The Fallacy of Full-Time Christian Work

by Os Hillman
11-11-2009

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Colossians 3:16,17).

Jonathon was a twenty-five year old son of a pastor who was working in his local Christian bookstore. He started seminary but was unable to finish because of a lack of finances. He was OK with working in the store, but felt it was second-best. In fact, sometimes he felt he had "missed his calling."

Then one day a young woman wondered into the store. She was distressed. She was not a believer. Her husband had just left her and she did not know where to turn. She was walking through the mall when she noticed the store. She decided to walk in, not knowing why.

"Hello, may I help you?" said Jonathon. "Well... I don't know. I saw your sign and just came in." Right then, she began to cry. She told Jonathon about her plight, not knowing why she would do such a thing with a perfect stranger. Jonathon listened and began to talk with her. Before the conversation was over, Jonathon had prayed with the woman and led her to faith in Christ.

That night Jonathon pondered what had happened that day. He realized he had personally led a woman into eternity by being available in his workplace. He felt a new sense of purpose behind what he thought was simply a job to put food on the table until he could get to his real ministry. He confessed to the Lord his wrong view of his work. For the first time, he realized it was ministry too.

We have incorrectly elevated the roll of the vocational Christian worker to be more holy and committed than the person who is serving in other arenas. Yet the call to any workplace is as important as any other calling. God has to have His people in every sphere of life. Otherwise, many would never come to know Him because they would be separated from society.

Wherever you are called, serve the Lord in that place. Let Him demonstrate His power through your life so that others might experience Him through you today.

The Value of Age and Wisdom

by Os Hillman
11-13-2009

"But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him" (2 Chron 10:8).

Age and wisdom do not always equate to one another, but they often do. Rehoboam was the son of Solomon. It appears that Solomon had become heavy-handed in his employment practices by placing an overbearing burden on the workers. This was causing a problem with the northern tribes. It was the equivalent to a threat of a labor strike. Jeroboam was like the head of the labor union. In fact, he had fled from Solomon because of the abuse he perceived was happening. When Rehoboam was selected as the new king, he came and appealed to Solomon about the plight of the people.

"Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you." Rehoboam answered, "Come back to me in three days." So the people went away (2 Chron 10:4-5).

So, Rehoboam asked for advice from the older men who had been a part of Solomon's reign and then he asked for advice from his younger contemporaries. The elders advised Rehoboam to not be too concerned. They told him that if he did, they would be loyal workers the rest of their days. He chose not to take this advice. The younger advisors told him to tighten the reigns more. This turned out to be bad advice. As a result, the northern tribes rebelled, and the kingdom was permanently divided.

Today there is a tendency to discount input from older people. However, God has placed wisdom in older people that the young can learn a great deal from. Do not despise input from those who may be considerably older than you. God has placed a level of wisdom in them that can help you avoid major mistakes.

I said long ago that this man had no spine... He now proves it

Obama: President In Search of a Spine

By Proof on November 14, 2009 at 02:46 pm

It’s a lot easier to bow all the time when you haven’t got a spine!

This would be less embarrassing if this guy were just some star struck American tourist. Could someone please inform him that he is the President of the United States?

90% includes ME

I graduated College. A BS and a BA. Over educated fool some might say. But, to this day I don't understand basic algebra. It appears that neither does most of the rest of the college folks.

I never figured out what the purpose of it was.

I never used it.

This coming from a guy who has a pretty good handle on complex economic theory and interrelationships of numerical values in charts graphs and statistics. I can interpolate the numbers pretty well.

I don't think algebra would have helped me there.

So, I don't feel too bad.

What Sarah Palin has been doing with her Spare Time

In case anyone has been wondering what Sarah Palin is up to, it's not insignificant. I know good political people and she has been working hard. She is no piker. She works intensely and is a good study. She has run marathons, so she knows how to prepare.

In addition to writing her new book that comes out as a best seller in a few days, she has been doing more than baking cookies.

I guarantee she has been studying the issues. She will not be blindsided again. She has been coached and coached again on how to act, how to talk, what not to say and most important what to do when you get a Gotcha Question from Charlie Gibson.

I used to help train business people and politicians on how to handle themselves in front of the camera, on the platform, in front of a hostile audience and while in public. It took days but they learned. And, they are working on her Sarahisms. "You betcha" for instance will be carefully if ever crafted into a speech.

Look at actors who's normal accent is British or Australian (house and mentalist) yet when they speak it sounds like they are from Nebraska.

Sarah is NOT wasting time. She is on the case and will make it happen.

So, relax. Sarah will be fine and if you read this WSJ op ed you will see someone who believes as I do, Sarah will be fully ready to be POTUS in 2012. Margaret Thatcher is her model. Watch for Sarah to take a page from her playbook.

I am going to enjoy this. And campaign I will.

Just so you don't miss out when the world comes to an end

Here's about a dozen end of world thingys that you need to be aware of.

With the soon open of the movie 2012 we will have a whole new set.

I've seen the end of the world, it's not that bad.

