The Lion with a Toothache

A few years ago I had my one and only root canal.

 

It was a terrible experience.

 

I won't blame the dentist.  I do know that it has never been right.

 

I have another tooth which was also impacted.  I refused to allow him to do a root canal.

 

Instead I had him cap the tooth.

 

That has been also two years.

 

Now, the "Dead" root canal tooth is giving me fits.  That wasn't supposed to happen. 

 

The tooth that I unadvisedly had capped even though there was infected raw nerve showing is just fine.

 

I think there is less about dentistry than dentists know.

 

Time to rethink the root canal.

 

I have a suspicion that a root canal is basically to make a boat payment for most dentists and less necessary than they make us poor guppies all believe.

 

If I sound cranky, I am, I have a toothache that I was promised I would never have again. 

Pass the Salt

1. There are at least two people in this world that you would die for.

2. At least 15 people in this world love you in some way.

3. The only reason anyone would ever hate you is because they want to be like you.

4. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don't like you.

5. Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you before they go to sleep.

6. You mean the world to someone.

7. You are special and unique.

8. Someone that you don't even know exists loves you.

9. When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good comes from it.

10. When you think the world has turned its back on you take another look.

11. Always remember the compliments you received. Forget about the rude remarks.

And always remember....when life hands you Lemons, ask for tequila and salt and call me over!

Good friends are like stars........ You don't always see them, But you know they are always there.

"Whenever God Closes One Door He Always Opens Another, Even Though Sometimes It's Hell in the Hallway"

I would rather have one rose and a kind word from a friend while I'm here than a whole truck load when I'm gone.

I just got one of those forwarded emails we all get from an Old Friend of Mine, Phil Duchscher. I was feeling sorry for myself tonite. After praying for a long time to what seemed to be a brass heaven I called my brother and complained to him about how I feel like I'm on the shelf, not making a difference, not doing what I'm called to do and ready to make some changes if nothing happens. Then I get this. Phil, I needed this, thanks. I seldom post these Email things except God knew I needed encouragement and this was his way of doing so.

So, he heard me. My Brother and God.

I’ve Seen This Movie Before

Nevada, 1880 The town, Rockton.

People in Rockton are living in fear and oppression from Black Bart the outlaw and his gang.

Black Bart is a villain; he keeps the town in fear. He kills an occasional citizen to maintain “Order”. Bart’s gang takes what they want when they want to. The citizens of Rockton have learned to live under this reign of terror. They hate it but there is an order to it. No other outlaws dare invade Bart’s fiefdom. The devil they know is better than the devil they don’t know. People live, grow up, go to church, have businesses but by and large only by the permission of the outlaw Bart. Oh, in private they wish Bart would go away, that he would drop dead but no one dares take him on.

A new governor of the state of Nevada decides that we will not have these corrupt fiefdoms anymore. He appoints a State Marshall to go to Rockton and take control of the situation. If the state of Nevada is ever going to become the peaceful state the Governor believes it is destined to be the town of Rockton must be recovered from the thugdom of Black Bart.

The Marshall, Buck White (the color of his hat) shows up in Rockton, the sheriff of the town tells Buck that they don’t need his help. Things are fine as they are. Go away. The Sheriff is Sheriff because Bart put him there and keeps him there. Sheriff Spite tries to have Marshall White Killed.

Marshall White figures it all out and jails Sheriff Spite. Bart doesn’t take this lying down. He sends several of his thugs to get rid of Marshall White. But Marshall White is capable. He has deputized a couple of the locals, and he brought with him two effective gunfighters to help him. Black Bart doesn’t easily displace Marshall White. He does inflict casualties. The two men he brought with him from Reno are gunned down one by one.

In retaliation for Marshall White’s efforts Black Bart burns down the livery stable, shoots up the saloon, and scares heck out of the citizens of Rockton.

Then the big showdown comes. Black Bart announces that he will be coming to Rockton to take his town back. Without Marshall White’s two gunfighters the situation looks grim.

The showdown is going to be at high noon. Dickey the storeowner tells the Marshall that he should leave town, that Bart is going to kill him like he did the two gunfighters. Ted the undertaker says nothing is going to turn out OK and life was better before Marshall White came to town. The saloon keeper Harry and his barmaid Nancy tell Marshall White they wish he had never come to Rockton. “Look at all the destruction and the men that have died because of the governor’s plan and the Marshall’s arrival”. In fact the local newspaper publisher, Christopher takes up a petition to be sent to the governor to have Marshall White recalled to Reno.

