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Audacious Authenticity The Z

Joy
Joy

Audacious. Authentic. Audacious authenticity. How’s that work for you? It works really well on my end.

As a goal, I mean – audacious authenticity. Being boldly authentic. Not conforming to status quo, but rather, conforming to faith, hope and love.

Heard the song the other day by Kirk Franklin, or maybe it was Mary Mary, with a line that goes, “Can’t take my joy devil.”

That’s it, that was the right message at the right time.

In our lifetimes we probably listen to many types of music: Rock, Rap, Country, Jazz, Reggae, Pop, Classical, Christian, Oldies, Soul, R&B, etc.

Rock & Roll has always been my favorite. And then, while living out West, Country became a new love.

But today, hands down, without a doubt, Contemporary Christian is what sustains me.

To all the great folks at Central Florida’s Contemporary Christian radio station, Z88.3, or the Z, as some call it, thank you for what you do to help God’s people when they need it.

And just speaking for myself, this is every single day. Thank you.

PS. Click here to listen on your computer. The Z is currently playing 24-hour Christmas music.

Rose Garden?

In 1973, I remember hearing a Lynn Anderson song with the lyrics, “I beg your pardon, I never promised you a rose garden.”

And while writing five blogs a day, I never want to promise you any thing that can’t be delivered to you.

The Tiger Woods saga was noteworthy at jeff noel.org because it challenged all of us to decide one way or another. (And even if you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice)

A jeffnoel.org reader emailed a valuable insight – none of us are in a position to forgive Tiger Woods. God and Tiger must handle this.

However, a point you may want to consider – the one that came immediately to mind – as you live your daily life, is this:

God will not withhold forgiveness to anyone who asks to be forgiven.

And if this is so, who is it in our lives that needs to be forgiven, but we have never offered them hope and encouragement?

jeff noel Sobriety

Yesterday, United States President Obama. Today, Orlando’s jeff noel.

Different people, same word.

Sobriety.

December 31, 2001. New Year’s Eve. The biggest “drinking day” of the entire year.

But not this day, December 31, 2001. Not this man. Not ever again.

Sobriety.

President Obama Sobriety

Rarely watching TV, I was captivated the other night when Charlie Gibson was interviewing United States President, Barack Obama, on the ABC Evening News.

The one word that really made me put things into perspective, was a word the President Obama used to describe how the decision to send US troops to Afghanistan was different from other critical US policy decisions.

Sobriety.

President Obama spoke of a certain level of sobriety that was needed on that particular decision. He said it was the one decision that was different from all the others. I paraphrase here, to illustrate the magnitude:

“Bailing out the auto industry or the financial system is one thing. But picturing Arlington Cemetery, with a mother, sitting in the rain, in front of a tombstone…..”

Back To Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods.

Does he deserve forgiveness? Will you, if you haven’t, forgive him?

Or is he unforgivable? The lying, cheating, dirty, no good scum of the earth. Is that it?

Tempting isn’t it? Difficult, isn’t it? Will we find it impossible?

All things are possible for him who trusts in the Lord. Is that a figment of my imagination, or did I read or hear about this somewhere?

Okay, so here’s my final answer, and it comes straight from Jesus’ mouth, “Let he who has not sinned cast the first stone.”