Monday, August 27, 2007

The True Intent of "Hate Crimes" Laws

I must confess that I really dislike writing about the radical homosexual agenda; especially when it comes to the "political correctness" tripe of so-called "hate crimes" laws that homosexual activists are pushing in California (in particular) as well as upon our nation (in general).

But this topic is just too important to ignore. Christian believers have "looked the other way" for far too long now. The situation is much too dire in this current day and age to let it continue without efforts to oppose this craziness.

Activists want to make it appear that what they are are proposing is necessary for the "safety" of homosexuals and "proper punishment for 'hate' crimes' done (or, in some cases just perceived to be done) towards homosexuals" should include greater levels of punishment than for the same crime(s) done against anyone else. This is what they tout as something that should be considered as a noble position for all people to take. Well, I sincerely hope that what I will share here will alert you to the fact that the true intent of "hate crimes" laws is something very different from that which homosexual activists and their supporters deceptively want you to believe.

I would invite you to read the following emails that I recently received and judge for yourself what is really going on through this agenda.

To me, it's blatantly obvious that their goals are to silence any and all opposition to proclaiming that homosexual behavior is sin, a dangerous and unhealthy lifestyle, and should be discouraged just as much as other physically risky behaviors (such as smoking, drugs, alcohol abuse, and any other unprotected sex outside of marriage).

The first email I will share is about "Hate Crimes in California" sent to me from the Capitol Resource Institute:





With all the important legislation CRI tracks, we usually don't spend much time on resolutions as they are non-binding "opinions" of the legislature.However, sometimes certain resolutions send such a bad message that we are compelled to address them. Assembly Joint Resolution 29 is such a resolution. Early this afternoon the state senate voted to approve AJR 29 (Eng). This measure declares the legisature's support for a proposed federal "hate crime" law in Congress: H.R. 1592--the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (LLEHCPA), or the Matthew Shepard Act. AJR 29 urges Congress to pass this bill and the president to sign it into law.

Opposition to hate crimes sounds like a noble position. However, the true intent behind harsher punishments for hate crime perpetrators is to advance a politically correct social agenda. This true agenda can be found in analyzing H.R. 1592. According to the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), H.R. 1592 will make it a hate crime to injure or attempt to injure any person "because of the actual or perceived religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability of any person." This type of language should look familiar to readers as radical homosexual activists have already codified such language in California.

Perhaps the most alarming provision in H.R. 1592 is the federal intervention in local matters. According to HSLDA, the bills will "authorize the federal government to prosecute hate crimes if a state does not intend to prosecute the crime, or if the verdict or sentence under state charges 'left demonstratively unvindicated the Federal interest in eradicating bias-motivated violence.'"
This is chilling to read.

The federal government has decided that it has an interest in punishing people for their "biased" thoughts. Who determines what is biased? Worse yet, the federal government will determine whether states have sufficiently punished a "bigoted" criminal. Homosexual rights groups are pushing very hard to pass H.R. 1592 because they know that with such laws, they can "eradicate" any opposition to their lifestyle.

In the senate vote today, only one Republican voted to oppose AJR 29 and its support of the federal hate crimes bill-Senator Dennis Hollingsworth. The rest of the Republican members abstained. The report from the Assembly vote last month is even more distressing: only one brave Republican voted against the measure-Assemblyman Joel Anderson. Six Republicans were absent or abstained. Disappointingly, several otherwise conservative assembly members are co-authors of AJR 29.

Becoming the co-author of a bill represents far more than support for a bill, it indicates advocacy for the measure's content.

It is alarming that some of our pro-family allies have pledged their support to advancing this politically correct ideology. It is also sad to see that so many lawmakers have bought into the despotic "hate crimes" agenda.

This is yet another sobering reminder that we must remain vigilant and continually educate our elected officials-our freedom depends upon it.

Assembly Co-authors

Asssembly Votes for AJR 29

HSLDA Analysis of H.R. 1592

Contact your Legislator

Read WND's article "Christian belief a 'hate crime' under plan"


Next, please read the following email that I received from PFOX (Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays). I found it quite alarming that those who talk most about "tolerance" and "inclusion" and against "bigotry" and "hate" can be some of the most intolerant, exclusive, bigoted, hateful people towards those they dislike and/or disagree with!!




Arlington, VA (Aug. 28, 2007) -- Last week Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays (PFOX) exhibited at the Arlington County Fair in Arlington, Virginia. PFOX has exhibited at this county fair for the past four years and hands out materials on same-sex attraction and tolerance for the ex-gay community to a hungry public. A local gay group also exhibits there and distributes materials on gay rights.



As happens every year, gay activists disrupted our booth activities. They screamed obscenities, threw our materials from the exhibit table to the ground, insisted we recognize their same-sex "spouses," demanded that PFOX leave, and hit a PFOX volunteer because he is ex-gay.



When we explained that the county's sexual orientation law allows both the gay booth and our ex-gay booth to exhibit, the unhappy gays insisted that sexual orientation laws on hate crimes and discrimination do not apply to ex-gays -- only gays -- and no tolerance should be extended to former homosexuals.



All the gays who stopped by our booth that week insisted that no one could change their sexual orientation from gay to straight, although they knew of people who had changed in mid-life from heterosexual to a gay lifestyle or had changed their gender.



The gays became infuriated when our ex-gay volunteers testified about leaving homosexuality. They adamantly refused to accept the ex-gays' sexual orientation. One gay man went so far as to hit our ex-gay volunteer because he refused to recant his ex-gay testimony. We summoned a police officer, who ejected the gay man off of the fairgrounds. Our ex-gay volunteer decided not to press assault charges against the gay man because he wanted to turn the other check as Jesus had done.



This is not the first year that PFOX has had to summon the police for protection from gay activists. Although the gays have their own exhibit booth, they steadfastly refuse to accept the presence of an ex-gay booth or support equal access. Also disturbing is that several of the gays identified themselves as educators who would ensure that our teen materials do not reach schoolchildren as gay materials do.



From years of exhibiting at public events across the country, PFOX has learned:



Leaving homosexuality is like leaving a cult; many gay activists feel betrayed by ex-gays and hate anyone who supports self-determination when it comes to the ex-gay community. Although God gave us free will to choose our own lives, whether good or bad choices, gay activists would take free will away from us and force ex-gays back into the closet.



Gay activists fear factual information that PFOX makes available to teens. Gay activists have had a monopoly over our youth for so long that they resent any competing information and label anything contrary to their pro-gay ideology as "dangerous" to youth.



Gay activists do not support hate crimes or sexual orientation anti-discrimination laws if those laws include ex-gays. "Hate crimes" is another word for hate against ex-gays while protecting gays. Therefore, we must work to ensure that all sexual orientation laws at any level specifically include former homosexuals or be eliminated altogether as discriminatory.



PFOX is the only organization distributing ex-gay educational literature to the public, including public schools. We are the only ex-gay organization almost everywhere we go. Almost every day we are on the front lines suffering harassment and injustices merely because we demand our equal rights.



The public eats up our information because they have never been exposed to factual truth about same-sex attractions. Teens especially are eager for our educational literature. But our brochures and flyers cost money to print. We also have to pay for exhibit fees and travel. If you would like to help with costs, please make a tax deductible donation to:



Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays
PFOX
Box 561, Fort Belvoir VA 22060
703-360-2225


So, what can we conclude from just these two emails?

The fact that the true intent of "Hate Crimes" laws is to silence opposing views; (especially the Christian message that homosexuals can change their sexual behavior and orientation through regeneration by the salvation power of the Cross when accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior) should alarm every Bible-based Christian believer out there!

Stay Free of Unconfessed Sin


Weekend, August 25 & 26


Battery Gauge: Positive or Negative Charge?


For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.2 Timothy 1:7


Recommended Reading

Acts 1:4-8

More than one person has replaced a car battery only to find the new battery "dead" within a few days. They may even repeat this process several times, blaming a string of "bad batteries." Only when they realize that the problem is not the battery but the alternator do they get back on the road.


A battery stores power to start a car's engine; but the alternator, turned by a belt that is powered by the engine, keeps the battery fully charged. Lose the alternator and, in time, the battery will go dead. The Holy Spirit functions in the Christian's life like an alternator in a car—the source of power that keeps our spiritual batteries charged. Just as a car needs electrical power for many functions—lights, radio, gauges, spark plugs—so the Christian needs spiritual power for many reasons as well: patience, endurance, love, service, resisting temptation, obedience, and others. The primary way to short-circuit the Spirit's power in our lives is to harbor unconfessed sin.


Stay free of unconfessed sin (1 John 1:9) and full of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18), and you will never lack for spiritual power.


Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers; pray for powers equal to your tasks. Phillips Brooks


Read-Thru-the Bible

Ezekiel 32:1 - 34:31 ; Ezekiel 35:1 - 37:28



HT: Turning Point Online

Saturday, August 25, 2007

'Gay' Lessons Violate Man's Civil Rights

A Massachusetts man handcuffed and hauled to jail after he objected to a public school teaching his kindergarten-age son about homosexuality has gone to the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals seeking justice.

read more digg story

Excerpt:



"Contrary to the views of the defendants and the District Court, a public school has no right to change children's minds about their deeply held faith, particularly in the private areas of marriage and procreation," the appeal brief said.

