"I am...."

In the book of John, Jesus made seven "I am" statements.  He makes it clear that HE, and HE alone, is the source of life and salvation.  In John 6:35, He states that "I am the Bread of Life...".  In John 8:12, He states that "I am the Light of the world...".  John 10:9, "I am the door...", John 10:11, I am the Good Shepherd...", John 11:25, "I am the Resurrection and the Life...", John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father, except through me."   And in John 15:5, Jesus declared, "I am the vine...".  
These statements are not only beautiful, but TRUE.  Not all religious systems are equal.  Any "religion" which denies that Jesus is not God, and not the way TO God, is false.  "There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” (NLT)  Jesus is the only way.  To deny Him, is to deny life itself.  

Jesus Weeps...

One day, Jesus spoke these words, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!"  How Jesus longed to love His chosen people!  How He longed to gather them close to Him.  How He wanted them to receive Him as their Messiah.  No matter what Jesus said, they chose not to believe.  They would not.  
The picture presented here of Jesus is so beautiful.  Protective.  Passionate.  Loving.  
It struck me.  That is what I've done to Jesus.  Over and over, He has called to me.  Called me to come to Him.  Come to Him and lay down my burdens, cares, sins and worries.  Called me to lay down ALL that separates me from Him.  
But, I'm afraid!  I'm afraid of losing something that I THINK I want or need.  He sees the whole picture, from start to finish. He created me.  He made me.  He knows every hair on my head.  He wants ONLY good for me.  He wants ONLY the very best.  He knows that when He is glorified, and I'm resting in Him, I can experience the "fullness of joy" that He has promised.  (Psalms 16:11) 

PLANNED PARENTHOOD: THE CONSEQUENCES OF DECADES.

One of the reasons Planned Parenthood exists? So that men and women will be free to divorce sexuality from procreation. God created sexuality so that both aspects are tightly woven together. Marriage is the one place where this can occur. Two people, a man and a woman, committed to each other for life, is the only place where this act belongs. In this place of relative safety, sexuality and the likelihood of children can coexist beautifully. The sinfulness of the human heart doesn't like that perceived restriction, however. So, people look for ways to circumvent that difficulty. After all, the world says...have sex...anytime, with whoever you want, as many people as you want. You should be able to do it. It's your right! If, a baby is conceived, that's okay. You're not ready for it. Just kill it. But, they don't call it "killing." It's "termination of products of conception." Or some other silly terminology. The idea of "free love" and "free sex" from the sixties has certainly damaged the very fabric of our society. According to the website childtrends.org, "The proportion of births to unmarried women has increased greatly in recent decades, rising from five percent in 1960 to 32 percent in 1995. After some stability in the mid-1990s, there was a gradual rise from 1997 through 2008, from 32 to 41 percent. The rate appears to have stabilized again, and was at 41 percent in 2013. The long-term trend toward non-marital births may be attributed, in part, to an increase in cohabiting unions and in births within such relationships. Data for 2013 show an increase among all age groups over 19 years in the share of births that were to unmarried women." So, what are some of the consequences of this "new morality?" Again, information from childtrends.org tell us that "Children born to unmarried mothers are more likely to grow up in a single-parent household, experience instable living arrangements, live in poverty, and have socio-emotional problems. As these children reach adolescence, they are more likely to have low educational attainment, engage in sex at a younger age, and have a birth outside of marriage. As young adults, children born outside of marriage are more likely to be idle (neither in school nor employed), have lower occupational status and income, and have more troubled marriages and more divorces than those born to married parents.
The blog, Heart of wisdom states, "In 1962, the Court examined a simple twenty-two word prayer, first used to negate prayer in schools:
“Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers, and our country."
This simple prayer, said by children, acknowledged God. Americans’ indifference allowed the removal of prayer from our schools. This is but one of the steps toward complete destruction of America’s original Judeo-Christian educational system. This value-free environment has resulted in chaos." (Heart of Wisdom.com)
David Barton gives us the breakdown of the consequences of this monumental change in our public schools in a series of charts also found on the Heart of Wisdom blog.
By looking at these charts, the consequences of taking religious prayer out of our schools has had a devastating effect on our nation. The charts cover these areas: SAT Scores, sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancies to unwed girls, birth rates for unwed girls, pre-marital sex rates, single parent households, cohabiting couples and last but not least, divorce rates. As you might have guessed, all have been trending in the wrong direction. It is clear. The removal of God and moral training has wreaked havoc on the United States of America. The welfare roles have swelled due to this. This is a huge burden to taxpayers and those who would live moral lives. The consequences of this to the children is inexcusable.
Just today, on a thread on Facebook, a very sadly, misguided woman suggested that " We wouldn't have any unplanned pregnancies if parents would simply teach their teenage daughters to perform oral sex to satisfy their boyfriends." Folks, this is the lunacy that your children may be hearing. The world is no friend to those who would live righteously.
Besides the devastating effects that the promiscuity of our society has brought upon us spiritually and emotionally, there can be very real physical effects as well. According to the website, everydayhealth.com, here are some of the physical consequences to promiscuity. "Having a large number of sexual partners has been linked to poor sexual health and decreased longevity. Why? The more sexual partners you have, the greater your risk for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) like HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening conditions like prostate cancer, cervical cancer, and oral cancer."
Additional unintended consequences were the rise in alcohol and drug use and increase of violent crime. Removal of the teaching of virtue and moral competence has cost us Billions.
So, what do we do? Very simply put; return to virtue and morality. Return to the founding principles that our nation was built upon. Return to the natural laws which are clearly seen every day in nature. Throw off the politically correct nonsense which we have fed three generations and return to the laws of nature and natures God.

