This week S.R.L. is making available some of Scott's best blogs!
Enjoy!
This was a classic blog and a must read! Scott's Blog - 4/28/08
The T-Rex In The Living Room
Here is a quick exercise in critical thinking.
Read the following article and find the most important issue
that isn't mentioned.
Gunk in T. Rex Fossil Confirms Dino-Bird Lineage
Tyrannosaurus rex just got a firm grip on the animal
kingdom's family tree, right next to chickens and ostriches. New
analyses of soft tissue from a T.rex leg bone re-confirm that
birds are dinosaurs' closest living relatives.
"We determined that T. rex, in fact, grouped with birds -
ostrich and
chicken - better than any other organism
that we studied," said researcher John Asara of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and
Harvard Medical School. "We also show that it groups better with
birds than [with] modern reptiles, such as alligators and green anole lizards."
Scientists long suspected non-avian dinosaurs were most
closely related to modern-day birds. This idea initially rested
largely on similarities between the outward appearances of bird
and dinosaur skeletons. Later, further evidence on the close
evolutionary relationships among birds and non-avian dinosaurs
accumulated.
A leg bone full of key gunk
The latest evidence comes from an ancient femur bone
unearthed in 2003 by Jack Horner of the Museum of the Rockies in
the Hell Creek Formation, a fossil-packed area that spans Montana, Wyoming and North and South Dakota.
It seems some 68 million years ago, a teenage T. rex
died and left behind a drumstick-shaped femur bone that today
still contains intact soft tissue and the oldest preserved
proteins discovered to date.
Though no genetic material was preserved, researchers
were able to extract the proteins from the collagen tissues.
"The proteins are what carry out the function inside the
cells and organs. So the protein does a lot of the work. That
[protein] sequence was derived from DNA," Asara told LiveScience. In the case of T. rex's
collagen, "it was responsible for making hard bone so that the
dinosaur could stand."
So what was missing in this story on "Dinosaur Gunk"?
The answer is pretty simple - How does the soft tissue of a
T-Rex stay preserved at a level that allows protein sequencing
for 65 million years?
Last night I had the privilege to sit in on a broadcast of
the "Raw Talk" program on M-88 FM in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
http://www.m88.org/rawtalk.asp
I shared the hour with Dr. Russell Humphreys of the Institute
For Creation Research
http://www.icr.org/index.php?module=discover. Dr. Humphreys
http://www.icr.org/article/968/ pointed out that DNA of this
type does not remain intact for more than 10,000 years. This
"dinosaur gunk" should not only be "unsequenceable", it
shouldn't exist at all.
But there it is.
Not unlike a carnival worker trying to play the shell game,
it seems that this whole speculative discussion of similarities
between dinosaur and bird DNA is pointless until we discover why
these dinosaur guts are still there in the first place.
This is the "Dinosaur in the living room" that evolutionists
simply don't want to touch.
Because if T-Rexes are shown to be less than 10,000 years old
a huge part of the evolutionary hold on the public imagination
is blown to bits.
It also shows that the plain record of Scripture regarding
the age of dinosaurs and the earth itself stands up under
examination.
Once again we discover the power of a simple, yet profound
biblical truth:
There is no wisdom or understanding
Or counsel against the LORD. (Proverbs 21:30)
Scott's Blog 12/24/08
A Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Christmas?
One of the surest signs of the Christmas season is the advent of
traditional Christmas specials on television.
From the primitive camera stop animation of "Santa Claus is
Coming to Town" to the Vince Guaraldi jazz themed "A Charlie
Brown Christmas" many make taking time out to watch these
holiday programs a family tradition.
Some will even stay up to watch the midnight mass from the
Vatican to start their Christmas day.
But to this storied line up 2008 will see another viewing option
- at least if you have the ability to watch Britain's Channel 4.
Iran's Ahmadinejad to give alternative
Christmas message
As you can imagine there is no shortage of outcry, especially
among the Jewish community in Britain over this example of
innovative counter programming.
Why settle for the dull and predictable message from the Queen,
when you can have a man who denies the Holocaust ever existed
share holiday greetings with you via the tube?
And non-traditional this message will be.
Among other trenchant observations Ahmadinejad is scheduled to
offer his takes on Jesus Himself.
“If Christ was on Earth today undoubtedly he would stand
with the people in opposition to bullying, ill-tempered and
expansionist powers,” Mr. Ahmadinejad will say in a speech to be
shown in Farsi with English subtitles.
“If Christ was on Earth today undoubtedly he would hoist the
banner of justice and love for humanity to oppose warmongers,
occupiers, terrorists and bullies the world over. If Christ was
on Earth today undoubtedly he would fight against the tyrannical
policies of prevailing global economic and political systems, as
He did in His lifetime.”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article5394204.ece
As you can imagine, the reviews on this speech are already
coming in.
Stephen Smith, director of the Holocaust Centre, said Mr.
Ahmadinejad's message should be treated with caution. The
Iranian President has repeatedly called the Holocaust a “myth”
and called for the annihilation of Israel.
Mr. Smith said: “Many of his political and historical
views are very dangerous and do not uphold the views in his
message. I think this benign message is deception. People need
to be alert to the fact that this is a wolf in sheep’s
clothing.”
Henry Grunwald QC, president of the Board of Deputies,
added: "The appearance on our television screens of a man whose
prejudices are so well-documented and who has openly called for
the eradication of another member country of the United Nations
is an affront to decency.
"To invite him to deliver a Christmas message, even a
so-called alternative one, fills me with disgust. Whatever he
may say in his 'message', his words on other occasions and his
actions towards minority groups in Iran should have disqualified
him from filling this television spot."
The most interesting aspect of Mahmoud's Christmas message
has nothing to do with a badly timed propaganda piece in poor
taste.
Consider the incredible level of distortion concerning
his take on Jesus and His earthly ministry.
Did Jesus devote His time here on earth to "fight the power"
and bring crucial political and economic reform to the corrupt
and oppressive Roman Empire?
Consider the account of Jesus coming face to face with
Caesar's duly appointed governor Pontius Pilate.
Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and
said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”
Jesus answered him, “Are you speaking for yourself about this,
or did others tell you this concerning Me?”
Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief
priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?”
Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom
were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should
not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from
here.”
Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?”
Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For
this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the
world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is
of the truth hears My voice.”
Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this,
he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no
fault in Him at all." (John 18:33-38)
When Pilate looked at Jesus he saw no political or economic
revolutionary.
In fact, the message of Jesus has been criticized for the
stunning lack of dealing with oppressive issues like slavery, or
the grinding burden of Roman occupation.
Why did Jesus refrain from taking on these topics?
Because Jesus knew what man needed most wasn't a new system
of commerce, civil or even international order.
We needed a new relationship with God.
We needed our sins forgiven.
We needed a new heart.
And until you change these things, you've changed nothing.
Interestingly, the Muslim religion that Mr. Ahmadinejad so
passionately believes in offers its followers none of these
things.
And so Mahmoud attempts to remake Jesus into his own image
and likeness.
The tragic essence of his Christmas message?
"If Jesus was here He would be just like me!"
It's not a new mistake. Down through time those who refuse to
see Jesus in the Scriptures try to find Him in their own mirror.
How many times have we encountered people who believed:
Jesus is a Republican.
Jesus is a Democrat.
Jesus is a Communist.
Jesus is a rock star.
Jesus is a Cubs fan.
All of these miss the mark because they fail to take the
whole account of Jesus life, death and resurrection into the
picture.
And when God becomes a tool to confirm our own prejudices,
the results are always disastrous.
How interesting then, that on Christmas Eve, God has a return
message for Mr. Ahmadinejad and all who will try to bring Him
down to their own level, or use Him for their own ends.
