On The Box: Maybe If We Had Been Muslim or Jewish

You might find the blog link from On The Box interesting to think about. I know that some policemen are nice and some are rude (they are human and not the way I imagined they were when I was young). We are to respect and obey authority, so long as they don't tell us to disobey God. Also, as Americans we have the privilege to use the proper channels and question or if need be to challenge in court when authority is exceeded and the law is not applied correctly or is misunderstood by the officers meant to uphold the law... You can click on the blog title to read the rest.
On The Box: Maybe If We Had Been Muslim or Jewish: "Our time at Comic Con on Saturday was amazing. It made an afternoon of evangelism on Hollywood Boulevard seem like a quiet afternoon at th..."

Soldier Surprises Brother

My Mom shared this video with me recently (she discovered it online), and I thought it might be nice to share this with you as something positive compared to a lot of the unhappy things that we hear about in the news these days. I thought it was something upsetting and noisy when I first heard some of it from another room without watching it, but it turned out it was a good story...a little emotional if you are the emotional sort. The boy is what they called "disabled" and they said he "really relies on his older brother."

My Analysis of Anders Behring Breivik

I spend quite a bit of time yesterday reading things that Anders Behring Breivik put on a site called Document.no and some from an edited diary as well as some other info on the man that I found online.
I’m a curious person, and I was interested to try to figure out where this guy was coming from and if there were hints of what he might do in his writings. You can see some of his upbringing online on the wikipedia or some such site (parents divorced I think when he was one, grew up mostly in West Oslo, and his mother was a nurse, etc.)
From what I read, Anders was against “multicultural” supporters and called himself a “cultural conservative” and a “Protestant.” Apparently he was baptized (which doesn‘t mean much when you aren‘t really a Christian), and he wants the Protestant church to become Catholic…which shows he doesn‘t understand the Reformation. Other things make it clear he doesn’t know what a Christian is, and when he mentioned praying (in the diary) which he hadn’t done in a long time, it seems it was only for his own selfish purpose. He was one of those in name only kind of people…no true relationship with the Lord….just thinks of Christianity as part of a culture.
Well, his idea of a “cultural conservative” is completely different than those of us who are Americans that are social conservatives. When I think of cultural conservative or social conservative as an American it means that we are for traditional marriage between a man and woman, that we are pro-life for the unborn, and for traditional family values. As a Christian, I believe these values come to us from God through His Word.
When Anders says “cultural conservative” it is all about keeping the culture of a country and being nationalistic. He isn’t against other races per se, but he doesn’t want people (especially Muslims) to take over and swallow them up culturally or politically. He doesn’t like open immigration and the loss of sovereignty. He feels that the areas that are predominately Muslim are dangerous crime areas with jihadists. He sees Muslims as more a cultural and political group, and it seems he doesn’t focus on it as stemming from a religion much of the time. In one thing he has a point…in that Islam has taken over some countries. It is part of jihadist Islam to attack enemies (which are people who do not hold to their form of religion).
Anders is actually against Nazis and he calls “multiculturalists” “ Marxists” as well.
I wondered if it was a hint of him turning from just the idea of a newspaper and what I would call a political action type of group to something more sinister when he mentioned the possibility of him being one of the “martyr-ideologues” and changing to becoming more like the people he considers his enemies (my take/paraphrase of what he said). Clearly he was planning for at least a year and writing and focusing on his views for a long time to what would seem like the point of obsession.
Anders has now done the very thing that he fears from others and abhorred. He is deceived and twisted in his thinking. He accomplished nothing but terror and murder. Last I saw the guy could only get 21 years as a maximum punishment…for all of them or one? One thing I know God is the judge.
As I am a real Christian, I find what Anders did as shocking and incomprehensible and evil. He doesn’t know Jesus at all.
I believe that the Gospel of Jesus should be advanced in the world. Jesus told us to love even our enemies. He is the only judge of the world. There is a spiritual battle going on, and we are to pray and proclaim the Gospel to the people lost and sinking down in sin. We don’t need to isolate ourselves from other people. Jesus died for the sins of the world…not just one cultural group. The real battle in life is spiritual not cultural. Anders was following Satan’s twisted thinking, and many people are now suffering because of him. I can pray for those who lost loved ones. I’m sorry this is so long!

