Why No Miracles?

I have wondered with dismay for years why we don't see the miracles that we read about in the Bible. We pray, and sometimes people don't get well. They suffer the rest of their lives, or they don't make it. Maybe they slowly get better. WHY?

I believe I've found something, so I'll lay it out for you to consider.

Mark 16:15-20:
"He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.'
After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it."

Acts 14:3: "So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders."

1 Corinthians 2:1-5:
"When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power."

Philippians 1:7: It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me."

Hebrews 2:4: "God testified to it [this salvation] by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will."

Luke 24:46-48: "He told them, 'This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.'"

Here is how I understand this. Our mission as disciples of Christ is to proclaim the gospel to every creature, and make disciples. The Lord confirms the gospel with signs, wonders, miracles, and spiritual gifts as he wills. Perhaps the problem is that we are not truly sharing the gospel. God will confirm the gospel with miracles.

My Christmas Wish List

Please remember it's my birthday. You can't really buy anything for the man who has everything, but I did leave you a wish list.
1. Whatever you do for the least among you, you have done for me.
2. Whatever you did not do for the least among you, you did not do for me.
3. I don't want you to be a hero for me-I want you to know me.
4. Love God with all your heart.
5. Love your neighbor as yourself.

I have given you a budget-don't spend too much money; do spend the time.
Please buy thoughtful gifts for your loved ones-but know that you can never buy their love.
Please decorate the world around you with the trimmings of the season-but know that they are just trimmings.
Sing even if no one else thinks it sounds right-I like it!
Read the Christmas story at least once-out loud. I placed it in Matthew 2 and Luke 2 for you.
Merry Christmas!
Love, Jesus

2000AD

...this is from way back in 1998AD, when we were contemplating the dawn of a new millenium and Y2K...

Does the number 5,760 excite you? How about the number 1,378? Or does an indefinite number of billions interest you? What does your calendar say? In under fifteen months, the calendar we are most accustomed to will proclaim the beginning of the year 2000, Anno Domini. Anno Domini, in case you are unaware of it, is Latin for "in the year of our Lord." Let us examine this 2000AD more closely. Calendars are a means of measuring and recording time. They are based chiefly on cyclical movements of the sun, moon, and stars, as from ancient times those were the only means of marking time. The Hebrew calendar starts with their traditional date of Creation, 3,760BC, and is based upon the lunar cycle. The Muslim calendar is also lunar, and counts back to the flight of Mohammed to Medina in 622AD, with reference to our own calendar. Our calendar is regulated by both the sun and the moon, with Christmas based upon a solar calendar and Easter based upon a lunar calendar. But it is fully based upon the Son.

"In the AD 500's the monk Dionysius Exiguus introduced the present custom of reckoning the years from the birth of Christ, which he miscalculated four to six years later than the actual date."-World Book, 1962 Thus every calendar we use honors the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2000 is not some mystical or magical number, but despite human error in its calculation still is very important in that it points to the central character of all history, the one who divides time. "But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son,...." For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given," and "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." GAL 4:4, ISA 9:6, LK2:11. That day of reckoning marked the most important lifetime in the world. What is the purpose of his coming? "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God." ISA 61:1-2 Christ came at the appointed time for his appointed mission, sent by the God who said,

"Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. God made two great lights-the greater light to govern the sky and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day from the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. GE1:14-18

Our calendars proclaim exactly what God said at the beginning, by means of the sun, moon, and stars. He has sovereignly used the calendar to point to his Son for a special purpose. "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. 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." 2PE 3:8

A Jew might count time from his estimate of the Creation of the world; a Muslim might count from the flight of Mohammed. The coming year would then be for them 5,760 or 1,378. What would be appropriate for someone who denies God? Probably nothing more exact than an indefinite number of billions, variable in accordance with the latest theory. For one who has a relationship with Jesus, counting from his entrance into the world as a babe would be appropriate. We could laughingly look upon the error in calculation of his birthday, knowing full well that Jesus came specifically because of our imperfection. I pray that you will thing of that every time you write the date or look at a calendar.

For this is the day the Lord has made,
I will rejoice and be glad in it!

In Harm's Way

In harm's way a man sent a woman great with child. With nothing to her name she huddled between haybales, crying out in the pains of childbirth. This heartbroken young woman away from home had to fashion a nursery from her austere surroundings, using a feeding trough for a cradle and the tenuous shelter of this barn to buffer against the wind and the cold. This evil world has no room for the King's son, but a thousand armies couldn't steal the peace found in this place.

