Preparation

         Part of Intelligence Operations is putting oneself into the mind of the enemy they are watching. We know that there is more than one mind, one operation, working against us. One might be patient and wait for years, the other might have the mentality of a "bull in a china shop" and capable of acting at any time.
         There are numerous cells across America, they have scientists, the black market is involved, possibly treason. We know that they are attempting to acquire weapons that can cause massive damage and death. We know they consider attacking various systems of our everyday life such as food, water, electricity. We know what they would like to do, what we do not know is exactly how far along they are on progress. We have to assume that the potential exists.
          Obviously, gatherings such as New Years celebrations, Super Bowls, inaugurations and such are given heightened surveillance, but what about economic and political times? We are on an economic brink. Where does this come in. We have a new administration. Is there a vulnerability there, particularly since that administration is making overtures? Today, Iran made comments about President Obama's extended hand as being a sign of failure and weakness. Then again, can this be interpreted as confusion on their part? I would have to think that they would consider our economic problems and the political changes to be an opportunity that they may never see again. But then, they may think that we are falling on our own and delay operations originally scheduled.
         This is but a part of the daily life of the agencies involved in protecting America. In case it has not been noticed, there have been a number of government spokesmen , one of whom has stated that an attack, of some sort, will happen within the next five years. Most Christians know that there will be an extremely difficult time in the future. We don't know when. It may be in our lifetime and may not. We are to function as normally as possible and keep everything in perspective. It is my opinion that much of biblical prophesy is written largely for the benefit of the people who have seen the fulfillment rather than in predicting its fulfillment.
         The responsibility of the average citizen, in the war on terror, also involves mental and physical preparation for the aftermath of terror. To the Christian, this means prayer for wisdom, discernment and strength. Terrorism is a dark subject and there is legitimacy in concerns that extreme concern of it could lead to negative personality traits. Not being prepared means even more serious problems of depression and confusion that would cause impotency should events happen.

The Stimulus

         Every Republican Congressman (woman) voted against the "Stimulus Bill," and a few Democrats joined them (unfortunately, not my own, Jason Altmire.) There are so many things wrong with this legislation. The method they are using in trying to pass it is a sham. President Obama says "We don't have a minute to lose.". This is becoming the standard line in eliminating a legitimate debate and time for all Americans to review a bill. The bill is filled with "pork." Money would go to some absurd places, and every time it is brought up in the news, the money is withdrawn (not a moment to lose!). The theory behind the bill is not only, not accepted by many, it is refuted as another FDR moment that did not work the first time.
          What would the bill do as it stands now? It might get votes from constituents, for one or two elections. It would create 600,000 Federal jobs. A Stimulus is needed but it will take time and all Americans need to know the specifics with time enough to consider it. Reverting to some thoughts from a previous blog, There are other issues that come into play in the stimulus. Chinese and Russian leaders spoke out this week at Davos. They are not happy with capitalism, go figure! We are joined at the hip with China's success and disposition. There are other variables that could thwart even a good stimulus. Other leaders at Davos are saying that the crisis can be used to bring full economic power into the hands of governments. The enormous issues we face go further than our paychecks, they extend into the lives of our children. These Davos leaders may just have miscalculated a little bit. There is the possibility that the crisis may awaken Americans from our slumber and begin, once again, to analyze world political and economic issues and elect representatives accordingly. Lord willing, for we do not know what a day brings, the next election (2010) may upend the applecart that Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are pushing.

