Locke v. Davey Oral Arguments
Over at the American Center for Law and Justice, they have posted the oral arguments for the Locke v. Davey case. The link requires Adobe Acrobat since it is a PDF file.
It is very interesting to read.
December 7, 2003
December 6, 2003
GFA Prayer Request
I received the following email from John Schwartz of Gospel For Asia. It concerns violence in Assam, India between the Kuki and Karbi tribes…
[GFA URGENT Update] - www.gfa.org
I’m writing to you very late this evening with an urgent prayer request. The violence in Assam, India continues to escalate between the Kuki and Karbi tribes and many of our native missionaries and believers are caught in between.
We learned just minutes ago that ten of our Bible school students and one leader have been arrested by police and are being falsely accused in some manner.
Field leaders are asking us to pray for their quick release. We will post any further developments to the web as soon as possible.
(Related links to the Kuki and Karbi conflict are below.)
Thank you for praying and having a vital part in sharing the Good News in Asia!
For those who have never heard,
John Schwartz
http://www.gfa.org
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:::: Related Links to Kuki/Karbi Conflict:
December 5, 2003
Look at it Fall!
The snow is falling! It started this afternoon and hasn’t let up yet. The winter advisory from the National Weather Service says that we could get 10 to 15 inches of snow by tomorrow night. 
It’s a good day to be in New England. That’s all I have to say.
December 4, 2003
The Mind of Christ
It’s hard to imagine that as a Christian, I have the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16) because some of the thoughts that I have are in direct contradiction to what God’s Word says. I am like Paul when in Romans 7:15 he says,
For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.
This is very frustrating sometimes…
As I think about my Christian walk, I see all those times when I failed to obey the Lord. All those things that I wanted to do took precedence over the things that God wanted me to do. I hope I’m not alone in this sentiment because I don’t think that my failures are anything new to the human race. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says,
No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man;
I sin just like the next guy but because I’m a Christian I feel even more responsible for my actions. Is this a good thing or a bad thing?
It could be a good thing to be conscious of my behaviors and how they affect my God and others. Controlling my anger, maintaining an attitude of patience, being kind towards others, etc. are examples of behaviors and states of mind that could affect others I come in contact with daily. Often times, it is those closest to us that see the negative side of our behavior. I’m not sure why that is but it may have something to do with someone not feeling it necessary to put on a facade of happiness to those who know better. Does that make sense? Probably not.
If my sin is hidden from others or secret then my actions only affect my Lord. This type of guilt can affect my overall mental well-being. A sense of shame could exist such that it could undermine everything that I do. This would be extremely detrimental to all my relationships especially if my hidden sin was somehow related to the way I related to another. I believe sexual sin would fall into this category.
So, what should I do? Well, I think that I should first and foremost, keep Christ as my focus. Hebrews 12:1-3 is very clear about this.
1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Secondly, we should look for opportunities to minister to others the way Christ did during His earthly ministry. Galations 6:2 says,
Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
This is the law of Christ that is actually equal to greatest of the commandments. In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus said,
37 And He said to him, ” `YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ 38 “This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 “The second is like it, `YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ 40 “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
So, Christ’s Law is the fulfillment of the law by example. An example we must strive to not only imitate but become. It must be automatic that we respond with Christ-like actions to our everyday surroundings and situations. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians :14-15,
14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. 15 But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. 16 For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ.
To think that we have the mind of Christ is an awesome thing. Are we listening to His thought processes? Is His Holy Spirit revealing things to you when you read His Word? Or should I say, if you or I read His Word?
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Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(r), Copyright (c) 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