"It is the school administration that seeks to restrict the flow of information to parents when knowingly inculcating beliefs antithetical to their Faith," the document said. "The injunctive relief requested seeks to remove this dictated restriction and restore primacy to the parental role of overseeing their children's moral education."


Thank God for a Christian man like David Parker who is not intimidated by the powerful gay organizations which not only seek to indoctrinate all children into their homosexual agenda, but at the same time want to end parents' rights to object to such an agenda being taught to their children without parental notification and/or permission.

Parker will win this case and all parents will be grateful for his efforts to confront this awful situation.

*******
Update:


Another example of how the homosexual indoctrination agenda is being forced on elementary school level children!!


"Tolerance" Curriculum for Elementary Schools

CRI (Capitol Resource Institute) has just learned that San Leandro Unified School District will hold a board of education meeting this Thursday, August 23rd to showcase new "tolerance" curriculum for elementary schools.

Homosexual advocate groups herald this new curriculum as promoting "true tolerance" and "safer schools." Approved by the school board in late July, while many families are still involved in summer activities and unaware of school goings-on, this new curriculum will promote homosexual "families" and "diversity" to children as young as 5 years old.

We encourage every concerned citizen in the area to attend the meeting and see this indoctrination material firsthand.

Proponents of the curriculum as expecting opposition from citizens and parents. This is your opportunity, as a parent, to speak out against the radical and aggressive homosexual agenda for innocent young children. Stand up for your values at this meeting!

Just in time for the start of the school year, those with radical social agendas to push on innocent minds are busy promoting their "tolerance" programs. Every parent should contact their school and find out if similar curriculum is being used.

Please use our Back to School Checklist as an aid in researching your school's policies and practices.

Here are the meeting details:
San Leandro Unified School District Meeting
Thursday, Aug 23, 5:30-6:30pm
SLUSD District Office
14735 Juniper Street
San Leandro

If you attend the meeting, please tell us your experience. We love to hear from parents who have taken a stand for their children and local community!

Board Meeting Agenda

*Note the hour of "closed session agenda." Hmmm...makes us wonder what they need to hide???

A Preview of the Elementary Safe School Poster, Read Aloud Books, and Sample Lessons


Additional helpful CRI information:

Back to School: Checklist for Public School Parents

· Find out if your school has an "opt in" or an "opt out" policy. Will they notify you and ask consent before your child is exposed to sexual or other controversial subject matter in class?

· Opt Out! Write a letter to your school principal and your child's teacher explaining your wish that your child not be exposed to pro-homosexuality messages or any sex education messages in the classroom.

· Find out if your school has a student newspaper and subscribe. There are often announcements in student newspapers concerning controversial matters on campus, such a Gay-Lesbian club activities, etc.

· Find out if your school has a policy that allows minor students to leave campus for confidential medical treatment without notifying the parents. CRI has information on how you can take this matter to your school board and attempt to have the policy changed to a parent-friendly policy.

· Find out if the school authorizes or conducts an "gay" oriented programs such as a "Gay Day of Silence". Many parents have been successful in stopping these from happening in advance. Contact CRI if you want more information.

· When your kids come home from school, ask them if they did any journaling that day and, if so, what they wrote about. Teachers often have their students journal about their feelings on certain controversial issues, things that happen at home, etc, and then have the children leave their journals at school.

· Teach your child how to respond to the myths taught in public schools that contradict your values, such as the homosexual agenda, evolution science, etc.

· Scan textbooks, workbooks, teaching materials, and classroom handouts to ensure that your children are being taught in accordance with your values.

o Is it anti-parent? (Parents are ignorant, old fashioned)

o Does it instruct the child to keep secrets from the parent?

o Does it encourage a negative view of the child, his family, his country, or his future?

o Is it preoccupied with death, tragedy, hate, anger, revenge etc.? (e.g. Requires the child to write out his own epitaph.)

o Is it anti-religion? Does it lead the child to reject morals and values taught at home or church?

o Does it lead the child to believe there are no absolute standards? (Morality is relative and depends on the situation)

o Does it encourage experimentation with sex, alcohol, or drugs?

o Does it censor out all knowledge of the importance of religion in American history?

o Does it force the child to make choices based on hypothetical situations and decide it is okay to lie, cheat, steal, kill, have sex outside of marriage, have an abortion, or commit suicide?

o Does it force the child to answer questionnaires about the family's attitudes, behaviors, customs, political views that invade privacy?

o Does it blur traditional concepts of gender identity and force the child to accept radical feminist notions?

o Does it censor out our nation's heroes such as George Washington but spend much time studying controversial contemporary figures?

o Does it lead the child to believe that global or world government is preferable to the American constitutional republic?

o Does it imply that government spending programs lead to economic prosperity instead of hard work and perseverance?

o Does it lead the child to believe that disarmament rather than defense can prevent future war?

Friday, August 17, 2007

What Is Truly At Stake?

This blogpost is a continuation of an ongoing conversation between David, newcomer Daniel, and I. I have taken the liberty to bring some of the latest comments up from the post entitled, Love, Responsibility and Holiness = Wholeness.

You can go to that link, read through the posts and comments in order to "catch up" on the conversation here.

I will begin with my comment which was reacting to David's post about intersexed people:

Look. I am not a medical doctor. I have heard of intersex people. I may not understand the entire plight that they are under, but I do think that you are mixing "apples and oranges" as the saying goes.

The Bible identifies people who are eunuchs. Whether it is by choice, medical procedure or by a "freak of nature" that they are the way they are, the fact is that we all live in a fallen world. Sin has permeated everything and everyone; whether it is a sexual problem, or any other sin problem. Scripture tells us that even the "whole creation groans for redemption." That just about covers everything...don't you think?

Rom 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

If you read the entire chapter of Romans 8 (NKJV), you will see (and hopefully realize) that as born again believers in Christ, we are to "mortify the deeds of the body" and not "live after the flesh."

Rom 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

What you have presented is scientific reasoning as to why some people have, unfortunately, been born intersexed.

Homosexual behavior has nothing to do with that anomaly.

But I do see where you are trying to go with this. You want to make a case for homosexuals "being born that way." Sorry. There is no scientific evidence of that.

I'm not here to debate the sexual anomalies that you have brought up and then stand by and watch you try to equate such findings as an excuse to continue in homosexual behavior while claiming to be a Christian. That will, ultimately, be a subject between you and God.

What I do know is that God's Word forbids homosexual sex between two men or two women. Period. End of story. People can twist, rearrange, argue, debate, eliminate certain verses, skew the meaning of certain verses all in an effort to make Scripture say what they desire it to say to satisfy their own fleshly desires (and, therefore, their own consciences).

However, to me it would be like trying to convince someone that murder is not sin, either. God's Word has the last say on the matter.

The question remains as to whether or not you (or any other gcm advocate) will humble themselves and admit they are wrong about gay sexual behavior or not. It is a choice that you will have to make and come to terms with during your earthly existence.

Just like a heterosexual person who claims to be a Christian yet continues to think he/she is not sinning when cheating through adulterous liasions with others; they will have to one day answer to Christ for their actions. I can't speak to that situation. It is one that is between God and each, separate, individual.

However, I can speak to the heretical lies that the gcm is spreading through a false gospel as they try to mold Jesus Christ, and belief in Him into their "own image" It is not only a form of adultery, but even worse, a form of idolatry.

Saying, believing and preaching that gay sex is O.K. with God and need not be repented of for entrance into the kingdom of heaven is a lie from Satan himself, David. I pray that you will one day be released from this deceptive stronghold in your life.

Meanwhile, if I were you I would be careful sharing heretical ideology with others and thus leading them away from reconcilation with God. That has eternal consequences attached to it and I sincerely hope that you wouldn't want those people who were led astray (by your heretical ideas) to miss heaven because of it.

*******

Next, here is newcomer Daniel's comment:




My name is Daniel. After reading many of the posts here I find myself wanting to respond with many ideas. So many I am not entirely sure I can sort them out to make this clear. This is my attempt (sorry if this is rather long).

As a person who is dealing with my sexual orientation I have spent a lot of time thinking these issues over. I want to be as objective as possible. I love Jesus, the bible, and also people. Let me say as a sinner and a Christian my heart is heavy for men and women sorting through their sexuality. It is physically taxing, emotionally draining, and spiritually significant!

It seems to me when this issue has been addressed in history prior to the late 19th century the first explanation for rejection was natural law. In other words because of the empirical nuisances of same sex relationships it could not be morally right. However, as this unfolded we began to see that there are many anomalies in nature. So often we find in nature events that break the rules. The same was true when we began to study sexuality. While it is true there is not a “gay” gene, it is true that there are diff. chemical relationships between many individuals that live active homosexual life styles and those that do not. Because of socio-biological experiments we can not count on nature to wholly answer this question. Either side can use research to justify their opinion; therefore empirical data can only aide us in a resolution.

If this is true then I believe we could agree that our senses and biology can not be trusted to conclusively answer this question. Jesus demonstrates this by breaking the laws of nature, most significantly the laws of death!!!

I find that when you look at both sides of the coin there continually is a matter of biblical interpretation. Since interpretation is essentially observations made from reading scripture and applying an opinion based on those observations…interpretation is essentially a matter of logic. If this is the case then understanding God would be based largely on ones intellectual capability. I am sure no one would say that those who are academic are closer to God then those who are less astute. We would agree that it is a matter of grace, not works…praise God!!! This is not to say that academic endeavors are vain…certainly not. They are a valuable aid in understanding good news, but they are not the heart of God.

