We Cannot Escape His Gaze....

           I have no way of proving it but it would be my estimation that a very small percentage of even State Department foreign policy experts have any idea of the essence of what Communism is. It is comparable to the American concept of liberty......comparable only in that it is so strong that although outside forces may work against it and even seem to be on the verge of eliminating it.....that it rises like the mythical Phoenix.
           Liberty will never be eliminated in the hearts of men.....and world domination will always be the only goal on Communism....which is a dialectic that will outwardly change if necessary in order to deceive its enemies. There is no way that Xi Jinping has anything in mind other than totally subjugating the United States of America.....and there is no way that Kim Jong-un is doing anything but moving his pawn into position as told.
           To the Christian....what is happening should be nothing less than astounding in how everyone is saying...'peace and safety'....when that euphoria is exactly what God's Word tells us that the mood will be before sudden destruction comes in that time before our Lord returns!

           If you are part of Rush Limbaugh's faithful fan base then you surely have heard him recommend often lately for his listeners to turn off cable news......that it would do them a world of good. I'm sure that's good advice but alas it would be impossible for me to take this advice for one would have to get cable news to begin with before one could stay away from it. Yes....as I have mentioned before.....I've never had the opportunity of watching Morning Joe and Mika....if that's what their names are.....nor have I seen Megyn Kelly other than on the debates where I do remember this....she snidely and blasphemously asked Senator Ted Cruz....."Senator Cruz, start with you...any word from God?"
          I have though had the opportunity to do the next best thing. On a recent vacation down South I forgot to pack my Sirius/XM radio. So involuntarily I gave up conservative talk radio for a week.....and also Rush Limbaugh for there was no radio where we stayed....and we spent very little time in our automobile. I must say that it was an exhilarating experience.
         We conservatives would do well to take inventory of our principles.....and our motives. For many years we were battling the Republican establishment and the Progressives with little more than an AM radio band and a few stalwart book publishers. We knew we were a majority of the people but when power rests in the hands of tyrants the will of the people is ignored.
          Conservative talk radio served us well. We weren't slaves to the talk show hosts.....for they were working along side of us. That's all changed with Donald Trump. They talk....and we just listen. They can ignore the unpleasant facts of their man just as connivingly well as the liberal media had done for theirs over so many years.
          Whatever Donald Trump is.....we really do not seem to be concerned about anymore. We should have lobbied to put a stop to the ridiculous pep rallies that play upon emotions while they inhibit serious analysis....and we should have demanded that the tweeting cease and desist.....but instead we just waddled along as ducklings....but much much more than politics is at stake here. President Trump's bravado is worth little in a world of communists, and globalists and terrorists. They don't back down at threats....they plan and they deceive in the face of them.....but they wilt as a daffodil in frost under the fearful gaze of God.
           At this time God's gaze is not upon our enemies....although we think that it is....it is upon us....our arrogance....our boasting....and our utter refusal to trust in Him only.....and we cannot escape it. Humility and repentance is what is needed. Humility and repentance is what is missing.
         

Nebulous To Some....Perspicuous To Others

The following was first posted in December of 2015:

           Astronomers once called everything outside of our own galaxy...nebula... or nebulae in the plural tense. Today the word is properly confined only to interstellar dust and gas clouds. If a concept is cloudy and hard to decipher we might describe it as nebulous.  When Jesus Christ returns to earth with His mighty angels, I presume that the very first sightings of His army will be classified as some sort of nebulae. As He comes closer and a form of sorts begins to take shape, the classification may change to UFO. At the point when men finally recognize that it is the God King of the Christians and the Messiah of the Jews, this from what the world's greatest selling book has always proclaimed, and as every conceivable means of what would then be clearly seen as punishment wreaks havoc upon the earth, men will call on the rocks to fall on them and end their misery.
           Today it is the concept God Himself that is nebulous, even to most of Christendom, and unfortunately to much of Christianity. Although this is certainly true of God in His infinities, it is much the opposite as it relates to God's very existence and also to what should be our self-awareness as His creation, but only the Christian can see this. God created the physics that we try to disprove Him with and the logarithms that we try to replace Him with. He created the measure that we use in an attempt to prove our own autonomy. He created the mind that we refuse to think with, the sight that we refuse to see with and the hearing that we refuse to hear with.

         God is not nebulous in His holiness or His power or His glory or His majesty or His might. His warnings, His righteous judgements, His love and His mercies are not concealed. We are groping around only because we have run from the light.        

All Is Lost....Or Is It

 The following post was written over five years ago. Donald Trump was in his 9th season of The Apprentice.....a show that I have never seen....and Ivanka was Vice President of Development of the family business or some such title. If you can read through this post....as I have just reread through it....as bad as our predicament was back then.....it is 100 times worse today.....this in spite of the fact that the breach in the dam has been temporarily repaired.
          As financial and geoeconomic strategist Jim Rickards wrote in his book The Road To Ruin....."Sovereigns don't go down without a fight." That's what we are seeing in this Mueller mess. Communism is a dialectic....it will outwardly change but inwardly remain as ravenous as ever....that's what we are seeing in China. Technology is out of control. That's what we are experiencing in Google and Facebook and artificial intelligence and a host of other real and dangerous threats to not only the American way of life but human life. All of these threats are peaking at the same time. The Christian mind should be saying.....Come Lord Jesus.....but instead we are dwelling on.....Make America Great Again.....as if America could somehow operate outside of the rest of the world and away from these very existential threats.....and as if half of Americans were not already enthusiastically embracing these threats as progress....and even exciting.
          If God should have mercy upon us once again it would have absolutely nothing to do with 'make America great again'....it would be the opposite.....make America humble again.
          
           
All Is Lost....Or Is it

          It was heroic at times and trying at times but always set apart be a common creed....life as an American in these United States of America. God blessed this endeavor from the beginning as pilgrims left their homelands where tyranny had enveloped even the church, and they saw this new land of America as a new beginning for them and an extension of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the new world. The long distance from the heavy hand of the king of England encouraged them to see beyond being merely a colony or an extension of England to being a nation unto themselves.

          Liberty is a powerful force, and freedom empowers one to reach beyond what would otherwise be available. In the mid-eighteenth century, after the First Great Awakening, the Gospel began to wane as great political minds filled the void and and a secular government.....that nonetheless proclaimed its dependence upon God.....came forth. Economic growth followed as the frontier was conquered but we faced an enormous stumbling block, the separation of two peoples in two different geographic areas over the issues of state's rights and slavery. God's heavy hand of judgment came upon a nation that had forgotten who had bestowed upon it its blessings. We turned to Him momentarily but a brand new frontier of industrial growth drew us away again only this time our educational institutions followed. An already weakened church was at the time under full scale attack from European theological liberalism. God's judgments now began to come upon the entire world in wars and economic collapse. We retained the sense of being American, of being free and of having liberty and defending the liberties of others while the Gospel went throughout the world.....and then we hit our peak.

            We were the most powerful nation on this earth both economically and militarily. We had a creed that bound us together as Americans. We had heroes and causes and confidence. There's a scene in the classic Marlon Brando film The Wild One where a girl asks the young Brando what he was rebelling against. His answer was "What do you got?". This became the hidden mantra of the 60s generation....my generation. Everything was available to us and little of it was good. America found itself in smaller wars, trying to do what it had done before the mantle was gone. We were then a lost generation when a former 'B' actor in Hollywood revived the memory of that which was good in us but the rebellious generation of the 60s had produced our college professors and they in turn trained our media, the source of most information and news. Our creed that once bound us together was being hacked away at. We were not not only ignoring our heritage, we were attacking it, ashamed of it. Old heroes are old news. Heroes today are created for a purpose irrespective of what they might have done....good or bad. We were no longer "one" as a people but groups, each one out only for themselves.

