"It Is Well With My Soul" By Wintley Phipps

Waking up to severe depression today, I was grateful that one of Wintley Phillips' CDs had arrived in the mail yesterday. I knew I needed to immerse myself in singing praise to the Lord, but I just couldn't do it on my own. This song was the first one on his album "Just As I Am and Other Favorites Hymns of Billy Graham." I listened to this over and over again today, until it became a part of me, until I could truly sing along with him these words that it is well with my soul. And as life piled on more and more today, the Lord had prepared me for it by filling my day with these words, over and over and over again.

The healing power of praising the Lord. It is indeed well with my soul!

Dr. Mohler: Homosexuals Don't Choose Their Orientation

Dr. Al Mohler recently wrote an article on his blog entitled, "Is Your Baby Gay? What If You Could Know? What If You Could Do Something About It?" Dr. Mohler said that he wrote the article merely to start a conversation, but since he doesn't take comments on his blog, I'm wondering where the conversation is taking place. Actually, he started a nationwide fight between conservatives and liberals alike. Here is a summary of his article regarding various current research into the issue of whether or not we are born "gay."

1. We don't currently have any scientific evidence that homosexuality has any biological basis.
2. However, since some sheep are gay, we may have scientific evidence soon that some humans are born that way, too.
3. Because of the Fall, we shouldn't be surprised that there might be a genetic link to homosexuality.
4. Even if we discovered a biological link to homosexuality, that doesn't change what the Bible says about it.
5. If there were a biological link to homosexuality, Christians should be able to have more compassion with them and understand their temptation to sin.
6. We are all made in the image of God -- heterosexual, homosexual, lesbian, transsexual, transgendered, bisexual, or whatever.
7. If we can identify homosexuality in a baby before it is born, we are still pro-life.
8. If we can identify and reverse homosexuality in a baby before it is born, we should do so, enabling that child to have less temptation to commit homosexual acts as an adult.
9. Although we choose whether or not to sin sexually, we may not be able to choose our sexual orientation. Christians sin against homosexuals when we say they can choose. We can't choose our own temptations, but we are responsible for our own sins.
10. Although a scientific finding of this kind would not change the fact that committing homosexual acts is a sin, Christians shouldn't say that there is no scientific basis for such findings. Scientific research shows that there might be. Since we could use this information to help counsel homosexuals, we should embrace it.

Dr. Mohler, I am all for modern science and researching DNA and genes and the like, but do you truly think that God would create someone in His own image who can't help but be attracted to someone of their same sex, but they could never do anything about it without sinning? Are they to burn in lust forever or to commit homosexual acts? This is not at all the same sort of sexual temptation that us normal folks have. God created us in His own image to mirror Christ's relationship with His bride -- to get married to someone of the opposite sex -- so that we don't have to choose between burning in lust forever or committing fornication. Methinks you've been reading too much psychology and too little of what you should be these days.

Now, I am no professional in these matters, nor do I pretend to have all the answers, but there are some basic observations that we would do well to consider here. What happens, for instance, when a boy doesn't get enough attention and the right kind of love from his father? Well, maybe we should start with the girl. When a girl doesn't get the right kind of attention and love from her father, she will go find it in another man. And with all the broken families or all the fathers who don't invest their lives in their children these days, we don't have to look too far to find many girls "looking for love in all the wrong places." What do you think a boy would do without a father's love and attention? Is it possible that he, too, so strongly desires that father figure in his life that he turns to other men? This is merely a personal observation so far.

I have also observed the sissified world we now live in. God created men to work hard physically. Do TVs and computers and video games and other technology help develop a good, strong work ethic in young men? Do teenage boys regularly work hard enough physically until they fall into bed exhausted each night, too tired to even think about sexual sin? Do you think God might have intended them to be able to work off all that energy as a way to divert their temptations as well as accomplish great things during that time of tremendous energy in their lives? What happens when boys never do typical boy things like chopping wood, digging holes, building fences or houses, fixing engines, or a million other boy things? What happens when boys don't develop their physical bodies through hard, physical labor, but rather sit around and become effeminate and weak? Do you think this could be a factor in homosexuality?

I have not observed lesbians as much, but the few that I do know seemed to all have major issues with their mothers as well. I am not going to go so far as to say that all homosexuals had a difficult or non-existent relationship with their parent of their same sex, but I do see somewhat of a pattern here.

I have also seen girls who think that they can't trust men, for various reasons, but usually it comes back to Dad again, and so they turn to other women. Although it is still wrong, it is understandable.

God also created women to work hard physically as well, but not in the same way as men. Even most women are "sissies" nowadays, though.

My observations are purely mine. If you have other ideas, I'm glad to hear them. I'm sure there are many other reasons. However, I just cannot fathom God creating homosexuals in His own image, only to let them live in continual sin for their whole lives because they can't help being born gay. No, Dr. Mohler, your pragmatism in counseling goals just doesn't line up with Scripture this time.

Dear Kate

“If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” Romans 12:18

This letter is my attempt to make peace in a very public situation after considerable thought and prayer.

Dear Kate,

Whenever I meet someone, I first try to find something we have in common. Although you don’t realize this, it was very easy for me to find something in common with you, from the first day I saw your blog. You see, I grew up in Oregon also, and so seeing that you live in Oregon, my heart was immediately drawn toward you. In second grade, I lived in Sisters; in third through eighth grade, we lived in Bend; in high school, we lived in Salem; then I worked as a tax collector at the Department of Motor Vehicles right there in Portland for a while before joining the Army. My parents are still missionaries for Wycliffe right there at the Milwaukie office. I am relating these things to you, Kate, because you seem to relate best to personal details. So, from one Oregonian to another, this letter is for my sister in Christ.

Kate, I really don’t know how I have offended you, but my desire is to be at peace with all men (and women), so I am writing this in an attempt to reach your heart. If I have truly done something for which I need to apologize, please leave a comment to this letter and I will apologize.

However, from what I can gather, you seem to think that I am multiple people and apparently have multiple personalities. Please believe me that I have all I can possibly handle with everything going in my real life right now so that I have no need of pretending to be to multiple personalities.

I have left a few comments on your blog, all of which I hope were kind and charitable, and all of which were in my name and with my Blogger account.

I have never called you on the phone, nor have I ever called anyone else online on the phone unless they have written me with their phone number and requested that I call.

Although I cannot speak to the current situation, Kate, I can assure you that I have no unforgiveness in my heart toward anyone, no bitterness, and no spirit of revenge. Sometimes we are called to do hard things, Kate, as I know you understand, and this is a very hard thing that the Lord called me to do.

I do not expect everyone to believe everything I say; that is not my job. I am called to be a messenger and it is fully up to the Lord to work in people’s hearts, including my own. I hope to be able to write someday about how the Lord is working in my life in the last few months.

Kate, I know that you are concerned because of something my daughter said. While I will not excuse her behavior, I do hope that you could try to understand her perspective. Sometimes I think my children were hurt in this far more than I was. Although I can’t really speak to this right now, think of my whole story through the eyes of a teenage girl and try to have some compassion for her.

Kate, I really think that you mean well, especially after the comment you left on my blog. I do not want anyone being hurt because of my story and that includes you. May I suggest that we all slow down and carefully consider what we are saying before we write or say anything? A long time ago, I learned that I should always sleep on a letter before sending it. Maybe that principle would be good to apply to the internet as well.

Your Sister in Christ,
Jen

“Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.” Eph. 4:29

Ted Haggard: Psychologist

The elders of New Life Christian Church in Colorado Springs have recommended that Ted Haggard take up secular work. Although the NY Times put this in their very last sentence in their latest article about Ted, I found this to be the most important aspect of this whole story so far. How many churches are so quick to take back a pastor who had engaged in very serious sin, often without ever repenting in the first place? How serious are we taking God's Word as He clearly lays out the requirements for being an elder? It sounds so simple: if you don't meet the requirements for being an elder, find another line of work.

