Do What Lies Clearly At Hand

What kind of saying will you embrace for the new year? There are hundreds, if not thousands that we could choose from. I think that I have found the one for me:

"Do what lies clearly at hand."

What a great saying for a new year!

Christine

*******

Day-Tight Compartments

Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Matthew 6:34


Recommended Reading
Matthew 6:31-34


The most widely-read book of the twentieth century on the subject of anxiety was Dale Carnegie's How to Stop Worrying and Start Living, in which the famous self-help expert suggested thirty ways to overcome worry. Carnegie's first rule was: "Live in day-tight compartments." While we should plan for the future, we shouldn't worry about what tomorrow may hold.

Carnegie said, "You and I are standing at this very second at the meeting place of two eternities: the vast past that has endured forever, and the future that is plunging on to the last syllable of recorded time. We can't possibly live in either of those eternities . . . but, by trying to do so, we can wreck both our bodies and our minds. So let's be content to live the only time we can possibly live: from now until bedtime."

Jesus taught us to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread," and the Psalmist said, "This is the day that the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24).

Just take life one day at a time, trusting God's grace from sun up to sun down.


Our main business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand.

Thomas Carlyle

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Philippians 3 and 4


HT: Turning Point Online

A Brutal, Murderous Dictator is Dead

President Bush called the execution a historical moment in Iraq's road to democracy.

"Saddam Hussein's execution comes at the end of a difficult year for the Iraqi people and for our troops," he said. "Bringing Saddam Hussein to justice will not end the violence in Iraq, but it is an important milestone on Iraq's course to becoming a democracy that can govern, sustain and defend itself, and be an ally in the war on terror."

More links to articles at:

Drudge
Michelle Malkin
Hot Air

Newsweek videotaper of Saddam's execution:

'I Saw Fear, He Was Afraid'

"Blog Wars" on Sundance

Last night, I noticed that a show called "Blog Wars" was on the Sundance channel. I considered watching it, at first, but then after reading the short description, figured that it was probably an entirely left-wing liberal propaganda presentation.

However, this morning I was checking out the Little Green Footballs blog and noticed a post about the show, "Blog Wars." I was encouraged to read that the writer of LGF (Charles) is featured in the the "Blog Wars" show. Now I want to watch it!

The next showing is this Saturday evening, 12/30/06, at 7:00 p.m. (probably need to check your local listings).

It will be interesting to see whether or not the show is fair and balanced. According to Charles at LGF, there is way to much Kos (a left-winged liberal blogger), but even though the producer couldn't resist giving more airtime to the left, at least LGF gets a voice in the show!

Here are some great comments over at LGF:

"saywhat" has a brief review:

Well, I count myself as one of the unfortunate souls with an incurable curiosity streak having access to the Sundance channel and a tv tonight (hey, I've got 4 kids home for the holiday!).

I'm not sure why Charles felt this program was balanced. It more resembled an excessively long Kos infomercial or an episode of the History/Biography Channel celebrating Kos (by far Markos enjoyed the lions share of attention).

Balanced? In my estimate, the damn thing offered less than 20% input from the entire conservative side. Though I have to admit, Charles your segments were delivered in the calm rational manner I read here.

Michelle Malkin's responses were intellectually sound and her emotions were justifiable but in this programs context - she came off B**chy. Geeez, I never thought I'd say that. Amazing how context can be distorted.

As difficult as it was to stomach the program, I believe there are several frames that qualify as gems for future use. (Allahpundit I hope you taped it!) Specifically the segments with Kos admitting that he and fellow liberal bloggers do not yield the power his readers perceive it to have. His record speaks for itself . . .Kos' endorsement is the kiss of death for any politician.

Many humorous posts:

rebelcub:
Holy Cow...the Kossacks look like they need to be introduced to soap and shampoo.

ntropy:
Markos has to be the most simpering, lisping, weak chinned little !@#%@!^@#$^@ I've ever seen. This show simply solidified that impression.

JammieWearingFool:
I have the Slamdance Channel. We're watching Rutgers right now, but I'll be sure to TiVo it either way.

I'll fart in Kos' general direction when I see his traitorous little bony a**. I went to a Chili's for the first time in my existence tonight so I have a solid supply of gas.

Ha ha ha haaaa!

ec marm:
Kos, ah yes, kos. Wasn't he last sighted in Iran posing as the 12th imam?

"Looking Closely" shares a great point:

In 2004, political bloggers came of age. They propelled Howard Dean from fringe candidate to front-runner. They took on Dan Rather and won. And they charted the course for the "swiftboating" of John Kerry. As the 2006 mid-term elections approached, bloggers were preparing for battle again. Filmmakers James Rogan and Phil Craig's sharp documentary examines how online democratic activism is shaping important elections by focusing on the decisive Connecticut senate race and Ned Lamont's challenge to incumbent Joe Lieberman.
"They" took on Rather and won, but "they" took on Lieberman and lost.

I also notice that Howard Dean is not only NOT sitting in the White House right now, he didn't even make the Democrat cut.

Hmm. . .

Maybe different "theys" are at work here, what do you think?

One of the best:

jed:
100 cheers for Charles in his persistant effort to combat and expose the stupidity, hypocrisy, and hatred for our American way of life by demented utopians.

And yet another great point from "Abu Al-Poopypants":
So.... the Left's greatest blogging successes: Failing to unseat Lieberman, and putting Mad Howie in charge of their party.

Thanks, Kos!

And a final quote from Charles:
Sure, there's way too much Kos, and way too much Hamsher... but at the end, they lose.

It may not be a bad thing that their hubris is so nakedly exposed. So to speak.

More "Days of Lot & Noah" Signs

This is not good news! This is no way to end the year of 2006! This is no way to begin the year of 2007!

Read and weep for our nation...and the world.

Christine

*******


Dear Colleague,

We regret to inform you that the UN has officially accredited three radical homosexual groups. We further regret to inform you that the Bush Administration voted in favor of these groups, including an association that once included a group that promotes adult child sex.

Let that sink in.

Spread the word.

Yours sincerely,
Austin Ruse
President

*******

Radical Homosexual Groups Approved by UN with Bush Support

By Bradford Short (NEW YORK — C-FAM)

The U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) recently granted official status to three gay-rights non-governmental organizations (NGOs): the Danish National Association for Gays and Lesbians, the Lesbian and Gay Federation in Germany (LSVD) and the International Lesbian and Gay Federation (ILGA). ECOSOC granted the consultative status to the gay-rights NGOs despite the fact that the UN Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations recommended against it, and the fact that one of the groups had clear links to pro-pedophilia organizations in the past.

ILGA is probably the most infamous of the groups granted ECOSOC consultative status last week. A “global federation of organizations and individuals seeking to” advance gay rights, ILGA, was repeatedly rejected for official UN status many times in the past several years for its connection to a child-sex group called the the North American Man/Boy Love Association (NAMBLA). NAMBLA is probably the leading pro-pedophilia group in the United States. ILGA is said to have expelled NAMBLA but, according to UN delegations, refused to condemn adult-child sex. ILGA said “these groups had joined ILGA at an earlier stage of ILGA’s development, at a time when ILGA did not have in place administrative procedures to scrutinize the constitutions and policies of groups seeking membership.” This claim, at least until last week, gave UN delegations pause since the name "North American Man Boy Love Association makes it fairly clear the group promotes homosexual sex between men and children.

Another approved group, the Danish National Association for Gays and Lesbians considers itself to be an organization that takes a “conservative” approach to gay-rights advocacy in Denmark. That is, its support for gay “marriage,” for gay adoption, and for laws that would force churches to bless gay unions, all are “conservative” endeavors because in doing these things Danish homosexuals do not “want to change the world,” they “just want to be in it on equal terms.” The Association does understand, however, the concerns of “subversive” Danish homosexuals, who want to prevent the “extensive heterofication of [Danish] society” that they say is happening because gays are pursuing “conservative” ends, such as marriage. In this way does the Association understand itself as a moderate gay-rights group.

LSVD includes member divisions such as “LSVD fresh,” which is supposed to be a support group “for youngsters” who are gay.

Twenty-three nations on the Council voted for the groups’ accreditation, while sixteen voted against it, and ten abstained. Among those voting in favor of the gay-rights groups was the United States, which has recently been voting in favor of groups that advance the homosexual agenda at the UN. One UN permanent representative told the Friday Fax that, “while the Bush Administration has been solid on life issues, it seems irrational to me that they insist on favoring gay groups that clearly seek to undermine marriage and the family.”

Copyright 2006 - C-FAM (Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute). Permission granted for unlimited use. Credit required.

The Times of the Signs: The Days of Lot

THE Most Important Question: Answered

As the year 2006 winds down, I have been contemplating what kind of "end of the year blogposts" I should write. It's always fun to post "New Year's resolutions" and ask visitors to post theirs. I'll probably end up doing a post like that. It's also a good idea to remember and post the significant events of 2006. Perhaps I will include that, too. But foremost in my mind today is a post about what truly matters in life. And that is finding, and believing in Jesus Christ.

I don't know how many blogging visitors here venture over to my discussion forum site. But there is a post that was done by a member of the forum (screen name "Sothenes"), that added a lot to a former blogpost of mine about some bad news concerning Rick Warren. You can read Sothenes' original post here, as well as the continued discussion between GMpilot and me.

Some fellow Christians and non-Christians have chastised me (lovingly...of course :-) ) for "picking on" Rick Warren at this blog. That's OK. I'm glad that people are willing to challenge and/or correct me when it's needed! I'm not perfect and I do make mistakes. However, I DO KNOW where to go when conflicts arise. That is to the Bible. God's Word is perfect. People can disagree with that, of course, but Jesus said to the Father, "Thy Word is truth. Sanctify me with thy truth." That's enough for me to believe that the Bible is inerrant! So when conflicts come up between Christian believers, it IS wise to go directly to that believer and discuss it. That is biblical. However, in the case of Rick Warren, I don't think he would hear me. Even an assistant pastor at my own church wouldn't hear my concerns over two years ago when I (as well as two other Bible study leaders) noticed that Rick Warren's prayer of salvation was missing something very crucial!

In a former blogpost, I stated my concerns:

There is no doubt that the success of Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life book has stirred up a lot of controversy within many Christian evangelical circles. I have read several blogposts, opinions and comments from various Christian blogs and message boards. Some praise Warren for his book and efforts, others fear that he is pointing people in the wrong direction through a watered-down gospel message often known as the "seeker-sensitive" kind of approach to evangelism. Others even go so far as to believe that he is guilty of "preaching another gospel".

When I read the "Purpose" book, I really enjoyed it and got a lot out of it. However, when our church began a home group Bible study series based on the book, I had my concerns right from the start. I wrote about this in a former blogpost called Seeking to Save?

The crux of the matter and debate (for me, at least) can be summed up in this portion of my former blogpost:

All the leaders gathered to view a video done by Pastor Rick Warren as an introduction to the study course. When the video came to the portion where accepting Christ was involved, an alarm went off in my heart and mind as I noticed something missing from Pastor Warren's prayer. There was no mention of the need to confess personal sins and repent of them. I had arrived late to the meeting so I thought that perhaps I missed that part in the beginning. During the question and answer time, I raised my hand and brought this up to the assistant pastor leading the class. He said he would "look into it" and quickly called on someone else with the next question. His lack of reaction and abrupt answer was close to an outright dismissal about my concerns!! I was shocked! Two other women sitting nearby said they felt the exact same way about that prayer! I was hoping that this would be brought out to the general congregation (because my pastor ALWAYS SPECIFICALLY EMPHASIZES THE NEED TO CONFESS SIN AND REPENT BEFORE RECEIVING CHRIST AS SAVIOR) but I don't think it was ever brought up.

As a leader of two study groups, I felt that it was my obligation to be sure that the sinners prayer was included in this study so I led such a prayer myself to give people the opportunity to receive Christ at any time during the 8 week study. If I had to criticize the "Purpose" book for one reason, it would be its lack of this important point within its pages.

This is why the book, "The Way of the Master" SHOULD ALSO BE READ BY EVERY BORN-AGAIN BIBLE-BELIEVING CHRISTIAN. It picks up where the "Purpose" book is lacking (IMO).

I will say this. There is much that is commendable in the work of Rick Warren. I am not saying that TPDL belongs in the trash. What I am saying is that it lacks the part of the gospel (the cross of Christ and his death in our place for our sin; plus resurrection to life) that saves people from their sin.

I do believe that God can, and does use even incomplete writings and turns them for good.

Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose.

But I also think that when a crucial part of the gospel is missing from a pastor's message, it must be pointed out and corrected!

It wasn't until this morning that I clicked on one of the links that Sothenes shared in his post. I'm really glad I finally got around to reading it because it is a truly wonderful, intricate explanation of What Must I Do To Be Saved?

I can't think of any other, more important message to share as the year 2006 comes to a close.

What Must I Do To Be Saved?

This is the most important question a person could ever ask. Thankfully, we are not left on our own to "imagine" what the answer might be. God has clearly TOLD us what we must do in order to be saved. The question is answered in the Bible! The Philippian jailer asked this very question to the apostle Paul in Acts 16:30-31. "Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."

Men have invented their own answers. Some have said we must "make a commitment" to Christ. Some say we must try to "be good", "stop sinning", "obey" the ten commandments, or join a church. God says, "BELIEVE" on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved! God gives the sinner but ONE requirement in order to be saved. He must believe on Christ. Nothing more. Nothing less. "But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. (John 20:31) [see also Rom. 5:1; 10:9; John 3:15,16,18,36; 5:24]

But what does it mean to BELIEVE?
The Scriptures make it clear that ALL a man has to do to be saved is believe. The Bible also makes it clear that there is a real kind of faith and a phony kind of faith. Is your faith real? Put your faith to the test.

1.) True faith includes knowledge.
One must know the correct FACTS of the gospel message. Faith placed in the wrong facts will never save. The "facts" of the gospel are recorded in I Cor.15:1-4. "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel … by which also ye are saved…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."

The New Testament makes it clear that no one is saved apart from a knowledge of the facts included in the gospel. An incomplete or inaccurate gospel will not save anyone! (II Cor.11:3-4) A vague belief in "a Higher Power" will not do. Today God requires that a man know that Jesus Christ is the only Savior. (Acts 4:12; John 14:6) Knowledge is an important part of saving faith. But saving faith is much MORE than simply KNOWING the truth about Christ's death, burial, and resurrection.

2.) True faith includes assent.
There must also be an assent to the reality and truthfulness of the gospel! We must believe in our heart that the gospel message is true. (Rom.10:9) Saving faith is more than having information in the head. It must include a deep inner conviction and persuasion concerning the reality of the gospel and all it implies. Faith must exist in the head and heart. The fact that Jesus died for our sins implies that we are condemned SINNERS, unable to save ourselves, and desperately in need of a Savior! (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5) No one is ever saved apart from knowing the correct facts concerning the gospel, AND being fully persuaded of the reality of those facts.

But even so, it is possible for a man to know the correct facts of the gospel, believe them to be true, and STILL not be saved! James makes that clear in his epistle. "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble." (James 2:19) Satan has that kind of faith. He believes the "facts" of the gospel message. He KNOWS those facts are true! He is well aware that Jesus died and rose again. But having the correct information and being fully persuaded of its reality is NOT saving faith! That is the point James makes in his epistle. It is perfectly possible (it happens often!) for a person to genuinely believe that all of the facts of the gospel are true, and yet in his heart want nothing to do with Jesus Christ! He may believe that Jesus died and rose again, and yet, he may at the same time, enjoy his life of sin and have no desire whatsoever for a new life! Thousands of men today have heard the gospel message, have assented to the truthfulness of it, and yet have said, "No thank you!" to God's gracious invitation to salvation.

3.) True faith also includes the will. Faith that saves must also involve a "choice", an act of the human will. "He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." (John 1:11-12) In this passage, John says that saving faith is synonymous with the choice to "receive" Christ. That is an act of the will, and is a deliberate choice on the part of the sinner. It is one thing to believe intellectually that Jesus died for our sins and rose again. It is another thing to make the choice to "receive" Him personally!

Choosing to "receive" Christ goes beyond intellectual faith to personal faith. Christ becomes MY personal Savior! It goes beyond a cold, intellectual belief in facts to TRUST in a Person.

