Wednesday, December 19, 2007

A Time for Hope

Merry Christmas! I hope that you and your family will experience a blessed and peaceful season. Unfortunately, for some of our neighbors, this Christmas will be a tough time, devoid of much hope.

The recent story of Denver's Aurilia Cisneros, the ten- year-old girl who was the victim of a gang-style shooting, reflects this fact. Then there is a good and godly friend of mine who recently and unexpectedly lost his wife of many years to a sudden illness.

Crime. Illness. Shootings. The list goes on and on. There seems to be no limit to the extent and depth of human tragedy. Where then in the midst of human tragedies is hope? For many, tragedy and hopelessness are an arbitrary definer of the human experience.

When God intervened into human history more than two thousand years ago, it was a tough neighborhood too. God knew what was on the line. Eventually, His own Son would go to a rugged Roman cross and die an unbearable death in a dark world similar to our time. As God's Son hung dying on a cross, all hope seemingly crashed around his disciples and other followers. But in reality, Jesus Christ's death injected a fiery splinter of new hope into the human equation-- and it goes like this.

There is a God who cares. This same God has given away His Son to die for us and to give us eternal hope. And this same God is both in control and available to comfort us in our afflictions. For those who seek God in the midst of tragedy they will find solace, hope and peace. Recently, I read a great verse out of Isaiah 40:31, "but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

Christmas is about such hope. "The Lord delights in those who put their hope in his unfailing love" (Psalm 147:11). Seek out God and His hope this Christmas. He will light your path

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

"Me, I Still Believe in a Loving God..."

Like many Coloradans, I am still trying to make sense of the church killings on Sunday. In times like this, we all wonder how these things fit into God's plan.

Matthew Murray was a troubled soul who satiated himself on hating Christians. But this is just the cover for a far deeper problem. Here's what Murray penned before his rampage:

"Me, I still believe in a loving God, but not the christian god who is full of hate.."

Scary thoughts from a kid who then went out and killed people in cold blood.

There are many angles to the Colorado church tragedy. But a key one that is just starting to get some discussion is the apparent connection that Matthew Murray had with the writing of the dead Columbine murderer Eric Harris.

Today's edition of the Denver Post offers a solution.

In retrospect, releasing all of the Columbine tapes and letters might have defused the mystery around the writings of Klebold and Harris. Possibly.

But, the deeper issue here for all Colorado adults is the toxicity of our culture and what it is doing to our kids. Murray's comments about a "hateful christian god" offers a peek into a troubled soul.

Obviously, his soul tipped the wrong way.

Your thoughts?

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Understanding Tragedy

Tragedies happen.

I know that this fact fails to soothe the afflicted. But inevitably, when tragedy occurs, and particularly when it appears random and vicious, people always ask the "question"- WHY WOULD GOD ALLOW SUCH THINGS TO HAPPEN?

For centuries, people of faith have tried to answer this profound and difficult question. I am not sure if any of their answers really scratch the itch.

Matthew Murray, the latest perpetrator of violence, came from a good home. Most of the reports paint this kid as one you would expect to succeed. No one expected him to be on the trigger hand of a weapon, killing people in cold blood...He too is part of this tragedy.

We live in a fallen world, filled with evil people. Its a result of human sin. God can and does intervene in our world. Christmas is such a reminder of His greatest intervention. Yet, there are many times when God does not intervene as we think He should or could. To this, there is no answer.

All I know is that scripture teaches that God is the Lord of the universe. Yet, in that role He is very personal. If allowed, He will fill this terrible void and good will come out of the wreckage of Sunday's events...

Your thoughts?

Friday, December 07, 2007

New Report Sheds Discouraging Light on Teen Sex

Fo several years now, pro-abstinence groups have hailed reports which have showed a slow decline in the number of teen births.

Unfortunately, and as we suspected, their optomism may be misplaced.

Here's the report...



U.S. teen births rise for first time since 1991
In 2006 birth rate overall climbed to highest level since 1971, report finds
ASSOCIATED PRESS
December 5, 2007

ATLANTA - In a troubling reversal, the nation's teen birth rate rose for the first time in 15 years, surprising government health officials who had no immediate explanation.

The birth rate had been dropping since its peak in 1991, although the decline had slowed in recent years. On Wednesday, government statisticians said it rose 3 percent from 2005 to 2006.

U.S. health officials said it was possibly a one-year statistical blip and not the beginning of a new upward trend.

But several experts said they have been expecting a jump. They blame the increase on increased federal funding for abstinence-only health education programs that do not teach how to use condoms and other contraception.

Some key sexually transmitted disease rates have been rising, including syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. The rising teen pregnancy rate is part of the same phenomenon, said Dr. Carol Hogue, an Emory University professor of maternal and child health.

"It's not rocket science," she said.

The new report is based on a review of more than 99 percent of the birth certificates from last year by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A final report is due out next year, but the findings are not expected to change significantly, CDC officials said.

The new teen birth numbers are based on the 15-19 age group, which accounted for about 99 percent of the more than 440,000 births to teens in 2006.