I often get distressed when I read different thoughts and opinions from those before me. In all queries into the heart of God from the origin of life to the present you find new perspectives emerge. The theology of the modern day conservative while rooted in predecessors much more intelligent than any of us is quite different depending on the time it was written. So an evangelical today is practicing daily living activities that would be wildly gross to an evangelical that lived one hundred years ago. The same is true for the more liberal side. Therefore on one side Leviticus law is used as a reason for homosexuality as sin, and the other side as a reason for it being not explicitly sin. This observation leads me to conclude that the answer to this question can not be based solely on interpretation.
If this is true then I believe we would all agree that interpretation of our own and those before us only aides in an internal relationship established with God. It does not establish it! Jesus being the greatest mind of all time demonstrates this in his rebuke of the academic establishments. Equating knowledge of him to be more easily understood by ignorant children then masters of theology, ethics, and mores.

I find this to be ever so humbling when it comes to taking strong stances in my views of sexuality and spirituality. I have been conditioned to trust first what I see, hear, taste, ect, secondly, to trust my interpretation of it. My mind I have so often trusted even though my experience shows my logic to fall apart, my opinions to be ever so effected by my mood, and my imagination to be manipulated by circumstance.

Jesus help me!!! Who/what shall I trust???

I believe it is to trust in Jesus, but when I am so easily swayed by my mind, circumstance, and senses…what does that mean? I have often contemplated the “sermon on the mount” and marveled at the realization that Christ calls me to him. And this call was not physically witnessed by me, nor did I come to it by reason. It was an inward look!?!

As I have attempted to walk with my savoir into the chaos of my untamed spirit I find that empirical reality and logic do very little. They have helped materialize my sorting spirit through word and action. However, my thoughts and actions are only caused by the first effect in my heart.

What I have discovered in the sorted chaos of my spirit as it pertains to sexuality is this. I have a desperate desire for intimacy with men! And that is ok!! All men desperately desire intimate relationships with each other!!! I see this all the time when men get together. Whether it is at a local sport pub, gay bar, or prayer meeting, men love being around other men…almost. We all know men that are intimidated by other men. In the video that was discussed on the other blog there was a common theme amongst the young boys. When Pastor Jay was with the boys they confessed that being around other men made them nervous, they had been rejected by their male peers, and almost all of them made friends much more easily with girls.

When I was in college I desperately wanted to know if I was a man. I remember thinking what does it mean to be a man? And how to I get from a boy to a man? Having shared many experiences of rejection from males at an early age…I thought if I was a man other men would want to be around me. I knew they didn’t! And yet I was willing to do anything to get other men to want to be around me. I realized at some point we were all doing this…some of us through sports, others through girls and sex, and others through men and sex. It was so easy to walk into a gay bar look at the first man I saw and immediately get him to want to be around me…all it takes is a little sex. I later realized that this was not satisfying intimacy …and remember I know I want intimacy.

I decided I would try a relationship with a wonderful male. As I grew to love and respect him as a male our sex life began to grow increasingly frustrating. I found that I was having physical and mental problems trying to view him as a sexually intimate partner. You see my love for him caused me to want to aide in his masculinity not take from it.

As I began to study the ideas that surrounded Paul’s concepts of marriage, likening it to Christ and the church, I became increasingly aware of the metaphorical use as a picture of the gospel. When Paul walks us through a relationship of a husband he likens it to the head of a body. My head is where I process info, interpret my circumstance, run the rest of my body, and plan my future. I see it as a visionary leader, strong enough to have confidence in decisions, but smart enough to know it will not work without my body/heart. As a man in a relationship with another man I began to try and construct a theory of how this would work between two men.

I know I have loved a man, fought injustices and tackled great fears with a man. But I could not make a body out of two heads. I know that two heads are better than one…as the saying goes…but when was the last time you saw two heads do much good without a pair of hands, legs, and a heart.

I know that we often think of homosexuality in terms of love between two people, but so many men love each other with out sex. I am beginning to believe that homosexuality is sin. By sin I do not mean fire and brimstone, but rather something that causes our spirit to move outward. If we focus outwardly, rather than inwardly, we are sure to miss the presence of God. I have yet to see Jesus face to face.

From what I have observed in my life and others in and out of the gay community, it distracts me from my inward journey with Jesus. If I am just sexual I find I begin to be outwardly driven focusing on my appearance and the appearance of others. If I am sexual and trying to be intimate I find myself stuck in my head and no body to support me, no heart to keep me strong. Fundamentally homosexuality seems to be a manipulation of such a good thing (love between two men) to becoming a distraction from the good news that Jesus conquered death, asks you to go with him into the recesses of your dark and chaotic heart, so that you come out alive and ready to lose yourself in Him.

The biggest obstacle I face in questioning my sexuality is marriage (intimate long term relationships). I truly believe that God made us masculine and feminine, and while there are great varieties of the way that plays out in action, it is ever so entwined into my biology, logic, and heart. I can understand why it can seem so unreal for a gay person and myself to once again question their sexual identity. There is so much grace, goodness, and holiness to be found in relationships with persons of the same sex. But can two bodies make a head, or two heads make a body?

As we wrestle with these issues I pray we are gentle (not on the middle of the fence), to each other. There is more than an opinion when it comes to the heart.

6:37 PM
*******

Next, here is David's last comment:



Hello Christine....

Well, I do apologize. I seem to have hit a nerve here. There are lots of things here I could address, but I am only going to address some key things that you said in your last posting. First thing......

You said:

"I'm not here to debate the sexual anomalies that you have brought up and then stand by and watch you try to equate such findings as an excuse to continue in homosexual behavior while claiming to be a Christian. That will, ultimately, be a subject between you and God."


I am not "claiming" to be a Christian...I AM a Christian. I have accepted Christ as my personal Saviour. I have accepted His free gift of Salvation. I have asked Him to come into my life and to be honest with you, my walk with Christ has NEVER been stronger than it is today. Quite frankly, I take great offense to you sitting here saying to me that I am "claiming" to be a Christian. You have no idea of my history, what God has brought me through, and where He is taking me. So, I would appreciate if you would refrain from using this terminology with me or any other person you ever talk to. Because I could very easily turn right back around and say that you are "claiming" to be a Christian, and I would certainly never do that.


You said:

"Saying, believing and preaching that gay sex is O.K. with God and need not be repented of for entrance into the kingdom of heaven is a lie from Satan himself, David. I pray that you will one day be released from this deceptive stronghold in your life."


Obviously, our definitions of Salvation are two different things. What you just told me here is that if I am gay, I will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. That is so far from the truth that I just don't know what to say. I was released from ALL my sin when Christ hung on that cross and cried out.."IT IS FINISHED!!" Praise GOD for the gift of His Son. When Christ died, every sin that you or I have ever committed was FORGIVEN!! It was washed away under the blood of the holy Lamb of God And if you read Romans 10:9

"...the word of faith we are proclaiming that if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord" and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, YOU WILL BE SAVED! For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved!"

Our Salvation has NEVER been dependent on whether or not we sin. After many, many nights of being physically ill and coming to our Father and grappling with the fact that I was gay, He finally gave me peace. He gave me the Peace that passes all understanding. We will certainly differ in our interpretation of Scripture. And if I am wrong, then I, and only I, will answer for that. Just like you will answer for everything that you have done. Sin is sin. There is no difference. There are no varying degrees of sin. One sin is not any worse than any other. There is NOTHING we can do to be cleansed of our sin than to accept HIS free gift. I know I have sinned in my life, and I know there are probably things I have not asked for forgiveness for. However, that is the beauty of Christ's ultimate sacrifice. If we accept him as our Saviour then our sins are washed away!! I am not saying that we should become a Christian and go out and murder a bunch of people. Christ will also hold his children accountable. I firmly believe that if you are a child of God, and you are openly living a sinful life, with no repentance in sight, then I believe that God will take his children home.

And last but not least.....

You said:

"Meanwhile, if I were you I would be careful sharing heretical ideology with others and thus leading them away from reconcilation with God. That has eternal consequences attached to it and I sincerely hope that you wouldn't want those people who were led astray (by your heretical ideas) to miss heaven because of it."


The only people who will miss heaven are those who have not accepted Christ as their personal Saviour. PERIOD! The ONLY reconciliation with God is to accept His free gift of Salvation. That is how we reconcile with Christ! My message to people is a very simple message. Christ told us very clearly in Mark to "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel." That is not my "heretical idea". THAT is the great commandment!!

Well, I have stayed up way past my bedtime now, but as you can see, I am very passionate about the Gospel of Christ.

7:41 PM
*******

My brief reply (to be updated later today):

Hello Daniel,

Welcome to Talkwisdom! Sorry for the delay in replying, it's just that I have been extremely busy the last few days.

Thank you for your heartfelt comment. I can tell that this is a very sensitive subject for you. I want to give your comment my full attention, so I will reply very soon when I have more time.

David,

You are right. This topic always touches the nerves of those who are engaged in it and on opposite sides of the argument. This is probably why a majority of Christians just avoid it altogether.

I want to give your comment my full attention as well. Perhaps I can bring both of your comments up to a new blogpost later today and reply then.

