Did He Change Us....Or Were We Never What We Thought Ourselves To Be

               We were a mixture of just good ole' boys who worked hard and wanted an honest shake.....and evangelicals who wanted to honor God by stopping the slide into hedonism and even barbarism that was going on everywhere....and patriotic men and women who actually knew a lot about our constitution. We had a fair amount of honor and integrity....and fairness....even though we knew the other side did not fight fair. We were often successful in electing good people....and when we would lose....we would not miss a beat in standing for what we knew was right....and then came the 2016 election cycle.
                Our attention was laser-like on Hillary Clinton....and we knew that it was going to be close....and that we really had to win by five to seven points because the other side would always somehow miraculously come up with big percentages in the cities.
                Most of us wanted Ted Cruz....who had a voice that could make you cringe a little bit.....and a vague likeness to some of the Davy Crockett images that exist....but there were others in the primaries....and then out of who knows where really....came this brute force....down an escalator....all choreographed....down to paying for people to cheer. At first it seemed that his presence might help....but he was mean....and vile....and we got a little nervous.
                 I'd like to say....'what we found out about ourselves'....but I can't because to this day we never found out about ourselves....that yes we were simple folk who wanted a fair deal....and we were God-fearing....and we were indeed patriots....but we also had great weaknesses.....ready to be exploited by someone just like Donald Trump.
                 I remember distinctly the convention in Cleveland where Ted Cruz was given his due runner-up speech....and on the split-screen Trump pulled up in a limo....and walked in the convention center. Cruz was getting hammered by....who....who were these people....where they us....or was this a fringe that had taken control? Trump could have waited for Cruz to leave the stage....but he didn't....he came in to the arena so that the crowd would completely humiliate Ted Cruz....which they did....and I knew that there was a sinister force here....but I dutifully backed Trump so that Hillary would be gone forever....and I was one of the few that knew that Trump was going to win...for almost fifty years of observing political campaigns....and a number of automobile trips across Pennsylvania....had told me that there had never been anything like this before.
                 So Trump won....and I celebrated....but I never dropped the vigilance.....and I watched the horror of Ivanka and her husband come into the.....Oval Office. I saw Trump endorse Luther Strange....strange....and Rush Limbaugh remain silent on it....even stranger....and I began to see behind Trump's mask that was beginning to slip. I started reading. I have two new books in front of me which is putting me close to ninety books on Donald Trump....and even some of his own books....which he never wrote but in what I would come to see is true Donald Trump....he says what he wants....in spite of what is true.
                  Four years pass....and I have witnessed one of the greatest collapses of an honorable movement....in history....similar to how the German people were won over by a vile man who promised to make Germany great again.
                  We were once known for our compassion....but that is all gone. We once could at least recognize the dangers of pride....but now we live for it. We certainly retained fairness in a world that was not fair....but now we are will do anything....no matter how unethical or vicious...and destroy anyone....and shout with thumbs down as those did in the Colosseum....if it gets us what we want....and we are greedy....for money and power is what we depend on in this new life of ours.
                  Did Donald Trump change us.....did he just bring out the worst in us....or is this who we were all along? Those of us who could stay outside of the perimeter of what was going on....can see how God gave us what we really wanted. He took His hand off of us....off of His church....to chasten us....maybe to prune us....or to winnow us. We in the once formidable conservative movement are now the blind leading the blind. We are as 'woke' as the other side....only our 'wokeness' looks different....and serves our own purposes.
                  May God open our eyes....for it will surely be a humbling experience....but He is longsuffering....and merciful....to those who truly seek Him.

Division Is Difficult...And Will Fade....But For Now It Is Necessary

                They are questions that we all have had. Why did God permit so many denominations to rise up? That's an easy one actually....for all one would have to do is look at Rome....and how when a church becomes all-powerful then potential for tyranny and outright heretical teaching is there....but we can also look in our own protestant denominations....for as difficult as the divisions can be....and the error that can be called truth.....Charles Finney's revivalism where man can orchestrate revival for example....it becomes somewhat obvious that we tend to keep each other at least a little bit in check.
                Why would God permit the two different beliefs in baptism.....where literally great Christian leaders like Charles Spurgeon and J. C. Ryle would differ? The Lord's Supper would be another example.....as would the Lord's Day?
                 It is as if God is saying.....'these are your brothers....work it out....love each other'.....which Christians for the most part have done over the centuries....but the alternative to that is when we compromise....something like the liberal church of today arises.
                Well....I bring this up to lead into this....why did God permit the....Pre-Trib Rapture....to take hold in America....for it is not a correct interpretation on what will happen in the last of the last days....but....even this division becomes a little bit more understandable....when placed on a larger grid.
                The general belief in the Pre-Trib teaching is that the church will be raptured out before the tribulation begins. This belief has resulted in a church today that outwardly proclaims the Second Coming....but inwardly doesn't think a lot about the implications other than....'we will be gone when the bad stuff happens.' Thus we can fill our Lord's Days in football stadiums....(just one example)....because if the imminent Rapture occurs.....we will be zapped right out of Section 25....row H...seats 34 and 35! There was even a popular Christian t-shirt way back when....with a drawing of a pair of empty tennis shoes in front of a seat in the stands....with legs on their way up....up....and away.
                 Even here though.....God seems to have had a purpose....for if one were to take the time and actually think about what we know will happen during the Tribulation....and applies immanence along with it....and includes all of us....it would be more than a daunting feeling....and could even be debilitating.....that is how terrible the descriptions are. It's one thing to say that vaccine mandates might be a precursor to the mark of the beast....and then just work extra hard for a Republican Congress....and another to think about this world heading full-steam into cryptographic tyranny....and at the same time say.....Maranatha....Come Lord Jesus.
                  We should already know....and be greatly thankful that God is well aware of our weaknesses. I for one know that....and Praise Him in that He is so merciful and longsuffering towards us!  And it sobers me....knowing what is ahead....and that it is not far off. 
                  The mitigating factor here in this question of the Lord's return is that much prophesy is being unveiled right now before our eyes....for it was God's plan to have Christians always looking to the Second Coming....for it gives us great hope....even though it would take many centuries before God would begin to move continental plates....as it were....in what is happening in the world today. We are coming together....slowly....and at the same time a winnowing is happening and will continue....and the Pre-Trib teaching will fade....of necessity....and when God's perfect timing wills it as such.

Addendum: In yesterday's post I recommended the daily audio from R. C. Sproul's radio program....renewingyourmind.org....and today's program is very relevant to both America and this post on division within the church. The title is Obeying God Or Man. Recently a division in the church arose as certain state governors demanded that churches not gather during a particularly intense time of contagious infectious disease. Some said that this was tantamount to the government telling them not to preach Christ....and therefore they would obey God and not man....others.....myself included....said that those preachers could indeed preach Christ all they wanted....but in order to fight this pandemic....and save as many lives as possible....pastors would have to temporarily seek other ways to preach to their congregations. There was a division among us. R. C. Sproul added this to the end of today's program....(this program is taped....for R. C. Sproul went to be with his Lord in December of 2017)...."We bend over backwards to be submissive....but we stand with ramrod defiance when the authorities command disobedience to God....that's why it very important for us to understand....in our daily lives....what it is God commands....and what God forbids." This issue in the states was not as discernible as black and white. Does that surprise anyone....that the enemy purposely causes division? It may be difficult....but we will....work it out....for a day is indeed coming when the division will not be between the redeemed....like this....but between the redeemed and those who are not the redeemed!

                
   

My Daydream

The following is a draft of a post from October of 2016 that I never completed. I came across it today....and added a few finishing sentences....and here it is:          

               Do you ever daydream....you know....light and fanciful things that might happen to you? Of course you do....we all do. Some daydreams would be embarrassing if others knew about them....for example....a golfer with a 20 handicap daydreams about walking up to the green on the 72nd hole of the Masters....tied for the lead with Tiger Woods. Tiger misses his birdie put and you stand over your thirty footer and send the ball on its way over humps....bending this way or that....and then falling into the cup. The crowd goes wild and you take off you cap and wave. I don't daydream about golf. I have nightmares about golf. I recently went to a driving range with the intent on seeing if I might be able to pick up the game that I gave up in disgust twenty years ago. It started off bad and got worse. I put the token in the machine for the balls. Apparently there was a bucket somewhere that I should have placed under the dispenser.....boing boing boing boing.....boing boing boing boing....boing boing boing boing.....boing boing boing....boing boing....boing...golf balls were rolling all over the parking lot. I was so bad on the tee....that even though I was alone....I faked an injury in case anyone was looking from the nearby hillside....they would then see that there was a medical reason for such a ridiculous display of swinging a golf club.
              I have to admit to one daydream though.....please don't tell anybody or forward these posts to anyone! Here's the setting....somewhere here in America or around the world....a man....maybe a pastor.....comes across these posts as he is surfing through the Blogger Christian posts.....which is where my posts are located. Maybe it was something that I wrote....but much more likely he went to some of the Spurgeon sermons on YouTube that I always recommend.....or they might be sermons by J. C. Ryle or Martyn Lloyd-Jones....or John Piper or Michael Horton or R. C. Sproul or John MacArthur or Stephen J. Lawson or Michael Reeves....well the list could go on....and God then awakens him....and God's Holy Spirit strengthens him.....and he in turn preaches to his congregation our predicament....and our culpability in all that has happened to us....and the sure nearness of the return of our Lord and Savior and King! And the congregation is awakened....and who knows....there might have been 6,999 other bloggers out there trying as I do to be a messenger....pointing to God's Word....and the prophets....and to be used in this roundabout way to awaken our pulpits!  And then I let the daydream fly away....a little embarrassed always....but still hopeful....for our Lord and Savior and King is indeed on His way....and many will be awakened....maybe even you who are reading this?