The stable is always open,
but are you out shopping?
Your gift is in the manger,
but you are at the mall.
Angry, impatient, dysfunctional families rush together with gifts and food and candles and colors-but the real celebration is a birth in a barn. Have you gone to the wrong party?

Of course, you realize this baby is Jesus and Christmas is his birthday. The party is at his home, but you have to go the way he came. he left heaven to be in harm's way so that he could invite you, the stable is always open, and he is even at the door. I'm tired of going to the wrong parties myself.

Christmas in the Face of a Child

His face shines on a cold, wintry morn. It is framed in peace as he becomes acquainted with this new world, humble surroundings of lights, sounds and earthy smells. He has not come unannounced, but he will take a journey few will understand. The light of his eyes has come into a dark world.

He has a kingly heritage, a path of destiny. From his youth he will challenge the world. He is a threat, and will be hated, accused, and betrayed. This sweet boy will one day have to lay down his life.

In this cruel and dark world, who can show us any good? The light of his face shines upon us. There is love in his eyes, joy in his little grin, warmth in his tiny fist as it grips his mother's hand. There is hope and a future in his delicate frame. He is a gift to the world.

The Labor of a Servant

A man

faces his task.

As he talks with his father, he hopes there is another way. In anguish, he steels himself to the requirements of his mission, and his father sends a messenger of encouragement.

In the morning, duty calls with the kiss of a friend. He is opposed on every side by those he is serving, but he will work with all his heart. it is a labor of deep love, and he wants to please his father, who is looking on.

Knowing the reward that will be due him, he shoulders the load. he is heavily opposed, and grows weak from pressure and abuse. his strength is failing, and another is enlisted to bear the splintered burden. He must press on.

There are others that will follow; he will complete the task with honor and without uttering a complaint. The work is heartbreaking and dries up his strength. He undergoes unspeakable humiliation, but for others. At his moment of greatest need, his father turns away. Even the light of day flees in anguish for his ordeal. he is fading.

The weight of the load is taking his life away. Has he spent his strength in vain and for nothing? Will he fail? He surrenders as he shouts, "The work is done!"

"And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, 'Surely this man was the Son of God!'" MK 15:37NIV84

A Response to a Call for Tolerance

This new 'tolerance' has little or no resemblance to the true meaning of the word. In engineering, tolerance is margin of error, a compensation for the inherent imperfections in manufacturing parts that will work together. It is kept as small as possible, and anything beyond the limits of tolerance must be reworked or discarded-it would adversely affect the function of machinery. In human affairs, tolerance should exist, but does sort of as a 'necessary evil.' Absurd? Not really. How much lying would you tolerate from your children? How much theft from your employees? How much murder from your citizens? How much blood-alcohol level from those who drive the same streets you do? We all hope the highway patrol would tolerate a certain 'margin of error [for cheating]' above the speed limit, but that renders us speeders nonetheless, while at the same time rendering the rule of law meaningless, if even in the most insignificant of respects.

No that I have your attention, let us consider this. Race, nationality, gender, or heritage are by definition not the subjects of tolerance. Behavior is. If you cannot tolerate children or those of a different race, you have the problem. If you cannot tolerate lying, however, you are in the right.

The fact is, we are all created in he image of our Creator, but we have all like sheep gone astray. We have inherent value to Him, but we also have inherent character flaws in His sight. He loves us, but by His very nature cannot tolerate our wrongdoing. Be thankful that He is patiently waiting for each one of us to come around.

A certain man  'had a dream that one day we would all be judged, not by the color or our skin, but by the content of our character.' Character and behavior counted to Dr. King; I hope they count to you.

-This is the edited text of a letter I wrote to the editor of the metro OKC Times newspaper, published in October 2000AD.

A Heart that Hears

This is an article I wrote long ago for a church newsletter in response to a pastor's sermon. The Lord once told Solomon, ""Ask for whatever you want me to give you" (1 Kings 13:5NIV). Solomon responded by asking for a discerning or (KJV) understanding heart to govern God's people. In verse 10, "The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this." His request was granted. He was given a discerning, understanding, even a hearing heart.

I have been unwilling to admit that I have been asking amiss. If God had given me one wish, I would have asked him to place me full-time into the ministry he has called me to. However, I do not have a hearing heart.

