LAMENTATIONS

Preface: Two or three times a week I search for a Charles Spurgeon sermon to listen to on YouTube while either exercising or walking....so I'm pretty familiar with the titles....but today a title came up near the top of YouTube offerings that not only had I not seen before....but I believe that it must have been moved up there because of the coronavirus pandemic. The sermon title is....The Voice Of The Cholera....and the message was given at the Metropolitan Tabernacle on August 12, 1866. It indeed is a sermon for today as Spurgeon was commenting on the 1866 cholera pandemic in London. Spurgeon also focuses in the sermon on two 'ills' that plagued society of his day. They may not be the specific ills that plague America today but you could substitute two of your own choice and the message would be the same. Cholera and coronavirus aside....it's a sermon you may want to think about listening to. If you are not familiar with the 19th century London Prince of Preachers....most Christians I believe are....you might want to know in advance that Spurgeon's sermons went around the world....and his influence in the church was and is still enormous.....but also that towards the end of his life in 1892....fighting with everything that he had....and warning of the modernist liberal doctrines taking over much of the church....he was was censured by the Baptist Union for that ardent defense of the gospel....which would be like the Southern Baptists if they were to have censured Billy Graham for his crusades. Spurgeon's warnings went on deaf ears...and the 20th century came fast and furious upon Great Britain.

            It certainly must be one of the least read books of the Bible.....Jeremiah's Lamentations....five chapters....that most of it must have been dictated through tears....on what Jerusalem looked like after the Babylonians were done with it....but in the middle of the book are some of the most moving words of repentance and hope in the Bible...."It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him." (verses 22-25) The words seem almost out of place in the midst of the torrent of tears over the destruction of Jerusalem.

           There is the temptation to read Lamentations....that is if one applies judgments like this to other nations in the history of the world.....particularly America....to read the descriptions as if they are for the future or even near future....but I don't think that we have to wait for that in America....for although we don't yet have wild animals strolling on Capitol hill.....(vs 18...."Because of the mountains of Zion, which is desolate, the foxes walk upon it)....we are indeed right here and now in America....desolate.

           The sports may start again....and the stock market may even rise.....but as a people we are torn apart....rudderless....and powerless as a hurricane approaches. We are tearing each other apart right now....over the wearing of masks. The one side acts as if one might drop dead just by walking by someone without a mask.....and the other side acts as if the masks have 666 written in bold letters on them.

            We appear to have no ability to learn....as both sides....utterly unable to think for themselves....or use any common sense....seem to live on talking points....unable to even consider or read about any evidence at all that the other side might have....in effect acting like nothing more than cult followers of gurus. 

            A great general awakening is one hope....(a unity of the remnant another....a renewing of our minds....should there not be an awakening)....not to make America great again.....perish that thought if 'great' is only the strongest military....a good economy....bull market....and professional sports....but rather to have the LORD with us through the storm that is indeed ahead. Ah.....there I said it again....judgment is coming to this world.....a real downer if there ever was one....but this is not something new that God is warning us of for the first time....for he has sent his Jonahs to us for longer than I have been alive.....and now it is the words of Nahum that we are plugging our ears to.

              As for these words in the middle of Lamentations....for with all of the havoc around us....they are but a part of what is written in God's Word that should give us hope.....but read alone.....without Jeremiah's tears before and after them....without vs 40 of the same chapter...."Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD".....without a humbling through this introspection....seeing ourselves in the mirror of Scripture....they cannot have the power towards repentance that God has given them.

No iPhone.....No Headphones.....No Workout

        
Preface: This morning as I walked in the sun....marveling once again at God's creation....and thankful for being able to enjoy it....and after listening to the great 20th century London preacher David Martyn Lloyd-Jones.....a sermon titled An Encounter With God....(which I highly recommend that you Google)....my mind wandered to England....for it was this small island nation that most magnificently proclaimed the gospel of Jesus Christ in its churches....yes only in certain time periods....but over a span of over three centuries. Overall we cannot even come close to what England's pulpits gave the church. How often we hear on talk radio how we are the greatest nation in the world.....even in history....(somehow forgetting Israel when it was obedient to God)....but 'greatest' in 2020 is nothing to brag about. God used America mightily....militarily....particularly after England succumbed to the temptations of modernism....but we as a people followed suit and fell with a thud. We clench our fists at how this once noble heritage is under attack....and rightly so....but we should tremble and shudder at something even more devastating....as we lost the ability to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ....and to look to Him only as our Lord and our King. There is no longer a cost to discipleship....only a small user fee....that can be renewed every two years at the voting booth.


            It's about a fifteen minute trip for me to the gym....the way I drive....but it took about forty-five minutes today. It's odd....but it's me....I had Breitbart radio on....and the topic with the guest....a Trump campaign official I believe....was on how rumors that many Trump voters would not be voting for him again were untrue. So there I am with....VOTED FOR HIM....NEVER AGAIN in bold letters on the tailgate of my truck....along with the URL for these posts. Knowing that conservatives often listen to Breitbart.....and wanting at least a few of them to see that in front of them was someone that might give some truth to the rumors....I passed up the gym and just drove the interstate for a half hour....until the interview was over.
            So I finally arrive at the gym....mask in hand....but no iPhone....for I had left it at home. It has been at least a year and a half since I exercised anywhere....or walked anywhere....without listening to the gospel in some form on my wireless headphones. I can't imagine working out and not hearing Spurgeon or Martyn Lloyd-Jones or MacArthur or Horton or Alistair Begg or O Palmer Robertson....or Pilgrim's Progress or something about the gospel of grace offered to us. So I got back in the car....and drove home to get my iPhone....and then back to the gym.
            I'm bringing this little anecdote up for one reason. I didn't even choose the Spurgeon sermon....as it just came up next on whatever I had last listened to. It was titled How To Please God....and was preached August 20th, 1885 in the Metropolitan Tabernacle. I thought it might be just the sermon that you need. Everybody needs it....that why I can say that. So....if you are interested...you can easily Google....Spurgeon...How To Please God....and it will come right up.

A Very Natural Temptation

Preface: William Barr seemed so....neutral.....when he appeared before the Congress in his nomination hearings.....but look at him now. One does not retain their own independent mind when one willfully subjects themselves to a dictatorial-minded individual. The following is two relatively recent posts....combined because they share the same topic matter:

            What we have right now in America is eerily similar to the struggles that Germany was going through in 1933....with the communists fighting the National Socialists for control of the direction of the country. The communist element here in America is obvious. As for the National Socialist element....it is not the conservative/libertarian/Tea Party/talk radio people that I had been part of for decades....it is rather Donald Trump....and unfortunately those that were probably only a small part of us....but have come to the fore because that is how you succeed in this White House. It has nothing to do with the dominant anti-Semitism of the National Socialists....and its violence is restricted to firing (purging) people who question the President’s supreme authority....and to humiliation and verbal abuse. It is National Socialist in tactics and in both domestic and foreign policy power-grabs.

            We were informed very recently by one of President Trump's more trusted men that this struggle is no longer between Democrats and Republicans....but between the District of Columbia and the rest of the U.S....and that the President is...."breaking  their system....He doesn't play by their rules." This person then went on to attack General James Mattis. (Trump retweeted Sebastian Gorka...."I'm no Marine, but I know the Marines....Jim Mattis is no Marine.") Folks....this is the National Socialist playbook....for they were the ones that were going to drain the Weimar swamp....just regular patriotic folks....and you better believe that or else....because they don't play by the rules! Trump once said that he made up for not serving by giving the military $700 billion one year....and $716 billion that year....and that he himself has made great sacrifices. What were those sacrifices....having to give up on Trump Tower Moscow? May God have mercy upon us and open our eyes to this man.
            What we read of that is going on in America today....and the movement that we know to be behind the scenes....well there's no word of indignation strong enough that comes to my mind right now....but there is an alternate force fighting this surrender to communism....Donald Trump....an egomaniacal strongman of our own who is ruthless....and who has no concept of what the word truth means. He's not defending what is right....he is promulgating himself....and we ourselves therefore are not seeking what is right and good....but are just but rallying for a competing movement. We need right now discernment on how something like this is possible.....for history has shown us this....that one can oppose what is wrong...but in doing so only fall under something else that is wrong. Only God's Word can give us this discernment....under the power of His Holy Spirit....so it would behoove us to pay particular attention to the past as we take up these issues in defense of our country.
            So it would help to look at Germany in the 1930s....to see how a weakened Christian culture can so quickly and easily be lured into a cult of personality. As pertaining to the radical progressives among us today....author and Russian specialist Helen Rappaport speaks to this in her extraordinary book....Caught In The Revolution....(a review last posted on 8/19/2018)....but to us the story of Martin Niemoller should speak....particularly as laid out in Then They Came For Me....Martin Niemoller....by Matthew D. Hockenos....but as good as I perceive this book to be....if you want more than history....prescient as this particular topic may be....you would do well to read anything by pastor....author....and teacher....and German specialist....Erwin W. Lutzer....of whom one of his books is mentioned at the end of this post:
            1 Samuel 8:7...."The Lord said to Samuel, 'Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them." Donald Trump is everything that the Christian should reject....yet we want him. This is more than a mere political movement. I've seen a half century of those. This is spiritual in nature. God has removed over the years most of His messengers of warning to us....as they have died and gone off to be with Him....and He has in place of them given us megachurch pastors....and celebrity pastors....and young pastors who have no idea how to warn the sheep....for they themselves do not even feel the heat of this boiling sea of ignorance pervading the minds of Americans....even those Americans who only a decade ago or less had basic discernment on where this nation and this world were heading.
            God is most definitely behind the rise of Donald Trump in American politics....only it is not what you probably think. He has given him to us....that it will eventually be evident to us....that we had clamored for a king....as the Israelites had for Saul....and in demanding that king....we had rejected God. This is what happened in Germany....as National Socialism was going to make Germany great again....and that they would be powerful again. It's a very natural temptation no matter what the ideology.

