Are We Paying Attention?

There's a lot to be seen, if we'll do one thing, says Charlie Lehardy: Look up!

What's your theme for 2012?

Charlie has chosen "gratitude." At the start of the second month of this still new year, with your resolutions possibly in tatters, you might want to read this post Charlie Lehardy wrote a few weeks ago.

"Deep Water Arrogance"

The arrogant belief in the infallibility of technology is just one instance of a common human penchant, says Charlie Lehardy. Charlie is always thought-provoking.

"These Honored Dead"

Belatedly, I link to these Memorial Day thoughts from Charile Lehardy.

"It's not proof...

"...but it's compelling evidence of something very interesting." Charlie Lehardy hits another home run. He remains one of my favorite bloggers.

The Charlie Lehardy 500!

Charlie Lehardy is celebrating. Go read his blog...often!

"Experience is not enough"

Charlie Lehardy hits yet another home run.

Also see here.

One More Reason Charlie Lehardy is My Favorite Blogger

Period!

"Apparently I'm worth more if I die from ingesting mercury in my oysters than if I fall from a defective ladder."

Charlie Lehardy ponders the question, What are you worth?

"Does faith still make sense in an age of rockets to Mars and atom smashers?"

Charlie Lehardy learns that, "In America, the answer seems to be a resounding Yes!"

Read the whole thing.

"God wept and waited for Easter"

Charlie Lehardy has a typically thoughtful post, deeply moving and worth your time. A sampling:

All of these things [Christ] endured, for us.

He was crucified for my sins. He bled for my iniquity. The guilt and shame of my disobedience to God was laid heavily on his head. He was an innocent man burdened, crushed beneath a heap of wrongs that belonged to me, you, all of us.

Before Easter can come, the awful price of our disobedience against God must be paid in full.

And Jesus paid it, willingly. As his blood ran down that wooden cross, he gasped for his last breath and said, "It is finished. Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands."

His lifeless body was lovingly carried to a rock tomb where he was hastily bound in linen and burial spices and closed in behind a huge stone. Guards were posted to keep the body from being disturbed.

And God wept and waited for Easter.

Read the whole thing.

Another Gem

From Charlie Lehardy.

Thank You, Charlie Lehardy!

Charlie Lehardy is one of the most consistently thoughtful and wise bloggers around. That's why I'm so honored that he takes the time to recommend things that I write. He did that here. Thank you, Charlie.

Lost in a Fog?

See here.

'Forgiving Marion Jones'

That's the title of Charlie Lehardy's typically thoughtful discussion of forgiveness and grace, triggered by last week's revelation of a track star's use of steroids.

Marion Jones has fallen from a very great height. Her admission of drug use will erase or call into question every title, every medal, every accomplishment she has worked so hard to achieve. Forgiving her doesn't mean condoning her cheating. It means that each of us can look in the mirror and see what she sees — a person who has cheated, compromised, broken the rules and failed in the eyes of God to live a perfect life.

By the grace of God, most of us haven't fallen in the spectacularly public way that Marion Jones has. But let's not kid ourselves — when we imagine standing before God and answering for our lives, we can easily identify with her sense of shame.

Marion Jones must be experiencing a kind of agony right now. But her agony can't compare, I think, to that of those who refuse to forgive as God has forgiven them. They live in a prison of their own choosing. Read Charlie's entire post.

Please Pray...

for Charlie Lehardy's son. Pray too, that you will have faith like that of the Lehardy family, trusting even in the midst of the difficulties.

What Do Florence Nightingale and Paris Hilton Have in Common?

Charlie Lehardy is writing about them. (And a lot more!) See here and here.

'Uncomfortable with Evil'

That's the title of the best piece on the Virginia Tech events I've read. Predictably, it was written by Charlie Lehardy.

Religious Lives of the Presidential Candidates

Extraordinary blogger Charlie Lehardy has sent this link to a Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life site. They're beginning an effort to document the religious lives of major presidential candidates and, I surmise, the impact of their faith on their characters and decision-making.

To see my series on how Christians might think about the 2008 presidential race, go here.

I'm Grateful

To be recognized for being thoughtful by someone who is always thoughtful is a huge honor. Thank you, Charlie!