I need a hearing heart' one to hear the needs of my wife. I love her dearly for a thousand reasons, but I must say her heart does not become my own. I need a hearing heart; one that hears the cry of my daughter, a need beyond a little girl's words. I need a hearing heart; to hear the inner terror of one with no hope and without God in the world. I need a hearing heart; it cannot be said of me that I never let one of God's words fall to the ground.

A heart that is alive with the breath of God will smell the adrenaline of Satan, feverishly working while it is night. That heart will savor the sweet honey of the Word. That heart will have eyes, the eyes of Christ, stained by tears and great drops of blood. That heart will wince from splinters in the shoulders, and hold the cold hands of the helpless. The merest whisper from heaven will become marching orders.

A hearing heart is a heart willingly broken.

I thank Pastor for the wound of a friend. When he preached on this recently, I numbly heard him. I did not care enough to go to the altar.  Only later did the realization come to me of how unclean and unworthy it feels to not care enough. To not have the heart of God means to have little heart. To that and all other needs there is one sure prayer: "Change me, O Lord."

Prophecy Fulfilled!

In my previous blog post, I asked the question, what is the purpose of prophecy?

Prophecy tells of the character, love, and plans of God, but also of the future. God, who sees the end from the beginning, is able to tell the future (GE 3:15) and has the power to make it come to pass (John 3:16).

I didn't think about this until after I had written that post, but as I write this one, Christmas looms near. The Christmas story in Matthew and Luke chapters 1 and 2 is a story of prophecies fulfilled.

Abraham so deeply trusted in the Lord that he was willing to obey the command to kill his own son. He knew beyond doubt that the Lord could resurrect him.

The Maji came from far away, following prophecies, to worship Jesus, knowing that he had come even though nobody of importance in Israel knew.

Zechariah, filled with the Holy Spirit, knew Jesus as the son of David, promise of Abraham, Savior, and his own nephew. Imagine the joy in his heart as he sang!

The Lord had promised to Simeon that he would not die until he had seen the Lord's Christ. One day, the time came! He went into the temple courts, held Jesus in his arms, and praised God. Anna the prophetess joined in at that very moment. I would love to have heard her sermon!

I pray that you share my joy over the trustworthiness of the Living God; it is beyond my ability to convey.

What, then, is the purpose of prophecy?

To turn the hearts of men to the Living God.

He leaves us no excuse.

What is the Purpose of Prophecy?

Prophecy is an interesting subject. There are the occasional predictions of the end of the world or Jesus' Second Coming. There is the Left Behind series of books and movies. There are prophecy teachers who talk about signs of the end times and make fascinating predictions, many of which don't come true. Some of you may be familiar with those who call themselves prophets. Often they will lay hands on people and prophesy good things and blessings into their lives. What's the truth in all this?

Basically, prophecy is foretelling or forthtelling; telling the future or telling a message from God. But why?

Actually, I want you to answer that question. It's very important.

Reasons for Our Hope

I believe that in this current generation, that is not educated in the word of God, it is critically important that Christians know the Bible and be able to share what they believe. I've already shared my personal testimony and the Apostles' Creed, particularly the modern musical renditions of Rich Mullins and Third Day. In order to keep this brief, I won't repeat the lyrics to the song. The following are Bible verses that support the statements in the song/creed; I pray you find them helpful. These are important because they prophesy the work Jesus did many hundreds of years before it happened. Only God knows the future. Genesis 1:1 and 3:15 Psalm 22 [a medically accurate description of crucifixion] Psalm 98 Isaiah 7:14 and 9:1-7 These were written Jesus saved us from our sins. John 1:1-4 and 3:1-21 Acts 2 1 Corinthians 15:12-19 Phillipians 2:6-11 Colossians 1:15-23 and 2:9,10 Ephesians 1:22,23 2:15 3:11,12 4:7-10 5:27 Hebrews 1:1-3 2 Peter 1:16-21 Please read the following verses from the King James version (the word 'quick/quicken' is from this translation) John 5:21 and 6:63 Acts 10:42 Romans 4:17 and 8:11 2 Timothy 4:1

What I Believe Makes Me What I Am

Creed, a song by Rich Mullins A paraphrase of the Apostles' Creed I've been stirred recently to share the basics of my faith in Christ. In this age, people don't know the Bible, gospel, or truth that we might assume they do, so perhaps it is time for you, too, to share the details of where you come from spiritually. Our friends and family deserve to know. I think this is a perfect place to start. It's a song based upon the long-held traditions and creed of the Church, and the power of music helps the memory. Here are the words; check out YouTube for Rich Mullins' or Third Day's version. Sing, memorize, know the truth!