I can't help but think of the four Reformed elders that were defrocked barely a year ago, but then were voted back in as elders almost immediately, although there was no true repentance forthcoming and although they clearly no longer meet the biblical requirements for being elders. I can understand how emotionally attached Christians can be to their elders, but that is why God gave us clear requirements in His Word, for the times when we are too fervently involved to think straight.

The elders at New Life Christian Church must have been extremely emotionally attached to Ted Haggard as well, but they sought the Lord instead, and did the right thing, the hard thing. And in the end, that church will be blessed and will grow spiritually.

It still floors me that a charismatic mega-church is doing all the right things in this scandal with Ted Haggard, and not only that, but Ted Haggard seems to be responding in an attitude of repentance so far as well.

Having just finished three weeks of intensive counseling, Ted Haggard said, “I have spent so much time in repentance, brokenness, hurt and sorrow for the things I’ve done and the negative impact my actions have had on others ... Jesus is starting to put me back together.” Oh, that all sinners expressed this kind of attitude!

Ted and his wife are taking online courses together to get master's degrees in psychology. Since Ted no longer meets the biblical requirements for being an elder, the other elders at New Life have encouraged him to seek employment outside the church. I'm not a big fan of pop psychology, but I will say that I see that this would only be a natural area of interest for a former pastor, and I pray that the Lord brings healing to both him and his wife as they study this subject together.

What a great example for the rest of the Christian world. Christians, let each of us have such hearts that are quick to repent when we sin and be willing to bear the consequences for our own actions. To God be the glory.

Kent Hovind: Avoid All Appearances of Evil

Have you ever made a big mistake? I mean a really BIG mistake. I still stand by Kent Hovind and what I’ve written about him, but I think he made a really big mistake and I need to tell people about it, so others won’t make the same mistake. Maybe we can unite in prayer that Kent will realize this really big mistake before he loses the next ten years of his life.

Kent Hovind has been heavy on my mind lately and is in my daily prayers. When I wrote my first article about him, I was determined not to get into the “issues,” but I wanted to just relate our personal experiences with him, since he had such an impact on my children and me. However, my readers seemed determined to get into the tax issues, so I’ve been seemingly dragged along to explore these issues as well.

Unfortunately, this is one of those subjects that seems to be the more I study, the less I really know. I am sure that some of my readers will know far more about this subject than I do, so feel free to present (or correct) facts here. My purpose in today’s post, though, is to warn others to do your homework before you make a major financial decision.

As I was speaking to Jo Hovind before we left Pensacola recently, she observed, “Maybe we didn’t get the right advice.” Jo, I think you’ve hit the proverbial nail on the head.

I could not understand why even the mention of the name, Glen Stoll, was such a hot button for the judge in Kent Hovind’s case, so I decided to check him out a bit. This information should put this case in a new light for some of us. Glen Stoll is the man that Kent Hovind has put in charge of his whole ministry.

The first thing I noticed about Glen Stoll is how he reaches out to Christians. Look at this initial application for his services and see how enticed you might be:

1) Who am I, with respect to my position and function in life? I am:

2) With whom or what are my loyalties aligned? I pledge allegiance to:

3) Under that pledge, what is the purpose of my mission? My duties and responsibilities are:

4) Therefore, what jurisdictional authority am I under? My commission comes from:

5) How are decisions made that direct the course of my life? I trust in:

After you make this Declaration of Status, which Glen Stoll calls a Profession of Faith expressed in a political sense, you have now identified your personal ministry. So far, so good. How many Christians truly desire to have a personal ministry? But now, Glen Stoll has made it possible for any person who claims Christ and owns any business to label their business as a ministry. How convenient. We will see that Glen Stoll’s definitions of words are often of a non-standard usage, even though he will use the dictionary to define them. Now all you need is one or more people (your spouse will do) to form a “lawfully established unincorporated association of pure trust,” and when put in writing, this trust agreement becomes “evidence of a Ministerial Trust under which you may manage your personal ministry for the church.” In fact, this written declaration now makes you a church! Did you know that it was this easy to become a church, with all the tax-exempt privileges bequeathed to a church as well? That is, as soon as you meet all the other requirements that Glen Stoll will be glad to handle for you for a princely sum of money.

The following steps were not as easy to determine, since they are not directly listed on Remedies at Law, Glen Stoll’s website. However, the United States District Court has done their best in laying out their case against Glen Stoll and his “ministry” in their Order for Default Judgment and Permanent Injunction against Glen Stoll, dated June 27, 2005. Much of the following information is taken from the official injunction order against him. (Glen Stoll was sued by the United States of America for his fraudulent business practices and since he refused to show up in court, a default judgment against him was handed down, along with a permanent injunction to stop his illegal activities. I am still trying to figure out why he has not been stopped yet.)

Glen Stoll strongly tends to take Scripture out of context in order to justify his positions. For instance, in stating that we are not citizens of this world, but citizens of heaven, he advocates that the government should have no control over us, especially regarding documents such as passports; driver’s license; vehicle license plate, title, or registration; birth certificates and marriage registration; a business license; or a student body card; all of which can be handled through a sister site, Embassy of Heaven and through their other site which teach you how to be a citizen of heaven rather than of the United States. These two sites alone should provide plenty of controversial topics to keep us going for weeks, but we won’t cover them here. They are important to understanding both Glen Stoll’s and, subsequently, Kent Hovind’s, intentions, though. After severing all ties to the government, which includes being up to date with what you owe the IRS, and getting your “Citizen of Heaven” identification card, you are now ready to go on to the next step.

Glen Stoll helps “churches” (see his definition above) to become a corporation sole, which is usually a church that has one single (sole) officer and can be used to allow a church to hold title to property, but in these cases, the corporation sole is essentially designed to hide income and/or assets and designed to evade income taxes. Glen Stoll teaches that as a corporation sole, they don’t have to file or pay taxes, citing a mandatory exception to the IRC 508(c)(1)(A) for churches, even going so far as to claim that they are not even required to notify the IRS of their existence, nor are they authorized to collect or pay taxes to the government. However, like real churches, Glen Stoll advises his customers that all donations to their “church” is tax deductible.

Next, Glen Stoll helps people set up “Ministerial Trusts” in conjunction with their corporation sole. Because the two are connected, Glen Stoll teaches his clients that they are now exempt from the IRS laws, helping them to stop paying income and employment taxes. Each different “missionary” activity needs to have a separate ministerial trust set up, for which Glen Stoll charges $4000 - $4500 for the first trust and $2000 for each subsequent trust, and each of which is to be managed by the corporation sole. Customers of these former businesses (pest control, carpet cleaning, computer technology, and multi-level marketing, etc.), which are now called churches, are asked to make checks out to the ministerial trust rather than to the individual so that they don’t have to report it as income.

Workshops ($120 each?) are also required in order to be one of Glen Stoll’s clients and he then charges $120 per hour for his services. These are reasonable prices for the services offered, but you ought to beware that you are paying him to learn how to break the law.

Part of this scheme involves concealing property, income and profits. By placing both business and personal property in the name of the ministerial trust rather than an individual’s name, Glen Stoll tells his clients that the IRS cannot touch their assets. Unfortunately, that is simply not true, as Kent Hovind has since found out, but still refuses to acknowledge. Glen Stoll encourages people to transfer all their assets, including personal property and furniture and cash into these ministerial accounts, thereby allowing them to claim that they themselves own nothing, but that they live in a parsonage (their former personal home) and use the “church’s” furniture (their former personal furniture) and equipment and vehicles (their former personal car). Nothing really changes in their lifestyle, however, except that they probably have more disposable income now that they don’t pay taxes on everything. I wondered how Kent Hovind could take a vow of poverty and yet have so many belongings. He doesn’t consider himself to own anything, per se, but everything belongs to the “church.” Unfortunately, Glen Stoll’s definition of church is not God’s definition, nor is it our government’s definition.

Another aspect of Glen Stoll’s scheme is to call all employees independent contractors and telling clients that they now no longer have to file W-2s or 1099s since they are not authorized to withhold taxes for the government anyway since they are now citizens of heaven. This is one of the biggies for Kent Hovind.

