Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Rejecting Abortion Using Obama’s Argument


"It's unfortunate, but America now has the most pro-abortion president in the nation's history. He has pledged to protect abortion rights and has wasted no time in advancing its cause. On Friday, January 23, Barack Obama rescinded the Mexico City Policy -- and with that action forced American taxpayers to fund the innocent slaughter of children all over the world. But that's not all; in his campaign he promised to do more. He wants to pursue and sign into law the Freedom of Choice Act -- legislation that would essentially remove all state-level restrictions on abortion. And he wants to lift the ban on state-supported embryonic stem-cell research. Interestingly, when presidential candidate Obama gave his famous "Call to Renewal" speech, he said: "Democracy demands that the religiously motivated translate their concerns into universal, rather than religion-specific, values. It requires that their proposals be subject to argument, and amenable to reason. I may be opposed to abortion for religious reasons, but if I seek to pass a law banning the practice, I cannot simply point to the teachings of my church or evoke God's will. I have to explain why abortion violates some principle that is accessible to people of all faiths, including those with no faith at all." Incidentally, this same principle is reiterated under "Faith" on the White House website.

Although all morality is essentially based in religion and certainly not devoid of reason, suppose God or religion were left out of the picture. Suppose a completely secular approach to abortion was made only "amenable to reason" -- an approach that seeks to show that abortion "violates some principle that is accessible to people of all faiths, including those with no faith at all," just as the president insists. Would the argument against abortion be sufficiently strong? The answer to that question is an unequivocal, "yes!"

In his book Pro-Life Answers to Pro-Choice Arguments, Randy Alcorn notes a number of completely secular arguments for why abortion should be prohibited by law..."



New Testimony - Jason's freedom from Homosexuality/Gluttony

From "I'll Be Honest", a website dedicated to the Glory of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ:

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

...Of Course, I Could Be Wrong...

It was 10 years ago this coming fall when my wife and I moved back to my home town. We had been living about an hour from here. We relocated after she got a job here. I commuted the hour to work on a daily basis. I worked at a large university and provided computer support in numerous campus buildings and labs.

The town we left was very small. Its only "claim to fame" is the university. And make no mistake about it, as a new believer, it was a very intimidating place to be even back then in 1999. All the BGLFA "safe zones" and all that. A very "dark" place to work.

Of course, for a while, she commuted here. And we looked for a home here. And prayed that the Lord would provide. Meanwhile, we put our home up for sale. It didn't take long to sell. But we hadn't found anything yet. But I kept praying.

And I didn't just pray for *any* home. I prayed for *the* home. The kind that would be amenable for home church meetings...specifically a basement that could be put to such use. From what I saw going on between society and Christianity, I was thinking "home churches are coming!"

See, when you work on a university campus, you get a glimpse of what the next decade may bring...for the kids who attend college today will be gaining control of the agenda in the next ten years. It didn't take much mental arithmetic to understand what was happening. And it sure didn't look "Christian friendly".

So I prayed. I prayed that the Lord would not only provide a home for us here but also one that would be suitable for home church meetings. The thought being, of course, that the open practice of Christianity appeared (even at that time on that campus) to be in peril.

Well, like I said, our home there sold. But we didn't have anything here yet. Mind you, my parents were real estate brokers. At that time they operated their own office. And mom, even though she professed Christ even then, was rather jittery for us. I asked her why. She said "Your home has sold and we don't even see anything here that would be suitable for you two! There's hardly anything in books right now. It's a seller's market!" And, back then, it was!

I asked her if she really believed God would provide (not meaning to be snotty but I figured it to be a good question). And after she said "yes", I asked her where her faith was!

It was three days later (to my shock) that my wife said she got a call from mom. There was a house she wanted us to look at. It wasn't a "regular listing". It was a home that was owned by some acquaintances who wanted to sell the house directly without going through an agency. Knowing my parents, they chose to ask them to help and my parents did it out of their home.