           God had watched all of this. The Billy Graham evangelical became the Ralph Reed evangelical which ultimately became the Karl Rove evangelical. (and today is the make America great again evangelical) Our pulpits, no longer capable of preaching Christ, preached whatever they thought would bring people in. The Democrat Party fell first, taken over by Progressives and then Communists. The Republican Party fell next, taken over by political machinery without a soul. Our country essentially lies in ruins, the demolition notice just hasn't been served. Yet most of the people party on, but that's not unusual, for history is replete with empires that fell while its people were oblivious to its nearing demise.

           All is lost! Or is it? From the vantage point of observation and reality it is. Common sense and truth are utterly impotent in the postmodern mind. The blessings of capitalism became the god of capitalism and then a scourge of globalization. Our culture is in shambles. We have disasters ahead and we may as well know it beforehand. Fill in the blanks on what they might be. God's hand had departed from us long before we even heard the name Barack Hussein Obama. If His will is to awaken us one more time it will not be within a political party but over all the land and upon all those who suddenly see what we have done....and who we have become....a people who have forsaken their God. Should God open our eyes and revive us, there is no power on earth that can stop it. Those on the outside will utterly abhor what they see happening.

          This is our hope. It always has been our hope. Apparently we have to reach bottom to see this and we are not there yet. May God have mercy upon us once again and do so entirely for His glory alone.

Note: Jim Rickards....dailyreckoning.com if you are interested.         

Do Not Believe Them....Not Even For A Second

Preface to last week's post: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced that they have made great strides in reducing the time it takes to get a patent examined and approved. They are down to a little less than a year and four months....and hope to get that down to under 15 months by the end of 2019. It could take years to prove that North Korea was actually giving up their nuclear ambitions even if they gave us access.  There is a mountain (Mt Paektu) with thousands of tunnels on the North Korean/Chinese border that is their main fortress. (half of it is in Communist China) I wish that I could say that Kim Jong-un is just buying time but it is probably much worse than that. What is happening is very similar to what Churchill experienced over years in warning his own parliament about what Hitler was really doing. We should not want to react as some reacted today with the North Korean carefully crafted statements. This isn't progress....this isn't even good....at this time....it is nothing. It's the absurdity of what Kim Jong-un would have us believe (Oh...and I'm not going to sell nuclear technology to any bad guys any more) that should spark most of our interest.

            I wouldn't call it euphoria but there is a general feeling of an impending peace with North Korea. Here's a surprise....I don't share that feeling. President Trump could not possibly have come into a more difficult situation. Ultimately there's only one question.....does America permit North Korea to not only keep it's nuclear capabilities but complete development of a ballistic missile system and even submarines that can carry nuclear warheads.....or does America prohibit this from coming about? If we negotiate or wait much longer then the question will become moot....so one way or another we'll get our answer in the not too distant future.
           Our military can destroy Pyongyang and stop any further progress on nuclear weapons but in the process Seoul might effectively be destroyed....the world's economies might be in turmoil....and other wars may very well have started in the confusion. That is unless one believes that North Korea would not respond with at least attacks on the South....if not attempt a nuclear attack on the United States. It doesn't get any worse than this.
           In 1999 our Secretary of Defense visited North Korea in an attempt to do what we are trying to do today....get an agreement where the North gives up it's nuclear ambition. Kim Jong-il waited a year to get back to us and then our Secretary of State visited the North and actually met with the North Korean leader. President Clinton was hustling in his attempt to get that agreement before he left office. George W. Bush assumed office and the show then went off Broadway. It turned out that Kim Jong-il wasn't being truthful all along....who was surprised here?
           So it's almost twenty years later and our....possibly soon to be Secretary of State....visited with Kim Jong-un to set up a meeting with President Trump to get a similar agreement. Incredibly....newly appointed National Security Advisor John Bolton was peripherally involved in the outcome of the first set of meetings....and will be even more involved in the upcoming meeting. In 2000 he was instrumental in the George W. Bush victory in the Florida chad fiasco.
          There is one thing today that may be different. President Trump in effect said that if he smells a rat the deal is off.....which would put us in the same position that we were in last June.  We know these two things for sure....John Bolton is good at smelling a rat.....and Kim Jong-un is a rat.
          There's something else similar to 1999....an election is coming up in the United States. Nuclear war and a world-wide economic collapse aside....nothing is more important than keeping that almighty majority status in the Congress. Kim Jong-un knows this....President Xi Jingping knows this.....the mullahs know this.....Putin knows this.....everyone seems to know this except us.
          When President Trump announced Neil Gorsuch as his nominee for the Supreme Court he invited his second choice to be present at the ceremony ....it made for good drama.....like a reality show.....and the winner is! This upcoming meeting has reality show written all over it. The United States has to go into this meeting expecting it to fall apart. This is no place for theatrics. If Kim Jong-un is serious then the President should not have to be there. If people around the world start celebrating 'peace and safety'.....then we might want to think about a whole different set of circumstances.

"While they are saying, 'peace and safety!' then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief.....so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be sober and alert."   (1 Thessalonians 5: 3,4,6)

Great Is Artemis Of The Ephesians

The following was first posted November 6th, 2017 and is my Lord's Day post:

         Doesn't it seem odd how there appeared to be a lot of demons around when Jesus walked the earth....but today....with more people in the United States than there was in the whole world 2000 years ago....that the demonic is hardly mentioned outside of certain fundamentalist churches....and never in the media unless some mother is arrested supposedly trying to cast a demon out of her child. I have to wonder if Christians today even believe in demonic activity....for if they did then how could they so nonchalantly be involved in sorceries in the form of entertainment?
         Have you ever been stunned as I have in looking at photos of some mass murders in America where the perpetrators of these deeds often display wild eyes and vacant stares....sometimes even hideous smiles? We usually ascribe their actions to some kind of chemical imbalance in the brain and then tack a psychology label on them.
         Forty years ago there were Christian books on the market that warned of both occult influences on the young and also of mind vacating drugs that can essentially serve as an invitation to the demonic. I read the books at the time....they made sense to me....still do....so for over thirty-five years now I have tended to check the newspapers for reports that the mass murderer was either heavily involved in the occult or with mind-altering drugs whether illegal or doctor prescribed. What most often seems to happen is that these details do come out in the affirmative.....but mysteriously not until months or even years have passed.
          It's been proposed that demonic activity is higher in some ages than it is in others, so it was quite natural to be intense when Jesus Christ walked the earth. I think that that is a fair assessment and also that the Second Coming of Jesus Christ in judgment would see even more evil in this world...in this form. Whether one believes that Jesus Christ is at the very doorstep or not....one has to admit that it must not be far off....or at the very least hope that our Lord's return is near.....we can agree on that can we not?
          The occult and drugs were both part of Hitler's Nazi regime. How could Stalin not have been demon possessed?  It is my contention that this is what we are dealing with in much of the news of today that stuns us in its violence and evil. So what are we to do? We are to go to God's Word that is given to us.....live in the Bible......every word of it.......every day......hold everything up to it......apply it to everything.......defend with it....wield it as a sword.
          Paul spent two years in Ephesus that supported and celebrated the occult worship of Artemis
and magical arts. His ministry generated hate and violence towards 'the Way' much the same as what
we are experiencing in America today. In writing to the church at Ephesus while awaiting his
martyrdom in Rome he was inspired to write this: "...be strong in the Lord and the power of His
might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the
rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and
having done all, to stand."