Consider the passage in John 3:14-15. "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life." Jesus was quoting from the Old Testament book of Numbers. In that passage, the children of Israel were bitten by serpents and were dying. Moses was told by God to erect a pole and put a brass serpent upon the pole… and whoever would look upon the brass serpent would live. In John 3:14, Jesus uses this as an illustration of "saving faith". As condemned sinners, we are like those who were bitten by the serpents. That "bite" was poisonous, and left to themselves, they would perish. The wages of our sin is death, and apart from Christ, we too will perish - forever cast into the torments of the Lake of Fire! (Rom.6:23; Rev.20:11-15) The children of Israel were told to "look" upon the brass serpent and live! That's all they had to do! Look and live! If one bitten by the serpent did not believe the "facts" told to him [that looking at the brass serpent would cure him] he would not bother to go to the pole and look. But what would PREVENT the one bitten from looking on the serpent? Stubborn pride, self will, and rebellion would! Can't you just imagine some of those men saying to themselves, "I will not look to that serpent for a cure. That's the most foolish thing I have ever heard! It's too easy! I will never submit to anything so foolish"! The Bible tells us that "the preaching of the cross is to them who perish, foolishness!" (I Cor.1:18a) Yet it "pleased God by the foolishness of preaching, to save them that believe". (I Cor.1:21b) The cross, God's way of salvation, humbles the sinner. Because of our sinful pride, we refuse to submit to GOD'S METHOD of salvation. It seems foolish to the proud heart of man. It is offensive to sinful flesh to be told that our own efforts to save ourselves are like worthless, filthy rags, (Isa.64:6) and that we must trust in Christ's work for us or perish! Most men WILL not come to Christ. They choose not to. (Matt.22:3; John 1:11; 5:40)

Believing is easy in the sense that it is the ONLY requirement God has given us. But it is NOT easy to believe in the sense that true faith is humbling and offensive to our proud, sinful human nature. It is hard to admit that we really ARE condemned (John 3:18; Rom.3:9-19), that in our flesh dwelleth "no good thing" (Rom.7:18), and that we must trust in Christ alone to save us or we perish forever. The act of believing is simple. It is as easy as drinking water (Rev.22:17; John 4:14), stepping through a door (John 10:9), or receiving a gift (John 1:12; Rom.6:23). But the choice to believe may be quite difficult. It is a big decision, and heaven and hell hang in the balance!

God's only requirement for the sinner is to believe on Christ. But saving faith must involve the head (knowing the facts of the gospel and my desperate need as a condemned sinner), the heart (assenting to the truthfulness of the gospel message), and the will (choosing to call on the name of the Lord to be my Savior and to save me! -Rom.10:13) It is a deliberate, personal, knowledgeable, choice to receive Christ. You KNOW that Jesus died for your sins and paid your penalty. Perhaps your heart has even been stirred by that truth, but have you decided to receive Him personally? Is your faith real? BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Do it today!

Hat Tip: Salem Bible Church website
(Special thanks to Sothenes for providing the link!)

Photo Comparison? Priceless!

This is just so funny I had to link it within it's own blogpost! Perhaps you have seen some of these "comparison pics" before, but this is one of the best compilations that I have found yet!

Ha ha ha ha haaaaaa!

Bush vs. Kerry Photo Comparison!

Hat Tip: Commenter named "Doss" over at Little Green Footballs

P.S.
In case you missed this pic in the comment section of my previous post:

Kerry alone in mess hall in Iraq.

Many Now Recognizing the Heresy of Warren

Here are some more interesting letters from WorldNetDaily about Rick Warren.

I will place some comments in between:

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2006

A better handle on evil

Mr. Farah: My name is Clint Grimes. I am 46 years old. My wife and I have been members of Saddleback Church for almost 17 years. I have known the Warrens that long. I am part of the guest relations ministry, a group of law enforcement professionals that protect the Warrens at public events in Southern California, including Sunday services at Saddleback. In addition to my job as a Long Beach Police Officer, I am a commander in the Navy Reserve. I write you from Kuwait Naval Base, where I have been stationed since August. I am a Christian and I would like to say that I love and admire Pastor Rick and Saddleback Church. I would also like to say that I believe that I am intellectually honest. I have been deployed to the Middle East twice. I have read and seen a lot. As it stands I receive an in-depth intelligence brief three times a week. Regarding Rick's comment about Syria being moderate, you are right, and he was wrong. The government of Syria is not moderate. They do fuel insurgency, put limits on religious expression and are openly anti-Semitic. I also would like to acquaint you a phenomenon of which you may be aware. Many people, mostly Christians believe or at least act like they are protected by the force of their good will and do not recognize many of the evils of the world as well as situations in which they may be in danger. I guess this is naivety. Many people at Saddleback are like this, especially the staff. Living in the upper, upper middleclass community of South Orange County also feeds this mentality. The staff thought we were nuts when we suggested that he, Kay and the other preaching pastors have protection on campus about 10 years ago, and it took a couple of incidents before the staff realize that we knew what we were talking about. In conclusion, I would like to say that Rick is a great man and a great pastor. He has and will continue to do a lot of good. I don't know you, but I have read enough to know that you are a great editor of a magazine that tackles the issues head on. I believe that you and I just have a better handle of what evil is, what it looks like, and how it manifests itself. May God Bless you and your work throughout 2007.

Cdr. Clint Grimes

*******

Unfortunately, as a long-time member of Saddleback Church, I think that the loyalty that Cdr. Grimes has towards Rick Warren prevents him from recognizing the heresy that his pastor is involved in. However, I do think that the commander was absolutely correct when he stated:

Quote:
Many people, mostly Christians believe or at least act like they are protected by the force of their good will and do not recognize many of the evils of the world as well as situations in which they may be in danger. I guess this is naivety. Many people at Saddleback are like this, especially the staff. Living in the upper, upper middleclass community of South Orange County also feeds this mentality.

I have found that many Christians (usually of the liberal side of the equation) do not see the evil in the world as something that needs to be confronted and battled against by believers. They seem to think that the "battle is the Lord's." Well, that's true, but we are his "army," so to speak, here on the earth and we are not to just sit around and wait for the return of Jesus and do absolutely nothing to combat evil whenever, or wherever we see it!

David faced Goliath in the Old Testament. God was with David, but David also needed to confront Goliath by taking action through hurling that stone at him! Please understand the context of what I am saying, I'm not saying that we are to literally "throw stones" at our opponents. But we are not supposed to just stand by and allow the damage to our morals, ethics, and values to continue, unfettered, in this nation either!

There needs to be balance.

I think that Bill O'Reilly lays out such balance in the last chapter of his book, Culture Warrior.

Although O'Reilly doesn't limit culture warriors to the term "Christian" outrightly in his book, it is increasingly obvious that we need more traditional Christian culture warriors to speak out against the secular progressives that would want to change our nation so that it is unrecognizable as a nation that was originally built on Judeo-Christian moral, values, and ethics!

Media's anointed

Pastor Warren is in love with himself. His ego is tremendous and I really can't listen to him anymore. He is in the line of Tammy Faye and Jim Baker. It's all about him, not Christ. His book, "The Purpose Driven Life," is for people who have no clue about faith or life. The media has anointed him until they find some dirt and knock him off his pedestal.

Ave Maria Bacher

*******

I can certainly see why Ave said that. "The Purpose" book has value for those who are already saved by the cross of Jesus Christ. But it is not a book that will lead the unsaved to salvation.

Unfortunately, the cross of Jesus Christ is barely mentioned in Warren's book. I have also seen two additional occasions where Warren's salvation prayer had no reference to the need for confession and repentance!

That (repentance!) is essential to being saved and it is missing in his version of the "prayer for salvation."

Warren's church is going in the direction of the emergent church movement, that unwittingly or not, presents a crossless gospel.

People need to read the book, "The Way of the Master" first, become saved, and then they can read the "Purpose" book.

"The Way of the Master" covers what "Purpose" is lacking.

*******

Who's been co-opted?

Rick Warren's claim of membership in the Council on Foreign Relations and jumping on board the Evangelical Climate Initiative makes me suspect that if anyone has been co-opted by politicians it's him! Not only that, but by implication, Warren appears to be distorting the action of every Christian in the U.S. who has been moved by personal conviction to take a political stand based on morality.

Mic Lawler

******

Lawler stated:
Quote:
Warren appears to be distorting the action of every Christian in the U.S. who has been moved by personal conviction to take a political stand based on morality.

Very well said! This is so true! It actually defines the difference between what the liberal left form of Christianity calls for (ignoring personal conviction for sin and avoiding taking a stand on morality) and what Biblical Christianity professes!

Purpose-Driven study called 'new-age'

I used Warren’s book TPDL as a study guide for my Christian study group 2 years ago. What I read disturbed me. It sounded almost like another gospel. It was very new-age and Pelagian. Warren’s subsequent press has reaffirmed my original thoughts about his gospel. His ecumenical message fits better with the World Council of Churches mission statement. Warren’s gospel is not The Gospel in my opinion. Only the Holy Spirit can make the difference, not works.

Lang Price

*******

Funny how things become much more clear as we do research!

The truth about the "World Council of Churches."

What Matters Most in LIfe...

I learned about the death of former president Gerald Ford late last night. Fox News has several articles and links about his life and legacy.

I'm sure that many readers have heard about the phenomenon that deaths of celebrities/powerful/well-known people often occur in threes. Of course I'm not into "numerology" or any kind of thing like that. It's just something that I've noticed time and time again.

Legendary soul singer James Brown died earlier this week. Now Gerald Ford. Will there be a third well-known person passing this week?

Brown was 73 and Ford was 93! Ford lived a long life, but he wasn't healthy over the past several years.

I haven't had the chance to read much about either man. I do not know whether or not they were born again in Jesus Christ or not. I suppose we will all learn much more about them at the televised services.

Psalm 23 is a popular psalm of comfort when loved ones pass away.

From the Blue Letter Bible

New King James Version


Psa 23:1 PSALM 23
A Psalm of David.
THE LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.

Psa 23:2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.

Psa 23:3 He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name's sake.

Psa 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Psa 23:5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.

Psa 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell* in the house of the LORD
Forever.

But did you know that there is so much more meaning in that Psalm than what we get from it on the surface?

I recently did a study that was based on Psalm 23. You can read about it over at my other blog called The Way of God in Truth.

One really great book on this Psalm is Max Lucado's Traveling Light. In the book, Lucado shares the promise of Psalm 23 in a way that helps us to release the burdens that we were never intended to bear. Great book!

My son bought me Lucado's newest book for Christmas! It's called Facing Your Giants. Can't wait to read it!

The book jacket says:

David. You could read his story and wonder what God saw in him. His life has little to offer the unstained, straight-A saint. He fell as often as he stood, stumbled as often as he conquered. But for those who know the sound of a Goliath, David gives this reminder:

Focus on giants - you stumble.
Focus on God - your giants tumble.

If you're ready to face your giants, let his story inspired you. The same God who helped him will help you.

I'm inspired already!

What matters most in life is focusing on God and the mission that he has given each and every one of us in this world. We may wonder what God "sees in us," but once we get ourselves out of the way, God's strength... not our own... can work through us, with us, and for us!

An Interesting Viewpoint...

Good morning! I hope everyone had a beautiful and blessed Christmas Day! Our family enjoyed spending the entire day at home. We began the day by opening gifts while listening to beautiful Christmas songs. One of our favorites is Jars of Clay "The Little Drummer Boy." Michael W. Smith's CD is a favorite as well. We had a delicious prime rib dinner and watched a movie together.

So. What do we talk about the day after Christmas?

I was wondering what I should blog about this morning. It's too early for a New Year's Resolutions post!

Then, I ran across a new post over at my message board. I thought it put forth some very informative and interesting facts about the current struggles going on over in Iraq. See what you think about it. I posted a brief comment at the end, but did not address a lot of what is in the post. Perhaps some of you will have additional points to add.

Delusional cooperation

The things in Iraq took yet another wrong turn when Bush forced Maliki to meet him in Jordan. The meeting did not help Republicans in the elections, but broke the Iraqi coalition. The faction of Shiite cleric al-Sadr walked out of the government coalition, as promised, because of the meeting. No one in Iraq has a slightest doubt that Maliki is an American quisling. That’s ok with the people. In Muslims countries, rulers are not expected to represent population; the US and the Qaeda each tries to change that. Muslims are very extroversive and value fac'ade and rituals. Maliki could be a puppet, but he should behave like a tiger – Iraqi tiger. At least, Maliki managed to skip social meeting with Bush and Jordanian King Abdullah (Olmert ignored Arab mentality and met Abdullah several times, a PR disaster). If that attention to rituals looks silly to rational Americans, it probably is. But that’s how it works in the region. To reach an agreement with Iraqis – rather than simply punish the Baathist state – the US negotiators would have to sit hours and days with various Iraqis, both bureaucrats and radicals, drinking super-sweet Iranian tea, chain-smoking on par with their opponents and talking, talking, and talking. That might or might not bring the desired results, but no other approach could deliver a stable, moderate, US-friendly Iraq. To please his American masters, Maliki brought together fictitious coalition. Its Shiite faction does not include al-Sadr’s group, the main Shiite organization. It includes only a minor Sunni party, also non-representative. The coalition is advertised as moderate, but listen to the names: Sunni Iraqi Islamic Party (sectarians), the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution (sic) in Iraq, and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (separatist organization, as the name makes clear). The coalition is meant to squeeze Sadr out of politics. He would indeed go – into the urban battlefields. Sadr could show himself a good Muslim, promise to step down the fighting – and use the truce to train his forces. He needs time to grow the Mahdi gang into an army. Sistani’s approval won’t cement the coalition. He is merely a religious authority. Religious power in Islam is very dispersed because every cleric and theoretically every Muslim could pronounce fatwas. People go along with famous clerics insofar as they opportunistically serve the mob’s wishes. Sistani cannot afford to condemn fighting the Sunnis, thus his blessing of the coalition could only be half-hearted. Moreover, Shiite militia includes few fundamentalists who would blindly obey Sistani. They are common guerrillas who only superficially subscribe to religion or ideology. They fight for the sake of killing. Their loyalty is with Sadr. Iran – al-Sadr’s sponsor – does not care about Iraqi Shiite bosses such as Sistani. Civil war in Iraq suits Iranian national interest: strong and hostile neighbor turns into protectorate. Iran, not Sadr is the problem, but Sadr handsomely contributes to the situation. Oddly, the US loses its soldiers, kills Iraqis and allows still larger numbers to die in the conflict while al-Sadr, who orchestrates much of the violence, lives in safety. Why not assassinate him? The White House PR people offended the common sense when they staged Robert Gates’ meeting with a dozen of handpicked soldiers who assured him that the army is on the right track.

I don't know much about the author of that post. His/her screen name is OSfllwr. Perhaps I can find out more when he/she returns to my message board and replies to my post:

Some thoughts on your post...

Thank you for your very informative post. It is good to get the Iraqi views and side of the equation.

Wasn't al Sadr supposed to be arrested for several murders that he called for, even before the U.S. came into Iraq?

Your idea of assassinating him might create even more havoc, being that martyrdom is just another reason to incite more violence and call for jihad.

The idea of "sitting down and talking" doesn't sound like it would work. The U.S. doesn't have (nor should they have) the patience for such a thing because the end result would probably not amount to much change, if any.

For example. The "talking" and "agreements" that were done with Arafat (on behalf of the Palestinians) when he was alive often amounted to nothing more than a temporary cease fire of hostilities. It was hard to trust a man like Arafat when he said niceities in front of the American news audience, then went into the local mosque and screamed in Arabic, "death to America." (See the film Obsession: Radical Islam's War with the West.)

Your statement here is truly an eye opener, for me, at least:

Quote:
Muslims are very extroversive and value fac'ade and rituals.

Perhaps the reason for this is their history of life without any kind of liberty or real freedom...

His Destiny...Was to Change Ours

His destiny...was to change ours.

Luk 2:11
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

That brief saying and Bible verse is on a dark blue t-shirt that I bought at a Christian book store yesterday. There is a beautiful white, artistic print picture of Mary and Jesus on the shirt. She is sitting behind the manger with her arms outstretched, about to embrace the baby Jesus.

Have you embraced Jesus?

Is He Lord and Savior of your life?

I am reminded of some of the scenes in the movie Forrest Gump.

After Forrest and Lt. Dan drank alcohol and celebrated with two women at a bar on New Year's Eve, they went back to Dan's apartment to continue the party.

One woman, after an unsuccessful attempt to get Forrest to have sex with her, asked, "Is your friend stupid or somethin?"

The woman with Dan mockingly asked something like this, "Yeah, what's the matter...did he lose "it" in the war or somethin?"

Lt. Dan, (in a wheelchair due to losing both legs in the Vietnam war) became very angry at both women. He proceeded to take the woman who was sitting half naked on his own lap and pushed her off. He fired back, "Don't call him 'stupid.' "

One could not help but notice how the woman with Dan "turned on a dime," so to speak. She began calling Lt. Dan names like "loser," and "cripple," etc. because in the next moment, he had fallen off of his wheelchair.

What a contrast, huh?

One moment she was all hyped up, about to have sex with him and the next moment she was nasty and berating him. Talk about fake love and feigned friendship! Both women left, still yelling epithets at the two of them.

