Pastor John Scripture Reference: John 14:12-14 and Psalm 5:1-12

Man’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed. Job 14:5 (NIV) Many individuals long to have control over every moment of their lives. Today’s rallying cry is “personal freedom.” Perhaps that is why increasing numbers of people are welcoming legalization of doctor-assisted suicide as a means of extending so-called personal autonomy. Yet individuals do not have nearly as much authority over their lives as they might pretend.

   Note: Tony Snow was a former White House Press Secretary whose life ended with a return of cancer. “Blessings arrive in unexpected packages, – in my case, cancer. Those of us with potentially fatal diseases – and there are millions in America today – find ourselves in the odd position of coping with our mortality while trying to fathom God’s will. Although it would be the height of presumption to declare with confidence “What It All Means,” Scripture provides powerful hints and consolations.

  Brothers behind Bars: Breaking the Cycle of Crime Note: This commentary was delivered by PFM President Mark Earley. For most Americans, prisoners and their families are an example of “out of sight, out of mind.” But every once in a while you come across a story that forces you to look.

     James A. Smith Sr. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (BP)–A Saudi man cut out his daughter’s tongue and then burned her to death as punishment for her conversion from Islam to Christianity. That religious freedom does not exist in the Muslim Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is regrettably not a surprise. Tragically, murdering converts to Christianity is not uncommon in Saudi Arabia.

Pastor John Scripture Reference: Psalm 6:1-10

No Life, No Justice: Sanctity of Life Is Foundational Note: This commentary was delivered by PFM President Mark Earley. Followers of Jesus are being asked by politicos, pundits, and even some pastors, to abandon abortion as a decisive and vital issue in this year’s election. Instead, we are being urged to cast our votes based on other justice issues such as poverty, protecting the environment, and bringing the troops home from Iraq. There are three problems with this line of thinking.

| by John L. Yeats Editor’s note: Because the First Baptist Church of Perryville annually sends teams to the Gulf Coast to help our sister churches and their neighbors rebuild following hurricanes, the following article is of particular interest to us. ALEXANDRIA, La. (BP)–The property insurance market has changed in the three years since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita blew through the Gulf Coast — and Hurricanes Gustav and Ike are unveiling the extent of those changes.