Confessions of a Hillary Clinton Supporter

When McCain was the candidate before he selected Sarah I was committed to voting for Hillary over McCain. She would be the better POTUS. Certainly better than Obuma, the ditherer in Chief.

If we were going to lose to a democrat, the one I wanted was Hillary.

There is a blog called Hillbuzz. It's a blog dedicated to Hillary Clinton and written by people who supported her for Pres.

They have published a piece about George W Bush that is worth reading. I wish Hillary would have won. We wouldn't be in the mess that McCain or Obama brought us to.

Here's a bit from the Blog:

We know absolutely no one in Bush family circles and have never met former President George W. Bush or his wife Laura.

If you have been reading us for any length of time, you know that we used to make fun of “Dubya” nearly every day…parroting the same comedic bits we heard in our Democrat circles, where Bush is still, to this day, lampooned as a chimp, a bumbling idiot, and a poor, clumsy public speaker.

Oh, how we RAILED against Bush in 2000…and how we RAILED against the surge in support Bush received post-9/11 when he went to Ground Zero and stood there with his bullhorn in the ruins on that hideous day.

We were convinced that ANYONE who was president would have done what Bush did, and would have set that right tone of leadership in the wake of that disaster. President Gore, President Perot, President Nader, you name it. ANYONE, we assumed, would have filled that role perfectly.

Well, we told you before how much the current president, Dr. Utopia, made us realize just how wrong we were about Bush. We shudder to think what Dr. Utopia would have done post-9/11. He would have not gone there with a bullhorn and struck that right tone. More likely than not, he would have been his usual fey, apologetic self and waxed professorially about how evil America is and how justified Muslims are for attacking us, with a sidebar on how good the attacks were because they would humble us.

Honestly, we don’t think President Gore would have been much better that day. The world needed George W. Bush, his bullhorn, and his indomitable spirit that day…and we will forever be grateful to this man for that.

As we will always be grateful for what George and Laura Bush did this week, with no media attention, when they very quietly went to Ft. Hood and met personally with the families of the victims of this terrorist attack.

READ THE WHOLE THING

A thought on Veterans Day

The brave and noble that go to war in our behalf cause me to bow my head on this veterans day. Not in shame, in honor.

Today in a nursing home is Earl Redlin, WWII vet. Crawled up the beachhead at Anzio. Bravery is doing what you must do, not what you want to do.

Now we do what we MUST.

To Athiests---"Hating God is not a search for the truth. It is a conclusion without having all the facts.

That statement was made to a Former Atheist of my Acquaintance. His comment to me was to disagree with the idea that they didn't have all the facts:

They have them. As a former atheist I can say with confidence that it is never a genuine intellectual position; only a moral one. "I wanted life to have no meaning," said atheist Aldous Huxley, "because it freed me to my own erotic pursuits."

I am haunted by the phrase, "I wanted life to have no meaning". How pitiful and pitiable. When they woke up this morning they believed in something. What happens when the eternal alarm clock (the one that decides if you live or die) doesn't wake them? Then they know face to face.

This keeps me driving on.... IF just one soul finds the truth it's enough.

Global Warming or Global Cooling??

From the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration:

• Temperature Highlights - October
• The average October temperature of 50.8°F was 4.0°F below the 20^th Century average and ranked as the 3^rd coolest based on preliminary data.
• For the nation as a whole, it was the third coolest October on record. The month was marked by an active weather pattern that reinforced unseasonably cold air behind a series of cold fronts. Temperatures were below normal in eight of the nation's nine climate regions, and of the nine, five were much below normal. Only the Southeast climate region had near normal temperatures for October.

The REAL unemployment rate is 22%.

Everyone is excited that the market is going up. This is a house of cards stacked very high.

There is nothing holding this up.

No fundamentals.

When it collapses it will be sudden and catostropic.

You can't have economic recovery with a quarter of the people not working. It doesn't compute.

Sarah Palin on the fall of the Berlin Wall

We were there twenty years ago today when the Berlin Wall Fell to the Ground.

We were NOT in Berlin, but we were in Germany. I know Sarah didn't write this alone. She has speechwriters like every good Politician does. Reagan, Bush, Clinton and Obama. They all lean on these writers. But this article is good.

Commemorating a Victory for Freedom

Twenty years ago, the ultimate symbol of the division between freedom and tyranny was torn down. The Berlin Wall was constructed for one purpose: to prevent the escape of East Germans to the freedom of the West. The Wall’s cold, gray facade was a stark reminder of the economic and political way of life across the Soviet Union’s sphere of influence in Eastern Europe.

Ronald Reagan never stopped regarding the Berlin Wall as an affront to human freedom. When so many other American leaders and opinion makers had come to accept its presence as inevitable and permanent, Reagan still hammered away at the Wall’s very premise in human tyranny, until finally the Wall itself was hammered down. Its downfall wasn’t the work of Reagan alone. Our president’s actions were joined with the brave acts of many individuals who stood firm and united in facing the Soviet Union. The Berlin Wall came down because millions of people behind the Iron Curtain refused to accept the fate of enslavement and their supporters in the West refused to accept that the “captive nations” would remain captive forever.

