Scott

Frequent guest and friend of SRL Chuck Missler offers this spiritually refreshing lesson in history..

Cold and sick, fighting snow and sleet, a motley band of English men and women struggled through their first winter in the New World. Fewer than 50 of the 110 pilgrims and crew that had stepped off the Mayflower survived until spring. On their own, the Pilgrims would have likely all perished their first year on the coast of New England.

In March of 1621, a loincloth-covered native stepped out of the woods and said, "Welcome" in clear English. Samoset, the chief of the Algonquins, had learned English from the fishing ships that occasionally put into the coast of Maine. A few days later he returned to the little Pilgrim village with another English speaking native named Tisquantum (aka "Squanto").

When the Pilgrims arrived in late 1620, they settled on cleared land that belonged to nobody. Squanto's entire tribe had been wiped out while he was in England after having been taken as a slave in 1605. After returning to his native homeland with Captain John Smith in 1614 , Squanto was again kidnapped and taken to Spain, where he was bought by local friars and introduced to Christianity. When he returned home, he found his tribe gone and the land that had belonged to them shunned by other tribes. He wandered until he found the Wampanoags who lived about 50 miles to the southwest.

And so, Squanto proved to be a literal God-send for the Pilgrims. He stayed with them and taught them how to stalk deer and catch eels and plant corn the Indian way. He showed them how to refine maple syrup and to discern which wild plants were edible and which were poisonous. He introduced them to trapping beavers, the pelts of which were in high demand in Europe. Without his help, few of the Pilgrims would have survived.

By the autumn of 1621, the Pilgrims were well-prepared for the coming winter and extremely grateful to God, to the Wampanoags, and to Squanto. Governor Bradford declared a day of public thanksgiving to be held in October. They invited Massasoit, the Wapanoags' chief, to a feast to celebrate their bounty. The Wapanoags taught the Pilgrims the art of making popcorn and the Pilgrims introduced the Indians to fruit pies.

The Pilgrims had additional days of thanksgiving for God's provision during the next years of difficulty and hunger, but we remember these days of feasting and games and competitions in our Thanksgiving celebrations. God had shown He cared for this little band of persecuted Englishmen in search of religious and civil freedom.

Finally, an act of Congress in 1941 dedicated the fourth Thursday of November for the purpose of thanking our Creator.

Even as our forefathers acknowledged the provision and goodness of God, let us also make this national holiday a very special time to thank Him for our own provision - our families, our sustenance and, above all, our redemption in His Son! http://www.khouse.org/articles/1997/111/

Have you caught the onslaught of commercials cranked out by the pharmaceutical companies these days?

Personally I find this tidal wave of "Ask your doctor about.."messages a bit disturbing.

I mean, do I really need to know about the Flying Nun's bone density problems? Or the rugged guys on the fishing trip and their challenges with "stopping and starting"?

As if that wasn't bad enough, the side effects of these wonder drugs sound worse than the condition they are trying to cure.

Personally, I would much rather take my chances with "restless eyelid syndrome" than run the risk of hair loss, increased body odor, paranoid delusions, uncontrollable gambling compulsions and heightened possibility of catastrophic sensory nervous system shut down.

And one other thing - Who in the world is going to make an appointment, wait six months and sit in a germ filled waiting room for 45 minutes just to ask a doctor if new "Drool-o-plex" is right for you?

Now try to imagine if one of these multibillion dollar corporate monsters came up with a new therapy that studies show would lower your general risk of death by 20%.

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Attending a weekly religious service, regardless of your faith, may lower your risk of death by 20 percent compared to people who don't attend services, researchers are reporting.

"Religion is always a hot topic, but particularly now, when people are perhaps in fear because of the recession and the threat of terrorism, people are looking for stability, and religion is something we find people reach out to for that stability. And, we see some health benefits here," said the study's lead author, Eliezer Schnall, a clinical assistant professor of psychology at Yeshiva College at Yeshiva University in New York City.

"Maybe it's the sense of community, or the support, or maybe people are less depressed when they join in religious services," he said, adding that the researchers tried to control the data to account for many of these factors, but "we have not completely explained it all."

Results of the study were published in the current issue of the journal Psychology and Health. http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20081126/hl_hsn/religionmayhelpextendyourlife

As you can imagine, the results of this study have left many experts puzzled.

