When Lying is Okay

Is it ever okay to lie?  The Ten Commandments (Ex. 20) prohibits lying on one another.  The Bible calls Satan the "father of lies", and says that God hates lies.   But I am wondering if there are some loopholes.  Is it okay to lie if someone's life is at stake?  Is it okay to lie when we are facing uncertainty?  Is it okay to lie when the truth is inconvenient?  What about lies by omission?  Where do we draw the line?  More importantly, where does God draw the line?  Are our lines cohesive, or do they take divergent paths?

I am wondering what you think.  I usually don't ask so many questions in one post, but I am pondering these things right now, and I like to ponder with someone.  It helps.  If you've lied recently, what was the reason?  How did you justify it in your mind?  Was it worth it, or did the consequences outweigh the expected gains?

Marriage is Outdated

Is it true?  Could marriage be on the verge of extinction?  Apparently Cameron Diaz feels that marriage is unimportant and old-fashioned.The divorce rate is high and continues to rise.  Many choose simply to live together without marrying.  Others procreate outside of marriage.
Does marriage still have value?  Why or why not?

Fear of divorce seems to be enough to keep many from ever walking down the aisle.  Why get married if it won't last anyway?  I'm curious what you think?  Is marriage simply a contract with no real meaning, or is marriage a beautiful covenant that can be a lifelong celebration?

Unseen Advantage

He's humble, and he wins games.  He doesn't get into trouble off the field.  Yet, he's ridiculed and despised by sports writers and analysts everywhere.  Why?  Oh, he's a Christian.  Why is Tim Tebow being persecuted for his faith?

I don't watch much football, but we've all heard about this guy who wasn't expected to win.  Yet week after week he's been confounding the almighty sports "psychics" who think they know what's coming.  Favor, anyone? 

I feel convicted watching this quiet servant pray and give glory to God.  Is my public faith obvious enough to draw ridicule, or have I been flying low under the radar?  How about you?  Has anyone "mistaken" you for a Christ-follower recently?  Why or why not?

Virtual Beauty

Last week I stumbled into a mini firestorm.  Apparently real women are not en vogue right now for modeling.  The H&M clothing company has decided to use virtual models for swim suit and lingerie models.  They've been criticized heavily for this choice.  They were accused of "creating unrealistic physical ideals" by a Norwegian company in the ABC News article I read, while the company defends its position to simply show off the clothes.

What I'm trying to figure out is how this is any different from the live models that are usually used especially for these types of clothing?  My body doesn't look like a swimsuit model's, and I have no illusions that it does.  So if most women don't look like models, how is this affecting the self image of women any worse that live models?  Help me out.  Am I missing something.  Real of virtual?  Does it make a difference?