Spiritual Maturity comes from Spiritual Hunger

I have been leading a group of men for four years at Lord of Life. The ones who faithfully and regularly come have become solid. They have grown by retreats, by our Men of God things we do, by many of the opportunities presented.

I have watched these men grow into hungry mature Christians. I struggle with the concept of discipling people. I don't think you can disciple a Peter if when you say, Follow Me, he keeps fishing.

There are a couple of men who came today because of the topic. Not regulars. We talked a great deal today about the application to our lives of the broken Body of Jesus. He said Broken so I'm going with broken. I know there are other opinions. I won't argue it.

Those men are not well discipled. All the opportunities they have had for discipleship have been un accessed. Always something else to do.

Well, it's not like that. You can't force feed discipleship to someone. I am against any program that is more dependant on the discipler than the disciple. They have to decide to stick.

I'm not critical as much as I am astounded at the level of maturity shown by the men who have dedicated themselves to being discipled and those who frankly have dodged, dipped and weaved.

It's just not that way. Spiritual Maturity comes from Spiritual Hunger.

I'm going to Des Moines to marry Frank

It appears that Gay Marriage is going to be OK in IOWA. Since it's now every man does what seems right in his or her own eyes, it shouldn't be a problem for me to do this. I mean, yes I'm already married to a woman. Equal opportunity nuptuality, right? So polygamy shouldn't be an issue. And, of course the fact that Frank is a Goldfish I hope to buy in Iowa, (I'll name him Frank) and then marry him shouldn't be a problem either.

Right?

How dumb can you be and still breath.

Held for Ransom - We just paid it - with funny money

Calling Good Evil and Evil Good - Abortion is a Blessing

There is a move by the Obama administration to force catholic hospitals to do abortions. EVIL. But never mind, Evil can always find a friendly voice with a collar and REV as a nombre prefix to make it sound good.

In this case, the notsoreverendinmyhumbleopinion Rev Katherine Hancock Ragsdale, Dean of the Episcopal (that says a lot right there) Divinity (oxymoronmuch?) school in Harvard has declared Abortion as a Blessing. How dumb can you get and still breath?

What I love about my Catholic Bretheren is the capacity they have to stand for something even when the culture doesn't like to hear it. From the Anchoress:

These remarks were made before a NARAL audience, in 2007, but are only just getting some reaction, perhaps because of the current movement to suppress the conscience clause that protects doctors, nurses and pharmacists from losing their jobs, and Catholic hospitals from closing their doors.

Or, perhaps her words are becoming more widely distributed because The Rev Katherine Hancock Ragsdale has just been named Dean of the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massacusetts.

If you do not mind, in the interests of space, I am going to put Ragsdale’s sermon in bold, and I’ll respond here and there, in italics

Too often even those who support us can be heard talking about abortion as a tragedy. Let’s be very clear about this: When a woman finds herself pregnant due to violence and chooses an abortion, it is the violence that is the tragedy; the abortion is a blessing.

If you actually talk to women who have kept the babies conceived ‘due to violence,’ as I have in my life, you would more likely find that their allowing their child to live has delivered them from their trauma, and brought love, healing and light into a very dark reality. When “violence” has been done to someone, it seems counter-intuitive to suggest that further violence - via both penetration and a ripping, violent murder done deeply WITHIN her body - can be a blessing…unless you subscribe to the odd two-wrongs-make-right equation.

When a woman finds that the fetus she is carrying has anomalies incompatible with life, that it will not live and that she requires an abortion – often a late-term abortion – to protect her life, her health, or her fertility, it is the shattering of her hopes and dreams for that pregnancy that is the tragedy; the abortion is a blessing.

These two young mothers and their babies belie the idea that doctors are always correct in their predictions about sustainable life. With extremely rare medical exception, a woman never “requires” an abortion, and even the AMA has testified that late-term abortions are unnecessary, given the availability of safe Cesarean sections, to protect “life” or “health” or “fertility.” It is certainly a crushing and painful thing for any pregnant woman to learn that child she is carrying and nurturing in her womb has a problem and may not live, or may live “differently” than most of us. But healing is a funny thing. It only comes when you walk through the fire rather than by attempting a detour around it. I wonder if Rev. Ragsdale has ever talked to women who have delivered children destined to die, who have managed only to swaddle them, name them and kiss them before burying them. She might learn something about what a powerful, and unending - Eternal - love comes with those experiences. It is the difference between being able to say “I know you and you know me”, and not knowing, at all. Blessings, indeed.

