Monday, October 31, 2011

THINK ON THESE THINGS - TUESDAY


Everyone has a worldview or a way of looking at things! Therefore a worldview is not just how we look at things but how we use that information to then act according to that specific belief system. 

For us, a Biblical Worldview is at a premium. A Christian either has one, or not! Sadly, the world renowned pollster and author George Barna has found that only 9% of us Born-again Christians even have such a worldview! This is not only outrageous, but indicative of the woeful lack of biblical knowledge, application and discernment in the modern American church!

This video is 17 minutes of a 25 minute message recorded on July 16, 2011 for the Florida based Christian Television Network's Decatur, Illinois affiliate - WLCF. This is an episode of SPOTLIGHT which airs weekly from Springfield to Danville, Illinois; parts of Central Florida (including Orlando) as well as now - Ghana!

I attempt to briefly discuss, a Biblical Worldview.  May it bless you. Amen!


THINK ON THESE THINGS - HALLOWEEN EDITION

The following article was written 10 years ago by elder Richard T. Ritenbaugh, son of pastor John Ritenbaugh who once pastored here in Illinois and Michigan. He wrote about an incident 10 years ago, when the Mayor of Fort Worth, Texas cancelled official "TRICK OR TREAT" so-called "celebrations" across the city!
Here is his essay on this day, Halloween:

HALLOWEEN RISING:
Howls of protest arose this past week because the mayor of Fort Worth, Texas, advised residents not to allow their children to trick-or-treat from door to door this year, due to the recent terror attacks on the U.S. 

His critics prated on several "how dare he?" themes: 
How dare he "cancel" Halloween
How dare he take such "fun" from our children? 
How dare he dampen our esprit de corps during our war on terrorism? How dare he further stifle our recessed economy? 
How dare he!

Though this happened in just a few places, it became a modest national uproar, even appearing as a major topic on national talk shows. A majority of Americans just love Halloween—many enjoy it more than Christmas, July Fourth, and Super Bowl Sunday! In terms of its impact on the economy, it already ranks second to Christmas, and it is comparable to Super Bowl Sunday and St. Patrick's Day in beer sales. Only Christmastime sees more sales of holiday decorations, and of course, candy sales are off the charts before Halloween!

What is the attraction? Are people really into ghouls, spirits, devilry, and monsters? Are Americans really that attracted to the otherworldly theme of the holiday? No, probably not. Polls to the contrary, most Americans do not believe in demonic or even angelic spirits enough to think of Halloween as some kind of celebration of them. 

The answer lies in the donning of costumes and the consumption of alcohol: Halloween is the year's biggest escape from reality!

The ancient Celtic celebration of Samhain (November 1), from which All Saints' Day and All Hallows Eve derive, was a kind of New Years holiday. Along with the days immediately before and after, it was special because the Celts believed that the boundary between this world and the spirit world relaxed or lifted, allowing spirits to cross between them more easily. As this idea terrified superstitious people, they mollified the spirits by leaving out food and treats so that they would not curse them. 

Some practiced various forms of divination to contact departed loved ones. Druids thought this to be the best time to seek guidance from the dead, and the bards sought otherworldly inspiration for their poetry and song.

Another interesting aspect of Samhain's celebration is that the Celts considered it to take place in "no-time," that is, neither in the old year nor the new. Since this "no-time" was a time to itself, normal laws, order, strictures, and customs were held in abeyance for these three days of merriment. People thus did whatever they pleased.

So, the fool held court as the wise man. The baseborn acted as the noble. The servant became the master. Women dressed as men, and vice versa. Farmers turned out their cattle, pigs, and sheep from their pens and pastures, allowing them to roam free. Some entered houses through windows rather than doors. No work was done because it was a time of total abandon: of revelry, feasting, drinking, taking dares, disguising oneself, and pretending to be something one was not. Those three strange days were "chaos time."

Our modern version, Halloween, is a "tame" descendant of this Celtic celebration, and its popularity is rising steadily. Revelers use the holiday as an excuse to escape their mundane, banal, yet stressful lives and "take a walk on the wild side." Laws, customs, mores and order cease for a short time, as participants indulge themselves in whatever they desire.

