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

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

Countdown for Newly Elected United Methodist Bishops!

So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom. --- Psalm 90:12

It won’t be long now! September 1, 2008 is fast approaching and is a big day in United Methodism in the United States. That is the day that newly elected United Methodist bishops assume their responsibilities and some other ones will be stepping down as they enter retirement or take on new responsibilities.

A previous post on this subject raised some questions as to whether or not this new group of bishops would be different in some way or would it be a case of the “same old, same old?”

The main issue in this post is to consider the “countdown” in a rather interesting and most challenging way. The names of the new bishops are listed and it is also noted that certain ones are retiring. There is a countdown number to look at as the days pass and eventually September 1 is reached. The new bishops will also be identified with an accumulating number in the days following September 1, 2008.

Visitors to the area are asked to watch and listen closely to see if the new bishops say anything relative to the growing numbers.

Slip on over to United Methodist Bishops by the Numbers! There you will see what the interesting “countdown” is all about. Use reverse feature on your browser to get back here.

For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict. --- Titus 1:7-9

Opening a Can of Worms United Methodist Style!

To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled. They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work. --- Titus 1:15,16

The scramble has been on for quite a while, but intensified in the wake of a Virginia Conference pastor's refusal to receive a man into church membership who was openly practicing sodomy. The man was unwilling to cease his immoral behavior pattern.

The pastor was suspended by a vote of the Executive Session of the Virginia Conference over which Bishop Charlene Kammerer presides. The UMC Judicial Council ruled that he was to be reinstated and reimbursed all lost salary.

The Council of Bishops of the UMC, looking out for one of their own, responded with a "pastoral letter" which basically declared that the man should have been received into the membership of the church as he had requested.

UMC bishops are increasingly capitulating to the demands of the sodomite/lesbian cartel. The rallying cry now is "homosexuality is not a barrier" when it comes to church membership!

A petition to the General Conference of 2008 which seeks to amend the UMC Book of Discipline is making its rounds in the annual conferences, including the W. PA Annual Conference now in session in Grove City PA.

The petition seeks to add this phrase to the BOD -- "No person shall or will be excluded from membership in The United Methodist Church for reasons related to sexual orientation." Each conference to which this is being submitted will act on it, either adopting or rejecting it.

Incidentally, there are those in the W. PA Conference who hold to the position that homosexuality is not a sin. This includes a very high profile leader involved in the well orchestrated "Believe Again!" campaign now underway in the conference. He so stated that position publicly at a seminar a while back.

What if the proposed petition is finally adopted at General Conference in spring of 2008? It will mean a lot of adjusting will have to be done. "How so?" you may ask.

Consider some possibilities (or maybe more appropriately "some fall out!") in this thing of "sexual orientation":

• a couple is "oriented" to a swinging sexual lifestyle -- the husband and wife enjoy sexual escapades with other couples on a regular basis -- they want to join a United Methodist Church, but also state that they fully intend to continue their present lifestyle after joining up! Who is to say that their way of life is a sin if the person practicing sodomy is considered a non-sinner according to a number of United Methodists including members of the episcopacy?
  
  
• a woman who is "oriented" to practicing adultery. In this case, her husband is aware of her sexual involvements with other men, but he is a compassionate and understanding person and does his best to support her. She wants to join the UMC but also insists that she will continue her sexual adventures with other men. Her justification for this? She was born that way and is "oriented" to intimate affairs with numerous men -- the more the merrier is the way she sees it. How can we object to her becoming a member when she is so "oriented?"
  
  
• a man enjoys sexual experiences with animals. His preferrd "partner" is a young Holstein heifer. He is not hesitant in revealing how he is sexually attracted to young heifers because in his understanding, he is "oriented" that way, even from birth. He is quick to respond to his critics with the ultimate put down -- "Don't knock it until you try it!" He is also among those with varied sexual "orentations" who want to become members of the UMC. On what ground could any bishop, district superintendent, or pastor refuse him? If the man practicing sodomy is not considered a sinner by such behavior, who are we to condemn a guy who is sexually intimate with his heifer?"
  
  
• a young female teacher enjoys having sexual moments with her male students -- she prefers the 15 year olds and gets great delight out of "initiating" the youngsters into world of sexual adventures. Seems as though this is a thing happening more and more in schools across the country. But she and others such as she are "oriented" that way and we ought not to stand in the way if they want to join and become members of the UMC! Don't forget, it's all about "orientation" when it comes to sexual experience and expression -- just don't mention the word "sin" or the word "repent" when considering the subject!
  

The list could be greatly expanded, but you get the picture, do you not? For an exercise in how far this can go, try adding to the list and picture how the UMC of the future will appear if General Conference 2008 adopts a change in the Book of Discipline which reads, "No person shall or will be excluded from membership in The United Methodist Church for reasons related to sexual orientation."

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

Peeking into the Future!

Ah, what fascination -- what adventure -- unparalleled excitement as one seeks to probe the future and what lies in store for us!