When a woman wants a child but can’t afford one because she hasn’t the education necessary for a sustainable job, or access to health care, or day care, or adequate food, it is the abysmal priorities of our nation, the lack of social supports, the absence of justice that are the tragedies; the abortion is a blessing.

Certainly there are women who struggle with these issues, but there are pretty extensive government programs in place to assist them, and I have never heard of a church that has refused help when a need has been made known. And I reject out of hand the notion that if someone is poor, they should simply kill their children. Barack Obama’s mother surely had few social “justice” mechanisms in place when she chose to give birth to him!

But if Ragsdale is really worried about women being forced to abort because of insufficient government or community help, and if she is sincere about the notion of “informed choice” - including the “choice” not to abort, then perhaps she will head into the monied enclaves of the pro-choice, on the Upper West Side, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Hollywood and elsewhere to urge the establishment of a “Pro-Choice Mother’s Help Foundation,” so that more women have even more resources to help them. It seems to me the pro-abortion side raises enormous amounts of money to support their facilities and their lobbying efforts. Why not spend some of it putting some money on the “life” side of the “choice” they’re so very, very “pro” about? I’d donate to it - a show of good faith.

And when a woman becomes pregnant within a loving, supportive, respectful relationship; has every option open to her; decides she does not wish to bear a child; and has access to a safe, affordable abortion – there is not a tragedy in sight — only blessing. The ability to enjoy God’s good gift of sexuality without compromising one’s education, life’s work, or ability to put to use God’s gifts and call is simply blessing.

Actually, in this scenario, there are several tragedies “in sight.” There is - lest we forget - the ripping and shredding up of a human life (come on, Rev. Ragsdale - it’s a baby - a living being, species human, not vegetable, not wolvine), and more tragically a weird societal validation of the supremacy (and stagnation) of the beloved self, which compromises for no one and nothing, and puts nothing else before it. This is the ultimate, intimate idolatry, whereby one has made oneself a godling, a facsimile I AM. It is very tragic, indeed. It is also a lie and an illusion.

These are the two things I want you, please, to remember – abortion is a blessing and our work is not done. Let me hear you say it: abortion is a blessing and our work is not done. Abortion is a blessing and our work is not done. Abortion is a blessing and our work is not done.

Oh…boomers….they do love their group chants.

I want to thank all of you who protect this blessing – who do this work every day: the health care providers, doctors, nurses, technicians, receptionists, who put your lives on the line to care for others (you are heroes — in my eyes, you are saints); the escorts and the activists; the lobbyists and the clinic defenders; all of you. You’re engaged in holy work.

As you see, Rev. Ragsdale and I have very different ideas as to what constitutes a saint, and holy work.

Christian TV is Failing

I am becoming very irritated with Christian TV. I won't name names, but let's just say one ran for president, and the others are TV networks raising money for continuing their programming.

This has become frustrating.

In the throes of what is going to be one of the most earthshaking economic upheavals seen in nearly 80 years, one that will close churches, one that will strand Missionaries, one that will shut down many ministries..... They pay it all no attention.

It's whistling past the graveyard.

Instead it's about lowering your Cholesterol, losing weight and frankly really stupid non kingdom priorities.

I'm discouraged.

When it all hits and it will, what a howl will come up.

They will find the well empty because they put nothing in it. It's time for the Body of Christ and her ministers on TV and off to prepare the people for the coming flood. This times it's for real.

The Fields are White unto Harvest

This video of some Christians visiting a Tent City near Sacramento CA made me think of only ONE thing. This is the perfect place for a Church Planter hearing from the throne.

Who will go?

These people need to be taught to prosper in God then to prosper in the world. They are starving for the bread of life. They need to be given a hope and a future in Jesus.

Who will go?

There is worldly supply for these people but no mechanism to dispense it. There is a need for a father in the Lord to father these people. Who is the real Father....WE KNOW. But there is a need..

