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LIFESTYLE

This 2002-03 Philadelphia are “Birds of Pray” in addition to being “Birds of Prey.” When the Philadelphia Eagles played in the NFL playoffs, they had to be familiar with their playbook. Many of the team’s star players say they are well versed in the Bible as well. More than half of the 50 players, including many well known starters for the team, take part in Bible study or one of a half dozen other activities, most of which are in public view.

David Hoke has been the unofficial unpaid chaplain to the Eagles organization for the last ten years. He says the current wave “is more a player-led kind of thing than before. More guys are actively sharing their own faith, and more players are responding.”

With the tacit blessing of the Eagle’s front office, the voluntary programs have grown to include regular pre-game worship, a Monday night gathering, a wife’s Bible study, a Friday session for the coaches and staff, and an intensive Thursday study attended by more than 20 players.

—www.philly.com, Tuesday, January 7, 2003, Birds of Pray, by Jim Remsen, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV “Be joyful always, pray continuously; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

LIFESTYLE/HOLINESS

Britney Spears had said for years that she is not the promiscuous girl she appears to be on stage. Instead, she’s insisted she is a virgin. But not anymore, not after Justin Timberlake told Barbara Walters, and the world that he’d had sex with her. Spears’ response was to say, “I didn’t think he was gonna go on Barbara Walters and sell me out.”

—Newsweek, July 21, 2003, p. 19. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson

Long before Timberlake “sold her out,” Spears’ actions on stage showed she was not the girl she claimed to be. Anyone who’d seen her perform on stage or in a TV commercial could quickly tell that she was not the wholesome girl she claimed to be. As it turns out, she is the same person in private as she is in public.

I don’t bring this up in any way to be critical of Miss Spears. Most private people couldn’t undergo the scrutiny public personalities have to go through. And I know it is easy for a private person like me to throw stones at someone in the spotlight like Spears. The only point I’m making is, when a person’s actions and their words are incongruent, believe their actions. Behavior always betrays the heart.

1 Peter 1:15 NASB “but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;”

LIFESTYLE

In a new book on religion in China, former Wall Street Journal reporter, Ian Johnson talks about the resurgence of religion in the supposedly atheistic country. Johnson says that the Chinese government does not object to personal piety, but they do not want believers whose faith affects their lifestyle. One of their objections to Christianity is they see it as a foreign influence but their biggest concern is the social activity of Christian believers.

Does your Christian faith affect the way you live? Would your lifestyle cause any concern if you were to live it out in communist China? This is a question we should ask ourselves. What difference does my profession of faith in Christ make in my everyday lifestyle? —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Ian Johnson, The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao, (Pantheon, 2017)

Reviewed by Angela Lu Fulton in World Magazine, November 25, 2017, pp26-27

1 Corinthians 2:1–5 (CSB)

When I came to you, brothers and sisters, announcing the mystery of God to you, I did not come with brilliance of speech or wisdom. I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not be based on human wisdom but on God’s power.

LIFESTYLE

Living in today’s secular culture can be very demanding for believers. Things change so fast we don’t know what the rules for civility are anymore. André Seu Peterson, writing in World Magazine points out that people say they want to be on the right side of history. “The trouble you run into,” she says, “is that you don’t know the rules. This is because the rules keep changing.”

Just think of the rules concerning marriage, gender, sexuality, and morality that have changed radically over the last 20 years. How do you know which ones will last and which ones are passing fads? Peterson sums up, “God has two rules: “And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he commanded us.” —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

World Magazine, March 31, 2018 p. 63

1 John 3:23 (CSB)

Now this is his command: that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another as he commanded us.

LIFESTYLE

As state governments begin to legalize the use of recreational marijuana, Christians are asking questions about its use. Now that it is legal, is it ok for a Christian to use? World Magazine tackles the question with a side bar entitled “Thinking Biblically about Recreational Marijuana.” Along with pointing out the dangers of drug use for teens and young adults, they make the following point.

“The sole purpose of using ‘recreational’ marijuana is to achieve an altered state of consciousness. The Christian reflex should be to avoid any attempt to alter consciousness, and specifically any effort to achieve a form of intoxication. To put the matter bluntly, the last thing the Christian church needs is for more believers to be less alert and sober-minded.”

They compare getting high with the biblical admonition against drunkenness. “Drunkenness is a sin and a pathetic distortion of the image of God. We can make no credible claim that the use of marijuana is exempt from this Biblical admonition.”

As opportunities to speak to this issue multiply, we should be able to speak with clarity. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

World Magazine, August 18, 2018 p. 40

Ephesians 5:18 (CSB)

And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless living, but be filled by the Spirit: