Letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer on April 15, 2021

April 15 2021

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer

Enclosed is letter being sent to President Biden and Vice President Harris. They are being called on to repent of their support of the killing of unborn children. This is a practice which God regards as an abomination and which He hates – see Proverbs 6! Since you also support this very unholy policy and practice, you also need to repent as well! Time is running out and God will bring judgment if there is a refusal to repent, and very soon!

Still contending (Jude 3,4)
Clayton D. Harriger
Galatians 6:7,8 Psalm 9:17

Letter to All Members of the 116th United States Congress

NOTE: The following letter was written on the anniversary of 9/11 and is being sent to all members of the United States Congress with copies also being sent to the presidential and VP candidates in the November 2020 election. Permission is hereby granted to any who may want to copy and reproduce this for sharing with others. Your prayer support is sincerely requested in this effort. cdh

September 11, 2020

To: Members of the United States Congress
Subject: Election November 3, 2020

Does it really matter who wins the election to be president for the next 4 years and what party is in control of the U.S. Congress? No, if there is not a very drastic change that takes place through our entire culture! That radical change will involve total repentance from the many abominations and transgressions of which we as a nation are guilty against Almighty God! We are perched on the very doorstep of experiencing His wrath being poured out upon us in judgment!

The reasons are many starting with tens of millions of unborn children deliberately murdered since 1973! God had a plan for each of these unborn children, but that was interrupted by an intentional act of homicide!

Further our pandemic immoral sexual practices and our deeply entrenched idolatry in its many forms also invite God’s wrath upon us!

Added to this is the fact that far less than half of our population can find its way into a place of worship to give honor and thanksgiving to the God Who makes our life and existence possible! A further problem related to this is the fact that too many of those churches that are attended are headed up by pastors who do not believe the Bible in its entirety and are spreading a bunch of heresy and apostasy among their congregations due to their unbelief in the Scriptures! This stems back to the fact that these pastors received such false teaching in seminaries they attended.

You can significantly help to bring about this critical change God calls us to make by urging the people you represent to turn to God in a spirit of sincere repentance and forsake all known sin in their lives.

If we do not repent, the result will not be pleasant and none of us will want to be within the borders of this nation when God brings judgment upon our republic. The people of the ancient Israelite kingdom of Judah found out the hard way in about 586 BC that after God had given fair warning time after time that He meant precisely what He had said He would do if they did not repent!

Still contending at www.crrange.com and blogging at http://cdharriger.blogspot.com

Clayton D. Harriger, Retired Elder
The United Methodist Church
Western PA Annual Conference

You Believe Removing An Alleged Offensive Flag Is Going to Solve Your Problems? No Way!

And having called again the crowd, he said to them, Hear me, all [of you], and understand: There is nothing from outside a man entering into him which can defile him; but the things which go out from him, those it is which defile the man. If any one have ears to hear, let him hear. And when he went indoors from the crowd, his disciples asked him concerning the parable. And he says to them, Are ye also thus unintelligent? Do ye not perceive that all that is outside entering into the man cannot defile him, because it does not enter into his heart but into his belly, and goes out into the draught, purging all meats? And he said, That which goes forth out of the man, that defiles the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, go forth evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickednesses, deceit, licentiousness, a wicked eye, injurious language, haughtiness, folly; all these wicked things go forth from within and defile the man. [Words of Jesus Christ in Mark 7:14-23 (Darby translation)].

There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. [Words of Jesus Christ in John 3:1-3 (King James Version)].

Our republic is again caught up in controversy in the wake of the tragic mass shootings that took place in a church in Charleston SC. The focus of attention is now on the Confederate flag and its removal from public view. The reasoning behind this, at least in part, is the fact that the individual who did the killing at the Emanuel AME Church appeared to have an ongoing love affair with the Confederate flag!

And so, politicians and media people with high profile publicity and a rallying cry, “Get rid of that offensive flag!” have now placed before all of us an agenda that needs to be zealously pursued and consumated! An erroneous assumption is widely shared on this matter – somehow it is falsely believed that if we get rid of that flag which represents “hate” and “bigotry” of the worst kind, then we will have solved our problem in this area and consequently, no more mass shootings.

Bury every single Confederate flag and every article on which its image appears and it won’t change a thing in our culture.

