A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Democratic Forum in Johnstown PA!

Critz tries to move away from Obama --- front page headline by Johnstown Tribune-Democrat - 12/09/16

The 12th Congressional District in Pennsylvania used to be represented by the late John P. Murtha who had been in office since the early '70's. Because of the far reaching clout he had, he earned the dubious label of being "King of Pork!" Millions and millions of dollars rolled into Johnstown PA as he gained power and influence in office. In fact he held a higher status than Almighty God Himself through much of the 12th Congressional District. One of the "projects" he arranged to get was an 8 million dollar radar system at the Johnstown airport. Only problem was they had no one to operate it, so it sat unused for a long time until someone began to make an issue of it (wasted gov't money, you know) and then the hunt was on to try to find an operator.

Big John made an unexpected exit from this life due to complications following some surgery. Mark Critz was a high ranking member of his staff and decided he wanted the seat formerly held by his boss. He won in the special election.

Now Critz has to try and retain his seat this November in the U.S. Congress but certain things as advocated by Mr. Obama and the Democratic party are not acceptable to Congressman Critz and a number of his constituents! So as the headline clearly suggests, he is trying to put some distance between him and the president as well as the party.

Mr. Obama has clearly declared war on coal and numerous small signs in our area are being posted which draw attention to this "war" and that it is time for the president to be shown the exit and denial of a second term! This region is known among other things as being a coal mining region with a long history of involvement in the industry. And those signs calling for Obama's defeat are not just being posted on the lawns of Republicans, which are greatly outnumbered in the 12th district anyway.

But there are other issues Mr. Critz has to deal with in which the Democratic party has literally shot itself in the foot so far as many constituents in the 12th district are concerned. This is a district that is made up of a lot of Roman Catholics and various Orthodox groups, which means there is a very, very strong pro-life sentiment and that is demonstrated each January as many bus loads of persons go from this region to the March for Life in Washington DC. The Democratic party platform is pro-abortion, although the deceptive term "pro-choice" is often used in connection with the issue of destroying unborn children! And there is no room left for doubt that Mr. Obama and his wife are strong supporters of abortion, even late term if necessary -- for them there is no difference in terms of time, since you are only dealing with a mass of cells, tissue and blood, are you not? So Mr. Critz has made it a point to stress in his ads that he is pro-life!

Finally, the 12th Congressional District has a large segment of the population that is into hunting. Both male and female hunters take to the woods each year as evidenced by pictures printed each deer season. Some young females who have just been legally able to hunt have brought down some impressive buck deer. But the present administration in DC is moving more and more toward an anti-gun stance, and appears to be sympathetic to the United Nations' campaign on the control of small arms -- interpret that to literally mean eventual confiscation! The ads put out by Mr. Critz and his supporters also stress that he is "pro-gun," which is something you most definitely will not see in Mr. Obama's ad campaign!

Perhaps the best picture in this situation is that of a big worm on a very hot skillet -- you know who the worm is, don't you? His name happens to be Mark Critz who is striving to be John P. Murtha incarnate in the United States Congress in Washington DC!

"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. In you are men who slander to cause bloodshed; in you are those who eat on the mountains; in your midst they commit lewdness. In you men uncover their fathers' nakedness; in you they violate women who are set apart during their impurity. One commits abomination with his neighbor's wife; another lewdly defiles his daughter-in-law; and another in you violates his sister, his father's daughter. In you they take bribes to shed blood; you take usury and increase; you have made profit from your neighbors by extortion, and have forgotten Me," says the Lord GOD. "Behold, therefore, I beat My fists at the dishonest profit which you have made, and at the bloodshed which has been in your midst." --- Ezekiel 22:6-13

Something Much Greater to Be Concerned About Than National Security!

Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Now, son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? Yes, show her all her abominations! Then say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "The city sheds blood in her own midst, that her time may come; and she makes idols within herself to defile herself. 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 22:1-8

The issue of national security again was the focus of attention with the killing of an American ambassador and other staff members recently in the country of Libya.

Additional reports dealt with effectiveness of airport security and whether we as a nation are more secure now as the 11th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on American soil was observed.

There was no want to statements made by Mr. Obama and Mr. Romney who are battling it out as to who will be president starting in mid-January 2013!

The greatest tragedy in all this drama was not the loss of more American lives, but the unwillingness to face and the intentional rejection of the truth as to what is necessary to establish a high level of national security.