So, my wife drove up and took a look. She loved it! She wanted me to get up here and look at it right away, which I did. Indeed, it was the perfect home. And, the price was more than reasonable. It was a "custom deal" seemingly made for us! And of course we were the only ones who even knew about it.

We made an offer. No stress, no mess. And it went perfectly. Not only that, the former owners gave us the keys before the deal was even closed, so we could start working on things. But it gets even better than that; One day we came up for a visit (even before we got the keys) and I decided I wanted to show the property to some friends that day. I just happened to show up at their home just before they got home from a trip. I saw them on the way home, turned around. Yes, they came over and took a look but it seems that while I expected to only be able to show the outside of the home it would appear that the Lord had other plans...for when we got here, the front door was (freakishly) standing slightly open. As if to say "It's ok, come in! Welcome Home!". We did. Mind you, the deal hadn't even closed yet!

On another date, our former pastor and his family stopped by. They had their kids with them. Remember my prayer about a home with a basement for church meetings? The youngest son had been downstairs and then ran up to the attic. What did he say to his parents? "Did you see that basement? We could have church down there!"

From the mouths of babes...

There was really no reason for that kid to say that; our church was meeting in a Jr. High School near here and was building a traditional building. They weren't looking for what I was praying for and what he saw... But it was a jaw dropping time for me when my wife informed me of what she heard that young boy say. I could tell it had given her a goose bump or two as well.

So many stories about how in the early days we'd need something and open a drawer and "voila", there is what we need, left by the former owners. The first time this happened, I told Jackie "Just look in the drawer to the right of the sink". I hadn't looked in there. I just said that...in part as a joke because that's what we did at our old home. But what we needed was there. Many times, right there. But other times, in other places in the house. This just doesn't happen. At least not to "normal" people.

No way.

It was such a profound time. But it kept happening.

But then I found work closer to home. Away from the campus. And of course you forget. The memories soften. For so long now, we've been in our little "incubator".

One thing I've noticed over the years however, and that is a kind of "it's time to let go of things". Even while I was out of work or underemployed in recent years it's kind of been like "God will provide, don't strive, just focus on today".

The trials we have gone through trying to find a decent church. Zero results. Want to follow Rick Warren or Willow Creek? You're in luck. Want easy belief? Sure! But do you want to hear exegesis? Forget it. Want a fellowship where people are serious about Fellowship, breaking of bread, doctrine and prayer? Never mind. Churchianity 4, Real Christianity 0.

So, we began meeting at home this past September.

And today. The inauguration. And the White House website stating their position on "Civil Rights". Such a stress on new legislated "respect" for BGLT and all the rights to be given them under the new administration. Hate crime laws. They have ramifications, you know.

Then it came back to me. The prayer. And the memories of my time at the university. And how eerie to sense it maybe coming to pass. Christianity slowly (or not so slowly) becoming illegal in the U.S.

And while I would certainly hope to be wrong, I can't help but wonder.

It wouldn't take much. The passing of hate crime laws. Advocates of aberrant lifestyles "visiting" traditional churches, lying in wait for the pastor to mention Romans 1, 1 Corinthians 6:9, etc. just to report them to make sure they are "punished" for their "intolerance" and "hate".

Think I'm off base? It's happened in Canada. And after it starts here, the slippery slope gets worse.

Should this begin, we could see pastors who preach the truth be fined or go to jail. And the real church could be forced underground. The traditional churches? Ah! Seeker sensitive! So, no need to mention sin such as homosexuality. No harm done. Business as usual. And the Lord puts their lamp out. No thanks. Won't go there.

We'll work our jobs quietly and reach out to those around us with the Gospel as we can. Leading quiet and peaceful lives as Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy 2. We'll meet in our homes in very intimate fellowships. And we will depend on one another like no one in the "country club churches" ever dreamed. See, being a Christian may keep you from being able to work. After all, part of the new hate crimes laws may have to do as well with employees having to sign on to "tolerate" homosexuality in the workplace...or face termination. I could smell this coming at the university ten years ago. Now, it wouldn't surprise me a bit.

