Volume 5, Issue 10

Newsletter Date Feb 28, 2013

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Christian Worldview Weekly

Follow me and others at: www.colsoncenter.org/the-center/columns/

THE CHRISTIAN BUCKET LIST

Christian Bucket List Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without Gods help, I do humbly entreat him by his grace to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christs sake. View the world in love, Jonathan Edwards

Gregg

Bucket List was a 2007 movie about what two guys wanted to do before they kick the bucket. Their list included things like skydiving and going on an African safari. Since the movie the concept of having a bucket list has caught on big time. If you Google bucket list you will get over 51 million hits.

Quote of the Week

But the idea of having a bucket list is not new. In the old days we called bucket lists resolutions. The difference seems to be in what a person is trying to accomplish. A bucket list give the impression of things I want to do to increase my pleasure, while George Sewell resolutions appear to be things I Page 2
The Colson Corner
The Mission of the Church http://www.colsoncenter.org/thecenter/columns/colsonfiles/19200-christianity-as-aworldview

Fear is the tax that conscience pays to guilt.

Headline Story of the Week

Do as they say
Culture | Actors and producers call for more gun control while building their careers on viewers appetite for violence
Demand a plan. That is the rally cry of a recent, celebritypacked advertisement calling for an end to gun violence in the United States. The blackand-white spot features an impressive array of actors and other A-list celebrities entreating the public to act now to make the country safer. The superstars invoke the memory of mass shootings at Columbine, Virginia Tech, Fort Hood, Aurora, and, most recently, Newtown. But a YouTube spoof reveals a glaring contradiction in the celebrity appeal. The parody takes each actor from the Demand A Plan ad and intersperses movie clips of those same actors unleashing ...
Click URL to complete story:
http://www.worldmag.com/2013/02/ do_as_they_say 28Albert+Mohler%27s+Blog%29

Keep Your Head http://www.colsoncenter.org/ the-center/columns/ viewpoint/19267-keep-yourheadDevotion of the Week Solid Rock Patience
http://www.colsoncenter.org/the-center/columns/ ancient-paths/19201-solid-rock-patience

THE CHRISTISAN BUCKET LIST CONTINUED

want to accomplish to make my life better and me a better person. This is not a calling to be the postmodern ideal of being a self-made man; rather it is a commitment to be all I can be to be a person of Christ. The great theologian of the 1700s, Jonathan Edwards, had a bucket list of 70 items he wanted to accomplish (he called them resolutions). These were things he would do to keep him convicted, committed, and close to God. I am not sure I am smart enough to come up with such a comprehensive list as Edwards did; but I do think Christians should take Godly resolutions seriously. When first making my bucket list I tried to come up with things which were provocative, things I wasnt doing but could do. Then I realized my list should also include things I am already doing but needed to be more faithful in doing them. I tried to keep the list short because I knew if it was too long I wouldnt accomplish everything on it, and more than likely not even read a long list on a daily basis. So, I kept it short, simple and only included my top ten out of the 25 or 30 items I was considering. God is not going to write on the wall for you nor is He going to whisper in your ear. What He will do is talk to you loud and clearly through His word. For a believer this is obvious, but it is not something we all do on a regular basis. Quality time in Gods word is critical to knowing Gods will for your life.

4. Carry a small notebook to record your deepest thoughts, troubling issues, and the good things which surprised you when they happened. A 3 by 5 Moleskine is a good starter notebook. Use your down times to refer back to what you wrote. Meditate on Goto Bucket Foundation.org what you write and add to it to clarify your thoughts. Be as complete as you can; there is nothing more frustrating than to have a note which doesnt make sense. 5. Spend less time watching TV and playing games and more time reading. Reading is good nourishment for the brain. Read articles concerning issues which are of cultural interest and articles about issues which are troubling. With the advent of computers this is easy; almost too easy because you can quickly get overload. But be careful, not everything on the internet is the truth. Much of what you read will be opinion. 6. Be involved at least once a day with someone who isnt a Christian or a Christian you know who is struggling with faith issues. Remember you are not a councilor so dont try to be one. Learn to ask questions and to listen. Your part of the conversation should be about what you have done in the past in similar situations; but never offer advice or speak from a position of authority recommending what should be done. Good listeners are hard to find but are often just what people need in times of distress. 7. Develop a small bucket list accountability group of no more than 2 or 3 other people. The purpose of the group is not to share the deep dark secretes of life experiences. Rather it is to

Bucket List Ideas 1. Make the list short, simple and read it daily. Reading the list should be the first thing on your morning agenda of things to do. It should be on a piece of paper that you can carry around with you at all times. Constantly referring to it is the key to success. 2. Talk to God often; make Him part of your daily routine. Ask God for answers to every decision you are about to make. If you have trouble doing this start with the simple things like, should I hang around the water cooler and gossip with the guys. Once you are doing the easy stuff the harder issues will come forth more frequently and be easier to discuss. 3. Listen to God twice as much as you talk to God.

