This week’s design is something that is dear to me. The design is called Free to Preach. It shows the American flag with embers at the end of it. Next to the flag is part of the first amendment to the Constitution. This amendment provides for both freedom of religion and freedom of speech. Sadly, both of these freedoms are under attack today. The freedom of religion is grounded in the history of the United States. When the first settlers came to this land, it was because they desired to worship the God of the Bible they way they felt the scriptures told them to and not how the state told them to.

In England, the church and the crown were closely tied together and often oppressed the common people. When the Constitution was ratified, a few states only did so with the condition that the Constitution would be amended with certain rights spelled out. The fact that freedom of religion is one of them speaks volumes on the focus of our founders. The founders were not out to “separate church and state” like so many today seem to think. They were out to keep the government from telling them how they could or couldn’t worship. Unfortunately, any time someone mentions freedom of religion, the “separation of church and state” invariably comes up, even though it’s not in the Constitution. The phrase is in a response by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptists. The Baptists were concerned that the proposed amendment would allow the federal government to impose whatever rules and regulations they desired onto the beliefs of the people. Jefferson assured the Baptists that the amendment would insure that the freedom to worship God would not be hindered by the federal government. Sadly, the very thing the Baptists were worried about has come to pass. The federal government now controls much of what is said and done by Christians. In today’s time, you can promote any religion at all, except Christianity. Muslims can teach their doctrines in schools, Hindus are promoting yoga in kindergarten classes, and Atheists can teach evolution without fear of reprimand; but if you are a Christian and you try to promote Jesus Christ, you are attacked from every side. Bible clubs have a hard time getting recognition or allowance to exist, biblical evidence for the origins of the universe aren’t allowed to even be discussed (even a purely scientific critique of evolution is not allowed – what are they afraid of if their “theory” is so watertight?), and the moral laws of God cannot be promoted (even though they are exactly what our country needs and the only thing that will help our nation stop it slide into complete darkness).

Why is it that this only happens to Christianity? Why is it that the majority of Christians are fighting an uphill battle to regain the freedom that all other religions so readily enjoy? The answer is actually quite simple. While people have no problem talking about Buddha, Allah, Brahma or any number of other false “gods”, they are simply afraid of Jesus Christ. Of course they won’t admit it. To do so would admit that He’s real while the others are not. But their refusal to admit that they are scared of Jesus doesn’t make it any less true. Why do you think that the atheistic scientists on every level fight so vehemently to keep creation out of schools? Because they know that if their so-called “theory” comes up against the truth, they won’t stand a chance. And when their “theory” disintegrates into the fairy tale that it is, they will be faced with the truth that God exists and that they are accountable for all of their sins. Why do Muslims so violently attack Christians for the smallest of imagined offenses? It’s because they know that if they don’t continuously fight against the truth with blind rage and anger, they will have to stop and think about that truth and they don’t want to do that. If they did, they would be forced to admit that they have been chasing a lie their entire lives and they are too proud to do that. Why do homosexuals mock Christians and speak out against them so much? They have to. If they didn’t attack Christians so relentlessly, they would have to admit that their entire lifestyle was an abomination to God. They would no longer be able to live in the sinful lifestyle they have created for themselves. And they love that sin more than they love anything else. So they attack the representatives of the God that they can’t ignore in hopes that their barbed words and injurous actions will placate their guilt ridden consciences. And on and on it goes. The Hindus, the Buddhists, the post-moderns, the Mormans, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the secular humanists, and the false converts all join in with the others to attack Christianity. They do so because they can’t hurt the God they hate. Instead, they hurt His children.

The grace of God has told us through scripture that those who truly belong to Christ will be hated by everyone else. Those who speak the truth about sin, hell, and judgment will be mocked, attacked, and even killed for what they believe in. This is somewhat reassuring to those who are being persecuted for their faith (how small are the numbers in America?) and it should be a source of concern to those who claim to belong to Christ and are not persecuted at all…In America we are still Free to Preach…for now…are you preaching?

Ok, I’ll admit it. This shirt made me laugh. My daughter went to see the Jo Bros a couple months ago and the whole thing was a farce. Although they are a “Christian” group, the ticket prices were outrageous (good thing I didn’t pay for them). On top of that, the prices for a t-shirt (A T-SHIRT) were around $40 and that was for the cheap one…

But, like the copy says, before there were the Jonas brothers, there was Jonah. Jonah had a little problem going to preach repentance to the Ninehvites. But he went anyway (after a small detour in the belly of a great fish) and a city of 40,000 was saved.

This gets me to thinking though. The Ninehvites were known for being cruel, ruthless, and nasty. And yet, one reluctant man went and preached the truth to them and the entire city repented. Here in America, we have cities that have a church on every block and yet a growing majority of the populations of those cities remain unsaved. Why?

If you are going to preach something, be like Jonah and preach the truth!

