Time 2 Escape Daily for Sunday, Jan 1, 2012 ~ SPECIAL EDITION

I know, I said this yesterday:

I hope that your expectations weren't overly magnified by using the word "Daily" in the title of these latest posts. The truth is, in the case of this blog, "Daily" is not equivalent to "every day." I'm going to do my best to keep this blog active by posting as often as possible, but I guarantee that I'll be taking Sundays off, and maybe another day during the week.

Guaranteeing that I would take Sundays off was a mistake. I should have said, "I'll usually take Sundays off, but there will be occasions when there are some great new stories or columns that I really want to share with you."

Clearly, as you will see, this is one of those days, especially considering that today is the first day of a new year, and is a significant holiday that leans toward dealing with our desire to enjoy a better year than the previous one. And you will find out that this Special Edition of the Time 2 Escape "Daily" will help to point you in the right direction.

Of course, there was another reason that I wanted to do this special edition today. It has always been my feeling that when a previous year ends on a good note, it is likely that the new year will start out on the same good note. What I saw happen yesterday was a great way to end a year and give us hope for a bright future in the new year. It was all about perseverance. It is looking like the new year, 2012, will be a time to keep persisting through all challenges or obstacles.

And, I wanted to gloat a little about the great victory the Hawkeye men's basketball team had yesterday against the Wisconsin Badgers in Madison....

Well, anyway, the three stories/columns along with the video blog that I have included here need to be read. You will find that they are all pieces of the bigger puzzle that all seem to fit together.


Happy New Year!  I'm NOT just sayin' ...

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The News Stories:
Hawkeyes Post 'Statement Win'
Iowa downs 11th-ranked Wisconsin, 72-65, in Madison
From HawkeyeSports.com ~ Dec. 31, 2011

MADISON, Wis. -- Freshman Aaron White scored 18 points and senior Bryce Cartwright finished with 17 points to lead the University of Iowa men's basketball team to a statement, 72-65, road victory at No. 11 Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon in the Kohl Center.

Iowa's win snapped Wisconsin's 23 game home winning streak against non-ranked opponents. It was the Badgers' second loss in in 61 games (59-2) during the Bo Ryan era against non-ranked conference teams, and it was Iowa's first road win since 2006, a 70-67 victory at No. 21 Indiana.

"Anytime you beat the 11th-ranked team on the road, it's a statement victory for where your kids are mentally," said UI head coach Fran McCaffery. "You're seeing this team grow up, and you saw a team play with maturity. Six weeks ago they weren't playing with that level of maturity."

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Columnists and Their Commentaries:
Moving from success to significance ~ By Chuck Norris
From WND ~ December 30, 2011 at 11:06 am Eastern

Happy new year, Chuck! Do you have any New Year's resolutions? Any you'd recommend to others? – "Seeking Self-Improvement" in Seattle

CHUCK NORRIS

With the induction of the new year, many of us are resolving to better our lives in 2012. That's fantastic! I encourage resolutions, whether you make them now or at any other time of the year.

My New Year's challenge, however, is that you think in terms of not only success but also significance.

Ken Blanchard, leadership guru and co-author of "The One Minute Manager," said: "Many people measure their success by wealth, recognition, power and status. There's nothing wrong with those, but if that's all you're focused on, you're missing the boat. ... Using your time and talent to serve others – that's when truly meaningful success can come your way."

The power of resolve ~ By Greg Laurie
From WND ~ December 30, 2011 at 1:41 pm Eastern

Press on for what God has for you. That is what Paul was doing: "With hands outstretched to whatever lies ahead I go straight for the goal. ..." The original language of this verse includes the word agonizo, from which we get our English word "agony." This reminds us that our lives are a walk of faith. There are challenges, difficulties and obstacles that we will face. As the expression goes, "No pain, no gain." Paul was straining to move forward.

By the way, these words were not given to a spiritually elite group of Christians. They were not given to pastors or only to those who are called in the ministry. They are given to every follower of Jesus Christ. Every believer is called to press on.

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From the Blogs:
 
Validation ~ By John Kubicek
From The Cross Tribe Network - Sunday, October 4, 2009

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Don't be afraid!

WE the PEOPLE

are the MOB
ONE NATION UNDER GOD

YOU ARE NOT ALONE!
johnny2k's Tea Party Gear

Why your worldview matters ~ By Greg Laurie

Greg does a great job explaining how our worldview determines how we live our lives. When there are no moral absolutes, then that is a worldview where moral relativism gives people a freedom from all restraint. And we see where that has taken this once God-loving country.