Happy Independence Day!

From Saturday, July 4, 2015...This morning, think about the thousands of men who bravely fought for our Independence. They were willing to give their lives without ever seeing the results of their sacrifice. The "Rebels" were amazing. They went out to battle for a life of freedom against the greatest military on earth at that time. How can we do any less? How long will we tolerate those who would take our freedom from us? Educate yourself. Find a group of freedom lovers to be a part of. Learn the amazing story of America! Tell that story to someone else. Happy Independence Day! Refuse to let their sacrifice be in vain!

Self Denial, a Lost Art?

I'd like to address an issue...of late, we have heard some of the most bizarre news...a man "becomes" a woman...genderless dating...a young man shoots and kills several members of a church at a Bible study! If one looks below the surface. of these, and other crimes and isses in our culture, we would see a basic theme...selfishness. Yes, selfishness. It's all about ME. I am not "happy" with the way God made me, the gender that I am, the spouse that I have, the color of someone else's skin, etc. etc. I, must be happy at all cost. I, must be fulfilled at all cost. Jesus made it very clear...the only way to happiness, is to DIE to one's self. Take up the cross, follow Him. Just days ago, a great hero to Christian's passed away. That amazing lady was Elisabeth Elliot. She has influenced many, including myself, and could certainly speak to "dying to self." She waited YEARS to marry the man of her dreams, only to have him murdered a few years after their marriage. She refused to give in to "self" realization or self pity, instead, serving One greater than herself, choosing to believe that He had a greater purpose for her than her desires. She continued to bless the Lord even in the midst of great personal tragedy. Our culture is very self focused. Self realization. Self fulfillment. Self must be glorified and pampered. Where has that gotten us, people??? Nowhere good. At all. Our nation was founded with much sweat, blood and tears. Men and women put sentiment and "self realization" aside, in order to serve a purpose greater than themselves. Some layed down their lives, lost property, were injured, etc. at great cost to self. Many thought nothing of the sacrifice. It was not about self, it was about something and someone greater. We need a return to this type of living in America and in the church, more importantly. 

A Descent Into the Ridiculous

Is it possible to rid our nation of "racism" by removing a flag? The answer is an obvious "no." The absurdity of the drum beat to remove the confederate flag, and all the retailers joining in this ridiculous parade of politically correct psycho babble has crossed far over into the realms of complete and utter nonsense. The scripture tells us in Romans 1 what is happening here...listen to verses 21-22.."Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools..." This pretty much sums it up...professing to have wisdom, they have made themselves look very, very foolish.

Come With Me...

Leave your lives of ease…your sporting events…your ipads and iphones…come to this hill.  Look down.  What do you see?  Grave stones?  Sacrifice?  Death?  Life?  Do you see that their blood cries out?  It cries out to be remembered.  They are lying here.  Stone cold.  Dead.  So YOU may live. 

You are so busy, eating, drinking, playing.  Doing the normal things which are called “life”.  Being soccer moms, and sporting dads.  You are told what a hero is.  A hero might be someone who changes their gender we are told.  Or someone who just does the ordinary.  But, here, lie the real heroes.  They are “heroes proved in liberating strife.  Who more than self, their country love, and mercy, more than life.”

LOOK!  Do you see them?  They died so you could live!!! LOOK!!!  While you enjoy your life of ease, their lives were cut short…they gave all.  How can you do less?  Can you leave this hill the same as when you came?  Can you return to frivolity with no thought for those who lie here.  Dead.  So you could live. 

Be changed.  Sit here for a while.  Ponder the great cost of freedom.  Freedom is never free.  Someone always must die so others may live.  Someone must always sacrifice pleasure so others may know it. 

Leave this place.  Go.  Begin to live anew.  Changed.  Transformed by what you have seen.  Go.  Tell the story of America.  Refuse to be complacent.   Live!  Live as one who has seen the great cost of your freedom!  Don’t ever be the same again.