A VERY NATURAL TEMPTATION.....from September 26, 2019

            As we all know the reparations demanded of Germany in the Treaty of Versailles were unbearable for the German population who were fiercely defensive of their homeland and German heritage. The Weimar Republic which came about at the end of World War I was weak....and hated. It wasn't going to last....but what would replace it? The future of Germany depended on its church which was unified in that the German people believed that the state needed its church....and the church needed its state....but there was little unity beyond that.
             A 'German Church' movement developed that entwined itself around the powerful ideology of National Socialism....a movement that was going to lead Germany back into prosperity and power. A 'Confessing Church' movement formed to stop in its tracks the state's intrusion into all church matters....but the Confessing Church itself was divided between those who just wanted the state out of the church....and those who knew that there were big problems with National Socialism.
             Martin Niemoller....you may have heard about him....represented those who at first thought that National Socialism was a great thing if kept in its place. Dietrich Bonhoeffer....you certainly have heard of him....saw the horrors of where this extreme nationalism could go. Niemoller spent years in prison and concentration camps before finally seeing the mistakes that he made before the war. Bonhoeffer paid for his discernment with his life.
             We are getting too close to having an 'American Church' movement.' President Trump again....this time at a West Virginia rally.....used the phrase "One glorious nation under God." We are not one glorious nation under God....and Donald Trump's god is not our God. I've written various themes on how I love this country for decades....but they will never take the place of or become equal with the gospel of Jesus Christ....and in this we must be vigilant.
              It is a very natural temptation......especially in times like this as America is being pillaged and plundered....to confuse a return to greatness with a return to God. Patriotism can be devotion to justice or it can be devotion to just us. Capitalism can be a God-send....or a god in itself. We are already compromising the gospel of Jesus Christ in order to accommodate 'Make America Great Again'....and it can only get worse as we will seek to be more inclusive of policy that opposes God's Word and exclusive of dictates in His Word....all so that this glorious 'revolution' can continue.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BOOK: Erwin W. Lutzer's 1995/2012 Hitler's Cross....How The Cross Was Used To Promote The Nazi Agenda.....the forward is by Ravi Zacharias if that makes a difference.

SearchImages            What we have right now in America is eerily similar to the struggles that Germany was going through in 1933....with the communists fighting the National Socialists for control of the direction of the country. The communist element here in America is obvious. As for the National Socialist element....it is not the conservative/libertarian/Tea Party/talk radio people that I had been part of for decades....it is rather Donald Trump....and unfortunately those that were probably only a small part of us....but have come to the fore because that is how you succeed in this White House. It has nothing to do with the dominant anti-Semitism of the National Socialists....and its violence is restricted to firing (purging) people who question the President’s supreme authority....and to humiliation and verbal abuse. It is National Socialist in tactics and in both domestic and foreign policy power-grabs.

Federal Agents To The Cities

            

            On the surface it looks like the government is just protecting federal buildings in an age of unrest....and it very well may be that....but it is such a deviation from what has been the concept of our military and our police that the Congress needs to look into it....and soon. What am I saying...."the Congress"....we don't have a functioning Congress anymore....we only have two political parties fighting each other. The media is no help for we have long ago consigned all of them to 'fake news'....and folks....whatever the President says or does....one thing that is certain....is that the talk radio generals....who once served us so very well where we conservatives could at least differ with each other in conversation on the radio....will now just automatically and efficiently direct the narrative so that the other side....(those of us who are also conservative).....will never be heard. The result of this is that the President can do whatever he wants....without scrutiny....and that is the crux of this particular issue. This situation does not bode well for liberty....and it points to potential....potential....extreme abuse.

             That 'deviation' that I mentioned is uniformed troopers of some sort....appearing to be nameless and faceless....resembling to me more the police in a Hollywood movie of a dystopian world than those in the actually military and police who have been our heroes....forever. These federal agents in Portland....and other cities....are primarily Customs and Border Patrol agents.....or so I read. These people also are heroes to many of us because of the very difficult job that that have....but that halo can fall off if their efforts and duties are changed without our understanding and consent.

              Time has an interview out right now with the person in charge of this operation.....about eight questions.....and it wasn't reassuring....to me anyway. The gentleman's answers were too forceful....too Rush....too unswervingly dedicated to President Trump. Yes he is the commander-in-chief....and following orders is necessary....but I would have liked to have detected some semblance of individual thought....some reassurance that the man would balk at orders if the situation would call for it. Google the interview for yourselves and see if I might be way off base here....for I may.

               The Cato Institute also has an article out right now. They are concerned that a paramilitary force....designed for border work....is used in cities not on any border. They are rightly concerned that the current Secretary of Homeland Security....who is the fifth person in such a position so far in the Trump administration....and the third 'acting' secretary....where once again in the Trump administration....the acting secretary does not have to have Senate confirmation....and therefore is totally under the control of executive orders. There are quite a few articles out there right now.....from newspapers in California and New Mexico and other places....wondering how a force like this became a personal tool....whether the intent be right or wrong.....of a president.

                Yesterday I ran into a friend....a conservative friend....who I hadn't seen in years....and we talked in the open air of a parking lot....in the hot sun....for almost an hour. It was only minutes into the conversation where I felt that I had to bring out in the open that I am no longer a supporter of the man who I not only voted for.....but celebrated his victory. We both explained our grievances....he primarily with the consistent attack of President Trump....since day one....and me with.....President Trump himself....since day one. I was satisfied with the conversation....and I hope that he was also.

                 We need once again to learn....figuratively speaking of course....'long division'....and not just use a calculator.....and to be able to grammatically diagram a sentence....(I hated that in 'grammer school"....but it was necessary)....and not just spew out a talking point....and to consider once again that there are such things as....logical fallacies....flaws in reasoning.

               

            

Random Thoughts

While testing the new user interface on Blogger....the following post came up from September of 2018....so I thought I would bring it back for a while:

    
             If all that we do is rant about the Progressives....then we are not upsetting the real enemy....they are fine with us ranting on politics. Donald Trump is no real threat to this enemy....nor are the Trumpsters. (nor anything that I might post that does not point directly to Jesus Christ!) The enemy has no love for these Progressives whom they merely use....but should you touch that which is behind the Progressives....and the enemy will come after you. Call out the heretical doctrines of liberal churches....and the sea will remain calm....but if you seek to awaken faithful pulpits....a tempest will arise.  If you leave your loved ones alone in the darkness....they will love you....if you shine the light in that darkness....you will be alone. Generic Bible studies are no threat to Satan's kingdom.....but teaching on what it means to be 'born again' will bring blowback. You cannot judge the strength of a church by its size....for size is not even in the equation. There will be times when you want to turn around and go back....times when you are afraid....even times when you are convinced that you are a failure. There is a cost to discipleship....but the rewards are far greater....one of the most wonderful of which would be looking into the eyes of someone who has just had their own eyes opened to the glories of Christ!

Romans 1:16...."For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."

The Ninth Of Av

           In a few hours from now....(about 1:40 ET)....the sun will set in Jerusalem....beginning the ninth day of the Hebrew calendar's month of....Av....the Ninth of Av....Tisha B'AV....traditionally a day of mourning......because of the many disasters incurred by the Jews over the millennia....including the destruction of both temples. The Roman destruction of Herod's Temple reportedly collapsed the price of gold in Rome because the precious metal became so common.

           The dates of the future feasts of Israel....(Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and Passover etc.)....are always only a click away for me or anyone who feels that surely major prophetic events will occur on these days. This isn't date setting for we do not know the years....but we do know that God's future plans for the Jewish people will most likely revolve around their feasts. To  prognosticate on this is more than problematic....but to ignore it is being careless to God's warnings to us.

           Israel today.....the people and culture....is similar to America....or England....or any of the Western nations.....in their rebellion to God.....for this glacier of disbelief and arrogance has not stopped on Israel's borders. At the very least we can use the yearly feasts to meditate upon and contemplate how Israel had miraculously come back into existence as a nation....and that for a purpose....just as America came into existence.....for a purpose....neither of which was for the glory of a nation-state.