Marshall White appeals to the townsfolk to support him. Just have a gun and shoot from behind the closed doors. Fear keeps the townsfolk from being brave or even taking action to defend themselves.

Just before high noon Reverend Patrick from the Church picks up a rifle and takes a stand in the steeple of the Church. Old Joe who was rejected by the cowardly townsfolk hides behind a water tank with just a pistol. And the deputies emboldened by the support of just a few of the citizens of Rockton are lifted in spirit. They decide to fight rather than run.

Noon comes, Black Bart and the Gang ride into town. All is quiet for a bit. Marshall White steps out onto main street, his guns still holstered. He tells Black Bart to leave and never come back again or else.

Black Bart leans back in a huge guffaw and says “or else what”? He makes ridicule of Marshall White. The townspeople all cower and say to each other, “he should have got out when he could, he’s doomed”.

Suddenly Bart and his men go for their guns. Gunfire erupts all up and down Main Street. Black Bart is killed immediately by a deadeye shot from Marshall White. His men are confused. They begin shooting randomly. Several die. The rest flee Rockton with haste. One of the deputies is wounded, Joe is grazed by a bullet, but the Marshall is victorious.

Then, the townsfolk come out, self-congratulating each other on the great victory. They knew it all along. They just KNEW the Marshall would do it.

Marshall White mounts his horse and announces he is leaving, Bart’s Gang being destroyed his job is done. The townspeople say, “Wait, what if his Gang comes back?” Marshall White says, “you have my deputies and now it’s up to you to maintain peace”. “Elect an honest and effective sheriff and back him up. Your security from here on out is up to you”.

With a tug on the bridle, he gives his pony a poke and off they go into the sunset.

That’s exactly what President Bush announced he is about to do.

The townsfolk of Iraq are going to have to take up the battle. We aren’t sticking around forever.

Now if we could just get some of the cowards and traitors from our country to stop hiding their heads in the sand we might have a chance.

The Cast of Characters:

• Black Bart and His Gang – The Islamofacists in Iraq
• The Governor - President Bush
• Marshall White – Our Armed Forces in Iraq
• Sheriff Spite – Saddam’s Army before
• Dickey the Cowardly Storeowner - Dick Durbin
• Ted the nay saying Undertaker – Ted Kennedy
• Harry and Nancy who run the Saloon – Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi
• Christopher the Seditionist Newspaperman – Chris Matthews
• Reverend Patrick - The Religious Right
  
• Old Joe – Joe Lieberman
• The Deputies – The Iraqi Security Forces

Let’s hope the story ends like in the Westerns.

You TOO can be a Prophet, IF.........

It has been a puzzle to me why so many people struggle with the gift of prophecy with doubt, fear and treat the Office of the Prophet with such disdain or deference. Prophecy and the Prophet is the most badly understood of all the giftedness. Yet, Paul the Apostle in 1 Corinthians 14:5 says, I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. NIV

If he meant what he said then we have missed the mark. In that vein I want to offer a primer that any serious child of God who desires to prophesy or wants to be enabled in that gift can pursue.

Prophecy is a gift which is activated the same way you were able to first speak in tongues. It was by faith, you stepped out, it was clumsy, it became less clumsy, then free flowing and rewarding. It became a way God used you in prayer, intercession and a way you are built up in faith. In the same way, stepping out in the prophetic requires the same obedience and faith you used at the beginning. There are some requirements, there are some boundaries.

There are proofs of the prophetic that I use in delivering the Word God gives me. This is a gift and an office God wants to release more believers in. Here are the core guidelines I observe as I Prophesy:

• Usually whatever comes is surprising and not my own voice. (Usually it starts with a picture I describe)
• It always ends up agreeing with the Bible.
• It points people to Jesus and his purposes for them in encouragment and comfort.
  
• It has the effect of preparing believers for God’s hand to move.
• Should I avail myself of Prophecy, what if it’s not perfectly accurate? I Trust God to reveal himself more than the Devil to Deceive me.
• It takes Faith to receive from God. Faith is a substance. I physically take hold of it.

