Don't take me too seriously. I don't.
The following was summarized in the “Campus Ministry Update” from IvyJungle:
Do You Believe in Heaven and Hell: In 1997 only 56% of Americans claimed to believe in hell. That number spiked to more than 70% after the September 11 terrorist attacks. However, recent polling indicates the number has once again fallen to less than 60% of the population. 1ABC News July 11, 2007
Footnotes
| ↑1 | ABC News July 11, 2007 |
|---|
Wow! What a great visit we had with our friends Rick and Marilynn Phipps. One of the drawbacks of retiring to Florida is that you leave all your friends behind. Rick and Marilynn are good friends whom we abandoned when we moved. We worked for several years with them in youth ministry at Chapel Rock Christian Church. Rick and I always greeted each other with a huge hug while saying, “My Brothah!” Charlene and I taught their three daughters, Laura, Stephanie, and Emily in 9th grade Sunday school, and Emily played guitar and sang in our band, “Free Delivery.” We spent a lot of time together in youth worship on Wednesday nights, many hours together on the Youth Mission Committee, and lots of work time together (mostly tearing buildings apart) with Mission Indy. Rick is a funny, sometimes goofy, guy who loves teen-agers and the Lord. Marilynn brings stability to the couple. She loves the Lord and teens, too. Although we only shared 24 hours during this visit, they enriched our lives once again. We love you guys!
“What can you say about a society that says that God is dead and Elvis is alive?”
Beloit Freshman List: Beloit College has published its annual list about this year’s freshman class. Here are some of the highlights regarding the class of 2011, born in 1989:
As summarized in the Ivy Jungle newsletter, CNN reports an alarming trend:
Prescription drugs and “pharma parties” have become increasingly popular among teenager and college students. The National Center on Alcohol and Substance Abuse reports that the proportion of college students abusing opiods (i.e Vicodin, etc.) has increased 343% between 1993 and 2005. Tranquilizers (Xanax, Vallium, etc.) went up by 450% and abuse of stimulants like Adderall (an ADD medication) has increased by 93%. These drugs are easy to find in many home medicine cabinets. A CASA study in Minnesota and Wisconsin showed that almost a third of teenagers taking medication for ADHD had been approached to sell or trade their drugs. (cnn.com July 5, 2007)
Not only is this an alarming trend, it’s extremely dangerous behavior. Although marijuana can impede long term emotional development with chronic use, overdoses rarely result in death. Nor is marijuana as physically addictive some of these other drugs. Not that I advocate the use of marijuana.