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There's something wonderful about this time of year.

It is a time when families come together to share love, warmth and tasty food.

A time when generosity reigns in human hearts and people focus on giving.

A time when people take a break from their daily routines and are reminded of life's greatest priorities.

The world is different at this time of year - different in a way that inspires beauty and awe within us.

Of course, the source of all this wonder and beauty is history's most awesome event - the coming of Jesus Christ to earth. The Almighty God taking upon Himself human flesh - the incomprehensible mystery of the Incarnation.

God so loving the world that He sent His only Son -- our Savior!

Even today, over 2000 years later, for at least a few hours, a day or a season, the world stops to remember and honor that little Babe born in a manger. And just as the world has never been the same since that day, the people who come to know Him now are never quite the same either.

And, so, here is wishing you a very blessed Christmas in which you stop long enough to contemplate the glorious gospel message that God so loved the world, He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him might not perish, but have eternal life. I pray that the awesome reality of the Incarnation might dwell in your heart each and every day from now until He comes again in might and majesty.

My Favorite Christmas card says:

"If our greatest need was technology, God would have sent a scientist.
If our greatest need was pleasure, God would have sent an entertainer.
If our greatest need was money, God would have sent an economist.
But since our greatest need is for forgiveness, God sent a Savior."

My Favorite Christmas song:

There are dozens of them, including, obviously, such favorites as Joy to the World, Hark, the Herald Angels Sing and O, Holy Night. But the one that has moved me the most is the medley by Amy Grant Preiset Dem Konig / Emmanuel / Little Town of Bethlehem / Christmas Hymn

To hear Glenn Beck tell the Christmas story with this music playing, go to here. This presentation is very moving.

My Favorite Christmas Story:

Apart from, obviously, the story of the birth of Jesus told so well by Linus in A Charlie Brown Christmas, I have always been a fan of Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol. Very inspiring. By the way, you can find Linus telling the true story of Christmas on YouTube

Favorite Christmas Movie

Although there are plenty of cute, humorous Christmas movies, none match the classic, It's a Wonderful Life

How ironic that on the day secular humanists were celebrating the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species, instead, modern science itself was taking a hit because of incredible revelations of global warming advocates doctoring the data about the earth's temperature.

In case you have not yet read the stories (see links at the end of this blog for more information), someone hacked into servers at the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia in Great Britain. They retrieved e-mail correspondence between some of the world's leading climate authorities who have been warning us of the dire implications of global warming and climate change. However, the correspondence reveals deliberate attempts to "trick" the public by hiding actual data which shows temperatures are, in fact, "on hold" rather than rising. Other emails speak of bullying tactics to assure global warming skeptics would not be considered for peer-reviewed scientific journals and that articles by global warming proponents in said journals would not have to be peer-reviewed. The emails not only exposed deliberate (and successful) efforts to distort scientific data and marginalize those who challenged the deceptive conclusions, but also revealed calculated plans to hide or destroy evidence should anyone try to view their communications through legal Freedom of Information requests.

The implications of this are stunning.

Science has become the ultimate - and unquestioned -- authority for most secularists and naturalists. I can't tell you how often I've been mocked by those who arrogantly declare, "I believe in science - not God." There is a perception that scientists are pure and objective, seeking only truth based on irrefutable evidence whereas Christians are biased and will believe whatever they want to believe while turning a blind eye to the facts. This "climategate" scandal reveals that some of the world's leading scientists might be guilty of such bias themselves. Indeed, in my personal opinion, this scandal has the potential of undermining "science" in the same way the priest pedophile scandal has undermined the Catholic Church - for just as a priest's authority comes from his moral character, a scientist's authority comes from his ability to objectively collect, examine and interpret the data in the search for truth. Climategate shows that scientists have feet of clay as well.