Though that long, tragic episode in human history had come to a close finally with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, it wasn’t the “end of history” or the end of conflict as some had hoped. New conflicts confront us today throughout the world which call for courage and resolve and dedication to freedom. The new democracies and market economies that have emerged in Central and Eastern Europe still require our friendship and alliances as they continue to seek security, prosperity, and self-determination. But as we reflect on present and future challenges, let’s take time to celebrate the anniversary of this awesome victory for freedom. The downfall of that cold, gray concrete Wall should be a lesson to us in hope. Nothing is inevitable. Tyranny is no match for the hope and resolve of those who work and fight for freedom.

- Sarah Palin

He who killed in the name of Islam was just mentally ill

Disturbed. Upset. Confused. Deluded. Not happy with the situation as it was. Then religious leaders by the words they spoke caused a man who was on the edge to do a crazy thing. A man who needed to make a mark for Allah in his mind. A man who saw America as the enemy even though he lived here. So he planned carefully the whole thing. Cleaned out his apartment and deliberately carried out the deluded act of violence driven by religious fervor.

His name? Mohamed Atta al Sayed

He was one of nine we now call Islamic Terrorists. They flew planes into buildings and killed many.

How is that different from the terrorist attack last week? Why is the news media trying to dodge this issue? What is the agenda?

Like Sarah Palin keeps saying, “Why don’t ya just stop making it up”?

How to be sure you will get to heaven without Jesus

Take your net worth, divided by your age, times your IQ.

Then add 10 if you are white, middle class, male.

Minus the number of times you have been overdrawn in the last yr.

If a member of service club, country club, fraternity, or a military vet, add 20 for ea.

Add 30 for ea. college degree you have.

Add 10 for ea. legitimate child you have born and raised or are raising.

Subtract 5 for ea. illegitimate or non raised child.

Subtract 20 for ea. divorce you have had.

Subtract 1 trillion for ea. and every sin you have committed.

Scores of 1 or more will get you into heaven.

And That's YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS WITHOUT THE CROSS

Newest Member of the Redlin Arboretum

When I was in Tennessee last week I saw a plant that had caught my eye the weekend before. Cucumber Magnolia is a unique and beautiful native plant. Magnolia accuminata is actually native clear up into Wisconsin. In it's native format the flowers are green. Showy but green.

The Yellow Lantern is a Hybrid of Accuminata and Solangiana. Fully hardy. Mid May bloom. Bright Yellow Flowers and huge leaves.

There was one in the parking lot of Weber Hotel in Ann Arbor. I mentioned to Peggy when I saw it that I wish I had one. It was a bit pricey, but I will spend money for plant material sometimes when I shouldn't.

Here's what it will look like in the spring. Looking forward to it.

Tolerance or Truth - The Muslim Massacre of American Soldiers

From New Wineskins.

Why would you believe tolerance to be a higher value than truth? But more importantly it’s critical to separate two kinds of tolerance: intellectual and interpersonal.Sadly, the two have become conflated.

Interpersonal tolerance is to be lauded. My muslim neighbors (and I mean literally the people who live next door to me) have every right to go about their lives as freely as I do, with all of the protections that the Golden Rule, our Constitution, common courtesy and our system of laws affords them.

Intellectual tolerance, on the other hand, is tantamount to saying “whatever” and failing to engage with issues or persons. It is the essence of contempt. It is surely not wise to press such distinctions in every conversation, but to fall into the habit of not making them for oneself is to fall into a swamp of half-truths and, ultimately, bald lies.

Its opposite involves distinctions and thus forms the basis for reason and truth. (I cannot tolerate you saying the light is green when it is red because that puts both of us in danger — it is untruthful, perhaps even insane. I cannot tolerate fraudulent information and expect my business to thrive or escape legal censure. I cannot tolerate the belief that the earth is flat — at least not when espoused by an airline pilot or navigator. One can think of myriad other examples that a small child could understand.)

When fears of interpersonal intolerance (e.g., we can’t say that because it might cause some people might beat up muslims!) cause us to steer clear of facts or other rational distinctions that are important to explore for other reasons, we allow fear to hold reason and open dialogue hostage. And that, I should hope, would be something we could all agree is not a good or healthy thing.

Pastor Phil showed this video this morning, it brought me to tears

Squatters in my Front Yard....I'll leave them alone

I actually think this wasp nest is pretty cool, it's just our our front door and they are harmless if you don't hassle them.

New Carpet and Fall Decorations by God

Prairie Pollution

I saw this disgusting site where steel and concrete pollutes the beauty of the Prairie. I hate these stupid things.

In case you had any doubts about the Religion of Peace invasion

Look at the Friday comments on this American Muslim website regarding the Foot Hood Killings.

They admire Hassan. They Call him an officer and a gentleman.

This is sedition.