All nations are accountable to Almighty God without exception. Those which have had access to His full revelaton from the beginning of their founding are especially "under the gun" as opposed to those who did not have the privilege of that revelation at their beginnings. The United States is one nation which has had full access to that special revelation (the holy Scriptures) from the time the first colonists settled in!

When a nation makes a profession of being "one nation under God" but has drifted far from the standards God has established for blessing, protection, preservation, and survival against all threats, then very unpleasant things are going to happen!

Rather than holding a position of honor and respect among other nations, God says He will humiliate the nation that claims to relate to Him but whose dominant spirit is one of defiance and a "I will do it my way!" attitude.

The history of the Israelite people from the time of Moses demonstrates a roller coaster experience. When they were at their best in a high state of obedience, they were invincible with an abundance of God's blessings resting upon them. But when they lapsed into disobedience, calamities increased with the eventual defeat by enemies. But prior to such disasters taking place, God faithfully sent His prophets to call the nation to repentance and warnings of impending judgment if repentance did not take place. In most instances the response to the prophets was negative with the people considering them a bunch of radicals that were out of their minds. In some instances they were put to death!

Since we as a nation are walking down the same road as did the ancient Israelites and have adopted the same attitude toward God and His ways as did they, we can expect the same outcome -- which is devastating judgment!

We are guilty of massive idolatry, sexual immorality, misleading our young by teaching and example, trashing the day that originally was intended to be a day of worship and rest, compromising basic doctrines of the Christian faith, and all this crowned with a record of the innocent blood of 55 million unborn victims! The shedding of innocent blood has the express approval of many elected officials, including the president and his wife, and far too many professing Christians!

In spite of all the hard evidence that we continue to stir up the anger of a holy God and are on the very threshold of His wrath being poured out upon us in judgment, we are deceived into thinking we are quite OK as we wave our flags, do our Pledge of Allegiance thing from time to time, and shout out "God bless America." Politicians are especially good at the latter at the end of their speeches, especially when a hot election is taking place!

Be aware that calamities will increase and the U.S.A. will be more and more on the receiving end of humiliating happenings in different parts of the world so long as we refuse to meet the conditions of receiving special favor from God! How different from those times of decades ago when the United States was a nation held in high regard and its flag was respected around the world -- this was at the end of WW II, the last "unconditional surrender" victory ever won by our republic. Starting with Korea it was all down hill as we chose to "negotiate" an end to conflicts due mainly to politicians deciding they would write new rules to warfare!

Read again the statement made by Ezekiel the prophet -- do you see anything familiar that is disturbingly up to date?

"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: Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country....." (read on for more - Deuteronomy 28:1-14).

"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: Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country...." (read on for much more - Deuteronomy 28:15-68).

"We Can't Make It Rain.", He Says!

"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

"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: Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country." --- Deuteronomy 28:15, 16

Mr. Obama has visited in areas where the mid-west drought is extremely severe and has made statements about the problem. As could be expected, the federal government, according to him, is going to take some kind of action to help those who are most directly affected by the drought. In remarks made on the scene of one farm devastated by the lack of rain Mr. Obama said, "We can't make it rain..." and then proceeded to spell out what the governement will attempt to do to relieve the problem.

Well now, finally an admission there is something he can't do in the midst of a plethora of outlandish promises that the government can solve every problem -- you know, it will take care of you from the "womb to the tomb!" Just give us a little time and allow us to move far beyond the16 trillion dollar national debt level!

The tragedy in all this is the failure of Mr. Obama, his administration and the members of the U.S. Congress to recognize that present calamities of various kinds are God's attempts to awaken our nation to a realization that its greatest need is to repent of numerous transgressions which have been committed against Him! If true repentance takes place then the blessings as mentioned in the early statements of Deuteronomy 28 will be experienced.

But if we as a nation (claiming to be one nation under God) persist in defying God as we have been doing for a rather long period of time, then the calamities will continue at an accelerated pace, ending in devastating judgment! This pattern is well documented in the history of the Israelite people.

At present we have a severe drought in some areas and wildfires raging in numerous locations. A news release stated:

Updated at 12:10 a.m. ET: The Idaho National Guard is joining the fight against at least nine wildfires burning across the state, including the 68,000-acre Trinity Ridge blaze, one of 60 large U.S. fires being fought in one of the worst U.S. fire seasons.