We Agree On The Description....Not On The Edification

Rush Limbaugh has his own particular methodology in continuously propping up President Trump. When Donald Trump stabs us in the back....which has happened often over the past year....or some other story comes out that should by all rights be front and center on conservative talk radio....Rush does his best to ignore it.....act like nothing has happened......simple as that! To make matters worse he often fills up the time with telling his audience how the media never gives us the truth.....while he won't give us the truth! (do you disagree with me...listen to the show with this in mind) The result is that he very effectively deflects deserved criticism of President Trump to such an extent that at the end of three hours the listener has forgotten what he/she was mad about to begin with. Although President Trump incorporates this method in his pep rallies.....his methodology is much more refined....much more Machiavellian.....and even remarkably similar to Saul Alinsky's Rules For Radicals:

           This one took me by surprise. In my mind former South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint was the most honest man in the United States Senate. The former head of the Heritage Foundation, he heads his own organization today. I knew that while at Heritage he helped Donald Trump considerably in his campaign.....the right thing to do.....but I would have thought that he wasn't too thrilled with the now President Trump.
           I received one of DeMint's bulk emails where he offered a book for a small donation to his Conservative Partnership Center opening up later this year. That book is The Art Of The Donald, Lessons from America's Philosopher-In-Chief by Christopher Bedford. I emailed Jim DeMint....or at least attempted to....thanking him for the years of service he had given to our nation.....but took issue with the choice of the book that he was offering. I got on the phone and found a Barnes & Noble about 40 miles away that had it....drove there right away and had the book in my hand a few hours later.
           The book is one of those small hardcovers that usually seem to have a theme where I often wonder why the author even bothered to go to the trouble since other than advice there is little of substance in these type books. Well, I was in for another surprise. I've read quite a few of the books on this past general election but this little hardback....stuck in amongst the business books at B&N.... was one of the best if not the best. Now I was not surprised by the description it gave of Donald Trump....as a matter of fact it's worse than I even expected....but it is accurate as far I have observed on who Donald Trump is and how he won the nomination and election.
           Surely the author is fully aware of the make-up of the person that he wrote about....He just doesn't see a problem with it....in fact the whole message of the book is if we (Republicans) want to win then we have to emulate Donald Trump.....which I think is the last thing on earth that we should want to do.
           To me Donald Trump is an invisible man. He has flesh and blood.....a history on making billions of dollars......a celebrity to rival anyone in Hollywood....and a very discernible philosophy in how to win.....anything......just win....but that's all that there is. A few years ago I researched articles on just what books Donald Trump had read in his life. He didn't read a lot of books but did have favorites. Machiavelli's The Prince was one of them. Donald Trump is now that prince. There is a different Prince that we need to look to!
          I hope that Jim DeMint sends out thousands of these books....I highly recommend it....for the bottom line is that unless we the people wake up to who Donald Trump really is then he will not only continue to solidify his support but grow to unmanageable proportions of ego and bom(b)bast. The reader will either agree with the author that Donald Trump is indeed onto something important and powerful.....or the reader will feel deep remorse for their failure to recognize that this agenda is in reality not an attempt to make America great again....but as Donald Trump told conservatives in 2015 as quoted in the book...."I'm the only Republican that is going to say this, We've got to make this country rich again." There's a big difference between these two goals...the latter being the real goal. It's a risk....hoping that people will see through the vanity and the arrogance....but if something like this book doesn't wake us up...then maybe nothing will.

conservativepartnership.org

            The deep state coup that is in full swing has to be challenged at every turn and as long as it takes but what we have done is rush headlong into the defense of Donald Trump for one whole year while giving him free reign to run roughshod over us in the process....he thinking that we have no hope but in him.....no where to turn but to him.....and apparently that is the case with most conservatives.
             Russia is not a 'paper tiger' as I heard Dr. Gorka blithely state. Statesmanship is not bellicose rantings in a tweet. War is hell as William Tecumseh Sherman informed us and many others have testified of. One had better be sure before throwing down the gauntlet. This takes wisdom. Has anyone seen an inkling of wisdom yet in Donald Trump? I've heard the word 'genius' and 'fearless' and even 'artful'.....but never a hint of the word 'wisdom.'
             We have a greater hope than princes and missiles and tariffs and deals and threats....and we don't have to beg for morsels from our Prince's table. We know that He is faithful......and it is us that was not faithful. We know that He extends mercy to anyone who comes to Him....even to princes who see that if they were to have any power at all it would have to come from Him....even to whole nations who though blessed by Him had forgotten and then rejected Him.....and that...."He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding".....and...."Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie."             
       

"I Do Solemnly Swear..."

Disciplinary action....rather severe....was brought against three Tennessee Air National Guard members after a video of a reenlistment ceremony was published on social media where a colonel read the oath to a senior noncommissioned officer who was wearing a dinosaur puppet on her right hand that she raised. The following post is seven years old...slightly amended....and the last sentence is still applicable in this coming primary season::

I Do Solemnly Swear

           "I do solemnly swear that I will support, obey and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of this Commonwealth and that I will discharge my duties with fidelity with no regard to lucre or profit," I recently heard these words spoken as I witnessed our county officials take the oath of office. As I heard the words stated....and then repeated....I myself was solemnly affected!
           The Declaration of Independence ends with these words, "And for the support of the Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor." Have we strayed as a nation from valuing our honor above our lifestyles, our personal security, even our futures? I do not doubt that these fifty-six men meant what they signed onto in this document. I took an oath when I entered the army in 1969 but was too immature to really understand the solemnity of it. I took wedding vows in 1976 and through God's grace I am still united in this gift. More recently I took an oath as a juror and by this time in my life I felt the weight of the words I had spoken. The prosecutor chose me to come up to...to thank the jury....why....I wasn't the jury foreman....I can only assume that it was because I showed seriousness in sitting at attention for the whole trial with my eyes fixed on the person in the witness box.
           Christianity itself is grounded on an oath...an oath taken by God alone. He led men of Old Testament times to know the importance of a covenant in order to covenant with them. Today we often witness the repercussions of a broken oath in a courtroom or before Congress, the result being an indictment of perjury, but even here do we even consider what the signers of the Declaration of Independence referred to as sacred honor? 
           Barack Obama took his initial oath of office on the Capitol steps with his hand on a King James Bible used by Abraham Lincoln.  There were some mistakes made by both he and Chief Justice Roberts that were labelled by some The flub heard round the world. Barack Obama began to repeat the words of Chief Justice Roberts a little bit early which in turn threw the Chief Justice off. After considering the situation, the oath was taken again the next day in the White House, with no Bible. The promise still was to "preserve, protect and defend" the Constitution. It was said that the first oath of office was valid....but just in case. The Bible was obviously not important here but what about the meaning of the words? Or was that just protocol?
           I don't know how many times that while sitting on the beach on vacation someone would walk up and offer a very nice gift if only we gave a few hours of our time looking at a condo. The answer was always "no thank-you." Most recently, at Barefoot Landing in Myrtle Beach, dinner for two and a show was offered. There is no way on God's great and wonderful green earth that I am going to buy a condo. I tried to explain this but the response was that the owners fully understand the situation but make the offer anyway; but I'm the only one here that fully understands the situation so the answer still has to be no thank-you. There is no chance that I will buy a condo....so I can't take the gift.
          God knows us more than we know ourselves. Therein is the key. To the politician, to the lawyer, to the juror or witness, to the groom...whether it be an oath or just a statement to another person....we should know that God records our words. Herein is but one step in America's recovery, that our elected and appointed leaders take that oath very seriously, and also in the vein that it is meant. How can one consider the Constitution to be a living document and take that oath? The intent of the writers thereof is not subject to the readers interpretation.
          In this primary season, it might be very helpful to ask each and every candidate to express their opinion on the solemnity of the oath of office that they would take, and to expound on their opinion, for it is not a question that can be answered in only a few sentences.