Most people don't REALLY want to be Blessed

"Can you truly handle being blessed ? - When you ask God for strength, He will send a fight. When you ask Him for Wisdom, He sends a problem for you to solve. When you ask Him for an anointing, He presses you to release the anointing. When you ask Him to enlarge your territory, He sends a giant for you to kill." (Cendee Crawford)

Best thing I Read this Morning

Count your blessings instead of your crosses;
Count your gains instead of your losses.
Count your joys instead of your woes;
Count your friends instead of your foes.
Count your smiles instead of your tears;
Count your courage instead of your fears.
Count your full years instead of your lean;
Count your kind deeds instead of your mean.
Count your health instead of your wealth;
Count on God instead of yourself.

Synthetic Religion; Misplaced Faith

The fact that one of the left’s primary political planks and priorities (urgently setting up a global system to thwart the imagined threat of anthropocentric, catastrophic, man-fixable, global warming) has broad reach and serious money and power behind it makes it very interesting as a candidate for end-times synthetic (anti*-Christian) religion.

The Bard described this as being a tale told by an idiot

From Chicago Boyz' James Rummel

How many dooms have been promised me since I was born?

Rampant pollution was going to choke me, rampant population crush me. Fresh water was going to run out, fresh air was already gone. Deforestation was going to create droughts, desertification was going to bring sand to my front door. Food additives were going to cause my body to fall apart, artificial hormones were going to cause the human race to die out due to sterilization. A new ice age was going to bring a global freeze, while burning the last of the Earth’s oil reserves would bring the end of our technology.

Tipping points were all the rage. Species going extinct in the rain forests due to urbanization would eventually start a global cascade of extinction that would lead to the human race itself going extinct. Pump enough CFC’s in the atmosphere and the Arctic ozone hole would eventually race to cover the entire world. Dump enough pollution in the environment and acid rain would wash your face off of your skull during a gentle Spring shower.

........................................................

“Experts” at one time endorsed these dooms. They knew better than the skeptics, better than you, so just listen to them and follow their instructions to avoid catastrophe. The data was incontrovertible, no need for debate. Shut up and follow orders if you didn’t want to starve, choke, melt, become sterile.

The other thing that was common to all of these predictions was that they were wrong. Terribly, horribly, obviously wrong.

Read the whole thing--

Do we Misjudge Martha?

Martha's Bad Rap
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2, by Os Hillman

"As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead" (James 2:26).

Martha has been unfairly criticized in the history of the Church. Mary and Martha were entertaining Jesus in their home when Martha complained to Jesus about Mary simply sitting at the feet of Jesus rather than assisting her with the needs of the meal. Many a preacher has condemned Martha for her focus on doing rather than sitting at the feet of Jesus as Mary did. However, let me ask you an important question. Who would you rather hire Mary or Martha?

I can tell you I would rather hire Martha in my business. There are times in the body of Christ where we simply come and worship and fail to activate our faith lives in practical expression. The truth is we need to model both Mary and Martha in our Christian lives. There are times when we are called to sit at the feet of Jesus and worship Him. But we must always have an outlet of expressing the love of God through practical deeds. This is the point of contact to the world for the gospel.

My friends Dennis and Megan Doyle are committed believers who own one of the largest commercial real estate companies in Minnesota. After noticing that many corporations had overstocks and overruns of merchandise and food that could be used to help the poor, they began to collaborate with corporations to get the excess goods for distribution through various ministries in the Minneapolis area, the nation and the world. The ministry, called Hope for the City, became very successful and has given more than $300 million in the past three years.

We all need to model both aspects of the lives of Mary and Martha. And we all need a point of expression of our faith that the world can see. What type of expression might He call you to have?

The Discreet Charm of the Left Wing Plutocracy

Victor David Hansen writes with such wit and accuracy. He puts a fork in Al Gore and his Hypocritical life.

To distill Gorism is to live in a 1,000 sq. ft. solar house, bike to work, and take the train on long distances; but to promote Gorism, one lives in a mansion, jets on private planes, and is chauffeured from airport to conference center—a rather heavy carbon footprint indeed. I mention that because this week he has insisted that he only invested in what he believes in and is thus not a hypocrite—sort of like a 1990s Fannie or Freddie director saying he is only taking mega-bonuses because he believes in public support for housing.

You will want to read the whole thing, it's an absolute HOOT..... Al Gore and all the rest of the lefty issue baiters laugh up their sleeves at the sheeple who follow them. Suckers is more accurate.

Sarah Palin on Last Night's Elections....I like this woman

A Victory for Common Sense and Fiscal Sanity

Congratulations to the new Governors-Elect of Virginia and New Jersey! I’d also like to offer a special word of support to the new Lieutenant Governor-Elect of New Jersey, Kim Guadagno, the first woman to hold that office.

Of course, the real victors in this election are the ordinary men and women who voted for positive change and a return to fiscal sanity. Your voices have been heard.

The race for New York’s 23rd District is not over, just postponed until 2010. The issues of this election have always centered on the economy – on the need for fiscal restraint, smaller government, and policies that encourage jobs. In 2010, these issues will be even more crucial to the electorate. I commend Doug Hoffman and all the other under-dog candidates who have the courage to put themselves out there and run against the odds.