Kind of makes for new challenges! Thankfully, our mortgage is down to four digits as of this past month...and there still are no such hate crime laws on the books. And while I think it's not "if" but "when" and "sooner" rather than "later", I prefer to remember that we have relative safety as believers *today*.

My understanding is that there is a trend of growth in those who have home churches. Don't remember where I read it or heard it but I do remember it. It's mainly (currently) to do with our reasons for doing home church -- the sad state of established churches. More like clubs than churches. No teaching, really. "Old McDonald" preaching. "Old McDonald has a topic, e i e i o", then "one verse here, one verse there, here a verse, there a verse, everywhere a verse verse". All out of context to prove the pretext.

Of course, I could be wrong. And I do pray I am. But like I said, that old prayer and the answer we got has made a rather eerie return to my mind in recent days.

But in any case, let's be faithful to the calling that we have been called to. Let's ask ourselves just how tightly we've been hanging on to the toys of this life. What's important to us now? What will be important to us 200 years from now? A Thousand? And how will the answers to those questions change us today?

I love playing my brasswinds. As recent as 5 years ago, I was playing them at a church we attended. Then the pastor left and the worship team took over. Window rattling iWorship. 7-11 lyrics. Older members standing outside the church out of disgust for what had transpired. Being told by others "If you don't like the music now, just leave!" Ok, thank you.

And there the horns sit. Nice to look at, but maybe it's time to let them go? It all seems so starkly frivolous now.

Let's pray for the Church in America. Let's pray that we will have a surge of true repentance. Let's pray that I'm wrong.

I'd like nothing better. Believe me.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

“Living Fossils”—Evolution’s Innate Circular Reasoning

From Apologetics Press:

"Another earthshaking find within the evolutionary community only spotlights once again the inherent irrationality of the faltering, fallacious theory. During a Southeast Asian expedition, retired Florida State University science professor, David Redfield, captured the first photos of the Laotian rock rat, once believed to have gone extinct more than 11 million years ago. The fossilized remains, collected previously from sites in Pakistan, India, Thailand, China, and Japan, were thought to verify this last known relative of a long-extinct family of rodents known as Diatomyidae (“Retired Professor Captures...,” 2006). Surprise, surprise—another alleged “ancestor” eliminated from the tattered evolutionary tree.

Observe the two contrasting, conflicting, mutually exclusive approaches to the created realm:

1. Evolution: All animals we see today are advanced forms of primitive precursors, and descendants of a single ancestor. As more advanced forms have evolved by means of adaptation, natural selection, survival of the fittest, and genetic mutation, the earlier forms were naturally displaced and disappeared. Fossils, millions of years old, represent life forms that were the evolutionary predecessors of present life forms, but which went extinct long ago.

2. Creation: God created a spectrum of animals during the six-day week of Creation. While reproducing only after their own “kind” (an ambiguous Hebrew term that likely parallels the modern taxonomic classification “family”), these animals were created with the genetic potential for producing a variety of other species, giving rise to the diversity of animal life presently on the planet. Along the way, due mostly to environmental factors, many animals have become extinct. However, other species have escaped detection by humans for centuries, only to be rediscovered in some remote area.

Which of these two viewpoints fits the actual physical facts? Obviously, the latter. Evolutionists repeatedly find themselves in the embarrassing position of discovering that the alleged evolutionary ancestors of current life forms, that supposedly went extinct millions of years ago, are in fact still living. They are forced to cover their tracks by inventing a self-contradictory, nonsensical term to identify these anomalies—in this case, “living fossils.” But that’s like a round square. Philosophers and logicians refer to such duplicitous posturing as irrational and “logical contradiction.” Evolutionists call it “science.”

REFERENCE
“Retired Professor Captures a ‘Living Fossil’ on Video” (2006), Research in Review, June 13, [On-line], URL: http://www.rinr.fsu.edu/rockrat/more.html."


...And So, Let It Begin...

Today marked the inauguration of President Obama. And already the White House website announces the new administration's goals regarding "civil rights".  Of course, the page includes a statement of their desire to protect the "civil rights" of those of the homosexual community, among others. And of course this is no surprise. 