But to the wicked God says:
“What right have you to declare My statutes,
Or take My covenant in your mouth,
Seeing you hate instruction
And cast My words behind you?
When you saw a thief, you consented with him,
And have been a partaker with adulterers.
You give your mouth to evil,
And your tongue frames deceit.
You sit and speak against your brother;
You slander your own mother’s son.
These things you have done, and I kept silent;
You thought that I was altogether like you; But I will rebuke you,
And set them in order before your eyes. (Psalm
50:16-21)
When I first got involved in college ministry I had an eye
opening conversation with the leader of an on campus student
ministry.
We wanted to establish an effective outreach at the University
of Arizona. But we didn't want to step on toes, or focus in on a
particular group others were already reaching.
So I set up a lunch and shared my desire to work with fraternity
and sorority house members.
I will never forget the response.
"If you want to work with Greek students, have at it. Personally
I think it's a waste of time. All they want to do is party.
Fraternity and sorority students are pretty much a lost cause."
Well, I have received more ringing endorsements for a vision of
ministry. But since I was one of those "lost causes" back in my
college days, we decided to see what the Lord would do.
Long story short, we discovered an incredible spiritual hunger
among the Greek students at the U of A. A week night meeting in
the living room of a sorority house for questions and answers
caught fire and we saw many "lost causes" become found for the
cause of Christ!
I couldn't help but think of how God loves to deal with lost
causes when I read of a remarkable move of God in a place many
American believers have given up for lost.
James Mumford is a well-dressed 27-year-old from
the posh London neighborhood of Pimlico. He holds
degrees in philosophy from Oxford and Yale and, like
many of Britain's elite, spent a post-graduate stint
working in London's finance industry. But tonight he
wants to talk about how he came to accept the Lord Jesus
Christ into his heart. "I don't mind talking about my
faith," he says, sheepishly. "But it's a touch
embarrassing. Just don't brand me as a mindless
evangelical."
That peculiarly British reticence may be one
reason that an unexpected spiritual awakening among
London's high society has gone unnoticed in recent
years. Long considered an aggressively secular city,
London has quietly become one of Britain's most
Christian areas, going from the least observant region
in Britain in 1979 to the second most observant today.
Much of that resurgence in piety is the result of the
city's expanding and devout immigrant population. But
there is also a growing number of young, highly educated
and moneyed Londoners — people such as Mumford — who are
turning to the church.
What has sparked this turn around?
The focal point for many of these new believers
is Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB), an evangelical Anglican
church in plush Kensington. The church's 4000-strong
congregation has almost tripled in the past 15 years,
and its average age is 27 years.
Underpinning this success is Holy Trinity
Brompton's Alpha course, a 10-week introduction to
Christianity aimed at converting young people. Since the
course was first run out of HTB's basement in 1990, it
has gone global and reached more than 11 million people
across various denominations. But it is at home where
its appeal is most apparent. Every Wednesday, crowds of
teenagers and twentysomethings line up hundreds deep at
Holy Trinity Brompton for a chance to share a free meal,
listen to a sermon, sing devotional songs and decide if
they want to let Jesus into their heart.
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1866094,00.html?xid=rss-topstories
A spiritual revival in London, of all places!
Shocking, and yet in a real way unsurprising.
God delights in showing His power in the most
unexpected places, among the seemingly least receptive
people.
Let's face it, for most of us, this is the story of
our Christian lives.
For you see your calling, brethren, that not many
wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many
noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish
things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God
has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame
the things which are mighty; and the base things of the
world and the things which are despised God has chosen,
and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the
things that are, that no flesh should glory in His
presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became
for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and
sanctification and redemption— that, as it is written,
“He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.”(I
Corinthians 1:26-31)
Do you know of a lost cause?
Maybe it's your work situation where Jesus is only
mentioned as an adverb instead of a noun.
Maybe it's your family who seems committed to keeping
the love of God at arms length.
Maybe it's your child who yawns every time you try to
share with them.
Maybe it's someone you care about that is being
destroyed by drugs, or alcohol, or pornography.
Remember this.
God could have written off this world as a lost
cause.
Instead He sent His only Son to save us.
There is no one who is so lost, the Good Shepherd
can't find them!
"For the Son of Man has come to
seek and to save that which was lost.”(Luke 19:10)
Have you ever known someone who suffered from an auto-immune
disease?
Auto-immune diseases happen when the body's built in defenses
suddenly start treating our own healthy tissue as an invading
infection.
Fewer conditions can have more devastating effects or be more
difficult to treat than when the very system that is designed to
keep us healthy and strong gets knocked out of kilter and
renders us sick and weak.
Interestingly, what is possible for the body of an individual
seems also to be a reality for a society at large.
In fact, a jaw dropping decision by the California Supreme Court
last week seems like the outbreak of a raging case of a societal
auto-immune disease.
California Supreme Court allows good Samaritans to be
sued for nonmedical care
The ruling stems from a case in which a woman pulled a
crash victim from a car 'like a rag doll,' allegedly
aggravating a vertebrae injury.
Being a good Samaritan in California just got a
little riskier.
The California Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a young
woman who pulled a co-worker from a crashed vehicle
isn't immune from civil liability because the care she
rendered wasn't medical.
The divided high court appeared to signal that rescue
efforts are the responsibility of trained professionals. It
was also thought to be the first ruling by the court that
someone who intervened in an accident in good faith could be
sued.
Lisa Torti of Northridge allegedly worsened the injuries
suffered by Alexandra Van Horn by yanking her "like a rag
doll" from the wrecked car on Topanga Canyon Boulevard.
Torti now faces possible liability for injuries
suffered by Van Horn, a fellow department store cosmetician
who was rendered a paraplegic in the accident that ended a
night of Halloween revelry in 2004.
It seems like a day to celebrate if you are an ambulance
chasing personal injury lawyer.
Who cares if someone was a hero, or risked life and limb to
help a stranger in imminent danger?
What "special training" did they have that "qualified" them
to pull someone from a wreck, or rescue a child from a
burning building?
You should have waited the fifteen minutes to an hour for
the professionals to arrive! Your civic duty in our brave
new society is to simply state, "I would like to help, but
the possibility of what you will do to me in court if you
survive dictates my position of sympathetic indifference."
It also turns a brush with death into a chance to win the
"litigation lotto" for the "victims" of successful, yet
"unprofessional" rescues.
But what is the long term impact for our society as a whole?
Less involvement.
Less cohesion.
Greater fear.
Greater indifference.
When a crisis moment hits will no longer look at ourselves
as fellow Americans, but as potential adversaries.
And if doing the mental calculus of moral obligation versus
legal exposure causes someone to hesitate for even a second
or two, it may spell the difference between life and death.
And here is where the auto-immune disease metaphor becomes
chillingly accurate.
Our legal system was designed by our Constitution "to
promote the general welfare". It is now coming perilously
close to doing the opposite. The fear of litigation is now
being used to punish the hero and reward the hard hearted.
And the short term gain for one litigant, could spell long
term pain for us all.
The courts which were designed to save and preserve the
quality of our lives may find themselves denying us both.
So how does God want us to respond to such short sighted
decision making?
It's not hard to guess.
And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him,
saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your
reading of it?”
So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your
God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your
strength, and with all your mind,’[h]
and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’”[i]
And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and
you will live.”
But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who
is my neighbor?”
Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went
down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who
stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and
departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a
certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he
passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he
arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the
other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came
where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he
went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil
and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to
an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he
departed,[j]
he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper,
and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you
spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ So which of
these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among
the thieves?”
And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” (Luke
10:25-37)
We as believers in Jesus have to decide that we will do what
is right in spite of consequences to the contrary.
If we are sued for performing an act of mercy, we will
simply have to trust the outcome to the rendering of the
Judge of the Ultimately Supreme Court.
