Musings of a Maverick!

Not at Conception, 24 Weeks, or at Birth, BUT from Eternity!

2012-01-27T16:37:00.004-05:00

Debate on when a human is actually considered to be human rages on endlessly with each person who addresses the issue considering his/her word to be the "authority" as to the time we do "become" human.

Recently I got into an intense discussion with an individual over the issue of abortion. This person adamantly claimed that the child in the stages of formation in his/her mother's womb is not to be regarded as human until 24 weeks into the pregnancy. According to this person it is at that time that development has reached the point where pain can be experienced, etc. It appears that somewhere in the distant past scientific research has vainly attempted to arbitrarily set the time at 24 weeks as to when one graduates from being a simple mass of tissue and blood to that of becoming a full blown human being!

Others insist that one becomes human at the moment conception takes place with the uniting of a sperm and an egg cell which originate with a human male and a human female. Then there are those who radically insist that one is not human until birth has taken place and the new born individual is able to survive outside the womb through the process of breathing, eating, and drinking.

In order to avoid disturbing thoughts about the human aspect being applied to the unborn, abortion devotees employ the term "fetus." You know, this is so impersonal when making reference to that growing mass of blood and tissue inside the female! Instead of a living human being in the stages of formation, we are merely dealing with a thing, which can be treated as casually and indifferently as one would treat the contents of a garbage can!

The real issue in this, however, is how Almighty God views the unborn child. No question on this -- we each have a personal ID that spans the limitations of time and earth into the countless eons of eternity! Consider statements from God's special revelation to the members of the human race:

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; and I ordained you a prophet to the nations." (Jeremiah 1:4, 5).

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; when I awake, I am still with You. (Psalm 139:14-18).

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. (Ephesians 1:3-6).

The above is more than enough to reveal a very clear picture as to God's view of humans and when they are considered to be human.

First, notice that God claims to be involved in the formation of each human -- "I formed you..." does not leave anything to the imagination -- the only exception are those who stumble in their blindness and refuse to acknowledge the reality of God's involvement when it comes to persons such as we.

Second, notice that our identity exists prior to conception in the womb. God knows us before this all takes place and further He has a plan for our lives -- "the days fashioned for me." But the plan was in place before the days came to pass!

Third, this marvelous plan is centered in God's own Son, the Lord Jesus Christ -- "..He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world.." The plan and purpose God has for each human life existed prior to the creation of this mighty universe and the earth which is a minute particle of that universe! Since Jesus sacrificed His life on behalf of every human being, that means God has something special for each human being by way of purpose.

Since we are not fashioned to be robots, God has given us the power to choose how it will be with us in this world as we move steadily toward eternity and giving an account to Him when life has ended for us on this earth. We can choose to respond to His gift of eternal life given through His Son, or reject it -- which is the choice of the vast majority living in this world at the present time.

A lot of horrible things take place in this world on a 24/7 basis. But at the top of the list of horrible things taking place what can match the intentional mutilation and murder of an unborn child? It ultimately comes down to direct destruction and the nullifying of God's plan for that child in the stages of formation in its mother's womb!

A wise and thinking person would quickly conclude that when you interfere with what God wants to do by way of a deliberate plan -- that is, you demolish that plan, then you are in more trouble than the human mind is capable of comprehending! But in today's world -- wise and thinking people we have too few and foolish unthinking people we have flooding the earth.

A final "confession" on my part -- I get to wondering about this issue in a republic that claims all persons should have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Our "trail of blood" has become a river from nearly 59 million victims (as of 12-01-27). I wonder if God is going to have those unrepentant persons, who were in one way or another involved in this "holocaust," see their victims in eternity in that paradise into which all those victims have entered -- and that while the persons responsible for the deaths of the unborn exist in indescribable torment -- Luke 16 in the New Testament would suggest such a possibility! Anyway, just wondering.

At this stage in time there is no real regret concerning this abomination expressed throughout the nation on the part of elected officials, beginning with the president. Not a few church leaders are rather silent too when it comes to facing the reality of the United States' version of "holocaust!" None of us will want to be within the borders of this republic when God chooses to make His response to this, the greatest of tragedies to take place in our nation's history!

"The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it." --- Jeremiah 18:7-10

Jesus Is More Than Just Another Slice of Pizza in the Box!

2011-12-15T15:57:00.004-05:00

"There are many paths to the top of the mountain!" and "There are many ships that cross the ocean!" are ancient oft quoted statements that claim all religions are equal and no one superior to any other.

I and my family enjoy eating pizza. We have done our share in helping pizza establishments in our area stay in business over time. We have patronized different pizza outlets within a radius of about 10 miles. The common pizza we usually get is one with pepperoni. Once in a while Jean and I will take advantage of Pizza Hut's buffet where you can get a wide variety of stuff for one price and really pig out by choice!

Enough of our personal experiences with pizza and on to the subject at hand. Never has there been a time in which there has been more intense insistence that all religions are legitimate in the claims which each makes in addressing the issues of human life, responsibility, morality, death, and destiny.

It is as if one said that Jesus is just another slice of pizza in the box. I have noticed that when we get pizza in a box that there are some minor differences -- some pieces are a little larger than others and some may have more pepperoni on than others. So you can choose a bigger or smaller piece and if you are really into pepperoni, you pick the piece that has more on it than others.

There are those, including persons within the ranks of professing Christianity, who say that it is up to you to decide the "religion" with which you want to identify -- one is as good as another. And that, of course, includes Christianity. Just pick and choose and should you become dissatisfied, just come back to the religion box and choose another one!

There are still a few of us around who are quite radical on this issue. We maintain that true Christianity is distinctly separate from and far superior to all other religious expressions found in today's world. Another way of saying it is that only Christianity is the true faith and all the others, whether the devotees number but a few dozen or into the millions, are totally false!

The determining factor making the difference is none other than Jesus Christ Himself! While His uniqueness is mentioned repeatedly throughout the New Testament Scriptures, it is in the Gospel of John that His absolute claims concerning Himself are made known and the fact that either He is genuine or if not, then He qualifies as a first class candidate for admission to the nearest institution for those who are mentally deranged!

All the claims He made are very well summed up in two: first, the claim that He is the way, the truth and the life and that no one can come to the Father except through Him and second, the claim that He is the resurrection and the life and those who believe in Him will not die but will live. Critics will jump on that by saying that even Christians die, so Jesus is wrong. The fact is that Christians do not die -- it is a simple experience of moving out of their earthly bodies (described elsewhere in Scripture as a tent) and going into the presence of God. In some cases God has permitted some Christians to tarry a bit at that moment when they are leaving and speak some words of what they see -- past departed loved ones, angels, and even the Lord Jesus Himself! Those two claims of Jesus can be read at John 14 and John 11. But as you go through the Gospel of John, note every statement of Jesus which is preceded with the words, "I am...."

Christianity in its purest expression is uncompromising in stating that Jesus is God revealed in human form Who demonstrated the perfect life lived on earth. But the most significant act in His visit to the planet which He created a long time ago is seen in His sacrificial death on a Roman cross. His death was on behalf of every human born into this world as He paid the penalty for every sin committed by every human being (yes, even for those who follow the many false religions of this world) and made possible total forgiveness and acceptance in the presence of a holy God!

Three days after the crucifixion Jesus was resurrected from the dead and appeared to many people over a 40 day period. Some of His followers saw Him ascend back to Heaven and heard angels declare that this same Jesus Who had been taken from them would return in like manner at some point in the future. We are now a little over 2,000 years closer to His return than when that statement was first made!

No other religion outside of Christianity has anything that even begins to remotely resemble what the Christian faith is all about and the One in Whom it is centered -- a Savior Who paid the price of the sins of the entire human race through the sacrifice of Himself willingly ("No man takes my life from me -- I lay it down and I take it up again!" - also found in Gospel of John) and His subsequent victory in resurrection from the dead!

Becoming a Christian is, however, a conditional experience. We are called to repent of our sins -- that is, to abandon our sinful ways, and to receive Jesus into our lives by invitation with the intent that we seek to be obedient to Him for the rest of our lives here on earth. This results in being "born again" as mentioned in John 3 of the Gospel. It is a new and transformed life that results. One has moved from concentrating on self and the "What I want" way of life to what is it that Jesus wants of me -- how might I please Him each day that I live?

Again, no other religion in the world has anything that begins to compare to this -- it is only experienced in Jesus Christ and nowhere else!

One can be choosy when it comes to the pizza in the box -- you can pick a big slice, or a smaller slice -- one with lots of pepperoni or one with not so much, or even choose to remove all the pepperoni as certain members in our family choose to do. But when it comes to the religion issue -- be sure to choose the one that is centered in Jesus Christ and be assured of a place in His Kingdom forever -- choosing any other is a sure guarantee of ending up in a Devil's Hell! And that is not an opinion on my part, but what Jesus Himself said about the destiny of those who reject Him! Yes, Jesus is more than just another slice of pizza in the box -- He is Savior, Lord, and our soon returning King!

"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. Now everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall." --- Jesus speaking in Matthew 7:21-27

Jerry Sandusky Forgiven?

2011-11-12T13:52:00.003-05:00

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. --- Psalm 32:1, 2

By this time the name, Jerry Sandusky, is familiar to a major segment of our population. Not only is he the primary subject in a sex scandal centered in a very high profile educational institution known as Penn State University, but he is also the focus of ongoing investigation concerning his sexual activities with young boys. Sandusky is also the concentrated focus of mass media news outlets and a hoard of talk shows.

Expressions of outrage have taken many forms, with persons yielding to the temptation to be prosecutor, jury, judge, and delightfully, the executioner! To be sure the allegations against Sandusky, if proven to be true, are abominable to say the least. With a number of victims now on record as having been involved with Sandusky's aggressive homosexuality, it remains for all this to be thrashed out in proper court proceedings.

Notice, I said "aggressive homosexuality" which goes beyond being simply a "predator!" Those who are pushing a sodomite/lesbian agenda in our culture would not want it to be spread around that Sandusky is a sodomite! But what is the definition of a male being involved sexually with other males, no matter what the ages are? If you haven't read the definition lately, look it up for yourself and see what it says.

Is it possible for Jerry Sandusky to experience true forgiveness? There will be those who will adamantly insist that for him forgiveness is not possible, and that he should not be forgiven -- further, he should be consigned to the region of Hell where the temperature is at the highest level possible and the agony the most intense possible!

OK, be that as it may, what about God and being forgiven by Him? There is but one sin that the Bible reveals to be impossible for forgiveness -- it is described as the sin against the Holy Spirit of God which is unpardonable. But what is it? In context in which it is identified, there were those who said Jesus was casting out demons by Beelzebub, the prince of demons. So Jesus mentions this issue and while elaborating on the fact that if He is casting out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom has come unto them. A bit later Jesus says this: "Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men." (Matthew 12:31).

It is the Holy Spirit Who convicts us of our sin, opens our eyes to see that Jesus Christ is the One Who took our sins upon Himself, paid the penalty of those sins by His sacrificial death on the cross, and through Him one can be totally forgiven of all sins upon the condition of repenting of those sins!

But to reject the promptings and conviction brought on by the Holy Spirit is to be guilty of rejecting the only possible way to be forgiven and entrance into God's Heaven when our earthly journey comes to its conclusion! The only other destination is a Hell which was originally designed for Satan and his angels.

Yes, Jerry Sandusky can experience forgiveness from a God Who loved us all so much that He gave His only begotten Son Who was sacrificed on a cross for the sins of the entire human race. But the condition for him is the same as for every sinner who desires to be forgiven of all transgressions -- remorse, regret, seeking forgiveness of those offended, and true repentance in seeking mercy from God. One MUST turn from all known sin and God will grant forgiveness with a miracle taking place -- that of the sinner being reconciled to and accepted by a holy God Who will not tolerate sin in any form!

Forgiveness is always a conditional experience -- if I want God to forgive me, then I must forgive others who have offended me. For those so very directly involved in the Sandusky tragedy, being willing to forgive him will perhaps be the most difficult action some have taken in their entire lives. And it may be that some will say they cannot and will not ever forgive him for such offenses as he allegedly was guilty of doing.

Two statements remind us of the critical nature of experiencing forgiveness:

1. When we pray the Lord's prayer, we come to that part of where we express the desire to be forgiven and we say, "Forgive us our trespasses..." Most agree that we are guilty of committing "trespasses." But then we go on and say, "...as we forgive those who trespass against us." Do you see an explicit condition here?

2. Jesus was extremely clear on this subject when He said, "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." (Matthew 6:14, 15).

The fall out in regard to the scandal involving Jerry Sandusky and other Penn State personalities will continue for some time. The trial will be extremely high profile with the mass media milking it for all it is worth. A big bunch of those in mass media work seem to take great delight in sensationalizing such happenings. This is a disaster of the first magnitude.

But the main issue the mass media will not at all discuss will be the issue of forgiveness. Forgiveness as it applies to Jerry Sandusky and all who have been impacted by his past behavior patterns.

"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." --- Matthew 6:14, 15

Outlaw Professional Lobbying!

2011-10-18T05:40:00.002-04:00

Facebook extends tentacles into D.C., forms political action committee --- recent internet news headline

For quite some time organized lobbying has become a devastating curse in our republic. All PACs (Political Action Committees) should be outlawed. It ought to be considered a criminal act for a person to be paid high wages plus outlandish perks for engaging in activity which attempts to influence elected officials to vote on matters that are highly favorable to a certain group of individuals but not so to others.

There are solid reasons why professional lobbying and persons paid for engaging in such should be charged with committing criminal acts.

1. Professional lobbying is basically a very selfish activity and cannot qualify as being highly ethical in nature. A group pays one or more individuals to influence congressional members' votes in their favor. The view is simply this: "We should have top priority and be given first consideration when it comes to legislation that will affect us one way or another. Other people outside our group do not matter - we do not care in the least what happens to them -- we are first in line and our cause should be given first consideration before anything else!"

2. Many persons who have served in the Congress have ended up in intense lobbying activity. There was effort to restrict how soon a person after leaving office could engage in professional lobbying activity. But who knows how much money has gone under the table as one waits out the time limits until being able to become a professional lobbyist with all the advantages and connections such a position offers!

3. Professional lobbying blunts and often obliterates entirely the efforts of private citizens to make appeals to their elected representatives regarding impending legislation. The "group" (in whatever form it may exist) becomes the priority due to influence and financial support. The private citizen does not have that kind of clout when it comes to influencing an elected official.

Lobbying should be strictly limited to the private citizen and his/her personal appeals to elected officials by phone, letter, email, personal visit to the official's office, etc. Citizens certainly have the right to unite in their efforts in exerting influence in regard to legislation but the line is drawn at paying huge sums of money to individuals whose only job is to run up and down the halls of buildings containing offices of elected officials and seek to influence the outcome of pending legislation!

It is very obvious that in the realm of lobbying activity there has been an intentional rejection of what is required for government to function at its greatest and very best for the health and ongoing survival of our republic. Jesus Christ, Who created this world a long, long time ago, said it this way:

"If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what advantage is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels." --- Luke 9:23-25

Will there come a time when professional lobbying will cease to exist? Will there be a time when not one person is paid lavish wages and "perks" for the sole purpose of influencing the votes of elected officials in favor of certain organized groups? Highly unlikely so long as present conditions continue politically -- money is the name of this game and the stakes are very high! It is best viewed as one views a patient with cancer in its terminal stages! There will eventually be an end to it, but it will require God's direct intervention to bring about such a desired result as that!

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! --- 2 Timothy 3:1-5

When Cross and Crescent Meet???

2011-09-09T18:08:00.004-04:00

"....let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.' Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." --- Apostle Peter speaking in Acts 4:10-12

"When Cross and Crescent Meet" is the title of a recent article in The Interpreter, a United Methodist Church publication. The cover featured a photo of a group of Muslim women having prayers at Heartsong United Methodist Church in Cordova TN. Imposed on the photo was the title of the article which details how United Methodists and Muslims in some areas have been getting together.

The central issue is whether a United Methodist Church is to permit any kind of activity whatsoever to take place within its walls, or is there a line to be drawn and a "No!" to be addressed to certain individuals or groups wanting to use the premises?

We pretty well know what the response would be if a group wanted to use the church for a beer party or someone wanted to turn the church into a brothel for an evening with some prostitutes on site doing business! Then again, with changing standards the past few years and the unthinkable now being acceptable, who knows what might happen further down the road?

The United Methodist Church Book of Discipline does contain information as to how a United Methodist Church is to be used. The basic standard is that no individual or group which advocates doctrines and teachings that conflict with the doctrines of the Christian faith should be permitted to use the premises of a local United Methodist Church.

The trust clause of each UMC underscores the fact that the property is to be used in such a manner as to honor God through His Son, Jesus Christ, as Savior and Lord. This is basic in our faith. Those who practice a lifestyle and adopt doctrines contrary to the mission and purpose of The United Methodist Church forfeit the right to make use of UMC property.

The picture of Muslim women having a prayer time in a United Methodist Church is in violation of stated use and purpose of a United Methodist Church. It is highly doubtful that they are praying to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob through the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is God revealed in human form!

This is not to say that they are not welcome to attend a United Methodist Church worship service or other functions taking place within the church. The view must always be that these are people for whom Jesus Christ died on a cross to make forgiveness of sin possible. The motive must be to reach out in love to these folk in the name of our Lord Jesus but at same time not to convey the idea that their "religion" is as valid as Christianity. It definitely is not.

However, there are those who take the position that other religious expressions in the world are legitimate when it comes to addressing the issues of life, its purpose, and its eternal destiny. So, in that view, bring in whoever has some kind of deity or combination of deities (Hindu) and let them worship the same in a United Methodist Church, in spite of violating the standards for proper use of United Methodist Church property!

Christianity is a very radical faith when honestly viewed in light of Jesus' statements about Who He is and why He came into the world. The Gospel of John lists a number of His statements that begin with "I am..." In examining these claims one is forced to admit that Jesus allows for no other person or deity to do for us humans what He does. It is quite well summed up in His statement in John 14:6 -- "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Not even Allah is given consideration here.

But equally radical is Jesus' statement about honoring God. Think a bit upon this one: "For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life." (John 5:22-24).

Only God is to be honored -- but when you honor Jesus, you are honoring God. On the other hand, if Jesus is merely a human being and nothing more, then to worship and honor Him is a vain and deadly act in which to engage.

All who claim to be Christian in faith also have to settle the issue of Jesus' parting commandment to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. Those who respond are to be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. That commandment has not been rescinded. That means that all citizens in this world are to be confronted with the call to repent of sin and receive Jesus as Savior and Lord of their lives. There are Muslims who have become Christian in faith, though in many instances at a very high price. Likewise it is so with other religious expressions. I have a pastor friend in India who was a Hindu before becoming a Christian. In his congregation are persons who formerly were Hindus and Muslims, but are now dedicated Christians.

Muslims acknowledge the fact that historically, Jesus did really exist. They regard Him as a prophet but that is it. In fact He does not rank as high as Mohammed in their list of prominent persons in the world of Islam.

What to expect in the future? There are and will be the efforts to sit down to the table and "dialog" about religious issues. Again, the assumption will be that all participants have a legitimate claim to addressing the issues of life, its purpose and its eternal destiny.

So that leaves one who professes to be Christian in faith with a very critical question -- are these who are traveling the road of "dialog" right, or is Jesus Christ correct when He claims to be the exclusive way of salvation and hope -- absolutely the one and only, thus shutting out Allah, Vishnu, Shiva, and all other deities in whatever form they exist?

The Crescent must bow down before the Cross -- that is, if there is to be any hope for time and eternity! And why is this? Consider seriously and honestly the following statement and then do the same with Jesus' parting commandment when He left the surface of this planet 2,000 years ago........

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. --- Philippians 2:9-11

Then Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. --- Matthew 28:18-20

Shaking Things Up a Bit!

2011-08-23T16:10:00.005-04:00

"Earthquake Rattles Parts of Eastern US -- The magnitude 5.9 quake was centered some 90 miles from the nation's capital. Parts of the Pentagon, White House & Capitol were among the areas evacuated." --- Headline as it appeared on MSN.com during the afternoon of August 23, 2011

I got home from a doctor's appointment about 3:30 PM. Jean said the weirdest thing had happened around 2 PM -- for a little bit the house "quivered" as she described it in her words. But while at the doctor's office I noticed nothing as I was going through some testing of my eyes.

The news began to flow about the quake being centered in VA and as the headline mentioned, Washington DC is about 90 miles north of the center. But other places located some distance away also felt the quake's activity.

Cable news channels will be saturated about this recent happening and may even crowd out for a time at least what is happening in Libya as the rebels take over Tripoli, Gadafi's "stronghold."

Again, a most appropriate question can be asked -- God has been speaking in a wide variety of ways, but is anyone really listening? More importantly, to what extent is real honest soul-searching taking place and thoughts such as "We need to repent of our wickedness and seek God through His Son, Jesus Christ!"

Jesus, the foremost Authority on human behavior and how to properly relate to God in a positive manner, gave a detailed body of information as to how things would go in the latter times of human history as we see it being presently played out.

Our nation and the entire world are in for a shocking and dramatic change at some point in the future. Before that happens, it will seem that the entire world is in a state of convulsions on a repeat basis. The very structure of the earth will come under great pressure and strain. When the pressure is relieved at certain places, earthquakes will be the result. They may be rather large in magnitude or barely noticable.

Jesus mentioned earthquakes as being one of the indicators that His personal return to this world is drawing near. As He stated it, the earthquakes will be in many different places. This allows for such happenings to take place beyond the traditional "ring of fire" where earthquakes are more common. The "ring of fire" takes in the western coastal areas of South and North America, extending up toward Alaska and then curving down along the eastern coastal areas of the Asian continent into the southern Pacific area. In fact, there is an allowance for an earthquake to take place in areas that have not recorded one in recent memory!

Are you ready for more shake-ups in the days ahead? Perhaps one way of looking at this is to remember that God is just warming up -- we haven't seen anything yet!

When was the last time you had a good talk with God about things over which you are deeply concerned, including what the future holds?

And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows." --- Matthew 24:4-8

Will the "Plan" Really Work?

2011-08-18T19:01:00.006-04:00

"Obama's plan: New Jobs proposals" --- headline for news article on August 18, 2011

One report mentions about "unemployment north of 9 percent" and the fact that there has been no incumbent president in recent times who has won a second term with the jobless rate near such a level as that. But with election fraud a very real and powerful possibility due to use of electronic voting machines it may not really matter if there is even a 10 or 11 percent rate or more in unemployment!

Will the O "plan" really work is the question. The answer is an obvious "No!"

First, a significant reason is that our republic is exhibiting a high level of defiance against the laws and principles which Almighty God has revealed to be absolutely necessary for peace, prosperity, power, prestige, and positive prospects for the future.

Elected officials, beginning with the president, have provided no evidence that they are seriously concerned about seeking the will of God not just in regard to their personal lives, but also in regard to the health and future survival of our republic. Anyone with a bit of sensitivity to God's special revelation is aware that the will of God must always be a top priority issue -- to ignore it is to invite furture disaster of unprecedented dimensions. The ruins and remnants of past civilizations provide explicit testimony of this fundamental truth!

However, the primary reason the "plan" is doomed from the beginning is the fact that the president with a good degree of support from members of the Congress is an aggressive advocate of the destruction of unborn children. His track record dating back to years in the Illinois legislature is unmistakably clear beyond question on this issue.

No nation with leadership such as that provided by Barack Obama and his supporters will experience the blessing of God nor will that nation have a secure and hopeful future.

The prophet Jeremiah was inspired to make a statement that is largely ignored in personal experience as well as in collective experience such as in the affairs of government. It likewise is too often ignored in church issues as well. Jeremiah said:

"O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps." --- Jeremiah 10:23

We shall be hearing a lot about the "plan" in times ahead. But mark it down -- it is doomed to fail UNLESS there is genuine repentance from our national shedding of innocent blood, entrenched idolatry, pandemic sexual immorality, intentional and widespread profaning of the day of worship, deadly indoctrination of the young in regard to our origins, etc.

At this point in time the prevailing spirit is quite similar to a time of long ago in which a nation of people shared a common viewpoint as graphically described by the prophet Isaiah:

And in that day the Lord GOD of hosts called for weeping and for mourning, for baldness and for girding with sackcloth. But instead, joy and gladness, slaying oxen and killing sheep, eating meat and drinking wine: "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!" Then it was revealed in my hearing by the LORD of hosts, "Surely for this iniquity there will be no atonement for you, even to your death," says the Lord GOD of hosts. --- Isaiah 22:12-14

A line from the works of the poet, Robert Burns, reads: "The best-laid schemes o' mice an 'men / Gang aft agley," An American translation words it like this: "The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry." Keep that in mind in the times ahead as the "plan" is implemented!

Moreover Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, besides his sin with which he made Judah sin, in doing evil in the sight of the LORD. --- 2 Kings 21:16

Does An Old Man of 78 Years Have Any Real Future?

2011-08-09T15:09:00.006-04:00

Clayton D. Harriger was born on August 5, 1933 to Russell & Helen (Sedgwick) Harriger at a farm house in Monroe Township in Clarion County, Pennsylvania.

I just recently celebrated my 78th birthday. Since I am on Facebook, my birth date was common knowledge among the many friends I have through this social network. I received a large number of greetings from not only friends and relatives here in the United States, but from many who live in nations outside the U. S. as well. For all these well wishes extended to me I am extremely grateful. I regret that I was not able to respond personally to each one of those greetings. So at this time I am stating my heart felt gratitude for all who took time to post some words and wishing me a happy birthday.

It was a good day and a relaxing one. There was no party and that was quite OK. I am at the age now where parties do not have the meaning they used to have in my very young years. I remember especially one my mother arranged for me when I was about 8 or 9 years of age. It was a surpise and quite a few friends came with gifts which were exciting to open. That special day was indelibly stamped into my memory.

But now, on to the question asked at the beginning - does an old man of 78 years have any real future? I have witnessed drastic changes in the nation and the world during the seven decades plus that I have lived. Science has developed many advances in many fields which have enhanced our living conditions. Going to the dentist, for instance, isn't quite the agony it used to be. At that young age to which I referred a moment ago, going to the dentist meant you would not receive novocaine for drilling out and filling a cavity. The drill was a slow speed piece of equipment which I referred to as the "grinder!" The pain could be sheer torture and added to that was the stink when the smoke began to roll as the dentist just kept on drilling and drilling -- no spray of water applied either during the process!

