Pains should be taken with such when they are young, to teach them the principles of the oracles of God, that they may be fortified against temptations, and furnished for the opportunities, of a high condition in the world.

Matthew Henry

Christian financial author, Larry Burkett went home to be with the Lord in July of 2003.  I enjoyed his radio program and his financial advice.  Some of which I wished I had followed more closely.  I recently pulled his book The Coming Economic Earthquake off the shelf.  I wonder if Larry is yelling out one big “I told ya so!” right now?  I remember reading the book back in the early 90’s and when I discussed it with someone just entering the field of finance they poo-pooed it as the voice of another doomsday pessimist.  This criticism seemed to be justified with the seeming financial boom of the 90’s.  But those days are gone.

I offer the following quote from the book (keep in mind that this was written in 1991:

“It is quite possible we will see a deflationary cycle in America as the consumer credit binge reaches its limits.  If allowed to run its course, this deflation could help to restabilize our economy.  But in the face of ever-increasing federal deficits and falling revenues, it is more likely that the government will resort to even more credit, creating a massive inflationary spiral.

 

The worst of all economic situations occurs when production falls while prices soar.  This cycle, known as inflationary-recession can rapidly deteriorate into a inflationary-depression in the hands of inept politicians.”

 

[Don’t worry Larry, we don’t have any of those in office!]

We seem to be a country addicted to debt. 

“A family man in America’s condition, awash in debt, spending more than he makes, would cut back consumption, find a second job and get out of debt. Or declare bankruptcy, accept the shame and humiliation, change his wastrel ways and start anew.

Is it different for a nation? “

Pat Buchanan

Read the editorial in its entirety here.

 

 Pictured above is part of the Anarchist/pro-gay group calling themselves Bash Back.

 I find the incident described in the article below troubling on many levels, but not surprising .  First, I had to hear of this incident not from our local news, but from a member of our church emailing me from Florida!  Even the article below from the Detroit Free Press does not tell the whole story.  Please read the worldnet daily article too. 

  

Second, the aggressive nature of those involved is a preview of what is to come.  It is clear from the biblical account of Sodom and Gomorrah that the men involved were by no means docile weaklings.  Homosexuals used to be “in the closet,” but no more.  They are demanding their rights and they are doing so with a vengeance.  The recent reaction to the results of a vote on Prop 8 in California is an example.  Groups of sodomites, lesbians, and perverts of all sorts protested at various churches, shouting profanities.  After finding out that Prop 8 passed largely due to the large black and hispanic turnout, homosexual activists and bloggers are turning their vitriol toward them.

Please remember that AIDS is a natural result of unclean behavior, just like other STDs, but the very presence of homosexuality is actually the judgment of God!  We are seeing the results of a people that have turned their backs on God!

Romans 1:26-28

For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:   And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.  And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

 

Dear Christian friends, please pray for our country, our children and our churches.

 

Free Press Article:

 Pro-gay protest disrupts Lansing-area church’s services

BY DAWSON BELL
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

 A well-known Lansing-area evangelical church was the target of a raucous demonstration by gay anarchists during Sunday services.  The disruption came from a group that calls itself Bash Back, and involved demonstrations outside the church and inside the sanctuary while services were under way, said Mt. Hope Church communications director David Williams.  Members of the group inside the church shouted pro-gay slogans, threw leaflets, unfurled a banner and pulled a fire alarm, then hastily departed, Williams said. There were no injuries, he said.  Williams said the episode was over in minutes. Eaton County Sheriff’s Department deputies arrived quickly, Williams said, but no arrests were made. Police were not available for comment Tuesday.  Williams said the actions were “an attempt to bully. The pastor here preaches the Bible and he doesn’t back down.”  But Mt. Hope doesn’t place a special emphasis on homosexuality, he said.  In a statement released Tuesday, church officials said they believe “homosexuality to be a sin, just as fornication, stealing, drunkenness and lying are sins. No sin greater than the next.”  

In an online news release, Bash Back described Mt. Hope as “a deplorable anti-queer mega church.” No one from the group could be reached.  Mt. Hope has a reported membership of more than 4,000 and distinctive grounds lined with dozens of national flags.

 

O, therefore, brethren, lose no time!  Study, and pray, and confer, and practice; for in these four ways your abilities must be increased.  Take heed to yourselves, lest you are weak through your own negligence, and lest you mar the work of God by your own weakness.