Probably most consider it "blowing off steam" or "having a good time," but self-indulgence is sin. Instead of releasing the pressure by coming out of a world conducting its affairs apart from God (Revelation 18:4), celebrants compound their troubles by adding on sin and its destructive consequences.

We have been called to a different life, one in which we "put off" our former corrupt, lustful conduct and "put on" new habits and behaviors that reflect the righteous and holy life of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 4:22-24). Paul concludes in Ephesians 5:8-12, 15-16:
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), proving what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. . . . See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because they are evil.

(Image by Google

Sunday, October 30, 2011

THINK ON THESE THINGS - SUNDAY

Jane Fonda - Born Again? Not really.....!
CELEBRITY "WORSHIP" IS NOT CHRIST WORSHIP


I remember back in 2000, most of us were stunned when "Hanoi" Jane Fonda, one of the most radical anti-Vietnam War protestors, and  a feminist whom almost all United States military veterans and citizens despise,  announced boldly that she had become a "Born-Again Christian"!


I was among those who believed it...after all, it was Jane Fonda, who grew up the daughter of atheist Henry Fonda and like most liberals, turned their noses up against the Bible Belt and all we believe. Even more incredible was the fact that Jane was married to one of the worse Christ-haters in America - TV mogul Ted Turner (CNN, TBS etc). This revelation led to Turner divorcing her.

Jane said she became a Christian after attending an African-America Baptist church in Atlanta, secretly, for many years. She then reinforced that view on the Oprah Winfrey show in 2005. However, the fruit of one' decision in life are not immediately visible. The question is...where do you stand in the long run?



Are you really and truly BORN AGAIN?
Are you a repentant sinner, saved by the Grace of God?

Are you a really a son or daughter of His?


Like most American professing Christians, Jane developed doubt and even despair over the years and by her own admission, looked outside the Bible for answers. She went to texts not considered in the Canon of Scripture, as well as to other religions. While she admitted to faithful attending Real Bible Studies over the years and knowing exactly the Words of Jesus, her rebellious spirit has led her to become more interfaith like most evangelicals to the point where she rebels against the Attributes of God the Father!


She never left her feminist background and also dislikes certain tenets of the Faith which are prime for real believers. She is still pro-abortion.  Jane Fonda says in her biography "Over time, and, I feel, because I stepped outside of established religion, I was able to rekindle the spiritual experience that I’d been seeking. Some will say that because of all this I am not a true Christian. So be it. I feel like a Christian, I believe in the teachings of Jesus and try to practice them in my life. I have found Christians all over this country who feel as I do. 
They may not have been ‘saved’ yet they hum with divine spirit.


Look at that last line "THEY MAY NOT BE SAVED...!!!!!" Yet Jane calls them Christians! Sadly, SHE IS CORRECT! Most America Christians have never really been saved!

Therein lies the another big problem. Christians and Christian media is HORRIBLE about this. Some celebrity declares he/she is now a christian, and we go ape hooting and hollering and inviting him to speak to our youth. The Fellowship of Christian Athletes is bad about this...not our local one in Springfield, which is led by biblically grounded and wise friends of mine. But some flashy football player says that he "loves Jesus", (usually after he is arrested for something or other, or caught with a woman not his wife) and he is on some Christian magazine cover. 



Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) is the biggest culprit here. They have these athletes, movie stars or rap singers on on the air, worldwide...in PRIME TIME! Most of them ramble or cannot give an account of the Life-changing power of the LORD JESUS Christ and how He rescued them from the Domain of Darkness! Sure enough, over time, most of their empty lives show no fruit and they end up worshiping other gods, while professing what they call 'the nice teachings of Jesus'!


Albert Pujols
We have to guard against this stuff. A prime example this weekend are some men, whom the Christian world tout as BIG TIME CHRISTIANS - Albert Pujols and Lance Berkman. No one ever accused World Series MVP and St Louis sports hero David Freese of being a Christian. But the entire celebrity christian World - from Focus on the Family to FCA - tout Pujols  and Berkman...and Pujols especially, as some paragon of Christianity, just south of the Apostle Paul.


