A Roller Coaster Year

Tags

2014, City of God, New Jerusalem, New Year, prophecy, prophetic dream, roller coaster, vision

INTRODUCTION: Many years ago, I built my first website on the messages of other men and women of God. In the belief that God uses as many “vehicles” or methods of communication as possible, I believe God is eager to share with us “secrets” of what He is doing today. Keep in mind the story from the Old Testament of Balaam and his talking donkey (Numbers 22:22-41 NKJV.)

Anyway, this is the God of Creation we’re talking about and I, for one, will put no restraints on Him! So in that mindset, this is a “Word” concerning this new year.

My God bless and increase our wisdom & understanding according to His extravagant love for us!

Where there is no vision from God, the people run wild,
but those who adhere to God’s instruction know genuine happiness.
Proverbs 29:18

by Rick Joyner

A Vision of a Roller Coaster

When I prayed for this coming year, I was shown a roller coaster. This means we will have ups and downs this year. I realize that hardly takes a prophet to predict, but the encouraging thing about this vision was that the ride ended at the highest point. We’re going higher this year! So don’t be discouraged by the dips. Hang on and know that we will be going up again soon.

Our prophetic friend, Bob Jones, told us several months ago that it was going to be a very hard winter. I think this one has already qualified for that. As I am writing this in South Carolina, it is 8 degrees outside. I don’t remember it ever being that cold here. However, the great thing is that spring will certainly follow! The point is that we must hang on during any dips or hard times. They will come to pass, but they will pass! As Winston Churchill once said, “When you’re going through Hell, keep going.” Keep going.

The roller coaster I saw was very rickety. It did not seem that it could make it through another turn or the ups and downs. It held together though. I love roller coasters, but this one was not the kind I would get on voluntarily. We don’t have a choice, we are on it. Even the strongest systems of this world are very shaky, and most can only make it through another day because God is holding them together. He is doing this for our sakes, so we should never stop praying for them.

A Glistening Train

In the vision, there was a platform at the end of this roller coaster ride. It did not look any stronger than the roller coaster, but as we walked across, it became stronger and stronger. On the other side, there was a beautiful, brilliantly glistening train which we boarded. It was the most beautiful and well-appointed train I’ve ever seen.

However, as I boarded I saw that when it left the platform, it would enter a long, dark tunnel that I could not see the end of. Even so, the tunnel was going up, and this was a powerful, mountain-climbing train. We’re going up. It may be dark and a bit scary for a while, but we are going higher. That was the end of this vision.

Trains often speak of training in dreams and visions. We may still be on a rickety old roller coaster, but the vehicle that is going to take us to where we must go will be training. This speaks to me of Ephesians 4 – the equipping of the saints to do the work of the ministry. Even though it may take a while for us to see where we’re going (the long, dark tunnel) we will be going up. This is the vehicle that will get us to where we must go.

The City God is Building

It is the nature of the faith walk to not be able to see where you’re going, but you should know what you’re looking for. The one who started the walk of faith, Abraham, did not know where he was going, but he did know what he was looking for – the city that God is building, not men.

The cities that men have built are impressive, but once you see what God is building, you can no longer be impressed with anything man is building. It takes revelation to see what God is building. John saw Babylon until he was carried to a high mountain. Then he saw the New Jerusalem, which is the city that Abraham saw. It is still being built. Being a part of it is the highest calling we can have. Do you see it?

As we see in the Book of Revelation, the New Jerusalem is the Bride, the wife of the Lamb. As Don Potter recently remarked, it is an amazing thing how a bride can look like she is in shambles just minutes before the ceremony. However, in those last few minutes she comes together and emerges so beautifully and so perfect that you know you have witnessed a great miracle. This may well be just the way it happens with the Bride of the Lamb. We may look like a disaster right up to the end and then, miraculously, we come together without spot or wrinkle.

Never give up.

Rick Joyner
MorningStar Ministries
Email: info@morningstarministries.org
Website: morningstarministries.org

Rick Joyner is the founder and executive director of MorningStar Ministries and Heritage International Ministries and is the Senior Pastor of MorningStar Fellowship Church. He is the author of more than forty books, including The Final Quest, A Prophetic History, and Church History. He is also the president of The OAK Initiative, an interdenominational movement that is mobilizing thousands of Christians to be engaged in the great issues of our times, being the salt and light that they are called to be. Rick and his wife, Julie, have five children: Anna, Aaryn, Amber, Ben, and Sam.