The rate rose to nearly 42 births per 1,000 women in that age group, up from 40.5 in 2005. That translates to an extra 20,000 births to teen mothers in 2006, according to CDC data.

The CDC also reported that births to unwed mothers reached an all-time high in 2006, but that is part of a continuing upward trend and was expected.

Health officials cautioned that the rise in teen births is not the chief cause of births to unwed mothers, however. Teens account for fewer than a quarter of unwed mothers, said Stephanie Ventura, head of the CDC's Reproductive Statistics Branch

About thirty years ago, more than half of unwed mothers were teenagers.

Women in their 20s and 30s represent the largest proportion of unwed mothers, Ventura said.

New Report Sheds Discouraging Light on Teen Sex

This is bad news but not surprising.

Many pro-abstinence folks have hailed recent reports which showed a downward trend in unmarried teen births. However, we have always suspected that these optomistic reports were somewhat inaccurate.

The truth of the matter is that American teens remain sexually active. How can you blame them? They live in a culture filled with mixed messages about sex. On the one hand, the teen culture and their music is satiated with sex-filled messages. And on the other hand, their parents and other adult figures are telling them to abstain.

If I was a teenager in 2007, I would be confused too!

Here's the new report...


1) NEWS: U.S. Teen Births Rise For First Time Since 1991
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Report at:
http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001kC2UyYjRcrUl9JtzGmadPlVnoaI9w-LtTlGYPPGf_beoq9ypOQyQwP4K6aTUUg14NrJsOPneQ-oAOEga-ssCsgUvL1ZXFBA4_bAPByeKbEbAR3dlJNKyJlRrsvFq7swVnEm8z2hOZVtBI7GkARGiewZ0-citdG9cwZEJjZAU1u4=
U.S. teen births rise for first time since 1991
In 2006 birth rate overall climbed to highest level since 1971, report finds
ASSOCIATED PRESS
December 5, 2007

ATLANTA - In a troubling reversal, the nation's teen birth rate rose for the first time in 15 years, surprising government health officials who had no immediate explanation.

The birth rate had been dropping since its peak in 1991, although the decline had slowed in recent years. On Wednesday, government statisticians said it rose 3 percent from 2005 to 2006.

U.S. health officials said it was possibly a one-year statistical blip and not the beginning of a new upward trend.

But several experts said they have been expecting a jump. They blame the increase on increased federal funding for abstinence-only health education programs that do not teach how to use condoms and other contraception.

Some key sexually transmitted disease rates have been rising, including syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. The rising teen pregnancy rate is part of the same phenomenon, said Dr. Carol Hogue, an Emory University professor of maternal and child health.

"It's not rocket science," she said.

The new report is based on a review of more than 99 percent of the birth certificates from last year by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A final report is due out next year, but the findings are not expected to change significantly, CDC officials said.

The new teen birth numbers are based on the 15-19 age group, which accounted for about 99 percent of the more than 440,000 births to teens in 2006.

The rate rose to nearly 42 births per 1,000 women in that age group, up from 40.5 in 2005. That translates to an extra 20,000 births to teen mothers in 2006, according to CDC data.

The CDC also reported that births to unwed mothers reached an all-time high in 2006, but that is part of a continuing upward trend and was expected.

Health officials cautioned that the rise in teen births is not the chief cause of births to unwed mothers, however. Teens account for fewer than a quarter of unwed mothers, said Stephanie Ventura, head of the CDC's Reproductive Statistics Branch

About thirty years ago, more than half of unwed mothers were teenagers.

Women in their 20s and 30s represent the largest proportion of unwed mothers, Ventura said.

Hope in the Midst of Hopelessness

Merry Christmas! I hope that you and your family will experience a blessed and peaceful season. Unfortunately, for some of our neighbors, this Christmas will be a tough time, devoid of much hope. The recent story of Denver’s Aurilia Cisneros, the ten year old girl who was the victim of a gang-style shooting, reflects this fact. Then there is a good and godly friend of mine who recently and unexpectedly lost his wife of many years to a sudden illness. Crime. Pornography. Illness. The list goes on and on. There seems to be no limit to the extent and depth of human tragedy. Where then in the midst of human tragedies is hope? For many, tragedy and hopeless is an arbitrary definer of the human experience

When God intervened into human history more than two thousand years ago, it was a tough neighborhood too. God knew what was on the line. Eventually, His own Son would go to a rugged Roman cross and die an unbearable death in a dark world similar to our time. As God’s Son hung dying on a cross, all hope seemingly crashed around his disciples and other followers. But in reality, Jesus Christ’s death injected a fiery splinter of new hope into the human equation-and it goes like this. There is a God who cares. This same God has given away His Son to die for us and to give us eternal hope. And this same God is both in control and available to comfort us in our afflictions. For those who seek God in the midst of tragedy they will find solace, hope and peace. Recently, I read a great verse out of Isaiah 40:31, “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Christmas is about such hope. “The Lord delights in those who put their hope in his unfailing love”-Psalm 147:11. Seek out God’s and His hope this Christmas. He will light your path.