Category: Family

Socialism Absolutely Moves People Away From God! (Part 3)

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, American Exceptionalism, Baby Boomers, Church, Family, Freedom, God's Love, Government, Judeo-Christian Culture1 Comment

Caution - Socialism Ahead

Socialism Protects the Government from the People

Migration Away from Freedom

Although the idea of a living or flexible constitution has relatively deep roots, the concept gained traction following World War II. The captivation of science by the theory of evolution triggered broad and profound cultural impacts. Many leaders proposed that if life could evolve slowly over a long period of time, virtually any area of human endeavor should be subject to analogous evolutionary change. After all, the idea of continuous change seemed to be consistent with the streams of research concept previously inspired by the scientific method of investigation.

Leaders in sociology and psychology began to view human behavior subject to evolutionary change as people progressively became more “enlightened.” In the late 19th Century, Christopher Columbus Langdell, the dean at the prestigious Harvard Law School proposed that the field of law must evolve to correspond to changes in the behavior and changing lifestyle of the people. Indeed, all areas of life must continuously change or “evolve” to “keep up with the times.”

It is an exceedingly short step from evolving law to a flexible or evolving constitution. Tragically, all forms of evolution, biological, sociological, psychological, and changing law inexorably move individuals and cultures progressively away from God. Man’s flawed wisdom is increasingly substituted for God’s perfect wisdom. The most vital anchors of life, the Bible, the U. S. Constitution, and the traditional Biblical family metaphorically rust away. The consequences in terms of human chaos and depravity are tragic.

The constitutional protections enshrined by the Founders as a separation of powers and encoded in the famous checks and balances tend to evaporate when all three branches of government become infected by the Humanist worldview. Such a powerful collection of Humanist thinkers among all three branches of the federal government unleashes all manner of creative actions to abridge, modify, curtail, and ultimately ignore the Constitution, without using the prescribed and deliberately cumbersome amendment process. The ever increasing intervention of government into personal and organizational life produces socialism. It grows by increasingly controlling the actions of individuals and taking over the responsibilities of the families and churches/synagogues. Sadly, even the U.S. Supreme Court has largely abrogated its primary responsibility as the guarantor of the Constitution.

Collapse of Freedom

Socialism is the increasing government control of commerce and the people enabled by the power-driven emotional pursuit of perceived “fairness,” a concept that has no commonly held definition and differs within and among groups of people. Fairness is the excuse for ever expanding government control. Since it will always be disputed and can never be satisfied, there is no limit on the cancerous growth of government. Fairness is not a Biblical concept. God’s prescription for life is an integration of mercy and judgment, both as an expression of love. When they are in opposition, “…mercy triumphs over judgment.” [James 2:13 NIV]

Movement toward socialism is driven, in the political realm, by individual and collective lust for power. It is continuously fed by excessive materialism and the people’s increasing desire to “get something for nothing,” i.e. free goods and services without working for them. Perceived public or interest group needs are arbitrarily claimed to be “rights.” The claims have no basis in law, morality, or any universal standard.

Ever more laws and ever bigger bureaucracies are required to satisfy man-imagined needs and to provide for the imagined rights. There is little or no pushback that would restrain government growth. The only outer limit to government growth is self-destruction. The socialistic government becomes of the government, by the government, and for the government (elites).

The greatest barrier to the relentless migration toward socialism is the United States Constitution. Unfortunately, it has for decades been progressively eroded by succession of liberal legal precedents that progressively ratchet the law and the culture away from the Constitution and by unconstitutional laws that have not been blocked by the courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. Today, the Constitution is being increasingly ignored by the elite of both political parties without accountability or consequences.

Although modern Democrats are fond of tracing their origin to Thomas Jefferson, they would be shocked to hear him say, “If we can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people, under the pretense of taking care of them, they must become happy.”

Part 4 addresses the burden God places on believers to protect His precious gifts.

What does it take to wake up the body of believers?

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

The Fruit of Evolution is Devastating to YOU!

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, American Exceptionalism, Baby Boomers, Church, Education, Family, Freedom, God's Love, Government, Judeo-Christian Culture2 Comments

“By their fruit you will know them” is another way of saying, “Actions speak louder than words.” Evolution is far more than an academic controversy. It permeates every aspect of life, in many ways seldom contemplated.