No one knows all, not even Karnak the Magnificent who used to appear on Johnny Carson. On the other hand, if I were some Psychic quoted by Weekly World News with 80% accuracy I’d be a front-page story. But because it has “Jesus” attached to the word there is an immediate discounting. The Bible says about modern prophecy, “we see thru a glass dimly” and "we know in part, we prophesy in part". At best it’s still nebulous, at worst is complexly obscure. Less obscure than Psychics. More encouraging. Faith Building.

Sometimes, I hear the voice in my head of my own prejudice or desire and not the voice of God. It’s sometimes easy to let my personal ideas interfere with what I’m actually hearing. But when reviewing what I have written down I will see my own voice and recognize it for what it is. That doesn’t make the cut.

What qualifies Gene Redlin or anyone who claims to speak for God as a Prophet? We qualify because we prophesy, continuously, accurately, Biblically. Others have to judge. Over time the gift and eventually the office is recognized and embraced by others.

I and others who carry the Prophetic gift or even office are as human, flawed and stupid as the next person down the street. If you knew me personally you would question rightly what in the world makes me qualified? I wear no halo. I have no degree in “Prophecy”. I sin. I get angry. I could commit all of the 7 deadly sins to one level or another. I wish I didn't but I know my heart.

So did ALL the other men and women called to be prophets or prophetesses in the Bible old and New Testament. They were all flawed and even sometimes even stupid human beings. Just like me. Just like you. I won’t give a review but if you are interested your local bookstore will have a book you can buy on the prophet’s lives. Weird stuff. Walking around naked, Laying on one side, Eating cakes cooked over human excrement, shaving or not shaving, spending time in pits, hiding in caves, depressed, marrying whores, wearing animal skins, sitting like a statue when your wife dies, pretty weird stuff. And always being hated, stoned. killed and despised. Not an appealing job description. It has to be a calling. Even today.

Here’s the rub. ANYONE CAN DO THIS. ANYONE. Everyone SHOULD. Most won’t. The average Christian won’t or can't give up lesser pleasures to pay the price he must to be a vessel used of God in prophecy.

If you are willing to be used, He is looking for willing vessels of Clay to use. Anyone can qualify IF they prepare themselves and are willing to pay the price. I have taught very nominal believers to do some of this at a rudimentary level. There are requirements.

First, you must put your human understanding in your back pocket. Reasoning will stop the flow. God is the rewarder of those who Diligently seek Him. You must believe. You must be willing to move and have faith; not in understanding, questioning or unbelief. This is the single biggest stopper. We have been conditioned to be safe, to be reasonable, to understand. Who said anything about safe?

Second, you must KNOW Jesus. Not know about Him, Know Him. Born again, follower, hard after His heart. Possessed and obsessed with HIM.

Third, you must accept the reality of all the Gifts of the Spirit and the ministry offices or ascension gifts. One of which is the Gift and then the Ministry of Prophet. How can you receive as a gift what you doubt exists?

Fourth, you must KNOW the word of God cold. That way you become familiar with what God's voice sounds like. Just like I can tell a note written by a friend of mine without his signature because it sounds like him. How can you sort out and accurately identify what is or isn’t God without this effective screen of the Spirit? Here's the danger, the denominational church has drifted into apostacy in this area because they believe that just knowing the Bible is enough to release the Gifts of God. So we have well educated impotent powerless churches. This has to change.

Fifth, you must be filled with the Holy Spirit and it must overflow from you. Yes, that includes speaking in tongues. It’s best to spend some time praying in tongues before you begin. Half hour is good, hour better. I will submit to you that if a person is Not Fully Immersed in the Holy Ghost they cannot do this. If they aren’t practicing the flow of the Spirit they can’t enter into and flow in this gift. Praying in tongues is the gateway to the gift of Prophecy and to all other spiritual gifts.

Sixth, you must set aside time to hear from God. Take pad and paper, shut everything off around you, don’t read, don’t listen to music, just listen. NO MULTITASKING! Wait. If you get nothing, don’t be discouraged, there’s always tomorrow. Patience is virtue. It takes the whole month of December for me to get the Word for the next year. If I seek God for another person it will usually take several weeks.

Seventh, when something comes, start writing without judging what you write. I ended up with 35 pages of hand written notes regarding 2007 before I began transcribing them. I did not go back until it came time to compile. This is how I record what I am hearing. I hear something, start to write and stop when I hear no more. Transcribe it without human edit. Screen out what is YOU. You will be astounded by the accuracy and precision of the word as it is given.