As a nation, we no longer accept the truths our Founding Fathers did. Instead, what we have today is moral relativism, the belief that says there are no moral absolutes, and there is no right or wrong, no good or evil. Moral relativism teaches that we are all products of the evolutionary process, there is no God and no plan or purpose for our lives, and we all have our own truth. It teaches that we are all basically good inside, and if we do go bad, it is because we are products of our environment. It is the complete freedom from all restraint.

The funny thing about people who accept moral relativism is they are very tolerant of everyone except people who have absolute beliefs. If you dare to disagree with moral relativism and instead believe in right and wrong, then you are labeled as insensitive, intolerant, bigoted and narrow-minded. And if you dare to believe in the Bible as absolute truth, then you are imposing your puritanical, repressive value system on others.

By Greg Laurie

Posted: March 27, 2010 ~ 1:00 am Eastern

© 2010

It is a different world today than when I became a pastor 35 years ago. I cannot think of a time in which there has been more biblical illiteracy than there is now. I am not just talking about an ignorance of the Bible in general in our culture today; there is an ignorance of Scripture in the church.

For years now, there has been a trend to move away from biblical exposition in churches. And now we are seeing the result of this in unprecedented biblical illiteracy. Author and researcher George Barna has said, "The Christian body in America is immersed in a crisis of biblical illiteracy." A study Barna conducted revealed that less than one out of every 10 believers possess a biblical worldview as the basis for their decision-making. Barna also found that the most widely known "verse" among adults and teen believers is "God helps those that help themselves" – yet it is not found in the Bible.

We all have a worldview, formed by our culture, upbringing and education, as well as the books we read and the media we take in. And a worldview is comprehensive, affecting every area of life, from morality to money, from politics to art.

So the question is not whether you have a worldview. It is, what kind of worldview do you have?

Francis Schaeffer, in "How Should We Then Live?" wrote, "As Christians, we are not to know the right worldview, the worldview that tells us the truth of what is, but consciously to act upon that worldview so as to influence society in all its parts and facets across the whole spectrum of life, as much as we can to the extent of our individual and collective ability."

Specifically, what is the worldview a Christian should have? Simply put, there is a living God, and He has revealed himself in Scripture. Therefore, we as Christians believe in absolute truth, which comes from God. And that truth is found in the Bible. It is not about what we feel or what is popular or cool. It is about what is true.

This worldview will affect the way we see the world and life in general. As C. S. Lewis said, "I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen. Not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else."

Americans have never been more spiritual, yet more immoral. A 2009 poll found that people in the U.S. are more interested in faith and spirituality than they are in Christianity. One expert said, "Americans increasingly want to shape their own faith experience" – what he calls "concoct[ing] a uniquely personal brand of faith."

And why not? In the age of the iPod, the iPhone, the iMac and now the iPad, Americans want an iFaith and an iGod. With these, they can control the home screen. They can write their own programs or apps, customizing them to their own liking. They can keep the parts they like, such as love, forgiveness and heaven, while hitting delete on what they don't like, such as hell, judgment and righteousness.

READ FULL STORY at WorldNetDaily.com

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(still under reconstruction)

Don't Give Up! ~ By Greg Laurie

From WorldNetDaily

By Greg Laurie Posted: October 10, 2009 ~ 1:00 am Eastern © 2009 WorldNetDaily Recently I was in New York and went out to dinner at an Italian restaurant with a group of people. It was so loud that I couldn't hear myself think. I didn't have any silverware, so I was trying to get the waiter's attention. But he wasn't noticing me. So I turned to my friend Mike for a little help. Mike is a New Yorker and knows how to communicate with fellow New Yorkers. He looked in the direction of the waiter and yelled, "Hey! We need some silverware over here!" "All right!!!" New Yorkers have this friendly aggression that I have never quite figured out, being from Southern California. But Mike knows how to work the system. When it comes to having our prayers answered, sometimes we need to employ a little friendly aggression. And rather than insulting God with our boldness, it can actually be pleasing to him, because Jesus taught that we should be persistent when we pray. Jesus told his disciples, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened" (Luke 11:9–10 NIV). Often in prayer we will ask God for something once or twice and then just give up. But sometimes God isn't saying no. He may be saying, "The timing is not right. I will do it for you later, but not now." So keep praying. Keep asking. [CLICK HERE TO READ MORE]

RELATED STORY: Don't Give Up! ~ By John Kubicek RELATED VIDEO:

