Technologically Savvy

When her family ridiculed her for being technologically ignorant,

Sister Velma surprised them all by getting her very own "Blue Tooth."

I Joined The Resistance

I am not going to sit by silently as Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid re-make our nation in their liberal image. That's why I just joined a grassroots conservative effort to RESIST Obama's liberal agenda. Please go here to join with me: http://www.grassfire.org/111/petition.asp?PID=19286930&NID=1

Thanks!

Left Coast Hall of Shame

Pacific Justice Institute Announces its

2008 "Left Coast Hall of Shame."
December 16, 2008

As we prepare to look back on 2008, the Pacific Justice Institute recalls ten of the worst attacks on faith, family and freedom in the Golden State.

1. In May, the California Supreme Court strikes down Prop. 22, the voter-approved definition of marriage as only between a man and a woman. The court says that equal protection requires gay marriage.

2. Following the passage of Prop. 8, rioters deface churches, assault Prop. 8 supporters and engineer the termination of employees who supported Prop. 8 in their personal capacity.

3. In February, the California Court of Appeal ruled that homeschooling is illegal. After PJI and other groups got involved in the case, the court reversed its decision.

4. San Diego County shut down a church, claiming improper zoning, even though the church had been worshiping at the location for more than twenty years. The county said a bar was a better fit for the site.

5. Alameda College threatened two students with suspension or worse after one of them prayed for a teacher who was sick.

6. After the gay marriage ruling, the State of California changed its marriage license forms from "Bride" and "Groom" to "Party A" and "Party B." The State then rejected a form submitted by a heterosexual couple who sought to use the traditional designations.

7. A K-8 public school in Hayward sought to promote the homosexual lifestyle to children as young as kindergarten by recognizing "Coming Out Day," "Ally Week" and "TransAction Gender-Bender Read Aloud Day" (featuring such classics as "Jane and the Beanstalk").

8. A public charter school in San Francisco took second-graders on a "field trip" to the lesbian wedding of a teacher. The school called it a "teachable moment."

9. A public school in Vacaville chose not to tell parents that a second-grade music teacher had decided to assume a new gender for the new school year, prompting much confusion among young students. The school is now attempting to prevent parents from removing their children from that teacher's class.

10. The California Supreme Court ruled against two doctors whose religious beliefs did not allow them to artificially inseminate an unmarried lesbian. The doctors paid for the woman to be referred elsewhere, and she now has three children - but she was so offended by their beliefs that she sued them for discrimination. This ruling has sweeping implications for a wide range of businesses and professionals in California.

_______________________________________________

Brad W. Dacus is the president of Pacific Justice Institute, a defender of my ministry and my friend.

The Pacific Justice Institute is a non-profit 501(c) (3) legal defense organization specializing in the defense of religious freedom, parental rights, and other civil liberties.

Pacific Justice Institute works diligently, without charge, to provide their clients with all the legal support they need. P.O. Box 276600 Sacramento, CA 95827-6600 Phone: (916) 857-6900 Fax (916) 857-6902 Internet: www.pacificjustice.org

One More Argument For Staying In The Light.

The comment stream on Stay In The Light took an unintended and unexpected course. Be that as it may, it "triggered" (no pun intended) my recollection of this funny video clip. Incidentally, the crime scene takes place in the dark.

GUN CONTROL

starring William Shatner

Stay In The Light

What is the best way to protect yourself from violent crimes? Well, you might try staying in the light.

According to The Department of Justice’s Bureau of Statistics, older Americans are ten times less likely to become victims of violent crimes than younger people. During the years from 1992 through 1997 there were an average of 5.3 violent crimes for every 1000 U.S. residents age 65 compared to an annual average of 56 attacks for every 1000 residents between the ages of 12 and 65. That is astounding.

Although the Department notes that the elderly are less likely to fight back or argue with their assailants, the key reason cited for the low incident rate is that the elderly stay home at night.
That makes sense because most violent crimes occur out of view or under cover. People who perpetrate evil most often hide their actions under the cover of darkness.