Office chaos

For a moment, sidestep the controversy regarding biological evolution. Full disclosure: This writer has devoted an entire chapter of his upcoming book to the flaws and fallacies of biological evolution and about a page to on his blog site to achieve the same objective. Numerous other writers have done the same.

Nevertheless, the concept of evolution is embedded in our culture, especially in the public school systems. For now, consider the “fruit” or the long-term effects of evolution. The first fruit spawned Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution was a worldwide eugenics movement.

The eugenics movement began in the late 19th Century and continued up until World War II. Movement leaders reasoned that if evolution was true, then man could help it move faster along an intellectually desirable path. After all, man had been breeding horses and dogs for centuries. Why not people?

Eugenics propelled the adoption of laws enabling the killing or sterilizing of people not considered “useful” or people who should no longer be allowed to reproduce, as determined by bureaucratic “wisdom.” Scary? You bet!

Such decisions could be based on age, physical or mental limitations, or race. Years later, during the post-WWII Nuremburg trials, the highest level Nazis cited actual American eugenics laws as part of their defense.

Karl Marx considered Darwin’s work scientific support for forced socialism and even offered to dedicate one of his books to Darwin. The result? Every 20th Century genocide! A very clear paper trail reveals that Adolf Hitler was convinced that he was helping evolution (42,000,000 deaths; 5,700,000 Jews).

Josef Stalin was “helping evolution” (30,000,000 deaths). Evolution-driven Mao Tse-Tung was responsible for 50,000,000 deaths. There were millions more deaths resulting from the Stalin-drive Holodomor (forced starvation in the Ukraine and in Pol Pot’s “killing fields.” Furthermore, in the United States alone, there have been about 60,000,000 evolution-driven deaths caused by abortion.

But there is far more. Evolution has infected every area of life. The reasoning, increasingly accepted since Darwin’s publications, is that if life actually evolved, then virtually every area of human endeavor should be subject to the principles of evolution. Part 2 will examine how evolution affects YOU personally and what to do about it.

What does it take to wake up the body of believers?

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

America and Believers Go From Selfless to Selfish! (Part 3)

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, American Exceptionalism, Baby Boomers, Church, Education, Family, Government, Judeo-Christian Culture, Marriage5 Comments

Personal Responsibility

Judeo-Christian tradition insists on personal responsibility, meaning that each individual is responsible for the consequences of both selfless and selfish behaviors. Each individual will enjoy the benefits of selfless behaviors and live with the extended pain of the selfish behaviors, without external intervention.

Secular Humanism minimizes personal responsibility and readily accepts claims shifting the blame to others. Government programs, euphemistically called ‘entitlement programs,’ often pay for and therefore reward the consequences of sin. Examples include the vast bureaucracies designed to support divorce, government-financed abortion, child care, and alternative lifestyles. The table compares the ultimate outcomes of both lifestyles. In effect, the government is saying we are entitled to sin.

Selfless Living Assures

Selfish Living Breaks Down

Bullet proof marriage

 Marriage

Cohesive family

 Family
Sustainable culture

Culture

National Stability to Posterity

Nation

Sin hides in the darkness; love thrives in the light. Sin and love always have opposing consequences that ripple through the third and fourth generation. Selfish behavior puts career first. Selfless behavior puts family first.

To fully understand the benefits of selfless living contrasted with the ultimate pain of selfish living, we must understand the enormity of the gap between good and evil; God and Satan; and love and sin. Compare sinfulness and godliness.

Sinfulness

Sinfulness is a mindset predisposed to sin and satisfying the needs and desires of self. Sin is natural and reinforced by modern culture. Sin is driven by pride, always selfish and at the expense of others, typically many others. Sinfulness leads to the addictive use of technology, sex without marriage, cohabitation, abortion, giving up a child for adoption, premature use of a nursing home, divorce, adultery, illegal drugs, gambling, pornography, gay/lesbian couple adoption, excessive materialism, time/money devoted to self-indulgence, and the avoidance of marriage and children.

Abortion is a crime against God and the unborn baby; it is not birth control

Sin blocks or destroys a person’s desire to share faith with others; Love magnifies (amplifies) the desire to share faith. Love simply overflows from the selfless believer.

