I would like for you to take a moment to think about, well, nothing. Imagine you don't exist, neither do your friends, family, home, planet, sky, or even heaven. It used to be that way. There was just God. Father, Son, Holy Spirit. He-they-were complete, sharing thoughts, each others' company. Then, as the Bible describes in one little sentence, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." God had decided to invent, well, inventing! There was absolutely nothing at all except God, and he decided to invent dirt. Air. Dark. Light. Life. Impossibly invisible particles and vast galaxies, all made from the same raw material-all made from nothing. God even invented time itself! From an unimaginable beginning, we have what you see today. As the saying goes, anyone can count how many apples are in a tree, but only God knows how many trees are in an apple!
In an 'apple' in a garden was the power to live forever, but God also trusted his plan enough to include an 'apple' that would bring death-and the opportunity to choose. With God's love for us, he gave us freedom to choose not to return his love. With one bite of that apple, death and decay and sin entered the world. The clock has been winding down ever since.
A few observations: we used to be able to live forever, eating fruit and walking with God. Sin, decay and death brought huge changes-such that God destroyed all life in a flood and started over. Suddenly living things could eat each other. It is beyond all comprehension what life must have been like originally-the very laws of physics were different; maybe light was faster, gravity stronger. Perhaps friction and radioactive decay and corrosion and rot didn't occur, nothing was poisonous or had fangs. No disease, no fatal injuries. Evil itself wasn't allowed to run the world; there was just one snake in the grass. The pervasive destruction of the flood has utterly and fundamentally changed the oceans, land, and sky in unimaginable ways, leading rapidly to much shorter lifespans.
There were a few promising signs. Enoch and Elijah never died. Many were raised from the dead and healed of diseases. Other miracles appeared. God promised that the seed of the woman would be victorious over the serpent, meaning Christ over the devil. When Christ died, many righteous people were resurrected.
A few exciting things are still to come! Many more people will never die, joined by many more resurrected people who will ascend into heaven. Jesus will come back. God will fundamentally change the universe again, back to perfection, and there will be a new heavens and a new earth, renovated by fire.
I am deeply moved to worship my Creator. From nothing he created it all, the huge from the invisible. The dying from the living, and life from death. He will fix all we've wrecked. More importantly, he created this whole plan with us in mind because he loves us with an everlasting love and will grant the willing the opportunity to live in his presence forever!
The following verses were my material for this essay. Read on; you'll find some amazing supernatural occurrences and inspiration to worship!
Hebrews 1:1-3 KJV: "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, ...."
Heb 1:3 NIV84: "By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible."
Genesis 2:9: "The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."
3:15 KJV: "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."
Genesis 9:3: " Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything."
GE 5:23: "Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away."
2 Kings 2:11: "As they [Elijah and Elisha] were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind."
MT 27: 50: "And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. 51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. 52 The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people. 54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son[e] of God!”
2 Peter 3:3: "First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” 5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
Revelation 21:1 "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.[a]
11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.[b] That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.
14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation,...."
1 Thessalonians 4:15: " According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words."
Friday, July 27, 2012
Sunday, July 15, 2012
So you wanna be salt and light?
I came across a lively discussion on Facebook last week on the subject of Christians being involved in politics. There were sentiments of discouragement and frustration with the process on the part of some of the Christians as well as offense on the part of some non Christians who felt preached at.
I am reminded that Paul said that the cross is offensive to those who are perishing, so we can expect as Christians to offend at times-but we must be ever vigilant to never offend when we can avoid it, speaking the truth in love. We must also remember that Jesus said that those who aren't against us are for us [within reasonable limitations] so we must be open to working shoulder-to-shoulder with those who don't share our faith if they share our principles and our cause. This is particularly true in political or governmental service and activism.
...But I'm not writing here to preach at you. Politics is a dirty business with lots of corruption, but then so is just about any other setting in our society :). Politics is, after, all, government service and is a necessary part of any society. It's a dirty job, but somebody's gotta do it! Whether you choose to be a government employee, elected official, a member of the press or an activist trying to keep government accountable, there can be honor in that. I would say that there are very few segments of society which Christians should avoid because of the sin necessary to participate-let's say, organized crime, the sex industry,....
I, for one, am glad that many principled Christians worked together to found our great nation at the risk of life and liberty. Not only were they Christians, but they built our founding documents and the doctrines upon which they built our government upon many biblical principles.
Here are a few choice phrases from the Declaration of Independence proclaiming the religious motivation of our Founders:
*the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them,
*a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
*We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. —
*That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government.