That said, let me encourage you to continue to be faithful to the Gospel as we live quiet and peaceful lives and live as light amidst a crooked and perverse generation.

And let's be faithful in prayer for those who govern our nation.


Hamas War Report #1

Got a link to this via email from Jerusalem Prayer Team. Watch and be informed. And, if you have the time, go to the YouTube site and leave a comment expressing your support for Israel as they are ridiculed for desiring to protect themselves from Islamic terrorism.



Monday, January 19, 2009

O'Reilly Speechless: Jill Stanek on the O'Reilly Factor

"O'Reilly Factor interview replayed as one of 5 highlights of the year 12-28-00. O'Reilly uncharacteristically speechless listening to RN Jill Stanek describe her experience of holding a live aborted baby at Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, IL"


Thursday, January 15, 2009

The Gift No One Wants

Paul Washer contrasts the Biblical Gospel with the contemporary "Gospel" so common today. I strongly recommend you give this a listen!

Friday, January 09, 2009

And Now, The New "World Teacher"

I won't say much for this, except to say that it has to do with "Maitreya" who is alleged to be the new "world teacher". Could this be part of the "strong delusion" that the Lord will send (2 Thessalonians)? Could be. But make sure in Whom you have trusted.

My main point in posting this is to suggest that this presents an open door to evangelism. The web site allows comments, so why not take advantage of it? We sow seeds and trust God with the results.

Here's what I sent:

"The Bible tells us that one day, the world will unite under one government, one religion and one economy. It will last for a few years, then will be destroyed at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ who will judge all things according to His own Righteousness. The one called the Antichrist and all those who follow him will be cast into the lake of fire, where they will spend eternity.

2 Thessalonians tells us that in the latter days, God will send a "powerful delusion" to those who refuse to believe the simple Gospel of Jesus Christ. Is Maitreya part of this? I don't know. I only know one thing...The only "Teacher" I'm interested in is Jesus Christ. The God Who created the heavens and Earth. He's the One who died for my sin and teaches me through His Word, the Bible. It gives us all we need for life and Godliness. Through its pages we can be transformed from death unto life. There is no other Name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

Warning: Do you think you're a good person? Good enough to enter heaven? God gave us Ten Commandments for a reason! Ever told a lie? What would that make you? A liar...as it would me! Have you ever stolen anything? I don't care how small it is or was or how long ago, if you have stolen anything that makes you a thief before God because He has said "You shall not steal". Ever hated anyone? Jesus said "You've heard it said that you shall not kill, but I say to you that if you hate someone you've committed murder in your heart"! And haven't you ever lusted for someone? That makes you and I guilty of adultery. So, wouldn't that make you a lying, thieving murderous adulterer before a HOLY God? It does me! And God is JUST and must punish sin! That means eternity in Hell! It is appointed for a man to die, then comes the judgment. And there will be no parole, and no lightening of the sentence. God is a JUST and HOLY GOD. But God is also loving. And because He is loving he sent Jesus Christ, born of a virgin, to live the perfect life that satisfies God's Law. But then he gave Himself over to suffer God's infinite, Holy wrath. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says "He Who knew no sin became sin for us that we may become the righteousness of God". He paid a debt for you that He did not owe in order to pay a debt you could never pay. The Just Judge came around to your side of the bench and payed the penalty for you. That is how God Loved you and me. And he did it without distorting or surrendering his justice. In return, He commands all to repent (turn from sin and unbelief) and put their trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ. Turn from your sin and trust in what He did...just like a man would trust in a parachute before jumping from a plane....because one day *YOU* will make the jump into eternity."

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Yes, I'm Still Here...

Just a word to let you all know that I've not moved away, died or anything like that...at least not yet.

There has been much going on in my life and it's taken my attention away from writing here and even at Facebook, where I've been focusing more.

And things are going ok. Looking for work, praying that something turns up. Trying to remain faithful to the Lord in the midst of trying times.

Thanks for your patience and be assured that I'll be posting again as the Lord leads.

Tim