Forrest apologized to Lt. Dan for breaking up the party. He briefly explained his disgust with the woman because she, apparently, deeply kissed him and he said, "she tasted like cigarettes."

A bit later in this scene, Lt. Dan asks Forrest, "Have you found Jesus yet?"

Forrest answered, "I didn't know I was supposed to be looking for him."

Doesn't that describe our society today? Many people are out there celebrating Christmas, without recognizing the true meaning and value of this blessed holiday. Many, unfortunately, ignore that His destiny was to change ours.

Lt. Dan then described to Forrest what often happens during his visits to the disabled veteran's hall. He said something like, "That's all those vets talk about...Jesus this...and Jesus that. If I accept Jesus into my heart, I will one day walk with Him in the kingdom of heaven. Did you hear that Forrest? I will walk. But I have to help myself."

And Lt. Dan Taylor, shows how people's minds can change through the years, when, at first, all he desires to do is to die in the camp with his fellow soldiers; yet years later, ends up thanking Forrest, whose actions (despite Dan's anger at first) saved him from an early demise.

Back in the scene where Dan and Forrest had partnered up to become successful shrimp boat entrepreneurs, Lt. Dan thanks Forrest for "saving his life." In the narrative part of the film, Forrest waas speaking about Lt. Dan and says, "I think he had made his peace with God."

This portion of the film may have seemed a small and insignificant part to many movie-goers, commentators and critics. But it served as a powerful message to many in the Christian audience, who recognized it's importance and significance.

This sub-story within the story of Forrest Gump is an example of how "Jesus' destiny was to change ours."

Today, while (unsuccessfully) attempting to find the exact script lines used, I came across this link that contained 74 pages of opinions and comments!

Wow!

Not going to get through that large a list today!

I was a bit surprised to find so many reviewers who absoluted hated this classic film! Perhaps one man's post might explain at least one of the reasons for such hatred :

Absolutely awful concatenation of lachrymose sentimentality and right-wing politics. I hated this movie with an intensity that cannot be measured. This was one of the most inward looking American movies to be seen in a long time. Americans seem to believe that there is no other country outside "Godzone"

Ah ha! Someone actually did notice the message about Jesus within this film, but as we can see, he personally hated and rejected it outright!

But believers see a different kind of message. We see that God can use anyone, (including someone with limited mental capacity like Forrest) to help transform someone else's life and show him/her the path to Jesus and reconciliation with God.

Forrest's efforts helped to transform Lt. Dan's life. This presents one of the most emotional moments of the whole film when Dan comes to visit for the wedding between Gump and his doomed wife, Jenny - and is able to walk on artificial limbs, obviously happy to be alive. Forrest called them "magic legs" recalling his disability as a child when he needed to wear braces on his own legs.

Another transformed life through Jesus Christ!

Jesus Christ's destiny...was, and is to change ours.

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish,but have everlasting life." John 3:16

*******


Be sure to visit Charlie's "Christmas Encounters" at AnotherThink!

Christmas Encounters part 1 - 4

Don't miss this one, either:

2006 Christmas Message: Redemption Provided

Hat tips:
Anotherthink
SharperIron

Merry Christmas!

Dear Friends,

Here's an online Christmas card for you!

Christmas Ecard

Merry Christmas!

Christine

Hat Tip: My friend Bing!

Half-Censored!

Is there such a word as half-censored? According to Dictionary.com, there is no such word. But such blatant actions certainly exist today.

Case in point.

Last week, there was a letter-to-the-editor published in the Faith & Values section of our local newspaper. Here's that letter:

Homosexuality is natural

What is a homosexual? Homosexuality is the sexual desire directed toward a person of the same sex. What is this desire? This desire is a sexual appetite of the animal body. Where does this appetite come from? A natural hunger to satisfy a bodily craving, whether for food, curiosity, or sex.

These are three major appetites of human bodies upon birth. One is for food, another is for sex and another is for living life, called curiosity. All three are natural, varying and necessary for nature to be satisfied.

All three are as variable as the multiple fingerprints and personalities that we all have from birth. "Genetic factors: Chromosomes play a large part in determining the sexual identity of a child. Normally for humans, the configurations are XX and XY for female and male respectively, but this is not always the case. There can also be chromosomal abnormalities, which may result in karyotypes such as XXY, XYY, etc., as well" (Wikipedia).As we can see, the Bible comments about homosexuals are not from God, but politics and man-made morals. We can plainly see that the Bible is not 100 percent the word of God, but is also the comments of men about what they claim God has said.

Armand

*******

I wrote a rebuttal of that letter and it appeared in the publication today:

In his attempt to claim that homosexual behavior is "natural," Armand A. takes his own opinions and pits them against both science (sodomy is unhealthy, causes deadly disease and against proper sexual function) and God.

God's Word is the same yesterday, today and forever. Therefore, what was said in the Bible about homosexuality is still true today. In his prayer to the Father, Jesus spoke in absolutes when he said, "Your Word is truth." He also reiterated that "God made them male and female." He was speaking about the Old Testament Scriptures as well as the words that the Father gave him to speak during his three year ministry on earth.

Is Armand claiming that Jesus is a liar?

The sexual act of sodomy is explicitly mentioned as sin and is called an abomination to God. You can't get any more specific than that! Modern Bible "scholars" may try to twist the Scriptures and use their esogesis techniques to get around such facts, but the proper methods of interpretation use exegesis, hermeneutics, Sola Scriptura, and Scripture interprets Scripture. The Bible's exact description of this aberrant, forbidden sexual act cannot possibly be dismissed or misconstrued. It is only those who wish to eliminate parts of the Bible they dislike, and do not want to adhere to, who attempt to dismiss this fact about homosexual behavior...to their own detriment, too. More at www.talkwisdom.blogspot.com/.

Christine

*******

Now, you would think that I should be happy, right?

Wrong!

Guess what the editors chose to leave out of my letter? The last sentence with a link to my blogspot!

I read the instructions about including links to websites in letters and followed them. Apparently, they want people to eliminate the http: etc. and only put www.(your domain name).com in the letter. I did that, yet they choose to half-censor my letter by eliminating the link (a typed out link that was done properly, I might add) from the publication!

Isn't this just so typical of the mainstream media?

Oh yes!

We have seen it over and over again!

I could list a myriad of examples. For at least dozens, if not hundreds of examples, go read about Michele Malkin's (a champion for traditional culture warrior causes) oftentimes "subtle" suppression of free speech via Youtube and the mainstream media (as well as the harsh, cruel and threatening letters and emails she gets) at her blogspot.

Censorship of my views has happened to me, personally, at least 3 or 4 times when I have attempted to publish rebuttals to flawed articles (usually about Christianity and the Bible) in my local newspaper.

What a shame...and a sham such publications and their censoring editors are!!

At least now we have the blogosphere, where censorship is at a minimum. However, it still exists (as M. Malkin's case of being kicked off YouTube shows) and it is almost always targeted at the traditionalist warriors in this culture war we are in.

It's a shame that the link to my blog was omitted for several reasons. First, the people who read my letter will not have the opportunity to see how well I can back up what I wrote through further links provided here.

I will start with a new link. I read this blogpost last week, but wanted to wait until my rebuttal letter to Armand's crazy rant appeared in the paper. A Christian co-blogging friend, D.L. Foster, (who is also a pastor) over at
Perspectives in Motion has an excellent post with additional links about the topic of Homosexuality a "temptation, not orientation"

It is short, but definitely profound:

Former homosexual Rev. Tim Wilkins of North Carolina, speaking at the Saddleback AIDS conference said something I would categorize as mildly profound.

For Christians to love homosexuals like Jesus would, they should stop thinking of homosexuality as an orientation and start thinking of it as a temptation, says Tim Wilkins, himself "formerly gay." [source]

I agree with that. We believe there is only one orientation. Man was emotionally, relationally and sexually oriented towards woman and God pronounced it good. What is now called "sexual orientation[s]" is largely a man made concoction, a product of his sinful rebellion against God. Homosexuality -- a sinful condition-- then is part of the sexual divergence from the will, purpose and creative intent of God. Of course gay activists have attempted to coop this truth with "science".
Seeing it as such would quickly alleviate this social, and perhaps political struggle over the "rights" of homosexuals.

Now, we all know that we would never hear about Tim Wilkin's loving way of handling this topic in the mainstream media. The only ones who ever get a voice are the gay activists and the people who might be over the top on this subject (e.g. Phelps and his ilk). Would Tim Wilkins get an interview in the MSM to share his message? No. Of course not. The reason why? D.L. Foster nails it when he stated:

Of course gay activists have attempted to coop this truth with "science". Seeing it as such would quickly alleviate this social, and perhaps political struggle over the "rights" of homosexuals.

What bothers me, in particular, is the fact that there is so much scientific evidence that the sexual acts of homosexuals should never even be practiced no less taught in public schools as "normal," "natural," or "healthy." The health risks alone should be enough to stem the tide. But we live in a "morally relativistic universe of politically correct tolerance," so that important scientific research on the health risks, damage to the physical, social and psychological health of individuals who engage in such behavior doesn't get any kind of fair hearing. Just go to the NARTH website and see for yourself!

The spiritual damage can be seen in posts here, here, and here; just to list a few. Many more links are provided at the end of this post in the "additional links list."

It's a shame that the readers of my local newspaper will not get the whole story on this issue because one editor made the censoring decision to exclude my blogpost link. They could have read the following links that I have posted on this blog. For most, it probably would have been quite an education based on the fact that the MSM would never allow such information to be broadcast on T.V. or in the newspapers.

I'll admit one thing. Time magazine sure got it right when they placed the "You" as the Persons of the Year, meaning the bloggers, YouTubers and website providers who are making a huge difference in the culture war!

Additional Links List

Hat Tip: Perspectives in Motion
Trackback URL:
http://haloscan.com/tb/pinmotion/
6135727970764327425

Out of Bethlehem

Wednesday, December 20

Because He Came

Yet out of [Bethlehem] shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting. Micah 5:2

Recommended Reading
Luke 2:8-12

Bill Gaither wrote a beautiful gospel song, "Because He Lives," the chorus of which explains why Christ's resurrection is so important: "Because He lives, I can face tomorrow, because He lives, all fear is gone; because I know He holds the future, and life is worth the living, just because He lives!"
(©1971 William J. Gaither)

But we might also go back about thirty years to Christ's birth and write another song titled "Because He Came." Think how His coming into the world changed everything. Because He came, we can know God, we can have our sins forgiven, we can know purpose in life, we can be sure of our eternal salvation, we can understand the plan and purpose for all creation, and we can live in perfect peace. The entrance of no other man or woman into this world has provided benefits such as those. But to experience the benefits of Christ's advent, we must know Him! Don't let this Christmas season pass by without discovering why He came for you.

Because Christ came, we can know that He will come again and receive us unto himself.

The fact is that the greatest mystery of all the incarnation comes at the very beginning [of faith] and is the central reason why we believe in God.
Os Guinness

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Revelation 11:1 - 13:18

From: Turning Point Online

The Soy Controversy

Did you hear about the article that stirred up so much controversy? It was an article done by Jim Rutz over on World Net Daily.

My thanks must go to Ebsfwan for bringing the original article to my attention over at my message board forum. The title was enough to send any gay rights activist into a tizzy!

Soy is making kids 'gay.'

It might be a good idea to read that article first, then click on Rutz's follow-up article called The trouble with soy - part 2.

Be sure to go to the links included in that article so that you can see how much of a controversy this is turning out to be!

Perhaps you may be inclined to laugh off the "gay kids" connection, but after reading the following part from Rutz's second article, I think that we can't deny the science behind the fear too much soy can hurt us!

Article excerpt:

If you think you don't eat much soy, think again. Though only 15 percent of us eat a mostly-soy product once a week, 55-70 percent of all processed foods in supermarkets now have some soy in them. You can't escape it. Soybean oil accounts for a whopping 79 percent of the edible fats used annually in the U.S.

Health-conscious people are likely to eat the most. Even a moderate vegetarian or soy fan would think nothing of tossing down eight ounces of tofu, a quarter cup of roasted soy nuts and a glass of soymilk daily, and that's far, far more than any normal Japanese individual would be likely to consume.

But the worst victims of soy are babies. Per kilogram of body weight, the average Japanese in 2000 ate 0.47 milligrams of soy isoflavones daily, while the average U.S. baby drinking soy formula got 6.25 milligrams. Isoflavones are testosterone-suppressing female hormones.

What is that doing to their sex organs and their sexual orientation? Tune in next week. The story gets worse, much worse.

If you would like to sound off on this issue, participate in today's WND Poll.

Just goes to show that what you don't know about what you are eating can hurt you!

What do you think?

Christine

*******
P.S. I'm so glad that way back when...I breast-fed my babies!! Just an additional good health benefit (besides the fact that the baby's immunity system builds up) reason to do so!

The Sin of Indifference

Sometimes an article comes along that just absolutely moves a person to realize something profound. That just happened to me when I read Rusty Humphrey's The sin of indifference.

Each time that I see another liberal Democrat bash and blame Bush over the war (the way that Hillary Clinton did today during her interview with Meredith Viera), especially when she (like John Kerry) voted for it in the first place, I have struggled to find the correct word for what, and why (besides politics), they are continually doing that. Humphrey's article helped me to realize the real, genuine, subconscious reason that they can do such a thing. Indeed...it is because of the sin of indifference.

Humphrey asks:

Why is it the morale of American troops in Iraq remains so high, and why are re-enlistment rates so strong? Elie Wiesel may shed some light on this important question.

[You must click on the link to read all of Wiesel's enlightening comments.]

From Mr. Wiesel's speech:

Fifty-four years ago to the day, a young Jewish boy from a small town in the Carpathian Mountains woke up, not far from Goethe's beloved Weimar, in a place of eternal infamy called Buchenwald. He was finally free, but there was no joy in his heart. He thought there never would be again. Liberated a day earlier by American soldiers, he remembers their rage at what they saw. And even if he lives to be a very old man, he will always be grateful to them for that rage, and also for their compassion. Though he did not understand their language, their eyes told him what he needed to know – that they, too, would remember, and bear witness.

In that same speech,Wiesel spoke eloquently about what he considered the real cause of the Holocaust – the indifference to the evil of Hitler. The blurring of the lines between good and evil to avoid confronting evil:

What is indifference? Etymologically, the word means "no difference." A strange and unnatural state in which the lines blur between light and darkness, dusk and dawn, crime and punishment, cruelty and compassion, good and evil. What are its courses and inescapable consequences? Is it a philosophy? Is there a philosophy of indifference conceivable? Can one possibly view indifference as a virtue? Is it necessary at times to practice it simply to keep one's sanity, live normally, enjoy a fine meal and a glass of wine, as the world around us experiences harrowing upheavals?

Wiesel dug in deeper to the true menace of indifference. In the end, indifference is always the friend of the enemy. Enemies like Radical Islam and Fascism depend on our indifference.

The Iraqi people are getting blown up by people who don't want them to succeed. And the men who desire to protect their women and children and join the security forces – they too are targets of this evil. That is why our soldiers' morale is high. They see the human events unfold on the ground. They see the nature of the enemy, and see the Iraqi people struggling to live normal lives.

Indifference, then, is not only a sin, it is a punishment. And this is one of the most important lessons of this outgoing century's wide-ranging experiments in good and evil. In the place that I come from, society was composed of three simple categories: the killers, the victims and the bystanders. During the darkest of times, inside the ghettoes and death camps we felt abandoned, forgotten. All of us did.

I recommend Mr. Wiesel's thoughts to people like John Kerry who think a whirlwind trip to Iraq will provide all the wisdom and information necessary to satisfy their own agendas and, as a side issue/benefit, determine the fate of the people of Iraq. I also believe Sen. Kerry should ponder the vexing question, "Why has the morale of our troops in Iraq remained so high?"

I know one thing, it isn't because of their indifference.

The indifference of those countries, whose leaders apparently liked the status quo of allowing Saddam Hussein to brutalize his own people while getting rich off the kickbacks from the U.N. Oil for Food Program Scandal is another example of indifference to the suffering of others, precisely because of greed!

After 17 resolutions against the former Iraqi dictator, the U.N. still refused to do what was necessary at the time when most intelligence operatives agreed that Saddam had WMD's!!

So, when we look at this in hindsight, if the U.S., Britain and the coalition forces of countries that came around to supporting the invasion didn't take action, the status quo of Saddam murdering hundreds of thousands of his own people (plus neighboring Kuwait) would be continuing today and he would not be on trial for crimes against humanity. The Oil for Food Scandal would not have been revealed and those who participated in it would be continuing to line their pockets with blood money.

The parallels between the Iraq situation with Hitler's holocaust cannot be missed! In both cases, innocent people were murdered because of the world's indifference to the situation and their suffering!

