John 3:16! This scripture is perhaps the most familiar verse in the New Testament.  Max Lucado has published a good book on the the subject, 3:16: The Numbers of Hope (click for details). It is so popular that you are likely to see it displayed everywhere.  It is found on license plates, bumper stickers, billboards, t-shirts, hats, and so forth.  One could attach John 3:16 to practically anything and sell it for a few dollars (as many entrepreneurs have discovered).

Do you remember the “Rainbow Man?”  His name is Rollen "Rock'n Rollen" Stewart.  Stewart was looking for a way to get his “15 minutes of fame.”  In 1976, he conceived the idea of popping up in the background of televised sporting events.  Wearing a multi-colored Afro wig ("Rainbow Man"), Stewart would wait for the opportune moment then jump into the scene, grinning and giving the thumbs-up.  He thought his “celebrity status” would bring him a few lucrative TV deals and retire rich.  Except for one beer commercial, it didn't happen. 

Two months ago we were celebrating Advent. Advent is a time when Christians rejoice because a child was born—JESUS CHRIST—who was destined to be the “savior of the world.” Now the church moves to a more somber time in the Christian calendar: Lent. Lent is a time when we reflect upon the ultimate ministry and destiny of the Christ child; his death, burial, and resurrection. It’s hard to celebrate a death as most people find the very thought of rejoicing in anyone’s death revolting and repulsive. The psalmist laments over the uncertainties of life and death: LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am (Ps 39:4).  We may not like to admit it, but most of us from time to time contemplate the very thought the psalmist is wondering: my end!    

As winter slowly gives way to spring the Christian calendar tells us that Lent—Easter—is approaching.  Depending on your tradition (such as Eastern Orthodox or Western Christian; Roman Catholic or most Protestants) Easter Sunday can fall anywhere from March 22nd to April 25th.  This year Easter falls on March 23rd; which incidentally is the earliest possible date Easter will fall this century.  The last time Easter fell on March 23rd was in 1913.  The next time Easter will fall on March 23rd will be in 2160.  There are many erroneous beliefs and ideas relating to how Easter is calculated.  A good website to see how Easter is calculated is http://www.assa.org.au/edm.html.

When Albert Einstein first introduced his theory of relativity dealing with space and time, it was widely joked that there were only three people in the world who comprehended it. During a question and answer time after a lecture, the acclaimed British scientist Sir Arthur Eddington was asked if he was one of the three. After a lengthy pause, Eddington replied,” I’m trying to think who the third person is."

Although the story may be apocryphal, it still grants a sigh of relief to all those who struggled with science in school. It is not as though most of us sit around and chat about energy equaling mass multiplied by the speed of light squared, more commonly known as E=mc2.

Speaker Lance Lambert is a noted Middle-Eastern authority on Israel and the Palestinian issue.  After spending many years in Israel, Lance Lambert has lectured extensively on Middle East issues especially Islam and its threat to world peace.

"You will never Spiritually understand in a way that will involve you in prayer warfare in this  whole matter unless you understand the Spiritual nature of this conflict.  This is nothing to do with some ancient religion, which is just become somewhat popular in the twentieth-century."  

Let me start by saying that I have no intention of offending anyone with my commentary on why I think it’s time for people to return to their local churches and give their hard earned money to the local church and turn off the TV preachers.  With Congress wanting financial information from six leading televangelists and with the resignation of Richard Roberts from the presidency of Oral Roberts University while under a cloud of financial allegations, it is time the “faithful” re-evaluate why they are supporting televangelism and not their local church.

There is a popular TV show on the Sci-Fi Channel called “Crossing Over with John Edwards.” Edwards is a popular self-proclaimed psychic—with some promotional help from the Human Energy Systems Laboratory at the University of Arizona, and the NY Times—claiming to possess the ability to communicate with the “other side” (with people who have died).