The Light from heaven came into the world, but men love the darkness more than the light because their actions are evil. They hate the light because they want to sin in the darkness. They stay away from the light for fear their sins will be exposed and they will be punished. But those who do what is right come to the light gladly, so everyone can see that they are doing what God wants. John 3:19-21 (NLT)

Tolerance Above All

I don’t know why all the recent outrage and irritation from conservative Christians about Rick Warren’s compromised or conflicted position about homosexuality. It should come as no surprise. In fact it should be expected; his waffling and tap dancing is the natural result of his signature brand of man-centered, market driven church growth plans.

I've said it before and I will reiterate; there is a real danger and a compelling tendency for all ministries to lose sight of their God-centered purposes and succumb to the seduction of pragmatic marketing techniques. Think about it. The people (members) will exert pressure to meet their “needs” which is usually nothing more than their wants or preferences. Staff will respond by providing the necessary stimuli in the forms of target-marketed programs or activities designed to retain them and attract more. More programs require more staff, resources, and money and so the sustenance becomes the objective. If the people are not satisfied; it the giving or attendance drops, budgets will be cut, programs will be ended, and staff will be laid off. That is the reality of marketing. Grow or die. Pragmatism in church leadership will always result in the downgrading of your doctrine.

On the other hand, God has provided a very different growth plan. He insists that pastors faithfully preach the Word, teach sound doctrine, and pray and leave the increase up to Him.

Nobody really cared much about Rick Warren’s church membership policy regarding homosexuality until Obama asked him to deliver the inaugural prayer. Now it is a major, divisive issue with most of the heterophobic population. So what did Rick Warren do about it? He removed his policy statement from the website of the Saddleback Church.

Well, that action is understandable and consistent. This is the same Rick Warren who said about Christian fundamentalists, they have a "very narrow and legalistic view of Christianity." So, given the fact that he admittedly holds to a less-than-authoritative view of Scripture, one of his latest statements should come as no surprise at all. In an attempt to show himself tolerant he said, “You don’t have to see eye to eye in order to walk hand in hand.”

I guess Mr. Warren knows better than that narrow, archaic book we call the Bible:

“Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” Amos 3:3

“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, ‘I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate,’ saith the Lord, ‘and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters,’ saith the Lord Almighty.” II Cor. 6:14-18

Meddling Preachers

Do you ever feel like your pastor

is singling you out with his sermons?

The Stethoscope

I really hafta get me one of these.

Ten Reasons Why Every Believer Should Speak In Tongues

A few years ago, in my town, a local “pastor” ran an ad in one of those free, weekly advertisers, encouraging people to call the number for the bible message that the Lord had given him. My curiosity got the best of me so I called to hear the message, “Ten Reasons Why Every Believer Should Speak In Tongues.”

Ten reason; wow, that's pretty ambitious. I was thinking, at the time, it would be difficult for me to try to find ten biblical reasons to support almost any legitimate scriptural imperative. But I must remind myself, he got this message from God so I guess anything is possible.

Here it is. This is verbatim (errors and all). I painstakingly transcribed it right from his recorded message. I can’t make this stuff up. What a bunch of hooey. Without any sense of shame, this “wolf in sheep’s clothing” offered this convoluted, twisted, illogical and disconnected claptrap, along with “proof texts” (except where he couldn’t find any) for the mindless deluded, willfully ignorant, and elitist “full gospel” sheep.

TEN REASONS WHY EVERY BELIEVER SHOULD SPEAK IN TONGUES

Reason #1 - Tongues is the initial sign that a believer has been filled with the Holy Ghost. Acts 2:4 “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

Reason #2 - Tongues are for our spiritual edification. I Corinthians 14:4 “He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself” (the word edifieth – to edify- means to build up or charge).

Reason #3 - Tongues reminds us of the Spirit’s indwelling presence. Acts 10:46 “For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.”

Reason #4 - Praying in tongues is praying in line with God’s perfect will. I Corinthians 14:14 “For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth but my understanding is unfruitful.”

Reason #5 - Praying in tongues stimulates faith. Jude 1:20 “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.”

