War Cry: Forward or Onward?

“Onward Christian Soldiers, marching as to war…”

~19^th century hymn

Remember that old Sunday School hymn growing up as a child?  It always sounded so quaint.  After all, what was there to fight about?  No one was oppressing Christians during the 1960’s and 1970’s in our idyllic little suburb just outside of New York City.  As kids we simply accepted these lyrics as some corny metaphor for “soldiering” on in good works.  For the most part, we were harmoniously living together with other religions and races in the freest country in recorded history.  No one wanted to go to “war” with our fellow citizens.   

Have you ever watched a movie plot that starts out all sweet and dreamy, but slowly… very slowly, as the drama progresses the creepy tension rises?  Remember Glenn Close and Michael Douglas in Fatal Attraction?  She seemed normal enough in the beginning, but gradually the depth of this woman’s madness increased in dramatic intensity throughout the film.  The viewer actually begins to feel sorry for Michael Douglas--the unfaithful adulterer.  Just a little “fling with sin” and, before you know it, you have the family pet rabbit boiling on your stove. 

I think this is a good analogy for the social climate we face today as devout believers in America.  For “bone-deep” Christians and seriously practicing Jews, the election outcome was “the Great Disappointment”--a somber referendum on the future of our country.  As we are shoved “Forward”, we are slowly beginning to realize the true impact of this hideous phrase.  Will we be shepherded like stupid sheep into a God-less society where we are forced to compromise our deepest held beliefs?   

In America, and around the free world, persecution of Judeo-Christian values is slowly, yet steadily picking up steam.  I’m not talking about in oppressive Islamic or Communist countries.  Sadly this persecution is taking place in former freedom-loving countries such as the United States, Canada, Belgium, England, and France, just to name a few.  

Here’s just a small sampling of the literally hundreds of recent examples:

United States:  In California parents are legally prohibited from offering their children Christian based treatment for sexual identity crises if this treatment includes assisting them in overcoming their same sex proclivities.

Canada:  In Alberta Canada a Pastor was persecuted for seven years on a “hate speech” charge because he dared to call the Homosexual agenda “wicked” from the pulpit.  He ultimately prevailed but only after a long, protracted and expensive witch hunt.  The hate-speech law is STILL on the books and can easily happen again to the next Pastor or outspoken citizen.  This is a chilling reminder of the “thought police” concept alive in well in our Northern “democratic” neighbor.

Belgium:  Euthanasia was signed into law in 2002.  Since that time 2-3% of ALL DEATHS in the country are now assisted suicide.  DO YOU GRASP THE TOTALITY OF THIS HORROR?  But here’s an even more gruesome fact:  Doctors and medical staff are now admitting that they are HARVESTING ORGANS from these depressed or ill patients “opting out” of life.  Investigations into this chilling “brave, new world” confirm that the medical staff is “operating beyond the legal margins of their profession”.  This is grisly, ghastly, ghoulish and frightening.  Have we lost our ability to be shocked?

England:  In 2012 British courts have upheld and asserted that Christians have no right to wear a cross or crucifix to work—which is now legally BANNED at the option of the employer. 

France:  This country is currently experiencing perhaps the worst example of “Shariah-creep” as they continue to integrate Islamic law into their legal and financial systems.  There are ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOODS in France where the police admit they have lost control of their ability to enforce French laws.  These communities are de-facto mini-Islamic pockets that are ruled under oppressive Shariah laws and customs.  The result has been an explosion of rapes and abuses of women including “honor” killings which go unsolved or under-reported.   

Before being martyred, the Christians in first century Rome were given one last opportunity to appease the state.  If they were willing to make a public sacrifice at the altar of the gods, they could get their sentence overturned.  However, they chose to face the lions instead and got ripped apart in a bloody sport as their fellow citizens cheered and clapped.  Their unflinching resolve was true evidence of unswerving faith in Jesus Christ as their Messiah.     

Just this week the multi-chain retail craft store, Hobby Lobby, lost its case in Court.  They refuse to offer abortifacients to their employees (which is required beginning on January 1^st, 2013 under the ObamaCare HHS mandate) based on their deeply held religious convictions. Unless they win their next appeal, on January 1^st they will “face the lions”.  Comply or Die.

