1/23/2003
1/22/2003
on the cutting edge of science
also via the WSJ best of the web:
Scientists study why the elderly fall
I spent a whoooooole lot of time not paying attention in honors physics back in high school, but one word keeps pinging my brain:
gravity
it's not just a good idea. Its the law. (someone funnier than me once said that)
Scientists study why the elderly fall
I spent a whoooooole lot of time not paying attention in honors physics back in high school, but one word keeps pinging my brain:
gravity
it's not just a good idea. Its the law. (someone funnier than me once said that)
and we hold these things to be true...
from the WSJ 'best of the web:"
I would think that this would be incredibly offensive to African Americans. I'm offended as someone who prefers simplicity, as well as the assumption that we are racially on an 'equal playing field.'
The Soft Bigotry of the Teachers Union
The New Jersey Education Association's Web site features a brochure for download called "Getting Involved in Your Child's School." It comes in three versions; the first is simply described as "a parent's resource" (links in PDF format). The second is written in Spanish, but the third is curious. It's called the "African-American version."
Why is an African-American version necessary? Who knows, but there are differences between the text of two versions. For example, here's how the "parent's resource" answers the question: "Why do teachers need my help?":
Today, there is an increasing emphasis on individualized instruction--fitting the curriculum to the child. Teachers want to employ new methods and materials to give each child personal guidance.
When you assist teachers with growing paperwork, make instructional materials, or conduct a science experiment, you give them more time for planning activities, for trying new teaching strategies, and for working directly with children. As a parent volunteer, you allow them to be more effective teachers--and the school obtains your skills and services that might be unavailable due to financial limitations.
Here's how the "African-American version" answers the same question:
Today, teachers want to use new methods and materials to give each child personal guidance.
When you assist teachers, you give them more time to work with children. You allow them to be more effective teachers.
We actually like the African-American version better; it takes just 36 words to say the same thing the parent's resource says in 91. But another way of looking at it is that the New Jersey teachers union seems to think their material has to be dumbed down for the benefit of black parents.
I would think that this would be incredibly offensive to African Americans. I'm offended as someone who prefers simplicity, as well as the assumption that we are racially on an 'equal playing field.'
hunting stories
my dad sent me this link of an animated story, called "fishin ain't so bad." It's not offensive, or vulgar...just...male.
It reminds me of a couple of things.
I can remember eating at a Singles banquet at Riverside Baptist Church, as a relatively new Christian. I was sitting next to this guy who was bragging about how he liked to go out to the wilderness during hunting season and raise a ruckus to scare away the deer from the evil hunters. I was silently eating my supper wondering what the bag limit happened to be on the Colorado Broad-chested Urban Moron when -- no kidding - he said, "I just think it is so cruel that these deer are killed just so we can eat them....who has tried these meatballs? They're delicious!
the great songwrite Phoebe Buffay once wrote:
The cow in the field says 'moo'
The cow in the field says 'moo'
Then the farmer hits him on the head with a hammer
and that's how we get hamburger
The three most disturbing words on an ingredients list: mechanically separated chicken. I read this on Slim Jim's and Campbell's chicken noodle soup while waiting for prescriptions. I bought the soup anyway. Decided to not "snap into a Slim Jim."
The first time I went hunting after I was of legal age, my dad and I were out on our property. Saw a nice little 3 point buck and fired away. Alas, it was not as clean of a shot as I'd have had liked. After tracking a blood trail for about 250 yards, finally came upon it lying behind some tall brush. rather than a kill shot to the heart, lungs, or brain, I instead gave the poor animal a lead enema. Shot it in the rectum. I'm as ashamed to type it as you are to read it. Anyway, my dad then gave me the .357 pistol to shoot it in the head and end its misery. I pull back the hammer on the revolver, aim from point-blank range, and pull the trigger.
I missed.
"Are you trying to scare the thing to death?" my dad asked. He took the pistol and succeeded where I had failed. I was a little reluctant to continue hunting after that, but Ted Nugent helped me work through those issues, and have had many more successful hunting ventures since then....
except when I went elk hunting with a good friend and our dads. We were in a valley and a herd of fifty elk came over the ridge. just as we took aim, bullets started slinging and whizzing right over our heads. Apparently, hunters lining the valley thought the homo sapiens standing between them and their trophy wall mounts were a small price to pay. we all fell to our faces and were told to take aim. I settled on a HUGE cow (female) elk. My friend and I fired instantaneously. We both shouted, "Got it!" and (yep, you guessed it) arrived at the fallen beast to discover that we had both shot the same animal. That year, I took home half an elk. not many people can say that. Other than that, my hunts have really been successful.
except for the one time Kelli went with me and we didn't see anything on a full weekend of elk hunting. Upon going back to the folk's land, I still had a deer tag to fill. So, I felt the need to impress my future wife with my ability to slay a deer. Took a 400+ yard shot at a large buck. Didn't come close, but felt compelled to hunt it down and shoot it and put it in my freezer. I stalked the animal. Got within fifty yards. Squatted down to get in shooting position and complete the task.
and sat on a cactus.
I couldn't have been more pathetic if I were Wile E. Coyote. At 20 years old, I had to have my mommy remove cactus quills from my rear. Kelli was certainly impressed.
I haven't hunted now in probably five years. A lack of time more than anything. And that I'm the only one in my home who'll eat venison. But I look forward to that day in the future when I can take my son to the rugged Colorado landscape and embellish story after story, and spend some wonderful time together. Just him, me, and a fully-loaded high power rifle.
It reminds me of a couple of things.
I can remember eating at a Singles banquet at Riverside Baptist Church, as a relatively new Christian. I was sitting next to this guy who was bragging about how he liked to go out to the wilderness during hunting season and raise a ruckus to scare away the deer from the evil hunters. I was silently eating my supper wondering what the bag limit happened to be on the Colorado Broad-chested Urban Moron when -- no kidding - he said, "I just think it is so cruel that these deer are killed just so we can eat them....who has tried these meatballs? They're delicious!
the great songwrite Phoebe Buffay once wrote:
The cow in the field says 'moo'
The cow in the field says 'moo'
Then the farmer hits him on the head with a hammer
and that's how we get hamburger
The three most disturbing words on an ingredients list: mechanically separated chicken. I read this on Slim Jim's and Campbell's chicken noodle soup while waiting for prescriptions. I bought the soup anyway. Decided to not "snap into a Slim Jim."
