Somehow, Conservatives, Constitutionalists and thinking Patriots must figure out a way to unite and EDUCATE the public on Conservatism. Personally, I think our most effective tool is our “prayer closet” because only GOD (if He chooses) can turn our nation around from this path of destruction.
Engaged or Tuned out:
Who has personal beliefs anymore!
There is mass confusion (and apathy) in America today and a desperate lack of clarity. The definitions of some terms we throw about at random have undergone radical changes in many cases, without the population realizing the degree of change. Liberalism has been defined and redefined in the past decades even more than Conservatism.
Many Americans this week are shocked and disturbed by news of several scandals that have converged on the White House. NEWS FLASH: Each of the current scandals represents the very nature and definition of LIBERALISM. Take some time to read through and digest the comparisons below. Maybe write YOUR choices on a separate sheet of paper or print the page to help better define your personal beliefs.
Constitutional Rights Conservatives: Our Constitution sets the guidelines for our legal structure ad must be supported and defended by the People! The Bill of Rights must be supported even if it offends. If changes need to be made, there is a process to accomplish it legally.
Liberalism: The Constitution is outdated, and the Right to free speech is limited to speech that does not offend. (Political correctness) Liberals support the authority of the President to override Congress as needed, therefore he can secretly authorize wiretapping of journalists or private citizens at random,as he deems necessary.
Size and Scope of Federal Government: Conservatives: Limited federal government with more power given to state and local governments. Less government is better. Wants only necessary regulation of business, economy, and individual lives, resulting in more freedom.
Liberalism: Powerful centralized federal government with limited state and local control. More government is better. Many regulations are necessary to achieve a more fair & just society which is government’s primary role, resulting in less freedom.
Economic Growth Conservatives: Free market economy allows open competition to regulate prices, increase demand, and create jobs.
Liberalism: Government regulation of economy. With the magnitude of regulations, there’s an increased need for “enforcement” jobs in government.
Business Conservatives: Business is good: creates jobs & improves lives. Let free market supply and demand adjust practices and employers and employees determine wages/benefits.
Liberalism: Business is evil: out to exploit employees, environment, and consumers. Needs to be regulated to protect consumers, employees, and the environment. Government regulates employee benefits.
Competition: Winning and Losing Conservatives: Competition is good. There are winners and losers in life, in business, and in school, as well as in sports. Conservatives support the right of every American to succeed and to fail; that ultimately, failure is just as good a “teacher” as success, maybe better.
Liberalism: Competition is unfair, and that allowing failure may damage an individual forever. According to Liberalism, there are no winners, and there are no losers. Employers should fill job slots by first come, first serve since we are all “equal.”
Social demographics:
Conservatives: Society is composed of individuals to be judged on their individual merit. Values individualism, self-reliance, and independence.
Liberals: Sees society as composed of groups: black vs. white, old vs. young, rich vs. poor, male vs. female, gay vs straight, “religious” vs atheists. These groups are pitted against each other. Stirs up racial and class envy and division under the guise of “civil rights.”
Human Rights and Culture: Conservatives: Western cultures are more desirous than others because they aspire toward equal rights (Personal Freedom, Parental rights, Property, Religious, Guns, respect for Life) for each individual under the Law.
Liberalism: All cultures are equal. Can’t pass judgment on any even if they don’t value freedom, rights, and life. Muslim Sharia Law, is a current example. While Shariah contradicts our Constitution, Liberals support the “right” of Muslims to disobey our Constitution in favor of Sharia.
Morality and Faith: Conservatives: God (no specific definition given) is an important part of the moral and cultural heritage of many people groups and bring great richness to any society. Absolute truths, like “The Golden Rule,” guide our American culture. Faith inspires people to strive for self-improvement and character development. Traditional morality, including traditional family, is established by absolute standards of right and wrong.
Liberalism: State is secular (opposed to idea of God and hostile to Christianity). Liberals seek to eliminate references of God through doctrine of separation of church and state. Tolerance of all lifestyles & beliefs except those that hold views liberal leaders consider to be “intolerant.” No absolute standards of right and wrong. Moral relativism is practiced, so breaking International Law by running weapons through the Mexican drug cartels to forward the President’s gun control agenda is fine, and practice for doing the same through the American Consulate in Benghazi via members of Al Qaeda and/or the Muslim Brotherhood through Turkey to Syria is perfectly acceptable. The ENDS justify the MEANS!
Definition of JUSTICE: CONFUSION exists with the many Americans of faith. “Many Christian organizations strongly support social justice. However, this is a trap promoted by liberal Christianity claiming Jesus was a socialist. We are to help the less fortunate but we are not to become the less fortunate in the process. We are to give according to our abilities but social justice violates “thou shall not steal” and takes what is yours.”