Godliness

Judeo-Christian godliness is a mindset predisposed to love and satisfying the needs and desires of others. Due to inborn pride, godliness is unnatural. It usually grows slowly and can only be protected and reinforced by surrounding oneself with likeminded believers. God never intended the believer to stand alone.

One cannot live for God, family, and others apart from the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, especially in today’s “everybody’s doing it” culture. Believers must be surrounded by faithful people who do not engage in the self-centered lifestyle. Standing alone against powerful Humanistic cultural pressure, constantly amplified by the news and advertising media, commercial entertainment, politicians, and academia, is a bit like spitting into an oncoming tsunami.

God blesses the life of those who wait and their descendants through the third and fourth generations with:

  • Fullness of marriage
  • Devotion of children
  • Comfort of lasting love
  • Certainty of faithfulness
  • Less stress
  • Less anxiety

Compare God’s many blessings with the modern predisposition to sacrifice marriage, by avoidance or divorce, and sacrifice children, by not having them or by allowing them to be raised by strangers. How many of the selfish behaviors have you personally experienced? How many have you actively or tacitly endorsed among your friends (HINT: Silence is an endorsement.)?

Has the comfort of other compromisers scarred your conscience or is there still room for the piercing conviction of God’s Word? The transformation to a true Judeo-Christian culture can only happen one person at a time. It begins with YOU. You MUST take a stand, supported by other believers, rather than compromise and seek the support of other compromisers. Spread God’s love every waking moment and vote for candidates of strong character.

What does it take to wake up the body of believers?

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

America and Believers Go From Selfless to Selfish! (Part 2)

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn Abortion, American Culture, American Exceptionalism, Baby Boomers, Church, Family, Father, Freedom, Judeo-Christian Culture, Love, Marriage, Mother1 Comment

All Behavior has Specific Worldview Roots

World Globalization International Life Planet Concept

Selfish behavior is promoted by the Humanist worldview, provides short-term happiness leading to long-term pain, excessive personal stress and lasting uncertainty as well as broken families and cultural chaos. There are profoundly negative consequences to self, those within immediate contact, and continue to ripple through many others. Such behaviors are called sinful, because they are offensive to God and at the expense of others. Nevertheless, the apparent attractiveness of the short-term delight is so powerful that large numbers of people will go for it, regardless of the cost. Have YOU ever succumbed to the siren call? How did it work out for you?

Selfless behavior is promoted by the Judeo-Christian worldview, provides long-term, soul-deep joy, life satisfaction, greater certainty, strong families, a sustainable culture, less stress and reduced anxiety. However, the life enriching benefits do not come easily because they emerge slowly and seem a bit abstract compared to the immediate physical thrills of the Hedonistic pursuit of personal pleasure. Waiting is unnatural, especially in the modern culture, which demands instant everything. Still, the wonderful rewards are absolutely worth the pursuit and the wait!

For now, consider that many of the selfish behaviors are incited by the natural and powerful attraction between a man and a woman. The lure of physical intimacy can become nearly uncontrollable, especially in our modern American culture that has separated sex from love. Life is far more beautiful than when they are combined within the context of the marriage created by God.

Sex is the Capstone

Sex is the capstone of a loving, godly, relationship after two people have bonded intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually. After a couple is married, physical intimacy “seals the deal.” Premature or illicit sex is such a powerful and bonding experience that it renders the parties virtually powerless to determine whether or not they are good candidates for a life-long marriage. Love has been sidetracked by lust.

The consequences of all sin ripples. Selfish behaviors always negatively affects others (many others). The particular consequences of sexual sin include:

  • sexually transmitted disease, which may cause death or result in lifelong medically forced abstinence
  • pregnancy and the stresses of dealing with an out of wedlock pregnancy
  • scarred and loss of rich and lasting family and other interpersonal relationships
  • damaged relationship with God
  • negative consequences rippling through family and friends for up to four generations

The reward of waiting, for physical intimacy until after marriage is a lifelong commitment and faithfulness of spouse and children. Sex and love cannot be separated without huge negative consequences that are painful and lasting. Rewards of waiting far exceed the apparent benefits of caving in to temptation.

Part 3 considers the impact of the acceptance or rejection of personal responsibility on individuals, families, and the American culture as well as a comparison of sinfulness and godliness as applied to daily living.

What does it take to wake up the body of believers?

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

America and Believers Go From Selfless to Selfish!