Hobby Lobby owners literally MUST make that choice in a few weeks or face steep, economically fatal decisions.  Despite my deep trust and faith in God, it is very disconcerting to see the people on the front lines start taking bullets although I am not in the first battalion. Sort of like the canary in the coal mine—will Hobby Lobby make it out “alive”?  When will I or my loved ones be required to step on this minefield?

So the American social schizophrenia slowly increases in intensity.  We worship at the altar of “tolerance” as the intolerance of Christianity and Judeo-Christian values heats up with each passing day.  Like the choice given to the Roman martyrs, Christians will soon be asked whether they are willing to compromise their faith in order to appease the state.  Will they give in to the temptation to make a “public sacrifice” on the altar of the human secularist gods?  The State whispers:  “Just give the abortifacients to your employees—You’re not making them abort their children—that’s their “choice”.  I’m sure the German public in WWII had similar evil whisperers in their heads:  “Go ahead and accept that job with the Nazi government—You’re not directly responsible for putting the Jews in the oven—they did it”.  Ah Yes…the ubiquitous “they”.  “They” are always responsible for everything.  Never US.  Never YOU.  Somehow, 6 million Jews were annihilated in WWII and NO ONE admitted to having anything to do with it.  Go figure.    

  

At what point, like Michael Douglas, do we recognize that we are in deep, deep trouble? 

Let’s hope it’s before we find that our American foray into “unfaithfulness” has unleashed an unmitigated disaster of social lunacy that boils over on our very own kitchen stove.    

Make no mistake—whether you want to acknowledge it or not…

We are at War.

Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.

~Revelation 12:17

When Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt met in 1941 on the battleship HMS Prince of Wales, Prime Minister Churchill chose the hymns. He chose "Onward, Christian Soldiers" and afterwards made a radio broadcast explaining his choice:

We sang "Onward, Christian Soldiers" indeed, and I felt that this was no vain presumption, but that we had the right to feel that we serving a cause for the sake of which a trumpet has sounded from on high. ... it swept across me that here was the only hope, but also the sure hope, of saving the world from measureless degradation.

—Winston Churchill

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Doomsday Prepping

Apparently, the world is scheduled to end on December 21, 2012.  Remind me to mark that down in my DayTimer.  It appears that the fever-pitch paranoia surrounding End Time theories is so severe that the U.S. Government (through NASA) actually felt it necessary to issue this statement:

“The world will not end in 2012… and credible scientists worldwide know of no threat associated with 2012"

Wow…As someone wryly and succinctly noted on Twitter:  “I wasn’t really worried about it UNTIL the government told me NOT to worry—NOW I’m really worried”. 

The other night on TV, Fox News Channel aired a special report.  It portrayed a captivating, albeit non-scriptural, documentary on the current fascination with Doomsday scenarios.  According to the report, much of the human race is living under the imminent feeling that the proverbial hammer is about to fall.  Highly “educated” PHD professors were interviewed, all concluding with the most dim-witted, outlandish theories I have ever heard in my life.  These included speculations about aliens from outer space and a black-hole time continuum.  No wonder all knowledge outside of the Bible is deemed to be utter nonsense:

Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

~1 Corinthians 1:20

The saddest part of the TV special showed real-life “doomsday preppers” themselves.  They constantly live in abject fear and terror.  Furthermore, their obsession with survival has decimated their bank accounts and caused major dysfunction within their families.  With ironic insight, I realized that even if doomsday never comes for them—they have already pre-doomed their present life right now!  Such is life “off the grid”. 

Then, I had another eye-opening revelation:  Besides ruining their present life, they were not going to be successful in preserving their future life either.  For instance, the EMP prepper would be dead meat in a nuclear attack.  The nuclear attack prepper would not be fully prepared for an EMP disaster.  ALL would be destroyed by an earthquake or tsunami flooding.  How in the world can you successfully doomsday prep for an unknown disaster?  What about multiple, simultaneous disasters like the one we just recently witnessed in Japan?  The Japanese people experienced an Earthquake, Tsunami and Nuclear Meltdown all in rapid succession!  Obviously, this was a real scenario played out in front of our very eyes on TV.  Doomsday Prepping, therefore, becomes completely absurd and impossible when confronted with the very real possibility of an unknown variable.