Glen Stoll even goes so far as to teach his clients how to use IRS forms that are designed for non-US citizens in order to receive income not subject to tax withholding, stating that a church ministry is a “non-U.S. person based on its
foreign Federal political status,” and as such, is exempt from banking regulations. Even so, Glen Stoll requires that his customers contact him if they need to make a withdrawal of $10,000 or more in cash.

If I didn’t read the name of the actual bank, I would have a really hard time believing this, but Glen Stoll also recommends that his customers put their cash into offshore bank accounts located at Liberty International Bank & Trust, Caribbean Processing Center, essentially hiding the money from the US government. They are then set up with Visa cards to be able to access the funds. I do not know if Kent Hovind did this or not.

Glen Stoll claims that he is qualified to do what he is doing because he is a lawyer. Since he considers himself a citizen of heaven, however, his definition of “lawyer” is also a bit odd: one who practices law. Never mind that he doesn’t actually have any degrees or a license to practice law. Glen Stoll takes great liberty with his definitions, most of which come from England several hundred years ago. I’m all for self-study, but it is quite deceptive to use a term that the average person would understand to mean fully licensed.

While some of Glen Stoll’s clients have legitimate ministries, such as Kent Hovind’s, many of these people had regular for-profit businesses to begin with, but now they just don’t have to pay taxes – at least until the IRS catches up with them. The amount of taxes lost to the US government because of these scams is quite substantial and Glen Stoll should be held directly accountable, along with all his “clients.” It is quite sad for me to admit that Kent Hovind falls in this category.

Glen Stoll was issued a default judgment (guilty by reason of not showing up for the trial) and was permanently enjoined from continuing this illegal business, this exact kind of business in which he continues with Kent Hovind. He was also given 11 days from June 27, 2005 to provide the court with a complete list of clients, corporations sole, and ministerial trusts, and a list of all employees and associates. He was also required to post a complete copy of the injunction order against him on his website for one year and to give a copy to each former, current, and prospective client. He was required to file a sworn certificate of compliance with these measures within 12 days, including printed pages of his complete website.

It appears that since this injunction is still up on his website, that Glen Stoll has at least complied with one aspect. As for the others, you can read all his excuses for why he could not comply with the requirements of the US government. What I don’t understand is why Glen Stoll is still continuing in his illegal schemes he perpetrates upon gullible but well-meaning Christians.

What I really don’t understand is how Kent Hovind, a highly intelligent man, fell for this, and apparently, still entrusts his life’s work to this man. Kent, your wife was right: you did get some wrong advice, and that’s putting it mildly. This was a really big mistake. Please learn from it.

The Bible tells us to avoid all appearances of evil. This scam has every appearance of evil to me. Run, Kent! Flee from this man!

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Did Kent have any other choices that would still allow him to stand on his convictions? I think so. Maybe I’ll cover that next time.

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For a good summary of this scam: IRS Warns of “Corporation Sole” Tax Scam
For Christians: Corporation Sole Problems
More info on Glen Stoll:
Hushmoney
Wikipedia

Internet Friends: The Heart of the Matter

"I met someone online."

I used to think that meeting someone online was the equivalent of outright evil, but I've since changed my tune. While there certainly are plenty of nefarious reasons for meeting someone online, I've found that the internet can certainly be used for the glory of God as well.

In a time when God saw fit to remove nearly all my real-life friends from my daily life, He also was so gracious to provide internet friends shortly thereafter. There is a verse that says that man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. I think I am finally starting to understand a bit of what it means for the Lord to look at the heart.

When I meet people in real life, my eyes are immediately drawn to their clothing, their facial features, their hair, and various other aspects of their physical appearance. I am checking them out. And whether we want to admit it or not, we all do that. I really do try not to judge a person by their outward appearance, but that is simply human nature, after all.

So what I have found so interesting is "meeting" people online when I really have no clue what they look like. For myself, I have noticed that I am drawn to others who have a deep love for the truth of God's Word. First, I notice comments, or possibly blog posts, by others, and I consider whether I agree with their content, whether I like their attitude, and whether they have something stimulating to say. I do not have to agree with them at all to enter into a dialogue with them, but for me, the attitude is key. What good does it do to have a friendly debate with someone who has a chip on their shoulder or who is always right?

After a while, I notice that patterns start to develop with certain online personalities and some of those patterns are attractive to me. Perhaps I will read their blogs more often or be more inclined to comment. Sometimes I may even email them privately and often I have received private emails as well. This seems to move the relationship into a bit more personal stage and we are able to discuss matters that we may not say in front of the whole world wide web.

A few of these relationships have developed into phone relationships as well. I cherish these. I will admit that I am often surprised when I hear the voice of a "friend" for the first time. Sometimes the words that I read from them take on a whole new meaning, just because I hear in their voice what was really in their heart. I have developed some very meaningful relationships with my now-phone friends, often deeper than any real life friendships I have. I often wonder if I will ever meet them this side of heaven.

It was our great privilege, then, to finally meet some internet friends in real life last week. Mark had a class not too far from Brandon and Elizabeth and they had given us an open invitation to come visit them any time we were in the area, so we made all the arrangements. At the last minute, an ice storm was coming to San Antonio on the day we were to leave, so they invited us to come up a day early, which I know meant that they had to scramble to get things ready for us (thanks, guys!).

Although they had seen our pictures on the internet, I had no clue what they would look like. I had some sort of vague picture in my mind, but it didn't match at all. What was so odd to me was that I was looking at what seemed to be apparent strangers, yet we had talked so much that I felt like we were long-lost friends. We just naturally fell into conversation and had a wonderful three days together.

You know what really surprised me, though? We had previously only talked about a few areas of life on the phone and through email, so I really didn't know much about their values, their lifestyle, their convictions, their beliefs. I had decided ahead of time that I would just enjoy whatever things we had in common, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that nearly every topic of conversation that came up was something that we had in common. In fact, we found that we are more like them than just about anybody we know.

I was pondering this and considering some of my other internet friends, as I like to call them, who also seem to have more in common with us than I would have initially guessed, and I came to the conclusion that birds of a feather flock together. I know that's not real profound or original, but even through the internet it appears that like attracts like.

It is interesting to realize that if I were to have met certain people first, I may never have developed a relationship with them at all, or maybe not to the degree that I have now that I have been able to look at their hearts (on the internet, at least) without looking at the outward appearance first. I wonder if that is why our relationships seem to deepen so quickly. There are no outward distractions. We don't have to go through all the small talk first. We just start right off discussing deep issues. I can't imagine meeting someone in real life for the first time and immediately getting into a debate on Christians suing one another or whether or not slavery is biblical. It is just inconceivable.

Can't you just picture this scene taking place at church on Sunday morning?

"Hi, I'm Jen," I greet a new visitor.

"Hello, I'm Judy," she replies politely, '"Nice to meet you."

"What is your position on slavery, and can you support it from Scripture? My position is ..."

I sure do thank God for all my internet friends!

My Heart Was in the Right Place

It's the thought that counts.

She really meant well.

Do the ends justify the means? Is being sincere more important than doing the right thing? Let's examine three stories of people whose hearts were in the right place.

Or were they?

A couple years ago, a group of people (it's probably best not to identify them) decided that I should not have the right to be a mother to my own children. Apparently, these people did not approve of some of the rules of our family, such as homeschooling, modesty, the role of women (after all I've written about this, I guess I can't please anyone in this area!), higher education, getting to the marriage altar, and probably countless other areas, including which church we attended. This group of people took it upon themselves to "rescue" my children from the horrible lifestyle and abuse they thought we must be inflicting upon them. Not once did any of these people come visit our home. Not once did any of these people ask me any questions to find out the validity of their concerns. There was absolutely no attempt made at finding out the truth of the situation, but there was a grand conspiracy to relieve me of my right to parent my own beloved children. As the first part of this plan unfolded and I lost one child, I was absolutely devastated. I thank the Lord that He intervened when the State attempted to remove the other two as well. Imagine my shock and my horror when I eventually found out about this grand scheme by those I thought I could trust, only to hear them justify themselves, "Our hearts were in the right place."