*...appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States,
*And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.
*The Preamble to the US Constitution: We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Clearly the Founders followed Christian motivations not only to influence and alter, but abolish government when it was wrong and then build one of, by, and for the people so as to establish the most successful government in all of history.
One critical principle upon which our nation was founded is that God, being sovereign and the one who endows us with unalienable rights, ordained the individual people themselves to be sovereign. We ARE government! We choose the members of government to perform its functions as our servants. It is our responsibility as sovereigns to perform our duty-choose our government through voting, but just as importantly by informing ourselves and others, keeping government accountable, and standing for righteousness. We are each uniquely called by God to serve in some sector of society, and politics/government may not be yours, but ignoring the government we are to choose to rule over us is not justifiable.
I have been somewhat wordy, but let me get to my point: I wrote this essay to speak to one who asked specifically for scriptural justification for Christians being involved in politics. In a desperate attempt to limit my natural wordiness, I will try to shorten this!
Jesus called us to be salt and light and a city on a hill [MT5:13-16]. Government is ordained by God [RO13:1-7, Acts 17:24-28, Exodus through Deuteronomy]. Israel's laws were given by God; Moses was their leader and judge. Thanks to his father-in-law speaking to influence government we have the principle of divisions of jurisdiction [Ex 18]. God called many great government leaders like Samuel, David, Gideon, Solomon. Every Old Testament prophet was called by God to preach to the governments of the nations and to decry the corruption of the people, whether it be religious idolatry or oppressing the poor and stealing from the upright[references too numerous to mention]. Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and Daniel were important government officials, as were Esther and Nehemiah. John the Baptist was beheaded for being bold enough to speak up[MT 14:4]. God even ordained that the crucifixion of Christ be through the actions of government, petitioned by the people. Yes, that is a horrible example, but evil governments are influenced by evil people just as good governments are influenced by good people.
The book of Acts is full of Christians dealing with government, from the Sanhedrin and priests to the Romans. Peter's speech in Acts 3 was to the people both as individuals needing salvation and as part of a government that had unjustly participated in the crucifixion of Jesus. Acts 4:19-20 are the cry of a man of righteousness influencing the people. Vs. 29-30 are our rallying cry to bold actions. Chapters 5 and 7 exhibit the persecution they endure and Stephen's bold speech decrying the evils of the Israeli government. 16:35-39 illustrate Paul's shrewd use of his rights as a citizen [also in 22:22-29]. The Occupy movement is even described in scripture-19:23-41, especially 32 and 40! Chapters 23-26 detail his dealings with the Roman government, using his rights to obtain opportunity for testimony. Paul finishes up with chapter 28:31: "Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ." Of course, Paul's mission was not to change government, but he was unhesitant to exercise his rights as a Roman citizen to advance the gospel, even before kings [Acts 9:15-16]. The book of Philemon is the seed which flourished into the worldwide abolitionist movement, freeing untold millions from slavery. Revelation 11 tells of the two witnesses prophesying to the nations, and the rest of the book tells of God's judgment upon the nations of the earth and finally the establishment of his kingdom on earth.
Our mission as Christians is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. If we participate in society as a means of doing so, then so be it!
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2Cor3:17
I am reminded that Paul said that the cross is offensive to those who are perishing, so we can expect as Christians to offend at times-but we must be ever vigilant to never offend when we can avoid it, speaking the truth in love. We must also remember that Jesus said that those who aren't against us are for us [within reasonable limitations] so we must be open to working shoulder-to-shoulder with those who don't share our faith if they share our principles and our cause. This is particularly true in political or governmental service and activism.
...But I'm not writing here to preach at you. Politics is a dirty business with lots of corruption, but then so is just about any other setting in our society :). Politics is, after, all, government service and is a necessary part of any society. It's a dirty job, but somebody's gotta do it! Whether you choose to be a government employee, elected official, a member of the press or an activist trying to keep government accountable, there can be honor in that. I would say that there are very few segments of society which Christians should avoid because of the sin necessary to participate-let's say, organized crime, the sex industry,....
I, for one, am glad that many principled Christians worked together to found our great nation at the risk of life and liberty. Not only were they Christians, but they built our founding documents and the doctrines upon which they built our government upon many biblical principles.
Here are a few choice phrases from the Declaration of Independence proclaiming the religious motivation of our Founders:
*the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them,
*a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
*We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. —
*That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, —
*That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government.
*...appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States,
*And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.
