Prince Of Peace Makes War

^"33And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. 
³⁴And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed—" Luke 2:33-34

I don't usually stop in the middle of a sentence; look up the rest of the verse for yourself, and see the context, but the point of the post today is in the final word above, 'opposed'.
Opposed doesn't half cover it. Herod the King of Israel started the ball rolling; when the Magi came looking for the Christ, he lost his collective cool-another King? Would he lose his Kingdom to an infant?
Long story short-the Magi found the babe, were warned off of returning to Herod, who sent his soldiers to slaughter all of Bethlehem's male children 2 years and younger.
That's Opposed with a capital 'O'. To no avail, as man and devil can never frustrate the plans of God.
Coming on 2012 and the Lord Jesus Christ is still being opposed by devilish men. My brothers and sisters in Christ around the world are being killed for bearing His name. That Iranian pastor I mentioned a while ago could walk out of prison today (if he can still walk) if he would only deny His Savior.
Opposed. I'll tell you who is opposed, friends. Everyone who does not belong to Christ is His enemy. They (you?) are opposed and defeated.
In His Grace and Mercy He chooses loved ones from the ranks of His enemies and showers Love on them, bringing them into His Kingdom. But only few, and of His choice.
If you grew up in a religious system that swears allegiance to Christ but does not live for Him...guess what?
You are a Herod. You are chaff and not wheat. Goat and not sheep. Stubble to be burned.
Pray that God will extend His Grace to you, shower Mercy on you. Are you opposed to that?

No-You're A Muppet!

It's a Memory Wednesday.  Back before you were born, in the second to the last decade of the past century I was 100 miles from the nearest 'real' rollerskating rink. Middle of Cold Winter, not much to do in our home port...I and a few friends went for it-all the way to Sault St. Marie, Ontario Canada to enjoy a skate.
The highlight of the night was a rinkfull of Canukians (plus three Coast Guardsmen) grooving in circles to
"The Rainbow Connection" from the big hit "Muppet Movie" Exhilarating. So was the ride back with no heat in the car...but it was all worth it. We stopped at the "Big Boy" restaurant in the American Sault. Good times.
There was a closer 'fake rink' in Alpena, Michigan, but too small; we were like dogs chasing our tails.
There's a new Muppet movie out now, but I doubt that it can re-capture the fun of those first movies. 
Tomorrow we celebrate as a nation being Thankful to God for all that we have, and all that He has protected us from. May you have a very good and Thankful Thanksgiving. Make a memory.

Rulers Schooled

^{This is a post about God's dealings with unrighteous rulers:}

⁷    “He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous;     

       But with kings on the throne     He has seated them forever, and they are exalted.
⁸    “And if they are bound in fetters,     And are caught in the cords of affliction,
⁹    Then He declares to them their work     And their transgressions, that they have magnified themselves.
¹⁰    “He opens their ear to instruction,     And commands that they return from evil.
¹¹    “If they hear and serve Him,     They will end their days in prosperity     And their years in pleasures.
¹²    “But if they do not hear, they shall perish by the sword     And they will die without knowledge."

Job 36:7-12

I had mentioned this verse in a discussion last week about those in 'power' who seem to think that they are the top petunias in the garden, that some act up and think they can do anything they want.
Look at the verses above. God is watching the righteous, watching to see how they are being treated by those who hold sway over their lives.
Those rulers-kings, presidents, premiers, straw bosses, etc. have to do right by their constituents, or God, Who sees all and knows all, will whup on them, declaring to them their transgressions. Big Heads.
Because He is a Merciful God, He will open their ear to instruction, and give them a chance to repent.
If they do, well and good. Prosperity. Pleasures.
But no hear-much to fear-sword time. C-yah.
You might ask for examples. King Saul springs first to mind. Pharaoh in Egypt. Adolph Hitler (sidenote-what would the History channel do without Hitler? He's on more shows than Simon Cowell!).
How about King George the 3rd? Nicolae Ceausescu? Mussolini? Are you catching the drift, citizens?
As Christians, we are commanded to obey those placed in power over us, whether they are good or bad or downright evil. We honor God by being good citizens. Which often leads to Christians shooting at Christians, as happens in most wars. It is quite possible that a German Christian ruled by Hitler killed or was killed by an American Christian soldiering under FDR...and that they now stand together in heaven, worshiping God.
I pray for President Obama often-that he will repent of his sins and seek God. I would love to see him in Heaven. I don't want anyone to go to hell.
What's good for the Grander is good also for the commoners-repent and seek God. End your days in prosperity and your years in the pleasures of knowing God. amen.