Dr. Harold G. Koenig, founder and co-director of the Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health at Duke University Medical Center, called the new research "a very well-done study that provides good, well-controlled evidence that religious attendance is related to lower mortality."

"And, they [the researchers] show it's not just the social factor, it's not just the behavioral factors, and it's not just that some people might be too sick to be able to go to church. The researchers controlled well for these, though they still don't explain it all at the end," said Koenig.

"But," he added, "that doesn't mean there are supernatural effects, just that we don't fully understand the mechanism by which religion does this yet."

What could possibly explain this mysterious phenomenon?

I'm sure some researcher will bag a big government grant to evaluate the health benefits of the communion wafer on a molecular level.

But the answer is fairly obvious.

Could it be that those who attend church regularly have a better than average chance of actually coming to know God in a personal way?

And when we come to know the true and living God, we discover that His love is the answer to the aching emptiness that resides deep in our souls.

And when we are made whole by His touch we no longer need to turn to things that are less than God's love to meet that crucial need.

And let's face it, some of those things we look to as substitutes for God's peace can be hazardous to our health.

But that's the wonderful thing about knowing the love of God.

God isn't simply interested in blessing us when we are in church. He wants to touch every part of our lives with His love.

Not just your church life, but your whole life.

Consider this amazing description of the personal and practical impact of God's love king David describes.

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
         And forget not all His benefits:

Who forgives all your iniquities,
         Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
         Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
         So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. (Psalm 103:2-5)

All those benefits - and not one nasty side effect!

God's love is strong medicine.

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Earlier this week I caught a few moments of a National Geographic Channel program on the alleged prophecies of Nostradamus.

The so-called predictions of the future, couched in four line poetic blocks called "Quatranes", are so vague and open to interpretation he may as well have written, "Two nations will go to war, but only one will win."

The nations, conflicts, even personalities predicted are so specific they are almost impossible to miss.

When the Bible describes the Last Days, we see Israel, Iran, Libya, Russia and a revived Roman Empire clearly on the scene.

The headline on today's edition of the incredibly popular on line news summary site, the Drudge Report offers one possible theory.

RUSSIAN ANALYST PREDICTS DECLINE AND BREAKUP OF USA Tue Nov 25 2008 09:04:22 ETA leading Russian political analyst has said the economic turmoil in the United States has confirmed his long-held view that the country is heading for collapse, and will divide into separate parts. Professor Igor Panarin said in an interview with the respected daily IZVESTIA published on Monday: "The dollar is not secured by anything. The country's foreign debt has grown like an avalanche, even though in the early 1980s there was no debt. By 1998, when I first made my prediction, it had exceeded $2 trillion. Now it is more than 11 trillion. This is a pyramid that can only collapse." Asked why he expected the U.S. to break up into separate parts, he said: "A whole range of reasons. Firstly, the financial problems in the U.S. will get worse. Millions of citizens there have lost their savings. Prices and unemployment are on the rise. General Motors and Ford are on the verge of collapse, and this means that whole cities will be left without work. Governors are already insistently demanding money from the federal center. Dissatisfaction is growing, and at the moment it is only being held back by the elections and the hope that Obama can work miracles. But by spring, it will be clear that there are no miracles." He also cited the "vulnerable political setup", "lack of unified national laws", and "divisions among the elite, which have become clear in these crisis conditions." He predicted that the U.S. will break up into six parts - the Pacific coast, with its growing Chinese population; the South, with its Hispanics; Texas, where independence movements are on the rise; the Atlantic coast, with its distinct and separate mentality; five of the poorer central states with their large Native American populations; and the northern states, where the influence from Canada is strong. He even suggested that "we could claim Alaska - it was only granted on lease, after all." Panarin, 60, is a professor at the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and has authored several books on information warfare. Developing... http://www.drudgereport.com/flashrur.htm

The Bible makes it clear in passages like Daniel chapter 7 that revived Rome, under the supernaturally energized leadership of the Antichrist will dominate the world in the time known in Scripture as the Tribulation.

I think this picture of a deteriorating and eventually fracturing U.S. is wishful thinking by America's enemies.

Prior to the start of the seven year period of Hell on earth, God will snatch out His own people before the storm of His wrath breaks on planet Earth.

All who are genuine, born again Christians will vanish in a twinkling of an eye.

Surveys estimate there are between 30-50 million believers in Christ in the United States.

Imagine the impact of this event economically, socially, governmentally, even militarily.