Anyway, developments and inventions of a wide variety have helped to make life a better quality experience over time.

But on the other hand the standards of morality, ethics, and spirituality have horribly deteriorated over time as well. Scandals among high profile persons in our culture are becoming quite common place. The two primary driving forces in our culture, state and church, are weighed in the balances and found greatly wanting -- to quote a situation from the book of Daniel in the Old Testament of the Bible!

Elected officials in the U. S. government have hatched a "health care plan" which eventually will result in old people being hung out to dry -- one theme in all this is referred to as "cost effectiveness" -- that is, will it be good to treat a person for health needs because it will result in that person living longer and making a further contribution for the improvement of society, or will it be a wasted expenditure because the person in question will not be living very much longer anyway due to age!

There is a cold and calloused attitude developing which essentially says that old people are like parasites in our culture -- they are a drain on finances and take up space, while making absolutely no contribution for the enhancement of society -- they are like a ball & chain and hindering the progress and prosperity of our nation! So it really is best to see them make their exit from this earthly existence as soon as possible!

I am one of those "candidates" that eventually may be "hung out and left to dry" (insert word "die" if you wish). It is amazing how the spirit of Nazi Germany is creeping into our nation and influencing viewpoints and attitudes. Greatest proof is in the bloody trail created by destroying over 53 million unborn children since January 1973 by sanction of the Judicial, Executive, and Legislative branches of the federal government!

Do I have any real future? You thought I would never get to that, didn't you? I answer with an enthusiastic "Yes!" However, my future and high expectations do not rest upon what is going on in Washington DC or in the capitol of the state in which I live, Harrisburg PA. The shenanigans going on in such places as those offer no hope whatsoever, The Bible informs us clearly as to how the manipulative antics of humans in the times preceding the judgment of God will proceed.

My hope rests upon the Person and promises of Jesus Christ, the living Son of God. I was and am not worthy of such love and mercy as He has shown to me. I was not yet born when the apostle Paul said that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners -- and then he added, "... of whom I am chief!" I would have to say to Paul, "Get behind me and be second in line -- I'll take the place of being the 'chief' of sinners!"

Jesus died an agonizing, tortuous death on the cross -- in so doing, He paid the penalty leveled against me for every sin of which I have been guilty in my entire lifetime. And he did the same for you, dear reader. I repented of my sins, asked His forgiveness, and received Him as Savior and Lord into my life many years ago. My life has been far from perfect since that miraculous moment many years ago -- but where I have failed, He has been gracious to forgive and restore me to fellowship with Him on a daily basis!

My hope is not only centered in Him as Savior and Lord, but also in the prospect of His personal return to this chaotic planet to take control of human affairs. What a day that will be. I got so excited one time about this that I wrote a blog piece discussing the wonderful fact that a great day is coming -- all government officials will be out of a job, including those in the U.S. -- if it is still around at that time! Jesus Christ will be in total charge as He establishes His Kingdom over the whole world.

One of many promises concerning this future event upon which I stand is found in Revelation 11:15 which explicitly declares: "Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, 'The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!'"

Yes, it is an ever present reality that an old man can have a rock solid hope for the future as he views the shifting sands of the nations and present governments of this world -- a hope that extends beyond the very limited things of time into eternity itself where the perfect trouble-free environment exists as established by One Who holds the title, "King of kings and Lord of lords!"

But until that hope of which I speak becomes a reality in this world, I shall continue to fulfill the calling God gave me to preach and teach His holy Word, bearing witness in whatever way possible that Jesus is "..the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father but through Him." (John 14:6).

Where is your hope centered today?

By You I have been upheld from my birth; You are He who took me out of my mother's womb. My praise shall be continually of You. I have become as a wonder to many, but You are my strong refuge. Let my mouth be filled with Your praise and with Your glory all the day. Do not cast me off in the time of old age; do not forsake me when my strength fails. For my enemies speak against me; and those who lie in wait for my life take counsel together, saying, "God has forsaken him; pursue and take him, for there is none to deliver him." O God, do not be far from me; O my God, make haste to help me! Let them be confounded and consumed who are adversaries of my life; let them be covered with reproach and dishonor who seek my hurt. But I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more. My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness and Your salvation all the day, for I do not know their limits. I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD; I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only. O God, You have taught me from my youth; and to this day I declare Your wondrous works. Now also when I am old and gray-headed, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come. Also Your righteousness, O God, is very high, You who have done great things; O God, who is like You? You, who have shown me great and severe troubles, shall revive me again, and bring me up again from the depths of the earth. --- Psalm 71:6-20

Will The United Methodist Church Capitulate to the Sodomite/Lesbian Agenda?

2011-07-15T20:33:00.009-04:00

Out of concern for the welfare of all God’s people, and, out of special concern for the people of The United Methodist Church, we, United Methodist Bishops – retired, believe The United Methodist Church should remove the following statement from The Book of Discipline (2008):

“…The practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching. Therefore self-avowed practicing homosexuals are not to be certified as candidates, ordained as ministers, or appointed to serve in The United Methodist Church.” ¶304.3 ............

[Clayton D. Harriger is an ordained elder in The United Methodist Church, a member of the Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference and author of the following comments.]

It's a well known fact -- the old oak tree may be huge -- the trunk may be at least 15 feet or more in circumferance -- but if you keep chopping away and the chips keep falling, the tree will topple eventually!

And so it goes in the United Methodist Church. For some time those supporting the sodomite/lesbian agenda have been zealously at work to force full acceptance of unrepentant sodomites and lesbians into the life and ministry of the denomination. One central focus of attack has been the statement in the UMC Book of Discipline that states homosexuality to be incompatible with Christian teaching.

Other areas of attack have been the statements dealing with ordination of those who practice this abominable lifestyle and the performing of ceremonies which join 2 sodomites or 2 lesbians in a "union" that is supposed to be comparable to the marriage of a man and a woman.

The political posturing has been taking place for some time in anticipation of General Conference which will be held in spring of 2012.

Noted at the beginning is a partial statement from a gang of retired United Methodist bishops (term used very loosely) who are pressing for acceptance of unrepentant sodomites and lesbians without any objection whatsoever. The "bishops" signing that declaration are: Sharon Z. Rader, Donald A. Ott, Beverly Shamana, C. Joseph Sprague, Melvin G. Talbert, S. Clifton Ives, Joe A. Wilson, William Lewis, Forrest Stith, Susan Morrison, Susan Hassinger, Judy Craig, Dale White, William Boyd Grove, C. P. Minnick, Kenneth L. Carder, Roy I. Sano, Joe Yeakel, Kenneth Hicks, Joseph Humper, Monk Bryan, Jesse DeWitt, Jack Tuell, J. Lloyd Knox, Charles W. Jordan, J. Lawrence McCleskey, Marshall L. Meadors, Jr., Franz Schafer, Sheldon Duecker, Fritz Mutti, Cal McConnell, and Leontine T. C. Kelly. Not all signed that statement -- at least one did not and that was Bishop George Bashore who retired a few years ago after serving the Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference. However, in the list of those signing is the name of William Boyd Grove who is originally from the Western Pennsylvania Conference and served in that conference before being elected to the office of bishop.

From out of Illinois has come a pledge on the part of 200 U. M. clergy to flout church policy and bless "unions" for same-gender couples who seek to be "united" in the same. Further, it has been reported that United Methodists in the Northern Illinois Conference called on the global church to impose no more than a 24-hour suspension for clergy who defy the policy of the United Methodist Church regarding same-gender union ceremonies!

Should we be surprised? With the stench of Illinois and Chicago politics greatly impacting Washington DC, it follows that the U. M. Church in Illinois would demonstrate it too is very capable of tolerating corruption of the first magnitude!

A female U. M. pastor this past June was found guilty for performing a "union" ceremony for 2 lesbians. The trial court really came down hard on her for this violation -- she was suspended for 20 days! There are more details as to what she has to do in writing a document along with discussions etc. in preparation for next year's annual conference. The Board of Ordained Ministry and the bishop have certainly bent more than 90 degrees backward to accomodate Amy DeLong, and of course she continues to do pastoral work as an ordained elder in her conference. Is this akin to laying your pinky lightly across her wrist and saying, "You naughty, naughtly girl -- now please, if you can find it within yourself, try not to do this again."

United Methodist pastor, Michael Gray, is in the heart of the effort to get a referendum on the ballot in Maine which will legalize marriage between same-gender couples. He supported the effort back in 2009 which was eventually overturned. He claims most of his congregation supports marriage between same-gender couples.

Six states have now legalized marriage for sodomites and lesbians which means U. M. pastors in those states will really be under pressure to do weddings involving such persons.

The above situations are but merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the ferment taking place within the United Methodist Church. Will 2012 be the year that significant changes are made and the door is opened quite a bit wider for unrepentant sodomites and lesbians with same-gender sexual intimacy no longer regarded as "incompatible with Christian teaching?"

One very effective strategy being used by the sodomite/lesbian agenda people is the "dialog." This is where you sit down at the table and discuss your differences with participating parties agreeing to respect one another and to refrain from any negative references to those holding an opposite position on the issue. Too many claiming to be "conservative" and believers in the Scriptures have fallen into this trap. It makes for good publicity and in order to "get along, we go along" even in our dialog experiences! Remember the old oak tree -- dialog advances and more chips are taken out of the old tree's trunk.

There is talk of a split in the UMC over this issue. There are those who strongly support such action. But really, it will do little good. The sodomite/lesbian cartel would not be content with a split -- they want universal unquestioned acceptance on the part of every person who is a part of the UMC -- laity and clergy alike!

Any who refuse to accept this abominable lifestyle have already been labeled in the most negative terms that can be dredged out of Mr. Webster's dictionary, starting with the word, homophobic.

How very real are the words of Jesus in these times as He warned that conditions would duplicate those which existed in a city named Sodom when a godly, but tormented, man by the name of Lot lived there. Unfortunately Lot paid an extremely high price for the deadly choice of moving into that city with his family.

Those who believe God has clearly established the boundaries of human sexuality will increasingly become targets of attack in this ongoing moral war. But stand your ground, dig in your heels, and speak up to the end -- victory lies straight ahead. Be comforted in knowing that our Lord will render the final judgment and have the last word!

Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star." And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. And whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming quickly." Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. --- Revelation 22:14-21

Only One Nation Has a Bright Future Absolutely Guaranteed!

2011-07-12T16:38:00.006-04:00

Thus says the LORD of hosts: "In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, 'Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.'" --- Zechariah 8:23

A large number of U. S. citizens along with their leaders, political and church, hold to the United States having a great future in spite of some aggravating issues in which the republic presently finds itself. The grand deception lies in the fact that a majority sincerely believe we as a nation can successfully work through all the issues, solve the problems, and usher in a time of great economic prosperity. This in spite of God's revelation showing us with crystal clarity that without God's grace, mercy and guidance we cannot possibly succeed in our efforts.

But there is a time coming when one nation will achieve all that others have failed to gain through centuries of time. And among the nations who have failed is one known as the United States of America! Israel is that nation which is destined to have that very bright future, standing all alone in the glory which God has reserved for it.

Isaiah 60 is but one of a number of chapters in Scripture that speak of Israel's future and that of its prominent city, Jerusalem. God is going to bring about some very shocking changes at some point in the future regarding the Israelite people and their nation.

First, there will be a time of paramount prosperity for Israel and that coming about in a most unusual way:

Arise, shine; For your light has come! and the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. "Lift up your eyes all around, and see: they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be nursed at your side. Then you shall see and become radiant, and your heart shall swell with joy; because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you. Surely the coastlands shall wait for Me; and the ships of Tarshish will come first, to bring your sons from afar, their silver and their gold with them, to the name of the LORD your God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because He has glorified you. The sons of foreigners shall build up your walls, and their kings shall minister to you; for in My wrath I struck you, but in My favor I have had mercy on you. Therefore your gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day or night, that men may bring to you the wealth of the Gentiles, and their kings in procession." --- Isaiah 60:1-5, 9-11

Second, there will be a time of prominent prestige with foreign nations being in servitude to Israel -- seems impossible that it will ever happen, but when God has said it will be, then when the time is right it will happen exactly as God has planned:

"For the nation and kingdom which will not serve you shall perish, and those nations shall be utterly ruined. The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the cypress, the pine, and the box tree together, to beautify the place of My sanctuary; and I will make the place of My feet glorious. Also the sons of those who afflicted you shall come bowing to you, and all those who despised you shall fall prostrate at the soles of your feet; and they shall call you The City of the LORD, Zion of the Holy One of Israel. Whereas you have been forsaken and hated, so that no one went through you, I will make you an eternal excellence, a joy of many generations. You shall drink dry the milk of the Gentiles, and shall milk the breast of kings; you shall know that I, the LORD, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob." --- Isaiah 60:12-16

Third, it will be a time of stable and solid security for a people described as being "righteous:"

"Violence shall no longer be heard in your land, neither wasting nor destruction within your borders; but you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise. The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you; but the LORD will be to you an everlasting light, and your God your glory. Your sun shall no longer go down, nor shall your moon withdraw itself; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and the days of your mourning shall be ended. Also your people shall all be righteous; they shall inherit the land forever, the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, that I may be glorified. A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation. I, the LORD, will hasten it in its time." --- Isaiah 60:18-22

Israel will continue to go through very difficult and trying times for a while. For the most part the nation is in a state of unbelief in regard to Jesus Christ being the Messiah, the Savior and Hope in regard to the future. But the time will come when eyes will be opened and hearts will earnestly seek Him in a spirit of repentance. A nation much despised and hated to the extent that some wanted to totally destroy it will be the only one to arrive eventually at world prominence and to be dominant over all other nations!

For Christians, the responsibility remains as always -- to be involved in every way possible in carrying out the command of Jesus to take the Gospel into all the world, bearing witness to the fact that He is exclusively the only way of forgiveness, and reconciliation to God the Father. If one is going to experience salvation, it will only be through Jesus Christ and no other!

But there is another thing Christians can also be doing -- praying for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6, 7) and giving God no rest until He makes Jerusalem a praise throughout all the earth:

I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem, who shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the LORD, do not keep silent, and give Him no rest till He establishes and till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth. --- Isaiah 62:6, 7

I am fully aware that there are various interpretations regarding reference to Israel in the Scriptures and the church having in a sense "replaced" Israel so far as future events are concerned. Personally, I prefer to take it the way God has spelled it out and that under the terms of the covenant made originally with Abraham, Israel is the only nation to have a very bright future! And why is this? The answer is very simple -- because God has promised it will be so!

Now the LORD had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."..............On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: "To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates; the Kenites, the Kenezzites, and the Kadmonites; the Hittites, the Perizzites, and the Rephaim; the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites." --- Genesis 12:1-3; 15:18-21

235 Years of Independence But The Termites Are Eating the Supporting Timbers!

2011-07-04T14:19:00.007-04:00

"America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great." --- quote from Alexis de Tocqueville who was a French political thinker and historian best known for his Democracy in America (appearing in two volumes: 1835 and 1840) and The Old Regime and the Revolution (1856). In both of these works, he explored the effects of the rising equality of social conditions on the individual and the state in western societies. Democracy in America (1835), his major work, published after his travels in the United States, is today considered an early work of sociology and political science.

First, an explanation of the above photo of a tattered and torn U. S. flag. It was flying by our home and it started to get torn. I didn't replace it right away and after some strong winds, it really got mangled. Jean kept after me to get a new one. So, before doing so, I took a picture as you see above. The reason? I consider it a bit symbolical since the prevailing mood and spirit throughout the republic is one of shredding the holy Scriptures and the U. S. Constitution! It reminds us that our beloved republic is in major need of repair, restoration, and healing in government and church, which are the major forces of influence in any culture.

Our republic is celebrating its 235th birthday today, remembering a special statement that was made known as the Declaration of Independence. There will be lots and lots of celebrations of various kinds in each of the 50 states. Tons of fireworks will be set off in numerous communities and families will have a lot of picnics and their own fireworks experiences as has already taken place in the area where we live. Alcohol will flow like a raging torrent and there will be the accompanying tragedies resulting from such abuse.

After the ashes of the fireworks lie on the ground, the garbage cans are filled with remains from the picnics, and police make their detailed reports related to the tragic incidents involving use of alcohol, the troublesome question to consider is this: is there really very much to celebrate regarding the birthday of our republic?

Yes, we still have a measure of liberty which is at times greatly stressed. Yesterday I was able to get up, and go to church with my wife, Jean. I was able to participate in the worship of Almighty God and to preach with no church leader or politician telling me what and how to preach a message, or that I was not permitted to publicly read portions of the holy Scriptures. Afterward we were able to gather with some members of the family and enjoy a cookout picnic together without any restrictions imposed upon us. Freedom that all too often is taken for granted.

And yes, we can still go to the voting booth and cast our ballots for persons seeking political office in spite of electronic voting which makes election fraud more of a possility than ever before, especially at the state and federal levels!

But the "termites" are at work eating away at the supporting timbers. They are ethical, moral and spiritual in nature. There are some people who believe our republic is headed in a direction that will lead to ultimate disaster unless drastic changes are made soon.

The fact that we have accumulated a national debt that cannot be sustained and each day sees that debt increasing even more is an indication alone that a financial "Armageddon" looms in the future of the republic. Neither Republicans nor Democrats are serious about getting that debt paid down -- worse, they can't even agree on doing some reducing of the annual deficit. Lots of talk but never any serious action on this. And if there is no agreement on tackling the deficit, what chance is there that even a couple of bucks will be applied toward the ever expanding national debt?

Recent years have seen a number of scandals involving high profile religious leaders and political leaders alike. It seems a number of these choose to set their own "rules" for the questionable moral and ethical conduct which they practice! Too often the response when exposed is denial, then maybe a half hearted admission and it is usually somebody else's fault -- you know, we are unwilling to take full responsibility for our actions. High profile sports and entertainment figures could also be added to this growing problem - those who are supposed to be role models and moral examples for our young!

There is a growing acceptance of immoral practices which God clearly condemns in His special revelation to us. This is a barometer indicating that our republic is like a ship in the midst of a storm with its rudder disabled and unable to avoid the rocks along the shoreline. Recently New York state became the 6th state to legalize marriage between two sodomites or two lesbians. Other states are considering this issue and some have already granted "rights" to domestic "partners" as it is in the case of legally married couples (male and female) at the present time.

And of course the destruction of the unborn continues under the sanction of the president, many congressional members and some of the membership of the U.S. Supreme Court which is responsible for the original ruling that it is a constitutional "right" for a female to destroy her unborn child by a deliberate choice. What all of us are overlooking is the fact that God has not yet made a full response to this abomination. When He does, there will be no question that He is in radical disagreement with that Supreme Court decision. He may well make this nation's landscape resemble the mutilated and murdered remains of those unborn children for whom He had a high and holy purpose in life!

The aforementioned issues are but a few of the "termites" eating away at the supporting timbers of our republic. But the last one is the leading "candidate" for inciting the wrath of God more quickly than any other. A culture always commits moral suicide when it adopts a gutter level standard in its regard for human life and leadership takes a position that human life can easily be discarded by whimsical choice!

If Alexis de Tocqueville were to visit the United States today, would his comments be a bit different than what he said in the much younger years of the republic? And might he also say, "America has ceased to be good!"???

Celebrate? The better choice of action is to pray, asking God for mercy and forgiveness, and doing so in the spirit of Daniel who set a noble example for us many centuries ago.

And I prayed to the LORD my God, and made confession, and said, "O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land. O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face, as it is this day; to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those near and those far off in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of the unfaithfulness which they have committed against You. O Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You....." --- Daniel 9:4-8

Did Jesus Really Mean ALL When He Said "All?"

2011-06-28T14:05:00.006-04:00

"Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake." --- Jesus speaking in Matthew 24:9

My daily devotional time involves the reading of the Scriptures and prayer. The Scripture readings take me through the Bible in a year's time -- the Old Testament once and the New Testament twice plus additional readings in the prophets as well as elsewhere. The prayer time involves praise and thanksgiving as based on Psalm 103. There is a time of confession, personal petition, and intercession.

One part of intercession involves prayer for those who are in governing authority and church leadership authority. But more important than that is prayer on behalf of brothers and sisters whose faith is centered in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Unknown to me but certainly known to God are those fellow believers who are suffering bitter and violent persecution for their faith in some countries in this world. There are families who grieve this day because some member or members of a family have been put to death for no other reason than the fact that they were followers of Jesus Christ and faithful ambassadors for Him (2 Cor 5). The Voice of the Martyrs is an excellent source of information on how Christians are treated in some parts of this troubled world. Our prayer list at our church in Gipsy includes a reference to praying for those fellow believers who are suffering violent persecution.

There are some countries that have built a "reputation" for being very hostile toward Christianity and those who are Christian in faith and commitment. China, North Korea, and many Muslim controlled countries are examples. Try building a church that preaches the Gospel of Jesus Christ and do evangelism in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, or Iran and see how far you get!

This should not really be surprising in light of statements made by Jesus. He explicitly revealed that His followers would undergo persecution. Since He became the target of resistance and open hostility it stands to reason that those who follow HIm will experience similar treatment at times. He confirmed this by stating,

"If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." --- John 15:18, 19

The Greek word in the original text (miseo) as translated "hate" (John 15:18, 19) means to detest, especially to persecute. Followers of Jesus Christ are "light" and "salt" in this present world (Matthew 5:13-16) The world (great mass of unbelievers) does not want to be exposed to the glaring light of truth nor does it want to be resisted (salty Christians) in its acceptance and practice of evil in its many forms. The reaction will always be hostility, if not violent persecution.

So, when Jesus said hatred toward His followers would involve ALL nations (Matthew 24:9) did He really mean all? The Greek word for "all" in that reference is pas and has the following meaning -- "all, any, every, the whole."

Now comes the interesting part -- how about the United States? Could it be the exception? If so, then that makes Jesus out to be a liar. There are a few of us who not only acknowledge Him as Savior and Lord, but as perfect God revealed in human form on the planet which He created. As such, He only speaks truth on any and every occasion.

There has been a growing hostility against Christianity even in "the land of the free and the home of the brave" in recent decades particularly. The fierce debate continues over the Supreme Court decision that banned the reading of Scriptures and the practice of prayer in public classrooms. There are professing Christians who support the decision and state that it is a good thing. Was it really? Is the country in a more superior spiritual, moral and ethical condition now as a result of that decision than it was at the time the decision was handed down? Honesty would dictate that the answer is a definite "No!" and the Supreme Court decision was nothing less than a slap in the face of Almighty God Himself!

Other court decisions have demonstrated an explicit hostility toward Christianity with perhaps the most infamous one being the decision in 1973 stating that it is a constitutional "right" for a female to destroy her unborn child by an intentional choice! One critical thing to remember -- of the over 52 million victims of the United States' "holocaust," there would have been those who would have received Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, but due to being mutilated and murdered before birth, they never had that opportunity. Hostility against potential Christians in its most horrendous form, is it not?

We can expect increased "warfare" being waged against Christians in the United States as time moves on. That is, the target will be those who still believe that the inspired record known as the Bible is totally true and to be practiced in every day living. There is a problem, however, and that is those persons who claim to be Christian but who have compromised on issues of morality and ethics and do not accept the Bible as the final authority on matters of faith and practice -- to these, the Bible is but a fallible book merely produced by some human beings! And you, the individual, become the final judge as to what you want to accept or reject. Above all else, be sure to do everything you can to silence those fanatics who insist that the Bible is God's inspired Word and Jesus Christ is the exclusive way of forgiveness, salvation and hope for time and eternity!

"Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! for indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets." --- Jesus speaking in Luke 6:22, 23

Memories of Dad!

2011-06-21T19:56:00.003-04:00

Picture of Russell F. Harriger with daughter, Connie, and son, Clayton, about the year, 1940, on a rented farm in Monroe Township, Clarion County, Pennsylvania.

Russell F. Harriger was of German and Dutch ancestry. I have always been thankful that the last name was "Americanized" because, having seen the original, I know I probably would not be able to pronounce it and would certainly struggle to spell it.

My dad had those qualities that are too often sadly missing in today's world and the quality of life in our culture often reflects the reality of that in these very unsettled times.

From my earliest memory of dad I learned quickly that he was a hard worker at anything he ever did. His dream was to own his own farm and the hard work eventually paid off. The picture above was taken on the farm that he and my mother rented for a time. Then they entered into an agreement with a cousin of dad to live on the cousin's farm. This happened during the WW II years. The rented farm had no electricity. Our lights were gas with what was called a mantle attached over the fixture. They created a kind of eerie glow while ignited. We did not have a radio. There was no indoor plumbing. When we moved into the house on the cousin's farm we had electricity, a radio, and a hand pump at the sink for drawing water.

During this time my dad was working on the section gang of the New York Central Railroad. His dream was still to buy and own his own farm. Finally early in 1946 it happened -- my folks had managed to save enough money to make a down payment and get the farm. It was the one they originally had rented. The price paid for that farm was $4,600.00. We moved back into a house that now had electricity and a water pump system. But there was no bathroom. The bath was still taken in a galvanized tub and the little "outhouse" was where you went for "relief." Out of date Sears & Roebuck catalogs provided our toilet paper in abundance. Montgomery & Ward also assisted in maintaining this important inventory!

My dad was a man of honesty and deep conviction when it came to issues of right and wrong. He was definitely a "black and white" person -- there was no hazy gray area when it came to issues with him -- it was clearly right or clearly wrong and he would never compromise on his convictions.

He was also quite clear as to his stand on political issues. He believed that every citizen should vote and he did so in every election he could.

Dad was a man of faith and believed in prayer. He always said the prayer before we ate our meals. He and my mother were deeply involved in our church in a variety of ways. Dad did confess that he could never teach a Sunday School class, but when it came to manual work that needed done in some form around the church, he would be there and always ready to go to work.

He had a sense of humor and it was the kind that could be shared in mixed company without embarrassment. He had no time for the off color brand and was never amused when someone may dredge something up out of the gutter. He also never used foul language of any kind. In fact I never heard him use expressions that have their roots in profanity such as "dang," "darn," "gosh, "gee," "gee whiz," etc. His language was simple and you had no trouble understanding what he was talking about.

My dad dropped out of school in the sixth grade. And at that young age began working on his dad's farm as well as helping neighbors. He told me once of earning 50 cents a day -- a day that involved long hours. This rate of pay from an uncle involved plowing fields with a team of horses and walking behind a plow! If I recall correctly, he was 13 years of age when he did such work.

