hope that helps paint a little clearer picture for your readers.
This is epidemic and is destroying marriages, both christian and secular.
Truth Matters,
Comments were general, not aimed at you in regard to those in covenant relationships. My reason is that I've discovered that more people in CM relationships have more difficulty getting this stuff out (the elephant in the room so to speak) and I'm discovering many 20 something Christ-followers who do a much better job with this in terms of honesty and transparency. You are dead on in your comments and I really appreciate your wisdom, experience and knowledge on this. Comment anytime!
I would have to say that the 20 something's have it two fold. On one hand it is so much easier for them to be honest in transparent in that they don't feel like they have a ton to lose.(Which is great because they are very open to being ministered to.) This is very different from of previous generation where men were promoted to always be right, not have problems, etc. Now, everyone realizes that men struggle just like everyone else whether we talk about it or not, and the 20 somethings of this generation aren't scared to talk about much of anything.
On the other hand with things like the internet and socially accepted norms changing like crazy, pornography is very much accepted by a great deal of 20 somethings. I can say this because I am one, and hang around with them. Things are very different in my generation than my fathers and his fathers. I would venture to say that many other things are socially acceptable to 20 somethings, porn, drinking, living situations, their language, cheating(work or school)and a lot of other things that find their ways into our minds and hearts that shouldn't.
All in all I think that a lack of accountability plays a major roll in this. On both sides with men and women. Girlfriends, boyfriends, husbands, and wives don't really seem to hold each other accountable anymore. Gotta be able to bring up the elephants in the bedroom to make any relationship a successful one.
Just my .02
-Casey
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