Eighth, Inquire of God by writing down your inquiry regarding an issue or a person. Place that inquiry before your eyes, pray in tounges until you get a release. Sometimes you will get an answer, sometimes not. Only those things you inquired of will be answered. I don’t prophesy on some things because I don’t want to pay the price to inquire and it doesn’t fit what God wants to accomplish. Remember, this is a gift I that I do only by the grace of God. I will not abuse it. It’s too valuable. So don’t ask me who is going to win in the 5th race at Pimlico in May.

Ninth, Not everything about everything will be prophesied. It’s different all the time. Just because God speaks about a certain issue today may mean he won’t “Update” that Prophecy again. Prophecy usually is targeted toward things that are on people’s hearts. God uses it most to allay fear and instill faith. Last year it was Bird Flu. This year it’s something else.

Tenth, don’t be thin skinned. Write down and transcribe what you are told to, it’s not about you. Even if people poke fun and discount what you have written, you are safe. Besides after you have done this for several years in a row with a high degree of accuracy you begin to have more and more confidence. Those who throw stones miss.

What’s interesting to me is looking at the 10 areas above which include waiting, hearing, praying, knowing his word, seeking God and being full of the Holy Ghost with all the manifestations was a normative operation after Pentecost and after the outpouring of the Spirit in the early 1900s. We as believers have begun a slippery slope drift away from the purity of faith and it’s disciplines that allow all believers to hear and prophesy as was intended. Teaching and preaching has replaced the prophetic in most churches today. People hear about God, but they don't Hear GOD. A Form of Godliness, no power.

People in most churches don’t accept prophecy. They don’t embrace it. They fear it. I understand that with the unbeliever. BUT, It is dangerous for a believer to discount prophecy as some crackpot activity. The proper approach is to say, HMMMM that’s interesting and just ponder it in your heart like Mary did. For the unbeliever, nothing you or anyone could say or do will change their mind or help them understand. They are blinded by the devil and lost. They rely on human understanding and reason, which is a dangerous place. When a “Christian” does the same thing they have been blinded by tradition and fear as well.

You may have read the Prophecy I posted, you may understand it, and you may not. You may disagree with it. You may find it all silly. To a believer this is a serious endevor that must be paid attention to.

Many highly noted prophets are less specific and less accurate than lesser-known prophets. They have a reputation to preserve. That makes them cautious and conservative. I’m OK with that. I don’t have a TV show. I’m neither cautious nor conservative. I want to hear from the famous prophets. But I also want to hear from the “common” prophet without a platform but who really hears from God. I find the lesser prophets who are specific and more accurate than the notable sometimes more helpful. God will deal with the hearts of those who have become timid. A timid prophet is an oxymoron. God will use even a donkey to get his word out if they back off and make it palatable. That is a word to me, I have backed off sometimes. My fear in backing off is that God will stop using me. I teach the Word of God because I must. I know that if I go inactive in this area God will withdraw the gift. If I back off prophesing because I fear rebuke God will withdraw that from me too. Worse, like Samson I may not even KNOW that the gift has left. That's why I try very hard to keep myself in places where the gift flows.

The Devil HATES prophets, Jesus condemned the Pharisees because they killed the prophets, Ultimately even HIM. Why should any prophet think he or she would get any better treatment at the hands of the Enemy today?

2007 will be an interesting year. I could show you where to read all the headlines in advance. But that would take all the fun out of it. Some of us won’t be too surprised when God does what he has said he will do. God does nothing unless he tells his prophets first. Then there’s the proof of the two or three witnesses which is in a previous post.

But then, you can hear God for yourself IF you just pay the price. It’s not Rocket Science. As the apostle Paul says: So, my dear brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and don’t forbid speaking in tongues. But be sure that everything is done properly and in order. 1 Corinthians 14:39-40 NLT

Luther on Hearing From God Directly

Over 475 years ago Martin Luther came to the realization that the Holy Ghost inspired pattern of Christianity had been established at Pentecost. He recognized that the church he served in had drifted, was in deep weeds and needed changing. I think if he were here today he would set us straight. We have drifted again.

The problem in Luther’s time was the priesthood and all the ministry offices were professional positions that could only be held and operated by those who had jumped thru the proper ecclesial hoops. They took advantage of the people. The Priests were held nearly above God.

That’s not what God had intended. He wanted to speak directly to each and every person individually and not thru a spokesman. He wanted every man to hear his voice. Look at what he says in Exodus 19:5-6 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be mine own possession from among all peoples: for all the earth is mine: and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.