The first time I went hunting after I was of legal age, my dad and I were out on our property. Saw a nice little 3 point buck and fired away. Alas, it was not as clean of a shot as I'd have had liked. After tracking a blood trail for about 250 yards, finally came upon it lying behind some tall brush. rather than a kill shot to the heart, lungs, or brain, I instead gave the poor animal a lead enema. Shot it in the rectum. I'm as ashamed to type it as you are to read it. Anyway, my dad then gave me the .357 pistol to shoot it in the head and end its misery. I pull back the hammer on the revolver, aim from point-blank range, and pull the trigger.
I missed.
"Are you trying to scare the thing to death?" my dad asked. He took the pistol and succeeded where I had failed. I was a little reluctant to continue hunting after that, but Ted Nugent helped me work through those issues, and have had many more successful hunting ventures since then....
except when I went elk hunting with a good friend and our dads. We were in a valley and a herd of fifty elk came over the ridge. just as we took aim, bullets started slinging and whizzing right over our heads. Apparently, hunters lining the valley thought the homo sapiens standing between them and their trophy wall mounts were a small price to pay. we all fell to our faces and were told to take aim. I settled on a HUGE cow (female) elk. My friend and I fired instantaneously. We both shouted, "Got it!" and (yep, you guessed it) arrived at the fallen beast to discover that we had both shot the same animal. That year, I took home half an elk. not many people can say that. Other than that, my hunts have really been successful.
except for the one time Kelli went with me and we didn't see anything on a full weekend of elk hunting. Upon going back to the folk's land, I still had a deer tag to fill. So, I felt the need to impress my future wife with my ability to slay a deer. Took a 400+ yard shot at a large buck. Didn't come close, but felt compelled to hunt it down and shoot it and put it in my freezer. I stalked the animal. Got within fifty yards. Squatted down to get in shooting position and complete the task.
and sat on a cactus.
I couldn't have been more pathetic if I were Wile E. Coyote. At 20 years old, I had to have my mommy remove cactus quills from my rear. Kelli was certainly impressed.
I haven't hunted now in probably five years. A lack of time more than anything. And that I'm the only one in my home who'll eat venison. But I look forward to that day in the future when I can take my son to the rugged Colorado landscape and embellish story after story, and spend some wonderful time together. Just him, me, and a fully-loaded high power rifle.
in my inbox
hmmm...
A Sign at a Business Establishment Philadelphia, PA:
"WE WOULD RATHER DO BUSINESS WITH 1000 ARAB TERRORISTS THAN WITH A SINGLE JEW"
This sign was prominently displayed in the window of a business in Philadelphia. Most would be outraged at the thought of such an inflammatory statement. One would think that anti-hate groups from all across the country would be marching on this business. And that the National Guard might have to be called to keep the angry crowds back.
But, perhaps in these stressful times, one might be tempted to let the proprietors simply make their statement. We are a society who holds "Freedom of Speech" as perhaps our greatest liberty. And after all, it is just a sign.
You may ask what business would dare post such a sign?
Goldberg's Funeral Home
(Who knew morticians had a sense of humor?)
A Sign at a Business Establishment Philadelphia, PA:
"WE WOULD RATHER DO BUSINESS WITH 1000 ARAB TERRORISTS THAN WITH A SINGLE JEW"
This sign was prominently displayed in the window of a business in Philadelphia. Most would be outraged at the thought of such an inflammatory statement. One would think that anti-hate groups from all across the country would be marching on this business. And that the National Guard might have to be called to keep the angry crowds back.
But, perhaps in these stressful times, one might be tempted to let the proprietors simply make their statement. We are a society who holds "Freedom of Speech" as perhaps our greatest liberty. And after all, it is just a sign.
You may ask what business would dare post such a sign?
Goldberg's Funeral Home
(Who knew morticians had a sense of humor?)
the tests are in
and Kelli and Kaylyn have captured the streptococcal (strep) bacteria in their respective throats. At much personal sacrifice, they have quarantined themselves from the general population for 48 hours. While their efforts are substantial, we should warn you that there is a slim possibility that the remant strains of the bacteria may be in hiding out in the environment, and may attempt to strike if the opportunity arises.
btw -- I had to go to webmd to learn that this was bacterial, and not viral.
btw -- Cotter threw up in the car on the way to get the ladies' medicine. He's fine. Just sympathetic.
btw -- it took over two hours to fill the prescription. The scripts were for penecillin and a penecillin variant. It's not like they had to fly to Africa and hunt down some ebola-stricken monkey to create an antivirus. I'm standing at the counter and thinking, "I'm no pharmacy tech graduate, but I think even I could to to the 'p' shelf and find what I'm looking for." And Kaylyn's cost nearly $60 -- with the copay. Took it home and she doesn't care for the flavor. So, not suprisingly, she's not keen on taking it. But I've informed her, for $60, she'll be swallowing down every last drop of that suspension liquid -- so we don't have to buy it again.
btw -- when Bryan goes shopping and has to wait two hours, he ends up as a casualty of 'impulse purchases." I actually bought scissors yesterday because they were only $1. I need scissors like I need a hole in the head. Which is what the scissors are for, I suppose.
btw -- speaking of a hole in the head: my Wal-Mart associate actually said this - - "They can find a way to re-attach a head to a spinal column, but they haven't found a cure for strep." I just nodded my head, thankful that I didn't need to have it reattached to my spinal column.
and one more thing -- when I get sick, Kelli just has one more baby to take care of. When Kelli get's sick...Kelli just has one more baby to take care of. I tried to buck up and do her job...but I'm wasn't very good at it. At 3:30 when Kelsi woke up because Cotter cried out that Pinnocchio's nose scared him, I should have gotten up and secured the perimeter and controlled the situation. What did I do? "Hunnneeee....I've got to get some sleeeeep. Kelli didn't gripe. Didn't scold me. Didn't whine (since there was enough for both of us). She got up and rocked Kelsi to sleep.
Despite my efforts, at times I can still be quite lame.