Conservatives: Promotes equal justice as stated in The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies. Equal justice for each American regardless of race, religion, sexual preference, gender or age is the goal of Conservative justice. Rights under the Law are not the same as condoning various lifestyles that are contrary to biology and history. Legal rights – yes! Moral license – NO!
Liberalism: Promotes social justice, which “is a term describing the redistribution of wealth for the common good of all. However, this comes at the expense of wage earners and liberty by demanding a society to conform. Those who work and have must give to those who don’t work and don’t have. This is the fundamental basis of Marxism and championed by liberal progressives.”
On Parents’ Rights:
Conservatives believe: Families know best how to raise their children. They need to be strengthened and have the right to raise their children the way they want. (homeschooling, discipline) The role of government is to make a number of tools available to parents to aid in the development and education of their children.
Liberals believe: It takes a “village,” rather than a family to raise a child. Families are unable to properly educate and raise their children without the aid of the government, nor should they be asked to do so. The government can do a better job. Cradle to grave involvement is optimal. (see Julia)
Personal Freedom:
Conservatives: Individuals are responsible for themselves, their property and their actions. Individuals are accountable to family and community for their behavior and that of their family members. Crime should be determined and punished equally. Evil exists, and good must fight against it on individual and community levels
Liberals: Society is responsible for individuals. Man is inherently good, and something causes him to do wrong. (People raised in poverty must not be held responsible for anti-social behaviors>) They talk about how we need to change society when someone does wrong. Even terrorists need to be understood. Case in point: Gun control debate. Will taking weapons from law-abiding citizens cause criminals to convert to obeying the law?
Social Welfare: Conservatives: There is a limit to how much can be taken from hard-working people to give to others. Welfare should help people to become independent (not dependent) and given to those truly incapable of taking care of themselves. All able to work ought to be required to do so.
Liberalism: Supports welfare state. Government is morally justified in taking from those that have and giving it to others because people are entitled to basic needs, including housing, food, healthcare, income, etc. even if they are able to work.
Equal opportunity: Conservatives: Equal opportunity without discrimination or preference. Recognizes people make different choices with what they have and that it isn’t government’s role to make things “fair.” While each individual has equal rights under the law, they are not all the same, therefore their goals and dreams, as well as their skills and talents are fundamentally DIFFERENT. Not seeking equal results!
Liberalism: Equal results through such things as quotas, free college, and equal pay for unequal work. Government has to level the playing field in order to have equal opportunity. Seeks equal outcomes.
Taxation: Conservatives: Supports lower taxes for all because people have a right to what they earn. More specifically, many Conservatives support some measure of FLAT TAX which would tax every American the same percentage (not the same amount!), like maybe 15%. So whether a citizen makes 15,000 or 150,000,000, they would pay 15%. Period! Conservatives maintain the Constitution defines the scope and extent of legal taxation.
Liberalism: Supports progressive taxation with high taxes, at first, for the rich in an attempt to equalize incomes through redistribution of earnings. In reality, however, this system penalizes success and discourages innovation or creativity. Liberals believe taxes are needed to support government programs.
Environmental Concerns: Conservatives: People and property rights are more important than environment. Supports conservation and development and use of our natural resources along with the development of green technology by private enterprise and when it is economically feasible and self-sustaining. Opposes cap and trade due to its high cost and negative impact on our businesses and way of life.
Liberalism: Environment more important than people and property rights. Supports rationing and limiting access to natural resources. Focuses on green technology subsidized by the government. Supports cap and trade to redistribute and control energy usage. Also supports the UN Agenda 21 initiative.
The AMERICAN DREAM: Conservatives: Wealth is a reward for hard work, dedication, and perseverance. All have an opportunity to be wealthy (The American dream). Wealth creates a better life for all through entrepreneurship.
Liberalism: Wealth is bad and unfair innately. Individuals are not entitled to work for material gain, only to meet basic needs. Liberal thoughts on wealth and earning promotes class warfare by disparaging wealth and poverty simultaneously. Interesting side note: Nearly ALL true liberals who adhere to to notion of “fair distribution of wealth” are wealthy. What is stopping them from “donating” more of their wealth than required?
National Healthcare (Obamacare): Conservatives: Supports healthcare reform that gives consumers choices.
Liberalism: Supports government takeover of healthcare, eliminating consumers’ choices and decisions.
Judicial Participation:: Conservatives: Judicial restraint with strict interpretation of laws according to the Constitution and original intent.
Liberalism: Judicial activism: enacting social policy changes via court rulings. Constitution is seen as outdated and in need of change.