This blog post is a part of a crossover blog. Other participants in this crossover blog are:

 http://ateasetees.wordpress.com/

http://www.blogbydonna.com/

http://flyballfever.blogspot.com

http://cafeshoppe.com/TeeHee

http://randomshirts.blogspot.com/

http://skeetzteez.blogspot.com/

http://www.shopkeeperdesigns.com

http://autismshowucare.blogspot.com

http://www.gocamelphotos.blogspot.com/

http://beflip.blogspot.com/

http://tshirtholiday.blogspot.com/

Living in the South, you get to see some things that you don’t see much up North (although I hear that’s changing). You also get to see how much of Jeff Foxworthy’s material was made up and how much of it was true. In any case, this design came about when a friend asked me for a redneck design.

I thought about it for a minute and decided that this would be a good one. After all, even though they get a lot of flack from people who don’t understand them, rednecks need God just like everyone else does. They need to know that they will end up in hell if they die in their sins – just like everyone else. They also need to hear that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to earth, lived a sinless life, and died on the cross to take the punishment that they deserve. This allows them to enter heaven because their sin debt has been paid.

This can be true for you too! It is not just for rednecks. The Bible says that if you will repent of your sins (turn from them and stop doing what you know is wrong) and put your faith in Jesus Christ to save you, then you will be saved and can know without a shadow of a doubt that you will go to heaven when you die.

This week’s design is from Tulsa Tees. It’s pretty funny. The heat of summer is still around in the South. Although many who scream about global warming (I’m not PC enough to say “climate change”) don’t want to hear it, it’s actually cooler than it has been in awhile.

What’s funny about the shirt is the fact that, down South, you have to throw in the humidity. It’s never a dry heat down here. So, if you are looking for a hot (and steamy) time, you have to look down South.

This blog post is a part of a crossover blog. Other participants in this crossover blog are:

 http://ateasetees.wordpress.com/

http://www.blogbydonna.com/

http://cafeshoppe.com/TeeHee

http://www.nanwrightart.com

http://randomshirts.blogspot.com/

http://skeetzteez.blogspot.com/

http://www.shopkeeperdesigns.com

http://autismshowucare.blogspot.com

http://www.gocamelphotos.blogspot.com/

http://beflip.blogspot.com/

http://tshirtholiday.blogspot.com/

Ok. This is another one from my daughter. This one took me by suprise. Boog always comes up with things that I wish I thought of. She sees things like me but then she doesn’t. She looks at them from a little different vantage point and that makes all the difference. (That and she’s still shorter than me…for now).

The poem is an original poem she created and it goes a little somethin’ like this:

Following Jesus is like holding a rose without wearing gloves. It is hard and it hurts, but it pays off in the end.

I added a few elements to the design, but she gets (and deserves) all the credit. Not only that, she’s right. Following Jesus is hard. He said it would be. He warned Christians that the world would hate us because it hated Him. It hurts too. The true gospel of Jesus Christ has separated families to the point of non-Christian family members killing those who’ve converted to Christianity.

But it also pays of in the end. Jesus said that the one that endures to the end shall be saved. If you aren’t sure that you’re saved or if you know that you’re not, then I would ask that you understand that you’ve sinned against a holy and righteous God who must uphold justice. He must punish sin because it is His character on the line if He doesn’t. The punishment for sin is eternity in hell. But, because God is gracious, He made a way for sinners to be saved. If you will repent of your sins and put your faith in Christ to save you, then you will be spared God’s wrath and will enter heaven when you die. Not only that, but you’ll receieve a new heart with new desires and life will be new!

What’s funny about this blog is that all the writing I did to explain the gospel took my daughter three lines of text. If you haven’t repented of your sins and put your trust in Christ, please do so today. There is nothing more important than you’re eternal salvation.

This week’s design is another one that my daughter came up with. It is a simple question but one that many people don’t seem to be able to answer honestly. The Bible says in Matthew 12:30 that you are either for God or against Him. If you do not obey Him then it doesn’t matter what you call yourself or how much you pretend, you are not His. If you are not His, then you belong to the devil. It’s that simple.

This may seem harsh, but it’s the truth. A lot of people talk the talk, but John says that it’s more than talk and it’s more than one day. It’s a lifetime. If you’re not giving your all to God on a daily basis, you may want to check and see if you are saved. Does this mean that you don’t sin. Nope. Does it mean that you’re always going to be up and energetic. Nope. What it means is that when you do sin, you immediately go to your Advocate, Jesus, and confess that sin. Then, you get back to doing what you should be doing. You don’t live in your sin, you don’t wallow in self-pity, and you don’t pout.

Sadly, many Christians today are all about feelings. It’s not about feelings at all. Being a Christian is about knowing and that comes from abiding in Him.

Ok….Being a soccer coach with a daughter who absolutely loves soccer, I couldn’t pass this one up. This design is a simple design for all of those moms-to-be who know that they will soon be driving a mini-van and hauling their little ones to the pitch.