What Did We Expect

I have never read The Art Of War...by Sun Tzu....but Donald Trump recommends you read it in his Trump 101: The Way To Success. President Xi has certainly read this ancient Chinese general's work. One recommendation in the book....I verified it from a few sources....is that you always leave an opening for an enemy if he is in a desperate situation...."Do not press a desperate foe too hard." We are now pushing for the opposite with China. We are tempting China to make the next step towards war. It was a risky tariff war to begin with....particularly since we were riding high at the time....but it didn't work....as half of Donald Trump's money schemes over his life often have not worked. The Cold War was back on....with a Hot War a distinct possibility. The following was first posted on March 31:

            The plane that I was on left Tan Son Nhut Air Base outside Saigon on the same day that Air  Force One landed in Beijing....February 21, 1972. This was President Nixon's attempt to make war with China less likely....or so he explained it as such. Four months previous....mainland China was admitted to the United Nations as Taiwan was expelled. Four months after President Nixon's arrival in China....burglers were caught at the Watergate Hotel. On April 30, 1975 the Chinese variation of the Soviet T-54 tank rolled onto Tan Son Nhut. China was admitted to the World Trade Organization on December 11, 2001....three months to the day after 9/11.
            Today our relationship with China is like a clematis plant that has climbed in and out of the wires of a trellis. As a matter of fact the whole world is the trellis as China's economy weaves its way up and around and through.
            China persecutes many of its people....and steals intellectual property....and its influence around the world has been spreading as an invasive plant. What did we expect? Its economy is said to need an annual 6% growth to sustain itself. We not only allowed this economic powerhouse to come about....we wanted it to grow....and we continued to feed it.
            If China's economy were to totally collapse....what would happen? Economists attempt an answer on the economic side....but its our intelligence agencies that attempt to answer the sociopolitical concerns....but what good would that be anyway....for President Trump doesn't believe  them. Well he may now with his own appointees in there.
            It would have been one thing if our economy had been suffering and people were out of work in great numbers.....but that wasn't the case as we were constantly told that we were the greatest economy in the history of the world. So why did we pursue a risky tariff war? Was it on principle? Does Donald Trump seem to you to be a man who acts on principle?
            China was being pressured big time. Their communist leadership was moving back to a cold war stance.....and then the virus hit....and if it subsides China will then be taken to task. The Pentagon announced just today that the Marines are changing their training and equipment to focus on a more likely 21st Century war with China.
            If one is building a giant skyscraper hotel....one might be able to go back and forth on almost a daily basis....'OK we'll do it this way" and then "No we'll do it that way". If you make a mistake....worst case scenario you're out a few million bucks...but in world affairs as serious as potential major wars we need consistency. We don't need a novice stomping around saying that he's the smartest man in the room. Do we want China to at least survive....or do we want it to collapse? Let's look to both the immediate and long-term repercussions before answering that.
             What has been getting in the way of common sense is the greed of profiteering....which is short-sightedness. The tariff war was ill-advised. The dispersions cast upon NATO were ill-advised....as were purging of experienced intelligence people because they were not a rubber stamp....and as was the arm-twisting of the Fed....as was a number of other decisions made only to increase profits that were supposedly through the roof already. Whatever decisions will be made on China have to take into consideration what the communist leadership might do if their backs are absolutely up against the wall.
             

Magnanimity

This is post number 2036 since they began in November of 2008. I worked full time during the first eight years before retiring one month before the 2016 general election. I thought I might refresh myself to some of the earliest posts....and came across this one titled Magnanimity which was post number six....but it could have been titled Magnanimity And Monopoly...as you will see it was two posts in one....and looks ahead to our troubles today. The game of Monopoly was originally called The Landlord's Game....real estate development....and go figure...ownership of the game underwent decades of court battles over the years. It current form seems to go back to 1933....and what a year that was in so many areas.

Also....Ligonier Ministries....ligonier.org....is embarking on a week of teaching on the English Reformation and the Puritans....with Michael Reeves....and we all know that speakers with English accents are smarter than us. Seriously though....the topic may not thrill you but this teaching is so lucid that it makes an otherwise....what you might think to be a dull topic....come very much alive....and I think that if you have never experienced R. C. Sproul's ministry website before....even though it is not his teaching tapes this week....it might be a good place to start.

December 11, 2008       

          As I remember it, the story goes like this; The Civil War's end had begun at Appomattox Courthouse when General Robert E. Lee surrendered his army to General Grant. The Confederate Army was filing by Union troops and laying down their weapons. Their heads were down as the anguish of defeat and a lost cause stripped them of everything they held dear. General Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain stood in the Union ranks and saw the once proud army that had fought with honor in what he believed was the wrong cause... but their cause nonetheless. He then committed an act of magnanimity that was in line with what we have come to know of Chamberlain. He commanded his Union troops to attention with the purpose of giving this beaten enemy a measure of honor that their acts of bravery and obedience to their cause deserved. The Confederates were astonished by this. They stood up tall and continued to file by and leave their weapons but now with a little bit of hope restored that the future might acknowledge their efforts.
          Lincoln showed magnanimity towards the south in the short time he lived after its defeat. John Wilkes Booth struck out in murderous hate because of the South's defeat....and the North eventually showed little magnanimity towards the south in Reconstruction...thus many put Jim Crow laws on this doorstep.
         Enormous amounts of money were spent in rebuilding Europe....incliding West Germany after World War II, as well as magnanimity given towards Japan that proved wise in how Japan eventually progressed to where it is today. Many historians believe that a lack of magnanimity towards Germany at the end of World War I gave Hitler what he needed to enslave the minds of his followers. Stalin and Mao were responsible for the deaths of tens of millions after their...."victories."
         If someone has been successful in their pursuit of wealth, do they show magnanimity towards those who had not been successful? Many corporations were sailing swiftly in the winds of a climbing stock market, did they take to heart the lives of those employees who pulled the oars when the winds died down and were not enough? It appears that a mantra of unionism is "never give up what has already been won!" We are in a culture war in America right now and one side or the other may win it. If this new liberal, this progressive secular leftist element wins and decides to once and for all to rid America of religious myth and tradition, it will lead to disaster. If the conservative, the Bible Thumper, the family values element (of which I am one) wins, and if we fail to recognize that our conservatism can be greed, our Bible thumping can be pride, and our family values can be smokescreens, then this also will lead to disaster. Should the Lord give us any victories in life, may He give us discernment to see when magnanimity is called for.

Postmodern Debate

          I remember doing a paper on Robert Maynard Hutchins in college....postgraduate. I chose him to write about because he seemed the ultimate traditionalist as he fought the trend in universities to move away from classical education towards viewing what the student wanted as more important. He was the president of the University of Chicago and one of the most influential educators in America in the first half of the twentieth century.
         Today's Wall Street Journal mentioned him in a piece by L. Gordon Crovitz. Hutchins and others had the idea that using the "great books" in the history of literature would serve as a primary learning tool to increasie knowledge of the world and build character. Theyused a Hutchins quote...."That the people must save themselves by strengthening their minds so that they can appraise the issues for themselves."
         Robert Hutchins said way back when what many have been trying to remind us of today, that for many and various reasons we have lost the ability to think through issues. Maybe it was the effects of postmodernism, maybe a steady diet of trivial entertainment pursuits or maybe the loss of the education that Hutchins tried to defend?
          When I was in high school, the debate team was very accomplished. I was not part of this but they wore jackets and ties and used a combination of facts, analysis and logic to win trophy after trophy that still adorn the halls. Debate was two people taking different sides on an issue and trying to convince the judges that their argument was the most legitimate. Debate teams have recently made the newspapers nationwide as two college coaches yelled and screamed at each other. I decided to do a little bit of research on debate today and found that "postmodern" debate is growing.  One does not even have to stay on subject and he/she can employ various tactics such as emotion and even verbal bullying. It took a while for this turn of events to sink in.
         Yes, political debate today is usually sound bite in depth and avoidance of the main question in method, but surely the art of debate in an academic environment was true debate. I enjoy sitting down to a conversation and giving my thoughts, hearing the other person's thoughts and relying on both of us to consider what we heard. It seldom happens. It's as if debate has become an oral game of Monopoly, for a "get out of jail card" does not look at any particular crime committed. Hotels on a property have no ethical meaning behind them. Community Chest is getting something for free. Owning all the railroads has no societal impact and the one who finishes with the most money is the  winner. Our corporations, unions, political campaigns and many more facets of our everyday life seem to be ruled only by that little white pamphlet of Monopoly rules.
          We cannot save ourselves as Mr. Hutchins wrote, and this was typical of his philosophy, but we can and must turn around this vacuous way of forming opinions that we are mired in. Hutchins would say that reading and familiarizing ourselves with those who came before us is one way to escape the bog. I certainly agree to a point. There is a verse in the Bible that says the same thing to the God-fearing person "Seek ye the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it. Then you will find rest for your souls." (Jeremiah 6:16)  Unfortunately, the following verse in Jeremiah is "But they said, we will not walk in it."