The reason is simple – the vast majority of our citizens, including those in leadership roles, as well as the world population is in an unregenerate spiritual condition. Jesus Christ addressed this problem perfectly and with precision accuracy in identifying the many ways in which unregenerate persons will act. We are born into this world with a nature (inherited from Adam) inclined to defy our Creator and His laws, concentrating on ourselves! And when things do not go the way we think they should, we may even resort to violent acts to reach our goals! We stand at the head of the line – all others are to be subject to our desires, as unholy as they may be much of the time.

God’s revelation is crystal clear on how to establish a sane, serene, sensible, stable, and secure nation.

It begins with an honest confession in words something like this: “I am guilty – I am a sinner and deserve Hell – I take full responsibility for all my transgressions.” Then comes the part wherein one approaches and addresses God, asking His mercy and forgiveness. Proud people cannot ever bring themselves to do such a thing. But in honesty and humility one does this painful thing and then expresses the desire for Jesus Christ to come into his/her life as Savior and Lord. In the book of The Revelation at the close of the 3rd chapter Jesus says that He stands at the door and knocks, and if any person hears His voice and opens the door, He will come in and then the wonderful fellowship begins. He becomes a resident in the life of the person who has repented (turned from) sin! A miracle happens in this experience – the inner nature is transformed so that now there is an intense interest in the things of God, a hunger to know Him and become familiar with His holy Word, and to be obedient in serving Him on a daily basis.

As mentioned previously – you can destroy all the images of the Confederate flag in the entire world, but if there is no genuine repentance from sin, no desire to draw near to God, and no desire to be obedient to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, not only on an individual basis but also on a collective basis, everything will continue as it has in the past. In fact things will get worse as time goes on!

Whoever is a believer in Christ is a new creation. The old way of living has disappeared. A new way of living has come into existence. God has done all this. He has restored our relationship with him through Christ, and has given us this ministry of restoring relationships. [2 Corinthians 5:17-18 (God’s Word translation)].

Birthday Reflections after Passing Four Score!

Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." [Jeremiah 1:4,5 (KJV)].

It all began on a small farm in Monroe Township, Clarion County in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on August 5, 1933. From then on life would never be the same for Russell and Helen (Sedgwick) Harriger since their lives had been invaded by a young one whom they named Clayton Duane Harriger!

As I observed the date in 2014, with a reminder that I am older than I have ever been before, I was blessed with numerous greetings from friends who live in many different places throughout the world. And I was likewise blessed with greetings and gifts from family members as well.

However, I gave some thought to two main things:

First, I have been blessed by a God of love and mercy far, far beyond what I deserve. This love and mercy became very real to me back in the latter months of 1957 when I received Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of my life. Shortly after that I sensed His call to enter pastoral ministry and in June of 1959 was appointed to serve the Greenwood and Simpson Methodist Churches in New Castle, Pennsylvania.

I have been blessed in the ministry for over 55 years in every place where God has led Jean and me to serve. We have made many friends in the faith in those places. I have been blessed with good health, taking a limited amount of medication on a daily basis. I “officially” retired from the United Methodist ministry in June of 1996. In November of 1999 I agreed to work with the congregation of the Gipsy Christian Church in Gipsy PA on a part time basis. So I am still doing some pastoral work and will continue so long as God gives me strength to do so.

Blessings have also come over the years since God put it on my heart to start a web site and then a short time later a blog. The web site is Circuit Rider’s Range and the blog is Musings of a Maverick. Both deal with controversial issues as well as related subjects involving faith and responsibility.

Second, I have thought about changes which have taken place in our nation and world in the four score years I have lived. Lots of wars and conflicts of different kinds, starting with WW II in my time. It was noted in today’s news that the 69th anniversary of the dropping of the atom bomb on Hiroshima in Japan was being observed with thousands in attendance. The United States is now more often than not being painted as a very bad guy for having done this. My response is rather simple – who were the people who started something at a place called Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941? I rest my case on that one!

But the more critical changes that have taken place over those 81 years that I have lived are spiritual and moral with pollution in these realms spreading like a fast growing destructive cancer!

God has made available a special revelation to us commonly known as the Bible. He took a period of about 1,500 years and used 40 or more persons in the process to put it all together. It tells us accurately Who God is, what He has done in the past, what He is doing now, and what He plans to do in the future.

His greatest act of course was the sending of His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world for the express purpose of becoming the sacrifice for all the sins committed by the entire human race so that we could be totally forgiven, receive eternal life, and be a citizen of His Kingdom forever!