*The Preamble to the US Constitution: We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Clearly the Founders followed Christian motivations not only to influence and alter, but abolish government when it was wrong and then build one of, by, and for the people so as to establish the most successful government in all of history.
One critical principle upon which our nation was founded is that God, being sovereign and the one who endows us with unalienable rights, ordained the individual people themselves to be sovereign. We ARE government! We choose the members of government to perform its functions as our servants. It is our responsibility as sovereigns to perform our duty-choose our government through voting, but just as importantly by informing ourselves and others, keeping government accountable, and standing for righteousness. We are each uniquely called by God to serve in some sector of society, and politics/government may not be yours, but ignoring the government we are to choose to rule over us is not justifiable.
I have been somewhat wordy, but let me get to my point: I wrote this essay to speak to one who asked specifically for scriptural justification for Christians being involved in politics. In a desperate attempt to limit my natural wordiness, I will try to shorten this!
Jesus called us to be salt and light and a city on a hill [MT5:13-16]. Government is ordained by God [RO13:1-7, Acts 17:24-28, Exodus through Deuteronomy]. Israel's laws were given by God; Moses was their leader and judge. Thanks to his father-in-law speaking to influence government we have the principle of divisions of jurisdiction [Ex 18]. God called many great government leaders like Samuel, David, Gideon, Solomon. Every Old Testament prophet was called by God to preach to the governments of the nations and to decry the corruption of the people, whether it be religious idolatry or oppressing the poor and stealing from the upright[references too numerous to mention]. Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and Daniel were important government officials, as were Esther and Nehemiah. John the Baptist was beheaded for being bold enough to speak up[MT 14:4]. God even ordained that the crucifixion of Christ be through the actions of government, petitioned by the people. Yes, that is a horrible example, but evil governments are influenced by evil people just as good governments are influenced by good people.
The book of Acts is full of Christians dealing with government, from the Sanhedrin and priests to the Romans. Peter's speech in Acts 3 was to the people both as individuals needing salvation and as part of a government that had unjustly participated in the crucifixion of Jesus. Acts 4:19-20 are the cry of a man of righteousness influencing the people. Vs. 29-30 are our rallying cry to bold actions. Chapters 5 and 7 exhibit the persecution they endure and Stephen's bold speech decrying the evils of the Israeli government. 16:35-39 illustrate Paul's shrewd use of his rights as a citizen [also in 22:22-29]. The Occupy movement is even described in scripture-19:23-41, especially 32 and 40! Chapters 23-26 detail his dealings with the Roman government, using his rights to obtain opportunity for testimony. Paul finishes up with chapter 28:31: "Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ." Of course, Paul's mission was not to change government, but he was unhesitant to exercise his rights as a Roman citizen to advance the gospel, even before kings [Acts 9:15-16]. The book of Philemon is the seed which flourished into the worldwide abolitionist movement, freeing untold millions from slavery. Revelation 11 tells of the two witnesses prophesying to the nations, and the rest of the book tells of God's judgment upon the nations of the earth and finally the establishment of his kingdom on earth.
Our mission as Christians is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. If we participate in society as a means of doing so, then so be it!
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2Cor3:17
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
The British are coming!
Remember that famous warning cry? Paul Revere hurtled through the countryside at midnight, the moon and a torch dimly lighting his way. He charged on, desperate to gain an extra moment's warning for his compatriots of the impending battle.
Moments of courage like that built victory in the Revolutionary War and were the foundation of our great nation.
Ezekiel chapter 33 begins like this: "The word of the Lord came to me: 'Son of man, speak to your countrymen and say to them: 'When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, ...."
Yes, that's right - the Lord brings a sword against a land, a sword of punishment. It may hurt; it may kill. We don't like to think about that anymore. We'd prefer to think that Jesus makes us healthy, wealthy and wise and happy, forgives and loves and heals. Sweet baby Jesus! He also disciplines and punishes. Today. If you read Revelations, you realize we ain't seen nothin' yet!
This is the real purpose of my blog as well as the heavy burden upon my heart I shall carry the rest of my life. O how thankful I am that the Holy Spirit provides joy in the midst of pain! God hasn't put down his gavel. He sees the affairs of men and guides them for his glory that men might turn to him and be saved.
For my beloved country perilous times are on the horizon. Who will make the perilous climb to the watchtower and shout the warning? This task is vital as you will read in Ezekiel 33 and further. I say to you, be sure that you are seated with Christ in heavenly places and that you warn of the coming wrath upon this disobedient nation. God is patient, but he cannot ignore evil forever.