Lifeguard On Duty

The following was first posted three years ago....in May of 2017:

           The Psalmist pondered this question in the eighth Psalm...."What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet.....O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!"
           If I have learned anything about man in the thirty-five years (thirty-eight years now)....of my Christian walk it is his (our) intellectual frailty. Not in technology or the various professions and crafts....for here man's abilities only amaze....but rather in common sense and logic is where our weakness resides....and even here it can be great and honor God at times....but when it is absent all hell breaks loose.....and that is where we are today!
           I was a blue collar middle class union member my whole adult life and there is nothing that I desired that I could not have. I couldn't buy a Maserati...but I didn't desire a Maserati. I don't live in a mansion overlooking the sea but I'm very happy in my home in our little town. I have been blessed so much that I weep at God's mercy upon one who deserves none of it.
           How is it possible that God is not in our minds every hour of the day? How is it that we cannot see Him in the majesty of the sea....the grandeur of a fertile valley....the beauty of a flower and the wonder of a bird? How can we even stand erect in His presence without the aid of an angel? And how can we focus on the mundane necessities of life when His glory is everywhere? The answer is in our frailty which encompasses too much to adequately describe in a post such as this.
           I write this to the reader who might somehow apply the word 'fanatical' to many of my Christian posts. On the contrary....whatever this rapt attention to God....you must go out and get it! You must see what drives a Billy Graham or an R. C. Sproul! (who have both since this post gone on to be with their Lord) You must read the life of a Luther or a Spurgeon! You must read His Word with His Spirit forming your thoughts! You must do this before you take your last breath of which you have absolutely no idea when that will be.
           The Christian who is not deemed to be fanatical by those who do not know Christ is in need. The happiness the world provides is not only temporal and fleeting but a poor substitute for what God offers. I'm writing this overlooking the sea....while on vacation....and directly overlooking a kiddie pool with contraptions that toddlers have fun in. One such contraption is a post with a bucket that is constantly being filled with a stream of water. Every minute and a half the bucket is full and then being top-heavy turns over and spills the water near or on the toddler to his glee. This is part of the Christian faith and the Christian life....or should be....for the bucket is always being filled with the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ....tipping over and hopefully pouring it on others.
           There is a lifeguard directly in front on me watching over everyone....and a yellow flag is perched next to him on the stand signifying calm....but care is to be taken anyway. The surf is gentle right now but six hours from now he will put a black flag in the post that warns of dangerous currents as the tide is low and the waves are huge. This also is the Christian life. God's Word is the flag....and right now in America it is blood red. A storm is approaching...or a tsunami...either way we have to be on full alert. I've lived sixty-seven years....(seventy now)....and have never seen this flag before.
           Friends....take joy in Christ if you truly know Him. Revel in His glory....prostrate yourself before His holiness....and stand with His sword at your side in times such as are quickly approaching.
           

Who Is Mary Trump....And Why Does She Hold Her Own Uncle In Such Contempt

Preface....Saturday morning....The following are three tweets from the hero of evangelicals....from last evening...."I am the ultimate member of the Book of the Month Club. First I have lowlife dummy John Bolton, a war mongering fool, violating the law (he released massive amounts of Classified information) and an NDA in order to build badly needed credibility and make a few dollars, which....(second tweet)....will all end up going to the government anyway. Next up is Mary Trump, a seldom seen niece who knows little about me, says untruthful things about my wonderful parents (who couldn't stand her) and me, and violated her NDA. She also broke the law by giving out my....(third tweet)....Tax Returns. She's a mess. Many books have been about me, some good, some bad. Both happily and sadly, there will be more to come!" I've read over seventy of those books. May God open our eyes to this man. May we see how we have been fooled by a false prophet. We deserve him....we almost begged for a man like this....we watched as he destroyed people....we let his greed change us....we let him take our eyes off of Jesus....we let conspiracies theories....both secular and religious....overtake our minds....all this done with the help of ignorance....but even worse....almost drowning in evidence that this is a very troubled man....we refuse to open our ears....and our eyes....and our minds....preferring the darkness over the light.

MARY TRUMP'S BOOK
 
               You don't have to like her....and you don't have to agree with her politics.....but Mary Trump's book reads like any other book out there based on a dysfunctional family. I don't agree with her on many things but as she describes her life in Fred Trump's extended family....she seemed like someone who was humble and honest....and who cared for a family that did not particularly care for her. One thing her book proves is that not only does all the money in the world not buy happiness....but it can create destructive people.
               Most of us who actually have read about Donald Trump had known about this episode for quite a while....but Donald Trump's niece gives the whole story in her book....Too Much And Never Enough....How My Family Created The World's Most Dangerous Man. Here is just a summary of what happened but you would need the entire 'beginning-to-end' from the book to fully understand what transpired.
               Fred Trump had died.....Mary and her brother Fritz received a copy of the will....of which they were both left out....with the exception of a bequest....reported in other books as $250,000....that was given to every grandchild. Their father Freddy was Fred Trump's eldest....and originally presumed to be the son that would eventually take over the business from Fred....but Freddy did not have the same coarse....(to put it mildly)....business mentality as had Frederick the Elder....or Donald The Younger.
               It appears that you could not be a normal person in this family without having either to clam up....or change into what Fred wanted....or be tormented by psychological abuse. Donald excelled....Freddy failed miserably.....and the other three hung on and adapted.
               Freddy seemed to have a lot going for him.....as a talented airline pilot....with other interests than money....but that profession was nothing more than a glorified taxi driver to Fred. The son could not handle the pressure....became an alcoholic....and died young....the death scene from book resembling Act Two in a Shakespearean tragedy.
                Back to the will....as I mentioned....you need the full story from the book....but Mary and Fritz....after questioning how the will came about....and having Donald's fingerprints on it....and after having the family turn against them....unwisely settled on what they were told was about $30 million left by Fred Trump. It turned out later that it was probably closer to a billion dollars.
                Mary's grandmother.....Donald's mother....had turned against her.....probably having no idea what had fully taken place. The four siblings were going to split the inheritance four ways....instead of five. They eventually sold Fred's empire....and each made about $170 million on that....but Freddy's kids got nothing more....because unfortunately Freddy was dead.....in body and in memory.
                Can it get worse than this? Yes. As the siblings were  'negotiating' with Freddy's children....on the settlement of the will....and the family being irate....they withdrew the health insurance for Freddy's kids.....something Fred had stipulated be given to every member in the family.....and this as Fritz's infant son William lie in a hospital....with a life-threatening disease....needing that health care!
                OK....that's but one story....dealt with later in the book....but a story that those of us who actually defy the mind control of Donald Trump....and read books....knew for a long time.
                Mary is a liberal and makes no bones about it. The book begins with some heavy psychology addressed towards Donald.....and continues when necessary throughout the book. The author has a right to do this as she is a PHD....and this is her field. She adds political opinion....primarily in the last chapter.....but in between these two dalliances.....is one long story on Mary's life....on her relationship with Fred Trump's entire family....and how her father was tormented by both his father Fred and his brother Donald.
                We see Donald Trump in the book.....as he was as a son....and as a brother....and as a person....thus the contempt. We see the lies and the cheating that many other authors had described in their books. Fred Trump seems to takes up as many words as does Donald. As you read through the 211 pages of Too Much And Never Enough....I should say....if you would dare sneak around other conservatives and evangelicals to read about the real Donald Trump....and if somehow you also knew that he has never changed....not since he was a youth who was just as mean and bullying....and if you would then consider how this is our president....it might just make you agree with me.....in demanding that Republicans in the Congress tell him that he must go after his four years are up....give America a chance to heal somewhat from the division that he is a big part of....and hopefully use the remaining six months dealing with the tremendous challenges that are here now....with worse yet still to come....without a reelection to make him even more susceptible to risk....and to temptations for more glory.

"First They Came For The Communists...."

            The hated Weimar Republic had to go....that goal....all the main parties agreed upon. Hitler's Nazi party....with its own press....and complete with its own paramilitary Sturmbteilung....(Brownshirts)....(which greatly outnumbered Germany's army)....(and eventually superceded by the SS after Hitler no longer needed the Brownshirts)....but still fell short of a majority in the government....seemed the only choice in getting rid of the Republic. German president Hindenburg ultimately.....after a lot of negotiations in closed door sessions....named Hitler Chancellor....and astonishing to everyone who witnessed it....the next 100 days literally transformed Germany.
            Peter Fritzsche's book....Hitler's First 100 Days....When Germans Embraced the Third Reich....documented seemingly everything going on from newspaper reports and letters and diaries....to songs and theater productions and film. Germany....once torn apart....became united....which is the entire basis of this book....focusing on 100 days....but providing a sizable introduction on how Germany came to where they were in late 1932. Let us hope and pray that America never 'unites' as did Germany after Hitler took power.
            Previous to Hitler's being named chancellor Germany was every bit as divided as we are today....even more.....as they were fighting regularly in the streets. The communists and socialists hated these new 'conservative' parties.....and these parties hated the communists just as much....but one thing towered above all of this.....the Weimar Republic had to go....and now it was finally gone! Something new and exciting and great replaced it! What exactly that was they could not have known in detail....but they did come quickly to believe that Hitler was the one who could lead Germany back to greatness. A patriotism exploded out of the political division. Within those 100 days the Nazis....through that excitement.....seemed to convert most everyone......and therein is the astonishment to historians as they look back on it.
             The Storm Troopers.....the SA....went after the communists first.....and with unbridled vengeance.....murdering and arresting and incarcerating. The red flags that were once everywhere in the communist enclaves disappeared. Then they went after the socialists. Let me segue to Martin Niemoller's famous quote in poetic form.....

