Momo?

The Bible teaches us in Romans 12 to allow God's transformation to take place through the renewing of our minds.  And, we can read in Proverbs 4:
20 My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings.
21 Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart;
22 For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.
23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.

We can be cognizant of our need to regulate what enters into our minds, recognizing that it is a battleground, where the enemy operates to draw us away from our love for God and His
truth.  There is an enormous amount of material that can be accessed via our computers and phones every single day.  Some we encounter without our choice; and we can train ourselves to reject those ideas that are contrary to the ideals of Almighty God.

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The Bible instructs us to guard our hearts - and our homes; from thoughts and philosophies that are not honoring to God. We read in Psalm 101:
2 I will behave wisely in a perfect way. Oh, when will You come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.
3 I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not cling to me.

The world of social media has yielded a number of so-called "challenges" throughout the years; perhaps the most famous was the Ice Bucket Challenge of a few years back to call attention to ALS. Earlier this year, you had the short-lived "Bird Box" Challenge in which people were encouraged to blindfold themselves and engage in various activities, which faced criticism by Netflix, the distributor of the film that inspired it.

Recently, there is a dangerous "challenge" that is making the rounds called the Momo Challenge, and parents need to be aware of it.  According to a piece by David Eaton of Axis.org, found on the ChristianHeadlines.com website:

It’s an online challenge that targets teens, tweens and even younger children (via snippets in YouTube Kids videos). The challenge encourages kids to contact an unknown person called Momo (represented by a sculpture of a woman with a gaunt face, bulging eyes, and creepy smile) via WhatsApp or Facebook primarily.

The Momo account then sends them violent and graphic images and texts telling them to engage in various “challenges” that start out small and strange, then escalate to harming themselves and others, possibly culminating in the final challenge of committing suicide.

In order to prove they are completing the challenges, kids are supposed to send photographic or video evidence of them completing the tasks. If they ever try to stop, the Momo account threatens to expose them and/or harm them and their loved ones.

There are conflicting opinions about the legitimacy of the "challenge," and who is actually responsible, but article points out that "Some news sources claim kids are participating in dangerous activities due to the Momo Challenge, and others claim it is a hoax being used to stir hype and fear-mongering."  In fact, the article links to a piece on The Atlantic website, which is rather adamant:

The Momo challenge wasn’t real then, and it isn’t real now. YouTube confirmed that, contrary to press reports, it hasn’t seen any evidence of videos showing or promoting the “Momo challenge” on its platform. If the videos did exist, a spokesperson for YouTube said, they would be removed instantly for violating the platform’s policies. Additionally, there have been zero corroborated reports of any child ever taking his or her own life after participating in this phony challenge.

Regardless of Momo's validity, we can know that the Internet can be a scary place for young people (and even adults!).  Eaton recommends pre-emptive action regarding the Momo Challenge, encouraging parents to ask their older children "if they or their friends have encountered it," and to "make sure they know what to do if they ever see disturbing, graphic, or harmful images or are contacted by unknown accounts."

And, this provides an opportunity to share with younger kids about action steps if they encounter something "scary or weird" online. It can also be an opportunity to evaluate Internet access, perhaps to "use parental controls and to keep screens in public places and common areas." Eaton writes, "Above all, ask God to protect your kids’ hearts and minds, to give you discernment and wisdom, and to give you the strength to be their safe haven."

And, those are some of the keys for parents.  Yes, there can be Internet hoaxes and rumors that float around and create fear, but there is enough real stuff out there to be concerned.  So, it's important that everyone considers his or her Internet usage, and parents can make sure they are involved in knowing what comes into their kids' computers and smartphones, having taken necessary precautions.

We can make protection a priority.  We are told in Scripture to guard our hearts, and even to guard our homes.  We can make the choice whether or not to allow our minds to consider ideas and images that do not line up with Scripture, and realize that parents have a tremendous responsibility for the hearts and minds of the children placed under our care.  We don't have to respond in fear, but with a confident sense of exercising God's principles.