For over half a century the Christian faith has been viciously attacked and heretics have undermined basic doctrines so that it is no longer unusual to see immoral conduct readily accepted as “normal” in United States culture. When even church leaders conduct “weddings” for same gender “couples” it is obvious we are on the skids racing toward sure and certain judgment!

The two main driving forces in any nation are political and religious in nature. When these become corrupted, then there will be trouble manifested in many different ways. Our own nation is fast approaching its own death throes unless drastic action takes place on part of the leadership followed by the citizens – that drastic action is called repentance – turning from all forms of sin on a personal level as well as collective. However, our political and religious leaders are providing no evidence whatsoever that they are really concerned about getting squared away with Almighty God! And if there is no concern about recognizing the reality of sin and how it is being so readily accepted, nor a serious concern about repenting and seeking God’s mercy, then there is only one thing to which we as a nation can look forward – the undiluted wrath of God poured out in judgment! It is now a question as to how long it will be since God has been increasing the calamities and issuing the call to turn back to Him!

And it shall come to pass, when thou shalt shew this people all these words, and they shall say unto thee, Wherefore hath the Lord pronounced all this great evil against us? or what is our iniquity? or what is our sin that we have committed against the Lord our God? Then shalt thou say unto them, Because your fathers have forsaken me, saith the Lord, and have walked after other gods, and have served them, and have worshipped them, and have forsaken me, and have not kept my law; and ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me…. [Jeremiah 16:10-12 (KJV)]

Letter to Editor About that Fiscal Cliff!

The letter printed below was sent to editors of the following newspapers: The Indiana Gazette in Indiana PA, The Punxsutawney Spirit in Punxsutawney PA, Mainline Newspapers in Ebensburg PA, and The Tribune-Democrat in Johnstown PA.

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Friday, December 14, 2012

Editor:

At present time the news arena is dominated with one subject that is summarized in the expression “fiscal cliff.” As the president and the Congress attempt to maneuver for positions of great influence in this debacle, the image of a 3-ring circus quickly comes to mind.

The tragedy in this is the failure to realize that the real crisis is not the possibility of falling over a fiscal cliff but the hard reality that we have already fallen over a moral cliff!

Our version of Holocaust has resulted in over 55 million unborn victims. Our idolatry is on a level comparable to the ancient Roman Empire. Our sexual immorality is now pandemic in nature. We continue to brainwash the majority of our young with the deadly doctrine that we have evolved from lower life forms, hence, there is no personal need for God if He really does exist.

Mounting evidence suggests that it is simply a matter of time until Almighty God, Who is calling us to repent of our personal and corporate sins, deals with our nation as He has dealt with others in the past whose ruins now pique the interests of archeologists!

Clayton D. Harriger, Pastor

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"You shall speak My words to them, whether they hear or whether they refuse, for they are rebellious. But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you." --- Ezekiel 2:7, 8

On the Other Hand, the United States Deserves Such "Leadership!"

They soon forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel, but lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tested God in the desert. And He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul. --- Psalm 106:13-15

It is a lesson rarely ever learned -- what you earnestly desire may not be the best thing for you. In fact it may prove to be a disaster later on down the road. The ancient Israelites found out the hard way as they made their journey from Egypt to the land of promise in Canaan.

God had intervened through a series of miracles and set them free from centuries of slavery in Egypt. He had promised a land which was described as one flowing with "milk and honey!" It was a land where they would prosper, be wonderfully blessed, and be used to reveal to a heathen world Who God is, how he loves all people, and the fact that He has a wonderful plan for each person as they journey through life in this world.

But things did not go well at times on that journey from Egypt to the promised land. There were murmurings and frequent complaints in spite of the fact that God was providing daily food and drink for them. Their clothes were not wearing out from the wear and tear of daily traveling. They were not content with manna from heaven but wanted meat instead.

When God brought in a bunch of quail and the people hastily prepared and started to eat the meat, then they experienced God's wrath in judgment! But even worse, as Scripture reveals, God not only gave them their request for meat, but he sent leanness into their souls! There is nothing worse than to be poverty stricken in one's spirit -- in a strict sense, to be out of touch with God.

There has been a battle raging within the United States for decades. It intensified in the '50's and got worse as time moved on. Supreme Court decisions provided unmistakable evidence that the republic was on a path leading eventually to disaster and at some time in the future, ultimate collapse!

