Christian based commentaries and observations.

Quote of Note

Billy Graham's Prayer For Our Nation



: 'Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance.
We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done.

We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.

We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.

We have killed our unborn and called it choice.

We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.

We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem.

We have abused power and called it politics.

We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.

We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.

We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and Set us free.
:
: Amen!'
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Tuesday, August 25, 2009

A Mid-Summer Nights Drama

There once was a man and a woman. They were drawn, out of the crowds of people, to each other.
One day the Man had to go away on business. It was an awful, terrible, out of balance week. He knew right away that it was her company, voice and tenderness that was missing. Realizing that she must love him, in the same way that he had just discovered he loved her, he decided to ask her to marry him.
The man bought a beautiful diamond ring, set in order plans to create the perfect setting for a proposal. Overlooking the ocean from a park bench they watched the sunset together. When the sky was full of color, the had moment arrived and he asked her to marry him. She smiled a gentle peaceful smile and whispered a loving thunderous, "not yet"! As the sun dropped below the horizon she gently kissed him on the cheek, got up, took his hand and walked quietly, arm and arm back to her home.
Now the man's head was spinning with questions. It was obvious that she loved him, and she didn't say, "no", she had said, "not yet"! What could it be that she was waiting for. How could he win her hand? Then came an idea. "I will impress her so that she will want to be mine forever".
Having been an athletic man in the past he embarked on a new passion of getting back into the best physical strength and condition of his life. He saw a T.V. program where athleticism was put to the test by "free climbing" cliffs and small mountains. "That would impress her", he thought, and he dove into this new sport.
When the day came to show her his newly acquired skills, he suggested a picnic at the same ocean overlook where he had proposed before. "I will meet you there an hour before sunset", he told her.
He arrived with tight shorts, a mid cut tight shirt, special gripping climbing shoes, a belt with a special attached bag for chalk and a water bottle, and began to climber. A half an hour later she arrived and laid out a blanket, basket, a jar half-filled with water and flowers.
Just as the sun was beginning to set a sweaty, dusty, muscle ripped, triumphant man, emerged from the side of the cliff in front of her. She let out a short laugh when she recognized him, got up looked over the edge of the cliff, and gently kissed him. Then she opened up the picnic basket, laid out a couple of plates, glasses, food and drink.
They sat there enjoying each others company, the sunset, the food, and drink. Once they had finished eating they sat side by side, her head on his shoulder, his head on her head, hand in hand. Seizing the moment, again the man pulled the ring from his pocket, thinking this time she will say, "yes". He asked her, "will you marry me now"? she replied a gentle, "not yet", and hugged his arm.
"What will it take?", thought the man, as they walked arm in arm back to her home. He left her there with a kiss and went home alone again! It was a restless night. He tossed and turned, got up, laid down, got up turned on the T.V. and saw a couple doing the Tango. "Women love to dance", he thought, "I will take her dancing". Pleased with himself, and his new discovery, he sat in his window and watched the sun rise, as red as his eyes!
After leaving work early the next day, the man stopped by a dance studio to inquire about ballroom lessons. He was going to romance and impress her now!
Two months went as he learned the steps and became comfortable with the moves. It was near Christmas. There was going to be an office Christmas party at a ritzy hotel. There he would show off his new abilities and create a romantic moment.
When the night arrived, He picked her up wearing a black tux that went perfectly with her gown. In the car he gave her a beautiful pair of dangley diamond earrings for Christmas. The party was marvelous, the food Delicious, and band masterful. They danced and danced, smiles and glistening eyes. It seemed as though time had stopped and there was no one else around. During a break they went to a balcony for fresh air, and to cool down. This he thought was the right moment. He pulled the diamond from his pocket, and asked yet again, "will you marry me"? She replied whimsically, "not yet"!
This time her answer somewhat shocked him. He had been so sure that everything was just perfect. The answer frustrated him and yet at the same time he could hear from her tone, and see in her face that she was saying, "Yes, I want to so much". That thought soothed him.
They enjoyed the rest of the evening together. He dropped her off kissed her good night. He watched as she walked up the steps turned, smiled, and blew him another kiss. "What is she doing to me he thought?", got in his car and drove home alone, yet again. This time he was so tired he slept through the night!
The next day all of the chit chat in the office was about him and his date. The women were all enamoured the men envious. From his cubicle he listened to their whispers. a couple of women were talking when on of them said, "I'll bet he even brings her flowers everyday. Where do men like that come from? I never had a man like that"! The truth was that he rarely brought her flowers. So he decided to bring her a flower everyday.
A month later on a visit to her place for dinner and a movie he brought a whole dozen roses. She got out a vase put water in the vase and set it as a center piece on the table. He notice 3 other vases full of his flowers around the townhouse apartment.
After dinner and the movie they were sharing a tender moment and she was sniffing a rose from the bouquet. He again seized the moment, yet again, and asked her to marry him. She answered a disheartening, "not yet".
Emotions went wild within him. He had to get out of there and cool his nerves. Going into the kitchen he notice the trash was full and grabbed the bag, heading for the garage. There was sign on the thrash can that said, "Tue" to remind her to take the can to the street for pick up. It was Monday night. He push the button on the wall that opened the garage door. The cool January air was just what his brain needed. He took the can out to the road. There he thought, "I can't do this any more". "I'll tell her we need some time apart to figure out what we are going to do".
Going back into the house He found her dancing around joyously. She fell to her knees in front of him hand clasped, face up with huge smile. She begged him to NOW ask her and she'd say "yes"! He fell to his knees, confused look on his face, but not willing to let the love of his life slip away, and asked,"will you marry me"? "Yes, Yes, Yes", came the reply. Hugs and kisses followed.
Finally, still confused, and dizzy from the roller coaster of emotions, he asked, "Why now after all of this time and all of these proposals did you want to marry me?
"I never want to be a nag like my mother, you took out the trash without being asked", came the reply.
They lived happily ever after!

