Christian or UN-CHRISTIAN?

When the world hears the word Christian, what comes to mind? Is it positive or negative? Should we as Christains be concerned about what the world thinks of us and Christianity?

In the groundbreaking research in the book Un-Christian, by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons, the issue is discussed.

The research shows that Christians are known for what they are against. They are perceived as being hypocritical, judgemental, antihomosexual, and too political. It reveals that those who were surveyed believed that Christianity is no longer the Christianity that Jesus intended.

So, again, should we be concerned about how the world thinks of us as Christians? Should the negative image change us? Should we be shocked by this research? Doesn't Jesus tell us as disciples not to be surprised if the world hates us? Yet we do need to strive to engage culture as people are and yet not be influenced. We are called to be the light in darkness. We are to offer, "hope to the hopeless", "be in the world but not of it", and "become all things to all men that we may win some."

So what is your perception of Christianity? Is it positive or negative? What can be done to make a difference?

What do you think?
Share your thoughts.

Happy Anniversary

Thirteen years ago today I made the best decision I have ever made. I married my high school sweetheart. Over the years our love has grown and matured into something beautiful. As I look at my three boys I see her heart, mind and looks; it is wonderful. Over the past year she has been there for me through sickness and in health. Like Aaron lifting up the arms of Moses so the Israelites could have the victory she has held mine up so that I might have the victory in life. She is my strongest support and best friend. I love you!

You can comment if you'd like.

Madison Mabry is here.

I want to congratulate my brother Kris and his wife Misty on the birth of their daughter Madi Jo Mabry. She is the first girl born to the Mabrys in a couple of generations. So, to say the least, she is going to be a spoiled little princess. I can't wait to start the spoiling!
Congratulations, Kris & Mistry.
Leave any encouraging comment you'd like.

Prayer Request

This is a copy of a e-mail sent to a member of our church (this is a member of her family). I have asked for prayers on his behalf before, but they need it now more than ever.

Dear Friends,

It is with a heavy heart that I write to you all this evening. As you probably know, my brother Lane has had two bouts wuth testicular cancer, the first resulting in chemo treatments and the relapse resulting in abdominal surgery. Lane has been experiencing back pain the past several weeks, which caused the doctors to perform and MRI on Friday. The results today revealed that he has a 30 cm (1 foot) tumor in the same place in his abdomen from which the other one was removed in January (The prior tumor was 7 cm, so this one is over 4 times the size of the last one). Lane begins intensive chemotherapy tomorrow that was described to me a consisting of "lethal doses of chemo." This chemo treatment is supposed to be extremely painful and, because it is so potent, will probably necessitate a bone marrow transplant.

An additional factor is that Lane and his wife Paula are pregnant with a son. A few weeks ago, a sonogram showed an arachnoid cyst on the baby's brain. The doctors are performing regular sonograms in the event that the cyst continues to grow and delivering the baby early is the safest option. They will not know the effect of the cyst on the baby until birth, but the potential effects for the baby can include severe mental disability. Paula is due in early August.

I ask that you would lift Lane, Paula and their baby up in prayer. Please pray for the physical healing for Lane and the baby, spiritual and emotional strength for Lane and Paula, and that the chemo will be less painful than normal.

Thank you so very much for all your prayers.

Trent

Prayer is powerful, so please pray for Lane and his family. Right now, stop reading and go to Him and everytime Lane and his family come to your mind, stop what you're doing and pray.

Let's let Lane and his family feel His power and feel a supernatural comfort come upon them. Let them feel us.

The Way God Speaks

This past weekend, my family and I traveled to Lubbock, Texas to watch my brother graduate from college with a B.A. in business from Lubbock Christian. The graduation was the typical traditional formal college graduation ceremony.

The guest speaker was Mr. Mabee of the Mabee Foundation who is a big supporter of christian education. If you have ever been to Lubbock Christian University or Abilene Christian University, you have seen the Mabee name around campus. Mr. Mabee did a wonderful job with his challenging message for the graduating seniors. It amazes me time and time again the various ways that God uses situations and even people in your life to send you the message he wants you to hear.