"First they came for the the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me."

            This is exactly what happened and Fritzsche's book details all of it....but as these persecutions progressed a remarkable thing happened.....the German people bought into the thought of greatness returning to Germany through National Socialism. They were now united in this nationalistic and ethnic unity. The opposition not only physically disappeared....but disappeared in the general psyche of the people. The people came to love this horror of a man.....Hitler.....and eventually paid a much steeper price than even the that of the Treaty of Versailles.
             As I read through this book.....so very slowly....contemplating how the divide between socialism and nationalism was so similar to what we are experiencing today....I saw very clearly the last 100 year agenda of communism in America....not that that was new as I have published on this over the entire eleven years of these posts....but I saw it in contrast to a large but still minority fervor of National Socialism. Just as the Bolsheviks had in Russia....the minority National Socialists.....as opposed to those more moderate....wrangled their way into power....and then purged everyone....even their own who they were not certain of 100% loyalty. Even the Brownshirts....who essentially put Hitler in power....were purged.
            Folks....these are human phenomena.....actions that we humans are very capable of if there is no sure foundation in God. They do not have to share ideologies....indeed they can differ greatly in ideology....and they can differ greatly in degree....but follow the same wide path. Right now we in America are experiencing a similar horror from the communist agenda of the past 100 years. If I seem less aghast than most in recent posts it's because I saw this coming and posted on it for years. We need to make sure that we do not become nothing but reactionaries. We need to be vigilant that a powerful minority does not hijack what conservatism has been in America. We need to do what Germans did not do....see that we had departed from God....humble ourselves....and return to Him with our hope and utter dependence.
            CBN......Pat Robertson's network....has been reporting on a revival of sorts emanating from all the division in America. We need to be very careful here also for a false revival....ecumenical in nature....and an essentially cross-less Christianity can emerge....just as a distorted patriotism can lead to tyranny.

Addendum: The following in no way sends a message about personalities! God does not work like this. Peter Fritzsche's book did not enter into modern day scenarios. It is rather a description of what happened in Germany over those 100 days. I bring this up here solely because of the draining the 'swamp' aspect....that we hear today....and not the name and perceived name involved in this quote. Here it is..... Fritzsche at times addressed how film and plays were used by the National Socialists to further put forth their message. He quoted banners that hung on theaters.....and this one that hung outside one particular movie....."Go and Drain the Scandal Sump, Hitler Is Our Trump." The issue of any importance here is that the Germans also were seeking to drain a swamp.....or in this case a sump!

NOTE: I have another post on this topic....titled A Very Natural Temptation.....only a few posts below this.

....Good-bye, Langley

Preface and post.....both from late last year....Voter's Guide from a few weeks ago:

Our intelligence agencies have been severely hampered by the accusations of a 'deep state' coup. Here's part of what these folks do in defense of this nation. They not only monitor but analyze the capabilities of all our potential enemies....and work out scenarios on how one or all might attack us....they make preparations for every possible scenario. It's tough enough even when you have a Reagan in office....but probably near impossible with this living breathing reality show in the White House....and they know this....and our military knows this....and they are doing the best they can under the circumstances. It would be one thing if President Trump's many impetuous moves were just risky....but they are more than risky....they are provocatively dangerous. He is forcing China's hand. This is not wise. News reports today say that Russia and China and Iran are commencing joint war games. This is what I've warned of through these years of Donald Trump. If both Iran and China are pushed to the brink they will give us a two-front war....and North Korea may be involved. Do you feel the draft? These are things we want to avoid....but Donald Trump can only see profits and polls.

             You are an analyst for the CIA. You're 64 years old and set to retire at the end of the year so you have seen lot in your career....and developed a sense of spotting trouble when something is not right. Today Putin is being pushed in Russia....and he has a nasty habit of pushing back. Hong Kong may explode. The trade wars may back the Communist Party of China into a corner that they will have to fight their way out of. Both Russia and China have fiercely been stocking up on gold. The Mullahs in Iran are more than willing to go to war....along with their surrogates....provided there are other wars going on. Meanwhile.....Kim Jong-un just commissioned his newest submarine and is testing ballistic rocket systems right and left.
             You've got a memo already typed up and ready to push the send button....a worst-case scenario....but no one to send it to....for everybody above you is focusing on Venezuela....on the possibility of a blockade.....for 'humanitarian purposes' of course....certainly not oil. You wonder if you should have included Venezuela to get their attention. You delete the memo from the computer and roll up the printed copy....tossing it the waste can....to be burned later. You decide to vacation out instead of waiting until the end of the year.
            They all shake your hand on your last day. You buy a comfortable cabin in the remotest section of Cook Forest, Pennsylvania where there is no WiFi or cable television. You bring a book that you've always meant to read.....page one....by the time that you have read through the book of Daniel you wish that you had sent that memo....by the time you've finished Revelation you think about....and utter the words out loud of the second thief on the cross....from the Gospel of Luke you believe....for you know no other way to put it...."Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

VOTER'S GUIDE

Preface: President Trump has been abusing Pennsylvania Congressman Conor Lamb's last name to put one of his acolytes in Congress in the coming election...."he's running against a lamb..."  The concept of a lamb is only weakness in his deranged mind....for he wields only a hammer....attempting to break anything that does not exude power and greed. This man would probably become physically ill if John the Baptist's words...." Behold the Lamb of God...." were explained in depth to him....or John the Revelator's words...."No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him"....for the only sacrifice this man would be interested in would be others being sacrificed for him. Interestingly it is the Lamb that broke the seal that leads to the four horses of the Apocalypse.

 "But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people." (2 Tim 3:1-5 ESV)                   
               These words from Paul could almost serve as a Facebook profile for Donald Trump....and yet Christians cop out by saying that he's not perfect...."I love myself more than anything in the world....except maybe money....lots and lots of money....and I am the greatest and the smartest president ever....all my opponents are LOSERS.....like that NBC host who I hear from others that he may have once murdered someone. I laugh at their misfortune....'Is this not America the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?"....nothing will ever satisfy my need for glory....and I'll crush anyone who gets in my way....for revenge is my greatest thrill....and heaven help any country that gets in the way of me and my great powers. 'If you don't support me, you're going to be so g--damn poor'....(direct quote).....and if you do.....'we are going to keep on winning, winning, winning'....for....'the best is yet to come'....because....'We are one glorious nation under God.' (more direct quotes) God bless America....God bless the world.....God bless.....well you know the spiel."

Malachi 1:4...."They may build, but I will tear down."

....Lord's Day Post

It has been my hope for quite some time that the very next Lord's Day might be the Lord's Day that God's Holy Spirit begins a great work in our pulpits....when pastors throw all of their worldly plans of growth and success out the window....and realize that they....like all of us....have fallen short....and that the culture has drawn us into its web. The following was first posted last August:

              It may come in this way....the last great movement of God in America....the preacher....any preacher....many preachers across the America....arrive at church a little disheveled....as if they hadn't had any sleep the night before....for they hadn't.....in fact they have been tossing and turning all weekend trying to prepare a sermon that they believe God may have put on their heart.
              The congregations detect something as the uptempo music ends....and the preacher's shoulders are as if they are sagging. Is something wrong they wonder....has the sale for more land for the addition fallen through? The pastor begins by saying that the holiness of God is an awesome thing to be confronted with. He's not looking at the congregation while talking as he usually does but his eyes are lifted to heaven. Maybe this is the setup to a humorous but informative anecdote....he's done that kind of thing before....but his wife is sitting in the front pew....and her lips are moving in prayer. This is no humorous but informative anecdote coming!
              The pastor reads the Parable Of The Ten Virgins....while his eyes lower to meet those in front of him....and he begins his sermon...."Beloved....how much oil do you have available to trim your lamp.....for you may need it soon....and even if our Lord tarries in His return....we must have oil for our lamps at all times!"
               It may not happen this way....but each Monday I look for reports on how this preacher or that preacher was extremely solemn in the pulpit....and the congregation responded to his message with equal solemnity.
            