A first major decision, the results of which cannot be even a bit comprehended, was the banning of prayer and Bible reading in the public schools. It has been and continues to be hotly debated with even pastors and church leaders saying it was a good thing to ban such practices -- after all, we need to have "separation of church and state" you know! It is interesting to draw a comparison as to how it was in the schools before the decision and how it is now some time after such a decision in terms of behavior and relationships!

The second major disaster in terms of the Supreme Court causing our republic to revert to a heathen culture was the decision that it is a "constitutional right" for a female to choose to have her unborn child mutilated and murdered, even if that choice should be made just a few days before the scheduled birth is to take place!

Millions of unborn children have been destroyed since the infamous Roe v. Wade decision of 1973. God has not yet made His full response to this, but the series of calamities being visited upon our nation and the fact that intensity and frequency of the same are increasing indicate that the time may be much closer than any of us are willing to admit!

We are on the eve of an election as of the day of this posting (Nov 3, 2012) and an examination of values espoused by the candidates who want to be president starting at the third week of January 2013 would reveal a contrast in certain critical areas.

Due to the prevailing mood and dominant desires of the country at the present time, it would be fitting for the Obamas to continue in their present position which they have had for the past four years! The Obamas are vehemently supportive of the destruction of unborn children, always using a logic very similar to that of the Nazis of WW II era as to why some should live and others be exterminated before birth. That seems to be the preferred choice of a majority of U.S. citizens. Even professed "pro-life" members of Congress prefer to do nothing on this issue, showing no aggression whatsoever! And if Mitt Romney, who claims to be pro-life, should be elected, it is doubtful he will do much if anything about protecting the lives of the unborn -- it will likely be business as usual - the continued destruction of about 25,000 unborn children every week!

The Obamas are now very supportive of marriage between same-gender couples -- that is, they support sodomites marrying each other and lesbians marrying each other. In spite of God revealing clearly that marriage is a special convenant relationship between a male and a female, the Obamas have fully accepted the new "definition" of marriage that has been widely adopted throughout our culture in recent years! Mainstream media for the most part is quite positive on this issue. The entertainment industry is constantly throwing subject matter at us telling us what a good thing it is for people of the same gender to be married. And of course there is the growing practice of labeling anybody who does not accept this in the most negative terms possible, starting with them being "homophobic!" Pressure has been mounting for more states to permit persons of the same gender to legally marry.

The Obamas at best are quite indifferent to the church and its profession of faith that is centered in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and only attend a worship service on an extremely rare occasion. Less than half of the United States' population of over 300 million people is able to find its way to a worship service on Sunday. There may be a few more in attendance on Easter Sunday and on the Sunday preceding Christmas. For over half of our population Sunday should be renamed Funday because it is a day of pursuing amusements, sports events, entertainment, or just about anything that will not remind people that there is an Almighty God to Whom we will give an account as to what we have done with the lives He made possible and which the vast majority have utterly wasted!

Further, under Mr. Obama's "leadership" (term used carelessly) our national debt is now in excess of 16 trillion dollars with nearly 1/3 of that accumulated during his term in office. Since this nation insists on spending money it does not have, it is appropriate that Mr. Obama continue as president and be "in charge" when the country goes belly up financially!

In spite of the fact that God has been faithfully issuing the call for personal and collective repentance, the response has been negative -- some may even dare to suggest, "What have we done that is so wrong?" That in itself is an indication of the deplorable spiritual, moral and ethical condition of our republic!

It behooves those who know and practice the experience of daily prayer to adopt the prayer of Daniel in the 9th chapter of the book that bears his name. It is highly likely that in the not too distant future we shall know whether enough persons have prayed and mercy has been granted or we will experience judgment and devastation unlike anything this nation has ever experienced in its entire history!

But for the moment the prevailing spirit of this republic is saying, "Give us Obama!"

Remember at the beginning there was a quote that ended, "....He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul."

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

"....if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. --- 2 Chronicles 7:14

"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

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

"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

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

"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

The One Absolute That High Profile Conservatives Are Avoiding!

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!

"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

Taking Back America - Very Doubtful Indeed --

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

Praying for the President, the Congress, and the Nation!

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 9:4-6

Heavenly Father, you are the living God -- there is no other! You have been pleased to reveal yourself through all that you have created, through your inspired Word, and by becoming human in the Person of your Son, Jesus Christ. It is through Him that I come to you in all my unworthiness. I give thanks for your abundance of mercies you have granted to me over the years I have been privileged to live in this world. I also give thanks for the many times you have heard and answered prayer as I called upon you in my times of need.

