A New Year Promised 2010

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.

(Barack Obama)

Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.

(John F. Kennedy)

CHANGE...Promised from the very beginning; the very definition the word has taken on a hold new meaning.

On Janurary 20th, 2009 millions worldwide watched as Barack Obama take the Oath of Office, thus swearing him in as the 44th President of the United States of America...his claim to fame in history as the first African American to hold the office of Commander-in-Chief. Since that extraordinary moment, Obama's promise of CHANGE.

As we fast approach yet another new year, we, as Americans, have been called to renewal, to become better at what we do, and to be accountable to those in the government who claim to be the final authority. We have been called upon to redefine our way of life, our values, principles, and our beliefs based on a set of different standards. We have been asked to "not consider not the past with all its mistakes and lack of leadership", but to grow towards an unknown future that is defined by a government. The question at hand is what are we changing into? As Americans we should never loose the past; we should preserve the best of what we have accomplished and build onto it for the betterment of mankind; just the way God originally intended.

November 1929, on the occasion of the twelfth anniversary of the October Revolution, Pravda published an article, by Stalin entitled "A Year of Great Change." The article, replete with quotations from Lenin, summed up what Stalin considered achievements in three areas: productivity of labor, industrial construction, and management through better government. It was in effect, a retrospective justification from a radical break with the New Economic Policy introduced by Lenin in 1921, and a manifesto for the First Five-Year Plan, that already was in the second year. This was the most ambitious undertaking to centralize state planning ever attempted reflected both the unbridled optimism of the Stalinist leadership in the capacity of the Soviet Union to catch up to and surpass that advanced capitalist countries "in a relatively minimal historical period," and the considerable pressure they had exerted on the economic specialists who devised successive versions of the plan. Those economists, working in the State Planning Commission, were faced with the unprecedented and incredibly complicated task of drafting a plan to transform the entire economic structure of the country. Governmental control was the key to it success.

It doesn't take a New Year to renewal the hearts and minds of mankind. It takes renewal to the only One who can make a difference. Times are certainly bleak, both economically and spiritually, but even in these darkest times, we must never leave our first love!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct yoru paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6

MERRY CHRISTMAS

and have a

HAPPY NEW YEAR

For all those who faithfully stand by us, as we serve Him through Mercy Ships, we want to thank you from the bottom of our heart. Christ is the reason for the season. You love and support gives us Christmas year round...just like God's love.

Christ makes the difference...dwelling in us and enabling us to be more than we once were. Paul - "For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross." Christ's birth was the beginning of the great gift ever offered; a process that shall end for His creation. We are privileged to have a part in proclaiming the Good News. We hope you will take time to share Christ with someone this season.

This will be my last entry for 2009. God bless you all...

Not a HOSPITAL...A MANGER

Christmas should be a time of peace and tranquility, joy, and love. It should be a time of year looked forward to by young and old alike; a time that should last forever.

Each year, we, as civilized people, rush, push, and hawk the Christmas Season until we begin to wish we could just skip the whole thing and go right to the New Year. We have commercialized and exploited Christmas to the point that, instead of anticipating the coming of Christmas with joy and gladness, we dread the time. That is not the way it was planned IN THE BEGINNING.

The First Christmas had gifts too, but far more important then anyone could possibility give today. GOLD, FRANKINCENSE and MYRRH; gifts to a child; gifts to a Savior! Jesus, born in a manger would grow up to be the man who -- told stormy waters to be still; who told us that He was the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE; that if we believed in Him, we would gain ETERNAL LIFE. He didn't come into our world to RULE, but to SERVE. He came in as a CHILD, not a MAN. He was not born at a local HOSPITAL, but in a MANGER. This SEED of LIGHT, was planted in our world as a gift of LOVE. Many, down through history, have attempted to snuff the light out, only to meet face-to-face with God's love. His birth in a MANAGER and His DEATH on the CROSS began as it started; in a small country...where most would consider it to be THIRD WORLD. Without Christ at the CENTER of CHRISTMAS there would be no reason for EASTER. His birth is our ETERNAL REMINDER of LOVE; that He will never walked away from His CREATION even thou they walked away from Him.

So, when you rush around to try to find that last minute gift...remember; it wasn't planned that way IN THE BEGINNING. The GIFT of LOVE, for whatever we do during this season must have Christ at the CENTER.

BIG BROTHER, WHO ARE THOU?