A Declaration of Dependence ~ By Greg Laurie

In this outstanding article by Greg Laurie, posted on July 11, 2009 at wnd.com, I read the following:

On the Jefferson Memorial are these words from Thomas Jefferson: "God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that his justice cannot sleep forever." Whenever there is an outbreak of violence somewhere in our nation, people scratch their heads and wonder why. The media interview the so-called experts who offer their opinions. Meanwhile, the Bible offers its own assessment of the problems of man. It doesn't say we are all victims, as some would assert. It doesn't say we all have diseases, as others would tell us. It doesn't say that we are merely dysfunctional. It says that the heart is desperately wicked (see Jeremiah 17:9). We have sin inside of us. That is why we do the things that we do. Because of this, we need to realize that no politician is going to save us. No act of Congress will turn America around again. The answer to our nation's problems is not political; it is spiritual. We need to turn back to God, because although we have forgotten him, he has not forgotten us. A study was done of the world's great civilizations. It looked at various nations that have come into prominence and then disappeared into obscurity. It noted that every nation has an average cycle of 200 years, and each one of the nations went through the following sequence: from spiritual faith to great courage, from great courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependency, and from dependency back to bondage. We need to get back to God. We need to get back to the God who sent his son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sin. We need to get back to the true and living God who can save America (emphasis my own). [Read the entire column]

Encouragement for imperfect dads ~ By Greg Laurie

By Greg Laurie Posted: June 20, 2009 1:00 am Eastern © 2009 It is my opinion that a man who honors the vows he made to his wife and who stands by his children and grandchildren is the unsung hero of America today. You can take most of the social ills in our culture and find a link directly back to the absence of a father in the home. In the past 30 years, there has been a 550-percent increase in violent crime, a 400-percent increase in illegitimate births, a 200-percent increase in teenage pregnancy and a 300-percent increase in teenage suicide. And experts have traced all these things to the breakdown of the family and, specifically, the absence of a father. Now, I am not a perfect father, but I want to be the husband, father and grandfather God wants me to be. In the New Testament story of the prodigal son, we find an example of a great father, of what a dad ought to be. This father had two sons whom he loved and provided for. But one day, the younger son demanded his share of the estate. The custom was that the inheritance would be divided among the heirs when the father died, but this son was basically saying, "Dad, I am tired of waiting for you to die. I want my money now." What a brash young man. How disrespectful that was. How it must have broken his father's heart. All this son cared about was himself. So the father divided the inheritance between both boys. And upon receiving his, the younger son left home and ultimately squandered it all. Basically, this dad allowed his son to make his decisions and, yes, even face the repercussions of them. You see, we can only take our children so far – and not any further than we ourselves have come. Our children are watching us. They will walk in our footsteps. They will emulate our behavior. And hopefully as fathers, we are walking the right way. The Bible says, "Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it" (Proverbs 22:6 NLT). So start now. That is our responsibility as parents. [CONTINUE READING]

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Heaven: The real thing ~ By Greg Laurie

By Greg Laurie Posted: June 13, 2009 1:00 am Eastern © 2009 When you have had someone close to you die, especially a child, everything changes. You see life much differently. And although it has been almost 11 months now since my son Christopher departed for heaven, the sadness lingers. I have found myself thinking much more deeply about heaven. My interest in knowing and talking about heaven is greater than it ever has been. Heaven is more personal, more real and nearer than ever. But I have questions about heaven, just as many people do. We wonder what heaven is like. Is it a real place or just a state of mind? What will our new bodies be like? How will we recognize each other? The Bible has a lot to say about what heaven will be like. First of all, heaven is an actual place. Jesus said, "In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you" (John 14:2 NKJV). The word "mansion" used here could be translated "dwelling place." As to whether or not this is speaking of a place we will live in or of the new body God will give us, we don't know for sure. But one thing is certain: Heaven is a real place for real people. One of the words the Bible uses to describe heaven is "paradise." Jesus told the thief on the cross, "Today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43 NKJV). Literally translated, "paradise" is a word that would be used in the first century to describe the garden of a king. It is difficult for us to imagine how luxurious and splendid this would seem to a person living during this time. If you were a relatively impoverished person and were given the privilege of going into the walled garden of a king, it would overwhelm your senses. Imagine if you had the privilege of dying and going to heaven, and then coming back to earth. How would you describe it? The apostle Paul had an experience like this, and we find his account of it in 2 Corinthians 12. [CONTINUE READING]

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Do-it-yourself deities ~ By Greg Laurie