My Day

         It was an interesting day today. I am visiting Harrisburg. I'm in the hotel lobby a few blocks from the Capital and a man walks behind me in line with a cellphone to his ear. He lowers his voice, inferring that what he has to say is somewhat secretive. His voice is still impossible to tune out as we wait in line. He is telling the person on the other end of the line that he has just found out that they are going to tax "a certain business profession" that I won't mention here." I'm trying to focus on something else. I would readily read intently about this in the paper but I just don't like information passed on to me in such a way. He proceeds to talk about what should be done when this happens. I turned around and walked away, to come back later.
          A few hours later, I am in my hotel room and an alarm sounds in the hallway with a loudspeaker saying something about "not using the elevators on the way out. " I open the door and there is a hotel employee vacuuming. The alarm is still sounding with the instructions as I asked him what is going on. He shrugs and finally shuts off the vacuum, shakes his head, and walks away. On the walk down eight flights of stairway, others are filing behind me. Outside, we are directed to walk to a corner where about fifty of us wait in the cold while the firetrucks arrive, the firemen run in and ten minutes later we are directed back in with no explanation.
           A few hours later, I walked into a little sandwich shop for dinner. I was alone and a television was blaring a basketball game between two teams from out West. I asked the waiter if he would mind putting on Fox News. He turned it on to a helicopter view of a U-Haul truck speeding along the highway, in and out of cars. The newscaster describes how a blond women apparently stole the truck and was leading police on a chase through an area near Malibu, California. She sideswipes a BMW, tearing off the mirror. The chase has been going on for about an hour. The employees gather around the television. At times she weaves to the right, onto the shoulder, at other times she crosses into the oncoming lane, barley missing vehicles. She runs red lights as she passes by Pepperdine University. Customers have come in and everyone is standing around watching the chase. I'm praying, for this is a very serious situation. The announcer says "We'll return to the chase after these commercials." A car insurance commercial comes on where a "crash car" smashes into an abutment, followed by three more commercials.
          Back to the car chase. the police lay some "tire spikes" on the road but the driver crosses the grass medial strip and drives the wrong way before crossing back over just before an on coming car came. It has now been an hour and forty minutes of chase, total. I have been watching for about fifteen minutes. A police car is right behind her most of the way. According to the helicopter pilot, she is travelling between fifty and seventy miles per hour. The newscaster says a traffic light is coming up with cars stopped in all the lanes. The driver weaves left into the other lane, around a few cars and continues on. I'm still praying for a peaceful cessation of this.
          It is 8 O'clock and we are told to stay tuned for Bill O'Reilly. I'm dumbfounded! I walked quickly back to the hotel and put the television on, switching the channels to find a station that was covering this. Nothing. I kept checking my IPhone Fox News and for forty-five minutes the original story remained at a 7:28 P.M. reporting time. I am not leaving this television or computer until I find out that this car chase is over. I'm trying to pray as I switch channels past the goofiest programs, every thirty channels coming to Bill O'Reilly's smiling face as he jokes about something or other. There is a news line at the bottom of the picture but it is about some other story.
          Am I the only one in America that whose heart was beating fast over a situation that was endangering innocent people only to have it ignored ? Finally, Fox News internet reports that the women pulled off onto a rural road, stopped the U-Haul and tried to get into another car before being tackled by a police officer. It is 11 O'clock and I have heard no other news about the matter. Is a live newscast of such an event even a good thing? I don't know but it was there and I was involved...and then it wasn't there. And the beat goes on.

Neville Chamberlain?

           Does anyone under 55 years old, remember who Neville Chamberlain was? He was the Prime Minister of Great Britain who signed the Munich Agreement with Germany in 1938 that gave the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia in an attempt to satisfy Adolph Hitler. It was "Peace for our time."! Yesterday, Barack Obama started his pursuit of the same philosophy. If he thinks that our enemies will trust him, he has a fundamental misconception of why our enemies, not only hate us, but in general, "hate." (See December 19, 2008 post "The Enemy At Home") He is oblivious to their strategy of seeking someone, just like him, that will buy them time, lower our resolve and prepare us for confusion when they decide to act.
          Humility is necessary for our leaders to succeed. Obama's admitting that "We (the United States) sometimes make mistakes. We have not been perfect" is not humility. It is an obviously true statement, used to distance himself from responsibility, and place blame on political opponents. It is the opposite of humility. Ahmadinejad today welcomed the comments.
          I think that everyone is familiar with the shotgun pattern on a target. The middle is dark from the holes and the further away from the center, the fewer the holes. This is also a pattern in the actions of humans. Every nation, every ethnic group, every religion will have those on the fringe that work against the mores of the center. If the center is relatively good, the fringe will relatively depart from that. If the center is not good, the fringe will be worse.
         Those like President Obama, who deal with radical Islamic Fundamentalism on an equal par with Western Civilization, are making a miscalculation that will skew attempts at any "reconciliation." It also cannot see that their center, at the very best, acquiesces to the terrorism of all outside the center that will under no circumstances stop its aggression. President Obama needs to reverse course. It is his prerogative to talk to Iran but he needs to understand just what the makeup is and ultimate goals are, of those he approaches.

