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The Christian Act of Giving - Reasons to Give

Contrary to popular belief, Christians are not commanded to give. Giving is something done voluntarily. Giving should not be done under compulsion, coercion, duress, or conviction. There are some exceptions, of course. Within this article, I will give Biblical insight into the Christian act of giving.

We are not commanded to give. Furthermore, when you do give, you are to give what you have chosen in your heart. So why give at all? I will now go into the Biblical reasons why you should give. Continue Reading…

The Christian Act of Giving - How Much to Give

Contrary to popular belief, Christians are not commanded to give. Giving is something done voluntarily. Giving should not be done under compulsion, coercion, duress, or conviction. There are some exceptions, of course. Within this article, I will give Biblical insight into the Christian act of giving.

Would it be too bold of a statement to say that Christians should give whatever they decide? However bold a statement it is, the Bible teaches us to give what we have decided on within our hearts. I will show several verses that support how much a Christian is to give. Continue Reading…

The Christian Act of Giving - The Tithe

Contrary to popular belief, Christians are not commanded to give. Giving is something done voluntarily. Giving should not be done under compulsion, coercion, duress, or conviction. There are some exceptions, of course. Within this article, I will give Biblical insight into the Christian act of giving.

It is a widely held belief that Christians are to give ten percent (a tithe) of their income to the church or some other form of charity. Ten percent is a good start, but the very act of giving ten percent is an outdated practice and is highly legalistic. I will point out several examples in the Old Testament towards the tithes that the Jews had to pay. Continue Reading…

Forum Closed Plus New Christian Articles

After two years of up-and-down activity, the forums are now closed. Thank you to everyone that contributed to the forums.

Over the next several days I will be posting several articles regarding Christian giving. If you are a Christian — or just curious — please check them out. I am going to be sharing my articles with the small group I am in, so hopefully my articles are good enough to generate some serious discussion.

Later on this week I’ll try to post some more topics, including my 500 Words, and Invent This columns. Take care.

Wallowing in Friendship

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Retail Holidays and Greeting Card Holidays

I truly dislike retail and greeting card holidays. To me, a retail holiday is one of those holidays where it’s uncouth not to buy something. Heaven forbid if you don’t send your mother a card on Mother’s Day or give your honey a heart shaped box full of chocolate on Valentine’s Day.

Now, let’s not get confused between a retail holiday, and a greeting card holiday. Both can go hand in hand, but they’re not always mutually inclusive. Greeting card holidays include Grandparents Day, Secretary’s Day, Boss’s Day, etc… Greeting card holidays have gotten as excessive as those ribbons people have on the back of their cars. Just like there is a ribbon for virtually every disease, there is a greeting card for virtually every holiday imaginable. To top it off, greeting card holidays have the luxury of providing guilt trips. “What if I’m the only one who didn’t get my boss something?” Continue Reading…

Why Do People Park in "No Parking" Zones?

What is the first thing you think as you see either of these signs?

Could the obvious answer be that you shouldn’t park anywhere near these signs? Continue Reading…

September 11^th Ceremony

I attended a 9/11 remembrance ceremony this morning, and I wish to share some of the more notable moments. I didn’t get exact quotes from the main speaker (although I did take notes), so I am paraphrasing here.

The beginning of the presentation started with a song entitled, ‘Have You Forgotten?’ by Darryl Worley(iTunes). The song was the background music for a photo slide-show presentation of the atrocities of 9/11 along with some photos of the men and women in uniform. Continue Reading…

My Thoughts on September 11^th

It’s been five years since September 11^th, 2001. A lot has changed since that rather infamous day. The U.S. has committed troops into many countries, most notable of which is Afghanistan and Iraq. What once seemed like an invincible and untouchable country is now a vulnerable one.

In this post, I will go into my thoughts on September 11^th from a historical perspective, a present perspective, and a future perspective. Continue Reading…

I Can Relate to Relient K

I can relate to one of Relient K’s(iTunes) more powerful songs entitled, “Who To Bury, Us or the Hatchet?” This topic will go into a running commentary of the song’s lyrics. Continue Reading…

Let’s Put Down Our Race Cards

There is still a lot of racism going on. We all have a race card or two to play. In this topic, I will show some examples of the racism still going on and explain why the racism is so ludicrous. Continue Reading…

Suing After Tragedy - Does Money Bring Back the Dead?