One of my favorite Bible stories is not a very enjoyable story, but one that directs much of my life. The Ark of the Covenant was not in Jerusalem, where it should have been, so King David set out to retrieve it from the house of Abinadab. David's heart was in the right place. They put the Ark on a cart pulled by oxen and then they had a fantastic praise and worship service. Wow! The Spirit of the Lord must truly be in that place with that kind of praise and worship going on! And then the oxen tripped. As the Ark began to tumble, Uzzah lovingly put up his hand to steady it. Surely his heart was in the right place. But God struck him dead! Didn't God see that David's heart was in the right place, that he only wanted to get the Ark to its rightful place? Didn't God see that Uzzah's heart was in the right place, that he only wanted to protect the precious Ark of God? Wasn't it the thought that counts? Did it really matter that God had previously told them how to transport the Ark, that God's ways were better than man's ways, that if they had followed God's method they would not have to be concerned about the safety of the Ark?

Fast forward to Kent Hovind. I truly believe that his heart is in the right place, that he is very sincere in what he believes, that he means well. But just because his heart is in the "right" place, does it follow that he did the right thing? If you do something for the right reason, but it is not the right thing to do, is it just the thought that counts? I will continue to support Kent Hovind, but I believe it is time for him to search his heart and see if it is really in the "right" place. Right now, that "right" place is in jail. In this case, are the means truly worthwhile? Is it worth it to be so right in your beliefs that you lose your freedom, your family, your ministry? If those beliefs stand and fall on the infallibility of God's Word, on preaching the gospel, on the reputation of our Lord, then we should we willing to give up everything for the sake of Christ. But is it really worth it to stake our whole life on whether or not we agree with the interpretations of the tax laws? Kent may be 100% right in his stand; I'm sure his heart was in the right place. But do his current ends justify his means? I pray that he reconsiders what is truly important in life.

If you want to really get my dander up, just excuse someone's actions by telling me that their heart was really in the right place. If the people who planned on taking my children away truly had their heart in the right place, they would not have sinned by plotting kidnappings and false abuse reports to the State. If their hearts were truly in the right place, they would have used Matthew 18 or possibly even just attempted a conversation with me.

If King David's and Uzzah's hearts were in the right place, they would not have disobeyed a direct command from the Lord on how spiritual duties were to be accomplished. Having a great praise and worship service does not impress the Lord when there is sin in the camp. Obedience is always better than sacrifice.

If Kent Hovind were to realize that not all taxes in life are fair, that all laws are not even adequate, that if he is called by God to preach the gospel through his creation seminars and debates, that his family needs him more than the prisoners do, that this issue is not a "do-or-die" issue, Kent may still have a chance for freedom after all. I know he thinks his heart is in the right place, but if it were truly in the "right" place, Kent would be in the "right" place as well -- at home where he belongs.

Our hearts cannot be in the right place if it leads to sin or grave consequences that do not ultimately glorify God. Let us say instead, "Thy will be done."

Christian Hackers: A Paradox of Fruit

The Bible says that we will know one another by our fruits. I wonder if hacking someone's website is good fruit or bad fruit? As an American, I am a strong proponent of free speech. I will defend your right to state your own opinions and views, even if they are not my own. I am very much anti-Big Brother and I enjoy being challenged in my thinking by reading or hearing views that may be controversial in nature. They make me think. I may not ever agree with those views, but in researching, studying, and meditating upon them, I now have a deeper conviction on whatever the subject might be. Sometimes, I might be persuaded to even reconsider my own views. Opposing viewpoints are a good thing, especially when done in Christian charity.

That is why I find it unconscionable that someone hacked the Ministry Watchman website today. Surely a non-Christian would have no reason to do such a thing, so I can only assume it was someone claiming the name of Christ. What a poor testimony to any outsiders looking in on our situation.

While I personally have nothing to do with the Ministry Watchman site, Watchman has informed me of what happened and given me permission to expose this deed of darkness after I went to the site this afternoon and found a totally blank page. When it continued to remain blank, I checked the source and found that the whole site appeared to be gone.

Here is part of Ministry Watchman's email to me when I asked what happened:

On 1/20/07, Ministry Watchman wrote:
About an hour ago the Ministry Watchman site went down. Here's the only thing that now shows up:

Not Found
The requested URL / was not found on this server.

[The] hosting company verified that the site has been hacked. My password to the server no longer works. They're trying to figure out how it happened. All of the WordPress application files have been deleted. Thankfully the database tables are still intact.

The hacker also got into the server control panel, unlocked the domain name and transferred it to a "George Gilbert". They can't tell me now how long ago he actually first got in.

He used an email address of snowbite7@hotmail.com.

They're going to try and figure out how this happened, but right now they're just not certain.

About an hour later:

I just got off the phone after spending the better part of an hour trying to regain control of our account. Whoever George Gilbert is he went to a lot of trouble changing every conceivable thing with the Ministry Watchman account settings.

I'm happy to report that we were able to restore all the application files.

Watchman

*********************************

Since I am not a conspiracy theorist, I will not assume to blame someone for doing this unless I have proof, although I certainly have my suspicions. However, commenters are free to theorize here all they want.

If someone does not like what is on the Ministry Watchman site, may I suggest that in the future they personally write to Ministry Watchman about it? Or, I suppose they could just ignore it, as most people do who don't like someone else's free speech. Of course, there is always the option of actually just stating your own opinion somewhere online. Hacking is not the fruit of a true believer, so I must now seriously question the claims of Christ this hacker makes. Repent, hacker. Confess to your evil deeds of darkness and repent.

“For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks."

Wal-Mart Gives $60,000 To Homosexual Group to Support Homosexual Agenda in Workplace

Update 11/21: Statement from Walmart

Respect for the individual is one of the core values that have made us into the company we are today. We take pride in the fact that we treat every customer, every supplier and every member of our individual communities fairly and equally.

We are working hard to make our corporate contributions reflect the values of our customers, communities, and associates. As Sam Walton said, “Each Wal-Mart store should reflect the values of its customers and support the vision they hold for their community.

Wal-Mart will not make corporate contributions to support or oppose highly controversial issues unless they directly relate to our ability to serve our customers.

Wal-Mart does not have a position on same sex marriage and we do not give preference to gay or lesbian suppliers. Wal-Mart does have a strong commitment to diversity among our associates and against discrimination everywhere.

Thank you, Walmart! Below is the impetus behind their statement:

Wal-Mart has gone on record that they are an advocate for the homosexual agenda. In the Out & Equal 2006 Workplace Summit Program Guide, Wal-Mart placed a full-page ad which explicitly stated that it would be an advocate for the homosexual movement. Keep in mind this ad was developed for the homosexual conference and aimed toward participating homosexual groups.

Not only did Wal-Mart place the ad in the program guide, they also gave $60,000 to Out & Equal, a homosexual organization pushing the same-sex agenda, including same-sex marriage, in the workplace . Out & Equal served as conference host and the donation went to help sponsor the Out & Equal Workplace Summit held this past September in Chicago.

The purpose of the conference was to train homosexuals to convince the companies for which they work to support the homosexual agenda and to encourage other companies to do the same.

At the conference, Pride, Wal-Mart's in-house homosexual group, presented a PowerPoint presentation detailing how they were successful in getting Wal-Mart to support the homosexual agenda. The PowerPoint presentation, telling Pride's story, contains 51 frames. Each page of the presentation contains the line Confidential Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. It was used to encourage conference participants to follow Pride's example in the companies for which they work.

Other pro-homosexual actions by Wal-Mart can be found at www.afa.net.

TAKE ACTION

Sign the online petition to Wal-Mart letting them know you will be one of the 1,000,000 families who will not shop at Wal-Mart or Sam's Club on the Friday or Saturday following Thanksgiving. Sign the petition at www.afa.net.

Righteous Ruling

In the midst of the pain of this situation with Ted Haggard, I see great cause for rejoicing. It is rare that we see elders and pastors make swift and righteous rulings against an elder in sin. It is rarer still that we see an elder humbly acknowledge his need for removal from office and submit to proper church discipline. I rejoice today that there still are godly Christian leaders who are willing to hold even the top dogs accountable.