Foreign affairs experts like Igor Panarin are right in the sense that a new world order is coming soon.

The reason the United states will seem to vanish from the scene may come from a higher Source than the secular world can even imagine.

The provocative headline in today's London Daily Mail is certainly eye catching.

Believing in ghosts and little green men from outer space appears a touch easier than having faith in God, according to a survey.

The researchers found that while 54 per cent of us are convinced the Almighty exists, 58 per cent believe in the supernatural.

Nearly a quarter of the 3,000 surveyed claimed they had had a paranormal encounter.

Some 37 per cent said aliens and ghosts were the basis of their belief system.

Earlier this year reports released by the National Archives detailed UFO sightings logged by the UK Government. These included a fisherman who described being taken on to a spacecraft - only to be rejected because of his age.

While we are out in the great beyond, today's news also features a story about an outbreak of Big Foot sightings in British Columbia.

Secondhand accounts of three sasquatch sightings in Moricetown has prompted UFO researcher Brian Vike to conduct an investigation.

Vike, Director of HBCC UFO research is still trying to verify three sasquatch sightings in Moricetown.

“Since I got the initial call, I’ve had no other information,” Vike said. “ As near as I can tell, the sightings all happened after the end of September but I have called and called but no one is calling me back.”

The lady who called on the morning of Halloween, told Vike that there had been a rash of sightings on the native reserve. Unfortunately without talking to someone who could give a first-person account, Vike said the information is hearsay at best.

“Allegedly, she was walking out to the mailbox and this thing walked in front of her,” Vike said. “But I called and called and got nowhere so I am thinking this is a little fishy.”

I get the feeling that there are probably more people who believe in things that go bump in the night, but probably won't admit it out loud.

How interesting that in a culture that prides itself on scientific advancement, faith in mediums, spiritists, little green or gray men thrives.

G.K. Chesterton has been credited with this astute observation - "When a man ceases to believe in God, he doesn't believe in nothing. He believes in anything."

And the Bible does make it clear that an anything goes style of spirituality will become dominant in the Last Days.

But why do you suppose the little green men are doing so well, and belief in God seems to be on the decline?

A fascinating insight comes from the key phrase "according to their own desires".

Space monkeys, Big Foot and Madame Lasagne on the Psychic Buddies Telephone Tea reading service all have one thing in common.

But the message, "Don't go changin' to try and please me" isn't to be found in the Bible.

Jesus hit the nail on the head when He bluntly related this truth to those who despised Him.

Most people aren't really in the mood for a word of correction, or a sense of conviction about the pain they have caused in this life.

But the spiritual vacuum that exists in the heart of every human being still remains.

One of the most fascinating interactions between Jesus and His critics took place when the Lord came into Jerusalem in the event called the "Triumphal Entry".

Jesus' statement that even rocks would bear witness of His truth was far more than just emotion generated hype.

Jesus knew this very day was predicted with remarkable precision in both the book of Daniel and the Psalms.

But if you don't mind the play on words, the stones have been crying out about the authenticity and reliability of Jesus' message ever since.

BEIT SAHOUR, West Bank (Reuters) - An Israeli archaeologist said on Wednesday he had unearthed what he believed were the 2,000-year-old remains of two tombs which had held a wife and daughter-in-law of the biblical King Herod.

Other findings announced by Ehud Netzer of Jerusalem's Hebrew University provided new evidence of the lavish lifestyle of the Roman-era monarch also known as the "King of the Jews."

Herod, a Roman-anointed king who ruled Judea from 37 BC until his death in 4 BC, has a special place in biblical history. Herod rebuilt the Jewish temple in Jerusalem, making him a focus of study in the Jewish state.

The Gospel of Matthew says Herod ordered the "Massacre of the Innocents," the killing of male infants in Jesus' birthplace of Bethlehem, out of fear of losing his throne.

Netzer, an authority on Herodian excavations, showed reporters portions of two limestone sarcophagi he says had contained remains of one of Herod's wives, Malthace, and a daughter-in-law.

He said these findings supported his claims that another sarcophagus he found at the site in 2007 had been Herod's tomb. Some experts had said then the evidence seemed inconclusive.

Based on the additional sacrophagi he has found, and despite the absence of any inscriptions or documentation by the ancient Jewish historian Josephus Flavius, Netzer said:

At a visit to the dig site in Herodium, outside Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank, where one of Herod's palaces once stood, Netzer showed reporters evidence of what he said was a mausoleum at the site, where the remains of the sacrophagi had been found.