Most are scorching the dry and hot Western states, including Washington, where the 22,656-acre Taylor Bridge fire five miles outside Cle Elum has charred 70-plus homes and more than 200 barns and other structures this week.

More than 400 homes have been evacuated in the area, but firefighters managed to carve containment lines around 25 percent of the blaze's perimeter by Wednesday night, with full containment expected within a week, authorities said.

Not only are more wildfires flaring up in the West this year than last, but the nation's fires have gotten bigger, said Jennifer Smith, of the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho. As of Thursday, more than 43,000 wildfires had been reported in the U.S. this season, burning a total of nearly 6.4 million acres, or 10,000 square miles, the center said. The 10-year average for the period is 52,535 fires, but covering only 5 million acres, Smith said.

There are diseases breaking out as well such as West Nile virus and Swine flu. But far more serious than these are the STD's (sexually transmitted diseases) that are spreading much like literal wildfires. The CDC a while back reported that 1 out of every 4 teenaged girls has a STD and some have more than one!

Financial calamity and probable failure is another indicator that our republic is in deep trouble as we approach a 16 trillion dollar national debt. In campaigning for his first term for the office of the U.S. presidency, Mr. Obama solemnly "promised" to cut the deficit in half during his first term in office. Read references in Deuteronomy 28 as to what the financial situation will be for the nation that intentionally defies Almighty God and His standards for a sane, sensible, serene, stable, and secure nation of people.

Will Mr. Obama, the members of his administration and the members of the U.S. Congress plus leaders at other important levels (this also includes church leaders) in our nation realize that the time is NOW to repent of our personal and collective sins? It is highly unlikely that such a move on the part of government and church leaders will take place due to the fact that God is not permitted to be recognized in much of the public arena and in a majority of educational institutions. Further, He is not going to be recognized in many corporate structures due to the way business is done with greed being a dominant factor! Human pride being what it is, the humiliation of sincere repentance is to be avoided at all costs.

Very true -- we can't make it rain, but it sure would make a difference if, after meeting the conditions, we reached out in humility and called on the One Who can make it rain abundantly!

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

Is the Movie Theater Mass Murderer the Only One Who Shows a "Disregard for Human Life"?

James Holmes was charged with 24 counts of murder, two each for the 12 people killed, and 116 counts of attempted murder, two each for the 58 injured. For the murder charges, one count included murder with deliberation, the other murder with extreme indifference. Both carry a maximum death penalty upon conviction.

A former chief deputy district attorney says a conviction under extreme indifference means that any life sentences would have to be served consecutively, not concurrently. In addition, the 24-year-old Holmes was charged with one count of possession of explosives and one count of a crime of violence, which is a gun charge. Authorities say Holmes booby trapped his apartment. --- Internet news release

In a recent court appearance James Holmes, who has a large number of murder and attempted murder charges plus a few other charges beyond murder, was described in part as a person who showed a "disregard for human life."

Probably most people would agree with that statement in light of his actions in killing 12 people and wounding 58 others in a shooting rampage at a movie theater in Colorado some time back.

Now for a troublesome question -- is he the only one showing disregard for human life? There was a more recent incident of a shooting in a Sikh Temple in Wisconsin in which some people were killed. And there are incidents happening all over the world in which human life is violently taken by shootings and by other means. So the same could be said in these incidents as well. But what is not honestly faced is the fact that a number of high profile persons who have been elected to political office and judges who have been appointed to serve in the justice system have demonstrated that they too have a "disregard for human life!"

Here's what is happening each week in the United States -- about 25,000 unborn children every week are intentionally mutilated and murdered in their mothers' (term, mother, is used very loosely here) wombs with the mangled remains disposed of as casually as you would pitch unwanted garbage into a landfill!

We have a president who sanctions this grisly practice and opposes any effort to protect lives of the unborn. In the Illinois legislature he successfully blocked legislation that would have protected the life of a baby which successfully survived an abortion, which a few do on very rare occasions. So far as Obama was concerned let it lie on a table unattended until it dies -- that is how it is in Illinois today for the very few that may survive an abortion attempt.

Not only the president, but many members of the U.S. Congress, governors of our states, members of state legislatures, and judges in the judicial system qualify for taking the position in which it can be said of them that they have a "disregard for human life!"