About the time I was born my father became a member of the school board for Monroe Township in spite of never having completed even grade school. He continued in that position for some time after I had graduated from high school. A major change took place during those years with the closure of the one room schools in Monroe Township and merger with the Clarion school district. A picture in my high school yearbook shows the school board for that year and my dad was one of the members of that board!

He was a disciplinarian and made clear to my sister and me what was expected of us in terms of behavior. Get out of line and we were punished. Sometimes I learned the hard way -- that when my dad had said how it was to be and I did not listen, I then paid a high price. But I never violated his word again in that area in which I had experienced his "judgment!"

To save money, he bought hair clippers and would cut my hair. He and a cousin would "trade haircuts" as they called it. Each would cut the other's hair on a regular basis. All this went rather well until the time came when the clippers got a bit worn and dull -- then instead of cutting all the hair, some didn't get cut and when he pulled the clippers away, those few hairs got pulled out by the roots! You can understand why I did not look forward to those times when my dad said it was time for a haircut. By that time he was going to a regular barber in Clarion.

His love for us was also demonstrated in many ways time after time. An early memory was when he and mom had gotten me a pair of rubber boots. I was about 4 years old at the time. It was in early spring of the year and our barnyard was really a quagmire. I had to try out the boots -- I waded into the barnyard a few steps and began to sink -- the more I tried to get a foot out, the other went deeper into the mud. In desperation, I cried out and my dad was near enough that he heard that frantic call for help. He came and lifted me out of that mud. What a relief! I have used this from time to time as an illustration as to how Jesus Christ came into this world to rescue us from the quagmire of sin, setting us free and making possible forgiveness and assurance of eternal life with Him forever.

Dad was just a few weeks past the age of 84 when he went to be with the Lord. We felt our loss was Heaven's gain and look forward to the moment when we shall be reunited in the presence of our Lord Jesus forever.

Thanks, dad, for the many ways you were a blessing and an inspiration to my sister and me over the years -- even though there were some of those times we did not recognize you to be the example and teacher you really were. It was only later in time that I recognized you were far more intelligent than I gave you credit for when I was in my rebel teen years.

And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. --- Ephesians 6:4

Too Late to Pray for Our Republic?

2011-06-18T18:45:00.005-04:00

The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, "Stand in the gate of the Lord's house, and proclaim there this word, and say, 'Hear the word of the LORD, all you of Judah who enter in at these gates to worship the LORD!'".......... Therefore do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them, nor make intercession to Me; for I will not hear you." --- Jeremiah 7:1,2, 16

There are two very common assumptions about prayer.

One, that God always hears every prayer. That is, when anyone prays, then God is going to hear and respond to that prayer no matter who is doing the praying and no matter the nature of the request that is submitted.

Two, that God will always be around in a crisis when the time comes in which we need to be "bailed out" -- after all, is God not a God of love and He would never leave us stranded in a time when He is so greatly needed, would He?

Tons of books have been written on the subject of prayer. Further, there seems to be no end to a listing of persons considered to be "specialists" in the realm of prayer in times such as these.

And certainly there has at times been an emphasis upon praying for our republic and its leaders. There are solid Biblical grounds for engaging in such a practice.

However, the Bible also reveals that there are limitations regarding prayer. It's sort of like the proverbial "line drawn in the sand." There can be times when God Himself makes clear the fact that it is useless to pray any longer!

It happened in years just prior to 586 B.C. in the ancient Israelite kingdom of Judah. For the most part God's commandments and standards had been rejected by the religious and political leaders in the kingdom. With that kind of leadership it was simply a matter of time before the majority of the citizens followed the ungodly examples set before them. There was a small remnant which still held to the true faith but the influence of this group could not bring about a miraculous change so that the kingdom again was under the favor and blessing of Almighty God.

Now then, how about the United States of America -- the "land of the free and the home of the brave?" Are we in a postion to effectively call on God with assurance that as a nation we will be abundantly blessed and secure or have we "crossed the line" and if there is a response, it is worded something like this: "Therefore do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will not hear them in the time that they cry out to Me because of their trouble." (Jeremiah 11:14).

There is more than a tad of evidence to suggest that it could be the latter scenario! We continue to destroy thousands of unborn children every week of the year. As of this writing we have mutilated and murdered more than 54 million unborn children since the infamous Supreme Court decision in January of 1973. We are a nation of fools of the first magnitude if we believe that God is not going to respond to this massive shedding of innocent blood for which we are solely responsible!

We continue to follow our idols at a fervent pace with money being the #1 "god" and the pleasure "god" being a close runner-up. Idolatry can take many forms and certainly has done so in our republic over decades of time. It can be an object, a person, or a type of activity and involvement in the same.

Our sexual immorality is practiced at an unprecedented rate and the philosophy that "Sex is fun with anyone, or more than one anyone at the same time, anywhere and at any time!" is being adopted by all ages in U.S. culture. God has in His special revelation to us explicitly shown where the boundaries on human sexuality are drawn. The sacred gift of human sexuality is to be shared and experienced within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman. Search all you want to -- you will not find even a hint that God has enlarged the boundaries to include additional sexual activity of different kinds involving males and females, same gender persons, adults with children and/or animals, or whatever bizarre perversion may enter a person's mind.

We are teaching millions of our young every year that we have evolved from lower life forms over millions and millions of years in time -- go ahead, insert however many millions of years you want to -- does it really make any difference? Perhaps the big difference in the millions of years is whether the forehead is sloped 3/4 inch backward or a mere 1/4 of an inch! Of course this also means that you have no need of a Creator and you are free to make your own "rules" in life with no real accountability after you die. Since it was convenient to ban God from the public classroom, it was also very convenient to deny that we are the focus of an act of creation in the past with a divine purpose and plan for each conceived human being. A godless theory filled the resulting vacuum and we are producing millions of young people who wander about day after day with no meaning to their existence!

And the church at large that claims to be "Christian" in faith has become corrupted over decades of time. The Bible is under assault and its truths denied by apostate renegades. Just a couple of many examples is denying the literal resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead following His crucifixion and that Jesus was indeed God appearing on earth in human form in the 1st Century! The United Methodist Church stresses that it is a "connectional church" due to its organized structure. What isn't recognized is the seriousness of the "infection within the connection." When a church leader says that we need to forget about going to other nations and converting the people to Christianity because they have their own religions and we ought not to interfere with that, then something is terribly wrong in light of Jesus' command to take the Gospel into all the world and confront all nations with His claims and call.

Pray for our republic and expect to be heard? It could happen if certain conditions are met. The main one is that the majority (including political and religious leaders) are willing to pray in a repentant spirit as did Daniel who found himself being carried away from his home and placed in a raw heathen environment known as Babylon! Consider the opening statements of his prayer: "Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. And I prayed to the LORD my God, and made confession, and said, 'O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land.....'" (Daniel 9:3-6).

Anyone up to admitting that we are badly out of step with the Creator of this mighty universe and we are guilty of commonly accepted practices which have caused Him to pour out His undiluted wrath in the past on cultures that committed similar transgressions?

And what is this thing that is said about history repeating itself?

Then the LORD said to me, "Do not pray for this people, for their good. When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them. But I will consume them by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence." Then I said, "Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, the prophets say to them, 'You shall not see the sword, nor shall you have famine, but I will give you assured peace in this place.'" And the LORD said to me, "The prophets prophesy lies in My name. I have not sent them, commanded them, nor spoken to them; they prophesy to you a false vision, divination, a worthless thing, and the deceit of their heart." --- Jeremiah 14:11-14

I Am Sold 100 Per Cent on Marriage!

2011-06-13T06:48:00.008-04:00

"Foreasmuch as Clayton and Jean have consented together in holy wedlock...... I pronounce that they are husband and wife...." --- statements made at conclusion of a wedding ceremony held at Monroe Chapel Methodist Church, south of Clarion PA, on June 13, 1953 by Pastor Paul B. Dunlap.

I confess to a long standing conviction -- I'm 100 per cent sold on marriage for some solid reasons!

First, my life is richer and fuller because of a very special person by the name of Jean who has been my wife for 58 years. That means she has worn many "hats" in her experiences with me over these years. She has been confidant, friend, lover, comforter, supporter, partner, mother of our five children, nurse at times, prayer warrior, and the "always there" person whom I so often needed!

Second, marriage is that very special arrangment in which two persons become as "one." It is a perpetual sharing experience over time. Each day is an open door to new adventures and opportunities. Sometimes the experiences are trying, difficult and painful -- but the comfort is in knowing one is not alone -- the "partner" in this special arrangement is there to share and to give support -- so together, you press on. But there are the blessed times and those numerous occasions of joy and delight which make the painful moments fade away into the valley of insignificance!

Third, this is a great institution because God Himself so arranged it to be. In the book of Genesis we are informed that a man will leave his father and mother and be joined unto his wife and they shall become one flesh (Genesis 2:24). Jesus confirmed that this is how it is to be when it comes to the issue of marriage as He made reference to that early declaration in the book of Genesis -- a man leaving his parents behind and being joined to his wife with the result that they are no longer two, but one in that special union known as marriage (Matthew 19:4-6).

However, in unstable times such as these there are those persons and groups that want to alter this special arrangement which God has clearly established. These are days of "redefinition" and the vain attempt to say that marriage must also include 2 sodomites or 2 lesbians being permitted to marry! There is absolutely no Biblical revelation that permits this to take place. God has explicitly set the boundaries for marriage and sexual expression and experience. Those are limited exclusively to a male and a female within the covenant of marriage.

Yeah, yeah -- I know, such statements as these place me in the category of a Bible-thumping, mean-spirited, homophobic radical. But I can live with that knowing that the day will come when God will have the last word on this issue and will confirm that the arrangement of marriage that He originally revealed through His inspired Word is indeed true.

We are warned that the time would come when there would be those persons who would, by their very conduct and attitudes, cause the earth to become defiled -- "The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant." (Isaiah 24:5).

I'm sold 100 per cent on marriage and the fact that it is limited to one male and one female -- and the best wife I ever had agrees with me on that. We claim that we are living proof by the grace of God revealed in Jesus Christ that it is indeed very true!

And now a PS on that wedding, preceding events, and later ones -- I was on a short leave between my schooling in TN near Memphis and my orders to report to Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station near New Bern NC. We had to get blood tests, apply for marriage license and all those details in a short time. We made it to the court house about 45 minutes on Saturday before it closed to pick up the license. The preacher was about 20 minutes late for the wedding which was scheduled for 8:00 PM. We had a fender-bender accident turning into a motel that was closed for our wedding night and then went back to Clarion to the hotel. Some neighbors surprised us with a serenade on Sunday night. We left early on Monday morning for North Carolina. It was raining in New Bern when we arrived. We got a newspaper and started looking at apartment ads. Found a kind of broken down place and rented it for a while, and set up housekeeping -- a chair collapsed the first time Jean sat in it -- and no, she was definitely not overweight! Anyway, I thank God that in His great mercy and goodness, He arranged for Jean and me to meet, fall in love, (at our home church) and eventually enter into a very special covenant known as marriage reserved exclusively for one male and one female!

Oh, and now a PPS: I heard an unusal tribute to marriage a few years ago -- a man was asked, "If there is such a things as reincarnation, what would you like to come back as in the next life?" Instantly without hesitation the man answered, "My wife's second husband!" Sounds like he was sold on marriage also, does it not?

Finally, a PPSS: A while back I got a card for Jean which was very simple in its design and in the words expressed -- it said this, "I wonder where all the years have gone, but never how else I might have spent them." On this day of June 13, 2011, those words still very much apply!

And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."
--- Matthew 19:4-6

Congressman Anthony Weiner and a Thing Called Ethics!

2011-06-07T09:39:00.006-04:00

Congressman Anthony Weiner (NY) has admitted to sending a lewd photo of himself to a female and to having online "relationships" with other females. First, he denied the photo thing claiming it was the work of hackers -- is such a denial called lying any more -- and now admits to it. Demands that he step down are growing by the day.

The subject of ethics seems to surface and maybe even a call for an "investigation" as to whether rules of the House of Representatives in the U.S. Congress may have been violated when a member of that body is alleged to have engaged in questionable behavior.

The scandals seem to be picking up the pace as time marches on. In recent times high profile persons have been involved in behavior that at least used to be considered a "no-no" for elected officials -- Bill Clinton, Charlie Rangel, John Edwards, Bob Ney, Tom DeLay, Ted Stephens, Newt Gingrich, Arnold Schwarzenegger, to name a few! A friend of mine has accused me of being a bit prejudiced and only picking on a Democratic president while not mentioning the latter two persons because they are professed "conservatives" when it comes to my "tirades" against the moral deficiencies of our nation and its leadership.

For the record, I am a non-affiliated registered voter in Cambria County PA and as for the likes of Gingrich and Schwarzeneggar, I would not vote for them under any circumstance. And if Newt should be the Republican candidate for president in 2012, I will not vote for him -- I may do a write-in if that is the case and write in Beetle Bailey -- he would do a better job anyway! Newt, of course, is regularly featured on Fox News. But a little of Fox News goes a long, long way and at times you wonder if you are not viewing a competitive beauty pageant laced heavily with TV ads and then here and there a bit of "news" inserted!

But, alas, I digress -- on this issue of ethics as it pertains to elected officials. Why even make an issue of it now anyhow. They pretty much do what they want to do -- proof of that is seen in the lavish salaries and perk benefits they have voted and continue to vote for themselves -- just check what they get for retirement alone and the health care benefits they get -- and then some member of the Congress talks about ethics and an "investigation?"

But even worse -- what kind of ethics are we talking about when a president and the members of the U.S. Congress do absolutely nothing about paying down the national debt which is now creeping fast toward 15 trillion dollars. They quibble about reducing the deficit by a piddling amount. That scenario is like trying to plug a small leak in a dam with bubble gum at one end while at the other end the breastworks is breaking away and millions of tons of water are gushing forth to bring death and destruction to all who live in the area below the dam!

What really has happened is that there has been a rejection of the original Book on ethics which is commonly known as the Holy Bible. Some subsequent "man-made rules" on ethics have been devised, but even these are rarely heeded. Once in a blue moon there may be some stirrings and a conviction of some kind, but more often than not, we scheme and connive to "look after our own!" And this is the situation with both Republicans and Democrats.

As I just recently told a friend -- I am personally about fully convinced that the situation in Washington DC is terminal and beyond healing. Likewise it is pretty much the same in the state capitols as well, especially so in Harrisburg PA with about the most cumbersome legislature of any in the entire republic!

As with the ancient kingdom of Judah a few centuries before the birth of Jesus Christ, so it is with us -- we are fast ripening for judgment at the hands of a holy God. Compassionately He has been using events, sounding the warning, and appealing for a return to Him through repentance of all sin (individually and corporately) but the response has been the same as recorded in the 36th chapter of 2 Chronicles -- a thumbs down with a thundering "No!" With leadership such as we have (church and political) how long will it be until the ruins of our culture will be scattered from the Atlantic to the Pacific, on some islands known as Hawaii, and in a frigid area known as Alaska?

Ethics? Who has time to consider such a subject, much less try to implement it into our daily way of life?

Woe to her who is rebellious and polluted, to the oppressing city! She has not obeyed His voice, she has not received correction; she has not trusted in the LORD, she has not drawn near to her God. Her princes in her midst are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves that leave not a bone till morning. Her prophets are insolent, treacherous people; her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law. --- Zephaniah 3:3-4

May 21, 2011 - Another Same Old, Same Old Day in This Chaotic World!

2011-05-21T16:22:00.004-04:00

Harold Camping was able to convince quite a number of people that 11-05-21 was THE DAY Jesus Christ was coming back and judgment was going to take place. --- a myriad of media sources reported on this, especially during the week preceding the "predicted" event!

It is 2:50 PM EDST on May 21, 2011 in Belsano PA USA as this is being written. It appears that Harold C. and his friends are not exactly on target concerning the return of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, to this troubled world. As many pointed out along the way on this unfolding drama, Jesus explicitly said that no one among the human family knows the day nor the hour that He will return to the world which He created a long, long time ago. That moment is known only by God the Father Who knows the end from the beginning. Harold, of course, had an "explanation" as to how he was able to side step this statement by Jesus.

There are at least three primary tragedies in this whole episode:

First, the waste of a huge amount of money spent on the "campaign" is likely unfathomable. Billboards, for instance, were put up all over the place at a cost of more than a tad above $1.98! It is simply impossible to calculate the total amount spent in one way or another in getting the "message" out all over the world that 11-05-21 was indeed THE DAY! Most would probably agree that this gigantic sum could have been spent in a much better way such as helping the poor and needy. It is an example that compares to how our federal government handles money -- just pour it down a rat hole!

Second, the focus on a specific date set for the return of the Son of God diverted attention away from a Christian's primary responsibility. That responsibility is to be involved in every way possible in implementing the parting command of Jesus to go into all the world and share the Gospel with all people in all nations. By implication (and on basis of Jesus' personal claims and demands upon all humans) we are also declaring that all religious expressions apart from Christianity are false and that only Christianity is the true faith -- it is exclusively the only way to know forgiveness and peace with God! This is not personal opinion nor is it vain speculation -- it is solid fact as based on the claims Jesus made regarding Himself and the four demands He set forth which every person must meet if that person is going to know God and be a citizen of His eternal Kingdom.

Third, the subject of Jesus' return to this world is real. But now, after the May 21, 2011 fiasco, references to prophetic Scriptures and the attempt to preach and/or teach on the subject will likely be met with more ridicule and skepticism than ever. God has revealed quite a bit about what to expect in times preceding the return of Jesus to earth. The one thing God has not given us is a specific calendar date and hour on that date when human history as it is now being played out will come to an earth-shaking conclusion.

What to do? Seek direction from the Holy Spirit as to your involvement in carrying out Jesus' command (see His statements in Matthew 28) and live each day in expectation that He may return before the sun sets. When you lay your head upon the pillow at night remember that Jesus could return before the sun rises the next morning! The key is to live in a state of readiness at all times.

"Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." --- Matthew 24:42-51

Science Is Still "god" in the Minds of Some Persons!

2011-05-18T18:29:00.004-04:00

O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps. --- Jeremiah 10:23

The debate has at times been fierce and the battle has never seen an "armistice" take place in modern times. It has been the clash between what some may refer to as the irrestible force and the immovable object! Those in the field of science and those in the realm of religion seem to be very often on opposite sides of the fence when it comes to God and His relationship to a mighty universe which has boundaries we have not yet approached in all our probing and viewing.

Recently British physicist, Stephen Hawking, made some statements that are bound to cause an uproar from certain quarters, particularly those who profess to be Christian in their faith. He was interviewed by The Guardian newspaper and referred to the notion of Heaven as being a "fairy story." Hawking said, "I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven of afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people who are afraid of the dark."

He advocates that science can explain the universe's origin without the involvement or existence of God being necessary! Why is it when I hear statements such as that coming from someone who is dismissing God as casually as I throw some unwanted item into the garbage can that the game, Pin the Tail on the Donkey, comes to mind -- you know, a bunch of kids with blindfolds on stumble about trying to find the correct part of the donkey's anatomy so they can attach the tail?

Hawking has no authority on which to base such statements except his own personal speculation. All of us humans have a tendency to do that due to having been born with a fallen nature that is inclined at the very beginning to concentrate on the self -- or to put it another way, we are born with an imaginary fiddle in our hands, and when we play it, everyone else in the world is expected to dance to our tune. And if there is a God out there somewhere, then He had better learn to dance to that tune as well!

Hawking's approach is nothing new -- in fact it's been around ever since the disaster that took place in the Garden of Eden a long, long time ago and involved two people known as Adam and Eve. Ever since their fall and banishment from the Garden, all born humans want to set themselves up as an "authority" on anything and everything, including whether there is God or not existing.

God, of course, has clearly revealed Himself to the human race in three major ways. First, through His creation in which the seriously thinking person by observing the creation comes to a sensible conclusion -- there has to be a Supreme All Powerful Being of some kind behind all this.

Second, God took a long period of time to have information recorded and preserved to further enlighten the members of the human race as to His identity, His character, His actions and the conditions by which the human race can become acquainted with Him. About 1,500 years was the amount of time and the use of at least 40 persons or more in bringing about an inspired record commonly now referred to as the Bible. There are a few of us who agree that this record is the final authority on all matters having to do with faith and the practice of that faith in human life and experience.

Third, God chose to become human and reveal Himself in a body of flesh and blood to the human race. The primary purpose for this action was that He would take upon Himself all the sins of the entire human race and provide atonement for all human sin through His sacrificial death on the cross. Through Jesus' death and subsequent resurrection from the dead, total forgiveness is now offered to each human being. The condition is to be honest, admit one's transgressions and repent of those, seek mercy and forgiveness and be restored to fellowship with God our Creator.

But for Hawking and countless others such as he, there is no need for God. Some in this crowd consider any religion as merely a "crutch" to lean on through life because one is not strong enough to go it alone!

Now back to a statement made by Hawking about Heaven -- he dismisses it as something similar to a "fairy tale." Now here's that fork in the road again -- Hawking says there is no Heaven, but Jesus Christ, God in human form, says there is and that He is preparing a place for those who have chosen to follow Him as Savior and Lord. Whom will you believe? I admit that I am not personally acquainted with Stephen Hawking but I am personally acquainted with Jesus Christ. In fact I've known Him now for nearly 54 years! No hesitation whatsoever -- I choose to believe Jesus and look forward to being a citizen in His eternal Kingdom forever!

This, of course, is a faith issue. God Himself has revealed that there has to be a measure of faith at work in relating to Him. But He has also revealed that each person is given a measure of faith - note Romans 12:3. However, it is also obvious by wrong choices made that faith can be quenched just as easily as one can put out a burning match by throwing a gallon of water on it!

For any that may be struggling a bit over this issue, further encouragement is given at How to Become a Christian. It is God's desire that all come to repent, receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, and live day by day with the blessed assurance of having everlasting life and a place in Heaven after life is concluded on this earth.

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks. By faith Enoch was translated so that he did not see death, "and was not found because God had translated him"; for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. --- Hebrews 11:1-6

To What Extent Will God Permit the Heathen to Attack Us?

2011-05-13T21:19:00.007-04:00

"Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger and the staff in whose hand is My indignation. I will send him against an ungodly nation, and against the people of My wrath I will give him charge, to seize the spoil, to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets." --- Isaiah 10:5,6

As the celebrations continue over the death of Osama bin Laden it is time to consider an issue which only a few are willing to think about and/or discuss with others. That issue is God's use of heathen peoples as instruments in His purposes to judge those who claim to be His people but at the same time they play the hypocrite by rejecting His standards and principles for a sane, sensible, serene, stable, and secure nation with a positive hope for the future! Corruption in political and religious leadership is a major contributing factor in such a circumstance.

A lot of history reveals that God in times past used heathen peoples to chastise and in some cases ultimately judge those who claimed to be His people. The ancient Israelites were a people to whom God had revealed Himself and then were chosen to represent Him as the true God in a world engulfed in ungodly practices, even to the point of human sacrifices in worship rituals.

There were times that the Israelites adopted the practices of their heathen neighbors. In the Old Testament book of Judges we observe a "roller coaster" experience. For a time the people were obedient and under the blessing of God. But then they abandoned the way of obedience and God would respond in a very negative way. Terms used to describe these experiences are: "forsook God", "did evil", etc. God's actions are described as: "delivered them into the hands of...", "sold them into the hand of...", etc.

And so it went for centuries as kings came and went. Some were good kings who truly feared God and sought to be obedient, but many others were not and succumbed to evil influences and the worship of false gods. Often a part of this again involved human sacrifice, such as throwing an infant or young child into a roaring fire as an act of worship. It is actually reported that some kings who are clearly identified engaged in this horrendous practice!

But the time comes when evil, like an out of control cancer, reaches a terminal state. God no longer raises up prophets with an appeal to repent and come back to Him for mercy and forgiveness. The message of the prophets changes dramatically and basically warns of impending judgment.

The ancient northern kingdom of Israel was invaded and destroyed by the Assyrians in about the year 721 BC. The southern kingdom of Judah hung on a bit longer, but eventually time ran out for it and the Babylonians totally destroyed the proud city of Jerusalem in about 586 BC. In both cases God reveals that it was persistent disobedience and refusal to repent that led to these disasters.

In both cases God's "instruments" of judgment were the Assyrians and the Babylonians -- both were about as heathen as it is possible to get. It later turned out that these heathen kingdoms were judged by God with a lot of detail given as to what would happen before their respective judgments actually took place.

Now consider this: God does not change in His way of dealing with members of the human race and the nations which they establish through time. The United States was founded on Judeo-Christian principles and the Bible was quite prominent in the experiences of the founding fathers as well as successors in decades to follow.

The nation was identified with the Christian faith -- that is, most of the citizens professed to be Christian in their faith. From time to time there were some significant "awakenings" in which people in rather large numbers actively sought God's mercy and forgiveness, with faith centered in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

But as the republic entered the 20th Century something not good was happening. The seeds of doubt and skepticism were being sown within the ranks of Christianity. This new "trend" was eventually referred to as "liberalism" -- a "pseudo-intellectual" view and interpretation of the Scriptures! It was the "in thing" to question the information reported in Scripture concerning the works of God, the miracles, and of course, the Person of Jesus Christ and everything related to His life here on earth, including His sacrifice for the sins of the human race and His literal resurrection from the dead following His crucifixion.

The rebel seed has taken root over time and is producing "fruit!" The United States has taken on the characteristics of the ancient kingdoms of Israel and Judah. The main difference is that we have technology that those people did not have and consequently we can sin quickly, massively, and in ways those people could not even have imagined! As a result we are ripe for judgment action on the part of the Creator of this mighty universe.

Could His instruments of judgment at a certain point involve heathen peoples set on revenge because of our involvement in, our bragging and our intense celebrating the death of one of their own who was world famous? Most will instantly reject this possibility and if for no other reason, in ignorance declare that God would never do such a thing or allow such a thing to happen to the United States. Oh, and on what basis does that bit of speculation rest -- any Biblical authority to confirm that as fact?

Almighty God has yet to make a full response to the ungodliness that permeates this nation from one end to the other. It will not be pleasant to be living within its borders when that response does come, and it may come sooner than any of us want to honestly recognize!

It remains a solid truth -- the only thing we learn from history is the fact that we fail to learn from history and as a result are doomed to repeat the tragedies of previous cultures whose ruins lie in the dust and rocks of the earth!

Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He also did evil in the sight of the LORD his God, and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the LORD. And he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear an oath by God; but he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the LORD God of Israel. Moreover all the leaders of the priests and the people transgressed more and more, according to all the abominations of the nations, and defiled the house of the LORD which He had consecrated in Jerusalem. And the LORD God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, till there was no remedy. Therefore He brought against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, on the aged or the weak; He gave them all into his hand. And all the articles from the house of God, great and small, the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king and of his leaders, all these he took to Babylon. Then they burned the house of God, broke down the wall of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all its precious possessions. --- 2 Chronicles 36:11-19

United States Now Safer and More Secure? Not Even By the Length of a Gnat's Eyelash!

2011-05-06T18:49:00.005-04:00

"It is a good day for America" -- "the nation and the world are now safer" -- "we mean what we say" are some of the expressions in the rhetoric employed by the president and others on the occasion of the killing of Osama bin Laden. --- a hoard of news sources have been addicted to reporting these things on a repetitive basis 24/7

There is no limit when it comes to how easily people can be deceived, especially when it comes to safety and security. By implication in remarks made by President Obama with assistance by other high profile persons of influence plus the added spin of the media circus, we are now much better off with Osama bin Laden's body submerged somewhere in the deep waters of the North Arabian Sea.

One has to wonder whether those persons in high and powerful places really believe our republic is now safer or whether they believe that Islam is a "peaceful" religion and Muslims will all unanimously agree with our president's assessment that everything is OK now or do they erroneously believe that the God of Christianity will protect us from any future threats that may arise?

Islam in its purest expression is not peaceful -- the Quran teaches that all who do not accept and believe in Allah are regarded as infidels, and that includes Jews and Christians. The ultimate goal is a world where Islam rules and controls the total world and infidels exist no more! Granted there are those Muslims who have compromised their faith and are "good and friendly" neighbors here in the United States. And just as they have compromised their faith in regard to the "infidels" so have too many professing Christians compromised their faith, allowing that those of other religions such as Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and others have a faith that is just as legitimate as the Christian faith and the "playing field" of religion is level for any expression of faith whatsoever!

But Christianity in its purest expression is also very radical but not violent in its treatment of non-believers. At the heart of Christianity is a love for all persons and the Christian witness is simply this: God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son (Jesus Christ) that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. No gun is held to a person's head threatening to kill unless he or she believes -- the message is shared in love and the choice is strictly up to the one with whom it was shared. The basic Christian message as based on God's revelation is that salvation from sin and forgiveness are possible only through Jesus Christ and in no other way. Any religion that does not have Jesus Christ at its center, acknowledging Him as Savior and Lord, is a false religion!

The violent death of Osama bin Laden has been highly publicized and wide coverage given to the "celebrations" that have gone on endlessly accompanied by much flag waving as "patriots" took to the streets in the good old U.S.A. and expressed their great delight that this #1 terrorist was now dead.

Really now, are we safer due to this sudden and unexpected event? Most will play the ostrich role and say "Yes, we are." Those few who are realistic will recognize quickly that dedicated Muslims will not sit back and do nothing. There will be responses in times to come. Remember it was an "infidel" nation that ended the life of Osama bin Laden. Do you understand how infidels are to be treated in light of the teachings of the Quran?

There will be those who vainly insist that we are a "Christian" nation and God will protect us. This is another grand deception. The phrase, "... one nation, under God..." is absolutely meaningless in these times when the prevailing mood and spirit of our nation is to give God the all too familiar obscene gesture, and then we set about to do things as we so determine -- God is not honored nor respected and there is certainly no desire to express regret over our flagrant rebellion. Seeking His will for everyday living is the most distant thing from the minds of our leaders as well as the majority of our citizens!

There is one thing that is absolutely guaranteed -- there will be Muslim responses in regard to the U.S.A. killing of Osama bin Laden and the deadly mistake of the widespread celebrations of his death throughout the nation with extensive coverage by the media circus performers! It is simply a matter of time as they make their plans and how those plans will be implemented.

The bragging that was all too obvious in presidential remarks and those of other elected officials within the government as well as high profile media personalities will simply fuel the fire all the more -- we have more than proven that we are indeed the "Big Satan" as seen and regarded by many in the world of Islam! Jesus' statement in John 16 takes on new meaning in light of what has been happening in recent years -- "These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me." (John 16:1-3).

Many recognize, of course, that the president is going to exploit the O.B.L. murder with "tough talk" and a flood of photo-ops in his 1 billion dollar (or likely a great excess of 1 billion dollars) reelection bid in 2012.

When the crises come and the appeal to God for His help goes forth, what will His response be? Read carefully the statement below and then begin to make proper preparations. Note also what He specifically told Jeremiah in regard to answering prayer in Jeremiah 7, 11, and 14. Since I am in a very good mood at the moment, I will allow you the honor of taking your Bible and locating those 3 chapters!

"As the thief is ashamed when he is found out, so is the house of Israel ashamed; they and their kings and their princes, and their priests and their prophets, Saying to a tree, 'You are my father,' and to a stone, 'You gave birth to me.' For they have turned their back to Me, and not their face. But in the time of their trouble they will say, 'Arise and save us.' But where are your gods that you have made for yourselves? Let them arise, if they can save you in the time of your trouble; for according to the number of your cities are your gods, O Judah. Why will you plead with Me? You all have transgressed against Me," says the LORD. --- Jeremiah 2:26-29

Past Celebrations That Ended in Disaster!

2011-05-04T11:21:00.003-04:00

Celebrations That Ended in Disaster in the Past

A great spirit of "celebration" dominates the republic of the United States over the death of Osama bin Laden, who was considered "Public Enemy #1" throughout much of the world. --- media sources are full and overflowing with written and broadcast reports accompanied by a myriad of photos detailing the great "celebration."

On Monday, May 2nd, I posted a blog that suggested a celebration of the death of Osama bin Laden is not good and cited reasons for that position. But who would pay any attention to a country boy farmer whom Jesus Christ redeemed from sin and then called to preach and teach His Word? But for any who have not read it and might consider doing so, it is at Osama bin Laden Dead? Don't Dance in the Streets and Celebrate Just Yet!

But now consider some celebrations in the past that ended in disaster:

1: Hurricane Camille. Camille was a category 5 storm which hit near the mouth of the Mississippi River on the night of August 14, 1969. Sustained winds were at or above 190 MPH! At least 259 people lost their lives. One reported incident reminds us that we need to be careful of what and where we celebrate. A group of younger aged people made a big joke out of the fact that the police urged them to leave the area because of the severity of the hurricane about to strike. No, they refused to leave and were greatly amused when the police took down their names and addresses. They had a big party going in an upper floor apartment -- they called it a "hurricane party" and the celebration moved into high gear. But then Camille came in with devastating power. The apartment building where the big celebration was taking place was totally destroyed and all persons in the building lost their lives. Ah yes, it is wise to be careful what and where you celebrate, is it not?

2: The Great Depression of 1929. There was a very great "party spirit" existing as people were making money by the bushels and the stock market was booming. It was the time of prohibition but alcohol was still flowing like water and often law enforcement simply looked the other way while pocketing bribe money in many instances. Once in a while there might be a "raid" and the party was broken up, but those were more the exception rather than the rule. But just as the "celebration" was in full swing, it happened -- the stock market crashed. People who had gained wealth found themselves wiped out and penniless! The parties and the celebrations were now over for a long, long time. Suicide rates increased dramatically as many could not face the reality of what had happened! Be careful of what and where you celebrate!

3: RMS Titanic. Some referred to it as a ship that was unsinkable. With a lot of hoopla, RMS Titanic set sail on her maiden voyage in April of 1912 from Southhampton, England to New York. Very powerful and very wealthy people were on board who occupied the first class cabins which were very luxurious to say the least. But there was a "party spirit" which was very obvious and is accurately reflected in movies made about the ship and its first voyage to America. It is speculated that the captain, Edward J. Smith, wanted to set a new record for reaching New York in the shortest time yet. The ship was moving along at a good clip in spite of warnings of ice bergs having been sighted. Then it happened -- a collision with a giant berg which tore a deadly gash in the side of the ship. One movie shows a scene of young men frolicking on the deck amidst the ice thrown on to the deck as a result of the collision. Remains of the Titanic now lie at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean along with whatever is left of the remains of 1,517 passengers who lost their lives. Be careful of what and where you celebrate!

4: A Rich Fool. A man owned land and farmed it. He became very prosperous as his crops produced most abundantly. Then a problem confronted him. The crops were so prosperous that he did not have sufficient room to store them all. A decision was made as he engaged in a personal conversation with himself. This is what he said: "What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?" So he said, "I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 'And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.'" Reason to celebrate, right? Wrong -- God interrupted him in the midst of his intended celebration with these words, But God said to him, "You fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?" We know the answer to that, do we not? The money would buy him a fancy casket in which to be buried and the kids would fight over what was left! Jesus told that story in Luke 12:13-21 as a reminder to be careful of what and where you celebrate!

5: The Execution of John the Baptist. He was considered a religious fanatic, but there were those who had listened to him and made a positive response when he called them to repent of their sins and be baptized as a public witness that they had done exactly that. He even rebuked political people for immorality. One of these never forgot that, and likely vowed that she would get him some day in the future. The day came when Herodius' husband, Herod, was throwing a party and the big-wigs were there celebrating his birthday with him. Herodius' daughter did a dance that pleased and excited the crowd immensely. Herod, in the spirit of celebrating, offered his step-daughter anything even up to the half of his kingdom. Instructed by her mother, the daughter asked for the head of John the Baptist on a platter. The execution was carried out and the head of John was delivered to Herodius who very likely had a great celebration over the death of one she vowed "to get!" Comments on this event are found at Staring at a Severed Head Forever! Details of this incident can be found at Mark 6:21-28. We need to always be careful of what and where we celebrate!

6: Belshazzar's Celebration. Beshazzar was a ruler, second in rank to his father, in the mighty kingdom of ancient Babylon. One night he threw a party and in the midst of the revelry he remembered the vessels from the Jewish temple that had been taken when the Babylonians had invaded and destroyed Jerusalem many years before. So the excitement accelerated in the celebration as they drank out of the golden vessels and praised the heathen gods. Suddenly the image of a man's hand appeared and fingers began to write on the palace wall. Belshazzar was so shook up that it is recorded that his knees began to knock together. Eventually the prophet Daniel was called in to interpret the writings. In summary this ruler learned that God was going to put an end to his kingdom and that he, Belshazzar had been weighed in the balances and found wanting. That very night of the celebration his life was taken as the Medes and Persians invaded the city. Details are given in Daniel 5. Belshazzar and his fellow party people found out that you need to be careful of what and where one celebrates!

Many other happenings in regard to celebrations ending in disaster could be noted here. But the foregoing should be enough to remind us that sometimes a celebration is not a smart thing in which to be involved. Such is the lunacy going on at present in the United States and in some other parts of the world -- the festive spirit and ongoing "celebration" of the death of Osama bin Laden. As I heard the "news" about this, I was reminded that here was a man for whom Jesus died on a Roman cross, as He did for me and for you so that our sins could be forgiven. Unfortunately, Osama bin Laden made some very wrong choices including the rejection of God's mercy as shown in His Son, Jesus Christ, and the choice to follow a false religion and become involved in violent acts which he believed would help purge the world of "infidels." Muslims who are true to their faith and the teachings of the Quran view all non-Muslims as infidels and are specifically instructed not to take Jews nor Christians for their friends!

Somewhere down the road in the future we in the republic of the United States will realize that it was very foolish and deadly to have celebrated the death of Osama bin Laden. Almighty God has indicated that He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. So then, who are we that we feel we have the "right" and should do otherwise?

"Say to them: 'As I live,' says the Lord GOD, 'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?'" --- Ezekiel 33:11

Osama bin Laden Dead? Don't Dance in the Streets and Celebrate Just Yet!

2011-05-02T14:51:00.004-04:00

Osama bin Laden Killed by U. S. Forces --- one of many headlines flooding the media outlets on Monday, May 2, 2011

It's a day that many longed for with great anticipation -- the death of one considered by huge numbers of people, including some government leaders, to be the Number 1 enemy in the world, Osama bin Laden.

Interesting quotes from various sources:

Al-Qaida leader killed in operation led by Navy SEALs, CIA forces

President Barack Obama declared Monday that the U.S. had "kept its commitment to justice," saying the death of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden was "a good day for America."

Obama: Bin Laden's death means world is a safer place

DNA evidence: 100 percent certain it was bin Laden

A word of caution here though very few have considered the possibilities of what can happen in the future so far as the United States is concerned. It is no time to dance in the streets and celebrate in the same spirit as you would if your favorite team has just won the Super Bowl!

Consider why we should refrain from expressing a spirit of joy and gladness in the death of Osama bin Laden:

First, this is just one man with a lot of connections who is a hero and a noble example to those who engage in terrorists' activities, with the United States prominently on the list of targeted nations. What do you suppose is going to be the reaction of highly trained terrorist groups as leaders in the United States strut about boasting of this great "accomplishment?" At least a few of us take the position that these people will not sit down and twiddle their thumbs for months or years before they begin to embark on a campaign of revenge! The best approach would have been to keep the whole operation a secret and not let it be known that the man had been killed, but our deceptive pride would never permit that to take place!

Second, the blessing of God is no longer upon us as in times long since past. We are a nation steeped in defiance and stubbornness when it comes to taking God and His holy standards seriously for establishing a sane, sensible, serene, sober, secure, and stable republic. Leading the way as a special "invitation" for God to pour out His wrath on us is the fact that we intentionally destroy 25,000 unborn children every week. And this is done with the express approval of our president and a large number of the members of the U.S. Congress! Other issues that also place us in the precarious position of being harshly judged by Almighty God are discussed at "Driving the Final Nails". So it is not wise to celebrate the death of one considered to be a great enemy to our nation and to the world at large! We have a heap of work to do in getting our own house in order ethically, morally, and spiritually.

Third, God's standard in regard to the defeat and/or death of those considered to be enemies is quite different than the usual human approach. In His Word God reveals this:

Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; lest the LORD see it, and it displease Him, and He turn away His wrath from him. --- Proverbs 24:17,18

But of course, to make reference to such a statement as the preceding from God's Word, is to simply confirm the fact that we as a nation do not want God meddling in our affairs, especially when we are so used to living in a proud and self-serving fashion. Who in the world wants to listen to God -- He's too unreasonable in His demands, so we'll just do things our way!

The day will come when the celebration in the streets will be turned into intense mourning and maybe, just maybe, someone will say, "We need to pray and call on God!" And His response may well be a repeat of what He said a long time ago when a people turned to Him in a crisis. I will not quote that here, but if you dare, turn to Jeremiah 2 in the Old Testament of the Bible and see the details. Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!

In spite of the growing intensity of calamities striking our republic as time goes on, there is no real serious call that we need to repent and turn to God as a nation. Those in elected leadership refuse to seriously take God at His Word and those in church leadership don't seem all that concerned either as to the fact that we may well have crossed over the line of God's offer of grace and mercy on condition of repentance and now it is a matter of time until He brings judgment!!

Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. "Therefore if your enemy hungers, feed him; if he thirsts, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. --- Romans 12:19-21

I Regarded the Royal Couple and Their Wedding As the Majority Chooses to Regard God!

2011-04-29T15:47:00.005-04:00

Printed and broadcast media were saturated for an extended time about the royal wedding which took place in England on April 29, 2011. --- a gigantic number of media sources were involved -- everyone had reporters all over the place, probably hanging even from the rafters!

No, I did not do extensive reading on Prince William and Catherine Middleton as the wedding day drew closer. I did not view the wedding or look at the literal hundreds if not thousands of photos related to all their history from childhood. I do not plan to buy the special issue of stamps which will be produced by the U. S. Postal Service in the near future. Plainly stated, I am not interested in this whole event and at best am very indifferent to it. And if they had some kind of claim on my life and activities I would quite possibly be defiant by way of response!

I have friends in the UK who, of course, were much interested and likely followed very closely all that was going on in the lives of Prince William and Catherine, his bride to be. And certainly in most all nations of the world there were those who passionately followed events leading up to the wedding, the ceremony itself, and happenings taking place afterward.

I am of English ancestry on my mother's side of the family -- her maiden name was Sedgwick which is about as English as one might get. And on my dad's side my ancestry is German -- what a combination! The name has been "Americanized" which is a good thing -- I saw the original in German and couldn't remember how to spell it much less be able to pronounce it!

As noted at the beginning -- I regarded the royal couple in much the same manner as the majority of this nation's and this world's population regard Almighty God.

First, there is an indifference in regard to God. He is not considered important enough to be given time and attention. The one exception is when we are plunged into a crisis and then we might consider praying and asking for His help. If you want to see how God may respond in those situations, read Jeremiah 2 -- it's a "Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!" chapter. In regard to the prince and his bride, I just did not consider them to be important enough to be given my attention -- not that they aren't really important, but for me, I was simply not interested.

Second, we have a heap of living to do -- places to go, people to see and tons of things to do! So why waste time with God-stuff? It simply does not fit into our agenda. In regard to the royal couple and the wedding -- I just had other things I preferred to do and so I did what I wanted to do and they were not in the picture at all. Even the headlines on the internet with pictures and all were passed by rather quickly as I moved to some other place in which I was much more interested.

Third, I believe in the living existence of Prince William and Catherine -- that they are real people living in a place thousands of miles from me. But that "belief" does not in any way whatsoever impact my life. My life is not different because I "believe" that they exist. They go their way and I go mine each day without any kind of connection being made. There are huge numbers who claim to "believe" in God -- that God does exist and many of these would get upset if confronted by an atheist who says there is no God. But the lives of these people are not at all changed and very different because of a professed "belief" that there is a God out there somewhere!

However, this claim of "belief" is a deceptive thing -- it is simply a fact that rattles around in the brain but goes no further. Someone has observed that the distance between Heaven and Hell is not as great as some might claim. The distance is really about 12 inches -- the average distance between the brain and the heart! God makes plain the fact that it requires more than mere mental assent that He exists -- life changing belief comes from the heart -- down in the depths of the soul itself, which means that my belief in God so impacts my life that I seek His mercy and forgiveness intentionally, that by choice I receive His Son, Jesus, into my life as Savior and Lord, and that I commit my life to being submissive to His will. Obedience to the will of God becomes a daily priority.

The discipline of prayer and Bible study on a daily basis is not an option in this relationship to God -- it is an absolute necessity. And this must be coupled with fellowship with other believes in a place of public worship. The one exception is when one lives in a nation that is aggressively and violently persecuting Christians and there are such in today's world. It happens in some Muslim dominated countries and atheistic systems such as China, North Korea, etc.

In conclusion, while I expressed indifference to all the media hype about a prince, his fiance and eventually their wedding, the one thing I am not indifferent to is the purpose God has for their lives. It is my prayer that God's wonderful purpose for them (and for all of us) will be fulfilled until our Lord Jesus returns to this chaotic world in power and glory as King of kings and Lord of lords!

They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work. --- Titus 1:16

Perfect Timing -- The Corpse Flower Is Blooming on Easter!

2011-04-25T06:55:00.004-04:00

Easter Sunday -- hours for visitation were published, although the flower began to open Saturday evening at the greenhouse on the campus of Ohio State University. This 5-foot, 6-inch tall monster from the Indonesian rain forest unfurled its 3-foot-wide dark purple flower early this evening, to wide smiles and a few grimaces by those who got close enough to take a whiff. "It's starting to smell!" said Joan Leonard, coordinator of OSU's Biological Sciences Greenhouse. "Isn't that great?" --- information from various sources, including The Columbus Dispatch

The "corpse flower" (amorphophallus titanum) is native to the Indonesian rain forest in Sumatra but is threatened with extinction due to illegal logging and land cleared for farming. A number of commercial greenhouses have the plant which is unpredictable when it comes to a blooming schedule. One just bloomed in Switzerland for the first time in 17 years.

But the one at Ohio State University is interesting for one main reason -- it started its bloom the evening before Easter Sunday. The university has scheduled visiting hours published for Easter Sunday afternoon and all day on Monday. Its bloom will only last about two or three days at most.

What is so special about that, you may ask. Well, let me tell you, as you bear with my bit of "speculation" on this unusual event and timing of the same.

Down through the centuries the literal resurrection of Jesus has come under attack. You could expect that from the heathen religions of the world such as Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism as well as smaller groups and those who have but a few dozen rallying around a crackpot leader with crazy ideas.

But the skepticism and raw unbelief about Jesus' resurrection has reared its ugly head within the ranks of Christianity over time as well. It's nothing new really due to the fact that in the New Testament mention is made of those who doubted Jesus' resurrection from the dead in literal fashion.

Scholarship and research into certain areas can be a good thing or it can be a curse, depending on who is doing it and what that person's relationship to God really is. In the centuries since it has happened, the resurrection of Jesus has had some wild interpretations spring up within the ranks of those professing to be Christian in faith.

It is of no profit to detail these at this moment other than to say that one of Satan's tactics is to plant the seed of doubt when it comes to the mighty works that God has done, and this includes the literal resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God!

The unbelief has been spread by theologians, seminary professors, church leaders, and pastors much like a cancer spreads throughout the human body. This is not to suggest that all are guilty, but even one spreading his/her unbelief in the literal resurrection of Jesus Christ is one too many!

Now what does the corpse flower have anything to do with this? At least one started blooming Saturday evening before Easter and was in bloom on Easter Sunday at Ohio State University.

Perhaps God permitted this to happen as a fitting tribute to all those within the ranks of professing Christianity who cannot or refuse to believe that Jesus literally came back from the dead three days after being brutally put to death on a Roman cross! It would be appropriate to have the corpse flower placed in the home of every theologian, the office of every church leader and seminary professor, and the church of every pastor who do not believe in the literal resurrection of Jesus Christ Who holds the title, "King of kings and Lord of lords!"

The flower emits an odor that reflects the theology of these people -- it is the odor of death and that is the state of their theology which brings death and not life to all who listen to them.

If nothing else, when you encounter those who doubt the resurrection of Jesus, you can always respond in the words of a song sung in many churches on Easter -- "You ask me how I know He lives -- He lives within my heart."

I rest my case in regard to a living Savior Who has promised to see me through everything I have to deal with in this earthly journey and He has prepared a place for me in the perfect environment for eternity (John 14).

Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is vain and your faith is also vain. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up; if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!
--- 1 Corinthians 15:12-17

The United States Doomed to Fail and Collapse!

2011-04-19T14:44:00.004-04:00

He rules by His power forever; His eyes observe the nations; do not let the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah. --- Psalm 66:7

Pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not know You, and on the kingdoms that do not call on Your name. --- Psalm 79:6

The wicked shall be turned into hell, And all the nations that forget God. --- Psalm 9:17

It is still a given that the majority of United States citizens believe certain myths about our republic:

1. Some believe the U. S. to be the most powerful nation in the world.

2. Some believe and insist that the U. S. is the most wealthy nation in the world.

3. There are those who believe that the U. S. is the "leader" among the 195 nations of the world.

4. And there are those, of course, who mistakenly believe that the U. S. is a "Christian" nation!

Why the change from what used to be great power, wealth, a prominent leadership role in the world, and a prestigious identity with the Christian faith?

The answer is rather simple -- we no longer are under the blessing of Almighty God as in times long since past.

Consider three critical issues as to why this deplorable condition exists:

1. The first issue is financial in nature and the fact that the U. S. is deeply and hopelessly in debt. Perhaps one way of illustrating this tragedy is to imagine a quicksand bog -- we are as a person who has become trapped in it, and the struggle begins -- one foot is raised in the attempt to find something solid upon which to stand, but the other foot and leg sink even deeper. All the while there is the steady sinking into the mire happening and no hope of rescue! And the more intense the struggle to break free, the deeper into the quicksand the victim descends! Our present "bog" which is enlarging every second is over 14 trillion dollars. The nation of China owns about 1 trillion of that alone.

Recently a flurry of activity took place in the nation's capitol over the budget. Republicans wanted to originally cut spending by 100 billion -- then that was reduced considerably and a final "compromise" worked out in which now the figure of cuts is about 38 billion. That sure will go a long way in eliminating over 14 TRILLION dollars of debt, will it not?

The president and the U. S. Congress are intent on spending money we do not have and will not exercise restraint and common sense in handling revenue income. The Scriptures reveal that a nation intent on obeying God will be blessed with prosperity and will be a lender to nations and NOT a borrower! (See verification in Deuteronomy 28 where finances are mentioned, but there are other issues in the chapter where it is like looking into the mirror and there we see the United States).

2. Second, an issue that is moral in nature. The president pushed for and, with support from enough members of the Congress, was able to get legislation that removed the ban on sodomites serving openly in the U. S. military. While the sodomite/lesbian agenda has been making great strides forward with growing acceptance across our nation, God's view of this type of sexual activity has not changed at all. God labels such activity as an abomination -- not merely as sin, but as something that is as sin intensified many times over! It is totally repugnant in the sight of God and thoroughly condemned. The ultimate consequences are seen in the ashes of Sodom and Gomorrah! (Note references to these in 2 Peter 2:6 & Jude 1:7).

3. Third, an issue that is also moral in nature. The president and supporters in Congress are aggressive in the support of the destruction of unborn children, under the deadly idea that it is a "constitutional right" to do so -- the average rate of destruction is about 25,000 a week throughout the year!

The president's record as a legislator is clear -- he opposed efforts to try to place some restrictons on aborting unborn children and obviously he would do likewise in any future attempt to further restrict abortions in any way whatsover!

Even worse is the fact that there are church leaders who shoose not to address the rampant "shedding of innocent blood" in this republic. God, of course, has made extremely clear His view of human life and His holy purpose for the same.

Once one has given serious thought to God's view of human life, there is but one conclusion to which one can arrive. To intentionally interfere with God's plan and purpose for a human life is to invite His judgmental wrath at some point in the future. With nearly 53 million unborn victims tallied so far in the United States' unique version of "Holocaust", the question is not whether God's judgment will come upon our republic, but rather how soon will it happen?

Will radical and necessary changes be made very soon so that once again the nation will be blessed by God with success and have a hopeful and secure future? There is absolutely no indication that our leaders (political and church) are willing to engage in a transforming life experience known as repentance! And if the leaders refuse to repent, then the citizens most likely will follow the example which guarantees failure and collapse!

Other issues are further detailed in comments titled, "Driving the Final Nails!"