So what is wrong in the Reformed community? Aren't we the ones who preach orthopraxy as well as orthodoxy? Let's compare the situation with RC Sproul, Jr., for instance, with Ted Haggard. Now, granted, Ted's sin was decidedly more grave, yet they did both admit to at least some level of sin in their lives. I would have expected someone like Ted to take a temporary leave of absence, though, and attempt to come back to New Life. His church would have welcomed him with open arms (they understand cheap grace - not to be confused with God's grace). But he didn't; he is leaving permanently and fully acknowledges that he does not have the biblical right to be an elder any longer. So why does RC, Jr. think he has the right to sin, and then when defrocked, just go to another "denomination" and still continue at his same church where he was committing these sins to begin with? What's wrong with this picture?

Where are the Reformed leaders who are willing to hold other Reformed leaders, such as both Sprouls, accountable? "Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame."

Tearing Down Christian Idols

Thoughts on the Current Christian Hypocrites

Modern technology has made it possible for certain charismatic personalities to become famous quicker and over a broader area than in the past. Not too many years ago, jet-setting was only for the rich and famous. Now, there are many Christian "speakers" who travel often, even as often as weekly, going to conferences and speaking engagements, often all over the world. We used to have just the radio, or perhaps a column in the local paper, but now, through the use of the internet, podcasts, cheap DVD and CD recording, and any number of other multi-media resources, a Christian speaker with a little charisma can become quite an idol in Christian circles. Whatever happened to the local shepherd who just stayed at home and took care of his sheep?

Maybe it's just the big name Christian leaders in my line of sight, but it appears to me that the Lord is starting to tear down these idols. I've written recently about Dr. RC Sproul, who has implicitly put his stamp of approval on rampant sin within his own ministry; and of course, there's his son, RC, who was recently defrocked for numerous sins. Both of these men were put on a pedestal by many Christians, and that pedestal is quickly crumbling.

Then I wrote about Kent Hovind, who is having the rug pulled out from under him because of his disdain of US government policies. And then there's Beka Horton, of Abeka and Pensacola Christian College, who turned Kent in to the authorities.

And now we hear about Ted Haggard, of New Life Church in Colorado Springs. I remember going to his church when I used to live there. It wasn't our church, but we visited a few times. He was an unusual preacher, sitting down next to people in the pews in the middle of his sermon. He was all over that sanctuary while he was preaching, interacting with people.

Oh, that's not all, not by a long shot. But the worst ones for me are the ones I know personally. There are at least a couple I can think of that I know personally that are deep in certain sin, refuse to acknowledge it, and yet they haven't fallen yet. They've fallen in my eyes, though, and rather than wish God's judgment upon them, I pray that God would open their eyes to what's going on in their lives before they have to take a fall.

Is this what fame does to Christians? Is pride the underlying root cause? Do they become careless in their walk because they think they've made it?

I watched two men in particular start out small, loving the Lord, and as they became more and more famous, attracting more and more "groupies," I watched both these men become so filled with pride that they didn't have time for ordinary people anymore. At that time of realization, I was doing a small amount of public speaking, and I prayed that I would never be famous if it meant that I would compromise my walk with the Lord. Some Christians can handle fame, I'm sure, but it sure seems to me that they would be a rare gem indeed.

I am praying for God to sort us Christians out. Let us either be hot or cold - preferably on fire FOR the Lord, but God is starting to spit out those who are lukewarm. What's your choice? Don't be a fencesitter; take a stand for holiness.

Glorifying God on Halloween

“I Dream of Jeannie” was my favorite TV show when I was growing up. I was fascinated by how she could just clean the whole house in a wink or make crazy things happen to other people. Not understanding Hollywood at that time, I thought she had real powers and I only had to find the right “magic” combination and I would be able to do them also. I started reading books about “good” witches, dressing like witches at Halloween, and practiced saying all kinds of “abra-ca-dabras,” trying to work my magic.

Some Christians might justify this by saying that I was only a child or I was only trying to be a “good” witch, or that it wasn’t real. But God calls all forms of witchcraft, spells, sorcery, and anything associated with the occult an abomination. There is no “good” witchcraft; it is all evil and dark.

Halloween is dark. Have you ever noticed that trick-or-treating doesn’t start until after dark? Or that the Halloween parties don’t begin until after dark? As Christians, God has called us out of the darkness into His marvelous light. But just how dark is Halloween really?

The history of Halloween begins hundreds of years before Christ’s birth, when the Celts, inhabitants of Britain and Ireland, and their priests, the Druids, celebrated Samhain, a festival that marked the eve of the Celtic New Year, which began on November 1. The fall harvest was complete and winter loomed. The Celts believed the power of the sun was fading. For the next several months, darkness would prevail.

The Celts believed that during Samhain, the veil separating the living from the dead was at its thinnest, that on the evening of October 31, evil spirits and the souls of the dead passed through the barrier and entered the world of the living and departed family members would revisit their earthly homes. They also believed these spirits and dead souls could torment the living. Crops might be destroyed, babies stolen, farm animals killed. But this was also an opportunity to commune with the spirits and divine the future. Satan, the lord of darkness, was ordinarily feared, but during Samhain, his power would be called on to foretell the future.

The Druids were charged with appeasing the goblins and preventing harm to the people. Huge Samhain bonfires were lit to guide the way of the spirits. Various sacrifices, including human, were performed to assure a good year. Ancient authors commented on the gory religious rites of the Druids. It is believed that, like many pagan cultures around the world, the Celts left out food for the spirits, hoping that a "treat" would prevent an evil "trick."

Centuries later, descendants of the Celts continued to observe the Samhain festival by dressing as evil spirits. They roamed from house to house demanding food in exchange for the "spirits" leaving the home. They carved demon faces in hollowed-out turnips and put candles inside.

That night they also practiced many customs designed to divine the future. Young people threw nuts into Samhain fires to see which would crack first and tell them who they would marry. The person who retrieved an apple with his mouth from a tub of water assured himself of a lucky year.

When Christianity began to spread through Europe in the third and fourth centuries, the pagan temples were torn down. But pagan worship never completely disappeared. The festival of Samhain remained a primary pagan festival. Belief in spirits may have waned, but many of the old Samhain traditions continued to be practiced, especially by the children. Primarily in Ireland, children dressed as spirits went from house to house demanding a treat. If they received none, they performed an unwelcomed trick. They were play-acting the part of evil spirits that had to be appeased, just as in the old Samhain festival the people believed they really did have to appease spirits.

In the 700s, the church chose to recognize the saints (hallowed) instead of honoring evil spirits and the souls of the dead. So November 1 came to be called All Saints' Day or All Hallows' Day. The evening before was called All Hallows' Evening. From that we get the modern name of Halloween. But pagan customs continued. And with the growth of witchcraft in the Middle Ages, additional symbols became associated with Halloween - black cats, witches, bats, and skulls.

Irish immigrants in the mid-1800s brought to America the Halloween customs we're familiar with - costumes, trick-or-treat, carved Jack-o-lanterns, bonfires, bobbing for apples, etc. They also brought "tricks" with them, which often involved breaking windows and over-turning outhouses.

Even though the practice of actually performing a trick if no treat is given has changed to egging cars or TPing a yard, the custom of children going "trick-or-treating" has become an established American tradition. But while children and adults "innocently" imitate ancient Celtic customs, darker practices persist. Witches and Satanists still consider Halloween to be one of the strongest times during the year to cast a spell. On Halloween, most practitioners participate in a ritual called "drawing down the moon." In this, the chief witch of the coven becomes, they believe, a channel for the moon goddess. During this ritual the participants are “sky-clad" - that is, naked.

Stonehenge, the mysterious ancient stone formation in England, is often the site for bizarre gatherings of occultists on October 31, some of whom believe they are modern-day Druids. (Many people believe that Stonehenge was a Druid religious site.) And evidence persists that some Satanist and voodoo groups offer sacrifices - usually animals, (check the missing cat count on November 1) but, possibly, human babies.