This year my family and I have begun to celebrate the Feasts in the Old Testament.  It occurred to me that God never said anywhere in the scripture to discontinue these Feasts.  It was like one of those “oh wow”….moments I have had since re-reading the Bible again last year without any preconceived notions.  Why we, as Christians, ever stopped these fantastic opportunities to commune with God Almighty—I cannot even begin to fathom.  Think about it:  The Most High God, Master of the Universe has decreed “You and I have an anointed rendezvous for special communion together on this exact day” and we have “stood Him up” for the last 2000 years or so.  What were we thinking???

Thankfully, there is a huge movement in the Christian and Messianic Community to recapture these precious pre-scheduled “dates with God”. In fact, Moses said that The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) shall be a statute forever:

This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.

~Lev 23:31

 Five days later, Sukkot, or the “Festival of Booths” is observed.  This is also a date that God said should continue for all generations:

This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come

~Lev 23:41

Sukkot is also widely believed to be the true birthday of Jesus Christ by Biblical scholars and Messianic Jews.  If you are interested, continue studying this topic on the Internet along with scripture.  Trust me…You will be amazed when you discover the linkage between the Old Testament Feasts and the foreshadowing of the Messiah. 

Sukkot, or the Festival of Booths, is a Feast in which God’s people were required to construct fragile abodes in order that they might be able to see the sky through the palms and branches that comprised their covering.  This was to REMIND them, that any manmade structure would be flimsy indeed.  While observing Sukkot this past year (In 2012 it began at Sundown on September 30 through Nightfall on October 7th), my family and I appropriately enjoyed dinner at a semi-outdoor restaurant. This particular evening the torrential downpour included one of the WORST thunder and lightning displays I had ever seen.  Florida is considered the “thunderstorm capital of the world” but this one was a DOOZY, even my teenagers were actually frightened.  However, it was the perfect setting to teach them about Sukkot.  It was obvious to me that God was confirming to us through His dramatic light show that…There is NO SAFE PLACE except under God’s protection. 

So, fellow Americans:  don’t wait until disaster strikes.  Do the only truly effective “doomsday prepping” right now…

                                 Drop to your knees and repent.    

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble

~Psalm 32:7


History fails to record a single precedent in which nations subject to moral decay have not passed into political and economic decline.  There has been either a spiritual awakening to overcome the moral lapse, or a progressive deterioration leading to ultimate national disaster.
 ~Douglas MacArthur (Army General, Medal of Honor Recipient)

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O Come Let Us Adore Him

It seems the Season keeps coming upon us earlier and earlier each year.  It's difficult to get into the correct Holiday Spirit when Christmas trees start popping up at the same time as Halloween masks.  These are two celebrations that definitely should never abut one another!  Each year we all seem to suffer from the same stress—what to buy for everyone on our Christmas or Chanukah list.   

We Americans just keep wanting more and more.  Our most sacred holidays have become a relentless greedy quest for consumer goods.  This “Black Friday” (aptly named) was a disgraceful display indicative of the current state of our Country complete with fistfights, union protests and out-of-control gluttony.  I’m sure there’s an “ObamaPhone” under many a tree this year yet, like all of our entitlement programs, we still want more…always more.

Here’s God’s definition of “more”.  It’s the Latin word “magis”.  It comes from the Latin phrase “Ad majorem Dei gloriam.”  Translated it means “for the greater glory of God.”  

Wikipedia describes it best:

Magis refers to the philosophy of doing more, for Christ, and therefore for others. It is an expression of an aspiration and inspiration.  It relates to forming the ideal society centered around Jesus Christ.  The roots of the phrase are ascribed to St. Ignatius' exercise of doing more for God. He would encourage people around him during his time by asking:

"What have I done for God? What am I doing for God? and What MORE can I do for Him?"

That’s the only “more” that we should be asking for. 