Yet, with the world watching an amazing sports comeback story, when the wildcard St Louis Cardinals came from just barely making the playoffs to baseball champions of the World, NONE OF THESE TWO MEN, THANKED GOD OR JESUS WHEN IT WAS THEIR TURN TO TALK ON NATIONAL TV!! NONE! ZERO, ZIPPO, NONE!!


All we heard was how good they were, how good their team was and how good it felt to be "world champs"!  YET, these same men will now be invited to speak at major Christian events, where you will hear the name of Jesus in passing and nothing about the Gospel. Then you will hear about how good they feel and how they stuck it out to win...etc etc....then they will raise a lot of money for some group....many in the Crowd will not be really converted christians...just a bunch of celebrity gawkers.


These gawkers will then leave the fundraising dinner, maybe with a photo of this celebrity ball player, satisfied with themselves and the $1000 they donated to some christian cause....and go home. The entire exercise will be worth NOTHING in terms of Eternity, and if this person is not saved, which is most likely the case in modern American christianity, they will stand before Jesus and be condemned.


Is this what we want? Celebrity determining Eternity, for those who worship this, rather than Christ? NO!


A thousand times NO!


The best advice we can give seekers, weak christians and even those who can get caught up in the the Jane Fonda's and Pujols or Deion Sanders...or even Charlie Sheen (who once said he was born again)...is to ignore Celebrity...forget this garbage! They - the regular man and woman in our own sphere- they will stand before Jesus one day and be judged and if He is not their Savior and they were never really converted; born again and saved.....well, what will it profit them on that day? 


THINK ON THESE THINGS...and then act accordingly!!




(Credits: Photo by Google Images.
Quote: from JaneFonda.com)

Saturday, October 29, 2011

GUEST WRITER - CLAUDIA KING





Always be honest
This won’t make you the most popular person, but it will make you
the most sought after and
the most refreshing perspective around.


Change your attitude and behavior
Unless you’re a lemon or horseradish root,
a sour or bitter disposition is unacceptable.

Get over it!
I nominate “jealousy” as the most non-productive
 and useless emotion.
It is completely self-serving and based on fear.

Endless forgiveness
Extending forgiveness is not so much for the benefit of
the “other” person
as it is for you to walk free of the weight of emotional pain.

Be kind to everyone
 No exceptions

Keep your promises


Give the gift of freedom to those in your world
No person or situation is ever won by force/strength.
The more free they feel with you,
the longer they will stick around.

Give everything your best effort
Shooting for perfection will only disappoint you.

Choose Wisdom over Knowledge
Wisdom never ends. Knowledge has its limits.

Be Humble
There is nothing more distasteful than an arrogant
know-it-all.


by our wonderful sister in Christ - CLAUDIA KING

THINK ON THESE THINGS - SATURDAY

FROM THE BEREAN CALL (SATURDAY OCTOBER 29, 2011)

HALLOWEEN PAGAN THEMES FILL WEST'S VACUUM [Excerpt]*

Seems like Americans just want it to be Halloween all year. The holiday just keeps getting more popular. Seven in 10 expect to celebrate it in some way this Oct. 31, up from about six in 10 last year, according to a National Retail Federation report.  

This is the most in the nine years the NRF has been tracking. In 2011, Americans are also planning to spend more than other years, an average of $72 each. Total outlays by consumers are expected to reach $6.86 billion this fall.

Why the surge in popularity for an ancient harvest ritual? Some of the factors that account for it are as harmless and loveable as a new 12-pound pumpkin from the farm. Others have the capacity to spook.

Unmask Halloween, however, and you'll also find some disconcerting features. People value Halloween, like Valentine's Day, because they can tell themselves that it's not merely secularized but actually secular, which is to say, not Christian, Jewish, Hindu or Muslim.

But as much as we'd like it to be, Halloween isn't secular. It is pagan. There's nothing else to call a set of ceremonies in which people utter magical phrases, flirt with the night and evoke the dead. One of my family's favorite Halloween props was a hand that moved, as though from the netherworld, when you reached to collect a few pieces of candy corn. Necromancy is a regular part of Halloween games. Zombie masks are one of this year's top- sellers. As grouchy theologians used to point out, the origin of Halloween was most likely Samhain, an ancient Celtic holiday on which the dead, in some accounts, supposedly returned to visit.