Sunday, August 09, 2009

Destroy the Messenger

How many times have people viciously verbally attacked you. They deride your looks, clothes, job, social status, family, and faith. They will go so far as to belittle your talents an gifts that they know are good. What are they doing?
Remember the quote that I posted back in Feb 09 “There are five Gospels. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and the Christian, and some people will never read the first four.” (Irish Evangelist Gypsy Smith)
You are a carrier of the gospel: the good news of Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "MT 21:33 "Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey. 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.
MT 21:35 "The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. `They will respect my son,' he said.
MT 21:38 "But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, `This is the heir. Come, let's kill him and take his inheritance.' 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.


We are also now heirs through him Gal 4:4 God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, 5 to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. 6 Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.

As the world get darker, our light will seem blindingly bright to them. The holy Spirit on us is like that of the glow on Moses face when he came down from the mountain. The people of this world try to tell us to "shut up, cover up that light. I don't want to hear it. I don't want to see it."
The world next tactic is to try to paint us black by heaping insults and belittling us: try to make us less than them.
These attacks even come from those that love us. Just standing in front of them is like Christ standing there saying, "what are you going to do about me?"
Don't hide your light. These abusers/murders are conflicted inside. In the dark alone they are afraid and angry at themselves. In that state they are drawn to the lights comforting glow. Pray for them, that they have reason and trouble enough, to get up and seek the light's source.

Tuesday, August 04, 2009

America's Founding Father Quotes

We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. –John Adams, October 11, 1798

Let divines and philosophers, statesmen and patriots, unite their endeavors to renovate the ajge by impressing the minds of men with the importance of educating their little boys and girls, inculcating in the minds of youth the fear and love of the Deity… and leading them in the study and practice of the exalted virtues of the Christian system. –Samuel Adams, October 4, 1790

Without morals a republic cannot subsist any length of time; they therefore who are decrying the Christian religion, whose morality is so sublime and pure…are undermining the solid foundation of morals, the best security for the duration of free governments. – Charles Carroll, signer of the Declaration of Independence

God governs in the affairs of man. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured in the Sacred Writings that except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. I firmly believe this. I also believe that, without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel. – Benjamin Franklin, Constitutional Convention of 1787

God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are a gift from God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, and that His justice cannot sleep forever. – Thomas Jefferson

We’ve staked our future on our ability to follow the Ten Commandments with all of our heart. – James Madison
We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We’ve staked the future of all our political institutions upon our capacity…to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God. – James Madison

Public utility pleads most forcibly for the general distribution of the Holy Scriptures. The doctrine they preach, the obligations they impose, the punishment they threaten, the rewards they promise, the stamp and image of divinity they bear, which produces a conviction of their truths, can alone secure to society, order and peace, and to our courts of justice and constitutions of government, purity, stability and usefulness. In vain, without the Bible, we increase penal laws and draw entrenchments around our institutions. Bibles are strong entrenchments. Where they abound, men cannot pursue wicked courses, and at the same time enjoy quiet conscience. – James McHenry, Signer of the Constitution

I verily believe Christianity necessary to the support of civil society. One of the beautiful boasts of our municipal jurisprudence is that Christianity is a part of the Common Law. . . There never has been a period in which the Common Law did not recognize Christianity as lying its foundations. – Justice Joseph Story

Bible Stories

Some years ago Yoko Ono, now widow of ex-beatle John Lennon, stood on stage at a concert, holding a Bible. She waved it at the audience, tore the pages, and threw it into the seats declaring that it was, "just a bunch of stories".
In the post "the meaning of life" I recorded that in the early years wonder, awe. and learning are primary. We love a good story with all of its imagination and fantasy. As we grow older though the quest for the knowledge of truth takes center stage. Isn't awesome that the stories, taught to us as children, from the Bible are revealed to be truth! Furthermore, if taken to heart, they yield a heart of love, and the security we need in old age.
The truth revealed in the Biblical stories lead us to a proper world view of origin, morality, purpose, and destiny. Not only do they lead us into truth, but they also continue to instill awe and wonder as the many many layers of understanding contained within them are revealed. Yet, each new layer of revelation does not trump, or ruin the previous understanding, they support each other. They not only give us a right world view, but also give us the perspective of God's view the world.
All of those stories teach of the worth of the individual, love of good friendship, love of God, and God's love for us.
All of those stories, Old Testament and New, Point to the one perfect person, his perfect character, divine personality, messiah-ship, mission, relationship with the Father, and redemption of mankind.
Blessed are the Sunday school teachers!