But let's not let the alleged legal reasoning of an earthly
court drive us to "pass by on the other side" when we have
the chance and the choice to do what we can to save a life.
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all,
especially to those who are of the household of
faith.(Galatians 6:10)
Have you ever noticed the labels we place on certain periods of
history?
There was the Roaring Twenties and the Groovy Sixties.
Kind of handy to be able to capture an entire era with a short
slogan, isn't it?
But have you ever wondered what summary statement historians
will place on our day and age?
After careful consideration, I have a suggestion.
How about "The Touchy 2000's"?
You have to admit, it fits.
For some reason our culture now celebrates every grumble group
with a gripe.
You are nothing these days unless you can identify with a group
that has suffered real or imagined oppression.
The Herculean task before us seems to be getting through one
more day without stepping on the toes of the latest model of the
victim class.
If this keeps up, axe grinding will become an Olympic sport.
In our hyper-sensitized days, even the most innocuous, simple
decision can suddenly be transformed into a haven of hysteria.
To whit:
Obama defends choice of evangelical pastor
WASHINGTON (AP) - President-elect
Barack Obama on Thursday defended his choice of a popular
evangelical minister to deliver the invocation at his
inauguration, rejecting criticism that it slights gays.
The selection of Pastor Rick Warren brought objections from gay
rights advocates, who strongly supported Obama during the
election campaign. The advocates are angry over Warren's backing
of a California ballot initiative banning gay marriage. That
measure was approved by voters last month.
But Obama told reporters in Chicago that America needs to
"come together," even when there's disagreement on social
issues. "That dialogue is part of what my campaign is all
about," he said.
Obama also said he's known to be a "fierce advocate for
equality" for gays and lesbians, and will remain so.
Warren, a best-selling author and leader of a Southern
California megachurch, is one of a new breed of evangelicals who
stress the need for action on social issues such as reducing
poverty and protecting the environment, alongside traditional
theological themes.
The Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay
rights organization, said Warren's opposition to gay marriage is
a sign of intolerance.
"We feel a deep level of disrespect when one of the
architects and promoters of an anti-gay agenda is given the
prominence and the pulpit of your historic nomination," the
group said in a letter to Obama, asking him to reconsider.
Obama's selection of Warren is seen as a signal to
religious conservatives that the president-elect will listen to
their views. During the campaign, Warren interviewed Obama and
Republican John McCain in a widely watched television program
that focused on religious concerns.
Gay rights advocates say they are troubled that Obama
would give Warren such a visible role at his swearing-in. "By
inviting Rick Warren to your inauguration, you have tarnished
the view that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans
have a place at your table," the letter said.
Obama, however, pointed out that a couple of years ago,
he was invited to speak at Warren's church, despite their
disagreements on a number of issues.
The Human Rights Campaign exists to protect the rights of
those who are victims of intolerance and exclusion.
So their response to the selection of Rick Warren (to deliver
something as benign as an invocation) is one of intolerance and a
demand for exclusion?
Good thinking.
The aspect of this that really cracks me up is that Rick
Warren has taken considerable heat from some in the evangelical
community for giving Barack Obama, an intensely pro-abortion
politician, a forum to speak at a church that is decidedly
pro-life in its outlook.
Agree or disagree with Rick Warren's decision, but it is hard
to label it as anything else but "tolerant".
And that's what tolerance used to mean.
Be fair and balanced. Let both sides respectfully have their
say. The truth will win out in the end.
But here in the "Touchy 2000's" tolerance has been redefined.
Present only the politically correct side of an issue. Talk
over, or shout down anyone who disagrees with you. The group
that throws the biggest fit will win out in the end.
It's really nothing new.
When the Apostle Paul brought the Good News of Jesus to the
city of Ephesus in Asia Minor, the people responded in droves.
This created a problem for the local silversmiths who made
big bucks manufacturing idols of the goddess Diana.
Business was taking a decided turn for the worse.
So what did these members of the Ephesian Chamber of Commerce
do?
Initiate a dialogue with Paul to share their concerns?
Be open to the possibility that there might be something to
this message that Jesus rose from the dead?
Nope.
And about that time there arose a great commotion about the
Way. For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made
silver shrines of Diana, brought no small profit to the
craftsmen. He called them together with the workers of similar
occupation, and said: “Men, you know that we have our prosperity
by this trade. Moreover you see and hear that not only at
Ephesus, but throughout almost all Asia, this Paul has persuaded
and turned away many people, saying that they are not gods which
are made with hands. So not only is this trade of ours in danger
of falling into disrepute, but also the temple of the great
goddess Diana may be despised and her magnificence
destroyed,whom all Asia and the world worship.”
Now when they heard this, they were full of wrath and
cried out, saying, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!” So
the whole city was filled with confusion, and rushed into the
theater with one accord, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus,
Macedonians, Paul’s travel companions. And when Paul wanted to
go in to the people, the disciples would not allow him. Then
some of the officials of Asia, who were his friends, sent to him
pleading that he would not venture into the theater. Some
therefore cried one thing and some another, for the assembly was
confused, and most of them did not know why they had come
together. And they drew Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews
putting him forward. And Alexander motioned with his hand, and
wanted to make his defense to the people. But when they found
out that he was a Jew, all with one voice cried out for about
two hours, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!” (Acts
19:23-34)
Shout downs, hidden financial agendas, emotionalism triumphing
over reason.
It is clear that the same spirit of agenda driven, pressure
group-ism is alive and well today.
So how do we respond?
First, make sure we don't buy into it.
It would be very easy to take a page from the touchy
professional victimhood of our day and import it into our
relationships with other Christians.
How many once thriving fellowships have been taken down because
a small, yet vocal minority got their eyes off the Lord and focused on their own gripes?
Too many.
Second, don't export it outside the church.
The squeaky wheel might get the grease, but people who are
continually whining and complaining about their lot in life find
themselves with very few friends.
Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may
become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in
the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you
shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life.
(Philippians 2:14-16)
You may remember the classic game show "The $25,000
Pyramid".
The way to win big money in the game was to list items in
such a way that your playing partner could guess the general
category.
In the example above, you could list for instance, "A dress
shirt.. A Priest's shirt.. A Budweiser Clydesdale Horse at
work.."
You get the picture.
Get your partner to guess six categories by listing things that
fit them and you are on your way to $25K.
Fail, and get ready to leave with lovely parting gifts like a
year's supply of Aero-Wax and a crate of Rice-A-Roni the San
Francisco Treat.
Well, you may remember "The $25,000 Pyramid" but I lived it.
Yes. I was a contestant on a television game show.
In fact, I was selected to be on the first show of the revived
version of "The $25,000 Pyramid".
It all started innocently enough.
Back during my Mac and Cheese days of going to seminary and
working as a part time youth pastor, money was always tight.
My friend Keith saw an ad in the LA Times for try outs for the
show.
"You are such a ham! You'd be perfect. You should do it. I dare
you!"
Not wanting to look like a chicken was powerful motivation.
But the prospect of $25 K for an afternoon's work?
When you are getting paid a whopping $800 a month and spend your
time staring down the barrel of an ever increasing student loan
bill, that sounded great.
So I went down to Hollywood and tried out.
I guess they liked me, because I was selected to be on the first
show.
My partner on the show was a comedic actor who had been on shows
like "Soap" and "Private Benjamin."
We won our game and went to the big money round.
Now, before the show the producer told us that we should always
let the celebrity give the clues. They will be less nervous and
your chances of winning will be better.
So off we went.
As I mentioned you had to get six right in sixty seconds in
order to win the $25 K.
At first, I thought this would be a slam dunk. We ripped through
the first three categories in 15 seconds.
What could go wrong? Financial freedom, here I come!
Then, it happened.
The celebrity looked at the board, looked at me and froze.