In search of World Peace: Conservatives: Peace through strength via a strong military. Supports a missile defense system.
Liberalism: Peace through appeasement, cooperation, and understanding others’ views. Dislikes showing and exercising strength. Opposes a missile defense system.
American Sovereignty& Exceptionalism Conservatives: American sovereignty comes before globalism. Conservatives see America as good, but not perfect: the best hope for the world. Conservatives believe in American “Exceptionalism,” that because of the unique liberties established at America’s inception, the American people have accomplished “exceptional” things. America enjoys remarkable innovation, invention, creativity, research and development opportunities. Sees America as flawed: racist, homophobic, imperialistic, sexist, ageist and no better than other countries.
Liberalism: Globalism supersedes American sovereignty. Liberals in cooperation with the UN, seek the bring about the fabled One World Government, uniting all the peoples of the earth under one government, one monetary system, one economy, and one government religion. Fair distribution will bring about this “Utopia.”
Vision for the Future
Liberalism (progressivism) wants to pull us further towards a welfare state with an ever-expanding web of social entitlements and more federal power and control over every aspect of our lives. Liberalism sees a nation of people incapable of solving their problems without the government’s help. Liberalism also wants to reduce American productivity and wealth to that of many other nations, thus equalizing the balance of power globally.
Conservatism believes a large and powerful federal government limits personal freedom. Conservatism seeks to stop the growing entitlement programs, encourage individual responsibility, and return Constitutionally mandated power to the states. Conservatism sees a nation of people capable of solving their own problems with minimal government help or intrusion, as long as the people are moral and free.
If you are still unclear as to what the differences between the philosophies are consider this:
If either Party or philosophy held all 100 US Senators, all 435 Congressmen and the President for 10 years, what would our nation be like if Conservatives held them compared to what would it be like if the Liberals held them?
I propose to you that we would have two entirely different nations.
A place in history, of time untolled,
A purpose and plan struggled against the mold,
Some strangers from across the sea,
Set out knowing nothing at all of me.
Looking through the stars, a stirring they felt,
On my distant shores, gratefully they knelt.
A firm foundation, their hearts to heaven soared,
With a twinkle in their eye and a future reward.
A city on hill, a new world of freedom,
A people self-governed, contrary to a kingdom.
That was the plan; that was the dream,
To rule over themselves without selfish scheme.
Alas, it now seems that some devilish machine
Has usurped the plan and banished the dream,
No longer this people willing to behave well,
Sold their will and devotion to a vile cartel.
Yet, off in the distance, muffled by noise,
Still Liberty’s voice, it calls with poise,
“Stand up and be counted, all you who’d be free,
The time has come to support and defend me!”
“Too busy,” you say, to get involved;
“Too much corruption, and lies, and scandals unresolved!”
Ah, but who allowed that to happen,” Liberty dares to inquire,
“Self-governing was the call, not sit back and retire!”
This ‘self-governing’ people has stopped governing altogether,
Stopped trying to improve, stopped reaching higher.
It’s so much easier to just sit and collect a check,
“Leave the heavy lifting to others while I enjoy my new deck!”
But the Land of the Free simply will not survive,
If mediocrity and laziness overpower our drive,
To conquer all obstacles, to rise to every challenge,
To grow up, to face up, and stand in the balance!
Look back over your own life. I’d be willing to bet none of us are where we imagined we’d be when we graduated from high school. Am I right? Have there been disappointments? Has there been heart-ache? Hard times? Of course! If God had laid out the itinerary for each of us, step by step, kinda like an instructional map, how many of us would have stuck to it voluntarily? I bet NONE! We’d all try to eliminate the hurt, the tough times, the heart-ache, yet for most of us, the hard places are the richest for us – the places we learn the most about ourselves and about who God is. In spite of our President’s political viewpoint, LIFE is NOT FAIR!!!!!
The pre-trib Rapture idea is relatively new to Christianity. I’m a Teacher, by calling by motivation, by vocation and avocation! One of the first lessons I learned in Christ was before I could Teach a lesson, I had to Learn it, so that I was teaching by experience, not just by rote! This is probably why I have a very hard time with the pre-trib Rapture idea. Christ will return one day. This much is true, but the details are unclear, and must not become a distraction to us as we live day to day.
Disclaimer: I am not necessarily a fan of this ministry or teaching. Just throwing it out there for debate!
10 Promises of God to us, which, like Him, are the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. (Hebrews 13:8) Consider them a rope to hold onto through any storm, or a hand to hold!
“Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.”Deut 31:6
The steps of a man are established by the Lord,
And He delights in his way.
