Sean Holes from New York state was arrested in Glasgow Scotland on March 18th 2010. Sean was open-air preaching to shoppers in Glasgow, when a young gay couple came up to him and starting asking him about the bible and gays. Sean stated that it felt to him like it might have been a set-up. When they asked him about his views on homosexuality he simply replied that practicing homosexuals are deserving of Gods wrath-and so are all other sinners-they are going to a place called Hell.
It was for that statement that Holes was arrested for "breaching the peace", and later fined 1000 pounds (approx. $1500 CAD) for homophobia. Not that that charge is accurate at all, but even if it was I find it odd that being afraid of something is against the law in the UK!
Sean plead Guilty to the charges to avoid lenghty court sessions, so he could return to the US to see his wife and Father, who is a hospice.
In a show of support a Catholic spokes-person denounced the charges against the Christian saying, "We supported [hate crime] legislation but it is very difficult to see how this man can be charged for expressing a religious conviction. The facts of this case show his statement was clearly his religious belief. Yes, it is strong language he has used, but it is obviously a religious conviction and not a form of discrimination."
To learn about Christians who've gone Home early for the sake of their beliefs check out:
Showing posts with label christian books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label christian books. Show all posts
Monday, March 29, 2010
Anxiety and How Christ Managed His Time.
If you're anything like me, you take on too much! Before you know it your plates overflowing and your anxiety levels are looking for the hold in the ozone layer so it can go just a little higher. Is it that I have trouble saying "no" to people. Not really!
The bible says that believers will not be subjected to trials that they cannot make it through. Perhaps the anxiety in this case is God's way of providing a threshold warning that we are over-extending ourselves and robbing oursleves of precious time with God, and robbing Him of ourselves. In my experience this almost always results in anxiety.
So how do we prevent anxiety? The type of anxiety I am referring to is situational. It is more or less caused by environmental factors like workload and responsibility. Therefore, the most effective way of manipulating the level of this situational anxiety is to make a change in your workload and responsibility.
We can see throughout Jesus' ministry examples of how He maintained balance in his life. You see often, where Jesus would simply walk away from the crowds to be alone. Jesus was no stranger to setting boundaries. He knows that boundaries are nessessary to living in peace and maintaining a focus on the divine!
We know where we need to set boundaries. All too aften we are afraid of hurting or disappointing people by saying "No". As a result, we are easily swayed into engaging in some reponsibility or activity we know will cause us to put-off the important things.
Chances are if you are expreiencing high anxiety, you know what some of the main causes are. You may not know conciously, but with a little thought, you will know. Maybe you'll deny the real causes because the corrective action is unattractive. In that case you'll have to choose between the short-term pain of fixing the problem, or the long-term pain of the continuing anxiety. When you are absolutely sure (not by feeling but by God's Truth) that you know what needs to be done to fix things, DO NOT hesitate. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to do!
Don't be afraid to set boundaries. It's kind of like loving discipline for yourself and your situation instead of your kids(to use a parental analogy).
Anxiety does not always have it's foundations in a lack of Faith. Like depression, it can also be a result of physical and checmical reactions in the brain. However, trust that God will use your anxiety for the your good in the end..."And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28
For a good book on dealing with anxiety from a personal and biblical perspective check this out:Don't Forget To Look Up : A Christian's Guide to Overcoming Anxiety and Panic Attacks
The bible says that believers will not be subjected to trials that they cannot make it through. Perhaps the anxiety in this case is God's way of providing a threshold warning that we are over-extending ourselves and robbing oursleves of precious time with God, and robbing Him of ourselves. In my experience this almost always results in anxiety.
So how do we prevent anxiety? The type of anxiety I am referring to is situational. It is more or less caused by environmental factors like workload and responsibility. Therefore, the most effective way of manipulating the level of this situational anxiety is to make a change in your workload and responsibility.
We can see throughout Jesus' ministry examples of how He maintained balance in his life. You see often, where Jesus would simply walk away from the crowds to be alone. Jesus was no stranger to setting boundaries. He knows that boundaries are nessessary to living in peace and maintaining a focus on the divine!
We know where we need to set boundaries. All too aften we are afraid of hurting or disappointing people by saying "No". As a result, we are easily swayed into engaging in some reponsibility or activity we know will cause us to put-off the important things.
Chances are if you are expreiencing high anxiety, you know what some of the main causes are. You may not know conciously, but with a little thought, you will know. Maybe you'll deny the real causes because the corrective action is unattractive. In that case you'll have to choose between the short-term pain of fixing the problem, or the long-term pain of the continuing anxiety. When you are absolutely sure (not by feeling but by God's Truth) that you know what needs to be done to fix things, DO NOT hesitate. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to do!
Don't be afraid to set boundaries. It's kind of like loving discipline for yourself and your situation instead of your kids(to use a parental analogy).
Anxiety does not always have it's foundations in a lack of Faith. Like depression, it can also be a result of physical and checmical reactions in the brain. However, trust that God will use your anxiety for the your good in the end..."And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28
For a good book on dealing with anxiety from a personal and biblical perspective check this out:Don't Forget To Look Up : A Christian's Guide to Overcoming Anxiety and Panic Attacks
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)