Tens of millions of unborn children have been destroyed since the infamous Supreme Court decision of 1973 with little serious objection being shown. Even a number of high profile church leaders, including United Methodist bishops, are very silent when it comes to this issue. They are willing to go to great lengths to tell you what is wrong in other areas of our culture -- for instance, just ask them sometime what their position on gambling is and be prepared to listen for a long time to their response about the evils of gambling!

The most tragic thing about this issue is the failure, because of the ignorance and blindness that exists, to recognize that this one single abomination will invoke the wrath of a holy God more quickly than anything else in our culture. We have a lot of collective and personal transgressions of numerous kinds going for us at the present time, but to destroy human life intentionally for which the Creator has a high and holy purpose is an offense that the human mind in its limitations cannot begin to comprehend!

God has been speaking and clearly calling to repentance, but so far the national response has been the commonly used traditional obscene gesture -- we'll just keep on showing our "disregard for human life" and if God doesn't like it, He can go and ________! You fill in the blank, but be aware that God will probably not follow through on your suggestion. He will be making a response to all this -- not a question as to whether He will, but rather WHEN will it happen!

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

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

Hypocrisy of the First Magnitude in Afghanistan!

A man Afghan officials say is a member of the Taliban shot dead a woman accused of adultery in front of a crowd near Kabul, a video obtained by Reuters showed, a sign that the austere Islamist group dictates law even near the Afghan capital.In the three-minute video, a turban-clad man approaches a woman kneeling in the dirt and shoots her five times at close range with an automatic rifle, to cheers of jubilation from the 150 or so men watching in a village in Parwan province."Allah warns us not to get close to adultery because it's the wrong way," another man says as the shooter gets closer to the woman. "It is the order of Allah that she be executed"...... --- Just one of a number of "news"  releases reporting the "execution" of a married woman accused of adultery.

The married woman allegedly committed adultery, found guilty and then was sentenced to be executed in an area north of Afghanistan's capital city. One of numerous reports claimed that she was involved with two Taliban commanders.

So in order to be "faithful" to Muslim standards on such an issue as this, it was determined that this unfaithful wife should be executed publicly. Presumably the message would be, "See what happens when you commit adultery!" The graphic lesson to all females is explicitly clear -- now to the men, that's a kitty of another color!

This execution would be a bit different -- no wall before which the guilty party would stand with a blindfold over the eyes. The woman was kneeling on the ground with her back toward her husband who was just a few yards away. He was given an AK-47 rifle and promptly fired three shots into her back (according to one report) -- then for good measure he fired more rounds into her body (another report said there were bullet holes in her head and in her torso). The assembly of men, estimated to be about 150, present erupted in loud cheers as this drama unfolded!

Correct me if I"m wrong, but doesn't the act of adultery involve a man and a woman -- and at least one of the persons involved in such an escapade is married to another person, other than the one with whom he/she is being intimate? Where then was the man, or in this particular case, the two Taliban commanders who were involved with another man's wife?

And why were these adulterers not on the receiving end of the projectiles that came gushing forth from the barrel of that AK-47 fired by a husband who was teaching his wife a permanent lesson that it is a naughty no-no to engage in sexual intimacy with men other than her husband?

Jesus in the 1st Century was confronted by a group of very indignant individuals who claimed they had caught a woman in the very act of adultery. They indicated that according to the law of Moses the woman should be stoned to death. But they wanted to know what He had to say about the issue. For a moment He did not reply but wrote something in the sand. Finally He spoke: "Whoever is without sin among you, let him throw the first stone."

Oooops! No one counted on this and suddenly very disturbing thoughts began to hammer them where it really hurts -- right in the heart of the conscience! One by one they made a hasty exit. Could this exodus have resembled a bunch of serpents slithering away looking for some hole into which they might crawl?

Jesus then had some parting words for the woman -- "Where are your accusers?" She replied there was no one left to accuse her. He replied, "Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more!" Obviously the woman was of a repentant spirit and was granted mercy and forgiveness on the condition that she not continue in her former lifestyle! (For details of this incident, see John 8 in the New Testament).

I have often wondered, as have many others -- just what was it that Jesus wrote in the sand that day a long, long time ago? Could it have been something like this: "Where is the man? He is an adulterer too, you know!"

As the old saying goes: "It takes two to tango!"

But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. --- 1 John 1:7-9

God Is Commanding, But Who Is Listening?

"Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead. --- Acts 17:30, 31

God did a mighty work 236 years ago when He blessed and provided for a small number of people who desired to be a free republic. These people broke free from the British crown and became known as the United States of America.

As decades of time passed the population expanded, territories to the west in the direction of the Pacific Ocean were occupied, new states were added to the original thirteen, and the future was extremely bright.

From time to time conflicts erupted with one of the most critical being the Civil War involving great loss of human lives, massive casualties, and widespread property destruction. But God was merciful and a union emerged stronger than ever before as national healing and reconciliation took place over time.

Yet there were more conflicts to take place in the decades ahead. In the midst of these God granted an abundance of grace and mercy and our republic gained victory over the enemy until politicians chose to compromise and abandon the demand of unconditional surrender on the part of the enemy. WW II was the last conflict in which the enemy had to submit to the terms of unconditional surrender. Korea was an entirely different "ball game" with a "negotiated" settlement taking place and it has been downhill ever since. Any time you have a politician meddling in affairs, it is not going to produce a good result!

As the 1950's drew to a close, the moral and spiritual climate of the United States began to dramatically change as well. The 1960's saw insane court decisions handed down such as evicting God from the public school sytems and then the approval of the mutilation and murders of unborn children in the womb in 1973. No one who has a bit of a sense of right and wrong can truthfully say that our republic is morally and spiritually stronger now than it has ever been in the past.

Now that we are more than a decade into the 21st Century we have continued on our toboggin slide toward sure and certain disaster for a number of reasons:

1. The bloody trail that our republic has left behind is the result of the destruction of millions of unborn children. This practice is identified in the Bible as the atrocious act of "shedding innocent blood!"

2. Sexual immorality of every conceivable kind which is gaining more and more acceptance so that the national motto in regard to human sexuality could well be: "Sex is fun with anyone (or a number of persons at the same time) anywhere and at any time on a 24/7 basis!" With the help of the entertainment industry and high profile celebrities our young folk are leaning this practice while in the early years of their lives.

3. The teaching of our young that our roots are traced back to very low forms of life and that over millions of years we have evolved to what we are today with the end not yet taking place as we move onward and upward to perfection. As noted earlier, due to an insane decision of the first magnitude, God is not permitted on public school property and therefore it is unlawful to teach our young the truth that all things existing, including human life, have their origin with God Who is our Creator! At the higher level in colleges, universities, and graduate schools the deadly and hopeless doctrine of evolution is a brainwashing process that has devastating results in the lives of victims who accept it without question.

4. The profaning of the day of worship which originally was set aside to provide citizens of the republic with the opportunity to worship the God Who raised this republic up so that it became the most powerful and prosperous nation in the history of the world! Not only was it to be a special time for the recognition and worship of God, but also a day of rest for the citizens so that they might become refreshed and then prepared for week of work that would begin on Monday. But the day is now primarily a day of business, pleasure, entertainment in many forms, and intentional placing of God in a cell with high tech security devices so that He does not in any way interfere with our "fun and games!"

5. A church that has become increasingly corrupted because of the infiltration of "wolves in sheep's clothing" who refuse to accept God's special revelation in the form of the holy Scriptures as the absolute authority on all matters that have to do with our faith, our relationship to God through His Son, Jesus Christ, and the responsibilites we have to be fully obedient to Him on a day by day basis. The heart of denial is found in the rejection of Jesus as to His real identity (God revealed in human form), His miracles which He performed, His atoning death on the cross for the sins of the entire human race, His literal resurrection from the dead 3 days after the crucifixion, and His promised return to this sin saturated world at some time in the future to take full control and rule as King of kings and Lord of lords!

In the midst of all this chaos God has been calling for repentance -- no exceptions! To repent is to be brutally honest with ourselves, to admit we are guilty, and to turn from our sins, asking God for mercy and forgiveness. This has to be done on a personal level and also collectively (family, community, church, nation and its leaders).

But there is a major problem -- God has issued the command to repent but He is being ignored by the vast majority. So what does this mean? It means simply that we are perilessly close to experiencing judgment. God employs calamities (chastising actions) for a time in an effort to make a nation aware of its need to turn to Him. The classic example of this is His dealings with the ancient kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Neither heeded His appeals issued through His prophets and consequently were totally destroyed at the hands of heathen peoples. Yes, God at times does use a heathen people to bring judgment on those who claim to be God's people - e.g. "one nation under God!"