I hit the publish button on this post....closed the laptop....and went in the kitchen to unload the dishwasher....one of my jobs in retirement....and brought up on my iPhone today's Renewing Your Mind....and it might be a good broadcast to recommend to you....particularly if you are not familiar with R. C. Sproul's ministry. The title is The Locus Of Astonishment. renewingyourmind.org

It Is More Politics Than It Is Anything Else

                The name of the religious organization does not matter.....you all know it anyway....they will not allow their adherents to receive a blood transfusion....the penalty being disfellowshipping. They do permit being vaccinated though....although at one time they did not....and it was a problem for their children going to school.....and being 'missionaries' in other countries. As for the ban on blood transfusions they use some Old Testament verses and a New Testament verse on not taking blood into the body. Now....you can research this in any number of ways....medical organizations describe the situation so that their doctors can be prepared for these situations where the patient refuses a blood transfusion....and there are plenty of Christian ministries.....Hank Hannegraaff's Christian Research Institute being one....that can give you information. I tend to look at the psychological aspect of it....having researched cults for so long....that this particular religious organization needs to justify itself in the eyes of those who are members....and those who they are recruiting to be members.....something to set them apart....where everyone else is in error....and only they are truly following God's commands. In the case of the above mentioned organization....it is blood transfusions.
                I have listened to and read of many and various explanations on why so many people will not take the Covid-19 vaccine. The religious reasons are as void of biblical proof as are the above mentioned biblical reasons for not having a blood transfusion. I know a couple of people who are simply afraid of the immediate effects of a vaccination. Some use the issues of freedom and liberty. Some say that they are putting their faith in God....and not medicine....and people in certain professions are concerned that the possible medical effects of a vaccination could jeopardize their career....but as I look over the entirety of this problem of so many refusing vaccinations....the problem itself having been exacerbated in that the Biden administration's move in response to refusals to get vaccinated has been mandates to force people to get vaccinated....in other words we took the top of the box off for this to rear its ugly head!
                I see the same psychological aspect in this as in the cults. For whatever reasons....and there are more than one....we need to be the rebels....or the patriots if you will. We need to be set apart....with something to prove us right....where everyone else is in error....and we are the true 'whatever'....we need something to mobilize us....keep us stirred up for the next election....and just as important is that in no way and under no circumstances is the other side ever to be given any legitimacy....in anything! Vaccinations are it.

Lord's Day Post

Preface: I've been struggling lately with how to put these thoughts in a post....and this odd older post....with a little humor in it....came to mind....actually I came across it for today for an unrelated reason. Here is what I have been struggling with....how do I explain to friends....or readers to these posts....that we on the whole seem to have backslidden on our love for Christ.....not our faith in Him....but in our love.....or maybe not even in our love if one zeroes in on the awesome majesty of our King.....and the incalculable mercies freely and undeservingly bestowed upon us....the kingdom of God being ours right here and now. We do not seem to outwardly show that we remain....each and every day....in awe at the blessings given us....for if we did....we would talk more of Christ....we would want to hear more of Him....we would pay rapt attention to the warnings to His children....which is why I recommend so many sermons....as I so often describe them to be....by men of the past....and men of today who preach like men of the past. When I recommend them to friends....in person....grasping maybe for words glorious enough....they often look at me as if to say....'that's nice but I have my own sermon every week.' Sometimes I plead with them....usually to no avail....and there have been times when they seem to take offense....but...Oh do not take offense because I cannot stop talking about Him....or relaying the warnings that He would emphasize by repeating them to us....rather try to remember how you were so filled with joy when first you trusted in Christ that you also could not contain your affections....and how every word and exhortation you might read in Scripture was hidden away as one might protect a gold coin. Was that something just for new Christians? Are you wiser than that now? Is He not as majestic and awesome as He seemed at first? I think it's the opposite....for as time passes we see Christ even clearer....and understand even more what happened on Calvary....and in that tomb....and on that mount! So....once again I'll recommend a sermon....again by Spurgeon....this one simply because I listened to it yesterday.....A Blast of the Trumpet Against False Peace.

The following is from 2015....posted immediately upon returning home from a play in downtown Pittsburgh....for enjoyable a time as it was....Christ is what came to my mind.

The Rine....In Spine....Sties Minely....In The Pline  

                   Aah the theatre! I took an acting class at Pitt in the early 70s and the first half of it was going well. I worked on one scene, not even a scene but a couple of lines, for we all had lines from different plays. I was Paul Bratter from Barefoot In The Park. I stood on a chair and said good-bye to a hole in the skylight. I thought I had great potential for it's not easy talking to a hole in a skylight. Alas, we moved quickly on to improvisational techniques. I was to be a snake on the ground. I was a terrible snake for I had not any idea as to how to slither. My ego was crushed and I dropped the class. Too bad...I coulda been a contender.
                  I enjoyed the plays at Pitt's Stephen Foster Memorial Theater and once took a young lady from the Theater Arts Department out to dinner after a play....(my instructor in one of the theater classes actually)....where we met some of her theater friends at the restaurant. I felt totally out of place in the conversation. I was so different. I felt that they snickered at this older student....and army veteran in a field jacket. (it wasn't a popular resume at the time) I felt that way a little bit tonight even though my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed My Fair Lady at Pittsburgh's O'Reilly Theater in the Cultural District. I'm sure that it was all in my head for I had on a tie and sweater....and aside from the pipe and tobacco sticking out of my worn leather coat and the bright yellow....somewhat dirty ball cap in my hand with specialdogg.blogspot.com embroidered on it....I almost fit in. No....I think that it was the money aspect for these were expensive seats....given in generosity to us from friends and I'm sure that the folks that support the theater are of the very upper crust. I tried not to move during the performance for fear that it would be found out that a street person had found his way in. I had a coughing spell for about a minute and saw myself as a wastrel imposing his dodgy behavior on the sanctity of an intimate setting of the performing arts. In short, I was Eliza Doolittle trying to be cultured while at the races only to blow my cover because of a tickle in the throat. Yes, I was indeed Eliza, only I could never in a million years pull off what she did at the Grand Ball.
                   Untrained eye for the theater though I might have, I thought the play and the actors and the theater were great. There was one scene...one scene where I felt as if I were on the stage. George Bernard Shaw, the author of Pygmalion, aka My Fair Lady, was an atheist and a radical Socialist and he surely was as far away in his intent from my interpretation as Barack Obama is from a constitutional lawyer, but the emotion is the same. Eliza had, for the first time, pronounced one of Henry Higgins phonetic tests correctly....the...Rain...in...Spain...stays mainly....in the plain. She was free, no longer doomed forever to be an uncultured flower girl. She had pronounced something purely. She had partaken of the grace of civilized society. She had hope. It was three in the morning and the governess of the home urged her to get some sleep but the thrill of it had set her to dancing and singing around the room....as a lady....a lady. I'm reminded here of the stories told about Sarah Edwards, wife of the great American theologian Jonathan Edwards, upon experiencing the majesties of Christ. She too could have.....praised her Savior.... all night long! I'm reminded also of my own epiphany many years ago at finding that the most undeserving creature of all was given clean clothes to wear and words of the most profound eloquence to say....."To Him (Jesus) be...blessing....and honor...and glory...and might...forever and ever!" That feeling never leaves one unless one voluntarily bids it adieu.
                   I took liberties in this post....for effect....as to people's positions in life who enjoy the theater....only to emphasize that to the one who calls Jesus their Lord and Savior...."There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for (all) are one in Christ Jesus."