Kelli...is awesome.
do my glands look swollen to you? I think I'm beginning to feel flushed.
btw -- I had to go to webmd to learn that this was bacterial, and not viral.
btw -- Cotter threw up in the car on the way to get the ladies' medicine. He's fine. Just sympathetic.
btw -- it took over two hours to fill the prescription. The scripts were for penecillin and a penecillin variant. It's not like they had to fly to Africa and hunt down some ebola-stricken monkey to create an antivirus. I'm standing at the counter and thinking, "I'm no pharmacy tech graduate, but I think even I could to to the 'p' shelf and find what I'm looking for." And Kaylyn's cost nearly $60 -- with the copay. Took it home and she doesn't care for the flavor. So, not suprisingly, she's not keen on taking it. But I've informed her, for $60, she'll be swallowing down every last drop of that suspension liquid -- so we don't have to buy it again.
btw -- when Bryan goes shopping and has to wait two hours, he ends up as a casualty of 'impulse purchases." I actually bought scissors yesterday because they were only $1. I need scissors like I need a hole in the head. Which is what the scissors are for, I suppose.
btw -- speaking of a hole in the head: my Wal-Mart associate actually said this - - "They can find a way to re-attach a head to a spinal column, but they haven't found a cure for strep." I just nodded my head, thankful that I didn't need to have it reattached to my spinal column.
and one more thing -- when I get sick, Kelli just has one more baby to take care of. When Kelli get's sick...Kelli just has one more baby to take care of. I tried to buck up and do her job...but I'm wasn't very good at it. At 3:30 when Kelsi woke up because Cotter cried out that Pinnocchio's nose scared him, I should have gotten up and secured the perimeter and controlled the situation. What did I do? "Hunnneeee....I've got to get some sleeeeep. Kelli didn't gripe. Didn't scold me. Didn't whine (since there was enough for both of us). She got up and rocked Kelsi to sleep.
Despite my efforts, at times I can still be quite lame.
Kelli...is awesome.
do my glands look swollen to you? I think I'm beginning to feel flushed.
sacrilegious hocus pocus
Illusionists Penn & Teller, Lance Burton, & "the Amazing Jonathan" (I can't even type that name with a straight face) band together to ricule Christ, His followers.
1/21/2003
proverbs #19
Satan loves to keep Christians so over-busy in "the Lord's work" that the Lord can get no opportunity to tell them what He wants them to do.
1/20/2003
my statement of resignation
Back in seminary, Kelli and I made the determination that we would always be willing to follow God wherever He was leading us. Throughout the years following that commitment, the Lord has taken us to exciting places of spiritual discovery and development. His leading brought us here to First Southern Baptist Church, and we have thanked God every day for allowing me to pastor a church family that has loved us and supported us. I’m quite certain that I have learned more than I have taught and my family has been blessed repeatedly by your sacrifice and generosity. When we arrived here just a short fifteen months ago, we came with dreams and expectations of establishing a lifelong ministry here, pledging to ourselves and to you that we would invest our lives here as long as the Lord ordained for us to do so.
Recently, I was contacted by the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention to discuss becoming involved with a ministry opportunity. When I learned that I would be unable to be a part of that ministry and continue serving as your pastor, I declined the opportunity. NAMB continued to pursue the possibility, and I was reminded by the Holy Spirit that I had pledged to always be willing to go wherever He called, whenever He called. After much prayer and much discussion with Kelli, we have determined that God is indeed calling me to resign my position as pastor of this fine church, effective February 16, 2003, to assume responsibilities as the men’s missions education editor for the North American Mission Board. This new opportunity will allow me to use the gifts of writing and editing multiple publications, teaching in conferences around the country, and also to develop the pastoral gifts of counseling and encouraging.
Kelli and I want to thank you for all that you have done for us and alongside us. We want to thank you for loving us and praying for all of us. We truly believe that God has wonderful blessings in store for this church and we are excited to hear all He accomplishes through you in the years ahead. Please know we will continue in prayer for you. Thank you and we love you.
Recently, I was contacted by the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention to discuss becoming involved with a ministry opportunity. When I learned that I would be unable to be a part of that ministry and continue serving as your pastor, I declined the opportunity. NAMB continued to pursue the possibility, and I was reminded by the Holy Spirit that I had pledged to always be willing to go wherever He called, whenever He called. After much prayer and much discussion with Kelli, we have determined that God is indeed calling me to resign my position as pastor of this fine church, effective February 16, 2003, to assume responsibilities as the men’s missions education editor for the North American Mission Board. This new opportunity will allow me to use the gifts of writing and editing multiple publications, teaching in conferences around the country, and also to develop the pastoral gifts of counseling and encouraging.
Kelli and I want to thank you for all that you have done for us and alongside us. We want to thank you for loving us and praying for all of us. We truly believe that God has wonderful blessings in store for this church and we are excited to hear all He accomplishes through you in the years ahead. Please know we will continue in prayer for you. Thank you and we love you.
1/19/2003
more on sanctity
got this story from this blog, both of which are very good.
two quick comments:
1. this is a great quote, wisely worded: "By working together to protect the weak, the imperfect and the unwanted, we affirm a culture of hope and help ensure a brighter future for all."
I believe that the unborn since 1972 have been denied their civil rights. The right to life. The right to liberty. And the right to the pursuit of happiness.
2. NARAL says that this is a "decision to be made between a woman and her doctor." The doctor in focus is most often an abortionist who daily violates his/her hippocratic oath to protect and preserve life because of significant financial motivations. The woman is most often frightened, uncertain, confused, and/or inconvenienced by the presence of the infant human child in her womb. AND -- most often, the man responsible for the contribution of the sperm to the ovum (remember, that's still how pregancy occurs) is excluded or absent.
How often can 'good decisions' come from two people -- one of whom is fearful of the inevitably dramatic change of life and the other who is driven almost exclusively by greed -- when two others who have an intimately vested interest (see: father and child) in the outcome?.
One more thing -- in the 90 seconds it took to read this entry, five (5) infant human children were murdered at the hands of an abortionist.
five futures never realized
five voices never heard
five smiles never seen
five life dreams never pursued
five family lines never blessed
five cries never comforted
five potentials
lost
for what?
two quick comments:
1. this is a great quote, wisely worded: "By working together to protect the weak, the imperfect and the unwanted, we affirm a culture of hope and help ensure a brighter future for all."
I believe that the unborn since 1972 have been denied their civil rights. The right to life. The right to liberty. And the right to the pursuit of happiness.