The man just stared at me.
After what seemed like 10 seconds he finally sputtered out the
words,
"Uh.....Van Gogh!"
Artists? Abstract artists?
"Ah, ah! Van Gogh!!!"
Dutch painters?
"VAN GOGH!!!!"
Crazy people? Men with one ear? People with brothers named Theo?
We never recovered.
What was the category, you might ask?
Men with beards.
Santa Claus. Abe Lincoln. The SMITH BROTHERS for goodness
sake!!!
I did receive a check for $600 dollars and all the Rice-a-Roni I
could eat.
But as I shook hands with Dick Clark and walked away my friend
Keith said something profound.
"Well, I guess you'll have to work for a living like the rest of
us."
Keen insight, that.
As we discussed in our previous post there are all kinds of con
artists that love to pray on the naive and trusting.
Often they find large flocks to fleece when they worm their way
into the church.
Probably the best way to avoid being taken for a ride that
empties your bank account and maybe even shipwrecks your faith
is to realize two undeniable truths of Scripture.
First, God promises to meet our needs.
And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in
glory by Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:20)
Notice it doesn't say "God shall supply all your greeds." Just
our needs.
In God's economy, if we need it, we've got it. If we don't have
it, we don't need it.
Second, the main way God will meet all our needs is simple - He
will provide work for us to do.
But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more; that
you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business,
and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that you
may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that
you may lack nothing. (I Thessalonians 4:10-12)
Now that tends to grate against our fallen nature.
Why can't I be on easy street?
Because God knows what you can handle and what you can't.
And He custom designs our lives with one thing in mind -
opportunities to grow in our faith and trust in Him.
A wise man named Augur put it this way:
Two things I request of You
(Deprive me not before I die):
Remove falsehood and lies far from me;
Give me neither poverty nor riches—
Feed me with the food allotted to me;
Lest I be full and deny You,
And say, “Who is the LORD?”
Or lest I be poor and steal,
And profane the name of my God. (Proverbs 30:7-9)
Keep me right in that place where I trust You for my daily
bread, Lord.
That's not a bad place to be.
As we saw in our last post, the people who got swindled by
Bernard Madoff weren't broke. They had millions.
So why throw in with a too good to be true hedge fund jockey?
Because no matter how much you've got materially, it's never
enough.
But if we are spiritually satisfied with the gift of contentment
in Christ, no matter how much or little we have, we lack
nothing.
When we know He is looking out for us, we won't find ourselves
up on our tip toes trying to see if it really is greener on the
other side of the fence.
When we cease to look for the big score, but find ourselves
content with what we have, and even don't have at the moment we
set the stage for a wonderfully priceless promise to be
fulfilled in our lives.
The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, And He adds no
sorrow with it. (Proverbs 10:22)
A con artist will pull in the gullible by convincing them that
he or she is "really one of us."
The shark learns the culture, the catch phrases, the key players
and agenda setters of a group and sets out to build a
reputation.
Before long, they are trusted because others seem to trust them,
giving them a free pass into other people's pocket books.
Then an offer is made.
It sounds too good to be true.
A return on an investment is promised that is well beyond the
going rate.
Promises are extracted of secrecy, because "We don't want to
sacrifice our insider information or expertise to the
competition."
Any sense of hesitation is smoothed over with flattery, or the
fear of being left out of a chance of a lifetime.
And besides, look at all the smart and respected people who
trust the plan. Are you really smarter than they are?
And then the trap snaps shut.
This tried and true recipe for disaster has played out on a
global scale today.
The man who conned the world
Bernard L. Madoff, chairman of Madoff
Investment Securities is seen on his Manhattan trading floor in
this photo taken in 1999 in New York.
Banks, billionaires, charities and film stars are among the
victims of the '$50bn fraudster', whose exposure deals a fresh
blow to financial confidence, according to one tycoon facing a
$9bn loss.
Investors around the world are counting the
spiralling cost of the biggest fraud in history, a $50bn scam
that has ensnared billionaire businessmen and tiny charities
alike and whose tentacles have stretched further and deeper than
anyone imagined.
The fallout from the arrest of the Wall Street grandee
Bernard Madoff was continuing to grow last night, as institution
after institution detailed the extent of their possible losses,
and the victims in the UK were headlined by HSBC and the Royal
Bank of Scotland, which is majority-owned by the British
Government.
A charity set up by the Hollywood director Steven
Spielberg was among those revealed to be among the victims,
along with a foundation set up by Mort Zuckerman, one of the
richest media and property magnates in the United States, dozens
of Jewish organisations, sports team owners and a New Jersey
senator.
But the biggest confessions were coming from Wall Street,
from the City of London and from the headquarters of European
banks and from banks around the world. They have poured billions
of dollars into Mr Madoff's too-good-to-be-true investment fund,
which appeared to post double-digit annual returns come rain or
shine.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/the-man-who-conned-the-world-1128194.html
How did so many prominent people get pulled in?
Bernard Madoff didn't defraud just anyone. This was an
elite conman, a man with impeccable credentials built up over
decades, circulating in a rarefied world where the rich and
famous courted him for access to his miracle-grow investment
scheme. Mr Madoff was no hawkish salesman. He often turned down
the country club members competing to throw money at him.
The shame of being rebuffed was matched only by the pride
of those who were let in, and were able to boast that, yes,
their fortunes were in the hands of one of the finance world's
best-respected grandees.
Palm Beach, of course, is a world consumed by these
issues of who's in and who's out, where one's social viability
depends on being on the most exclusive dinner-party circuit,
owning the best waterfront house, patronising the most respected
charitable boards, and attending the right clubs. And it was in
this Florida resort, golfing retreat and retirement paradise for
the East Coast wealthy, that Mr Madoff found his victims – and
where the trauma of his unmasking is now being most keenly felt.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/feted-by-the-rich-madoff-was-a-schemer-supreme-1128199.html
Those all too human failings greed and pride provided an
unimaginable opportunity for this high octane con artist.
And the siren song of "Money for nothing" continues to lure
victims on to the rocks.
It happens in companies.
It happens in country clubs.
And yes, it happens in churches.
"Trust me, bro. Even the pastor is in on this one!"
"We're having this meeting after our Bible study to discuss a
great business opportunity."
"God wants you to be able to take care of your family, right?
And just think how much you can give when this thing hits big.
Why, you could even go into the ministry full time without
drawing a salary!"
How to make sure we are not the next victims of affinity
fraud?
Paul warned about this same danger in the first century
church. He told us to be on the look out for wolves among God's
flock "who suppose that godliness is a means of gain." (I
Timothy 6:5)
Consider these steps we can take to avoid being the next lamb
chop dinner for a spiritual wolf.
From such withdraw yourself.
Make it your business not to go to special, secret meetings
available to an elite handful. Truth doesn't sneak. Don't even
attend a "no obligation" get together that promises a financial
pay off.
Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we
brought nothing into this world, andit is
certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and
clothing, with these we shall be content.
Learn to be grateful and happy with the things you have and
avoid focusing on the things you don't.
But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a
snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which
drown men in destruction and perdition.
In God's economy, if we need it, we've got it. If we don't
have it, we don't need it.
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil,
for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness,
and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (I Timothy
6:5-10)
Money is not the root of all evil. But the love of money is.
Check in on Scott's Blog tomorrow to see how we can make
certain we aren't the next victim of a clever con artist.
No matter what your perspective is on the ministry of the
Reverend Jeremiah Wright, it would not be beyond the pale to
refer to his rhetoric as "incendiary".
In fact, "fire brand " is an expression that even the
reverend himself would admit is an apt description of his role
in the church.
Now could you imagine what would happen if one of Jeremiah
Wright's critics went off the deep end and decided to fight
"rhetorical fire" with the real deal?