But because of Sin, because of fear, because of the noise and thunder and trumpets they trembled. So in Exodus 20: 18-19. And all the people perceived the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the voice of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they trembled, and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.

God honored their request. that was the last time He spoke to them directly, to the people as a whole. From then on he used Priests and Prophets as mediators between them and Him.

Looking at those two sections of Scripture, it is clear that in the beginning it was God’s clear intention to have every believer a kingdom of priests with direct access to God’s voice.

That all changed after Pentecost. The confusion set at the tower of Babel was resolved thru the gift of tongues. The silence of God’s voice to his people was restored thru the gifts of the Spirit. That was his intent. But the Church of today has said, "We don't want to hear from God directly" "You tell us what he says" is the cry of people in congregations. They are unwilling to hear from God directly. Or if they do they reject the voice of God. Even when a pure word is given they deny the gift blaspheming the giver which is the Holy Spirit.

All this despite the fact that the word of God is clear on this:

1 Peter 2: 5, 9 We are a kingdom of Priests, a holy people, a royal priesthood. (Yes even a Prophet)
Rev 1:5-6 Jesus has made us to be Kings and Priests Also in Rev 5:10

We are now priests because the veil has been removed and can come boldly to the Throne of Grace Heb 4:16. We no longer need a priest to intercede for us because we have ONE mediator, Jesus 1 Timothy 2:5.

Even the Prophet Jeremiah saw this day: Jeremiah 31:31-34. His law in our minds and hearts in a new covenant. We won’t need to have others tell us, we will know from least to greatest. We will all know him .

Martin Luther Taught the Doctrine of the Priesthood of all Believers and the Doctrine of Private Judgment.

This didn’t make Luther popular with those who tried to show that they had special ecclisiastical priveledge. It led to the showdown at the diet of Worms. It became messy. Uncontrolled. Denominational Splits. Even War.

The fundamental and evangelical world embraces the priesthood of believers as long as it doesn’t involve that "priesthood hearing from God" stuff. The bad news for much of the modern church is that a Priest is a Prophet and a Prophet is a Priest in the Pentecostal age. These Latter Days prophesied by Joel.

The Catholic Church gets this one right. They stayed with scripture and proclaim that as we become like Jesus we become Prophet, Priest and King. This is something more evangelical groups have lost focus of.

They love that fact that Luther took the structured and ritualistic world that was Catholicism of that day and turned it upside down. It almost got Luther killed.

Today’s church has restored much of the evil Luther spoke against. Even in the Churches that bear his name, structure and ritual misled by empowered professionals is a corrupting influence on the Church of Jesus and is a stench in His nostrils.

Luther was right. What he fought for needs to be restored. Priesthood of ALL believers.

Tomorrow: You were meant for Full Priesthood, anyone can do it, It’s not Rocket Science, BUT You must be willing to pay the price.

PROPHECY - 100% Accurate is 100% Wrong

I Prophesy because I’m a Prophet, I’m a Prophet because I Prophesy. If you take any ministry office and plug in the words Pastor, Teacher, Evangelist, Apostle you will find that the equation works. I Teach because I’m a teacher, I’m a teacher because I teach. Barry Kolb leads apostolically because he’s an apostle; he’s an apostle as demonstrated by his apostolic leadership. A Pastor and Evangelist does the same.

If a teacher gifted, anointed and of the Holy Spirit sometimes teaches something that is perhaps not all agreed to by other teachers, he isn’t threatened with stoning. If an Apostle leads from courage but sometimes makes a bonehead move it doesn’t disqualify him from his office as an apostle. If a Pastor loses one of the sheep because they become rebellious or if he misses nurturing one he is not less of a Pastor, and if an Evangelist after giving it all he knows to give is rejected by his target subject, he isn’t questioned by the rest of the giftedness as to his office’s validity.

But, not so with Prophets. We are expected to get it right all the time every time. The problem is that’s not scriptural. Not in the New Testament 5 fold ministry expressions of today.

Of course, people who oppose and question prophecy will immediately start to talk of digging up some stones to throw. All that based on a badly understood passage of scripture Deut 8:8-22. That passage says if a prophet is wrong he must be stoned to death. That WAS true.