2. NARAL says that this is a "decision to be made between a woman and her doctor." The doctor in focus is most often an abortionist who daily violates his/her hippocratic oath to protect and preserve life because of significant financial motivations. The woman is most often frightened, uncertain, confused, and/or inconvenienced by the presence of the infant human child in her womb. AND -- most often, the man responsible for the contribution of the sperm to the ovum (remember, that's still how pregancy occurs) is excluded or absent.
How often can 'good decisions' come from two people -- one of whom is fearful of the inevitably dramatic change of life and the other who is driven almost exclusively by greed -- when two others who have an intimately vested interest (see: father and child) in the outcome?.
One more thing -- in the 90 seconds it took to read this entry, five (5) infant human children were murdered at the hands of an abortionist.
five futures never realized
five voices never heard
five smiles never seen
five life dreams never pursued
five family lines never blessed
five cries never comforted
five potentials
lost
for what?
the sanctity of human life
one father's dedication to his daughter
the well-presented ohio right to life page
some images of the grace of God
My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! (Psalm 139:15-17)
global average of women to abortions -- 1:1
and on a related note
two stories I wrote for SBCLife for Sanctity of Human Life Sunday back in 1998, and another on the loss of a precious life, grieved by a seminary dean (and here are the sites related to his son's convicted murderer).
the well-presented ohio right to life page
some images of the grace of God
My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! (Psalm 139:15-17)
global average of women to abortions -- 1:1
and on a related note
two stories I wrote for SBCLife for Sanctity of Human Life Sunday back in 1998, and another on the loss of a precious life, grieved by a seminary dean (and here are the sites related to his son's convicted murderer).
sermon
Our church has experienced some exciting situations in the past week, and those experiences have led me to seek the Lord’s leading on what to preach. And because I’ve always strived to be responsive to the Holy Spirit, today’s message, you will find, does not share the title nor scripture of the one printed in your bulletin.
About ten days ago, we came together for a monthly ministry meeting, and the subject of the school came up, as it often does. There was, for the first time in my time here, real discussion about the school ministry. The main result out of that meeting was a newfound awareness of on the part of the church to search for the will of God through fervent prayer. After listening to the fine message by chaplain Pritt given last Sunday, and the words of those who felt led to speak before the congregation emphasize this need and reality even more. Then, just this past Wednesday, in our church council and deacons meetings, two themes prevailed through both discussions: prayer and revival.
Prayer and revival. Revival and prayer. Two sides to the same coin. Peanut butter and jelly. Macaroni and cheese. Bert and Ernie. Laurel and Hardy. We’ve been talking about prayer and revival for fifteen months here, and for all the talk that has been had, we’ve seen little in terms of prayer and even less in terms of revival. Oh yes, we’ve got the same 25 people showing up each week for our prayer meeting. And I thank God for that 25. And I absolutely believe God (can and) will do more with 25 people devoted to prayer than he will with a church of thousands going through the motions. So please do not hear me being critical to anyone who has made a commitment to being a prayer warrior for the kingdom. The problem we’re experiencing, in my observation is because we have confused the mechanics of prayer for the purpose of prayer. Too many of us seem to think just because we close our eyes and bow our heads and say a few words and wrap it up in a bow that says “In Jesus’ Name I pray,” then God is somehow bound by a magic spell to answer our prayer. This isn’t prayer, any more than my going into the capitol building and shouting “helloooo” to hear my echo is me addressing congress.
In this spirit, I believe God has given me a message today that we may be corrected on what God wants and expects from us if this church ever is to experience spiritual victory and the accomplishment of all that God has planned for this church. My prayer is that All of God’s people will hear His word and be convicted and encouraged wherever the Spirit reigns.
Today, I don’t have a fancy three point alliterated message for us. I only have one verse of Scripture that we will receive from the Holy Spirit and examine for understanding and submission. The scripture is this, found in 2 Chronicles 7:14:
If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and I will heal their land.
The reason why the Lord has given me this verse, I believe is two-fold. First of all, I believe He has given this passage because it is one of the most popular scriptures in terms of all the “talk and rhetoric” of revival and prayer. Christians all over this church, all over this country will be quick to quote this scripture in the conversation that says, “we just need to be praying for revival.” Whenever this scripture is said, its almost always followed by “amens” and “that’s right” but I’m not so confident that it is often followed by actual prayer. So, let’s break it down and let the Lord speak to us, so that we may, as James says, be doers and not just hearers of the word, so that we will not deceive ourselves.
First off, God addresses the promise of 2 Chronicles 7:14 to “my people who are called by my name.” He is talking to us! We need to understand this – God is not waiting, as Richard Harris says, “for the pagan, mean, evil, depraved, ruthless, decadent lost sinners to come to him so he can heal the land.” He is waiting for His people. Those who are called according to His name. He is waiting for His bride, the church. God understands that it is the nature of people in darkness to behave darkly. It is the nature of man to be a sinner. It is the nature of one who is a slave to the world to behave the way their master dictates. But God has issued the clarion call, “my people, who are called by my name!”
How many of you here are Christians? Raise your hand. That word “Christian” is the name of God. It’s not your name. It’s His Name. Jesus is the Christ. If you are a Christian, then you are a follower of Christ. And if you are a child of God according to His name, then God is talking to you! He is waiting for us to get to a point where we can handle and receive God’s blessing. He’s waiting for us to become “bless-able.” But we’re not behaving that way. We are the children of God behaving like we are the sons of the adversary. We are children of light who prefer to live in spiritual darkness. We are children of truth, who choose to deal with lies and deception. We are children of the King who reject the prosperity of heaven for the poverty of the flesh. And as long as we conduct ourselves in this manner, we will not hear from God, and we will not receive the fulfillment of His promises of blessing.
And some of you here today will be quick to say that you’ve been forgiven for all your conduct and so you justify bad behavior incorrectly under the encompassing grace of God. And if you are tempted to make that mistake, I encourage you to hear the next words. God declares, “if you will humble yourselves.
And if He’s waiting for us, what is in the world is He waiting for? He’s waiting for us to humble ourselves! He says, “If you will humble yourselves….” He’s making it clear here that God’s people have a paramount need to humble ourselves. And if I ask “do you know what it means to humble yourselves?” I’m not being clever or mean spirited. I’m honestly asking, because some people do not have a clue what it means to be humble. They don’t know what it takes to move from a high and lofty estimation of one’s self, and to humbly lower themselves, so that they are thinking of themselves appropriately.