There's a reason for the pull of the pagan. In the U.S., we've been vigorously scrubbing our schools and other public spaces of traces of monotheistic religion for many decades now. Such scrubbing leaves a vacuum. The great self-deception of modern life is that nothing will be pulled into that vacuum. Half a century ago, the psychologist Carl Jung** noted the heightened interest in UFOs, and concluded that the paranormal was "modern myth," a replacement for religion.

**[TBC: Jung himself was heavily involved in necromancy and wrote /Septem sermons ad Mortuos/ (/The Seven Sermons to the Dead/) to mollify ghosts he claimed were harassing him (http://www.gnosis.org/library/7Sermons.htm).]

Children or adults who today relish every detail of zombie culture or know every bit of wizarding minutiae are seeking something to believe in. That church, mosque and synagogue are so controversial that everyone prefers the paranormal as neutral ground is disconcerting. There's something unsettling about the education of a child who comfortably enumerates the rules for surviving zombie apocalypse but finds it uncomfortable to enumerate the rules of his grandparents' faith, if he knows them.

*(Shlaes, "Halloween's Pagan Themes Fill West's Faith Vacuum," Bloomberg Online, 10/19/11).

Friday, October 28, 2011

THINK IN THESE THINGS - FRIDAY

AMERICAN CULTURE IN ITS TWILIGHT
NEXT UP IN OUR DISCERNMENT SERIES ON HALLOWEEN: 'THE TWILIGHT PHENOM"
It is absolutely shocking that some christian outfits, ministries and even church groups recommend the latest teenage sensation cult book/TV Series "TWILIGHT" as something teenage girls and boys should watch!

Have they no sense of biblical decency and discernment? First, here is what the Bible says we should do: "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret (Ephesians 5:11-12)

No fellowship, means NO FELLOWSHIP! It means, you don't mess with that stuff, hoss! Not just that, but we kick it to the curb! Do we even know who wrote this piece of demonic heresy?

Twilight was first a fast selling book about a 17 year old young woman named Isabella "Bella" Swan, who falls in love with a vampire named Edward Cullen. Now imagine the following book being not just a New York Times Bestseller book, but on the CHILDREN'S BEST SELLER LIST as well!

Now here is how Publishing magazine critics summarized the entire gist of Twilight: (it is a) "
dark romance that seeps into the soul" and reflects "perfectly the teenage feeling of sexual tension and alienation".

YES! This is your wholesome family entertainment which people say a sweet, innocent 13 year old daughter should read! Some mom was on the official Disney blog, doing just that! These people are sick! The comments from the other young moms were just as bad!

Stephanie Meyer, Twilight Author
But, just what is the thinking behind this Twilight? Well, it was written by a  young lady named Stephanie Meyer who said she had a vision on June 2, 2003. This vision made sit down and start writing what became "Twilight". In the vision, she saw, according to her website " One of these people was just your average girl. The other person was fantastically beautiful, sparkly, and a vampire". Did you catch that? The beautiful sparkly thing was a Vampire!

Who else disguises himself as an 'angel of light'?  SATAN! 

She then said she had an additional dream after Twilight was finished, when the main Vampire  Edward literally came and visited her to talk about it and he was angry with her. The 'vampire' or angel of light told Stephanie that 'he was real". Stephanie Meyers also said she felt as if this was too terrifyingly real and who she thought was Edward, was going to kill her!

This is demonic activity from the pit, my friends. Again on her website, Meyers said "The apple on the cover of Twilight represents “forbidden fruit.” I used the scripture from Genesis (located just after the table of contents) because I loved the phrase “the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil.”

I will go no further in explaining this garbage except to say, this Twilight author condemns herself by her very words.  She meets and fellowships with the prince of darkness, takes instruction from him and then goes to Genesis chapter 3 to glorify the Fall of man and sin.

Her books have led to movies and a TV series, which has corrupted this current lost generation, many of whom are church going teens. Notice, I did not say born-again christian teens. Some youth pastors are taking their groups to see this garbage and have youth reading these books. 