To the tireless grassroots patriots who worked so hard in that race and to future citizen-candidates like Doug, please remember Reagan’s words of encouragement after his defeat in 1976:

“The cause goes on. Don't get cynical because look at yourselves and what you were willing to do, and recognize that there are millions and millions of Americans out there that want what you want, that want it to be that way, that want it to be a shining city on a hill.”

The cause goes on.

- Sarah Palin

Common Senseness Some

Maine rejects Homosex Marriage

Maine Voters Repeal Homosexual ‘Marriage’

by La Shawn on November 4, 2009

in General

I can’t believe it. The people of Maine came through. They rejected homosexual “marriage” in their state.

But that doesn’t mean the fight’s over. There’s something about all that “will of the people” jazz some politicians just don’t like. Fundamentally. For example, 54 percent of voting Californian’s barred their government from hiring, contracting, and admitting on the basis of race. Thirteen years later, California legislatures drafted a bill bringing back set-aside contracting for minority businesses. Last summer, Republican governor Schwarzenegger recently signed the racial quota bill into law…although the constitution, which he swore to uphold, prohibits it.

Al Gore is Getting Rich on the Global Warming Scare

I don't know why we are surprised. Just follow the money. He's a pirate. Making money from Fear.

Nothing new here.

Planned Parenthood Leader Resigns After Watching Ultrasound of Abortion Procedure

You can watch her story here. OH and the Planned Parenthood death lobby and many Liberals HATE and are PESECUTING this woman for having a Conscience. Are you surprised?

Not every Crime is a Sin, Not every SIN is a Crime

Richard Graves is a "Facebook" friend of mine from Chicagoland. He is finishing a book that he has asked me to read in PDF for him. I will. Here is a part. Very good stuff.


The SIN Nature of MAN

by Richard Graves

Original Sin. The Christian theological doctrine defines “Original Sin” as the state humans are in because of the Fall of Man (the actions of Adam and Eve in the Book of Genesis). The term “original sin” itself is not used in the Old or the New Testaments, yet both the New and the Old Testaments speak of the sinful nature of human beings.

Basically, the doctrine states that all humans fall short of God's standard of righteousness no matter how “good” they think they are, that they are born with a “sinful” nature and require something outside of themselves to make them righteous and / or acceptable before God.

Many people have a fundamental problem with accepting the premise that they are “sinful” in nature. Some people will say that they are “good” people and often cite this as the reason that they cannot or will not accept Jesus and / or the Christian faith. This is partly because many people make the fundamental flaw of confusing “Sin” which is breaking God's Laws with “Crime” which is breaking the laws of man.

Sin as defined in the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, Strong's Number: 266, the word “Hamartia” meaning: offence, sin(-ful).

Sin, wrong doing, usually any act CONTRARY TO THE WILL and law of God I don't believe anyone who is honest with themselves and claims to believe in God (The Father of Jesus) can say that they have not done or or does not do anything that is contrary to the Will and / or Law of God.

It is the epitome of pride for a person to deny what is or should be a very self evident fact. Again, some people mistake “Sin” for “Crime” and by their willful or unintentional lack of making such a distinction, they are unable to see themselves in proper context.

Many “crimes” are “sins”, many “sins” are crimes, yet there are many “crimes” that are not “sins” and many “sins” that are not “crimes”. For example, most people in our Western society at least agree that “murder” is a sin and a crime, yet not helping the poor or widow and the orphan, which is a serious sin, is often not considered a “crime”. In that light, people who don't kill people will believe that because of not doing these big obvious sins / crimes they are at base “good” people. This may be the case when “good” is defined as being an obedient and productive citizen in our society. However, what is good in as in making the standard that is set by God is a different mater entirely.

Jesus made it pretty clear here in Mathew 19.16-17 (KJV) “And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments”

Before we go any further let me clarify that JESUS was good, because HE and the Father are One, therefore Jesus' He has the Righteousness of His Father (John 14.10).

In the reference scripture Jesus is giving Glory to God for “His” goodness, making it plain that it was not of Himself, but because He was and is in relationship with His Father. This outlines the problem, when people, Christians in particular believe that outside of God in Christ that they are good, they are basically are calling Jesus a liar.

Jesus is stressing that through Him, all who accept Him on His terms, can have through Him this same abiding / relationship with the Father that He has and demontsrated, by accepting His righteousness in place of our own.

This by understanding that within ourselves and without God we cannot truly be “Good”. The Strong's Exhaustive Concordance defines the Greek word for “Good” used in the reference scripture as “Kalos” meaning: “Virtuous”.

I believe that this very definition of Good is what lead the people to choose Jesus to be executed in place of the murderer Barrabas. You see, people were not that different at that time then we are now, let me explain how.

Back then, as it is today, religion and politics were bedfellows. Jesus was neither political or religious, therefore the religious (Pharisees) and the political (The Roman Government) didn't have much use for Jesus. Primarily because Jesus threatened both of their worldly systems. However, it wasn't these people alone who killed Jesus, the masses, yes the same people that Jesus healed, feed and ministered to were also a party to His execution.