Don't Want To Live Like A Refugee

HAH! I KNEW I'd seen this act before! This OWS movement-where the alleged poor have-nots complain and revolt against the allegedly rich haves.
History lesson. In 1948 the United Nation created two countries: Trans-Jordan and Israel.
The Arabs living in Israel who did not want to become Israeli citizens booked out of town, left hearth and home and headed for Trans-Jordan.
The powers that were amongst the Arab 'leadership' pushed them back to Israel's border, set them up as political refugees and demanded that Israel be wiped off the map for 'stealing' their homes.
The "Palestinian" refugee camps serve only one purpose: to give the Arab peoples a marker, an aggrieved populace to champion who had been 'dispossessed' of their birthright...which they gave up when they refused to become Israelis.
Want to know a secret? Some of the Arabs stayed, became citizens, have lived under a democracy for over 60 years. They have all of the rights we enjoy here, including the right to worship Allah, and the right to vote.
There are Arab members of the Israeli parliament. Jews can't even set foot in Saudi Arabia, but Arabs in Israel live free.
On to Wall Street. Refugees from Capitalism are being championed by rich Leftists, poor communists and Michael Moore, that old one percenter dissenter.
Yasser Arafat skimmed billions of dollars off of the World support which was supposed to be helping the poor Occupy Israel ragmuffins.
Who will profit from Occupy Wall Street? Not the folks living in the Wall Street, an aggrieved populace with hardly an outlet charge their iPads! Inhumane!
Of course, they go home on weekends... to the Hamptons, while the Union thugs lowest on the graft ladder earn their keep with weekend duty as replacement (scab?) outraged citizens. Joking. Almost.
So-who will profit from this exercise in futility? No one. 40 years from now old Leftists will be applauded in the Party meetings for their OWS efforts in 2011. They might have been assistant substitute teachers in Paducah, but they will claim with pride that they stood up to "THE MAN" on Wall Street. Power to the feeble!

Staff Sgt. Ret.

VETERANS DAY.
On Veterans Day, services usually highlight our elder Veterans, showing old soldiers in uniform, with our flag prominently displayed. That is wonderful, and I look forward to attending a local service.
As a peacetime Veteran myself, I know that my service was important, but is lesser-those who serve during wartime deserve greater honor.
For this post I decided to go a different direct: I searched for photos of "Staff Sgt" and made a graphic of just a few of the results.
Those serving as a Staff Sargent are usually career soldiers-it is nearly impossible to attain that rank in a single term of service.
Look at those faces, friends. We don't know their stories, but after their career service, after they add "Ret." to their rank...I daresay that they will for the rest of their lives honor their country and their comrades in arms by attending both Memorial Day and Veterans Day observances.
I encourage you to do the same.