Who will go?

You? Me? Anyone? Anyone? Macedonia calls from Sacramento.

This must be Critical for the Holy Spirit to spend so much time on it

I know that the presentation I made was possibly discounted by many because, well, it’s just Gene. No man is a Prophet in his own home town.....etc.

Well, a man who is highly respected in the world of Christians, Dr Gordon MacDonald has just published an article that walks lockstep with what I brought in my talk.

You have been warned, life is about to get very very tough indeed. You can read the whole thing here where he says:

One of the speakers suddenly stopped talking statistical language and in plain English offered some observations. Here in bulleted form is what I heard him saying:

* There is all kinds of evidence that this economic tsunami (the speaker’s word) is radically changing the ways Americans think about money and the ways it has defined our modern way of life.
* We’re seeing an economic paradigm shift in the way people are beginning to save rather than spend.
* New and cautious views of the meaning of career, risk, wealth, success, and personal satisfaction are emerging.
* Trust, the “glue” that holds financial systems together, has been almost destroyed.
* Economically speaking, the world has gone from peak to trough overnight, and we are likely to remain in that trough for several years. Better to plan with that long range view in mind than keep getting disappointed by every quarterly business report.

As the speaker ventured these speculations, the audience seemed to freeze, each person appearing to turn inward as if to ask: Where am I in the midst of all of this? What do these new realities mean to me and to my loved-ones?

From the Anchoress Blog.... Worth Reading what Elizabeth says

“Not believing is even worse.”

So, yesterday I was off in Brooklyn again, for another coupla episodes of In the Arena, and as usual the good folks at NET had arranged a car for the ten minute drive from mass transportation to studio.

Typically, the drivers are immigrants from the Middle East or India, and - with the exception of one cranky sort who seemed to have had enough of driving through pedestrians for one day - they’ve all been sweet, soft-spoken fellows with genial natures.

Yesterday’s driver had an ornament hanging from his mirror - a red-cube thing with a rose atop it and some calligraphy. I asked him what the writing meant and he replied, “it is the name of the prophet and of God and it is a blessing for the car, a blessing for travel.”

“Oh,” I said. “I have something like that in my car, too.”

He must have noticed my cross. “You are a Catholic,” he said, and added. “I try to bring God into everything I do, throughout the day.”

“I do to, as much as I can,” I said. “It’s not always easy; I don’t always come up to snuff.”

“God is merciful,” he said. “Many people, all kinds of people, try to live in this way. My people, some Christian people, some Jewish people, they all try, but it is not always easy, as some think it is.”

“No, but we try.” I mused. “We people of faith all try to live it, and we all believe, and yet we have no peace between us.”

He shrugged. I got the impression that this was a conversation neither of us would be having, if one of us did not have our back to the other. “Faith is good,” he mused. “But peace…is difficult. We all believe different things.”

Ah, the eternal struggle - the mobius upon which we all ride and cannot escape. Why can’t believers simply allow other believers their beliefs? Because they believe.

I teased the driver, “maybe, then, we believers should just stop believing, and that would solve everything.”

“No, no,” he answered very seriously. “Not believing is even worse.”

I was so struck by his answer, and his gravity, that I wrote it down in my notebook: “To not believe is even worse.” It’s wonderful. It acknowledges that fact that belief is imperfect, that faith cannot be perfectly communicated and lived in faulty and imperfect humanity; to believe is not the perfect good. It is only a way to search for and encounter the Perfect Good. If we fail in that (and we all do, in one way or another), then all that is left is grace. And mercy.

And of course, for believers there is the reality that our lives and our ways continually give scandal to “the faith,” no matter what faith. The Islamofacists give scandal to the Muslims, the shyster-televangelists give scandal to the Evangelicals, the sins of our priests give scandal to the Catholics, the Hadassah lady sneaking a pork egg roll gives scandal to the Jews. My sharp answer to a stranger, while I wear the cross of Christ crucified, gives scandal. The cranky driver who yelled at me two weeks ago gave scandal to whatever his faith is.

Believers aren’t any better than anyone else, and belief - for all the good it does, and it does much - still serves as the impetus for so much that is bad in the world!