Sunday.....Christianity....Valley of Vision

         It was probably the mid 1990's, I was listening to John MacArthur's radio program Grace To You, and he offered his listening audience a free book called Valley of Vision. It slipped my mind and I never sent for it. I have ordered many books through Cumberland Valley Bible Book Service (www.cvbbs.com 1-800-656-0231) in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and looking through their catalog one day I saw the book that MacArthur had offered.
          I am grateful to the Lord for His leading to order it. The full title is The Valley Of Vision, A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions, edited by Arthur Bennett and published by Banner Of Truth Trust. Now at first thought, one might say "Wow, Puritan prayers!" The misconception of who the Puritans were is for another day, in fact I have mentioned the topic in a previous blog. A former pastor, he has since moved away, was over for dinner one evening and in conversation before dinner he mentioned this "great book" called Valley Of Vision." As we sat down to dinner I showed him the book that I keep on the dining room table for it had been, and still is, our every day pre-dinner meal prayer. The copy that I have now is a leather bound one that he graciously gave us.
          Since then I have heard it mentioned on rare occasions on Christian radio programs. About three years ago I sat down to read our local newspaper and there on the front page was an article on how some people celebrate Thanksgiving. The accompanying picture showed a family around the dinner table and the caption mentioned how the father was reading from Valley Of Vision. So, as it turned out, it is not an obscure book.
          I send my son, who is off at law school, fatherly advice on occasion to remember to read one of these prayers every day. OK, so what is it so special about this book and these prayers? The book does not say who wrote each prayer but the, almost 200, prayers were written my men such as Spurgeon, Bunyan, Toplady, Watson and Baxter. I will complete this post with an example of one of the prayers from the book. Here is the importance of the book; The prayers have us humbling ourselves, no, actually prostrating ourselves before Him for our daily sins committed, our failure to look only to Him and our inability to come to Him with anything of ourselves. When we have company over for dinner, I read the prayer as usual and often wonder if our visitors cringe at a Christian who sees so little worth in himself. The prayers continue with acknowledgement of the glorious grace that God has provided, and the inexpressible joy at such a God to have mercy on such a person. Our visitors never mention anything but I can often tell that they have heard something that may have humbled them. It is my contention that by reading one of these prayers a day, it is brought to our mind, each and every one of those days, how we were truly lost and deservedly so, and how our righteousness today comes in the cloak that we wear which is the righteousness of Christ, presented to us along with our regeneration and redemption in which we also had nothing to offer that would deserve such mercy and grace.
O Lord, No day of my life has passed that has not proved me guilty in thy sight,
Prayers have been uttered from a prayerless heart;
Praise has been often praiseless sound;
My best services are filthy rags.
Blessed Jesus, Let me find a covert in thy appeasing wounds.
Though my sins rise to heaven thy merits soar above them;
Though unrighteousness weighs me down to hell,
Thy righteousness exalts me to thy throne.
All things in me call for my rejection,
All things in thee plead my acceptance.
I appeal from the throne of perfect justice
To thy throne of boundless grace,
Grant me to hear thy voice assuring me:
that by thy stripes I am healed,
that thou wast bruised for my iniquities,
that thou hast been made sin for me,
that I might be righteous in thee,
that my grievous sins, my manifold sins,
are all forgiven,
buried in the ocean of thy concealing blood.
I am guilty, but pardoned
lost, but saved.
wandering, but found,
sinning, but saved,
Give me perpetual broken-heartedness,
Keep me always clinging to thy cross.
Flood me every moment with descending grace,
sparkling like crystal
flowing clear and unsullied
through my wilderness of life.