I ask for your forgiveness for my offenses against you in thoughts, desires, words spoken and deeds done. I also ask your forgiveness for my failure to act when I should have done so as well as failure to speak in witness to your revealed truth when I should have spoken.

I ask that you would work such chastising works as are necessary to make the president, the appointed members of his administration, and the members of the Congress fully aware that you are God and you hold all of us accountable for our actions day by day. The president has given his sanction to the mass destruction of unborn children for whom you have a high and holy purpose. Those in his administration as well as many in the Congress give their approval to this ongoing destruction of thousands every week.

You know all things -- from you nothing can be hidden. You know the extent of the dishonesty, the greed and the bribery that has corrupted those who have been elected to govern this republic. May every dishonest, unethical, and immoral act be brought to light that all will know the truth concerning these elected officials. Bring reproach upon their heads and defeat their attempts to hide questional acts in their conduct. Rebuke the president and his advisors whenever they attempt to take a course of action that is not within your holy will and purpose. Bring deep conviction and distress upon them when they fail to seek your will in the making of decisions and the proposal of all legislation. Bring every effort they make to total defeat when such efforts are not acceptable in your sight.

Raise up a prophet who will come in the spirit of your servants such as John the Baptist or Elijah and who will confront the president face to face with his sins and that of the nation.

For the nation I pray -- we are a nation deserving of the ourpouring of your wrath in judgment for our many abominations and transgressions of which we are guilty. The spirit of our nation is such that we are not grieved that unborn children are brutally mutilated and murdered before birth. We show no remorse that we have taken unto ourselves numerous idols, that we have turned the holy day of worship into a day of pleasure and spectator sporting events, and that we are being consumed in our pandemic immorality and have rejected your standards for expressing the gift of our sexuality.

We teach our young that our origins are found in lower life forms rather than teaching them about you and your mighty creation and that you alone are the source and sustainer of all life.

O God, while we stand deserving of your judgment, have mercy, arise and bring forth such calamities as you see fit in your infinite power and wisdom upon this whole nation that people in every place -- within the church as well as outside the church will be moved and stirred by the working of your Holy Spirit -- that there will be a desire to seek you in a true spirit of repentance and to confess that as a nation we have failed to serve and honor you as the living God Who is worthy of our love, our praise and our loyaty every day that we live.

Thank you that in a love that defies human understanding, you gave your Son, Jesus, for the sins of the entire human race. It is in His Name that I pray, asking for mercy for myself and my loved ones, and that you would for a time work your chastising works throughout this nation and to confront our government leaders and our church leaders with the need to repent of all of our sins, personally and corporately. In the Name of Jesus Christ, my Savior and Lord. Amen.

"...if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." --- 2 Chronicles 7:14

Talking to God While Blowing Snow!

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. --- James 5:17, 18

So we got hit with 2 major snow storms within a few days of each other, as did much of the eastern U.S. Our amounts were not as much as some, but more than others. Grand total for us in the Laurel Highlands of south central PA was about 30 inches give or take, depending on where the wind whipped it around a bit.

In all this, I had to resurrect my snow blower which had not been used in over two years. My faithful 4-wheeler, Suzi, with her snow blade just wasn’t up to pushing that amount of snow. Fortunately, Mr. Simply (snow blower built by Simplicity), fired right up and was ready to go to work. He cut through the stuff like the proverbial hot knife through butter!

But I did something else while Mr. Simply was moving snow. I did some talking to my Lord. I often do this while I am engaged in certain tasks and even while driving down the highway -- ah, I do keep my eyes open in that situation. And so, as always I began with some praise and thanksgiving. God had given me another day and sufficient strength to get out of bed and to move about. And there was thanksgiving for His mercies to me and members of my family. We have all been blessed with a good measure of health. And I am thankful to live in a nation where I am free to worship and to join with others in giving public expression to our faith.

But then as my attention turned to the nation in which I am a citizen I did some confessing. The first part of the confession was that we deserve the wrath of God to be poured out upon us for the many abominations and sins of which we are guilty. There is nothing I can point to and say to God, “For this reason or that – or look at this – for these we do not deserve to be judged!” There is simply nothing that we can appeal to and say to God, “We are basically pretty decent people and deserve blessings rather than judgment!”