The design itself is crisp and well done. It is something that would be great for a gift. It also got me to thinking about something else. I don’t know if this is what the designer had intended, but in this age of “choice” and convenience, The fact that the shirt says “Future …Mom” is enough for me. Tossing soccer into the mix is just icing…

If you know of a soccer mom-to-be, this would be a great gift idea. If you don’t, I would still encourage you to go to Skeetz Teez and check out the other designs there. Surely you could find something there (and don’t call me Shirley…)!

I really don’t know how the weather has been where you live, but here in the Southern U.S., it’s been HOT. It’s also been pretty clear. If you are a golfer, then this is the perfect weather to go out and play a few rounds. When most people play golf, they try to get the lowest score they can (notice I said most…when I go out to play it’s to give other people comic relief!). To do this, they have to shoot under par.

If you have no idea what this means I’ll explain a little. Par is basically the number of strokes the golf course thinks it should take for you to start from the tee and get it into the hole. If you get it in more shots, that’s over par and if you get make it in fewer shots, that’s under par. Obviously, if you’re going for the lowest score, you want to get from the tee to the hole in the fewest shots possible.

You’re probably wondering what any of this has to do with evangelism and Christianity. Well, it’s all tied together in this week’s design – Under Par. While Christian golfers may be under par, the Bible says that they are not under sin. Instead, because of the humbling and amazing work that Christ did on the cross, those who repent of their sins and put their trust in Him to save them have been moved under grace. This is an amazing thing and it lifts the burdens of many who call on the name of the Lord. To be under grace means that you are no longer carrying the weight of your sins because Jesus took care of them. It doesn’t give you a license to sin, but it does give you a clean conscience.

If you’re not saved, the Bible says that you are under God’s wrath and that you’ll have to pay for your own sins if you die without Christ. Please take some time today to look at sin (lying, stealing, lusting, hatred, murder, coveting) and understand that sin will kill you. Then think about Jesus Christ, the only One who has offered to take those sins (and the punishment that comes with them) and give you His righteousness, even though you don’t deserve it (He’s the only One who can and will do it – no other “god” will do this!).  Don’t be under sin, come under the grace of God.

Freedom is important to everyone. Liberty is something that most people strive their whole lives to attain. In America, we have the freest nation the world has ever know. Sadly, that seems to be changing. Most of our “leaders” don’t know the most elementary history of our nation. Our colleges teach the next generation a history that has been revised by those who hate God. They have made every effort to remove Him from our history and foundation.

What’s sad is that they don’t realize that it is because God has been in our history and has been the foundation our country was built on; they don’t see that removing Him will mean the downfall of everything we stand for. We can see it already happening. The American people have turned their back on God and it is becoming more obvious. We kicked God out of our schools and our kids are growing more rebellious. Teen pregnancy has skyrocketed since we kicked Him out. Teen drinking and drug use is at an appalling level. Marriage has become just a convenience and isn’t the covenant that it’s supposed to be (well, it is still the covenant it’s supposed to be, it just doesn’t mean anything to anyone anymore – including “Christians”). Homosexuality is now not only accepted, it’s promoted; even though God says it’s a sin and an abomination. Pornography has become a 3 billion dollar a year business in our country. Crimes like rape, molestation, and incest are commonplace.

The God-given rights that were recognized by Thomas Jefferson and the other founders of America are being taken away in the name of “welfare” and “fairness”. The church looks like the harlots seen on the street corners of many big cities instead of the pure bride that the Bible describes her as. Many who call themselves Christians look just like the world. The only difference seems to be that they spend their Sunday mornings at church. This is sad and deplorable. The people that are supposed to be the shining example of Jesus Christ look nothing like the salt and light that He said they should.

As Christians, we have the greatest message known to man. We have been entrusted with the truth. We have been charged with the privilege of telling others what God has done for them through His Son. All of us have broken God’s law and have His wrath abiding on us. We have lied, stolen, blasphemed, lusted, coveted, and hated. Just one of these is enough to send us to hell. And there is no way that we can work our way to heaven. The Bible says that our righteousness is like filthy rags. It says that none of our good works will be good enough. It says that Jesus is the only way and that no other gods exist or can save you. The Bible says that Jesus came down from heaven and died on the cross for us. It wasn’t just love that made Him do it. It was a legal transaction that allowed His righteousness to be transferred to us, and our sin to be transferred to Him. For this transaction to take place, we must repent of our sins and put our trust in Jesus as the only One that can save us.

This is true liberty. When you repent of your sins and put your faith in Christ, you are free from sin. If you haven’t done this, please consider the sins that you’ve committed against God and understand that they will send you to eternal punishment in hell. Understand that without Jesus paying for your sins you will have to bear them yourself. If you will turn from your sins and stop doing them and then put your complete trust in Jesus to save you (and not yourself or any other god), you can know without a shadow of a doubt that you will go to heaven when you die. This is liberty and you can have it this Independence Day!