More Than Censure Awaits

          The stories coming out of the UK now of violence on the streets of London are too sad to look forward to going there anymore. There is a strong Christian remnant in England but overall most of the people cannot even remember the God who blessed them so at various times over many centuries. Germany is long gone...England is gone....and we are slip-sliding away. The following post is from December of 2014:

           I imagine that there are a lot of theories as to when England's collapse began as there are theories as to the beginning of America's spiraling downward. I'll give my theory here on when the die was cast in England....it was in April of 1888. 
          To read anything written by the great London preacher of the 19th century....Charles Haddon Spurgeon....is to be taken in by his all-consuming love for God and exalting of the Lord Jesus. His sermons were read all over the world at the time and even today his name is revered in many denominations all throughout America. A biography on Charles Spurgeon would be a great place to start if you want to learn more of the Christian church before the modern age began to take its toll. And I'll recommend one book in particular....The Forgotten Spurgeon by Iain Murray published by Banner Of Truth.
            I've read a lot on what was known as the Downgrade Controversy but I'll use preacher, author and publisher Errol Hulse as a primary source in this post. Doctrinal Christianity was fading in the late 1800s as what was sometimes called 'new thought' entered the seminaries and pulpits of England. Calvinism remained in the confessions of many churches but those confessions were ignored. As Hulse wrote "The emphasis in the churches was on evangelism, missions and practical social work." He called what ensued a 'theological vacuum.' Without adherence to creeds and rigorous study of their own faith, people simply thought out their own doctrines as to what they thought they should be.
             Spurgeon was a Baptist and the main Baptist body of the day, the Baptist Union, was filled with many men who came to faith through the preaching of this great man....and many of those preachers were trained in his school. Spurgeon's church belonged to the Baptist Union. His ministry's magazine, the Sword and Trowel, did not sit back and let this Downgrade continue without a fight; this from its writers, "Germany was made unbelieving by her preachers, and England is following in her track. The consequences of preaching 'another gospel' in the form of 'modern thought' was catastrophic." It then went on to describe the dwindling attendance in the churches.
            Spurgeon withdrew his church from the Baptist Union which in turn felt it had to respond in kind. This took place at a general assembly of the Baptist Union. A motion was made to, in effect, censure Charles Haddon Spurgeon. Here is Hulse's description of it from a witness of the event "The chairman called for a show of hands for the motion of censure. A forest of hands went up. "Against", called the chairman. (Oakley) testified that he did not see any hands but history records that there were seven. Without any announcement of numbers the vast assembly broke out into tumultuous cheering, and cheering and cheering yet. From some of the older men their pent-up hostility found vent; from many of the younger men wild resistance to any 'obscurantist trammels', as they said, broke loose. It was a strange seen. I viewed it almost in tears. I stood near a 'Spurgeon's man' whom I knew very well. Mr. Spurgeon had welcomed him from a low position. He went almost wild with delight at the censure of this great and generous master. I say it was a strange scene, that that vast assembly should be so outrageously delighted at the condemnation of the greatest, noblest and the grandest leader of the faith.....It was reported that the vote was 2000 to 7 against CHS"
             The Downgrade Controversy took its toll on the man....and Charles Spurgeon died a few years after his censure....fighting the 'Downgrade' to the end. About ten years ago my wife, son and I visited Spurgeon's church in the Elephant and Castle section of London and heard a sermon that Spurgeon himself would have delighted in. I think that there is something to glean from what happened to the 'Prince of Preachers.' whose own brother, a minister himself, voted for the censure! Scripture is clear in that many who profess Christ will react even more vociferously against Christians in the Last Days.  Prepare for this if these be those days for it's something that we would not normally envision. Circumstances have a way of arising, that cannot possibly be foreseen, that make possible that which no one would believe possible beforehand. If censure celebrated with clamor could happen to Charles Spurgeon for defending the gospel in a civilized culture where God had not yet been evicted what would the reactions be in an uncivilized culture that mocks God, a culture that we live in right now?

and this from December of 2011:

          How are we to explain it? At one moment the people were laying palm branches before the approaching colt that carried Jesus into Jerusalem, shouting "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord," and only a few days later they shouted "Crucify, crucify him!" Or were they the same people? Luke describes the first as his "disciples," and the second as the "chief priests, rulers and the people." Is this not the dichotomy of the people of this world from that day to the present? 
          I remember watching an awards ceremony (probably the Tonys) on television in the mid-eighties where there were two musical performances, one after the other. The scene effected me enough to recall and relate it many times since. My memory on the specifics is not that clear but I do remember a gospel themed performance from a large choir. Certainly it must have been related to one of the nominees. It was a powerful ensemble performance and the audience was enthusiastic in its response. Then came the second performance. What I remember about it was the very wild theme as if from a Mardi Gras or a Brazilian festival. Again, the power of the music was displayed and the audience responded in kind. I felt that I had witnessed a spiritual battle right before me on the television screen. It astounded me that two themes of such opposite polarity where presented next to each other. Certainly, some cheered only for the gospel ensemble, others cheered only for the wild festival-like performance, while still others cheered for both, oblivious to the clash of messages.
         Who may have won that battle...I don't know, but it became etched in my own mind. Not all Christians are consumed with passion for knowing Christ, nor awestruck by the majesty and radiance of the Risen Lord, nor do they cling to His Word as more valuable than gold and more precious than pearls, but many do. Not all of those that are lost and unredeemed grit their teeth in hate at the mere mention of Jesus Christ, but some do, while the lukewarm in the middle are often confused as to what all the fuss is about. The Israel of the Old Testament either sang praises and danced to its God or they killed the prophets sent by Him. Even today, we are conflicted not only between nations, but within nations, even at times within ourselves. There is no safety in trying to avoid the battle between God and those who oppose Him. The only safety is in shouting salvation and glory and power belong to our God!... to the only righteous king... and the only true God!

Nebuchadnezzar On My Mind

I posted the following anecdote a few months ago......right below it is another anecdote concerning something that happened last night......below these is a full post from March of 2017 at the conclusion of the yearly CPAC conference:

          We were sitting across the table at dinner and my wife asked me a question on plans we have for tomorrow. I may have had a glazed look on my face and my response was something like..."Wha?" I apologized...the conversation went something like this:

"Sorry...My mind is somewhere else."
"What are you thinking about?"
I paused and then answered truthfully...
"Nebuchadnezzar."
"Nebuchadnezzar?....You're eating meatloaf during a cozy dinner with your wife and thinking about Nebuchadnezzar?"
"Uh huh."

         Last night my wife and I were playing cards with her parents......Five Hundred......we each put in a dollar.....winner take all. I have to admit that this was more an act of mercy on my wife and her parents who desperately needed a fourth.....but I do enjoy cards on occasion. I was having a difficult time though last night.....I couldn't keep my mind on the cards....maybe it was because I kept hearing the word 'trump'?  I misdealt two or three times......bid out of order.....and generally flubbed a few other hands. At one point as I failed to follow suit I had to smile to myself....for my mind had wandered to....Nebuchadnezzar.

Selfies At CPAC

         Most any Christian of at least a few years is familiar with the passage of Scripture in the book of Daniel where Nebuchadnezzar was on the roof of the royal palace admiring all that he had accomplished when he exclaimed..."Is this not Babylon the Great that I have built by my vast power to be a royal residence and to display my majestic glory?" A few years ago Donald Trump was interviewed on Face The Nation by the CBS host John Dickerson. I came across the transcripts of that interview last night and a comment in an answer that he gave was a little unsettling...he said, "...In my case, I have made over $10 billion net, net, net! I have created a tremendous company! I have some of the greatest assets in the world!"
         Every shout of USA...USA...USA...such as we hear a lot and such as I heard only minutes ago from the televised coverage of CPAC at National Harbor, Maryland, is wasted breath at best. We also remember, I would expect, what happened to Nebuchadnezzar after his boastful rant? He became a vegetarian for seven whatevers while eating the grass of the field with the beasts. This is no time for shouts of USA USA USA....nor is it a time for let's Make America Great Again. We are a society of fist pumps for sinking a putt....where we were once a people who would  more likely beat our breast in sorrow for offending our God.
         What President Trump may be about to experience in that office he occupies would be more than any man....or woman....can handle without faith in Jesus Christ....and about a million times worse than any bankruptcy he ever worked his way out of. This is beyond a tempest that we are in....it's a whirlpool.....a vortex whose suction is pulling us under while we....our arms outstretched....are taking selfies at CPAC.

