What about the Church?

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abortion, acceptance, AIDS, Catholic Church, Christ, Christianity, church, God's hands and feet, government or individual, homosexuaity, Jesus said GO (not government), judgement, life issues, poverty, promiscuity, WWJD

The Church at prayer

For years, there was a saying – “Don’t be so heavenly minded that you’re no earthly good!” In the 70’s, I wondered if that was possible, but I was young. There is much to be said about maturity!

Not long ago, I was browsing favorite reading sites online, and tucked between articles about the Trayvon murder, the disastrous US economy, and the horrors of Islam both here and abroad, was an obscure article with a headline that caught my eye, but for the wrong reason. It’s been sticking in my claw since then. I wish I could describe the response of my heart … The headline was “Should the Church only Use the King James version of the Bible?” It could just as easily read any of the dozens of incidental issues that bog down believers from the real issues:

• Is baptism for today? Should one be dipped or sprinkled?
• What about “tongues,” and the “gifts of the Holy Spirit” – for today? for what purpose?
• The “Rapture” – pre-trib, mid-trib, or post-trib?
• Which denomination is more Biblical?

*NOTE: For the purpose of this article, my use of the word Church, includes all denominations, all those who have called on the name of Jesus for salvation. The use of the word church, will be replaced with local assembly or local congregation.

Back to my response at seeing that headline: I was incensed! I was angry not at the writer of the article, but at the religious spirit that so overshadows the American Church…that religious spirit that makes people too heavenly minded to be any earthly good! I used to live there.

The truth of the matter is that many local congregations of both Christian (incl. Catholic) and Jewish designation have lost themselves somewhere between the issues of this life and those of the next. While many congregations have established some sort of help for those less fortunate, a soup kitchen or clothing closet, the majority of congregants either do not participate or do so legalistically – it’s the thing to do! For such a huge “organization,” it remains virtually ineffective in re-directing society. Have you noticed?

A recent Poll finds 77 percent of Americans believe Christ rose from the dead! If 77% of our nation’s population actually LIVED as close to the way Jesus lived as humanly possible, and worked at self-improvement to grow more into His likeness everyday, perhaps those who call themselves atheists or agnostics would see the reality of Jesus. If the Church actually poured out the love of God stringlessly into the hurting, confused, and lonely people around us one by one, perhaps we’d see a reduction in the violence, a reduction in unwanted pregnancies, a reduction in the number of children and families going to bed hungry or cold, a reduction in the number of homeless huddled together under bridges and behind strip malls. We’re NOT doing our JOB, CHURCH!

As our religious freedoms come under political attack, it is clear that decades of “reprogramming” has been successfully accomplished right under our heaven-pointed noses. We’ve been silent in the face of violence. We’ve been silent in the face of compromise. We’ve been silent in the face of the slaughter of millions of unborn babies. We’ve been silent too long, my friends. Why? Because we were told our religion was meant to stay within the walls of our local assemblies – within the building. Now, the salt as lost is savor. There is little difference between those of us who call ourselves believers and those who do not.

I believe whole-heartedly, if we come out from behind those walls, we’d find out the positive influence we can have in society, if we aspire to live and love like Christ. We’d find out where we stand on the vital issues of today:

• Should Christians be Pro-Choice or Pro-Life?
• Whose responsibility is it to tend the poor? Government or the Church?
• Is it possible for our young people to remain chaste in a culture that preaches sex from every media orifice?
• How can we hope for improvement in social mores if we don’t aspire to civility and virtue ourselves?
• What about the “War on Women”?
• Should the Church allow openly gay and lesbian believers into their congregations?

The Catholic Church has taken a stand on many of these issues, but what about the rest of us? Count the cost, and take a stand! As believers, our lives should be defined, not by our words, but by the love – God’s love – flowing freely and unchecked from our lives. We talk the talk, but we must do better at walking the walk! We are Jesus’ hands and feet – but we are also His Heart to this generation! Look OUTWARD, and let grace and mercy lead us!

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The Real Welfare America: Food Stamps, up 8.1% in the past year

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poverty, poverty in America

Has it occurred to anyone else that the enormous gulf that SEEMS to run between left and right, between Liberals and Conservatives – but not necessarily between parties – is a deliberate ploy, employed well by the progressives throughout the twentieth century to manufacture a gulf, class warfare and attempt to polarize WE-THE-PEOPLE? WE are the power source in our Constitutional Republic! Yet the left and the liberal Democrats, led by President Obama, insist they know how to fix everything that is wrong with America. They know better, but of course, they cannot DO anything alone, so they want more and more money, more and more “Regulation” to advance their agenda.