When the masses had the choice to either have executed a man that was a known murderer or a man who was a known healer of mind, body and spirit, the people chose Jesus to be executed. The view that people had and that many of us today have of being “good” was a factor that was utilized to push these people towards that decision. Jesus showed the Father in all of His actions (John 8.25), yet he was doing this walking around amongst the masses. Being kind and compassionate to those he came across, and this made the people hate him that much more. Why? Because he showed them their shortcomings, not by His words, but by His actions. He showed them that they were NOT truly good, that their good was like a filthy rag when looked at in the pure light that he radiated. Therefore, the people wanted Him gone.

They would rather have the murderer amongst them, because they could always point at the murderer as someone THEY FELT THEY WERE BETTER THAN. They felt good in comparison to Barrabas the murderer. History teaches us this lesson, as the easiest way to get killed, is to show light in this dark world by bringing truth into a dishonest world. When light is shown in dark place people are shown their frailties and shortcomings, this occurs because people will always compare themselves to someone who strives for a higher standard in their actions, and either consciously or subconsciously, people will compare themselves and be reminded that they do not measure up to the standard that is being demonstrated right in front of them.

In a Christian world view, as defined by Christ and not “church doctrine or dogma”, to be truly good, we must strive to meet Christ standard by being in relationship with our Father through Him. By acknowledging that our GOOD cannot be and will never be GOOD ENOUGH.

On The Road

I'm in an elegant Super 8 motel near Bowling Green KY. On tree business. Blogging will be light this week unless I find something of interest and post it up or I get bored. Phone works. Staying in touch.

Time to roll.......

Addressing the Queen of Heaven

"The children gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough and make cakes of bread for the Queen of Heaven" (Jer 7:18).

If you want to change the spiritual climate of your city you must address the principalities that rule that city. Such was the case for the apostle Paul when he went to the city of Ephesus. There was a territorial principality that was worshipped by the people of Ephesus named Diana of the Ephesians (also known by her Greek name, Artemis). The people gave money to this false god and it strongly influenced the economy because of this. The city was also the center for magic and the occult.

Her temple in Ephesus was listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World - the most outstanding and opulent example of architecture in the whole city. Her followers called her "magnificent," "great goddess," "savior," and "Queen of Heaven."

Paul preached in Asia for two years and had great success confronting this territorial principality. Paul began to neutralize the Queen of Heaven's power so much by the gospel that the common people began to notice. They not only stopped worshipping and sacrificing to her, the silversmith's who were manufacturing idols were going out of business, so they staged a public riot. They filled the huge amphitheater and shouted for two hours, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians" (Acts 19:34).

Many who were converted burned all of the idols and magic books. "When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power" (Acts 19:20). Based on the U.S. economy today, the pile of magic paraphernalia that was burned would have been worth four million dollars!*

In order for you to impact your city you must identify and break down the ruling principalities that may be hindering the gospel there. The more common principalities in the western world would include the religious spirit, the spirit of mammon, pride, and freemasonry to name a few.

Ask God for wisdom and discernment as you prepare to deal with your local and regional principalities.

Hope Lutheran halts funding to ELCA over decisions on gays in clergy

We used to be members at First Lutheran. This is really good news. About time people take a stand. From the Fargo Forum Newspaper:

Fargo’s largest congregation in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has suspended its funding to the denomination because of controversial decisions regarding homosexuality made at the recent Churchwide Assembly.

A letter on the Hope Lutheran Church Web site states that the “leadership has suspended all financial support to the ELCA and will develop a process to define who our mission partners will be.” It also affirms that pastoral leadership at Hope Lutheran is to uphold the standard that human sexuality is “to be maintained within a marriage relationship between one man and one woman.”

The letter is signed “Hope Lutheran’s Church Council and Pastors.”

The Rev. Chuck Olmstead, Hope Lutheran’s senior pastor, did not immediately return calls asking for comment. Other church officials deferred comments to Olmstead. Eastern North Dakota Bishop Bill Rindy could not be reached for comment.

Hope Lutheran’s statement references recent ELCA Churchwide Assembly decisions related to homosexuality. In August, the assembly voted to find ways for congregations to “recognize, support and hold publicly accountable” committed gay relationships and to allow individuals in such relationships to serve in rostered ministry.

“What the ELCA vote has accomplished is to make each congregation even more autonomous,” the Hope Lutheran letter states. “That independence frees us to choose who we work with in mission and who we support financially.”

Hope Lutheran has two campuses in Fargo with more than 10,000 baptized members.

The church’s decision makes it the third such act in the Fargo ELCA community. Earlier, First Lutheran Church, Fargo’s second-largest ELCA congregation, opted to designate its benevolence funds so that they bypass the national ELCA offices. And Pontoppidan Lutheran Church in downtown Fargo has voted to suspend its benevolence giving to the ELCA while a committee studies the impact of the ELCA’s recent decisions on Pontoppidan.