....Trump And Israel

Preface: Would it shock anyone....the thought that an actual enemy of Christ.....might come in sheep's clothing? No....that's not the problem.....we acknowledge that....the problem is that for an enemy of Christ to come in sheep's clothing.....that that alone indicates that there must have been some delusion involved. No one is going to come into the church and say.....'hello....I'm an enemy of Christ....and a false prophet....won't you let me lead you astray?' We....evangelicals....generally believe that God has given us Donald Trump to fight the forces of destruction in our country. The fact that he himself is and has always been a force of destruction in other people's lives is not relevant to us. I don't think that deep down within he gives a hoot about abortion or marriage or Israel or anything else directly related to the evangelical wing of his base. Using only his words and his promises....it would appear that I could be wrong...and indeed if he can swing it he will indeed give us progress in these areas...but taking his whole life into consideration....right up until he started with those words and promises....there is a big tail dragging along out from under that sheep's clothing. I am not conclusively saying that he is purposely an enemy of Christ....or even that he cannot in time change....(although there is absolutely no hint of that)....but I am saying that he is a false prophet that has entered the church through his evangelical base...."We are one glorious nation under God....whose best days are yet to come.....and we are going to keep on winning...winning...winning." All things considered....his lifelong propensity to lie and deceive and cheat....(propensity being an understatement)....and his growing tendencies towards authoritarianism....with an iron fist....it is at best unwise....and at worst....irresponsible....to not only refuse to read about him....or critique him apart from the Democrat alternative....(the fear of which drives people to him)....but to offer to him four additional years to bring out the worst in all of us....opponents....supporters.....everyone.

President Trump's tweeting made it very clear to some who were on trial that he might just have their back if they held firm....(obstruction of justice) As for Roger Stone....when the President's Justice Department interfered in the sentencing....four top prosecutors resigned in protest. Today the President commuted the more lenient sentence anyway....and as Paul Manafort serves his sentence in home confinement.....Michael Cohen was hauled back to jail....his writing of a book being a chief issue....Lt. Col. Vindman was purged out of the army....and Trump continues a tweet storm on why senior members of intelligence agencies are not in jail....(after decades of profiling a potential Russian patsy....they bent rules attempting to warn us....and he wants them in jail)....all this as evangelicals....having long ago given up the higher ground....are probably thanking God today that no one will see Donald Trump's tax returns before the election. Republicans have about six weeks to come to grips with an additional four years of President Trump....and pressure him to bow out. As for us....it might serve us well to recall Martin Niemoller's famous quote in poetic form.... for Trump is going after all his enemies....and one day may be going after us....

"First they came for the the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me."

Trump And Israel

               It's a big deal to evangelicals....I'm an evangelical....it's a big deal to me....but I don't see it quite like the rest of evangelicalism. I don't trust Donald Trump with Israel as far as I could pick him up and throw him. Why? Seventy books on Trump's entire life and his three plus years in the White House....pro-Trump books....anti-Trump books....neutral books....his own books....this and how I have seen him conduct himself for the past three plus years....tell me unequivocally that he is never....ever....to be trusted. Take what you can get from him....what he is forced to give you....but never put your trust in him. No ethics....no truthfulness....a lifetime of cheating....and no empathy or compassion....tell me to watch every move that he makes.
               I think it's fair to say that most people....regardless of their opinion of Israel....respects the intellectual acumen of their decision makers. They built a powerful and beautiful nation out of a barren desert. They are not easily fooled....having out of necessity been vigilant to tee.
              I've watched carefully from the beginning how Prime Minister Netanyahu reacted to President Trump....having the advantage of knowing who Donald Trump really is....this because right off the bat his actions sent out warning signals....flashing warning lights that Benjamin Netanyahu does not have on his control panel.
              I know how Donald Trump operates. I know the schmooze he puts on....and how he can lie as easily as he breathes. Under these circumstances the insight is night and day between Netanyahu and those of us who have already been conned by him....and seeing this clearly....I want to shout a warning from the rooftops....and hope that the warning is at least considered.
             President Trump's meeting with Netanyahu in Davos....in January of 2018....particularly concerns me. He had been in office one year.....had the formula down pat for keeping his devotees in line....and the aura presented to Israel must have seemed an almost miraculous gift after eight years of Barack Hussein Obama. They let their guard down....the euphoria of the moment fooled even Israel and Netanyahu.
              We can watch again the post Davos press conference....but we do not know what went on in the private meetings between Trump and Netanyahu. Trump likes to operate this way....and we saw it a number of times in his deferential meetings with Vladimir Putin and in his reality show bromance with Kim Jong-un. He surely told the Israeli Prime Minister that he has seven years left in office....and surely promised him that he would be there for him the whole time....for this is Donald Trump. To those of us who know never to believe Donald Trump....we would have advised to take anything he promised with a grain of salt....but Netanyahu's adulating smile wasn't encouraging.
               Yes he gave Israel the embassy decision they wanted. He made that decision when he badly needed a 'get out of jail' card....the same with the Golan....but cracks could be seen in the early days of Jared Kushners peace process. (My head tilts back and I roll my eyes even writing that phrase....Jared's peace process) Even if I'm wrong in my not believing Trump's genuine concern for the state of Israel....his impetuousness....and constant wobbling....(as Bolton so clearly described)....and that everything ultimately revolves around his own exaltation....and that he has no ideology....no empathy....and no wisdom to speak of....all these things and more should make Israel cover themselves in case Donald Trump finds a better deal somewhere.
               It's not that I fully expect President Trump to abandon Israel at the first sign of trouble. It's that I know that Trump will support anyone who is of benefit to his agenda....and will abandon any others who can be a danger to that agenda....and evangelicals would be wise to realize this....for he could very easily drop us like a hot potato in a second term....no longer needing our support.
               There is little wiggle room for any nation in respect to their dealings with Israel. You don't have to love them....or even try to advance their Zionist cause....but you had better not stab them in the back. The state of Israel is not God's chosen people....for they are in rebellion to Him every bit as much as we in America are....and evangelicals would also do well to realize that Israelis need Christ every bit as much as any other human beings....but God's promises are clear in that He will call them back to Him in the very last days....after the nations rage against them....and after even supposed allies turn away. 

....DISPATCHES

VOTED FOR HIM....CELEBRATED....NEVER AGAIN.....There has only been a half dozen times in these eleven years of posts where I asked readers to consider passing the website on....and this is one more. If you are concerned about who Donald Trump really is....and the arguments here are some that you have never heard or read before.....please give others the chance to make up their own mind....because they are never even going to hear anything like this in the bondage of what is now....Trump Radio.

WE LIVE IN BABYLON NOW....Brothers and sisters in Christ.....we live in Babylon now. We didn't listen to the Jeremiahs God sent to us....Billy Graham and R. C. Sproul and others....we didn't think we were doing anything wrong to begin with. We gathered up false prophets....to challenge those Jeremiahs and Habakkuks and Jonahs and Micahs and Nahums that God had sent. It didn't work out too well.

SUPREME COURT DECISION.....Today's Supreme Court ruling that will help Donald Trump in his bid for reelection....but may hurt him in the long run. The Congress will not get the tax records.....as the Court sent this back to lower courts....with an admonition....and it will take time to resolve it....possibly extending beyond the November election. The Court did give access to the tax records to the Manhattan DA.....for the grand jury....which by law will be sealed. The President is crying persecution....but he must be relieved....that's the way he works....pure deception....for the people will most likely not gain any insight on his financial dealings before the election. What this does mean however is that a second term would be every bit as contentious as his first term. There is still time to pressure President Trump into dropping out of the race....and giving him a pardon for future prosecutions as it relates to the Manhattan DA....if that is possible. Folks....candidate Trump promised to release his tax records...."absolutely"....then for years he said that he couldn't release them because they were under audit....even there is no such restriction....and then he went so far as ignoring subpoenas....and spending who knows how much money to keep them secret. Does anyone on our side care at all about this?

RUSH....DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE ADMITTING....Rush related to his listeners on today's show how they should be thrilled that no one will see see Donald Trump's tax returns before the election....if at all. I know what he is saying....the above comments on this. Christians....do you realize what Rush is saying....we are to rejoice that no one finds out who Donald Trump is! Is this your champion?  Also....he was telling his callers not to be offended when the call screener tells them to get to the point....because they are merely trying to help callers whom they consider to have something valuable to say. Translation....call screeners on all of these talk shows pick faithful Trump supporters....the only ones with....something valuable to say. Over time....years in this case....we come to believe that all conservatives espouse the opinions of all these callers....who invariably begin their calls with comments like...."Oh Rush....(or whoever)....it's such an honor to speak to you."

A COMMON SENSE QUESTION....The charges on Trump Radio are that the Democrats are purposely destroying the lives of millions of Americans....this as it relates to the virus debate....in order to get Trump out of office. Now....for the sake of argument let's say that was true. This morning on Breitbart radio....host Alex Marlow admitted that President Trump's results so far were so-so.....I can't remember his exact words. OK....taking these two assumptions at face value.....we are supporting a President....who is doing a so-so job....even though millions of American's lives are being destroyed because of the division caused by that President....doing a so-so job....who he himself not only thrives on that division....but purposely generates it? Once again....if this were the case....should not the Republican Party have long ago told the man.....doing the so-so job....and causing division that destroys many American lives....should not that party have long ago told this President that he just has to go?