The confession continues with the admission that we are guilty of the abomination of millions of unborn children destroyed for whom God had a purpose in life – for this alone we stand deserving of the outpouring of His fury. Our national leadership is not the least bit remorseful and our president gives wholehearted approval to this ongoing slaughter!

But that is only the beginning – our widespread idolatry with money being one of our prominent deities! There is our pandemic practices of sexual immorality in many forms. And we have trashed the day of worship with less than half our population finding their way to a place of worship on what some consider to be the “Lord’s Day.”

And so we talk – the Lord and I about such things. And I, as I admit that we deserve His judgment right now, ask for mercy and that He might arise and increase His chastising actions upon the nation and its leadership (both state and church) – that if possible, the nation might be brought to repentance – not just in pretense, but for real – seeking God in sorrow and regret – confessing and asking for forgiveness and national healing

And a part of the conversation involved the weather – yes, even these snow storms that brought havoc to much of the eastern United States.

“Will people realize that you are the God of storms also? Will you work in such a way that all this massive amount of snow will suddenly melt in the future and create even more problems? Speak clearly through these events, Lord, that even the most hard hearted person will pause and give thought to his or her relationship with You.....Nevertheless, Lord, not my will, but yours be done – in my life, my family, my many friends – throughout our beloved nation and to the ends of the earth. Even so, come Lord Jesus!”

"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......... 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 28:1, 2, 15, 16

Truly Sorry for “transgressions” or Just Sorry for Getting Caught?

Tiger Woods said he let his family down with transgressions he regrets "with all of my heart," and that he will deal with his personal life behind closed doors. --- news release statement on Tiger Woods’ “confession”

It is a given – very, very few people can handle power, wealth, and fame responsibly! Great is the number of persons in professional sports, political office, and the entertainment industry who have given in to raging hormones. The common denominator is an attempt to keep all indiscretions concealed and often to continue immoral activity for one main reason.

That main reason is that the individual believes he or she is the exception to the laws and standards put in place by the Creator of this universe. Those laws and standards may apply to everyone else, but not to me – I can flaunt them because of who I am! So it is said (or at least thought) by a long line of high profile people over the centuries. Defenders of these moral alley cats will make the appeal that what they do in private is none of our business and we are not to do any "judging" in regard to the issue.

Tiger Woods is the latest big name to try to get himself out of the moral quicksand pit into which he has sunk. So amid the mounting pressure that he attempted to elude, he finally has made a public “apology.” Too often it’s been a matter of not really being sorry for the alleged “transgressions” as it is that one got caught and couldn’t hide the offenses any longer. Further, if there had not been some revelation of some kind, the high profile transgressor would have continued to do what he or she had been doing all along!

Yes, forgiveness is possible – each of us is confronted at some point with the issue as to whether we will honestly confess that we are guilty of transgressions and seek the mercy of Almighty God, or try to excuse our offenses and shirk responsibility for our actions. Or worse, utter a feeble half hearted “apology” with the only regret being that we couldn’t keep our “secret life” a secret any longer!

God is extremely merciful – those who have truly repented of their sins and experienced God’s mercy and forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ know full well what it is to live in a state of peace with God. With this comes an abiding assurance of having been forgiven because the regret and following acts of repentance were for real, not merely a charade!

Time will tell as to how it is for Tiger Woods – truly sorry for the “transgressions” with genuine repentance providing clear evidence of the sorrow or simply sorry at having been caught!

Even high profile people in pro sports, government, entertainment, and corporations need Jesus Christ more than anything or anyone else on the face of this planet though most provide evidence that they don’t believe this to be true!

"…you have sinned against the LORD; and be sure your sin will find you out. --- Numbers 32:23b

For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. --- Romans 5:7-9

Obama Will Lose His “War!”

The Obama Administration and Fox News have started to become rivals, with the White House commenting that Fox was, “opinion journalism masquerading as news.” --- Internet news release, October 21, 2009

A long, long time ago God made as plain as it could be stated – leaders in governing authority and the citizens of the nation over which they govern who do not listen to Him are bound to fail. One shocking way that God has of revealing this is found in the book of Jeremiah:

“You have forsaken Me," says the LORD, "you have gone backward. Therefore I will stretch out My hand against you and destroy you; I am weary of relenting!” --- Jeremiah 15:6

"Now therefore, speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, 'Thus says the LORD: "Behold, I am fashioning a disaster and devising a plan against you. Return now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good.’” --- Jeremiah 18:11

Much publicity has been generated over the “war” that has erupted between the Obama administration and Fox News network. Personally, I don’t watch Fox News that much – a little of Bill O’Reilly, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity and the others goes a long way! And their parade of females makes one wonder if we are being exposed to a competitive beauty pageant masquerading as “intellectual expertise” in some area or other!