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Messing with the Military?

Tags

American military, Hillary Clinton, IDIOT VOTERS, President Obama, Presidential Prayer Team, terrorism, TERRORISTS

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.

PRESIDENTIAL PRAYER TEAM

If You Were Accused …

Tags

Christian Church, church, freedom, hippie Christians, JESUS MOVEMENT, Keith Green, Larry Norman, Love Song, William Tyndale

“I repent of ever having recorded one single song and ever having performed one concert if my music, and more importantly — my life — has not provoked you into godly jealousy, or to sell out more completely to Jesus!”
Keith Green

If you were accused … of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you in a court of Law? In the 1970’s, this was a question made popular within the “Jesus Movement!” Yes, there was actually, a movement among young people in high schools and colleges that swept across the country proclaiming JESUS CHRIST is LORD. Some were even labeled “Jesus Freaks!” They looked and dressed very similar to the Hippies of the time, but there was a marked difference in their behavior. They read their Bibles often, in public, out loud. They laughed and talked about how to LOVE one another the way Jesus loves us. They created a new genre of music that incorporated Christian values and even Bible verses into the lyrics. They weren’t perfect, of course, but they tried to live what they read in the Bible.

The JESUS MOVEMENT spawned a new genre of music that was a hybrid of rock & roll sound, but with Gospel friendly lyrics.

“In order to proclaim the message of the gospel, hippie Christianssimply adopted existing forms of communication. Mirroring the development of underground newspapers such as the Berkeley Barb, in 1969 evangelist Duane Pederson began publishing the Hollywood Free Paper as an evangelistic tool. Jesus papers with names like Right On!, The Fish, Street Level, and Cornerstone became a fundamental component of each street Christian community.

“Another development was Jesus Music, the controversial combination of rock music and the gospel as one of the most effective (and subsequently lasting) institutions of the revival. Artists and groups such as Ron Moore, Love Song, John Fischer, Larry Norman, Randy Matthews, Agape, and the All Saved Freak Band are just a few of the performers that felt the need to communicate spiritual truths through a popular medium. Christian coffeehouses and Jesus rock festivals emerged as the music gained momentum as a popular alternative to the mainstream industry. Contemporary Christian radio shows sprang up as did magazines devoted solely to monitoring the fledgling Jesus Music scene. While many conservative church-goers lamented that Jesus Music was a spiritual compromise, these pioneers maintained that they were combating the negative influence of mainstream rock music. In an attempt to develop an apologetic for their evangelistic efforts they echoed the sentiments of reformer Martin Luther when he asked “why should the devil have all the best tunes.”

Larry Norman – Waves of Grace – [with Lyrics] from Greg Murray on Vimeo.

Perhaps the most radical idea of the JESUS MOVEMENT was that following Jesus was more than just going to church on Sundays. In fact, another thing Keith Green (and others) said often was that “going to church on Sundays doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to McDonald’s makes you a hamburger!” He’s right! In fact, Jesus said, ““If you love me, you will obey my commands.” (John 14:15) How do we know what Jesus/God commands? We must become well acquainted with the WORD of GOD – the Bible. This is true whether we are Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist, or 7th Day Adventist. If we WANT to serve God, if we want to be found pleasing in HIS sight, we must acquaint ourselves with who HE is. Right? Even if it’s … uncomfortable? Even if it’s not politically correct?

The JESUS MOVEMENT was also about FREEDOM. For too long, the organized Church had kept God locked up inside the building, the local brick and mortar assembly. While hippies and militant radicals protested society’s ills and the Vietnam war, the JESUS MOVEMENT broke down the walls of the established Christian church and took it to the streets. What William Tyndale did for the Bible, the JESUS MOVEMENT did for the people, for the CHURCH of Christ. It took Jesus from the closed doors of the religious, organized Church to the everyday lives of everyday people. It helped strip away the false piety and religious pretense so common among church-going people. We were given permission to be REAL, to be imperfect followers of Jesus.

“But now you know the true God. Really, it is God who knows you. So why do you turn back to those weak and useless rules you followed before? Do you want to be slaves to those things again?”
Galatians 4:9

This brings us back to the title question: If you were accused … of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you in a court of Law?

I don’t know the originator of the title question, but I first heard it from a man named Keith Green, who became a popular singer during the 1970’s until his death in a plane crash. He was 28. His life message can be seen in the title of one of his albums, “No Compromise!” – released in 1978.