One thing I want to clear up immediately. I am not saying that you are not a Christian, David. The truth is, only God and the individual person knows for sure. However, we ALL can claim to be something...including a Christian, without truly being one. That's just a sad fact in this fallen world.

You could say the same thing back to me, for instance, and I wouldn't be offended. What I would do next is back up my beliefs with the truth from Scripture.

When I make statements like that, I am trying to point out where a person's theology does not match up with what Scripture says. The Bible is the "plumb line" in determining truth from error. If we didn't have the absolute truth of the Bible to rely on, then anyone could skew Christian belief in any direction he/she chooses. When that (unfortunately) happens, heresy and apostasy come creeping in to negatively change true, Biblically-based Christian theology.

You wrote:

The only people who will miss heaven are those who have not accepted Christ as their personal Saviour. PERIOD! The ONLY reconciliation with God is to accept His free gift of Salvation. That is how we reconcile with Christ! My message to people is a very simple message. Christ told us very clearly in Mark to "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel." That is not my "heretical idea". THAT is the great commandment!!


I do not see any need for the act of repentance in your statement. So I must ask you, what part does confession and repentance of sin play in the true Gospel of Jesus Christ?

7:40 AM

*******

I would invite any and all to join in this conversation. Some may think that it is "trivial" to argue over such things. Are you one of them? Or, do you see this as important because the eternal life and destination of each individual soul is at stake?

Thursday, August 16, 2007

WorldNetDaily 10th Anniversary History Highlights

As WND celebrates it's 10th anniversary, I found it quite interesting to read through many of the highlights that were chosen for the "On this day in WND history." list.

There are a LOT of articles to choose from, but perhaps a few commenters here might like to answer the following questions after reading from the list:

1. Which article was the most interesting one to you and why?

2. Which article was the most humorous?

3. Which article was the most outlandish?

4. Which article(s), if any, taught you something that you did not previously know?

5. People often either love or hate WND. What's your opinion and why?

6. Make up your own question and answer it. (Be nice! No inappropriate spewing allowed!)

7. Write a 200 word essay and get 10 extra bonus points!

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Another Obama Rama Ding Dong Flub!

I ask you. As one of the "darlings" of the Democratic presidential candidates, does Barack Obama even have a clue or what???

The lies, misstatements and downright ignorant claims that come out of this guy's mouth are just...well...SCARY!

Go to this link, listen and see a YouTube clip of his lastest faux pas.

As if the "bomb Pakistan" ignorant comment wasn't frighteningly irresponsible enough, now he's claiming (then, apparently, trying to once again "clarify" through a newspaper correction?) that our military is "just air raiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous problems there."

Clueless!!!


Another Obama Foreign Policy Flap.

HT: Real Clear Politics

*******

Update:

Ha! Go over to LGF, too. There are over 1,429 (and counting!) comments about it!

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Let His Hands Fill Us Every Day

When a person is born again in Jesus Christ, he/she needs to take a back seat in the vehicle of life and allow Jesus to "take the wheel" (as the lyrics of that familiar song goes).

The following devotional shows how important such a step is.

Unfortunately, people often let their "selves" get in the way. The pride of life often leads to selfishness. Take any topic you can think of, and I'm sure you could think of people who only appear to exude selfishness in the midst of it.

It is difficult not to be selfish. It is much harder to give of oneself in honor of God for what He has done for us, as well as for the sake of others.

The following devotional stresses the secret to overcoming selfishness. It also points out our need for Jesus Christ and how filling ourselves with the leading of the Holy Spirit enables Jesus to work through us.

After all, it's not about me. It's not about you. It's all about Him!

Christine

*******


Tuesday, August 14
The Gloves Christ Wears

And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
Acts 13:52

Recommended Reading
Acts 2:1-4

Major Ian Thomas, the British evangelist, speaks of the powerlessness of a glove. If your glove is lying on the table, you can command it to do things all day, and it's helpless to obey. It just lies there uselessly. But when you fill the glove with your hand, that glove can do anything you can do. It can grasp a hammer, steer a car, shake a hand, or hold a Bible.

Christ doesn't want us to do something for Him; He wants to do something through us. To be effective in His service, we need to be filled with Him. The book of Acts repeatedly describes the early Christians as being filled with the Spirit. When the apostle Paul gave reports about his missionary activities, he always talked about what the Lord had done through Him.

When we labor in our own strength, we're just jousting with windmills. When we're filled with the Holy Spirit, it's as though Christ himself were ministering through us—which He is. We are His gloves, and we must let His hands fill us every day.

Godliness is not the consequence of your capacity to imitate God, but the consequence of His capacity to reproduce himself in you.
Major Ian Thomas

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Jeremiah 51:1 - 52:34

HT: Turning Point online

Monday, August 13, 2007

U.S. Military Establishes Moral Authority in Iraq

Major attacks decline by 50% in Iraq.

Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi must be upset over this good news!

Excerpt from Hot Air:

Update (AP): From Michael Yon’s latest:

Large numbers of Iraqis detested us after the prisoner abuse stories, and some over-the-top attacks on Fallujah, for example. But through time, somehow the American military has managed to establish a moral authority in Iraq. It’s not the only authority, but the military has serious and increasing moral clout. In the beginning, our influence flowed from guns, or dropped from the wings of jets. Later it was the money. Today, the clout still is partially from the gun, and definitely the money is key, but there is an intangible and growing moral clout and it flows from an increasing respect among Iraqis for our military. Washington has no moral clout in Iraq. Washington looks like a circus act. The authority is coming from our military. The importance of this fact would be difficult to understate.

HT: Hot Air



P.S. Some great photos and commentary at Michael Yon's website.

Gay Activists Come Up With Killer Argument?

Oh my...

Praise perversion or pass the ammunition?

Excerpt:

Homosexual activists have come up with a killer argument -- without Gay Straight Alliances in the schools, "gay students" will be forced to whack their classmates.

Go to the website -- www.gaystraightalliance.org (not the official website of the Gay Straight Alliances, but one that presumably reflects their worldview) and scroll down to the bottom of the homepage, where you will find the following:

"Without GSA (Gay Straight Alliance) access, students are forced to simply kill classmates who taunt and bully -- shooting, stabbing and poisoning are the common forms of retribution. Far too many government officials like bullying children to the point where retribution against classmates and faculty is the only option to redress relentless human rights violations in many regions. Speciously-named 'pro-family' leaders are child molesters who make money stigmatizing homosexuality to silence gay victims."

There you have it:

1. Without GSAs, taunting and harassment based on so-called sexual orientation will reach epidemic proportions.

2. Murder is the logical, yea the inevitable, response to name-calling, shoving and teasing. (In grade school, I was the skinny, bookish kid. I can't tell you how many of my former classmates are buried under my porch back home.)

3. In such circumstances, killing one's classmates is justifiable homicide. Note the term "retribution," which Webster's defines as "punishment for evil done."

4. Unnamed government officials revel in children being abused to the point where they snap and begin offing their schoolmates.

5. And pro-family honchos are child molesters who "make money stigmatizing homosexuality to silence gay victims" -- probably through a Bush administration program, The National Stigmatizing Homosexuality To Silence Gay Victims Bank. If pro-family leaders are child molesters, does that mean they'll be allowed to march in gay pride parades, like NAMBLA (the North American Man-Boy Love Association)?

This is a novel twist on the classic argument of gay activists: That if you oppose any item of their extensive agenda (including the indoctrination of children), you are an odious bigot who hates and wants to hurt them, and -- by spreading your poison -- are responsible for any and all crimes committed against homosexuals.


No need to wonder how far the secular, pro-gay indoctrination agenda proponents will go...this article, quite sadly and drastically... tells us!!

HT: GrasstopsUSA.com

Committing to Growth

It seems that whenever a fellow Christian challenges me in my "approach" to sharing the Gospel of Christ, I get a message either in the form of an email, or, the Holy Spirit's leading in prayer in the early morning hours as I awake from the night, or, through another Christian and what he or she shares with me that day, or, through a sermon by a pastor.

A while back, Dr. David Jeremiah of Turning Point Ministries shared the importance of Committing to Growth in our Christian walk with the Lord. In that sermon, I got the answer from God's Word in how to counter what a few fellow Christians (usually the liberal ones) always use in order to show disapproval of what I write at this blog.

What is it, exactly, that they disapprove of? The fact that I am committed to sharing passionately the entire gospel of Christ which includes our need for confession and repentance in order to be born-again in Jesus Christ.

It is the current "fad" of the emergent church movement (and the numerous heretical off-shoots) that appears to want to "skip over" the crucifixion of Christ at the cross for sin and just emphasize the love, mercy and grace portion of the gospel. Trouble is, you can't have the Good News of the Gospel without first sharing the bad news of our sinful natures that separate us from God!!

Of course, there needs to be balance. But balancing doesn't mean elimination of the Law and the Prophets! The Law and the Prophets points to our need for reconciliation unto God through humbling ourselves at the foot of the cross of Christ, confessing and repenting of our sin in order to be restored, reconciled and re-born spiritually through the Man (Jesus Christ) who is the Bridge to redemption and spiritual reconnection to God the Father, our Creator and Righteous Judge of the Universe!

On to Dr. Jeremiah's sermon.



