I’ll be signing copies of my book, “52 Paths To Heaven” 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. this Saturday, Nov. 22 at Logos Bookstore in Kent.
I’ll also be breaking away to a meeting room to give a brief talk, “How Far Will God Go to Reach You?”
The Record Courier published a feature story about the event.
Please stop by if you’re in the area or let me know if you have friends who might be interested.
I could care less of the Freedom from Religion Foundation is upset that Wisconsin lawmakers decided to call a Capitol rotunda tree a Christmas tree. I guess someone started calling it a holiday tree years ago (for some pathethic reason).
Maybe some non-Christian could be offended that public lawmakers call it a Christmas tree. Be offended. It’s a Christmas tree - the kind of lights, a star, gifts underneath and all of that.
Don’t celebrate Christman? That’s your choice. No one forces you to be a Christian. I’m sure many people exchange gifts on Christmas Day that aren’t Christians. Actually, I think that’s kind of funny.
Why don’t lawmakers decorate the the rotunda with Jewish, Muslim and Wicca symbols? Because not enough people care. People identify with Christmas. Those who feel put out can spend their time complaining in their private group meetings so no one has to be offended by their dispute.
Lawmakers represent the majority. If most people are annoyed with the Christmas tree name, they can voice their opinion at the polls. Somehow, I think the majority (vast majority) won;’t.
It’s OK to drink alcohol if you’re Christian and if you aren’t a believer in Christ.
I know many Christians disagree with this - that Jesus doesn’t want people getting drunk. And others say it’s better to avoid booze just because - kind of like you avoid the sin of being drunk just by not drinking in the first place. The same thinking comes from people who don’t think boys and girls should dance together because someone may get romantic. Or, they don’t want boys and girls to swim in the same lake because those bathing suits (or skin) may arouse someone.
Anyway, I drink now and then because I have a few drinks that I like. I don’t get drunk and drive home or kill people. In fact, plenty of references in the Bible (Old and New Testaments) talk about parties and drinking. In other words, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. But God clearly teaches against excess.
Here’s a twist: As Christians, we may want to consider not drinking if our behavior causes someone else to stumble. In other words, if your drinking makes someone else think drinking is OK for them (when it may not be for any number of reasons), maybe you shouldn’t drink either. Or, maybe you shouldn’t drink simply because someone else watching your Christian witness may be turned off because they see you with some hard liquor.
Stuff to think about, stuff that has little to do with whether you’re a friend of Jesus. Pride is a more serious issue.
“She rides pretty good for a black girl,” the teen-ager told me one day.
I was glad in a sense that my son heard the comment in 2007 about a young girl’s skateboarding ability. It demonstrated how he should never act and revealed a bad streak in his otherwise jovial friend.
Whether that was racisim or just an ignorant remark by a teen who hangs out with black friends, the truth is that pure-bred racism can lead to heaven.
The chapter explains that you need to live through your evil and essentially make a record of it before you can come to grips with it and have a fighting chance of reaching out to Jesus for His forgiveness.
Are you a racist? What about your friends?
As much as I fail to live up to what I know, the truth is, this is all about Him.
The Him is Jesus. He’s the ultimate path to heaven. You may go through a lot of things. You may meet a lot of people. In the end, it’s just you and Jesus or you without Jesus.
I made 52 Paths To Heaven to reflect my personal journey and touch on issues that may be foreign to me but not you (like abortion).
We like to think of prayers and preachers and the Bible as our guiding light. The truth is, the Holy Spirit is our light and He’s authorized to do whatever God wants to reach us - no matter how high we go with our pride or how low we go with our depravity.
You’ll be able to order to book soon. In the meantime, drop me a line if you’re interested in the book or the topic of what we do to get to heaven. I’m eager to know how you feel.
The book should be out December 10th or sooner.
–Mike