This week in the news a NYC police office was filmed on a cell phone buying boots and socks for a homeless man who was sitting in the cold with his feet exposed.  Unaware that he was being recorded, the police officer graciously purchased the socks and boots and assisted the homeless man in putting them on.  Wow—now that’s a level of Christ-likeness that I can only aspire to attain.  I’m sure, like most people, I would have crossed the street and taken a wide berth around a scraggly, shoeless, homeless person.  Even just writing this sentence makes me cringe with self awareness of my own shallowness and inadequacies. 

I have always wondered about the Three Wise Men who visited Jesus when he was a child.  Seriously, what DO you get the Master of the Universe?  He’s got to be really hard to shop for.  He already owns everything and can create anything else He wants.  The Wise Men brought three very interesting gifts: Frankincense, Myrrh and Gold.

Frankincense represents Truth.  Frankincense is an incense which also connotes Deity and the sweet aroma of prayer.  They also brought myrrh.  I bet Mary was a little freaked out by that gift.  Myrrh in Hebrew culture was an anointing oil used to ritually prepare dead bodies for burial.  It represented Suffering and Death--not exactly what any mother wants to see at her baby shower.  Gold represents purity, value, refinement and Kingship. 

So put all this symbolism together and what is scripture trying to tell us?  These gifts indicated: 

Pure, refined, highly valuable Truth.  After much prayer and expectation, The Messiah has arrived on Earth as the ultimate Sacrifice for our sins. The King of Kings. Lord of Lords.

So, what specifically does God want?  We certainly don’t want to make the “Cain mistake” and have God declare our gift was unsatisfactory.  It would be pretty embarrassing to find our gift to the Almighty was returned.  What does the Bible say?  Scripture says we are supposed to bring him “Fire Gifts”:

“Offer Fire-Gifts to God”

~Leviticus 23:8

 Just what are “Fire-Gifts”?  After much research and prayer, I compiled this list:

Prayers

Obedience

Fasting (Food and and/or Activities in our life)

Praising

Worshipping/Musical Talents

Adoring

Glorifying

Magnifying

Meditating on Word

Giving of our Unique Individual Gifts (time, treasure, talents)

I foolishly used to think God must be a big Egomaniac.  Why does he need all this attention and “stroking”?  Then I got a revelation:  Like everything that God asks us to do it will ultimately benefit US if we would just stop being so selfish and withholding. When we meditate on how awesome, majestic, magnificent, all-powerful, amazing, wonderful, loving God is—all our problems seem puny in comparison.

Every Christmas Season, I put out a little Drummer Boy doll for display.  I don’t know if this story is even remotely true or if it is just an enduring legend, but I think the story of the Little Drummer Boy gets it right.  He had no idea what to give the Creator of the Universe either.  So, he gave praise and adoration.  He gave of his unique individual talent.  

God actually spells out for us in another scripture EXACTLY what is on his desired gift list.  You can say He has sort of “registered” his wish list already to make it easy for us. 

He says:

“So, here’s what I want”  …(it doesn’t get any clearer than this folks)

“Take your every day ordinary life—and place it before God as an offering.”

~Romans 12:1-2 (The Message Bible)

This sacred Holiday season—give the only gift that matters to the Messiah—

Yourself.

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son

~Isaiah 7:14

I conceive we cannot better express ourselves than by humbly supplicating the Supreme Ruler of the world . . . that the confusions that are and have been among the nations may be overruled by the promoting and speedily bringing in the holy and happy period when the kingdoms of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ may be everywhere established, and the people willingly bow to the scepter of Him who is the Prince of Peace.

~Samuel Adams

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Logos Infringement

There’s a resurgence of an old symbol afoot in America…the Raised Fist.  The Raised Fist is an almost universal sign of rebellion.  This is a common image in Marxist, Anarchists, Socialists and Communist propaganda.  In the United States today you can see the Raised Fist in Black Panther rallies, Union Strikes and the Occupy Movement signs. Amazingly, this salute dates back to ancient Assyria which was the forerunner of modern day Iran or Persian peoples.  Kinda creepy correlation if you ask me.  Just sayin’.