Could you imagine the uproar if someone tried to burn down
Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago?
Most of us would be appalled to think that there are still those
among us who would think the best way to counter ideas they
disagree with is with violence.
Front page news?
The subject of special reports on hate crimes in America?
No doubt.
And justifiably so.
An entire news cycle would be consumed with nothing but
commentary and analysis on such a despicable crime.
Which makes me wonder why we haven't heard even a mention of a
very similar sounding incident that happened last week.
Fire hits Palin's church in Alaska
(CNN) -- A "suspicious" fire
devastated the church attended by Alaska Gov. and former
vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin on Friday night in
her hometown of Wasilla, the church's minister said.
"We have no idea what caused it," the Rev. Larry
Kroon of the Wasilla Bible Church said Saturday, adding that
investigators were considering arson and other possible
causes.
A ladies' craft group was in the building when the
fire broke out, but they got out safely, Kroon said.
"No one was hurt," he said.
Central Mat-Su Fire Department Chief James Steele
said the department was "treating it as suspicious and as
potential arson at this point" but did not elaborate, The
Anchorage Daily News reported.
The newspaper said Palin released a statement after the fire
in which she said she stopped by the church Saturday morning
and offered an apology to the assistant pastor "if the
incident is in any way connected to the undeserved negative
attention the church has received since she became a vice
presidential candidate."
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/12/13/palin.church/?iref=hpmostpop
Why was this incident so lightly reported?
It could be because the jury is still out on whether it
was an act of arson or an accident.
It could be because no one was hurt.
But could personalities and perspective play a role as
well?
Consider the contrasts between Trinity UCC in Chicago and
Wasilla Bible Church.
Location: Big city - small town.
Emphasis of teaching: Liberal theology - Bible teaching.
Notable Attenders : Media favorite - media pariah.
The sad conclusion I draw from this is that in our day
and age, some hate crimes are more hateful than others. Or
at least deemed more newsworthy.
And this shouldn't come as any surprise.
Jesus plainly told us:
“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before
it hated you. If you were of the world, the world
would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world,
but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates
you. (John 15:18-19)
Sometimes we as Christians are stunned that there seems
to be a double standard in play when it comes to our faith.
We are amazed when the secular world lauds the sincerity
of those who worship citrus fruit, and yet blasts those who
sincerely want to follow Jesus.
We are shocked when the media will give front page play
to conspiracy nut theories denying the resurrection of
Jesus, and yet buries the latest archeological discovery
that confirms the historicity of the New Testament to the
want ads, just under the Jumble puzzle.
We are treated to the latest declaration that microbes to
man evolution is a settled fact, yet the discovery of a
T-Rex bone with nonfossilized flesh still in it never sees
the light of media day.
Don't be shocked. Be prepared to stand for the Lord.
The world system that rejects God won't play fair, or be
consistent.
But we need to be consistent in our faith, hope and love
if we are not to be "overcome by evil, but overcome evil
with good."
If you had the chance to know how long you had left to live on
this earth, would you want to know?
Believe it or not, a web site called "Real Age" has put together
a calculator that purports to tell us not just the state of our
health currently, but what our prospects are for longevity.
Interestingly, the "Real Age" calculator, will not only give you
an estimate of the average life expectancy, and your personal
life expectancy but it will also tell you just how many days you
have left before you meet your Maker.
This feature seems to freak some people out.
The fact that our lives are not an endlessly renewable resource
is something most people prefer not to dwell on.
In fact, a decade ago, the U.S. Post Office installed count down
clocks that were geared to show how close we were getting to the
new millennium.
They eventually had to remove the clocks from the Post Office
branches because the employees complained that watching the
continual count down of time reminded them of their own
mortality!
Did you know that the Bible suggests that keeping a weather eye
on the countdown clock of life is a good thing?
Consider this prayer request that Moses presented to the Lord.
The days of our lives are seventy years;
And if by reason of strength they are eighty
years,
Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow;
For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
Who knows the power of Your anger?
For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath.
So teach us to number our days,
That we may gain a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:10-12)
Jesus Himself indicated that an "I've got all the time in the
world" attitude can lead to eternal disaster.
“The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he
thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have
no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will
pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all
my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you
have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat,
drink, and be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This
night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those
things be which you have provided?’
“So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not
rich toward God.” (Luke 12:16-21)
I said at the opening of this post that this discussion wasn't
about Bible prophecy.
Well, that isn't entirely true.
There is a prediction the Bible makes regarding our future on a
personal level that each of us needs to take to heart.
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and
such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a
profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen
tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that
appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you
ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this
or that.” (James 4:13-15)
Our time here on earth is limited. One day, if Jesus doesn't
come for us first, we will be the guest of honor at a memorial
service.
What will we have to show for our lives when we stand before our
Creator?
The best way to live wisely in the here and now, is to invest
each day in receiving and relating God's love and truth with
others.
Why?
Because the Bible also offers us another powerful word of
personal prophecy.
Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through
the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another
fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of
corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God
which lives and abides forever, because
“ All fleshisas grass, And allthe glory of manas the flower of
the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, But theword of the LORD endures forever.” (I
Peter 1:22-25)
Have you ever dreamed that for some unknown reason you were back
in high school or middle school?
Talk about a nightmare!
My version of this common dream theme always involves having a
test I haven't studied for, a locker I can't open, and the
sights and smells of the dreaded cafeteria.
Ah, yes. The cafeteria.
The place where quantity always triumphed over quality.
The only possible advantage to eating there was at least you
could choose the various components of a meal that would
later cause a deep yearning for Pepto Bismol.
A little "mystery meat" here. A little "Chef's Surprise"
there.
Lima beans. Rock hard cupcakes. Milk served at room temperature.
"Red Death" punch.
The cafeteria experience must have been the inspiration for the
old saying, "Name yer poison!"
But at least there was freedom of choice.
Lately I have noticed a trend that attempts to apply this same
same pick and choose format to spirituality.
Some believe that "more is better" when it comes to spiritual
convictions.
Why limit yourself to the Bible when there are so many other
interesting dishes to sample?
As Burger King exhorted us, "Why not have it your way?"
And so we pick and choose.
A classic example of this phenomenon came to light during an
interview President George W. Bush gave to correspondent Cynthia
McFadden this week on "Nightline".
As the interview begins, Bush comes across as a sincere man with
a simple, life changing relationship with God.
But about the five minute mark, "Cafeteria Christianity" begins
to manifest itself.
MCFADDEN: Is it literally true, the Bible?
BUSH: You know. Probably not ... No, I'm not a
literalist, but I think you can learn a lot from it, but I do
think that the New Testament, for example is ... has got ... You
know, the important lesson is "God sent a son."
MCFADDEN: So, you can read the Bible...
BUSH: That God in the flesh, that mankind can
understand there is a God who is full of grace and that nothing
you can do to earn his love. His love is a gift and that in
order to draw closer to God and in order to express your
appreciation for that love is why you change your behavior.
MCFADDEN: So, you can read the Bible and not take it
literally. I mean you can -- it's not inconsistent to love the
Bible and believe in evolution, say.
BUSH: Yeah, I mean, I do. I mean, evolution is an interesting
subject. I happen to believe that evolution doesn't fully
explain the mystery of life and ...
MCFADDEN: But do you believe in it?
BUSH: That God created the world, I do, yeah.
MCFADDEN: But what about ...
BUSH: Well, I think you can have both. I think evolution can
-- you're getting me way out of my lane here. I'm just a simple
president. But it's, I think that God created the Earth, created
the world; I think the creation of the world is so mysterious it
requires something as large as an almighty, and I don't think
it's incompatible with the scientific proof that there is
evolution.
MCFADDEN: Do you believe that when you pray to God you are
praying to the same God Muslims do?
To his credit, Bush did indicate that such specific questions
were "a bit out of my lane."