"Misunderestimated"

       The Bay of Pigs invasion was already planned when John Kennedy took office in January of 1961. His response during the invasion was less than stellar and it is almost certain that Nikita Khrushchev, like a shark, smelled blood in the water. Russian missiles, 90 miles off of the American shore, was a bold move. There are different opinions as to how JFK reacted during the October of 1962 crisis but I have always agreed with those who say that it was Kennedy's finest moment and that Khrushchev backed down.
         Whether it was Hitler, Stalin or Mao, American strategists looked closely at the person leading an enemy. The same analysis applies to those who oppose us. Yamamoto's oft quoted remark "I fear that we have awakened a sleeping giant" may or may not have actually occurred but it is a reasonably sure thing that it was his concern. Osama bin Laden "misunderestimated" George W. Bush, for our president sought out, hounded, attacked and kept terrorists on their heals for seven plus years.
          What did bin Laden and others think of William Jefferson Clinton? We don't know, but we do know that they planned the 21st century's "Pearl Harbor" during his administration. We know also that they celebrated when John McCain lost. One of Barack Obama's first orders was that interrogators follow the "Field Manuel" with detainees. Al Qaeda responded by announcing that a man who was a Guantanamo prisoner in September of last year and "rehabilitated" in Saudia Arabia, is now a leader in the organization.
          It would be my guess that terrorists look at Hillary Clinton as a women driven by personal ambition. There would not be a whole lot of worry about the majority leaders of the House or Senate and it is probably perceived that upon a new attack that our national media would be preoccupied trying to pin it on George Bush. So, all told, It's a bleak picture. There is one thing that terrorists will never get right, they are clueless to the strength of America's people when they humble themselves before their creator.

Eternal Punishment

         It has appeared to me, from conversations over time, that many people have one issue that sours any legitimate meditation on God and salvation. That issue is eternal punishment in hell. Using common sense, it just seems utterly inconceivable that sins committed in a lifetime of 20. 50 even 80 years would justly result in a punishment of, well millions upon millions of years. End of story! I agree with this logic. Only, a truer description of punishment is no better, maybe worse.
          We need to understand that "time" is a created entity. One moment after its creation, all three elements existed, past, present and future. Time will come to an end someday. That's the easy part, the hard part is conceiving of the alternative. I have no idea, nor am I able to understand. One thing is certain and that is that the aforementioned concept of "millions upon millions of years" is not what will happen. Some have said that we live in "time" as a fish lives in water. Sounds good to me, as far as it goes. There is a story in the Old Testament where the Sun stood still for a period of time in order for the Israelites to win a battle. First of all, we know it as being more accurately described for us today as the earth standing still, but a more likely reason would be that "time" stood still for everyone except those on that battlefield.
         Now, I would ask non-believers to think about eternal punishment in the realm of possibilities and not to ask them to believe this in order to continue with the conversation. Getting back to my point on time spent in Hell, there is another description of this punishment where one does not need to enter into the extremities of the imagination and that is where the Bible says that at this time there will be "weeping and gnashing of teeth." Everyone can relate to this concept and I don't think that anyone can say that it is anything but something that we would not want to do. Over time, many people (in an unenlightened age) did not need to go any further with this thinking for they merely saw punishment in Hell and believed it. Today, the perception of eternal punishment rears it ugly head to such a progressive and advanced people! There is no gospel in this paragraph, only one concept and that is punishment. It has nothing to do with why or from whom. If you will not consider punishment because of the "time" element, you might want, for the sake of discourse alone, to consider punishment without the problematic specifics. This one point I'm trying to make proves nothing. The only thing that it might do is take away one obstacle from continuing the conversation.

