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Bricks thrown through windows of a northwest suburban school prior to an appearance there by an anti-gay activist had threatening notes attached, police said today. The bricks were thrown at Christian Liberty Academy early Saturday morning, apparently in protest of Scott Lively, an anti-gay activist, who spoke there later that night during a banquet hosted by Americans for Truth Against Homosexuality. A note attached to one brick read, "This is just a sample of what we will do if you don't shut down scott lively and AFTAH (expletive) scott lively Quit the homophobic (expletive)!" Another brick had "Shut down Lively"...

Many people suffer from compulsive, obsessive behavior. Addictions can take many forms. For some people it is an obsession with cleanliness. For others, there is pornography. The snare of pornography is different from most other addictions. Although we’re all born greedy, we’re not necessarily born with a love for gambling. We are not born with a love for alcohol, but must acquire it by beginning to drink. But because we grow up with persistent sexual appetites, sexual fantasies are never far from our minds. Our sexuality is so much a part of who we are that it is almost impossible...

Through a chat room on the internet, a woman met a man with whom she was convinced would “meet her needs.” After agreeing to meet in a hotel in a specified city, she decided to leave her husband and three children for this exciting stranger. Her decision was made six hours after that first meeting. People can have a powerful influence over us; they can either bless us or curse us; they can help us in our quest for good, or they can compel us to do evil. Some are masters of manipulation and have mastered the art of controlling...

Angels are flying low these days. Walk through your bookstore and you will discover that they are not only flying low, but very busy doing all kinds of nice deeds for us. Here are some of the titles I discovered in a quick tour through a local bookstore: Angel Letters; Angels Within Us; The Mysterious Messengers; Ask Your Angels; Angelic Healing; A Celebration of Angels; Messengers of Light; Angels Among Us; and finally, I’m sure the book my wife would have wanted me to buy: Be An Angel. I believe in angels; I know they exist and also believe that...

One of the most inspiring examples of courage in the history of the church was the martyrdom of Polycarp who was arrested by Roman authorities and brought to the arena for execution in front of a cheering crowd. The proconsul pressed him and said, “Swear and I will release you. Revile Christ.” Polycarp replied, “Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me wrong; and how can I now blaspheme my King who has saved me?” As of now, we need not fear such physical persecution in the United States. But often the true Christian will...

Perhaps you’ve heard of the speaker who said that his most difficult speaking assignment was an address given to the National Conference of Undertakers, titled “How to Look Sad at a Twenty-Thousand-Dollar Funeral.” But an even more difficult assignment would be to speak on the topic: “How to Teach the Early Christians to Be Sad.” Though their enemies tried to put a lid on their joy, it just bubbled up again and again. Henry Wingblade used to say that the Christian personality is hidden deep inside us. It is unseen, like the soup carried in a tureen high over a...

Part One Calming Troubled Hearts Don’t you wish you could turn anxiety on and off like a faucet? Wouldn’t it be great if you could worry from 9:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and then shut it down so that you could get a good night’s rest? Unfortunately, we cannot control anxiety; anxiety arises from within and is not subject to reason or the dictates of the human will. Rather than playing the role of a humble servant, it comes to take charge over the whole person. Like most dictators, it refuses compromise. We need a power greater than ourselves to...