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, and the people whom He has chosen as His own inheritance. The LORD looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men. From the place of His habitation He looks On all the inhabitants of the earth; He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works. No king is saved by the multitude of an army; a mighty man is not delivered by great strength. A horse is a vain hope for safety; neither shall it deliver any by its great strength. Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. --- Psalm 33:12-19

Jesus Christ Returning to This World on May 21, 2011?

2011-04-05T14:23:00.005-04:00

(Photo used by permission of Tom Chapin, Editor of The Punxsutawney Spirit)

Above is pictured a billboard near Punxsutawney PA stating that Jesus Christ will be returning to this world on May 21, 2011. A number of individuals and groups are attempting to spread this message in a variety of ways throughout the world. Source: Article in Punxsutawney Spirit on Saturday, March 26, 2011 at Faithful Await

The date has been set and those who are convinced that May 21, 2011 is indeed the date of Jesus' return and judgment day are doing all they can to let the world know of this impending event.

Quite a few details are given in the article which can be read through access to the link given above. That these people are sincere there can be no doubt. That many are very zealous in spreading the word about this happening is quite evident. If you are willing to paint lettered warnings and pertinent information about Jesus' return on your Cadillac for all to see as you drive about town, it is obvious that there is more than just a casual interest in what God is going to be doing in the very near future!

It has been demonstrated in countless ways down through the millennia of human history that one can be very sincere but at the same time one can be sincerely wrong. In some cases at least, it can lead to disastrous consequences, even death.

As pointed out in a letter of response to The Punxsutawney Spirit such antics as these always bring Christians to a fork in the road with a decision to be made -- who is the authority to whom I am going to give a hearing on this issue and then adjust my life accordingly?

Is Jesus Christ the Authority on matters related to His return to earth and the conclusion of human history as we presently experience it, or are some self-appointed humans the authority to whom we must listen?

According to the calculations made by certain persons, the date is May 21, 2011 on which Jesus Christ is to return to this earth.

But Jesus said something far different relative to His personal return to this world. He actually said that no one knows the day nor the hour. How else can you interpret the statement, "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming." (Matthew 24:42). This was spoken in the context of trends that will take place as human history approaches its conclusion and God intervenes in order to prevent the total annihilation of the human race! Jesus referred to the fact that no one knows the time except God the Father Himself.

It is likely that the proponents of the May 21, 2011 date will have woven an extremely "clever" interpretation of those statements about no human, or even angels knowing precisely when the time will be. The human mind is very clever when it comes to sidestepping truth and replacing it with human speculation and fiction!

Just what is to be our attitude in regard to Jesus' return to earth? Live in light of what He did say about that event. We have responsibility to represent Him and His eternal Kingdom wherever we are on a daily basis. We are to be engaged in use of time, abilities, and material resources to carry out His parting command, which is to go into all the world and share the Gospel with all people in all nations. After all, He alone is the one and only answer to all human needs and problems, the greatest of which is sin in human nature and its horrifying manifestations!

It was His sacrifice on a Roman cross of execution that accomplished atonement for the sins of the entire human race. Every sin committed by every human being ever born into the world was placed on Him as He agonized on the cross for three hours. That sacrificial death on His part satisfied the demands of God's justice that every sin must be punished. Our response to that is to honestly admit we are sinners, repent and ask God's mercy, accept His forgiveness and receive Jesus as personal Savior and Lord of our lives.

That is the heart of what we are to be about as Jesus tarries in His return to this chaotic world. Live each day in expectation of His return but attempt to be sensitive to the doors of opportunity opening where by word and deed we can make an eternal difference in the lives of other persons! The fact that Christianity is the ONLY true way in this world rests on the solid foundation of Jesus' demands upon us humans, His absolute claims for Himself, His atoning sacrifice on our behalf, His victorious resurrection from the dead, and His promised return to set up His Kingdom on this earth at a time determined by God the Father and kept secret from all members of the human race.

It is pointless to argue about such a thing as a precise date someone has set for Jesus to return. As noted in my letter earlier to the editor I stated that the landscape of human history is cluttered with the wreckage of attempts to set dates as to when God was going to do a thing.

When you go to bed tonight and lay your head on the pillow, say to yourself, "Jesus may come back before the sun rises tomorrow morning." When you get out of bed tomorrow, say to yourself, "Jesus may come back today before the sun sets." And so long as He tarries, say also, "Jesus has work for me to do today before He comes back!" and then do it!

"But of that day and hour no one knows, no, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." --- Matthew 24:36-39

I Did Not Listen to Obama's Address and Here's Why...!

2011-03-29T11:37:00.006-04:00

Obama gave an address, March 28th, in which he attempted to spell out the issue of our involvement in Libya. And remember, this is the man who gave speeches and adamantly opposed G. W. Bush's policy of going into Iraq for the purpose of removing S. Hussein from power. --- documentation on both these matters readily available on the Internet

President Obama gave an address on Monday evening, March 28, 2011, that was devoted to the issue of our involvement in the conflict presently taking place in Libya.

In the first place, I do not believe anything he says these days -- the one exception would be if he told me that the newspaper he is holding in his hand is white with black print -- that I would believe, but only after a close look with my own eyes to make sure he hadn't had it changed to black paper with white print!

In the second place, here is a man totally inexperienced to deal with the vast and critical responsibilities of the United States presidency.

What has he really done by way of preparation? There is absolutely no experience in the real work place by way of serious employment -- that is, holding down a job for a period of time in which one really has to work to make a living and to know how it is with the majority of U. S. citizens who sweat and labor to earn their bread, take care of their families, and provide a roof over their heads.

He has had absolutely no military experience whatsoever and has never known the discipline which starts with day one of basic training, nor really how the chain of command operates when one is in the military. Actually, I would pay money to see him go through Marine Corps boot camp, and if I had the choice, it would be conditions in boot camp at Parris Island when I went through during what was known as the Korean "Police Action" with drill instructors, such as ones I had, who were in the 1st Marine Division when they were surrounded by the Chinese in Korea and fought their way out!

Obama has had no real business experience and as some have observed, not even a slight taste of managing a McDonald's hamburger place! So much for understanding what business is about in a free market society -- or what used to be a free market society in light of growing government intrusion and control under the "leadership" (term used very loosely) of his administration.

What has he done? Well, he has a Harvard law degree and with the proliferation of trial lawyers and the deluge of their advertising to pressure us to sue someone, even if we can only come up with an ingrown toenail for which to blame someone and sue for "money that the law says is rightfully yours!" So the law degree thing is not all that impressive. And there are serious questions raised as to where he got all the money to get that Harvard education as well as attending college before he got that far -- one of many mysteries that surround this person.

And there were the "community organizing" stint and the sitting under the radical and anti-Biblical preaching of Jeremiah Wright for years that took place. And eventually the involvement in Chicago and Illinois politics with election to the legislature and later a seat in the U.S. senate. Politics in that part of our republic makes the traditional Philadelphia PA brand seem like pure honey by comparison!

There are at least 2 solid reasons why this man cannot be successful in his role as president. First, he is a staunch supporter of the practice of destroying unborn children by the thousands every week of the year. His record on past legislation and his statements bear solid witness of that fact. Second, he pressed for and eventually signed legislation lifting the ban on sodomites serving openly in the U.S. military. He is in obvious disagreement with God's view in these areas -- the sacredness of human life and the practice of sodomy being an abomination as God defines it!

Therefore, he is laboring without the blessing of God and such "leadership" results in a dark cloud hanging over our nation, which grows darker with the passing of each day. Barack Obama's counterpart lived centuries ago - a king by the name of Manasseh in the ancient Israelite kingdom of Judah -- note this observation of the man: "Moreover Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, besides his sin with which he made Judah sin, in doing evil in the sight of the LORD." (2 Kings 21:16).

Is there hope in such a dismal circumstance? Yes, but it remains to be seen just how God will work this out -- at this point the preponderance of evidence is pointing to a judgment taking place. If there should be full repentance on the part of all (citizens and leaders, political and church) then the nation would be healed and become stable and secure for the future.

The ultimate hope of course is in the return of Jesus Christ to this planet, taking control of all nations, and ruling in righteousness and truth, thus establishing peace all over the world. In part that hope involves the assurance that all the leaders of the nations of this world will be removed from their positions -- something great to look forward to, is it not? I liken it to a child on Christmas Eve looking forward with a sense of deep excitement and intense expectation -- at least, that is how I view this prospect!

Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" --- Revelation 11:15

Is Hypocrisy a Possible in the White House Oval Office in Washington DC?

2011-03-19T14:52:00.005-04:00

With American military forces poised for action, President Barack Obama said Saturday that the United States and its allies are prepared to act with urgency to end violence against civilians in Libya......"Our consensus was strong, and our resolve is clear. The people of Libya must be protected, and in the absence of an immediate end to the violence against civilians our coalition is prepared to act, and to act with urgency," Obama said in Brasilia, Brazil, on the first day of a three-country Latin American tour. --- AP news information on the internet

Barack Obama (D-Ill.) came out in opposition to the Iraq War at least as early as October 2, 2002, when he gave a speech against the war at an anti-war rally in Chicago. --- SourceWatch and Congresspedia

You have to go back a few years when the Iraq issue came to the forefront and President G. W. Bush was attempting to sell the idea that we just had to go in and take out Saddam Hussein. Details were given as to the reasons why this had to be done as soon as possible. I, for one, still wonder to this day whether or not Daddy Bush wasn't also urging his son to take such action in light of the fact that Daddy B. failed to do this when he had the opportunity to do so in an event known as Desert Storm! Maybe a conversation something like this took place -- "Son, I really fumbled the ball in Desert Storm by negotiating with Saddam's people under a tent out in the desert -- why don't you nail his hide to the wall?"

Anyway, we got involved in a conflict that has cost a lot of lives of our young folks and a lot of big bucks, with the end not yet. A runny-nosed, wet-behind-the-ears member of the Illinois legislature by the name of Barack Obama went on a crusade against the war in high profile fashion. In one of his speeches he asked questions of George Bush and his willingness to fight. One question asked was whether G.W. was willing to fight against our dependence upon foreign oil, which was one factor involved in the Iraq circumstance.

Now that he has been president for over two years it seems that President Obama hasn't done anything significant to set us free from our dependence upon foreign oil has he? If anything, we are in worse shape now in regard to the oil issue than ever, though we have access to great amounts of petroleum -- but what some call the "environmental wackos" have blocked that possibility rather effectively!

So now the Libyan crisis has erupted with the attempt by rebels to topple Gadhafi from power. But the man is waging war against the rebel forces. In the eyes of Barack Obama this man is evil and he treats his people badly and so he needs to go. Hmmmm -- wasn't that kind of thing also said about Saddam Hussein and the quality of his leadership in Iraq, but B.O. felt it was none of our business to interfere in the nation of Iraq and its affairs? He also made a big issue about the loss of American lives in the Iraq conflict. Doesn't seem to matter now if it should come to the point of losing any Americans as long as we get that bad man out of office and it doesn't matter about the cost -- what's a few more billions of dollars since we are up over our eyeballs in excess of 14 trillion dollars in debt?

So now, suddenly, we need to get Gadhafi removed from power! Do you sense anything here that is more than a tad hypocritical? But then with U.S. politicians at most any level, is that really anything new? And can this be simply another matter where the REAL reason is that Libya is sitting on a sizable puddle of oil? Just sort of thinking out loud on this!

Little do the leaders of the nations (including the United States) of the world realize they are walking down the very path which the Bible says they would -- wars, rumors of wars, accompanied by chaos of every conceivable kind. When you hear presidents, prime ministers, kings, queens, or two-bit dictators speak and act, just remember that they are demonstrating how to fail due to an unwillingness to submit to Almighty God's sovereign authority!

But there is good news for the future so far as the followers of Jesus Christ are concerned -- many statements in the Scriptures make reference to the future, but one which summarizes it so well is found in the book of the Revelation -- "Then the seventh angel sounded: and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, 'The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!'"

Sleep on that one tonight -- a bright future that will provide pleasant dreams!

Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, "Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us." He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the LORD shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure: "Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion." --- Psalm 2:1-6

The Japan Quake a Big Thing? No, Just a Drop in The Bucket Compared to What's Coming!

2011-03-15T15:44:00.003-04:00

They shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, from the terror of the LORD and the glory of His majesty, when He arises to shake the earth mightily. --- Isaiah 2:19

A big shake-up is coming and this one will make the Japanese 8.9 quake and subsequent tsunami seem like a minor bump in the road by comparison. And just Who is responsible for this shaking of the entire world at some time in the future? None other than the One Who created this world in the first place -- Almighty God!

There likely have been questions raised about the Japanese quake and where God fits into this picture, if at all. For a number, a hasty conclusion has likely been reached that there is no God existing, for if there were why did such a disaster as this take place, not to mention other similar disasters in the past resulting in incomprehensible loss of human lives and extensive property damage.

For a few, out of this world's 6 billion inhabitants, there is the reality that God does exist but also that this world is presently under a curse because of the initial rebellion of our original parents of long ago, Adam and Eve.

The curse allows for all manner of calamities to happen on a small personal scale as well as on a massive collective level wherein thousands if not millions are affected in a very negative way.

But also the earth is described as "aging" -- that is, it is growing old and God has revealed that a time will come when it will be totally renovated and made new according to His perfect plan.

And: "You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands; they will perish, but You remain; and they will all grow old like a garment; like a cloak You will fold them up, and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will not fail."--- Hebrews 1:10-12

Calamities, including earthquakes, are predicted to increase in frequency and in various places as the human race enters the final stages of history as it is now being played out.

The earth has a crust that is but a few miles in thickness -- some have likened it to a bowl of jelly being shaken and somewhere at any given time there is quivering taking place. It is not always a major catastrophic thing, but there is that quivering going on somewhere even as I write these words and later you read them!

As the human race has expanded in population through time so has the degree of wickedness increased greatly as well. The vast majority of the population is not Christian -- some want nothing to do with any religion of any kind -- millions upon millions have taken up with some false religion which refuses to acknowledge the central place of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who is Savior and Lord -- the One Who became human and sacrificed His life for the sins of every human being ever born into this world so that all could be forgiven and reconciled to God!

That massive shaking of the world slated for the future is the result of accumulated sin -- an "overload" that the world cannot bear nor survive!

God summarizes it in a simple statement:

The earth mourns and fades away, the world languishes and fades away; the haughty people of the earth languish. The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, and those who dwell in it are desolate. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left. --- Isaiah 24:4-6

Note the three things mentioned as contributing to all this chaos: transgression of the laws, the changing of the ordinance, and the breaking of the everlasting covenant. It amounts to total rejection of all that God was revealed and intentional defiance of His sovereign authority!

So since He made the earth originally, He is going to do a shake-up of the first magnitude and then some with the total earth affected in every corner!

Always, we humans are faced with choices -- the most critical choice any human will ever make is the one which determines whether he or she will come to God through His Son, Jesus, in a repentant spirit, or be defiant and refuse the offer of mercy and forgiveness. The evidence is growing each day with graphic demonstrations that the vast majority of this world's population is in the latter category and headed for a shake-up such as this world has never before experienced in its entire history!

Behold, the LORD makes the earth empty and makes it waste, distorts its surface and scatters abroad its inhabitants..... Fear and the pit and the snare are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth. And it shall be that he who flees from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit, and he who comes up from the midst of the pit shall be caught in the snare; for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth are shaken. The earth is violently broken, the earth is split open, the earth is shaken exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall totter like a hut; its transgression shall be heavy upon it, and it will fall, and not rise again. It shall come to pass in that day that the LORD will punish on high the host of exalted ones, and on the earth the kings of the earth. --- Isaiah 24:1, 18-21

President Obama: An Expert on Majoring on the Minors!

2011-03-14T15:35:00.003-04:00

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama waded into the politically treacherous gun control debate on Sunday, calling for reform of rules to prevent attacks like the one that wounded an Arizona congresswoman two months ago.

Obama, in an opinion piece published in the Arizona Daily Star, said some 2,000 people had perished from gun violence in the short time since a gunman in Tucson killed six people and shot Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in the head.

"Every single day, America is robbed of more futures. It has awful consequences for our society. And as a society, we have a responsibility to do everything we can to put a stop to it," he wrote. --- News release on the internet on March 13, 2011

It is nothing short of a tragedy that 2,000 people have been the victims of gun violence since the shooting spree which took place in Arizona a few weeks ago. The president is exploiting the incident and is pressing for controls to reduce the number of circumstances involving use of guns and loss of human life. Obama claims he supports the right of citizens to possess weapons as based on the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. But does he really?

Anyway, his priority on the issue of guns can be legitimately questioned as well as his attempt to establish his case by quoting a statistic of the loss of 2,000 lives by shootings since the Arizona incident.

Let's begin with loss of lives due to alcohol usage -- drinking and driving causes over 25,000 deaths on the highways each year, but one figure released by the NHTSA was 43,443 for the year 2005. Total alcohol related deaths in a year's time is in the range of 100,000, which would include highway fatalities! If you do the math you are talking over 8,000 in a month or over 16,000 in the same amount of time that President Obama harps about 2,000 gun related deaths! Now is he doing anything to curb the use of alcohol so that this carnage will be reduced -- is he showing the same zeal as he is about the gun related deaths around the country? Maybe he is a little slack because he does like his beer as has been well documented! So don't hold your breath until he shows equal enthusiasm for alcohol "control" as he does for gun control.

Then let's consider the real "biggie" when it comes to violence and loss of human life which makes lives lost by gun violence fade quickly into a far away background. On average about 25,000 human lives are violently snuffed out each week in this country -- they are the unborn children whose "mothers" (term used very loosely) have chosen to have them murdered before they are born! The president wholeheartedly sanctions this United States' version of "holocaust" and vehemently opposes any effort to try to restrict the practice of destroying unborn children at any age.

No, in his vision (which struggles to even get to the end of his nose) the 2,000 lives lost as a result of gun usage is the priority thing -- loss of life as previously mentioned which totals a huge number in a year's time does not matter at all -- in fact, the total of unborn children destroyed comes to over a million in a year's time!

"Every single day, America is robbed of more futures. It has awful consequences for our society. And as a society, we have a responsibility to do everything we can to put a stop to it," says President Barack Obama. OK, how about we start with alcohol "control" and the ending of violent mutilation and murder of thousands of unborn children every week of the year? We all know the answer to that one, do we not?

As great as this tragedy is, the greater tragedy lies in the fact that this president and his supporters in the U. S. Congress are so blind and so ignorant that they fail to realize that Almighty God is going to make His response to this massive shedding of innocent blood -- certain things that have been happening may well indicate that the preliminaries have already begun!

"Lord God, raise up a leader for us who will be as dedicated and determined to do Your will as was Joshua in times long, long ago." (See Joshua 1 in the Old Testament of the Bible for a portrait as to what a leader of a nation should be).

Moreover Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, besides his sin with which he made Judah sin, in doing evil in the sight of the LORD. --- 2 Kings 21:16

Killing the Goose That Lays the Golden Eggs 2011 Style!

2011-03-11T15:00:00.009-05:00

A man and his wife had the good fortune to possess a goose which laid a golden egg every day. Lucky though they were, they soon began to think they were not getting rich fast enough, and, imagining the bird must be made of gold inside, they decided to kill it. Then, they thought, they could obtain the whole store of precious metal at once; however, upon cutting the goose open, they found its innards to be like that of any other goose. --- This story is attributed to the 6th century B.C. Greek, Aesop.

If ever a fable has come true in human experience, the goose that laid the golden eggs has done so in 2011 in the republic of the United States.

Almighty God in His sovereign grace raised up our republic over 234 years ago. The nation was blessed with growth and prosperity. But there were times of painful conflicts within as well against foreign enemies. By God's grace the nation survived and was victorious over external enemies through the years. The last decisive military victory for the United States was at the end of WW II. The sole condition for the enemies was unconditional surrender. It's never been the same since 1945 in spite of being involved in conflicts even at the present time. Unfortunately as politicians have meddled more and more in military affairs we now have "rules of engagement" and we have to make sure we greatly reduce "collateral damage." The day will probably come when our military people won't be allowed to load their weapons until bullets are whizzing over their heads and/or penetrating their bodies!

Alas, I digressed a bit -- now to continue -- other things were happening as the republic grew more prosperous and powerful. Conflicts broke out at times in the work place. There were grave injustices taking place and certain industries had a strangle hold on workers. The coal industry at one point became notorious for its "company stores" and payment to miners in script instead of real money -- in effect this economic strategy held the miners and their families hostage to the company for which they worked -- a unique brand of enslavement.

The organized union movement changed the landscape and leveled the playing field over decades of time. This was very good for a while as certain abuses by companies were addressed and corrected, BUT the pendulum has moved to the very opposite position of that in which companies and their owners had all the power and full control.

We have now come to the point of outrageous union abuse which is impacting the entire nation in a most horrendous way. Powerful unions with very short-sighted leadership not only believe they can dictate and receive unreasonable wages, benefits, and retirement wealth, but they also reserve the right to determine who should hold elective office -- somehow these people feel they are superior (maybe infected with the Obama spirit) and know what is best in each election. What they really want are not public servants in office but puppets who will move according the will of the unions as they pull and manipulate the strings! It's good to have your own personal slave in the U.S. Congress, is it not -- it will mean more money in your pocket!

The root of the problem in this is that most unholy combination existing in unregenerate human nature known as selfishness and greed. This is why professional lobbying and political action committees are proving to be such a malignant curse to our nation.

The dominant attitude is "I'm first and I want the biggest slice of the pie before anyone else gets their fingers into it."

When you get a number of powerful unions and various special interest groups operating full speed with that self-centered and greedy attitude, then you have a guarantee for unprecedented disaster taking place in the future. To put it simply -- the goose that lays the golden egg daily has been executed!

For decades the idea has been that there is an endless supply of money held by companies, school districts, local and state governments, and of course, the great "Sugar Daddy" of them all -- the federal government itself! And with that view in mind a myriad of groups were unrelenting in trying to get the most of that money for their respective members and as far as each was concerned, "Let the rest of the country go to that very hot place where snowballs cannot survive!"

The goose is dead -- give it the last rites - no more golden eggs! Or to make reference to a more authoritative Source -- God has revealed that from time to time He will bring judgment on the gods that a nation has forged for itself. He gave a very dramatic demonstration of this when He brought the ancient Israelites out of Egypt at around 1400 BC. Specifically the Scripture mentions that the "gods" of Egypt were judged by the true and living God of the Israelites -- quite a calamity at that time to say the least!

The LORD will be awesome to them, for He will reduce to nothing all the gods of the earth; people shall worship Him, each one from his place, indeed all the shores of the nations. --- Zephaniah 2:11

And since money is a very influential and high profile "god" in the United States, it is simply a matter of time until the Creator of this mighty universe takes action and makes clear the fact that if money is your "god" you are in for a bitter disappointment of the first magnitude!

Stop and ponder a bit -- the federal government is trillions of dollars in debt -- state and local governments are for the most part deeply in debt and struggling with budgets that indicate the financial "well has run dry!" School districts which have had to contend with powerful teachers' unions and unreasonable demands also are in intense struggles over finances. The answer? Get more money! How? Raise the taxes! Ah, is that not what has been going on for years and years on a regular basis so that now the average worker has to labor for nearly 6 months of the year to pay all taxes at all levels, including those "hidden" taxes we hear nothing about?

Did you ever hear a song that was written some years ago titled, Yesterday When I Was Young and made popular by Roy Clark? Perhaps the powerful unions, lobbying groups, and special interest organizations should adopt that as their theme song -- we have now moved into the area where the final phrase of the song is becoming reality -- "The time has come for me to pay for yesterday when I was young!"

The goose is dead -- no more golden eggs!

They sow the wind, and reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no bud; it shall never produce meal. If it should produce, aliens would swallow it up. --- Hosea 8:7

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. --- Galatians 6:7,8

Ready for Charlie Anonymous?

2011-03-05T10:29:00.004-05:00

There are 12 Step programs for persons who are addicted to something -- we have Alcoholics Anonymous, Gamblers Anonymous, etc. Is it now time that a Charlie Anonymous be established for those who are addicted to Charlie Sheen and all his antics?

Charlie Sheen has dominated the news of late to the point of crowding out that guy in Libya -- whose name is Quadaffi, or Khadafi, or Khadafy, or Gadaffi or Quaddafi or (insert your favorite spelling). Such heavy weights as NBC's Today show and Fox News gave extensive amounts of time to this person whose life is in a very tragic unraveling stage! It is crystal clear that media people are mesmerized by this guy Charlie Sheen for some unexplained reason.

His antics get top billing in the world of mass media communications. He is reported to be the highest paid actor in television. But that is not enough for Charlie. He is demanding a 50 per cent pay hike for his work in "Two and a Half Men." Maybe the poor guy just can't make ends meet with a salary of 2 million dollars PER EPISODE -- he wants it upped to 3 million dollars for each episode!

Among other things he is a prime example of the truth that very few persons can handle wealth and power in a responsible way. You see this massively demonstrated in Washington DC and state capitols throughout our entire republic on a daily basis.

But what is really wrong here? It is the fact that Charlie is demonstrating that when you become self-centered and try to run your own life apart from the grace of God, you are going to foul up in many different ways. Every human is born into this world with an inclination to ignore God and live a life that focuses on the self.

Long ago a man, whom God called to warn his generation of impending judgment and destruction if there was not massive repentance on the part of the citizens and their leaders (political and religious), made a most accurate observation about the human race -- "O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps." (Jeremiah 10:23).

Charlie Sheen, because he is very high profile, is showing millions of people what a disaster your life can become when you ignore the calling and claims of Almighty God through Jesus Christ that is extended to every human being on the face of this planet.

There will be those who may come to his defense and in light of statements just made cry out, "Who are you to judge?" The fact is that I am not making a judgment as such but simply conveying what Jesus Christ, the absolute Authority on all matters pertaining to human behavior and relationships, has to say.

First, He said we would really know who people are by the kind of "fruit" they manifest in their lives -- see Matthew 7:17-20. Their speech, conduct, and relationships will clearly reveal as to whether their primary motive in life is to seek and do the will of God or whether it's the person who stares back at them in the bathroom mirror each morning that is calling all the shots day by day until one is buried in a cemetery!

Second, He said we are to be "light" and "salt" in this world if we faithfully follow Him. That simply means we convey the light of God's truth, the reality of salvation from sin through Jesus Christ, and as salt, resist all evil in whatever form it appears. Charlie has provided no evidence in either speech or in conduct that he desires to be "light" or "salt" in the advancement of the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ! (See Matthew 5 about the salt and light responsibility).