24 When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong,
Because the Lord is the One [f]who holds his hand.
25 I have been young and now I am old,
Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
Or his descendants begging bread.
26 All day long he is gracious and lends,
And his descendants are a blessing.Psalm 37: 23-26
He has promised to supply every need we have. The Bible says: “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus”. That’s Phillipians 4:19. Now notice, God has obligated Himself only to the extent of our needs. That would include food, clothing, shelter, companionship, love, and salvation thru Jesus Christ. It would not include the multiplicity of luxuries that we have come to think of as needs.
God has promised that His grace is sufficient for us. (2 Corinthians 12:9). In fact, He has made provision for our salvation by His grace through faith. Read Ephesians 2:8. It is through an obedient faith that we have access into the grace of God according to Romans 5:2.
God has promised that His children will not be overtaken with temptation. Instead, He assures us that a way of escape will be provided. This promise is recorded in I Corinthians 10:13. Jude wrote: “Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present your faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy” (Jude v 24). Darius, King of the Medes, said to Daniel, “Your God whom you constantly serve will Himself deliver you.” (Daniel 6:16). He did deliver Daniel from the den of lions.
God has promised us victory over death. He first resurrected Jesus by way of assuring our resurrection. Peter said: “This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we are all witnesses” (Acts 2:32). Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (I Corinthians 15:3,4). Later on he adds: “but thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Corinthians 15:57).
God has promised that all things work together for good to those who love and serve Him. (Romans 8:28). The first part of this verse is often quoted without the second part. It may be difficult for us to see and understand how this is accomplished at times, but God has promised it, and He will deliver.
God has promised forgiveness to those who believe.“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (Read Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 1 John 1:9 ).
God has promised His people eternal life by means of an intimate relationship with God himself! (John 10:27,28). We are adopted into Gods own family, his bloodline! (1 John 3:1) How amazing is this?
God promises unconditional and everlasting love. “How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.
When I awake, I am still with You.Psalm 139: 17-18
Whether or not we are snatched up in the air and allowed to escape the devastation planned by God to turn the hearts of the rebellious back to Him or not, these promises, and all the rest, are given to us as tools to equip us for daily life regardless our circumstances.
My favorite promise, that motivates my life, even on the dark days …
Jesus said,
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;
I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
John 10:10
Dig deeper, Rep. ISSA! America is waiting for the TRUTH!
Senator Lindsey Graham spoke with Greta Van Susteren of Fox News, last night about Benghazi and the importance of finding out the truth about what happened there. Graham said there should be bipartisan support for finding out what happened to these brave people, and why the story told by Washington was so wrong.
MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell interviewed Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) about tomorrow’s Benghazi hearing. More HERE
People are wondrous creations. We are builders, creators, and investigators. We are communicators, instructors, and nurturers. We are healers, helpers, and leaders. Each of these (and many more) is a facet of our Designer, GOD. We are made in His image, not He in ours. (Gen 1: 26-28 NASV)
Most Americans equate God with church. Right here, I will separate the two. God is NOT the church and the church is not GOD. According to the Bible, The Church – made up of all who “call on the name of Jesus” for salvation – is the Body of Christ. (1 Cor 12: 12-13, 27) Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church. He is our Source and our Goal, not the church.
Problem is, people are fallible. We are imperfect. We are finite, limited in both what we can comprehend and what we can accomplish. Therefore,the church is imperfect, inadequate, and falls short in its mission of Love. It is simply impossible for a finite human to encompass the vastness and the intimacy of God. We each receive a “measure of faith.” (Romans 12: 3) Many of us have experienced betrayal, intolerance, or arrogance from people who align themselves with Christ via the church. Whether priests with perverted sexual appetites or dogmatic church leaders or sheepish followers with little understanding of the Bible, our limitations and imperfections must be seen as a separate entity, attached to God, but NOT God!
GOD = Love, the 3 Omni’s, and Liberty
Most of us, as Americans, have heard that God is love. (1 John 4: 7-14) Some have heard and seen various illustrations of this concept. If we can pull ourselves back from the adventure, history, stories, and Laws of the Bible to see an overview from Genesis 1 through Revelation 22, we can trace the single most alluring, captivating, compassionate, and determined love story ever written. It is God’s love story for you and me. It meets us at our conception within our mother’s womb and calls us “fearfully and wonderfully made.” (Psalm 139) God’s love calls him to leave the safe 99 in search of the lost one to return to safety. (John 10:11-15)
God’s love is deeper, stronger, wider, and steadfast … unchanging … eternal … and unconditional. It is foreign to our human experience. It is intimidating! It is empowering! It is FREE, but will cost each of us everything! It will also enable us to stand no matter what happens in our lives, our nation, or our world. GOD IS LOVE!