The hard fact of the matter is that Fox News, as has Obama and members of his administration, has not really dealt honestly with what the actual root problem of this republic is, which is spiritual and moral in nature. The Fox people and others claiming to be conservative continue to attack what are perceived to be the political “problems” and what they believe has to be done to cure them. This has aroused the wrath of Obama and his supporters. The tragedy is that among these warring parties is the omission of the first step that has to be taken in order to start a process of healing and restoration within our nation. It’s called repenting from sin (personal and collective) and calling on God for mercy and forgiveness.

Whatever degree of improvement might be made through political maneuvering at this stage would be like treating a patient who is suffering from a deadly melanoma with a couple of aspirin tablets! There might be a temporary form of relief from discomfit but the deadly cancer is still there doing its terminal work.

Obama is a loser and through his influence will cause this republic to lose in the most tragic fashion. He is the first president to take the lowest view of human life possible and to aggressively support the massive destruction of unborn children not only within the borders of the United States but has actively taken action so that tax money from our nation goes into foreign nations to support those organizations which provide services resulting in the brutal mutilation and murders of unborn children.

Anyone who believes God is going to bless this nation under such leadership as that is worse than an ostrich with its head stuck in the sand and unwilling to face reality as to where we as a nation are headed.

Obama doesn’t realize that he has had his 3 strikes, is out, and has lost. Three more years will only see things worsen as God continues to issue His warnings and employs those measures that should wake people up and make them aware of the need to repent. There is nothing to indicate at this stage that any significant changes are going to take place and so the foolish and very unprofitable “war” continues!

You see, when Almighty God is against you, you are always the loser!

Then they will cry to the LORD, but He will not hear them; He will even hide His face from them at that time, because they have been evil in their deeds. --- Micah 3:4

A Desperate Prayer of Last Resort!

'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.' --- Jeremiah 33:3

A majority of people claim to believe in the experience of prayer. Attempts have been made to determine whether there are differences in circumstances where prayer has been exercised versus similar situations where prayer has not been uttered.

In the Christian faith there is a strongly held conviction that prayer is an experience of communicating with God and that God does respond to the prayers of those identified as His people.

The Scriptures speak much about prayer, relates the experiences of many people who prayed, and establishes clearly the fact that God indeed is One Who does great things in response to the pleas of those who give Him praise and thanksgiving as well as sharing the burdens of the heart.

Over many years I have seen and experienced in a variety of ways answers to prayer. The concerns for which prayer has been uttered are likewise widely varied. It is a demonstration that God is far more concerned about us and our circumstances than we can begin to imagine.

Recently a new burden was laid upon my heart unlike one I never experienced before. It involves the president of the United States. I have always prayed for our leaders and for those holding the office of the presidency. I will not detail here how I pray for those persons, but I do remember to pray for them on a regular basis. I will say that such prayers are not a generic "God, bless the president -- the members of the Congress...the members of the Supreme Court..."

But due to the policies advocated by President Obama, especially his very low view of human life in its formation stages, I have been praying in a specific area. The substance of that prayer is that God will raise up a prophet with the anointing of His Spirit upon that person. Further that such a prophet will confront the president face to face concerning the grievous error of his ways and call him to repent in order that the will of God will become a priority in his daily life!

Such confrontations have happened in the past. Elijah confronting Ahab, Micaiah confronting Ahab and Jehoshaphat, Nathan confronting David, and John the Baptist confronting Herod, to name just a few. These were personal and direct face to face encounters.

You have the names and you can look up the details as to how each encounter turned out. The important thing is that God had expectations of those leaders and He arranged for a prophet to be His instrument/messenger in each instance.

So, will you pray that God will raise up such a person to come face to face with the president and relay clearly what God expects of Mr. Obama as he holds what some consider to be the most powerful position in the entire world? This is not to suggest some big name TV preacher or the distinguished pastor of a large and famous “mega-church” out there somewhere, or a world renowned “pastor” who has a “make people feel good” ministry.