Norway Massacre

Deliver those who are being taken away to death,
And those who are staggering to slaughter, Oh hold them back.
If you say, “See, we did not know this,”
Does He not consider it who weighs the hearts?
And does He not know it who keeps your soul?
And will He not render to man according to his work?
Proverbs 24:11, 12 NASB
Do not fret because of evildoers
Or be envious of the wicked;
For there will be no future for the evil man;
The lamp of the wicked will be put out.
Proverbs 24:19, 20 NASB
The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked,
And the one who loves violence His soul hates.
Psalm 141:10 NASB
Doing wickedness is like sport to a fool,
And so is wisdom to a man of understanding.
Proverbs 10:23 NASB
http://nasb.scripturetext.com/psalms/10.htm
The Norway massacre was not the act of a Christian. The guy saying that he was a Christian doesn't make it so anymore than saying he was actually a policeman just because he was dressed up as one. I read that many in Norway call themselves Christians. I think that is like people here in the South of the U.S. who go to church just for a social life (not that I'm saying that people like that are a bunch of murderers of course!).
I'm just afraid that people are going to stereotype all Christian conservatives as being like this guy. Christians are not to be against other races...as we are all equal. As far as other religious people, we are to love the people and proclaim the Gospel to them. We are not better than other people. True Christians are a forgiven people saved by God's mercy and grace and goodness. We want all people to come to a saving knowledge of the truth.

The Kirk Story w/ John MacArthur

The video below is Kirk Cameron’s testimony. I remember the first time I heard of Kirk Cameron. I was at a church school in junior high school, and the students were all excited about some guy who was in the book shack. His name was Kirk Cameron, and I had to ask who that was. Our family didn’t have a TV from the time I was about 3 to sometime when I was 17 years old, so I didn’t know about the show Growing Pains. The story was that he was a new Christian and was returning a tape for a friend. The only person I could see darkly through the glass looked like a woman with a lot of curly hair. The person might have had sunglasses, but I can’t remember for sure. I went to the church John MacArthur is pastor of when I was young (off and on as we moved to another county and also tried a different church even before we moved, but I still was going at night then). The only time I wasn’t invisible to him (which seemed the norm even when I was close up) was at that school when he asked me once why I was sitting by myself, and I think he asked if I had friends or something. I was a bit intimidated by the question(s), but I will always remember it in the kind sense I believe it was intended. I wasn’t as awed by him as some people, because I saw him around so much. I kind of have some awe now as an older person, but I think of Pastor “Johnny Mac” as almost a friend when I hear his voice. My sister had his daughter in a class for a semester (his daughter was a grade younger than her and a grade ahead of me). Kirk Cameron was in another TV show that didn’t last very long as well as in the Left Behind movies. The TV show had a little bit of language problems when we tried it. Below the testimony video I will put a link to the new documentary that Kirk Cameron is involved with that hasn’t been released yet…

http://www.monumentalmovie.com/synopsis/

Peter Furler's USA Solo Debut - "All In Your Head" (pt. 1)

I found this video online, and I thought it would be fun to share it. It's one of my favorite songs from Peter Furler's On Fire album. The sound isn't too great, but my interpretation of the song is that it is about obeying God and going where you're led by God (as it mentions). People sometimes just go through the motions and put off doing what they believe God wants for their lives and what the Bible tells them. A lot of us have head knowledge, but we don't put it all into action. Whether it's being a missionary, serving God in some specific way, or even if you aren't a Christian perhaps you are thinking you will just wait until you are ill or old to repent from your sin and trust in God ... even though you have read and heard the Gospel and do your duty (You will find that a lot in the old South of the United States). Also, Christians can get lazy in our spiritual walk, and we miss out on the joys of obeying and serving God in different ways and also giving out the Gospel one way or another to people who are needing to hear it.