In the society that George Orwell suggested in his 1984 book, everyone is under complete surveillance by the authorities, mainly by telescreens. The people are constantly reminded of this by the phrase "Big Brother is Watching You," which is the core "truth" of the propaganda system in this state. Big Brother's physical characteristics are intended to resemble Joseph Stalin, although in the film his moustacke more closely resembles Adolf Hitler's.

Collaborative surveillance between government and the private sector is not new. For three decades during the Cold War, for example, telegraph companies like Western Union, RCA Global and International Telephone and Telegraph gave the National Security Agency, or NSA, all cables that went to or from the United States. Operation Shamrock, which ran from 1945 to 1975, helped the NSA compile 75,000 files on individuals and organizations, many of them involved in peace movements and civil disobedience.

These days, the increasing amount of electronic data that is collected and stored, along with developments in software technology, make it easy for the government to sort through mounds of data quickly to profile individuals through their connections and activities. Although the Privacy Act of 1974 prohibits the government from keeping dossiers on Americans unless they are the specific target of an investigation, the government circumvents the legislation by piggybacking on private-sector data collection. Can it get worse? It certainly can when there is a system promoting sureillance.

A government proposal for a national ID card, for example, was shot down by civil liberties groups and Congress for being too intrusive and prone to abuse. And Congress voted to cancel funding for John Poindexter's Total Information Awareness, a national database that would have tracked citizens' private transactions such as Web surfing, bank deposits and withdrawals, doctor visits, travel itineraries and visa and passport applications. But this hasn't stopped the government from achieving the same ends by buying similar data from private aggregators like Acxiom, ChoicePoint, Abacus and LexisNexis. According to the ACLU, ChoicePoint's million-dollar contracts with the Justice Department, Drug Enforcement Administration and other federal agencies let authorities tap into its billions of records to track the interests, lifestyles and activities of Americans.

Since the Sept. 11 attacks, the Justice Department has asked for, and largely received, additional powers that allow it to perform an unprecedented amount of surveillance of American citizens and visitors. The USA Patriot Act, passed in haste after Sept. 11, started the ball rolling.

Certainly when you talk about security, many would simply state "it is a trade-off." It makes no sense to ask whether a particular security system is effective or not. The proper question to ask is whether the trade-off is worth it. Is the level of security gained worth the costs, whether in money, in liberties, in privacy or in convenience? When you combine security with an agressive government, most certainly that trade-off moves closer to the wrong side of the house, which can only lead to a George Orwell run nation. We are fast approaching just that kind of situation.

Casting Crowns

Casting Crowns

In the book of Revelation, the first thing the apostle John saw (after Christ spoke to him about the seven churches) was Almighty God sitting on a throne in heaven. Around the throne were twenty-four elders, each wearing a Golden Crown!

In the center of the circle of elders, close to the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes. Whenever these creatures give glory, honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, the twenty-four elders fall down and worship Him and cast their crowns at His feet.”

The idea of crowns is well documented in the Bible. Just as a soldier is given special medals and ribbons to commemorate bravery, skill, achievements, and service, one day believers will also receive different crowns. There is a Crown of Life (James 1:12,) a Crown of Glory (1Peter 5:4,) a Crown of Righteousness (2Timothy 4:8,) and a Crown of Rejoicing (1Thessalonians 2:19.)

Each believer only gets one crown, but there will be jewels or special markings in our crowns that will clearly show all the awards and honors we’ve received. Some believers think everyone will receive the same reward in heaven, and identical crowns, but that is not true. Christ’s followers are saved by grace through faith and obedience, but rewarded for works.

A good example of this is 1 Corinthians 3:8: “The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.” (NIV) Also, in the parable of the sower of seed in Mark 4:20, the good soil represents those who hear the word, receive it, and produce a crop, some yielding a hundred times, others sixty times, and still others thirty times the amount that was planted.

The Bible makes it clear that those who work hard, make great sacrifices, or keep themselves extra pure will be given special recognition in heaven. In Christ’s instructions to the church in Sardis, He said, “You have some in Sardis who have not soiled their garments with evil deeds. They shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.” (Revelations 3:4.) “Another reason we will cast our crowns at the LORD’s feet is to show that He deserves all the praise. Heaven is about the LORD, not us. He alone deserves the glory.