READY! SET! GROWTH!
Dr. David Jeremiah
"Committing to Growth"
December 10, 2006

Colossians 3:23-24
Col 3:23 And whatsoever ye do, do [it] heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;


Col 3:24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ
.


Deu 33:27 The eternal God [is thy] refuge, and underneath [are] the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy [them].

If you lean on the arms of God, you can find yourself leaning either forward or backward! When we combine the messages of these two verses, we find that we aren't supposed to just sit there, leaning back on His arms, but we are to live out what Colossians 3:23-24 tells us...through serving and doing all we do heartily to the Lord! Claim this verse as your own! We are to have goals and standards, giving it all we've got and doing whatever we do with passion! Passionate living is energy to live for God!

Unfortunately, some Christians just want to sit back in a more lackluster "comfort zone." Sometimes churches are wary of, and worry about, burn-out. [The fact that only 20% of congregations often do 100% of the work at the church can cause this. But more likely, congregants can use this as an excuse to "cop-out." This is an unfortunate trend, today.]

Do you see anyone in your midst "on fire for God?" This is the Passion Principle. We have many examples of passionate people who were on fire for God in the Bible. And note that many made mistakes along the way in their lives. But their ultimate worldview was to work for an "audience of One;" that being God!

Moses was on fire for God.

Before Moses became a prophet of God, he did murder an Egyptian.

Exodus 2:12 - And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that [there was] no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.

God can turn even a murderer into a passionate prophet!



Even when God told him to "speak to the rock" and Moses incorrectly struck the rock with his rod, at least he showed passion in his error!

David was known for killing lions and bears as a shepard, but then was called to face the mighty warrior, Goliath with just a sling and a stone. He did this while a bunch of chicken warriors around him were probably shaking in their armor!



1Sa 17:31 And when the words were heard which David spake, they rehearsed [them] before Saul: and he sent for him.


1Sa 17:32 And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.


1Sa 17:33 And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou [art but] a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.


1Sa 17:34 And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:


1Sa 17:35 And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered [it] out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught [him] by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.


1Sa 17:36 Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.


1Sa 17:37 David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.

God wants us to serve with our whole heart!

Psalm 138:1 - [[[A Psalm] of David.]] I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.

In this classic Psalm of praise to the LORD, David commits to praising God with his whole heart!

Let's look at the entire NKJV of Psalm 138



Psa 138:1 PSALM 138
A Psalm of David.
I WILL praise You with my whole heart;


Before the gods I will sing praises to You.
Psa 138:2 I will worship toward Your holy temple,
And praise Your name
For Your lovingkindness and Your truth;
For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.

Psa 138:3 In the day when I cried out, You answered me,
And made me bold with strength in my soul.

Psa 138:4 All the kings of the earth shall praise You, O LORD,
When they hear the words of Your mouth.

Psa 138:5 Yes, they shall sing of the ways of the LORD,
For great is the glory of the LORD.

Psa 138:6 Though the LORD is on high,
Yet He regards the lowly;
But the proud He knows from afar.

Psa 138:7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me;
You will stretch out Your hand
Against the wrath of my enemies,
And Your right hand will save me.

Psa 138:8 The LORD will perfect that which concerns me;
Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever;
Do not forsake the works of Your hands.

Wow! So powerful! No doubt that David had the Passion Principle towards God in his life!

Yet, we know that David made several mistakes in his life. Why did God label him "a man after my own heart?" I think it is because David knew the need for confession and repentance or sin before the grace, mercy and salvation of God could be bestowed upon him.

Although Moses was a great prophet, he made mistakes too:

Numbers 20:11

And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts [also].


Moses paid for that error by not being allowed into the promised land.



Numbers 20:12 - And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.

So we see how important it is to strictly adhere to God's Word!

Why?

Because we may miss out on God's rewards that He has in store for us, both here, and in eternity.

Moses was so passionate about living for God, that when the people were found guilty of sin by worshiping the golden calf idol they had made, he asked the LORD to blot his name out of the Book of Life for their sakes!



Exodus 32:32
Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.


And the LORD responded with:



Exodus 32:33
And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. (bold mine)


Each individual soul will be held accountable for their own sin against God.

You can read about Elijah who boldly confronted the people of Baal in 1 Kings 18:24-38.

In Nehemiah 6:15-19, we read how others were intend on discouraging Nehemiah in his work for the LORD. Nehemiah is here finishing the wall of Jerusalem, and yet still has trouble created for him by his enemies.




Matthew Henry commentary:

Those that forsake the law praise the wicked, Prov. 28:4. 4.

They were so false as to betray Nehemiah’s counsels to him; they uttered Nehemiah’s words to him, perverting them, no doubt, and putting false constructions upon them, which furnished Tobiah with matter for letters by others false counsels to put him in fear and so drive him from his work and discourage him in it. Thus were all their thoughts against him for evil, yet God thought upon him for good.


But Nehemiah kept on keepin on! Despite those who wanted to create trouble and cause him to stop his work for the LORD! What an apt picture of what many Christian people and groups have to deal with today! The opposition against us is pursued relentlessly by the enemies of God and Jesus Christ.

Jeremiah was trying to retire from ministry because the pressure against his preaching was so great! But in Jeremiah 20:8-9, we read:


Jer 20:8
For since I spake, I cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of the LORD was made a reproach unto me, and a derision, daily.

Jeremiah was derided daily by his adversaries. Today, Christian persecution is rampant! It can make a person want to give up sharing the gospel.



Jer 20:9 - Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But [his word] was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not [stay].



Jeremiah recognized what was at work in the people...namely fear!


Jer 20:10 For I heard the defaming of many, fear on every side. Report, [say they], and we will report it. All my familiars watched for my halting, [saying], Peradventure he will be enticed, and we shall prevail against him, and we shall take our revenge on him.


But Jeremiah comes back to his senses (and realizes that the LORD is with him through it all, no matter what):


Jer 20:11 ¶ But the LORD [is] with me as a mighty terrible one: therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail: they shall be greatly ashamed; for they shall not prosper: [their] everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten.


Jer 20:12 But, O LORD of hosts, that triest the righteous, [and] seest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I opened my cause.


Jer 20:13 ¶ Sing unto the LORD, praise ye the LORD: for he hath delivered the soul of the poor from the hand of evildoers.


When we commit to growth in Jesus Christ through God's Word, we will face opposition. It is inevitable. But God's promises are greater than any "hand of evildoers." When we "open our cause," to the LORD as Jeremiah stated in verse 12, we allow God to work through us; not relying only on our own strength!

Additional Scripture readings:

Daniel 6:10; 5:26
Jonah 1:2-3; 3:1-10
Mark 3:17
Matthew 14:29; John 21:7; 18:10; Luke 9:33; 22:33, 61-62


Acts 8:3; 1 Corinthians 9:22; Romans 9:3
Revelation 3:15-16
Luke 24:32
Matthew 24:12
Ecclesiastes 9:10

Want to be more passionate for God? Then read:



I. The Scope of Your Passion Matthew 22:37

II. The Strength of Your Passion Psalm 103:1

III. The Secret of Your Passion Romans 14:7-8 Colossians 3:17 1 Corinthians 10:31 Galatians 6:9

IV. The Source of Your Passion Romans 12 1 Corinthians 12

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Return Unto Me, says the LORD

This is really sad to read. Only about 30% of young adults ages 18-30 keep attending church, despite the fact that they attended regularly with their parents during their youth and teen years.

Lots of reasons why they fall away stated in this article's sidebar.

The good news is that Proverbs 22:6 is correct about making the effort to "train up a child." God's Word does not return void. Some may depart for a while (in similar ways to the "Prodigal Son" account), but the research shows that many return to the faith in their 30's. Getting married and having children can spur some back towards the faith.

Pro 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Excerpt from article:

The news was not all bad: 35% of dropouts said they had resumed attending church regularly by age 30. An additional 30% attended sporadically. Twenty-eight percent said "God was calling me to return to the church."

The survey found that those who stayed with or returned to church grew up with both parents committed to the church, pastors whose sermons were relevant and engaging, and church members who invested in their spiritual development.


Perhaps those who experienced a period of time away from church can attest to the fact that it served as an important spiritual growth lesson. The article shares that those who left, later realized their need to return to the Lord. The Lord was calling them back to faith! And Jeremiah reiterates that returning back to God with their whole hearts is key.

Jer 24:7 And I will give them an heart to know me, that I [am] the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.


HT: Christian Business Daily

Top attorney backs Michael Savage against San Fran official

One of the nation's top civil rights attorneys has offered his assistance in suing a San Francisco city supervisor who attacked nationally syndicated radio talk-show host Michael Savage for his tough stance against illegal immigration.

read more digg story

Excerpt:
[H]orowitz wrote: "This Sandoval fellow accused you of using 'defamatory language ... against immigrants.' Of course, this statement by Sandoval is slander. I have listened to your show. You are very complimentary of immigrants. In fact, you frequently mention that your parents were immigrants. The slander by Sandoval arises because he claims that your opposition to illegal entry into this country is somehow a stand against Hispanics. That is like saying that every Border Patrol agent and every Congress person is anti-immigrant because they don't condone illegal border crossing."

"I will back you, Michael, and file this lawsuit if you wish," concluded Horowitz.

