Hey everyone. Things have been very busy here at the Raleigh Podquarters, thus, the lack of updates recently. But hey, the busy has been of the good variety, so I am not complaining. I have been blessed with the way things have been working out lately. On to business. I just found a book review that will be of interest to readers of Jesus Pirates. The review is at the site, "Challies.com," and is about a book titled, "Christless Christianity." I myself am going to order this book as it documents a trend I have been following recently. The trend to lessen, or remove, Christ from the central position in the Christian Church. That is disturbing, eh? Since I have not yet read the book, I will let the review stand without too much comment. Three is one line of the review that I want to point out. Amazingly, it is not theological liberalism that has drawn the church away from her creed, away from her biblical foundation. Instead, it is a kind of unbearable lightness--a faith that eschews biblical theology in favor of whatever happens to be the flavor of the day. Says Horton, "My argument in this book is not that evangelicalism is becoming theologically ...

Hey everybody! Things are going great here in California. The new job is just great, and is much more than I expected. I am loving every minute. Still, I can't wait to get back home as I miss faith. I am flying back Friday. I will be back to regular posting next week. I am too slammed right now with all the orientation stuff out here. So, until next week, say safe and enjoy life! Argh, Eban

Pic by Angelrays... I ran across a great post at The Higher Calling today. The subject of the post is isolation. The author, Matt Dickerson, spins a tale that will probably resonate, at least a bit, with many. I know I can relate to parts of his story. The post, "Defeating Isolation," chronicles Matt's thoughts after his pastor pointed out that some in his church did not like him and found him standoffish. The best part of the story though, is how Matt overcame and stayed true to his calling in the LORD. It is a pretty good tale. Check it out, and have a great evening. Argh! Eban

Pic by IanMcburnie ... There are some crazy news stories out there, not just about faith matters, but on all topics. It is easy to think, as screamed by Mugatu in the Zoolander film, that we are taking crazy pills. But, as crazy as the secular stories can get, there is a special place for Christian craziness. From idiotic ramblings, to outright hatred of anything to do with faith, it can get pretty overwhelming. It does make it easier to see why showing people our faith can get tricky. Think about it. Someone new to their Christian journey, just getting curious, or even those weak in faith, may very well run screaming from the secular attacks. When dealing with the agnostic, atheist, secular, or pagan types, remember one thing and you will get a lot further. We are all backwoods yokels in their eyes. We are completely averse to any enlightenment. That is their view of us that hold our Christian beliefs dear. So, I was looking at some news stories today and felt like sharing. I find it best to view these with a sense of humor as a guide. Atheists Sue President Over National Prayer Day Okay, really, this is just stupid. We have national ...

BBQ photo by Jark ... Hello to all the swashbucklers out there. I just wanted to drop a line to wish you all a great weekend. Faith and I  are having a BBQ here at Reaching for Lucidity Podquarters today. The temp should be around 79 for a high and a bit of a breeze. In other words, great BBQ weather. I have been a bit quiet this week, but I am working on some great things for the site to be released soon. This past week I have been job searching. Yes, that is a stressful time, but I had all the faith that the right opportunity would come my way. I was right as it looks like I may have found the perfect position. I will not say more until all the i's are dotted and the t's are crossed, but it looks good. I totally left this search in the hands of the LORD, and things have gone oh so well. As for the stuff coming up, I have several post ideas and I am now researching and working them up, so it is all  good. I want to send out the call for anyone out there that may have personal stories, or ...

Pic by Oddsock ... I have found today a bit of a challenge. Nothing necessarily bad, just a challenge. We all have those days where old thoughts or patterns from our previous life creep in. The way to deal with these moments is to turn to scripture, as there all answers are waiting for discovery. Remember, our walk with the LORD is a joyous experience, but it is not always easy. Learn to turn to the word when those challenging times arrive. After a while, it will become second nature. A habit worth cultivating. So, what is my challenge today? Well, that is personal, just as your challenges are. They are between me and My savior, Jesus. But I will share a passage that has helped me today, and everyday. It is one of my favorites. Luke 11:33-36 NIV 33"No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead he puts it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. 34Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also ...

Bible pic by Wonderlane Sometimes it seems like people go out of their way to argue, even in the church. I recently saw a disagreement over Bible translations. It is so good that we have all these things to argue about. I mean, it's not like we have to build our relationships with Christ, show others the power of faith, and take care of our worldly responsibilities as well, right? Okay, that may have been a bit dramatic. The truth is, there are some Bible translations that are better than others. Most people choose their personal bible because of the church they attend. I don't mean to say that some thought, serious thought at that, should not be given to choosing your Bible. I instead mean that all versions have strengths and weaknesses. Also, looking at our society today, some of the weaker translations may have a place. Just check out the video to see what I am getting at.

I voted Pic by Enrico Fuente-- I was just browsing the article site, Helium, looking for new marketplace calls for writers. Well, I got sidetracked by one of their debates. Which one? The one titled, "Should One's Faith Influence a citizen's Vote?" Well, first off, let me say the voting at the time I visited was 60% to 40% in favor of voting by faith. That is a bit close for my taste, but still a majority. It is important to understand that the question does not mean govern by faith, but whether voters should cast votes by faith. I also believe that a leader should govern by his beliefs as well, but that was not the debate offered here. As a Christian, always let your decisions be led by your faith. Every move you make should be guided by your relationship with God. Yes, we all fall short as we are imperfect sinners, but we should keep striving to make better choices with the word of God as our guide. Some of the adversarial articles just baffled me. If your belief system is animal rights, do you not vote for animal rights politicians and laws? If athiest, do you not vote for candidates that ...