Out of the Depths

We are recipients of the love of Almighty God - the Creator of the universe, Maker of heaven and
earth, has chosen to reveal His truth and love to us. We read in 2nd Corinthians 5:
14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died;
15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

The Bible teaches that all - every human being - have fallen short of God's grace.  None of us can attain God's grace in and of ourselves.  But, because of what Jesus did, as an ultimate act of sacrificial love on the cross, we can come into a saving knowledge of the Most High God.  He draws us near to Himself, places His Spirit in our hearts, and brings about incredible life transformation, so that we might display His nature and His glory.

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In the fifth chapter of Romans, we can read about the overwhelming love of God, a love that reached out to you and me while we were apart from Him and drew us to Himself.  Here is a passage from
that chapter:
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

His life was out of control, according to a piece on the God Reports website. He had been "charged with 18 felonies and three misdemeanors for writing fake prescriptions and turning them in to pharmacies. He faced a maximum of 45 years in prison."  He had told CBN that when he was younger, when his father told him he could go live with his mom, his "world was shattered."

He tried to bring some control into his life through weightlifting and football.  He walked on to the football team at Middle Tennessee State, but he discovered drugs - like painkillers, to which he became addicted, yielding those charges I mentioned.  He only had to spend a month in jail, but when he was out, he became addicted to cocaine.

He overdosed three times, and ultimately his kidneys were shutting down and he had Hepatitis C.

As he waited on a kidney transplant and dialysis was imminent, as the story reports, David Valcich "cried out to God." He said, "I don’t even know if You’re real, but if You are, I want to know You. Please help me.”

The article continues:

The doctors came in the next day with shocking, yet great news. They didn’t know how, but he had a complete turnaround and was being discharged later that day.

That began a journey that led to his salvation.  God Reports relates:

On Christmas morning at 3:00 am, David couldn’t sleep and went out to his living room to watch television. The Gospel of John was playing and he knew, again, that “God was doing something in him and that Jesus had died for me.”

“I just knew that not only did God heal my kidneys in that hospital bed, but that Jesus Christ was real and was born into this world,” he says. “I didn’t have this full grasp of the gospel, but I understood in that moment on that morning that Jesus died for me. It was just mind-blowing.”

He asked God for forgiveness and was set free.

David Valcich has been doing ministry at the University of Virginia, including working as a representative with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.  He is part of the ministry of Hope Builders.  He experienced the depths of a life without Christ, and now his life is marked by his relationship with Christ and devotion to be used by Him.

There are some wonderful principles we can remember from David's story.  First of all, and I think it's something we can all be reminded of: No one can stray too far from God's grasp.  That includes the person who has rejected Christ and may (temporarily) show no interest in Him.  That also includes the person who knows the Lord, but who has strayed, who has wandered in sin and deception - God, like the father of the prodigal in Luke 15, stands ready to restore fellowship with a person who is willing to repent and come to Him.  Always be hopeful as you pray that God is working in a person's life.

We can know that the Holy Spirit is at work to bring people to seek Christ and to be saved by Christ.  His powerful, overwhelming love is reaching; and while He will not override a person's will, His love and His truth are overpowering.

Finally, we can develop a sense of anticipation that God will work in our lives and in the lives of others, for His glory.  We can pray for breakthrough in the life of another, and reach out to the Lord to provide spiritual breakthrough in each of our lives.  We can seek Him and trust Him for spiritual growth and develop a sense of expectancy for what He desires to do.

Catastrophic

When the devastating storms come into our lives; when we are beset by adversity and loss, we can
look to the Lord as our source of hope and strength. Psalm 46 states:
(1b) God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah

There are hundreds of people who are suffering in our area today, having lost loved ones, or having suffered injury, or losing property, or having lived through the traumatic experience of a major storm. People need peace, clarity, and hope today.  We can be encouraged to pray, and God may direct some to get involved in other ways.  The Church has the opportunity to walk in the love of Jesus and to live out the hope that we have in Him.

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In Isaiah 25, we encounter a passage that reinforces our need to look to God during desperate times
and to praise Him always. We can read in verse 1:
1 O Lord, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, For You have done wonderful
things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.