Third, Jesus said that those who are faithfully following Him would experience hostility time after time in the world -- that is, hatred and violent acts under various circumstances, depending on where one is located. In some parts of the world there are places where Christians are violently attacked and even killed; others are beaten, tortured, and imprisoned. Here in the United States it hasn't reached that stage yet, but the hostility is growing in verbal attacks, court decisions, and certain negative reactions to the witness of Christianity. Charlie has provided no evidence that he has been on the receiving end of hostility because he is a follower of Jesus Christ.

Is there hope for Charlie? So long as he draws a breath and his heart continues to beat, there is that possibility that his eyes will be opened and by the grace of God he will see that his greatest need is to seek mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ, Who sacrificed His life on a Roman cross 2,000 years ago so that Charlie and all the members of the human race, including you and me, could be forgiven of all sin and be a part of Jesus' Kingdom forever and forever where there is no pain, no grief, and no trouble of any kind.

But in the meantime as the media prattles on about Charlie is it time to establish a Charlie Anonymous? Maybe you can be the one to start a chapter in your community!

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. --- Galatians 6:7,8

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. --- Romans 6:23

Take All the Rope You Want!

2011-02-28T16:05:00.004-05:00

Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, "Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us." He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the LORD shall hold them in derision. --- Psalm 2:1-4

It's one of those old household sayings common among generations of long ago -- "Give a man enough rope and he will hang himself!" We are witnessing a mass fulfillment of that rather simple homespun proverb throughout our nation and around the entire world in these chaotic times.

The fundamental truth of that statement is not at all universally recognized at the present time. If anything, there would be mass denial that it has any real meaning for us humans in this year of 2011.

Perhaps one of the greatest tragedies right now is that the majority of humans and organized nations with their governments have the rope in their hands, and are running amuck with it, failing to realize that is what they are holding much less the ultimate consequences to be experienced later as history reaches its climax. Take a close look at the statement in Psalm 2 -- nations massively in rebellion against God does not make for a happy and peaceful world -- have you seen scenes from different places in our world that unmistakably bear this out lately?

Almighty God has clearly revealed Himself to the human race. That revelation is seen in three main ways -- through the creation itself -- that is, if a human incorporates the common sense with which he/she is born (evidence is that few choose to do this), then by simply observing the creation one comes to the conclusion that a supreme Power of ultimate authority is responsible for the origin of all that exists! And that all living things derive their life and existence from this supreme Power.

Second, through God's inspired Word, known as the Bible. He did take some time to complete His volume of information. It required about 1,500 years and the use of 40 persons or more through whom the information was recorded that God wanted the human race to know. This would enable us to learn the really important facts as to Who God is, What He is like, What He has done, What He expects of us, and how He is going to bring human history to an end as we now presently experience it. All the basic information is in the book -- all we have to do is become familiar with it and conform our lives to His will and purpose.

Third, God made the awesome choice to personally visit this planet which He had created. A young virgin was chosen to be the human vehicle through whom God would enter the world in the form of an infant. Angelic revelation at the time informed Mary and Joseph that this child was indeed unlike any child ever born into the human race - He would have no human father and further, that this male son would be named Jesus, for He would save His people from their sins!

In creating humans God gave them something that has proved more often than not to result in disaster -- it is called "free will" - the awesome power to choose to do good or evil -- to walk in light or in darkness -- to love or hate -- to be generous in sharing or be filled with greed and lusts -- to relate to and appreciate God or to turn the back on Him and reject His offer of mercy and forgiveness through His Son, Jesus Christ!

And so, in a sense, God gives the rope to each human -- individually each can take and run with it, and God will give each all the rope that he or she wants. There is always a choice -- to wake up and realize that by taking all that rope and running with it, I will end up hanging myself -- but if I stop and say to God, "It is not good nor is it right for me to do this my way -- here is your rope back -- I want to do things your way and to have your Son, Jesus, live in my life as Savior and Lord -- I want your will for my life to be done each day, whatever that might involve, and wherever that may take me."

But it's not just an individual personal thing about the rope and running with it -- this involves whole nations and their governments as well. At the present time with all the unrest and the violence erupting in so many places, it is obvious that government leaders are also taking the rope and running with it -- and God will give them all they want! We don't have to look across the ocean to see this taking place -- our own leadership at the federal as well as at the state levels provide overwhelming evidence that they are running fast with the rope!

Those who know the Lord Jesus Christ and have been seeking to understand His revealed Word (Bible) recognize that there is coming a time of judgment -- a demonstration with shocking events human language cannot adequately describe in which the human race will experience catastrophic horrors -- a once-for-all witness that the human race cannot ignore the will and purpose of God and survive! Some details are given in the book of the Revelation -- for those who took the rope and ran, the final end is worse than a hanging -- it is existence in a place of unprecedented torment and horror -- but for believers there is comfort in knowing that God will indeed write the last chapter of human history and has great plans for His people with a special place prepared for them in a trouble-free, sorrow-free, and pain-free environment forever and ever! Note Jesus' promise in John 14 -- further comfort for His followers.

You are not still holding on to that rope, are you?

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. --- Revelation 20:11-15

The One Absolute That High Profile Conservatives Are Avoiding!

2011-02-25T20:56:00.006-05:00

An internet search will reveal that "conservative" talk show hosts and commentators are a rather large number of persons. Some are very high profile and quite popular among those who claim to be conservative in their view points. Listeners to these persons number in the millions each week. A major problem however is the fact that the Limbaugh's, Beck's, Hannity's, Coulter's, O'Reilly's, Ingraham's, Malkin's, Levin's, and (add your nominee) are missing the main and very critical ingregient when it comes to the restoration of our republic! --- information gathered from a Google search of the internet

The above named persons who are identified as being "conservative" in their philosophy have a multitude and then some of supporters and faithful followers. There are a large number of others who not so well known except in the immediate geographic area where they are located, which is usually a major U.S. city and ranging out for a number of miles from that city or however far their program may reach.

BUT, all this huge gang of conservatives has a common thread of neglect when it comes to what is really needed to get our republic back on track -- to get the economy "fixed" -- to get away from big government and its growing control of the many facets of our lives -- to regain the vision possessed by our founding fathers when the republic was born.

You cannot construct an arch if you omit the keystone - you cannot light up a home at night if you cut off the electicity or have no candles on hand -- you cannot make a delicious home-made cake if you leave out the eggs -- you cannot grow a beautiful flower if you do not give it water -- and you cannot go anywhere in an automobile if it doesn't have an engine to provide power!

So what is this "missing link" -- this absent "absolute" -- in all the conservative talk that goes on endlessly day by day? It is found in one rather simple word which is rare in its usage today and at times intentionally avoided. It is the word "repentance!" Yes, it has a distinct religious connection, which is why it is so critically important.

Almighty God, Who has plainly revealed Himself to the human race in a number of ways, has issued the call for the citizens of this nation and their leaders to make repentance a top priority issue in their experiences. It requires soul searching, honesty, deliberate choices, and a 180 degree turn in which God is sought in a spirit of remorse (for offenses committed) and humility. Honest confession in which each individual, no matter who that person may be, admits to being guilty of sin against God and one's fellow human beings. Further, the willingness to receive Jesus Christ into one's life as personal Savior and Lord and be committed to obeying Him on a daily basis. After all, Jesus' purpose for coming to this world 2,000 years ago was to sacrifice His life and satisfy the demands of divine justice on our behalf -- literally, He took upon Himself every sin of which every human being is guilty of committing in a lifetime! Forgiveness is freely offered, but one has to repent in order to experience it -- that is, confess known sin and indicate a desire to no longer continue to live in sin.

Simply put - repentance is intellectual (I realize and understand that I am a sinner and guilty before a holy God); emotional (I am very much troubled as it dawns on me that I am under condemnation for my sin); and volitional (I will no longer continue in my sinful way of life) -- I will turn my life over to the control of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

The mass number of "conservatives" omit this ingredient in all their talk about what needs to be done to get our republic "fixed." There would be objections to this by suggesting that it is not their business to bring a religious issue into their discussions. So, what's the use of wasting time -- it would be like giving a dying cancer patient an Advil tablet and a bandaid and telling him he'll be OK!

To Glenn Beck's credit, he has at times made reference to God and does so in his book, "Broke," but never really comes to grips with the issue of repenting from sin -- it is more in generalities, not in the specifics of the need to recognize sin and get rid of it. With all the "conservative" talk about our nation and its many problems, it is nothing more than an exercise in futility, if repentance from sin and turning to God are not highlighted!

Now then -- I have been around long enough to know that of the few who read this, most will conclude that this is just another rant coming from a religious fanatic and not to be taken seriously.

But I have done what my Lord put on my heart and conscience to do -- and I am in pretty good company -- better men than I will ever be -- the kind for whom I am not worthy to open a door for them to enter or leave a room -- but they sounded out a message in their times which warned of God's judgment if there was not extensive repentance from sin. And for the most part, that call to repent of sin was rejected -- what followed some time later was not at all pleasant. A classic example is seen at the time in which a man by the name of Noah lived!

Have you ever seriously thought about what the consequences will be of the massive shedding of innocent blood over decades (killing unborn children), rampant sexual immorality, entrenched idolatry, the misleading of our young regarding origins, the literal trashing of the day of the week that was intended for rest and the worship of God, and the growing hostility being shown against the Christian faith?

Maybe it is time we begin to give thought to the very real possibility of judgment at the hands of an angry God! But don't expect such a subject as this to be mentioned, even in a whisper, by those who claim to be "conservative" on their programs -- they might lose too many sponsors!

"For if you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings, if you thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbor, if you do not oppress the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, or walk after other gods to your hurt, then I will cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever. Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot profit. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not know, and then come and stand before Me in this house which is called by My name, and say, 'We are delivered to do all these abominations'?" --- Jeremiah 7:5-10

'Tis the Season for Mockery!

2011-02-18T15:12:00.004-05:00

"You have become guilty by the blood which you have shed, and have defiled yourself with the idols which you have made. You have caused your days to draw near, and have come to the end of your years; therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations, and a mockery to all countries. Those near and those far from you will mock you as infamous and full of tumult. Look, the princes of Israel: each one has used his power to shed blood in you. In you they have made light of father and mother; in your midst they have oppressed the stranger; in you they have mistreated the fatherless and the widow. You have despised My holy things and profaned My Sabbaths....." --- Ezekiel 22:4-8

The republic of the United States has fallen upon very difficult times. Actually, this has been building up steadily since the early '60's when defiance and giving Almighty God the infamous obscene gesture became quite common occurences throughout our culture. It has been seen through the mass media, the prevailing attitudes in government and court decisions, business and corporation affairs, the entertainment industry, educational institutions, and drastic changes in the basic social building block in our culture that is known as the family.

It has been a negative toboggin slide since those years of the early '60's although there were very negative influences in active play since the early 1900's. It was within the professing Christian church at large that seeds of doubt and skepticism were being sown which would over time impact all segments of U. S. culture. The basic seed of poison was the idea that the Bible is not a totally trustworthy book and using our intelligence coupled with the ability to implement the powers of human reasoning we then could have a correct understanding and interpretation of the holy Scriptures!

Much of the skepticism centered on the Person and accomplished work of Jesus Christ. Satan is very smart and knows that if he can get us to doubt the integrity of the Scriptures with the added bonus of doubt concerning the identity of Jesus, His miracles performed, the purpose of His death, and His victorious resurrection, then he has easily won the battle. The result is a professing Christianity that is as impressive as a fish out of water and flopping helplessly around on land!

And what is God's response to this ongoing defiance that is expressed in countless ways over the decades as time marches on?

First, God will convey messages of warning through a very unpopular group of persons known as prophets. These are people who will never grace the cover of Time magazine as the "person of the year." They will never win a popularity contest. It is not uncommon for these to be ridiculed, mocked, violently persecuted, and at times put to death. Scriptures in the Old Testament as well as the New Testament confirm clearly that this is how it is now and how it was for those through whom God issued warnings and the appeal to repent and return to Him.

Second, God begins to launch a series of calamities of various kinds upon the people who have claimed to be a people "under God," but have chosen to reject His standards which make for a sane, serene, sensible, secure, and sovereign state! As these actions are taking place, it is appropriate to say, "Things are not going well for our nation, its people and their leaders, politically and religiously!"

Third, God works in an unusual way in the world with those people who claim to be His people but who abandon the standards He has put in place that distinguishes the nation as one that truly fears and respects God. God declares that He will make them a mockery in relation to the other nations of the world.

Rodney Dangerfield, the comedian, had a very familiar saying which was used repeatedly in his stand up routines -- "I get no respect!" And so God arranges through events that a nation of people will get absolutely no respect. In the past the United States was a nation highly respected throughout the world and there was a time when the flag of the U.S. was respected wherever it was flown. Perhaps the peak for this was during and at the end of WW II. Such is no longer the case. It is not that unusual any longer to see the flag torn down, trashed and burned!

Will it dawn on our elected officials and our church leaders that the pressing need at this moment in history is for our nation to truly repent of its many sins and abominations and turn back to God? And this has to be done on an individual level as well as at the corporate level? At this point in time there is no indication that repenting is an act to be taken seriously and if anything, masses feel they "haven't done anything wrong!"

Mark it down -- God has much more in His inventory of "chastising tools" -- and if that doesn't work, then He brings out another plan of action - it's called judgment! None of us will want to be anywhere within the boundaries of the 50 states that make up the republic of the United States when that happens!

And a PS - note the claim that the Creator of this mighty universe makes in regard to His authority and power to establish a nation or tear it down and bring it to nothing, depending on critical choices made by the people and their leaders -- it is detailed in Jeremiah 18. And because I am in a very good mood at the moment, I'll let you look it up and read it for yourself! Something to sleep on tonight - pleasant dreams :-)

Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. And I prayed to the LORD my God, and made confession, and said, "O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land." --- Daniel 9:3-6

For Grieving Steeler Fans - A Bit of Perspective on this Super Bowl Thing!

2011-02-07T05:45:00.007-05:00

Super Bowl XLV - Green Bay, 31 -- Pittsburgh, 25

Yes, it's sort of like the fabled poem about a super baseball player named Casey -- all the fans were certain he would hit the home run and win the game -- but the poem ends on a very sad note -- mighty Casey had struck out!

In western and central Pennsylvania for days after Pittsburgh clinched the AFC championship, the excitement grew with lots of publicity and pep rallies held all over the place. Black and gold were the prominent combination of colors in our region. And finally the evening of February 6th arrived with high pitched frenzy as the spectators gathered in the stadium while millions were glued to their TV's with snacks and beverages in hand.

After the highly respected national anthem was violently assaulted -- I didn't get the word, did it eventually die in the ER -- the game got underway. It was not a rout, but certainly at times it looked like Green Bay was going to rack up a score that would say so!

And so as excited fans in Green Bay eat tons of cheese in celebration and fans of the Steelers grieve a bit, why not look at this in larger perspective from a historical point of view.

There have been 45 Super Bowl events starting in January of 1967. Green Bay won the first two, back to back. Green Bay's grand total of participation in Super Bowls over the years has been five -- they won four and lost one.

Pittsburgh has participated in eight Super Bowls over the years. They have won six and lost two.

It was said of Pittsburgh from the mid 70's into 1980 that they had a "dynasty" and those were the years of the famed "Steel Curtain." They won Super Bowls in '75, '76, '79 and '80.

Now, grieving Steeler fans, think on this past record a bit -- Green Bay cannot match that -- there was never a time they had what was referred to as a "dynasty" nor successive Super Bowl wins such as accomplished by the Steelers.

And remember, there is a difference between 4 and 6 is there not? So Green Bay, as do other Super Bowl winners, has some catching up to do, right? Now then, if you get into intense discussion with a Green Bay Packer fan, just encourage that person to look at the whole record over the years -- which team has the most impressive record overall? I rest my case. BTW this is not written by a "dyed in the wool" Pittsburgh Steeler fan. Sometimes in my work as a pastor, I try to comfort those who are in grief, which is what I have attempted to do with these remarks :-)

Oh, just one more thing, as Detective Columbo was often heard to say -- less than 100 years from now Super Bowl XLV won't amount to the proverbial "hill of beans" -- there will be other matters of greater significance over which to be greatly concerned!

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world; the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life; is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. --- 1 John 2:15-17

Jesus and United Methodism's "Holy Conferencing!"

2011-02-05T14:26:00.005-05:00

Every person is a child of God. Always speak respectfully. One can disagree without being disagreeable. --- Opening statements of report on "Guidelines for Holy Conferencing - What God Expects of Us" as published in 2008 Official Journal of the Western PA Conference of the United Methodist Church - p. 566

The Western PA Conference of the United Methodist Church a while back published in its annual journal what was referred to as "guidelines" for holy conferencing.

This is an effort to get all parties with conflicting views to sit down at the table and get those conflicts resolved without what is termed "acrimonius debate and parliamentary maneuvering."

The guidelines begin with a massive statement of error -- "Every person is a child of God." Biblical references note explicitly that such is not the case! There are those who are clearly identified as children of the Devil. See statements in 1 John 3 and Acts 13:9, 10 for examples. Even Jesus indicated that this reality exists when, in heated conversation with some persons, He referred to them as being of their father, the Devil. (See John 8:42-47). So much for "holy conferencing" on that occasion!

For some time the tactic of holy conferencing has been employed in an attempt to bring together those who profess to believe God's revelation regarding sinful human behavior and relationships and Jesus' power to redeem from such sinful behavior and relationships and those persons who reject God's revelation regarding human sin in behavior and relationships.

One of the main areas of conflict is over the practices of sodomy and lesbianism with some persons opposing it on Biblical grounds and others who are supportive of such practices on grounds of their "interpretation" of Scripture and the human experience of commitment and "loving, monogamous relationships."

It is often cited by the supporters of same-sex relationships and sexual activity that Jesus never made reference to sodomy or lesbianism. No, not explicitly, but He certainly did implicitly when He said, "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled." (Matthew 5:17, 18). Sexual offenses are detailed in the moral law -- all the bases are covered.

Recently a group of retired United Methodist bishops issued a statement calling for removal of the statement in the United Methodist Book of Discipline that declares the practice of homosexuality to be incompatible with Christian teaching.

Shortly after this the Council of Bishops issued a statement calling for the need to do "holy conferencing" among other things. It is all dressed up in very pious language with the goal that everyone will finally come to the place where sexual immorality, in whatever repugnant form it appears, will be accepted as being "normal" and good by loyal United Methodists. To object, especially on Biblical grounds, is to incur the wrath of the holy conferencing crowd and be labeled as a hate-monger, homophobic, and very unloving.

Those who engage in such activities as fornication, adultery, or incest can employ the same line of reasoning to justify their conduct as do those who attempt to justify sodomy and lesbianism -- "We love each other and are committed to each other."

Holy conferencing will have a lot of heavy hitters promoting it as we approach General Conference 2012.

What about Jesus in all this? He really isn't too well qualified to be a participant due to a dismal failure to meet the guideline standards. Review His encounters on different occasions in which He called those with views far different than His own as being hypocrites, fools, blind, serpents, brood of vipers, etc. A good starting point on this is Matthew 23. Seems a major problem for Jesus was that He did not "respect" those opposing view points!

So, what to do? Is there a United Methodist out there who is a dedicated supporter (maybe a DS or a bishop) of holy conferencing and who will inform Jesus that He needs to clean up His act, quit applying such derogatory terms to those who hold different views from His own, and quit being so disagreeable toward those with whom there is disagreement. Further, He needs to show more respect for those who hold differing views.

If He fails to comply with the holy conferencing guidelines, then He needs to understand that He cannot be a part of the United Methodist Chuch as it sails the peaceful seas of holy conferencing in days to come. He simply is divisive and causes too much strife, and we can't have that in a church where more and more the philosophy that was dominant in the time of Judges is being adopted today - "everyone did that which was right in his own eyes!"

"Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'" --- Matthew 7:22, 23

A Group of United Methodist Bishops Now Qualify As Heretics!

2011-02-01T16:00:00.008-05:00

“…The practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching. Therefore self-avowed practicing homosexuals are not to be certified as candidates, ordained as ministers, or appointed to serve in The United Methodist Church.” --- Par. 304.3, United Methodist Church Book of Discipline 2008 Edition

Heretic: one who holds to a doctrine or opinion that is contrary to the fundamental doctrine or creed of one's church... --- Webster's New Universal Unabridged Dictionary

A group of retired United Methodist bishops has issued a joint statement which is titled, "A Statement of Counsel to the Church - 2011."

Here are the opening statements in that declaration:

(quote) "Out of concern for the welfare of all God’s people, and, out of special concern for the people of The United Methodist Church, we, United Methodist Bishops – retired, believe The United Methodist Church should remove the following statement from The Book of Discipline (2008):

“…The practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching. Therefore self-avowed practicing homosexuals are not to be certified as candidates, ordained as ministers, or appointed to serve in The United Methodist Church.” ¶304.3

Our lives and ministries over the years have included prayerful, thoughtful consideration of our Holy Bible, our Wesleyan heritage, reflection on our experience of the church and world, and our conviction of God’s intention for a world transformed."(end quote)

Later the bishops get to the heart of the issue which amounts to full acceptance of sodomy and lesbianism as a legitimate moral lifestyle and that such persons should be ordained into the ministry if they feel they have been "called" to serve in this manner. Further, they are to be accepted into the congregational life of the church without objection -- that is, if two persons of the same gender are practicing a lifestyle of sexual activity, we are not to object to that in any way negatively or even hint that it is morally wrong!

While, they do not specifically indicate support for the marriage of sodomites or lesbians, it is easy to see that the road these church "leaders" are traveling will eventually lead to that destination, and that they would have no objection to same-sex marriages.

And while rhetoric on this issue dwells much on "love" and "commitment" the plain fact is that the practices of sodomy and lesbianism are not supported at any place in God's total revelation to us. Same sex practices are always condemned and never one time held up in a positive and acceptable light. There are vain attempts to "interpret" Scripture in favor of practicing same-sex activity, but this is simply twisting the Scriptures to one's own destruction. Peter notes that there are people who do that kind of thing from time to time! (2 Peter 3:15,16). It is obvious that some United Methodist bishops are now a part of this crowd.

For United Methodist pastors and lay folk who believe the Bible does mean what it says and who believe the present "official" position of the United Methodist Church is in agreement with the Scriptures regarding the boundaries God has established for sexual expression and experience, we have one main weapon -- it is called prayer! Pray that God will purge the church of all that is contrary to His holy Word and that He will return upon the heads of those who teach and preach false doctrine the "fruit of their doings!"

Here are the ones who signed the statement: Sharon Z. Rader, Donald A. Ott, Beverly Shamana, C. Joseph Sprague, Melvin G. Talbert, S. Clifton Ives, Joe A. Wilson, William Lewis, Forrest Stith, Susan Morrison, Susan Hassinger, Judy Craig. Dale White, William Boyd Grove, C. P. Minnick, Kenneth L. Carder, Roy I. Sano, Joe Yeakel, Kenneth Hicks. Joseph Humper, Monk Bryan, Jesse DeWitt, Jack Tuell, J. Lloyd Knox, Charles W. Jordan, J. Lawrence McCleskey, Marshall L. Meadors, Jr., Franz Schafer, Sheldon Duecker, Fritz Mutti, Cal McConnell, Leontine T. C. Kelly.

But another disturbing thought comes to mind on this subject - how many active United Methodist bishops do you suppose are in agreement with this bunch, and eventually will add their signatures to the list?

The entire statement can be viewed and read at A Statement of Counsel to the Church - 2011 This will take you to the Reconciling Ministries Network web site.

.... who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. --- Romans 1:32

Fix the Economy? Try Believing and Applying Deuteronomy 28!

2011-01-26T19:37:00.005-05:00

The president focused much on the issue of the economy in his state of the union address. And yes, there was mention of the subject of spending and the need to "cut" spending. It amounted to what some would call a "pep rally" with a bizarre political twist to it! --- wide variety of news releases on the state of the union speech

"Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God..." --- Deuteronomy 28:1,2

I've been around the block enough times through the years to know that what is being suggested in these comments stands much less of a chance of becoming a reality than a proverbial snowball has of surviving intact in that very, very hot place you have heard about and is sometimes used by name in profane conversation. It is also a place that is totally denied in terms of literal existence by some theologians, church leaders, and pastors! But I'm going to go ahead and state them anyway.

So here we go -- if our elected officials, starting with the president, and the members of the U. S. Congress really want to fix the economy in this republic, then they need to start believing and intentionally start applying what is revealed in Deuteronomy 28 of the Old Testament Scriptures.

There are statements made that have to do with a nation's economy. There is a specific requirement spelled out if a nation's economy is going to grow and the blessing of great prosperity is going to be experienced by the citizens. Actually, the requirement is rather simple -- listen to and carefully obey God!

Deuteronomy 28 is a very interesting chapter in the Bible. God declares at the beginning that if the people obey Him, then He will bless them richly in many different ways. The people will receive benefits that are difficult to fathom, ranging from an abundance of food, financial prosperity, and a balanced weather system, to a very important matter of concern -- protection and deliverance from all potential enemies -- they will live peacefully! All conditioned upon their obedience to God.

God indicates that His blessing will be upon the people to the extent that other nations will be afraid of them. An expression used to indicate the place of prominence that the nation will have is seen in God indicating that they will be the "head" and not the "tail."

And then the positives so described come to a conclusion and God proceeds to reveal what will happen if the people choose to disobey Him. He takes about three times as much space with a lot of graphic details as to what will happen if they defy Him and rebel, rejecting His commandments and standards as set forth for a sane, sensible, serene, sober, shielded, and satisfying living experience.

Calamities are described with nothing left to the imagination which God will bring on the nation that has made the deadly choice to no longer honor and obey Him. A common word used to describe conditions no matter where a person may be is the word "cursed!" God does have the authority and the power to do such things you know.

One thing among many is evident as the calamities run their course -- the economy will eventually collapse as conditions worsen through time. God puts it this way at one place in the description:

"The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower.
He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him; he shall be the head, and you shall be the tail." --- Deuteronomy 28:43,44

No culture has ever survived over extended periods of time when it has chosen to accept an ungodly way of life and existence in defiance of the Creator of this mighty universe.

