Last Saturday, I had the joy of speaking to the graduation of the South Carolina Association of Independent Home Schools (SCAIHS).
Tiffany Deierlein’s valedictory speech was so impressive, I asked her for permission to post it on our blog.
I know you’ll be as impressed as I was.
-Oran Read more…
Frank Page has had quite a week…and it’s only Thursday.
Dr. Frank Page, immediate past president of the Southern Baptist Convention and pastor of Taylors First Baptist Church, SC, was appointed in February to the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
Dr. Page flew to Washington this week for the first substantive meetings of the group concerned about where this Council was headed and whether he should stay on. Just looking at the first dozen or so religious leaders appointed earlier this year shows Page had good reason for concern. He may very well be the only pro-life choice…on a faith-based panel. (Fellow panel member Joel Hunter might hold to the biblical view if pressed, but that is another story.)
Dr. Page’s week turned out to be a roller coaster. The initial hope that Super Bowl Champion Coach and devout Christian Tony Dungy would be coming on board the Council for this week’s meeting was dashed. Not only was Dungy not appointed (amid speculation that his opposition to gay marriage may have played a role)—instead, Harry Knox of the Human Rights Campaign (a Washington-based gay rights organization) would be joining the group. Dungy had supported the campaign for traditional marriage in California, Knox had opposed.
But after a few days of the usual Obama Administration party line, a ray of sunshine: the public comment period on healthcare right of conscience had ended and the Administration would not reverse the Bush policy after all. Healthcare providers would still, under Executive Order from the President, be able to refuse to perform procedures or prescribe drugs the physician considered immoral.
On behalf of the people of South Carolina—Thank you, Dr. Page, for your leadership. You are in our prayers.
At the Governor’s Prayer Breakfast a couple of weeks ago, those in attendance had the pleasure of hearing from SC Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh Weathers. He spoke about the honor and privilege of public service, and the humbling gift of prayer.
You may never have noticed it before, but as Commissioner of Agriculture, Hugh Weathers’ name is printed on the inspection sticker found on every gas pump in this state. In his talk at the Prayer Breakfast, The Commish told us about the prayers fueled by those stickers:
State Prayer Breakfast
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Our Father in Heaven, we thank you for the time we have spent together this day. You have said where two are three are gathered together, you are there. We have felt your presence this morning already and we are grateful.
Oh Creator, we praise and adore you. We know that with your very Word you spoke our universe into existence. And now by your grace, you sustain us.
But as we exalt your name and celebrate your light, You know the darkness of our hearts. We confess our sins to you now and ask for your forgiveness.
We are thankful…
The days immediately following Christmas are generally a contemplative time. As we leave the tinsel and lights behind and face the New Year, it is a time for both recovery and preparation.
Apparently, this is not only the case for the Christian, but for the unbeliever as well.
In two unlikely articles published last week, two self-described atheists took time to consider the positive impact that a belief in God has upon the world.
In one of the articles, John Tierney of the New York Times asks:
If I’m serious about keeping my New Year’s resolutions in 2009, should I add another one? Should the to-do list include, “Start going to church”?
He follows this up with:
This is an awkward question for a heathen to contemplate, but I felt obliged to raise it with Michael McCullough after reading his report in the upcoming issue of the Psychological Bulletin. He and a fellow psychologist at the University of Miami, Brian Willoughby, have reviewed eight decades of research and concluded that religious belief and piety promote self-control.
The article goes on to explain that researchers around the world have repeatedly found that devoutly religious people tend to do better in school, live longer, have more satisfying marriages and are generally happier.
The Blessing of Morning Prayer
“From the unity it has attained the whole day takes its order and discipline. This unity must be sought and found in morning prayer and will prove itself in work. Prayer in the early morning is crucial for the whole day. Wasted time of which we are ashamed, temptations to which we succumb, feebleness and lethargy at work, disorder and indiscipline in our thoughts and in our intercourse with other people - these more often than not have their cause in the neglect of morning prayer.
The ordering and arrangement of our time will be more positive when it is the outcome of prayer. Temptations which the working day brings with it will be conquered if there has been a real encounter with God. Decisions demanded by our work will come more easily and readily when they are made not in the fear of men but simply before the face of God. “And whatsoever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men” (Colossians 3:23). Even mechanical tasks will be carried out with greater patience, when they are recognised as tasks laid on us by God. Increased energy for work will be ours when we have asked God to give us today the strength our work requires.”
–Dietrich Bonhoeffer
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