Ironic, huh?

In spite of its mantra that implies the Liberal Democrats are the party “of the people,” strangely, it is this mindset that has produced the “social reforms” that were to “lift the burden” from the people. However, in retrospect, these social welfare programs have done nothing but perpetuate slavery in the name of compassion! It seems clear the liberal left does not apprehend the difference between the hand up and the hand out!

So … does the liberal left ELITE, the ones in power who want to control every facet of our lives – what we eat, what we do on the internet, how we pray, what our clergy may or may not say from their pulpits, what medical procedures we may or may not be eligible to receive … Yup, THIS is the Liberal left! Do they have a … a PLAN? NO! Have yo0u seen a real plan come from the White House? NO … no plan! No budget in over 900 days! But … he does want 4 more years to finish his destruction of our nation and the disembowelment of our US CONSTITUTION.

The progressive movement born under the reign of Woodrow Wilson, slowly and deceptively has succeeded in replacing our liberties with a poor substitute for “security.” Food stamps replace the FEAR of no food. Medicaid replaces the FEAR of sudden illness. While these needs may be real, the GOVERNMENT is not designed to carry this burden, but rather to make resources available for those who wish to help and second, to publish the programs designed to help. The programs, however, must be supported and run 100% by the public, not the government.

Food stamp rolls have risen 8.1% in the past year - Thanks Obama!

WSJ – Nearly 15% of the U.S. population relied on food stamps in August, as the number of recipients hit 45.8 million.

Food stamp rolls have risen 8.1% in the past year, the Department of Agriculture reported, though the pace of growth has slowed from the depths of the recession. MORE HERE

UNDERSTANDING POVERTY IN THE UNITED STATES: SURPRISING FACTS ABOUT AMERICA’S POOR
Executive Summary
Today, the Census Bureau released its annual poverty report, which declared that a record 46.2 million persons, or roughly one in seven Americans, were poor in 2010. The numbers were up sharply from the previous year’s total of 43.6 million. Although the current recession has increased the numbers of the poor, high levels of poverty predate the recession. In most years for the past two decades, the Census Bureau has declared that at least 35 million Americans lived in poverty.

The following are facts about persons defined as “poor” by the Census Bureau as taken from various government reports:

• 80 percent of poor households have air conditioning. In 1970, only 36 percent of the entire U.S. population enjoyed air conditioning.
• 92 percent of poor households have a microwave.
• Nearly three-fourths have a car or truck, and 31 percent have two or more cars or trucks.
• Nearly two-thirds have cable or satellite TV.
• Two-thirds have at least one DVD player, and 70 percent have a VCR.
• Half have a personal computer, and one in seven have two or more computers.
• More than half of poor families with children have a video game system, such as an Xbox or PlayStation.
• 43 percent have Internet access.
• One-third have a wide-screen plasma or LCD TV.
• One-fourth have a digital video recorder system, such as a TiVo.
• But 51% of Americans are too poor to pay taxes???

Judge Judy Exposes Reason #376 Why “Poor” People Should Pay Taxes, Too (VIDEO) Talk about “misappropriation of funds!!! lol

Gotta love this video! He has no clue! NONE!

Few Americans know poverty as the World knows it. Surely, a "neighbor" can help meet the need.

For 2009, the survey showed:

96 percent of poor parents stated that their children were never hungry at any time during the year because they could not afford food.

83 percent of poor families reported having enough food to eat.

82 percent of poor adults reported never being hungry at any time in the prior year due to lack of money for food.

Other government surveys show that the average consumption of protein, vitamins, and minerals is virtually the same for poor and middle-class children and is well above recommended norms in most cases.

Television newscasts about poverty in America generally portray the poor as homeless people or as a destitute family living in an overcrowded, dilapidated trailer. In fact, however:

Over the course of a year, 4 percent of poor persons become temporarily homeless.

Only 9.5 percent of the poor live in mobile homes or trailers, 49.5 percent live in separate single-family houses or townhouses, and 40 percent live in apartments.

42 percent of poor households actually own their own homes.

Only 6 percent of poor households are overcrowded. More than two-thirds have more than two rooms per person.

The average poor American has more living space than the typical non-poor person in Sweden, France, or the United Kingdom.
The vast majority of the homes or apartments of the poor are in good repair.