When your children ask you why they go trick-or-treating, what will you tell them? That it is another opportunity to glorify God, which is why we were created? Halloween is dark, and even though some of the original intents for the customs of Halloween are no longer with us, it is nonetheless not only based upon pagan, evil culture, but it is still FULL of evil. Check out the costumes and tell me they promote godliness. Check out the attitudes and see what fruit of the Spirit you find amongst those buckets of candy.

Up until approximately the age of 12, children are very concrete thinkers, which means that they see everything fairly literally. Abstract thinking comes with puberty, so when a young child dresses up as a witch, for instance, they really think they can be one. Pretending to them is very real. Their minds work so different than adults' do, so it may be hard to remember how we thought when we were young, but the pretending of Halloween is very real to them. Watch a young one (it doesn't really even matter what age, if they haven't been before) the first time they go trick-or-treating and see all the other kids, and observe their fright and fear and nightmares. Oh, yes, they can grow accustomed to the evil of Halloween, but is that what we really want for our children? Halloween sparks an interest in the occult, an interest in scary things, an interest in evil. Satan hates Christians, and Satan hates children. What an opportunity Satan has to delude well-meaning Christian parents on Halloween night.

Here are a few Scriptures to meditate on concerning this day:

Abstain from all appearance of evil.

Do not imitate what is evil, but what is good.

Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.

All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.

“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea."

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just. whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

What should Christians do on the eve of October 31? I will give you several ideas, and I'm sure there are many more, but note that one idea I do NOT list is a Christian version of a Halloween party, no matter what you call it. (If celebrating is what you desire, I would suggest looking to the Feasts that God has already so graciously given us as real Holy Days to celebrate!) Here are a few ideas:

Stay home and keep the front of the house dark. Don't answer the door. When God tells us to be holy even as He is holy, He is telling us to separate ourselves from the world. October 31st is a good day to do that.

Have a Bible study that evening with family and/or friends on what God thinks about witchcraft and the occult.

Study the reformation that day, since that date is also Reformation Day and applies to all protestants, not just those who are Reformed. I know one church that is showing a movie about the reformation then.

Have a normal day, as if nothing out of the ordinary were happening.

Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God!

Kent Hovind: Sold Out

When we arrived at Dinosaur Adventure Land last summer, there was a big sign that said, "Welcome to My Backyard." Thinking it was a cute advertising gimmick, we went in to check out Kent Hovind's creation-based amusement park and museum, although the government had already closed down the museum.

We enjoyed an incredible day, playing on all kinds of unique contraptions that were a cross between a science experiment and a Bible lesson. Each person who worked there readily shared the gospel at every opportunity, calling themselves missionaries. We could really tell they had hearts for the Lord and spreading the good news to all who would listen. It was never really preachy, just natural and heart-felt.

Around mid-day, we noticed a motorcycle leaving the compound, with the man stopping and greeting everyone in his "backyard" on the way out to run an errand. I thought that was nice. But then he stopped and greeted everyone again, when he came back about half an hour later, even if he had already greeted them before. We were in the bookstore at the time, and I saw Kent Hovind come into the bookstore, talking on his cell phone, waving at everyone as he walked through to his office. I didn't think anything of it, as I had seen "famous" Christians greet everyday Christians like that most of the time. Who has time for the average Joe Christian?

I was then surprised that Kent Hovind indeed had time for the average person. A few minutes later, he came back out into the bookstore, apologizing for being on the phone, and went around the store, greeting everyone. It was not perfunctory, but rather he showed a genuine interest in each person. For instance, my severely disabled 11-year-old daughter was sitting in the corner, crying, while I was rushing to look at his books and videos, so Kent went up to her and started trying to engage her in a conversation. He did not speak down to her at all, but started showing her some science experiments he had set up all around the room. Knowing that my daughter cannot speak, I went over to intercede on her behalf. When I mentioned what her disability was, he asked me if I had ever spoken to a certain Christian nutrition expert whose books he carried and recommended. When I replied that I hadn't, he pulled out his cell phone, called him, and gave it to me. That's real life.

But that wasn't all. Then he went out the back door of the shop and spent about 30 minutes pushing kids on the swings in his backyard which, by now, I realized was literally his backyard! His house had one room for a bookstore, and another for a classroom, and another for his office.

Thinking that must be the end of his PR time, we continued enjoying our day, taking some time to talk with one of his "missionaries." About an hour later, here comes Kent Hovind again, joining us for another long conversation. I left that day with tears in my eyes, realizing that this man had spent more time treating me as a person in that one day, than had my elder in a very small church where we went for years. This man truly cared about people, and I wasn't even there with my husband that day!

I did talk to him about the current issue of tax evasion. Kent Hovind believes he and his employees work for God, are paid by God, and therefore aren't subject to taxation. This post will not go into the specifics of his beliefs on that subject and what I believe about them, but what I did leave Kent Hovind with was the knowledge that here was a man who was willing to stand up for his beliefs, no matter who stood with him or who stood against him, and I wish every Christian were that sold out for their faith.

I read a few comments on this subject where people thought it was just all about money with Kent Hovind. I just don't see that at all. He does not live in a fancy house. He shares everything he has. He didn't appear to making much money at Dinosaur Adventure Land. But the one thing that really stands out that tells me that money is not an idol to him is that fact that none of his stuff is copyrighted. In fact, anyone is free to copy his DVDs and pass them on to others who like to see them. He gives away TONS of free stuff to prisons, schools, and other places that might be interested in what he has to say. I have seen many Christian "ministries" where you knew money was really important, but I did not sense that in the least here.

I have written on this blog earlier about Pensacola Christian College and some of the things we were attracted to there, but I will be consistent in my orthopraxy and orthodoxy and I will stand against Beka Horton, PCC's founder's wife and current Senior VP, who has turned Kent Hovind over to the secular courts. She did not sue him, per se, but that is not the word I Corinthians 6 uses anyway. She is still using the world's way to deal with a situation that sounds like it has a lot of personal background between the two families. I guess the $47,000 she stands to gain from turning him in won't hurt.

And then there is the lawyer, David Gibbs, who is another Christian testifying against a Christian brother in a secular court as well. Should Christians really have to worry that what they say in church fellowship times will be brought against them in the form of a prosecuting witness on the stand in the world's courts?

Did Kent Hovind do the right thing? I don't know. But I do know that I met a man who truly loves the Lord, who is willing to pay the price to defend his beliefs in God's Word, and who has not let fame put him on a pedestal. And that speaks VOLUMES to me.

Pray for the Mall Kids

I just spent several hours observing teenagers who were hanging out at our local mall. I came to the conclusion that many teenagers in America are living in poverty.

Most of the young men I observed didn't even own a belt; there was not one among the whole group. But that wasn't the sad part -- many of them were wearing their daddy's jeans. Some of these jeans were so big and baggy that they hung low on their hips, exposing their underwear. I know some of them must have been ashamed that their daddies were short, because the jeans hardly went below their knees. They weren't even their daddies' good jeans, for most of them had holes ripped in the knees and had a dirty look to them.

It grieved me that in a modern, affluent society like America, there are people who can't afford a decent pair of jeans. I have been thinking about asking my church to start a jeans drive for the "poor kids at the mall."

I don't think this group of guys even had much to eat, because as they were walking, their heads leaned to one side as if they didn't have enough strength to keep them up. Oh, they tried. With each step, they tried to lift them up, but to no avail: they always dropped back to the side. This group of guys must be from the same family, because they all walked with their heads bobbing together in the same manner.

But that wasn't the saddest part. It was the girls they were hanging out with that disturbed me the most. I have never in all of my life seen such "poor" girls. These girls had the opposite problem of the guys -- they all had to wear their little sisters' clothes. Their jeans were about five sizes too small. I don't know how they could even put them on, let alone button them up. Their jeans barely went over their hipbones. Most of them also had on their little sisters' tops; it hardly covered their midsections. Oh, they were trying to hold their heads up with pride, but it was a sad sight to see these almost grown women wearing children's clothes. However, it was their underwear that bothered me the most. They, like the boys, because of the improper fitting of their clothes, also had their underwear exposed. I have never seen anything like it. It looked like their underwear was only held together by a single piece of string.