Sunday.....Christianity.....Reflections

         Today, I wanted to reflect a little on why I started this blog. I've commented before on the significant change we are seeing in the world we live in. Yesterday, a commentator mentioned that the "Boomer Generation" is on the way out. This is one way to look at it, but more importantly the America we have lived in, and whose history we know, may become a new creation in the next few years.
          We owe our existence to the mercies of God and He has used this nation in important ways, both as to the spreading of the gospel of Jesus Christ and stabilizing a world that naturally would gravitate to hate, murder and tyranny. The proclamation of that gospel is infinitely more important than any nation's existence and my concern for America is, admittedly, self-serving to a degree. I struggled with the temptation of combining the two.
         Ultimately, I realized that sitting back and letting evil rise is incompatible with a Christian's responsibilities in this world. Few will read this blog and it will have no significant influence. It is written as a conversation with anyone that happens to stop by. I do have a "pet project" and that is the issue that is known as "a la carte cable" television. I truly feel that if Americans are given a chance to bring only the television networks that they want into their house, that over a short period of time, the intellectual and spiritual integrity of that portion of America will strengthen, for we are in bondage now to the cable package that is too great a temptation of sitting at the feet of predators of the mind.
          I also want to give advice on how to handle conversations that inevitably come up on issues that dictate where America will go. I want to give a perspective on Christianity that the media is unaware of because the church has become overwhelmed by a theology that has accommodated itself to the times we live in and whose failure to proclaim Christ "alone" as our hope has taken away its power, hence influence.
          So here is my summary of where we (the church) are and where we must go. We need a combination of confidence in what we believe and humility that admits that we are still sinners and that our righteousness is"imputed" as money would be in a bank account and not "infused" as if we in ourselves are now visibly righteous. This must come from the pulpits and be evidenced in our conversations. We must come to realize that it is the essential doctrines of Christianity that unites us as brothers and sisters in Christ and that non-essential doctrines where we differ are always going to be there. This must come from our Sunday school classes and our own search to find biblical truth. We must come to a stark realization that we are prone as anyone else to over estimate our own interpretive powers and fail to see our prideful desires that, all to often, lead to following teachers that Jude described as "waterless clouds, swept along by winds, fruitless tress in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted, wild waves of the sea."
         These teachers are numerous on television and on best-selling book charts. We need to settle for nothing less than Christ being preached from our pulpits for therein is the power that is meant for us. On the temporal level, we need to influence our nation through the voting booth, fully cognizant of and openly proclaiming that we are not trying to make others live in a Christian nation but that this nation, if it rejects the God that our founders acknowledged and whose providential care they relied upon, will indeed fall. We need to understand the postmodern mindset that is becoming increasingly averse to any absolute truths. Rather than argue issues with postmoderns, we must confront, with logic and reason, why those we talk to have moved into a realm of thought that they may not even know exists.
         Various prophesy teachers have relegated the Christian position of the second coming of Christ into a running joke where a rapture will take all the Christians from the world and then there will be "hell to pay" for those who didn't become like us. The turmoil and destruction that this world faces in this atomic age should alone be enough to place before those who refuse to believe that though God is long sufferring, His arm will not be stayed forever against a nation or a world that boasts its immunity from punishment.

Wednesday.....Culture.....The Newspaper

       The powers that be have twice now condescended to the American public with warnings that in effect say "We don't have time to discuss this, just sign on the dotted line." The first time was with Henry Paulson on the bailouts and the second was Barack Obama and the stimulus. There is a pattern of ominous events going on in Washington. They (both parties) have big plans, the timing right now is opportune, almost providential.
          Now that Barack Obama has been elected, and there is no chance for the "other half" of America to throw a monkey wrench into the process, they can use terms that previously had to be encoded. Just today, Angela Merkel, Nicolas Sarkozy and Tony Blair met and were freer with their urging a "new capitalism" upon the world. But that is not the topic for today, newspapers are.
          We are in this mess, partly, because we are not an informed populace anymore. I have at times wondered why I think and write incessantly on these things. My only explanation is that I do not spend much time at all on sports. Whereas my early life revolved around these grown men playing boys games for enormous amounts of money, today I couldn't tell you the name of eight Pittsburgh Steelers, and those only because their names are emblazoned everywhere in this city. As I write this (9 PM,) much of America is watching two universities play football in what they think is a great accomplishment for two institutions of higher education.
          Generally, newspapers and traditional American values have not been the best of friends. But I will say this for them. I believe they are misguided and not malicious. I don't believe that they are cut from the same cloth as Michael Moore, Bill Maher or George Soros. In the classic film, Bridge on the River Kwai, Alec Guinness, as the British Colonel, built the enemy a bridge, eventually saw what he did and before he died uttered "My God, what have I done?"
          When these editors do awaken, we are going to need our newspapers. It is said that Napoleon Bonaparte once uttered this phrase "A good sketch is better than a long speech." Did that lead to "A picture is better than a thousand words." We are an "image conscious" society, but images alone can fail to portray truth, as the photo of the little Vietnamese girl, running away, blistered from napalm conveyed incorrectly that American planes had dropped the napalm; nor did the photo of the Saigon police chief that put his gun to the head of the Viet Cong and fired, inform of the atrocity that the guerilla had just committed.
         What do we do in this culture when we are bored? Well, the old hit song Countin' Flowers on the Wall gives us a clue with "Smoking cigarettes and watching Captain Kangaroo. Captain Kangaroo was an image to watch. Television cannot be our source for information, nor can the computer. As I write, Drudge has about thirty news leads on his site of which I personally consider about half to be legitimate news. Of those half, I "clicked on" two. Had it been a newspaper, I would have, at least started reading all fifteen articles. There has been a lot of studies done on why newspapers are failing, maybe they need to address the qualitative differences between newspapers and their competitors.