                                                                The Reformed Pastor, Richard Baxter, 1656

I realize that today is Veteran’s Day and not Memorial Day, but I have provided a link to a previous post.  Although it is about a serviceman that gave his life in service to his country, it is also a testament to the men that showed their appreciation.  If you have not read it, please do.  click here

What do you do when you when you see “Fw” or “fwd” in the subject line of an email?  I mean no offense to those who send them, but often times I find myself hitting the trusty old delete button.  Many times it’s simply because others have have forwarded it before (many times over).  Also, there needs to be an email rule that forwards do not count as actual personal emails, so they do not require a response.  It is bad enough that we don’t write a letter, buy a stamp and walk to the mail box, but now we want to send something that someone else wrote and with our two clicks of a mouse we expect a heartfelt personal response of how it changed our lives or at least brightened our day. 

Also, if you are going to forward something, please do a minimal amout of fact checking.  I can remember years before the internet hearing a story about someone finding a scuba diver in the middle of a Washington state forest.  “How did he get there?” you ask.  According to the story, experts in the field of Scuba Diver Discovery concluded that one of the forest-fire fighting helicopters that drop water on forest fires scooped him up while the poor guy was minding his own business searching for seashells in the ocean.  After getting plugged in online years later, that story made its way around the internet world through “forwards.”  It turns out it is what is known as an “urban legend.”  That does not mean it was not a cool story, but I wonder how many scuba divers were keeping an eye to the sky from under the surface for the big scoop of death.  How many people stopped flashing their highbeams at the rude oncoming cars for fear of becoming a victum of a gang initiation?  What about those terrible kidney theives ( I hear they operate like a band of pick-pockets, have you checked your kidneys lately)? 

My recommendation:

1.  Before you forward something that sounds to good/bad/stupid/outlandish/shocking/etc. Check it out on snopes.com.  I don’t know if this sight is always correct, but they have a lot of valuable information on these things.

2.  Learn to clip and paste so that people don’t know that it’s a forward.  Even if it is good/bad/stupid/outlandish/shocking/etc., add some names of people that you know or say that it actually happened to you.  You may even get a heartfelt response.  Just don’t ask me for a kidney.

 PS — Don’t feel bad about me not reading your forwards.  Think of my situation.  I am writing about it in my blog that all of at least four people read!

 

I enjoy reading Pat Buchanan’s columns.  I try to read at least one per week.  Right now I’m watching the election results and as of 9:30PM, things don’t look good for Republicans.  Most often I vote Republican, but before I am Republican, philosophically, I’m a conservative.  But before I’m even a conservative, I’m a Christian.  My Christian values cause me to vote pro-life and therefore I often vote Republican.  

Anyway, here is a thoughful column by Pat Buchanan.

 

 

I would like to connect several verses together in considering prayer and the marriage relationship.   First Timothy 2:8 says, I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.  There are two things mentioned in this verse that we are not to bring in our hearts as we approach the Lord in prayer, wrath and doubting.  I don’t want to harbor resentment, anger or contention in my heart as come in worship before the Lord.  Matthew 5:22-24 says, But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.  The phrase “aught against” is literally being used in the same way we would say, “I have a thing against that guy!”  In other words I am not to come before God in prayer and worship with unresolved contention and anger toward a brother. 

            Now this brings me to prayer and marriage.  Even before pastor, there are three terms or titles that define me: Christian, husband and father.  For the moment I am not considering father, although I think that it is inextricably connected.  I am a Christian husband.  That description denotes two very important relationships in my life that I do not want anything to hinder.  Colossians 3:19 says, Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.   If I begin to harbor bitterness against my wife it places a barrier between us, but according to the verses that we have looked at above that barrier extends farther than between my wife and me.  It extends to my relationship with God.  Listen to First Peter 3:7,  Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.  The phrase “heirs together of the grace of life” has to be one of the greatest in the Bible concerning marriage.  When we consider the connection between prayer and marriage and that our relationship with our wives is connected to our relationship with the Lord it takes on an even richer meaning.

            Our relationship with the Lord needs to be one of transparency.  Adam tried to hide from God.  Surrounding the same event, he also pointed a bitter finger at his wife and told God, “It was her and your fault!”  In one sweeping blow Adam revealed that his two most important relationships had been damaged beyond repair!  Well, not quite!  That relationship was restored in Christ!  Husband, let nothing hinder your walk with God and your walk with our wife.

 

 

PS –

One verse that I did not include, but is worthy of consideration on this subject –

And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.

(Mal 2:15)

 

 

 

 

 

“I totally disagree with those who are unwilling that the Holy Scriptures should be translated into everyday languages and read by unlearned people.  Christ wishes his mysteries to be made known as widely as possible.  I would wish even all women to read the gospels, and the letters of St. Paul.  I wish that they were translated into all languages of all Christian people — that they might be read and known not just by the Scots, and Irish, but even by the Turks and Sareacens.  I wish that the farm laborer might sing parts of them at his plow, that the weaver might hum them at his shuttle and that the traveller might ease his weariness by reading them.”