No Wisdom....No Authority....No Problem

            On December 20th of 2001 President George W. Bush gave these warnings in a speech to a Joint Session of Congress...."Our war on terror begins with Al Qaeda but it does not end there. It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped, and defeated.....every nation, in the region, now has a decision to make: either you are with us, or with the terrorists. From this day forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the United States as a hostile regime."
            A little over a month later in his State of the Union address on January 29th, 2002 the President mentioned WMDs in regards to these nations. I remember it well....my head dropped....I believe....and I just shook it side to side. By adding WMDs into the mix President Bush set in motion the confusion on that war in Iraq that exists up to today. Terrorism was a threat to the United States....and Saddam Hussein was a part of it....that's all he needed. The inclusion of WMDs was an opening for others to greatly hinder America's effort in Iraq. This has been my take on it anyway...since that day.
            What happened tonight in Syria was not a national security issue.....it wasn't even an issue of compassion as much as it was geopolitical strategy......and bad geopolitical strategy. Russia will respond sooner or later in one way or another. Someone else may respond. There's not a lick of wisdom in either Donald Trump.....or Teresa May.....or Emanuel (God with us) Macron.
            Did President Trump have the right to do what he did? No.....this was more than a precision attack on a small country....this was an invitation to escalation.....and something as serious as that requires that the Congress be involved....as they were with Iraq.
           There was no emergency here. This administration had time to put this before the Congress.....instead they informed the Congress as it began.

Anyone Can Have An Opinion

          Anyone can have an opinion but not everyone has a product. All you have to do today in America is think a couple of minutes and there you have it....an opinion....of God....of creation....of anything and everything, It's pretty much the same in politics.
          Men....women....who over the years have constructed a factory of sorts by studying and analyzing....and taking a different course when it's called for....whether it was while in Bible school or a seminary or your own study or library....have in effect come up with a product and not just an opinion.
          Now just because it's a product doesn't mean that's it a good product. I've purchased some pretty bad products over my 68 years and I'm sure that you have also. So what do we do? We put aside the bad product. In this case that would be false teachers all the way down to just poor teachers. This is how you come up with your own product....a product that you can defend if called to do so.
          There is a product in these posts....not just opinions. Test that product....at least it's free. Reject it if you have produced a better product....but if all you have is opinions then you are fooling yourself. Granted, it may go over well at school or a dinner party or at work with others who only have opinions....but is this what you really want? Do you want to live the rest of your life just conveying opinions?
          You cannot come up with a good product without studying the past....to see how we got here. That would be like trying to make a better widget with no plastic....no materials at all. The Bible itself and Biblical Theology came about after hundreds of years....thousands of years actually of men copying down every jot and tittle....and other men becoming experts in Hebrew and Greek....and yet other men having minds capable of systematizing concepts. Your product....our product....is a reproduction of cumulative other efforts....products....while an opinion is abstract....valuable possibly in exercising the mind....but still only an idea in search of a product.
           To summarize....put the time in....or all you will ever have is an opinion. Consider the tragedy of what we have today....an America of opinions....and a church of opinions....an educational system of opinions....and now even law subject to opinion....unpredictable....random thoughts....subject to the slightest whim.....or as Merriam-Webster defines it....chaos.

Facebook

           I've posted warnings about Facebook since 2010....alienating friends and family in the process. My concerns have been that it has dumbed-down the Christian church, drugged (narcissism) the American public in general, and set in place a platform for potential tyranny on a worldwide scale. One recent news report was titled...."Former Facebook exec: Social media is ripping apart society".....and in another about Sean Parker....a founder and former president of Facebook...."Sean Parker unloads on Facebook 'exploiting' human psychology"....in which he is quoted...."God only knows what it's doing to our children's brains.....We understood this consciously. And we did it anyway."
           I wrote this in 2012...."Ask the average Christian if they know who William Carey was and most will probably say "no" even though he has had seven colleges named after him around the world and is considered the Father of Modern Missions. He was a cobbler, a shoemaker, who felt the call to take the Gospel to the world, and his story is one of one discouragement after another. He finally arrived in India and it was seven years before he saw his first Hindu convert. Mark Zuckerberg is infinitely smarter than William Carey for it has only been eight years since he founded Facebook and he already has 900 million converts including 45 million, or almost 4%, of the Indian population."
           Facebook is under siege right now by those who finally see a problem in this social media monstrosity but they....particularly Christians....need to go one step further to see if the extended narcissism from ten years of Facebook use may not only have compromised their own privacy but hurt their overall discernment on other things!
           Trying to get this message out is difficult for we tend to think that the race is going well....but in reality we are ten boat lengths behind....all our oars are out of sync.....and our most experienced coxswains have long since retired....replaced by the President Trump's beamed in disjointed cacophonous tweets.

Visit My Facebook Page......When Cows Fly......April, 2017

          We have a new grandchild.....and he's our first grandchild! When the guys at my work used to come around with pictures of their grandchildren, I'm retired now, I would smile...seem interested in the pics...and make nice comments. I now know what all the excitement was about! But wild horses....wild horses couldn't get me to look at a Facebook page even with pictures of our precious grandchild on it....such is my utter distaste for that social media from it's germination on Harvard's campus to its social media hegemony throughout this world. I'll wait for the Pony Express riders to come in with the mail before I partake of that medium.
           Have you read the story of Mark Zuckerberg and the Harvard twins...whatever their names were...and the Napster guy? Have you read any of the enormous amount of research on the harmful effects of Facebook? And the word 'harmful' is an understatement. Have you ever just sat down and thought about what Satan might possibly come up with if he wanted to somnabulize the entire world? Well, you don't have to...he already did! Have you  considered....even for a moment or two....the potential tyranny for such a monolithic entity that Facebook has become?
           So what can we do? Nothing....sorry to say.....absolutely nothing.....except avoid it....not be a part of it. But alas there are so many good things associated with Facebook! Let me count them.....hmmm.....OK there's nothing good about it. But what about the person who may come across Ligonier Ministries through Facebook....where they might never have encountered the gospel elsewhere? OK....so the world is awash in a narcissistic trance through Facebook but in the process a certain number of people get saved....even Donald Trump wouldn't go for a deal like that!  You are essentially telling me....are you not....that God could not find those people without Facebook?  God whittled 32,000 of Gideon's men down to 300 but this is different...He needs Facebook!
           Hardly a day goes by without a news story coming out on the abuses or inordinate growth of Facebook... or the negative psychological effects. Folks, these are not merely abuses, they are natural outgrowths of the phenomenon, and they will only get worse.
           Time alone will have to prove this out. Actually it already has....but apparently more time is needed! In the hands of a Christian ministry Facebook poses no immediate problem....through it R. C. Sproul shares the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ in a marvelous way.....if only that were the extent of it.....but it's not.....it also encourages people to participate in Facebook....and to bring along their children and friends. In other words it perpetuates the problem instead of identifying it or warning of the many and varied potential disastrous consequences to not only individuals but entire nations and the entire world!

NOTE: If I could only do one thing with these posts I would want it to be leading people to Ligonier Ministries (ligonier.org).....and I try to do that often.....but there is a lesson here in the last paragraph.....not Martin Luther nor John Calvin nor Charles Spurgeon nor Jonathan Edwards.....nor Billy Graham nor R. C. Sproul (who have since this post have gone on to be with their Lord and their Savior).....were perfect.....nor would they want to be considered perfect. (nor are our pastors perfect....and it would benefit the church if they more than just perfunctorily admitted this)

"....Apart From Me You Can Do Nothing"

The following post is from this past November...slightly rewritten. It's an opinion that we don't want to hear. We need more than a revival in our nation....we need a general awakening.....but we are going the other way......depending more upon our own perceived power each and every day. God has given us what we demanded of Him.....we wanted a king.....we got it.....we wanted to determine our own destiny with no help from Him.....we got it. Everything that we are experiencing today are judgments in response to what we wanted.

            The split within the American public as to constitutionalists and progressives.....where we are two distinct peoples in one nation.....is judgment from God. The split within the constitutionalists as to Rinos and conservatives.....John McCain types vs Ted Cruz types.....is also judgment from God. I'm not done. The split within conservatism as to genuine conservatives and Trumpsters....those who do not easily abandon their professed beliefs and those who just want to put America first no matter how many formerly professed beliefs they have to abandon.....is judgment from God. The split within real conservatives as to those who......as did America's Founding Fathers....know that God alone brings kings to power and establishes nations according to His purposes....and those who think it enough to just constantly say 'God bless America'.....is a judgment from God. And one last thing.....the split within America's Christian pulpits as to those actually preach the cross of Jesus Christ.....who not only plead His mercies but warn of his judgments....and those who kind of stumble over the cross a few times a year....is judgment from God.

