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Tuesday, June 24th, 2008
by Justin
POSTED: 5:35 pm CDT June 24, 2008
UPDATED: 6:48 pm CDT June 24, 2008
Skeptical states are shoving aside millions of federal dollars for abstinence education, walking away from the program the Bush administration touts for slowing teen sexual activity.
Barely half the states are still in, and two more say they are leaving.
Some $50 million has been budgeted for this year, and financially strapped states might be expected to want their share. But many have doubts that the program does much, if any good, and they’re frustrated by chronic uncertainty that it will even be kept in existence. They also have to chip in state money in order to receive the federal grants.
A federal tally shows that participation in the program is down 40 percent over two years, with 28 states — including Michigan — still in. Arizona and Iowa have announced their intention to forgo their share of the federal grant at the start of the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.
The program was created by Congress in 1996 as part of welfare reform. [more...]
So…I have been working at a middle school for the last few years in the PE department so I get to see what this grant does first hand. “So what does it do,” you ask, “in terms of the sex education in the public school.” Well I haven’t seen this grant implemented in the public school. There are no programs implemented within the public schools. Programs seem to held to non-profit organizations. So why don’t they allow a non-profit/public school partnership to teach abstinence? I can’t ever seeing this happening because 95% of non-profits will be religious affiliation.
Plus abstinence education has one message: WAIT!!!!! KEEP IT IN YOUR PANTS!!! Now what teenager wouldn’t respond to that message? Can’t you see them coming down the aisle for that one. I think that abstinence education is going to die if the only message is “WAIT!!” Wait for what? What are they suppose wait for? Why should they wait? And I think it goes a little deeper than “So you don’t get a STD!” Who cares? They have drugs to deal with that now. Or “You’ll regret it later!” Why? Mom and Dad have been divorced 2 or 3 times. They have had multiple partners. And that is their example!
So how do you think abstinence should be taught if taught at all?
Monday, June 23rd, 2008
by Justin
I am listening to a sermon by Beau Hughes from The Village Church called “Gospel Contextualization”. This is one of the most eye opening messages that I have heard in a long time.
What he is talking about right now is the decline of Christianity in the United States. This church is in Denton, TX (suburb of Dallas) which places them in the middle of the Bible Belt. Now my question to everyone, is your community post-Christian (no Christian mindset, values, morals) or still Christian (moral)?
Monday, June 23rd, 2008
by Justin
Well I don’t know if this is going to post and I don’t know if this is because of a plugin that I uploaded to my ftp but I can use a mobile interface now on my BlackBerry 8130 to post to my website. I may have just unlocked a golden nugget for my web experience. Now if wordpress would create an application that would allow me to post as well, I would be set.
Which brings up a question. What kind of.phone do you have? Does it have mobileweb or whatever your service provider calls it? What do you use your phone for besides just calling? Does anybody else out there that reads this have a BlackBerry? If so, what kind?
Tuesday, June 17th, 2008
by Justin
So I have been reading through the book of Jude the last week or so and I really have been intrigued by it. I really don’t know why because it is one of the shortest books of the Bible with only one chapter. Really, how much content could be in there right? 
So anyway books of the Bible for me I know are going to be good when I get stuck in the first verse (Jude 1).
Judas (full name), starts off letting us know that he is the brother of James. James was an apostle of Jesus, one of the 12, and also a half-brother of Jesus, then making Judas a half-brother of Jesus also! Before the crucifixion and resurrection, Judas had denied Jesus as Messiah (Matt. 13:55, Mark 6:3; John 7:5), but afterward came to humbly acknowledge himself as His slave. Think of that. And this may be really easy to see if you have a sibling. Can you imagine worshipping and submitting your life to your sibling? This had to be one of the toughest things in the world for all of Jesus’ brothers and sisters to do. Acts 1:14 says that they all trusted Him as their Savior. But even that sounds weird… Savior of my siblings? Because He was the big brother? And all big brother’s look out for their younger siblings? No because they watched their brother illegally tried, beaten, and then crucified on a cross…for them. And the coolest thing is that they got to see him after his resurrection. That has to seal the deal for them.
Judas goes on to say that he was a servant, bond-slave, slave of Jesus Christ. Not only was Jesus his brother, Judas says that he is His slave. Figure that one out. A slave is someone who has one goal…to submit to the will of their Master. They do only what their Master wants. And here is where I struggle. I kind of find myself in Judas’ shoes. I am believing in the least likely candidate as a Savior and Master. Judas, His big brother. Me, a complete stranger. Chew on that one!
Saturday, June 14th, 2008
by Justin
The Des Moines Register just posted aerial photos of the flooding in Des Moines as of this morning. Click here to see those. Click here to see pictures from Iowa City, IA. Click here to see a picture of our intern (pics 1-6) at Saylorville Baptist Church.
Thursday, June 12th, 2008
by Justin
Well I just got out of a meeting with Pastors Pat, Abe, and Mark and the hairy intern Ben. What was it about you ask. Welp we are in the process of creating a book that works with our Children’s curriculum and our bible memorization program that we are current revamping. So if you could be praying for that, I would appreciate it. I will possibly be putting updates on here so that maybe the 3 of you that read this would possibly give me some ideas as well. Chao!
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