This isn’t just a Fargo phenomenon; ELCA churches across the nation are protesting the assembly vote. Some congregations are acting more strongly.

The ELCA’s Office of the Secretary estimates that 50 of the ELCA’s 10,396 congregations have taken votes to leave the denomination or have scheduled them, according to an ELCA news release. Nearly all of those votes are related to the assembly’s actions on sexuality.

At least two unidentified congregations in the Northwestern Minnesota Synod have taken an initial vote to leave. Two such votes are required in order for a congregation to exit the ELCA.

About five congregations nationwide have taken two votes to leave the ELCA this year. The largest of those was the 6,800-member Community Church of Joy in Glendale, Ariz.

This isn’t the first time the ELCA has seen churches pull their funding. Some congregations left when the ELCA passed the controversial ecumenical “Called to Common Mission” agreement with the Episcopal Church in the 1990s.

But while conflict may be difficult, Michell Lelwica, an associate professor of religion at Concordia College, said a “conflict doesn’t necessarily need to be a division.”

“I think the word ‘crisis’ may tend to dramatize a very real conflict that has the potential for being an opportunity for new growth and doesn’t necessarily need to be approached in a kind of alarmist way,” she said. “I think it could be a time of deeper exploration, not just of the issue of homosexuality but also of the issue of what it means to follow the teachings of Jesus in this case.”

About Hope Lutheran

Locations: Hope Lutheran has two campuses, functioning as one church. One campus is at 2900 Broadway; the other at 3636 25th St. S. in Fargo.

Baptized members: 10,304 (2008)

Confirmed membership: 7,260 (2008)

Average worship attendance: 2,273 (2008)

Hope Lutheran Church is Fargo’s largest congregation in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Hope was founded in 1958 on the north side of Fargo. The congregation opened its south campus on Christmas Eve 1995.

Ann Arbor for a Conference....

Barbara Yoder came to Howard City to be part of a Conference conducted by Bishop Brad. Now, I am going to be part of the conference in Ann Arbor. Part as in taking part. I'm not speaking. Just being there is enough.

Connections are important in the Spirit. E4 needs to be connected.

This is that.

Know the Difference between Cold and Swine Flu Symptoms

Fever
Fever is rare with a cold.
Fever is usually present with the flu in up to 80% of all flu cases. A temperature of 100°F or higher for 3 to 4 days is associated with the flu.

Coughing
A hacking, productive (mucus- producing) cough is often present with a cold.
A non-productive (non-mucus producing) cough is usually present with the flu (sometimes referred to as dry cough).

Aches
Slight body aches and pains can be part of a cold.
Severe aches and pains are common with the flu.

Stuffy Nose
Stuffy nose is commonly present with a cold and typically resolves spontaneously within a week.
Stuffy nose is not commonly present with the flu.

Chills
Chills are uncommon with a cold.
60% of people who have the flu experience chills.

Tiredness
Tiredness is fairly mild with a cold.
Tiredness is moderate to severe with the flu.

Sneezing
Sneezing is commonly present with a cold.
Sneezing is not common with the flu.

Sudden Symptoms
Cold symptoms tend to develop over a few days.
The flu has a rapid onset within 3-6 hours. The flu hits hard and includes sudden symptoms like high fever, aches and pains.

Headache
A headache is fairly uncommon with a cold.
A headache is very common with the flu, present in 80% of flu cases.

Sore Throat
Sore throat is commonly present with a cold.
Sore throat is not commonly present with the flu.

Chest Discomfort
Chest discomfort is mild to moderate with a cold.
Chest discomfort is often severe with the flu.

The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a global epidemic of this nature, it's almost impossible not coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is.

While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):

1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).

2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat, bathe or slap).

3. *Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't trust salt). *H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.

4. Similar to 3 above, *clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. *Not everybody may be good at using a Neti pot, but *blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton swabs dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.*

5. *Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C. *If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.

6. *Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. *Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.

I suggest you pass this on to your entire e-list; you never know who might pay attention to it - and STAY ALIVE because of it -

Blasphemers in the Religion of Global Warming

The global warming religion is beginning to fall apart badly. Blasphemers are everywhere. If it wasn't a state sponsored religion it would not have traction at all except with a few lost souls who believe anything they hear from misleaders priests of this crazy religious system.

What is needed now more than ever is a continual drip drip drip of the doubtful and dubious.

The Freakanomic folks have made quite a stir.

Blaspheme away.

A Woman with a Word for Change

Brenda Interviewed by John Dean. This is who she is. This is a critical message:

Dreaming Big - John Dean & Guest Brenda Graig! from Passion TV / Richard Boyd on Vimeo.

I wish I had the guts to say this to some people who voted for Obama

Why Conservatives will win over Liberal Republicans and Liberal Democrats

Gallup just released a poll that clearly demonstrates the truth. We are a conservative country. Most people see themselves as conservatives. Liberalism is subversion. Moderates are just confused.

See the chart here. It will encourage you.

Yea, like that's gonna happen

One of the craziest of the climate control idiots, Lord Stern of Great Britain has declared that the whole world must become vegetarian to stop global warming.