The San Francisco government's proposed resolution condemning Savage is just the latest in a major, multifaceted – and largely unreported – effort both in and out of government to transform American talk radio. (bold mine)

The entire campaign, complete with details of battles against Rush Limbaugh, Savage and other top talkers, is revealed in-depth in the current edition of WND's monthly Whistleblower magazine, titled
THE WAR ON TALK RADIO."

Saturday, August 11, 2007

San Francisco passes resolution condemning radio personality Michael Savage

S.F. CA.- Gerardo Sandoval introduced a resolution Tuesday condemning the “defamatory language used by radio personality Michael Savage against immigrants.” Sandoval’s resolution comes after Savage’s July 5 broadcast, during which he made a number of comments involving a group of students who were fasting to advocate for immigration policy change

read more digg story

While driving back from Huntington Beach yesterday, I listened to a large portion of Michael Savage's radio program. Sometimes I just can't believe what this lunatic Sandoval in San Francisco gets away with!! The first that I heard about him was when he was front and center in the fight to get that Naval ship out of the S.F. port. He also made one of the most stupid statements I've ever heard!! He doesn't think that the U.S. should have a military...at all!!



How do ignorant loons like him ever get elected?? Are most of the liberal loonie voters in S.F. on drugs or what??



Now, we have this awful situation with radio talk show host Michael Savage. I'll tell you what...they picked on the wrong guy! If and when he makes the decision to counter-sue, he will follow through on his lawsuit against them and he, as well as free speech in this nation will win! He may have to get past the crazy 9th Circuit Court of appeals, but we know that he will keep his word (unlike many politicians these days) and go all the way to the Supreme Court if he needs to!

Note the following from Michael's website:

Iliberalism is not only a mental disorder it is fascist at its core.

This schmuck says my comments are "symbolic of hatred and racism." And they want the City to sue me for "symbolism." There is no basis in American Law for such a suit but the larger point is the astonishing hate speech this putz is engaging in. To stop OPINION by threatening legal action is akin to using the power of the State to control thought and speech. This is something out of Kafka and the ex-Soviet Union. Moreover, this illegitimi is working on behalf of a foreign government AGAINST an American Citizen. Does this constitute harassment against me? My attorney will soon answer this question as I ponder suing the City of San Francisco.



- Michael Savage


This is yet another example why "hate crimes" laws would be so dangerous to our free speech rights in America!!

This is just another example of the far left attempting to force the oxymoronically titled "Fairness Doctrine" down the throats of America's majority who listen to conservative radio.

Michael sees right through their sleezy, slimy, deceptive motives. He's willing to fight against their corrupt propaganda and stupid lawsuits. Even if you don't agree with everything that Mr. Savage says, every normal, rational, conservative American needs to stand by him on this particular issue.

Thursday, August 09, 2007

Bible Stopped Sniper's Bullet

From the NewsMax.com Staff
For the story behind the story...


Thursday, Aug. 9, 2007 8:13 a.m. EDT
Bible Stopped Sniper's Bullet


PFC Brendan Schweigart was helping to retrieve a tank in Iraq when he felt as if he had been hit with a sledge hammer.

It was deadly fire from an enemy sniper.

But this day called up a miracle for the young soldier who believes in God and the teachings of the Bible.

According to a report by NBC affiliate WGRZ, the bullet missed Schweigart's vital organs because over his heart was a Bible.

Scott says it's the one he got at boot camp. The Bible acted as a shield, that trapped the bullet. He had promised his mother that he would always carry his Bible into battle.

Schweigart's mother Kim Scott told reporters that her son grew up going to church and Bible Camp. In 2006, at the age of 22, he left his three siblings to join the army. He went to work on trucks in Iraq.

Last week, according to the report, he was two miles from his base in Rustamiyah, Baghdad when his unit came under attack.


Schweigart was the only hit, says his mother, who described his wounds.

"Through the back of the arm, his left arm, there's a hole going in, a hole coming out, and then one coming into the side of his chest and one coming out," she said.
"The doctors told him he was one lucky kid...boy," she added.

Schweigart received the Purple Heart medal last Sunday. He's already out of the hospital and on light duty.

Scott says he'll return to duty after a few weeks.


HT: Newsmax.com

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

DNA, Devolution, and You

An article in the August issue of Impact magazine (from Coral Ridge Ministries) caught my eye today. It is entitled, "DNA, Devolution, and You."

I attempted to find it online so that I could just link to it, but wasn't able to locate it. During my search, however, I did find a few interesting articles.

1. Why Intelligent Design will change everything.

The article was written in 2006. Since then, the amount of scientists who have signed a document entitled "Scientific Dissent from Darwinism" has increased from 400 to over 700.

2. Another interesting article is “Can the theory of evolution be harmonized with the Second Law of Thermodynamics?”

Perhaps this helps explain why many more scientists are coming on board to sign the Scientific Dissent from Darwinism.

Excerpt:
The entropy law, therefore, applies to open systems as well as isolated systems. This is why no machine or process is 100 percent efficient and why perpetual motion machines are impossible. This is why everything eventually wears out, runs down and dies.

Even those systems which seem to show increasing order for a time eventually lose out to the principle of decay. The crystal finally disintegrates, the adult finally dies, the population eventually stabilizes and finally disappears, the species becomes extinct, even great civilizations sooner or later perish as the result of outside conquest or famine or, perhaps, a nuclear holocaust. Thus, every apparent increase of order and complexity is, at best, only local and temporary, and at the cost of greater disorder to the environment from which it extracts its ephemeral ordering energy.

And even such a local and temporary increase of order can be accomplished only by means of some intricate process provided for the system for this purpose. The remarkable process of photosynthesis enables plants to utilize the sun’s energy and thus to grow. The fantastic processes of blood circulation, digestion, respiration, and others of similar complexity enable animals and men to grow. And both plant and animal life require the intricate coding and template structure of the genetic system for the maintenance of the species itself.

The infinitely greater increase of order implied in the evolutionary process must obviously require a far more wonderful and complex mechanism than any of these if it is to be even temporarily successful. But even after a hundred years of intensive study by thousands of scientists spending millions of dollars of research grants, the mechanism of evolution is still elusive.

The pathetic suggestion of mutation (basically a disordering mechanism operating in full accordance with the Second Law) and natural selection (a conservative principle which tends to maintain the status quo in nature) as the driving mechanisms for the organic phase of evolution illustrates the desperate extreme to which men will go to escape the clear and satisfying evidence, both in nature and in Scripture, of the fact of a completed creation.

Thus evolution can be defended against the Second Law of Thermodynamics by metaphysical speculations, but all the solid scientific and Biblical evidence is against it.


Now we move on to the Impact magazine article:

DNA, Devolution, and You

You're not getting older - you're getting better. We'd all like to believe that about ourselves, but when it comes to the human race, it's just not true.

Entropy, the process of all things going from order to disorder, is a universal reality. We can observe it not just in the state of our children's bedrooms, but in the world around us. Even DNA, the chemical structure that contains the blueprint for life, is subject to entropy.

Devolving, Not Evolving

The information encoded in DNA molecules is declining at a rapid rate due to mutations. The consensus among geneticists is that our genetic code is being increasingly corrupted over time as succeeding generations both inherit and acquire harmful mutations that are passed down to the next generation. We are devolving, not evolving.

Dr. J.C. Sanford, a Cornell University professor and geneticist believes that because of the accumulating "genetic load" of mutations in our DNA, we humans are becoming weaker and weaker over time.

[Note from Christine: Kinda explains why Barry Bonds had to take steroids to break Hank Aaron's home run record, doesn't it?]

In his book, Genetic Entropy and the Mystery of the Genome, Sanford states that genetic information is currently being lost quickly and that the decline in our fitness as a species is thought to be taking place at a phenomenal rate. So, if the human genome is declining with each passing generation, can upward evolution be true?

Molecules to Man?

"Genetic entropy is an insurmountable barrier to the idea of evolution from molecules to man, " said Tom DeRosa, Executive Director of Creation Studies Institute. "The evidence clearly shows us that man, or any other living form, absolutely has no mechanism for evolution." This certainly provides a clue to understanding all the new diseases, including rare forms of cancers that have emerged, because of the genetic stress on mankind, DeRosa said.

[Note from Christine: I can vividly recall a particular brief, but profound incident during the question and answer period at the debate between two atheists vs. Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron. A grief-stricken woman in the audience stood up and demanded to know why "God allows cancer" in the world. The following paragraph gives her the answer.]

Cure for the Fall

Entropy is a consequence of man's fall when all things, including DNA, were subjected to the "bondage of corruption" (Romans 8:21 NKJV). Jesus Christ is the only remedy. He bore the curse of sin for us. If we trust in Him for salvation, we will be delivered from the penalty of death and, as Paul states in Romans 8, "the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God" (Romans 8:21 NKJV).

Gary DeMar


In the sidebar next to the article, Tom DeRosa writes:

All Creation Sings

I recently participated in an online chat room where members of the National Science Teacher Association taked candidly about professional concerns.

One teacher made it clear that when it comes to evolution, dogmatic certainty is the only option: "We have to provide a 'united fron' as scientists and not show any doubt. I make sure I never use the word 'believe' during this unit. It's not a belief. It just IS."

Some 700 scientists disagree. In 2001 they signed the following statement found online at www.dissentfromdarwin.org:

"We are skeptical of claims for the ability of random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life. Careful examination of the evidence for Darwinian theory should be encouraged."