I know it also saddens your heart to receive this report on the condition of our American teenagers. While I go to bed every night with a closet full of clothes nearby, there are millions of "mall girls" who barely have enough material to keep it together. I think their "poorness" is why these two groups gather at the mall, the boys with their short daddies' ripped jeans, and the girls wearing their younger sisters' clothes. The mall is one place where they can find acceptance.

So, the next time you are at the mall doing your shopping and you pass by some of these poor teenagers, would you say a prayer for them?

~~author unknown

The Old Paths

I liked the old paths, when Moms were at home.
Dads were at work. Brothers went into the army.
And sisters got married BEFORE having children!

Crime did not pay;
Hard work did;
And people knew the difference.

Moms could cook; Dads would work;
Children would behave.

Husbands were loving; Wives were supportive;
And children were polite.

Women wore the jewelry; And Men wore the pants.
Women looked like ladies; Men looked like gentlemen;
And children looked decent.

People loved the truth, And hated a lie;
They came to church to get IN, Not to get OUT!

Hymns sounded Godly; Sermons sounded helpful;
Rejoicing sounded normal; And crying sounded sincere.

Cursing was wicked; Drinking was evil;
and divorce was unthinkable.

The flag was honored; America was beautiful;
And God was welcome!

We read the Bible in public; Prayed in school;
And preached from house to house.

To be called an American was worth dying for;
To be called a Christian was worth living for;
To be called a traitor was a shame!

Sex was a personal word.
Homosexual was an unheard of word,
And abortion was an illegal word.

Preachers preached because they had a message;
and were not afraid to preach the truth, even if it got on people's toes...
And Christians rejoiced because they had the VICTORY!

Preachers preached from the Bible; Singers sang from the heart;
And sinners turned to the Lord to be SAVED!

A new birth meant a new life; Salvation meant a changed life;
Following Christ led to eternal life.

Being a preacher meant you proclaimed the word of God;
Being a deacon meant you would serve the Lord;
Being a Christian meant you would live for Jesus;
And being a sinner meant someone was praying for you!

Laws were based on the Bible; Homes read the Bible;
And churches taught the Bible.

Preachers were more interested in new converts,
Than new clothes and new cars.

God was worshiped; Christ was exalted;
and the Holy Spirit was respected.

Church was where you found Christians on the Lord's Day,
Rather than in the garden, on the creek bank, on the golf course,
Or being entertained somewhere else.

I still like the old paths the best.

~author unknown~

The Town of Allopath

There once was a town called Allopath. It had many people, streets and cars, but due to budget limitations, there were no stop signs or traffic lights anywhere in Allopath. Not surprisingly, traffic accidents were common. Cars would crash into each other at nearly every intersection. But business was booming for the auto repair shops and local hospitals, which dominated the economy of Allopath.

As the population of Allopath grew, traffic accidents increased to an alarming level. Out of desperation, the city council hired Doctor West, a doctor of the Motor Division (M.D.) to find a solution.

Dr. West spent days examining traffic accidents. He carried an assortment of technical gear -- microscopes, chemical analysis equipment, lab gear -- and put them all to work as part of his investigation. The townspeople of Allopath watched with great curiosity while Dr. West went about his work, meticulously documenting and analyzing each traffic accident, and they awaited his final report with great interest.

After weeks of investigation, Dr. West called the people of Allopath to a town meeting for the release of his report. There, in front of the city council and most of the residents of Allopath, he announced his findings: "Traffic accidents are caused by skid marks."

As Dr. West explained, he found and documented a near-100% correlation between traffic accidents and skid marks. "Wherever we find these cars colliding," he explained, "we also find these skid marks."

The town had "Skid Marks Disease," the doctor explained, and the answer to the town's epidemic of traffic accidents would "...require nothing more than treating Skid Marks Disease by making the streets skid-proof," Dr. West exclaimed, to great applause from the townspeople.

The city paid Dr. West his consulting fee, then asked the good doctor to propose a method for treating this Skid Marks Disease. As chance would have it, Dr. West had recently been on a trip to Hawaii paid for by a chemical company that manufactured roadaceuticals: special chemicals used to treat roads for situations just like this one. He recommended a particular chemical coating to the city council: teflon.

"We can treat this Skid Marks Disease by coating the roads with teflon," Dr. West explained. "The streets will then be skid-proof, and all the traffic accidents will cease!" He went on to describe the physical properties of teflon and how its near-frictionless coating would deter nearly all vehicle skids.

The city council heartily agreed with Dr. West, and they issued new public bonds to raise the money required to buy enough teflon to coat all the city's streets. Within weeks, the streets were completely coated, and the skid marks all but disappeared.

The city council paid Dr. West another consulting fee and thanked him for his expertise. The problem of traffic accidents in Allopath was solved, they thought. Although the cure was expensive, they were convinced it was worth it.

But things weren't well in Allopath. Traffic accidents quadrupled. Hospital beds were overflowing with injured residents. Auto repair businesses were booming so much that most of the city council members decided to either open their own car repair shops or invest in existing ones.

Week after week, more and more residents of Allopath were injured, and their cars were repeatedly damaged. Money piled into the pockets of the car repair shops, hospitals, tow truck companies and car parts retailers.

The town economic advisor, observing this sharp increase in economic activity, announced that Allopath was booming. Its economy was healthier than ever, and Allopath could look forward to a great year of economic prosperity!

There were jobs to be had at the car repair shops. There were more nurses needed at the hospital. "Help wanted" signs appeared all over town: at the paramedic station, the tow truck shops, and the auto glass businesses. Unemployment dropped to near zero.

But the traffic accidents continued to increase. And yet there were no skid marks.

The city council was baffled. They thought they had solved this problem. Skid Marks Disease had been eradicated by the teflon treatment. Why were traffic accidents still happening?

They called a town meeting to discuss the problem, and following a short discussion of the problem, an old hermit, who lived in the forest just outside of Allopath, addressed the townspeople. "There is no such thing as Skid Marks Disease," he explained. "This disease was invented by the roadaceuticals company to sell you teflon coatings."

The townspeople were horrified to hear such a statement. They knew Skid Marks Disease existed. The doctor had told them so. How could this hermit, who had no Motor Division (M.D.) degree, dare tell them otherwise? How could he question their collective town wisdom in such a way?

"This is a simple problem," the hermit continued. "All we need to do is build stop signs and traffic lights. Then the traffic accidents will cease."

Without pause, one city council member remarked, "But how can we afford stop signs? We've spent all our money on teflon treatments!"

The townspeople agreed. They had no money to buy stop signs.

Another council member added, "And how can we stop anyway? The streets are all coated with teflon. If we build stop signs, we'll waste all the money we've spent on teflon!"

The townspeople agreed, again. What use were stop signs if they couldn't stop their cars anyway?

The hermit replied, "But the stop signs will eliminate the need for teflon. People will be able to stop their cars, and accidents will cease. The solution is simple."

But what might happen if stop signs actually worked, the townspeople wondered. How would it affect the booming economy of Allopath? Realizing the consequences, a burly old man who owned a local repair shop jumped to his feet and said, "If we build these stop signs, and traffic accidents go down, I'll have to fire most of my workers!"

It was at that moment that most of the townspeople realized their own jobs were at stake. If stop signs were built, nearly everyone would be unemployed. They all had jobs in emergency response services, car repair shops, hospitals and teflon coating maintenance. Some were now sales representatives of the roadaceuticals company. Others were importers of glass, tires, steel and other parts for cars. A few clever people were making a fortune selling wheelchairs and crutches to accident victims.

One enterprising young gentleman started a scientific journal that published research papers describing all the different kind of Skid Marks Diseases that had been observed and documented. Another person, a fitness enthusiast, organized an annual run to raise funds to find the cure for Skid Marks Disease. It was a popular event, and all the townspeople participated as best they could: jogging, walking, or just pushing themselves along in their wheelchairs.

One way or another, nearly everyone in Allopath was economically tied to Skid Marks Disease.