How does all of this relate to the debate over origins? There is a common perception that science supports the theory of evolution and that only Genesis supports the concept of special creation. Objective, observable data is on one side; faith (with all of its bias) is on the other. I, on the other hand, have always contended that the real issues involve the presuppositions and worldviews that we bring to the argument which determine how we interpret the exact same set of data. For instance, a naturalist looks at similar DNA and concludes all of life comes from a common ancestor; a theist looks at similar DNA and concludes all of life had a common Creator. Same data interpreted differently because of different presuppositions. People approach new information from a previously developed frame of reference and it is very difficult to think outside the box. This is true of theologians as well as scientists and anyone who denies this has a naïve understanding of human nature.

The Climategate scientists distorted the data for one of two reasons: either they were so convinced of the rightness of their conclusions that they believed the data had to be an anomaly or they had so much already riding on their theories (in terms of money and personal prestige), that they were going to stick with their conclusions even if they were fraudulent. One motive would be more innocent, but neither is excusable. Likewise, the way in which secular humanists and naturalists have marginalized and sought to discredit creationists, Intelligent Design advocates or anyone else who questions Darwinian evolution is being done for one of two reasons: either they are so convinced that evolution is true that they simply can't consider any other possibility or they have so much riding on it (again, in terms of money and prestige, but also, in this case, what it would mean if there really was a God) that they simply can't and won't consider any alternative.

In either case, Climategate has revealed a major chink in the armor of those who give modern scientists near god-like status. I have nothing against true science; I do oppose godless science (i.e. science that has been hijacked by the philosophy of naturalism) and the belief that science is the ultimate truth. It is meant to be neither. Perhaps it is strangely appropriate that scientists - the high priests of secular humanism - get knocked down a peg or two on this Darwin day designed to celebrate when the dam of naturism broke loose 150 years ago.

For more information on Climategate, see the following links:
Three Things You Absolutely Must Know about Climategate

Junk Science Exposed Among Climate-change Believers

Note: The New York Times reported on this story, but would not reprint the e-mails because apparently "they were obtained illegally and were not intended to be seen by the public." Wow! Quite a position to take by the newspaper that printed illegally leaked classified information about our war on terror which President Bush personally asked them not to publish because it would damage our national security.

I'm Thankful...therefore, I...

1. I'm thankful that God is good, that all of His judgments are righteous and that He shows love, forgiveness and mercy to sinners. Therefore, I will worship Him in spirit and in truth.
2. I'm thankful that Jesus Christ lived a perfect, sinless life and yet offered Himself as a sacrifice for my sins, was crucified, buried and resurrected from the dead. Therefore, I will follow Him with all my heart and seek to fulfill His Great Commission to make disciples of all nations.
3. I'm thankful that I have been sealed with the Holy Spirit of God who dwells in me and empowers me for service. Therefore, I will yield to Him and allow Him to daily lead my life.
4. I'm thankful for my loving and faithful wife, my wonderful children and their spouses. Therefore, I will love them, appreciate them and seek to be a godly example to them.
5. I'm thankful for the Bible - the revelation of God, His truth, His ways and His commandments to us. Therefore, I will read it, study it, remember it, believe it and teach it to others.
6. I'm thankful for our nation, our freedom and our Christian heritage. Therefore, I will seek to preserve this heritage and honor those who sacrificed so much to give it to us.
7. I'm thankful for my ministry partners whose prayers and financial support make it possible for me to take the gospel message to America's campuses. Therefore, I will faithfully preach the gospel and fulfill the ministry which I have received from the Lord.
8. I am thankful for my life and health. Therefore, I will love God with all my mind and strength and seek to assure that what I'm living for is worth Christ dying for.
9. I'm thankful for my physical provisions of shelter, food, etc. Therefore, I will be a good steward and generously share with others.
10. I'm thankful for friends all across America and even in other nations. Therefore, if you are one of them, I hope you know I love you!

Rifqa is the 17 year-old girl who converted from Islam to Christ and then ran away for fear her father would kill her for converting. I've talked to several people who know her and they tell me that her faith is very genuine. However, she is being isolated by the authorities her in Ohio - no phone, no internet, no visitors - on what appears to be an attempt to pressure her back into Islam. She has committed no crime, but appears to be under house arrest for having left Islam. Honor killings for those who leave Islam are a reality.