I'm convinced this teacher won't be telling her students that reputable scientists harbor doubts about Darwin.

Nevertheless, Creation Studies Institute exists to combat this pro-Darwin indoctrination taking place in public schools. Our resources help individuals understand the reasons to believe God's Word versus Darwin.

Tom DeRosa

Monday, August 06, 2007

Love, Responsibility, Holiness = Wholeness

One of our new commenters here at Talkwisdom has made some claims and asks some very important questions regarding the current rift between gay christian movement (gcma) advocates and traditional Bible-believing Christian advocates (tBbCa). I decided to bring the comments over here in a new blogpost in the hope that some will join in with the conversation. Please feel free to comment on anything and everything stated by either David or I. Also, if you have a weblog commentary or article link that answers any of the questions asked or addresses any of the comments shared, please include the link in your comments.

[Reminder for those who have had difficulty creating word links: < href = " http : // talkwisdom .blogspot .com / ">Talkwisdom < / a> ] Just take out all of the spaces (except for one space between the a and the href) and your link will appear like this: Talkwisdom ]

David brought up some of the usual arguments that gcma use. The dietary civil prohibitions against eating shellfish being equal to the admonitions regarding the moral laws has been answered many times at this blog. However, whenever a new person comes on the scene, it is usually one of the first points brought up. Why is that? I think it has more to do with the propaganda-like training given by leaders of the gcm than personal Bible study.

I just noticed something. The word "propaganda" has the word "pagan" smack dab in the middle of it! Hmmmm......

Anyway, back to the post.

The following is the exchange that commenter David and I have had so far in the gay christian camp? thread.




David said...
Somehow I stumbled upon your blog today. I don't remember how. I don't know if you will keep this posted on your blog, but here it goes.

I am a Christian. I accepted Christ as my personal Saviour at a very young age. I am also a gay man. I never told anyone growing up because of my fear of rejection and the fear of what the church would say to me. I have known that I was gay ever since I was very young. It was not a choice. I did not wake up one day and say, "oh, I think I want to be gay today." As far back as I can remember (which is about 1st grade) I knew that I liked other men and not women. I currently work with gay and lesbian youth and aid them in their struggle between religion and homosexuality.

It really amazes me that you can sit and comment on a film you saw on LOGO, when by your own admission, you could not even take the time to watch the entire thing. I really hope you went back and watched the whole thing. I would also have to assume that the entire camp experience did not take place in 2 hours. This film only gave a glimpse of what actually happened at the camp. Let me tell you what I saw when I watched this film. I saw many youth who were hurting. I saw youth who had been let down by their churches. I saw the church turn their backs on youth because of their sexual orientation. I saw youth who had been told they are going to hell because they are gay. I saw youth who needed a place where they could come and worship God and not be judged for who they are. I saw youth, who without this camp, may have been at a place in their life where they were ready to commit suicide. Because, I can tell you from experience, I have been in that place, and it is by the grace of God that I am still alive today.

I wish I had hours and hours to respond to all the things on your blog, but unfortunately, I have had this conversation with many people and it never seems to help. So, let me just hit on a few of the high points. The "ministries" that are set up to "help" people out of their homosexual behavior are worthless. I have many kids that I have worked with that have gone to these and it drove them deeper into depression, and on the verge of suicide. Even the founder of the Exodus project, which is one of these ministries, finally admitted that the programs don't work and do more harm than good. You said in your blog that you did not want this to sound like gay bashing, which, it doesn't, however, where do you once talk about the fact that the church needs to love homosexuals? Maybe I missed it, and if I did, I apologize.

As far as the Biblical aspect is concerned...again, I don't have hours to spend, but this is what I know. I know what Scripture says about homosexuality. I know that God loves me. I know that the 2 great commandments that were given to us in the New Testament were to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and to love thy neighbor as yourself! I also know that in the Old Testament that Moses did not like homosexuals. And I would agree with you. But he also said that woman should not wear red dresses, and that you should not eat shrimp oysters or lobster, or your steak to rare. And I know that in the New Testament the apostle Paul does not like homosexuals, and I would agree. But the apostle Paul also said that woman should be silent and not speak. A woman should not have authority over a male. What would happen to our society, our school system, our mission fields and our Sunday school classes if we adhered to what Paul told us. Should we allow all of these things to collapse just because Paul was anti woman's lib? By all rights, if we were really adhering to what the Bible says, you should not even be able to post on this blog. Not only that, but Paul did not like guys with long hair, and woman with short hair. The church has conveniently forgotten about all these different things. I am saved by the blood of Jesus Christ and not by the blood of Paul or Moses. Jesus said "come unto me ALL of you that labour and are burdened and I will give you rest!!" There is only one way to Christ, and that is through the blood of Jesus. Jesus is the hope for the world. And I will continue to help those who are homosexual and continue to help them see that Christ loves them just the way they are. I am certainly not here to argue with you, or to be mean in any way. I sincerely hope you have not been offended, and when the day is over, I am sure that we will agree to disagree. May Christ continue to bless you and your family.

7:04 PM
Christinewjc said...
Hello David,

Welcome to Talkwisdom and thank you for posting your comments and feelings on this matter.

Yes. We will most likely have to just agree to disagree. For everything that you have said, I could give a countering Scripture verse and/or story. But with your mind made up as it appears to be, you would not be receptive to anything else I would say.

For all of the teens and adults whom you have claimed have been "hurt by ex-gay ministries," I could point to others who have been saved by repentance through faith by the shed blood of Jesus Christ at the cross. In addition to their spiritual salvation, they have also been released from the bondage of homosexual behavior and identity.

I personally know and communicate with four formerly gay/lesbian Christian brothers/sisters and their testimonies are genuine. They have repented (which means confessing and turning away from sin) and now follow Jesus' admonition to live soberly, righteously and godly in this age (which means to please Holy God, not themselves). I do not believe for a second that they are "faking" it.

Perhaps some who claim that ex-gay ministries have "failed" them are doing so because they have only claimed Christ as Savior; but have yet to make Him Lord over their lives.

Each individual's salvation experience is between them and God. I cannot claim to know who is saved and who isn't. That's not my purpose here. What I try to do is proclaim the Word of God as accurately as possible and when I see obvious heresies creeping in, the book of Jude warns us to be on guard and expose such deception.

The claims of the pastor at the camp were not based on God's Word.

Period.

He was creating his own kind of theology to match up with his physical desires. In so doing this, he is also dragging these impressionable teens away from the true gospel of Jesus Christ as well. To me, that is not a good thing. It may be comforting to their "flesh," and what they want to hear (having their ears 'tickled' as the Bible says) but ultimately, this is doing great harm to their souls.

It's a life or death issue. It's that serious! Where they spend eternity is determined according to what Jesus said in John 3:3 - "You must be born again."

Remember what else Jesus said?

"What does it profit a man to gain the whole world (fill in the sin and wordly desire of your choice here) and lose his own soul?"

I'd be very careful about what I preached if I was that homosexual pastor.

8:06 PM
David said...
Thank you for responding. I was interested in your response and I am sure we could go back and forth and I could counter your scripture also.

I am very happy for your 4 friends. However, I really hope that their "transformation" is real. Just because they have "turned away from the sin" as you put it, it does not necessarily mean they are any less gay. It just means they might not choose to engage in the livestyle. I could make a conscience decesion to be celebate, but that does not make me any less gay, the same as you could remain celebate, but it does not make you any less straight.

I think anyone whether they are a pastor or a lay person should careful about what they preach. Maybe we can agree on one thing. I want to make sure that before I continue conversing with you, that our core theology is the same. Once you have accepted Christ as Saviour, you are one of God's children and once that happens then NO man can take you out of the hand of God. Once you become a Christian, you cannot loose your salvation. Would you agree with me on this point? Because if you do not, then we have another disagreement. Look forward to hearing your opinion.


As you can see, I didn't address every comment, concern or question in David's orginal post. I focused in on what I believe is the irreconcilable schism that exists between gcma and tBbCa. There are probably lots of people who are somewhere "in the middle," on this issue, too.

Where do you, dear reader, stand? What are your thoughts on this issue? What does the Bible say about this dilemma? Why is there confusion on the issue of homosexual behavior and what the Bible clearly says about it? Why is this a fairly new phenomenon that has only developed within the last 30 years or so? Why had Christian Bible scholars from the past never presented any confusion in their commentaries that "a man shall not lie with a man as with a woman; it is an abomination" but today's "new age" gay christian movement advocates claim to know better than Matthew Henry who states:






[III.] A law against unnatural lusts, sodomy and bestiality, sins not to be named nor thought of without the utmost abhorrence imaginable, v. 22, 23. Other sins level men with the beasts, but these sink them much lower. That ever there should have been occasion for the making of these laws, and that since they are published they should ever have been broken, is the perpetual reproach and scandal of human nature; and the giving of men up to these vile affections was frequently the punishment of their idolatries; so the apostle shows, Rom. 1:24.
[Source: Henry, Matthew. "Commentary on Leviticus 18." Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible. Blue Letter Bible. 01 Mar 1996.
6 Aug 2007.]

or, David Guzik who states:





[4.] (22) Command against homosexual sex.