How did I miss this film?

               I really don't know how I missed this film. Let me start here....John Bunyan wrote The Pilgrim's Progress while in jail....for preaching without the proper license. This man was a tinker....maybe the most meager of livings there was....and he was also a 'stinker'...blasphemous and an all-around troublesome man....and then God got a hold of him.....and his story and writings have made Christians weep with joy in the over three centuries since his death.
               Charles Spurgeon....the great 19th century London preacher whose sermons were sent out into the world....who fought the battle against liberalism in England....and warned them.....before they fell as a believing people.....and whose sermons continue to feed hungry Christians today....he by his own account read The Pilgrim's Progress....100 times in his life! I am sitting here typing....and to my left on the wall are four framed drawings in map form....of the path that Christian would have taken in Bunyan's book. To my right on the wall is an actual page....ink splotch and all....of a Charles Spurgeon sermon. Next to me on the table is a book that I started last night....Yours Till Heaven.....The Untold Love Story of Charles and Susie Spurgeon.....by Ray Rhodes Jr......who I have posted on before. Straight ahead.....Billy Graham is looking at me from the cover of a coffee table book on his many crusades.
               Spurgeon and Bunyan and The Pilgrim's Progress have been part of this household for decades. Oh it was maybe twenty-five years ago.....and I was fairly new to the reformed faith of Christianity.....and I purchased 1000 Charles Spurgeon paperback books.....All Of Grace....(I got a good price).....and passed them out at grocery stores and laundromats and anywhere I could think of. I have six or seven left! Do you get the picture? I try my best to recommend Spurgeon and Bunyan to as many people as I can. So how did I miss the 2019 animated film....a major production....The Pilgrim's Progress?
              Well I came across it about midnight last evening. I have fantasized over the years....at times....how if I were to come into money....tens of millions of dollars....that I would set out to produce a film....The Pilgrim's Progress....and Brad Pitt or Matt Damon would play Christian. I would spend all the money to have a major Hollywood film on Bunyan's book at the theaters!
             This animated film is pretty close! Praise God! Please Google it! It's easy to pull up and watch for free! It's not for small children as the evil figures in the film would be too frightening....maybe twelve and older.....but I'm by no means an expert on this. As many times as I myself have read the book....and watched other films....my eyes were totally watered over at the end....and my breathing even a little labored over the joy of that message of Bunyan's book....the very gospel itself....freshly applied to my mind and heart

Leave If You Must....But Do Not Bring This False Prophet In The Church....In Any Way....Shape....Or Form

                 It has always been my belief....and still is my belief....that politics has no place in the pulpit. I've mentioned this before....the most wonderful preacher of Christ and His glories that I have ever sat before in the pew....would stand at the pulpit in his black preacher's robe....and to his right was the American flag. I am one of those American flag people....it hangs outside our front door....but it has no place in the sanctuary....and that pastor felt the same way. He was never in sync with his session....and he eventually moved on.

                OK....that said....it is well past time for pastors to bring up Donald Trump from the pulpit....not in any political sense....but as a warning to all in their congregations that a false prophet has entered in among us....and torn us apart as a wolf in among the sheep. These are the shepherds are they not? Then where are they....and where have they been for the past few years....and why do they continue to refuse to warn us?
               The answer may be multi-layered....but primarily they are worried that if they so much as cast the slightest dispersion upon this vile man....that dissension will come into the church. Well here's a flash....dissension is already here because of Donald Trump. You can feel it in the mask controversy....and the whole coronavirus controversy as well....both of which are absurdities brought on because Trump hated that virus....because it deprived him of a second term....and you can sense it in America....our America....the supposed God-fearing side....where not a day passes that we are not driven to anger....destroying everything and anyone in our path that does not bow down to that false prophet.
               The pastors have to say to their congregations....'leave if you must...vote as you want....but do not bring this man or his machinations into this church....in any way or shape or form....or comments on masks or vaccines or Joe Biden or anything....do that outside of God's church.' 
                Trump said it again in Iowa a few days ago....'we are one glorious nation under God" What do pastors think about that? They know very well that we are not one glorious nation under anything. Trump told that same rally crowd again that peace and security and prosperity and greatness and pride was coming again. Any thoughts on this pastors? What does the Word of our God say about it?
                 Pastors....it is only going to get worse. This man is using Joe Biden and socialism and all of the horrors that our culture is falling sway to....to cement his demonic hold over us. What does your personal Bible say about the days before Jesus returns? Anything in there about false prophets and false teachers and false miracles? Would 'Trump crucified' or 'Christ crucified' most describe your congregation? Do you ever preach vigilance and soberness? Yes there may be an extreme winnowing ahead....and it may indeed show up at first as dissension in the church....but are you a shepherd of the sheep....or just a caretaker of the grounds? You say all the time....'trust in God'.....then why do you not trust in His warnings? Is it defense of the gospel...or defense of capitalism that you were called?
                
               

Some Thoughts On The Politics Of The Coronavirus

                 So where were the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah? Were they just north of the Dead Sea.....or in the southern part? Did the potash explode....or was it a cosmic fireball? Or were there two cataclysmic events over a period of time?

                The news story reported today on Drudge is just the latest academic paper to come out....and they are all interesting as this search for Sodom continues. The research in this instance indicates that a fireball must have been similar to the Tunguska event in Russia on June 30 of 1908.
                 Well we know this for sure....the description of the event that is in Genesis is exactly correct. It doesn't include detailed metallurgical and mineralogical findings....but it totally gives God's message.....FLEE...which is the same message for today.....FLEE....flee the yoke of politics that replaces obedience to God....flee these talking heads on radio and television....flee the churches that forgot what the gospel is....flee the family if they only want to tie you down.
                 The problem is that we kind of like it here....as long as we don't live in the city with the Democrats....but Lot's wife was not in the city itself when she was turned into a pillar of salt. To put this into more palatable language....than fleeing....we have to 'come out from' in terms of not being a part of. We know that we cannot leave the world.....and we know that we have to be salt in the world....but if we are not at least peculiar....then the salt is worthless.
                 Right now people like Tucker Carlson and Mark Levin....not to mention the worst taskmaster of all Trump....they have us in bondage...keeping us from fleeing...and keeping us from Christ. Our entertainments have us in bondage....our sports....our kids sports....our diets....our money....they all tug at us....telling us to join their party....or even their ministry.
                 We need to be reading the Old Testament prophets on a regular basis right now....and the Olivet Discourse as relayed to us in Matthew and Mark and Luke....and Paul's many words on what to look for and what will happen....as well as Peter's and John's and Jude's and James....and the warnings....so clear and so emphatic....of Jesus....but we would be fortunate to hear one sermon a year that gives us anything close to this warning....for that in itself would indicate that we are indeed beginning to...."come out of her..."

Addendum: Well I've posted for the morning....and went out for a couple of hours of cutting grass before the leaves turn color....and as usual have my headphones on to listen to a sermon from a preacher of the past....or a preacher today who preaches like men of the past.....so I searched out and found a Spurgeon to listen to....for God's wrath is never ignored with Spurgeon....and you can listen to it also....by Googling.....Spurgeon.....Flee From The Coming Wrath.

Anecdote: Spurgeon shared this anecdote in the sermon.....he was on a ship....down below....talking to a fellow minister....and they were talking about the wrath of God coming on those who do not believe. The minister was not strong on this as was Spurgeon. The captain came blow to exhort them to come up top to enjoy the beautiful scenery....but commented that he heard some of the conversation....and he did not want the other minister to speak such to his crew.....for they were trouble at times as they were....but he looked at Spurgeon and told him that he could preach all he wants to his crew....for they need to know that God's wrath will come upon all the ungodly.
                 

Flee From The Wrath To Come

                 So where were the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah? Were they just north of the Dead Sea.....or in the southern part? Did the potash explode....or was it a cosmic fireball? Or were there two cataclysmic events over a period of time?