How is your hearing these days?

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 9:4-9

Memories of Mom

"It doesn't matter whether my name is on the membership roll of the church -- the important thing is that my name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life!" --- Substance of Helen (Sedgwick) Harriger's response to her pastor who had told her he could not find her name on the membership roll of the church she had been attending and in which she had become actively involved.

If I detailed all the memories of my mother, it would take a long time and the content would make for a rather large book. So I shall try to keep it sweet, short and simple. Oh, by the way, the picture above is my mother holding me late in the summer of 1933 -- a few moons ago!

My earliest memory goes back to times before I went to school. My mother always had my well being at heart without fail. This involved not just my physical health but also my spiritual well being.

Mom had become a Christian at a very early age in her life and expressed her faith in Jesus Christ in a variety of ways. In her church she was a Sunday School teacher, involved in the ladies missionary group, and taught in annual Bible schools.

She made clear the difference between right and wrong to my sister (born about 6 years after me) and me when it came to our conduct. I remember distinctly one time she had me on her knee and we looked out the window at the neighbor just across the road working a field with his horses. The neighbor was a very profane man and could be heard cursing his horses or whatever -- he constantly was telling God to damn something or someone! Mom pointed out that we had to respect God and never to use His Name in a bad way such as the neighbor had been doing.

She was a disciplinarian -- a paddling was given out for certain offenses on my part and one time it was so serious that she turned me over her knee and used a scrub brush for emphasis -- I did not feel like sitting down for a while! The way things are now days the A.C.L.U. (Anti Christian Lovers of Ungodliness) would have encouraged me to sue my mother in court for child abuse!

Mom did a lot of reading and study and had a teacher's certificate qualifying her to teach in the public schools of our area. She did some substitute teaching occasionally. But her first love was to be a home maker for my dad, my sister and me.

She was an excellent cook and loved working in her kitchen. Her homemade bread along with her homemade butter earned her a noteworthy reputation in our community. But she also was first class when it came to the sweet stuff such as chocolate cake, cinnamon rolls, lemon sponge pie, etc. More than once I downed nearly a quart of our golden Guernsey milk with pieces of warm chocolate cake just out of the oven!

My mother was also a writer of letters (something I guess I inherited from her) and during WW II wrote to quite a number of military persons from our area on a regular basis. One of my dad's cousins was wounded in Sicily twice and one letter she wrote to him was done on shelf paper about 5 feet long or so and she wrote on both sides of it. He had a picture taken with the letter draped around his neck and hanging down over his chest. When I entered the military myself she was always faithful in writing letters to me and a few months later to Jean and me after our marriage and our move to North Carolina when I was stationed at Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station.

In addition to her work in the home she did a lot outside. She had a fair sized garden each year, gathered the eggs from our chicken coop, and helped my dad milk the cows twice a day. Sometimes she engaged in an activity that I did not want to watch. Once in a while she would take a rooster or maybe a hen, tie its legs together, hang it on the clothes line, and then cut off its head with a butcher knife! Her roast chicken was impossible to beat -- it was a bit unpleasant at a certain point in reaching that desired goal!

Mom was always one to give encouragement and support throughout the family. She was the oldest of the six children born to Edward and Estella (Robb) Sedgwick. Her brothers and sisters thought very highly of her and often visited her when they could.

She was very excited the day I revealed to her that God had called me into the ministry. She and my dad made special arrangements to come visit us when we were in Kentucky serving a small church while in seminary. And they were able to come to my graduation from Asbury Seminary. After we returned to Pennsylvania they would visit our church services from time to time.

Perhaps her greatest contribution in life was her discipline of prayer. I do not believe I would be where I am today or would have been involved in God's work as I have been over many years had it not been for a praying mother (and a praying father too).

She came down with cancer and fought a good fight but the disease got the best of her in January of 1979. I remember in the hospital room in Franklin PA when the doctor told us she was gone, the first thought to come into my mind was this: "Not one cancer cell can touch her now -- she is in the presence of her Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ!" She did win the ultimate victory and to that, every obedient Christian can say, "Amen and Amen!"

Because of what Jesus did for us all on Calvary's cross, I have the assurance of seeing my mother again along with a host of other loved ones and friends -- a reunion that will never break up and located in the perfect trouble-free environment -- some of us refer to this blessed place as Heaven!

But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. --- 1 Thessalonians 4:13-19