Random Bits

"I walk through this sinful world as a 

pilgrim in a foreign country" - CH Spurgeon

It's been one of those weeks, I've even learned to dread Thursdays even more than Mondays. And being on-call doesn't help the attitude much although I only got one call and I was paged as I entered my work place. Work responsibilities pretty much quadrupled this week with the addition of a new project. It's new and exciting and so geeky there's no way it can be adequately be explained to someone, including me. If anything, it has improved my prayer life.

I have found a new teacher on my drive to work in the morning, Dr. Tony Evans (probably no relation) at 5:00 in the morning on KRKS-AM. His teaching is tightly biblical and wonderfully crafted. His current series, Knowing God's Names, is incredible. Here's Dr. Tony educating a CNN reporterette on Gay Marriage. I like my old habit of listening to John MacArthur on my drive but fumbling with his smartphone app on I-76 was dangerous, and my only other options were news which tends to cause me to forget Psalm 56:3, and Christian flavored nonsense like Joyce Meyers and Levi Lusko.

Pray for the Abedini family, and pray for Franklin Graham who is trying to help.

Giving it a Proper Label

Thanks to Calvinistic Cartoons

Emergent Monday - The Theology of the Christian Left

If you go to the Christian Left web site and search for Theology, you end up with one article – “Our Theology" posted a year ago. Their theology is summed up in one sentence: 

We’re not affiliated with any denomination but we fully agree with the theology of The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

 According to A Handbook for Today's Disciples in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) 

"the one essential is the acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and obedience to him in baptism. There is no requirement to give assent to any other statement of belief or creed. Nor is there any "official" interpretation of the Bible.

How convenient, is this a Christian flavored "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law" theology.that Aleister Crowley would be proud of? One can only ask: How do you know the Jesus Christ you serve is the Jesus Christ of the bible if you have no biblical background to understand Him by? To conveniently ignore the teachings (doctrine) of the bible is a ticket to make up your own, man based doctrine. The Disciples of Christ continue:

Hierarchical doctrine was traditionally rejected by Disciples as human-made and divisive, and subsequently, freedom of belief and scriptural interpretation allows many Disciples to question or even deny beliefs common in doctrinal churches such as the Incarnation, the Trinity, and the Atonement. 

Famous members of the Disciples of Christ include President Ronald Reagan and National Rifle Association board member and gun advocate Tom Selleck, the "Christian" Left must be wild about that. And, most tellingly, the Disciples of Christ's one display of obedience to Christ, baptism, is rejected by many on the Christian left, their emphasis is not on our faith and what we do to please God but what God does to please us. 

The "Christian" Left declares their name to be a term used to describe a spectrum of left-wing Christian political and social movements which largely embraces social justice. (keep in mind that social justice is not a religious view point, it's a political construct) or care for the poor and the oppressed. (keep in mind that most religions do extraordinary work caring for the poor, the sick, the sinners, yet the "Christian" left refuses to acknowledge their actions)

Random Bits

"I walk through this sinful world as a 

pilgrim in a foreign country" - CH Spurgeon

Thank you to everyone for your prayers and support over the past few weeks. 2016 was just 12 hours old when my dad graduated. As my friend Monk (who's dad preceded mine into the throne room by a few minutes) said "I didn't lose my dad, I know exactly where he's and and who he's with." A wonderful man of God with whom I had the honor of serving with in the USAF 35 years ago drove for 6 hours to support me at dad's memorial service (Thank you Harry!) and like all separated GI's, our conversation picked up right where it left off in 1985.

However right after the ceremony Harry's sister-in-law joined my dad in the heavenly in-processing line. How fragile is our existence here in this sin sick world.

Another sad occasion that occurred this month was when the "Christian" Left discovered that I am alive, and they're not real happy with God about that. It's not like I did anything evil or vicious, I simply pointed out where their teaching and the word of God differs. They were in total agreement with me, and I can tell because they chose not to refutiate a single point that I made. Heck, they didn't address a single point. Instead they chose to quote from The Dummies Guide To The French Revolution (still scratching my head over that) and then gave me a lot of reasons to pray for their followers. They are soooo going to be upset with me on Monday when I show what I've found on their "Theology".