“In a world where following Christ is decreed to be a subversive and illegal activity you have been accused of being a believer, arrested, and dragged before a court.

“You have been under clandestine surveillance for some time now, and so the prosecution has been able to build up quite a case against you. They begin the trial by offering the judge dozens of photographs that show you attending church meetings, speaking at religious events, and participating in various prayer and worship services. After this, they present a selection of items that have been confiscated from your home: religious books that you own, worship CDs, and other Christian artifacts. Then they step up the pace by displaying your many poems, pieces of prose, and journal entries that you had lovingly written concerning your faith. Finally, in closing, the prosecution offers your Bible to the judge. This is a well-worn book with scribbles, notes, drawings, and underlings throughout, evidence, if it were needed, that you had read and re-read this sacred text many times.

“Throughout the case you have been sitting silently in fear and trembling. You know deep in your heart that with the large body of evidence that has been amassed by the prosecution you face the possibility of long imprisonment or even execution. At various times throughout the proceedings you have lost all confidence and been on the verge of standing up and denying Christ. But while this thought has plagued your mind throughout the trial, you resist the temptation and remain focused.” READ MORE

So the question becomes what evidence ought be present to condemn me as a Christian? What is God after? How do we LIVE to please God? To answer these questions, I will simply post some verses from the Bible. YOU DECIDE!

• “If you love me, you will obey my commands.” John 14:15
• “I give you a new command: Love each other. You must love each other as I have loved you. 35 All people will know that you are my followers if you love each other.” John 13: 34-35
• “The Lord God has told us what is right and what he demands: “See that justice is done, let mercy be your first concern, and humbly obey your God.” Micah 6:8
• This is what the Lord says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.
  So do you think you can build a house for me? Do I need a place to rest? My hand made all things. All things are here because I made them,” says the Lord. “These are the people I am pleased with: those who are not proud or stubborn and who fear my word. Isaiah 66: 1-2
• “All that the Law says can be summed up in the command to love others as much as you love yourself.” Galatians 5:14
• A third time he said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” Peter said, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you!”
  He said to him, “Feed my sheep. John 21: 15-17
• “Don’t judge others, or you will be judged. 2 You will be judged in the same way that you judge others, and the amount you give to others will be given to you. Matthew 7: 1-2

The bottom line is, to “reflect” the One we love, Jesus, we need cultivate a relationship with Him. We must spend TIME with Him. Familiarize ourselves not only with His WORD, but with His character as revealed throughout His WORD, Old and New Covenants!

The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 Our faces, then, are not covered. We all show the Lord’s glory, and we are being changed to be like him. This change in us brings ever greater glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
2 CORINTHIANS 3:17-18

“If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be sufficient evidence to convict you?”

Similarly, if you were accused of being an AMERICAN, would there be enough evidence to convict you? Do you know our Founding documents: the Declaration of Independence? The Bill of Rights or the Constitution? Can you name a handful of the Signers?
Do you know America’s form of government? Democracy, you say? NO! We are a CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC!!! Do we understand the VALUES behind the CONSTITUTION? Well … is there enough evidence to convict you? American? Christian? Person of independent faith?

What story does your life tell?

Is Hezbollah Training Terrorists in Nicaragua?

Several days ago Israeli radio reported that Iran has established Hezbollah training bases in Nicaragua. While there has been nothing to substantiate the report thus far, the idea is not all that far-fetched. Please note that we are not taking the position that there are Hezbollah terrorist training bases in Nicaragua, we do believe that there is a substantial basis for believing that the climate is right for Iran to partner with Nicaragua to do so. And we believe that the potential for such an idea should be considered as a matter of prayer.

The report out of Israel claims that some 30 members of Hezbollah are being trained at a base camp located in northern Nicaragua and that the area has been cordoned off from local resident access. It is reported that all supplies being shipped into the base have originated from Iran.

Let’s ask and answer a couple of questions.

Is there a relationship between Nicaragua and Iran / Hezbollah?

Yes, in fact, there is. According to a former Iranian official who is fully aware of the Iranian terrorist network, “The Quds Force has established a command and control center in both Bolivia and Venezuela. Though it has a presence in Europe and other parts of the world, it has focused on Latin America. Thousands of cells have been placed in Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.”

At the recent foreign ministers meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement held in Tehran, Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Samuel Santos Lopez clearly stated his country’s perspective on Iran. “We have always supported Iran’s peaceful nuclear program and believe that all countries are entitled to peaceful nuclear energy.” He emphasized the mutual direction of Nicaragua and Iran, saying, “We will make our best efforts to further enhance all-out ties between the two countries.”