Yet, just as Barak Obama caught considerable grief during the
campaign for the glib remark that determining when life
begins was "above my pay grade", so Bush's remarks also require
a bit of biblical examination.
If Bush does believe that Jesus is God's Son, it stands to
reason he would take the same view of the Bible as his savior.
And Jesus was quite a literalist.
He believed in a literal
creation. (Matthew 19:4)
He believed in a literal Noah and a world wide flood.
(Matthew 24:36-39)
He believed that He wasn't just "a way", but the only way to
God. (John 14:6)
He believed in the literal reliability and authority of the
Bible itself. (Matthew 5:17-18)
It is very clear that George W. Bush and
Jesus are at odds on some crucial issues of faith.
Now does this make George W. Bush a bad man?
No.
Just a man who hasn't really come to grips with the basics of
the faith he claims to believe in.
He is a product of the times we live in.
And when we major on spiritual sentiment, and dismiss the
importance of spiritual content we end up with a very different
view of God than the one Jesus reveals to us.
Perhaps the single most challenging words Jesus spoke in His
earthly ministry are still the most challenging for the pick and
choose followers of "Cafeteria Christianity" today.
"And if I tell you the truth, why do you not believe Me?"
(John 8:46)
When the Financial Times Meets the Book of Revelation
1973.
Nixon was still president.
U.S. Troops were just leaving Vietnam.
The world nearly went nuclear during the Yom Kippur War in
Israel.
And I read my first book dealing with the subject of End Times
biblical prophecy.
Maybe you did too.
Hal Lindsey's "The Late Great Planet Earth" was not only the New
York Times best selling book of 1973, but went on to be the
number one seller of the entire decade.
It is easy to understand why.
Hal Lindsay managed to take the subject of Bible prophecy out of
the musty halls of academia and "put the cookies on the bottom
shelf where the kiddies could get to them".
I remember how amazed I was by how real and relevant the
predictions made some 2,000 years ago were to the way the modern
world was heading.
There was one area that I had a hard time seeing come to pass
any time soon.
The bitter battle we came to know as the "Cold War" seemed to
indicate that fierce nationalism was still the way of the world.
Fledgling attempts of even a handful of nations to open up free
trade like the European Common Market were a far cry from the
unmistakable predictions of a Last Days one world government.
Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up
out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his
horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. Now
the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like
the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion.
The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority.
And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally
wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world
marveled and followed the beast. So they worshiped the
dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the
beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to
make war with him?”
And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies,
and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months.
Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme
His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. It was
granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them.
And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and
nation. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose
names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb
slain from the foundation of the world. (Revelation 13:1-8)
In 1973, something really radical would have had to happen to
see the entire world come under the sway of not just a single
government, but a single man known as the Antichrist.
The scenario seemed, well, to be quite a stretch of the
imagination.
How could nations willing surrender their sovereignty to achieve
this kind of unity? It was the stuff of science fiction.
Fast forward to the end of 2008. A one world government used to
be a fantasy.
Now? Not so much.
Consider this fascinating, even chilling examination of the
progress toward a one world government found not on a prophecy
update web site, but on the editorial page of the respected
Financial Times.
And now for a world government
By Gideon Rachman
I have never believed that there is a secret United
Nations plot to take over the US. I have never seen black
helicopters hovering in the sky above Montana. But, for the
first time in my life, I think the formation of some sort of
world government is plausible.
A “world government” would involve much more than
co-operation between nations. It would be an entity with
state-like characteristics, backed by a body of laws. The
European Union has already set up a continental government for
27 countries, which could be a model. The EU has a supreme
court, a currency, thousands of pages of law, a large civil
service and the ability to deploy military force.
So could the European model go global? There are three
reasons for thinking that it might.
First, it is increasingly clear that the most difficult
issues facing national governments are international in nature:
there is global warming, a global financial crisis and a “global
war on terror”.
Second, it could be done. The transport and
communications revolutions have shrunk the world so that, as
Geoffrey Blainey, an eminent Australian historian, has written:
“For the first time in human history, world government of some
sort is now possible.” Mr Blainey foresees an attempt to form a
world government at some point in the next two centuries, which
is an unusually long time horizon for the average newspaper
column.
But – the third point – a change in the political
atmosphere suggests that “global governance” could come much
sooner than that. The financial crisis and climate change are pushing national governments
towards global solutions, even in countries such as China and
the US that are traditionally fierce guardians of national
sovereignty.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7a03e5b6-c541-11dd-b516-000077b07658.html
When we add to the mix the growing shadow of terrorism that
recognizes no national boundaries and will use without
hesitation the most destructive weapons it can get its hands on,
the prediction of a time when people will cry for "Peace and
safety" at any cost is no longer a reach.
Even if that cost is the surrender of national sovereignty to
an all encompassing one world government.
Perhaps it will take an earth shaking event like an act of
nuclear terrorism or even possibly the Rapture of the church
(see I Thessalonians 4:16-18) to overcome the
last obstacles toward "global governance".
And it is certain that no matter how well built this system
will be, it won't fully function until the Antichrist takes his
seat behind the wheel and turns the key.
But suffice it to say, as we see the end of 2008, we are in
the ball park.
As Gideon Rachman summed it up -
So, it seems, everything is in place. For the first time
since homo sapiens began to doodle on cave walls, there is an
argument, an opportunity and a means to make serious steps
towards a world government.
Do you believe that failed finances, ruined relationships and
habits that just seem to hang on are the work of the powers of
darkness?
Wouldn't it be great if there was a kind of spiritual complaint
department where you could tell the wicked one exactly what you
thought about him?
Believe it or not, there is such a place.
In fact, if you were in Mecca, Saudi Arabia this week you could
join a swarming crowd of less than happy spiritual customers in
a ritual called "the Jamarat".
Muslim pilgrims stone Satan at the hajj
Hundreds of thousands of Muslim pilgrims massed in a valley near the
Saudi holy city of Mina on Monday for the stoning of Satan, the
last and most dangerous rite of the annual hajj.
Hundreds of people have been trampled to death in
stampedes which have blighted several previous pilgrimages to
Islam's holiest sites when the faithful rush to hurl stones at
huge pillars symbolising the devil.
To complete the ritual, a pilgrim must throw 21 pebbles
at each of three 25-metre (82-foot) pillars and this year the
faithful are being given pebbles in pre-packed bags to spare
them the effort of searching for the stones.
So far this year, no major incidents have been reported,
although a record number of pilgrims from abroad travelled to
the holy sites, with a total of nearly two and a half million
worshippers.
Saudi King Abdullah and his brother Crown Prince Sultan
sent a joint message to the pilgrims on Monday.
"By performing hajj rituals, they fill the world, in
fact, the entire world with mercy, tolerance, compassion and
peace, promoting the values of truth, goodness and integrity
while getting rid of all their resentments and animosities,"
they said.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=081208152900.755n6o29&show_article=1
I sometimes wonder what the devil thinks of all this
commotion.
I'm sure he probably buys into the old P.T. Barnum edict that
any publicity is good publicity.
And perhaps, even taking it a step further, he knows that all
the name calling, emotional venting and pre-packaged pebble
throwing won't hurt him one bit.
And he also knows that as long as that crowd is focused on
their hatred for him, they won't be taking a single step closer
to knowing the love of God.
And as an extra bonus, maybe an emotion charged stampede will
take out a few innocents in the process.
So hurl away.
As silly and superstitious as the Jamarat sounds, it isn't
all that far removed from a lot of what passes for "spiritual
warfare " in Christian circles these days.
There are best selling books that instruct believers that any
habitual area of sin is the work of "squatter demons" that have
subdivided our souls.
The key to a victorious Christian life is to evict these
unwanted guests with elaborate check list driven exorcisms.
