The sermon that I listened to today while exercising was from Martyn Lloyd-Jones. It was given sometime between 1961 and 1963....and was titled....Blinded By The 'god' Of The Age....and I bring it up because of one teaching tool that he used. He pointed to a stained-glass window at the back of the chapel....and imagined for the congregation that he had been blindfolded....and being blindfolded he said...."I see no stained-glass window at the back of the church....and therefore I say that there is no stained-glass window at the back of the church.....because I cannot see it. He tied in another example....a friend was "motoring" him on a visit...Somewhere in the very north of England....and as they motored on his guide told him that very soon they will be able to see Scotland over the expanse of water. (probably the North Channel)....They motored on to where they were supposed to see Scotland but there was a great mist. Lloyd-jones said to his congregation that if were to say that he could not see Scotland as he was told he would be able to see Scotland....and therefore it was a lie.....and that there may not even be a Scotland....that his friend would think that he was mad. He used other examples but all were revolving around the veil that was over both the eyes of the believer and the unbeliever. We all have veils over our eyes to some degree....where truths are being hid from us for one reason or another. Folks....there is a veil over our eyes right now on the real Donald Trump....a veil where he is hidden from us....because we do not want to see him.....nor do we want the veil removed. My prayer.....join me please if you agree....is that God will remove that veil.....even if only over the eyes of His children....that we might no longer be taken in....that our offerings to God might no longer be tainted....and that we might once again be united in Christ....and not torn apart by ravenous wolves....such as Donald Trump.
In my pre-teens the Miss America pageant was fun as my mother and I would would settle around the small black & white TV and watch it. As for Miss Universe....I don't think that I ever watched a minute of it in my life....other than the video of which I'll describe here....and you will probably remember as it was in the news. Donald Trump had owned the organization....and a fair amount has been written over the past few years on the controversies that he was embroiled in....but not this one....for after he announced on June 15, 2015 his run for the White House....another controversy immediately developed over some of his comments....the 2015 pageant had to be pushed back a few months....and Trump sold the organization. The pageant was eventually held in Las Vegas in December....there were the two finalists....The MC took his time in announcing the winner to build up the excitement.....he announced the winner.....Miss Columbia....minutes passed as a crown was put on her head....and she stood there beaming....while the large crowd cheered. Then the MC slowly walked back on the stage....and apologized....whether he read the card wrong or the teleprompter was wrong....I don't know that it has ever been settled.....but he had read the wrong name.....and they had crowned the wrong head. It was painful watching it again this morning. The simplicity of the original concept of the Miss America pageant has long been gone....along in many ways Atlantic City itself. Gambling came in in 1978....Trump's casinos came in....and then they went bankrupt....he became president....and many put a crown on his head....as many others said...."There are no crowns here....take it off"....and that is where we are at today.
Here's a question I would put to a fervent Trump supporter....for there's no one around but them....and no reason not to be perfectly truthful....the question is this...."Is there not anything at all imaginable....anything....that Donald Trump might say or do....where they might even consider withdrawing their support?"
Often an author places an historical quote or two at the beginning of his or her book. Bob Woodward chose this from Donald Trump in a 2016 interview with him...."I bring out rage. I do bring out rage. I always have. I don't know if that's an asset or a liability, but whatever it is, I do."
Donald Trump retweeted a video....a video that most of us who closely follow the political news would remember....of then Vice-President Biden with his hands on the shoulders of Ash Carter's wife Stephanie during the swearing-in ceremony of Carter as Secretary of Defense. The video had the caption....#PedoBiden. First of all Mrs. Carter is an adult woman....and she has said that the encouragement by Biden was fully appreciated. Joe Biden would be within his rights to say...."That's it....no debates....it's straight to the mat." Evangelicals believe that this man....Donald Trump....is being used by God to bring America back to God. They are sorely mistaken in this...as it is instead inhibiting the discernment of those same evangelicals....although the disasters that Donald Trump may bring about in America may indeed be used by God to bring many back to Him.
OK....I have never really seen Fox & Friends.....other than a few minutes while on vacation.....as my wife and I would be getting ready to go to breakfast....and while walking the treadmill at the gym.....but here there is no audio. Anyway....reports are that on the show today Trump insinuated that this talk would be a weekly thing.... which would be an election coup....which took the host by surprise. Trump has been moving in on Fox....bolstered by intimidations on Twitter....for a few years now.....and as in everything else he touches....discord and turmoil has followed.
Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates will normalize today their relations with Israel. The UAE will likely get to purchase the much sought after F-35 stealth jets....which some day should allegiances change may be used against Israel. We'll see later what Bahrain got. These deals are based on Israel's....'suspending'....annexation of parts of the West Bank. They are the essence of temporary peace deals....that may also invite repurcussions....in other words war....but they will show up well on the polls....and that's all that counts to this man.
Another quote from Rage....this one from the crown prince of the United Arab Emirates.....related by Rex Tillerson from his world travels prior to becoming Secretary of State...."We don't need nuclear weapons. As long as we have friends who have them." So....as long as a tentative ally needs our help....and what if they don't pay their bills like NATO?
The Department of Justice is opening up a criminal probe on whether John Bolton's book contained classified information. I read the book....it's terrific....and this is nonsense....although the book demonstrates to our enemies first hand just how extraordinarily unstable our president is....which is really already common knowledge anyway. The probe is pure Trump revenge....through a now thoroughly discredited Department of Justice.
Pastors....you are the only ones left....to awaken your congregations to the false prophet leading evangelicalism astray....into greed and pride and at times into outright racism. The power of this master of intimidation and marketing is astonishing. Surely you are on your knees....or whatever position you take throughout most days and nights....when your prayers for wisdom are pleaded more than offered....as when David prayed....or as when Jeremiah prayed....or as when Elijah prayed.