There are three words that are attributed only to GOD:
Omnipotence: 1275–1325; Middle English < Latin omnipotent- (stem of omnipotēns ), equivalent to omni- omni- + potent- (see potent1 ) all powerful; having great or unlimited power; almighty or infinite in power, as God.
He made the sun stand still in the sky at the request of Joshua. (Joshua 10: 12-14)
Matthew 19: 23-26 tells us that “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God,” but “with God all things are possible.”
Jesus declared himself to be the “Resurrection and life” and then followed with illustrations. In John 11, we find the story of Lazarus, who grew ill and died. He and his sisters were followers of Jesus, so at the sisters sent for Jesus. Lazarus had been in the tomb 3 full days when Jesus arrived and called him forth from death back to life. (John 11: 17-44)
Jesus was also beaten & crucified (for no crime but disputing the doctrine & authority of the religious and political leaders of the time) – documented history. His body, however, is no longer in the tomb. His remains have never been found. Hundreds of people saw him AFTER his death walking around with some of his followers. (Luke 23:44-24:12)
Omnipresence: God is everywhere! Psalm 139: 7-12
7Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. 9 If I take the wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, 10 Even there Your hand will lead me,
And Your right hand will lay hold of me. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will [g]overwhelm me,
And the light around me will be night,” 12 Even the darkness is not dark [h]to You,
And the night is as bright as the day.
Darkness and light are alike to You.
Omniscience: God knows all!
Psalms 147:5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.
Proverbs 5:21 For a man’s ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all his paths.
Matthew 20:17-19 “[17] Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, [18] “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death [19] and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!”
FREEDOM is God’s idea! From the notion of Free Will, which arguably is what separates us from the other animals, we can catch a glimpse of Gods heart of freedom. It’s about CHOICE! The argument that God could have created us puppet-like, therefore eliminating the possibility of evil, has been debated throughout history. But God gave us FREE WILL so we could CHOOSE to follow him. Further, God provided guidelines to lead us into the fullest, most satisfying life possible. We choose daily to try our own ways, and when we fall, we either blame God for abandoning us, or we admit our willfulness or ignorance and try his way. God knows there are behaviors and thought patterns that can bind us, that can gain control our lives, but He steers us around those if we allow Him, because He wants us to be free.
“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”
Galatians 5:1
We must choose to remain free, to walk in the freedom Christ purchased for us. This is the freedom that drove those early pilgrims to the New World of America. This is the freedom that drives us as humans to pursue our dream. This is the freedom that inspires invention, creativity, and innovation! This is the freedom that has been allowed to flourish in America, that inspires Americans to pursue not only their dream, but that thing within each of us that connects us to God.
We are builders, creators, and investigators. We are communicators, instructors, and nurturers. We are healers, helpers, and leaders. Each of these (and many more) is a facet of our Designer, GOD. We are made in His image, not He in ours. He is free because He is God. We are free because we are made in His image, to reflect His character, His creativity, His mercy, His justice, His ingenuity, and His compassion.
None can love freedom heartily but good men;
the rest love not freedom, but licence.
-John Milton 1608 – 1674
“New videos posted overnight show dramatic and powerful explosions that occurred on the outskirts of Syria’s capital Damascus early Sunday morning.
Syria’s state television is blaming Israel for striking the military research center in Jamraya just north of Damascus. Israeli officials are not commenting publicly, but a senior U.S. official tells NBC News that Israel was behind the attack.
“The new Israeli attack is an attempt to raise the morale of the terrorist groups which have been reeling from strikes by our noble army,” Syrian television said.
A woman who lives in Damascus told Al Jazeera that she heard a rocket whizzing by after which “everything started to shake.”
“We heard a very huge explosion like ‘boom’” which blew the doors open, she said.”
In this video which is described as overlooking Qasioun Mountain, an initial explosion is followed by a second and then a dramatic, massive third explosion. Qasioun Mountain is a place where military assets belonging to government forces loyal to the embattled President Bashar Assad are situated.
It is likely Assad opponents filmed the scene, as cries of “Allahu Akbar” are heard in the background.
Almost everybody wants the Assad regime gone. The trouble is that the expected quick removal, as in Libya, didn’t occur. Not only that, but it appears that Syria was beginning to prevail over the FSA. This, of course, could not be tolerated.
The situation that we see in Syria is the visible part of an international struggle for power and money. In other words; the control of energy supply.
Please take the trouble to read this. It was written a month ago, before the Israeli strikes, by a commentator who concentrates his interest in this region.