Woe unto them for allowing this with no discernment, not just what the Scriptures says about this kind of behavior (teenage immorality and witchcraft) but HOW to apply it to real life. There also seems to be no discernment when it comes to not just what HOLY GOD demands, but just the basic decency of humanity.

What kind of parent ....and thousands of modern moms allow this, what kind of parent would not only allow this in their living rooms, but then take their 9, 10, 13 year old kid to see it??!! Then, they see nothing wrong with it!

Lord have mercy! My prayer is all these people, especially so-called christians, who are just really carnal professing cafeteria christians, will one day come to a knowledge of the Truth. May there be repentance and restoration with God, because one day soon, there will be an accounting for this stewardship  here on earth!

How we live now, will determine how the coming Judgment Day will go! Are you ready?!

(Image by Google Images)




Thursday, October 27, 2011

THINK ON THESE THINGS - THURSDAY

CHRISTIANS AND HALLOWEEN
Next Monday October 31 is the national holiday of Hell! How dare I say that of that 'innocent fun day of Halloween'? Because I could! "But, Bernie, what's wrong with kids dressing up in costumes, going door to door for cheap candy etc etc...?"


Well, there is nothing wrong with candy or costumes as separate items. There is plenty wrong with being duped into thinking there is something innocent  about this day though! Therefore, from now unto October 31, most of the THINK ON THESE THINGS devotionals/posts will be dedicated to exposing the 'spirit' of Halloween. 


Today's message caused me some grief last year when I first posted it, but I think it is relevant in showing how our culture was slowly brainwashed into making Halloween one of the biggest celebrations in America, after Christmas and Thanksgiving!


“Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls…” 1 Peter 2:11 (NLT) 

Each year around this time, we go through this exercise – what  does a sold-out Believer in Christ to make of Halloween.  Each year men, fathers and radical Christians like me sound like fuddy duddys to the rest of the world….and that includes a number of Christians (professing and real)! 

However, I can take the blowback, as am used to being hammered and ostrasized for taking a bold stance for Christ. So basically, I have never allowed my own kids to trick or treat, celebrate Halloween or watch the horror show garbage on TV, each and every October, period.  

I don’t see how one can allow their kids to dress up like the devil or something sleazy, and then try to teach them to watch out for Satan who comes to steal, kill and destroy!! This is selective insanity. Halloween is an oxymoron – like “Christian Yoga”….which I will address next issue. 

AMERICA'S FIRST WITCHES - THROUGH COMEDY
Sin and darkness have been around since Genesis 3 and the Fall of Man caused by Satan. But some of the modern incarnation of the popularity of Witchcraft, Wicca and the like began with Ouija boards and the TV Show BEWITCHED!! Yes, BEWITCHED!!

For the 8 years it ran (1964-72), BEWITCHED brought a “sweet” All American family face to the an ancient evil by deception! Starring Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha the witch, who married a mortal named Darren Stephens, “Samantha” was portrayed as a normal suburban wife. Darren married her knowing she was a witch with the admonition/command to “not  practice any witchcraft in this house”!! Of course, a witch is going to obey you! The entire series was full of wizards, warlocks, spells, incantations and the like.  

Sam’s mother – Endora – is taken directly from the Witch at Endor whom King Saul stupidly visited to have a séance with the late prophet Samuel (see 1 Samuel 28:3-25)…and on and on. All the other worldly beings in this TV series were ageless beings who lived in the air! 

DOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR??!! “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood enemies,  but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world and against EVIL SPIRITS in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12, NLT). It is my contention that this TV series “boiled the frog” slowly by showing witchcraft as this harmless little lifestyle that was “oh, so cute…just look at Samantha and Tabitha (her daughter – another witch)”!  

Combine this with “I Dream of Jeannie”, only three TV networks for decades, and you have a cultural absorption into worldwide consciousness from the pit of hell! Think am overreacting?  I don’t believe so. 

The Spirit of God and the Word of God are EXPLICIT in their commands about this evil. Until we were saved and redeemed and knew better, we too thought these shows were funny….even though something did not quite feel right! What BEWITCHED and Jeannie opened up was an explosion in the ancient cult of Wicca…and not to mention a number of new brand of female TV shows with “nice” witches . 

