By Jim Hays on 2/22/2010 11:14 AM

Barack Obama was swept into office on a wave of hopes and dreams founded on his promises of a better life and a more competent government. With this first year in office now behind him, many Americans are considerably less enthusiastic about his performance than expected. A new survey conducted by The Barna Group shows that Christians, who formed a large segment of his support, are even less enthralled with the president’s handling of the job than are other Americans.

In the 2008 election, 42% of all born again adults voted for Barack Obama. The born again vote represented 40% of his aggregate support in the general election.

Job Satisfaction

   Most Americans are not satisfied with the job the president is doing. Currently, just 42% are either completely satisfied (15%) or somewhat satisfied (27%). One-quarter of adults (24%) are divided, saying they are “somewhat...

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By Jim Hays on 2/22/2010 10:58 AM

In October of 2008, my water heater stopped working. Actually, after years and years of use, it finally got so much corrosion in the bottom of it that the bottom fell out.

Water went everywhere. And it took the wife and I about a day to get the mess cleaned up. Then we had to call a fellow to come and replace the water heater.

So for about a day and a half, we had no hot water. And you know as well as I do… that’s a problem. We need hot water to shower in, bathe in, wash dishes in. And like most things, you don’t realize how much you come to rely on the convenience … until it’s gone.

My wife and I had a water problem.

Well, historians tell us that the ancient city of Laodicea had a water problem, too. The problem was there was no water. At least not in the city itself.

Scholars say that there were hot springs about 6 miles away near the town of Hierapolis. But by the time they got that water to Laodicea, the water lost its warmth. It cooled off. And that water wasn’t drinkable...

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By Jim Hays on 2/22/2010 10:57 AM

Have you ever done something… or said something… and wish you could take it back? You wish you could go back in time and undo or unsay whatever you did or said.

Boy, I have… several times. Maybe you have, too.

I heard a pretty good story about a fellow in Los Angeles who rode the subway to work and back every day. And one afternoon, after a hard day, this fellow found a seat and tried to take a nap.

But at the next stop, a lady and her five children got on the train. And her children were just noisy and rambunctious. I mean they were out of control. They were yelling and screaming and running up and down the subway car. The fellow noticed that the mother had her head down and her eyes closed. She wasn’t paying any attention to her kids at all.

And that made the man angry—I mean steaming mad. And he got up from his seat and walked over to the mother. The kids were still screaming and the mother still had her head down. And the fellow said, “Lady… you gotta do something about those kids....

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By Jim Hays on 2/22/2010 10:53 AM

After forty years in the desert, the Israelites finally came to the door of the Promised Land. But God said, “Before you go in, there needs to be a change in leadership. Moses was at the end of his life … and the nation of God was facing many new challenges. Before Moses passed the leadership role to Joshua, he wanted to remind the people of their covenant with God.

Moses knew the people well. He warned them that when they settled into their new houses and got comfortable in their new land, they would forget God—who had provided it all. He knew these people would once again grow complacent and self-reliant and less aware of God's presence—and less willing to keep their agreement with God.

In the midst of their excitement about their new homeland, Moses was deeply concerned about their ability to remember who they belonged to.

Moses tried to protect them one last time by preaching to them passionate sermons, reminding them of God's deliverance, singing a song of hope, blessing their journey...

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By Jim Hays on 1/7/2010 2:21 PM

I received an email from Anna Spruell today and it’s worth sharing.  I love listening to other people’s spiritual thoughts and how they manifest their Christianity.

From Anna:

I get these so called "polls" via email quite frequently asking me to prove my belief in God (and stand up to our corrupt Goverernment) by forwarding it on stating I am not ashamed, etc, etc.  I usually do cause I believe anything that cause someone to reflect on God and Jesus is a VERY good thing.  However, this one was worded in just a way that made me laugh. It said:   Do you believe that the word God should stay in American culture?

Here's my answer:  I believe that unless people become more concerned about the word OF God, and the ways OF God returning to American culture, whether or not the WORD GOD remains (anywhere) will not matter!!!!!!! 

It's time to stop "standing on the principles" of Christianity and start STANDING ON THE PROMISES of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ!!!!  Christianity is...

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By Jim Hays on 12/28/2009 7:20 PM

I heard a preacher tell the story of a young man who went to visit his retired music teacher at the teacher’s apartment building. 

The wise old teacher tapped a tuning fork against the table and said, "That is A."  From the apartment above, a woman heard the pitch and sang the note.  

"She’s sharp," said the old teacher.

He tapped the tuning fork again and said, "That is A ... always has been, always will be.  440 vibrations per second and it will be the same 5,000 years from now."

Sometimes, it feels as if everything around us is changing—sometimes for better and sometimes for worse.  Babies...

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By Jim Hays on 12/23/2009 3:01 PM

Away in a manger.

My fear is that, for most of the world, that’s all they see of Jesus.  They love the image of a cute little baby lying in a manger… a baby who’s smiling and cooing and looking, well, harmless.  They see that image and it fills them with good feelings.  They never hear a whimper, never a cry. They never have to change a diaper.  He’s the perfect baby.

The problem is, it’s too convenient to leave Jesus in the manger.  After the holidays, we can just go about our lives without a second thought of Him.  Then, next December, we return to the stable to find that happy, smiling baby.

For many, he’s just part of a nativity scene to be pulled out once a year.  Most of the time, he is left in the attic, stored in a box and place right there between the inflatable Santa and the fake Christmas tree.

No longer “away in a manger”, we simply want him “away from me”.  Away from the real world.  Tucked away … stored away.  After all, that tiny baby is part of another time, another...

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By Jim Hays on 12/21/2009 10:53 PM

 

Photos courtesy of Dayton and Bonita House.

By Jim Hays on 12/21/2009 10:35 PM

When I was a child in the mid-60’s, John Lennon, the front man for a rock band called The Beatles, made a startling statement.  He said, “We (The Beatles) are bigger than Jesus Christ.”

Jaws dropped.  Preachers ran to their typewriters to prepare scathing sermons.  The media went wild with the quote.

Then, in 1972, the Beatles broke up.  Six years later, John Lennon was dead—the victim of an assassin’s bullet.

Bigger than Jesus?  No.



Fast forward to 1996.  A young golfer by the name of Eldrick Woods was just about ready to turn professional. ...

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By Jim Hays on 12/2/2009 1:39 PM

I got this in an email today:

Due to recent budget cuts, the stock market crash, and the
rising cost of electricity, gas, and oil ... the light at the
end of the tunnel has been turned off.

We apologize for the inconvenience.

Sincerely,
The U.S. Government

-------------

Isn't it a blessing to know that our Light never has a problem with "power shortages"?

"God is Light and in Him there is no darkness at all."  --1 John 1:5