Courageous Song & Movie Trailer

I waited about a month to share this video on my blog, so many of you may have seen it before. The movie is scheduled to come out September 30th, but so far the closest showing to my area the last I looked was about 27 miles away.
I'm really bothered that they have Catholic resources on their resource page. Interfaith connections are not necessary and upset me. As a Christian, I am disappointed that they would compromise to that level. After all, if other people want resources they should be able to use the Christian ones provided that share the beliefs of the makers of the film. I know they have all kinds of rules for these blogs. I'm trying to be careful, but hopefully I won't get kicked off for sharing my feelings here about this. I'm also concerned about modesty, but I'm hoping this film will at least not be worse than Fireproof on that score. I'm looking forward to trying the movie out, and I hope you enjoy this video.

The Best Women’s Ministry? A Healthy Men’s Ministry

I found this blog post very interesting. It's by a pastor in Nashville named Byron Yawn. Okay, the name might be funny, but the article is a great one to do with men and the church. It would be terrific if more men stood up and became mature spiritual leaders!
The Best Women’s Ministry? A Healthy Men’s Ministry

Jeff Rose Preaching at World Trade Center, 9-11-10

This video was recently brought to my attention while watching On The Box (a show online done by the Living Waters/Way of the Master people). Jeff Rose seems very passionate and has a bit of a unique way of using both the Old & New Testament in street preaching / evangelism.

Even if you can't get Youtube videos, you can learn a little about the ministry Jeremiah Cry that this guy is a part of at the website below:
http://www.jeremiahcry.com/index.php
I haven't looked at everything on the site yet, but mostly it looks pretty good. If you see something that is way off base, please let me know.

2011 Joplin Tornado - "Build Us Back"_Newsboys.mp4

No matter if you have gone through a tornado like this one in Joplin, Missouri this year (2011), or an earthquake (with or without a tsunami), a hurricane, a fire, a crime committed toward you or a loved one, or a broken relationship...this song can be encouraging that God will build you back...restore you and heal your hurting heart. I know some things like the fibromyalgia I have or other pains and disabilities people have may never go away on this earth, but God can help us through and endure and even have some joy in the midst of it. One day in Heaven we will be free of the results that sin has had on mankind...if you belong to Jesus and have repented and have faith in Him.
The song in the video is sung by the Newsboys with Michael Tait.

Why I'm taking a leave of absence (C.J. Mahaney) & a great message by him as well

C.J. Mahaney is taking a leave of absence from Sovereign Grace Ministries. You can read the actual blog post about why. He had some good messages at the Resolved Conference recently...I especially liked the one on doubt. He admitted at the conference to imperfections, and it's good that he is taking steps of humility and working to reconcile with people. The letter is at the following link:
Why I'm taking a leave of absence
Okay, now that you've seen that...please don't write him off.
You can hear his message on doubt at the links below:
http://www.gracechurch.org/media/6248/session_06_when_someone_doubts/
or
Session 6 at this link - http://www.resolved.org/media/
There are some other good messages on there too...not all by C.J.
UPDATE: 7/11/2011 The message was offline for a bit, but it appears to be back up now!
UPDATE 7/13/2011: Some apparent slander has been put out about C.J. Mahaney, so I'm sharing this link where Sovereign Grace Ministries addresses it:
http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/blogs/sgm/post/Sovereign-Grace-Board-of-Directors-announcement-regarding-CJ-Mahaney.aspx

UPDATE from 1/25/2012  C.J. Mahaney Restored as SGM President:
http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/blogs/sgm/post/An-announcement-regarding-CJ-Mahaney.aspx

Grace Unmeasured - Sovereign Grace & YouTube Black Screen Solution

This is another of my favorite Sovereign Grace Music songs sung by a worship leader I had many years ago. Facebook friends may recognize it from my having shared it awhile back. Youtube videos stopped playing on my computer since last night unless I add an s to the http to make it https in the address bar (in case any of you have the same problem watching this). I found someone posted to try that, and it works! I have the latest Flashplayer, and things were working before. I hope that this won't be a longterm issue like with another computer. If you can't see the screen try the link below the black screen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuQYoI6iUXM
*** UPDATE: I found the solution for Youtube black screen on videos! Don't just clear the history as usual! First go to Tools on IE, and then go to Delete Browsing History. Then uncheck the Preserve Favorite Website Data and then delete. It worked for me as a permanent solution it seems! Yippee! Hooray!