Out of fear of losing this economic prosperity, the townspeople voted to create a new public safety agency: the Frequent Drivers Association (FDA). This FDA would be responsible for approving or rejecting all signage, technology and chemical coatings related to the town's roads.

The FDA's board members were chosen from among the business leaders of the community: the owner of the car shop, the owner of the ambulance company, and of course, Dr. West.

Soon after its inception, the FDA announced that Skid Marks Disease was, indeed, very real, as it had been carefully documented by a doctor and recently published in the town Skid Marks Disease journal. Since there were no studies whatsoever showing stop signs to be effective for reducing traffic accidents, the FDA announced that stop signs were to be outlawed, and that any person attempting to sell stop signs would be charged with fraud and locked up in the town jail.

This pleased the townspeople of Allopath. With the FDA, they knew their jobs were safe. They could go on living their lives of economic prosperity, with secure jobs, knowing that the FDA would outlaw any attempt to take away their livelihood. They still had a lot of traffic accidents, but at least their jobs were secure.

And so life continued in Allopath. For a short while, at least. As traffic accidents continued at a devastating rate, more and more residents of Allopath were injured or killed. Many were left bed-ridden, unable to work, due to their injuries.

In time, the population dwindled. The once-booming town of Allopath eventually became little more than a ghost town. The hospital closed its doors, the FDA was disbanded, and the Skid Marks Disease journal stopped printing.

The few residents remaining eventually realized nothing good had come of Skid Marks Disease, the teflon coatings and the FDA. No one was any better off, as all the town's money had been spent on the disease: the teflon coatings, car parts and emergency services. No one was any healthier, or happier, or longer-lived. Most, in fact, had lost their entire families to Skid Marks Disease.

And the hermit? He continued to live just outside of town, at the end of a winding country road, where he lived a simple life with no cars, no roads, no teflon coatings and no FDA.

He outlived every single resident of Allopath. He gardened, took long walks through the forest, and gathered roots, leaves and berries to feed himself. In his spare time, he constructed stop signs, waiting for the next population to come along, and hoping they might listen to an old hermit with a crazy idea: ...that prevention is the answer, not the treatment of symptoms.

This fable was authored by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger and is posted with permission by Mike Adams at www.NewsTarget.com

Boycott Ford

It is very rare that I participate in a boycott, since I don't think they work unless there is a really worthwhile cause and in-your-face type sin involved, and unless they are widespread enough to make a difference. I boycotted both Disney and Pampered Chef a while ago and was very pleased to see that, although their pocketbooks were ultimately more important to them (which is why the boycotts worked), they both gave in to the demands of the boycotters. This boycott of Ford and the other automobiles they manufacture is far more serious than the previous two I participated in, I think. The following is from the Boycott Ford website.

Several pro-family organizations are boycotting Ford Motor Company automobiles because of Ford’s support of homosexual groups promoting homosexual marriage. For a more detailed review of Ford’s promotion of the homosexual agenda, go to BoycottFord.com on the internet.
Ford’s commitment to the homosexual agenda was summarized by the Detroit Free Press: “Ford Motor Company, led by Chairman Bill Ford, donates hundreds of thousands of dollars to homosexual groups, sponsors gay pride parades and holds mandatory diversity training for employees…"

One would be hard-pressed to find a company which has done more to support the homosexual agenda than Ford Motor Company. The Human Rights Campaign (a national homosexual organization whose goal is homosexual marriage) gave Ford a 100% corporate rating. Ford makes not only Ford, but also Lincoln, Mercury, Mazda, Volvo, Jaguar, and Land Rover.

When asked by 44 pro-family leaders to remain neutral in the battle over homosexual marriage, Ford refused to do so. The company chose to continue to support the homosexual groups promoting homosexual marriage. Ford has every right to give hundreds of thousands of dollars to groups promoting homosexual marriage, but individuals have the right not to purchase automobiles made by Ford Motor Company.

From redefining family to include homosexual marriage, to giving hundreds of thousands of dollars to support homosexual groups, to forcing employees to attend diversity training on how to promote the acceptance of homosexuality, to sponsoring Gay Pride Day parades, to sponsoring a “commitment (marriage) ceremony,” Ford leads the way. The goal of every homosexual organization supported by Ford is to get homosexual marriage legalized.

Yes, I’m supporting the boycott of Ford Motor Company automobiles until Ford stops supporting homosexual groups promoting homosexual marriage.

If you want more information, or need to see the proof, check out Boycott Ford.

Why Do We Say "No?"

When my children ask me for something, I have learned along the way to pause and consider before giving an answer. It is very easy to just say "no," but do we always have a good reason for saying "no?"

Sometimes children just need to learn the meaning of the word "no." Plain and simple. It is good to build discipline and character by learning to submit to "no."

Sometimes Mom doesn't want the hassle of what "yes" would entail, so she says "no." But is she really missing out on something special, on an opportunity to tie some heart strings with her children at that moment?

Sometimes what the child wants would not be in his best interests, even though he may not be able to see that right now, or he may not even agree with Mom or Dad. But "no" still stands.

But do we always have a real good reason to say "no?" Most of the time, my answer to my children is "maybe" or "I'll think about it." I don't want to ever make a promise I might not be able to keep, so I might say, "We'll try," or "I hope so." But when I tell my children I will give them a definite answer later, I MUST give them a definite answer later. I do not want to be wishy-washy, or uncommitted.

So, I've learned to think it through a little. "Is there any good reason to say "no" (other than what I've already listed)? If not, am I able to say "yes?" Is there a good compromise? I am careful not to say "no" just because it is the easy thing to do.

I have one child who is full of ideas all the time, so I get lots of practice in this area. Here is an example from her life. When she got to be a young lady, she became very "girly." I, on the other hand, have always been very plain and simple, so her room, her clothes, etc. reflected my own tastes. She desired to have a change in her room toward more femininity, so as she grew up, we changed things here and there, until her room is bursting with tea things, Victorian decorations, fans, ribbons, bows, dolls, smelly things, hat boxes, and all kinds of pink and purple things I would never dream of putting in my own room. But, oh how beautiful it is! (All items purchased at garage sales!)

There is really only one time in life when a girl gets to be a girl. She already knows she will not decorate this way for her husband some day, but the joys she has of being a girl during girlhood is a sweet memory for life.

I thank God that her desire to decorate her room was still glorifying to God. Had she wanted to decorate with anything that would lead her toward the world's ways, that would have been a "no." I am not at all advocating giving in to all a child's whims and wishes, but just to pause and consider, before we are too quick to answer.

Observations

People who seem to really love the Lord
Beautifully landscaped grounds
Modest ladies, but still very modern
Conservative men (no bedheads!)
Delicious food
Diverse offering of majors
High academic standards (A's are EARNED)
Extremely professional
No TVs
Well-planned community of beautiful buildings
High standards
Prepared for emergencies
No body piercings/tattoos
No electronic gadgets attached to personages
Confidence-building
No talking in class
Very meaty sermons
25 students in a class
No male-female touching
Church 7 times a week
No concern for leaving personal belongings in open cubby holes
No locks on doors
Lights out - 11:10 p.m.
Church bells ringing
Clean dorm rooms
Teachers care and take time with students
Clean campus
Quiet atmosphere
Respectful students
Enjoyable lectures
Prayer at beginning of every class
God's Word naturally brought into every class
Apparent desire to only please the Lord
Missions/ministry opportunities galore
Sports attitude - glorify God first
Lots of fun things to do
Private beach
Good attitudes
Very friendly one with another
Almost 5000 students
~500 international students
Great library
Wonderful music
"Safe and secure"
$5998 annual tuition/room/board

Very refreshing!

Pensacola Christian College

Trippin'

12 hours. 711 miles. How do we pass the time?

What a wonderful opportunity driving across country is! We enjoyed the beautiful wildflowers this time of year and Texas has to offer. A wide variety of good music. "Little Women." Some good sermons. And lots of great conversation. Lots of laughing and silliness. Opportunities to thank the Lord for His protection over us.

I really enjoy these memory builders.