Mr. Mabee told of one of my brother's friends who has Guillain-Barre' Syndrome in California. The young man, Rob Baker, is in his late twenties and is suffering from the same disease as I am, but his situation is so different. He is wasting away and still after months, can't walk. Rob is still stuck in dispair. Rob isn't a Christian and had made his body his temple. He was very athletic and even owned a gym in Lubbock for awhile, but feels that his body and God have betrayed him.

Mr. Mabee mentioned how young this man was and the lack of relationship he has with God. He stressed that life is precious. You never know how long you have to live so we need to make the most of our time on earth. Mr. Mabee, in his speech, talked about a fire in which his daughter had been in. Ironically, my brother several years ago had also been in an apartment fire. As we listened to Mr. Mabee we were amazed that he had mentioned both things that have such a vital part of my brother's life. It is wonderful to see how God takes situations, events and people in our life to send the message that we need.

Have you seen God do this very thing in your life? When? How? Do you believe coincidences are actually conincidences? Do you remember a situation in the Bible in which God uses one person's story to speak to another? Have you ever thought that God may be using your events and life to send someone else a message that they need to hear? How should this affect our situations, and events in our life both good and bad?

Kris I am proud of you.
We had a great time.

What do you think?
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The Bucket List

A few months ago a movie came out called, "The Bucket List," starring Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman, and Shean Hayes. Two terminally ill patients who are totally different in every aspect of life- race, etc., become friends and make a list of things they want to do before they "kick the bucket." The movie had me thinking. As Christians, what would we have on our list? Would you spend more time with family; share your faith with others; convert on person to Christ; pray more or maybe even travel to the places Jesus walked? Would your list look different than any other person who is not a Christian?

What would be on your bucket list? Share it with us.





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Picking and Choosing To Whom We Show God's Grace

I wasn't feeling good at all today, but I had a situation which made me feel even worse.

There was a woman who was asking for help with a payment on her car. She works 2 jobs in 2 different towns and needs her car for work. She is newly divorced and her ex-husband has not given her the child support he owes. He is witholding the $4000, she thinks, to hurt her. Actually, he is hurting his children.

We are so small that we don't have elders, but instead appoint men to oversee certain areas. One man is in charge of the finances. I went to him on her behalf, but he refused to allow the church to help her. The reason he gave is that she was a divorced woman who chose to leave with her children and live with another man. Her story is that she is not living with him, but is only dating him.

I was really contemplating giving her money out of my own pocket in order to help her family because she had to call in work three days because she didn't have a car. I might still do it if I can find the money.

All this woman needed was $229 to get her car out and back. I had to go back and tell her, "No." She then told me that some of her friends said, "If you want help at any church, the Church of Christ is the one to go to."

I feel so embarassed because in the last two weeks, I put a huge ad in the local paper stating that we were a grace-oriented, non-denominational congregation,who loves God, and striving to be like Jesus. "God I repent of lying in that ad."

I believe if we are not known in the community for our graceousness, love of others, and forgiveness, then this church will end up dying. I love Jesus more than anything and I want us to be known as graceous and benevolent in this community. If you look at the ministry of Jesus, he met the physical needs first and then the spiritual needs. Our church can forget ministering to this woman and her children because they will not be coming to worship with us.

I had to look a woman who humbled herself to ask the church (I know from personal experience that you do have humble yourself uncomfortably when asking the church for help).


Shouldn't we as Christians and churches be known as benevolent? Should ministries imitate the ministry of Jesus? Will churches or those men who are tight with God's money suffer a worse judgment for being judgemental and not demonstrating the grace of God? What happens when a church isn't benevolent and graceous?


I know that people are busy, but are they too busy for what is important to God? Do we really want adulterers sitting in our building? Do we want liars and those who are addicted to porn? Do we want people who are poor to come? Is not the Church for "sinners"? Are we to pick and choose who we help?

I would have given the mother help, invited her to our church, and told her to leave her life of sin like Jesus did with the woman caught in the act of adultery. I believe there are more Churches of Christ who are willing and would much rather throw stones than to show the grace and love of God to a non-believer. Yes, this church does help believers, but we need to be graceous and benevolent to everyone and not pick and choose to whom we show God's grace and mercy. A church will never grow if it has prejudice, is non-benevolent and not helpful to those in the communities in which they live.


What do you think?
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