Several Christian denominations claim to be the one true Church. So, what is the true Church?

The true Church consists of all the human beings scattered across the planet who love, follow, and consistently seek to obey the living, resurrected Jesus Christ. The true Church is a living, spiritual organism. It is not a religious organization. It is manifested whenever and wherever two or more of its members gather in spiritual fellowship. A great many members of the true Church also belong to a religious denomination or organization.

Here is an experience I once had with the true Church: You don’t shoot salesmen, do you?” asked a 20 year old white boy as he stood on a black man’s front porch in Columbus, Georgia during the racial uprising of the summer of 1971. The smiling white boy was wearing a T-shirt, shorts, and sandals; and holding a sample copy of Ebony’s Pictorial History of Black America.

“Oh no! No Sir! We don’t shoot salesmen. Come on in here.” said the black man. The white boy warmly shook the black man’s hand as he walked into the living room and asked, “May I sit down?”

“Have a seat.” the black man said and pointed to a couch covered with clear plastic. Above the couch was a picture of three men; Martin Luther King, Jr., President Kennedy, and Bobby Kennedy. Beside that was a picture of a black Jesus.

The white boy sat down and began to flip through the pages of Ebony’s Black History. He showed pictures of slavery, lynching, segregation, police dogs, Madame C. J. Walker, Jackie Robinson, and even the Jackson Five.

Somewhere during the sales presentation the white boy asked the black man if he knew Jesus as his Savior. The black man smiled from ear-to-ear and said; “I couldn’t have made it without Jesus!”

“The white boy said: “I love Him too!” He put down the Ebony sample book and they began to talk excitedly about “sweet Jesus.” Before long they were holding hands and praying for each other.

Then they embraced warmly, both wiping away tears. When the white boy left, the black man said, “You be careful, Son!” The white boy said, “Thank you, brother. ”

This happened to me many times a day that summer as I sold black history books door-to-door in the middle of a racial uprising in Columbus, Georgia. Many times I would be showing my book and find out my prospect was a Christian. I would lay the book down and have wonderful fellowship with my Christian brother or sister. We would testify about God’s work in our lives and pray for each other, sometimes for hours. I was always amazed at the kinship and love we “strangers” felt for each other.

The true Church always springs to life when two or more Christians freely open their hearts to each other. Try it!

Two bids for the Predators want to move them from Nashville. One bid for the Preds wants to keep ‘em here. How will the story end?

Well, it doesn’t look very good for them staying. But I have an idea. What if a great Country song writer wrote a great Country song about hockey? And what if a great Country artist (or even group of famous Nashville artists) sang it? Maybe that hit Country hockey song could stir up enough interest to keep those meat eating hockey players here.

Here are a few sample song titles:

I’m A Singer, Not A Winger, But I Like My Nashville Hockey!

If Nashville Fans Don’t Stop Ragging The Predators Will Passout Of Town!

Don’t Take My Hockey Away — The Predators Have Just Gotta Stay

You Don’t Play Hockey With A Ball, Yall!

Don’t You Mess With My Waffle Pad!

Don’t Box ‘Em Out, Little Darlin’

Music City Won’t Be The Same Without That Good Ole Hockey Game!

Keep That Butt-ending, Roughing, High Sticking, And Slashing Right Cheer!

Not A Backcheck Or A Bodycheck — It’s Time For A Nashville Hockey Heartcheck

News Alert! The Los Angeles Times says: “Scientists have found evidence that people can actively suppress disturbing memories by choosing not to think about them.”

The Times also states: “Researchers from the University of Colorado found (research) subjects’ memory circuits slowed when they were instructed to push mental images of photos from their minds.” They quote the author of a study based on that research, Brendan Depue, as saying: “You can train yourself to remember something and you can train yourself to forget it.”

The current issue of the journal Science features a story about this “discovery”. MIT neuroscientist, John Gabrieli called the study “a big step forward.”

Other scientists want to jump on the bandwagon. Craig Stare, an assistant professor of psychology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine is quoted by The Los Angeles Times as saying: “As you prevent yourself from thinking about something, you will keep yourself from reinforcing and consolidating that memory.”

Is this really a “discovery”? Many ancient writings teach us that we can control our thinking, our memory, and our compulsions. 2000 years ago, the New Testament stated that we should be “forgetting those things which are behind” and told us: “Whasoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely . . . think on these things.”

The Philokalia, a 5 volume collection of writings by ancient Orthodox monks, is full of instructions on how to train ourselves to forget bad memories and remember good things. It is an awesome series of books!

The writings of Catholic saints and mystics are overflowing with the same information. The ancient writings of Buddha and his followers reveal the same things. And so do the writings of the early Quakers.

In 1859, Samuel Smiles, a London physician, published a book called Self-Help and began the modern self-help movement. In his book, he says: “We possess the power, to a great extent, of so exercising the will as to direct the thoughts upon objects calculated to yield happiness and improvement rather than their opposites.”

So how can modern scientists call what has been known for thousands of years a “discovery”? And don’t scientists need to be consistent? Shouldn’t they be on the same page, if they are really dealing with scientific facts and not theory?

The American Psychological Association is about to make it their official policy that homosexual thoughts, compulsions, and behavior can’t be changed. Meanwhile, the journal Science publishes an article that says we can train ourself to control our memories and thoughts. What we have here is very unscientific!

The American Psychological Association appears poised to promote psychological surrender to powerful compulsions. The Associated Press reported recently that the APA is leaning toward ”a denunciation of any attempt by therapists to change sexual orientation.”

The article suggested that this denunciation would apply even if a client wanted to overcome his sexually disoriented compulsions. This appears to make the 60s slogan, “If it feels good, do it,” the American Psychological Association’s official policy toward same sex desires and compulsions. (It took highly educated psychologists 40 years to catch up with uneducated pop culture!)

Here are a few questions for the APA. Why should people be taught to passively surrender to compulsions and desires? Aren’t human beings psychologically stronger than that? Don’t we have the power and the right to overcome our feelings and desires, especially when those desires are radically against the design of our bodies? Surely we are not just weak and passive victims of our whims?

As human beings, don’t we have the right and the responsibility to make rational decisions, rather than merely falling in line with our feelings? What does it do to a person’s self-esteem when he allows himself to become a slave of his cravings?

Should I post some more of my campaign slogans, or have you had enough? I have a lot more! Let me know in the comment section.

Does John McCain need some slogans for his campaign? Well, I don’t know. But if he does, I’m here to help. Here ya go, John!

McCain’s The Name — Sane Government The Game!

What Is Derailing The McCain Train?

There Are No Can’ts With McCain!

John McCain POW — Provoker Of Washington!

Vote McCain — Gain A Future!

McCain Can Do It!

Ease Your Pain With John McCain!