Moments of courage like that built victory in the Revolutionary War and were the foundation of our great nation.
Ezekiel chapter 33 begins like this: "The word of the Lord came to me: 'Son of man, speak to your countrymen and say to them: 'When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, ...."
Yes, that's right - the Lord brings a sword against a land, a sword of punishment. It may hurt; it may kill. We don't like to think about that anymore. We'd prefer to think that Jesus makes us healthy, wealthy and wise and happy, forgives and loves and heals. Sweet baby Jesus! He also disciplines and punishes. Today. If you read Revelations, you realize we ain't seen nothin' yet!
This is the real purpose of my blog as well as the heavy burden upon my heart I shall carry the rest of my life. O how thankful I am that the Holy Spirit provides joy in the midst of pain! God hasn't put down his gavel. He sees the affairs of men and guides them for his glory that men might turn to him and be saved.
For my beloved country perilous times are on the horizon. Who will make the perilous climb to the watchtower and shout the warning? This task is vital as you will read in Ezekiel 33 and further. I say to you, be sure that you are seated with Christ in heavenly places and that you warn of the coming wrath upon this disobedient nation. God is patient, but he cannot ignore evil forever.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Home of the brave?
...I wonder if I live there anymore.
I grew up in the USA during the Reagan era. The misery index was shattered by the Space Shuttle launch, the death-defying President, a new optimism and exploding economy, Olympic victories, the fall of communism; it was indeed Morning in America. Remember the Moral Majority? It was an exciting time to be an American. There was a soaring sense of national pride and enthusiasm. Christians were finally waking up and becoming a positive part of this change. We had a President who was a masterful communicator- inspiring, motivating, encouraging with his wit, candor, and patriotism. In some ways this era was an eight-year pep rally for a nation that had been in doldrums for decades.
Let me stop you right there. Some of you have already begun a list in your minds of what was wrong with that time, with that President. I am not going to dispute this with you; I would be wrong to excuse the sins of any one or any nation. What I will say is this: we were no longer ashamed to be Americans; we held our heads high and worked hard to grow, thrive, succeed, achieve. And we did just that! There were horrible terror attacks, the threat of nuclear annihilation, new epidemic diseases, the Challenger disaster. If you are old enough, do you even remember fallout shelters or the AIDS scare or the terror attack on our Marines in Lebanon? Those memories and fears have faded, scrubbed by the effervescent enthusiasm that we would overcome. Nothing paralyzed us. When Reagan called the Soviet Union an Evil Empire, and later said, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" we cheered-and believed. The wall fell in 1989.
Back to your list. Is it still important?
Now, back to the present day. Thinking about what is going on in our nation right now, what is different? Are you afraid of H1N1, economic collapse, terror attack, China? Do you think we need to withdraw from war because we cannot afford to spread ourselves thin? Do you fear what will happen to America if we don't have Obamacare-or if we do? We fear that the economy won't recover because of Obama's policies, or because Congress won't let him implement all of them. Either way, we're wrong-we should have long ago buckled up, got to work, and made the economy better despite what anyone else did about it.
I wonder if I live in America anymore. That nation is still the wealthiest, most powerful nation in world history. She has no significant enemies. She has the most productive workforce in the world, and far and away the best military. Since I grew up? Soviet Union, gone. Eastern Bloc, gone. Japanese economic power-virtually gone. Saddam? Gone. Osama? Gone. Taliban and AlQuaeda? Essentially gone. AIDS? Fading memory. Threat of nuclear annihilation? Are you kidding me?
Yet we are more afraid of one smuggled 'dirty bomb' than of the 30,000 large nuclear warheads the Soviets had aimed at us, and more afraid that China's economy will surpass ours with their cheap dollar-store junk. We are afraid to let our kids play in the yard because they might get hit by a car or fall off their bikes. Congratulations, 9-11 terrorists. Nineteen young men defeated the USA. The elephant is now afraid of the mouse. They killed three thousand in one day; now two million are subject to TSA search in one day-3% receiving invasive pat-downs, or... 60,000. Every day. The terrorists need not try any more to attack on an airplane because they have achieved their goal, placing us all in terror that the guy next to us has a bomb. We have managed to defeat Saddam as well as AlQuaeda despite horrible mismanagement of the war effort, without the draft, without major sacrifice, yet we feel like failures. In WWII everything you can imagine was rationed and ALL young men went off to war. ZERO cars were manufactured for 3 and a half years. Our nation, young and old, sacrificed everything, scraped pennies and bought war bonds, and sent Hershey bars and Marlboros to our boys overseas and crushed the TWO greatest enemies the world had ever seen on both sides of the world at the same time. We suffered one hundred times the casualties of the current war on terror, then turned around and rebuilt most of the world, had lots of babies, started the space race, and generally ran to win in everything.