Concerning Wicca – that involves prayer circles and seeking “help” from spirits of another world as well! Most practicioners are women. Most mature believers think that Wicca and other satanic rituals involving pagan “goddesses” appeal to women, because it gives a certain amount of Power to those seeking that kind of thing! Never mind this kind of empowerment leads straight to eternal damnation in the Lake of Fire! 

THIS MAKES WITCHES ATTRACTIVE TO TEENS!
Concerning other TV shows with attractive female witches, here is a short list: SABRINA, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, CHARMED AND TABITHA (offshoot of BEWITCHED).  The new book and movie phenomenon called TWILIGHT is also a demonic-induced attack on the mostly young female population of America. That story was given to its creator by what she called an “angel of light”!! 

Read here in the Bible to find out who the “angel of light” really is!! What does this have to do with Halloween? Everything! Halloween is a celebration of all these spirits – clean and unclean, which are not from the Real God.  

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
I am sure many well-meaning and Christians will disagree with me, and say celebrating Halloween or watching Sabrina or TWILIGHT is JUST entertainment..(more on TWILIGHT tomorrow).

Concerning our children – there are many other ways to have alternative activities for them at this time of year. This will take a proactive stand to live DAILY in the Word, and according to His Word (see Psalm 119). 

This can involve all like-minded members of the Body of Christ, in the Local Church. 

Finally, I close with what the Bible says in Philippians 4:8 (ESV) : "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think* about these things.”
*(THE WORD THINK HERE IS “LOGIZOMAI” (in the original Greek) OR consider , counted , credit , dwell on,  reason , reckon or  regard ,take into account ….these things)


All images are courtesy Google Images

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

THINK ON THESE THINGS - WEDNESDAY

TODAY'S FUN ASSIGNMENT - 
'I AM FROM......"!!!
(good stock, for one...!)
Today, my friend LYNN MOSHER has a fun exercise for those of us who look back with fondness at simpler. days. These were the days and times which molded and shaped us into the men and women of God, and good citizens we are today. It was a time of honor and hard word. However, it was also a time of fun, family and sometimes, just weird stuff!!!!

Fill in the blanks here if you wish, but also read Lynn's own account and do what thou wilt with it!! 

LYNN MOSHER
I remembered that I had worked on the same thing in a workshop some time ago. It was a fun assignment, so I decided to dig mine out. The students were to write where they were from, as their family heritage, using this template... 

The WHERE I'M FROM Template

I am from _______ (specific ordinary item), from _______ (product name) and _______. 
I am from the _______ (home description... adjective, adjective, sensory detail). 
I am from the _______ (plant, flower, natural item), the _______ (plant, flower, natural detail) 
I am from _______ (family tradition) and _______ (family trait), from _______ (name of family member) and _______ (another family name) and _______ (family name). 
I am from the _______ (description of family tendency) and _______ (another one). 
From _______ (something you were told as a child) and _______ (another). 
I am from (representation of religion, or lack of it). Further description. 
I'm from _______ (place of birth and family ancestry), _______ (two food items representing your family). 
From the _______ (specific family story about a specific person and detail), the _______ (another detail, and the _______ (another detail about another family member). 
I am from _______ (location of family pictures, mementos, archives and several more lines indicating their worth).

I didn’t exactly follow the template and I added to the original...

I am from the house historic, once nestled in vast acreage of farmland, where long-ago presidents came to visit and soldiers were stationed, where barn cats roamed and ducklings swam, where horses whinnied and peacocks unfurled their feathers, where fresh fruits and vegetables graced the family table alongside the farm delights of just-laid eggs and butter and milk from our dairy.

I’m from the precious grandmother, who allowed her granddaughter to decorate her hair and the grandfather that smoked those stinky cigars and snuck snacks for me that were a no-no. I am from the mother who loved to chew freshly ground coffee and eat raw potatoes with salt as she fixed dinner, and the dad who gave horsey rides until his back ached, who bought me a softball and bat, who played his trombone in duet as I attempted to play the piano.