            Place the problems that we have with China or North Korea or Putin or Iran or our deficit or our decaying culture or our future in general....place these things up against this dictum and on this grid.....and America loses. We simply do not have enough Americans who wholly depend on the One alone who can give us wisdom and determination enough to survive let alone prosper....we are not great enough in numbers to make much of an impact. 

            Now this analysis certainly goes against the accepted dependence on grass roots....honey badger tenacity.....to get control of the halls of power.....whereas our only real hope is in our pulpits proclaiming the "immeasurable greatness of His power".....as proclaimed in His Word. Here is the crux of the problem. In the Old Testament the Israelites at times repented and were restored....and at other times took all the judgments and only grew harder in their rebellion against God. Which are we? Only time will tell.

           Folks, only a week ago or so I wrote a post encouraging conservatives to run for public office. I've been involved in this original grass roots movement for at least two decades. Politics is not a waste of time....in fact it is necessary....but its value is totally dependent upon the humility and dependence upon God of the people in office....and therefore the electorate who put them in office.

           One useful resource in gauging where Americans are at is the Pew Research Center. High numbers claim to be Christian but that number is whittled down to a small fraction as we look at their particular beliefs. Pray for our pulpits.....and pray for humility where we acknowledge that we thought that we could do this on our own....only to be reminded that Jesus said"....apart from Me you can do nothing.".....and then that we would realize that we truly can do nothing apart from Him who called us....formed us....sustained us with much longsuffering....and has warned us upwards of a half century.....only to see us not only choose an arrogant prince......but then claim that God gave him to us to make us great again.

"McCarthyism' And Donald Trump

         Donald Trump has exhibited similar characteristics to that of Senator Joe McCarthy but not in the direction that the reader might think I'm going with this statement.
         I was five days old when Senator McCarthy gave that famous speech in Wheeling, West Virginia where he said that there were a significant number of communists embedded in our federal government. Some background on this is needed.
         Most of our government.....and the people of America....from the mid-30s to the end of World War II were lax concerning communist infiltration in our government....this primarily because of the focus on Hitler and Nazi Germany. The communists took advantage of this lack of security and made great headway in procuring positions of influence even within the highest levels of our government.
         In February of 1950 Senator McCarthy gave that speech. It was the beginning of a firestorm every bit as big as that of the Mueller investigation today. McCarthy was a Republican, and the Democrats were incensed at the attack on Roosevelt's State Department. The media sided with McCarthy's enemies as the vocal and belligerent debate continued.
          The Democrats came against McCarthy with a similar vengeance as Mueller is coming after Donald Trump. In the end Joe McCarthy was censored by the Senate and became as a ghost senator....avoided by fellow senators and ignored by the press. He died a few years later at 48 years of age. The pejorative of 'McCarthyism' was and is today a sham.....as is the Mueller investigation on Russian collusion.
          With the fall of the Soviet Union there were numerous intelligence dispatches and KGB papers released to the West. In that trove of information McCarthy was shown as much more on target than not in his accusations. There indeed was much communist infiltration and espionage against our government....but McCarthy for his part brought a good bit of his troubles upon himself. He tweeted....OK there were no tweets at the time....he publicly lambasted everyone who he perceived to be an enemy of his and therefore an enemy of our government. If only he had conducted himself with some semblance of self-control then the outcome might have been different....although his efforts did bring about increased awareness and safeguards from espionage and infiltration in our government.
         So there is a similarity in the two men....Senator Joe McCarthy and President Donald Trump....not in that McCarthy was wrong about communist infiltration....for he wasn't....and not because President Trump is wrong about deep state corruption and a fake media....for he also is not wrong.....but both men lacked restraint....and wisdom in their efforts to warn the people of the United States of serious problems within their government.

Chappaquiddick's Message To Us

           Halfway through the film Chappaquiddick is but one of the many stunning scenes. In this important scene Ted Kennedy and a few friends and aides concoct an innocuous plan of action to get him out of the serious trouble that he got himself into.....he then leaves the island and returns to Hyannis where his powerful 80 year old father....disabled with a stroke.... already had a team of top-notch political operatives assembled to take over and orchestrate a cover up if necessary.....anything to save Ted Kennedy's career!
           This type of high-octane....carefully choreographed dance around the facts has been standard politics for a long time at this the highest level....whether it is Bill Clinton or George Bush or Barack Obama.....or Donald Trump. To borrow from Archie Bell of the Drells...."they dance as good as they walk." We cannot simply at face value believe what these savvy political professionals tell us....on anything....whether it be on what's in a bill or on waging war....without demanding time for cross-examination if necessary.....for if we do not then they will have closed the deal before we knew what happened! The words of Lord Acton are often repeated...."Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." They have the power.....and it has indeed tended to corrupted them.....and that's bad enough....but if we do not question everything that they say....then we will have in effect ceded them absolute power......and it will corrupt them absolutely!

"Greeting: You Are Hereby..."

             I've written on the perilous state that our nation is in so many times in the past nine years that at times I feel like I'm in a trance.....just sending out dots and dashes.....SOSs.....MAYDAYs. When I was 18 years old the most pressing concern for the young adult was the Vietnam War. There were a few ways to avoid the draft.....college being one of them. Some decided to go to college just for this reason.....but most who matriculated were going to go to college draft or no draft....and some specifically put off college because their country needed them. It's different today. If we have a draft then the male college student can finish the semester....unless he's a senior where he can finish the year....but that's it. Females are fully in the workforce today but they won't be drafted. Gays were not drafted during Vietnam but they would be today. I have no idea what they will do with the transgender issue. Documented and undocumented immigrant males 18-26 are also required to register. The draft board has always been ready....just in case. You can keep abreast of the policies and any changes that may be made to them at sss.gov. The following post is from this past December 7th:

"Greeting, You Are Hereby..."

            There is no plan made by man that can stem the tide of wars and rumors of wars ahead. An estimation here....if I went up to one-hundred strangers on the street and gave my views on the trouble that America is in, ninety of them would think my claims utterly absurd. Nine might admit that we are in big trouble but not to the extent to which I do. One might agree with me.
            If America's future is to be determined with a survey then we are in pretty good shape....maybe not.....good....shape....but pretty good shape as to at least surviving intact as a nation. Take a drive around your town.....unless you live in a metropolitan area.....take a nice walk.....particularly if you live in warm weather on the beach.....and nothing seems to have changed in America....but here's a hint.....the determining factors on our future will not be made on the congenial ambiance of a local Starbucks or pristine waters and gentle slapping of the waves on Siesta Key.
             Half of America has become untethered as to an American creed, uncivilized as to any sense of fairness, and unbecoming as to any beauty that our simple flag of stars and stripes once brightened this world with. Your hopes for a supermajority in Congress or a majority in the Supreme Court means nothing when nearly half of the people despise you and everything that you stand for. They will find a way to cut your legs out from under you. Do you not see this happening every day?
             Have you ever thought about what major wars in both the Pacific and the Middle East would do to our country that is pretty near perfectly divided? Have you considered what a military draft would look like? We can't even deal with Bergdahl and Manning....how are we now going to field a WWII type army in this anti-American political climate? Who gets drafted to begin with? Would we have 'safe spaces' in basic training?
             The 401k was a great idea.....for half of Americans who can take advantage of it....but what about the other half? It's A Wonderful Life will be playing everywhere in America here shortly.....take note of what it looks like when a bank can't give people their money.
             Many of you might say....."Well, we'll just have to depend on God." FLASH BULLETIN.....He's been warning us for half a century.....1/120th of the history of man.....half of America despises the thought of the God of the Bible and the rest of us give 100 times more attention to sports and entertainment than to Him.....and if you want to get technical.....he gave blueprints in the Old Testament for just such a disaster as we are facing.
             There is only one possible recourse......and it's not in the nonsense of making America great again.....but in the accurate....humble yet effusive.....and yet tear-soaked proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.... accompanied by what would be God's will in having His Holy Spirit move over this land in a 3000 mile swath of conviction leading to repentance.
 