The United States cannot solve all of the world's problems. But we are the one country that has solved many of them in the past, and we will continue to be active in fighting fanatics around the globe. Our country has been successful at liberating millions to a kind of freedom that they previously could have only dreamed of!

I truly believe that America has been, currently is, and ever will be blessed by God because of our uniqueness in the the world today. Despite the fact that many other countries may hate us and our policies...most of the naysayers are not into the business of liberating other countries from evil dictators and terrorist strongholds like our world-class military is currently doing.

Most of the countries that continually bash us are not even willing to do anything to help liberate victims of dictatorship nor are they concerned about any fledging democracies (like Lebanon) by helping them to stay on course!

We hear about totally naive ideas like the suggestions to "talk" with evil regimes like North Korea, Iran, and Syria. These sideline "suggesters" in the ideological struggles we face would award such countries with "talk" without first getting them to stop their nuclear proliferation and/or terrorist funding!

Such ideas would show weakness to our enemies.

Despite the hatred often aimed at President Bush, at least he has the moral conviction and steadfast fortitude to get the job done and not retreat like many secular progressives would want our nation to do. The Bush Doctrine is a policy of strength in a world that sometimes demonstrates a Polly-Annaish, "Land of Oz" view that peace will happen if we just leave the terrorists alone and let the status quo remain regarding insane, evil dictators oppression upon their people as well as the threats they pose to the rest of the civilized world.

In another thread, I posted links to articles about Jimmy Carter's new book which demonstrates how he is definitely on the wrong side of history in his worldview. Here are the links in case you missed them.

Stein said: "Does that mean killing Jews is legitimate? Did I misread this? I don't think so. If he wrote it, he is endorsing violence, which is not the original purpose of the Carter Center.

Carter to Leno: Treatment of Palestinians 'horrible' Jimmy fails to mention onslaught of terrorist attacks against Israelis

*******
Update 9:59 a.m.
Kerry too busy for Iran

In true Kerry form:

It's clear he doesn't have too many ideas of his own – other than embarrassing his own country. But he thinks the anti-Semitic, anti-American regime in Damascus might be able to enlighten him.

It's also clear Kerry has different expectations of Middle Eastern people than he has had in the past for others. He says it's too much to expect them to embrace liberty.

"We will always be a nation that advocates democracy … but we need to be smart about the steps we take and the pace at which we demand people make transitions," he said.

Funny, I don't recall Kerry and his ideological cohorts being quite so patient in South Africa, South Vietnam and with the Iranians under the rule of the shah.

Kerry is an extremely reckless politician – unaccountable to anyone else, even his own evolving worldview. He doesn't have a clue as to what he is doing in the Middle East, other than humiliating the Bush administration. He doesn't care how much he hurts his own country's interests, as long as he perceives he is furthering his own.

Entertainment Industry Hostile to People of Faith

PTC Study Finds Religious Content on TV Shown Less Frequently and More Negatively

The Parents Television Council revealed in a new study that religious content on television is shown less frequently and more negatively on television. The new study, "Faith in a Box 2005-2006," is a review of how religion is portrayed on prime time broadcast television.

"The results of this study clearly show that the entertainment industry is not reflecting the strong religious beliefs of Americans in its television programming. The industry is in fact hostile to people of faith -- no matter if the person is Christian, Jewish, or Muslim," said L. Brent Bozell, president of the PTC. "

The evidence is clear: On CBS' Two and a Half Men, Charlie Sheen's character uses the melody of 'Joy to the World' to sing 'Joy to the Word, I'm getting laid.' Fox's The Family Guy proved to be especially sacrilegious and vile when it showed God in bed with a woman. These examples, and others, show that Hollywood has a clear distaste for religion." According to a recent Zogby/American Bible Society poll, 84% of adults are not offended when they hear references to God or the Bible on network television shows, and 51% say entertainment networks should develop shows with positive messages -- and even specifically refer to God and the Bible. "

The irony is that reality shows such as Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and The Amazing Race, where real characters freely express themselves, faith and religion are positively portrayed. But in scripted shows, where Hollywood writers express their worldviews, faith and religion become four letter words -- to the tune of 95.5% negative portrayals. This is an industry that is completely out of touch with reality," Bozell continued.

In this seventh PTC study examining the treatment of religious content on television, an entire year of prime-time broadcast programming was analyzed. The PTC examined a total of 2,271.5 hours of programming containing 1,425 treatments of religion.

Major findings:

Religion is shown less than in past years - There were half as many portrayals of religion in 2005-2006 (1,425) as in 2003-2004 (2,344).

Religion is portrayed more negatively - In 2005-2006, there were more negative depictions of religion than positive ones (35% to 34%).
Depictions of aspects affiliated with organized religion (clergy, doctrine or laity) were mostly negative.

Reality shows are more positive towards religion - The format of the program was a significant factor in the portrayal which religion received. A majority (57.8%) of the positive portrayals of religion were to be found on reality programs. By contrast, an overwhelming percentage (95.5%) of the negative portrayals of religion came from such Hollywood-scripted drama and comedy programs; only 4.5% of negative portrayals of religion were found on reality shows.

Fox was by far the most anti-religious network - One in every two (49.3%) portrayals of religion on the Fox network was negative. Long-time champion NBC came in second in negative depictions of religion, with well over a third (39.3%) of such portrayals being negative. Among other networks, over a third (35.4%) of depictions of religion on UPN was also negative. ABC registered 30.4% and CBS 29% negative portrayals. The WB network featured the fewest negative depictions of religion (21%).

Later hours of prime time are more negative towards religion - The number of negative portrayals increased steadily with each hour of prime-time. Negative treatments constituted 31.9 % of all treatments in the 8 pm hour, 33.9 % in the 9 pm hour and 44.4% in the 10 pm hour. At no time during prime time, and on no network did the positive portrayal of religion even hit the 50% mark.

Laypersons -- non-clerical individuals who profess religious faith -- were treated most negatively by entertainment programs - Over half (50.8%) of all entertainment television's depictions of laity were negative. Only 26% were positive.

Portrayal of religious institutions were critical - Close behind in negative portrayal were religious institutions (such as particular denominations, specific religious beliefs or direct references to Scripture), nearly half (47.6%) of which were negative. By contrast, only 18% of depictions of religious institutions were positive.

Clergy shown in a negative light - Prime-time television's portrayal of clergy was also heavily weighted, with less than a third (30.4%) of depictions of and references to clergy being positive, and another two-thirds being negative or ambiguous.

Simple religious faith shown positively - Only in depictions of religious faith -- showing individuals making a simple declaration of belief in God or a higher power, or praying -- was television's portrayal of religion largely positive. Over two-thirds (69.6%) of such portrayals were positive, with less than one-sixth (14.7%) being negative.

"This study clearly documents the complete disconnect between Hollywood's attitude toward religion and that of the American public," Bozell concluded.

To read the full study, "Faith in a Box 2005-2006," Click Here.

Culture Warrior on the War on Terror

OK. I just have to do it. Especially after reading "The Ripper's" blogposts. I have been compelled to type out chapter 7 of the book Culture Warrior in order for people to see the enormous differences that separate the Traditional Culture Warriors from the Secular-Progressives in the U.S.A.

I feel so bad for the current college students who are being propagandized and indoctrinated with what the secular-progressive movement is spewing on their campuses.

Case in point. Have you heard about the angry Iranian ambassador who attacked the West, America and bashes FOX News and dodged Holocaust questions at the Columbia college campus? How ironic that this is the same campus that attacked the Minutemen who were invited to speak by a college Republican group, and, is the same campus that wouldn't let many guests who were invited to hear Walid Shoebat speak regarding his former, first hand experiences and now, Christian reformed perspective on Islamic Jihad! If anyone is qualified to know what a threat terrorists present to the U.S.A., Israel, and the world, it would be him!

Hmmmm....it seems to me that free speech is only granted when the speaker is in agreement with the liberal left worldview and viewpoints (even those who hate... like that Iranian U.N. "Ambassador," America!!!) rather than those who adhere to the Christian, conservative, Republican worldview.

How sad!!

It is for this reason that I will take the time to type out most of Culture Warrior's seventh chapter which deals with the war on terrorism and how the worldview and viewpoints of the secular-progressive crowd (a.k.a. liberal left loonies) would allow our country to ultimately give up and be taken over by the threats we face today...all in the name of their extreme views of "socialism," "diversity," "tolerance," while at the same time, spewing their immense hatred for all and everything that most Americans see as our Judeo-Christian heritage and values.

Christine

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Who do you think Osama bin Laden supports in the American culture war: the traditionalists or the secular-progressives?

Not so fast....This may be a trick question.

On the one hand, the Saudi-born terrorist despises just about everything the S-P's fervently espouse: a de-emphasis of religion, a libertine social landscape, no judgments on most private behavior, and an acceptance of human weakness.

For those of you not currenlty up to date on their policies, al-Qaeda would decapitate gays who wanted to marry, cut off the hands of drug abusers, stone to death anyone who suggested Allah not be included in the public arena, and blind anyone who looked at pornography. If Osama was calling the shots in the U.S., the ACLU would be, in theory, very, very busy. In reality, they'd be dead.

But think about what I am about to put forth: From his hideout somewhere in the Muslim world, Osama and his cohorts have got to be cheering on the S-P movement, because its most fanatical adherents are opposed to the bedrock strengths of traditional America. The S-P world view is much softer than that of the traditional forces, as I'll demonstrate shortly. For now, it is important to understand that the S-P vanguard, the ACLU, has actively opposed just about every anti-terror strategy the United States government has introduced. In my view, that opposition greatly helps al-Qaeda and other terrorist outfits.

The secular-progressive movement opposes coerced interrogation - not torture, but harsh treatment - of captured terror suspects. They object to detention of them at U.S. military prisons like Guantanamo Bay. In addition, the ACLU opposes military tribunals (rather than civilian trials) to determine the guilt or innocence of suspected terrorists, rendition programs where terror suspects are held in foreign conuntries, floating wiretaps (already in use in U. S. criminal investigations), telephone surveillance of overseas calls by U. S. spy agencies, airport profiling, the Patriot Act, the war in Iraq, and random bag searches on subway or mass-transit systems.

In short, the ACLU opposes making life more difficult for terrorists but proposes absolutely nothing to make Americans safer. Osama has got to love it.

On the positive side (sarcasm intended), the ACLU supports: Constitutional protections for noncitizen terror suspects captured overseas, Geneva Convention protections for terror suspects captured wearing civilian clothing (which, of course, eliminates them from the Geneva Convention treaties), civilian lawyers and criminal due process instead of military justice, and the exposure of top secret U. S. antiterror programs in the press.

There's more. According to the ACLU, government officials should be prosecuted for the alleged exposure of former CIA agent Valerie Plame, but at the same time no government official should be investigated for leaking information about the top-secret National Security Agency's overseas listening activities, approved by President Bush under the seal of an Executive Order.

Add it all up and you can see exactly what I meant earlier: When it comes to the war on terror, Osama has got to be thrilled that he has unwitting allies in the ACLU and, indeed, the entire S-P movement. In my assessment, the S-Ps fail to see the danger clearly. They constantly harp on America's mistakes while confronting violent terrorism, but they do not put forth viable solutions to neutralize the threats. They create a fog that damages our counterterrorism efforts. If all Americans bought into the ACLU's terror platform, instead of hiding in a Pakistani cave someplace, Osama might be sitting at a negotiating table in Paris, patiently awaiting an interview with Le Monde.

I know I'll be harshly criticized for writing that last paragraph, but as I asked, think about it. How could any sane person adopt the stance the ACLU takes toward the war on terror? Don't those people get 9/11? Doesn't the S-P movement understand the danger America faces from terrorist fanatics who would use nuclear weapons, should they acquire them, against us?

The answer to that question is a bit complicated, but it is rooted in the one thing that the secular-progressive movement and Al-Qaeda have in common: Both outfits believe that the United States of America is fundamentally a bad place.

Again, I'll be criticized for writing that, so let's back it up and return to our pal George Lakoff, the premier S-P philosopher and guru. Like most S-P true believers, Lakoff believes that the United States is at least partially responsible for the buildup of worldwide terrorism; therefore, by that reasoning, it was some of America's own doing that it was attacked on 9/11. That point of view is obviously a tough sell to the American public, so the ACLU and others do not bring the hypothesis up very often.

But Lakoff makes the S-P position crystal clear on page 66 of his Elephant book:

The idealistic claim of the Bush administration is that they intend to wipe out all terrorism. What is not mentioned is that the United States has systematically promoted a terrorism of its own and has trained terrorists, from the contras to the mujahideen, the Honduran death squads, and the Indonesian
military. Will the U.S. government stop training terrorists? Of course not. It will deny that it does so...if the U.S. wants terror to end, the U.S. must end ts own contribution to terror.

So the war on terror is largely America's fault, according to Lakoff, who conveniently avoids mentioning America's fight against the expansion of worldwide communism. As any intelligent person knows, the brutal cold war against the Soviet Union and Red China was the primary reason the U.S. armed opponents of communism like the contras in Nicaragua and the mujahideen in Afghanistan.

This is so typical of Lakoff and other S-P "thinkers": They ignore all perspective in their analysis. When was the last time you heard any S-P fanatic mention that almost 3 million people were slaughtered by communist forces in Southeast Asia after the U.S. withdrew from Vietnam? I've never heard Jane Fonda, a duchess of the S-P realm, mention that, have you?

The bedrock belief that America is, and has been, an evil country is crucial to understanding the secular-progressive point of view when it comes to the war on terror. Here's their bankrupt reasoning: The S-Ps cannot support any anti-terror measure until the U.S. stops being a terrorist country itself. Get it? Yes, they're serious. If you don't believe me, travel to Berkeley, CA, or Cambridge, MA, and ask.

I first came across this thinking when I interviewed a man named Jeremy Glick on The Factor shortly after the attack on 9/11. [Note from Christine: I saw this interview!] Mr. Glick's father had been murdered in the collapse of the World Trade Center. Despite that tragedy, however, Jeremy had signed his name to an advertisement paid for by a radical S-P group called Not in Our Name. Part of that ad suggested an outrageous equivalency: "We too watched with shock the horrific events of September 11th. We too mourned the thousands of innocent dead in Baghdad, Panama City, and a generation ago, Vietnam."

Wow. Comparing the 9/11 attack, which resulted in the murders of about three thousand innocent civilians, to the defeat of Saddam Hussein in the first Gulf War (remember, he invaded Kuwait and brutalized the people there), to the removal of Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega (who had turned his country into an international narcotics shipping center), and to the U.S. involvement in Vietnam (a war that was fought to prevent the spread of totalitarianism and communism). I just couldn't believe a young man like Jeremy Glick was nutty enough to sign his name to that kind of a display. There must have been some sort of misunderstanding; maybe it was part of his grieving process.

Wrong, again, culture warrior.

In what has become a famous TV verbal shoot-out, Glick came on The Factor and told me my criticism of the ad was dead wrong. Moreover, he opined, my surprise at his participation was naive:

"I'm actually surprised that you're surprised," Glick told me. "If you think about it, our current president, who I feel and many feel is in this position illegitimately by neglecting the voices of African Americans in the Florida coup...our current president now inherited a legacy from this father and inherited a political legacy that's responsible for training militarily, economically, and situating geopolitically the parties involved in the alleged assassination and murder of my father and countless of others."

The alleged assassination of his father? Glick was asserting that not only was the Bush administration partially responsible for the murderous actions of al-Qaeda, they also might even have had something directly to do with them, by supporting groups like the mujahideen in the past.

Now, when you get a misguided individual like Jeremy Glick on television, you simply cannot allow him to spout unproved accusations and downright slander. If you do that, your audience will turn on you. Add in the suffering Glick's words could bring to others who lost loved ones on 9/11, and you have to pull the plug. Which I did. Glick got the boot after this exchange:

Glick: "You evoke 9/11 to rationalize everything from domestic plunder to imperialistic aggression worldwide. You evoke sympathy with the 9/11 families."

O'Reilly: "That's a bunch of crap. I've done more for the 9/11 families, by their own admission, than you will ever hope to do."

Glick: "Okay."

O'Reilly: "So keep your mouth shut when you sit here exploiting those people."

Glick: "Well, you're not representing me."

O'Reilly: "I'd never represent you."

Glick: "Why?"

O'Reilly: "Because you have a warped view of this world and a warped view of this country."

Glick: "Well, explain that."

O'Reilly: "All right. You didn't support the action against Afghanistan to remove the Taliban. You were against it, okay?"

Glick: "Why would I want to brutalize and further punish the people in Afghanistan?"

Why, indeed, when the whole thing was America's fault from the get-go? That's Glick-think taken directly from the George Lakoff playbook. It was pathetic.

