ORTHODOX JEWS BURN NEW TESTAMENTS

In an apparent upswing of Christian persecution in Israel, a group of Orthodox Jews collected New Testaments for a public burning:

Orthodox Jews set fire to hundreds of copies of the New Testament in the latest act of violence against Christian missionaries in the Holy Land.

Or Yehuda Deputy Mayor Uzi Aharon said missionaries recently entered a neighborhood in the predominantly religious town of 34,000 in central Israel, distributing hundreds of New Testaments and missionary material.

After receiving complaints, Aharon said, he got into a loudspeaker car last Thursday and drove through the neighborhood, urging people to turn over the material to Jewish religious students who went door to door to collect it.

"The books were dumped into a pile and set afire in a lot near a synagogue," he said.

To some this raises the specter of the holocaust:

Israeli authorities and Orthodox Jews frown on missionary activity aimed at Jews, though in most cases it is not illegal. Still, the concept of a Jew burning books is abhorrent to many in Israel because of the association with Nazis torching piles of Jewish books during the Holocaust of World War II.

So much for inter-faith dialogue, I guess.

SORRY TO SEE IT GO

Sometimes when you read a book you're just sad to see it end. I finally got around to reading Seabiscuit, by Laura Hillenbrand, finishing it yesterday. I wished I didn't have to finish it. If you've seen the movie--itself quite good--the book really allows you to connect with these long dead figures. Seabiscuit is history well told, history that you want to read with no agenda other than allowing you to look through a window into a bygone era. We can read about people simply living their lives without any idea that someone might write a book about them, yet refusing to quit despite the odds.

We live in a historically myopic era that is cut off from its own past. There are many implications to this, both cultural and policital. There are also religious implications. Our modern age pushes us towards an atomistic approach to life in which we are cut off from not only history, but also family and community, church and God. We can imagine ourselves accountable to no one, able to operate as our own standard. The Bible itself is history, inspired history, certainly. It is the history of God's redemption of man, but also the history of individual men and women who lived real lives and had real struggles. One of Scriptures great messages is that despite clear defeat persevering in God will bring us ultimate victory. What history will you write with your life?

PREACHING THIS MORNING...'Honor Your Mother'. Not only is Mother's Day a national holiday, but giving due honor to our mothers is an expectation of God.

PREACHING THIS MORNING...at Hickman Mills, 'Turning the World Upside Down' from the words expressed by the angered Thessalonians in Acts 17. I have preached some version of that sermon on the first Sunday at each church I've worked with.

PREACHING THIS MORNING...my final sermon at Wilsonville, 'Joshua's Farewell'. No, I'm not Joshua, but since I can't improve on his message to Israel I'm basing my lesson on what he had to say: be strong in doing and keeping God's word, cling to the Lord and love Him knowing that He is always faithful in all that He has promised.

BERNICE CORNETT, 1918-2008

My grandmother passed away last night, April 16. She was 90 years old. Granny had been in a care facility for the last few months, a situation she was certainly not happy with, but she was unable to function without assistance. As a 16 year old she married my grandfather Oliver in 1934. They had four children together and were married for 57 years until his death in 1991. She was a faithful Christian and has gone to be with her Lord.

As the preacher in the family I've been asked to do the funeral, which is an honor, but also a challenge. Keep us in your prayers.

THE ESV STUDY BIBLE has been announced for October 15 release. There's even an ESV Study Bible website. It looks to be an impressive endeavor. I particularly like the single column format. More about my interest in the ESV soon.

(Thanks to J. Mark Bertrand at the Bible Design & Binding blog for the link.)

EVEN MODERATE DRINKING INCREASES BREAST CANCER RISK

A new study has found that women who drink, even in light to moderate amounts, increase their risk of breast cancer significantly:

Women who had less than one drink per day were found to have a 7 percent increased risk of breast cancer compared with those who didn't drink. Those who drank one to two drinks had a 32 percent greater risk; those who drank three or more drinks had up to a 51 percent increased risk. A woman's risk was similar whether she drank beer, wine, or spirits, researchers reported.

This strikes a strong blow to the movement in recent years to promote drinking alcohol, particularly red wine, because of its health benefits. While the health benefits may be real, the risks far outweight any benefit. And as we've discussed here before, drinking grape juice gives one the same heart benefits as drinking red wine without the dangers of alcohol consumption.