To Vote or Not to Vote

Proverbs 11:3 Asks the question: If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? Very few can legitimately argue that the United States was not founded on religious principles and established by religious people. Though it is very much in vogue to find something evil about everything that made this country great, the fact is that you cannot go into our great national capitol and not find monuments throughout the entire city celebrating the fact that God was the One responsible for the establishment of this great country of ours. From the Lincoln memorial to small statues and plaques everywhere, the name of God and Jesus Christ, not to mention the Holy Spirit is reverently displayed and thanks goes to Him for all that has been accomplished.  Scripture is everywhere, speaking of God's greatness and goodness to us. It is amazing to see what has happened in my lifetime, how all of this has systematically been challenged and history has been re-written. Recently, Marie and I watched a short special on John Lennon and the Beatles, and we were reminded of how Lennon had stated "We are more popular than Jesus Christ". When he said that, (and I remember it well), Christians and millions of Americans in general, got outraged and Lennon was forced to apologize for such a slight. Can you imagine something like that happening today? Movies like Religulous would never have been made, South Park would never mock Jesus, God's name would not be allowed to be said on national TV while the "N" word is banned, and a host of plays, paintings, and movies would never be made. We have fallen so far from our Christian roots, and today we are paying for it. Take as an example Prop 8. Since when do we really have to define marriage as between a man and a woman? Doesn't nature itself tell you what works and doesn't work? Yet, homosexual activists have worked 24-7 to make sure that they are legitimized. This is not about equal rights, it is about legitimizing perversion, and the church is once again asleep at the wheel. One school "teacher" actually took her first grade class on a field trip to witness a lesbian wedding ceremony, because as she said, she didn't want to miss this "teachable moment". In other words, she didn't want to miss the opportunity to indoctrinate the children with confusion and perversion. Sadly, they went with the permission of their irresponsible parents, with only two parents having the common sense and backbone to keep their children home that day. Perhaps it is easier to have the kids go to a field trip than to actually stay home to care for them, or to provide someone (is anybody home) to watch them. Sad, sad, sad. This is the state of America. We have a Presidential candidate that believes in the re-distribution of wealth...you work, and I will live off of your earnings. After all, I don't want to work, won't work, am not willing to work, but still want a satellite dish and color TV. It's my right, so work hard so I can have it! This is pure socialism, yet people are not outraged by it. Hey, let's lower our medical standards so we can become a European or Canadian type country. We can then say that everybody gets health care, but not tell the people that to get health care like the British, we need to be willing to wait up to 40 weeks to get an operation, some dying before they can receive care. The Canadians who need operations come to the US by the thousands, and the Canadian government spends $1 billion a year to pay for medical operations that Canadians come here to get. But ignorant Americans want a president who will take our health care down, and he does it under the guise of being good to people. He says no new taxes on anybody but the wealthy. Then he defines wealthy for us, but fails to say that millions already don't pay taxes and small business owners will end up losing everything. Man, we had better wake up. We need to vote this coming election, and not vote on personality, but on experience. I don't care much for either candidate, but I know where one will take us and don't want to go there. God help us all...

What is truth

When I first became a Christian, it was very refreshing to finally have something that I felt I could hold fast to with complete trust. I knew that the philosophies of the world were vacuous and developed "me first" kinds of people, as I myself had been totally absorbed in the foolishness of the age myself and was a great example of such self-centered living, and so when I came to Christ, truth began to matter. Jesus made it clear that truth matters, and that truth exists. Obviously, He is truth incarnate, but He also speaks that which is true. His word is truth, and truth sets us free from the bondage that sin keeps us locked up in. This is the main reason that I try to teach: truth sets you free. When I look out at our church, I see so many who have come to understand this, people who have been set free from sin. I see former alcoholics, drug abusers, violent people, as well as former adulterers, homosexuals, and thieves. And this is my staff!!!! Actually, when you look at the church, it is made up of so many who at one time were blind, but now they see because of Jesus, and it makes my heart overflow with joy. It is all because Jesus set them free, and He did so and does so through His word, the Bible. When I first got saved, I was told that God's word was truth, and that I needed to read it, study it, and do it so that I might come to know how it does set free, and with this in mind we are going to have a series on Sunday nights with the hope that our people will take advantage of being better equipped to give away their faith. We live at a time that reminds me of the question asked of Jesus by Pilate, when he asked Him "What is truth"? His jaded mind could not grasp that, in the midst of a universe filled with lies, such a thing could exist. This spirit remains to our day, and I pray that the studies that will be given will help people understand that truth exists, it is incarnated in our blessed Savior, and has been given to us to hold fast to and to share. I pray people show up Sunday night, fully realizing how difficult it is for some to do so. But, it will be eternally worth it...