Update on Pastor Saeed Abadini's true condition after years of torture. Pray for his, and his family's healing

Pray that California's satanically inspired Reproductive FACT Act runs headlong into life affirming justices.

The Secret of Spurgeon’s Success

Reposted from The Cripplegate

The Secret of Spurgeon’s Success

by Clint Archer

On the 18th of January 1854, 162 years ago to the day, Charles Haddon Spurgeon preached his first sermon at New Park Street chapel. He was 19 years old. The church was nearly empty, about 40 members in attendance. After 38 years as their pastor, the number of new members who had joined the church was 14,460.

Spurgeon’s sermons were different from the longwinded, technical, theological lectures that were common in churches of the day. His sermons were humorous, filled with illustrations, and application. Soon he became known as the Prince of Preachers, the pastor of the largest church in the world, with one of the most successful Baptist ministries since, well, John the Baptist.

He started orphanages, dozens of outreach ministries, and a pastor’s training college with 900 students.

His success was obvious, but the reason for his success was not as obvious, except to those who knew him well.

Most believe his success is easily explained by his obvious giftedness and prodigious abilities and tireless work ethic. He often worked 18 hours a day. His sermons sold at a rate of 25,000 a week, were translated into 20 languages and every ship that left England carried his sermons.

He once preached to a crowd of over 23,000 people with no amplification. 

The Small Scroll

What a blessing it is to return to Bible study after a long absence! I didn't realize how much I missed my brothers until we gathered last night to discuss chapters 10 and 11 of the Book of Revelation. Our discussions were mentally and spiritually challenging and a lot of iron got sharpened last night! 

As I've mentioned before, I'm a member of Bible Study Fellowship and for the first time ever we are studying the Book of Revelation. I'm so glad I was back in town in time for last night's lesson because it covered one of the verses that has truly perplexed me since I first read the Book of Revelation so long ago:

9 So I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little book. And he said to me, “Take it and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” 10 I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and in my mouth it was sweet as honey; and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter. 11 And they said to me, “You must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.” (Revelation 10:9-11)

Bill Cosby, Martin Luther King, Abortion and Injustice

Reposted from The Cripplegate

Bill Cosby, Martin Luther King, Abortion and Injustice

by Jordan Standridge

In an incredible change of development, Bill Cosby could get away with rape. Allegedly, over the course of the last 50 years, Cosby has drugged and raped over 50 women. But a recent story came out claiming that Bill Cosby admitted to using sedatives to drug women back in 2005, but was promised by the prosecutor that it would never be used against him in court, and there is an email to prove this agreement. It is very likely that his confession, as well as any evidence gathered as a result of that confession, will not be allowed in court. If this turns out to be true Bill Cosby could go free. If the allegations are true, I can’t help but wonder what those women would go through if he ends up getting away with it.

Dealing with injustice is one of the most difficult things for people to go through. This situation with Bill Cosby is only one example of injustice out of a multitude this week alone. In celebrating Martin Luther King Jr Day yesterday, we were reminded yet again about millions who have been affected by the evil of American slavery. Later this week hundreds of thousands will be invading the streets of Washington D.C. to participate in the March For Life and protest the Roe v. Wade decision. Millions of babies have since been killed and their murderers, instead of being locked up in jail for selfishly and callously murdering their babies, are not only free, but applauded for their decisions, and given a platform to encourage others to do so as well.

How do we deal with all of this? How do we think about injustice in the world? Here are six thoughts I need to remind myself with in order to deal with terrible injustice.

Random Bits

"I walk through this sinful world as a 

pilgrim in a foreign country" - CH Spurgeon

This is an abbreviated report this week, even though it's my first one of the year. I'm returning from Dad's funeral and posting this from the road. Since I'm going to schedule the post to publish on Friday, by the time you read this I should be seeing my favorite mountains slowly inching towards me as I approach the home QTH. (I just drove through some mountains in Tennessee this morning and they were adorable! They even had trees on the top of them. So cute! They were like puppy mountains)

A dear friend from my USAF days drove from Valdosta GA to support me at the funeral, he was a real help, a true man of God and a great friend. As these things go in the USAF, years ago he went off to England, I went off to Korea and we completely lost contact until his wife introduced him to Facebook. Military service is a tremendous thing and I recommend it to everyone who has the ability to try, but one of the worst parts is that it teaches you to say goodbye too easily. However, like other reunions I've had with my old brothers and sisters in arms, when my friend and I met up, the conversation picked up right where it left off 35 years ago.