Some believers have become so taken in by this teaching that
they spend more time in their prayer lives yelling at the devil
than talking to the Lord.
Sadly, there are some who are only pre packaged pebbles away
from holding their own Christianized version of the hajj.
Don't get me wrong. The Bible does tell us that Satan is a
very real enemy of our souls.
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks
about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same
sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. (I
Peter 5:8-9)
Notice that the Bible says the devil is not only real, but a
resistible foe.
So how do we resist him?
Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee
from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify
your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and
mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and
your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of
the Lord, and He will lift you up. (James 4:7-10)
Did you catch the key components of effective spiritual
warfare?
Sandwiched between the powerful promise "Resist the
devil and he will flee from you" are two decidedly
God-ward instructions.
"Submit to God"
Our greatest spiritual enemy isn't to be seen on an Underwood
Deviled Ham can. It's to be found in a mirror.
Truth be told, we never find a single command in the
New Testament that tells us the secret of overcoming sin is
personal exorcism. But we do find plenty of commands to "put off
the old man" and to "die to the deeds of the flesh".
Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live
according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh
you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of
the body, you will live. (Romans 8:12-13)
The second command?
"Draw near to God"
If we really want to drive the devil crazy, we need to use
every attack as a spiritual wake up call. Rather than becoming
flustered and fearful, we need to use tough times and personal
struggles as a call to faithfulness in our walk with the Lord.
King David expressed this beautifully in Psalm 91.
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my
fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”
Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler[a] And from the perilous pestilence.
He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day, Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at
noonday.
A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you.
Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked. (Psalm 91:1-8)
The secret of spiritual warfare isn't throwing stones.
It is finding our security in the shadow of God's wings.
There are a number of reasons why Israel is increasingly
looking at going it alone in a strike against Iran's nuclear
facilities.
First, Israel is not confident that the United States would
give permission for such a mission even if Iran was near to
crossing the nuclear threshold.
In September, Britain's Guardian newspaper published a report
that claimed Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert requested a go
ahead in April only to be turned down by George W. Bush.
With all the uncertainties tied into the advent of a new
administration, Israel may adopt a policy that it is easier to
ask forgiveness than permission, particularly when the existence
of the entire Jewish State hangs in the balance.
Second, the clock is ticking.
Last week, Iran's nuclear chief Gholam Reza Aghazadeh
revealed that the country was operating more than 5,000
centrifuges at its uranium enrichment plant in Natanz and would
continue to install centrifuges and enrich uranium to produce
nuclear fuel for the country's future nuclear power plants.
"At this point, more than 5,000 centrifuges are operating
in Natanz," said Aghazadeh, who is also the head of the Atomic
Energy Organization of Iran. This represents a significant
increase from the 4,000 Iran had said were up and running in
August at the plant.
The Islamic republic has said it plans to move toward
large-scale uranium enrichment that will ultimately involve
54,000 centrifuges.
Israeli officials said last week that the drop in oil
prices and the continued sanctions on Iran were having an
effect, although they had yet to stop Teheran's nuclear program.
The officials said that while Iran was making technological
advancements, it would not have the necessary amount of
highly-enriched uranium for a nuclear bomb until late 2009.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1227702421218&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Talk about the classic good news/bad news scenario .
The good news? No Iranian nukes before late 2009.
The bad news? Late 2009 is less than a year away.
What does all this mean in terms of Bible prophecy?
It is important to remember that when the Last Days invasion
of Israel is described in Ezekiel 38, Iran is not the leader,
but rather a supporting cast member in the operation.
‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am against you, O
Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. I will turn
you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all
your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great
company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling
swords. Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya are with them, all of them
with shield and helmet; Gomer and all its troops;
the house of Togarmah from the far north and all its
troops—many people are with you. (Ezekiel 38:3-6)
I
am increasingly persuaded that either Iran will be defanged by a
military intervention so they can't attack Israel independently,
or perhaps they will have their leash yanked in a bit by their
Russian sponsors.
It does not appear that a pro-Western regime change is
anywhere in the offing.
Prophetically speaking, Israel independently taking out
Iran's nuclear capacity is a distinct possibility.
I am old enough to remember when public schools actually had
annual Christmas pageants.
We actually sang Christmas carols.
And people would actually greet one another with the words,
"Merry Christmas".
Ancient, huh?
Nowadays, in the eternal quest of not offending or causing
anyone to feel "excluded", we enlightened denizens of the new
millennium hold "holiday pageants".
We sing only generic "holiday songs" about chestnuts and some
mutant creature with a "holly jolly soul".
And woe to the business who lets anything else but "Happy
holidays" pass through the lips of their employees!
You could get sued for that.
So what have we received for all of our societal gyrations?
Peace on earth? Good will toward man?
Not hardly.
In fact all of our tortured attempts at inclusiveness have only
set the stage for a greater sense of divisiveness than we could
have ever imagined possible back in 1971.
Exhibit A of this phenomenon is now on display in Olympia,
Washington.
Atheist group posts “there is no God”
display next to nativity scene
A
n
atheist group has unveiled an anti-religion placard in the
Washington state Capitol, joining a Christian Nativity scene and
“holiday tree” on display during December.
The placard reads: “At this season of the Winter Solstice
may reason prevail. There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no
heaven or hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is but
myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds.“
The foundation’s co-president, Dan Barker, said it was
important for atheists to offer their viewpoint alongside the
overtly religious Nativity scene and Christmas-style holiday
tree.
“Our members want equal time,“ Barker said. “Not to
muscle, not to coerce, but just to have a place at the table.“
The three displays, all privately sponsored, were granted
permits from state groundskeepers to be placed in the Capitol’s
grand marble hallways.
On Monday, the Nativity scene and atheist sign were
installed alongside each other in a hallway between the state
Senate and House chambers, separated by a large bust of the
state’s namesake, George Washington.
For now, the atheist sign is a stand-in.
A metal plaque meant for display was delayed by a
shipping error, Barker said.
It will be two-sided, with a lengthy message on the main
side, and “Keep State/Church Separate” on the back.
This symbolic traffic jam would be laughable if it wasn't so
indicative of the spiritual rudderlessness of our society.
A few observations.
I find it interesting that the so called "free-thinkers" have
put up a placard that displays such a profound lack of thought.
How can they believe on the one hand that "there is only this
natural world", and yet make the claim that "religion hardens
hearts"?
Isn't the notion of a "heart" that can be "hardened" by
beliefs scientifically unverifiable?
Unless, of course, there is a double blind study that can
scientifically link church attendance with arterial sclerosis.
I didn't think so.
There is an old saying that goes when someone says "It's not
about the money" it really is all about the money.
In the same way, when someone says, "We are not here to
muscle in on someone else's beliefs", it's because that is
precisely the motivation involved.
Christians, because of our core belief in love for others,
make easy targets for the bitter and aggressive unbeliever.
If these people were equally opposed at all religious
observation, why aren't they declaring that Allah is a myth
outside of a local mosque during Ramadan?
Once again we see that Christmas in our culture 'tis the
season to be touchy.
So how do we as believers in Christ respond?
The pushy and ill mannered can make a mess of any physical
demonstration of Christmas in a public square, but they can't
touch the demonstration of Christ's presence in our hearts.
Instead of lowering ourselves to the level of being just
another hypersensitive pressure group , let's put the Bible's
guidance into personal practice in our lives.
Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may
become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in
the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you
shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of
life..(Philippians 2:14-16)
There is an old saying that a camel is a horse put together by a
government bureaucracy.
If the uproar over the new Capitol Visitor Center in Washington
DC is any indicator, someone may have to apologize to camels
everywhere.
The project seemed harmless enough when it was announced.
