Friday the 13th

I've never really been one to be superstitious. I remember as a kid deliberately walking under ladders, not carring if a penny was tails or heads up. Sometimes I'd walk on the other side of coloumns and not say "bread & Butter" and it freaking my mother out. We were halfway across a parking lot when she turned around and walked all the way back just to walk back around the poll! The Panthers game on Sunday will be a good game. At least it looks to be on paper. Both teams look solid on defense. Where there seems to be an edge is on the offensive side of the ball. I think the Panthers have a slight edge. But this could be the fan in me. I have a hard time being objective and unbiased when it comes to football. That is because I generally do not try and follow all 32 teams. Not even the 3 other teams within the NFC South. I might when I have more time, but not right now. Last night I was watching the end of CSI: (The original). The story line was about a group of teenagers that went around beating up the tourists. Of course they get caught and the cast is having a discussion in the locker room of where they work. Grissom (the boss) was talking about how a moral compass can only point someone in a general direction. It does not make a person do anything. And with society being "everything is alright", and Las Vegas being built on the premis of anything goes (I'm paraphrasing here) and there are no consequences, the end result is something akin to what these kids were doing, and without guilt or remorse. It was not a statement to endorse any sort of religion (as Grissom's charecter has some issues with the church), but to me it was a very positive statement. I applaude CBS, the writters of the show, and the actors for actually putting something like that on the air. Now, obviously, I would promote the church as a great source for moral direction. But for this show to actually come out and say (in a genreal way) that our youth and society need moral guidance - makes me at least a little happy. Especially in a time when I do not feel so secure in proclaiming my faith due to concerns of being thought lesser off (a sin on my part - fear of man). I know that the church is full of hypocrites and people putting on a good face, wanting to be a part of a something, etc. But it is also more than that. This is "Pastor appreciation month". I would encourage each Christian who reads this humble blog this weekend to lift up your pastr in prayer. Pray that they will hear the Holy Spirit. That the Lord would give them strength and courage to follow Him first and formost. That they would be equipped to be good leaders in their homes as husbands and fathers (if they are married and/or have children) as per the guidance set forth in Timothy (and elsewhere) - but also in their churches. Pray that they too would have moral fortitude to preach what God has for His people and not just to tickle people's ears. But do not stop there. Pray that the congregation would have ears to hear. That their hearts and minds would see what the Lord has for them also - and then that they would be filled with hope, courage, and strength to follow where God is leading. I pray this for myself too. I know I am not a perfect paritioner. May the Lord richly bless each of you. May you hear what the Lord has for you, and may the light be bright upon the path He leads you. Updates: None Verse for today: Matthew 11:11-17 Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, [4] and the violent take it by force. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to hear, [5] let him hear. “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates, “‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ -we should dance and rejoice, we should be bold and proud to be called Christians. -samurai