Some bones were also found nearby but Netzer could not verify they belonged to any of the Herod dynasty.

Netzer said the remains of the monarch and his relatives likely disappeared when their tombs were smashed, possibly by Jewish rebels against the Romans from 66 to 72 AD.

He said his team was surprised when they came across further evidence of Herod's cushy lifestyle, a well-preserved mural of gazelles decorating walls of what Netzer believes was luxury seating for a theater. http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSTRE4AI7S920081119

As we have noted in this space contrary to popular belief, the Bible doesn't begin the account of the life of Jesus with the words, "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.."

It's message is set in the hard core reality of human history. The events it describes can be verified or falsified by the facts on the ground.

In fact, the opulence of Herod's Tomb is very much in keeping with the Biblical record of the life of a king with all the muscle of Rome behind him.

The fact that his sarcophagus was smashed by by angry Jewish rebels confirms the account of a man so cruel he would slaughter toddlers and infants to protect his hold on power.

Why does the Bible sew such verifiable evidences into the fabric of an essentially spiritual message?

God has graciously given us these secular check points, these things we can see, to build our confidence in His message concerning the things we can't.

That's right, we will be taking the Scott Richards Live program out of the studio to answer questions from a live audience.

Tonight we will be doing a Scott Richards Live-Alive! event at Calvary Chapel of Tucson.

Please pray that the Lord uses this time to not just deal with questions from the mind, but also from the heart!

I will never forget getting into a conversation with a woman who was cutting my hair.

She said, "But I have friends who live in Fontana, California. I hear it is beautiful! If I could just move to Fontana, all my dreams will come true."

Now, I have learned never to dispute the opinion of someone who is standing over you with a sharp implement in their hand. So I merely smiled and nodded.

First, Fontana is strategically situated so that all of the smog produced in the entire L.A. basin eventually goes there to die. It's most notable features are the picturesque slag heaps from the Fontana steel plant that catch the eyes of all driving by on I-10.

Second, I have discovered that as much as we think moving to a new place can give us a brand new start in life, it all too often just doesn't work out that way.

Oh, we meet new people, see new things, have a new address or a new place to go to work in the morning. But there is one unavoidably old thing in the picture.

No matter where we go in this life, we haul along with us the same faults, flaws, character quirks and blind spots that conspired together to make our current address unlivable.

And sooner or later we recreate the very same life situation we changed jobs, or zip codes, or churches, or even marriage partners to avoid.

We live in a time where people are hungry for change and thirsting for the hope that tomorrow might be a better day.

And here is a news flash - the change we really need, the change we can really believe in can't be found by electing new leaders or getting a well placed shot of Bo-tox.

With a brand new heart that doesn't have to be a slave to the past, to guilt, addictive behavior or our own personal stubbornness.

For those who come to Jesus and ask Him not to bless our mess, but to change our lives, the Bible makes this remarkable promise:

When you become a new creation, you quickly discover it doesn't matter where you live your life as much as it matters that you know the Author of life.

And with the love, truth and personal touch of Jesus to experience daily, real change is not only possible, but beautiful.

And it's not so much the question that I find interesting, as much as the facial expression that usually goes with it.

It's the same one you could expect if you opened a conversation by saying, "Yeah, I spent last weekend teasing Sasquatch with beef jerky treats!"

The conversation gets even more interesting when I up the ante by replying, "Since the Bible is a work of literature how else would I interpret it but literally?"

At that point the questioner will sputter, "You know what I mean. You don't believe that Genesis is like history? That there was an actual Noah? You don't actually buy that story of Jonah and the fish, do you?"

He also considered the story of Jonah to be so literally true and factual He used it as a guarantee of His own resurrection.

If Jesus considered Noah and his flood experience to be a literal, historical event.

And if Jesus considered Jonah and the great fish to be a literal, historical event.

The real question is, "Do you consider Jesus a reliable source of insight into the Bible?"

Someone Who has the impressive credentials of a sinless life, power over nature and a literal, historical resurrection from the dead deserves to be taken seriously on spiritual issues.

Personally, I think it wise to make His takes on the Bible, our takes on the Bible.

It's a funny thing, but much like in counseling we discover that there is always the presenting question, and running underneath, the real question.

When someone asks, "Do you take the Bible literally?"the deeper issue really is this:

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