                The news story reported today on Drudge is just the latest academic paper to come out....and they are all interesting as this search for Sodom continues. The research in this instance indicates that a fireball must have been similar to the Tunguska event in Russia on June 30 of 1908.
                 Well we know this for sure....the description of the event that is in Genesis is exactly correct. It doesn't include detailed metallurgical and mineralogical findings....but it totally gives God's message.....FLEE...which is the same message for today.....FLEE....flee the yoke of politics that replaces obedience to God....flee these talking heads on radio and television....flee the churches that forgot what the gospel is....flee the family if they only want to tie you down.
                 The problem is that we kind of like it here....as long as we don't live in the city with the Democrats....but Lot's wife was not in the city itself when she was turned into a pillar of salt. To put this into more palatable language....than fleeing....we have to 'come out from' in terms of not being a part of. We know that we cannot leave the world.....and we know that we have to be salt in the world....but if we are not at least peculiar....then the salt is worthless.
                 Right now people like Tucker Carlson and Mark Levin....not to mention the worst taskmaster of all Trump....they have us in bondage...keeping us from fleeing...and keeping us from Christ. Our entertainments have us in bondage....our sports....our kids sports....our diets....our money....they all tug at us....telling us to join their party....or even their ministry.
                 We need to be reading the Old Testament prophets on a regular basis right now....and the Olivet Discourse as relayed to us in Matthew and Mark and Luke....and Paul's many words on what to look for and what will happen....as well as Peter's and John's and Jude's and James....and the warnings....so clear and so emphatic....of Jesus....but we would be fortunate to hear one sermon a year that gives us anything close to this warning....for that in itself would indicate that we are indeed beginning to...."come out of her..."

Addendum: Well I've posted for the morning....and went out for a couple of hours of cutting grass before the leaves turn color....and as usual have my headphones on to listen to a sermon from a preacher of the past....or a preacher today who preaches like men of the past.....so I searched out and found a Spurgeon to listen to....for God's wrath is never ignored with Spurgeon....and you can listen to it also....by Googling.....Spurgeon.....Flee From The Coming Wrath.

Anecdote: Spurgeon shared this anecdote in the sermon.....he was on a ship....down below....talking to a fellow minister....and they were talking about the wrath of God coming on those who do not believe. The minister was not strong on this as was Spurgeon. The captain came blow to exhort them to come up top to enjoy the beautiful scenery....but commented that he heard some of the conversation....and he did not want the other minister to speak such to his crew.....for they were trouble at times as they were....but he looked at Spurgeon and told him that he could preach all he wants to his crew....for they need to know that God's wrath will come upon all the ungodly.
                 

Whether On Papyrus Or Parchment....Or On Paper Or Digitized

The following post is from this past February:

Preface: When the Gadarenes....mostly gentiles....saw the power of this man Jesus....to talk to and command demons to be gone....and when they saw the consequences of the light invading the darkness....in that their livlihoods could even be affected....they ask Jesus to leave. Today....we Christians are slowly being forced to face the possible consequences and chaos of a nearing Tribulation and Second Coming. We are definitely not crying out....Maranatha....Lord Jesus Come....but we should also be concerned that we are not specifically asking Him not to come back....this by ignoring His warnings on what a rebellious nation and a snoozing or even idolatrous church might look like....and hoping that at best those warnings are for a time in the distant future.

Jeremiah....O Jeremiah....how you loved your city and your people....but even more how you loved God....who told you at such a young age that you were to warn His people that they had rejected Him....and that He had chosen you from the womb....and that you would pay such a dear price. Little did you know as a young boy how long you would have to plead with these people....and how many Kings of Judah you would....face to face...have to tell that their chosen prophets....who prophesied peace and prosperity....were false prophets....and O how you would weep as you saw it come to pass....the people hungry within the walls....walls that would be breached by the Babylonians who you had warned of....and the temple burned to the ground. Even as Nebuchadnezzar set you free....because you had warned your people to accept their punishment....you would still see your words from God rejected....and only God knows how the end of your tears finally came about....but we know today....as those words given you by God....who you had given to Baruch to write down....speak a warning every bit as much to us....as we are just as stiff-necked as those you had pleaded with as you took their insults and persecutions....we know that your tears are dried up....as you now see the LORD in His glory.....that you once only heard with your ears....and that those today who heed the warnings that you and so many others had faithfully given....will also some day see the LORD in His glory....though today we may not see that glory....we feel it....and know it to be true....much because faithful men like you had simply written down....on parchment and papyrus....words that today are recorded on paper and digitized....that which were given to them.

The following are some verses from just the first four chapters of Jeremiah....(Jeremiah has 52 chapters)....

Surely you are familiar with this
Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee, and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee;

This is a message to our pulpits today
Be not afraid because of them; for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith Jehovah.Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee; be not dismayed at them, lest I dismay thee before them

We did not seek God....nor did our leaders....nor did the church...
The priests did not ask, Where is Jehovah? and they that handle the law knew me not: the rulers also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit.

Obama became a god to some....Trump to the rest of us.....both are broken cisterns. We are to be afraid....but our pulpits tell us not to worry....they give us no warnings...
Hath a nation changed its gods, which yet are no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit. Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith Jehovah. For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

It is nothing new folks....we have left our dependence upon God....but do not even know it.
How canst thou say, I am not defiled, I have not gone after the Baalim?

So God in effect told us that if this Trump is our God....go to him....have him save us....and we now see how that turned out....while every major city has its own god in its sports teams.
But where are thy gods that thou hast made thee? Let them arise, if they can save thee in the time of thy trouble: for according to the number of thy cities are thy gods, O Judah.

The command remains the same....acknowledge what we have done....and what we have become.
Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou has transgressed against Jehovah thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith Jehovah. Truly in Jehovah our God is the salvation of Israel.

And finally this....can we not now see the depth of our destruction? How many warnings....(trumpets)....do we need....for we have had a half century of the warnings from faithful pastors?
My anguish, my anguish! I am pained at my very heart; my heart is disquieted in me; I cannot hold my peace; because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is laid waste: suddenly are my tents destroyed, and my curtains in a moment. How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet? For my people are foolish, they know me not; they are sottish children, and they have no understanding; they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.

1:5....1:8....2:8....2:11....2:23....2:28....3:13....4:19

How Losing Christian Bookstores Hurt America

 Preface: The following post is from May 29 of this year. America went through a season where in some areas church doors were locked on Sundays. We acted like nonconformists being kicked out of the churches for not preaching the doctrines and practices of the official authorized church....but it was more we missed our hour and a half of pot luck and a sermon....and the churches missed the collection plate. I didn't miss a sermon over that entire time period....and I felt as one with the body of believers through the computer as much as when I was sitting in front of them in the pew....even more so because when the sermon ended my conversation was not immediately taken to the weather or plans for the week or rundowns on how the family was doing....but when the Christian bookstores began closing....it's like we turned to podcasts and Fox News to pass time instead of  for a good Christian book. As I mentioned in the post below....I once owned a Christian bookstore. I know what it was like to have someone just amber in off the street and buy a book that they may never ever have otherwise come in contact with. I'll give but one anecdote here....a young pastor came in the store....or a seminary graduate going to his first church....I cannot remember anymore....as he was just passing through town on his way to Michigan. I think in this instance I just gave him a book....a collection of Puritan prayers....Valley Of Vision....edited by Arthur G. Bennett....(sounds exciting doesn't it? Well it is)....a few weeks later....(or months?)....there was a message on my answering machine. That book led to his reevaluating his theological beliefs....and he was excited. 

            I remember very well how critical I was of Christian bookstores because most of the merchandise was trinkets and wall coverings. There was surely some legitimacy in that critique....but now that these stores are gone....I can see how valuable they were.....and that is an understatement.
            Let me go a little ways back....1982.....as my wife was shopping at Penney's I decided to just browse the concourse of the strip mall.....walked into a Christian bookstore out of curiosity....and the next thing you  know there are twelve plus years of these posts. Well a few things happened in the intervening years.....but my point is that I wasn't really even an inquirer back then....just a browser. I walked out with Josh McDowell's....(whoever he was)....great classic Evidence That Demands A Verdict.
            It was almost like I lived in Christian bookstores since then.....even owning one for a couple of years in the 90s. The novella link that is to the left of this screen....Isaac Crockett....which I wrote back in those 90s.....is basically about a bookstore.....and now all those stores are gone....just about.....and America is dying in no small measure because of it. Let me explain.
           These stores were all across America.....maybe more so in some regions than others....but they were as common as running shoe stores are today. I was at Barnes & Noble today for my weekly.....Tuesdays.....new releases day....and it is heartbreaking to me how pitiful they are in supplying the needs of the Christian. First of all the Christian section has been changed to just a Religion section. I once did a very basic survey of the books.....and there were over 1000 titles.....of which I might recommend a half dozen. They used to carry in their magazine section.....Christianity Today and Charisma and even the Christian Research Journal.....but today....in the stores that I go to....there is nothing.....but you can find some good magazines on witchcraft or Buddhism if you want.
             Looking back on it....these stores were our supply line in a way for reaching many people.....and also they kept the Christian up-to-date and informed on the books that were out. More importantly they offered a variety....a variety that included the very good books that were being published years ago. Today....the Christian might hear of a book on their Christian radio or television show....and order it on the Internet....and that's it. Many churches do have their own bookstores....but you are only going to get their theology. We are no longer even aware of the differences.....major differences in Christian belief. I bought many good books on the history of the Christian Faith back then...and some great biographies....when I previously knew nothing of church history or these ministers and missionaries....but who is even going to think about these kind of books today? Who is going to buy a bio today on John Bunyan? Pilgrim's Progress was in every store back then....and Pilgrim's Progress games for the kids.
             In my case....I was Pentecostal and Arminian when I came into the faith....because that's all there was in my mind.....but one day the bright neon orange cover of William Gurnall's The Christian In Complete Armour caught my eye....so I bought it. It had a blurb on the back by a Charles Spurgeon....whoever he might be....but also one by David Wilkerson.....whom I did know of by then. It moved me so that I began to buy other books with this little robed man on the spine.....Banner Of Truth books. All of this is gone.
              This....friends....is no small thing. We are in effect isolated. We had Billy Graham crusades on UHF television all the time back then. We had three major networks and UHF. Some people could not help but hear the gospel. Today....I don't even know how many channels are offered. We are drowning in liberty. A Gideon Bible was in every motel and hotel. Today our pulpits are dormant as to warning us of anything....other than losing our constitutional liberties. Donald Trump told us every time he opened his mouth how our best days were yet to come.....in this....."One glorious nation under God!" You would think our pulpits might at least mention this false prophesy. God help us! We need a winnowing so that we might better recognize each other....so that those who depend on princes and their own power.....might do their thing....while we become a peculiar people once again....able to both comfort with discernment....and be comforted in discernment.

