Books authored by Dr. James Dyet. Purchase on JamesDyet.com

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Shape Up!

I bought a pair of Shape Up Skechers® yesterday and wore them for about 45 minutes. They are comfortable, but I had to get accustomed to the rocking motion. I am not a rock fan, especially in regards to church “worship.”

A DVD and brochure in the shoebox allege that Shape Ups will help wearers “get in shape without setting foot in a gym.” I wonder if they will keep me in shape when I step into a buffet. I hope so!

My main motivation for purchasing Shape Ups was to tone my back and leg muscles. In spite of two lower back operations, I still experience pain in my back, right leg all the way down to my foot and toes. But I walk about two miles every day. The Shape Ups should help me walk on and rock on.

No one has developed an easy way to shape up spiritually yet. Spiritual fitness is a lifelong process requiring the disciplines of prayer, Bible study, moderation, and obedience. Don’t look for a strap-on Bible or a temptation-resistant belt you can strap on and wear that will work wonders! If a publisher or manufacturer had been able to produce either one, it would have hit the market years ago.

Monday, February 8, 2010

When the Saints Go Marching In

The Saints won the Super Bowl. Who doesn’t know dat? It was their first Super Bowl victory, and it was impressive victory against the Colts, a formidable team with an outstanding quarterback. After the game, sports commentators were talking and writing about New Orleans’ “saintly celebration.” I doubt that it was saintly.

Someday, believers—saints—will accompany Jesus to the earth in a triumphant procession. He will defeat His enemies in a dramatic and decisive display of power. Jude 14 and 15 predict this event: “Behold the Lord comes with ten thousands of his saints to execute judgment.”

What a celebration it will be when the saints go marching in!

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Paganism at the USAF Academy

Here’s another indication that the United States is no longer attached to its Christian roots. Not far from the Visitors Center at the United States Air Force Academy, atop a hill, a handful of pagan cadets gather in an area set apart by the Academy as a pagan worship center. But controversy is swirling at the Academy because someone leaned a wooden cross against a boulder at the site. The act has been viewed as religious discrimination that will not be tolerated.

Paganism elevates nature to a level that only the one true God occupies. It is as evil and offensive to God as it was when pagans tried to construct the Tower of Babel. They aspired to access the sky and worship the sun, moon, and stars. But God came down to see the builders’ foolishness, and then He scattered them and confused their speech. Romans 1:18-25 records His attitude about paganism.

The cross and boulder at the Academy transported my thoughts to another cross and boulder. Jesus voluntarily died on a wooden cross to provide redemption. His crucified body was placed in a tomb, and then soldiers positioned a boulder at the entrance and sealed it. Three days later, however, an angel rolled the boulder away so Jesus’ followers could enter the tomb and see where His body had lain. He had risen from the dead, and He lives forevermore.

Paganism does not feature a risen Savior, but Christianity does. Christians worship and serve the risen Son of God, the One who made all things (John 1:3). Isn’t it ironic that pagan AFA cadets worship on the very ground Jesus created?