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, Church, Education, Family, Judeo-Christian Culture, Marriage3 Comments

The rapidly growing rate of selfishness among Judeo-Christian believers is astonishing! The cultural collapse of America and the collateral collapse within the body of believers is the result of large numbers of believers moving away from God. Virtually every family, social, and cultural controversy is rooted in and caused by historically unprecedented indifference among Judeo-Christian believers.

The number of people caught in the cultural drift increases with each successive generation. The inevitable consequence is a migration from God-inspired selfless behavior to Humanist-inspired selfish behavior, from stability to instability, from order to chaos and from limited government by the people to a metastasized increasingly tyrannical government, controlling the people.

Only YOU can stop and reverse the ungodly drift. If you want your children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and beyond to grow up in the culture we inherited up until the mid-1960s, YOU must trade your indifference for a positive and aggressive effort to make a difference. Not convinced? Consider the table.

Americans and Believers Go From Selfless to Selfish
Selfless Behavior Selfish Behavior
Frequent lifestyle giving Addictive use of technology
Sex without marriage
Willingness to wait for what is right Cohabitation
Abortion
Willingness to wait for others Give up child for adoption
Premature use of nursing home
Seek godly marriage Divorce
Adultery
Eagerness for children Illegal drugs
Gambling
Avoid selfish behavior Pornography
Materialism
Time/money devoted to the needs of others Time/money devoted to self-satisfaction
Avoid marriage/children
Gay/lesbian couple adoption

 

Each of the listed selfish behaviors are so common today that they are considered to be a “new norm.” Tragically, the rates of divorce and abortion among conservative believers are statistically indistinguishable from the rates among atheists and agnostics. The same is likely true of the other selfish behaviors as well. Whatever the churches and synagogues have been doing for the last 40 years clearly is not working.

People tend to perceive “normal” as the conditions that existed while they were growing up. Later, changing conditions are perceived as abnormal and discomforting, producing criticism of the rising generation. Conversely, as the younger generation experiences a new normal, they tend to criticize their predecessors as old fashioned and out of touch with the times. The pattern is so culturally ingrained that it is taken for granted. However, modern America has produced conditions that are distinctly new in American history.

The generation that grew up prior to the mid-1960s experienced an American culture that was largely driven by Judeo-Christian tradition and values. Their normal was essentially the same normal that was experienced by all generations for the last 400 years on this continent, beginning with the earliest settlers. It was the same value system experienced by hundreds Judeo-Christian generations before anyone ever came to America. Consequently, the widespread acceptance of selfish behaviors today is the real abnormal. The devastating behaviors are not simply different from the previous generation; they fly in the face of thousands of years of deep-rooted stability established by God.

Part 2 will demonstrate that all behavior is rooted in a specific worldview and many behaviors are related to the use and abuse of physical intimacy.

What does it take to wake up the body of believers?

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

America Unmoored from Three Vital Anchors (Part 3)

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, American Exceptionalism, Church, Education, Family, Freedom, Judeo-Christian CultureLeave a comment

All three, once rock-solid, anchors (Bible, U.S. Constitution, and Family) have been continuously attacked for over 60 years. God’s perfect wisdom has been progressively replaced by man’s often erroneous and easily corrupted wisdom. As Humanist thinking has cancerously swept the elite in politics, the media, academia, and Hollywood, the results have been so tragic that they need not be catalogued here.

Anchor with chain

Judeo-Christian believers historically have always impacted their surrounding cultures to an extent far greater than their actual numbers. That influence can be either positive or negative. For over 400 years, the believers have had a positive impact on the American culture. However, for the last 50 years their impact has become increasingly negative. For example, presuming a believing family, what would YOUR mother or grandmother think about how you live your life today? Are you wiser than both of them and 6,000 years of their predecessors?

Where have the Judeo-Christian believers been? Ask any group of believers today to describe their beliefs. Typical responses will be “religious,” “spiritual, but not religious,” “somewhat religious,” or “moderately religious.” Alternatively, they may claim that their faith is “very important,” “important,” “moderately important,” “somewhat important,” or “relatively unimportant” to their daily lives, depending on the language of any contemporary survey. All such terms reflect some extent of compromise. What are they actually saying?