share how well you are being faithful to your bucket list. If you want deep spiritual help go to your pastor or a Christian councilor; but dont overwhelm your friends with issues beyond their capability to solve. This group must meet regularly and has to be people you know who will be confidential. 8. Reach out far beyond yourself. Use social media to get the Word out. This could be something as simple as a bible verse of the day or the forwarding of a URL of an article you feel is important. But dont send out dim-witted bits and pieces like where you went to lunch or how bad the traffic is on the way home from work. Only include the mundane if it is pertinent to the message. 9. Write 3 or 4 paragraphs on a topic which concerns you. Do this at least once a week then post it on a web blog and ask for comments. It should be more than 450 words but less than a 1000. Keep the tone friendly and nonaccusatory and only share your opinion in the summary, not in the main body of work. 10. Review and revise your bucket list on a regular basis. Just make sure you are making it better and not just making it easier to accomplish. If you do the latter eventually you stop using it. It has to be meaningful and must give you a sense of accomplishment or else you wont continue doing it. Summary Well that is my bucket list; it is not everything I do on a daily basis but it is a list of priorities I force myself to do. Some of the items are obvious and things you have

known to do ever since you came to know Christ. But that doesnt mean they shouldnt be included on the list. The list is a nudge, it is something to nag you into being faithful to what you want to accomplish in your service to the Lord. Not so obvious, my list is all about living out what I profess to believe. It is being faithful to my calling from God. It is not just something to help me get through another day. The list is about developing a Christian worldview and sharing it with a lost world in such a way which draws people to Christ and doesnt turn them off to Christianity. What do you do next? Start with my list and then rework it into your own lifestyle. Make your list personal and relevant to your calling and the way God wants you to live.

www.GotQuestions.org Copy write got Question.org

Question: "Is there such a thing as absolute truth / universal truth?" Answer: In order to understand absolute or universal truth, we must begin by defining truth. Truth, according to the dictionary, is conformity to fact or actuality; a statement proven to be or accepted as true. Some people
Continued on page 4

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would say that there is no true reality, only perceptions and opinions. Others would argue that there must be some absolute reality or truth. One view says that there are no absolutes that define reality. Those who hold this view believe everything is rela-

tive to something else, and thus there can be no actual

reality. Because of that, there are ultimately no moral absolutes, no authority for deciding if an action is positive or negative, right or wrong. This view leads to situational ethics, the belief that what is right or wrong is relative to the situation. There is no right or wrong; therefore, whatever feels or seems right at the time and in that situation is right. Of course, situational ethics leads to a subjective, whatever feels good mentality and lifestyle, which has a devastating effect on society and individuals. This is postmodernism, creating a society that regards all values, beliefs, lifestyles, and truth claims as equally valid. The other view holds that there are indeed absolute realities and standards that define what is true and what is not. Therefore, actions can be determined to be either right or wrong by how they measure up to those absolute standards. If there are no absolutes, no reality, chaos ensues. Take the law of gravity, for instance. If it were not an absolute, we could not be certain we could stand or sit in one place until we decided to move. Or if two plus two did not always equal four, the effects on civilization would be disastrous. Laws of science and physics would be irrelevant, and commerce would be impossible. What a mess that would be! Thankfully, two plus two does equal four. There is absolute truth, and it can be found and understood. To make the statement that there is no absolute truth is illogical. Yet, today, many people are embracing a cultural relativism that denies any type of absolute truth. A good question to ask people who say, There is no absolute truth is this: Are you absolutely sure of that? If they say yes, they have made an absolute statementwhich itself implies the existence of absolutes. They are saying that the very fact there is no absolute truth is the one and only absolute truth.

Beside the problem of self-contradiction, there are several other logical problems one must overcome to believe that there are no absolute or universal truths. One is that all humans have limited knowledge and finite minds and, therefore, cannot logically make absolute negative statements. A person cannot logically say, There is no God (even though many do so), because, in order to make such a statement, he would need to have absolute knowledge of the entire universe from beginning to end. Since that is impossible, the most anyone can logically say is With the limited knowledge I have, I do not believe there is a God. Another problem with the denial of absolute truth/ universal truth is that it fails to live up to what we know to be true in our own consciences, our own experiences, and what we see in the real world. If there is no such thing as absolute truth, then there is nothing ultimately right or wrong about anything. What might be right for you does not mean it is right for me. While on the surface this type of relativism seems to be appealing, what it means is that everybody sets his own rules to live by and does what he thinks is right. Inevitably, one persons sense of right will soon clash with anothers. What happens if it is right for me to ignore traffic lights, even when they are red? I put many lives at risk. Or I might think it is right to steal from you, and you might think it is not right. Clearly, our standards of right and wrong are in conflict. If there is no absolute truth, no standard of right and wrong that we are all accountable to, then we can never be sure of anything. People would be free to do whatever they wantmurder, rape, steal, lie, cheat, etc., and no one could say those things would be wrong. There could be no government, no laws, and no justice, because one could not even say that the majority of the people have the right to make and enforce standards upon the minority. A world without absolutes would be the most horrible world imaginable. From a spiritual standpoint, this type of relativism results in religious confusion, with no one true religion and no way of having a right relationship with God. All religions would therefore be false because they all make absolute

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claims regarding the afterlife. It is not uncommon today for people to believe that two diametrically opposed religions could both be equally true, even though both religions claim to have the only way to heaven or teach two totally opposite truths. People who do not believe in absolute truth ignore these claims and embrace a more tolerant universalism that teaches all religions are equal and all roads lead to heaven. People who embrace this worldview vehemently oppose evangelical Christians who believe the Bible when it says that Jesus is the way, and the truth, and the life and that He is the ultimate manifestation of truth and the only way one can get to heaven (John 14:6). Tolerance has become the one cardinal virtue of the postmodern society, the one absolute, and, therefore, intolerance is the only evil. Continue reading at: http://www.gotquestions.org/absolute-truth.html

(6) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 9/2/2005

Be afraid, Be very afraid!!, and these were said before she hit her head!!!

Jesus: imposter or Israels God?

Answer to last weeks Who Said This quiz:

(1) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 6/29/2004 (2) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 5/29/2007 (3) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 6/4/2007 (4) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 6/4/2007 (5) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 6/4/2007

CMIs Dr Carl Wieland shows why Jesus is the reason why we write about creationhe is our eternal Creator and Israels God come in the flesh. Read the entire article at:
http://creation.com/jesus-israels-god

Site of the Week

http://www.worldviewchurch.org/ wvc-digest/featured-articles .com/