Here’s what God has to say about the “Raised Fist” symbol.

For no one on earth--from east or west, or even from the wilderness--should raise a defiant fist.

~Psalm 75:6

But, here in America, we haven’t let a little scripture admonition stop us from doing whatever we feel like, right?  Keeping in that spirit of rebellion, what’s the big deal if we “illegally” use a few of God’s symbols?  Well…under American and International Law, if you do that with a logo that is a registered trademark, you will find yourself in deep trouble legally.  Likewise, America is in deep trouble with the “Law” today.   

We have taken God’s symbols and re-purposed them for evil uses.  Remember when a rainbow was God’s promise not to destroy the entire planet by flood ever again?  Now, we hardly ever see a rainbow unless it is pushing some LGBT propaganda.  This symbol was truly co-opted by a movement completely at odds with Biblical mandates. 

I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.

~Genesis 9:13-15

We have taken God’s symbol of the Knitting Needle and raised it in defiance at Pro-Death abortion rallies.  This symbol was meant as a beautiful imagery of God’s intricacy in knitting us together as complex and wonderful beings created in the very Image of God.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

~Psalm 139:13-14

Both of these symbols are God’s way of reminding us of His Covenantal Contract.  Think of them as God’s “logos”.  Interestingly, the very meaning of the Greek word “logos” is “Word”.  Jesus is referred to as “The Living Word” and the Bible is, of course, “The Word of God”.  We are, in fact, misrepresenting God’s Word and breaking the “Law”.

Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.

~Exodus 19:5

However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you…

~Deuteronomy 28:15

Re-read these two scriptures carefully and read them well…IF we do such and such, THEN we will receive….it is written just like a legal contract. 

Sadly, like most clueless people, we have failed to read the “Fine Print”.  Go to Deuteronomy 28: 15-64 and read the entire passage.  I don’t have the heart to spell it out for you.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy%2028:%2015-64&version=NIV

So, has America lived up to her Covenantal Contract with the Most High God?  With Marriage Redefinition gaining ground in several states plus our insatiable bloodlust for more and more abortions, we’ve seriously misused the “Logos”.  We’ve benefited from God’s property rights but we’ve failed to uphold our side of the bargain.  Prepare for the biggest Cosmic Lawsuit you’ve ever seen…the “Damages” amount should be staggering…

Hey America…

                         God is calling…

                                                  He wants His symbols back. 

Consider this your legal notice.

He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

~1 Corinthians 1: 21-22

Whenever the pillars of Christianity shall be overthrown, our present republican forms of government – and all the blessings which flow from them – must fall with them.

~Jedidiah Morse (Historian of the American Revolution)

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Ecstasies & Intimacies

SEX…That word always gets your attention doesn’t it?  Yep…I bet you read to the very end of this blog with no problem.  America was rocked once again recently by a tawdry scandal reaching the uppermost ranks of our military.  What powerful force would make someone destroy a 38-year marriage and face total public humiliation along with a dramatic fall from a stellar career pinnacle for just a few clandestine moments?  I guess we’ll have to ask General Dave Petraeus that question.  God only knows, right?

My mom has always said that when she gets to Heaven, she has a few questions for the Almighty.  For now she has to just accept certain things on Faith.  I got to thinking if I had any unresolved questions for God also.  Not that we should have the impertinence to question His Authority, but simply “Enquiring Minds Want to Know”.  Since He was the one who gave me such an inquisitive mind, I figured He would not be surprised that I DID, indeed, have a question that has always bugged me. 

As my kids are now entering the tumultuous teenage years, I began to wonder about the How’s and Why’s of God-created sexuality.  Specifically my questions is:  “Why oh Why did God make the sexual drive so strong in mankind when it seems to lead to most, if not all, of our major problems?”.  Now I’ve said in previous blogs that God is more than willing to give us wisdom if we simply ask for it.  Wisdom is promised to us in scripture upon request.  So, I asked Him this very question.   