And yet…not believing is even worse.

RE Obamamotors

Perhaps President Obama can merge GM with Amtrak. This way the cars that no one will buy can be parked next to the tracks that no one rides.

News Flash from 860BC - CNN Israel

Dateline Israel:

In the second year of the drought and famine in our country King Ahab's Press Spokesman admitted today that there was a warning. It wasn't taken seriously by the King or his wife when it was given. A Prophet who supposedly represents Yahweh by the name of Elijah is rumored to have said that there would be 3 1/2 years of drought. He has not been taken seriously by the king or his wife since all the Priests of Prophets of BAAL have said that things are going to be OK, that rain will come any day now.

The king said that it wasn't a good idea to torment his people with the idea that there might be some difficult days in the future. His job as King is to make sure his people are undisturbed.

And THAT is the reaction I have received from many in the Body of Christ to a warning about things to come. Don't disturb the sheep. Let them go to the slaughter without being aware. If you choose to ignore or hide your head and by default the heads of your people in the sand, pastor, you are committing the sin of Ahab and will be judged. It's a warning direct from the throne. The priests and Prophets of Baal are wrong. Things are about to change. A Lot!

What Obamamotors will be like

Obama with his new auto company will be making clean cars. Crappy little things that get mileage but are rolling tin cans.

Remember “in a Yugo”?

Well, now at Obama Motor Corporation he is going to command and control the production of Clean Cars.

Of course no one will buy them, then he will do what every other communist leader has done, mandate that only HIS cars from HIS car car company can be sold. That’s how it was in East Germany. In Russia.

I’m holding on to my Buick until I get orders from the great leader that I have to buy his crappy little cars.

We are sooooo screwed.

Baptized for Hell

In not so great Britain about a hundred thousand atheists have bought and signed certificates renouncing any faith in God or any efficacy of their baptism.

Not that it probably had that much. I'm not a fan of infant baptism.

BUT, this seems like a highway to hell.

Harmony of the Gospels

I have friend who forwarded this article to me and concluded that because of the premise the scriptures weren't consistent or accurate and couldn't be trusted.

I didn't make a vigorous defense because I didn't study it out. Finally I did. Hooey. That's what the article is. It's what you get when someone is trying to get his PhD.

The scripture is fully in sync, in harmony with each other. The thing that tripped me up for a day or two was the flight to Egypt from Bethlehem and the slaughter of the innocents.

Once upon reading further, it was clear that Mary and Joseph stayed for a time in Bethlehem. Maybe a long time. This wasn't a vacation. This was a trek. One from which a mom and a newborn weren't about to engage in again.

I am always of the assumption that the Bible is right. If you disagree with it, you are wrong.

That settles it for me........

What Life will be LIke under the Obamawaranty Plan for your car

I thought of cutting and pasting, but you need to read this whole thing, It's funny, sad, frustrating, angering and hair pulling out bad.

SO, hang on to your hat, keep your hair. Read this account of trying to reach the White House Warranty Department.

This isn't going to go well.

When Liberals have no argument they resort to these seven straw men

I have been a participant in argument with liberals. I have quit. They are bad at what they do and when they are caught in a lie with their back to the wall they nearly always employ one of these seven:

by John Hawkins

Liberals spend much of their time trying to hide what they believe from the public while conservatives are perpetually frustrated by the fact that the American people don’t seem to understand what we really believe. Both problems spring from a single source: liberals lie incessantly. That’s not to say that there aren’t conservative liars or truthful liberals; there are, but for liberals, lying is the rule, not the exception.

There are two reasons why liberals lie much more than conservatives. First off, this is a center-right country and liberal beliefs are much more unpopular than conservative ones. If liberals told the truth about what they believe and want to do, the Democratic Party would practically be wiped out in much of the country.

Additionally, conservatives tend to think liberals are merely stupid or emotional, while liberals tend to view conservatives as evil—and liberals use that belief to justify lying about conservatives. After all, if you lie about someone who’s evil to keep them from doing bad things, couldn’t that be considered virtuous? You may disagree with that, but liberal politicians, bloggers, and journalists live by that rule. Any lie told about a conservative, even one that liberals know isn’t true, will be uncritically repeated ad nauseum by the Left until the point it becomes politically disadvantageous to do so.