And, verse 4 says:
4 For You have been a strength to the poor, A strength to the needy in his distress, A refuge from the storm, A shade from the heat; For the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.

One can think of the start of a brand new day as an open door of new possibilities; we can thank the Lord for a new day and seek Him diligently that we might do His will.

But for residents of East Alabama, sunrise today represented the possibility of learning more about the death and destruction of yesterday's tornadoes that struck Lee County.  At the start of the day, there were 23 deaths in Lee County, plus an assortment of storms in other parts of our Faith Radio coverage area brought damage to communities such as Eufaula, where there was damage in the area around the airport, and others. The communities of Beauregard and Smiths Station experienced unbelievable damage - the warnings Sunday afternoon described the potential for damage as "catastrophic."  And, it appears that there were two tornadoes that appear to have struck the same area.

And, as WSFA reported, the death toll was expected to rise as the result of the Lee County tornadoes. one of which was described as at least an EF-3, with a width of a half-mile. East Alabama Medical Center reported that it had received over 40 injured people. The Lee County EMA made available an online tool in order to identify missing family members, and the American Red Cross made it possible for people to register as "safe and well."  Providence Baptist Church in the area has stepped up as a storm shelter; so has the Smiths Station Volunteer Fire Department.

In the days to come, I have no doubt that Christian organizations will be very involved in helping to clean up the area.  A piece on the Opelika Auburn News stated:

Beauregard Volunteer Fire Station 3 acted as a triage, where responders brought injured residents, and a staging area was set up and Sanford Middle School, where volunteers rolled in, including disaster response teams from Church of the Highlands and the Tuskegee Lee Baptist Association.

The article told the story of an area resident, Blanche Whatley, who was in her kitchen when the storm arrived.  It states:

“The wind came up, and a window broke out,” she said. “I could hear a vibration. It was kind of like a train, I guess, and I guess it went over the house.”

Whatley and her granddaughter, Emily Scurnopoli, who lives with her, were unharmed by the tornado.

But sheets of tin that once put a roof over their heads were strewn about the neighborhood as friends and family members worked to place a tarp over the roof and help collect debris from the downed trees on the property.

In the worst conditions, in the midst of disaster, we commonly see the best of people, who are willingly to selflessly get involved to bring help to people who have been impacted.  And, there certainly is a tremendous need for spiritual care for the families who lost loved ones and property as the results of these devastating storms on Sunday. 

And, that is one particular takeaway from the events of Sunday: we have the opportunity as the Church to step up, to walk in the love of Christ.  We can pray for the families of those who have lost their lives, pray for healing for the injured, and for supernatural comfort to flood the lives of those who have survived.  And, as we pray, we know that God will direct some to get involved in other ways, as well, and there will no doubt be opportunities to serve those who have been adversely affected.

We can also think more deeply about our response in the storms of life.  Those storms, sometimes overwhelming, sometimes catastrophic, physically and otherwise, will impact either us directly or those around us.  Storms will come, and there is Someone who is a rock, a refuge, during those times of uncertainty.  I would think that our friends in Lee County will see the presence of the Savior in the coming days through the devotion of His people.

Consistent with Faith

God works by His Spirit to bring people into a saving knowledge of Christ, and as we follow Christ in salvation, we can experience the cleansing and empowering work of the Holy Spirit.  Hebrews 10
says:
22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

The Spirit of God will reform our consciences, He will teach us God's truth, in accordance to the Word of God, bringing it to light in our hearts.  He guides us in our decisions and gives us the strength we need each day.  We know the Holy Spirit is powerful - and prevalent.  He is working in this world to show people their need for Jesus, and in response to the prayers of His people, we can be confident that He is at work.

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We are called to walk in the Spirit and we can be convinced that the Holy Spirit is at work not only in our lives, but toward the lives of those whom God wants to bring to Himself.  Jesus spoke about the
Spirit in John 16, and said:
8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me;
10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more;
11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

Perhaps you saw the movie, Paul, Apostle of Christ, which starred Jim Caviezel in the role of Luke and James Faulkner playing the title role.  When you are playing a role of such magnitude, I can be it can be a rather daunting task, and Faulkner, who, according to The Christian Post, is "admittedly on his own faith journey."  Now it's hard to tell what that means, but one could surmise that Faulkner was touched in a special way as part of that film.

