OUR CHRISTIAN BLOG - Page 2

Are Checklists Extreme?

Posted: July 19, 2009 - 20:18 CT

A few weeks ago, while in a class on the Holiness of God, we came to the question of how to approach this holy God.  We have a more detailed article in progress on this subject, but at the present time, I would like to briefly comment on a particular aspect of the dialogue, when our conversation turned to Hebrews 4:16, in which we’re encouraged to boldly come before God’s throne.  The biggest reservation that many of us have is with the word "boldly".  How can a sinner be bold before the face of our holy and majestic God?

We must first interpret this passage in the context of the two previous verses, in which we see that we do not approach the throne based upon our own merit, but that of our High Priest, Jesus the Christ.  Thus, "boldly" does not mean recklessly or brazenly, but humbly and with confidence in the work of Christ.  Under the old covenant, the people of Israel could not approach God directly.  Only the high priest could come into the Holy of Holies, and then only once a year to make an atoning sacrifice to "cover" the sins of the people.  Under the new covenant, Jesus, our ultimate High Priest, has atoned for our sins once for all (Heb 9:11-15), the veil has been torn (Mt 27:50-51), and we have free access to God.

Read the entire Checklists article.

[Top of Page]
 

Independence Day 2009

Posted: July 4, 2009 - 17:29 CT

For last year's Independence Day, I wrote about one of the liberal media's "Blame America First" articles.  This particular article called upon us to offer a prayer for forgiveness of what he perceived to be our greatest sins, such as electing George W Bush as president, retaliating against those who murdered thousands of our citizens at the World Trade Center etc.  This year, I'd like to feature an article which also calls for us to seek forgiveness of our sins, but for very different reasons.  This excellent article, entitled The Nations 233rd Birthday - A Call for Repentance is written by Jane Chastain, a Southern California-based broadcaster, author and political commentator.  She also includes a sample prayer which we encourage everyone to read along with her article.

Unlike the liberal's list of sins, Ms Chastain, a Christian, encourages us to repent of real sins which are in conflict with the will of the true God.  Liberals however, tend to define sin as anything in disagreement with the god of political correctness, or a god who is an extension of their own views.  In reply to a question of "What do you consider a sin?", then presidential candidate B Hussein Obama replied, "Anything that goes against my true nature".  I sometimes wonder if Mr Obama prays to himself, asking himself to forgive himself for not being true to himself.

Read the entire Independence Day 2009 article.

[Top of Page]
 

Our Fascination with Celebrities

Posted: June 30, 2009 - 21:46 CT

In the past week or so, we’ve witnessed the death of several celebrities such as Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, and even pitchman Billy Mays. First and foremost, we need to remember that these were real people with real families that we need to keep in our prayers.  Many celebrities, despite their fame and fortune, tend to be very sad and lonely individuals, usually a far cry from the roles they play.

It’s very interesting, and revealing to watch the reactions to these events from various sources within our modern society.  The so-called “mainstream” media virtually ignored the others in preference to Mr Jackson, since he was arguably the most popular and bizarre.  Not including commercials, each major network typically broadcasts 22 minutes of what they call “news” during their nightly newscasts.  The Media Resource Center reported that, on Friday evening (the next day after Mr Jackson’s death), ABC devoted all but 1:03 to Mr Jackson.  NBC gave us 1:22 of other news while Katie Couric over at CBS managed to squeeze in 34 seconds for a total of 2:59 vs 63:01 devoted to Mr Jackson.

Read the entire Fascination with Celebrities article including what drives our obsession with the rich and famous.

[Top of Page]
 

How to Approach Studying the Bible

Posted: June 24, 2009 - 20:53 CT

During a recent Sunday School class, a lovely lady made the comment that when we study the Bible, we should do so with no presuppositions, disregard the interpretations by others, and rely entirely on the Holy Spirit for our understanding.  Now, this lady has a high view of the Scriptures and is very orthodox in her beliefs, but having encountered many liberals who take a similar stance in their attempt to validate whatever meaning is convenient to justify their agenda at the time, I jumped in with both feet.  I immediately pointed out that presuppositional neutrality was a myth, and that we ignored the interpretations of the saints throughout history at our own peril.

So, which of us was correct in our assertions? After much prayer and contemplation over the past few days, I’ve come to the conclusion that, according to our respective intentions, we both were.  Discussions in class are usually time-limited, so we often don’t adequately explain our intended meaning.  I’m convinced that she was referring to the initial phase of study where we read the Scriptures and attempt to observe and interpret the author’s intended meaning.  On the other hand, I was referring to the entire process of Bible study.  I think we can clarify the issue with a brief overview on how to approach studying the Bible.

Read the entire Approaching Bible Study article, including discussions on Presuppositions, Bible Study Methods, and Resolving Disagreements.

[Top of Page]

 

Honor Their Service - Troopathon 2009

Posted: June 5, 2009 - 21:33 CT
 

Despite the downplay or outright disregarding by the media, many of you may have heard that a Muslim extremist shot up a recruiting center earlier this week in Little Rock, Arkansas.  Armed with an assault rifle, he killed 23-year-old Private William Long and injured Private Quinton Ezeagwula, both members of the US Army.  The suspect, Muslim convert Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, is in custody and in an understatement, police say he likely had “political and religious motives.”  Since US military personnel are not on the list of "protected groups", this probably will not qualify as a hate crime.

In our country, we've come to the point where we call evil good and good evil (Is 5:20).  While many far left groups such as Code Pink, the ACLU and our current administration and their Department of Homeland Security are busy protecting the "rights" of Muslim terrorists, they often vilify our troops who are attempting to protect us from the real extremists.  