Rather, an Elijah or John the Baptist type of prophet is more appropriate – one who comes thundering out of some little known place in the wilderness – one whose message begins with a note of authority – “Thus says the Lord God……!”

The main uncertainty is just how that prophet in such a moment will be treated by the president, if it actually happens. As you review the many prophets God raised up over centuries of time, they were not treated very well in a majority of those confrontations! Again, I leave it to you to more fully investigate the circumstances.

How many will rally to the challenge to pray, “Almighty God, may it please you to raise up a prophet to confront the president and make plain to him what You expect of him, our elected officials at all levels, our nation, and…”

The destiny of our republic may well hinge on how many pray in faith that God will raise up a prophet to directly and personally confront the president about the issue of God's will for this nation, its leaders (political and church) and its citizens!

So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done. And all things, whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." --- Matthew 21:21, 22

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness by which they lie in wait to deceive,….--- Ephesians 4:11-14

No Respect for the Man Who Disgraces the Office!

"However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die." --- 2 Samuel 12:14

It happened a long time ago to a man who held a very powerful position – he was king over a nation that had been proving itself to be superior over all other kingdoms at that point in time.

But one night unbridled lust invaded the life of king David of Israel and he committed adultery with the result that the woman, Bathsheba, became pregnant. To make matters even worse, David conspired to have Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah, killed in battle.

Things seemed to go alright for a while until one day God sent a prophet to confront the king about what he had done. David confessed that he had sinned and sought God’s mercy and forgiveness, which was graciously granted to him.

But he had disgraced the office of his kingship and was undeserving of respect which was evident by a harsh rebuke from God through the prophet, Nathan. Note again the words, “However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.” --- 2 Samuel 12:14.

In this year of 2009 we are saddled with a president who has disgraced the high office of the presidency of the United States in numerous ways. There are those who attempt to defend the president and declare that we must support him and show respect for him.

But how can you respect this man when:

• he has lied repeatedly, not keeping promises which at the time they were made, he adamantly insisted he would make good on them when he became president! God does have a few explicit things to say about lying, does He not?
  
  
• he has led us down the road of uncontrolled spending and plunged our republic into an abyss of indebtedness from which it will never recover. China holds about one trillion dollars of that debt and if that country ever says, “Pay up, right now!”, what do you suppose will happen?
  
  
• he demonstrated the epitome of disgrace on his recent foreign junket when he bowed to King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia. In effect the president of the United States was saying by that act that King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz and the Muslim faith to which the king is an ardent devotee are superior to the United States. This is nothing short of an image of the surrender of our national sovereignty!
  
  
• he has placed a blanket seal of approval (and it’s not the Good Housekeeping one) on the mass destruction of unborn children at all stages of their development from a few weeks (embryonic stem cell research) to full term. Not only is his support given to such mass murder and destruction in our nation, but by his signature we now support the destruction of the unborn in foreign nations as well.
  

However such happenings should come as no real surprise since the blessing of Almighty God is being withdrawn and being replaced with increased chastising actions and calamities in an attempt to awaken the nation to awareness that full repentance must be the top priority on the nation’s agenda. If it does not become that top priority, then we can expect our future to turn out the same as that of ancient cultures whose ruins we can now explore and observe – ancient Babylon being one of the more infamous examples!

And a PS on this -- if you are among the many who say we should respect the president, then you show me how to respect Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Mao Zedong, each of whom was responsible for millions of deaths of innocent victims, then I will apply your logic and start respecting B. Hussein Obama!

"And like their bow they have bent their tongues for lies. They are not valiant for the truth on the earth. For they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not know Me," says the LORD. “Everyone take heed to his neighbor, and do not trust any brother; for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbor will walk with slanderers. Everyone will deceive his neighbor, and will not speak the truth; they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity.” --- Jeremiah 9:3-5

"And it shall be, when you show this people all these words, and they say to you, 'Why has the LORD pronounced all this great disaster against us? Or what is our iniquity? Or what is our sin that we have committed against the LORD our God?' then you shall say to them, 'Because your fathers have forsaken Me,' says the LORD; 'they have walked after other gods and have served them and worshiped them, and have forsaken Me and not kept My law. And you have done worse than your fathers, for behold, each one walks according to the imagination of his own evil heart, so that no one listens to Me.’” --- Jeremiah 16:10-12