Zondervan Inspire

The Greatest Imposter

The late Francis Schaeffer once wrote, "If there is no place for civil disobedience, then the government has been made autonomous, and as such, it has been put in the place of the living God."

The belief that government is autonomous, the ultimate repository of power, the solution to all of society's ills, is the greatest imposter of the twentieth century. Christians and the church have no higher calling than to expose it by every legitimate means.

What people once expected from the Almighty, they now expect from the almighty bureaucracy. That's a bad trade for anyone; but for the Christian, it's rank idolatry.

From God and Government: An Insider's View on the Boundaries between
Faith and Politics

by Charles Colson

Any comments or testimonies today?

control

Our society panders to self-indulgence. We are encouraged to give ourselves a break, do ourselves a favor, and have it our way. It is assumed that our pleasures, prestige, power, and passions drive us, not our principles. Yet, even the good things in life will hurt us if we overindulge in them. Food, s*x, exercise, sleep, money—all these are not inherently bad, of course, but uncontrolled indulgence in any of them can be harmful. Aided by God's power, we need to exercise a fair amount of self-discipline instead of self-indulgence (see 1 Peter 4:1-2). A self-under-control person, in God's power, exercises restraint, moderation, and willpower, and makes decisions based on principles, not pleasures.

From Character Makeover: 40 Days with a Life Coach to Create the Best You

by Katie Brazelton &
Shelley Leith

Any comments or testimonies today?

---

Technorati tags:
Christianity, God, Control, Discipline, religion, Zondervan

Got a Poster of Bono in Your Office?

I told someone that all pastors should have a poster of Bono in their office and in their foyer! Read the lyrics to his songs. Listen to his story. Look what he's doing in Africa. The church has never been a place for him. Until the church is a place where people like Bono can engage, we're missing out.

It's a sad state when we celebrate theology that is lined up to the letter, but a life that does little. Give me a person who knows little theology but wants to learn as he or she goes. A person who wants to live it, a person who wants to make a difference in society—and that person will change the world.

—Bob Roberts Jr., Glocalization: How Followers of Jesus Engage a Flat World

Any comments or testimonies today?

---

Technorati tags:
Christianity, God, Bob Roberts, church, Bono, kingdom, society, Zondervan

Labels: Bob Roberts, Bono, church, Glocalization, society

Us Against Them?

Today the prevailing theological wind toward society is "us against them." The assumption is that things are going to get worse and worse and worse until Jesus returns—so what's the point? Why do anything to help society at all if it's all going to pot anyhow? What a pessimistic view! That’s totally opposite of what Jesus told his followers. He told them to be ready, be busy, be watchful—time is short. I wish we lived more that way.

There is not a single area of life or society that God does not want to transform and bring hope to. As followers of Christ, we are to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God and engage society so it can see kingdom principles lived out in our individual lives and communities.

—Bob Roberts Jr., Glocalization: How Followers of Jesus Engage a Flat World

Any comments or testimonies today?

---

Technorati tags:
Christianity, God, Bob Roberts, Jesus, hope, kingdom, society, Zondervan

Labels: Bob Roberts, hope, Jesus, kingdom, society

CNN Heroes: Vote for Zach Hunter!

Zach Hunter is a modern day abolitionist who launched the Loose Change to Loosen Chains campaign while in seventh grade. His goal is to have slavery wiped from the planet in his lifetime, and has already raised thousands of dollars for this cause. He wrote Be the Change: Your Guide to Freeing Slaves and Changing the World.

Go to http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/cnn.heroes/ and cast your vote for Zach Hunter today for the CNN Heroes segment.

Zach Hunter on GodTube

Zach's MySpace Page

---

Technorati tags:
CNN Heroes, Zach Hunter, Be the Change, slavery, abolitionist, hero, Bible, Zondervan

Labels: Be the Change, slavery, Zach Hunter

Zondervan Authors Are MAD (Making a Difference)

In the words of Bill Hybels, the fallout from the HIV/AIDS pandemic wrecks me, "wrecks him [Jesus], and he is ready for you both to do something about it" (Holy Discontent). I'm happy to see that several Zondervan authors are doing something about it by leading the church to better engage the world as Jesus did in the battle against HIV/AIDS. I encourage you to visit the two summit Websites and participate if you can.