Why would Iran / Hezbollah want to train terrorists in Nicaragua?

Hassan Abassi, a Quds strategist has said that several hundred targets have been identified for a potential attack on the US. Iranian General Masoud Jazayeri said, “In the face of any attack, we will have a crushing response. No place in America will be safe from our attacks.” Iranian General Hossein Salami, the Deputy Chief Commander of the Revolutionary Guards said that “Our nation is ready to rub the enemy’s snout into the dust and send thousands of coffins to their cities.” Finally, the head of the Iranian Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Hassan Firoozabadi, said that America and European countries should expect major attacks by al-Qaeda and other terrorists in their homelands.

A Relationship and a Reason Equal Plausibility

Given what we know about Iran’s relationship with Nicaragua, and their plans for potential attacks on the US, and given that Iran does not have the capability of reaching the US in any other fashion, it is indeed plausible that Hezbollah is training terrorists in Nicaragua.

Labboun Allaboun was arrested in a house located in Colony Francisco de Montejo in Merida, Yucatan. The American citizen of Arab origin Rafic Mohammad Labboun Allaboun, a suspected member of the terrorist network Hezbollah, was arrested Saturday night in Merida, The Yucatan Times reported.

We have reported this for one reason, and one reason alone. This is a battle that belongs to the Lord. It is beyond our physical limitations to do anything about it. But God has given us the ability to pray. While we pray for the peace of Jerusalem, we urge you to also pray for the peace of the United States. We can also pray for the Lord to disrupt the enemy’s plans. At the basis for all of this physical warfare is a greater spiritual warfare. So let us pray that Almighty God, who we worship and serve, will intervene on behalf of those who trust Him, and win the battle we cannot fight. Join us in praying for the peace of Jerusalem.

To read the original article in the ISRAEL NATIONAL NEWS website, click here

Dr. Solomon’s Decision

Tags

abortion, Dr. Solomon's Decision, Life or Death

A worried woman went to her gynecologist and said:

‘Doctor, I have a serious problem and desperately need your help! My baby is not even 1 year old and I’m pregnant again. I don’t want kids so close together.’

So the doctor said: ‘Ok and what do you want me to do?’

She said: ‘I want you to end my pregnancy, and I’m counting on your help with this.’

The doctor thought for a little, and after some silence he said to the lady: ‘I think I have a better solution for your problem. It’s less dangerous for you too.’

She smiled, thinking that the doctor was going to accept her request.

Then he continued: ‘You see, in order for you not to have to take care of 2 babies at the same time, let’s kill the one in your arms. This way, you could rest some before the other one is born. If we’re going to kill one of them, it doesn’t matter which one it is. There would be no risk for your body if you chose the one in your arms.’

The lady was horrified and said: ‘No doctor! How terrible! It’s a crime to kill a child!’

‘I agree’, the doctor replied. ‘But you seemed to be OK with it, so I thought maybe that was the best solution.’

The doctor smiled, realizing that he had made his point.

He convinced the mom that there is no difference in killing a child that’s already been born and one that’s still in the womb. The crime is the same!

LIKE, if you agree, and share it!

Together we can help save precious lives!

Love says, ‘I sacrifice myself for the good of the other person.’ Abortion says, ‘I sacrifice the other person for the good of myself.’

AUTHOR ANONYMOUS

“Laws of Nature and Nature’s God” Part 2

LINCOLN said: “Study the Constitution!”
“Let it be preached from the pulpit, proclaimed in legislatures,
and enforced in courts of justice.” (Citizen’s Rulebook)

Most Americans, if any, learn anything about ancient historical figures that helped to shape our modern world, politics, and government type. Neither do we learn anything these days of the “Laws of Nature and Nature’s God.” This makes it difficult to grasp, sometimes, the convictions of our Founders.

“The Declaration of Independence is a document with its roots in the law of God. Perhaps the best place to begin understanding how the Declaration serves in this capacity is to discern how the framers understood and applied its principles to the creation and formation of civil government. If we can understand how they took the Declaration’s principles and applied them to the formation of constitutions, then we too should be able to apply those same principles to any other legal difficulties that our constitutional governments may face.

The first paragraph of the Declaration of Independence sets the stage for the American revolution and its indispensable reliance on the laws of God, the Creator. It declares:

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with one another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitles them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.