I believe in God the Father
Almighty maker of heaven and maker of earth
And in Jesus Christ his only begotten son Our Lord
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit
Born of the virgin Mary
Suffered under Pontius Pilate
He was crucified and dead and buried

CHORUS: (not part of the original creed, but a response to it)
And I believe what I believe
Is what makes me what I am
I did not make it
No it is making me
It is the very truth of God
Not the invention of any man

And I believe that he who suffered
Was crucified and buried and dead
He descended into hell and on the third day
He rose again
He ascended into heaven
Where he sits at God's mighty right hand And I believe that he's returning
To judge the quick and the dead and the sons of man

CHORUS
I believe it, I believe it

I believe in God the Father
Almighty maker of heaven and maker of earth
And in Jesus Christ his only begotten son Our Lord
I believe in the Holy Spirit
One Holy Church
The communion of saints
The forgiveness of sins
I believe in the resurrection
I believe in a life that never ends

CHORUS

Amazing Grace-My Personal Testimony

Amazing Grace 25 Aug 1998 in the year of our Lord Jesus Two years ago on this day was the day that my life changed forever. It was the day that I met God. I am delighted to tell you how that happened. Several weeks before that day, a man by the name of Curtis Timsah began to work with me at Pizza Inn. He talked a lot about what I thought as religion and about the end of the world. I was captivated by his words and though I disagreed, I found everything he said compelling and listened intently. I found myself unable to refute anything. But more to the point, as he shared with me about world events and what the Bible describes about the end of this age, I began to see a pattern. I saw that the world was not simply going into chaos, but that there was a concerted plan. The outcry for a new world order fit nicely with what he described as the kingdom of the antichrist. Everything pointed toward the existence of a devil who was the source of all this evil, a higher power who was leading this world into places it didn't understand. Jerusalem is the center of world attention for this very reason-it is God's city and the devil wants it. Well, at this point I decided that if there was a devil, and the evidence made that clear, then the god who told us that there was one must exist. I came home from work one night and told my wife, Tamra, that I thought I was finding religion. I believed in a devil and a god. I was still unsure about what Christians said about Jesus dying for my sins, but I no longer ruled it out. AMAZING GRACE... The following Sunday morning, I stayed home from church. I was not feeling well, and besides, I had to pack to move into our new home. About 11 o'clock in the morning, God acted. I knelt down on the couch, asked God to forgive me all my sins and asked Jesus to come into my heart. He did both. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-nor by works, so that no one can boast." Eph 2:8,9 God gave, I only received. What I received was newness of life. I had been declared guilty; now I was given clemency. All that I had been was washed away by the blood of God. I stood up from that couch a new creation of God. I was still James England, and I still had to pack belongings. I still had to go to work that night. But now I know my Creator; he is my best friend. We moved into our house the following Saturday. This house I consider to be my salvation gift from God. We had been looking for a house to buy and did not qualify for a large enough home because I worked for tips and mortgage companies couldn't count them. I remember Tamra asking for prayer in Sunday School one day that we might be able to find a house if it was God's will. Even though I was an atheist, I somehow believed that prayer. Well, just as we gave up looking until we could buy a large enough home, someone walked into Tamra's work and offered her this house. Miraculously, they offered to let us pay rent for one year toward the purchase price, lowering it to an amount we could qualify for. The same week I met God, he gave me a house. I did not save myself; I came to the end of denying the existence of God and when I did, he put an end to my misery. I was now what I was created to be-his child. My greatest desire was to begin to read the Bible. I had to put that off until after the move, but what I could do was throw away all the heavy metal music cassettes I had that were not already packed. When we got moved, I threw away the rest. Then I picked up the Bible. ...HOW SWEET THE SOUND This is what I found. "How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey in my mouth!" Ps 119:103 This book that I had picked up before and found incomprehensible now came to life. In fact, it was life to me. "A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul...." Prov 13:19 I found more and more what I had been created to be. My purpose is to love God with all my heart! I wanted to get to know him intimately, and through his word he made that possible. "But when he, the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth." Jn 16:13 When I met God, he gave me the Spirit of truth. He has led me into all truth, and the truth is Jesus. Truth