To humble ourselves mean to rid ourselves of pride. What does God say about pride? He refuses to answer prayer because of pride. It causes sinful words to fall from our mouths. Pride inevitably brings about shame. Its fruit is contention. It deceives. It generates violence. And most important, the Lord has set Himself in opposition to the proud. He hates it and will bring low those who are filled with pride.
As bad as pride is, you would think it would be so obvious to recognize. But pride thrives when cloaked as false humility. In fact, Paul sternly warns the Christians to not be defrauded of their reward by those who are guilty of false humility. And false humility is Satan’s tool to indulge the desires of the flesh using sweetly-worded but never-fulfilled motives. And the tactic is so effective because often, God’s people don’t want to look ‘mean’ by challenging or confronting something that sounds so good and nice. And when that occurs, sin dwells in the camp of the Lord, and the cause of the Kingdom suffers.
We must rid ourselves of pride. We must confess that our ways are sinful. We must declare – no way but God’s way! We must say, “I don’t care if I have to go back to ground zero, to step one, to ‘point A,’ I will humble myself and deny and reject and repent of anything that has come between me and my Savior Jesus Christ.
We also must rid ourselves of self-sufficiency. So many Christians, and dare I say, too many of us, are self-sufficient. We claim to want to glorify God, but only if we can do it for Him. We say we want to trust Jesus, but we hold on to our money and our time and our talents like they are non-renewable resources. Friends, this is just not possible. We bring no glory to God on our own. We bring nothing but our availability to the table when it comes to bringing Glory to God. Anything that we have in life we only have because He has given it to us, and we must therefore release our grip of death upon it or it just may turn around and choke the life right out of us! God brings glory to Himself, and He has ordained to use man to accomplish this. But He has no fellowship with the proud, He sets Himself against the proud in opposition, and He will glorify Himself at the expense of the proud if the proud will not humble themselves.
Then God says, “pray.” Again, we do such a good job talking about prayer. But too few are really doing it. We still have people who will show up faithfully for business meetings to make sure their vote is counted on a ministry where they’ve got a vested interest, but they won’t make the time to come pray with their church family the other three Wednesdays a week. We have people who are quick to decry the evils of this world and Satan’s seemingly firm grip on the things of this world, but would never dare to engage the enemy through fervent prayer.
Maybe we need to be reminded what prayer is. Prayer is nothing less than the vehicle that moves us from our will to God’s will. Prayer doesn’t inform God of our motives; it is to align us to His purpose. Praying is submitting oneself to God’s perfect will, no matter what His will provides. It means accepting God on His terms, not challenging Him to accept us on ours.
I tell you this, too. We must – must – cease offering prayers that the Lord cannot answer. When we ask God to bless people (namely ourselves) who are mired in sin, the Lord cannot answer that prayer. And if you want to counter, “the Lord can do anything,” I’d argue that the Lord cannot do anything that is in contradiction with His character and nature. He hates sin. He will not bless sin. He will judge it, though, and we are told to flee from His judgment, not ask for it! Furthermore, we can no longer ask God to bless ministries – any ministry – that has born fruit of dissention and animosity. He simply will not do it! And I tell you this – its not the ministry’s fault. It’s the people’s fault. Ministries – even ones that still manufacture good works – can lose the blessing of God when the pride of people leads that ministry to be operated in the flesh than in the Spirit. And God’s people cannot presume upon God that He is obliged to bless something that He left because He opposes the pride of those who are stewards over it.
On the heels of prayer, God says, “seek my face.” The only way we as Christians, our ministries, our church is pleasing in the sight of God is if we humbly, fervently seek His face. You cannot have a proud heart and see the face of God. You cannot entrench yourself and say, “we will not change, we will do it my way,” and expect to see God smiling upon you. Only by seeking His face can we see ourselves as we truly are. Only by catching the glimpse of the Father can we see the error of our ways. Flesh loves pride. Ego breeds the pharisaic ‘holier-than-thou” attitude. Only when we behold the countenance of our high, holy, perfect, pure Father God do we recognize the truth. This is who we are: sinners in need of forgiveness. Fallen people saved by grace. Redeemed believers who are called, commanded, and accountable to be ambassadors of Jesus to this lost and dying world.
God says we must turn from our wicked ways. He is calling us to repent. We must turn from our ways. They are wicked. Ways that attack our brothers and sisters in Christ are deplorable, disgusting, and wicked. We must turn from them! We must turn away from the words and deeds that destroy the fabric of unity of our church. We must turn from the ways that advance our own cause at the expense of the body. It doesn’t matter how much you support any person, any ministry, any cause. If you have said or done anything – ever – to damage this church, whether you intended to or not, you must repent!
And I say this, too. It doesn’t mean just saying “I’m sorry.” I’ve discovered that “I’m sorry” and and a $10 bill will buy you a small coffee at Starbucks, and leave the clerk thinking you felt bad you didn’t have a $20 for the next larger size. “I’m sorry” are two cheap, hollow, ineffectual words that do more harm than good if they are said in a spirit of repentance. Repentance is much more than just being sorry. It is true remorse that you have offended the other. You are only repentant if you are grieved in your spirit that something you said or did inflicted harm on another. Repentance means that not only are you full of regret, but you will be intentional about not inflicting further damage on that person again.
With this in mind, I say this – if you think you are a Christian just because you said “I’m sorry” to God, you may be full of false hope. The standard that God has set is repentance. Jesus said, “unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” You must turn from your wicked ways, you must forsake evil, and pursue the ways of God by the leading of His Holy Spirit.
If we do not turn from our wicked ways, we will experience two inevitable results. First of all, you’ll see that nothing will change. The ministries that struggle now will continue to struggle. The battle for commitment will continue to seem like a losing one. The peace, the joy, the fellowship – they’ll all continue to be tidal experiences, coming and going, rising and falling based upon the crowd you happen to be with at the moment. And if our church still refuses to turn from its wicked ways – individually and corporately – God will remove His hand of grace and provision from it completely. And if He ever does that, our church will join the cemetery of churches filling Florence that are alive but dead, open but closed, gathering but not communing. May we commit to not letting that become the destiny of our church. May we today establish a firm resolve to humble ourselves, to pray, to seek His face, and to turn from our wicked ways.