He was at the Movieguide Faith and Values Award Show recently, which was televised on the Hallmark Channel earlier this week.  Jeannie Law of The Christian Post caught up with him at the Awards show and devoted an article primarily to Faulkner, in which he described what he called an "extraordinary" experience:

“It took me on a journey,” Faulkner said. “My wife was amazed at the difference in me. She said, 'If only you can be like this all the time. It's fantastic, you're filled with a completely different spirit.”

What Faulkner was filled with, he said, was the Holy Spirit, admitting that before he began working on the film his faith wasn't as strong as it is now.

“Jim (Caviezel) is a devout man, whereas I'm Anglican light. But I have some questions myself as a result of playing Paul and I view the world differently and my fellow human beings differently [now],” he confessed.

Faulkner told Law on the red carpet: "I think that faith-based films, family films, films that celebrate, our better natures are important and therefore, I'm thrilled to be here as part of the Movieguide awards.”

The Christian Post review of the awards cited one special moment of the show, in which Jim Caviezel appeared on stage with Faulkner and gave up his award. Caviezel won the Christie Peters Grace Award for Most Inspiring Performance in Movies for his role in Paul, Apostle of Christ.

Other awards included the Christie Peters Grace Award for Most Inspiring Performance in TV which went to Jean Smart for A Shoe Addict’s Christmas.  Smart noted, "I have a 10-year-old and it had been quite a while since I'd done something that she could watch. Not just my daughter but our kids are exposed to so much stuff that is just not healthy for them..."  Her co-star in the Hallmark movie, Candace Cameron Bure, co-hosted the awards with daughter, Natasha, according to International Business Times.

The article noted that Movieguide founder Ted Baehr "revealed that movies with positive redemptive content is on the rise. Showing that in the past 10 years family friendly content has gone up 10 percent."

Other awards included:

Epiphany Prize for Most Inspiring Movie of 2018 – Winner: “I Can Only Imagine”

Epiphany Prize for Most Inspiring TV Program – Winner: "When Calls The Heart: The Greatest Christmas Blessing”

$15,000 Kairos Prize for Most Spiritually Uplifting Screenplay by a First-Time or Beginning Screenwriters - Winner: Nathan Leon for “Grace By Night”

$15,000 Kairos Pro Prize for Most Inspiring Screenplay by an Experienced Filmmaker - Winner: Paul Cooper for “Mingo Road”

And, you have the best movies for families and for mature audiences. According to Movieguide, the ten best for families were:
Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch

Peter Rabbit (2018)

I Can Only Imagine

Paul, Apostle Of Christ

God’s Not Dead: A Light In Darkness

Mary Poppins Returns

Spider-man: Into The Spider-verse

Paddington 2

Incredibles 2, and 

Ralph Breaks The Internet.

The Best Movie for Families was Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch.

The 10 best for mature audiences, in alphabetical order, were:

Ant-man and The Wasp

Chappaquiddick

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Little Pink House

Mission: Impossible – Fallout

A Quiet Place

Skyscraper

Solo: A Star Wars Story

Unbroken: Path To Redemption, and 

Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

There are several takeaways here.  First of all, I want to be clear...while I don't think unbelievers are filled with the Spirit; that is a gift and commandment for Christians, we can acknowledge that God is working supernaturally to bring people to Himself.  The Spirit can work in the life of a person to bring him or her into that saving knowledge of Christ.  And, for the unbeliever who acts in a movie that reflects Christian principles, there is an opportunity to be in an atmosphere where the Spirit can work.  We can also know in our churches and our spheres of influence, as we seek the Lord and walk in the Spirit, we can create an atmosphere of love and truth through which someone can come to know Him.

We can also be reminded personally to seek out entertainment choices consistent with our faith perspective.  This can perhaps inspire us, and our dollars spent on family and faith-based entertainment can send a message to Hollywood that we want more of this type of material.

