Alcohol, Liberty, and Legalism – Justin Taylor

I had just had a discussion with someone about a pet peeve of mine--dealing with the twin problems of some Christians trying to insist that alcohol is a sin, and having to listen to other Christians who have discovered their freedom to enjoy alcohol--and have to talk about it in every conversation  (or tweet, or FB post, or blog).  And then I came across this post by Justin Taylor at his Between Two Worlds  blog, and not only found him talking about the same thing, but writing a post that captured my thinking, and encouraged me as well.  I highly commend it to all.
For the article, click on the post title above, or follow this link.

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A Story I Want to Remember

Today was the funeral of a man in my church that many people would not know--Carl's years of more visible involvement were before my tenure.  Even so, many knew him, and those who had known him well over the 20 plus years he was in our village knew he was special.  We heard the story of Carl's conversion today, and stories about the change that faith brought into his life.  He became passionate to let people know about Jesus, and he loved to find ways to help and give to others.  He welcomed me to town when I moved here with one of his favorite passions and gifts--good coffee beans!  One story, though, stands out in my mind.

One of our missionaries returned home for a year of furlough.  Reporting to the church, the missionary shared a prayer request that the Lord might provide a vehicle for the family to use for the year.  Carl responded after the service, telling the missionary that because he recently purchased a new car and had two vehicles, he could give the missionary one to use.  Indeed Carl had a brand new Chrysler that was to replace an old clunker he had driven for years.  The next day, the missionary came to Carl's home to get the car, and was surprised when Carl handed him the keys--to the new Chrysler.  Carl kept driving the old car for the year.  As I spoke to people, I discovered that this was not out of character for him--it was normal.  The few who knew about this at the time were profoundly affected by his example.  I was today.

FOXNews.com - Has Noah's Ark Been Found on Turkish Mountaintop?

My friend Taylor Minor told me about this story last week, but I haven't commented on it yet. It is quite interesting, and I'm intrigued.This link takes you there.

Bloggers Target Seminary President--Christianity Today reports

I take this story to heart as a possible warning against embellishing my own story for the sake of "the bigger story." I have personally appreciated a number of times that I have heard Ergun Caner speak. I also can appreciate how one's remarks could either a) be embellished in the retelling, or b) be easily taken by others out of context as embellishment. Follow this link for the story.

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