If we will do this today – God has given us this promise: “I will hear from heaven and I will heal their land.”
Oh, that we would grasp the beauty and majesty of this promise. He will hear our prayer. He will turn to face us. He will return to fellowship with us. He will revive our Spirits. He will restore us to prominence. He will heal our land. He will cure us. He will commune with us.
My heart’s cry for fifteen months has been that the Lord would hear our prayer. That he would end the infighting. That He would bind the enemy. That He would prosper our ministries. That He would grow His kingdom through us. That He would stir up the hearts of our men to be leaders. That He would pour His Living Water to quench the fires of contention. That He would heal our land. I believe in my heart that you want that, too. But we must humble ourselves. We must pray. We must seek His face. And we must turn from our wicked ways.
And we must be willing to spare no expense for this to occur. Today, I expect the Holy Spirit to move you from your pews. I have asked God, I have begged God to convict you of your hard-hearts. I have asked God to convict your spirits of apathy. I have implored God to reveal your actions and attitudes of pride. I’ve asked God to do these things not so one side or the other can say “AHA!” but so the congregation can say, “amen. Lord, hear our prayer!” God is eager to heal us. His Holy Spirit is aggressively moving today so that we can have renewed fellowship with Him. Today, this church must commit to undoing years – and I mean years – of evil, wicked ways – making it right with whomever has been harmed – no matter what the expense. What this church does today, individually and corporately, sets the agenda for its course of the future.
About ten days ago, we came together for a monthly ministry meeting, and the subject of the school came up, as it often does. There was, for the first time in my time here, real discussion about the school ministry. The main result out of that meeting was a newfound awareness of on the part of the church to search for the will of God through fervent prayer. After listening to the fine message by chaplain Pritt given last Sunday, and the words of those who felt led to speak before the congregation emphasize this need and reality even more. Then, just this past Wednesday, in our church council and deacons meetings, two themes prevailed through both discussions: prayer and revival.
Prayer and revival. Revival and prayer. Two sides to the same coin. Peanut butter and jelly. Macaroni and cheese. Bert and Ernie. Laurel and Hardy. We’ve been talking about prayer and revival for fifteen months here, and for all the talk that has been had, we’ve seen little in terms of prayer and even less in terms of revival. Oh yes, we’ve got the same 25 people showing up each week for our prayer meeting. And I thank God for that 25. And I absolutely believe God (can and) will do more with 25 people devoted to prayer than he will with a church of thousands going through the motions. So please do not hear me being critical to anyone who has made a commitment to being a prayer warrior for the kingdom. The problem we’re experiencing, in my observation is because we have confused the mechanics of prayer for the purpose of prayer. Too many of us seem to think just because we close our eyes and bow our heads and say a few words and wrap it up in a bow that says “In Jesus’ Name I pray,” then God is somehow bound by a magic spell to answer our prayer. This isn’t prayer, any more than my going into the capitol building and shouting “helloooo” to hear my echo is me addressing congress.
In this spirit, I believe God has given me a message today that we may be corrected on what God wants and expects from us if this church ever is to experience spiritual victory and the accomplishment of all that God has planned for this church. My prayer is that All of God’s people will hear His word and be convicted and encouraged wherever the Spirit reigns.
Today, I don’t have a fancy three point alliterated message for us. I only have one verse of Scripture that we will receive from the Holy Spirit and examine for understanding and submission. The scripture is this, found in 2 Chronicles 7:14:
If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and I will heal their land.
The reason why the Lord has given me this verse, I believe is two-fold. First of all, I believe He has given this passage because it is one of the most popular scriptures in terms of all the “talk and rhetoric” of revival and prayer. Christians all over this church, all over this country will be quick to quote this scripture in the conversation that says, “we just need to be praying for revival.” Whenever this scripture is said, its almost always followed by “amens” and “that’s right” but I’m not so confident that it is often followed by actual prayer. So, let’s break it down and let the Lord speak to us, so that we may, as James says, be doers and not just hearers of the word, so that we will not deceive ourselves.
First off, God addresses the promise of 2 Chronicles 7:14 to “my people who are called by my name.” He is talking to us! We need to understand this – God is not waiting, as Richard Harris says, “for the pagan, mean, evil, depraved, ruthless, decadent lost sinners to come to him so he can heal the land.” He is waiting for His people. Those who are called according to His name. He is waiting for His bride, the church. God understands that it is the nature of people in darkness to behave darkly. It is the nature of man to be a sinner. It is the nature of one who is a slave to the world to behave the way their master dictates. But God has issued the clarion call, “my people, who are called by my name!”
How many of you here are Christians? Raise your hand. That word “Christian” is the name of God. It’s not your name. It’s His Name. Jesus is the Christ. If you are a Christian, then you are a follower of Christ. And if you are a child of God according to His name, then God is talking to you! He is waiting for us to get to a point where we can handle and receive God’s blessing. He’s waiting for us to become “bless-able.” But we’re not behaving that way. We are the children of God behaving like we are the sons of the adversary. We are children of light who prefer to live in spiritual darkness. We are children of truth, who choose to deal with lies and deception. We are children of the King who reject the prosperity of heaven for the poverty of the flesh. And as long as we conduct ourselves in this manner, we will not hear from God, and we will not receive the fulfillment of His promises of blessing.
And some of you here today will be quick to say that you’ve been forgiven for all your conduct and so you justify bad behavior incorrectly under the encompassing grace of God. And if you are tempted to make that mistake, I encourage you to hear the next words. God declares, “if you will humble yourselves.
And if He’s waiting for us, what is in the world is He waiting for? He’s waiting for us to humble ourselves! He says, “If you will humble yourselves….” He’s making it clear here that God’s people have a paramount need to humble ourselves. And if I ask “do you know what it means to humble yourselves?” I’m not being clever or mean spirited. I’m honestly asking, because some people do not have a clue what it means to be humble. They don’t know what it takes to move from a high and lofty estimation of one’s self, and to humbly lower themselves, so that they are thinking of themselves appropriately.
To humble ourselves mean to rid ourselves of pride. What does God say about pride? He refuses to answer prayer because of pride. It causes sinful words to fall from our mouths. Pride inevitably brings about shame. Its fruit is contention. It deceives. It generates violence. And most important, the Lord has set Himself in opposition to the proud. He hates it and will bring low those who are filled with pride.