You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.
a. You shall not lie with a male as with a woman: Simply put, God calls homosexual sex an abomination, even as He does in Romans 1:24-32. Additionally, homosexuality was part of the idolatrous perversions which were allowed in Israel at its times of backsliding (1 Kings 14:24, 15:12, and 22:46).

i. Homosexual practice truly is an abomination in our present culture. 43% of homosexuals say that they have had 500 or more sexual partners in their lifetime. Only 1% of homosexuals say they have had four or less sexual partners in their lifetime.

ii. Homosexuals seem to specialize in anonymous sex with no emotional commitment. At one time, London AIDS clinics defined a woman as promiscuous if she’d had more than six partners in her lifetime. They gave up trying to apply a workable definition to male homosexuals when it became clear that they saw almost no homosexual men who had less than six sexual partners a year.

b. It is an abomination: This command is commonly objected to on the grounds that one was born - or created - with homosexual desires. “I was born this way; God made me a homosexual. It is my nature to be homosexual; it would be against my nature to be heterosexual.”


i. The problem is that the Bible says we are all sinners by nature; not a single person is born without an attraction to sin in some way or another. We should not say that God made the homosexual; we could say that Adam did, when he passed on the effects of his rebellion to the entire human race.

ii. Our inborn attraction to sin justifies nothing. The one who practices homosexuality can no more justify himself by saying “I was born this way” than can the person who hates homosexuals justify their ungodly hatred by saying “I was born this way.”

iii. Many justify homosexual practice on the basis of love. They might say, “How can it be wrong to love someone of my own sex? How can love be wrong?” Yet if someone loves their children, it does not justify sexual conduct with them. The issue isn’t love; the issue is of sexual conduct. Of course, the Bible in no way condemns love between people of the same sex, but it does say that sexual conduct between those people is sin.

[Source: Guzik, David. "Study Guide for Leviticus 18." Blue Letter Bible. 7 Jul 2006.
6 Aug 2007.]

Lastly, Ray Stedman's more recent commentary (1995) is truly awesome because I think it helps reveal, in a conversation-like way, why the compromise being suggested by the gcma may think their movement is all about "love," but in reality, they are rejecting the responsibility of striving for holiness. This is the point that I have been trying to make about why I think that gcma may claim Jesus as their Savior, but haven't yet made Him Lord of their lives.

(Note: There are many other heterosexual sexual sins described in Leviticus. Stedman's commentary isn't only meant for homosexual brokenness, but also the various heterosexual sexual sins recorded in that book. Some people have accused me of focusing too much on homosexuality and what the Bible has to say about it. The reason is this. I don't see any "beastiality christian movements" or "adultery christian movements" or "idolatry christian movements" out there, attempting to swipe away such sins. However, the gcm is adamant about claiming that homosexual sex is not a sin (despite the indisputable fact that the Bible clearly states such acts are sin) and it is this teaching that leads people away from the saving grace and mercy of God because they are advocating clinging to the stronghold of such a sin in their lives. We wouldn't allow such a thing with the sins of murder, theft, idolatry, and adultery etc. now would we??)

So, my answer to those who claim that I, and others who comment at this blog and write blog posts about this topic at their own weblogs, are "too focused on this one subject matter" is that the crux of the matter involves false converts vs. genuine conversion. Through confession, repentance and acceptance of Jesus Christ's sacrifice at the cross of Calvary for our sins, our Lord's propitiation for sin is applied to our souls for forgiveness of sin. In order for the Holy Spirit of God to indwell our hearts and lead us spiritually towards holiness and righteousness, we must invite the Lord Jesus Christ to reside there and allow His leading in our lives. Our part includes love, responsibility, and striving for holiness for the rest of our earthly lives. This is what ultimately leads us towards wholeness, which is, in turn, evidenced by the "fruit of the Spirit." We are admonished to walk as "children of light" and not to go back to the former "darkness" of sin that engulfed and enslaved us, previously. Notice Eph. 5:11 says that we are to "reprove them,", meaning, that when we find heretical dogma creeping in (such as the gay christian camp counselor was doing with those teens on the T.V. show), then we are supposed to speak up against it!

Eph 5:8 ¶ For ye were sometimes darkness, but now [are ye] light in the Lord: walk as children of light:


Eph 5:9 (For the fruit of the Spirit [is] in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)


Eph 5:10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.


Eph 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove [them].




Excerpts from Stedman's commentary:




[G]od determines to heal man's brokenness and to make man whole again. And he knows how to do it---he says so: "I have separated you from the peoples." (Lev. 20:24) It is a process of separation. The reason we are so broken is that we are involved in a broken race. Our attitudes are wrong. Our vision of life is twisted and distorted. We believe illusions, take them to be facts, and act upon them. We are following phantoms and fantasies and delusions. So God must separate us. He has to break us loose from conformity to the thought patterns and attitudes and reactions of those around us. He has to deliver us from all that, straighten out our thinking, set our minds and hearts aright, and correct our tangled, fouled relationships.

This is a process which takes infinite patience and love, because it is voluntary---God never forces us into it. It can occur only to those who trust God enough to respond to his love.

and this:




...[r]ead the Psalms and see how much David understood of the presence and the grace of God in his life. He was a man who was healed by God. He came to understand that God was his strength and his very life, and that God could meet every need of his heart and work out all the tangled relationships in his family and in his personal life. All this is reflected in the Psalms he wrote.

Leviticus, then, is full of Christ. All the sacrifices, the rituals, and the ceremonies pictorially describe Jesus Christ and his work, and how he was available to men and women then. And as we read this book from our vantage on this side of the cross, we will learn a great deal about how Jesus Christ can meet our needs now. Therefore, this is not just a historical book. It isn't just for "news." It is a tremendously practical manual on how to live as a Christian.


and this:




[T]his is what the book of Leviticus shows us---the reasons why, the understanding of ourselves. It is designed to meet the hurt of man, just where we are. And as we learn how to accept the healing of God, it will show us what we can be.


and this:




[T]he third element is the revelation of a standard by which we can tell the difference between the true and the false, the phony and the real, the helpful and the hurtful---between death and life. Isn't it strange that man in his natural condition cannot tell the difference? That is why there are thousands and thousands of people who are doing things which they think are helpful but which end up to be very hurtful---and they do not understand why! When the results begin to come in they cry out, "What happened, what has gone wrong? Why am I in a mess like this?" It is because they could not tell the difference. So, a God of love tells us the difference. He sets forth a standard by which we can distinguish between that which is essentially hurtful and that which will actually help us.


and this:




[M]any people, looking at this, say, "Christianity is nothing but a slaughterhouse religion."

Why all this bloodshed? Because, by this means God is trying to impress us with a fundamental fact. He is telling us that the issues of our life run very deep, that they can be solved only by a death, that the basis for wholeness is a life given up, that we will never make it merely on the basis of our natural life. We must somehow discover a new kind of life. And we have to give up the old before we can have the new! That is what he is telling us. We can't have both! The struggle of the Christian life is that we keep trying to hang on to the old way of life and refuse to accept the new. This is what the blood speaks of.


and this:




The last element is an awareness of the issues at stake and their importance; of how our entire life stands in the balance at this very point, and a decision is expected of us. There is a choice that we can make. And God brings us finallyto that very place and helps us to see that in the final analysis it is entirely up to us to choose. God never says, "I'm going to make you leave your misery." Rather, he says, "If you prefer being broken and don't want to be healed, you can stay right where you are. But if you want life, then this is what is ahead." God never forces his will upon us. But he sets the choice before us, makes it very clear, and then expects a response on the basis that he has given.


and this:




[T]hat is what God is really saying to us. He sees our hurt and our heartache and our longing and our brokenness, and he says, "You're MINE!"

But that isn't all. Because of his power and wisdom, God says, with that wonderful hopefulness of a loving father, "You shall be mine---healed, made whole, with all your blemishes and deformities corrected, all your faults straightened out, all your iniquities set aside, all your tangled relationships unsnarled. You shall be whole, for I am whole." That is what this book is about, that is what the Bible is about, and that is what Jesus Christ is about.


and finally, this:




[I] don't know anything more suggestive of this activity for us than the Lord's table. This event tells us of how God, in love, began the process of healing. It portrays for us how he began to reach out to us in the cross, in the suffering of Jesus, and how he broke the power of darkness and began to set us free. Our Lord Jesus gave us this event to teach us the meaning of these ancient sacrifices: a life poured out for us, a life given up in order that we might have a new basis of living, in order that we may be his.



Ray Stedman's prayer for us all:

Prayer




Our heavenly Father, each time we come to the Lord's table, we ask you to make it very rich and meaningful to us. May we, in our mind's eye, see the Lord Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, who has broken through the sin barrier, broken through the fear barrier, and now reaches out to us in tender, forgiving, accepting, understanding love, and who offers us everything it takes to straighten out the tangled relationships of our lives. Lord, help us to understand this and to lay hold of it, to give thanks for it. We know that for many, the healing has begun and is still progressing. For some, it is just beginning. There may be some for whom it has not yet started. We pray that in your love, Lord Jesus, you will reach them and heal them. We ask it in your name, Amen.
Ray Stedman quotes: Copyright (C) 1995 Discovery Publishing, a ministry of Peninsula Bible Church.
[Source: Stedman, Ray. "Leviticus: The Way to Wholeness." Discovery Publishing. Blue Letter Bible. 01 Mar 1996.
6 Aug 2007.]