NOTE: The comment in the preface about streaming church services is not meant to suggest that that is what we do....but to encourage us to examine what our Lord's Day services have become....and pray about whether we are in need of reforming.

  

We Were Warned In Scripture What Is Happening Today

 

This short paragraph comes from a January of 2018 post:

            God warned us for a half century. He was patient and long-suffering but we laughed and called his patience impotence....his long-suffering weakness. A winnowing may be coming to the church in the form of a delusion. The searing breath of the Holy Spirit leaving only those who trust only in the Lord Jesus Christ and pant as a deer for water at His return.

These three paragraphs from June of that year:

            An hour ago I was walking through our town.....stopping once to say hello to friends who were enjoying their dinner on an outside table. I returned home and sat down....booted my web page up....and then the storm came in suddenly. (I later found out that the restaurant diners were scattered as the storm hit) I walked around the house to check and see if the gutters were draining properly....as the torrent of rain was pouring over them as a spillway. I knew that the storm was coming in for I had checked the hourly weather report....and it came in right on time. Folks....there is a storm coming to America. I checked the reports from both the Old Testament and the New Testament. God's Doppler radar shows it approaching.  I've been following it for years....even decades....along with many others.

           My wife and I spent one full day on the beach a few days ago while traveling. I walked the boardwalk and sat under an umbrella in the sand for five hours....reading a book about how Christians in the Middle East suffer for their faith.  A green flag undulated gently in the sweltering heat....indicating that it was safe to swim. Have you ever been to Ocean City, New Jersey? It's a trip back into the past of beautiful two and three-story wooden framed houses on quiet streets with families everywhere....and no bars. I did not hear one F-bomb while there. It is my favorite beach getaway....and I built my short novel....Isaac Crockett....around it....but there is a hurricane coming in...multiple storms.....everywhere in America....each one named after a garden that we gave up weeding decades ago.
          It's time to hit the markets early before the shelves are bare.....to buy that plywood.....and nails....water....and essentials. It's time to plead with God to keep us through the storm that He has told us for many decades was coming. It's time to thank Him for all the blessings that He has given this nation....and all the good that came to the world because it existed....but it's well past time to begin to read the weather reports.

This from February of this year:

          We have had one judgment upon us after another for two decades at least....and they are intensifying....and there are more to come. I titled one post from somewhere in the past....Battle Stations....and another....Batten Down The Hatches.....and another....SOS....SOS....SOS....and yet another that I remember....All Hands On Deck. 
          I'm in the middle of yet another Titanic book....this one a few years old....The Ship Of Dreams....by Gareth Russell. Even as the davits were extended....and the people were on deck waiting to be seated in a lifeboat....they thought that they would return to the ship before the night was over. That's us. It's just a drill....a bump in the night....but of course that feeling on the Titanic began to fade fast as it was obvious that the ship was beginning to list.
          What can we do....well for a start we can begin to read the Old Testament prophets....and the Psalms....and all the references in the New Testament concerning the second coming of Jesus Christ. If we in humility seek God's wisdom as we read then He will begin to take away veils.

                  

The Snare Of The Fowler

                 Throughout 2018 right up to the time that it was certain that Donald Trump would get the 2020 nomination I simply hoped that he would realize that he was despised by the majority of all Americans....(even with his Evita style adorers)....and that he would retire....and not only retire but enjoy the glory....to use a word that he would understand....of having been the 45th President of the United States....and go on from there....even being a political presence as George W. and Obama and all the other ex-presidents have....but it became more than clear quite a while ago that he isn't that type of person. It was therefore an impossibility asking him to exhibit even a morsel of wisdom or honor.

                 I'm not going to sit down and count them but there have been numerous times where with any other politician they would have been done for....January 6 only being one of the latest....but he is somehow saved from being banished every time. Trump does have one great ability....and that is psychological manipulation mixed with brute force coercion....using fear and rage as outlined in Bob Woodward's two previous books....as we are kept in the snare of the fowler. 
                 So here we are today. Judgment is coming to us in America and ultimately it would not matter if it is a Trump or Biden who fights his own generals....while deploying his own personal army as in the case of Trump....or  having that army of fanatical Progressives use him as a puppet as in the case of Biden....but it would matter if we were successful in finding a nominee for president....possibly becoming the 47th President of the United States.....should the Lord tarry even that long....in that we would at least be free from the bondage of suicidal ideologies....or a demagogue as a leader.
                 Ichabod....the glory has departed....is the banner that hangs over evangelicalism and the church today. We have lost our purpose....and we have lost our compassion....and we have lost our unction. A winnowing is needed....and God may bring that winnowing....and may it start....should it be His will....with Donald Trump. Let those who see power only in numbers stay with Trump....for God picked only 300 to follow Gideon....less than 1%....and the Midianites collapsed in utter chaos before them....destroying themselves.

"I will say of the LORD, 'He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.' Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler...and from the perilous pestilence..." Ps 91: 2,3

Franklin Graham

                 Franklin Graham tweeted two days ago....two days ago....a picture of he and Donald Trump....and added...."I miss him." Why on God's green earth would he do that? I wonder if the Reverend Graham has read one single solitary book....or possibly one article....on who Donald Trump really is. I've posted a few times....and in the post below this....on how Franklin tweeted after the 2020 State of the Union address...."After watching the State of the Union address tonight, my reaction is-Thank you Mr. President for reminding Americans why they voted for you in the last election." This was a man....Donald Trump....who led evangelicals and Christians astray for four years....brought great division within the church....set us to war against masks instead of"the passions at war within [us]"....and "following the course of the world"....telling us how glorious our future here in America would be....if this isn't a false prophet then what would be? This is a man who the Apostle Paul's words on whom to avoid could serve as a resume for Donald Trump....(please see the Bible verses below)....as right up to this morning....seven months after being out of office....Donald Trump continues to tear this nation apart in his quest of only thing only....his own personal glory.

                Yet Franklin Graham continues to bring the politics of Donald Trump into the church. I just listened once again to the eulogy that he gave for his father at the Billy Graham Library. At the time.....early 2018....when I read that he would speak....and that Donald Trump and so many other government and world leaders would be present....I was so filled with excited expectation that I posted on the upcoming funeral....and advertised the Sirius channel on my truck....purposely taking a drive....as the funeral was going on! When that eulogy was over I was disappointed. I posted that Trump had at least heard the gospel....but the message was a typical modern....'Jesus loves you....won't you trust in Him'....type of message. It was salvation by choice without any mortification. The gospel was there....but there was no real immediacy....and no warning that God would not be mocked....and no rebuke. It was an invitation to believe....but not a command to believe. It would be easy for the listener.....no matter who they might be....to just say.....'yeah....that's me....I believe in Jesus'....and then glance at their watch as if to wonder....'how much longer?'.
                 The charismatics are still going to be there....preaching Trump crucified....but I wonder what John MacArthur thinks of Donald Trump today? I wonder what Robert Jeffress thinks about him? I probably know what Jonathan Cahn still thinks about him. Franklin Graham added in his tweet of two days ago....'pray for him'....(Trump). I prayed for Trump often....and wrote a whole post that was nothing but a prayer for him.....but I then decided to read about him....for none of us evangelicals really knew who he was prior to the 2016 election other than he built towers and golfed and had a TV show. Eighty five books later....and I still pray about Trump....I pray that God might open our eyes to this man....and humble us for having been so gullible.