There will be objections to the use of Deuteronomy 28 and the fact that it has much to do with how we as a nation fare, presently and in the future ahead. There will be those who would say that in context this is in reference to the ancient Israelite people and God's dealings with them at the time of Moses. That is true. But how about the larger context? Is a nation of people bound to seek to know and do the will of God, depending on the light of revelation they have available at any given time?

Our republic has had available from its very beginning God's revelation -- His holy Word, the Scriptures. So we are definitely, as a nation, totally without excuse. Our leaders, political and religious, are accountable and responsible in setting the example of obeying God. Citizens likewise are personally accountable. That is what Deuteronomy 28 is all about -- obeying God and experiencing the best by way of benefits, or disobeying and witnessing the sure and certain disintegration of a rebellious nation! That complete revelation confronts us with the claims and call of God's Son, Jesus Christ, Who sacrificed His life and atoned for the sins of the entire human race - woe to the people and the nation which rejects Him and His offer of total forgiveness!

At this stage, the evidence is overwhelming that we are in that area of Deuteronomy 28 that follows verse 15:

"But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you..." --- Deuteronomy 28:15

Or do you have another explanation for all the calamities that are striking this nation plus the fact that we are wallowing in such a horrendous debt that we can't even begin to comprehend the extent of it! Further, are you willing to go on record as well and say that whether the nation obeys God or doesn't obey God doesn't really matter at all? And our elected officials need not concern themselves at all about such an issue as obedience to God, in their private lives as well as corporately in the affairs of our republic?

Oh, yes - about that flag picture at the beginning -- it's a bit symbolical -- since the prevailing spirit throughout our republic is one in which the commandments and standards as revealed by God for our benefit have been thoroughly shredded, then a shredded flag sends out a message -- "Look, all you who pass by - our shredded flag tells how we as a nation feel about God's commandments!"

How lonely sits the city that was full of people! How like a widow is she, who was great among the nations! The princess among the provinces has become a slave! She weeps bitterly in the night, her tears are on her cheeks; among all her lovers she has none to comfort her. All her friends have dealt treacherously with her; they have become her enemies. --- Lamentations 1:1,2

Foolish President! He Rolls Out the Triple Red Carpet....

2011-01-22T14:44:00.006-05:00

News media flooded the citizens of the U.S.A. with details upon details of the recent state visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao --- variety of news reports during Hu's visit

Complete title of this piece reads:

"Foolish President! He Rolls Out a Triple Red Carpet for the Chinese Leader, But Not Even a Moth-eaten Rug from a Two Bit Yard Sale for the Israeli Leader!"

The way the news media kept hammering on the visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao one would almost be persuaded that we should start taking language courses and learn to speak Chinese! Indeed from the White House point of view this was about the biggest thing yet to take place under President Obama's watch. No expense was spared -- have you wondered at all just what the cost to us tax payers was in regard to that much publicized state dinner alone?

Was it mere coincidence that Hu Jintao closed out his visit by going to Chicago -- hmmmm - where have I heard that name before in the wild, wacky and very slimy game of politics? Further, it was revealed that Chicago will likely profit greatly in doing business with China -- well, it was stated this way -- Mayor Richard Daley is "building ties with China!"

Yes, the Chinese leader was treated to the very best during his visit to the U.S. That is in sharp contrast when one looks at how the leader of Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was treated on his visit to Washington DC. The president of the U.S. treated the prime minister about as rudely as is possible for one head of state to treat another. But being as sympathetic as he is to the Muslim world, it is understandable that Obama has little time for an Israeli!

His foolishness in this regard is due to his ignorance of God's plan for the Hebrew people. A good place to start on this issue is to look at the covenant God made with Abraham in the book of Genesis. A great nation would be descended from Abraham with a large piece of territory involved -- much, much more than is presently occupied by the state of Israel. One of the interesting statements made by God was that He would bless those who blessed Abraham and his descendants and He would curse those who cursed Abraham and his descendants! (Genesis 12:3).

Sadly the history of the Israelite people is one of constant conflict. No other people have such a history of being despised and hated, nor has any other experienced such concentrated efforts to exterminate them from the face of the earth. In that circus known as the United Nations the one main bad guy and the one that is constantly being reviled is the nation of Israel. There have been times that only the United States has stood by and supported Israel when being under fire for something they did or failed to do. But it is a question as to how long that support will continue with the mood in Wasington DC changing in regard to our relationship to Israel.

God has great plans in store for Israel and Jerusalem. The future, if you look far enough ahead, is very bright for Israel because God has stated great promises about the destiny of Israel. Many are the prophecies that speak of peace and prominence for Israel. It will be dominant over all other nations inhabiting the world at that time. Just sift through the prophetic writings of the Old Testament scriptures and see for yourself. A time is coming when all implements of war will be dismantled. Nations of people that are living at that time will seek to be instructed in God's ways at Jerusalem. Obviously that time is not now -- you couldn't pay a lot of people enough money, much less world leaders to go to Jerusalem for the purpose of learning about God's ways! But it will happen -- not by negotiated agreements worked out at the United Nations circus, but by divine intervention on the part of the Son of God, Jesus Christ!

The wise leader of a nation will be extremely careful how he/she and his/her people relate to the nation of Israel -- it will impact a nation's destiny in ways the human mind is incapable of comprehending. And it all started many centuries ago with a man by the name of Abraham who had a son in his old age named Isaac who had a son named Jacob whose name was later changed to Israel -- and now after a few thousand years, a special people known as Israelis continue to exist with a wonderful future ahead, because God has a plan that is focused on that nation of people!

But China, in spite of politicians giving its leader that special red carpet treatment? No such future is mapped out for it as in the case of Israel.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls, Prosperity within your palaces." For the sake of my brethren and companions, I will now say, "Peace be within you." Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek your good. --- Psalm 122:6-9

Alabama Governor Stirs Up a Proverbial Hornet's Nest!

2011-01-19T14:17:00.003-05:00

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley told a church crowd just moments into his new administration that those who have not accepted Jesus as their savior are not his brothers and sisters, shocking some critics who questioned whether he can be fair to non-Christians. --- from AP release on the Internet

It was bound to happen with remarks such as the new governor of Alabama has made about non-Christians not being brothers or sisters to him. It is true, of course, and in spite of a barrage of objections and accusations spewing forth from the non-Christian crowd this man will approach his responsibilities with greater sensitivity and greater wisdom than will his non-Christian counterparts.

The objections come because non-Christians do not understand how it is in the life of a person who has accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of his/her life. What it means is that God is now dwelling in the life of that person in a special way -- a term used in Scripture is that a Christian becomes a temple of God -- that is, God takes up residence in the life of the follower of Jesus Christ. This is referenced from time to time in the New Testament.

There is a life transformation experience going on, starting with the beginning decision to repent of all sin, ask God's forgiveness, and receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. There is daily intereaction between the believer and the Lord Jesus Christ. There is a seeking of His will to be done, which will always be best for all concerned.

And how about the relationship to non-Christians? It matters not whether one is a governor, a president, member of a legislative body, a judge, or an average citizen walking the streets with an ordinary and very average type of employment -- there is a new dimension which involves love and compassion which non-Christians do not have and can not experience until they too come to know Jesus Christ!

The directive in Scripture on this is that ALL persons are to be loved by the obedient Christian and no prejudice is to be shown. James in his short letter in the New Testament is one who mentions this issue of showing prejudice and it is absolutely forbidden in the Christian faith.

But as mentioned previously, the non-Christian cannot understand this even a bit, and when remarks are made such as those by the new governor of Alabama, then they immediately load their verbal cannons and begin firing. They will find, however, if they are in his presence and involved in any decisions that he makes, that they will be treated far, far better than they would be by a governor who is not a Christian! And that goes across the board when it comes to a president, a member of a legislative body, or a judge as well!

Consider these statements as written by the apostle Paul in Romans 8:8-17 of the New Testament::

So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors; not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs; heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

God has promised His grace to those who trust Him for every challenge they meet along the way in life's journey in this world. May Governor Robert Bentley of Alabama experience the reality of this promise each day he holds office and may those who have verbally assaulted him have their eyes opened and to behold the fact that Jesus Christ died for them just as He did for the governor, and then make the right decision that they too will become his "brothers and sisters" in the Christian faith!

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent." Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. --- 1 Corinthians 1:18-21

So Now It Is Time to Pray, Is It?

2011-01-13T14:06:00.005-05:00

After the tragedy of the shootings in Tucson AZ there were calls to pray coming from many quarters, including the Congress of the United States, moments of "silence" etc. --- as reported by various news releases throughout the nation

It never fails to happen -- each time there is some kind of a tragedy in the United States in which a number of lives are lost under certain conditions, then there is quite a bit of attention given to the subject of prayer. And having been a pastor for over 50 years, I not only attempt to respond by praying myself, but also urge my congregational members to pray as well.

The last few days have seen the media dominated by the tragedy in Tucson AZ. Terms such as "thoughts and prayers" are often stated. The president and his wife were featured as leading the nation in a "moment of silence" -- you know, a generic term that no person should find offensive as opposed to an announcement, "And now the president is going to lead us in a time of prayer to Almighty God through His Son, Jesus Christ!"

But have you ever considered what God's response might be in these incidents as many say, "We need to pray!" This is especially an interesting phenomenon in a nation that has "officially" placed "No Trespassing" signs up so that the Creator of this universe -- the One Who gives and sustains all life will know clearly where He is permitted to be present and acknowledged and where the off limits territories are located!

Nearly 50 years ago God was informed that He was no longer welcome in the public school systems of this country nor was His inspired Word (the Bible) to be read in the hearing of students attending public schools. I state it this way because the infamous Supreme Court decision on the issue amounted to exactly that! This debacle of the first magnitude was further broadened as years passed and in a sense "refined" as students in graduation exercises were told to make no reference to God or Jesus Christ in the course of delivering their remarks, etc. Many hailed the decision as a great advancement and a very good thing -- there were even a number of thoughtless church leaders that praised this decision!

I remember well a high school student in one of our youth groups telling me that someone put a sign up on the school bulletin board after the Supreme Court's major blunder -- the sign said, "In case of nuclear attack the ban against prayer in this school will be temporarily suspended!" He further told me the sign was not up very long until a member of the school administration quickly tore it down and presumably placed it in the notorious "round file!"

While very few are recognizing it, we are duplicating the behavior patterns of an ancient kingdom which existed over 26 centuries ago in the Middle East. It was known as the kingdom of Judah, inhabited by Israelite people. For some time they were on a course leading to disaster due to persistent ethical, moral and spiritual corruption. Faithful prophets in those times sounded the warning of impending judgment if there was not widespread repentance on the part of the people and their leaders, religious and political. But the prophets for the most part were written off as a bunch of wild-eyed religous fanatics who were candidates for the insane asylum, if there were such an institution -- or better, execute them and feed their bodies to the dogs!

Eventually judgment did come, but not without ample warning by means of calamities of various kinds as well as the faithful appeals right up to the end stated by the prophets. And when a rather universal appeal for people to pray was made throughout the nation, here is how God responded --

"As the thief is ashamed when he is found out, so is the house of Israel ashamed; they and their kings and their princes, and their priests and their prophets, saying to a tree, 'You are my father,' and to a stone, 'You gave birth to me.' For they have turned their back to Me, and not their face. But in the time of their trouble they will say, 'Arise and save us.' But where are your gods that you have made for yourselves? Let them arise, if they can save you in the time of your trouble; for according to the number of your cities are your gods, O Judah. Why will you plead with Me? You all have transgressed against Me," says the LORD. (Jeremiah 2:26-29).

In light of the preceding quote and a look at the present ethical, moral and spiritual condition of our republic at the present time, will you dare to ponder a bit on how God is viewing us and what kind of response or lack thereof might be taking place?

"Therefore do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will not hear them in the time that they cry out to Me because of their trouble." --- Jeremiah 11:14

The Issue Is Not the Ability to Serve, But Rather a Moral One!

2010-12-22T14:00:00.004-05:00

Military's Gay Ban Lifted --- Internet News Headline ----- President Obama signs into law the banning of the DADT policy that existed in the military for a number of years which prevented sodomites and lesbians from serving openly in the military --- news release December 22, 2010

Few if any would dispute the fact that those who are sodomite or lesbian in their sexual practices can pull a trigger on a rifle, dig a fox hole, drive a Humvee, maneuver a tank, fly a bomber, run a military computer, or steer a battleship as well as any heterosexual person. And in some cases they may do these and other tasks even better than a heterosexual counterpart. And such individuals can, in most instances, get along quite well with their heterosexual comrades. But these are not and likely have never really been the issues.

The issue is a moral one. God's special revelation made available to the human race reveals the sexual boundaries which have been set up by the Creator of this vast universe. There are sexual moral issues that are defined and God spells out clearly what is acceptable conduct in sexual experience and expression and what is not. Of the various sexual violations of God's moral code there is one that stands separate from the others. Sodomy is not regarded as just a sinful violation (missing the mark; or lawlessness), but as an abomination!

It is difficult, if not impossible, for the human mind to grasp the significance of God's choice in using such a word for a specific sexual transgression. Perhaps we can start by picturing this offense as not just a sin, but sin intensified many, many times over. That it is a horrible and most destestable stench in the nostrils of a holy God! Those who are natives in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania know that if you drive by the rotting carcass of a deer hit on the highway in 85 degree temperature in the summertime, the smell is most unpleasant. The Bible at times describes offenses on the part of humans rising before God as a stench that is most repulsive!

There is not one place in all the Scripture where sodomy and lesbianism are revealed and described in a positive light, or that such conduct is ever acceptable to God. The reason is really rather simple -- God's design for His creation involved male and female humans with the capacity to be sexually intimate. But the boundary which God established on this limited sexual intimacy to a male and female who were committed to each other within the covenant of marriage! The Bible records a number of sexual encounters taking place in the history of the human race with the only acceptable ones being those who were married. Anything outside of the marriage union was a moral offense. But as mentioned earlier, God placed sodomy in a separate category by labeling it as an abomination.

I am fully aware, due to the massive and successful brain-washing that has been under way in our culture for years that, first of all, to state what I have just stated places me in the category of being a homophobe and a hate-monger. Second, there are those who have attempted to "interpret" the Scriptures so that sodomy and lesbianism are quite acceptable so long as the "couple" involved are "monogamous" and "committed." The same Scriptures do warn of those who will twist and pervert the Scriptures to their own destruction. So, not just in the public at large, but within church circles we have the growing acceptance of sodomy and lesbianism as legitimate and morally correct lifestyles!

It was simply a matter of time until the issue of the military's approach to sodomy and lesbianism would be addressed and altered by the U. S. Congress and a president's signature. But remember this - God will be making His response to this as well as to other national expressions of defiance against Him Who makes our life and existence possible -- the One before Whom we will appear ultimately to be judged!

Mentioned at the beginning was the fact of God's special revelation being made available to the human race. That is where the problem really lies -- massive refusal to accept God's revelation. To obey and put it all into practice evokes a response that is akin to the ancient Romans in their Coliseum. When they looked to see the emperor's response to a fight between gladiators and one was down with the opponent holding a sword to his throat, the emperor would turn thumbs down which meant the defeated gladiator was to be killed for such a "poor fight!" The crowd would follow the emperor and give the thumbs down response as well. To God, the vast majority is giving a thumbs down on His moral code for human sexual behavior and that includes same-sex intimacy! By the way, which way is your thumb pointing these days -- the same as the U. S. Congress and the president, or is yours pointing up in response to God's moral code?

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! --- Isaiah 5:20

And He (Jesus) said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God." --- Luke 16:15

Is It Really a "Win?"

2010-12-18T16:27:00.004-05:00

The United States Senate voted to end the DADT (Don't Ask, Don't Tell) policy of banning homosexuals from serving openly in the U. S. military --- news releases on Saturday, December 18, 2010

There is likely dancing in the streets in places and a number of members of the U. S. Congress celebrating the end of the DADT ban which prevented homosexuals from serving openly in the U. S. military for a number of years. After all, it was reasoned, this was a form of discrimination of the most serious kind, and we certainly can't have that, can we?

The reality of what this means may not be revealed for a while, depending on how soon God chooses to respond fully to a nation that has given Him the traditional obscene gesture time and time again by defying His standards of ethical, moral and spiritual behavior on the part of human beings.

But eventually there will come a day in which God will deal with this country and the deadly mistakes made by its leaders, political and church, in which they have been leading our nation down a road to absolute disaster of the first magnitude!

God is fair and God is loving, but there is a time when He in effect draws a line in the sand and says, "Enough is enough!" The history of ancient Israel as given in the holy Scriptures provides shocking details as to what happens to a culture when the standards of holy conduct and relationships are totally rejected. Our leadership is presently duplicating the patterns of those leaders of Israel centuries ago. The day came when the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah were both destroyed by God's judgments, this mainly due to the fact that the people and their leaders refused to heed the warnings of the prophets! God has been calling out today and giving warning, but who is seriously listening?

The sodomite/lesbian cartel has been gaining momentum and winning so-called "victories" for some time. This "victory" in regard to the military DADT policy is simply the latest.

What will be next? Certainly the recognition of "marriage" between 2 males or 2 females is a priorty -- could it be that the time will come when the U. S. Congress will pass some sort of legislation that will require all clergy, magistrates, and judges to perform "marriages" for sodomites and lesbians? Don't ever say "Never!" in such a country as the United States because this republic has again on this date, December 18, 2010, demonstrated that the truth as clearly revealed by the Creator of this mighty universe is to be regarded as nothing more than a temporary irritation and should be tossed into the garbage can as quickly as possible! Can you picture "couples" in the military of the future who are "married" -- sodomites and lesbians?

So, as asked at the beginning -- was it really a "win?" Don't be too hasty to say, "Yes!" Wait until God makes His response and then give your answer -- that is, if you are in a position to be able to do so at that time! It is very wise to remember that God will write the last chapter in human history, and adjust your lifestyle accordingly.

But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was aroused against the people, and the LORD struck the people with a very great plague. --- Numbers 11:33

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. --- Galatians 6:7,8

But Nancy, What About God's Discrimination?

2010-12-16T15:43:00.004-05:00

Nancy Pelosi has stated that we need to do everything we can to eliminate discrimination. This statement was made in the context of the U.S. Congress voting to end the DADT (Don't Ask, Don't Tell) policy in the U. S. military. This present policy is considered by her and others such as she as being discriminatory against homosexuals serving openly in the military. --- news video clip of Mrs. Pelosi commenting on ending discrimination in every way possible.

Nancy Pelosi has gone repeatedly on record as opposed to the U.S. military policy of DADT (Don't Ask, Don't Tell). This prevents homosexuals from serving openly in the military. So, presently if one is a homosexual, that "orientation" must be kept secret if one wants to remain an active member of the military. Mrs. Pelosi believes this to be a form of discrimination that needs to be ended.

A question that she and others in "her camp" have not faced is this -- what do you do about the glaring discrimination that God has shown in regard to same-sex practices?

An honest reading -- and note, I said, an "honest reading" of the Scriptures reveal that God does discriminate against those who engage in same-sex activity. God labels it as an abomination -- not just sin, as such, but as an abomination! Both the Old Testament and the New Testament provide information on how God views same-sex intimacy and the response from God is always very negative!

Those who practice or those supporting persons who engage in same-sex activity react with fierce hostility when it is suggested that God labels such conduct as abominable and that such will be severely judged. Defense mechanisms instantly come into play by labeling any who object to homosexual behavior as being homophobic, bigoted, hate-mongers and whatever other negative labels can be hung on the opposition, whether that opposition is expressed within church circles or in the public arena!

Further, there is no want to those who attempt to twist and pervert the Scriptures in order to justify same-sex practices. But none of us will be dead more than a few seconds at most and then, too late for many, comes the "wake up call" that God indeed meant every word He said in regard to the issue of homosexuality. The ruins of Sodom and Gomorrah are mute evidence that God does discriminate when it comes to certain sexual practices.

And it appears, with the help of a lot of elected officials as well as a number of church leaders, that the United States is going to walk down the same path as did Sodom and Gomorrah. One thing is sure, the destiny of the United States will also be the same! If for no other reason than the fact that we have had access to God's revelation and how He regards the issue of same-sex intimacy from the time our republic was put together in the latter years of the 18th Century!

For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed with the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds); then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment.... --- 2 Peter 2:4-9

The Virgin Birth Revisited!

2010-12-08T14:35:00.003-05:00

"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. --- Isaiah 7:14 (written approximately 800 years before the birth of Jesus Christ)

It was one of the great events recorded in the Bible which began to be questioned and eventually denied in the closing years of the 19th Century. There were those "scholars" and supposed "intellectuals" in the religious realm who simply could not accept the fact that God chose a humble young Hebrew woman -- one likely still in her teen years -- to be the human instrument through whom His Son, Jesus, would be born into the world. The miracle was in the fact that no human father was involved in the conception of this child. As spelled out in the Scripture account the Holy Spirit would come upon Mary and the miracle of conception would take place, bypassing the usual biological means by which a baby is conceived through the union of a human male sperm and a human female egg!

Like a cancer which begins with just a cell or two, the spirit of unbelief in the virgin birth of Jesus Christ spread, eventually reaching the shores of the United States. The beginning of the 20th Century saw a "war" break out within those churches which claim to be Christian in faith. In those days the conflict was commonly referred to as the "modernist-fundamentalist" controversy. And over time those groups identified as "mainline denominations" really took a hit. But the nature of this spiritual "cancer" is such that you never can be quite sure as to where it will rear its ugly head!

Persons involved in this were church leaders, seminary professors, and pastors. And to lend authority to this "new light" that the virgin birth never literally happened a strange breed of persons known as "theologians" affirmed under the guise of some wild explanations and interpretations that Jesus was actually conceived in the old fashioned way, the same as the rest of us sinners! One of these went so far as to suggest that Jesus might have been conceived as a result of Mary becoming intimate with one of the mercenaries under hire to the Romans! Oh well, if you are going to demonstrate pure insanity in your thinking, you might as well do it first-class and leave no room for doubt that your elevator can't get any higher than a few feet off the first floor at best!

And so as the seed of unbelief was sown in seminaries and in churches over the years which included not only the virgin birth but other miraculous works of Almighty God, we have come to the place today where it is not that uncommon to find that the Bible is simply regarded as a human produced book with a lot of stories that fall into the category of myth and fable. Oh, we might experience a temporary uplift from them, but we need to remember one thing - they never actually happened -- someone just got carried away with his imagination when writing about such things when it was all put together somewhere in the ancient past!

There are still a few of us (the number seems to be diminishing) who believe beyond all doubt that Jesus was conceived by a mighty work of the Holy Spirit. The God Whom we few choose to believe is capable of doing things that are far beyond our puny and limited minds to even begin to understand! Maybe one main reason for this element of trust is the fact that we have become personally acquainted with this God through Jesus Christ -- when you really become acquainted with a close friend, among other things, you know what that friend is capable of doing.

One key to this confidence is seen in Jesus' own statement during His ministry -- "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3). Ah, so that's how it works - the moment I become inflated with my pride in being "sophisticated" and "intellectual" -- and the moment I take the position in regard to the Bible in which I say, "What do I have to say about this Book, rather than what does this Book have to say about me?" I am in a giant heap of trouble!

But when I become as a child through an act of God's grace in conversion, and I read that God did a miracle 2,000 years ago and used a young virgin as the means by whom He brought His Son into the world, then I have no problem -- my view has become one that God can do anything He wants to anytime He wants to, and is under no obligation to explain to me all the ins, outs, wherefores, and whys about what He did!

One of the big surprises for many after death is facing the fact that God meant every word He said and did every deed recorded in the Book, which means there will be a crowd that will be highly embarrassed as they find themselves now facing the Creator of this mighty universe in judgment and being pressed as to why they chose not to believe the revelation to which they had total access over the years of their existence on a lowly planet called Earth!

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!" But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end." Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?" And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible." --- Luke 1:26-37

Will We Soon Have to Ask Permission to Use the Rest Room?

2010-12-06T13:21:00.007-05:00

There is a nutrition bill moving along toward President Barack Obama which would allow the government power to limit school bake sales or other fundraisers that some say can replace wholesome meals in schools. This legislation is part of Michelle Obama's anti-obesity campaign. --- Internet news release

So, should anyone be surprised as the federal government continues to boldly infringe on the rights of United States citizens. None of us fully realizes the extent of the "invasion" that has taken place over the past few decades let alone the past few months.

It is an ongoing "cancer" of a different kind -- the predominant thinking and attitude in Washington DC that elected officials are more intelligent than the citizens they were elected to represent, starting with the president of the U.S. and his wife!

Therefore they know far better than we what is best for us and new laws and regulations are necessary in order to establish a higher "quality of life" for us -- stated simply -- "The federal government is resolved to save us from ourselves!"

Mentioned at the beginning is one of the latest debacles -- the government is going to seek to limit school bake sales which are one of the common ways fundraising has been done by various groups connected with our schools. This on the pretense of fighting off obesity!

Could it be as time moves on that the government will want to control our lives to the extent that we will actually have to ask permission to go to a rest room? At the risk of giving some politicians or the president or his wife a hint for pressing for new legislation, the grounds for this would be that we might contribute to further polluting the environment by our use of the rest room -- if we are merely going to wash our hands or comb our hair, that might be OK -- but don't do anything more than that!

Hey, don't laugh -- we're dealing with a government that has moved well into the area of what is most accurately described as the "lunatic fringe!" It might just happen, so get ready to raise your hand as we did in the old one room country schools of long ago and ask permission to go to the toilet -- we didn't actually say the word -- it was just, "May I leave the room?" And the teacher understood what our destination was, and that we would be returning to the school room in a short time after we had completed our "mission." Also it is highly unlikely that the so-called Republican "victories" of November 2010 will make any real significant difference in the future

But the good news is that the day is coming when there will be no legislating and passing of stupid laws -- all politicians will be out of a job. God has future plans for His creation and for this world, and that includes the control of this world under the direction of His Son, Jesus Christ. All dictators, prime ministers, presidents, members of parliaments and congressional bodies will be removed from their positions! At long last the world will know peace and God's standards will be in place and enforced -- a very healthy and profitable change. I hope it happens before the United States government tells me I have to raise my hand and ask for its permission to go to the rest room!

Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" --- Revelation 11:15

An Ego Distinctly Qualified for a World Record!