First, let me state, that the Enemy seems to have worked overtime in this area.  If you look at the monumental Social Issues of our day, they all seem inextricably linked to an “out-of-prescribed-bounds” sex drive.  Think of it:  Abortion, Teen Pregnancy, Marriage Redefinition, Pornography, Child Molestation, Sex-Trafficking, Prostitution—the list of sex-related problems just goes on and on. 

The answer may shock you because it is really so simple.  God created this urge so powerfully because we are Beings created with an overwhelming desire for intimacy.  Yeah…DUH…we already know that.  No…hear me out.  INTIMACY is not the same thing as SEX.  Unfortunately, we try to obtain intimacy by means that are out of the bounds that God designed and this gets us into deep trouble.  We crave intimacy—it’s coded into our DNA by God.  Really, ALL sex dysfunction is our attempts to take our deep need for intimacy out of God’s realm and into our own hands—sometimes literally. (Please pardon the horrible double entendre, but I’m letting the message stand for those that have serious addictions in this area).

What we REALLY, TRULY desire is intimacy with God.  Now, many of you might be thinking Ewwwww…… at this point.  Well, here’s the Bible’s very clear perspective on this issue.  These are the words of Jesus Himself in reference to our marital status in Heaven: 

“We’re beyond marriage” [at that time] “all our ecstasies and intimacies then will be with God”

~Matthew 22:30 (The Message)

The most famous scripture from the Song of Solomon is:

 “I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is mine”.

~Song of Songs 6:3

This is quoted often at many an earthly marriage ceremony.  If read on a surface level, Song of Solomon appears to be the story of two lovers.  However, it is an analogy of GOD speaking about his BRIDE (the Church). 

I know this is difficult to grasp, but once truly understood, it is much easier to keep this area from spinning out of control in your life.  God desires to be in an intimate relationship with us.  If you don’t believe me, go and read the Old Testament.  When Israel “messed around” with other idols and gods, Yahweh reacted like a jealous lover.   It is interwoven throughout the entire story of God chasing Israel after their “unfaithfulness”.  God even commanded the Prophet Hosea to marry Gomer, the prostitute, as a symbolic example of Israel’s unfaithfulness.  Here’s a couple of particularly GRAPHIC (remove the children from the room) Old Testament scriptures:

You are a restless female camel, desperate for a male! You are like a wild donkey, sniffing the wind at mating time.  Who can restrain your lust? Those who desire you do not even need to search, for you come running to them!

~ Jeremiah 2:23-24

Yes, you are an adulterous wife who takes in strangers instead of her own husband.  Prostitutes charge for their services—but not you! You give gifts to your lovers, bribing them to come to you.  So you are the opposite of other prostitutes.  No one pays you; instead, you pay them!

~Ezekiel 16:32-34

Take note of Obama’s desperate sex-related campaign ads as the election drew nearer.  He likened voting for him to the experience of a young virgin and her “first time”.  He realized the power of this urge and exploited it.  Unfortunately, it appears it was quite successful in getting him re-elected.  Once again, humankind was thinking with the “lower brain” behind the zipper as the “upper brain” was disengaged. 

So what does this tell us?  We need to be on “high alert” as we monitor and guard ourselves in this area.  When you feel frustrated in any relationship (friend, spouse, child), scratch the surface and you will find unrealistic expectations.  You expect them to fully satisfy your craving for intimacy.  They cannot do that.  NO ONE can do that except God. 

I will conclude with a “recipe” for Relationship Success:

1)      Acknowledge your completely normal God-given need for intimacy.

2)      Study the 3 appropriate expressions of Intimacy:

a) Body to Body:  Man/Woman Marriage

b) Mind to Mind (aka Soul):  Fellowship/Friendship

c) Spirit to Spirit:  Humans to God

3)      Guard against inappropriate searches for intimacy (flirtations, extramarital affairs, pornography, deviant desires)

4)      Enjoy!

 

“But then I will win her back once again, I will lead her out into the desert and speak tenderly to her there.”

~Hosea 3:14

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There's Something About Mary

Let me apologize in advance for the title of this blog which I lifted from a somewhat profane 1998 movie starring Cameron Diaz and Ben Stiller.  It has no correlation to that story line other than the fact that the title meshed perfectly with my theme for today!  