Tuesday.....International,,,,,Philosophy

         The term "Dialectic" can mean different things. In referencing Socrates, it could mean simple dialogue in an attempt to find truth. With Hegel or Marx, we can see whole societies going through a process of change. Generally, you start with a statement of "truth" (thesis.) You can only consider it true if there is some statement that opposes it to begin with (antithesis.) The two beliefs wrangle with each other until a third statement is determined (synthesis.)
          The average person does not take up the subject of philosophy often even though we all have a philosophy. On a biblical note, I have always thought that since Solomon asked God for wisdom and God granted his desire, that Solomon's wisdom must have been as great as any man has ever had. An interesting thing though, Solomon's wisdom ran amok. Ultimately, he recognized the limits of wisdom without the fear of God. Hegel believed that all history was a product of the Dialectic. Marx thought that the Dialect (Dialectical Materialism) would ultimately lead to Socialism. Is the world in the process of a dialectic?
         Is capitalism on the way out, along with nation-states and religion? There will never be shortages of political philosophers. If an empire exists for 500 years and then is no more, is that proof of a dialectic or can other more simple reasons be involved, for instance, they simply got lazy because of a life of ease? My concern is the many elites throughout the world who are searching for that "synthesis" and how they plan on implementing it upon the rest of the world? Can a dialectic of sorts be behind the man made Global Warming nonsense?
          Peace through dialogue seems utterly impossible in the Middle East. America (even the world) is in the midst of a major conflict over belief in God. Is a one-world religion (synthesis) going to be the result? Even the most accomplished and celebrated philosopher will die. Is the source of this endless searching for the final answer based on man's refusal to confront death and seek immortality in his/her posterity? I have to believe that this is true and also part of our fallen nature. Have we not all heard of people who are concerned how they will appear in the casket?
          God gave us a lesson through Solomon. We deal with a world that makes its decisions based on another philosophy. I started this last night and saved it as a draft only to wake up this morning to read about an interview with Henry Kissinger on Worldnetdaily, "The President elect is coming into office in a moment where there is upheaval in many parts of the world simultaneously...You have India, Pakistan; you have the Jihadist movement. So he can't really say there is one problem, that it's the most important one. But he can give new impetus to American foreign policy partly because the reception of him is so extraordinary around the world when, really, a new world order can be created. It's a great opportunity, it isn't just a crisis."

Monday.....Miscellaneous.....Order and Precision

       There is a cute joke on Christian denominations that I would like to relate: "A fire starts in the auditorium where ministers of various denominations are having a meeting. A Methodist pastor jumps up and yells "Fire!." A Baptist pastor jumps up and yells "Water!" then a Presbyterian pastor jumps up and yells "Order!!" Traditionally Presbyterians rely on "order" in everything, Their services are ordered, as is their prayers and their polity. Their doctrine is precision unleashed as the Westminster Standards are unmatched in, through precise wordage, saying a whole lot in a few words.
          The topic here is not churches but the exasperating situation that we find ourselves in today. Postmodernism is anything but precise. In fact it works feverishly to confound order. The lack of definition enables everyone to freely structure their own rules of interpretation. In fact, order can be an enemy. Where is the order in the recent senatorial election in Minnesota? You can bring in votes from precincts that were not turned in on election night! You can deny counting votes that came from a source that probably would go the other way! And finally, you can take the lead in votes and then arbitrarily say, "Well that's that."! Twice, on major financial legislation, we have been told that a decision had to be made "right away" without legitimate debate and analysis.
         I remarked in a previous blog how academic debate teams often give the student the opportunity to change the topic and to utilize emotion over logic. Was their any order or precision at all in the vast efforts the Democrats made in registering anything that breathes and some things that don't to win the last election. This is something that we need to teach our children and improve in ourselves. Postmodern liberalism thrives on the sentence that you can't really answer because you cannot understand it. We need to get in the habit of stopping the conversation right then and there to challenge the logic and pertinence to what was said. The worst thing we can do is simply enter the conversation on their terms for the result is logic on one side and jabberwocky on the other. We can practice improving in this area by continuously analyzing our own conversations, even with our children.