"And Jesus answered and said unto them. Take heed that no man deceive you..." Matthew 24:4 (Donald Trump deceived us....but you will never see that if you refuse to read about him)

"And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many." Matthew 24:11 (Donald Trump prophesies the opposite of what does God's Word tells us)

"Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, that they may believe what is false." 1 Thessalonians 2:11 (would not Trump's MAGA be such a delusion)

"But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self (DJT), lovers of money, (DJT) proud, (DJT) arrogant, (DJT) abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, (DJT) unappeasable, (DJT) slanderous, (DJT) without self-control, (DJT) brutal,  (DJT) not loving good, (DJT) swollen with conceit, (DJT) lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, (DJT) having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people." (2 Tim 3:1-5)

"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits." (Matthew 7:15-16a) (would this not refer to Donald Trump)

"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world..." 1 John 4:1 (Would not Donald Trump be one)

"For there shall be false Christs and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible they shall deceive the very elect."   Matthew 24:24 (was not "the greatest economy in the history of our country" just such a great sign and great wonder)

"....for by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple." Romans 16:18 (This is what we have experienced on a daily basis through Tweets and rallies and talk radio)

"....but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears..." 2 Timothy 4:3 (that's what we have done)

"For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace..." 1 Corinthians 14:33 ("fear is power"..."I bring out rage. I always have" DJT)

"...they are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and delusions of their own minds." Jeremiah 14:14 ("Our best days are yet to come")

"...they fill you with false hopes..." Jeremiah 23:16 ("winning winning winning")

"Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets." Luke 6:26 (whatever state Trump is in today will be "the great state of" and whatever congressman that will be on the dais with him will "your great representative" and whatever people he gives a speech to will be "the great people of...")

"in their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories." 2 Peter 2 

"Thus says the Lord GOD, woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing. Your prophets have been like jackals among the ruins..." Ezekiel 13 (Paula White et al)

"For when they say 'Peace and safety' then sudden destruction comes upon them..." 1 Thessalonians 5:3 (and we're gonna make America....(as everyone at the rally repeats)....SAFE again.)

Addendum: Franklin Graham is a good man....a better man than I am....he is an evangelist....and his Samaritan's Purse is a wonderful ministry to the needy....but his weaknesses on these issues have always been astounding....especially after his father made similar mistakes early in his ministry....and ruefully acknowledged them the rest of his life.  I wrote a post back in the summer of 2017....while watching a Trump rally in Phoenix, Franklin Graham had taken the podium and gave a wonderful prayer....a prayer that he should have given at his father's funeral. I was so excited that I was trying to type his words while I listened to them....for this is what we needed to hear. He finished....and walked slowly off the stage.....followed by Vice President Pence....and within a minute the crowd was back to roaring.....USA....USA....USA! I thought for sure that Rev. Graham would pick up on what had happened....that a prayer was just talisman at Trump rallies....a good luck chant....that the real hope was in the power of the USA....but he never did....and missed everything about who Donald Trump really is....and what America really needs....and who our whole trust....and our whole hope is to be in....and is missing it to this day.

Update....October 22, 2021

Note: Franklin Graham tweeted twice recently some good advice about Facebook and Twitter.....asking them if it would not be better...."to encourage debate rather than censor it"....and to...."just let the people debate their points....?" Some good thoughts....but does he not realize that Donald Trump has continuously censored us by purging any and all republicans who dare not to bow down to him....and has tried to regulate all of our information by calling everything that does not praise him....Fake News? The Republican Party....in defense of Trump....has consistently attempted to censor information on Trump....through what is going on right now by not letting people testify....and attempting to sabotage the whole congressional investigation of the violent insurrection of January 6....and by letting Trump over the years get rid of watchdogs and inspector generals when they were speaking out....and by labeling whistleblowers who testify against Trump as traitors....but whistleblowers who testify against the other side.....heroes....and by limiting primaries! Of course Franklin Graham does not know of these these things....for he brought politics into his wonderful ministry....and was devoured by this wolf in sheep's clothing. 

PERIL......Bob Woodward And Bob Costa

                 My thoughts as expressed in a post from a few days ago concerning the upcoming Bob Woodward book was that since the General Milley episodes were being highlighted by conservative....(well they're no longer conservatives)....news sources.....would we on our side finally read something that tells who Donald Trump really is....and what would then be the effect? Well.....having just completed the book that came out yesterday....if the people that I know who blindly still support this man would indeed read the book....barring some sort of demonic hold on the minds of the readers.....they at the very least would never want to hear Trump's name again connected with the future of their party. They might still defend Trump policies....and probably would still defend them....but as for another campaign with his personalized sick torment tearing everyone and everything apart....I don't think that any thinking person would want any of that.

                 Woodward has....and always has had the best sources for his books....Fear and Rage....being the first two in this....so far trilogy....on Trump. I used no highlighters on this book as it reads so easily and flows. It's actually a book on both Trump and Biden. Is there bias in the book? Yes....in so far as the authors.....Bob Woodward for sure....knows beyond the shadow of a doubt that Donald John Trump is and always has been a destructive force in everything he comes into contact with....and that there is absolutely no truth in this man.....and that his psychological disorders.....serious disorders....are and always have been part of his makeup....so how on earth can you write on only the latest episode.....without there being some kind of bias? But I'll say this.....Woodward and Costa cover up that bias pretty well.... the author's depending on the intellect of the reader.....that they might see genuine peril when it exists....which may or may not be a mistake in judgment on the author's part?
                  The authors do not on the other hand successfully hide their bias for Joe Biden. Not that they write or report great things about him....for they do not....but they do not adequately....although they almost try at times....to show that the people around him are more of a problem than Biden himself. So they accurately describe the people around Trump.....most of them.....people like Mark Meadows and a few others excluded....that the people around him tried their best to contain his craziness....but do not adequately vet the people around Biden.
                  Lindsey Graham....what can you say about this senator....for it is so sad? He is and always has been an at least stable voice on issues and policies.....particularly foreign policy.....and had on three or four occasions seemed to totally cut his ties to Trump....but then time and again he looks things over and essentially says that the Republican Party needs Trump....and he goes right back to the polluted pond to drink. The book ends with Graham back on the bottle again....not booze but Trump.
                 The author's description of the lead up to the January 6 insurrection was by far the best I have read so far.....and the examining of the election claims from primarily Trump's inner three-ring circle of clowns....(a term a lot of people used for Rudy and others)....was every bit as informative as the insurrection information....answering a lot of questions that I had where I had trouble finding answers.
                 The reader might feel that he/she lived with Mike Pence during the riot and the aftermath of the electoral count. It's obvious that McConnell and many others trust Woodward in that the reader finds themselves in so many conversations and meetings at the time.
                 I cannot tell you how much I would like never to have to write the name Trump again in these posts....for he is and always has been.....(I'm at about 85 books on Trump since in early 2017....after voting for him....and celebrating....and then seeing that there was a terrible problem)....a consuming and bullying force in politics....and deception in evangelicalism. Woodward's and Costa's final sentence in the book shows that they have the same concern that I do.....only not as intense as mine.....at least it is not stated as such....for the potential horror of Trump back in power is almost overwhelming to even ponder. First they allude to the two previous books on Trump....each with a Trump quote...."Real power is-I don't even want to use the word-fear"....and...."I bring rage out. I do bring out rage. I always have. I don't know if it's an asset or a liability, but whatever it is, I do." Then they finish with this...."Could Trump work his will again? Were there any limits to what he and his supporters might do to put him back in power? Peril remains."
                 Donald Trump is everything that the Christian should not want in a leader. Any decent and even mentally and psychologically at least stable politician would have....for the good of the whole nation....left the stage long ago.....the work for others to accomplish....but that is not Trump. The peril is real with Joe Biden and those around him.....and the peril is real with Donald Trump.