These days there is a whole new social media language originating from texting.  It comes with its very own innovative words that often only the seasoned insider can understand.  My personal favorite is ROFL or “Rolling on the Floor Laughing”.  I imagine this was the initial reaction of most of the prophets in the Bible when God asked them to do something strange.  You want me to do WHAT????  Just like some of the acronyms of texting, it seemed absolutely nonsensical when viewed through the lens of the “uninitiated”.  Just think about this for a moment…as Jews and Christians, we are all familiar with the following Biblical accounts.  In each account, God said something so strange, so out of the norm, that only an “insider” could believe and understand:

1)      God asked Noah to build a huge Ark…on DRY land.  He became the laughingstock of his neighbors.

2)      God asked Ezekiel to eat a scroll.

3)      God told Abraham that his wife Sarah would have a baby at 90 years old.  She was literally ROFL when she overheard this.

All of these requests seemed bizarre.  Yet, obviously, every one of these Godly titans in the Bible understood and acquiesced with God’s requests.  The strangest request of all was made to Mary:  As we know from our Christmas story, the Angel Gabriel made a special visitation to her.  He requested:  “Please allow the Holy Spirit to overcome you and make you pregnant, although you are a young virgin and not married.”  Mary must have immediately known this would cause major problems and humiliation in her family and strict Hebrew culture.  Yet her response is a simple and exquisite example of a true Godly “insider”--complete trust…Total understanding of the significance:

"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said."

~Luke 1:38

Can you imagine if Mary didn’t have this response?  Responded with something like “RU Kiddin Me”?  U want me to do WHAT???   IMHO (in my humble opinion), you’re JK—just kidding, right? 

No wonder Catholics refer to Mary as “The Queen of Heaven”. 

In the Old Testament, Queen Vashti proudly and selfishly refused to come to the King when summoned.  The King’s wrath was so great that he removed the crown from her and ultimately replaced her with Queen Esther.  Esther selflessly obeyed commands.  In the end, she enjoyed the free access of coming into the King’s presence whether summoned or not…a position that saved her entire race from destruction.  

If the recent elections tell us anything, it certainly shows that anywhere from 50%-75% of professing Jews & Christians don’t really, truly believe what the Bible says.  Oh sure, sure…they categorically place themselves in some slot of Judaism, Catholic, Protestant, etc…But when the “rubber meets the road”, they vote and act selfishly instead of selflessly. 

So, is The King of Kings summoning you to do something?  We need to stop ROFL or LOL and be obedient.  Simply say….Yes, Lord. 

And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?

~Esther 4:14

“The World tells Israel: ’Wait, there’s still time.’  And I say…Wait for what? Wait until when?”

~Benjamin Netanyahu

NATIONAL REPENTANCE MOVEMENT:

www.dayofrepentance.org.

 

 

Ship of Fools

In my last blog I made a passing reference to the old 1970’s disaster flick “The Poseidon Adventure”.  For those of you who perhaps weren’t even born in the 1970’s, this movie featured Ernest Borgnine in an adventure film in which a wave flips the huge cruise ship upside down.  Just the other day, an updated version of the movie was playing on TV, so I guess this reference is timely.  In both movie versions, the main characters have to work their way out of the ship by going BACKWARDS and looking UPWARDS.  Their ability to do this eventually results in a small remnant finding the light of day and freedom. 

There is actually a complete Wikipedia description of the original movie which reminded me of several important facts I had previously forgotten since I was only 12 years old when this movie first came out.  The movie poster dramatically states:

“HELL UPSIDE DOWN—On Midnight New Year’s Eve, the USS Poseidon was struck by a 90 foot tidal wave and capsized.  Who will survive?”

Even more interesting, the aging ship was taking its “final voyage” from New York City to Greece on its way to the ship scrapyard.  When the tsunami hits, seawater floods the interior compartments as terrorized passengers scramble for cover.  A rebellious pastor, in the throes of losing his faith, attempts to lead a small group of passengers to safety.  Here’s some exact wording from Wikipedia:
 

"Reverend Frank Scott, played by Gene Hackman, comes onboard the ship to deliver sermons to the Poseidon's passengers, encouraging them not to pray to God to solve their problems. Rather, pray to the part of God within them."