By Greg Laurie Posted: May 30, 2009 © 2009 What are you the most passionate about in life? What do you find yourself thinking about more than anything else? What one thing, if it were taken away from you, would leave you utterly destroyed? That is your god. That is what you worship. Make no mistake – everybody has a god. Everybody worships someone or something. Maybe you can't remember the last time, if ever, that you bowed down before an idol or saw someone else worshiping one. But have you ever seen the way that some people treat their cars? They park in more than one space. They have the emblem of their car on their jacket and their hat. Other people have pictures of their family; they have a picture of their car from every angle. Is it possible that car could be a god to that person? I think so. Everyone has built an altar to something in their life. Their god might be materialism. Their god might be sex. Their god might be music. Their god might be some sport. Whatever you put at the forefront of your life, that is your god. Yet God is very clear in pointing out that he will not share his glory with another. He says, "Have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3 NIV). [Continue reading]

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The surprising truth about happiness ~ By Greg Laurie

The Bible teaches that we should never seek happiness outright, but we should seek to be holy, and happiness will come as a byproduct. You can start over again with Christ. He will give you the strength to change and to be the person he has called you to be. And as a result, you will find happiness – genuine happiness – in the process. read more | digg story

A homing instinct ~ By Greg Laurie

We all have a homing instinct wired into us by God. And in a sense, all of us have a homesickness for a place we have not yet been to – a place called heaven. The parable Jesus told about the prodigal son that illustrates how we can't be satisfied in the world, and that we eventually will be drawn back to "home," to again be in God's arms. read more | digg story

Getting it right: Why our opinion of God matters - By Greg Laurie

Far too many people today emote when it comes to God. They feel, but they don't think. We need to think carefully about these things. We need to study God – in essence, theology. To neglect it is to do so at our own peril. Experience is never to be the basis for theology; rather, sound theology should be the basis for our experience. read more | digg story

Take courage! - By Greg Laurie

Have you ever been discouraged? Have you ever felt as though your life were a failure? Have you ever been frightened about the future? If so, you're not alone. None other than the great Apostle Paul experienced discouragement. However, Paul ignored the potential danger of returning to Jerusalem after his missionary journeys. God had a future for Paul, and God has a future for each of us! You will love Greg's column, so be sure to read it! Here is one paragraph that you will really appreciate:

Courage seems to be in short supply in this day and age. Courage, also known as bravery, will and fortitude, is the ability to confront fear, pain, risk, danger, uncertainty or intimidation. Physical courage is bravery in the face of physical pain, hardship or even the threat of death. Courage is something that flies against logic at times. To be courageous is to overcome suffering. Mark Twain said that courage is the mastery of fear, not the absence of fear. [Continue reading!]

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Character counts – how's yours? - By Greg Laurie

Character counts. Integrity matters. What kind of character do you have? Are you a man or woman of personal integrity? The evangelist D. L. Moody once defined character as "What you are in the dark." Humorist Will Rogers said, "So live that you wouldn't mind selling your pet parrot to the town gossip." Read Greg's lesson on character and integrity. read more | digg story

Why do bad things happen to good people? - by Greg Laurie

Greg answers the question that is commonly heard: Why does God allow bad things to happen to good – and even godly people? That question brings us to one of the greatest, and most tragic, stories in all the Bible: The book of Job. One of the principal things this book does is to help us think through this whole issue of the goodness of God. read more | digg story

Tribute to God, and Christopher Laurie

"You choose, Dad!"We never think about our children leaving this earth before us. In acceptance, there is peace, but not always answers. God grants us "a peace that passes understanding," not one that necessarily gives understanding. Greg Laurie remembers moments with his son, and shares some insights he has experienced along the way. read more | digg story This is a great writing by Greg Laurie. It is a "MUST READ"! Just click above where it says "read more". I don't know about you, but I was deeply touched about what Greg was able to write. That could not have been easy. My deepest condolences go out to Greg and his family. And I know the pain that Greg and his family is going through, when he wrote

I cry for my son every day. Sometimes, every hour. Sometimes, every few minutes. I miss him and I wish I could take his place, but I can't.

For Such a Time as This...

Only a few days after the tragic death of his son, Greg Laurie talked at Harvest Christian Fellowship's service Sunday. His message was certainly emotional and powerful. To my good friend and Brother in the Lord, Alexander, "Powerful" would be an understatement! The following video that was up on Alexander's blog choked me up. My deepest condolences go out to Greg Laurie and his family. That Greg and his son Jonathan were able to get through this took a great amount of courage, as I was losing it just watching the video.

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