Tracts At Doctor's Office & Benjamin Franklin Quote

I thought it was very interesting to hear the answer on the On The Box show about giving Gospel tracts in the doctor's office. I missed the answer pretty much when it was live as my connection was having trouble. Thankfully I have now been able to see it on their Youtube channel. It's just over 15:50 minutes in, so just drag the ball that moves across below the picture until the time says that below if you are interested.

I hope I can have some courage to hand out some tracts more. My dentist and my main doctor go to my church, but that doesn't mean that all of their staff are Christians or the other people at doctor type places that I go to.

As a follow-up to the 4th of July, and for those who missed reading this on my Facebook status, I thought I'd put the Benjamin Franklin quote that is worth thinking about.
"I've lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing Proofs I see of this Truth — That God governs in the Affairs of Men. 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, Sir, in the Sacred Writings, that except the Lord build the House they labor in vain who build it. I firmly believe this, — and I also believe that without his concurring Aid, we shall succeed in this political Building no better than the Builders of Babel: We shall be divided by our little partial local interests; our Projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a Reproach and Bye word down to future Ages. Speech to the Constitutional Convention (28 June 1787); Manuscript notes by Franklin preserved in the Library of Congress."
I got this from http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin
Benjamin Franklin was a deist earlier on, but some believed that changed when he was older like when he said the above I think.
Oh, and many historians say that the Declaration of Independence was signed on August 4th, although some of the signers said or wrote that it was July 4th.

Happy 4th of July!

Today is the day that the United States of America celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It's kind of strange how we say "4th of July" when we Americans normally put the month before the day (July 4, 2011). I know that my British friends and Europeans would put the date as 4 July, 2011 or something like that.
Anyway, no matter what doubts you may have about the U.S. separating from Britain, you may find it interesting to read the grievances in the Declaration of Independence. Many Americans haven't read it since they were in school I'm thinking. Most of us hear just a small fraction of it when people start to quote from it.
I'm putting just the beginning of it here along with links below for you to read the whole transcript and see the original, etc.
"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."
To read the rest please follow the link below:
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html

If you want to see the original document which is badly faded:
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_zoom_1.html
There is a stone engraving as well:
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_zoom_2.html

My Friends Jim & Janet Wine

Jim & Janet Wine are some friends of our family who live in Upland, CA. They are in the process of moving from their home to continue on their adventurous process of preparing to go to Argentina as Church planters.
They will have to learn the language better, so that will take up next year for them.
We first met the Wines at a church in West Covina, CA.
Both of our families left that church, and we tried some other churches while they went to a church in Upland. Well, we finally tried and went to the church they did for awhile. It was a long ways to go for us, so we tried some churches not so far away even though we really liked the one they went to.
We ended up going back to Upland for a bit before we moved to Tennessee.
Jim was our Sunday School teacher for awhile at FBC in Upland. He used to have a different career, but God has led him into church work and given him a heart for reaching the lost with the Gospel as well. He was on the board of the ministry for a little while that my Dad was head of before my Dad retired...Mission Vision Network... where radio spots were produced to get people excited about global missions to the unreached.
Jim also was head of Outreach/Missions at church and has been an Associate Pastor at Foothill Bible Church.
Jim is a godly guy and very kind and caring and helpful, and I remember he had humility which I hope he will always have. He has received good Biblical teaching/training and is a fine teacher as well (also ordained by the church). Janet is a godly lady and still involved in spite of having the same physical malady I do. She's even finishing college before they go on to further training.
Church planting may not seem glamorous, but it's really needed in Argentina. Please check out their website below & consider supporting them even if it can only be by praying which God definitely uses for our good and His glory. You can get in on the ground floor in their ministry so to speak.

http://jimjanetwine.abwe.org/argentina-hundreds-of-neighborhoods-need-a-church

Oh, and the church website if you want to look into it is:
http://foothillbiblechurch.org/#/home
I hope I haven't said too much!