           

Chappaquiddick

           Most everyone knows that fifty-two American hostages were taken in Tehran on November 4th 1979. Only people who followed Ted Kennedy's campaign for president or who followed politics closely back then know that he had a disastrous interview with television newsman Roger Mudd on that same day. I was a volunteer on the phones for Ted Kennedy during the Pennsylvania primary but it took a couple of weeks before I came up to speed of the news on either of these two events....this because my father died that same day.....and was buried in Arlington Cemetery not far from where all three of the Kennedy brothers are today buried.
           I was a Kennedy family acolyte since 1960 as I saw John Kennedy in person as he campaigned in Buffalo where I was born....and also remember watching the returns on election night 1960....but Robert Kennedy was my real hero. There's a recent biography out on RFK....and on the cover is a photo of him with his wavy locks, thin tie and white shirt sleeves rolled up as he reaches out grasping the hands of the black people in the Detroit crowd...I believe it was Detroit. That is the RFK that I and much of the American youth fell in love with in 1968.
          While at Pitt after the service I took a university sponsored bus trip up to Harvard for a conference that I didn't really care about. I just wanted to live on the Harvard campus for a few days because that was the Kennedy's campus. My wife and I honeymooned on Cape Cod and while there I had to take a first hand look at the Dike Bridge on Chappaquiddick. We took a second honeymoon there this past summer.....and we saw the movie Chappaquiddick this afternoon.
          I think that most of us who over the years have felt as if we were somehow distant kin of the Kennedy family knew that Ted Kennedy was not of the same mold as Joe or John or Robert as it pertained to greatness....how many are....and how the pressures on the youngest were just too much anyway....for his brothers were beyond extraordinary. I never even warmed up to Joe Kennedy the patriarch. This is self-analysis here.....but when I supported Ted Kennedy in his campaign....I thought that I was supporting the legacy of Robert Kennedy....and of JFK.
          The events of July 14th, 1969 on Chappaquiddick Island...almost joined to Martha's Vineyard....may have been evident since the inquest that followed the young woman's death but if you happen to see the movie it's as if they are pumped into the blood stream. Everyone in that theater today was probably uttering to themselves....'just run up the road and pound on the door of that house!' In reality.....Ted Kennedy's quest for the White House didn't end with the Roger Mudd Interview.....although politically it was the death certificate.....it ended on a flat wooden bridge on a warm summer evening on Chappaquiddick Island.
         About two years after the events of November 4th 1979 God had mercy on the lowest of the low and the unworthiest of the unworthy. Through a string of events I saw that I had lived my life in rebellion to a Holy God. There was no pride left....but there was something else that appeared in its place. This Jesus who I had been only remotely acquainted with for most of my life became more real than life itself. Mercy was being extended and His glory revealed in what I was learning was too magnificent to even try to comprehend. I didn't know it then but later could see why Old Testament prophets fell like a sack of potatoes in His presence.
         Over the past thirty-six years as I watched Ted Kennedy make the most outrageous statements and take the most despicable positions on issues....I could at least understand how he could claim the compassion of RFK as a banner but carry poison arrows in his quiver. Ted Kennedy's decisions on that day in 1969 destroyed any discernment he might have had had he just....run up the road and pounded on that door!
         The film is sobering.....not a sound was heard throughout except one or two gasps. The actor who played Senator Kennedy was mesmerizing....and this to someone who has lived through Camelot and the Kennedy saga.

A Song And A Hymn

O beautiful for spacious skies,
for amber waves of grain,
for purple mountain majesties
above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee
and crown thy hood with brotherhood
from sea to shining sea.

O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern impassioned stress
A thoroughfare of freedom beat
Across the wilderness.
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw.
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law.

O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife.
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
and every gain divine.

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea.

        The words and music to this consummate patriotic American song were written in the late 19th century by Katharine Lee Bates and Samuel A. Ward respectively.  The America of popular culture today challenges the meanings of nearly every line. The following post is from March of 2011....seven years ago! Following this post are words to a hymn written by John Newton. The above song is temporal in importance but the hymn below is eternal. The glory of the song will fade. The glory to He whom the hymn praises is imperishable. The words of the song could have never been written without the mercies written of in the hymn extended.

"America, America....God Mend Thine Every Flaw"   
     

         Not since the Civil War has America been imperiled as it is today. The national debt can never be paid down. We are so globally intertwined that even if we straightened out our own economic paths, we are handcuffed to others who have no desire to do so. China, no friend to us whatsoever, at least their civilian and military leadership, can bring us down if they want to, and if their own current events go south they may implement this option. Israel is surrounded and its enemies, like a pack of wolves or shiver of sharks, need only the smell of blood to unleash another war. Russia (Putin) would sell our enemies the noose to hang us. Both China and Russia are building their militaries while we are weakening ours.
          Our media, in the main, hates conservative principles and our traditions and heritage to such an extent that the Marxist Bill Ayers/Saul Alinsky cabal has a veritable free rein in propagandizing our postmodern, politically correct, idol craving culture. Our borders are porous, bureaucrats legislate and privileges are now seen as rights.  The events of 9/11 even pale in comparison to the organized effort today on every level to bring us down. .
         I wrote the following in a November 13, 2009 post titled America...The Beautiful....."We know who built this nation. They were in the pulpits, pews and courts, on farms and in the cities, under pilgrim, tricorn and coonskin caps, Civil War kepis, Cavalry hats, helmets and berets. They cooked and sewed and drove rivets when needed. They wore blue and grey, G. I. Brown, navy white, air force blue, jungle and desert camo."  Heroes are born in the cauldron of trying times and we are seeing them again today. How about the Christian women who in their limited free time would rather read of Ruth and Orpah than watch Ellen and Oprah, or Christian fathers whose children see them thanking God before every meal, or faithful pastors who say you can keep the crowds, I'll preach Christ and seek the approval of the crowds of witnesses gone on before, or of those teachers whose first priority is still the children, or of conservatives on university campuses who are too bright to be scammed, or of every country music singer that sings of God, family and country, or of every retiree who did their part and now shares their wisdom, or of every union member who says I'll fight for what is right and not for what isn't, or of every janitor at a Tea Party who is a giant compared to the executive who would rather be on the golf course, or of our military in every mess hall and PX....and behind every desk or 50mm gun....wearing either private stripes or brass?
         These are only some of our heroes. This nation may not survive. Why God has not ended this experiment as of now is the real mystery but even if we do survive there will always at least be a remnant giving glory to God for past mercies given to us that we might help others.

Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me...
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

T'was grace that taught my heart to fear,
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear...
the hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares,
we have already come.
Twas Grace that brought us safe thus far,
and Grace will lead us home.

The Lord hash promised good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
and mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the veil,
a life of joy and peace.

When we've been here ten thousand years,
bright shining as the sun.
We've no less days to sing God's praise,
then when we've first begun.

The Flip Side

The communist Chinese president met with the communist North Korean dictator and much of our media interpreted that as being Xi Jinping merely showing Kim Jong-un who the boss is. Kim went back to his hermit kingdom and had fun at his very own rock concert. America is going to need Communist China to stand aside if hostilities break out....for as the following post states....North Korea's most important fortress, Mt. Paektu, straddles the border with China.....where Chinese mountain climbing enthusiasts actually start their climb in Communist China. So what does President Trump at this time decide to do? He rattles and already shaky Communist China economy. Why....it's not an emergency....according to him the American economy is doing great? The answer may be that he wants more. He wants political capital! The more likely reason for the meeting was Xi Jinping telling Kim Jong-un what the plan is....and how they are both going to proceed.