Assuming that you’ve read that, it now seems that no-one is in the mood to negotiate.
I am as staunch a supporter of Israel as I am of America and the free world generally. That does not mean that I willfully blind myself. It seems to me that Israel has accepted the task of militarily supporting the Free Syrian Army (FSA) as it is very hard to criticize that beleaguered nation.
Israel’s recently discovered gas deposits make this more than a self-defense issue. They are supporting the Muslim Brotherhood backed “rebels” when it is the MB backed Hamas that was so recently attacking them from Gaza. The FSA has begun it’s slaughter of Syria’s Coptic Christians, as well as other non-Muslim denominations, disregarding the fact that they have been losing ground until this point.
Mainstream media refuses to cover the nearly daily missile attacks on Israel, yet they are quick to call Israel “aggressive” when they make a decisive strike clearly saying, “ENOUGH, already!” The attack America experienced in Boston last month is typical of those experienced by Israel more often than we, as Americans, can possibly imagine. They live with the daily threat of attack. They get up each day, go to work or school, raise their families under this stressful threat 24/7/365, and still THEY are the aggressors??? Please!
Is ISRAEL the aggressor here, when they simply seek to defend themselves from attack in every direction? If you take a minute to look at a map, Israel is a tiny, nation surrounded completely by those wishing their annihilation! They endure nearly daily attacks within their borders from one faction of Islam or another, yet THEY are expected to “share” their land with Palestinians. They accomplish this with greater “graciousness” than imaginable, yet still more is expected of them.
How generous might you feel if you and I endured “Boston Marathon” attacks daily? Just sayin … Think it though, America! Don’t just buy the “party line!”
THE PLACE: Manhattan, the Federal Hall, just off WALL ST, and around the corner from Ground Zero
THE DATE: April 30, 1789
THE EVENT: the Inauguration of the First President of the United States of America, GEORGE WASHINGTON
The very first act of the newly sworn President was to lead the entire new Congress from the Federal Hall around the corner to St Paul’s Chapel where he dedicated both himself and the new nation to God in prayer. Thank none of the Founder’s might have been called Evangelical Christians, they each respected the personal choice of one’s private spiritual beliefs. They made no attempt to define “God,” but recognized the necessity of a Sovereign Hand, the Hand of Providence.
George Washington, an adherent of “Nature’s God”, and indeed, questionably “Christian” by today’s definition, said in his first inaugural address:
“Such being the impressions under which I have, in obedience to the public summons, repaired to the present station, it would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official act my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States a Government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes, and may enable every instrument employed in its administration to execute with success the functions allotted to his charge.”
And Washington spoke not just for himself, but for the new American nation:
In tendering this homage to the Great Author of every public and private good, I assure myself that it expresses your sentiments not less than my own, nor those of my fellow-citizens at large less than either.
HE continues in his speech to credit the Almighty with a peaceful agreement among men how to govern themselves and each other … the Constitution:
“No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than those of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency; and in the important revolution just accomplished in the system of their united government the tranquil deliberations and voluntary consent of so many distinct communities from which the event has resulted can not be compared with the means by which most governments have been established without some return of pious gratitude, along with an humble anticipation of the future blessings which the past seem to presage. These reflections, arising out of the present crisis, have forced themselves too strongly on my mind to be suppressed. You will join with me, I trust, in thinking that there are none under the influence of which the proceedings of a new and free government can more auspiciously commence.”
Fast forward to 9/11/01
Everyone who was alive remembers that beautiful early autumn morning. Blue skies. Bright, warm sunshine. Until out of the blue a plane flies directly into … the Heart of America’s success. The bubble burst. The “untouchability” of the Great American Experiment Achieved, was pierced, shredded, and dismembered by a relative unknown. It wasn’t a competing Giant that attacked, but a fearless enemy. To this day, more than a decade later, our government refuses to define our “enemy,” which, of course means they cannot be defeated.
Firefighters and rescue workers took refuge at St Paul’s Chapel, as did those hunting their loved ones. Saved miraculously by a fallen tree, the Chapel – the very same one President Washington and his Congress prayed in, became an oasis of hope, comfort, and rest.
Since that mind-numbing tragedy, any number of related incidents have occurred both here and abroad, and still the “political machine” insists we are not permitted to label “ISLAM” our enemy – even though they declare loudly their intent to destroy America & Israel.
Dare I admit my belief that 9/11/2001 was a beginning, not an end? It was the beginning of a downward spiral in American society. It marked the beginning of an increase in attacks from within, from illegal immigrants here on false or expired visas. It marked the beginning of an obvious increase in disrespect for CHRISTIANS, and those who oppose Islam.