NEW THURSDAY MORNING....John Bolton has called Jared Kushner..."the second most powerful man in the White House." It was right at the beginning that conservatives failed.....particularly Limbaugh and the other major players in radio....when they did not shut the door behind them....and demand answers of Trump. I worked with a man who was the toughest person I had ever known....in worldly terms. He was one of those ring fighters that are so popular today. The stories about him are numerous but one stands out. Three men had stolen a trailer of his. He found out who they were....located them in a barn.....walked in....closed the door and and put a board in place to lock it....to keep them in.....he then picked up another two-by-four and handed it to one of these men and said....."You're going to need it." We are to blame for Donald Trump. We got fooled by his art of the deal....yes....but we should have let him know from the beginning that he wasn't our cult leader.....and he better get Jared and Ivanka out of the White House.....but we didn't.... and we are paying for it today.

THE BEST LAID PLANS OF MICE AND MEN....Any one of a dozen or more unexpected events can change election outcomes in a very short time. A world war could change everything....or health issues....or a natural disaster....even a run of what we would mistakenly call 'good luck' or 'bad luck.' God....and God alone....determines what kings shall rise or stay or fall. Only a few short months ago Donald Trump was riding on top of the world....his reelection seemingly insured....as he was telling everyone how great things were going to be....a false prophet if there ever was one. The Christian can only do his (her) best....and constantly examine his motives....all the while seeking only God's will be done! I have for some time now pushed for President Trump to bow out....but even if that happens....once again....God alone determines what kings shall rise or stay or fall....and His reasons might be the opposite that we think that they are. Having said that....

SEVENTY PLUS BOOKS ON TRUMP SO FAR....Ivanka lied just like her father...."Oh...I'm just going to be a daughter"....and she and her husband wound up as advisers in the Oval Office....the first of many travesties....the newly inaugurated Trump started threatening immediately.....the Freedom Caucus....as he tried to palm off on us a fake Obamacare repeal bill. I then started reading on Trump. I'm over seventy books....encompassing his entire life....his fortune and bankruptcies and Roy Cohn days and celebrity and family and Mar-a-Lago and golf and Russia and the Kushners and his presidency....and I'm in the middle of two right now with Bolton's book due today. My assessment on Trump's entire life....there is nothing upstairs....and never has been....no empathy....no compassion....no honesty....nothing. A vacuum ready to be filled. There is still time....Lord willing....to replace him on a ticket....and drag some sort of sane conservatism back into the White House.....and therefore at least free some Republicans in Congress out from under this bondage.

CHRISTIAN BOOKS. Thirty-eight years ago I stopped in a Christian bookstore out of curiosity while my wife was shopping at Penney's....and walk out with Josh McDowell's Evidence That Demands A Verdict. I have a $50 Barnes & Noble gift card burning a hole in my wallet so I stopped in B&N today. I noticed that in the Christian literature isle....all the signs that have forever said....'Christian Living'....or...."Christian Fiction'.....that's over one full isle of books.....they are now all labeled.....'Religion'.....with no more mention of the name 'Christ.'  Folks.....there's about a thousand books in that section.....and if they were all in my basement.....I don't think I could pick out one that I would want to sit down and read. That's how bad Christian books are today...but evangelicals don't care....because the bookstore in their megachurch....or is it a magachurch....has all the Joel Osteen books they'll ever need. Christian bookstores were once a supply line to both the saved and the unsaved. They are basically all gone today. The church today reads drivel at best....and as for the guy walking the concourse while his wife shops....he's not going to stumble upon a Christian bookstore that can change his life.

WAR IS COOL.....So Trump thought it would be 'cool' to invade Venezuela....this from the Bolton book....and that Venezuela is who we should be going to war with....."because they have all that oil"....this from the McCabe book. Sherman thought war to be hell....but Trump thinks it cool. What about all his talk about endless wars? It's all money and profits folks. He was ready to go to war in Syria when he abandoned the Kurds....because there was oil fields there.

THIS IS ONE TROUBLED AND DISTURBED MAN.....Any unbiased clear thinking individual should be able to observe Donald Trump's actions and reactions and recognize serious psychological disorders. The narcissism is beyond anything I have ever seen or could have even imagined.....the constant lying with not even any care that he is lying shows a seared conscience.....and the lust vengeance that dominates him....coming from the President of the United States....should be enough to shock not only citizens of the US....but anyone around the world.....friend or foe....but we purposely ignore all of this....because he has converted us into disciples. He brings out the worst in everyone....supporter or detractor....Republican or Democrat.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT AS TRUMP TAKES AIM AT CHINA....the goal has been to deal with communism as best we could....to make it that it cannot fool people and forcibly sweep over nations while promising the communist version of equality....which is nothing but totalitarian bondage....and in doing this to avoid world war! So Donald Trump was telling us every day how we were the greatest economy in the world....that the whole world envied us....and he and everyone he sent out gave us statistics every day on how rich we were as a nation....and then he started a risky trade war with China....the risk being if he goes too far then the Chinese communists might retaliate in areas both economic and military that puts us directly on a path to that world war of which avoiding was our primary goal! Trump could not care less about principle....or any issue really....abortion or social issues.....they were only used to get him in the White House....and now China's trade imbalance and intellectual property theft was keeping his greatest economy in the history of the world....from becoming even greater....and his self-perceived greatness becoming even greater. Then the virus appeared....and almost in a moment all the economic gains were lost....and the national debt which Trump was already sending through the roof....went into orbit. The cold war was back....and the Chinese communists were being pushed in a corner....a dangerous situation that even Sun Tsu warned against in his famous book....The Art Of War.....which Trump claims that he read....and may have led to the title of his own book....The Art Of The Deal. Summarizing here....China's reactions to the virus might not have been what they were....were they not being cornered....in order for our "greatest economy in the history of the world"....to become even greater....and in the process achieving Trump's primary goal....securing his reelection. What had been the primary goal for many decades...is no longer there....the goal today is as much profit as we can squeeze out of everyone. Those who....whatever their skills and limitations might be....helped keep us out of a world war....are today nothing but deep-staters....to be replaced with  loyal....inexperienced at times....yes men....who apparently are not primarily concerned with preventing a world war.

STAY OUT OF OUR POLITICS MR. FARAGE....YOU'VE GOT ENOUGH PROBLEMS OF YOUR OWN.....Brexit leader Nigel Farage went on a rampage against....of all things....English Puritans....of whom without them he would probably today be living in an English commune somewhere.....calling all of his tranquilized fellow travelers comrade. Here we are in America fighting those trying to take away statues of George Washington.....and our British hero Nigel Farage....is likening those pulling down monuments as.....'New Puritans.'

.WHAT HAS TRUMP GIVEN US....Federal judges? We would have all those judges with any of the other conservative candidates from 2016. Pro-business deregulations and a lower corporate tax rate? Same thing. A rebuilt military? Trump signed onto the money....he didn't 'rebuild' the military....he just likes to say that...knowing that we are dumb enough not to analyze such an incredible statement. He did give us a new cold war with the very possibility of another world war....this because at one moment he told us we were the greatest economy in the history of the world....and in the very next moment he started a very risky tariff war....for a few dollars more. I wonder if China might have acted a little differently on the virus if we weren't tightening the screws? He totally screwed up to the situation with North Korea. Our allies are disgusted with him. I'd like to see a poll of our active military. He purposely stirs up hate every single day....because he wants another four years. Does he love America? I don't see that in reading over seventy books on his life. What I see is that he only loves himself.

THE LAST DEMOCRAT I VOTED FOR....congressperson and above....was probably Jimmy Carter in 1976. We do not know what a day brings (!)....but Lord willing....(in more than one respect!)...I would vote for Democrat Congressman Conor Lamb over the republican challenger who Donald Trump is hyping in his normal inglorious manner. Normally I would be an automatic R vote...(I live in this district)....but this man either does not know who Donald Trump is....or he doesn't care....or he is but the latest subservient devotee of Donald Trump who would endorse the devil to keep a job in the Congress. As for my vote for president....I would write in another name. Trump tweeted only minutes ago...."I built the greatest economy in the World, the best the U. S. has ever had. I am doing it again." He is on his way to becoming stark raving mad.

RFK....It was 52 years ago tonight....June 5, 1968....that Bobby Kennedy won the California primary....and was on his way....I believe anyway....to not only the nomination but the White House. I was to work at the grocery store the next morning....but never went in again....after hearing the news from what happened in the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel a few minutes after midnight of the previous evening....after I had already gone to bed. RFK was on the one hand tough as nails....yet he despised Roy Cohn for the way that he treated people....(Cohn was Donald Trump's mentor ...."Where's my Roy Cohn?"....and in a way hero)....but along with being tough Bobby Kennedy was the most compassionate politician of whom I have ever read....whereas Donald Trump is not capable of empathy or compassion.....70+ books on Trump that I've read made this perfectly clear. Ethically he is a monster. The day that a second term would be assured is the day that he would no longer need evangelicals who fell for his false teachings

The Big Lie: Most conservatives have heard about the concept of 'The Big Lie' that is so 'colossal' that it must be true....for who would have the audacity to invent such a thing. The Russia probe as being a hoax is an example of the 'Big Lie.' Combine this with repeating.....hoax....hoax....hoax....for years....and it also gives the illusion of truth. The FBI was within its rights....in fact it was its duty....to follow up on a man like Donald Trump who  spent an inordinate amount of his energy in dealings with Russians....and then becomes president....with help from....or at least attempted help from Russian entities. The evidence itself is disturbing but we don't read the evidence do we.....for it is fake news....another psychological manipulation meant to  empower a man or a movement.