As a gathering place, the CVC can accommodate up to 4,000
tourists at a time. It's 580,000 square feet of space spread
over three floors will also be used by Congress for meetings and
other functions.
An aerial view of the CVC.
But remember, the government is involved here. And where
government goes, controversy inevitably follows.
First, the CVC debut celebration was somewhat muted by the fact
that the project opened three years overdue and at twice the
originally estimated cost.
Second, Senate majority leader Harry Reid raised eyebrows while
lauding one of the, how shall we say, less publicized benefits
of the project.
Reid: Capitol Visitor Center Will Minimize 'Smell' of
Tourists
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is looking on the bright
side as the Capitol Visitor Center opens years behind schedule
and millions over budget.
The Capitol Visitor Center is opening years
behind schedule and millions over budget, but at least it's got
good ventilation.
That was Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's take at the
official dedication for the center Tuesday morning, as he
quipped that members will no longer have to "smell the tourists"
on hot summer days.
"My staff has always said, 'Don't say this,' but I'm
going to say it again because it's so descriptive because it's
true," Reid said.
He referenced House Minority Leader John Boehner's
comments about the long lines of tourists that stream into the
Capitol complex, and said: "In the summertime, because (of) the
high humidity and how hot it gets here, you could literally
smell the tourists coming into the Capitol."
As the crowd laughed, Reid said, "And that may be
descriptive but it's true. Well, that is no longer going to be
necessary."
Note to self - When staff says, "Don't say this", it is
usually good to listen to them.
Especially when it comes to elitist sounding comments on
other peoples' body odor.
But the controversy doesn't stop with budget over runs and
politicians running off at the mouth.
Senator Jim DeMint has gone public with another troubling
aspect of the CVC - the message it presents.
“The Capitol Visitor Center is designed to tell the
history and purpose of our nation's Capitol, but it fails to
appropriately honor our religious heritage that has been
critical to America’s success. The millions of visitors that
will visit the CVC each year should get a true portrayal of
the motivations and inspirations of those who have served in
Congress since its establishment.
“The current CVC displays are left-leaning and in
some cases distort our true history. Exhibits portray the
federal government as the fulfillment of human ambition and
the answer to all of society’s problems. This is a clear
departure from acknowledging that Americans’ rights ‘are
endowed by their Creator’ and stem from ‘a firm reliance on
the protection of Divine Providence.’ Instead, the CVC’s
most prominent display proclaims faith not in God, but in
government. Visitors will enter reading a large engraving
that states, ‘We have built no temple but the Capitol. We
consult no common oracle but the Constitution.’ This is an
intentional misrepresentation of our nation’s real history,
and an offensive refusal to honor America's God-given
blessings. As George Washington stated clearly in his first
inaugural address:
‘…[I]t would be peculiarly improper to omit in this
first official Act, my fervent supplications to that
Almighty Being who rules over the Universe, who presides in
the Councils of Nations, and whose providential aids can
supply every human defect, that his benediction may
consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the People of
the United States, a Government instituted by themselves for
these essential purposes: and may enable every instrument
employed in its administration to execute with success, the
functions allotted to his charge.’
So who ends up being happy with the CVC in its
present form?
Not the tax payers who have to write the check to cover the
massive cost over runs on the project.
Not the honest student of history who will find all mentions of
faith "secularly sanitized for your protection."
The only one rejoicing over the Congressional Visitor Center
appears to be Harry Reid's nose.
I'm sure most of us could live with another example of
government spending money like a drunken sailor.
Or a politician making disparaging remarks about the very people
he was elected to serve.
We are all pretty well used to that by now.
But the real sticking point for all of us should be the
inherently dishonest presentation of our country as a monument
to the total separation of church and mind.
Isn't it funny how the price of political correctness and the
desire to exalt a new Great Commandment, "Thou shalt not
offend!" is always the truth?
Believe it or not there is more to life than spending our every
waking moment worried about placating some small but noisy
pressure group.
In times like these, Jesus' famous words take on a profound
depth of meaning.
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in
My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the
truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32)
The secret of real freedom isn't avoiding truth, but embracing
and even celebrating it.
The genuine strength of this or any other nation doesn't come
from worshipping at a capitol, or substituting a constitution
for Scripture.
That is as pointless as trying to navigate by following a light
tied to your own ship's mast.
The founders of this country held the truth of God's presence in
our society as the basis of dignity, equality and the unchanging
nature of human rights "to be self evident."
How sad there is no evidence of this conviction in the
Congressional Visitor Center.
There are certain incidents that fairly or not, define the
spirit of an era.
One such event was the tragic death of Kitty Genovese.
In the early morning hours of March 14, 1964, Genovese was
stabbed, assaulted and robbed over a half hour period of time.
The fact that no one came to her aid eventually spawned a
sensationalistic article in the New York Times.
Many saw the story of Genovese's murder as an example of the
callousness or
apathy supposedly prevalent in New York City,
urban America, or humanity in general. Much of this framing
of the event came in reaction to an investigative article[10]
in
The New York Times written by Martin Gansberg and published
on
March 27, two weeks after the murder. The article bore the
headline "Thirty-Eight Who Saw Murder Didn't Call the Police."
The public view of the story crystallized around a quote from
the article, from an unidentified neighbor who saw part of the
attack but deliberated, before finally getting another neighbor
to call the police, saying "I didn't want to get involved."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitty_Genovese
The indictment of the state of our culture was hard to miss.
The pathetic line "I didn't want to get involved" summed up the
cost of life in a society dominated by fear.
Last Friday we may have seen another event that sadly sums up
the state of human nature in our day.
Wal-Mart worker killed in shopping frenzy
NEW YORK --
A Wal-Mart worker was killed Friday when "out-of-control"
shoppers desperate for bargains broke down the doors at a 5
a.m. sale. Other workers were trampled as they tried to
rescue the man, and customers shouted angrily and kept
shopping when store officials said they were closing because
of the death, police and witnesses said.
At least four other people, including a woman who was
eight months pregnant, were taken to hospitals for
observation or minor injuries, and the store in Valley
Stream on Long Island closed for several hours before
reopening.
Shoppers stepped over the man on the ground and
streamed into the store. When told to leave, they complained
that they had been in line since Thursday morning.
Nassau County police said about
2,000 people were gathered outside the store doors at the
mall about 20 miles east of Manhattan. The impatient crowd
knocked the man, identified by police as Jdimytai Damour of
Queens, to the ground as he opened the doors, leaving a
metal portion of the frame crumpled like an accordion.
"This crowd was out of control," said Nassau police
spokesman Lt. Michael Fleming. He described the scene as
"utter chaos," and said the store didn't have enough
security.
Dozens of store employees trying to fight their way
out to help Damour were also getting trampled by the crowd,
Fleming said.
Items on sale at the store included a Samsung 50-inch
Plasma HDTV for $798, a Bissel Compact Upright Vacuum for
$28, a Samsung 10.2 megapixel digital camera for $69 and DVDs such as "The Incredible
Hulk" for $9.
http://www.chicoer.com/ci_11099169?source=rss_viewed
A man is dead because people wanted to save $10 on an
"Incredible Hulk" DVD?
And people were bent out of shape because their shopping
frenzy was interrupted by such an insignificant event as,
oh, say homicide by a mob?
Don't look now, but the real monsters aren't to be found
on a $10 DVD shown on a $798 Samsung 50-inch Plasma HDTV.
In our culture where the "Black Friday" kick off of the
Christmas buying season has become a national holiday, let's
take a deep breath and a time out for the following word
from our Creator.
Jesus said'
"Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life
does not consist in the abundance of the things he
possesses.” (Luke 12:14)
It has been wisely said that it is not wrong to have
things. But it is wrong when things have us.
There were two kinds of people in Wal-Mart that day.
There were people trying to help the man who was being
trampled and the people doing the trampling.