Sunday.....Christian.....Christian Cults

         Generally, the definition of a Christian Cult is a religion that claims to be "Christian" but denies the essential beliefs thereof. They also can be described as having been founded by a single charismatic individual, accepting of the Bible but adding their own equally sacred literature and having heaven being a place specially reserved for them. It has often been said, and is true, that the best way to be able to discern a false religion is to know the Christian faith and therefore be able to recognize imposters and pretenders.
          During the recent election campaign, with Mitt Romney in the race, the topic was brought up quite a bit and always with the media's scorn for intolerance of Christians. It is necessary for Christians to understand why this is important. I prefer the term "false gospels" to "cults" for when you use the term "cult" it can be countered with arguments of a voluntary, normal lifestyle and therefore simply "Christians" with some different beliefs, a description that can accurately describe protestant denominations.
          I want to highlight two particular "false gospels," the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons/Mitt Romney) and Jehovah Witnesses. Representatives from both will come to your door. Young Mormon men, and sometimes women, spend two years of their life in missionary work. Jehovah Witnesses regularly go out among their neighbors with Watchtower literature. I do not want to get into specifics for two reasons, first, anyone can go to www.equip.org (Bible Answerman /Hank Hanegraaff) for all the specifics and done better than I can do. Second because dwelling on these specifics when talking to their representatives is counterproductive. For example, if we waste time talking about the Jehovah Witness refusal to have a blood transfusion, we simply run the risk of ostensibly bringing them into the Christian faith only to argue against their strange doctrines, this type of theological debate is something that can be done legitimately with various Christian denominations.
         The Mormons and Witness are totally different to the outside observer. One is patriotic and the other will not even serve in the military. One can be seen in many entertainment venues (Donny and Marie/ Glenn Beck) while the other is rarely seen in this profession. One is accepted by the public as "Christian" and the other is tethered to the term cult. All of the "Christian Cults" are different from another. They have their own writings, founders and peculiar beliefs, BUT, they all have one thing and one thing only in common. It is the one thing that is hated by the Adversary of God. Christianity hinges upon it and false gospels hinge on denying it. It is the person and the work of Jesus Christ as we know it as true for the Bible clearly proclaims it, indeed is built upon it.
         You should know that false gospels will use the name of Jesus, they will proclaim Him "God/god," and they will give testimony and proclaim many doctrines that are true. If you have entertained their witness and proclamations and do not recognize the seriousness of error then the testimony of Orthodox (traditional) Christianity throughout the world and since the inception of these religions, will give strong urging that failure to investigate these warning is to your on spiritual peril. Building and strengthening the foundational blocks of the Christian faith is one thing that is necessary in hoping for an American Christianity that will no longer be impotent in influencing our nation and better prepared to accurately present the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Saturday.....War on Terror.....Dearest Uncle