Peripherally Faithful

Looking for faith in all the wrong places, the Mistaken venture forth to attempt to seize, in their grasp, the hand of God. To see His face with their eyes. To hear His voice, experience His presence, to know Him...on their terms.
Faith is a gift from God, and it is repellent and repulsive to hear the Mistaken claim that they are Christians, just the same as those chosen by God.
But they don't have the faith that is supernaturally gifted by God. So they have nothing. They have faith, indeed, in lesser things, such as being born into a family of Christians, receiving Salvation by being baptized, seeking relics/signs, pegging their faith to what they can see, hear, touch.
Lost.
The Mistaken believe that they can receive God's Blessing by doing something. Even though they have not been chosen by God, they have been assured by their families and churches (who are also lost, blind leading blind) that God's arm can be twisted. That by doing certain works, no matter whether or not they repent of their sins, God can be made to accept them. That they can by their own efforts somehow generate righteousness good enough to win God's favor.
The Mistaken have been lied to all of their lives, and they often reject the truth of the Gospel when confronted with their need for Salvation.
"I'm a Christian, too!" One recently told me.
"We have an unbroken chain of Popes all the way back to Peter!" Said another.
There, I've tipped my hand-you might have thought I was talking about the Pentecostals, who seek after gifts and signs as earnestly as the crowds following Jesus in His day. Some other time.
The Mistaken are not collected under the single umbrella of one denomination. It's raining brollys. 
Faith in churches will send you to hell just as quickly as faith in Islam.
May God 'wake you up' to your actual condition and need for true Faith.

A sunrise, taken from the top of a water tower. The past few dawns I've seen some amazing views rivaling this picture.
I appreciate all that God has given me, including ten more years since I took this picture.
I was watching a documentary today on Humphrey Bogart, hosted by his son. (Sidenote-I LOVE DVR and TCM!)
Born wealthy, ruggedly handsome, eventually a movie star who had it all...
Four wives, chronic alcoholism and Cancer, which took him when he was six years older than I am right now.
God decides the number of each of our days; I'm ready to go, but until I can serve Him in Heaven, I will do what I can to serve Him here.
Appreciate what you have from the hand of God. Thank Him even for the hard times, as Paul did from his prison cell, Richard Wurmbrand from his, as Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani does today in Lakan, Iran.
Bogart 'played' heroes and villains, but they exist for real in our world today, and God decides who fills each role. It is good to be Blessed by God.
 

Putting a Face With A Name

Hello out there in internetsland. Enough with the politics for now, though this subject does kinda sorta bump up against the same.
Pictured is Iranian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, under a death sentence for leaving Islam and refusing to reject Jesus Christ. Living under theocratic rule (at its despotic worst) Nadarkhani may die for his faith.
I imagine he could be praying Psalm 59: 1-5, 12-13, 16-17
^"1    Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; Set me securely on high away from those who rise up against me.
²    Deliver me from those who do iniquity  And save me from men of bloodshed.
³    For behold, they have set an ambush for my life; Fierce men launch an attack against me,  Not for my transgression nor for my sin, O LORD,
⁴    For no guilt of mine, they run and set themselves against me.  Arouse Yourself to help me, and see!
⁵    You, O LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, Awake to punish all the nations; Do not be gracious to any who are treacherous in iniquity. Selah."
I and many others are praying for him and for our brothers and sisters around the world facing death for belonging to Christ. Their hope is my hope. Their Savior is my Savior. And we all look forward to the day of our Lord's return.

^"12    On account of the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips,     Let them even be caught in their pride,     And on account of curses and lies which they utter.
^13    £Destroy them in wrath, destroy them that they may be no more;     That men may know that God rules in Jacob     To the ends of the earth. Selah."

^"16    But as for me, I shall sing of Your strength;     Yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your lovingkindness in the morning,     For You have been my stronghold     And a refuge in the day of my distress.
¹⁷    O my strength, I will sing praises to You;     For God is my stronghold, the God who shows me lovingkindness."