I am vegetarian once removed. I only eat things that eat only vegetable things....Grass for instance.

My lion consumption is way down.

How can these people be allowed to even speak in public. They should be locked up for terminal mental illness.

KOOKS!

Someone You Should Know

This is directed toward pastors, ministry leaders and others who want to see the people in their circles grow in Christ. Particularly Women. I have been in fellowship with Brenda for a few years. I find her solid and worthwhile to connect with. She is fully prepared to come up from Texas and do what she does best.

Here is a video of a teaching on "Joseph's Coat" she recently gave:

Brenda Craig - Josephs coat The dreamer from Passion TV / Richard Boyd on Vimeo.

If you want to invite her to do a meeting, a retreat or a special, I can put you in touch. I just think we don't have enough examples of strong women of God for us to emulate.

Vox Day's new book on the soon coming Great Depression

I'll bet that's a page turner.

The fact is, he has pretty much nailed what all of us know to be true.

It's gonna get pretty tough out there.

And Vox Day says so.

You can read a review of his new book here.

You are now warned. Buckle up, it's gonna be a bumpy ride.

He has a blog if you want to get updates.

This advertisement doesn't amuse me

Someone sent this to me. At first I wondered if it was real. It isn't.

BUT

It disturbed me. I don't know why.

Buy a Bomb Shelter and Survive to.....What?

I know these people. They are more paranoid than I am. Fear nuclear attack.

So, they do what they can in the worldly way. Bomb Shelters, Thyroid Iodide Pills, Geiger Counters and a host of other gadgets to help them be among those surviving moles that emerge a few months after the big one.

If I figure this out right, they will emerge fairly well fed, armed and ready to take over.

From what? Nuclear winter? Death everywere? A collapsed society? Or Tyranny of a conquering oppressor?

OH, if they survive in six or seven generations there will be people who will become "Normal".

But I know these people and if surviving means I will have them as neighbors after the great conflagration, I think I will go on to Heaven and let them have this earth to themselves.

An interesting take on some of the five fold ministry

The Tipping Point
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2, by Os Hillman
10-26-2009

"It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers..." (Eph 4:11-12).

Malcolm Gladwell authored a secular marketing book entitled Tipping Point. A tipping point is when an idea, product or movement becomes accepted by the masses. Gladwell says "It is the best way to understand the emergence of fashion trends, crime waves, or unknown books becoming bestsellers." He says ideas, products, messages and behaviors spread just like viruses do but he has discovered there are usually three types of people involved in the marketing process for this to happen. He calls them connectors, mavens, and salesmen.

Connectors are people with a special gift for bringing the world together. They know lots of people who have an ability to make impact.

Mavens are people who accumulate knowledge about a particular area. They are information brokers who like to get information and share it with others to help solve their problems.

Salesmen have an ability to persuade when we are unconvinced of what we are hearing. They are critical to the tipping point for word-of-mouth epidemics.

I believe these three people correlate to the apostle (connectors), often defined as "one who is sent"; the prophet (mavens), defined as 'one who proclaims truth" and the evangelist (salesmen), "one who wins the lost" - all described in Ephesians 4:11.

John Wesley founded Methodism in the 1780s . He went from 20,000 followers to 90,000 in five years. However, he was not the most Charismatic preacher compared to Martin Luther or John Calvin who were recognized as the leading theologians. His genius was organizational. He was a maven (apostle) who stayed in a city after he preached to form small groups of the most enthusiastic of the followers. He used connectors (apostles) and salesmen (evangelists) to get people to his meetings. This created a community around his beliefs in order to practice those beliefs in the context of daily life. This contributed to his success and ability to start a movement.

Mavens, Connectors and Salesmen make an idea contagious by working together to spread the message. Consider bringing these three types of people together to see real success on your next project.

This video has the word "Damn" in it, it also contains the truth - Watch it

The left's disillusionment with the Amateur President - Step up (or step down?)

From the category of How long did you think it would take before serious discouragement set in by the left with the JR Achiever President

From the nearly bankrupt and out of business Huffington Post:

President Barack Obama is actively discouraging Senate Democrats in their effort to include a public insurance option with a state opt-out clause as part of health care reform. In its place, say multiple Democratic sources, Obama has indicated a preference for an alternative policy, favored by the insurance industry, which would see a public plan "triggered" into effect in the future by a failure of the industry to meet certain benchmarks.

The administration retreat runs counter to the letter and the spirit of Obama's presidential campaign. The man who ran on the "Audacity of Hope" has now taken a more conservative stand than Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), leaving progressives with a mix of confusion and outrage. Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill have battled conservatives in their own party in an effort to get the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster. Now tantalizingly close, they are calling for Obama to step up.

OR STEP DOWN??

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/24/leaderless-senate-pushes_n_332844.html

I need me one of these

A guy from Northern Minnesota (where else) is arrested for DWI while driving a motorized Lazy Boy Recliner. He was really drunk and hit a parked car.

The whole story is hilarious and typical of the part of the world I grew up in.

Here's the Chair.