Reason #6 - Speaking in tongues is a means of keeping you free from contamination with the ungodly, the profane, and the vulgar talk around you if you are working on the job or out in public.

Reason #7 - Speaking in tongues provides a way for things to be prayed for, but for which no one thinks to pray about or about which they know nothing. The Holy Spirit knows everything. The Word says, “The Spirit also helpeth our infirmities; for we know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit Himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered in articulate speech.”

Reason #8 - Isaiah 28:11-12 says, “For with stammering lips and another tongue will e speak to this people. To whom he said, ‘this is the rest by which ye may cause the weary to rest, and this is the refreshing;’ yet they would not hear.” What is the rest? Speaking with other tongues.

Reason #9 - I Corinthians 14:15-17 “What is it then? I will pray with the Spirit and I will pray with the understanding also; I will sing with the Spirit and I will sing with the understanding also. Else, when thou shalt bless with the Spirit, how shall he that occupieth the (room) of the unlearned say ‘amen’ at the giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest. For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified.”

Reason #10 - James 3:8 says, “But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil full of deadly poison.” Speaking in tongues; yielding your tongue to the Holy Spirit to speak with other tongues is a long step toward fully yielding all your members to God.

God Loves You And Has A Wonderful Plan For Your Life

"Campus Crusade’s “Four Spiritual Laws” . . . . give a diluted presentation of the gospel designed [to] be non-offensive. Who could fail to be attracted to, “God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life.”? It is not false, but it is not the gospel as preached by Peter or Paul. It is an accommodation to the way the natural man thinks about himself. It produces an easy-believism in which every man is saved but lives just as he did before. With this accommodation of the message to the natural man came an accommodation in the way of presenting the message. The historic method has always been what Scripture calls, “the foolishness of preaching.” The new method became the selling of the gospel by the use of sports heroes, beauty queens, and famous people."

- John Ashbrook

But, some will argue, these four spiritual laws are "biblically based" as though the standard for right practice is that the practice has a biblical basis. That's insane. All kinds of nonsense can be justified by that standard. The real question is this; Is our practice doctrinally sound?

By way of contrast, in this post Steve Camp at CAMPONTHIS offers a reconstruction of Four Spiritual Laws that are doctrinally sound and sure to irritate a lot of folks I know.

LAW ONE: God is holy and has a plan for your life whether for wrath or for mercy.

LAW TWO: His wrath burns against you and you are hopelessly lost. There is nothing you can do about it. You are sinful and utterly lost; totally depraved, conceived in sin, and are incapable of saving yourself by the merits of your own righteousness.

LAW THREE: The Lord Jesus Christ came into this world, born of a virgin, tempted as we are yet without sin, died in our place and as our merciful and faithful High Priest fulfilled God’s law, took upon Himself every sin that would ever be committed by every(one) who would ever believe, with its guilt and penalty, and all of the wrath of God that persists against our sin.

LAW FOUR: Repent of your sin and confess and receive Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savior for eternal life and have peace with Him forever. His love, mercy and grace no one can ever take away once your life is hid in Christ. This is God’s wonderful plan of salvation.

Steve Camp

There Really Is A God

This Proves It!

ANNUAL HEBREW LESSON

Posted by: Michael Medved on Townhall.com

In this holiday season, Americans hear lots of talk about “Hanukkah” but most Christians—and most Jews, for that matter—don’t know what that word actually means. No, Hanukkah doesn’t mean “Festival of Lights,” or “Festival of Tolerance.”

The Hebrew word means, simply, “dedication.” It refers to the re-dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem in 165 B.C., after its desecration by Hellenists who worshipped Greek Gods in the shape of men. The holiday calls for our re-dedication to resisting secularism and assimilation, and recommitting to God’s commandments. The word “Hanukah” has the same root as “Hinukh” –education—emphasizing that there’s no meaningful education without dedication to divine truth. At the darkest time of each year, the glowing candles of Hanukkah signal dedication to bring light to a world that too often worships men, instead of God.

How To Draw A Rhinoceros

From HOW TO DRAW CARTOONS ONLINE.

Learn to draw this rhinoceros in six easy steps at How To Draw A Rhinoceros.