Subsequently, thanks to me, Jeremy Glick became an icon of the S-P movement, which celebrated his "bravery" in standing up to the barbarian O'Reilly.

A few years later, the S-Ps tried the same trick with Cindy Sheehan, whose son Casey, a dedicated professional American soldier, was killed in the Iraq war. Ms. Sheehan, you may remember, demanded a meeting with President Bush even though she had already had one. But Ms. Sheehan wanted another chat after being tutored by antiwar zealots. Of course, Mr. Bush saw the trap a mile away. He rightly assumed Cindy Sheehan wanted to embarrass him and ignored the woman. Thereupon some in the media castigated the President for his "insensitivity" and made Cindy into a heroine.

The pro-Sheehan media blitz worked for a few weeks until I, convinced that the whole deal was a calculated S-P attack, played an audio clip of Ms. Sheehan telling Mark Knoller of CBS Radio that the terrorists in Iraq were "freedom fighters." She also said Israel was a terrorist nation. After that exposition, Ms. Sheehan's star dimmed as many rational folks who had sympathized with her, because of Casey, turned away.

The important point here is that the secular-progressive movement really believes Jeremy Glick and Cindy Sheehan are heroes. Worse, the S-Ps absolutely think the world's foremost problem is the evil superpower America, not Islamic fascist terror cells. If you take one thing away from this book, ladies and gentlemen, let it be that. The S-P brigades are not capable of understanding true evil. Their world perspective is so warped, it might even be downright dangerous.

A question then logically follows: How would the secular-progressives, themselves, deal with Islamic terrorism? Paging George Lakoff! He deals with that very issue on page 60 of his training manual:

Most Islamic would-be martyrs not only share [fanatical religious] beliefs but have also grown up in a culture of despair; they have nothing to lose. Eliminate such poverty and you eliminate the breeding ground for terrorists...when the Bush administration speaks of eliminating terror, it does not appear to be talking about eliminating cultures of despair and the social conditions that lead one to want to give up his life to martyrdom.

Outstanding. Lakoff apparently believes the U.S. has the power to eliminate poverty and change social conditions in places like Pakistan - estimated population, 163 million. America can't even eliminate poverty and change "social conditions" in Detroit, much less Islamabad. No government can impose prosperity or benign thinking on masses of people. It is simply impossible.

But George Lakoff and the S-Ps don't care for rational analysis. It sounds so good to say that terrorism can be defeated by a change in America's foreign policy. More Lakoff (page 63):

What is needed is a new kind of moral foreign policy, one that realizes that America can only be a better America if the world is a better world. America must become a moral leader using fundamental human values: caring and responsibility carried out with strength to respond to the world's problems.

Once again, Lakoff seems to have missed the truth of America's great sacrifice in defeating the Soviet Union's totalitarianism and thereby bringing freedom to tens of millions of people in Eastern Europe and other Soviet-dominated areas. Nor does the S-P guru mention the enormous blood and treasure America spent defeating the Nazis and Imperial Japan. Don't those historic achievements fall in the category of "caring and responsibility carried out with strength to respond to the world's problems"? Or did the U.S. bring WWII upon itself as well?

It galls me that the S-Ps can get away with denigrating the United States when it, along with Great Britain and a precious few other conuntries, are standing up against a homicidal jihad that could destroy the world.

The S-Ps' unrealistic assessment of the war on terror is dangerous, naive, and disqualifies the secular-progressive movement from any serious participation in the post-9/11 decision-making process. Sure, it would be great to heal all social ills all over the world by waving a magic wand, but why bother spouting such delusional nonsense. The S-Ps are at their best when proposing airy theories or undermining policies with which they disagree. They fail dismally, however, when asked to create better, more effective policies to protect and improve the lives of everyday people. But that failure does not deter them; they are convinced they hold the moral high ground and those who oppose them - their enemies in the culture war - must be marginalized for the good of all.

And so I have arrived at this necessary conclusion: All clear-thinking Americans should become opponents of the S-P movement for the simple reason of self-preservation. If the secular-progressives ever come to power in America, and remember, Howard Dean got close, their policies would put you and your family in grave danger. Osama and his pals would love to face off against Lakoff, Dean, Michael Moore, George Soros, and the rest of the soft secular forces. In the 1930s, Adolf Hitler had a blast with Neville Chamberlain, the appeasement-supporting prime minister of Great Britain. That historical lesson might be worth revisiting in the culture war between the traditionalists and the S-Ps.

Oh, and one more thing. If you really want to see just how "caring" and humane the secular-progressive movement is, visit some of their black-hearted web sites. If the hatred and libel you see are examples of S-P caring, somewhere the Marquis de Sade is cheering. One of the reasons I am writing this book is to show the great divide between how the S-Ps frame their arguments and their actual conduct. Many of these people are as ruthless as anyone you see in the Bush administration. But they hide behind the nurturing and enlightenment themes. To use an old Levittown expression: "What a crock."

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Comments?

Please order your copy of Culture Warrior at Bill O'Reilly's website. For each copy sold, one will be sent free of charge to one of our brave military heroes fighting for our freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq!

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Update: For some S-P vs. Traditional Culture Warrior events in action:

My thanks to my Christian blogging friend Mark of Chester Street for linking to Independent Conservative's extensive post about Barack HUSSEIN Obama and where he really stands on most issues. (Hint: Soros and Lakoff would love this guy!!!)

Trackback URL:
http://www.independentconservative.com/2006/12/11/
barack_hussein_obama/trackback/

We Will Never Forgive Ourselves...

Fellow Christian blogger FaultlineUSA has a really good post about the ISG and War on Terrorism. It's called "The Pinheaded “Art” of Retreat and Surrender".

Here's a portion:

“God will never forgive us if we break faith with our dead again.”

The above phrase is not a theological reflection, but the angst of a fictional mother who has lost husband and son to two World Wars. She sees that war will come again and again to those who fail to heed history’s lessons. It is not God who will never forgive us. It is we who will never forgive ourselves.

Unlike the propaganda films of an earlier era designed to build national unity, America chose instead to imbed reporters who often showed more sympathy for the terrorists than for our own soldiers. Instead of nation building works of fiction we served ourselves helping after helping of enemy generated fiction and disguised it as truth. Instead of holding some of our citizens accountable for acts of treason in time of war, we turned them into celebrities. Those of us who have remained silent are as guilty as the perpetrators.

The question today is, do we break faith with our dead soldiers by staying the course in Iraq, or by cutting and running? Or are there other options beyond the widely criticized Baker-Hamilton Iraq Study Group Report? I propose that there is only one viable option and that it's to show the world that we do have a center – a moral core – National unity – and the will to win!

Some good comments over there, too.

Here is a copy of my comment:

Wow! Powerful post FaultlineUSA!

I'm currently doing a post about Committing to God all that we do. It's interesting to apply the idea of "leaning on the arms of God" to this current ideological struggle between traditional culture warriors and secular-progressives (S-P's) in this country. When we lean on God, we can either lean forwards or backwards. Facing the fact that this war is unlike any other we have previously faced means that we cannot just "lean backwards" and let it fester unchallenged. That is what S-P's would want to do. Withdraw from Iraq and hope the terrorists don't follow us back here. They fail to see the big picture which means that we need to lean forward and work pre-emptively against our enemies.

The majority of our brave service men and women realize what is at stake in Iraq, in particular; as well as what is at stake in the general global war on terrorism. They have the attitude of claiming a goal and standard...that whatever they do, they live it out with 100% of all they've got for the sake of serving God, our nation, and our people!

It seems to me that in past wars, more civilian patriots in our nation agreed with such statements and mindset and thus we had more unity when it came to fighting and defeating the enemies against our nation.

[Added here: I am deeply saddened knowing that it was people of my "baby-boom" generation of the 60's that led us out of such patriotism and into the anti-war, anti-God, free sex, drugs and "flowers in your hair" type of licientious liberalism that was mainly responsible for America's first military defeat in Vietnam. We had the likes of the following since then (Hat tip to Atlas Shrugs):

Senator John Kerry

The North Vietnamese general in charge of the military campaign that finally drove the U.S. out of South Vietnam in 1975 credited a group led by John Kerry with helping him achieve victory. Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap wrote that if it weren't for organizations like Kerry's Vietnam Veterans Against the War, Hanoi would have surrendered to the U.S.


Bill Clinton

Pardoning terrorists, discussing troop movements while being pleasured by an intern, running an obstruction-of-justice operation out of the Oval Office and suborning and committing perjury.........

In acts of official perfidy that may be unparalleled in our nation’s history, Clinton accepted bribes from Red China in the form of illegal political contributions, and in exchange made policy decisions that undermined our national security.

• The Red Chinese military (the so-called People’s Liberation Army, or PLA) is now able to deploy much more accurate nuclear-armed missiles pointed at the United States, in large measure because of policy decisions by President Clinton

• President Clinton signed national security waivers to allow four U.S. commercial satellites to be launched in China, despite evidence that China was exporting nuclear and missile technology to Pakistan and Iran.

"How did it come about that highly sensitive technical information was given to the Chinese? Why did the president ignore the national security experts who counseled against this deal? What damage has been done to our national security?" Goss asked.

Clinton's terror failures are too numerous and damaging to recount here but Bill Clinton was the quintessential dhimmi. He allowed AL QAEDA CELLS - INCLUDING THE 9/11 CELL to OPERATE IN THE USA ignored the World Trade Center bombings of '93, ignored the Cole, the embassy bombings and handed Israel over to the most barbaric terrorist of the late twentieth century, Yassar Arafat.

and that's just for starters...........

Clinton-era policies ignored Able Danger (Mohammed Atta et al)

Get all the facts, Click here for the latest News and Streaming Video on Able Danger

More Clinton Damage


As if the botched 1994 Framework Agreement with North Korea, whereby the Clinton administration provided Pyongyang with materials for building a nuclear reactor, wasn’t enough, allegations are now being made that the Clinton administration may have also provided Iran with blueprints to build a nuclear weapon.


Jimmy Carter

The Carter White House during the disasters of the Sandinista takeover of Nicaragua, the energy crisis and stagflation, the Iranian revolution and hostage crisis, and the invasion of Afghanistan. Not backing the Shah of Iran in 1979, our close ally in the Middle East, resulted in the take over by Radical Islamic Fundamentalist Ayatollah Khomeini which brings us to where we are today with Iran.

Time magazine columnist wrote that some of Carter's "Lone Ranger work has taken him dangerously close to the neighborhood of what we used to call treason"

Carter befriended North Korea during the Clinton administration, appeasing the communist regime and giving it cover for its nuclear weapons program.

[Note: And how did the worst president, an inexperienced peanut farmer named Jimmy Carter come into office?]

Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, two leftwing cub/pitbull reporters at the Wahington Post, intent on bringing down President Nixon.

And they did. After being exposed for covering for his people (not guilty of the break-in, mind you), Nixon resigned. Imagine if Nixon had been a democrat. Would that ever have happened? The shenanigans of Democrat Presidents going back to JFK's stolen election are wildly known (don't even get me started on Bill).

What made this left wing assault on America so damaging is the subsequent road America went down. Had it not been for Watergate, America- leery and distrusting of the GOP after Nixon's resignation - would never have elected a Democrat, an unknown peanut farmer to the office of the President. A man so out of his league, a man so incapable of the office of the President, that we are still suffering from his ineptitude. Imagine if Reagan had been President when the leader of one of our greatest allies in the Middle East, Iran, called upon the President for help. Imagine the course of history, if you will, if we had backed the Shah of Iran. Imagine what a different world this would be.

According to many Iranians, Carter practically pushed out the Shah and gave Iran to the Ayatollah Khomeini (much the way he relinquished control of the Panama Canal).



Ward Churchill


In a treatise titled, "Some People Push Back," written after the attacks, Churchill asserted the 3,000 people killed at the World Trade Center worked for "the mighty engine of profit" but chose to ignore their role.

"True enough, they were civilians of a sort," he wrote. "But innocent? Gimme a break."

Churchill went on to describe the World Trade Center victims as "little Eichmanns," a reference to Adolph Eichmann, who carried out Hitler's plan to exterminate Europe's Jews during World War II.

There are several more listings of the damage that S-P's have done to America at Atlas Shrugs sidebar.

Prepare yourself for an education!

Decided to add one more link. See the page on:

Fauxtography
Hat tip: Little Green Footballs ]

Back to my comment:

Today, we have, as you touched on in your post, those who desire appeasement rather than victory; "peace at any expense" rather than national unity for the safety and security of our people; horrible name-calling against people who work hard for us in our government rather than showing just the basic respect for their position(s) that they deserve; the anti-war crowd who don't care that what they say and do can demoralize, injure and even kill our soldiers who are in harms way during this war. How ironic it is that our military personnel risk their lives every day for such people who turn around and use their "free speech rights" in a way that gives aid, comfort, and emboldens our enemies! S-P's are of the superfluous mindset that all worldviews should be viewed as equal and we don't have the right to "judge" others for their actions.

Could you imagine if we had to fight WWII with the current liberal left loonie cultural mindset that is present in the secular-progressive leftist worldview? What would it have been like if they were around back then, intent on spouting their negative propaganda rhetoric like they do today?

Yet this is what we face now, during our WWIII fight with Islamo-fascism being incorrectly labeled "freedom fighters" by the likes of Cindy Sheehan and her ilk... Someone ought to show her and her groupies the Obsession: Radical Islam's War With the West documentary so she could see how utterly stupid her worldview is!

Great post! Keep up the good work!

Iraq Study: Some Good, Some Bad Ideas

The Iraq Study Group has done it's job and has released it's recommendations. It will obviously take some time to read it all. However, some of the ideas which have been brought out via the media are good ideas, while others are very, very bad ideas! The worst being the suggestion to "talk" with Iran and Syria about Iraq!

Establishing timetables for withdrawal isn't a good idea, either. President Bush has mentioned that fact many times. However, it sounds like a good idea to get the Iraqi government moving faster and have the Iraqi soldiers do most of the work in the combat areas. Training needs to be stepped up. But realizing that new Iraqi officers needed to be trained explains why this particular portion of the mission has taken so long.

What is good to hear is the fact that President Bush has been correct all along. A rapid exit from Iraq (a failed "strategy" that would be encouraged by the likes of Pelosi, Murtha, Schumer, etc.) IS A VERY BAD IDEA AND WAS ENTIRELY REJECTED BY THE STUDY GROUP!

In her latest article, Ann Coulter had the best analogy:

The "bipartisan" Iraq panel has recommended that Iran and Syria can help stabilize Iraq. You know, the way Germany and Russia helped stabilize Poland in '39.*

[*Note: See comment below that explains the historical significance of this statement.]

In her commentary, Ann discusses how in a broadcast on the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, NBC's Matt Lauer pestered President Bush by aggressively questioning him about the possible use of "waterboarding" against terrorists like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks.

You need to read the entire article, but these excerpts give you an idea of how ridiculous the left's constant harping on revealing any terrorist interrogation techniques really is:

President Bush refused to discuss techniques used on terrorists, saying, "We don't want the enemy to adjust." But Americans "need to know," he said, "we're using techniques within the law to protect them."

While normal people would be happy if we were using cattle prods on the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, Lauer was testy about the possible use of waterboarding against him. "I don't want to let this 'within the law' issue slip," he said.

"I mean, if, in fact, there was waterboarding used with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed -- and for the viewers, that's basically you strap someone to a board, and you make them feel as if they're going to drown. You put them under water. If that was legal and within the law, why couldn't you do it at Guantanamo? Why'd you have to go to a secret location around the world?"

In point of fact, we strap people to wooden boards and make them feel like they're drowning all the time in this country. Mostly at theme parks like Six Flags.

[Log flume ride? Wheee! Heat the water, though!]

Bush again said he wasn't going to talk about techniques. But Lauer's relentless grilling was getting to him. If he'd been at Gitmo, at this point Bush would have demanded a lawyer, another copy of the Quran and a couple of chocolate eclairs.

Lauer continued to pester the president, demanding to know whether these "alternative techniques you use ... if they are used, are you at all concerned that at some point, even if you get results, there's a blurring the lines of -- between ourselves and the people we're trying to protect us against?"

Hey, I forget: When did Khalid Sheikh Mohammed use aggressive interrogation techniques against a known mass murderer in an effort to thwart another 9/11-style attack on thousands of innocent civilians?

There are few better examples of how out of touch liberals are. They go right to Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and expect Americans to be outraged that he may have been waterboarded.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was the principal architect of the 9/11 attacks and is believed to have played a role in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, the Bali nightclub bombings, the filmed beheading of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, a thwarted 2002 attack on a bank tower in Los Angeles, and Operation Bojinka, a plot to blow up 11 commercial airliners simultaneously. Oh, and he took home the coveted "world's craziest terrorist" prize at al-Qaida's end-of-season office party last year.