Casting our crowns at God’s feet is a good way to show that He deserves all the honor, praise, recognition, and thanks…another reason believers will give their crowns back to Almighty God is to show that we didn’t serve Him to get a reward. We served Him out of love. You see, in order to walk with Jesus for any length of time, you must come to the place where you serve Him out of love.” And believers will lay their crowns at Jesus’ feet by the example of the ancient custom of brides and grooms exchanging wedding gifts.

The question is, “What gift can we offer the One who has given us everything? Truth be told, it doesn’t take a lot of effort to say, “I praise you, Lord.” Like the widow in Mark 12, who put all her living into the temple treasury while the others only put in their surplus, sacrifice is the only way to truly impress Jesus. One of the best wedding gifts we can give Jesus is to befriend people who don’t know Him, invite them to a small group, and help them come to Christ.

The apostle Paul told the Thessalonians that they would be his crown of glory in heaven. “What gives us hope and joy, and what is our reward and crown? It is you! Yes, you will bring us much joy as we stand together before the Lord Jesus when He comes back again.” (1Thessalonians 2:19 TEV) How embarrassing it will be for those who have no wedding gift to lay at Christ’s feet in Heaven! For all eternity, they will regret that they failed to store up any treasure in heaven, as the Bible instructs.

1. Why is it important that we come to the place where we serve God out of Love and not just to avoid hell? Love is the greatest motivator in the universe. Believers who serve God so they won’t go to hell soon are distracted by the things of this world and gradually backslide. Fear is not strong enough to force us to serve God.
2. How do acts of sacrifice, like reaching out to lost souls, magnify our praise and make it more meaningful to God than verbal praise alone? In John 14:15, Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will obey what I command.” Talk is cheap. Acts of sacrifices that require us to set aside our own wants and desires are tangible proof that we love Jesus.
3. How does storing up treasure in heaven help keep us saved, and increase the likelihood that we will go to heaven? The things of this world distract us from heaven. In the parable of the sower, the cares of this world and the desire for wealth choked out the Word in some believers, and they backslid [Mark 4:19]. Those who store up treasure in heaven often have their mind on heavenly things—and this helps keep them saved.
4. What wedding gift are you preparing here on earth to present to Jesus at the Wedding Feast of the Lamb in heaven? Souls I have witnessed to and helped save, good deeds, fasting, prayers, etc.

TEOTWAWKI

TEOTWAWKI

On The Hal Lindsey Report (8-28-09) he offered a definition for the word TEOTWAWKI that I thought may be of some interest.

"The End Of The World As We Know It"

Needless to say, everyone is concerned, and rightfully so; about how our Nation and others presently function. This word doesn't just apply to the Christian arena. For example:

1. The Theater (The Omen, Rosemary's Baby, Dr. Strangelove, The Seventh Sign, End of Days, Mad Max, Armageddon, Deep Impact, Independence Day, and Waterworld, to just mention as few)...TEOTWAWKI has been a consistent Box Office Winner. The one theme that comes out -- that this event is scheduled to complete within our generation.
2. Israel feels that change coming; that they will soon welcoming the Messiah. The Jewish Sanhedrin, after 1,600 years, of being dormant, has now been re-established. Only the Sanhedrin can certify the Messiah; therefore, with the resurrection, Israel believes their time is short and the Messiah will soon return.
3. Islam is promoting a return of their messiah figure (known as the Mahdi), thus forcing the end of the world as we know it. If you read any paper or listen to any news group, Islam (primarily Iran) has stated from the very beginning that they want the end to come and it will have to be at a governmental level to complete the task.
4. Humanism/Secularism have developed an apocalyptic world view. As scientific knowledge increases at experiential levels; humanism looks to a apocalyptic atomic world war, thus with war between greed nations. With oil being the driving force, certainly this is highly possible. The concept of "one-world-government" is our only hope, according to them, with the United Nations the ruling party.
5. Other Radical Nations are on the increase, outside of Islam's influence; not to mention world-wide-climate-change that seem to change daily depending who you talk to. In the case of climate change, many state they are man-made, yet others view this change as a narrowing point in time where our planet will not support life. Before you only question the growth of Radical Nations or these crazies owl-lovers, our banking indurstry has one agenda - that of bring about a one-world-economic-system by down-grading national security as a cause for all the problems seen.
6. Our country, under our current President, continues to be part of this equation of change. Our nation, as we know it, is changing, and not for the better. Moral decline is increasing from the inside out. It is in every part of our society and is accepted as the norm.