Finally, we can recognize that there are fellow believers who wish to make a difference in the entertainment industry.  We know that they can be influential as they reflect Christ in their work.

The Pursuit of...

Out of our faith walk with the Lord can emerge a sense of His joy and peace.  As we worship Him,
we can know that inner satisfaction and have a heart of thankfulness. Psalm 37 states:
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.

People are seeking to be happy; and sometimes that sense of happiness will be rooted in external circumstances.  Our happiness as believers is determined by the level that we abide in Christ - and we can experience inner satisfaction, expressed through joy and peace, flowing from the knowledge that we are right with Him and that He is sustaining us, no matter what the externals might tell us.  Our joy is not of this world but comes from His presence in our hearts.

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Even in the midst of enduring hardship, we can have an abiding joy in the Lord; the knowledge of
Him brings satisfaction - some might even call it happiness. James 5 states:
11 Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord--that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.
12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your "Yes," be "Yes," and your "No," "No," lest you fall into judgment.
13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.

Going to church can contribute to a person's happiness; that sounds like a simple, commonsense statement of cause and effect, doesn't it?  A recently released Pew poll explored the connection between church attendance and well-being, and Baptist Press reported on the results.

The article states:

"This analysis finds that in the U.S. and many other countries around the world, regular participation in a religious community clearly is linked with higher levels of happiness and civic engagement," Pew said, citing civic activities such as voting, joining community groups and volunteering.

The story points out that, "Pew describes actively religious people as those who identify with a religious group and attend church services at least monthly."

The survey found that, "In the U.S., 36 percent of actively religious people said they were very happy, compared to 25 percent of inactive religious people and 25 percent of those unaffiliated with any religious group."  According to the story, the poll seems to indicate that religious affiliation is not enough to bring about greater happiness and civic participation; it's religious activity that makes a difference.

Some other snapshots: only about a third of these religiously active Americans say they are in "very good health." 96% of the group indicated that they "avoid frequent drinking," and "85 percent don't smoke, 64 percent exercise several times a week, and 72 percent are not obese."

With respect to community involvement, just over two-thirds of religiously active Americans vote in national elections versus 48% of the religiously unaffiliated.  Also, 58% belong to at least one non-religious group, vs. 39% of religious unaffiliated people.

How does the U.S. compare to other countries? According to the report, "Surveys found the highest rates of very happy people among religiously active people in Mexico, 71 percent; Colombia, 58 percent; and Ecuador, 56 percent."  The Pew survey included the U.S. and 25 other countries.

All right, let's consider this: What constitutes true happiness?  Some think that the externals, such as pastor and former corporate executive Stu Fuhlendorf was relating, contribute to our happiness.  Others look to be happy through sinful behavior.  Truth is, God wants us to experience His joy, which is a deep-seated satisfaction in Him; happiness, which is thought to be more externals-based, can be a fickle concept.  Others say God doesn't want us to be happy, rather to be holy -  I would submit that if we are right with God, internally, we can walk in His joy, which is listed among the fruit of the spirit.

We can pursue what God has in store for us and we can be satisfied as we allow Him to work in our lives.  If we are pursuing God, we can certainly have that deep knowledge in our souls that we are pleasing Him; that can make for a happy, or a joyful life.  All in all, our joy in the Lord is determined by inward factors, rather than external circumstances.

Streets of London

Chapter 4 of the book of Luke describes Jesus preaching in the synagogue, and He preached from a
passage in Isaiah that outlined His call by God:
18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."

That is the call of Jesus, and as He prepared to leave this earth, He commissioned His followers to go everywhere and proclaim His truth.  He has come to redeem humanity, to bring hope and liberty.  He has defeated the power of darkness, and He calls us to walk in His wonderful light.  He wants to open our eyes and the eyes of those with whom we interact to His truth.  In the power of God, we can communicate who Christ is and what He desires to do.

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In Acts 4, we find that Peter and John had been used by the Lord to pray for a man, who was healed.
They proclaimed:
11 This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.'
12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.