is not some ethereal, elusive concept, but in a real sense is a proper noun-a name for God himself. Not only is he the truth, but he is also the way and the life. No one comes to the Father except through him. Jn 14:6 It sounds offensive to some, but it raises joy within my heart to finally hear the truth, to see the way, to find life. "Praise our God, O peoples; let the sound of his praise be heard." Ps 66:8 THAT SAVED A WRETCH LIKE ME! I have been saved from my own terrible guilt. I was convicted without remedy, and enslaved to continue in my guilt. "At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy." Ti 3:3-5 The kindness and love of God is always is there, but we do not see it. When we have our eyes opened, we understand this: "They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed." Ps 22:5 We no longer deny God. " Before I met God, I was miserable and did not know it. But now I know what it means to be a slave to human flaw rather than a slave to Christ. "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God-through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Ro 7:24 Another verse describes me before 25 August 1996. "But you did not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked." Rev 3:17 I ONCE WAS LOST, BUT NOW I'M FOUND... To be lost and not know it sounds strange, but in my case it was true. I had a good life. I had a wonderful wife and beautiful daughter, a decent place to live, all the necessities of life. I had a wonderful job, and contentment with my income. I am intelligent, and although I failed in engineering school and that door was closed in my life, I thought I was content. But I had rejected the one who created me. Not only had I rejected the truth, but the way to my true purpose in this world. I was running from the one who was trying to find me, shouting lies and covering my ears to drown out his cries. I failed, "For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found." Lk 15:24 "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." Lk 19:10 Isaiah, speaking for the Lord, says "I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me." Ro 10:20 God himself loved me so much that he carried a Roman cross up a hill, was nailed to it, and gave up his life there for me. He was buried, then he rose again, and sought after me my whole life to reveal his kindness and love to me so that I might receive his gift of eternal life, forgiveness of all my sins, and relationship with him. WAS BLIND, BUT NOW I SEE! "The Lord sets prisoners free, the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous." Ps 146:8 I had been blind, "ever seeing but never perceiving." Mt 13:14 The Bible further describes how I was before I met God and he changed my life. "For this people's heart has become caused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears and turn, and I would heal them. Acts 28:27 Well, I finally heard the good news. Indeed, "Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land." Prov 25:25 I once was blind, but now I see. I now see clearly what my purpose in life is. When I was an atheist, I thought I knew what I was doing in life. I would be an engineer and develop cars and airplanes that would change the world in some small way, that would contribute to the environment with better design. I cannot change the world, and neither can any man alive-except the one who was dead, and now lives. He created this world, and only he can save it. One day he will recreate the universe. His first priority is the hearts of those he created in his own image, those he loves and created this universe for. It is the greatest purpose of God to have intimacy and relationship with us. Our highest purpose is to be adopted as his children, to love our father. Then everything else comes into order. I am still concerned about this planet; it is handmade by God. I care about endangered species; but this world in its totality is sing and only God can change that. My wife is not just another person, and certainly not another accident of evolution as I used to believe. She is someone created by the loving hand of God; as my wife she is his greatest gift to me except my salvation. God brought Tamra into my life to teach me how to give my whole heart to someone who would give their whole heart to me. Until I met her, I had never known true love or contentment with another person, just loneliness despite a wonderful loving family. The presence of the Spirit of God within her heart melted mine, and I found true love. I shall eternally thank her, for without her love I probably would've been incapable of giving my heart to God. Earlier I said that she was second to my salvation; indeed, she is second to my God. That is the way God requires it. But God is not selfish; because I love God I can more fully love my wife than ever before. I know now that she will not only still love me when I'm 64, but a trillion years from now we will be kneeling in worship to Jesus, hand in hand. Without Christ, I could only love her for a lifetime. Except for what happened two years ago today, I would be in hell. Thank you, my love, for leading me to the cross by your life of love for me. You will take a husband and daughter [and now a son!] with you to heaven.

I am an Oklahoman but not an American?