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Sarah Palin has made quite a comeback as her book is a runaway best seller and she attracts LARGE crowds in personal appearances and LARGE audiences when she appears on TV (including Oprah's largest audience in over two years). I've not seen such a "polarizing" figure in years - perhaps not since Ronald Reagan - if, by polarizing, we mean people who either love her or hate her.

A person is known by their friends and by their enemies as well. Palin certainly has her enemies. There seems to be a group of people who must take her down at all costs and to whom her success would be anathema. Sarah Palin is the polar opposite of Barack Obama and the first politician to really resemble Ronald Reagan in years. Thus, she strikes terror into the heart of liberal Democrats. But she also strikes fear into the hearts of East Coast establishment Republicans who see politics as a game to be won rather than principles to be promoted and defended.

Sarah Palin is pro-life and she walked the walk when she gave birth to a Downs Syndrome child less than two years ago. She is evangelical Christian. She is the mother of a large family. She and her husband worked hard to lift themselves out of humble beginnings into both having successful careers. She doesn't seem to have a blindingly ambitious drive for power, but rather is simply a person who faithfully got politically involved on a local level and then walked through doors of opportunity God used others to open up for her. She doesn't have an elitist Ivy League degree, but rather one from (egads!) the University of Idaho. She likes to hunt, cook, run and workout. She enjoys being a mother. She is pretty. She has a pleasant smile and demeanor. She loves her country and wants us our wars (she even has a son who recently returned from serving in Iraq). She wants lower taxes and less government in our lives. Her biggest issue: America must become energy independent.

All of which is to say that liberals could never allow a woman like this to be the first female to make it to the White House. Why, to feminists, this woman is a traitor to her sex in the same way Clarence Thomas, Condi Rice and Colen Powell have been traitors to their race for being conservatives. And, in the world of politics where people fight for keeps, a woman like this must be DESTROYED!

I suppose all of the above reasons play into why I love Sarah Palin so much. I'm not saying I think she should be president - that remains to be seen whether she really could serve successfully in that role. And I probably don't agree with everything she says. But I do think she is the most straight-talking, walk-the-walk, genuine, courageous and common-sense politician I've run across since Ronald Reagan (whom I believe to be one of the greatest presidents in our nation's history). And, therefore it stands to reason that she is also the first politician in over 20 years who has actually excited me. Since 1984, every vote I've cast has been more of a vote against rather than a vote for a particular candidate.

Sarah Palin has become the clearest indicator of where one stands in America's "culture war." It was once abortion then "gay marriage." With Sarah Palin back on the scene, those issues pale in significance. Remember that as you make up your own mind about her.

P.S. Do you think Sarah Palin is getting a fair shake from the media? Here's an interesting bit of news: the Associated Press (the nation's largest news organization) assigned 11 writers to fact-check Palin's new book. Can you guess how many they assigned to fact-check Barack Obama's book? If you guessed zero, you'd be right!

I attended a rally for Rifqa Bary on Monday. Rifqa is the 17 year-old girl from Columbus who made national news this summer when, after converting from Islam to Christianity, she ran away from home fearing her father would kill her.

My heart goes out to this young lady. She has broken no law, but is being isolated from any people who would support her while she remains in foster care. No cell phone, no Internet, no church and no meeting with friends unless the court monitors it. Is this really fair or is she being tested to see if she will break under this pressure and revert back to Islam?

Also, the state officials seem to be very ignorant of the very real threat of an "honor killing." Honor killings in Islam are when someone kills a family member who has brought disgrace upon the family. Converting to Christianity would definitely qualify for an honor killing. And, yet, I fear in the name of political correctness and fear of offending the Muslim community, our state officials claim they have found no reason to fear for Rifqa's safety if she is returned to her family. What did they do, ask her dad if he was going to kill her if he had the chance? Or did they check into the number of people who have been the victims of an honor killing?

Also, I'm led to wonder where the feminists are in this case? Almost all victims of an honor killing are female. In addition, Islam has a whole host of ways in which it mistreats women. Why do we regularly hear criticism of the way women are treated in Christianity, but rarely hear feminist's criticism of Islam?

For more on this rally, see my YouTube channel where I hope to post some video footage later this week.

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