“The signers of the Declaration of Independence were a profoundly intelligent, religious and ethically-minded group. Four of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were current or former full-time preachers, and many more were the sons of clergymen. Other professions held by signers include lawyers, merchants, doctors and educators. These individuals, too, were for the most part active churchgoers and many contributed significantly to their churches both with contributions as well as their service as lay leaders. The signers were members of religious denominations at a rate that was significantly higher than average for the American Colonies during the late 1700s.”

“By invoking the “Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God,” the 56 signers of the Declaration incorporated a legal standard of freedom into the forms of government that would follow. The theory of freedom adopted was simply that God’s law was supreme and gave freedom. The phrase “Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God” referred to the laws that God in his capacity as the Creator of the universe had established for the governance of people, nations and nature. These laws are variously described as the laws of Creation, God’s Creation laws or as the framers elected to refer to them, as the laws of nature and of nature’s God. This body of law, whatever it is called, can be ascertained by people through an examination of God’s creation, the text of the Bible, and to a certain degree, instinct or reason.

“The decision to expressly rely upon God’s law of creation was not a superficial one, but ably debated for many years before and after the Declaration was drafted.27 Thomas Jefferson, for instance, reflecting on the Declaration of Independence, wrote in 1825 that its essential point was “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.”28 For the common sense of the subject, the framers turned to the laws of creation. They gave the principles of that law expression in the Declaration. The American Revolution was the context in which the Declaration’s principles were discerned and expressed for all the world to hear and consider anew.29″



Our Founders understood a spectrum of government that stretched from Tyranny on one side to anarchy on the opposite. They sought to mimic Nature’s Law in establishing People’s Law as a balance between the two extremes.

“The Declaration articulated five derivative principles of the laws of nature and of nature’s God. They are, first, that people are all created by God, and that by virtue of this circumstance are therefore entitled to be treated equally before the law. Second, all people are endowed by God with certain unalienable rights. Third, the people are also endowed with the right to govern themselves according to their written consent. Fourth, the people retain the right to alter or abolish an unlawful form of government as an exercise of self-government. Fifth, the people are free to organize the civil government’s powers in such a way as to secure their happiness.” (from The Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God: The True Foundation of American Law, (references on site)

The collection of articulate, passionate, and honorable men known as our Founding Fathers established our government upon a dream, a philosophy of liberty they found in the Bible and in nature. “The Laws of Nature and Nature’s God” cited in our Declaration of Independence are the basis of our unprecedented freedom and prosperity as a nation, yet many Americans today are unfamiliar with these values, so decisions are made on a case-by-case basis, subjectively, as to what government should and should not do, and this has resulted in the disintegration of liberty. This was not the intention of our Founders.

The very definition of the Law of nature is that it is visible to the human eye, logical to our understanding, obvious and immutable. These laws that govern nature have not changed essentially throughout history.

“True law” is right reason in agreement with Nature; it is of universal application, unchanging and everlasting; it summons to duty by its commands, and averts from wrongdoing by its prohibitions…. It is a sin to try to alter this law, nor is it allowable to repeal any part of it, and it is impossible to abolish it entirely. We cannot be freed from its obligations by senate or people, and we need not look outside ourselves for an expounder or interpreter of it. And there will not be different laws at Rome and at Athens, or different laws now and in the future, but one eternal and unchangeable law will be valid for all nations and all times, and there will one master and ruler, that is, God, over us all, for he is the author of this law, its promulgator, and its enforcing judge. Whoever is disobedient is fleeing from himself and denying his human nature, and by reason of this very fact he will suffer the worst punishment.” (Marcus Tullius Cicero, Great Political Thinkers, p. 133.)

What does this say about America today? What does it say about our present course? I’d say, clearly, an adjustment is necessary, even as sailing ships must correct their course from time to time, so this mighty, benevolent nation must correct her course or SELF-DESTRUCT.

Please read “Laws of Nature and Nature’s God” Part 1

US set to blacklist Haqqani as terrorist organisation, claims report

A Pakistani Taliban militant holds a rocket-propelled grenade in Waziristan. The Haqqani network was blamed for the recent attack on the US embassy in Kabul. Photograph: Ishtiaq Mahsud/AP

Officials argue blacklisting would help curtail fundraising activities and pressure Pakistan to act against militants

The US is poised to blacklist as a terrorist organisation the Pakistan-based Haqqani network, according to a report..

Designation by the state department as a foreign terrorist organisation, which could happen as early as Friday, would bring sanctions including criminal penalties for anyone providing material support to the group and seizure of any assets in the US.

