Friday Snippets and Soundbites

Why, hello Friday! We've missed you.

And since it's Friday, that also means there's a new  blog edition of "Snippets and Soundbites." If you need even more strange stories and news of the weird, please check out "Snippets and Soundbites" on page 38 of this month's (and every month's) print edition of ec.

That said, let's see what random things have been going on.

Just part of the job
If you live in Atlanta or have ever visited there, you know that traffic there, particularly during rush hour is particularly stressful. So what happens when you add a zebra to the mix? Yes, you read that correctly. A zebra. Yesterday, rush hour traffic in the Atlanta area came to a complete standstill as police chased an escapee zebra down a busy stretch of highway. Apparently, the zebra made his first appearance in downtown around 4:30 p.m., then made it's way onto the interstate. Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey circus is in town this week, and the zebra apparently belongs to them. Police safely corralled the runaway animal on an exit ramp, and the animal is reportedly OK. Bet the police didn't know think they'd be herding zebras when they got up yesterday morning! To read all about it, go here. Go here to see video.

Mardi Gras Mutt

For Charlie the dog, Mardi Gras really was something to celebrate. See, Charlie, a labrador mix, had said good-bye to his owner, Stephen Soleas when Soleas decided to hitchike to New Orleans, La., for a few weeks of music and fun. At some point after Soleas left, though, Charlie went missing back home. A couple vacationing in Taos, New Mexico, found the collarless pooch, but local vet's didn't have microchip readers to see who he belonged to. So the dog-loving couple gave up their plane tickets, rented a car, and drove Charlie home with them: to New Orleans. Some 1,200 miles and 10 days later, Charlie was reunited with his owner (now visiting NOLA) after the couples' vet checked a microchip in Charlie's neck. In a strange turn of events, the couple also named the dog Charlie. We guess the name just fit! To read all about it and hear about Charlie's ride in a Mardi Gras pet parade, go here.

Ice, Ice, Baby
It's been extremely cold lately and for a few days last week, all but one of the states in the U.S. had at least a dusting of snow. But for a 25-year-old Ohio man, all the snow meant one thing: it was time to chill out. . . .in an igloo. Out of work for almost a year and needing a project to stay busy, Jimmy Grey decided to put the record snowfall to good use and build an igloo in his family's yard. The result is a four-room igloo with 6-foot ceilings and an entertainment room. He powers the TV (yes, the TV) with an extension cord and has also run wires for cable TV and surround sound stereo. To learn more, go here.

How to save a life, part 3

Recent surveys say that over 94 percent of people believe in God and 89 percent believe in heaven. Some 75 percent of those surveyed believe they'll get to heaven. But the thing is, most people don't really understand what it takes to get there. The Bible has something to say about that, and you, as a Christian, should, too.

One of ec's goals is to help you know God, own your faith, and find ways to make that faith known in the world around you. So as you consider talking with those in your life who need to know what the Bible says about getting to heaven, remember this acronym: KNOW.

K: Know God. You have to have a personal relationship with God in order to go to heaven. Without that relationship, sin keeps you separated from Him. (Rom. 3:23; 6:23)

N: Name Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Jesus is the only way to salvation. To go to heaven, you must believe that Jesus is who He says He is, God's Son. As the perfect, sinless Son of God, only Jesus can forgive your sin. (Rom. 10:9-10)

O: Own up to your sin. Believing is great, but you have to take personal responsibility for your sin and confess it to God. He will hear you AND forgive you. Forgiveness is a free gift. You can't earn it. All you have to do is ask. (Rom. 6:23; Eph. 2:8-9; 1 John 1:9-10)

W: Walk in a different direction. In Bible-speak, this action is called repentance. It involves turning away from your sinful choices and choosing to live in a different way. Repent means going a different direction. As a Christian, your life should look different from the one you led before. (Luke 13:3; Eph. 5:8)

When you talk to others about salvation, be sure to encourage them to tell other Christians in their lives about the decision. Help them to find a church and get involved. Encourage them to follow Christ in believer's baptism.

How to save a life, part 2

So you and Ryan have been friends for awhile. He's seen you at your best AND your worst. He was there the day you found out your aunt had cancer and were completely sidelined. He was there when you broke your leg and couldn't play baseball for the rest of the season. He was there when you got your acceptance letter to college AND found out they were offering you a scholarship. And through all of that, Ryan has begun to recognize that faith—the fact that you're a Christian—isn't just something you say you believe. It's a part of your everyday life. It makes a difference in the big and small things.

And lately, he's begun to ask questions about that faith. You've talked about what you believe very honestly and openly. And now it's time for you to share the plan of salvation and show Ryan what Scripture says about being saved, and you don't know where to start. Here's a good acronym to guide your discussion: FAITH.

What do you understand it takes for a person to go to heaven? Consider how the Bible answers this question. It is a matter of FAITH.

F is for Forgiveness
We cannot have eternal life and heaven without God’s forgiveness. (Read Eph. 1:7a.)

A is for Available
Forgiveness is available.
It is—available for all. (Read John 3:16.)
But not automatic. (Read Matt. 7:21a.)

I is for Impossible
It is impossible for God to allow sin into heaven.
—Because of who He is: God is loving and just.
His judgment is against sin. (Read Jas. 2:13a.)
—Because of who we are: Every person is a sinner.
(Read Rom. 3:23.)

But how can a sinful person enter heaven, when
God allows no sin?

T is for Turn
Turn means repent.
Turn from something—sin and self. (Read Luke 13:3b.)
Turn to Someone; trust Christ only. (Read Rom. 10:9.)

H is for Heaven
Heaven is eternal life.
Here . . . (Read John 10:10b.) Hereafter . . . (Read John 14:3.)
How can a person have God’s forgiveness, heaven
and eternal life, and Jesus as personal Savior and Lord?
By trusting in Christ and asking Him for forgiveness.

Take the step of faith described by another meaning of FAITH: Forsaking All I Trust Him.

How to save a life, part 1

Evangelism, that is, not CPR. The truth is that we are made for eternity. God wants to have an eternal, lasting, deep relationship with each and every one of us. So it follows that one of the best ways to save a life is to share God's gospel message with others.

That's what the February issue of ec is all about. The lead article, "How to Save a Life," talked honestly about relationship evangelism. Sometimes the best way to be a witness in someone's life is to live out your faith honestly right in front of them. When they see that you really believe what you say and do what you've said you would do, you earn the right to talk to them about matters of faith. They can trust you and they can trust your faith; now it's time to show them what the Bible has to say about salvation. And that's where it sometimes gets scary.

So this week, you'll find several different evangelism tools here on ec's blog. Today we'll be walking through the plan of salvation as presented in the Book of Romans. This is often called the "Romans Road." Here goes:

• All people are characterized by sin which separates us from God. Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

• Sin has consequences, namely, death. Romans 6:23a: “For the wages of sin is death.”

• But God has made a way for us! All people have hope because “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23b)

• God loves us so much that He sent His Son to earth to die. Only Christ's sacrifice could restore the relationship with God our sinfulness had damaged. Romans 5:8: “But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us!”

• God extends His offer of salvation to all people. Romans 10:13: “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

• It is not enough to simply believe in God. To become a Christian—to be adopted as God's own children—we must recognize our sinfulness, confess it, repent, and turn away from our old way of life. Romans 10:9: “if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

• God makes us a new creation in Him. He calls us to live differently, to allow Him to shine through our lives. Romans 12:1-2: “Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.”