Do I still live in the home of the brave? It would appear not. Oh, we still have men and women of courage, many of them in the military, but as a nation courage has wilted. I DO NOT fault the current President for this. Yes, he lives to play on our fears. However, they were already there before we elected him.
Once upon a time, we would have looked at China and said, "We can do better!" The competition would have improved our character and driven China to improve theirs. We would have looked at terrorists and said, "Let's roll!" and we would have achieved victory years ago and brought our boys and girls home to tickertape parades. Years ago, we would have looked new diseases in the face and defeated them. Actually, we still do-as Americans have defeated most diseases in modern history-but we no longer have the courage to celebrate it. Remember polio? Didn't think so. Our President died of it during WWII, and we still won-against the Axis powers and the disease.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen! Over two hundred years ago, a ragtag group of preachers, farmers, and merchants with no army and no navy took on the greatest empire in the world WHILE occupied by them-and won. Then our nation won that empire over to be our greatest allies, and liberty spread throughout the world. The USA became the wealthiest, most powerful, and most generous nation in world history. How then have we become so afraid?
Quite frankly, the reason for this fear is simple-we as a nation refuse to fear the Lord, so he has caused us to fear everything else.
Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
I grew up in the USA during the Reagan era. The misery index was shattered by the Space Shuttle launch, the death-defying President, a new optimism and exploding economy, Olympic victories, the fall of communism; it was indeed Morning in America. Remember the Moral Majority? It was an exciting time to be an American. There was a soaring sense of national pride and enthusiasm. Christians were finally waking up and becoming a positive part of this change. We had a President who was a masterful communicator- inspiring, motivating, encouraging with his wit, candor, and patriotism. In some ways this era was an eight-year pep rally for a nation that had been in doldrums for decades.
Let me stop you right there. Some of you have already begun a list in your minds of what was wrong with that time, with that President. I am not going to dispute this with you; I would be wrong to excuse the sins of any one or any nation. What I will say is this: we were no longer ashamed to be Americans; we held our heads high and worked hard to grow, thrive, succeed, achieve. And we did just that! There were horrible terror attacks, the threat of nuclear annihilation, new epidemic diseases, the Challenger disaster. If you are old enough, do you even remember fallout shelters or the AIDS scare or the terror attack on our Marines in Lebanon? Those memories and fears have faded, scrubbed by the effervescent enthusiasm that we would overcome. Nothing paralyzed us. When Reagan called the Soviet Union an Evil Empire, and later said, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" we cheered-and believed. The wall fell in 1989.
Back to your list. Is it still important?
Now, back to the present day. Thinking about what is going on in our nation right now, what is different? Are you afraid of H1N1, economic collapse, terror attack, China? Do you think we need to withdraw from war because we cannot afford to spread ourselves thin? Do you fear what will happen to America if we don't have Obamacare-or if we do? We fear that the economy won't recover because of Obama's policies, or because Congress won't let him implement all of them. Either way, we're wrong-we should have long ago buckled up, got to work, and made the economy better despite what anyone else did about it.
I wonder if I live in America anymore. That nation is still the wealthiest, most powerful nation in world history. She has no significant enemies. She has the most productive workforce in the world, and far and away the best military. Since I grew up? Soviet Union, gone. Eastern Bloc, gone. Japanese economic power-virtually gone. Saddam? Gone. Osama? Gone. Taliban and AlQuaeda? Essentially gone. AIDS? Fading memory. Threat of nuclear annihilation? Are you kidding me?
Yet we are more afraid of one smuggled 'dirty bomb' than of the 30,000 large nuclear warheads the Soviets had aimed at us, and more afraid that China's economy will surpass ours with their cheap dollar-store junk. We are afraid to let our kids play in the yard because they might get hit by a car or fall off their bikes. Congratulations, 9-11 terrorists. Nineteen young men defeated the USA. The elephant is now afraid of the mouse. They killed three thousand in one day; now two million are subject to TSA search in one day-3% receiving invasive pat-downs, or... 60,000. Every day. The terrorists need not try any more to attack on an airplane because they have achieved their goal, placing us all in terror that the guy next to us has a bomb. We have managed to defeat Saddam as well as AlQuaeda despite horrible mismanagement of the war effort, without the draft, without major sacrifice, yet we feel like failures. In WWII everything you can imagine was rationed and ALL young men went off to war. ZERO cars were manufactured for 3 and a half years. Our nation, young and old, sacrificed everything, scraped pennies and bought war bonds, and sent Hershey bars and Marlboros to our boys overseas and crushed the TWO greatest enemies the world had ever seen on both sides of the world at the same time. We suffered one hundred times the casualties of the current war on terror, then turned around and rebuilt most of the world, had lots of babies, started the space race, and generally ran to win in everything.