Has anyone considered the possibility of what President Washington stated, below, has come back around to bite US in the hindquartrs? Just a thought …
“I dwell on this prospect with every satisfaction which an ardent love for my country can inspire, since there is no truth more thoroughly established than that there exists in the economy and course of nature an indissoluble union between virtue and happiness; between duty and advantage; between the genuine maxims of an honest and magnanimous policy and the solid rewards of public prosperity and felicity; since we ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained; and since the preservation of the sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the republican model of government are justly considered, perhaps, as deeply, as finally, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.” (emphasis mine – BB) George Washington, First Inaugural Address of George Washington
America was born of God. She grew in God for many years, perhaps until her adolescence. Now, as a rebellious teen, she defies God’s authority and ways. She believes herself, like many 16 year olds, much more knowledgeable than those with more life experience. The American people, though possessed still of generous and compassionate hearts, grow lazy … weary in well-doing. So, instead of each of us exercising our compassion and generosity, we are told to GIVE to the GOVERNMENT and the GOVERNMENT will take care of the poor … SHOW ME?
OBAMACARE? Oh right! … Not happening, folks! NOT helping anyone – HURTING EVERYONE!!!!
READ them again! And look around at the policies being implemented that ignore, disavow, or mock the Constitution. There is a way to make changes to it, if necessary, but the correct procedure must be used so that one leader or one party doesn’t gain a monopoly.
Find a cause YOU believe in & donate your time, your money, your energy, your creativity … whatever you can give! (Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, local homeless shelters, senior centers … There are plenty of opportunities to help non-profits.) Or get involved in political action groups like The Save America Foundation (SAF), Operation Gratitude, Wounded Warrior Project, or FREEDOM WORKS
And find God! He really isn’t lost, but you may have misplaced Him – I did, but we’re good! He will direct your steps if you let Him! It’s different for each of us because we are each different, but since He made us, He already knows & respects that!
“A society is judged by how it protects the most vulnerable, those unable to protect themselves. In the case of abortion on demand magnified by abortion just before or just after the baby is born, America has been found wanting.” More HERE!
LIFE is very important. Maybe not everyone has realized this, but it is! In fact, without LIFE, there is only … nothing! Void! Emptiness! LIFE is EVERYTHING. LIFE is purpose! LIFE is hope.
Jesus said, “A thief comes to steal and kill and destroy,
but I came to give life—life in all its fullness.” John 10: 10
A horrendous darkness has been exposed hidden away, ironically, in the birthplace of the American Experiment in self-governance. Since early in the 1970′s, our society has been drifting into the dark hole while millions of ignorant or apathetic Americans looked the other way. Some of us saw the darkness, others made excuses for its existence. But now, the world knows, and strangely (or not-so-strangely) the media, who should be conscientiously detailing the events for the benefit of the population and would-be victims, is deadly silent. Why so silent? Is there no journalistic pride amongst today’s media moguls?
“One reason may be that the trial of late-term abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell for multiple counts of murder is about an African-American killing mainly African-American babies — and so the common sense among liberals, or, as a friend of mine would say, the “coven-sense,” is that such a story disparages that community. This is something newspapers are loath to do. In much the same manner that they cannot dwell upon the causes of hand gun violence in inner city black communities. Or perhaps they view these killings as prophylactic: one cure for out-of-wedlock births.
“But perhaps an even more telling reason for ignoring the Gosnell story is that among the terrible details is revealed the fact that many, many babies being aborted late-term survive the process — not just a tiny few, as pro-abortionists keep insisting. And so these innocent little souls have to be murdered.
“In Dr. Gosnell’s clinic, typically by cutting their heads off. In one instance, a child arrived on the table with its eyes and jaw torn off by Gosnell’s forceps. While this helpless, sinless, creature lay writhing on the table, screaming, Dr. Gosnell gestured impatiently at an assistant — do something about that.
“How many children were so murdered? I believe that Gosnell’s charged with seven counts, but testimony indicates there may have been a hundred — maybe more, maybe a lot more. And so the liberal press, ever supportive of a woman’s right to “choose,” just can’t have that known.”
Maybe a hundred babies … and it’s not newsworthy? The administration has decided we-the-people don’t need to know this? There are other more vital matters for the people to know and understand? What’s the big deal? Just a few babies?
My heart cries not just for Americans, but for those waiting for Americans to return to their heritage and BE the LIGHT in this darkening world! Sadly, many are merely lining up in agreement with the policies that permit, and even condone, this devaluation of LIFE! Do we really want to experience the tyranny and poverty known by many parts of the world? Whether driven by faith or humanity, compassion costs. MONEY is not evil; it is the LOVE OF MONEY that destroys! Policy makers and population alike, we are ALL doomed if we don’t WAKE UP, AMERICA, and start acting like Grown ups!!!!!