I’m from drinking from the hose in the yard, jumping over the sprinkler, sun-blistered shoulders, and playing in the dirt, from the days of open windows and no air conditioning, and riding bicycles around the circle until the bugs of night hit our teeth, then lying in the grass to watch the wonders of the star-studded sky.

I’m from doctors who made house calls. I am from matching sibling pajamas on Christmas Eve. I am from the pear tree that skinned my elbow when I slid down its trunk. I’m from the club with my friends under the big pine tree.

I’m from antennae TV with two black and white stations, from Gumby and Pokey, Mighty Mouse, Howdy Doody, Hopalong Cassidy, Sky King, Ding Dong School, The Lone Ranger, Lassie, Pinky Lee, Roy Rogers, Cisco Kid, and Kukla, Fran, and Ollie.

I’m from American Bandstand in the mid ’50s with Dick Clark, vinyl LP and 45 records on the hi-fi, Wolfman Jack, and sock hops. I’m from itchy wool sweaters and dresses, knee socks and plaid, pleated skirts, because wearing pants to school was not allowed. I’m from come-home-when-you-hear-the-bell-ring-or-else to get cleaned up for Daddy and dinner at 5:30.

I am from the pages of long-forgotten albums of ancestry and heritage, with roots in England, Ireland, and Germany, from upstanding characters who believed in keeping their word, who sought the Lord and helped their neighbors.

I’m from salvation found at a Billy Graham crusade and standing in awe as I met him at my grandparents’ home. I am from Bibles, worn and frayed, marked and loved, from third-row, organ-side Baptist services on Sundays and Wednesdays, and choir practice, from kneebenders who sought the deep, abiding love of God and to serve in return.

~Thank You, Lord, for my wonderful heritage and these precious whiffs of memories!

~~I hope you’ll try it. It’s a great memory jogger.



(Image by BING)

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

THE SECULAR MEDIA HATE OF CHRISTIANS


BY DR. MICHAEL YOUSSEF
NEW BOOK BY DR. YOUSSEF!
The clearest answer comes from a statement reputedly made by President Harry Truman during his 1948 Presidential election campaign.


One of his supporters yelled out to him, “Give ‘em Hell, Harry!” Truman responded, “I don't give them Hell. I just tell the truth about them and they think it's Hell.”

That is precisely the reason why there is a war on Christians waged by members of the secular media.

Christians speak the truth about God’s best for humanity as it applies to morality, laws and governing principles, but the secular media views these truths as Hell.  Truth always feels like Hell to those who reject, deny, or hate the truth.


When Bible-believing Christians share that there is only one true God who is lovingly inviting people to believe in Him and receive His redemption, or face His coming judgment, that is Hell to those who view themselves as their own gods -- masters of their own fates. Many of these self-made gods control our media.

As gods, they want no competition. They reject the truth that God is God alone and that He will hold them accountable for mocking Him and His followers. Thus, the truth is Hell to them, even before they get there. They express their hatred for God’s truth by heaping venom on anyone who declares God’s truth.

Bible-believing Christians proclaim the truth about the biblical principles that guided this nation’s founders. But those who are rewriting American history to fit their desire for self-worship want to silence them. Thus, whenever a Christian lovingly and thoughtfully points them to the truth of history, they hound them down, accusing them of “racism,” “hate speech,” and “bigotry.” Why?

Because truth to them is Hell, so they want to muzzle Christians and their message.

When Bible-believing Christians declare that there are moral absolutes that all men must live by, and that when these moral absolutes are tampered with curses and not blessings will follow...it really angers them. It sets their teeth on edge.

To them these truths are Hell, so they respond by likening Christians to the Taliban and the Jihadis…can you imagine?

The Christians who founded the hospital movement.

The Christians who founded the library movement.

The Christians who founded the orphanage movement.

The Christians who founded education.

The Christians who have and continue to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and care for the needy.

The Christians who sacrificed and continue to sacrifice in following the role model of their Savior who gave His all on a cross to save them. How can they say that Christians are likened to the Taliban?

The Taliban who shoot women in the head at close range in soccer stadiums.

The Taliban who bury people alive for their sins and misdemeanors.