Most of you have already heard about the deadly Comair crash that killed 49 people. It seems that tragedy brings out the best in people; unfortunately, tragedy brings out the worst in people as well.

Comair–in no way trying to “buy off” the grieving families–offered each family $25,000 to cover funeral expenses. In my opinion, this was a very kind gesture on behalf of Comair and the money is solely to relieve the additional stress of families having to come up with ways to cover the costs of a funeral. The money was a goodwill attempt by Comair, and a commendable attempt at that. Continue Reading…

Door-to-Door Magazine Sales People

“Hi! I’m (insert random, weird name here). I’m from (insert high school, college, or organization name here) and I’m trying to earn a trip to (insert geographical area, country, or city name here). The way I earn my trip is by selling magazine subscriptions. Everyone likes a certain magazine, so you’ll be able to sign up for a subscription and help me out in the process.”

Magazine sales people puzzle me. They try to sell me a magazine subscription that I don’t need. They then try to sell me on the fact that me subscribing will help them out because they could earn a trip. Continue Reading…

Lives And Reputations Are Fragile

What are we doing with this life? What is our goal? Do we strive to achieve the unachievable and aim to hit a target that isn’t really there? Many times, a person’s life and reputation is not dictated by a lifetime of achievement, but rather a few isolated events of wrongdoing or misfortune.

After a week of various news stories breaking, I was inspired to write about how a person’s life and reputation is always on the line. Barry Bonds is at risk of losing his career, stats, and reputation over an accusatory book about his alleged steroid use. Kobe Bryant’s career was put on hold over a rape accusation. Robert Blake’s acting career is pretty much over, even after being acquitted of the murder of his wife.

Not so famous people can suddenly have their fifteen-minutes of fame in a harsh light. Jennifer Wilbanks was an ordinary nurse before she ran out on her husband to be. Joran van der Sloot was just another spoiled rich kid until some woman’s daughter failed to return from a senior trip. Continue Reading…

The Terrorist Was a Muslim

Recent current events have indicated bombings, terror plots, kidnappings, be-headings, and executions. Would it surprise you that most of the news nowadays depicts Muslims in a negative light?

Why is it so matter of fact that some of us in the U.S. (especially the media) give no second thought to equating terrorism to the Muslim religion? Instead of saying that the terrorists were Muslims, people should be saying that the terrorists were people, who just happened to be Muslim. Continue Reading…

Resurrected Topics

For long-time visitors of this website, you will be experiencing some déjá vu. Some of the more timeless, stand-alone topics from the forums are being re-posted here during the month of September. When September ends (wake up Green Day), I will take down the forums completely.

If We Could Live in a Mansion

There’s a house… make that a mansion. This mansion has seventy rooms, ten pools, fifty bathrooms, and twelve kitchens. The mansion’s grounds span twenty acres of lush green lawns, forests, and has on the property a beautiful lake. The mansion is well protected and has security crawling all over it.

The mansion is surrounded by what one would consider a ghetto. As you could imagine, those in the ghetto want to get into the mansion. They want to live in prosperity and relax on the lush green lawns. They want to go boating on the lake and wake up in the morning to go fishing. And even though those in the ghetto want to break in, once they are in, they want to be protected from other ghetto dwellers trying to break in. Continue Reading…

Our Forgotten Troops - The Media Does Have Influence

Historically, American troops in conflict have largely been ignored or looked down upon. Granted, American troops were well received and looked up to during World War II and Operation Desert Storm. Most conflicts, however, are either overlooked by the American public or perceived in a negative light. Continue Reading…

A Few Lessons From a POW

Today I learned a few valuable lessons from a former POW.

I attended a presentation by former POW and retired Lieutenant Colonel Barry Bridger today. Bridger was a POW in Vietnam for six years and stayed at a complex dubbed as the Hanoi Hilton.

After his moving presentation, Bridger fielded several questions. During Bridger’s response of these questions, I learned a few lessons. I wish to share this lessons with my wonderful, loyal audience. Continue Reading…