“We make a living by what we get,
we make a life by what we give.”
Sir Winston Churchill (1874 – 1965)
The foundation of God is secure. The events of life do not change it. The words of the politicians and celebrities do not change it. They are a SURE revelation, and they are all still true. The Gospel plan of salvation is still valid. The hope of eternal life is still sure and steadfast. God’s plan for His people as individuals, as local churches, and within nations is still valid. None of this changes at all.
AMERICA’s Foundation is God. That is not what the left-wing politicians are saying. Nor is it what the NEA bound teacher’s are teaching our children, but Truth doesn’t change. America’s foundation is still God regardless of what our leaders may say.
Words by Katharine Lee Bates,
Melody by Samuel Ward
O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern impassioned stress
A thoroughfare of freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!
But that is HISTORY, not now. Now, American’s are ridiculed and mocked if they choose to live a life of faith. Now, Americans are told to leave God at home, tucked safely out of sight lest someone be “offended” by the sight of an act of faith. Now, American’s bicker over the details, the symptoms of our sick and depraved society, now disavowing SCIENCE in favor of sin! Now, God is relegated to the closet while morally ignorant Americans or simply lost Americans revel in their ignorance. Politicians and celebrities proudly proclaim the glory and “freedom” of our Modern society while crime rates soar, hatred divides, bigotry spreads, and mental/emotional illness reaches astronomical proportions.
Divisions based on hatred and mistrust are better than neighborly communities? REALLY?
Violent crime rates climb and Politicians only seek a bandaid not a cure? REALLY? Chicago has the toughest gun restrictions in the nation and still their crimes rates continue to increase.
The numbers of impoverished Americans (with flat screen TV’s, cars, a/c etc, and daily trips to McD’s, but not enough real food) climbs above the number of WORKING Americans, and still no jobs in sight, but this is progress? REALLY?
Our economy is about to collapse, like Cyprus, Italy, and France, but sure, let’s print more paper money. BETTER?
Our nations medical care is undergoing a major change that was supposed to take care of the poor and help those with pre-existing conditions. OOOPS! It’s going to cost the POOR $2500 a year and those pre-existing conditions? Sorry, can’t help! There is a net result. There will be less/worse care for most people or higher costs or both.
One “seeker” has built a movement he calls, the THRIVE Movement based on a molecular structure called a torus, a self-generating, self-managing system. My question is … Did this “torus” create itself, or was God the designer? If God designed it, why not seek to build a relationship with the Designer, more than the Design? Just sayin …
The Solution is really much simpler than all that.
Thomas Jefferson, letter to Henry Lee, 1825 – “This was the object of the Declaration of Independence. Not to find out new principles, or new arguments, never before thought of, not merely to say things which had never been said before; but to place before mankind the common sense of the subject, in terms so plain and firm as to command their assent, and to justify ourselves in the independent stand we are compelled to take. Neither aiming at originality of principle or sentiment, nor yet copied from any particular and previous writing, it was intended to be an expression of the American mind, and to give to that expression the proper tone and spirit called for by the occasion.”MORE HERE
In fact, GOD is so intimately entwined (not just the idea of God, but HIM) into the fabric of this nation that it is unconscionable to think of the America we see today without the recognition of our God barred from public life. God is in our Anthem, our songs, our poetry, our stories, and permeates our history thoroughly. As Thomas Jefferson recognized (in the banner of this blog,) there is also an intimate relationship between the calamities that began with 9/11 and the rapid decline in our nation economically, morally, and socially. God is our nation’s Foundation, and if a building’s foundation is damaged, disrupted, or destroyed, what happens to the building? COLLAPSE!
This is not what GOD wants! He wants to help America, to rescue us from this horrendous downward spiral. POLITICS, however important, will NOT solve the problem. Hollywood cannot solve the problem. MONEY cannot solve the problem. BIG BUSINESS cannot solve the problem. What is left? Exactly! GOD!!! We are beyond all human help at this point, crashing down upon the consequences of doing things our own way, our human way. It will not work! It is up to the individual American to save America by coming into agreement with our Creator. It is only as we rediscover who GOD really is and learn HIS ways that the destruction brought about by our godlessness can be reversed. Otherwise, calamity awaits!
“There is a way which seems right to a man
and appears straight before him,
but at the end of it is the way of death.”Prov 14:12
B U T
“Then if my people, who are called by my name,
will humble themselves, if they will pray and seek me and stop their evil ways,
I will hear them from heaven.
I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14