That passage was given because before Pentecost there were very few Prophets of God on the earth at any one time. Scripturally there may have been only a half dozen at any one time. With bursts to 15 or 20. Seldom more. There were false prophets. People who claimed to speak for God or gods. Those were the ones who must live under threat of death. The Holy Spirit only came on a few people from time to time in the Old Testament. So there was no capacity for discernment by those who were followers of Jehovah. Prophets Had to be 100% accurate all the time.

Most prophets before Pentecost were prophets to leaders, in particular kings. They claimed that what they said was the very words of God, precisely as God said them. Exodus 4:12, Jeremiah 1:9 and Numbers 22:38 are examples of the claims of the prophetic voice in the Old Covenant.

After Pentecost everything changed. A lot. First of all it was assumed that all believers everywhere would have the Spirit of the Living God living strong in them so that when the prophet spoke the others could do as Paul mandates in 1 Corinthians 14:29; Hear and Judge what is said. Not like today where only a third of those claiming to be part of the Body of Christ are living in the fullness of the Spirit of God. They do not operate in the gift of discernment because they have rejected the fullness. Oh, they judge, but they judge incorrectly or too harshly or become despisers of prophecy 1 Thess 5:19-21. That is the state of the Church today. Weak judging people operating in their own understanding without the fullness of the Holy Ghost empowering their life. What is sad is they will all say Yes and Amen to the idea that we are to: Trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not on our own understanding. What they really mean is Trust the Lord some, try to understand and explain things thru reason and what I don’t understand I will reject. They trust the devils ability to deceive them more than they trust God ability to reveal himself to them.

We are in full-blown Pentecost. The Spirit of God has been poured out. Sons and Daughters prophesy. Young and old, visions and dreams. Sure there are errors. That’s why the discernment of the Spirit counts.

If you had the fullness of the Spirit in full operation in your life it wouldn’t be so mysterious. This life should, no MUST be normative in the Church of Jesus for tomorrow.

There is a curse leveled on Churches and Spiritual leaders who blaspheme what the Holy Ghost meant for them in this part of the 5 fold. Don’t be among them. This is too serious to play games with.

Tomorrow: Martin Luther taught on these gifts and got it right. So should you.

Birthday

Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday to youuuuuuu.

Happy Birthday TOOOOOO YOU.

Jan 8

Religion of Peace, My Posterior! KORAN 101

In case there is just a few deluded folks out there who still believe that Islam as a religion is harmless, that they teach what the Bible does, that we should accept and embrace all things Islam, YOU NEED AN EDUCATION!

If you will just click on this link you will learn more than you can imagine in 2 minutes or less. Then, I want you to come back and tell me that I'm all wet, Islam is full of really fun loving people who just want to do the right thing.

You could lose your head for believing that.

Men Who Loathe Sex - How Civilization Ends

I have posted an article which was published in today's Chicago Sun Times. I guess it's OK, but, it's pretty graphic. You can read the whole thing HERE.

Excerpts of the article:

Welcome to the new breed of healthy young men who rate sex way beneath their other appetites. In this brave new world, girls are a pain, a disappointment, and rather dangerous to the soul. Self-preserving boys would rather be satisfied with a brew and bit of beef than an erotic tide of reckless passion.

There are lots of guys today who have sexually retreated, or soured on the mating game altogether, and you don't have to search out "Miller Time" or Taco Bell to find them.

My chief indictment at present, the one we can prove, is Pharmaceutical Abuse. Many of America's favorite medicines depress the libido, and ironically, the most notorious ones are used to treat depression. Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, and all the rest have made a lot of people feel "happy" at the expense of feeling horny.

I find the spectacle of men's declining sexual self-interest disturbing. I never would have guessed that this would be the threat I'd be confronting thirty years after the modern gender liberation movement began. I'm an advocate for men being sexually sensitive and discriminating, but what I see in the erotic arena is mostly men who feel disconnected from their bodies, from the "dating game," and who feel terribly pessimistic that anything is going to change.

I know from those I spend time with in Marriage Counsel that this is a problem. It has become too much work to do the deed for some men. They don't want to fight the battle any more. The pleasure derived from a beer, a burger and a ball game has become a substitute for being a marriage partner in every way. And there are other things which I won't go into here.

Sufficient to say, if this trend continues we will have neutered men, desperate women, childless and lonely.

How did we get here? What happened? I would appreciate an opinion. I think we have deep trouble.

PS: I did not link directly to the article which first appeared in Huffington Post this summer. The comments were very direct and graphic. If you insist on reading them let Google be your guide.