New Life

When a young man is “inked” by a gang, the tattoo signifies his adoption into a new family – one that’s often violent and criminally-minded. The tattoo is nothing short of a claim on the kid’s life by his fellow gang members.

So one priest in Los Angeles is removing kids from gangs by removing their tattoos.

On February 23, 2014, Brooke Dawkins was crossing a busy street in Orlando, FL near the University of Central Florida. Sadly, she was struck by a vehicle and died at a local hospital after a ten-day stay in intensive care.

But what proved tragic for one family was life-saving for another.

In August of 2013, 15-year-old Anthony Tremayne Stokes received an emergency heart transplant to ease his suffering from an acute case of dilated cardiomyopathy. According to the team of doctors, there was no doubt the procedure saved his young life.

But Stokes died two years later from something that no team of doctors could prevent.

This gem is the work of Robert Mankoff, a veteran cartoonist and editor with The New Yorker. It provides a comical take on the very real problem all of us face in trying to live a new life for Jesus.

Joseph was a proud Maasai Warrior living in eastern Africa when he first heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ on the side of a hot, dusty road. In that moment, he dedicated his life to Christ and immediately made plans to share the Good News with members of his tribe.

But this warrior had never been in a fight like the one he was about to walk into.

By most definitions, Jake is a model Christian. He doesn’t swear. He doesn’t go out drinking, nor does he run around with wild women. Further, Jake hasn’t ever gossiped one time in his entire life!

Yep, Jake is just about the best dog a man could ask for.

Oshea Israel wasn’t surprised when Laramiun Byrd died; after all, he’d pulled the trigger. Oshea wasn’t surprised when he was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the cold-blooded murder.

But what the victim’s mother did when Oshea was finally released from prison did surprise him.

The third century A.D. was a tumultuous time for Christians. They were under persecution by Romans and Jews, and had been for two centuries. In declaring one’s allegiance to Christ, a believer might very well be consigning himself to horrendous persecution, even death.