The Flip Side

         Seoul currently has the world's 4th largest metropolitan economy powered by over 10 million people. It's ranked 6th in the world on the Global Power City index. It is roughly the same distance from Seoul to the North Korean capital of Pyongyang as it is from Pittsburgh to Cleveland....and there are North Korean missile sights closer to Seoul than that. An active volcano....Mt. Paektu....the site of possibly the world's biggest volcanic eruption back in the 10th century....straddles the border with China. There are purportedly thousands of tunnels in and under this mountain with thousands of nuclear facilities in and around it.....and this is where Kim Jong-un would most likely go for safety in the event of war.
          It's a little more than a marathon run from the Korean DMZ to Seoul....but often pointed out that the North Korean military has a lot of outdated weaponry. Be sure to remind the South Koreans of that if hundreds of thousands of army regulars were to be double-timing it to Seoul during a war. Does anyone remember the television show MASH? More recently than the Korean War....North Vietnamese tanks were not even a threat until the Easter Offensive of 1972....and finally.....the world's economy would most likely collapse if Seoul were to be overrun....even temporarily.
          Former Deputy Commander of US Forces Korea retired (2012-2014) Lt. Gen. Jan-Marc Jouas sent a letter this past November to three Democrat members of Congress in which he highlighted the flip sign of the 'my nuclear button's bigger' opinion. Is this man a liberal or liberal leaning....probably....but we need to be aware of his thoughts.....not so much that it should influence a final decision.....but that it would prepare the American public for what may be ahead.
           A best case scenario still causes tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of casualties and probably many American prisoners! There had been a lot of press late last year on a possible invasion of the North but little to none on the North invading the South. I'm posting this because we need to hear more than just that of our own military power.....and our churches need to hear the very real existential threats that we face....dangers that we brought upon ourselves because of our extreme and prolonged rebelliousness to God....and how these dangers can escalate to unmanageable proportions in a day.
         The following is from a 2016 post:......"It is far too late to avoid the consequences of our rebellion to God, but it is not too late to humble ourselves before Him and seek His steady hand in the approaching whirlwind, of which He has control....not us. May God have mercy upon us so that our pulpits will wake up from their dreamy state to preach not only our King....but our coming King....not only glory but woe....and not only rejoicing but introspection and repentance."

I'd like to go to the other side of the world to add this post:

Israel....Blessing and Cursing

         The United States with Harry Truman as its president immediately recognized the state of Israel on May 14th, 1948 after the provisional government led by David Ben-Gurion proclaimed Israel to be an independent nation. This was an example of another nation 'blessing' Israel. Failing to do this would have been an example of 'cursing' Israel." As for 1948, God was regathering Israel who is today as rebellious to God as we are. The 70th anniversary of this is only weeks away and although we may interpret this any way as our conscience leads us....to not see the prophetic implication of the new state of Israel.....and the 70 year period....is to miss for whatever personal theological bias....something that should be not only obvious......but a source of rejoicing that our Lord's Return must  be near!
          President Trump announced in December that we would be officially recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital and that moving our embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem would signify that. This is neither blessing nor cursing Israel....nor does it have anything to do with it being God's special plot of land. What it may do is have significant prophetic significance.
           To my evangelical brethren.....God could care less what city Israel calls its capitol.....Jerusalem is Jerusalem to him....capitol or not....and He also takes absolutely no pleasure in the Masonic architecturally designed, obelisk and near-temple structured fetid swamp of our capitol with its hideously designated Washington National Cathedral as our 'National House of Prayer.' What he has done is that he has placed a hook in the mouths of Israel's enemies. Populist President Donald Trump is but a world leader placed where he is for a particular purpose.....a purpose that the evangelical misconstrues as making America great again."
           America had to one degree or another continued to bless Israel through the Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, H. W., Clinton, and W. administrations. We began to curse Israel under President Barack Obama. Whether President Trump blesses or curses Israel will depend on, one....how truthful and transparent he is right now with Israel's government.....and, two.....if he keeps America's commitment as an ally.

Jesus Christ Superstore

           The 1971 musicals Godspell and Jesus Christ Superstar reflected something that was happening in American culture as the calamitous 60s came to an end. It was an interesting subject....this Jesus. Neither production would touch or was even concerned with the resurrected Jesus....for He was merely the Barack Obama or the Donald Trump of that time period. Ten years later the Academy Award winner for Best Picture....and Best Original Score.....Chariots Of Fire.....reflected a new phase in America's religious scene. Jesus was no longer a clown or a conflicted martyr....He was the Lord of the Sabbath.....and the Lord of Glory!
           Godspell originated on the very agnostic Carnegie-Mellon University campus. Jesus Christ Superstar was the product of people who had no real religious interest. The Executive Producer of Chariots Of Fire was Dodi Fayad who later died in a car wreck along with Princess Diana.
           Since then we have gone through our blasphemous Last Temptation and mystical The Passion phases. Today we are in a 'feel good' phase.....Paul: Apostle Of Christ being a welcomed diversion. We were a music-driven culture in the 50s and half of the 60s until the Beatles became more image than music and took us along with them. That's where we are today....increasingly an image-driven culture....Donald Trump being a colossus granite statue with clay feet. Conservatism in the 80s tried to construct a foundation upon which to build but even that proved porous.....Rush Limbaugh being evidence of how easily man can be overwhelmed by the image.
            Our moorings had come loose and we drifted under a moonlit sky towards the open sea......once a frigate we had been converted into a party boat.....no longer in a safe harbor....and with a raging tempest brewing....we scurry to set our sails only to find out that they have rotted. We rush to the stern...to awaken our Master to ask....."do you not care that we are perishing".....but He is not there....we look out on the waves but He is not there either.....we look for Jonah to throw overboard.....to quell the storm.....or for Paul for instructions.....but neither are on board.
           Jesus Christ was the safe harbor that we drifted away from....and the only foundation from  which to build upon. That which we are building upon today.....Make America Great Again....is already collapsing before our very eyes. The 80s were our last hurrah. Christian publishing embarked upon a prolonged period of good sound literature...and teaching that addressed our minds.....and weaned us for a time away from the image. We reveled in the discovery of the sovereignty of God in all things....were humbled before the descriptions of His holiness.....and we set to work to rebuild the church.....but were soon captivated by how big we could grow our churches.....and then we were waylaid by politics....and finally we were lured into the new Jesus Christ Superstore....where you can get anything that you want.....and where the customer is always right.
 
("Simon Peter answered Him, 'Lord, to whom will we go? You have the words of eternal life'.")

The Dog Vs The Lamb? Nah!

        I grew up a few miles from Forbes Field and the first thing most of us fans did after getting our tickets was to buy a scorecard. We'd spend the next few hours writing down notations such as K....6-1....DP....FC....and BB. We need such a scorecard in Western Pennsylvania today.
        Rick Saccone lost the special election in the 18th Congressional District but will run again right away in the newly named and redistricted 14th. Conor Lamb won in the 18th but will have to run again in the newly named and redistricted 17th. Keith Rothfus is our congressman in the 12th but will most likely have to run against Lamb in the new 17th. There are people who voted in a losing cause for Saccone in the 18th but will get another chance in the 14th. There are others who voted in a winning cause for Lamb in the 18th but will not even have him on their ballot in the 14th....and I will probably have two incumbent congressmen on the ballot in the 17th this fall. Lamb got a hit but was then traded where he now is trying to get a hit on his new team....Saccone struck out on his first at bat and may hit into a double-play on his second.........and Rothfus has three straight hits but young fire-balling Lamb was brought in out of the bullpen for his next at bat.
        The good news is that Hillary is not in this mess....and hopefully Trump will stay out. Rothfus will have his hands full but in my opinion it's to his benefit that he will most likely not have President Trump stump for him. Can you imagine Trump first stumping for Lamb's opponent in a losing cause in March and then stumping for a different candidate in November in yet another losing cause to Lamb? That would be two losses to Lamb in one year. I can't see this very political president taking that chance.
        Saccone may be in Congress this next January with Lamb out.....or both Lamb and Saccone both in. Maybe I should run.....the dog vs the lamb? One thing would be certain....Trump wouldn''t want to come....and I wouldn't want him anyway.