Over the past few days, there has been a rapidly-growing chorus that has been publicized regarding  an unfortunate event on the streets of London.  Faithwire has picked up the story of the arrest of a street preacher; the report states:

In a video of the incident posted to Twitter, officers can be seen forcefully asking the African man to stop, before arresting him on a rather baffling charge of “breaching the peace.”

According to the published exchange with an officer near the Southgate Underground station, after the preacher is accused of "breaching the peace," the policeman says: “It’s what you’re doing at the moment...You’re causing problems — you’re disturbing people’s days and you’re breaching their peace. If you won’t go away voluntarily, we will have to arrest you.”

The preacher said, "I will not go away, because I need to tell them the truth — because Jesus is the only way, the truth and the life..."  The Faithwire account continues:

“But nobody wants to listen to that,” the officer snapped back. “They want you to go away.”

At this point, the officer handcuffs the man, before an additional officer snatches his Bible out of his hands.

“Don’t take my Bible away,” the man cried.

“You should have thought about that before being racist!” the officer replied.

 Racist?  Well, Faithwire reached out to the Metropolitan Police.  What did they find?

The police admitted that, despite the officer’s comments accusing the preacher of being “racist,” nothing of this nature had been said by the Christian man. They also noted that “no language of this nature was used in the presence of officers.”

“The initial report suggested some Islamophobic language had been used,” the police force told Faithwire. “However nobody has made a formal allegation to this effect and no language of this nature was used in the presence of officers.”

Now, it has been reported that the man was "de-arrested."  Yet, the account provides a chilling look at a clear case of bias against someone preaching the gospel.  As Faithwire reports:

Many have called on the police to apologize for the incident. Christians and atheists alike have expressed their outrage at the incident. Anglican clergyman and former chaplain to the Queen, Rev. Dr. Gavin Ashenden, was one of those to speak out.

“The police have closed down freedom of speech and become Christianophobic,” he wrote on Twitter. “If we fail to protest we will lose our freedom under the law.”

Obianuju Ekeocha, who is described in the story as a "Christian and pro-life activist," had posted one of the early accounts of the arrest of the preacher. Ekeocha also tweeted out a video of the arrest of the Christian preacher side-by-side with an incident in which UK police responded to a Muslim preacher shouting "Allahu Akbar;" shall we say it was a "friendlier" exchange.  The source of that video was the Leave.EU Twitter account.

Certainly, this central event is illustrative of the clash of worldviews in which we find ourselves.  Christianity has become a target, while worldviews aligned with Islam are tolerated and even found to be favorable.  Radical Islam is a serious threat, yet there has been a determined effort to downplay or eliminate the religious element; witness how media and politicians are reticent to label acts of terror as being connected with Islam.  And, yet to criticize Islam become bigoted and Islamophobic; criticizing Christianity is an accepted practice.

But, that's just par for the course, according to Jesus, and we have to be careful that we don't make ourselves out to be religious victims.  He told us we would experience tribulation and persecution. But, we can continue to exhibit confidence in our Savior and allow Him to live His life through us.

We do acknowledge that there are those that will challenge the Christian faith; we can study the Word and rely on the Spirit, prepared to defend it.  We can make a reasonable, determined defense of the truth of the Bible and adopt that attitude reflected in Romans 1, that we are not ashamed of the gospel.  We can certainly be bold for Christ.

Finally, there is a simple purity that is exhibited in this image of a preacher on the streets, proclaiming the Gospel.  In a day when we find church members and leaders debating a number of issues and incorporating worldly philosophies and constructs in our churches, we can continue to adhere to communicating the true, pure gospel, the good news that changes lives.

While They're Young

We have to determine that we will think Biblically about the issues and decisions with which we are
confronted. Colossians 2 states:
18 Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.

There does seem to be a lot of errant philosophy that is out there these days; the knowledge of God is being challenged by the fruitless thinking of humanity.  There are those who would distort God's intent on so many things, including our biology - there is teaching that our gender is fluid, or can be changed; hardly a scientific concept.  Plus, there are those that deny the science and think that an unborn child or even a child who survives an abortion are not worthy of living.  As a culture, there is an aggressive departure from the ways of God.

