G3

I recently came across a “Songs of Faith” show on CMT as I was flipping through the channels. Now, if you know me, you know that I lived in Montgomery, AL for four years. And if you knew me before then, you know that I despised country music. I mean like, plug-my-ears and yell “LALALALALALA” kind of dislike. But, it turns out there’s not much to do as a single guy in Montgomery other than go to the bars/clubs … or go to church. And since church wasn’t really on my mind back then I chose to hang out where the girls were. (incidentally, teaching Erin line dancing is how we got started). So yeah, the only clubs worth going to were country line dancing ones.

After enough time there, I opened my mind to country music. I don’t think I’ve listened to any country music since we left Alabama on purpose. But this show I saw reminded me that I did have a few favorites that still stick with me. It also introduced me to a song I’d never heard, but what immediately became one of my country favorites. The song is called “Long Black Train” by Josh Turner.

Aside from how well he sings it, the lyrics really stuck to me. I mean, in a believer’s walk we all struggle with sin from time to time. Check it out:

There’s a long black train
Coming down the line
Feeding off the souls that are lost and cryin’
Rails of sin only evil remains
Watch out brother for that long Black Train

Look to the heavens
You can look to the skies
You can find redemption
staring back into your eyes
There is protection and there is peace the same
burnin’ your ticket for that Long Black Train

‘Cause there’s victory in the lord i say
Victory in the lord
Cling to the father and his holy name
and don’t go riding on that long Black Train

There’s an engineer on that long black train
making you wonder if the ride is worth the pain
He’s just a waitin on your heart to say
“Let me ride on that long black train.”

But you know there’s victory in The Lord I say
victory in The Lord
Cling to the father and His holy name
and dont go riding on that long Black Train

Well I can hear the whistle from a mile away
it sounds so good
but I must stay away
that train is a beauty makin’ everybody stare
but its only destination is the middle of nowhere

But you know theres victory in The Lord I say
victory in The Lord
Cling to the father and His holy name
and dont go riding on that long Black Train
I said cling to the father and His holy name
and don’t go ridin on that long black train

Ya, watch out brother for that long black train
that devil’s a drivin’ that long black train.

Seems the religious right is to blame for Alexander The Bomb:

Stone blames ‘moral fundamentalism’ for US box office flop

Yeah. It wasn’t that the movie is crappy, it was the church folk who done it!

Puhlease. If the Religious Right was such a big demographic as to make sex-filled / homosexual-topic’d entertainment lose money…. somebody please explain to me Desperate Housewives, Will and Grace, Queer Eye, The Aviator, Closer, Bridget Jones, etc. etc. etc.?

Some of us are reading through and discussing Romans 11 and 12. Here are the study questions for this passage.
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Some of us are reading through and discussing Romans 9 and 10. Here are the study questions for this passage.
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Some of us are reading through and discussing Romans 1 and 2. Here are the study questions for this passage.
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Christian-centric merchandising often bugs me. Jesus is the Creator of the universe, not a brand. Here’s perhaps the lamest version of religo-marketing I’ve seen yet:

Mo’Jesus

“Mo’JESUS Clothing Company is a subsidiary of the MO ‘JESUS CORPORATION. Mo’JESUS is a registered Trademark (R)”

Sigh.

Even still, some headlines these days are attention-getters:

JESUS CHRIST REIGNS SUPREME: Wins big at box office.

That inspired a pretty big double-take on my part, I’ve got to admit.

The media channels, major and minor, are all abuzz about Mel Gibson’s “The Passion” and what is perceived to be anti-semitic scenes that accuse the Jews of killing Jesus. The protest by many is that the Romans killed Jesus, not the Jews, and any depiction of their involvement is anti-semitic.

But let us be very, very clear: Mel Gibson did not invent the claim that the Jews were behind the execution of Jesus. That claim is made by the New Testament itself.
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I’ve received a couple of emails about people who got to see screenings of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of Christ, which is about the last hours of Jesus’ life leading up to the crucifixion.

Here are some excerpts:

“The movie was in a rough cut version…but still I thought a very finished state,…special effects had not been added yet, nor was the music complete…. still it brought uncontrollable weeping from everyone. I couldn’t stop crying through the whole movie. And when the movie was over, there was complete silence in the church. ”
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This account came from Sgt. Steve Kafton, who is currently serving in Iraq. I posted another story of his in early January, but this event actually preceeded that one.

An excerpt:

“Deeper into the neighborhood the whole scene began to remind me too much of the movie “Blackhawk Down”. I caught fleeting glimpses of pick-up trucks paralleling us two blocks over and saw shadowy figures dashing furtively through narrow alleyways. Was my imagination playing with me or were we in for trouble? I strained to listen over the noise of the truck for the “pop, pop, pop” of automatic rifle fire that would most likely be the first clue we were under attack. I prayed it would not be a large ka-boom from a rocket propelled grenade that was our first clue.”
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This was emailed to me by a friend of our family. Their son-in-law is a MP sergeant in Iraq, and he sent this story of how God used what seemed to be a series of irritating problems to keep him alive. Here’s an excerpt…

“As their shrinking silhouettes merged with the edge of the neighborhood, a large, dirty mushroom cloud erupted from the earth and rose skyward. 15 seconds later the blast wave reached us and rumbled the ground as it passed. Someone had just detonated a large IED (improvised explosive devise) on the convoy that passed us.”

The story in full…
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