The Bible says that Christians are part of the Body of Christ. Like a body, each part has its own unique role to play. Eyes, ears, hands, internal parts. We can't all be mouths, hands, etc., or how could the body function? Not only do we have to have all the parts, but we have to serve in our own roles. The same goes for family. We can't have two husbands or two wives, and the children cannot perform the parental role while the parents act like kids. God commands the church to care for widows and orphans. The same for government. Each part of government has a designated role. Obviously, these roles may be defined in numerous ways from nation to nation and state to state. In the USA, our nation is governed by rule of law, and each part of government is to stay within its boundaries. We don't have nuclear armed county sheriffs or federal dogcatchers. Congress doesn't concern itself with local zoning ordinances and the city council doesn't build nuclear weapons. Things go really wrong when judges, presidents, and bureaucracies try to create laws, the federal government usurps state power, and the like. If everyone were a legislator, where would the judging be? Of everyone were a federal agent, where would a local policeman be? Our government has long ago mutated from a properly functioning body to an insane, mutant monster with lots of hands in our pockets, eyes upon us, and a warped mind. Human government is trying to replace family government as well as the role of God. Only God has the right to know our inmost thoughts. What if everyone said, I am an Oklahoman, I don't belong to America? Or if you are from California, you are not an American because you are not like us? By the same token, there should not be categories like African-American, because one is either African or American. Indeed, are there even Africans? Wouldn't they be Egyptians or Nigerians, etc.? In the United States, citizenship is defined nationally. The Full Faith and Credit Clause of the Constitution, for example, honors laws from state to state and travel is unrestricted. There is no legal definition of state citizenship, just state residency. What is the point to my rambling? There is much discussion of federal overreach, tenth amendment, states' rights, nullification and interposition, secession, and the like today. It is clear that the federal government had gone off the reservation and is in chronic violation of the Constitution, crushing the states with its tyranny. The states have gladly complied for "free" federal money. I do not wish to get into the myriad examples right now. The United States of America is like a body, even in a sense as described in 1 Corinthians 12. I don't what to carry the analogy too far, but if it is a physical body, could the federal government be considered the skin? We really can't do without its protection. If we compare the nation to the Church, God can surely provide for her even if she has faults, but it would dishonor the nation to reject certain members or to secede. These are indeed the times that try men's souls. In discussing solutions to our national woes, I pray you remember that we are all Americans. It is not right to set liberals or progressives or Californians or socialists or any other groups as our enemies. We have all had a part in bringing on the decline of our nation. It all boils down the gospel truth- hate the sin, but love the sinner. We have all sinned and are fellow citizens with every sinner. We are all Oklahomans. Californians. New Yorkers. Americans. The last thing I would ever want to happen is for states to secede or there be another horrible civil war. The idea might sound crazy, but I think it's not impossible, given the increasing strength of division in our nation. Left versus right. Liberal versus progressive versus conservative. The race war that some desperately want to incite. Jesus taught that we have no right to hate "those people". Please remember this in the days ahead.

The Lord and Oklahomans

When you have no refuge,
     The Lord is your refuge
     And Oklahomans open their dorms, churches, hotels, and homes.

When you have no water,
     The Lord is the living water
     And Oklahomans build a mountain of bottled water.

When you have no hope,
     The Lord is your hope
     And Oklahomans bring blankets, hugs, miracles and boundless energy.

When you have no strength,
     The Lord is your strength
     And Oklahomans bring forklifts and strong arms and energy bars and sixteen hour days.

When you have no power,
     The Lord gives you power to become children of God
     And Oklahomans and Texans and Missourians and Arkansans and ask the rest bring utility trucks,
     And generators hum in the rubble throughout the night, dispelling the darkness.

When all is taken away,
     The Lord is your provider
     And Oklahomans break piggy banks and donate their vacations and share their showers, shelter, and southern hospitality.

When you're mad at what has happened,
     Scream and yell and pound God on the chest,
     Because the Lord hears the cry of the brokenhearted and his ears are open to your prayers,
     And Oklahomans who don't know what else to give will have a prayer for you and a shoulder to cry on.

When you've lost your beloved,
     The Lord weeps with those who mourn
     And Oklahoma does too.

    Oklahoma, tornado, Moore, disaster, May 20, 2013

A Parable on Bengazi

From 2 Samuel 11, paraphrased.
At the time when kings go off to war, the king stayed away; he preferred to lead from behind. He sent the army out, only telling the representatives of the people as an afterthought.

The king had no taste for facing war directly; he choose instead to control events from his remote palace. He partook of sport out on the lush green fields. There were opportunities to gather funds for the kingdom in the decadent city.

The mighty men soldiered on, having no respite. One evening, a heavily armed force descended upon the compound where certain warriors were located. They sent a frantic message pleading for help. When it reached the palace, it was rejected; the relief fighters were ordered to stay in their places. When the men of the city came out and fought against the king's men, some of them died.