So, in order to help fight the lies of the Left, here’s a guide to the most prevalent techniques that liberals use to mislead people about conservatives. If you’re listening to liberals talk about conservatives, you’re virtually guaranteed to hear at least one of these techniques used.

1) Question The Motivations:

[...]

2) The Anonymous Smear:

[...]

3) The Teary Eyed Spokesman:

[...]

4) Rewriting History: The American public has a short memory and liberals count on that to get away with many of their most egregious lies. For example, that’s the factor liberals count on when they try to pretend that George Bush lied about WMDs to get us into Iraq. Lies of that sort usually seem to work until someone points out that Democrats, including our current Secretary of State, were saying things like this before the war,

“In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including Al Qaeda members, though there is apparently no evidence of his involvement in the terrible events of September 11, 2001. It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons. Should he succeed in that endeavor, he could alter the political and security landscape of the Middle East, which as we know all too well affects American security.”—Hillary Clinton, October 10, 2002

5) Everybody Knows:

[...]

6) The Ransom Note Method: One of the Left’s favorite tricks is to take something a conservative says completely out-of-context and to attack that comment, even if it’s obvious that they’re twisting the meaning of what was said.(This is a favorite of several of the leftie spammers on this blog-r108) This is how the Left can accuse John McCain of wanting to fight for 100 years in Iraq or say Rush Limbaugh wants Barack Obama to fail even if it hurts the country.

This one is especially insidious because some conservatives foolishly blame other conservatives for having their words taken out of context. However, the reality is that if someone is determined to distort what you say, he can always find something to twist around. The people who deserve blame in that situation are not the people whose words were misrepresented; it’s the liars who have chosen to misrepresent what they said.

7) The Straw Man:

[...]

Unlike liberals, conservatives believe most Americans share our values and so, if you want to know what we think, all you have to do is ask us and we will tell you.

Read the whole thing.

A Bad Case of "No Man is a Prophet"

Yesterday, after successfully posting the talk on the future economics of our world on Google Video, I received great feedback from many who viewed it. Some were Christians, a few prophetic types on Open Heaven and Reformation Prophet. But, most of the the feedback I have seen is from Pagans who post on Say Anything Blog.

They seem to like it.

About a hundred or so Christian leaders were sent this talk as a link. I am trying to encourage people to face what we are about to go thru head on.

The only real feedback I got was from a guy who knew me back thirty years ago. He has a hard time with the whole "Prophet Gene" situation.

Reminds me of how Jesus was treated. "Isn't this the carpenters son, don't we know his mother and his brothers?"

I think Jesus came at just the right time. If he had come now he would not have had a chance. The body of Christ's ears are plugged up to the word of the Lord.

That is a pity.

An adage worth remembering....Pig Wrestling

I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it.
George Bernard Shaw

I keep forgetting that sometimes it's not really about winning the wrestling match, it's entertaining the porcine....

I need to cut that out.

The Economic Future of the USA and the World Prophetically and By a Son of Issachar

A week ago I spoke prophetically at Faith Center in Rockford IL. It was a warning and an encouragement regarding whats going to happen in our country in the next decade and beyond, particularly as it has to do with the economy and our money.

This is NOT a political talk, this is a straight up explanation of what is about to happen. The whole of the service is contained in this video. I begin speaking at about the 52 minute mark. You can move the cursor across at the bottom and go right to that section without having to sit thru the whole service. I hope you will however. It's good. I encourage when you watch to watch in the full screen mode. There are a number of charts and graphs to see and read. I have all the charts and graphs in a PDF format that I would be happy to email you if you request it at the email address on the left. I encourage you to tell people about this. I am also scheduled to give this Prophetic talk at a few other venues and answer questions. If you are anywhere near Northern IL I am available.

There is no fear in God, but in man there is something to be concerned about. We are about to go thru some very hard times. This is a word to the wise. Let he who has ears to hear, hear what the Spirit of the Lord says:

Compare and Contrast

From Chicago Boyz:

This with this.

Discuss the role of civil society when it is healthy, and the role of the state when it is weak or damaged.