The Goatee Update

Kay here-
Well, it's been over 10 months now...here it is in its glory. Enjoy.

The Great Moral Issues Of Our Time

This is FANTASTIC!

Jim Wallis invites Jim Dobson to have... The Big Debate.

**Update** If you're unfamiliar with the situation, it's summarized in the link. As well, there is another link (after following the one above) entitled "James Dobson's letter" that you can follow to see the initial statement to the National Association of Evangelicals that provoked the Wallis & company response.

My Enemies Are Men Like Me

We were just listening to Derek Webb's Mockingbird CD and the lyrics to this song keep ringing in my ears...

"peace by way of war is like purity by way of fornication
it’s like telling someone murder is wrong
and then showing them by way of execution"

(if you haven't heard this CD, it'd be one we'd STRONGLY recommend!)

Mini L'Abri Reunion #3

This past Saturday we drove up to Santa Barbara to visit our dear friend Deanna whom we also first met at L'Abri.

It's crazy that we met this group of people on the other side of the world and now have had a chance to see three of them in different parts of the country; Alex in Phoenix, Jared in Houston, and now Deanna just a couple hours north. Plus, it sounds like Deanna will be living there for the next couple years, so we'll be able to meet up pretty regularly. If any of you other L'Abri friends get your A's to SoCal, it's a three for one deal... and when Gwen gets back a four for one deal (if Gwen ever comes back!).

P.S. In the background on the horizon you're seeing the Pacific Ocean and the Channel Islands off the coast of Santa Barbara at sunset. Incredible!

Temptation?

Pierre here...

We just started a lecture series on Temptation and Sin at our church, which I'm quite excited about as I've really been struggling with my views on both, especially as they relate to ethics and morality. Suffice it to say, my operating paradigm has degraded into non-existent and currently I'm living day-to-day trying to make sense of inclinations (as I'll call them) and decisions.

I'll be a little more specific. It seems like I hear the word temptation used a lot, especially in the Christian world, but often in varied levels of importance (as I see it). For example, people say they are tempted by something appealing, like a good food that may not be healthy, or a really good deal on a purchase they maybe don't need. But in my mind, those wouldn't be matters of sin. Is that a misuse of the word temptation or am I downplaying the importance of every decision in life? And then, people use it in a way that makes more sense to me, as in being tempted to do or say something hurtful to another, or act in a way that assumes in my mind that no one or no thing is more important than me. Maybe another way to ask it is, is temptation always about sin? I'm "tempted" to say yes. But if so, that means I just misused the word in that last sentence... unless answering that question affirmatively was sin (and I really don't think it was).

Is there a difference between temptation and impulse or provocation? Is every inclination or impulse a matter of temptation?

I'm curious how you'd define temptation.