I think waterboarding should be a reward for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed: OK, you've been good, Mohammed, we're only going to waterboard you today. Let's get you out of those cold electrodes and onto a nice, warm waterboard, OK?

Now that they're our new best friends, how about we turn to Iran and Syria for help on our interrogation techniques?

There are 127 comments about the article. Here are a few really good ones:

Marc of CA writes: Thursday, December, 07, 2006 12:00 AM
Fools in Charge
Today it was confirmed that the Iraq Study or Survey Group tells us, and the World, we need to 'engage' Iran about Iraq security.

How stupid can we get? My goodness these people are idiots!

Now Iran can boast that the US cannot control the violence in Iraq, we will not support Iraq until they gain strength and most deadly; Iran must come to the rescue! Iran is more powerful and wise than America! The Infidel is Inferior! Allah Is Great!!

IRAN MUST SAVE US?

IRAN WANTS TO KILL US!

What planet are we on here?

Bush made mistakes in Iraq, (not that he was elected to be the great war hero in the first place), but he is correct in the main focus; getting an indepentent government in the middle of the Middle East who does not hate democracy, in particular, the U.S..

And again I bring up the point that the revenue from the Iraq oil fields could finance terrorism for a lifetime and can certainly afford to buy Nukes.

If we abondon Iraq we should fulfill the wacky claims of the Leftists that we did this for the oil. Control the oil fields and sales and give the money back to the Iraqi people for whatever they want, except WMD's.

*******

badbassplayer writes: Thursday, December, 07, 2006 1:54 AM
Surrender This!
It is nothing less than criminal that the dems are advocating our surrender and defeat to a third world country the size of California. Apparently they have everyone convinced that we can't defeat some pissant little sewer in the desert.

Is that how far that they have gone destroying our military, national security, patriotism, and most of all, our pride in being a strong and free country? Obviously dem control of education has left a generation with no knowledge of history.

Treasonous is too kind of a description for this behaivior.

Maybe we should send a big dem delegation over to Iran on a Friday afternoon to try to negotiate with these savages that they support and wish to surrender to..

*******

jerubaal writes: Thursday, December, 07, 2006 5:37 AM
Not That You ALL Didn't Know This
*But in 1939, Hitler and Stalin signed a secret agreement called the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. It defined the spheres of territory that Germany and the USSR would own after a succesful Third Reich conquest of Poland, and it included a bit more than just Poland, namely, the Balkan states. All non-German inhabitants in the German area were expelled to the Soviets.

*******

MacZed writes: Thursday, December, 07, 2006 5:43 AM
Bipartisan
Means sacrificing your moral ideals for the sake of a moddled mediocrity and failure that we can hold as a new moral imperative in the Politically Correct Media Kaleidescope of insanity.

We will call this muddled mediocrity "The Public Opinion"

And we will hold our Presidents and Politicians to these Gray goals of irrationality developed with zero education and even less intel on reality of world affairs.

When we decide to cop out to Death...this Civilization makes the Roman Civilization look like survivors extraordinaire.

Note, this Bipartisan Commission is just a study group...nothing more - the President is a Lame Duck now - he will not give a rat's testes for the opinions...why should he? They are absurd...

Talk to Syria? Right, sure. To what, sellout Israel by trading The Golan Heights and Jerusalem for a year of Peace? Dust off the Nobel and wait for the Atomic Fallout over Damascus and Tehran...that is, don't hold your breath.

Talk to Iran? To what, figure out how far over the couch we need to metaphorically bend to take the Islamic Phallus of Oil Raping for a decade? Are we just hoping for $5 per gallon gas?

Are we hoping for a 3,000 point drop in the stock market in a one month span of time?

These men of this bipartisan commission are the most deluded dolts of archaic history ever to be dug up since Jimmy Carter was somehow unmuzzled at the beginning of the Hezbollah conflict this summer to tag team Bush with Colin Powell and the McCain Warner betrayal...quick, someone Muzzle that crazy sob.

The Soros Gambit to end the War on Terror is rapidly being realized...

Phase 1) Destroy the Moral Highground of the United States, the most philanthropic, freedom fighting country in the history of the Planet...

Phase 2) Deprive America of a Wartime Leader. Bye Rummy...Hello Gates...

Get ready for the Impeachment of Cheney - it can't miss...Pelosi will be VP by Default by November Elections of 2008 mark my words.

We are now officially in the Downward Spiral of Fascism's venemous pull.

[Whew! That was scary!]

*******

jerubaal writes: Thursday, December, 07, 2006 5:44 AM
Francis
"Bravo, Ann. Not only are we at war; we're at war with a fundamentally cowardly enemy that has disavowed the rules of war between civilized states."

And that's just the DEMOCRATS! Wait till you see the terrorists we have to fight!

[Well...not ALL Democrats! We still have some patriots like Joe Lieberman around...]

*******

moses writes: Thursday, December, 07, 2006 7:20 AM
syria and iran are enemies not friends
doesn't anyone see that syria and iran are enemies and not friends of either democracy or the US. engaging them is like saying " let's just hold hands and sing kumbaya and we'll all feel better and be friends." sorry not everything is like a Disney movie. this is just sheer stupidity.
let's face it. it appears that the only way that the Left will be happy with war is if no one gets hurt, including feelings. can't have anyone have their feelings hurt or lose their self esteem.
if we want to win, we need to focus on those that are out to kill us, iran and syria. we need to stop the rearming of the insurgents from these countries.
it appears that the new congress and the ISG are willing to surrender now so that the situation gets worse (iran gets nuclear weapons and takes out israel) so that we have real casualties in our military. the democrats never liked the military anyway. best way to exterminate them is in a nuclear conflict with iran. oh and of course a democrat would not retaliate in kind with nukes. that would be lowering ourselves to their level. if we did that, (gasp) we would actually win a war. we can't have that.

[The nuke idea might be going a bit too far...but if Iran succeeds in completing enrichment and we just "let it happen," it might be necessary some day...but I hope not.]

*******

Mr. Right writes: Thursday, December, 07, 2006 7:55 AM
The libs scare me
Allen, Kimberly, Red Tooth, hosekuervo and others scare the crap out of me. What we have in the Middle East is a group of radicals whose only goal is to destroy Western Civilization. You cannot negotiate with them, you cannot reason with them. You can only destroy them. Which negotiating tool would be effective with an enemy for whom death is a promotion? The only thing this enemy understands is total humiliation and destruction. That is required to get their attention and only after that can you begin to talk to the survivors. Democracy will work in the Middle East but only if coupled with Free Market Capitalism.

In the meantime, in this country we have libs whose only enemy seems to be Bush and the conservatives. Apparently someone telling you that abortion is murder while allowing clinics to perform abortions under the auspices of the Supreme Court is more dangerous than someone slitting your throat for not having your wife and daughter shrouded in a burka. The lack of rational thought scares me. The lack of focus on who the enemy is and what constitutes a real threat to our country and way of life is terrifying. Yes, our troops are in harm's way and it is terrible that any of these fine young men and women are lost in any war. But we have trained them and equipped them to kill people and destroy evil and then sit back here in the safety of our coffee shops and wonder if they haven't committed a war crime by being too harsh when we don't have a clue what they are facing. We do need to change course in Iraq. We need to commit every troop over there to a search and destroy mission to clean out every terrorist cell. Their destruction needs to be complete and humiliating so that little tinpot dictators in Syria and Iran and Hezbollah understand the result of trying to destroy freedom and freedom-loving people. We need to unleash Israel (whose greatest crime in terms of the Middle East is properity and freedom for its citizens) and allow her to destroy Palestinian opposition to the already generous offers that have been made. Complete and utter victory is the only solution in the Middle East.

[The libs are a misguided bunch...to say the least!]

*******

Icedog writes: Thursday, December, 07, 2006 8:22 AM
What history?
Libs do not like comparisons to WWII (or any historical events whatsoever) because they are incapable of comprehending that we can actually learn from our past.

In order to be a liberal you must awaken each day as if it is the first day of human existence.

Only someone with absolutely no memory of yesterday (liberals) would believe:

- Appeasement of our enemies is a successful strategy
- Giving everyone equal rewards regardless of effort (socialism/liberalism) is good for society
- The amount of money you take from your citizens is directly proportional to the success of the economy
- Milder criminal sanctions leads to less crime
- Unlawful discrimination can be eliminated by increasing legal discrimination
- Eliminating all values and ethical standards leads to a better society

History has demonstrated repeatedly – usually with tragic and horrendous results – that these are all failed philosophies.

To be a liberal you must be so egotistical as to believe you are smarter than the previous hundreds of generations and billions of people – or you have to be stuck in some bizarre and twisted version of the movie “Groundhog Day”.

[Serious points on serious subjects. But I just had to laugh at the "Groundhog day" comment...heh heh]

*******

eon writes: Thursday, December, 07, 2006 8:28 AM
And just for points
People like Mondamay (nice Zelazny ref, there!) may be irritated by comparisons to World War Two, but unfortunately such comparisons are in fact the only ones which are valid.

World War Two was a global conflict fought by democracies (and, after June 1941, one dictatorship) against enemies with a militaristic, collectivist, anti-reason, anti-Semitic and anti-Western Enlightenment philosophy. (Germany wanted a return to mythic Germanism; Italy wanted a return to mythic Romanism; and Japan wanted a return to mythic imperialism under the Shintoist faith.) All of the three fully intended to conquer and rule vast sections of the world, wherein they would treat the natives as little more than slaves, forcing them to work for and/or pay tribute to their new rulers. Unless the locals were Jewish, Romany, black, or Christian (especially in the Far East); such "inferiors" were to be eradicated.

The present war is essentially the same thing, against an enemy with almost precisely the same philosophy and objectives. (If you don't believe the Islamists are racist toward Africans, and hate Christians as much as they do Jews, I'd suggest you don't look too closely at Darfur. Your eyes might not like what they see. Oh, and BTW, they don't like animists, either.)

The fundamental difference between World War Two and World War Three (which is now underway) is that this time around, the enemy has spent more time preparing. There are still some gaps in their TO&E, mainly in the area of strategic weapons and delivery systems, but they are working very hard to rectify this. (And unlike the [people you are not supposed to mention in these debates] they are not turning up their noses at nuclear physics on the grounds that it is "Jewish science".) So far, their unconventional (asymmetric) warfare tactics have provided them with a less-than-satisfactory substitute; they can, and have, inflicted casualties, but so far, they have yet to defeat their enemies (us) decisively. Anywhere.

What is going on now equates to a peculiar cross between the "Phony War" of October 1939-May 1940, with overtones of the period of the "anschluss" and Munich(1936-38) in Europe, and the Japanese conquest of Korea and Manchuria (or "Chosen" and "Manchukuo" as they insisted on misnaming them) in the 1932-37 time frame. As yet, the primary enemy states (Iran, Syria) and their non-governmental allies (various Islamist groups) have yet to take the field in open warfare. (Mainly because for the last half-century, every time they have, they've been defeated in no uncertain terms.) The logical conclusion is that they will not do so until they have a trump card that will prevent or dissuade the enemy (us) from committing conventional forces against them.

Nuclear weapons are such a trump card. And they are openly pursuing their development.

Once they have them, all bets will be off.

Should we negotiate with Iran and Syria? Not at this juncture. We would simply be repeating the colossal stupidity of the European powers (England and France) in 1936-38, and the United States in the Far East in 1937-41. Negotiations will only be appropriate if, as, and when we have the aforementioned regional powers in the position we had Germany and Japan in in 1945. At which point, our demands should be reduced to two words; unconditional surrender.

But so far, I have seen no evidence that anyone in the halls of power, in any party, has grasped the seriousness of the situation. I find myself wondering how many casualties we will have to suffer, and what kind, and where, it will take for them to recognize the reality of the threat we face.


eon

[I think that Bush does get the reality of the threat we face. Trouble is, many of the RINOS and the liberal Dems don't! Hopefully, the more moderate to conservative "freshman" Dems do get it! How refreshing that would be!]

*******

There are probably many more good ones that I could list, but eon's comment is a good one to end this post!

Searchers Find Missing Dad's Body

We were all praying and holding out hope that James Kim, the man who has been wandering in the Oregon woods for several days would be found alive. Just minutes ago, the sad and tragic news came that Kim was found dead this afternoon. Our heartfelt grief, condolences, and prayers go out to the Kim family. Thanks should go to all the searchers who worked so hard and diligently to rescue him.

Hat tip: Drudge

He Leadeth Me...

Yes. The Christmas rush has started in my household! But I feel that I am already so far behind our neighbors! Most of the homes down the street have beautiful displays of lights up. We are usually the ones who finally get them up right before Christmas, which isn't fun because we only get to enjoy them for about 2 weeks. But we are determined to get it done this weekend! My son is swamped with papers and tests before the close of the semester, so I'll probably be the one to help with putting up the lights this weekend...oh joy...

There is so much that I want to blog about! The new Iraq Study Group report, the new Secretary of Defense elect, etc. The great thing about blogging is that when one does not have the time to blog about all that one wants to, create some links and refer people to those who already have!

Drudge can usually be relied upon for fast-breaking news on most topics of the day. Of course, when most people are trying to work together for solutions to the Iraq war instablity, Al Gore has to have his usual negative rant. Al, my advice is get over yourself and the 2000 election! Even 6 years later, it's just more evidence that Gore is a Sore Loserman...

OK...gotta shift gears now...away from the politics of this day.

Today, I wanted to share my Bible study wrap-up assignment. Each of us was given a chapter from the book, "A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23" and we were to share five things that we had learned about God in the chapter as well as how it impacted our individual lives.

Chapter 6: He Leadeth Me in the Paths of Righteousness for His Name's Sake.

Question: What are 5 things I learned about God in this chapter? How has it impacted my life?

This chapter from our study describes so vividly how we, like sheep, can cling to habits that we have seen ruin other lives. Like stubborn, self-willed, proud and self-sufficient sheep that would graze on land that eventually would be ruined (if not for the Shepherd's gentle nudging to move on to better pastures), we see the greed and selfishness of mankind often leaves behind a legacy of ruin and remorse.

Amidst the chaos, Christ the Good Shepherd invites us by saying, "If any man will follow me, let him deny himself daily and take up his cross and follow me. (Mark 8:34)

Precious few of us Christians allow ourselves to be led in paths of righteousness.

Some people might view that statement (from the book) as "judgmental." The buzzword of today is "tolerance," for everything and towards anyone. But is this what God would want us to do? I don't think so.

Jesus didn't tolerate the moneychangers in the temple.

Jesus didn't tolerate those who wanted to stone the woman caught in adultery. He shamed them, through one simple statement, into recognizing their own need for confession and repentance. He said, "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone at her." But we know that Jesus doesn't condone sin, either. After each man had dropped their stone and left the scene, he then told the woman to "leave her life of sin."

Jesus also pointed out the fact that the woman at the well did not have a husband, but was apparently involved with fornication because she was living with a man who was not her husband. Jesus stated this to her, directly, demonstrating that as God and man, he knew all about her life.

There are so many more examples I could give. The Bible tells us that "our sin will find us out." There is no hiding, no escaping from that fact.

Allowing God to "lead us in the paths of righteousness" is needed through knowing who Jesus is, following Him and his lead, and obeying His word in the Bible.

As I mentioned in my previous post, Dr. David Jeremiah of Turning Point shared an all important verse. It is important to realize that this verse is referring to Christian believers:

Matthew 12:33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by [his] fruit. We're the tree and whether we bear good fruit or not demonstrates the genuineness of our faith.

Those who say that they are Christians, yet act just like the world; engaging in willful sin and outward, unrepentant disobedience to God's Law need to be evaluated as to whether or not they are genuinely Christian. Now we know that the Bible tells us "do not to judge," but as believers, we can be "fruit inspectors!"

It's no secret that there are many willful Christians. The question is, how can we avoid being one of them?

1. Instead of loving myself most I am willing to love Christ best and others more than myself.

Fruitfulness, in the Christian walk, is the method of touching other people with God's love. Instead of focusing on "self," focus on others! One fringe benefit of this is the likelihood that we will not be in situations that could, or would tempt us!

I shared the following in my last post, but it bears repeating here:

It's not about you...it's about others! The fruit that is evident in your life is going to touch other people with love...God's love!

Think about this. Is your fruit consumed only by you?

If so, recall that we need to show JOY in our lives!

J = Jesus first.
O= Others second.
Y= You third.

2. Instead of being one of the crowd I am willing to be singled out, set apart from the gang.

Here, at this Talkwisdom blog, I can certainly relate to a phrase from our Bible study book says, "and to be marked as one of His (meaning Christ) would mean a certain amount of criticism and sarcasm from a cynical society."