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Each human being reflects the glory of his or her Creator - God, who has an intent for all humans to
come into a relationship with Himself through Christ and fulfill His purpose. Genesis 1 says:
26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

In pockets of our culture, we are finding that evil is called good and good is called evil, and people, in the name of "inclusion," are allowing unacceptable behavior to flourish.  One example of this is the phenomenon known as the Drag Queen Story Hour, which, astonishingly, has been allowed in public libraries.

One such event occurred recently in Lansdale, PA.  It was a presentation by one Eric Torres, described by ChristianNews.net in this way:

As previously reported, Eric Torres of Philadelphia chose the name “Annie Christ” for his stage name out of his “love of gothic themes, horror movies, and bands such as NIN.” His Instagram page features a mix of photos from his everyday life as Eric—such as his interest in mudding—and his alter persona as a drag performer—some of which are gory, some with grandiose wigs and makeup, and one where Torres painted an upside down cross on his forehead.

The library director did say there were calls of complaint, but he believed that “a lot of the parents are interested in … the message of the story time about acceptance and inclusion.”  And, there was a protest that was organized by local Christian believers.  But, the mayor of the city, Garry Herbert, sided with Torres in an embarrassingly strong way.  ChristianNews.net reports:

“I was approached with a petition from community members asking to commemorate the day where Lansdale showed its dedication to inclusion and diversity,” Herbert told North Penn Now. “After speaking with staff, we agreed to declare Feb. 2 as ‘Inclusion Day in Lansdale,’ where we will celebrate our diversity and our commitment to that cause.”

The Christian protest organizer contends that cause - is sin!  The story states:

Steve Piotrowski, who organized the initial prayer rally outside of the event, expressed disappointment that the borough has chosen to celebrate sin. He released a statement sharing the gospel with those who would read his words, noting that the right kind of inclusion is inclusion in the kingdom of God—and there are conditions for entry.

And, a South Carolina legislator has taken a step to ban public libraries from hosting these drag queen events in his state. ChristianNews.net also reported on a proposal by Republican Rep. Garry Smith, who had "proposed a budget amendment that would have required all state-funded libraries to abide by the Standards for Health and Safety Education Act, which currently solely applies to public schools and determines what is 'age appropriate' for children."  Smith addressed the House Ways and Means Committee, saying that “four men dressed as women to talk to 3-to-8-year-olds about being transgender and those issues" would not comply. The committee, unfortunately, tabled the recommendation.

The website notes that a recent event in Greenville has left city officials with a bill for funding the security for it.  The story says:

According to local television station WYFF, costs total $47,829.82, which include “feeding lunch to 170 people for nearly $1,600 and the purchase of four megaphones for about $100,” as well as the use of “drones and barricades supplied by county codes to cover the event.”

No doubt, there is an agenda here.  In a piece at LifeSiteNews.com, we read:

Drag queens are deliberately "grooming" the next generation to accept LGBT ideology when they read to children in public libraries at drag queen “story hour” events, a U.S. drag queen admitted.

Dylan Pontiff, a drag queen who helped organize one of these story hour events for children as young as three at the Lafayette Public Library in early October, is shown in a video making that shocking admission to the Lafayette City-Parish Council in Louisiana during a Sept. 17 meeting.

"This is going to be the grooming of the next generation. We are trying to groom the next generation," said Pontiff, who when dressed in drag goes by the name Santana Pilar Andrews.

This is such blatant sinful expression, plain and simple - and it's being marketed to children.  We continue to see the proliferation of ideologies that conflict with the Christian worldview. Christians should be diligent in identifying, praying against, and standing up regarding this corrupt action that is contrary to God's design and intent for gender.

We can recognize that there is a concerted effort to teach children, with impressionable minds, an errant viewpoint on gender.  For instance, I have reported on curriculum being made available to schools, in a kid-friendly package. The enemy specializes in desensitizing people to God's truth.

And, there is the false notion that gender is "assigned" at birth and determined later in life by the person himself or herself.  It is true, gender is assigned, but it is done by the Designer, who has wired it into our DNA.  Gender is not a psychological construct, it is biological, it is not fluid and it is not our individual choice.