The Taliban who stone women to death for mere accusations.

If I were a rich man, I would offer these self-worshipping gods of the secular media a six-month trip to Afghanistan or Iran. If they ever returned from such a trip, they would be changed men and women

My concern is that the very truth that can set them free is the truth they attack.  I know why they attack it -- because it feels like Hell to them. It is condemning. However, my heart is not to condemn them, but to pray to God to open their blind eyes, just like He opened mine, so that they may see the truth before it is too late for them.

THINK ON THESE THINGS - TUESDAY

PARENTS, BE ON THE ALERT: NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO TEACH 10 YEAR OLDS ABOUT PORNOGRAPHY AND BESTIALITY!
"Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea..."Mark 9:42 (NASB)


This is more of a warning than a devotional. Can you imagine the very Heart of God over His little ones when He sees the perversion being committed on little children in New York City.


Here is part of the news story from New York City's NBC TV News says on October 24, 2011: "Middle school students will be assigned "risk cards" that rate the safety of different activities, the paper says, from French kissing to oral sex. The workbooks for older students direct them to a website run by Columbia University, which explores topics such as sexual positions, porn stars, and bestiality. The lessons explain risky sexual behavior and suggest students go to stores to jot (down) condom brands and prices".


These "workbooks" were obtained by the New York Post newspaper. Even more outrageous are  "risk cards" handed out to 10 and 11 year olds in these middle schools! These “risk cards” graphically names a variety of solitary and mutual sex acts and children are encouraged to disregard what Parents told them about sex, and to rely instead on teachers and health clinic staff members...in these evil New York city public school liberal systems, according to NBC New York!


There is nothing good about any of this. The opposite of good is evil, period. The fact that New York city politicians and their liberal education establishment knowingly perpetrate this on innocent children is vile and disgusting. They are marked for eternal judgment as Christ promised in the verse above. Just as horrible here is what the New York City Deputy Mayor Linda Gibbs (who commended the return of mandatory sex ed)  says "We want to help kids to delay the onset of sexual activity, and if they choose to engage in sexual activity, to do it in a healthy way!" ....A HEALTHY WAY!


This is mandatory! People's 10 -14 year old kids have to learn about porn stars, bestiality and more...and parents have no choice. Woe to those people who have done this evil!

Even worse, woe to the parents of New York City, who are complicit in their silence over this outrage. They tolerate filth in their parks from demonstrators and remain silent while their own children are corrupted by their own liberal counterparts. They are just as guilty as the teaching establishment and politicians who pervert their children. A recent NYC poll found that 81% of their own voters approve of sex education for their children! These people are knowingly allowing their children to be corrupted. But this is not surprising for a city where only 1% of the population call themselves practicing Christians!


This should not surprise anyone. While this just revealed example from New York is the latest outrage, this is spreading across America and will overrun your local schools if real parents and decent citizens do not become the last line of defense.  Each public school is run by a local district and you can have influence on that board. This is also a good reason why schools should remain under local control and NOT Federal or state!


But the bigger is SIN. These human beings (and I used those words loosely) who wrote and developed these "workbooks", "risk cards" and curricula and then have them endorsed by Mayors and school superintendents are living examples of Romans Chapter 1 (See below for the relevant portions of Romans 1 and the Judgment against these kinds of people. God said it, I believe it).



While Sin is hardly talked about in churches anymore, you would be hard-pressed to find any mention of the Total Depravity of man. This kind of message does not preach very well, because some wealthy tither might take his money from your church and go to the next Laodecia Christian Church down the street! Man is vile, sick and evil. But man is also in need of a Savior. As sickening as this story about the New York City Sex Ed Mandatory Classes are, if these school officials were to repent and ask God forgiveness and then try to make all of this right by speaking out against it, THEY TOO WILL BE SAVED! THIS IS THE GRACE OF GOD!


In the absence of this Life Changing Repentance and Turning from Sin, Mark 9:42 stands ready to be enforced  against ANYONE, from priest to professor, who has said or done anything, which has led one of God's children astray.


In the Name of Jesus, amen.


ROMANS 1: 28-32
God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness
 
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.