A supposedly Christian church embraces, encourages, and supports witchcraft.  If you read the link to the pathetic patheos blog post you'll realize the truth in the statement  "There are no ex-Christians, only ex-Atheists"

Any remaining doubts of Justin Beiber's conversion to Christianity should be fully answered now.

Mr. Pope takes huge one step forward in making sure that the One World Religion promised in  Revelation 17:1–18 comes to fruition

Seven Reasons Not To Play The Lottery

Tonight the powerball will be "giving away" 1.3 Billion dollars. That's $4.33 for every man, woman and child in the United States. personally I believe that the lottery is a punitive tax on the statistically challenged. To me the lottery is more than a sad joke, it's a social nightmare. Too often I've seen people that cannot pay their bills but will think nothing of dropping at least $20 a day on lottery tickets and "scratchers". I have to admit that the following article is written by John Piper. Yeah, I know, and in no way does the posting of this article support or endorse the teachings of John Piper, but I have vetted the text of this article and it's message is proper and good. And right now it's needed.

Americans now spend more than $70 billion dollars annually on lotteries. That’s more than the combined spending on books, video games, and movie and sporting-event tickets. Lotteries are legal in 43 states.

“That’s more than $230 for every man, woman, and child in those states — or $300 for each adult,” reports The Atlantic.

I agree with the report that this is a great shame on our nation. From time to time, the Powerball or Mega Millions lotteries rise to unusually high numbers and get fresh attention in the news.
Here are seven reasons, among others, I have often rehearsed to make the case that you should not gamble with your money in this way.

Emergent Monday - Adventures On The Left

Want to stir up a hornet's nest? All you have to do is go to the "Christian" Left Facebook page and have a look around. You will find that you've already stirred up a hornets nest simply by existing. I am sure that deep inside the "Christian" Left there are some very good Christians, but do not be fooled, The "Christian" Left (TCL) is a political entity who preaches love, but this love they preach is reserved solely for each other and their adherents. Disagreement is considered heresy. 

Let me first say I have nothing but love for liberals, I work in the high tech industry and except for a small cadre of fellow conservatives, I am surrounded by liberals. While I disagree with their political ideas, we don't talk politics, we have other things to do. They know I'm conservative, I know they're liberal, and that's that. It's not that smooth with the "Christian" Left. Here's a shining example - yesterday morning on the "Christian" Left facebook page their Morning Message was 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

A wonderful passage to contemplate on a Sunday morning, however the very first response was anything but loving. Sandy Carson immediately took this beautiful verse and went straight into the cesspit of politics:

I wonder if good Christian Trump has ever read that. He is the antithesis of those verses!

Another masterpiece of theology came moments later:

i also like to think that LOVE IS PIZZA,,,,sorry it's a food thing

What I Want to Tell Them

I never fully appreciated the true meaning of the parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard, but God, in His infinite wisdom, displayed to me the meaning as only He can. This beautiful parable is especially meaningful to me right now, as I will relate.

1 For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place; 4 and to those he said, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ And so they went. 5 Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did the same thing. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day long?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’

8 When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.’ 9 When those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a denarius. 10 When those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they grumbled at the landowner, 12 saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.’ 13 But he answered and said to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. 15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?’ 16 So the last shall be first, and the first last.” (Matthew 20:1-16)

True comfort

Have a Blessed New Year

 The Lord bless you, and keep you;

The Lord make His face shine on you,
And be gracious to you;

The Lord lift up His countenance on you,
And give you peace.’

May our Lord by His Spirit bring you and me to a high pitch of prayerfulness, and then let us continue in prayer from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. 

May God bring you and me to a high degree of generosity, and then may we be always giving from the beginning of the year to the end of the year every week, from the first to the last, always laying by in store as God has prospered us for His cause. 

May we be always active, always industrious, always hopeful, always spiritual, always heavenly, and always raised up and made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. So may our gracious God deal with us from the beginning of the year to the end of the year through Jesus Christ our Lord.

- C. H. Spurgeon, January 6, 1867