A full account, in vivid detail, was made available to the king. It was clear that his men had been overpowered and without assistance. Missiles came from high up and struck the valiant fighters, fatally wounding them. His response was to cast blame elsewhere. His most disturbing statement: "Don't let this disturb you; the sword devours one as well as the other." (v. 25)

What astounds me is how very well the text of 2 Samuel 11 fits the details of the Bengazi attack. V. 24 might just as well say, RPG's and mortars from up high descended upon some and killed them, exactly as happened to two of the men. V. 25 almost exactly quotes one of the Democratic Congressmen's callous remarks to the deaths.

Obviously, the biblical story was about David ignoring his duty to lead his army into battle, instead preferring to lead from behind, and then becoming slave to the lusts of his flesh. Obama's lust does not appear to be sexual, but he sure likes to golf and campaign and fund raise and travel, and his actions after the attack were clearly calculated to ensure his reelection.

As for why he guaranteed the deaths of the men in Bengazi, the reasons are not yet known. It fits the biblical story too frighteningly well for me not to think that he wanted these men dead to cover something up like weapons transactions.

My prayer is that the truth will come forth on the lips of many Nathans, and that most importantly, Obama and his leadership team will repent before Almighty God. One thing is for sure- the blood on their hands will remain.

Humiliation

Sounds awful, doesn't it? Our minds instantly go to painful moments in our lives when we were humiliated, if we dare even to recall. Our human pride hates humiliation. We dread being embarrassed by a bully, our boss, our own shameful actions, secret things we have done and regrets that tear at our souls.

Pride is sin. I don't think most of us have ever even admitted this truth to ourselves. It's the opposite of humility. Period.

Black and white.

Personally, I find it difficult to brag about my accomplishments or take compliments. Even in saying "thank you" for a compliment, I am, to be honest, just saying so dismissively. I do, however, love to brag on my wife and kids and declare that I am proud of them. I do love the song "Proud to be an American." Somehow, however, this seems to be a different phenomenon than pride. I sure don't want my wife or kids to become haughty, but I do want them to know how loved and wonderful they are and how important their accomplishments are. I want them to feel blessed for doing right or well or being good people.

As I contemplate and pray about the next steps to take in preparing for the Day of Humiliation and Prayer that I have called for April 30th, I have become focused on the word humiliation. Someone called me today to express their surprise that I had chosen this word. In fact, I did not. President Abraham Lincoln was only the last in a long line of statesmen to call for a day of humiliation. I am only following in their footsteps.

Jesus humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross.

Mary said that God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

Job despised himself and repented in dust and ashes after God humiliated him for four straight chapters.

It's America's turn.

In our pride we have rejected God. The only way to reverse this is to humble ourselves. Humiliate ourselves. Our righteousness is as filthy rags before God. You know, we ought to be ashamed of ourselves for what we have allowed this nation to become. It's far better that we admit that now, repent, and throw ourselves at God's mercy than keep on going, too proud to turn, and face his wrath.

Start humbly praying now. Please redouble your prayer efforts on the 30th of April. If you are able, please join me at the south steps of the Oklahoma State Capitol from 6 to 9pm on the 30th.

Take a Fresh Look at the Resurrection

I hope you're not in a rut about Easter, tired of the old traditions and complacent about the story. If you're like me, chocolate bunnies and Easter egg hunts and eating lamb and ham just kind of miss the mark.

Well, I decided to take a fresh look at the Easter story after I heard someone speak on the radio about the solid proofs from the Bible that Jesus did indeed rise from the dead. I don't intend to write about them, though they are fascinating and there are thousands of resources you could turn to if you wanted to study that. I think it's far more important that you take the time yourself to study the biblical accounts of Jesus's death, burial, resurrection, and the interesting things he did in the forty days after that.

So here's what I noticed.

Jesus wasn't the first to rise from the dead. He was the first to rise that week, but when he died many holy people rose from the dead. They waited for him, then walked the streets of the city and appeared to many people.

The Pharisees remembered that Jesus had promised that he would rise from the dead and tried to prevent it, but the disciples didn't believe Jesus.

Jesus had some new and interesting skills, and not just with fishing, cooking, and folding laundry. No, I'm not joking.

Jesus appeared to women first, giving them the greatest legal validity they had ever received. The eyewitness testimony of these women is crucial to the concrete proof of the resurrection.

Not to sound crude, but ghosts and those who might be described as the walking dead or zombies are in the Easter story. Often I think that some of the great myths of all time are perversions of biblical truths because men can't even think of original stories.
Jesus seems very busy and driven in the resurrection accounts. He appears to be focused on demonstrating that he has risen from the dead just as he promised, as well as urging his disciples to wait for supernatural power to do amazing things.