Do I still live in the home of the brave? It would appear not. Oh, we still have men and women of courage, many of them in the military, but as a nation courage has wilted. I DO NOT fault the current President for this. Yes, he lives to play on our fears. However, they were already there before we elected him.
Once upon a time, we would have looked at China and said, "We can do better!" The competition would have improved our character and driven China to improve theirs. We would have looked at terrorists and said, "Let's roll!" and we would have achieved victory years ago and brought our boys and girls home to tickertape parades. Years ago, we would have looked new diseases in the face and defeated them. Actually, we still do-as Americans have defeated most diseases in modern history-but we no longer have the courage to celebrate it. Remember polio? Didn't think so. Our President died of it during WWII, and we still won-against the Axis powers and the disease.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen! Over two hundred years ago, a ragtag group of preachers, farmers, and merchants with no army and no navy took on the greatest empire in the world WHILE occupied by them-and won. Then our nation won that empire over to be our greatest allies, and liberty spread throughout the world. The USA became the wealthiest, most powerful, and most generous nation in world history. How then have we become so afraid?
Quite frankly, the reason for this fear is simple-we as a nation refuse to fear the Lord, so he has caused us to fear everything else.
Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
When in the course of human events...
On the hallowed occasion of Independence Day, I wish to remind all of us that the United States of America was founded a nation upon the bedrock of faith in the Christian God and Scriptures. From her Declaration of Independence I have excerpted certain statements to that effect which shall clearly demonstrate the legal contract which the Founders had established before Almighty God.
IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America
When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary, the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle us to establish a new nation upon certain truths.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government,
under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
[of King George]
He has refused his Assent to Laws,
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly,
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.
For abolishing the free System of English Laws
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens ...[ ]to bear Arms against their Country
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms
a Tyrant is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in general Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.
The American colonists at one time declared, "We have no king but King Jesus!" The King of England was usurping God's place as ruler over men. This free people were compelled to return things to God's order, for they were doing his bidding and would receive his protection. It is their right, it is their duty- rights, as well as duty, come from God and therefore We, the People of the United States of America were and continue to be bound by this Declaration to uphold our rights and duties.
Signed, this 4th of July, 2012 in the year of our Lord,
James W. England, Jr.
Monday, July 2, 2012
God has no choice
I believe in a God who is all-powerful and who is, in fact, love. He is all-knowing and he is everywhere. He is perfect, righteous, just, and holy. He can do anything he wants-or can he?
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Don't Worry,...
Be happy! Here's a little song I (Bobby McFerrin) wrote; you might want to sing it note for note....
You've probably heard how we should be prepared for emergencies and disasters from hurricanes to power outages to economic collapse, collecting vast stocks of food, flashlights, water, money, weapons, fuel-you name it. Certainly insurance is on the list as well. What can one do to prepare for all conceivable scenarios, especially on a limited budget?
I am no disaster -preparedness expert. There are the 'common' disasters, like tornadoes for us Okies, that we don't really take for granted, but are somewhat prepared for, at least mentally and spiritually.
What do we do about the big ones? Magnitude 10 earthquake, EF 5 tornado, nuclear war, economic collapse, Armageddon ....
The first thing you will need is oil for your lamp. The accompanying survival manual is found in Matthew 6:19-33.
You've probably heard how we should be prepared for emergencies and disasters from hurricanes to power outages to economic collapse, collecting vast stocks of food, flashlights, water, money, weapons, fuel-you name it. Certainly insurance is on the list as well. What can one do to prepare for all conceivable scenarios, especially on a limited budget?
I am no disaster -preparedness expert. There are the 'common' disasters, like tornadoes for us Okies, that we don't really take for granted, but are somewhat prepared for, at least mentally and spiritually.
What do we do about the big ones? Magnitude 10 earthquake, EF 5 tornado, nuclear war, economic collapse, Armageddon ....
The first thing you will need is oil for your lamp. The accompanying survival manual is found in Matthew 6:19-33.
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