Anchor Rancor

Even in photographs he slides to the Left.
I was just thinking about President Obama's support for "Occupy Wall Street". He was the first to so 'occupy' the Street by way of corporate 'bailouts' and the 'taking over' of car companies. He set the CEO pay for companies tangled in his web at $500,000.00. Half a million dollars compensation.
Do the sidewalk geeks of OWS remember that? That the President who is praising their efforts thought that half a million dollars per year for CEOs was fair?
I bring this up because of a recent reminder as to the inart of failed argument:
People arguing facts against people arguing emotions is a waste of time. There is no middle. The people arguing from the emotions (in this case OWS) don't care about the facts. Those arguing from the facts (or truth/reality/the real deal/me) will be unmoved by emotional arguments. Both sides will be better served by not arguing.
Looking ahead, the misshambles of the Left's attempt to 'fix' healthcare (which you will never hear a whisper about until after the election) is being taken apart by courts deeming parts of "The Plan" unconstitutional.
The Left has expended so much political capital and MONEY to make this happen, with nothing to show for all of their efforts (hopefully) that they have lost the American public. It was never about healthcare and reining in costs. It was always about Control, and the American people kinda like thinking for themselves.
President Obama, in my opinion, will not carry 10 states in 2012. Every policy of his which has been implemented hurts America. Jimmy Carter must be cackling from the grave. (I know he's still alive, sorta)

Evict the "Occupy White House" Protestants

Documentatians are pinning their "Oscar" hopes on the lamest protest since my seventh grade 'irregulars' showed disdain for authority by taking the pennies out of our penny loafers-RADICALS!
Lech Walesa is looking into a lawsuit against President Obama for attempting to 'co-opt' "Solidarity".
Walesa's reasoning is that his Solidarity movement was attempting to break up communist rule; President Obama is heading the other direction.
Obama's LOVE for (and solidarity with) the anti-Capitalist whine-mongers shows where his dried up tiny little heart lies.
Speaking of lies, I'm still not ready for the political season of electioneering. This post is more about President Obama's standing shoulder to shoulder with inane financial anarchists than his many political sins. Others can point out those demerits.
This is about the ridiculosity of a man who has become wealthy by pointing a bony finger of shame at 'Capitalism'...who cheers on morons wearing designer clothes, carrying ipods and expensive cell phones who stage a sit-in of Wall Street.
Think about this. These 'Occupy Wall Street' nimrods gnash their teeth at banks and financial markets.
They wear stupid signs and chant slogans complaining about the fictive "1%" being evil.
Really? 1%? I would LOVE for only 1% of any group to be evil! But of course their flawed math skills seem to conflate the idea that there is some sort of sainthood bestowed on them for being part of the '99%'.  Because they've suffered so much. The scar marks from the whips and chains from the 1% are still...I'm sorry! No marks on them at all! Silly me!
Okay-they don't like banks. But I would bet you that they have bank accounts, and some presence in financial markets as individuals. I would give a crisp one hundred dollar bill for a picture of an "Occupy Wall Street" protestant at an ATM getting lunch money.
They also seem to hate Capitalism, which is the part which would warm the cockles of President Obama's heart if flint could burn.
The clothes on their backs are there because of Capitalism. The houses/apartments where they live exist because of Capitalism. They have food in their kitchens because of do I really need to repeat myself?
One TV talking head I saw suggested that this Occupy movement is being ginned up to distract the country from the lousy job that President Obama and Congress have been doing ahead of an election year.
It won't help. I think that President Obama will be defeated next year.
My advice to the "OWS" protestants is: get jobs. If there are no "ACCEPTABLE" jobs where you live, don't whine-lower your standards or move to where there are jobs. At one time in my soiled past I was working one full time and two part time jobs to 'make it.' Get to work.
Addendum de dum dumb: I found this picture on reddit-Jordanian communists showing support for OWS.
Think about that. Athiestic Muslim communists are thrilled by the fools and whiners who would tear down Capitalism if they had any grip strength in their fou fou hands. Ridicuable!

Man Can't Manage To Manage Man

"Actress Marzieh Vafamehr has been sentenced to a year in jail and 90 lashes for her role in a film about the limits imposed on artists in the Islamic republic, an Iranian opposition website reported Sunday.

"A verdict has been issued for Marzieh Vafamehr, sentencing her to a year in jail and 90 lashes," Kalameh.com reported."