Many are the gimmicks and methods employed to see what the future holds for us. There are efforts to contact the dead -- maybe we can touch base with aunt Susie or uncle Sylvester and they can give us a clue as to what's going to happen next month on the 23rd! Then there are the crystal ball people and the others who lay out cards with weird pictures on them. Still others say it's all in the stars and planet alignment -- the zodiac and your astrological sign -- all this stuff as it interacts somehow shows us what is yet to be. And it is a given -- there are those who read the daily Horoscope (should it really be spelled "Horrorscope?") religiously and act accordingly -- it is their "bible" for shaky times such as these!

OK -- do you want information that is 100 per cent accurate and comes from the most reliable source you will ever consult in a lifetime? Really -- are you sure about that?

Then be sure you hold to that desire, because it is possible to know some things for sure when it comes to future happenings. Now this is not the kind of information where you will be tipped off as to what you will eat for breakfast next Friday morning or what you will be wearing when you leave the house. On the other hand, this is information that gives you basic facts as to what is going to happen so that you are challenged to make the proper preparation for the events taking place.

Our Authority is none other than Jesus Christ Himself! Only He is qualified to reveal the basic facts as to what the future of this world holds in regard to its human inhabitants. Statements He made on future events are found mainly in Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 17 and Luke 21 in the New Testament Scriptures.

In consulting them do not let anyone, pastor or teacher or layperson, try to foul you up about "interpretation" -- just imagine Jesus speaking these words to you and take them at face value -- you'll come out alright!

The world and nations within it will become increasingly corrupted spiritually, morally and ethically. Jesus summarized this trend by saying it will be like it was in the generation in which Noah lived before the judgment of the flood and as it was in Lot's time when he lived in the city of Sodom before it was destroyed by a judgment of fire!

There will be all manner of earthly calamities and cosmic phenomena happening. Note some the specific things to which Jesus made reference:

• massive deception and delusion will take place -- Jesus repeats Himself on this warning to be alert and not allow yourself to be deceived by false teachers
  
• wars and rumors of wars with nation rising against nation and kingdom against kingdom -- there will be no peace in spite of efforts to achieve it
  
• there will be famines in many places -- people starve to death every day in some nations of this world
  
• pestilences (devastating diseases) will be found throughout the world -- e.g. Africa is being ravaged by Aids in spite of massive amounts of money being poured into that continent in an effort to bring it under control -- sexually transmitted diseases are on the increase!
  
• earthquakes are increasing in frequency -- sensitive instruments record the crust of the earth is quivering constantly like a bowl of jello being shaken -- and then a tragic by-product of an earthquake sometimes happens -- it's called a tsunami -- ever hear of it?
  
• lawlessness abounding with the tragic result that some will simply give up, considering that the price to be paid for resisting evil is simply too high!
  
• increased hatred and persecution of Christians as the home stretch of human history runs its course!
  
• a time labeled as "great tribulation" -- trouble so intense that nothing like it has ever happened before nor ever shall again!
  

The New Testament writers added to this information in different ways such as 2 Timothy 3 and 4; 2 Peter 2 and 3; and Jude. The biggie in all this is the book of The Revelation with lots of detail -- enough to make the thinking person say, "I want to be sure I'm right with God and I'm on the way to heaven when my life on earth if over."

The responsibility of the Christian is first and foremost that of being a witness in word and deed to the salvation which is exclusively offered through Jesus Christ, Who is Savior and Lord over all. Here are some things to bear in mind:

• daily disciplines of Bible reading/study and prayer -- every day, no exceptions!
  
• involvement in the fellowship of believers, giving public expression to one's faith
  
• personally pursue holiness by the grace of God as the minimal standard for one's lifestyle -- this means saying "No!" to a wide ranging acceptance of indulgences and practices by a majority of persons in today's world, including what is sometimes advocated even in professing Christian circles -- and sometimes by church leaders themselves who profess to be "Christian!" The Holy Spirit is faithful to guide us in these matters and in the making of our choices -- that is, if we permit Him to guide us.
  
• sound the warning trumpet of impending judgement by Almighty God and the reasons why God has every right to bring judgment without delay!
  
• keep reminded each day that Jesus' return could be at any time -- but also, be reminded that here in the "comfortable" United States things could become very difficult for Christians before Jesus does return -- some object to this possibility and suggest that before it gets too tough He will come and take the Christians out of here. But why should we be favored in such a manner when right now in other places in this world our Christian brothers and sisters are being put to death for their faith, or beaten, tortured and put in prison for no other reason than the fact that they are followers of the Lord Jesus Christ! We are a spoiled and pampered lot, are we not?
  
• apply the prayer as mentioned in Psalm 141:5 diligently -- pray specifically against the deeds of the wicked -- there are a lot of them around, you know, doing a lot of things which God condemns. They sit behind desks in high places as well as lurking about in dark alleys!
  

Be concerned about the future -- ask God to help you understand those things He has revealed about the future, and to prepare you to speak about it. Be bold in stressing the fact that there is absolutely no hope in the future outside of Jesus Christ. We are urged to comfort one another from time to time with the reality that Jesus is going to come back to earth again as King of kings and Lord of lords. Amen!

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. --- Titus 2:11-14