To be sure, the next forty days are a mysterious time. The disciples only saw him a few times. Then, from the Mount of Olives, Jesus promises that he will return in the same way he leaves-as he leaves the ground and takes off up into the sky and beyond! This is the real Superman!

After you read the stories in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, please read 1 Corinthians 15 and contemplate how vitally important the resurrection is to everything about following Jesus.

Angry

What would I say from the deepest part of my soul about the killing of the unborn? It troubles me incomprehensibly that anyone would not want their child, be they the father or mother. Beyond that, I am at a loss for words that anyone could be willing to believe that a baby in the womb is anything other than a living human being. Just because the government says so?

Trying to be dispassionate and rational instead of furious for a moment, I am trying to understand how our nation has allowed abortion for forty years. I comprehend that we cannot stop the occasional serial killer who escapes justice, or the unexpected school shooter, our the Dr. Kevorkians, rare though they may be. Terror attacks cannot always be foreseen, nor can the next mad genius' plot to do something evil.

Abortion started out as something rare, secretive, and desperate. However, as soon as Roe v Wade, the abortion rate quickly skyrocketed to a third of all pregnancies. Within three years. For all the reading and study I have done, I still can't understand. I don't want to. I want it to not be true.

I don't know which is worse. The fact that one in three children is killed by their mother before being born, or the fact that only a tiny minority of people are doing A SINGLE SOLITARY THING about it.

There is no Civil Rights Movement for the unborn. It is a very few people, most of whom feel lonely in their crusade because most of their friends and family do not care at all about this national problem.

There are three registered sex offenders in my neighborhood. I make sure my family knows to avoid these individuals. There is also a known drug dealer whom the police have dealt with on numerous occasions. There are probably numerous illegal aliens in my neighborhood also. There are only three abortion facilities in my state.

One of them is in my neighborhood.

This is not a metaphor; this is a fact. The holocaust is happening three blocks from my children's bedrooms. This utterly disgusts me. You and I are responsible for this. What have you done? I know that I have done pathetically little.

What if nobody cared that Rosa Parks didn't give up that seat in the bus? What if no brave children faced the police dogs and fire hoses of Birmingham? What if Martin Luther King gave his I Have a Dream speech to an empty national park?

I can tell you what; business as usual. Segregated lunch counters right here in Oklahoma. Lynchings. Blacks still unable to rent a hotel room, attend the school of their choice, coach a football team, run for president. Cross burnings and church burnings. Our Declaration of Independence would still be marked "Insufficient Funds."

Men and women, boys and girls died so my children would have the honor of attending school with children of every race. They fought the last of the wars for independence from tyranny on American soil. Thomas Jefferson was right when he said that the tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time by the blood of patriots and tyrants. From the War of Independence to the Civil War to the civil rights movement this has happened time and again.

One by one by one, our little children are being quietly ushered into extermination chambers. They go in; they don't come out. Sixty busloads a day. Every day.

Look around you the next time you are in public.

One out of every four women has made this choice.

Thirty million of them helped elect our president.

One hundred people were missing from my graduating class.

Two hundred fifty laughing children are missing from my children's elementary school.

Eighty people are missing from my church.

My soccer team is six children short.

Sandy Hook happens one hundred forty times a day- in other words, every ten minutes. 9/11 happens every single day.

Let us think about this. We are furious that Islamic terrorists attacked innocent people....

I love our God-given liberties, and our Declaration of Independence and Constitution that protect these rights. I am opposed to the government infringing on my rights to freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right to keep and bear arms. I am opposed to the government destroying our economy. Yes, it is true that the second amendment protects all the other rights. Who will protect the unalienable right to life? Fifty five million American citizens have been deprived of life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, property, speech, religion, the right to bear arms, and all the rest.

What do you think God Almighty thinks of our nation? A balanced budget won't please him if we still use government money to kill babies. Prayer in schools won't please a holy God who knows that we have killed a third of the students. You see, we do not even deserve freedom of religion if we in the churches don't even ASK women not to abort their children.

As you can see, I am very angry about the holocaust of abortion. (Yes, do the math, that is a very appropriate term. ) I could have gone on this rant for a very long time, but God stopped me. I looked back over the previous paragraph and was shocked by what I wrote. I said we don't deserve our freedoms. Yet they are God-given and unalienable. How is this possible?

Grace.