Thursday, February 12, 2004

9:21 PM Chuck Colson answers the question, Who Killed Jesus? Was it the Romans or the Jews?

It was both and neither. The Jews didn’t cause the death of Jesus, nor did the Romans. They were merely instruments carrying out what God had decreed. He sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross so that the sins of mankind might be forgiven. And those who take Scripture seriously have always known who killed Jesus: You and I and all other sinful human beings did so.

6:59 PM Andy McQuitty has cell phone problems, and draws a useful lesson from his travails. 6:31 PM Passion Watch: Just received an update. We have purchased 450 tickets for the 4:30 PM showing of “The Passion of the Christ” on Saturday, February 28, at the Cinemark Theater, 1001 W. North Avenue in Melrose Park. Tickets go on sale between services this Sunday for $7 apiece. You can purchase tickets in the sanctuary lobby or in the Sunday School lobby in the east wing. SC2 will be hosting a fellowship/discussion time after the movie in the Dining Room. We’ll have food and drinks so the atmosphere will be casual. Invite a friend to go with you to the movie and to the fellowship time afterwards. (Special thanks to Donny Williams who did lots of the legwork to make this special showing a reality.) 6:20 PM Renovation Update: I heard lots of noise in the gym this afternoon. That’s good news because it means that Oak Park Christian Academy students are once again able to use the gym for their PE classes… . Work continues on the portico—putting tiles on the roof, painting, plastering, etc. They were working in the receptionist area next to the church office today… . Financial update: So far we have raised $1.5 million, which means we are halfway to our goal. We hope to pay off the entire project by Thanksgiving 2005. To do that, we’ll need to average $16,000 in Legacy Campaign giving each Sunday. 9:41 AM Happy Birthday, Abraham Lincoln. He was born 195 years ago today. Author of many memorable sayings, here is my favorite. During the early days of the Civil War, as casualties mounted on both sides, and with the outcome still much in doubt, Lincoln faced fierce criticism of his handling of the war from critics in his own party. When asked to respond to one particular criticism, he declined and offered this explanation:

If I were to try to read, much less answer, all the attacks on me, this shop might as well be closed for any other business. I do the best I know how; the very best I can; and I mean to keep doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what is said against me won’t amount to anything. If the end brings us out wrong, ten thousand angels swearing I was right will not make any difference.

Ralph Peters offers a fine birthday tribute to Abraham Lincoln: The Uniter. Marvin Olasky points out that Lincoln often mentioned God in his public pronouncements, and concludes that “we have progressed so far that America of the 21st century is not ready for Lincoln.”