Many will intellectually agree that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, Word of God, but it is merely an intellectual assent, not a spiritual conviction. The Bible is the ultimate anchor of the American culture and the primary influence on the other anchors. Since the founding documents and traditional family, are derived from the Bible, all three anchors are rock-solid. Any deviation or erosion of that foundation must necessarily give man’s imperfect thinking a priority higher than God. “Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.” [James 3:15 NIV] “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight.” [1 Corinthians 3:19 NIV] “And he said to man, the fear of the Lord—that is wisdom; and to shun evil is understanding.” [Job 28;28 NIV]

How can any honest believer replace any of God’s perfect instructions for living with man’s imperfect constructions? Abandoning God—to any extent—undermines and eventually destroys the family, the Constitution, capitalism, and freedom. The result is a runaway government and tyranny. Now, more than ever before, believers MUST overlook their doctrinal differences and unite to save the family, the freedom that came from God, and the beloved American culture that has been blessed by God and the envy of the world for hundreds of years.

What does it take to wake up the body of believers?

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

Unplanned Pregnancy? A Different View!

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn Abortion, American Culture, Church, Education, Family, Father, God's Love, Judeo-Christian Culture, Marriage, Mother3 Comments

Teenage girl with pregnancy test

Are you married and pregnant at what seems to be an inconvenient time? Are you unmarried and pregnant? Have you experienced the trauma of rape or incest and discovered that you are pregnant as a result?

The term “unplanned pregnancy” is today’s reigning euphemism for an inconvenient pregnancy or a pregnancy begun under immoral or illegal circumstances. The term implies that there are higher priorities in life than creating new life. Most of our modern life is the relentless pursuit of whatever satisfies man’s desires. However, scripturally there is no higher priority than loving God, creating new life, and raising the children to sustain a God-loving culture, from generation to generation. Any other priorities lead to a decaying culture that ultimately self-destructs.

It is doubtful that people in Biblical times ever considered a pregnancy to be unplanned. Married couples likely lived their life embracing every pregnancy that naturally occurred, praising God for the blessing of each new life. Perhaps that is why barrenness was considered such a curse. Of course, a pregnancy outside of marriage was typically followed by an “unplanned marriage.”

Child bearing is God’s special gift to women even when a conception occurs in immoral circumstances. Radical feminism, in the 1960s, turned God’s blessing upside down, proclaiming childbearing to be a curse unfairly imposed on women by evolution.

But what is a woman to do when a pregnancy results from a forced activity such as rape or incest which is immoral and illegal? Abortion is wrong. It crushes the life out of God’s precious gift. The details have been often discussed elsewhere.

The typical Judeo-Christian believer’s fallback is to advise the pregnant girl that if she senses that she is incapable of raising the child she consider placing it for adoption. That is a plausible intellectual choice for the do-gooders giving the advice. But it is an incredibly painful, emotional and spiritual decision for the girl.

With perhaps rare exceptions, a young woman cannot experience an abortion or give a child up for adoption without a lifetime of unconquerable regret and other negative consequences ranging from an unquenchable anxiety to serious guilt and a broad range of physical health issues triggered by the anxiety or guilt. In addition, the aftereffects of abortion or giving a baby up for adoption can elicit future issues with interpersonal relationships, especially with men.

For a discussion of the negative effects refer to http://www.firstmotherforum.com/2013/02/how-giving-up-child-affects-you-in-long.html. Lorraine Dusky is a blogger who cites several studies that explored and documented the long-term, virtually permanent, emotional and spiritual pain experienced by mothers who have given a baby up for adoption.

Often the baby destined for adoption is whisked away immediately after birth. It is considered best to separate the baby from the mother before they have had a chance to bond. However, she has already bonded for nine months. Bonding begins from the moment of conception, even when it occurs immorally or illegally.

Bonding continues as the mother experiences the early hormonal changes associated with pregnancy. The bonding continues later when she feels the baby’s movements and again when she experiences the hormonal changes preparing her for childbirth. The childbirth process itself is not merely biological. The mother bonds with the baby during the process. She experiences the triumph of nine months of bonding when the baby draws its first breath. She has clearly bonded with her baby not an alleged nonhuman fetus. The bonding is a beauty that only God could have created.

