Welcome to Life, Family, and Religion

Thanks for visiting my blog. I will ponder issues and disscuss events related to living life as a Christian with a family. This is a broad topic, of course, so just about anything is fair game. Check back or suggest topics for discussion.

Thursday, December 31, 2009

Bacon Dipped in Butter

WOW! Who would have thought of the combination.

So I took my wife to Red Lobster last night for her birthday and I had some Bacon Wrapped Peach BBQ Sea Scallops (hard to get more adjectives than that) with some lobster tail. Some of the bacon became detached from a scallop and was submerged in the melted butter. Since I was raised that we don't waste food (people are starving in some places don't you know) and since my daughter would have a fit if I wasted bacon (her most favorite food, apart from honey) and since, well, its bacon...I decided to eat it, all drenched in melted butter.

Oh the bliss. Talk about the fat of the land. Since then I have contemplated the possibilities. I saw bacon flavored chocolate the other day (I have to go back and get that one) and I have used the garlic butter sauce from Papa John's for years on Pizza that contained among other things bacon. But how could we pair bacon and butter in the absence of scallops and still remain off the government food terrorist watch list?

I invite your suggestions. I can't help but think back to the old Monty Python skit "rat" or "spam."

I'll have an order of bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon, butter, and bacon. And I'd like a little extra bacon to go with that.

Happy new year!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Old Memories and Old Newspapers

Christmas was great. The kids are still visiting grandparents, which is even better. I was searching the Internet and ran across this old newspaper article.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wNgTAAAAIBAJ&sjid=pgYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4777%2C8652801

It was neat to have an exchange student in our home during my senior year. Biljana Yonic was a cool "sister for a year."

This is a great time of year to remember years past and to freshen up the old memories that have faded. As we prepare for a New Year I pray that God will continue to bless and prosper us and that we will live lives that honor God and our families.

Thursday, December 24, 2009

The Night Before Christmas

It was the night before Christmas,
and amidst the clutter and bustle,
no one stopped to think of the Child and Savior
caught up in all of the hustle.

The malls were are ready and put out their best,
getting and keeping our attention, above all the rest.
All the Churches were all adorned for their services with care
in the hopes that people in droves would soon be there.

Then, in our sanctuaries there arose such a clatter,
as people lifted their candles and sang about the matter.
They filed outside and left, filled with Christmas cheer,
to talk no more about Jesus--only about Santa and Reindeer.

Having done their duty, they can now focus on the jolly old elf.
Since they came to Church, Church can go back on the shelf.
For another year, except for maybe Easter or Mother's day,
or perhaps they will feel like going to Church one morning, who can say?

How did Christmas, Holy and with reverent focus,
become about stockings, winter, wrapping paper and a bonus?
We have taught our children to look down, underneath a tree,
instead of up where it points, God, hoping to see.

No wonder this world, with all the noise and clamor,
ignores the Church and chases fame and glamor.
Instead of our focus on big ribbons and a bow,
Parents and the Church need to stand tall and let the Light of the World glow.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all, have a great night.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Militant Atheism

I am starting to learn how to blog. I can talk about things, but coming up with topics that are at least, to some degree interesting, may be challenging.
I suppose I will need to read other blogs and address issues they are talking about. I recently read about Atheist Revolution, a blog on atheism. I started to check out a few posts and thought I may need to make a few preliminary remarks abut this blog and atheism in general.

Is atheism irrational? I don't think that it is irrational, but I do think there are reasons for atheists to embrace the "belief" of un-belief that are not as pure as snow.

Are religious beliefs irrational? No. Regardless of what atheists claim, there are good reasons for believing that naturalism is unable to explain everything in the world that we experience.

Are atheists only interested in truth? Some may be, but I doubt that is the case most of the time. I think that many people embrace atheism because it is contrary to the majority position.

Is atheism intellectually virtuous? It could be, but only if the issues have been seriously investigated. Christianity can also be an intellectually virtuous belief system, if the believer has seriously investigated the issues. Many on both sides have not.

I don't believe that evidence is the "only" or even "most important" issue for a lack of belief in God or even a positive belief that there is no God. Usually, and from my own experience in discussions with published, academic atheists, it is not the evidence that makes someone decide to be an atheist. There is usually something else. Usually an emotional reaction to suffering, pain, or evil.

I will explore this topic more in the coming days. But I invite discussion on the topic.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Life at the Beach

So, we live at the beach and today, its cold, well cool.

Our Senior Pastor is out of town tomorrow and Joe will be preaching.

Christmas is coming and Central Florida is feeling a bit cooler.
Change comes in the same cycles every year. Although it is not as pronounced here in Florida, there is still change. The grass is a bit more brown, the wind is cooler and not as humid.

We are getting ready to start some new groups at the Church. Relate groups are going to talk about the weekly sermon in homes each week. Most of our groups are filled or are filling up well. I hope that the people who take part will grow and understand more about how Christians should live and relate to one another.

Some people are resistant to change, that is to be expected. I know that some people feel that we don't need to change. We ought to just keep doing things the way that we have always done. Promote Sunday School, have big events to draw the public in. These were what built the church, and we should keep doing it.

Unfortunately, the world has changed. People used to respect the Chruch--now many people have contempt for the Church. Being a Christian used to be thought of as a positive--now Christians are seen as "pushy" and "uncaring." The Church used to be seen as a positive force in the community--now people wonder what good the Church does.

If we are going to have an impact on our community, we have to go out to where they are and do things that will build goodwill and give us the "respect" to share what it is that motivates us. We have to earn the right to share the gospel. May God help us earn that right as we serve in our community.

Wade Howell