Ship Of State

 I came across this post....Ship Of State....from January 20 of 2016. I hardly even remember writing it! At one moment these passengers are heading across the Atlantic in class and speed....but 'all hell'....as the phrase is so often used...was about to break loose....along with a a tiny virus. I have encouraged readers to watch anew....if they perchance had sat in front of the television on February 4, 2020....at the State of the Union Speech....which began with shouts from deliriously happy Republicans of ...."four more years"....but where Nancy Pelosi so visibly ripped up the transcript of his words at the end. That President's speech began with...."Tonight I stand before you to share the incredible results....(of the past three years)....Jobs are booming....Incomes are soaring....Poverty is plummeting....Crime is falling....Confidence is surging....and our country is thriving....America's fortunes are on the rise.....America's future is blazing bright....our pride is restored....("Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" Proverbs)....we are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago....and we are never going back....we are advancing with unbridled optimism"....and the address ended with this...."This nation is our canvas, and this country is our masterpiece. We look at tomorrow and see unlimited frontiers just waiting to be explored. Our brightest discoveries are not yet known. Our most thrilling stories are not yet told. Our grandest journeys are not yet made. The American Age, the American epic, The American adventure has only just begun. Our spirit is still young. The sun is still rising, God's grace is still shining, and my fellow Americans, the best is yet to come." The false prophet had spoken....and evangelicals rejoiced in what they heard....of peace and security and prosperity ahead….but God's judgments on this nation of ours....partly because of arrogance just like this....would continue at a pace...."unimaginable just a short time ago."

Note: Franklin Graham posted this hours after the speech...."After watching the State of the Union address tonight, my reaction is-Thank you Mr. President for reminding Americans why they voted for you in the last election. May God bless you and your family, President Donald J. Trump, as you continue to lead our nation." The Apostle Peter did some 'reminding' of his own....."Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election,  ( a different kind of election) for if you practice these qualities (faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control,  steadfastness with godliness, brotherly kindness, love) you will never fail.....therefore I always remind you...."

.........................................................................................  

SHIP OF STATE.....January 20, 2016

          The following was jotted down in only a few minutes. I did no research on terms. I simply want to extend a message in this little story, for the fate of the ship in question is similar to America. Yes...we are in that bad of shape! We, the passengers, are not being informed of the particulars, so basically we are just a little annoyed because our plans are being put on hold:

          Captain Miller was leaning over weather reports that had come in over an hour earlier. There was some concern on his face but if the ship remained on schedule they might outrun the winds. It was 2100 hrs and he had just returned to the bridge from dinner where he shared the Captain's Table with some very influential stock market brokers heading to London on what else....money business. The waves were about ten feet and the winds calm at the moment. They were exactly half way across the Atlantic....the ship, its 300 passengers and 45 crew.
         The hatch opened quickly and Lieutenant Crosby entered appearing very annoyed. "Captain.... we have lost all radio transmissions capability.... we cannot send out anything. The problem appears to be electrical and we are on it but I'm told that if the transformers are shorted out as they appear to be that it could take up to 24 hours before we can transmit again!" "24 hours!"  The captain repeated his last words..."24 hours without contacting anyone? Well, let's hope that we do not have any emergencies Lieutenant."
        Captain Miller ran his fingers through his graying hair and just as Lieutenant Crosby left the bridge Lieutenant Smith entered...."Captain...we have a rudder problem. After we completed the 15 degree turn north the rudder froze in place." Captain Miller walked up to the wheel, look over the sea and nodded his head...." I can see that....all engines stop." A seaman repeated the order to the engine room. Miller turned and looked at the four men with in the bridge...."No radio transmissions.....no rudder....this trip was going along too smoothly."
       First Officer Martin Malkin spoke up...."Did you hear that?"   The captain looked off to his left and then to his right and answered that he heard nothing but Smith nodded..."I did...it sounded like a muffled explosion."   Captain Miller looked over at Seaman Thomas...."Have all stations report in."   The Seaman did so and one by one answers came in. "Nothing from the engine room.   Lieutenant Smith, go down there and see what's happening."
       It was 2115 hours. The captain had been back on the bridge for only 15 minutes and the ship was falling apart. A young officer entered the bridge with a returning Lieutenant Smith. He was covered with dirt and oil and appeared in shock.....Smith spoke for him...."Explosion in the engine room Captain. Everyone is reported for but they can't even see for all the smoke right now."
       Captain Miller walked back over to the weather reports he was reviewing only a few minutes earlier with then little concern...now there was great concern for they were not going to be able to outrun the storm even if the engine and the rudder were repaired quickly. Lieutenant Smith spoke first...."Captain, should I make an announcement to the passengers?" The Captain  paused for a moment or two and said...."No....there's no need in worrying them."
       Three other officers were summoned to the bridge and the group sat around a table to consider the problems and make a plan. The ship was now beginning to rock ever so slightly. Captain Miller stood up quickly and asked of no one in particular....."Gentlemen...are we listing a little to the aft?"  Indeed it seemed so, that the ship's bow was a little bit higher than the stern. Just then another seaman burst through the hatch..."Captain....Captain....we are taking on water...A seam in the port side of the engine room has ruptured!"   "How much water?" the Captain shot back immediately?   "Sir.... a  lot of water....we had to get out of the engine room!"
        Captain Miller shouted to Lieutenant Smith...."Smith...radio an S.O......" he stopped mid-sentence for he remembered that there was to radio transmission capability. "Lieutenant Bonham....get the lifeboats uncovered....just uncovered. If anyone asks why, tell them....tell them it's a crew practice."
       Seaman Waverly, the ships cook knocked on the hatch unaware of the emergencies that were going on....""Enter!"  Waverly spoke slowly....."Captain, we have a bit of a problem.....a serious one though.....a 6" water pipe broke in the stockroom....." he hesitated and Captain Miller roughly yelled....."And?"   "Sir before we could get the leak isolated, all of the stock was destroyed.....the only thing that we have left is the refrigerated food and.....and...."  "And what else"...shouted the Captain again.   "And there seems to be an electrical problem with the refrigeration. Unless we get that fixed, we only have one meal left for all on board."
         There was no panic or even hesitation from Captain Miller...."Make the announcement Lieutenant Smith.  Make the call to emergency stations and then tell the passengers that we are temporally stuck.....with damage that will require assistance.....don't mention the food or anything else."
         Captain Miller did not hear the door open. He turned to look over the seas and Doctor Johnson, the ship's doctor, was behind him, also unaware of all the problems except the one that he had to report. "Sir, It appears that you are very busy but I have something you need to know."  Captain Miller could not believe his ears. He didn't have any idea what problem the doctor had but it was obvious that there was one....yet another emergency....was this even possible. It was now only 37 minutes from the time that the captain was looking over weather reports and it seems like the world had caved in.  Did he even want to hear the doctor's report?  He did pause long enough for Doctor Johnson to continue....."Captain...we have had an unusually high sick call the past 24 hours. I did not think it necessary to mention it to you but it appears to be some sort of violent bacterial strain of some sort. One patient...a passenger.... has made a dramatic turn and is fighting for his life.....three others have the same symptoms. This seems to be highly contagious sir."  He paused and then asked "Captain....is it too late to turn back to New York?"
        The ship was listing more now...surely the passengers were aware of it. Surely they were aware that we were not going anywhere. There would be panic soon. The waves were nearing fifteen feet and getting worse by the minute. A young lieutenant whose name the Captain had not memorized as of yet ran through the already open hatch and almost slipped.   Apparently he knew that the ship was taking on water and had been charged with removing the covers from the lifeboats....."Captain....I don't know how this has happened......I signed off on the papers in port.....I didn't visually verify it but was told in no uncertain terms that....." "Spit it out Lieutenant" shouted the Captain. "Captain. The guernsey chains had been removed in port to be weight inspected......somehow they were never put back on......we cannot lower the lifeboats if we need to!"

Annie Get Your Crown

 The following post is from April of 2017:

         Consider two women if you would. I'll call one Anne....and the other Annie. They are both 70 years old. Anne was born into money....private schools....a debutante ball.....Sarah Lawrence College....all of that. Her net worth has been in the billions....or today's equivalent of it....all of her life. Anne was physically beautiful...and still is as she had all that money could buy for various expensive cosmetic surgeries and beauty products to keep her skin soft and wrinkle free. She also is very healthy....as every sign of illness was addressed immediately by the best doctors in the world.
          Annie was born in East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, not far from the steel mills. She started smoking at fourteen because she didn't know any better. She began working as a cleaning woman at the historic Westinghouse Air Brake when she graduated from high school at 18 years of age. She has never had a thousand dollars to spare in her entire life. She still cleans banks and schools at 70 years old. There is no discernible shape or style whatsoever to her hair. Her skin is wrinkled and pasty....and she is not well although she really has no personal doctor to diagnose anything.....rather she will go to the emergency room when necessary.....which had been two or three times in her life. There doesn't appear to be a whole lot of fairness to life as it concerns Anne and Annie.
          God had humbled Annie early in life as she made a mess of it with men....and never married. There was a large yellow brick church on a hill that Annie would always admire when she was on that hill. One particular Sunday while in her thirties, she bundled up on a cold winter day, walked through the red doors, and sat in the last pew. It was as if God dragged her out of bed that day and pulled her up that hill. She heard something from that old man in the pulpit that she had never heard before. It was like water that starts to boil and then one has to hurry and turn the heat down on the stove to keep the water from boiling over the top of the pot.....as if Annie reached out that morning to grab the robe of Jesus....and been raised to life from the spiritually dead.....and has ever since echoed praises to her Savior and her Lord off of those cold bank marble and tiled cafeteria floors. Her body may often ache but her soul is comforted in the pure joy of grace bestowed....and of knowing that a crown awaits her!
              Anne married the perfect man....handsome and richer than her. Her children are all highly successful and have provided a dozen beautiful grandchildren. Anne attends a majestic glass and steel church but she has never once heard the words that changed Annie's life. They were similar words that she heard but sterile....lacking power....and she has no idea that something is even missing. Anne gives more money to the church every Sunday than Annie makes in a whole year....but knows only a name....and not a reigning King. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of fairness here either....for God had humbled Annie....but never Anne.
               Granted, there have been many examples that are the exact opposite where the poor woman had a chip on her shoulder against God her whole life....while the rich woman's sole purpose was in using her wealth to help others and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. My point here as it concerns riches and a life of ease....or poverty....is that both are temporary.....with an eternity to follow! Surely there is someone within fifty yards of where I sit right now who is an Annie......and who has been blessed so as to make all the wealth of the richest man in the world appear as nothing but a gilded dung hill.
               What is of everlasting importance is whether Anne or Annie.....who having been born either in riches or poverty....had also since been born anew.....born from above.....or as we hear most often.....born again.....adopted into God's family.....forgiven.....made heirs of an eternal inheritance.....and given God's Holy Spirit to know all these things.....and to rejoice in them.....and to have faith in that which cannot be seen....and strength to persevere.....and if it applies.....to discern the dangers that lurk within riches. This highlighting here of the temporal in no way lessens our concern for the Annies of the world....it rather does the opposite.....for whether one is born into money or not....they are both born into a spiritual deadness......and to be raised from this to life.....makes one almost immediately reach for the one not yet raised.....as if to pull them up also.....whether it be an Annie....or an Anne

Surveys Tell The Story......Few Are Christian

            100,000 people elbow to elbow in the Michigan football stadium....and 100,000 elbow to elbow at Beaver Stadium at Penn State....and who knows how many other stadiums were full....and as I type this the Steelers game is probably packed to the gills....and to make it worse.....Christians particularly in the south who worship their college football idol did their thing yesterday.....and Christians in the north are filling football stadiums on this the Lord's Day.

           That's America today folks....and that is the church. If there are 10% of Americans who are born again it would be amazing. How can I say such a thing? Well....if you take the surveys seriously....a CBN report from only a month ago states that...."more than 60% of born-again Christians between the ages of 18 to 39 believe that Jesus, Buddha, and Mohammad are all equal in regards to a path to salvation."....(that's supposedly born again Christians folks!)....and less than half strongly believe that Jesus died to redeem us. Surveys throughout the years prove that there is little true faith in America today.....a fair amount of lip service....but a woeful lack of knowledge in even the basics of the Christian Faith. The only way this would be anything near described as 'a Christian nation' would be if all this 'born again' talk is not true....and that all one had to do was go to church and say good things about Jesus!
            We are at near collapse....chaos literally rules everywhere. We've had three presidents in a row who you would never want to be President of the United States....our enemies are quite literally licking their lips....and somehow the nation is captivated by the trivial in everything....and merely intrigued by the absurd. Somethings got to give.
            "When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?" That's from the 18th chapter of Luke....where Jesus was telling us that when He returns there will be little faith on earth. So let's break this down a little bit. Donald Trump proved...in my estimation anyway....and I have five years now of posts explaining why I believe it....he proved that evangelicals listened to a different voice than their Shepherd. Jesus said...."My sheep hear my voice.....and a stranger they will not follow" How did we miss this? It's a different world when one is born again. It's not easy being green....or in this case.....a peculiar people. Evangelicals missed the warnings on this false prophet because most everyone claims to be a Christian without ever having been born again! It's a great gig if you don't have to be born again. There's no cost of discipleship....no conscience to worry about....and you get to pick the church that suits you best. "This great salvation"....is right up there with a growing 401 and a strong America...and this to the professing Christian....and that is the crux of the problem.
             There must be a winnowing coming. Most apparently are going to fall for great delusion.....just like we did with Trump. What's left will be the remnant....along with those that God chooses to add to it....but oh what a remnant! Lord Jesus come....increase our faith....unite us in Thee only....open our eyes to the deception all around us....and do this to Thy glory alone!

Addendum: My father-in-law is 91 years old and needs constant care....and the family tries to make his days easier. His passion was the card game 500 Bid....and we still play it with him all the time....even though we have to sort his cards for him and remind him of the rules of which he once mastered. So I bring him every once in a while $2 scratch off....for a little pleasure....of which I have to scratch off....and tell him if he won or not....and you know what....he wins $10 every single time! Maybe you are upset at my comments on the low percentage of evangelicals who may be born again....otherwise known as.....saved.....otherwise known to God as.....His redeemed ? We are not playing a lottery. If you have a loved one and simply hope that he or she might be saved....well....you are indeed playing a game of chance with that someone that you purportedly love. Maybe you are gambling with your own eternal soul. Those who are indeed born again would not take umbrage with my comments in this post....most of them anyway....and certainly not pastors who weep every day for the souls given to their charge....for they know the problem that exists in evangelicalism and the church today. Those who really never thought twice if they were actually born again or not....are the ones who might take offense. If you do not know....if you have not taken almost unimaginable joy in knowing what Christ did for you....and what you were saved from....then you must find out where you may have erred....and you must put everything else aside until you do find out....for it is that important.

Lord's Day Post

                    Typical day today....in that I listened to a Spurgeon sermon while.....doing some things around the house. Here's why I bring this up. In the middle of his sermon Spurgeon gave a strong opinion that I have held for almost forty  years....and to be honest....it just felt good hearing it from him. He admitted that Sunday Schools were a good thing in many ways....but also said that their very existence shows that parents do not teach their own children.....which they should be doing. I stopped taking my family to Sunday School after a few years of seeing that these teachers are telling us....what I should be teaching my family....and what I already know....but the optics are good.

                   I think that Spurgeon might agree on this also.....I say this after listening to nearly a hundred.....probably.....of his sermons in the last few years.....(I also listen to J. C. Ryle and Whitefield and Edwards and on and on and on from men from the past.....and also men today who preach like men from the past......MacArthur and Horton and Piper and others) It is practically the norm.....when I listen to pastors today preaching on a passage of Scripture....that the presentation may be fine....and obviously study was done on the passage.....but we can do that.....we should do that.....so in this situation we once again pass on to someone what we should be doing....not preaching but studying and meditating on God's Word.
                    Folks....let me say this....if for some reason I had to step up into a pulpit and preach a sermon....it would probably be a disaster. I am not denigrating the vocation of pastor....I'm elevating it....to where it should be.....to where it has been from time to time. Not only can all these pastors of today not be Spurgeons....there may be none.....certainly few.....who God has blessed with such abilities. They don't all have to be Spurgeons....but they all have to have an unction for saving souls! Spurgeon himself testified that on the day he was.....'saved'....he stopped in a small Primitive Methodist church....instead of his regular church.....because of a snowstorm.....and not only that but the regular preacher could not even make it to the church that day.....so a very unlearned....Spurgeon used the word 'stupid'....(it was used in a different sense back then)....and that timid man repeated Scripture that God used to bring the most marvelous preacher in the past two hundred years to salvation.
                     Here's another anecdote on Charles Spurgeon....this from memory....as he was beginning his ministry he was to meet a man about possibly going into seminary type training....he showed up....but the two of them were in different rooms....unbeknownst to each other.....so Spurgeon went straight into the ministry. God obviously had His hand on plans for Spurgeon.....(and this is not to denigrate seminary.....only to show that God can make a great preacher out of the man cleaning your basement drains if He should want) So preachers....as Dickens' Oliver Twist said upon not being fed enough...."Sir, I want some more food." Don't merely give us an exposition that God has enabled every believer to see clearly on his own....remind us the majesties and the wonders of Christ....and of our the glorious salvation that He offers....for in these tents of flesh we are prone to forget....give us afresh the words that God has given you....strong words to be vigilant and watchful....because you have been called to do this.....and because you pray throughout each and every day....each and every hour of every day....and because you pant as a deer pants for water....for words to bring to us....that is what you do....right?