WOW..So much obvious rich symbolism for our country here I don’t know where to start.  Here’s my interpretation:

The United States, an aging, formerly glorious republic, now treacherously headed down a path to Greece and ultimately to the junkyard of history.  We are bracing for the “fiscal cliff” and “layoff tsunami” that has already begun in the news.  The Democratic Party has encouraged us not to seek for God to solve our problems.  In fact, they’ve ditched God in every way imaginable. 

In 2008, Obama stated eerily: 

“We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”

Just like Reverend Scott in the movie—he thinks WE are God.  This is the ultimate Human Secularist position.  Needless to say, those people didn’t make it out alive.

“The Morning After” is the title of the movie theme song and it was sung at the cruise’s New Years Eve Party when the wave struck.  Similar to the prophet Jonah’s warning, America is about to be “overturned.”  America starts a new year on 1/1/2013.  The party will be over—the doozy of a hangover is about to begin.    

We are now heading “FORWARD” under Obama’s Socialist-Marxist policies in a frightful way.  If you want to enlighten yourself—go back (pardon the pun—I know this is serious) and read my July 20^th, 2012 blog.  It is somewhat painful to re-read, in light of recent events—so be forewarned: 

Entitled:  “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”

http://www.myshibbolethblog.blogspot.com/2012/07/take-me-out-to-ballgame_20.html

So now John Kerry, the uber-liberal, United Nations embracing Senator, is (at the time of this writing) being considered for SECRETARY OF DEFENSE!  Obama is knowingly putting the Fox in charge of the Chicken Coop.  We are in deep, deep trouble America—there is no longer time to mince words. 

A depiction of “Ship of Fools” can be found in both Western Literature and Art.  It references oblivious passengers, without a Pilot, heading towards assured destruction.  These portrayals generally show everyone having a grand old time, completely clueless as to the annihilation that awaits them just up ahead.  Like the USS Poseidon, America is in the path of a coming tsunami.  Similar to the Titanic, we hit the iceberg on November 6^th.  For the present, everything momentarily seems “normal”.  The band is still playing on deck.   

Just YESTERDAY, Obama gave a press conference speech and said:

“And if there’s one thing that I’m pretty confident about is the American people understood what they were getting when they gave me this incredible privilege of being in office for another four years.  They want compromise.

~Barack Obama, November 14^th, 2012

How strange and wickedly creepy that statement is.  It almost seems like the precursor to sentencing in a court of law.  Let me spell it out for the clueless hordes who just voted Obama back into the office:  He just threw you under the bus in front of Almighty God.  The Accuser…You KNEW EXACTLY WHAT YOU WERE GETTING!  You wanted to compromise God’s word.  Loud and clear.  GUILTY AS CHARGED.  All that’s left is the bang of the gavel from the Supreme Judge.

It was reported in 1912, that one of the operators of the Titanic, with great hubris, reputedly claimed:

“God Himself could not sink this ship.”

It’s a good metaphor for the U.S.  Today, we think we arrogantly know better than God.  That we can excise Him from our government and personal lives, literally and figuratively, yet blissfully continue to sail along on peaceful seas.    

The word Repentance in the Bible is mentioned 21 times by the Hebrew words Nachum or Shuv.  The Hebrew word Shuv means to return or go back.  Interestingly, there are TWENTY ONE judgments in Revelation.  TWENTY ONE times that God is trying to get our attention saying…Go Back, Repent.

In the Greek, the word for Repentance is Metanoia. Meta (after) noia (thinking/observing).  Put together, it literally means AFTER THINKING about and OBSERVING your surroundings GO BACK! 

America, In the name of Almighty God, if there is even still time…

—REPENT and GO BACK! 

Ahead we plow

Into the darkening night

Can’t see the bow

How then the search

With only starlight?...

~Lyrics from “Autumn”

(Last song believed to have been played on the Titanic before it sunk)

He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.

~Psalm 40:2

NATIONAL REPENTANCE MOVEMENT:

www.dayofrepentance.org.