Fortunately, we have many good organizations within our country who are working hard in support of our troops.  On of the most active is Move America Forward, who on June 25th, will be holding their 2nd annual “Troop-a-thon” with the theme “Honor their Service.”  This cutting edge live webcast event will bring together talk radio hosts, megastars of film and television, musical guests, journalists, military and Gold-star families, pro-troop groups and many more.  The goal of this charity fundraiser is to send the largest ever shipment of care packages to our brave men and women of the armed forces serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo Bay.

We are  encouraging our readers to sponsor care packages (donations are tax deductible) for the troops and each one includes a personalized message and items that our troops have requested that make their life a little easier while they are far from home, such as sun-screen, Gatorade, deodorant, coffee, cookies and much more.  Please click on the "Honor Their Service" banner above for more information.

[Top of Page]
 

US Marines - Progress in the WERV, Iraq

Posted: May 16, 2009 - 18:05 CT

We recently received a letter from the commanding officer of the United States Marine Corps 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, stating that the current mission in Iraq was successfully completed about the middle of March.  At the time the letter was written, personnel was at Al Asad Airbase awaiting flights back to the continental United States.

Upon deployment in August 2008, the Battalion was unexpectedly tasked with the challenging mission of assuming responsibility for the Hit, Haditha, Anah, and Al Qaim municipal districts.  Less than a year before, the area had been under the responsibility of five battalion forces, but now Task Force 3/7 would handle it alone.

This area is comprised of four districts, commonly referred to as the Western Euphrates River Valley (WERV), and encompasses 12,000 square miles and approximately 600,000 Iraqi civilians.  The citizens are good people, both men and women working hard to provide for their families.  Skilled workers are performing their duties in the oil refineries and other production facilities.  Shop owners now stock fresh produce and other goods in their stores.  Construction is booming, and farmers and shepherds tend to their crops and flocks.  Families walk safely through their neighborhoods, more babies are being delivered, and the kids have gone back to school.

Read the entire WERV, Iraq article.

[Top of Page]
 

National Day of Prayer 2009 - Obama vs Lincoln

Posted: May 9, 2009 - 21:10 CT

During his campaign, the (out of the) mainstream media fell all over themselves worshiping B Hussein Obama.  You would have thought it would diminish somewhat after the election, but if anything, it's only gotten worse.  Rather than conducting themselves as objective journalists, they have continued to play the adoring role of Obama cheerleaders.  I had to laugh out loud when I read a quote from John Kerry on why we should bail out the newspapers financially.  He said we can't afford to lose them as watchdogs over the government.  Fortunately, I wasn’t holding any sharp objects when I came across this.

One aspect to the media’s adulation is their constant comparisons of Obama to Abraham Lincoln, FDR, JFK and, of course, the Messiah.  One journalist even reported that Obama becoming president was actually a step down for him.  I sometimes wonder if the administration issues knee pads to the media, or do they have to supply their own?

In light of this, and the press playing up Obama's use of Lincoln's Bible while beings sworn in, we thought that it might be interested (and informative) to compare Obama’s proclamation marking the annual National Day of Prayer with the 1863 Proclamation issued by Abraham Lincoln.

Read the entire Obama vs Lincoln article.

Read the Lincoln Proclamation.

[Top of Page]
 

National Day of Prayer - Obama No-Show 2009

Posted: May 7, 2009 - 20:45 CT

Today is the annual National Day of Prayer.  We're calling on all Americans to pray for our country and its leaders.  The Bible commands us to do this for all leaders, not just the godly ones.  The Apostle Peter wrote these words during the reign of the Emperor Nero.

Beth Moore, who gave this year's keynote address, stated "Make no mistake: Today matters.  One day of corporate prayer in unity and sincerity makes a very large difference.  What might God do as the result of the faith that we convey not from our mouths, but from our hearts?"  She also urged Christians not to give up despite the moral state of our nation.  "The moment we give up on prayer, we have given up our hope," she said. "This is not the time for hopelessness.  God esteems a faithful remnant."

It was disappointing, yet not surprising that neither President B Hussein Obama or any official from his administration participated.  At a news conference following the event, Dr James Dobson stated "There are tens of millions of people praying across this country, 40,000 prayer events, and yet for the first time since 1993, the White House did not even send a representative of the Cabinet to the National Day of Prayer.  When a professional baseball team wins the World Series or when the Super Bowl is played or when college teams win the national championship, they are invited to the White House to celebrate".   Dr. Dobson concluded. "That's important, apparently, but celebrating prayer, which is our heritage, which is what these people are talking about, is ignored. We are disappointed in that. We are not angry."

The White House stated that Obama would be praying privately, but they didn't say to whom (Allah, himself, government or some other generic god?).  The White House website reveals the reason for BHO signing the proclamation:  The Congress, by Public Law 100-307, as amended, has called on the President to issue each year a proclamation designating the first Thursday in May as a “National Day of Prayer.”  NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 7, 2009, as a National Day of Prayer.   He evidently signed the document because he was bound by public law.

Nevertheless, as stated before, all Christians should continue to pray, not only today but everyday, for our country and its leaders.  For more information, or to get involved, please visit the National Day of Prayer Task Force website, whose mission is to communicate with every individual the need for personal repentance and prayer, mobilizing the Christian community to intercede for America and its leadership in the seven centers of power: Government, Military, Media, Business, Education, Church and Family.

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land (2Chr 7:14).

[Top of Page]     [Blog Page 1]     [Blog Page 3]     [Blog Page 4]     [Blog Page 5]     [Blog Archive Index]