There's more to the story, and I encourage you to check it out-this isn't a news site, but I saw this this morning, and it ties in with the post percolating in my brain, so...

Muslims don't take kindly (kindly might not be in their dictionary) to Christians attempting to share the Gospel with any Muslim. You may have heard the reports recently of the former Muslim who is now a
Christian pastor in Iran-he is under a death sentence for the 'crime' of leaving Islam. When the Iranian authorities heard grumblings from the international community about their making a bad showing...they changed the story and said that he raped someone. No-one raises ruckus over rapists, right?

Yesterday in church we had a visit from a member of Gideons International, who made the point that the Bible is verboten in most Islamic countries.

Dreaming the impossible dream, these Muslims think that they can keep God out of their countries. Not going to happen. 

"Brother Andrew" smuggled Bibles in behind the Iron Curtain during the colder war. Underground "illegal" churches flourish in China, according to the group "Voice Of The Martyrs". The fact that a homegrown Iranian Christian pastor is imprisoned in Iran is evidence that God has people there.

So, these Islamic Quaknuckleheads think that they can keep the Gospel from their peoples? They think that they can manage to manage Man? 

Listen to what God is going to do:

"⁶And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people; 

⁷and he said with a loud voice, “Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters.”" Revelation 14:6,7

Oh sure, they can confiscate your study Bible at Iranian customs, but what will they do with an angel declaring the Gospel from the heavens?
"UH, Mohammed has declared that it is a sin to look up! DO NOT LOOK UP! COVER YOUR EARS, TOO!"

Who Put the Fun In Fundamentalist?

Well, this is a first for FDW, at least in my memory. I'm eating cold worm soup right out of the can.
I've had a problem this past week with a friend regarding my post "What Discern Meant".
We differ on a few issues. I invited his comment on the post, and the can of worms opened and dumped out is all my fault. I apologized, and have done everything I can to avoid further argument. The last thing I am doing is changing this post, getting rid of all those links. 
Peace and out.

What Discern Meant?

Check this out from Paul:

"¹¹But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 
¹²For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. 
¹³The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. 
¹⁴But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, “If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?" Galatians 2:11-14

This post isn't about living like Jews, or the hypocrisy demonstrated by Peter. Well, kinda sorta-read on.
Look at Barnabas. He was lacking in discernment, but, in his defense, look at what he had to deal with:
Peter, the friend of Jesus who walked with Him, had sat at His feet, leader of the Jerusalem church...was in error.
Big Pete. The Man. The legend. Error plagued sinner.
Barnabas had accepted 'as Gospel' that Peter was shooting straight. If Peter shunned the Gentile Christians to please the Jewish Christians, who was Barnabas to say different?
Well, he was a Christian. God imparts discernment as one of the gifts of the Spirit. If he had inquired of God regarding Peter's actions, he wouldn't have joined in Peter's hypocrisy.
But he didn't and he was and it was a failing; thank God for Paul! He knew what it meant to oppose Peter-he risked splitting the Jerusalem church, actually all of Christianity-but he didn't hesitate a second.
I've been observing an unfolding drama playing out in our 21st century church-a man, T.D. Jakes, who is considered a heretic by some, a 'Bishop' by others- has been invited to a Christian conference of some great import...but as a heretic, or a brother? To be reasoned with, or welcomed in fellowship? huh.
How can we discern from God whether Jakes is Fakes? Judge him and his fruits against Scripture-my opinion and your opinion are worthless. God sets in His Word clear evidences of who is or isn't a follower of Christ-so if we look into Jakes's theology, measuring it against Scripture, we should know the truth and hopefully be like Paul and not Barnabas.
If T.D. Jakes is a Christian, then this situation mirrors what happened in Antioch as set down by Paul. Get in his face and call him to repent.

If T.D. Jakes is NOT a Christian, if he is indeed a heretic...then he should not be invited to the conference. But it's not my conference, and it's not my call. I'm just observing from the back of the room. Party on, Garth.