By the time I accepted Christ in high school, the “hippie” movement was in full swing, as was the “Jesus movement” – a dynamic uprising of young Christians whose style and manner of worship was pretty unconventional, at least compared with that of the prior generation. Where I lived, many of these new believers were surfers and beach people. They were hungry for the Lord, but they didn’t have much interest in anything traditional – especially getting all gussied up for Sunday church in neatly pressed suits and dress clothes.
Are American Christians Ignoring the Mayhem of the Middle East?
Our 24/7 news cycle is consumed these days with American politicians sparring over the debt ceiling and the implementation of President Obama’s controversial healthcare plan, both important debates to be sure. Meanwhile, the tragic fact that followers of Jesus Christ are being targeted and slaughtered across the globe is given scant attention.
We learned recently of the horrific attack against a Pakistani church by Muslim extremists that killed 85. In Kenya, the jihadists that attacked an upscale mall in Nairobi reportedly killed hostages that couldn’t recite the Koran.
Today, We Remember 9-11
Today marks the 12th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Today, we remember what happened and those who lost their lives. We pray for the families and friends of the victims, whose hearts are undoubtedly hurting today.
I want to shine a light on the memorials either planned or under development at the sites that commemorate that day. The memorials at New York City’s Ground Zero and the Pentagon have been opened, and the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Penn.
New Mexico, the Media, Religious Liberty – and You
Last week, the New Mexico Supreme Court ruled that a husband and wife who own a photography business illegally discriminated against a homosexual couple for refusing to shoot their same-sex “commitment ceremony.”
Back in 2006, Elaine and Jon Huguenin, co-owners of Elane Photography in Albuquerque, politely declined to accept the job, citing their Christian faith. The homosexual couple filed a complaint with the New Mexico Human Rights Commission. A one-day trial ensued, and in 2008 the commission issued a report claiming the Huguenins had committed “sexual orientation discrimination.” They were ordered to pay nearly $7,000 in fines.
What We Can Do to Make Dr. King’s “Dream” Come True
As you know, yesterday was the 50th anniversary of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous speech, “I Have a Dream.” You might have heard him deliver the familiar lines last night on the news or online – “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
It’s always moving to listen to the passionate conviction with which King delivered those words.
Let Churches Burn in Egypt?
The terrible violence besieging Egypt and the attacks on the nation’s Christian minority are heartbreaking. And in fact, for many of us here at Focus, we’ve been receiving daily updates about the bloody unrest from our friend, Sami Yacoub, who is the regional director of Focus on the Family Middle East, which is actually headquartered in Cairo.
Sami is a godly man whose spiritual maturity has been shaped in part by the hardships of living in a country undergoing sociopolitical turmoil.
School’s Back in Session, and Values are Put to the Test
It’s back-to-school time. Kids are filling their backpacks with their new supplies. Parents are taking pictures of smiling children before waving goodbye. Teachers are welcoming their new students. It’s time for these youngsters to learn reading, ’riting and … sexually explicit lessons? The promotion of same-sex relationships and gender confusion? Negative portrayals of some religious beliefs?
Sound a bit too alarmist?
Sadly, that’s what is going to be the case for students in too many classrooms across the nation.
VIDEO: Watch the Duck Dynasty Wedding
The 12 million viewers who tuned into this week’s Duck Dynasty season premiere, got more than laughs – they got a lesson in true love and commitment.
In the episode, Phil and Kay, the Robertson clan’s patriarch and matriarch, finally had the wedding ceremony they missed out on when they were married almost 50 years ago. While the episode had its expected hijinks and redneck jokes, the wedding ceremony itself was heartfelt.
To be sure, Phil and Kay aren’t your typical Hollywood characters, so they make for unconventional centerpieces of a highly-rated TV show’s main love story…and yet they are.
Cops Surprise Accused Criminal… with Grace
When was the last time God prompted you to go out of your way to help someone?
That’s what happened to Ryan Willard and Duane Fields, two West Virginia law enforcement officers whose response to a typical shoplifting call will inspire you.
According to a report from The Charleston Daily Mail, Willard and Fields arrived at a local K-Mart to look into allegations a young woman had tried to steal from the store.
What they found in the small backroom went beyond the cold, hard facts of the case, however.
VIDEO: Do You Know This is More Dangerous than Drinking and Driving?
It used to be that when it came to having a 16-or 17-year-old, a parent’s top concern when their teen got behind the wheel was drinking and driving. Well, there’s something that’s replaced drunk driving as the number one cause of teenage deaths on the road in the U.S. – texting while driving. Accidents caused by this dangerous practice injure more than 300,000 teens and kill more than 3,000 each year, according to a study by the Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New York.
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