When the pregnancy was initiated by rape or incest, the initial trauma may well subside before the baby is born. An early decision to place the baby up for adoption will be revisited again and again, many times before the birth of the baby. Despite the adoption decision, the mother cannot help but daydream about what to name the baby and future experiences with the baby as an infant and throughout its growing years. For nine long months, she irresistibly fantasizes about her baby’s future, even after making the adoption decision.

There are perhaps a rare few for which adoption is appropriate. Examples may include a mother with severe mental illness or very long-term drug abuse. Aside from those exceptions, a mother should never be separated from her baby. The situation is bad enough if the father is in prison or wasted on drugs. The baby is already deprived of one parent. The solution is not to deprive the baby of the other parent. Most mothers will rise to the occasion, some surprisingly so, despite the unplanned nature of the pregnancy.

Outside of extreme circumstances, such as rape or incest, the father must also rise to the occasion. He is far more than a mere source of funds. Collectively, mom and dad have a huge responsibility to the God-given miracle they call their baby. That responsibility likely includes getting married, if they are not married already.

Among Judeo-Christian believers, the extended family must be available to help the teen mother or an older mother, single by circumstances beyond her control. The grandparents are not built-in, taken-for-granted babysitters. There is no substitute for the mother shouldering her own responsibilities. However, members of the extended family are or should be able to provide physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual support far beyond what is available through so called support groups. While adoption may be a consideration, it should absolutely be a very last resort. God’s family sticks together!

What does it take to wake up the body of believers?

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

Christmas Gift Suggestions!

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, American Exceptionalism, Baby Boomers, Christmas, Church, Family, Father, God's Love, Holidays, Homemaker, Judeo-Christian Culture, Love, Marriage, Mother, Uncategorized2 Comments

Christmas gift suggestions:

To your enemy, forgiveness.

To an opponent, tolerance.

To a friend, your heart.

To a customer, service.

To all, charity. To every child, a good example.

To yourself, respect.”
Oren Arnold

Three Miracle Births—Virgin Birth is One + Two

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, American Exceptionalism, Baby Boomers, Christmas, Church, Education, Family, Father, God's Love, Holidays, Judeo-Christian Culture, Love, Marriage, Mother, Uncategorized4 Comments

Young Pregnant Mary with Manger

At this time of year, there is no shortage of people proclaiming skepticism or even scoffing at the idea of the virgin birth of Jesus. It was necessary, because the virgin birth was the only way Jesus could live a sinless life free of the sinful nature of pride that is the root of all sins. Nevertheless, the scoffers abound. They seem to catch media attention more often than believers.

The birth of Jesus is one of at least three miracle births in Scripture. God did the “impossible” in the lives of Abraham and Sarah, Zachariah and Elizabeth, and Joseph and Mary—three highly improbable births.

The birth of a child to a virgin is a one-time miracle. Mary became pregnant when she was “overshadowed,” by the Holy Spirit of God [Luke 1:35]. Since she was a healthy young woman, the rest of the gestation and birth process proceeded normally. For the God who created the universe, the Earth we call home, and all the plant, animal, and human life that makes up our environment, enabling a virgin to give birth is no obstacle.

A child born to an old woman is an even greater miracle than the virgin birth. At the birth of Isaac, Abraham was 100-years old and Sarah was 90-years of age [Genesis 17:17]. Scripture also tells us that at the birth of John-the-Baptist, his father Zechariah was an “old man” and his mother, Elizabeth, is variously described—depending on the translation—as “old as well,” “advanced in years,” or “beyond child bearing years.” [Luke 1:18] Having never previously given birth, both Sarah and Elizabeth were described as “barren.” The combination of old age and barrenness reduces that chances of pregnancy to virtually zero, apart from the intervention of God.

The birth of a child to an old woman can be viewed as a long-term continuous miracle or long series of miracles. The conception itself is two miracles. The reproductive systems of both the father and mother must be miraculously restored to youthful vigor. The conception must overcome the lifetime of barrenness, which confirms the miracle of the actual conception.

The mother’s womb must be effectively resurrected from the deadening effects of old age to harbor the baby and enable the formation of the umbilical cord through which she feeds and nourishes the baby. Her hormonal system must be quickened to support a growing baby and all the necessary changes to allow her body to carry the baby for nine months and eventually give birth. Prior to the actual birth, the mother’s hormonal system and the flesh and muscles, required for birth, must be rejuvenated to enable them to perform harmoniously at the time of birth.