The administration was facing a congressional deadline this weekend.

The New York Times said senior officials who argued against blacklisting the group, which has been accused of high-profile terrorist attacks, were concerned it could further damage relations with Pakistan and possibly jeopardise the fate of US Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, who is being held by the militants.

But state department and military officials who argued for the designation believed it would help curtail the group’s fundraising activities in countries including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and pressure Pakistan to act against the militants, the newspaper said.

“This shows that we are using everything we can to put the squeeze on these guys,” the paper quoted an administration official as saying. Four officials had confirmed the move, the New York Times said.

Asked to comment on the story, a senior state department official said: “As she noted earlier this week, the secretary expects to send her report on the Haqqani network to Congress today, September 7, and announce her decision regarding designation of the Haqqani network.”

The Haqqani network is linked to al-Qaida and has been blamed by American officials for some of the worst attacks in Afghanistan, including recent attacks on the US embassy in Kabul and on US troops.

Washington accuses Pakistan’s intelligence agency of supporting the Haqqani network and using it as a proxy to gain leverage against the growing influence of India in Afghanistan.

Is This the END?

Tags

attitudes, behaviors, END TIMES, Go ... Give ... LOVE, LAST DAYS, lawlessness

Is this the END so many of us have heard about, the Last Days, the End of the World? Maybe … maybe not. No one knows. NO ONE! Since the beginning of time, with each generation there have been those who believed the End was nigh, and we’re still here. The End will come one day, for sure, but is it now? Are the “signs” pointing toward the “Great Tribulation?” Again, there are those among us that believe that is so, and I know no differently, but for one seemingly insignificant thing. The Church.

Suppose, just for a minute, the End is near. If our illustrious media (cough, cough) began to query, hypothesize and investigate the various “signs of the times” as they appear to line up today, how would it affect you? Would your behavior change? Would your relationships change? Would your daily routine change?

Like many of you, I grew up in a family that frequently attended a local church. The message from the pulpit changed depending on the one speaking. There was the pious deep voice of academic theology resonating through the crystal chandeliers about this and that; the young, passionate, if whiny voice of social consciousness; and the dispassionate, weary voice of the occasional missionary reporting in and seeking more funds. Honestly, it was nothing to inspire Godly pursuit. Still God spoke to me (and you?) in the quiet of my childhood wanderings, not in words as you and I know them, but in quiet assurances.

Now that I’m a grown up, it is sometimes hard to “hear” those quiet assurances amidst the daily banter of work, family, and survival. Yet God speaks always, if we dare to listen, and His “word” is always “Go … Give … LOVE!” I did not learn this, I’m sad to say, where we went to worship. I learned it from a man who ran a sport camp. I don’t think he ever actually spoke the words either, he simply lived them.

There’s no point in a fear-driven life. If we are in the Last Days, there is nothing we can do about it, right? Neither is there much point in struggling to determine if we are in the “Last Days.” That struggle will only distract us from our purpose. We cannot change time. We cannot change people. We are who and what we are. Ah, but we CAN change our own attitudes and behaviors.

We probably agree that the world, the USA, our states and communities have become more violent, more hateful, and even more … despondent over the last few decades. We can theorize and brainstorm till the cows come home and still be uncertain about WHY, still pointless drive-by shootings, gang violence, senseless bigotry increase in number and intensity.

Lawlessness, like a swelling ocean, threatens to engulf us. Silently, liberties and choices are being replaced with mandates and “security measures.” It may or may not mean the END, but the question is: What can I do about it? Can I make a positive difference? Do I WANT to make a positive difference?

• Do I fall on my knees and pray and wait?
• Do I lock myself behind closed doors and hide?
• Do I procure a weapon of some sort?
• Do I become a political activist and work to revive Biblical morality?
• Do I put the responsibility on the government to take care of the problem(s)?
• Do I point fingers at my neighbors and recount their offenses?
• Do I make an extra casserole and share it with my neighbor?
• Do I walk across the street and talk to my neighbor for the first time in 5 years?
• Do I take self-defense classes and learn how to protect myself?
• Do I … “Go … Give … LOVE?”

Each of us, I believe, is on this earth with a purpose born(e) within. Our mission, should we accept it, is to uncover that purpose and pursue it. It is a life-long pursuit! If we can do this, it honestly will not matter whether we are approaching the END or not. We will be satisfied in the pursuit of our purpose. It is the “higher call” that will draw us, use our talents and abilities, and reward us with an abundance of memories and love. “Go … Give … LOVE!”