Bethlehem, Calvary, and the Empty Tomb

At this time of year when the world celebrates a secular form of Christmas, others celebrate the winter solstice, and Christians celebrate the birth of Christ, it is extremely important to remember the Savior as more than just a baby in a manger. Jesus Christ, God the Son, the Creator of the universe, entered time and space and came into this world on a mission. His mission was the redemption of lost sinners, and He accomplished that not through His birth or His righteous life, but through His death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead. There are three key locations connected with the earthly life and mission of our Lord Jesus Christ, and those are Bethlehem, Calvary, and the empty tomb.

Bethlehem – The nativity scene is the symbol of Christmas for those who understand that Christmas is about Christ, not the worldly trappings of the holiday. This event happened at exactly the time and place God intended. …when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons (Galatians 4:4-5, NKJV).

The angel Gabriel announced to a young teenager by the name of Mary that she was to be the mother of the virgin-born Son of God. We can be certain than many things went through her mind, but her response was one of willingness and obedience, whatever the cost. Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word (Luke 1:38, NKJV). Mary and her husband-to-be, Joseph, traveled to Bethlehem to register for Roman taxation, and there Jesus was born in a lowly stable, visited by lowly shepherds. It is quite significant that the birth of the Lamb of God was first announced to shepherds. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger” (Luke 2:10-12, NKJV).

Calvary – As important as the birth of Christ is, the baby in the manger does not save anyone. After thirty years of relative obscurity, growing up and living in the home of a carpenter, Jesus began His earthly ministry. He taught many things and performed many miracles, all of which validated His identity as the Son of God. In the end, the religious authorities turned on Him because of their fear of losing their influence over the people and the crowd was incited to demand His crucifixion by the Romans. This was all part of God’s plan. In reality, it was not the crowd, it was not the Jewish people, and it was not the Romans who crucified Him. It was our sin that nailed Him to the cross, and He willingly laid down His life as a sacrifice for our sins. The Apostle Paul said, This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief (1 Timothy 1:15, NKJV). …God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8, NKJV).

The Empty Tomb – The fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the pivotal event in all of history. Without it, the Gospel becomes meaningless. With it, Christianity is true without any doubt. In recent years, in a Christian school not far from here, a student who practiced the religion of Islam had his Bible class the last period of the day. He did his work and studied well, and he was one of the best students in the class. He stayed after class almost every day to discuss biblical issues with the teacher. One day, he made a particularly revealing admission. He said, “If the resurrection really happened, Christianity is true.” How right he was! Although he accepted neither the resurrection nor Christianity, he had made a profound statement.

Written by Ron Livesay,

Pastor Ron Livesay is my long-time friend, co-worker, and occasional contributor to this blog. He recently retired from ministry after serving God for nearly 30 years in Christian School Administration.

Reagan On The Government's Economic Bail-Out Plans

Recent polling data indicates that 91% of the American people are against the bail out of the "big three" auto makers. So if that's the case, why do we continue calling this system a "representative government?" When was the last time our elected representatives really represented their constituents?

Our race toward nationalization of industry and banking and real estate seems, to me, to be unconstitutional.

Here are a couple quotes from my favorite president which are relevant in view of our unconstitutional race toward the nationalization of industry, banking, labor, and real estate as a means to fix our economic crises. Congress should pay attention:

"The most terrifying words in the English language are:
I'm from the government and I'm here to help."

"Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it."

Ronald Reagan

Another Club

A hunter walking through the jungle found a huge dead rhino with a pigmy standing beside it.
Amazed, he asked: "Did you kill that?"

"Yes," said the pigmy.

The hunter asked "How could a little bloke like you kill a huge beast like that?"

Said the pigmy: "I killed it with my club."

"That's incredible," said the hunter, "How big is your club?"

The pigmy replied: "There are about 60 of us."

Disclaimer: No animals were harmed in the posting of this joke. If you are offended by pictures of dead animals, please delete yourself. This post is not intended in any way, to demean, denigrate, or disrespect Pigmies, little blokes, or any other short people.