         Dearest Uncle, I can feel the strength from your prayers for me every day. I have such good news to give. Yesterday, we arrived by plane in their city of Pittsburgh. We were in a celebratory mood when we left New York for they are about to name the Kennedy daughter to be one of their senators. Don't worry, she is not like her father. We worked our plan to perfection on the flight. We talked loud and stared at other passengers. It was all we could do to not break out in holy laughter. My brother stood up and looked into his bags in the upper loft four times, each time looking nervous as he would ask me "What time is it now?" so other passengers could hear. The crew of infidels went to passenger after passenger, whispering in their ear and then the intercom said we were turning back and landed in their City of Brotherly Love where we were angrily questioned for four hours before the airline publicly apologized to us and we boarded another plane. Their televised news made the passengers and airline look foolish. Many of the people here in this city wear the uniform of their footballers. I overhear their conversations and they talk about waiting another year before their stock market makes them more money. They are not prepared for a toothache let alone what God will bring upon them. They are so happy about their new president for he is wise and will change our minds! They are going to get another senator who is a comedian. I hear him talking about defending the Great Satan and he is so funny, my brothers and I laugh and laugh. There is more dear uncle, there is yet another senator who was appointed to their House of Lords whom the other senators in his own party say that they will bar the doors not to let him in. You were right oh uncle, they love their money, and their toys and they hate each other more than they hate us. God has sown confusion in them and all we have to do is blow the trumpet and they will fall like the walls of Jericho. The Christian infidel President and murderer of our brothers will be gone soon. We do not have to spit on their "Vice" President for they do so better than we could. The people in this land no longer fear their God and even the false strength that some still claim to have from him will be gone soon also. We will make many converts here for they, in bondage to their demented society, relieve their guilt by demanding that we are given freedom to destroy them. My beloved grandfather, your dear father, was a wise man but I do not understand his warnings to us that these people would never be fooled. I believed him to be right when I saw their soldiers but the blasphemers of the film industry are their rulers now. I will keep you informed dear uncle and covet your continued prayers for our success. Your thankful nephew.

Friday.....America......1959

       1959 was a big year in my life, at least if remembering things that happened means anything. I was raised in Western New York and we lived in apartments right next to a shopping center which was a pretty big thing in those days. It was spring and half of the parking lot was cordoned off with rope. We all started filing in, boys and girls, big and small. Some kind of music was playing as we carried them in, red, green, blue, all colors. Some were striped. Have you ever heard the "rails sing?" I don't really know what happens, maybe it's the air brakes, but sometimes the "rails sing" in the train yards and it is quite a beautiful sound. Well, this was similar, as we would bounce them on the ground they made a similar noise and when hundreds of kids were doing it it sounded like the rails. Orders were given very precisely; "Stand three feet apart and begin when I tell you. When you are touched on the shoulder, exit the cordoned off area." The man with the megaphone shouted over the music to "Start." I had practiced a lot but really was not experienced in any kinds of competition as I paid more attention to the others than what I was doing. Some kids were already filing past me and it probably was no more than a minute since we started. I remember feeling a slight bit of confidence but it started sliding down around my thighs. I was pretty good at keeping it at my waist but really had no idea how to get it back to my waist once it started to drop. Lower and lower it went until it hit the ground and then I felt a tap on my shoulder. I watched for quite a while as the Hula Hoops kept on going round and round until there was a winner.
         The family across the hall had the last name Batista. The telephone pole in the middle of the yard between the apartment buildings was second base and Donnie Batista ran into it and broke his glasses. His dad beat him and somehow I formed a commiserate view of Fidel Castro through that. I think today's youth, by and large, evidenced the same level of wisdom in the last election. My parents had just separated and I was sitting in a chair in the living room waiting for my favorite TV show, Twilight Zone to come on, when my dad came home one last time to get his bowling ball. There was irony there somewhere. Every Friday we would go grocery shopping and once a month the grocery store had the new volume of an encyclopedia for sale. I still remember the thrill of carrying that home. We only bought seven volumes but that was enough to start a little fire that never went out.
         My friend's dad was a lawyer, yeah they lived in apartments back then. The dad wanted a new life and disappeared one day. At least I saw my dad. An older friend invited me to go to his aunt's farm for a week. My nine years were spent living next to an international airport and a farm was really a different thing. I sustained a deep cut at home in a fall and my left knee was bandaged and I could hardly walk. We went to a carnival in the small town and walking home was pitch dark. Being older, and much braver, my friend was telling me stories of bears in the woods as we walked back, late, to his aunt's farm. The quiet was broken with a "stomping" coming at us from the woods. I couldn't run and saw my friend running far ahead and screaming as his Aunt rode out onto the street on horseback looking for us. There was irony there also. This was my America in 1959