One of the speakers on the XXXChurch team ended his own life yesterday, and I don’t know how to handle it.  His name is Steve Glisan.  You can watch his story by clicking here.  I loved Steve, but I never told him so.

I first met Steve at a Porn and Pancakes event in Colorado.  Because of the places it took him, his porn addiction resulted in a loss of his wife and three kids.  After years apart, he found help and his marriage was restored.  That, my friends, is why he spoke for XXXChurch.  The story of Steve and Ann Glisan was powerful.

I’m told he recently gave in to temptation and slipped up again… that he decided to handle the guilt by removing himself from this planet.  After all the heartache his family went through before, I cannot understand this decision.  Surely he had to know this was the worst possible choice?  I guess not.  Steve, who regularly blogged for XXXChurch under the name Steve G, is gone.

They recently moved to Las Vegas (aka “Sin City”), and have this van/bus that they’re using to shuttle people around for an opportunity to share the gospel with them. Did I mention how much I think these guys rock? ;) Totally awesome…

Check out http://www.xxxchurch.tv and http://www.stripchurch.com for more info.

I’m married, and if you are too, then statistically speaking, one of us is going to get a divorce.

I’m not writing that to be sensational, but I just want to be clear that it’s a big deal. And I don’t know if we Christians do a very good job of treating it as such.

Look at it this way: if one out of every two neighbors on your street got mauled by a bear, would you be more careful about bears? Would you buy books on how to keep your house safe from bears? Would you carry a gun and bear spray if there were in fact such a thing as bear spray? Probably. Yet, when it comes to divorce, we don’t do many equivalent things. And the ratios are equally as high as that bear scenario.

Continue reading here: http://stufffchristianslike.blogspot.com/2009/02/73-getting-caught-off-guard-by-divorce.html

It’s not like God requires a whole lot from us

[Micah 6:6-8]

Look again at what the prophet Micah wrote that God DOESN’T want.

If we’re not demonstrating our love for other people, God doesn’t want our worship. Now there’s a lot of talk, reaching, and preaching about having your heart right with God before any kind of true worship can occur. Okay, but that’s only HALF the truth. The other half is this: Unless your behavior toward other people is merciful, no amount of worship you aim at God scores with him. Even following the righteous example ofa patriarch like Abraham, who was willing to butcher his own son if God asked him to, doesn’t score with God.
(page 8)

And…

Don’t just stand there believing!
Imagine if a guest speaker preached at your church on a Sunday morning and said things like this:

Your faith is only as good as what you do, starting with taking care of the physical needs of people who have less than you do. If you’re stealing, stop it, and instead get a job so you have enough to give to those in need. If you, having more than you need, see someone who doesn’t have enough and is actually in need, how can you not have pity on them and share what you have? If you truly have God’s love in you, then don’t just talk about it – put some feet to it!*

*In case you’re wondering these are pretty darn accurate rephrasigins of James 2:14-17, Ephesians 4:28, and 1 John 3:17-18, respectively
(page 22)

The Rule of Abstinence
Some Christians argue that because alcohol is so easily abused, a godly Christian would never drink it. But if you follow that line of logic, you’ll also conclude that since sex is so easily abused by so many peaopl, a godly Christian would also abstain from all sexual activity. Or since money can so easily corrupt, a godly Christian will stay poor, or become poor if he’s rich. Yet nobody would say that about sex or money. God intended money, sex and alcohol to be blessings to man. And they are a source of blessing when used within the boundry of his moral law.
(page 31)

Bill also talks alot about Christian “add-on” rules, and how dangers they are. For example:

Other Christian Add-on Rules
I could provide a lengthy list of spiritual rules that would be as varied as the groups that enforce them. I know believers who judge others based on such things as:

* musical preference
* clothing style
* expressions of worship
* health (poor health shows lack of faith)
* wealth
* dancing
* hairstyle
* politcal views
* body piercing and tattoos

Of course the immediate response by many who insist on these standards is predictable: “If youdon’t live like that, unbelievers will view Christians as no different than the world.”

If you think that way I hate to burst your bubble, but unbelievers don’t care. It’s irrelevant to them how much you give to your church, whether you enjoy an occasional glass of wine, or whether you read your Bible every day. They care a lot more about how you treat them when they work as a chasier at the grocery store, or how you behave at your child’s sporting events, or whether you give to the drive to raise money for a local charity.
(page 36)

But here are some handy tips for any Christians who do:

For those of us not called by God to abstinence, the search for a mate can be a long, sometimes frantic search, stretching much longer than you would like. Every wedding you attend teases you with the promise of some kind of mystical three-corded you-spouse-God rope. And every day you lack that rope, you know your life is not yet complete. And if you’re uncomfortable with being single, just look around at church! Everyone whispers when you come in the room, because you can’t possibly be happy!

Fortunately, the Christian mating grounds are no longer limited to church and colleges. Now we have the internet. A Christian who flunked out of getting her ‘M.R.S. degree’ in college can have a second chance. But she probably needs to know how to craft a sweet online dating profile.

There’s more to a truly Christian dating profile than just putting up a picture and a name though. You’ve got to work that unmistakable vibe of raw animal pheromones and Jesus-loving wholesomeness that will make every Christian give you double-takes. Fortunately, you could call me the Hitch for Christians. You are my Kevin James. I will help you end your singleness, and everyone’s discomfort caused by your singleness. Win, win!

Maybe you need this help. If you don’t, you definitely have a friend who needs it.

Continue reading: http://stufffchristianslike.blogspot.com/2009/02/496-crafting-perfect-christian-dating.html

So today I thought we would remix the GI Joe post, adding some new versions of the Bible from reader suggestions. Away we go:

Remix #228. NIV vs. KJV vs. ESV (Bible wars told via GI Joe)

I’ve never been to seminary, so if they use a different cartoon from the 1980s to teach the differences between versions of the Bible, my bad. But when I sat down to write a post about how we like to represent and argue for our own brand of the Bible, I kept hearing the little Jon inside whispering, “yo Joe, yo Joe.”

So here it is, my explanation of the different versions of the Bible as told through the lens of GI Joe.

Continue reading: http://stufffchristianslike.blogspot.com/2009/02/yo-joe-remix-228-niv-vs-kjv-vs-esv.html