As bad as pride is, you would think it would be so obvious to recognize. But pride thrives when cloaked as false humility. In fact, Paul sternly warns the Christians to not be defrauded of their reward by those who are guilty of false humility. And false humility is Satan’s tool to indulge the desires of the flesh using sweetly-worded but never-fulfilled motives. And the tactic is so effective because often, God’s people don’t want to look ‘mean’ by challenging or confronting something that sounds so good and nice. And when that occurs, sin dwells in the camp of the Lord, and the cause of the Kingdom suffers.
We must rid ourselves of pride. We must confess that our ways are sinful. We must declare – no way but God’s way! We must say, “I don’t care if I have to go back to ground zero, to step one, to ‘point A,’ I will humble myself and deny and reject and repent of anything that has come between me and my Savior Jesus Christ.
We also must rid ourselves of self-sufficiency. So many Christians, and dare I say, too many of us, are self-sufficient. We claim to want to glorify God, but only if we can do it for Him. We say we want to trust Jesus, but we hold on to our money and our time and our talents like they are non-renewable resources. Friends, this is just not possible. We bring no glory to God on our own. We bring nothing but our availability to the table when it comes to bringing Glory to God. Anything that we have in life we only have because He has given it to us, and we must therefore release our grip of death upon it or it just may turn around and choke the life right out of us! God brings glory to Himself, and He has ordained to use man to accomplish this. But He has no fellowship with the proud, He sets Himself against the proud in opposition, and He will glorify Himself at the expense of the proud if the proud will not humble themselves.
Then God says, “pray.” Again, we do such a good job talking about prayer. But too few are really doing it. We still have people who will show up faithfully for business meetings to make sure their vote is counted on a ministry where they’ve got a vested interest, but they won’t make the time to come pray with their church family the other three Wednesdays a week. We have people who are quick to decry the evils of this world and Satan’s seemingly firm grip on the things of this world, but would never dare to engage the enemy through fervent prayer.
Maybe we need to be reminded what prayer is. Prayer is nothing less than the vehicle that moves us from our will to God’s will. Prayer doesn’t inform God of our motives; it is to align us to His purpose. Praying is submitting oneself to God’s perfect will, no matter what His will provides. It means accepting God on His terms, not challenging Him to accept us on ours.
I tell you this, too. We must – must – cease offering prayers that the Lord cannot answer. When we ask God to bless people (namely ourselves) who are mired in sin, the Lord cannot answer that prayer. And if you want to counter, “the Lord can do anything,” I’d argue that the Lord cannot do anything that is in contradiction with His character and nature. He hates sin. He will not bless sin. He will judge it, though, and we are told to flee from His judgment, not ask for it! Furthermore, we can no longer ask God to bless ministries – any ministry – that has born fruit of dissention and animosity. He simply will not do it! And I tell you this – its not the ministry’s fault. It’s the people’s fault. Ministries – even ones that still manufacture good works – can lose the blessing of God when the pride of people leads that ministry to be operated in the flesh than in the Spirit. And God’s people cannot presume upon God that He is obliged to bless something that He left because He opposes the pride of those who are stewards over it.
On the heels of prayer, God says, “seek my face.” The only way we as Christians, our ministries, our church is pleasing in the sight of God is if we humbly, fervently seek His face. You cannot have a proud heart and see the face of God. You cannot entrench yourself and say, “we will not change, we will do it my way,” and expect to see God smiling upon you. Only by seeking His face can we see ourselves as we truly are. Only by catching the glimpse of the Father can we see the error of our ways. Flesh loves pride. Ego breeds the pharisaic ‘holier-than-thou” attitude. Only when we behold the countenance of our high, holy, perfect, pure Father God do we recognize the truth. This is who we are: sinners in need of forgiveness. Fallen people saved by grace. Redeemed believers who are called, commanded, and accountable to be ambassadors of Jesus to this lost and dying world.
God says we must turn from our wicked ways. He is calling us to repent. We must turn from our ways. They are wicked. Ways that attack our brothers and sisters in Christ are deplorable, disgusting, and wicked. We must turn from them! We must turn away from the words and deeds that destroy the fabric of unity of our church. We must turn from the ways that advance our own cause at the expense of the body. It doesn’t matter how much you support any person, any ministry, any cause. If you have said or done anything – ever – to damage this church, whether you intended to or not, you must repent!
And I say this, too. It doesn’t mean just saying “I’m sorry.” I’ve discovered that “I’m sorry” and and a $10 bill will buy you a small coffee at Starbucks, and leave the clerk thinking you felt bad you didn’t have a $20 for the next larger size. “I’m sorry” are two cheap, hollow, ineffectual words that do more harm than good if they are said in a spirit of repentance. Repentance is much more than just being sorry. It is true remorse that you have offended the other. You are only repentant if you are grieved in your spirit that something you said or did inflicted harm on another. Repentance means that not only are you full of regret, but you will be intentional about not inflicting further damage on that person again.
With this in mind, I say this – if you think you are a Christian just because you said “I’m sorry” to God, you may be full of false hope. The standard that God has set is repentance. Jesus said, “unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” You must turn from your wicked ways, you must forsake evil, and pursue the ways of God by the leading of His Holy Spirit.
If we do not turn from our wicked ways, we will experience two inevitable results. First of all, you’ll see that nothing will change. The ministries that struggle now will continue to struggle. The battle for commitment will continue to seem like a losing one. The peace, the joy, the fellowship – they’ll all continue to be tidal experiences, coming and going, rising and falling based upon the crowd you happen to be with at the moment. And if our church still refuses to turn from its wicked ways – individually and corporately – God will remove His hand of grace and provision from it completely. And if He ever does that, our church will join the cemetery of churches filling Florence that are alive but dead, open but closed, gathering but not communing. May we commit to not letting that become the destiny of our church. May we today establish a firm resolve to humble ourselves, to pray, to seek His face, and to turn from our wicked ways.
If we will do this today – God has given us this promise: “I will hear from heaven and I will heal their land.”
Oh, that we would grasp the beauty and majesty of this promise. He will hear our prayer. He will turn to face us. He will return to fellowship with us. He will revive our Spirits. He will restore us to prominence. He will heal our land. He will cure us. He will commune with us.
