It’s a “lawful order,” and violators face court-marshall and jail. NBC News reports: Anyone who becomes pregnant or impregnates another servicemember, including married couples assigned to the same unit, could face a court-martial and jail time, according to an order issued by Maj. Gen. Anthony Cucolo. . . Military officials say the order was issued because Army policy requires the force to remove a pregnant soldier from a war zone within 14 days of learning of the pregnancy, creating a hole in a unit that makes it more difficult to complete its mission. “It is a lawful order,” Thompson said Friday during a phone interview with Stars and Stripes. Thompson,…
-
-
Johnny & Chachi Spread Yuletide Cheer
If you don’t already know who Johnny and Chachi are, you can get acquainted here. In the meantime, click on the image above to watch their latest performance: “Johnny and Chachi’s Christmas Medley.”
-
USA Today on Multi-site Churches
USA Today reports on the burgeoning multi-site church phenomenon. Tim Keller, Mark Driscoll, and Ed Stetzer are interviewed in the article. Here’s how the report describes it: It’s not the traditional American mom-and-pop church, where the same pastor counsels parishioners, visits when they’re ill or marries or buries them. . . This form of high-efficiency evangelism allows thousands of worshipers to hear the same message from a lead pastor or a member of his team, in person or by video at three, five, even a dozen or more locations. Meanwhile, others take over the one-to-one side of ministry — counseling, ceremonies and small-group guidance. . . The multisite model can…
-
On Matt Chandler
Matt Chandler received a pathology report today indicating that he has cancer (read the statement here). I will be praying for him and his family, and I’m sure that many of you will be as well. I’m grateful that in the midst of this trial, he’s got the smell of grace all over him. Yesterday, he wrote this on his Twitter site: “The pathology report is secondary at best. A good report doesn’t mean much, and bad report doesn’t mean anything. My days are numbered and not by this report.” So true. We love you and will be praying for you, brother. Psalm 139:16: “All the days ordained for me…
-
Christmas and Easter Christians
Here’s an important report on Christians who only attend church at Christmas and Easter. Don’t miss this one. Here’s an excerpt: ‘The Burnett family and thousands of other Christmas-and-Easter — or C&E — Christians are gearing up for “the Season” which runs from roughly Thanksgiving to Easter. C&E Christians relish church holiday services, or feel duty bound to attend, but refuse to show up the rest of the year. But as churches grow more aggressive about courting new members, C&E Christians are devising more complex strategies for navigating their church visits.’ Read the rest here.
-
Carl Trueman Is Not My Friend
Just to be clear. Though I like Carl Trueman’s writings, I have never met him, and he is not my friend. Moreover, if we ever were to meet, I’m sure he wouldn’t like me. Nevertheless, you should read his latest article on Reformation21. It’s devastating and good. And there’s not a one of us who doesn’t need to hear it. The article lambastes Christians who use the web to puff-up their own egos. Here’s an excerpt:
-
Piper to the Pope
Here’s what John Piper would say if he had two minutes with the Pope.
-
Russell Moore’s Review of “The Princess and the Frog”
Check out Russell Moore’s review of the new Disney film “The Princess and the Frog.” It’s really good. He lists five things he likes about the movie and four things that he really hates. Here’s my favorite part: ‘Disney is embarrassed (and rightly so) now by the racial stereotypes present in at least one of their earlier movies. No one now would market crude ethnic caricatures in an animated film, and that’s a good thing. Why then is it okay to use the most derogatory and cardboard stereotypes of rural working southern people? The cajuns in the bayou are presented as characters from “Deliverance.” ‘Wendell Berry rightly warned us against…
-
Are Humans the Problem?
More abortions. More birth-control. That’s how we can fix the “global warming” problem being discussed at the U.N.’s climate change conference in Copenhagen. At least that’s what Diane Francis argues in her column for Financial Post titled “The real inconvenient truth.” She writes, ‘The “inconvenient truth” overhanging the UN’s Copenhagen conference is not that the climate is warming or cooling, but that humans are overpopulating the world. ‘A planetary law, such as China’s one-child policy, is the only way to reverse the disastrous global birthrate currently, which is one million births every four days.
-
Christ-Centered Gift Idea for Kids
I think that perhaps the best book that we have ever bought for our children is The Jesus Storybook Bible. It tells the story of scripture in a way that is engaging to kids, all the while showing that Jesus is the point of both the Old and New Testaments. That is why the subtitle of the book is Every Story Whispers His Name. If your kids don’t have this book, you should get it for them this Christmas. Many of you are no doubt familiar with this book. What some of you may not know is that the book is now available in a deluxe edition. The deluxe edition…