2010-11-04T12:33:00.005-04:00

Ego: the self; the individual as aware of himself...
Egocentric: dwelling upon one's self or upon one's own personal interests almost to the exclusion of everything else; viewing everything in relation to oneself; self-centered. --- from Webster's New Universal Unabridged Dictionary

All world leaders, as is true of each individual, have to deal with the issue of ego -- to what extent is the ego going to dominate one's life and influence one's decision making. History is strewn with the wreckage of cultures due to leaders who miserably failed to bring the ego into submission to the will of the Creator of this mighty universe. God has revealed quite a few things about the ego and how it is to be dealt with in human experience.

We are presently saddled with a president whose ego demands attention on a 24/7 basis. Some have suggested that he has never really shifted out of "campaign" mode. There is the felt necessity to be always traveling somewhere and personally face crowds of people for whatever reason, and those reasons can be as varied as a giant box of Crayola crayons!

The latest expression of the Obama ego is seen in the planned Asia trip of 10 days which will take him into such countries as India and Indonesia. Controversy has erupted over the magnitude and expense of such a venture when in reality it isn't really necessary. While speaking platitudes about the economy and the need to get things up and rolling, the president fails to recognize that he can do some things or refuse to do some things that will not further burden the way things are financially at the present time in our republic.

Here are some things involved in the trip: already three visits have been made by security personnel to plan for "The Visit." Some hardware involved are 34 warships, 40 aircraft, a bunch of limos including the $300,000 "Beast," and of course Air Force One which gets a tad less than 28 miles to the gallon while in flight!

The entire 5-star Taz hotel has been booked for the entourage. This involves at least 500 people which includes Secret Service and White House staff persons. It was the Taz that was the scene of bombings and riots last year. So it figures that security will require not only a huge number of our people, but those from India as well.

One figure tossed around which is being challenged is 200 million dollars a day. But is it really possible to calculate the grand total which involves the expense of the hardware and the time and salaries paid to all involved somehow in this debacle of the first magnitude? One thing sure, you have more than a figure of $39.95 involved here.

As an aside - the ego rose again to the occasion at the press conference following the day of the election. The message sent by the voters was totally ignored with the "ego" suggesting that we citizens did not really understand what he was trying to do through what we interpret as "government intrusion" -- so there you have it again, we are a bunch of stupid people -- he's the smart one and knows what is best for us and the country.

Fortunately, there is a change coming at some point in the future and he, with the record setting ego, will not be the one who brings it about! Just take a sobering, prayerful look at Revelation 11:15 -- it tells of the time when all world leaders will be out of a job!

Then He (Jesus) said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what advantage is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels." --- Luke 9:23-26

Can You Really Trust a Mudslinger?

2010-10-23T13:29:00.002-04:00

A restaurant conversation centered at one point on the subject of the political campaigns with one person making a statement that there has never been a time when the ads have been more negative than during the weeks preceding the elections of 2010!

I told some people recently that I would like to meet and shake the hand of the person who invented the mute button on a TV remote control. I would also express deep appreciation to that person for the great contribution made through such an invention, because I use it constantly -- not only to silence the commercial ads that drag on and on and on for minutes, but especially the political ads that have come upon us like a tsunami generated by an 8.7 magnitude earthquake under the ocean!

These political ads all have a common thread -- commonly known as "mudslinging" which reveals more about character of the politician who is involved in such tactics than he or she would honestly admit. Mudslinging is the vain attempt to paint one's opponent as being the very worst person possible and totally unqualified to hold public office. The person who is doing the mudslinging portrays himself or herself as the "savior" who will transform our government into an institution controlled by the holiest of saints and will usher in an utopian era for all Americans! Literally, as they tell it, we will indeed have a heaven on earth -- so God can just stay in His Heaven because we have already set up our own and we don't need Him around. But then, haven't we in the United States made decisions in the past in one way or another that have essentially told God to mind His own business and that certain areas are off limits to Him to start with?

So the question -- can you really trust a mudslinger? The answer is quite obvious -- any person who engages in such tactics or places a stamp of approval on such ads which are promoting his/her candidacy is immediately suspect as to what kind of moral and ethical standards are being practiced in every day life. It does present a dilemma when one goes into the voting booth this year, because there are no exceptions to this bombardment of very negative ads of attack. It comes down to this -- while I would much prefer not to vote at all, yet I will exercise my right as a citizen of this republic to vote -- but I will be approaching the ballot with this thought in mind -- "Which of these is the lesser of two or three evils (or however many are running for the office). This has been the problem for decades at the state and federal levels.

Be assured that the person who has engaged in mudslinging tactics to get elected will be untrustworthy when taking office. He/she will employ lots of rhetoric to try to convince us that he/she has our best interest at heart -- yea, sure!

Is it too much to ask of a person seeking public office that they simply stress point by point what he/she will do if elected and not mention a word about the opponent, nor engaging in the mudslinging tactic of trying to convince us that the opponent is in reality a disguised Frankenstein monster? Yes, I guess it really is too much to ask, since no candidate is willing to do it!

But there is good news, folks -- the day is coming when all politicians will be removed from office -- a different Administration will be in charge, and it will be world-wide in scope. The summary is found in the concluding statement just below from the book of The Revelation which spells out clearly that God indeed does have the last word, not humans and this includes politicians!

By the way, in the meantime we can pray that God will return upon their heads the fruit of their doings (such action is Biblical) -- it will be interesting to see what happens as praying people begin to make such an appeal to the Creator of this mighty universe!

Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" --- Revelation 11:15

Here, Kitty, Kitty!

2010-10-05T19:09:00.004-04:00

Picture taken on August 18, 2010 at 6:40 AM near Smithport PA

Yes, that is what it is -- there is no way you can mistake this one for grandma's little tabby cat she keeps with her in the house! Besides, think of the size of litter box you would have to have if you kept the one in the picture in the house -- granted, it would probably make a good guard cat, if it accepted you as being friendly!

Anyway, a family in our church at Gipsy set up a trail camera and surprise, surprise, surprise, as Gomer Pyle would say -- one morning in August this fellow got his picture taken. In our area a number of people are using these special cameras with sensors in order to get pictures of game such as deer, bear, etc. Deer hunters are especially interested to see if any sizable buck deer with trophy racks are in the area.

Now it has been said that the Pennsylvania Game Commission denies that any mountain lions are in our Commonwealth. Such evidence as the above photo would bring a response something like this -- "Well, that one is just passing through!" Oh, really -- let's see now -- there are a lot of miles in any direction from this cat to a Pennsylvania border! Some of us have concluded that the PA Game Commission is about as bad politically as those guys who are supposed to represent us in Harrisburg but really do not!

It is not all that uncommon anymore to hear of denials of one kind or another. Denying the existence of a mountain lion in central Pennsylvania will not mean the end of the world is about to happen and certainly our welfare is not dramatically affected by someone supposedly in authority saying the creature ain't when in reality it indeed is!

But there are other kinds of denials that not only have an impact in time but more importantly -- for eternity! There are persons who down through history have denied the existence of God and they have had a negative influence on the lives of some people. But worse than this are those persons who claim to be clergy and in positions of pastoral leadership who deny basic truths as revealed in God's Word, the holy Scriptures!

The war has been raging for quite some time. Many of the denials have to do with Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who became the sacrifice for the sins of the human race so that each one of us could be totally forgiven of every offense of which we are guilty and live in Jesus' Kingdom forever.

Some of the denials involve Jesus' miraculous birth (born of a virgin and having no human father), His sinless life, His atoning sacrifice for the sins of every human being, His literal resurrection from the dead three days after crucifixion, His ascension back to Heaven where He now sits at the right hand of God the Father, and His promised return to this world again at some point in the future to take control and rule forever!

What the deniers cannot ever explain is the miracle of change that has taken place in the lives of the few of us who have received Jesus Christ into our lives as Savior and Lord, the assurance we have each day of Jesus' presence with us, and the rock solid assurance that death simply involves our leaving this world with all its chaos behind and moving into the presence of our Lord in a perfect environment where pain, trouble, and sorrow do not exist!

Here, Kitty, Kitty! Are you real or just a figment of some camera's imagination?

If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son. He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. --- 1 John 5:9-12

There Would Be No Mosque Controversy IF….!

2010-09-25T15:55:00.004-04:00

For weeks intense controversy has raged over the intention to build a mosque very close to the “ground zero” site where the World Trade Center was destroyed on September 11, 2001 due to terrorists hijacking loaded commercial aircraft and flying them intentionally into the Twin Towers --- from a myriad of mass media reports on the issue.

Muslims are resolved to put up a mosque near the location of the World Trade Center where the destruction of the gigantic Twin Towers took place nine years ago on September 11th.

The real tragedy is not the destruction of the Twin Towers, as horrible as that event was, but in the fact that we have arrived at such a place that the building of a Muslim mosque is a very real possibility and will likely be brought to completion with a great deal of fanfare!

When this nation was put together in a formal statement on July 4, 1776, the persons responsible were nearly unanimous in agreement in their identification with the Christian faith as Protestants.

They further acknowledged the need to depend upon and be obedient to the God Who had revealed Himself in two very special ways – through His inspired recorded Word (the Bible) and by becoming incarnate in the Person of Jesus Christ – that is, the belief that Almighty God chose to become human and personally visit this planet which He had created!

For some time such beliefs and convictions were held by the larger number of leaders and it was not unusual for them to make statements of the need to acknowledge the existence of God, but also that it was imperative that the entire nation seek to comply with His commands in order to experience His blessings and insure a positive future in years to come.

The Christian faith was embraced by a large number of the growing population. As migration toward the west took place so did the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as demonstrated by such persons as the Methodist circuit riders.

The influence of the Christian faith in the early decades was evident in at least two significant ways. Sunday was a day set aside to provide opportunity for families to worship and to rest after a week of work. In the public school systems the practice of reading from the Scriptures and praying the Lord’s Prayer was instituted. So, if a school pupil came from a heathen home, or his/her family was identified with some religious expression other than the Christian faith, there still was daily exposure to God’s revelation during the school year.

But the time came when at the end of the 19th Century heresy began to be imported from the European continent and certain truths in the Christian faith began to be questioned. The skirmishes in the early years of the 20th Century became known as the “fundamentalist-modernist” controversy – or perhaps “war” is a better term to apply. The rebel seed began to be sown and terms used were changed a bit. A pastor became known as being “liberal” if he could not accept certain things in the Bible as literally taking place. One of the early facts questioned was the virgin birth of Jesus with liberals concluding that it really didn’t make any difference and probably Jesus did have a human father -- either Joseph or someone else!

Time rolled on and eventually insane and bizarre court decisions took place that altered the religious landscape of the United States permanently. Two most significant decisions were the banning of Bible reading and reciting of the Lord’s prayer in public schools and a few years later the decision that it is a “constitutional right” for a female to deliberately arrange to have her unborn child mutilated and murdered! Strangely there were and are church leaders who support such decisions. A host of politicians support and attempt to defend the practice of destroying about 25,000 unborn children each week!

Compromise had been extremely common within church circles as the last half of the 20th Century came to a conclusion. Doing “dialog” is the big thing as we sit down and discuss our “common ground” with other religions in the world and how we can work together for a better world. We discuss controversial moral issues and seek to find a way which is acceptable to all by concluding that God did not really mean what He said when He drew the boundaries for acceptable sexual expression and experience!

So today, after decades of sowing the rebel seed within professing Christian circles, the Christian faith is regarded by most as simply a religion on a buffet table with many other religions in which you simply pick and choose what suits your fancy – or if you don’t want to choose any, that’s ok too. We can still work together to build a better world!

If the Christian faith had not been compromised, divided, and greatly weakened as the result of imported theological garbage from Europe in the closing years of the 19th Century and early years of the 20th Century, there would be no controversy over the building of a Muslim mosque near “ground zero” in New York City!

Do not spend any time fussing and fretting over the mosque construction plan – rather, be more concerned about the fact that this nation is going to experience the outpouring of God’s wrath due to its unwillingness to fully repent of its abominations which are so widely accepted and practiced at the present time. Our leaders, elected officials and church, show absolutely no real concern about this, nor is there much of any genuine concern among us, the ordinary citizens either!

Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not at all ashamed; nor did they know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; at the time I punish them, they shall be cast down," says the LORD. Thus says the LORD: "Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, 'We will not walk in it.' Also, I set watchmen over you, saying, 'listen to the sound of the trumpet!' But they said, 'We will not listen.' --- Jeremiah 6:15-17

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."..... Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." --- John 8:12; 14:6

Burning the Koran (Quran)?

2010-09-09T20:22:00.006-04:00

Pastor Terry Jones, after days of intense and very negative publicity, has announced that he will not conduct the Koran (Quran) burning event at his church as planned on September 11 on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in the year 2001. --- various news sources on the internet

Even President Obama spoke out against the planned burning of copies of the Koran (Quran) by Terry Jones and members of his congregation on September 11th. In fact different government officials went on record expressing great anger over the intention to destroy what are clearly considered "holy books" in the faith of those who worship Allah in the world of Islam. And, as might be expected, a mighty chorus of voices from different organizations and churches joined in the protest as well.

As this is written the announcement has been made by Jones that he and his people will not carry out the planned burn on September 11th. The claim is being made that an "agreement" has been reached and the controversial building of a mosque at "ground zero" in New York city will not take place at that location. Sources supposedly close to those intent on building the mosque at the site deny any deal has been made.

A major problem in the whole incident is the witness that Jones and his people are making as professing Christians. It is highly unlikely that many Muslims will be brought to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ through such antics as that!

Jesus, of course, instructed us as to our conduct in regard to those who even persecute us and think that they are doing service to God by killing us. Such commands as loving the enemy and praying for them are not easy to put into practice when it is really happening, but the commands to do such have not been rescinded.

What Jones and his congregation have done is to build a case against Christianity on the part of those who have concluded that Christians are nothing more than a bunch of hypocrites anyway!

Christianity and Islam in their purest expressions of faith are totally incompatible with each making the claim of being the "true" faith. There is a difference in how those outside the faith are to be regarded and treated. Islam labels all who are not Muslim in faith as infidels and there is sanction on occasion to kill infidels if they refuse to accept Islam as the true faith and practice it as such. The Koran (Quran) at one point specifically instructs Muslims not to take Jews or Christians for their friends because of the corrupting influence such persons might have on the one who worships Allah!

While Christianity would apply the term "unbeliever" to all who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, there is to be no violence committed in advancing the faith throughout the world. The motivation for confronting unbelievers is out of love and the desire that they experience total forgiveness through Jesus Christ and have the assurance of everlasting life and a place in His eternal Kingdom.

The approach to the Muslim on the part of a Christian is the same as that to those of the many other religious expressions existing in the world, and also including professing atheists -- "Jesus Christ loves you as much as He loves me -- He died on the cross to pay the penalty and satisfy God's justice in regard to your sins just the same as He did for mine, which were many! Receive Him as Savior and Lord into your life and know peace with God and the assurance that you have everlasting life."

Terry Jones and his people have created a stumbling block in this matter that will take a very long time to undo, if ever!

Now then, another question to think on -- the president and individuals as well as groups were quick and very loud to protest the planned burning of copies of the Koran (Quran), sacred book to those who identify with the religion of Islam. Do you think President Obama and all the others so upset over this issue would express the same outrage if there were a planned public burning of Bibles? Since Christianity has been assailed in numerous ways over recent years here in the United States, most of us know the answer to that one, do we not?

It is simply a matter of time, however, until the day arrives when Jesus Christ will personally return to this world which He originally created and take full control of it. There is an indication in the book of Revelation that there will be an attempt at resistence by a powerful leader and armies of nations. But as indicated elsewhere on my web site, it will be somewhat like a gnat or a mosquito trying to stop a loaded 18 wheeler barreling down Interstate 80 in Clarion Co. PA -- no loss in speed -- just a splat on the windshield and it's all over! Be sure to think of all the implications of the Scripture statement quoted below!

Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" --- Revelation 11:15

Taking Back America - Very Doubtful Indeed --

2010-08-28T13:40:00.007-04:00

Organizations have been formed, "conservative" politics has been gaining momentum in anticipation of the November 2010 elections, books by the dozens have been written, and talk show hosts with a "conservative" reputation have been having a field day!

"Taking Back America!" has been a rallying cry for quite some time. The tea party gatherings were not the fly-by-night phenomenon that mainstream media people wanted us to believe. So then came the "labeling" of those involved in the movement to "take back America."

If you in any way disagree with or, horrors upon horrors, you dare to oppose the agenda being advanced by Obama & Co. then you are a bigoted racist filled with venom and undiluted hatred!

As of this date (Aug. 28, 2010) on which these comments have been written, Glenn Beck is at the center of a rally at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. Preparation and accompanying publicity for this have been going on for months. Beck's TV program on August 27 featured some members of the clergy. Expressed in the course of their discussion was the opinion that another "great awakening" is now taking place. Some details were revealed in an effort to support the suggestion that this is truly happening around the nation.

Is it happening for real? Will America actually be "taken back" as many attempt to spell it out in light of the chaos that now rules in government, business, industry, education, and even too many church groups?

There will be some stirrings here and there perhaps and emotions will run very high, but for the healing and restoration of the republic as God defines a culture that is in right relationship to Him, the "taking back America" thing is very doubtful to say the least!

The reason is rather simple. In the midst of the activity and rhetoric spewed forth, including Beck announcing that we "need God," there is no serious consideration of the need to repent of all sin! This is an absolute must on both the personal and individual level as well as the collective level in all facets of our society.

There is no remorse and regret that we have brutally mutilated and murdered at least 52 million unborn children since January of 1973, or engaged in widespread idolatry with our version of homemade "deities," or engaging persistently in sexual immorality of pandemic proportions, or massively profaning what is supposed to be a day of worship and rest, or teaching millions of our young that we have evolved from lower life forms which existed millions and millions of years ago! But worst of all is the fact that Jesus Christ is ignored as the exclusive remedy and answer to one's personal salvation from sin and admission into the eternal Kingdom of God!

Until there is brutal honesty starting with leadership in our churches and in our government at various levels in admitting the aforementioned sins and abominations and the fact that such offenses have to cease immediately, then all the talk (and debate) about "taking back America" is in vain.

Perhaps the time has now come that the person who chooses to face reality in this republic needs to think and anticipate judgment at the hands of a God Who is holy and Who will not endlessly tolerate rebellion -- especially on the part of a nation which claims to be "one nation, under God...!"

I spoke to you in your prosperity, but you said, 'I will not hear.' This has been your manner from your youth, that you did not obey My voice. The wind shall eat up all your rulers, and your lovers shall go into captivity; surely then you will be ashamed and humiliated for all your wickedness. --- Jeremiah 22:21, 22

Hypocrisy Rears Its Ugly Head in the Muslim World!

2010-08-13T16:05:00.003-04:00

Sanam Gul, a 47-year-old widow, was executed on Saturday, August 7, 2010, as a result of alleged charges involving adultery which resulted in her becoming pregnant. --- from various news sources on the internet

The Taliban waved the flag of hypocrisy very high in a recent episode and demonstrated that Muslims can be anything but consistent in their professed "faith!" On August 7 Sanam Gul was executed after a 200 lash whipping. Mohammad Yousuf, a Taliban commander, shot her 3 times in the head after the whipping.

Sanam was a 47-year-old widow who had been accused of adultery which resulted in her becoming pregnant. So the "righteous" authorities with intense indignation determined that she should be put to death for this crime.

Now correct me if I am wrong -- or possibly things have so changed that I haven't been properly informed -- but my understanding is that adultery requires the participation of two persons -- a male and a female, at least one of which is married to someone else! In Sanam's case, she was a widow - her husband was dead -- so that means the male with whom she became intimate is married. Strange, is it not, that no mention is made of the man in this matter, much less bring charges against him, find him guilty of fathering a child to another female other than his wife, and then execute him for this offense?

Ah, I forgot - in the world of Islam, females have about as much status as a guy's bicycle -- or maybe less, so that the bicycle has more respect than the female does!

It is interesting that Jesus ran into this glaring type of inconsistency when He was here on earth. A bunch of indignant self-righteous individuals (all males) brought a woman before Him and accused her of adultery, having been caught in the very act. That means that there were two people there at the moment - the woman and the man who was intimately involved with her.

After the accusation and the reminder that the woman should be stoned according to the Law of Moses, Jesus was asked what He thought about the situation. He made no reply immediately but was writing something on the ground with the tip of His finger. The accusers were becoming impatient -- they wanted an answer right now from this One Whom they were beginning to hate with a bitter passion. Finally He made His response --"He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." Oooops! They were totally unprepared for that -- suddenly something began to happen within the heart and soul of each of the accusers -- a very disturbing feeling of guilt began to settle in -- quickly, they made their exit -- somehow they had to distance themselves from the woman they wanted so badly to stone to death. But even more so, from that One Who had made the suggestion as to the individual who should begin the execution procedure and throw the first rock!

Muslims, Christians, or whatever religious stripe with which one may identify -- the day is coming when each one of us will appear before Jesus Christ to be judged by Him -- He is the One Who will determine what our eternal destiny will be and the environment in which eternity will be experienced. Yes, even Mohammad Yousuf, executioner of adultresses, will make his appearance before Jesus -- minus pistol of course and the guy who did the whipping of Sanam Gul -- without his whip!

One of two possibilities exist when Jesus utters the final word in judgment - it will be either the incomprehensible bliss of a trouble-free Heaven or the indescribable agony in a place known as Hell! The determining factor as to which it will be is the choice one has made in this earthly life to repent of all sin and receive Jesus as Savior and Lord into one's life, or do as the vast majority of the world's population and its leaders are doing -- that is to defiantly reject Him and His sacrifice for the sins of the entire human race! What has your choice been regarding the most critical decision you will ever make in a lifetime?

By the way, here is an interesting little exercise on that confrontation with Jesus and the controversy that swirled around a certain female caught in the act of adultery -- what do you suppose He was writing in the sand with the tip of His finger? Could it have been a simple question -- "Where is the man?"

Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?" This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. --- John 8:3-6

"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'"--- Matthew 7:21-23

"His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.' --- Matthew 25:23

I Have Seen Over 7 Decades of Change -- A Lot of It Very Bad!

2010-08-06T14:05:00.005-04:00

Clayton D. Harriger was born to Russell and Helen (Sedgwick) Harriger in a farmhouse in Monroe Township, Clarion County, Pennsylvania, USA on August 5, 1933

My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! --- Psalm 139:15-17

I celebrated my birthday on August 5 and was blessed with a great outpouring of well wishes on Facebook as well as receiving phone calls and greeting cards.

I was a Depression-era baby -- that is, I was born during the time the Great Depression had a tight grip on the United States. My parents were living on a rented farm. Life was a constant struggle for them. Eventually they were able to buy the farm at the end of WW II.

My early education took place in a one room country school in which one teacher took care of grades 1 through 8. After completing 8th grade we were bused to Clarion Jr and Senior High Schools in Clarion PA.

In school during those years we started our day with reading from the Scriptures, praying the Lord's Prayer, and pledging allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. In the one room school we sang the first stanza of "America the Beautiful" before eating lunch each day.

The big social occasion of the week was Saturday night in Clarion. Families not only went to do some shopping -- they also went to visit with one another. Getting a parking spot on Main Street was a top priority. You ate fresh roasted peanuts from Maul's Dairy Store and sat in your car, observing the traffic as well as visiting with people who passed by.

Sunday was a quiet day with most families in the area going to church in the morning. After the noon meal there may be a trip to visit a neighbor or relative in the afternoon. Businesses in Clarion were completely shut down. The town was very, very quiet on Sunday afternoon in sharp contrast as to how it was the night before!

As I got older changes began to take place. Pressure mounted to permit Clarion's two movie theaters to show movies on Sunday and so in time it was done. Then came the pressure to allow retail businesses to be open on Sundays and so in time it happened. So at this point in time Sunday is no different than any other day of the week with focus being mainly on the expectation of fair weather so we can party and have lots of fun throughout the country!

Then came earth-shaking court decisions that made an impact on our republic that no person is capable of comprehending -- that is, the full consequences of such decisions have yet to be realized. The U. S. Supreme Court saw fit to rule that it is unlawful to have Bible reading and prayer in the public schools. This was considered a good thing and the country would be a much better nation because of it in years to come. "Religion" is a private matter, you know! And so, the question can be raised - is the nation healthier now ethically and morally, than it was at the time the practice of reading Bible and praying the Lord's prayer was in place?

And there was one of the most diabolical decisions ever made by a court anywhere in the history of the human race when certain black robed individuals got their pointy little heads together and decided that it is a "constitutional right" for a female to have her unborn child mutilated, murdered, and removed from her body! As I have stated in commentary on this elsewhere, we have yet to witness God's full response to this massive destruction of 52 million innocent victims since January of 1973!

Entertainment industries moved from what were considered G-rated programming for the entire family to increased display of vulgarity, violence, and immorality in very graphic fashion! And there is the very awkward question as to why our young often act very selfishly, immorally, violently and speak gutter language constantly. Monkey see, monkey do, you know!

Churches increasingly began to compromise the Biblical standards of ethics and morality, due in part by adopting positions that the Bible does not really mean what it says and that it is simply a human produced volume of material filled with contradictions and errors!

Government began to grow at the rate of a malignant tumor out of control. But not only was there unhealthy growth in government, but all the while it was growing it was also becoming more corrupt as time passed! At present time scandals involving government officials are common place and no longer are we shocked -- it is now the "norm" and we tend to accept such things as being normal!

These are but some of the changes I have witnessed in my lifetime. By God's grace in 1957 I received Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord. A few months later He placed me in the ministry which began in June of 1959. Perhaps because of that I have been extremely sensitive to the changes that have been taking place over the last few decades -- changes that guarantee the nation in which I hold my citizenship is headed for disaster and cannot expect anything in the future but the outpouring of the wrath of a holy God in judgment!

But I look beyond that horrible prospect of devastation to the promised return of my personal Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, the living Son of God. He is going to return to this sin drenched world and set it right side up, ruling it with true justice. That is why from time to time I say to people that there is good news for the future -- part of it consists of the fact that all government leaders and their associates will be thrown out of office because the King of kings and Lord of lords is now in charge. It will be a great day -- make sure you don't miss out on it!

And there will be changes taking place when Jesus takes control that we cannot begin to even imagine. One of the greatest will be no more conflicts of any kind with the implements of war being destroyed and material being used in the making of implements of peaceful activity. Even animals will no longer be in conflict, but will live in peace -- e.g. the lion will eat straw like the ox!

So there is a bright future to anticipate, if you look far enough ahead!

Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" --- Revelation 11:15