I used to hate being criticized and mocked for my faith. Now, I view it as coming with the territory! What has changed? My attitude towards it. I have taken the following verses to heart in my life. I am to "count it all joy" :


Jam 1:2
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
Jam 1:3
knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
Jam 1:4
But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
Jam 1:5
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
Jam 1:6
But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
Jam 1:7
For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
Jam 1:8
he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Jesus told us that they "hated Him first," so what makes us think that they won't hate us for sharing Him with this sinful world?

Jhn 15:25 But [this cometh to pass], that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.

Jhn 15:24 If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.

Despite the fact that Jesus was hated by some, he came to save us all!! Those who reject the invitation, do so to their own detriment. But we, as his followers, aren't to judge who shall come to repentance and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior of their lives. The Holy Spirit does the saving, we do the sharing. So we press on and share the Gospel with whomever, wherever, and whenever we can.

Notice the next point. But we are called to enter into the suffering of others! This is what "longsuffering" means. Some interpret it as patience, and yes, that is a part of it. But one of the fruits of the Spirit is longsuffering.

Instead of insisting on my rights I am willing to forego them in favor of others. Denying oneself.

But there is a benefit, even in this! Set free from the shackles of personal pride, it's pretty hard to hurt such a person.

In an earlier post here at my blog, I tackled the "why celebrities have conflict ridden lives." It's quite eye-opening. It discusses how pride, and that "false kind of love" (e.g. idolic worship of celebrities) and hate (self-loathing in their personal lives) can cause such conflict and pain in their lives.

He who has no sense of self-importance cannot be offended or deflated. But doesn't this go against the grain of human autonomy? Much of what Christ preaches to us goes against the grain of typical human wants and desires, doesn't it? Why is that? Because we are not allowing Christ to lead us into His righteousness!!

This chapter asks, instead of being "boss" am I willing to be at the bottom of the heap? Not "top ram", but a "tail-ender." Am I willing to place my personal life and personal affairs in the Master's hands?

5. Instead of finding fault with life and asking "Why?" I am willing to accept every circumstance of life in an attitude of gratitude. No matter whether joyous or tragic.

The current war on terror was prophesied in Scripture. We should not be surprised at what is happening in the Middle East. No matter what your politics may be, there is the reality of good vs. evil going on between the West and radical Islamo-fascism. If you don't believe me, I suggest you read Bill O'Reilly's Culture Warrior (chapter 7 in particular) and view the documentary DVD: "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West."

But despite all the turmoil going on in the world, each Christian can have peace amongst the storm. Jesus' words in this verse sum it up very well:

Jhn 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Pair that encouraging verse with this one:

1Jo 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

Wow!

Powerful, powerful verses to live by!!

It is for this reason that we want to share what we have in Christ with others. Putting up with a little (or a lot, for that matter!!) scorn, ridicule, and mocking for just one more person's sake...that is...that they find Christ as a result...means more for all eternity than any pain or suffering that we may have to endure in order to accomplish such a desired end! Amen??

6. Instead of exercising and asserting my will, I learn to cooperate with His wishes and comply with His will.

This means that we must be willing to cancel out the great "I" in our decisions. It is then, indeed, that the Cross has been applied to that (my) life. No longer, "my will be done," but it changes to, "His will be done in my life!"

7. Instead of choosing my own way I am willing to choose to follow in Christ's way: simply to do what He asks me to do.

This is a biggy for me. It answers the question of how this study has impacted my life. Each morning on my blog, I have the opportunity to share things that are going on in the world, but most importantly, applying them to the gospel of "Christ and Him crucified."

I have prayed about the possibility of writing a book about the topics here at this blog and my encounters with people who both agree with me on cultural and spiritual issues and those who disagree. I have plenty of material to pen a book now, but I didn't have any idea what my main message was supposed to be. But this Bible study has helped me tremendously! It has pointed me towards the direction that I should go. In fact, a famous contemporary Christian song has motivated me in finally choosing it's title!

Previously, I had come up with several different title choices, but after thinking about each of those individual titles, I found that it wasn't broad enough for what I would be ultimately trying to convey within the book's message. Now, I have the title that works really well (some friends have agreed), while at the same time, encompasses the main message that I want to share, and gives me the opportunity to end each chapter on a positive, uplifting and encouraging note! I feel as though that "boulder of indecision" that I seemed to have had before me, which was constantly preventing me from moving on, has now been removed! I'm so excited and can't wait to get started! But even my months of indecision did not go completely to waste...as it turns out, I have several great chapter headings as well!

Now, instead of talking about it...it's time to get busy on it!!

Bearing Spiritual Fruit

Today's topic from Turning Point Ministries by Dr. David Jeremiah is Bearing Spiritual Fruit.

Dr. Jeremiah started the sermon sharing a football coach story. A head college football coach was instructing his assistant coach on how to recruit players for the team. The coach said, "Some players get knocked down and they don't get up. Some players get knocked down once, get up, but when they get knocked down a second time, they don't get up. Then, there are some, that no matter how many times they get knocked down, they get up each and every time."

The assistant coach asked, "So, you want me to find and recruit that third type of guy; the ones that always get back up again?"

The head coach said, "No. I want you to find the guy whose knocking down all those players!"

Obviously, this story indicates that the coach was looking for productive players.

Dr. Jeremiah likened this story to Christian believers. Some just don't always know how to be productive. So, what constitutes a productive Christian believer?

I. Fruitfulness is a Very Important Subject

The Bible tells us to bear fruit. "Bearing fruit" is mentioned 106 times in the Old Testament. It is also mentioned 70 times in the New Testament. Of the 27 epistles, "bearing fruit" can be found in 24 of them. The remaining three have the concept of bearing fruit within the message, too.

Through the eyes of the Holy Spirit, the Bible's divine Author, we see that bearing fruit is an important subject. The people that the Holy Spirit chose to pen the Bible, wrote down this important subject. So how are we, as Christians, supposed to bear fruit? And why?

A. Fruitfulness is the Mark of our Genuineness as a Believer

Matthew 7:15-20

Mat 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.


Mat 7:16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?


Mat 7:17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.


Mat 7:18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither [can] a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.


Mat 7:19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.


Mat 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Jesus himself tells us that we will know them by their fruit.

Matthew 12:33


Mat 12:33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by [his] fruit.

We're the tree and whether we bear good fruit or not demonstrates the genuineness of our faith.

Those who say that they are Christians, yet act just like the world; engaging in willful sin and disobedience to God's Law we must ask are they genuinely Christians?

Now we know that the Bible tells us "not to judge," but as believers, we can be "fruit inspectors!"

There is a book out on the market which has become popular that gives the impression that you can be a believer and not have to bear fruit at all! That's certainly not scriptural!

Jesus Christ changes your life! Salvation is not a reformation, it is transformation! The tested and true expositor will bear some fruit. What is an obvious test of being in the vine? No fruit? You can be sure there is no light.

If your life hasn't changed at all, I must warn you - see if you are truly in the faith. There is a popular saying that's very true. No fruit? No root!

B. Fruitfulness is the Measure of Your Walk With the Lord.

Is there any evidence of fruit in your life? Is there any pro-activity in your life? Does anyone see you as different?

Of course, when we start out as new believers, we may only bear little fruit. But as we grow, more fruit should become evident in our lives.

C. Fruitfulness is the Motivation Behind God's Pruning for Discipleship

Someone may ask, "why do Christians get cancer?" Because human are susceptible to disease.

John 15:2

Jhn 15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every [branch] that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

Fruit bearing is the reason for times of testing.

Vineyards are pruned so as not to waste water on shoots that are not bearing fruit. When pruned, the vines bearing fruit are much more productive than if the shoots were to remain, taking up space and water while yielding nothing of value.

If we are honest, sometimes many Christians get involved in things which are not productive. We run off into dead end streets.

God puts testing into our lives...even when we may not be involved in anything so bad...but because we many not be productive for His kingdom.

The more productive we are, the more opportunities God leads us into in order to become even more fruitful.

A prayer that you might like to pray about this area in your life might be similar to this: "Lord, help me to evaluate areas in my life so that I can be more productive for You and Your kingdom!"

D. Fruitfulness is the Method of Touching Other People With God's Love

It's not about you...it's about others! The fruit that is evident in your life is going to touch other people with love...God's love!

Think about this. Is your fruit consumed only by you? If so, recall that we need to show JOY in our lives!

J = Jesus first.
O= Others second.
Y= You third.

E. Fruitfulness is the Manifestation of Christ Before the World

After Jesus' resurrection to the Father, he no longer makes personal manifestations of himself at these times. He has chosen believers, His church, to be His "body" and we manifest Him to the world.

Help us to bring the presence of Christ into this world! They will know Christ through you.

Unfortunately, sometimes the public doesn't see much of Christ in us. This needs to change in order to accomplish the next sign of fruitfulness in our lives.

F. Fruitfulness is the Means of Glorifying the Father

John 15:8

Jhn 15:8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

Jesus directly tells us why we are to bear fruit! It is one of the commands of God that we glorify Him through doing so!

When we bear fruit, we bring glory to the Father. They see evidence of it in our relationship to God.

II. Fruitfulness: What It Is

A. Fruitfulness Is Character - What You Are

Galatians 5:22-23

Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,


Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Is there such evidence of the Fruit of the Spirit in your life?

B. Fruitfulness is Conduct - What You Do

Romans 6:20-22

Rom 6:20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.


Rom 6:21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things [is] death.

The things we do is evidenced through our conduct, behavior, and lifestyle. Should Christian believers be different from the world? What do you think?

C. Fruitfulness is Contributions - What You Give

Romans 15:25-28

Rom 15:25 But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints.


Rom 15:26 For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.


Rom 15:27 It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things.


Rom 15:28 When therefore I have performed this, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will come by you into Spain.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Matthew 6:21
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

God owns it all anyway! He has graciously given us so much! Tithing a portion back to him via the church reflects evidence of our charity. Christ is the epitome of giving. He gave His life for us! There is really nothing that we could give that would trump, no less even come anywhere near what Christ has already given us!

If you can be in love with Christ and not give, then we need to remember Matthew 6:21
The heart is evidence of where your treasure truly is!

[Time out from the lesson. Dr. Jeremiah made a comment that reiterates an important truth. People who aren't Christians don't like to worship. I thought about the current "War on Christmas" that is going on in this nation. Of course, the ACLU isn't against the secular celebration of "Happy Holidays," but there is something about that word "Christmas" that bothers them. What is it? It's the worship of Jesus Christ. The ACLU doesn't want any displays of the Nativity on public land. They don't want the Ten Commandments displayed anywhere near a courthouse (despite the fact that our laws in this land were originally derived from such commandments). Atheists are now actively suing to get "In God We Trust" off of our money and "Under God" out of the pledge of allegiance. Why? It is exactly because of what Dr. Jeremiah astutely pointed out in his sermon. People who aren't Christians don't like to worship. They don't like to worship God, in general; and they don't like to worship Jesus Christ, in particular. Their hatred for Christ is very evident in the fact that they allow Kwanzaa, the Jewish menorah and star, the Muslim crescent etc. But any symbol of religious belief in Christ is banned from the public square. Now we know why.]

F. Fruitfulness is Converts - Who You Win

Proverbs 11:30

The fruit of the righteous [is] a tree of life; and he that winneth souls [is] wise.

Have you won anyone to Jesus? Have you tried? If you haven't tried, how can you be successful?

This is the fifth way in a series of five ways to show fruitfulness in your life. If you do A. - D., somewhere along the way, E. will happen.

By the same token, you can't do E. either if you don't do A. - D.!

It is our duty to be Christlike!

Let's recap:

A. Fruitfulness Is the Mark of Your Genuineness as a Believer
Matthew 7:15-20
Matthew 12:33
2 Corinthians 5:17
2 Corinthians 13:5

B. Fruitfulness Is the Measure of Your Walk with the Lord

C. Fruitfulness Is the Motivation Behind God's Discipline

D. Fruitfulness Is the Method of Touching Other People

E. Fruitfulness Is the Manifestation of Christ to the World

F. Fruitfulness Is the Means of Glorifying the Father

II. Fruitfulness – What It Is

A. Fruitfulness Is Character – What You Are
Galatians 5:22-23

B. Fruitfulness Is Conduct – What You Do
Romans 6:20-23

C. Fruitfulness Is Contributions – What You Give
Romans 15:25-28
John 3:16
Matthew 6:21

D. Fruitfulness Is Communication – What You Say
Hebrews 13:15

E. Fruitfulness Is Converts – Who You Win
Proverbs 11:30

Do A through D, and the door will be wide open for achieving E.

Have you been a Christian for a long time and can only think of maybe one person whom you have led to Christ? Remember, in that one "fruit"there are seeds to more fruit! You have no idea what God might be up to in that one converted life to Christ and how much fruit they will bear!

George Smith was a missionary. In all of his journeys, he only knew for sure that he had one convert. It was an 80 year old woman whose conversion led to an entire explosion of converts to Christianity in her village. It 's not about tabulating how many converts. You never know how many seeds you have planted, either!

Have you ever thought about who led two great evangelists; Billy Graham and D.L. Moody to Christ? Look at the fruit they have produced. It's not about taking records and keeping score. The angels in heaven celebrate over each and every convert to Christ... one convert at a time!

But God has called us to do this!

Do people see the imprint of Christ on your life?

Ask yourself, if you were to be indicted as a Christian; how much evidence would be found against you?

You cannot be a Christian without bearing fruit!

Nobody's perfect. It's not about being a "holier than thou" person, either.

The key is this. We must demonstrate the characteristics of Christ through bearing fruit.

We must be born-again (See John 3:1-21) first, then become fruit bearers for Christ.

Stepping Out From Muslim Silence

In my discussions with liberal democrats, I have found that they usually tend to follow the lead of their political leaders without considering why conservative republicans still support President Bush, and the war an terror in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Several days ago, I posted a link to YouTube videos of OBSESSION: THE NEW DOCUMENTARY ABOUT RADICAL ISLAM’S WAR AGAINST THE WEST.

Funny thing.

Not a peep about it from the liberals who usually post here.

Why not?

IMMEDIATE UPDATE! I JUST WENT BACK TO THE SITE ABOVE TO DOUBLE CHECK THE LINKS AND SADLY, GOOGLE IS PRACTICING CENSORSHIP!!

[addendum: Google has now finished taking over YouTube. They immediately removed most conservative orientated content, including clips of this video. Sorry folks! I have no control over internet censorship!

You can buy the movie on dvd, just check the web. Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West]


"Obsession" is one of the most powerful, expertly crafted and undeniably important films I’ve seen this year. This courageous, utterly gripping expose’ deserves the attention of every American — and merits serious consideration for the Academy Award for Best Feature Length Documentary."

— Michael Medved Nationally Syndicated Radio Host Film Critic, "Eye on Entertainment"


Go Here to view a 12 minute film clip!

Now we see another brave woman stepping out of the echo of Muslim silence to state the truth about how women are terribly treated by radical Islam. She risks her life to do so, too!

In this Reader's Digest article, called Breaking the Silence, Wafa Sultan was stunned when she was asked to be interviewed by the infamous Al Jazeera TV network.

An excerpt:

Wafa was stunned. She was not a professional writer, much less a scholar on the Middle East. Though she had grown up in Syria, she had called California home for 16 years, and her days were now completely devoted to her family.

Then again, she did have strong opinions about Islamic extremism, and she was utterly unafraid to express them. So if Al Jazeera wanted to talk to a wife and mother in Los Angeles about this important subject, sure, why not? Wafa accepted. What no one could have guessed was that she was about to become a controversial new voice in the Islamic world -- and for many moderate Muslims, a model of courage.

A model of courage. Definitely!! When you read her story, I guarantee that you will think so, too.

Wafa Sultan grew up in Baniyas, Syria.

One day, Wafa sat in a lecture hall with 200 other students, listening to her professor of ophthalmology, Yusef Al Yusef. Suddenly she heard the crack of gunfire and then saw her teacher crumple to the floor. A group of men stood next to the body, guns extended, shouting, "God is great! God is great!" in Arabic. The killers, Muslim extremists, quickly ran out, leaving the students staring at their dead instructor.

Deeply troubled by this fundamentalist violence, Wafa was further shaken when she became a doctor in a large hospital. Newly married to an engineering professor, she came home from work with disturbing stories of treating victims of domestic abuse. Women would walk in with black eyes, bruised backs, broken bones. Wafa could mend their wounds and listen to their complaints, but she couldn't discuss openly what she saw as the root cause: a culture that demands total deference to men, amplified by extremist beliefs.

She and her husband moved to Los Angeles CA.

She took part in the social life of the local Muslim community, yet insisted that her children "live the American life." They were taught English from the start, and while they can understand Arabic, the younger two don't speak it to this day. But the culture Wafa left behind was never far from her mind. She started writing opinion pieces on women, Islam and radicalism for the local Arabic press. Wafa was careful not to be openly critical of religion, instead questioning an interpretation of Islam that seemed to breed terrorists and wife-beaters.

