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I had heard from some people, and seen some things about the flooding in the south. I never realized it was this bad. Here’s a pic my sister-in-law took from her office in downtown Atlanta. Notice the highway completely submerged under water.

The SBC is losing members, you say? Well, Captain Obvious has apparently made his appearance at the Southern Baptist Convention. 

How do you fix it?

"Tuesday and Wednesday… thousands of messengers are expected in Louisville, there will be a face-off over their organizational future"

It seems battle lines are being drawn to decide the fate of the SBC.

Pastor Johnny Hunt has drawn up Article IX a plain for the "Great Commission Resurgence" to streamline and clarify the SBC. He’s calling for signatures to join this movement online. 

But on the other side the "executive chairman of the SBC executive committee, Rev. Morris Chapman, says he won’t sign. Instead he calls "revival and spiritual growth." [USATODAY]

Hey boys. You know, you’re both wrong – but I can fix this pretty easy. 

You listening (ha ha, I should know better, Southern Baptist don’t listen, they preach)?

For starters you’re Followers of Christ, not Southern Baptist. That means Jesus first, not the SBC. I know that seems simple, but it’s a pretty good starting place. This love of all things SBC can’t come before the love of Christ. 

Secondly, it’s not adopting a new set of values or mandates. It’s also not proclaiming our need for spiritual growth. Both seem good on paper, but to walk them out is a whole different story. Mandates are mere words. And to go tell people to "spiritually grow" does nothing. It’s a heart issue that’s gotten the SBC where it’s at. 

You, boys, are too far inside to see it clearly or objectively.

The SBC’s pursuit has long been to be "right" or "righteous" and kindness & grace don’t come into the equation. Can you actually be righteous without grace or humility? 

And lastly let me ask you this. Are you worried about the state of the SBC simply because your "numbers are down"? Or is it because you’ve feel that the Lord is moving you to change things? You remember God don’t you? He came before RIck Warren. And your allegiance should be to follow Him and not mandates, works, programs or denominations. 

Stop worshiping the denomination. If it lives or dies –  it doesn’t matter. Jesus is still Jesus. Nothing changes that. It all comes back to being a follower of Christ. But I think that was forgotten a while back…

[Note: I'm not just randomly picking on the ol' SBC. I do have a life long history with my boys. I'm a dirty Baptist after all]

What the crap is the big deal about Jon & Kate and their bag of larvae? And why should any of us care?  It’s got  the "stare at the train wreck" syndrome, sure.  But wait, we had one train wreck today…

Any ideas?

Police have arrested three teenagers accused of stealing a paddle boat and taking officials on a wild chase Monday evening.

According to officials, they received a call that night claiming that three juveniles had stolen a paddle boat. Officials responded to the scene on their powerboat, but the teens tried to outrun the police’s engined boat with their paddles.

More here

No matter what you’re going through in life. You may be struggling, but it could be worse. Just keep going. At least you’re not in a paddleboat trying to outrun the police.

I pride myself in being culturally relevant and this is no exception. I had swine flu before it ever became trendy. Yes, Mexico and New York are all followers. 

Last week I had a terrible flu (in bed for 3 days) and I had previously been around people that smell like pigs. 

So with that reasoning, I had the swine flu and survived. So take hope America, we can overcome this pending epidemic.

Tomorrow is our annual fundraising dessert. Keep us in your prayers.

And the event and ministry were featured in the paper.

Go here for the article. 

Obama is the Anti-Christ! Obama Hates Babies!! Obama Eats Abortions for Breakfast!!! 

I’ve been hearing a lot of rhetoric about the Obama abortion agenda and as with most rhetoric, it’s half baked. I’m not claiming any support for Obama or the U.S. abortion funding policy, but I do think we, as Christians, should at least have our stories straight (with is often times a rarity). 

Steven Waldman and David Gibson list a bunch of data from a group called Third Way that attempts to prove that lifting the so-called gag rule, which would allow U.S. dollars to go to clinics in developing countries that perform abortions (among a range of health care services), would actually reduce the number of abortions. The data makes a fascinating and complex argument…

A few points to keep in mind:

One, reversing Mexico City will not mean U.S. taxpayers are funding abortions overseas. That remains against the law under the 1973 Helms Amendment. What can happen now is that U.S. money can go to groups that support health clinics, largely in the underdeveloped world, where abortion could be among their services, or they could provide information about abortion or a referral for an abortion.

Two, some might say that is a distinction without a difference, but the key distinction is that in the poorest regions of the world where health care is scarce, if it exists at all, there are no other options. A clinic will do everything, or it will do nothing at all. Especially as regards women’s health, one of the least-addressed problems in poor nations, clinics provide contraceptive and “birth spacing” advice, maternal care when women are pregnant, and deliver babies when they are due. They also treat infants and young children, many of whom would perish otherwise. And some perform abortions or tell women where they can go to get one, although that can be a life-threatening procedure not only for the fetus.

Three, so the well-documented upshot is that the Mexico City policy, when in effect, has cut off a lifeline to untold numbers of health clinics that are the sole outlet for millions of poor people–and has resulted in terrible sufferings for women and children, increased numbers of preganancies, and a greater number of abortions. A fact sheet from Third Way, which is associated with progressive religious groups like Faith in Public Life, has many of the numbers. 

[David Gibson - BeliefNet.com]

Now, I’m not saying that I support abortion or the Mexico City repeal, but I want to say that this argument/discussion is more complicated that we realize. It’s hard to argue black and white when the waters are muddy. There are so many wrongs on both sides of this argument. 

If we, as Christians, are going to condemn and judge something or someone, let’s at least have the facts straight. Then we can wear the Pharisee hat and pick up the bullhorn in good conscience.  Otherwise, follow Jesus, walk with grace, love others, pray and keep our mouths shut.  

Any thoughts?