Global Summit on AIDS & The Church, November 28-30, Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, California. From the Website: “What is faith without action? This summit will provide you with the information and tools you need to discover how your congregation, organization, or agency can start to make a positive change.” Speakers include Rick Warren, Kay Warren, John Ortberg, John Thomas, Lynne Hybels, Dennis Rainey, Bruce Sonnenberg, and Her Excellency, Mrs. Jeannette Kagame, First Lady of Rwanda.

HIV/AIDS Youth Summit, a free event (for those with CCN satellite equipment) put on by CCN. From the Website: The world has never seen a greater humanitarian crisis than the current AIDS pandemic. But the world has also never seen a generation of students like today’s teenagers!” Speakers include Rick Warren, Kay Warren, Jenna Bush, and Francis Chan.

---

Technorati tags:
Christianity, God, Rick Warren, AIDS, Saddleback, Zondervan, Bible, HIV, Youth, Kay Warren, Jesus

Labels: AIDS, HIV, John Ortberg, Kay Warren, Rick Warren, Saddleback

No Segment of Society Can Survive Without Truth

In no segment of society can we survive without truth. Whether the setting is in the courts or in the marriage bond, we simply cannot live without truth. Truth will sooner or later catch up to us, and we will have to pay its dues. The scientist must test his or her theories by observation and verification—but how does one find out whether someone ought to honor his or her marital vows? To do this requires a worldview, and that worldview must be subjected to the tests of truth.

How does one find the thread of truth? By looking at the One who claimed to be the Truth—Jesus Christ. In him, "the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us..., full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). Truth, with its handmaiden of grace, was incarnate in Jesus Christ. With Jesus in your life, the most important thread holds everything else together.

—Ravi Zacharias, The Grand Weaver: How God Shapes Us Through the Events of Our Lives

Any comments or testimonies today?

---

Technorati tags:
Christianity, God, Jesus, Grand Weaver, life, truth, Ravi Zacharias, Zondervan

Labels: life, Ravi Zacharias, The Grand Weaver, truth

Making It to Number One

We all seem to want to be number one, as if that is the only way we can measure our success (or lack of it). Although it would be nice if all of us could be number one, it just is not possible or realistic. Somebody has to be number two—and number three and four, and on down the line. That doesn't make them losers. Not everyone can be the general in the army. Sadly, the drive to become number one is often the very thing that ultimately destroys a person. It simply cannot deliver the fulfillment we seek.

Accomplishment and dream careers do not necessarily lead to happiness. Making it to number one really means knowing where God wants you to be and serving him there with your best efforts. The goal, then, is to find the threads God has in place for you and to follow his plan for you with excellence.

—Ravi Zacharias, The Grand Weaver: How God Shapes Us Through the Events of Our Lives

Any comments or testimonies today?

---

Technorati tags:
Christianity, God, success, Ravi Zacharias, Zondervan, Bible, excellence

Labels: Christianity, excellence, God, Ravi Zacharias, success, Zondervan

Our Culture's Obsession with Appearance

I know my soul has been hurting. It whimpers that something isn't right, and it tries to warn me that our culture's obsession with appearance is cutting into me, that I need more than I'm currently feeding myself. Jesus said we must first clean the inside so that our outsides may become clean as well. Jesus might say our contemporary culture gets it backward: cleaning the outside with another book, another coffee, a new job, a new home, a new guy, a new meal, a fresh outfit, a new pet, a new devotional book, even another Bible study, but we neglect our souls.

—Jonalyn Grace Fincher, Ruby Slippers: How the Soul of a Woman Brings Her Home

Any comments or testimonies today?

Labels: appearance, Bible, Christianity, culture, Jonalyn Grace Fincher, Ruby Slippers, women, Zondervan

Grieving with Hope

As we remember the Campus Crusade students and other believers who lost their lives at Virginia Tech last week, we do grieve, but with hope. Yes, they will be missed by their friends and family, but it’s not the end. There will be a blessed reunion one day.

You may ask, “How do you know this?” I Thessalonians 4:13-14 assures us of our eventual reunion: “Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him (NIV).”

The resurrection of Jesus from the dead—the foundation of our faith—assures us because it ensures our resurrection and reunion with other followers of Christ. So grieve, but with hope, and pray for the families and friends of all lost in the murderous rampage. Pray that God will take this evil and turn it into good for all those affected by it. A God of miracles can certainly do this (Genesis 50:20).

---

Technorati tags:
Christianity, hope, faith, grief, Jesus, Virginia Tech, Zondervan, Bible