Life or Death?

“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you [America],
that I have set before you life and death,
blessing and cursing;
therefore choose life,
that both you and your descendants may live;”

Deut 30:19 NKJV (“America” applied by BBB)

The choice we, as Americans, have before us is really this simple. It is the age old choice between LIFE and DEATH. It is much bigger than abortion rights, but is contained in the issue of abortion just like it is contained in how the US faces Islam, or how the US deals with its current debt & deficit crises.

An individual who consistently supports LIFE, by a genuine respect and wonder for LIFE, will seek out opportunities to build life, to improve the overall long-term quality of life, and see each and every life as valuable as the next and display this in every facet of personal life.

On the contrary, an individual who has no genuine respect for LIFE, who believes some people deserve to live while others do not, who believes certain mental or physical deficiencies may disqualify an individual from the right to life will make specific distinctions between people, between groups of people usually for no reason other than to promote self.

I put before you the imperfect choice in this election contain this very choice:

LIFE vs DEATH.

• On January 22, 2011, the 38th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion on demand, President Obama issued an official statement heralding Roe as an affirmation of “reproductive freedom,” and pledging, “I am committed to protecting this constitutional right.”
• Mitt Romney’s conversion to the pro-life position should be something celebrated, not something viewed with scorn or skepticism among pro-life advocates. The goal of the pro-life movement is to get all elected officials to support protective laws for unborn children. In the future, what politician would want to come to our side if we’re going to constantly question their authenticity? President Reagan never faced the same scrutiny.

But if you think about how each of these men deals with and talks about LIFE, their views on the other major issues facing our nation become painfully clear.

• Because President Obama does not value LIFE as the ultimate gift of God, even in its most basic choice, he does not comprehend human dignity and the correlation between WORK and HUMAN VALUE. This is how he can freely take from the productive half of the population and give it to the non-productive half with no strings, no work element, no pay-backs.
• On the contrary, Mitt Romney, because of his innate respect for the value of life, made a career of rescuing failing businesses. In spite of the ads to the contrary, Romney chose FAILING endeavors, like the 2002 Olympics – sinking ships – and called into play all of her resources, both public and private, in his attempts to rescue them. He was not always successful, but more often than not, he was able to turn the sinking ships around and make of them profitable organizations. And, yes, he reaped a profit.

Personal freedom

• Personal freedom, as our Founders decreed in all of the Founding documents, issues from Providence, from God. Romney and Ryan both whole-heartedly believe this.
• President Obama and the Democratic leadership believe freedom is a collective goal, rather than personal, and is obtained by government control of all relevant variables.

US CONSTITUTION

• “Under Obamacare, an even playing field doesn’t exist for businesses. And President Obama must have recognized that, because he ordered his Health and Human Services Secretary to provide waivers from the healthcare overhaul. Unions, universities and restaurants in Nancy Pelosi?s district received waivers so that they didn?t have to comply with the law.”
• Mitt Romney‘s view of the Constitution is straightforward: its words have meaning. The founding generation adopted a written constitution for a reason. They intended to limit the powers of government according to enduring principles.

SOCIAL JUSTICE

President Obama believes in the Socialist platform of “fair distribution.” The central tenet of his platform is to raise taxes on the “rich” – a purposely ambiguous term – to give to the “poor” – an equally ambiguous term, effectually mandating what he wants to call “charitable giving” as a government task. This not only negates the personal responsibility element of giving, but it also, frankly, removes the CHOICE! Government monies go to an extremely wide variety of organizations and entities, many of which – like Planned Parenthood – are NOT my personal choice to receive MY donation. Perhaps the most telling deed of Obama was his dismantling of Clinton’s welfare reform by removing the work requirement.

Mitt Romney, like most people of faith, understands the personal mandate of faith for believers to help the poor. Last January, the personal numbers were released for both President Obama and Romney concerning their personal charitable donations.

• In the current Presidential election, President Obama is running as Democrat, but operating very closely to a monarch or king, ruling over a people and believing he knows best how to take care of us.
• On the other side is Mitt Romney. While not a true Conservative (as defined below,) he is seriously more conservative than President Obama, and supports the individual’s right to choose how to live and solve problems.

There are other issues concerning America and the American people, but i’ll leave your application to you. The bottom line remains, the choice before us is LIFE vs DEATH. What will be the future of America?

