When we see people harming themselves, we normally split into two groups. Some of us think they must be dumb. The rest of us think they simply haven't been educated enough. Whichever camp you fall into, you tend to think the same way about all self-destructive behavior. Quick, what does a drug addict need? What does a man need who has a miserable home-life because he works too much? What does the man who can't hold a job down because he's always drunk need? What do Africans who are sleeping around and getting AIDS need?

The upcoming ClearNote Pastors' conference is going to be on pastoral care. I'm very much looking forward to attending, and I would encourage all pastors and elders who can to attend. It is one month from now, February 23-24, and the cost is only $50.

This sad, anti-Christian refrain is repeated over and over by Christian parents of Christian college students, attending Christian churches with Christian grandparents firmly nodding their heads in agreement. Of course, rarely is it worded so clearly. But the truth will out, as God has promised, and sometimes in desperation, these parents come right out and say what they mean. 

So let me ask a question. What exactly did you raise her to be? A beach ball. A dog. A frog. A log. A poodle. A noodle. A doodle. (Bob, would you please leave?)

Joshua Harris (yes, that one so memorably connected with a certain book about kissing, er, I mean dating), has posted an excellent article written by Reb Bradley about temptations faced by homeschooling parents. It certainly is perfectly tailored to homeschoolers, but every father or mother in the country would benefit from reading this article, regardless of whether their children are homeschooled, public schooled, private schooled, or out of school. And if you aren't a parent yet, but you might be someday, then you'll benefit too.

One of my failures in the last year has been regular communication, especially with those who are supporting our work financially and in prayer from outside of Indianapolis. In an attempt to remedy that, I've created an email list that is for everybody who wants to keep up with what we are doing. Right now I'm shooting for sending out a quarterly newsletter by email. If you would like to receive it, please sign up here.

Let's assume for a second that you are reading about a movie, trying to decide whether to let your son go watch it with all of his friends. You find that part of the reason it got a higher rating was because of profanity. Now what do you do? Either you say, "Well, at least it isn't nudity. I guess you can go." Or you go to the parental guide on IMDB or some similar site to find out ...

Calvin was well aware of the struggles that many people have with election. Most common is the objection, "But that's not fair!" That is not my concern this morning, as it is commonly dealt with elsewhere. Less frequently discussed is the fear that this doctrine sometimes produces in Christians who wonder, "Am I one of the chosen? Did God pick me for salvation, or do I just wish He had."

Commenting on Acts 13:48, "... as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed." Calvin says:

In his speech to the nation about the killing of Osama bin Laden, President Obama thanked the men who carried out the operation. Fitting, certainly. What I found fascinating was this response by a commenter on the Huffington Post:

"Good speech, but I'm not overjoyed about the instance of sexist language. ("We give thanks for the men who carried out this operation. ..") I know he doesn't MEAN anything by it but a little vigilance would be nice." --Anannya 

This post is long-overdue, but the topic has also been on my mind a lot lately. Ezekiel 22:30 says, “I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one." We have a number of examples in the Bible of men who stood in the gap before God, pleading with Him to have mercy on His people.