All this to say...TEOTWAWKI is alive and well. We have ONE HOPE, and that is in Jesus Christ. You need to make certain that you are not Left-Behind. Christ is the answer to all these conditions. The only hope that TEOTWAWKI doesn't effect you is to accept His Grace, Mercy, and Love. Accept Christ Today and you will not have to worry about what tomorrow brings!

SCRAP YARD THEOLOGY

Once upon a time the Government had a VAST SCRAP YARD in the middle of a desert; the nearest town was 300 miles away!

Congress said, "Someone may steal from it at night;" so they created a night watchman position and hired a person for the job. Then Congress said, "How does the watchman do his job without instruction?" So they created a planning department and hired two people, one person to write the instructions, and one person to do time studies.Then Congress said, "How will we know the night watchman is doing the tasks correctly?" So they created a Quality Control department and hired two people (one to do the studies and one to write the reports).

Then Congress said, "How are these people going to get paid?" So they created the following positions, a Time Keeper, and a Payroll Officer and hired them. Then Congress said, "Who will be accountable for all of these people?" So they created an Administrative Section and hired three people, an Administrative Officer, Assistant Administrative Officer, and a Legal Secretary. Then Congress said, "We have had this command in operation for one Year and we are $18,000 over budget, we must cutback overall cost." So they laid off the Night Watchman.

NOW slowly let it sink in! And, NOW, we are turning the BANKING SYSTEM, HEALTH CARE, INSURANCE INDUSTRY and the AUTO INDUSTRY over to the same Government?

ONLY IN AMERICA!

EVER WONDERED WHY THE AMERICAN ECONOMY FELL OFF THE CLIFF?

John Smith...usually starts his day early. His alarm clock (MADE IN JAPAN) typically rang off at 6 am. While his coffeepot (MADE IN CHINA) starting perking automatically, he took time to shave with his electric razor (MADE IN HONG KONG). He grabbed a clean dress shirt (MADE IN SRI LANKA) from his closet, put on a pair of designer jeans (MADE IN SINGAPORE), and tied his tennis shoes (MADE IN KOREA).

After cooking his breakfast in an electric skillet (MADE IN INDIA) and drank his morning coffee (MADE IN COLUMBIA), he decided to sit quietly for a few minutes with his calculator (MADE IN MEXICO) to try to balance some remaining funds left in his check book; before going out to look for a job.

After readjusting his watch (MADE IN TAIWAN) and trying to tune his radio (MADE IN INDIA) back to his favorite station, but for some reason, this morning, he could only get foreign stations to come in clear; so he gave up! After getting into his car (MADE IN KOREA), he noticed he needed to stop and get some gas (from Saudi Arabia). He continued the rest of the day searching for a good paying AMERICAN JOB; going from one hopeful location to the next. Frustrated, at the end of yet another discouraging and fruitless day, he returned home to check on his Computer (MADE IN MALAYSIA) in hopes of finding employment through some local advertisements.

John soon decided to relax for a while, so he put on some sandals (MADE IN BRAZIL), poured himself a glass of wine (MADE IN SOUTH AFRICA), and turned on his TV (MADE IN INDONESIA). The nightly news was on, talking about the economy, and how hard it was to find a job these days. He wondered to himself...looking for a job shouldn't be this hard - in AMERICA.

JOHN, LIKE MANY OF US, ARE HOPING WE CAN GET HELP FROM OUR PRESIDENT; WHO BY THE WAY WAS MADE IN KENYA.

MAKES YOU STOP AND THINK DOESN'T IT!

An Easter Prayer - 2009

O God, who for our redemption gave your only begotten Son to death on the Cross, and by his glorious resurrection has delivered us from the power of our enemy: Grant that we who celebrate with joy the day of our Lord’s resurrection, may be raised from the death of sin by your life-giving Spirit. Grant us so to die daily to sin, that we may evermore live with him in the joy of his resurrection, empowered and transformed by your grace in and among us.

O Lord, so stir up in your church, indeed in each of us, that Spirit of adoption and reconciliation that is made possible by your grace revealed in Jesus the Christ, that we being renewed in both body and mind, may worship and serve you in sincerity and truth. We pray this in the name of the same Jesus Christ our Lord who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen

(Adapted from The Book of Common Prayer)

Remember - He died for you, even if you where to only person on Earth...He still would have died!