My heart’s cry for fifteen months has been that the Lord would hear our prayer. That he would end the infighting. That He would bind the enemy. That He would prosper our ministries. That He would grow His kingdom through us. That He would stir up the hearts of our men to be leaders. That He would pour His Living Water to quench the fires of contention. That He would heal our land. I believe in my heart that you want that, too. But we must humble ourselves. We must pray. We must seek His face. And we must turn from our wicked ways.
And we must be willing to spare no expense for this to occur. Today, I expect the Holy Spirit to move you from your pews. I have asked God, I have begged God to convict you of your hard-hearts. I have asked God to convict your spirits of apathy. I have implored God to reveal your actions and attitudes of pride. I’ve asked God to do these things not so one side or the other can say “AHA!” but so the congregation can say, “amen. Lord, hear our prayer!” God is eager to heal us. His Holy Spirit is aggressively moving today so that we can have renewed fellowship with Him. Today, this church must commit to undoing years – and I mean years – of evil, wicked ways – making it right with whomever has been harmed – no matter what the expense. What this church does today, individually and corporately, sets the agenda for its course of the future.
proverbs #17
to put off repentance another day means one more to repent of and one less to repent in.
1/18/2003
it's hard to be humble when you're perfect in every way
"No one has inspired more blacks for hope in America than I have."--Jesse Jackson on "Donahue," MSNBC, Jan. 15
one word: Jesus
one word: Jesus
earning an 'E' for effort
I just helped my kids make their pinewood derby cars for the big AWANA rally tomorrow night.
I'm not very crafty.
I'm the guy who always gave his parents ashtrays from art class, even though they didn't smoke, just because I couldn't make anything else.
Despite having a wonderful new set of power tools from my parents for Christmas, I failed to cut even one (1) straight line using the jigsaw. And yes, my fingers were in peril on numerous occasions. If one were identifying me by these derby projects, they'd assume I wear multiple prosthetics and suffer from a total lack of depth perception.
Kaylyn wanted a car that was in the shape of the letters BARBIE. I ended up with POPED. I'm hoping Kelli can work her magic on the thing with paint and stickers.
Cotter, on the other hand (still with five fingers, Praise God!), wanted a car in the shape of a rocket. When it was completed, I told him to quit crying and just pretend it was a rocket, even if it looked more like a pickle.
Now, tomorrow night, my daughter's popemobile and my son's swift pickle are going up against derby cars that were turned on lathes and created men who dare to actually call themselves "woodworkers" (whereas I call myself "an industrial accident just waiting to happen"). Their cars will bear names like "Dart" and "Zippy (compared to our "Hey, I tried" and "Please just make it to the finish line")." Victory is unlikely. Disqualification is probable. But I take joy in knowing I can bring laughter to the men in my congregation, for where I am weak, there my Lord is strong (I'm not sure that's what the Bible really means, but it gives me peace to know my salvation isn't dependant upon being able to fashion a key to the pearly gates using a cordless saw and a 50 cent block of wood.)
I'm not very crafty.
I'm the guy who always gave his parents ashtrays from art class, even though they didn't smoke, just because I couldn't make anything else.
Despite having a wonderful new set of power tools from my parents for Christmas, I failed to cut even one (1) straight line using the jigsaw. And yes, my fingers were in peril on numerous occasions. If one were identifying me by these derby projects, they'd assume I wear multiple prosthetics and suffer from a total lack of depth perception.
Kaylyn wanted a car that was in the shape of the letters BARBIE. I ended up with POPED. I'm hoping Kelli can work her magic on the thing with paint and stickers.
Cotter, on the other hand (still with five fingers, Praise God!), wanted a car in the shape of a rocket. When it was completed, I told him to quit crying and just pretend it was a rocket, even if it looked more like a pickle.
Now, tomorrow night, my daughter's popemobile and my son's swift pickle are going up against derby cars that were turned on lathes and created men who dare to actually call themselves "woodworkers" (whereas I call myself "an industrial accident just waiting to happen"). Their cars will bear names like "Dart" and "Zippy (compared to our "Hey, I tried" and "Please just make it to the finish line")." Victory is unlikely. Disqualification is probable. But I take joy in knowing I can bring laughter to the men in my congregation, for where I am weak, there my Lord is strong (I'm not sure that's what the Bible really means, but it gives me peace to know my salvation isn't dependant upon being able to fashion a key to the pearly gates using a cordless saw and a 50 cent block of wood.)
i thank God for MY mother-in-law
and not because she reads my blog, but because she's not like this:
(From the NY Times) Michael Wines (NYT)
FRANCE: IN-LAW CONFESSES IN FAKE TERROR CASE The mother-in-law of an airport baggage handler has confessed to trying to help frame him by arranging for weapons and explosives to be placed in the trunk of his car. Fatia Bechiri blamed her son-in-law, Abderazak Besseghir, for her daughter's death in a household fire and intended to seek vengeance by having him jailed as an Islamic terrorist. Mr. Besseghir, 27, was arrested in late December after the police, acting on a tip from a former French Foreign Legionnaire, found the weapons in his car. The former soldier and another man, Patrick Pouchoulin, later confessed to putting the weapons there and Mr. Besseghir was released last week. Mrs. Bechiri and her husband, Ahmed Bechiri, have been placed under investigation.
and from the WSJ Best of the Web, commenting on this story:
Should legislators pass new laws to prevent this kind of thing from happening in the future? Probably not. After all, if in-laws were outlawed, only outlaws would have in-laws.
(From the NY Times) Michael Wines (NYT)
FRANCE: IN-LAW CONFESSES IN FAKE TERROR CASE The mother-in-law of an airport baggage handler has confessed to trying to help frame him by arranging for weapons and explosives to be placed in the trunk of his car. Fatia Bechiri blamed her son-in-law, Abderazak Besseghir, for her daughter's death in a household fire and intended to seek vengeance by having him jailed as an Islamic terrorist. Mr. Besseghir, 27, was arrested in late December after the police, acting on a tip from a former French Foreign Legionnaire, found the weapons in his car. The former soldier and another man, Patrick Pouchoulin, later confessed to putting the weapons there and Mr. Besseghir was released last week. Mrs. Bechiri and her husband, Ahmed Bechiri, have been placed under investigation.
and from the WSJ Best of the Web, commenting on this story:
Should legislators pass new laws to prevent this kind of thing from happening in the future? Probably not. After all, if in-laws were outlawed, only outlaws would have in-laws.
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