• LIBERALS – believe in government action to achieve equal opportunity and equality for all. It is the duty of the government to alleviate social ills and to protect civil liberties and individual and human rights. Believe the role of the government should be to guarantee that no one is in need.

  Liberal policies generally emphasize the need for the government to solve problems.

• CONSERVATIVES – believe in personal responsibility, limited government, free markets, individual liberty, traditional American values and a strong national defense. Believe the role of government should be to provide people the freedom necessary to pursue their own goals.

  Conservative policies generally emphasize empowerment of the individual to solve problems.

ANY QUESTIONS? ASK!

Life or Death?

CHOOSE!

PEOPLE of FAITH: It’s Democracy v Socialism

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Democracy v Socialism, Socialism

PEOPLE of FAITH, brothers and sisters, for decades we’ve been herded into our churches and told to keep our faith to ourselves. We’ve learned how to live our faith quietly, unobtrusively. But today, there are millions of Americans waiting to see the LIFE of Jesus – the relevance of Jesus in our lives. The Lost are seeking and not finding … because we are hidden away, keeping our faith to ourselves, locked behind closed church doors. It’s way past time we step OUT … Jesus didn’t got to the Temple to minister, he went to the streets. He went where the people are and he didn’t tell they were sinners going to hell! He LOVED them.

Our nation is at a monumental crossroads. President Obama is an Communist/Socialist. If you are familiar with Marx’s Communist Manifesto, you know it sounds good on paper. Every person’s needs are met by the government. There is no want. There is also no room for God in Communism because government is god. There is no morality in Communism because every one is the same – equality. The government decides just about everything for you: where you will live, where you will work, how much you will be paid. Do you remember the Berlin Wall and the numbers of people who died trying to escape communist rule? Communism fails because human nature needs purpose and communism takes that away. You don’t get paid more for doing a better job. Yo don’t get a bigger home for working longer hours. You get paid what the gov’t decides the job is worth. Each year, the comfort level of the “PEOPLE” is reduced because revenues decline because production declines because there is no incentive to produce more.

Our nation needs men and women of character who are paying attention, educating themselves, and thinking clearly about the issues and the consequences. Our choice in this election is not a perfect choice. Jesus isn’t here running for office – and if he did, I doubt he’d be elected in this nation at the moment. Corruption runs deep, but sadly, it runs nearly as deep in our churches and homes. We live in this world, and are polluted by it, no matter how hard we try or how aware we are. We are feeble. So are our leaders. We have failed over the past decades to pay much attention, as believers, to what has been happening to pull society to the left.

Presidents Wilson and Roosevelt started “socialist” programs intended to FOOL the public into believing the Depression was over, but if you check the facts, “With freer markets, balanced budgets, and lower taxes, Wood [Sears, Roebuck and Company Chairman Robert E. Wood] was right. Unemployment was only 3.9 percent in 1946, and it remained at roughly that level during most of the next decade. The Great Depression was over.” All we, as Americans, need to do is look at history – accurately written history for the answers.

This election of 2012 is not about party, not about left or right, but about ideology. It’s about what direction we, as believers, want our nation to go. Some think compassion is the same as government programs, but again, if you check the facts, the programs designed to help the needy actually HELP them remain needy. They are NOT a hand up. The current programs offer no incentive to find work or got to school, so why should they? There are legitimate needs, but I ask you this, my friends. Did Jesus tell the sick to go apply for aid from the government, or did he take care of their need himself. He gave us the illistration of the “Good Samaritan.” In this parable, did the Good Samaritan call the Dept of Social justice to take care of the injured man, or did he take care if him himself? When did Jesus EVER send a sick or needy person to the government programs to take care of their need? NEVER! He did it himself or told his disciples to do it themselves. If we abdicate this responsibility, we are abdicating our responsibility to obey Christ’s commands to help the needy, the poor, and the widows.

James 1: 26-27 (The Message) “Anyone who sets himself up as “religious” by talking a good game is self-deceived. This kind of religion is hot air and only hot air. Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world.”

Jesus tells US, not the government, to take care of the needs of the poor. US – you and me with OUR money, OUR time & talents because it is giving out the mercy & grace we have received. It is sharing the Love of God. The Government is not responsible for the poor. You and I are. The government cannot afford to take care of the poor, as we are seeing clearly today. It is time for the CHURCH – Catholic, Protestant, Jewish – whatever faith motivates us – to rise up and take this challenge upon ourselves. “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (Js 1:22 NKJV) The rest, is up to God!