Cotonou, Benin - 2009

Mercy Ships Volunteers Screen 2,500 People During Benin Screening Day

Mercy Ships held its general screening day on Thursday, February 19, in Cotonou, Benin. At the Hall des Arts, Mercy Ships volunteer nurses, doctors, and support staff screened 1,952 patients. The number was so large a second day of screening took place on Friday, and over 500 more patients were screened.

Over two hundred people were already waiting when Mercy Ships security arrived at 3:30 am on Thursday, and they continued to flow though the afternoon. Seeing that many patients in one day is challenging, even for Dr. Gary Parker, Chief Medical Officer and maxillo-facial surgeon with Mercy Ships, who has worked at nearly fifty screening days.

“We see these thousands of people,” Dr. Parker said. “Each one of these people is a fellow human being, and they all have their story, and they all have their hopes and dreams. We have to see them in such a way that respects them and their dignity as a fellow human being.”

Just-Start-Over

Did you ever get to a point in your life where you wished you could "just-start-over."

Certainly everyone gets to that point. Well, before you start over, think about items below.

• Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
• Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have sleep all you want.
• When you say, "I love you," mean it.
• Never laugh at any one's dreams.
• Love deeply and passionately; you might get hurt, but it's the only way to live life completely.
• Talk slow, but think quick.
• Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
• Call you Mom and Dad often.
• Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.
• Remember the three R's - self respect; respect others; responsibility for all your actions.
• Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
• When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
• Smile when picking up the phone; the caller will hear it in your voice.
• Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
• Read more of the Bible and watch less television.
• Live a good, honorable life; then when you get older and think back, you'll get to enjoy it the second time.
• Trust in God, but lock you car.
• A loving atmosphere in your home is so important; do all you can to create a tranquil harmonious family.
• In disagreements with loved ones, deal with the current situation not past.
• Read between the lines less to help your relationships.
• Share your knowledge; it's a way to achieve immortality.
• If you make a lot of money, put it to good use and help others while you can; that is wealth's greatest satisfaction.
• Remember, not getting what you want is sometimes a blessing.
• Remember, the best relationship is one where your love for each other is greater than your need for each other.
• Judge your success by what you give away and not what you can accumulate.
• And most important -- PRAY -- there's immeasurable power in it.

Our GOD is a GOD of the DO-OVER...trust Him and He will not let you down!

Salt and Light Of A Nation

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.

Edmund Burke

Our World Needs Salt and Light

Societal collapse has recurred throughout history and is an aspect of the human condition, which may await all human societies...

The British historian Arnold J. Toynbee, in his 12-volume magnum opus, A Study of History, theorized that all civilizations pass through several distinct stages: genesis, growth, time of troubles, universal state, and disintegration. Toynbee argues that the breakdown of civilizations is not caused by loss of control over the environment, over the human environment, or attacks from outside; rather, it comes from the deterioration of the "Creative Minority," which eventually ceases to be creative and degenerates into merely a "Dominant Minority" (who forces the majority to obey without meriting obedience). He argues that creative minorities deteriorate due to a worship of their "former self," by which they become prideful, and fail to adequately address the next challenge they face.

He argues that the ultimate sign a civilization has broken down is when the dominant minority forms a "Universal State," which stifles political creativity. He states:

First the Dominant Minority attempts to hold by force—against all right and reason—a position of inherited privilege, which it has ceased to merit; and then the Proletariat repays injustice with resentment, fear with hate, and violence with violence when it executes its acts of secession. Yet the whole movement ends in positive acts of creation—and this on the part of all the actors in the tragedy of disintegration. The Dominant Minority creates a universal state, the Internal Proletariat a universal church, and the External Proletariat a bevy of barbarian war-bands. Toynbee's use of the word 'church' through his books...referring to the collective spiritual bond of a common worship, or the same unity found in some kind of social order. There must be a structure in place to maintain order; what that structure is and how it works is yet to be determined!

HOW DID WE GET TO THIS POINT

(The answer is already known, if we want to use it)

Mt 5:13-16 -- You (we) are the salt of the earth..."But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

Eph 5:11-17 -- "Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them…But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shin in you. Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is."

John 3:19-21 -- "This is the verdicts: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."

Scripture is clear -- if we, as Christians, disengage our society, society has no order and evil will triumph. If good men do nothing, we will have to live with the outcome. We must stop the ripping down of what God originally planned. It is time to stand up and be counted!