OK....SINCE YOU INSIST....LET'S GO OVER THE WHOLE RUSSIA THING AGAIN....Donald Trump is ordering....(and you had better believe that he is the impetus and the command for this)....the purging....(a Stalinesque purge if there ever was one)....of anyone who tried to investigate his troubling ties to Putin and Russian Oligarchs....and Russian Mafiya. Unbridled revenge may be Donald Trump's Achilles Heel. My advice on this has been...."So Mr. President....you want to talk about Russia again.....let's do it....beginning with why the FBI had such great concerns about you becoming President of the United States. Let's go over the Mueller Report again....without redactions. Let's hear the FBI side of story.....and while we're doing this let's wait and see if the Supreme Court permits the release of your tax returns that you have spent years and millions of dollars keeping hid. I'll start the ball rolling....why did you have to meet with Putin in Helsinki.....one-on-one....(with only interpreters present)....with none of your aides allowed in to hear what you were talking about....and this for two hours? Do we have your permission to call in our interpreter? (LOL)"

DOES TRUMP CARE ABOUT HUMAN LIFE....President Trump tweeted (a few hours) ago....."....and all those innocent lives lost!" The topic was China....and those were fake tears. What about all the "innocent lives" lost at the hands of Russian criminals that he not only had no problem dealing with.....but went out of his way to do so because they had all that  sudden money after the fall of the Eastern Bloc? Does President Trump have the same concern for the people of the Ukraine?

KAMIKAZE....I want to give an anecdote from Bolton's book that would not be part of any review of the book that I might attempt. It appears on page 345. Trump was in Japan for meetings with Prime Minister Abe and other ceremonial affairs. Abe's father was a kamikaze pilot that obviously was not able to complete his mission...since Abe was born in 1954. Bolton records it this way...."Trump loved mentioning that Abe's father had been a World War II kamikaze pilot..." He seemed a little too enamored with this fact....for my taste anyway....as my father was seriously injured by the attack of a kamikaze pilot....and his life was affected by it....and he is now buried in Arlington National Cemetery....but that is Trump....who does not have the ability to experience either empathy or compassion....and sounds very fake when he pretends that he does.

NFL FOOTBALL....I honestly have no idea how long it's been since I saw as much as one series of downs in NFL football.....thirty years at least....maybe thirty-five? I was a big Buffalo Bill fan in my youth as I was born in Buffalo. A big prize was one day when My father brought home Paul McGuire's practice jersey for me....which I wore out until it was shreds....but I eventually became a Steeler fan. We used to jump in someone's car and head across the border to Ohio to see the games because of the blackout in Pittsburgh.....and I was with others downtown celebrating after Super Bowl wins. I'm here to tell you that it is more than possible.....it is wonderful....not to be a fan anymore. I'm not sure when Professional football started playing regularly on Sundays....The Lord's Day....but its first championship game in 1933.....was on a Sunday ....December 17th, 1933. Although I obviously didn't care one way or another about this when I was a fan....later in life I watched as Christians were more excited about getting home in time for the game than in their church service.....and one big local church moved their service times earlier to give the worshipers time to get home....and another time....when my theology changed and we were looking for another church....we tried a Baptist congregation a Sunday evening....and there were only about six people in the sanctuary but the parking lot was full....because most everyone was in another room watching the Steelers in the Super Bowl....(and we wonder why America is what it is today?) I bring this up for one reason....and it goes beyond football to all professional sports....as we don't have any right now....except golf maybe. What are men doing on Sundays now.....and women? Well I have no idea....but I know what's not happening....to a large degree anyway....Christians are not brutalizing the Lord's Day in this way. Will this have some kind of effect in the church? I cannot write these thoughts without admitting this. There are some high-profile Christian leaders....some of whom I great respect....to put it mildly.....who have somehow wrangled out of God's Word that's it's OK to go to church and then downtown to the stadium. To quote a player on the team....Everett Flatch....(Shooter's son)....from that fine high school sports movie Hoosiers...."I'm not seein' it coach." 

Bolton's Book.....First Thoughts

Preface: It's obvious that the message John Bolton is giving in his book and his interviews is that we should not want Donald Trump for four additional years....the exact message that I have tried to put in these posts for the last few years. The reasons for this are way too numerous to even attempt to list....and even the categories of those reasons are many....and I've often brought up those categories in detail....mental disorders....(a malignant narcissism and pathological lying and sadistic thirst for revenge)....a legitimate concern after decades of money-grubbing in Russia that he is under Putin's thumb....no real ideological beliefs at all other than that making money and generating fear and gaining leverage are power....and relying on gut instinct over any kind of time consuming and boring study....when in his own personal and business life....that gut instinct may have been profitable half the time....but utterly disastrous the other half of the time. Ultimately he not only breeds division....but seems to look for it....and to thrive upon it. How much evidence do Republicans in the Congress need before they ask....then urge....then pressure him to step aside?   

            My wife walked by earlier in the evening.....and seeing the volume of highlighting in the 500 page book that I was finally nearing the end....she commented....."Why even highlight.....it looks like the whole book is highlighted." Indeed....my highlighter finally emptied about two pages before I finished.
            The book of course is John Bolton's The Room Where It happened...A White House Memoir. I've read a lot of these type modern memoirs going as far back as the JFK administration.....but never one so detailed....so fresh....as if the events just happened.....which I guess that they did just happen. I doubt that there were more than a few sentences that I didn't completely imbibe. Surely the freshness of everything in Bolton's mind contributed to this....and he even commented on that.
            Were there genuine national security concerns in the publishing of the book....as one judge and many others believe there to be? I don't know. In one respect I would say yes....because Bolton laid out for our enemies how totally politically oriented and last-minute tentative President Trump can be. Our enemies certainly would consider this defect....but on the other hand I've read dozens of books on the Trump administration where other authors wrote....mostly second hand....the same thing. Ultimately....the public needs to know that there are serious problems with Donald Trump's mind.....and that in large part thanks to senior advisers like Bolton and Pompeo and Pence...disastrous consequences were avoided.....(a few times they were not successful)....but for us to hope for four additional years of people saving him from himself....is another story.
            OK....In most of my book reviews I don't attempt an outline....or fill the review with as many events as I can....for I'm a firm believer whether it be in either politics or the Christian Faith.....that we individuals have a responsibility to read entire books....and not just CliffNotes. I prefer to summarize the essence of what a book is...and hope the reader is enticed to fill in the blanks on their own. I expect though....Lord willing....to reference the Bolton book in future posts.
            So....in that vein....here are some themes from the book. Bolton does not seem to like or respect Nikki Haley one bit. She won't be happy with the book. Nor did he appreciate Treasury Secretary Mnuchin....(an understatement)....nor Secretary of Defense James Mattis. Mike Pence comes out OK....General John Kelly very positive....but Secretary of State Pompeo was at many times an ally....but just as many times an obstructionist....and that confused Bolton as to how strong Pompeo was on his beliefs. Ivanka and Jared were nothing but a farce....and there are probably a dozen other key members of one team or another who Bolton is open about.....often positively.....often not.
            Very little of the impeachment was even mentioned as Bolton keyed on only those things that directly effected his work as National Security Adviser....this until the very end when his potential testimony on the Ukraine was a factor. The whole Ukraine affair....as Bolton witnessed it....should be considered. Mueller is hardly mentioned at all....but Giulani is....very negatively.
            President Trump's three reality show meetings with Kim Jong-un would be worth the price of the book....and his relationships with Putin and Macron and Merkel and others....not far behind. President Trump supporters need to know how and why events in Syria and Venezuela and China played out as they did. The President's constant....constant focusing on how much money we can save if we only change policies that served our national security well for decades....and his tying everything into how it will effect his reelection chances....these things worried not only Bolton....but if you believe Bolton....Pompeo and Kelly and Mattis and most everyone else in key positions....except of course Jared....who very recently....days ago.....Bolton called the second most powerful person in the White House
            As I mentioned in previous posts....John Bolton was once a genuine hero of conservatives....this for his unflinching hard-nosed approach to defending America. Even though I differ with him on occasion....what comes through in this book is that he was the most experienced and level-headed person in that White House. You may not agree with him on everything as I don't...and he may be wrong on occasion.... but he is rock solid in common sense....and a voice that will be missed....and a hedge against stupidity that was cut down.
            Bolton has a very dry sense of humor that is present throughout the book. I mean you have to just laugh at his maybe three word commentaries on something the President might have said or done. As far as studying the United States office of president....the book is a political science textbook....and nothing short of essential reading.