Even so, some thought Wafa had gone too far. After one editorial came out, she received a phone call from a man who warned that "even in America, there are limits." The person on the line claimed to be from a prominent Islamic organization. Intimidation of this sort made Wafa nervous and her editors more timid.

Then came September 11. Watching the World Trade Center towers fall on her television screen, Wafa felt enraged and emboldened. "I don't care anymore. I will write what I want," she told David. Too few people were speaking the truth about radical Islam and she, for one, would stop holding back.

This is still true, for the most part, today. Who could blame her if she did hold back? With death threats being hurled towards her and her family every day, she still presses on to share the hard, bold truth.

Earlier this summer, Wafa said she was "in hiding" with her family due to threats she still receives daily. Most are via the Internet. "I will be your killer," reads one e-mail. Another message, left on her answering machine, said, "Oh, you are still alive? Wait and see." Fiercely protective of her children, Wafa tries to shield her youngest daughter from the menacing messages, though the girl is aware of them.

Wafa has also paid a price within the Muslim community in Los Angeles. Before she became a known activist, she had a busy social life with other Middle Eastern women. Today, few of her old friends remain. "They begged me to stop," she explains of the women in her circle. Some feared for her life; others reviled her message. Wafa summarizes their reaction this way: "You can't make any change, so why are you risking your life?"

Her answer is that she is uniquely positioned to reform the culture she came from. She is educated, a gifted writer, a captivating speaker and -- unusual for a Muslim reformer -- a woman. Most crucially, she has the courage to say things that others are thinking but won't express.

Amen Wafa!

She is now focused on a book she's writing, titled The Escaped Prisoner: When Allah Is a Monster. Asked if she will soften her stance to appeal to a broader audience, she replies, "Not under any circumstances." After half a lifetime trapped in silence, she has found her voice.

That's a book that I want to read!

Why Celebrities Have Conflict-Ridden Lives

So. Now we can add Danny DeVito's crazy drunken rant to the list of recent rants done by Mel Gibson and then Michael Richards. As far as I know, Richards wasn't drunk at the time. But Mel and Danny obviously were.

The latest issue of Whistleblower magazine is called Why Hollywood is Insane. Great articles! Wish I could post most of them. But the one that stuck out most in my mind was David Kupelian's "The Secret Curse of Hollywood 'Stars.' In that article alone, we find out why so many celebrities have conflict-ridden lives and dysfunctional families.

It is a very long article, so I will paraphrase and just mention some of the details. But I will quote the portions that will explicitly explain to us why people like Gibson, Richards, and DeVito (plus many others that I could list) acted out the way they did.

Kupelian starts out with a quote from the Ten Commandments in Exodus:

"Thou shalt have no other gods before me." Exodus 20:3

He begins the article mentioning the drastic conflict that existed for Judy Garland (who was so talented, beautiful and so "perfect"), and Elvis Presley, whose talent led to his idolization by millions.

Garland, unfortunately, struggled with drug and alchohol addictions, was plagued with self-doubt and tried to commit suicide several times. She was miserable and died of a sleeping pill overdose.

Presley had wealth and fame beyond anyone's wildest dreams. Yet, his inner conflict led him into years of legendary drug use that ultimately caught up with him and tragically claimed his life in 1977.

Kupelian writes:

For every self-destructive superstar who dies such a sad, early death, there are hundreds of Hollywood celebrities who live profoundly dysfunctional, conflict-ridden lives. Drug and alcohol abuse are commonplace and divorce almost the norm. Yet these people seem to possess everything most of us secretly covet - talent, fame, good looks, wealth, adoration.

So what goes wrong? What secret curse afflicts them?

Kupelian goes on to say that he doesn't wish to oversimplify, because each situation is different.

But Andrew Breitbart and Mark Ebner, in their scathing expose' "Hollywood Interrupted," take a stab at answering the question of why superstars are so often full of conflict and their family life so disastrous:

"The short answer," claim the authors, "is ego. Insatiable ego. Constantly massaged ego. 24-hour-a-day concierge ego. 400-thread-count linen at the five-star luxury dog kennel ego. Trading in your pre-fame spouse for a world-class model ego."

I immediately thought of Christie Brinkley. Although her husband wasn't "famous," he married a beautiful, famous, top model. From articles that I have read, she's a wonderful mother and appears to have a level head on her shoulders. So what went wrong? Her husband craved having sex with a teenager?? He threw away his marriage, the chance for his young children to grow up with the family intact, and his reputation just to have sex with a young teenaged girl? Insane! Stupid! Unbelievably selfish!

In fact, as we go deeper into the article, we will see how selfishness and self-worship, and craving for ego-driven idolatry leads to much disfunction.

There is a saying similar to the following: Many believe that the greatest tragedy in life is not getting their hearts desire. But sometimes it turns out that the greatest tragedy in life IS GETTING THEIR HEARTS DESIRE. Be careful what you wish for! It matters what that desire is! It matters whether it is God-directed or ego-directed!

According to Breitbart and Ebner:

...Every celebrity, by design and necessity, is a narcissist. The desire to become a star requires an incredible appetite for attention and approval. To achieve fame and its accoutrements takes laser-like focus and a nearly commendable ability to stay self-centered in the service of the dream. Maintaining celebrity is a 24-hour-a-day process requiring a full-time staff to solidify the star's place at the top of the social pecking order. An impenetrable ring of "yes" creatures - including assistants, publicists, managers, agents, hair and make-up artists, stylists, lifestyle consultants, Pilates instructors, cooks, drivers, nannies, schedulers, and other assorted caretakers - work round-the-clock to feed the star's absurd sense of entitlement. Celebrities focus on the minutiae of self all the time - and they make sure that no distractions like airplane reservation snafus or colicky babies interrupt this singular focus. This often extremely lucrative self-obsession invariably becomes downright pathological. ...

Massive ego and narcissism may be the primary ingredients for achieving and maintaining Hollywood success, but they are also the No. 1 cause of the gradiose foibles in their storied, disastrous personal lives. The full-time job of parenting requires absolute selflessness. In contrast, the full-time job of celebrity requires absolute selfishness. The two by definition do not naturally co-exist. Yet, because of their fame, money, and social power, stars somehow think they can defy the odds and maintain a high level of professional success, and still raise healthy families in the process.

No wonder so much rotten fruit is hanging from the dysfunctional celebrity family tree.

But Kupelian goes a whole lot deeper. He shows that living off of approval and applause may feel great for a time, but it also produces great problems.

When it comes to being worshipped, human beings just don't make very good gods, something the Good Book warns about repeatedly. Worship is meant for God alone. But when humans are idolized and worshipped - and when they lower themselves to accept that homage and bask in its glory - major conflict mysteriously appears within the idolized "star."

This is where it gets really good. In fact, when you finish reading this portion, you will probably not only find out why some Hollywood celebrities are basket cases, but you may find out something really important about ourselves that we may not have ever realized before!

'Those 2 impostors'

What could possibly be wrong with the good feelings we get, the ego warmth, the inner glow to our pride that we derive from basking in the approval and adulation of others? And how could celebrities overdose and self-destruct on large quantities of this "drug" of false love/praise?

Before we launch full-bore into answering this question, let's set the stage by recalling the line from Rudyard Kipling's stirring poem, "If," where he says:

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same...

"Impostors"? How can triumph and disaster both be impostors? Hold that thought, while we skip down to the last stanza:

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - or lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you ...

Wait a minute. We all know to watch out for "foes," but how can "loving friends" possibly hurt us?

Kupelian explains this mystery by referencing his book, "The Marketing of Evil," where he tells us that we can't always trust our feelings. Feelings are exactly what the evil marketers appeal to so that they can make bad things appear to be good, and end up selling us "corruption disguised as freedom."

He writes:

After all, if you think what feels good is good, and what feels bad is bad, you have a problem, because lies often make you feel good - and so does heroin, and so does sex with a stranger. You also have a problem with truth - because truth often hurts.

[W]e have a noble nature and an ignoble nature. The noble nature is patient, kind, honest, courageous, unselfish, thoughtful and temperate. The ignoble nature is angry, resentful, selfish, lustful, greedy, cowardly, envious and vengeful. And of course, following the feelings of this dark side is what gets us into trouble.

If we are honest, each of us are saddled with both natures to one degree or another. Kupelian shares that, "good and evil are everywhere in this life, and each of these has a spiritual source which beckons to us, without words, to follow its leadings." (bold mine)

Which side enlarges and dominates our lives? How do we get the noble side to grow and the ignoble side to grow smaller, even wither away and die?

Kupelian writes:

The greatest being who ever walked this earth, Jesus Christ, answered this question in His very first recorded word of ministry: "Repent." (see Matthew 4:17)

"Repent?" Good grief, isn't that one of those archaic Bible words that means we have to wail and gnash our teent and clothe ourselves in sackcloth and ashes?

No. To repent just means you simply look honestly in the mirror and see your own flaws and weaknesses and don't make excuses for them, don't deny them, blame someone else for them or justify them. You also don't condemn yourself for them. But rather, you just plain old acknowledge your faults honestly and allow yourself to experience the natural sadness and contrition that accompany your awareness of them, and quietly cry out to God to help you to change. And change comes.

But - you cannot change for the better (and I don't mean superficial change, but rather, transformation at your very core) if you don't repent. And you cannot repent if you can't see wrong in yourself. And you can't see what's wrong with you if you are high on the anesthetizing "drug" of false love.

Perhaps you are more familiar with that other feel-good "drug," which has the same effect of making you invulnerable to seeing your own faults. It's called hate.

For example, the main reason Islamic culture is so notoriously non-introspecitve, blaming everyone and everything else for its own gargantuan problems, is because so many Muslims (though obviously not all) have been pumped up with hate. Hatred for Jews in particular and all "infidels" (non-Muslims) in general, as well as hatred and blame toward women, or toward the other varieties of Muslims, and so on, renders them literally unable to see themselves and their faults. Their hatred acts like a narcotic drug that takes away their conscience-pain and recognition of their faults that would otherwise naturally impress itself on their minds. they are filled instead with the ecstasy of false righteousness based on infidel-hatred.

Wow! What an insight! They are filled with the ecstasy of false righteousness based on infidel-hatred! If that's not Satan's calling, I don't know what is! Of course, the Islamo-fascist terrorists are examples of the extreme concerning "false righteousness based on infidel-hatred," but we can clearly see that false righteousness, in and of itself, can lead anyone to do anything evil!

Taking this a step further, we can recognize the truthfulness of the Bible.

Christian writers can choose to focus on one aspect of God while ignoring the other. Many love to write (and the audience loves to read) the books that uplift and encourage us with Scripture. However, the books that don't necessarily focus on the Good News of the gospel, but also focus on our sinful, unrepentant hearts, while showing us how separated we are from Holy God, are the types that usually aren't the best sellers.

The Way of the Master book is one that would never reach the level of readership that, lets say, for example, The Purpose Driven Life book has. Why? Because The Way of the Master book focuses on the Law of God, His judgment, and our need for repentance!

Going back to the article. Kupelian states that many of us know how hate can make you "high," and blaming and resenting others "blows your mind clean" of any awareness of your own problems. But he asks this all-important question:

But do we also recognize that getting high on the "drug" of false love, adoration and unconditional approval - everybody telling us how wonderful we are all the time, and our believeing it - also can render us virtually unable to see our own flaws?

I think that Eve fell for a type of "false love" when she was tempted by Satan. Her "drug" was temptation through two physical desires, as well as the spiritual desire to "know evil." She had already experienced all the good that God wanted her to have. But she heeded Satan's lure of "unconditional approval" (e.g. Satan telling her, 'C'mon Eve! You will not die!'), so to speak, his lure of false adoration (e.g. 'your eyes will be opened and you will be like God') and put her good relationship with God in jeopardy (loss of spiritual connection) and dire straits (physical death, with the possibility of spiritual death - separation from God forever) by acting upon the lies of Satan.

Gen 3:4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:


Gen 3:5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.


Gen 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree [was] good for food, and that it [was] pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make [one] wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. (bold mine)

To make matters worse, Adam, having eaten of the same forbidden fruit blamed Eve for offering it to him. Thus we had history's first incident of hatred and blame.

Gen 3:12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest [to be] with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

Kupelian goes on to describe why people get involved with drugs, alcohol, pain-killers etc. and how the approval of others can act upon us exactly like a drug, anesthetizing us from feeling the pain of our problems. And we become addicted to it! He describes the "wicked cycle" of it all, and as the "pain killer" wears off, our need for the "drug" of approval (or hate!) can cause one to descend into madness, or even suicide.

It's the reason that hate often boils over into violence (if it doesn't destroy us inwardly first), because it has nowhere else to go...and is ever growing. This is what leads many celebrities to embrace false religions (Scientology, New Age etc.). Getting high on either of these "drugs" (of false love or hate), we become deluded, egotistical and prideful, and very, very blind to our faults - making us blind therefore to pretty much everything else.

Ah! So THAT'S why so many celebrities marry the wrong person in the first place and end up divorcing them shortly thereafter!

Now hold onto your hats. The next paragraph is sure to inflict the ire of some who read this blog!!

Kupelian writes:

Fortunately, the opposite is also true. What I've discovered in this life is that if you are sincere enough to face yourself and patiently bear the pain of seeing your own imperfections on a moment-to-moment basis, you'll pretty much understand everybody else - at least as much as you need to understand.

Wow! That's huge! It reminds me of what Jesus said in Luke:

Luk 6:42 Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull
out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye.

Casting out the beam from one's own eye will then help us see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye! But many would claim that's "judgmental." Well yes and no. It's a form of showing another their need for repentance, just as I had my own need for repentance! Jesus is giving us permission to "pull out the mote from thy brother's eye" (meaning, point out their need for repentance too!!). When, as born-again believers in Christ, we have taken out the "beam from our own eyes" (meaning, already know the need for our own repentance!) and now see clearly because of what Jesus has done on the cross and what God's Word says; it is then that we see the need for all to do the same in order to be saved! It's not my righteousness that gives us this command, it's Jesus' righteousness that allows us to "see clearly."

This is why following God's Word is crucial. If we follow man's word over and above God's Word, then we are elevating "our thoughts above His thoughts." And Scripture tells us that His thoughts are far above ours! We need His written Word as a guide in our lives so that we don't go astray! It's easy to go astray (or be led astray by false prophets, leaders, teachers etc.) when one is ignorant of God's Word.

Kupelian writes:

It's as though God just wants us to look at ourselves honestly and to repent of our sins and seek Him and His righteous way - and as a fringe benefit, He is happy to "throw in" an authentic understanding of everything else in life. No extra charge. It's the icing on the cake - the cake being our own, sincere self-examination.

Well guess what? We cannot have that twin blessing of understanding ourselves and others if we're coked-up on the praise of others. Again, it's not the praise and worship itself that hurts us, but the way we deal with it. If people praise you for something you've done, but you don't stoop down to "suck up" the praise and build your self-image with it, then you won't be hurt by it.

So, we see that it's a matter of human praise "keeping it's place" within our lives and not being blown out of proportion and entered into the domain that belongs to God alone...worship.

Kupelian goes on to describe how excessive praise hurt him earlier in life. He also included other examples. You can personalize such an experience by recalling a time that someone praised you so excessively that you felt uncomfortable. Why is it that we can feel awkward when that happens; just like we can feel very bad emotionally when someone criticizes or condemns us? Why the discomfort?

The more approval-oriented we are, the more we feel hurt by criticism - and to the same degree. You might be saying "So what?" The reason is because whenever we build our pride, we're growing in conflict with God.

Kupelian writes:

If we take that "drug" of worship into us, it just enlarges our problems.

Remember, what keeps us sane, happy and moving in the right direction in this life is living in the light of constant, good-natured self-awareness. And that self-awareness - with our conscience brightly shining through it - becomes the regulator of our life, and makes our perceptions and decisions right and wholesome.

[W]hen we worship a celebrity [Christine adds: or anyone else, for that matter] as a god, like millions did with Elvis, we're robbing them of this precious relationship with the real God. Although a part of them love (is addicted to) the "drug" of praise, another more innocent part of them longs to be treated normally, honestly, soberly.

[B]ut we can learn something from what happens to those humans we worship. It's not a coincidence that Hollywood celebrities so often become dysfunctional, ultraliberal weirdos. Our worship of them is hurtful - to us, but especially to them.

Yes. Not all celebrities fall into this trap and become basket cases. Although their fans serve up the "drug," they accepted it gracefully, without crossing that line that could lead them to destruction.

There are many "stars" who have the right attitude. They are humble, grateful, with both feet firmly planted on the ground. They recognize that "Triumph" and "Disaster" are both impostors. It's what Kipling was pointing to when he wrote:

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!