Prior to the birth, the mothers’ breasts, that have never before nursed a baby, must be restored to youthful vitality to function and feed the newborn baby for a prolonged period of time. Today, the supermarket shelves are stocked with an array of infant formulas and baby foods. No such products were available in ancient Israel. A baby’s survival largely depended upon milk from the mother. Few alternatives were available, except perhaps goat’s milk.

The births-in-old-age enjoyed by Abraham/Sarah and Zechariah/Elizabeth were 2 – 3 year long continuous miracles or two amazing series of miracles from conception until weaning. Compare those long series of miracles with the one-time miracle of conception that occurred within the virgin called, “Mary,” who gave birth to Jesus.

Quite simply, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” [Matthew 19:26 NIV]

Of course the real miracle of Christmas is not just that a virgin gave birth. The greater miracle is that Mary gave birth to the Messiah who came to save mankind from the ravages and ultimate death penalty of sin.

Merry Christmas to All!

Christians Overdosing on Apathy!

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn Abortion, American Culture, American Exceptionalism, Baby Boomers, Church, Education, Family, Father, Freedom, God's Love, Government, Judeo-Christian Culture, Love, Marriage, Mother, Same Sex Marriage, UncategorizedLeave a comment

The opposite of love is not hate,

it’s indifference.

The opposite of art (beauty) is not ugliness,

it’s indifference.

The opposite of faith is not heresy,

it’s indifference. And

The opposite of life is not death, but

indifference between life and death.

elie-wiesel

Elie Wiesel-Romanian-born journalist-author and Holocaust survivor.

America is spiraling down into the abyss of chaos. The body of believers has been overcome and remains paralyzed by indifference—a case of terminal apathy, an astonishing lack of concern. Elie Wiesel’s profound observation should be flashing in neon from every lamppost, on the bumper of every car, crackling through hundreds of cable TV channels, and splashed in banners across cyberspace.

Years ago, Dr. Francis Schaeffer proclaimed that the American culture, including (or perhaps especially) the culture of Judeo-Christian believers, has devolved into the two impoverished values of “personal peace and affluence.” A typical believer, sucked into the backdraft of the secular drift away from God, lives a life message that essentially says, “Don’t bother me while I devote my life to accumulating more and more stuff!”

Such a view, displayed more by actions than words, displaces all the wonderful Biblical values that give life the richness and security that God intended. It is the direct result of the distorted, corrupt, and spiritually bankrupt objective of materialism, combined with physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual laziness. Rampant indifference deprives life of real love, beauty, faith, and the fullness of life.

Speaking recently at a Heritage Foundation panel in Washington, DC, Timothy Samuel Shah (Associate Director, Religious Freedom Project at Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs) pleaded, “Where are the spontaneous grassroots campaigns? I don’t see them. If one-tenth of one percent of Christians in America were really outraged and mobilized we would see political action across the board.” Although his remarks were directed toward the plight of severely persecuted Christians in the Middle East they could and should equally apply to any controversy that involves a culture-busting view contrary to God’s Word, e.g. abortion, same-sex “marriage,” dilution and redefinition of the family, removing all vestiges of Judeo-Christian tradition from public view and discourse, crucial end-of-life decisions and more.

As we near the end of 2015, what does God think of humanity, His greatest creation? What will YOU say on that day when you face God and He asks, “Why did you abandon My call to be the ‘salt of the earth, the light of the world, and my ambassador’ to join the army of the indifferent?” Indifference supports the enemy at God’s expense. Consider:

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” [2 Corinthians 5:10 ESV] “Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God?” [Romans 2:1 & 3 ESV] “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” [James 4:4 ESV]

The power and inevitability of God’s judgment appears to be largely lost on the Judeo-Christian culture in 2015. But God does not leave us naked. We can and must understand at a soul-deep level that, “…we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” [Ephesians 6:12 ESV] When we clearly understand the spiritual nature of every battle, we can,

“…put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the

belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the

breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the

shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the

helmet of salvation and the

sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” [Ephesians 6:13-17 KJV]

When we are fully prepared, we can respond to Isaiah’s question, “Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” [Isaiah 58:7 NIV]

However, when the government interferes with our God-given mission, Peter and the other apostles proclaim, “We must obey God rather than men! [Acts 6:29 NIV] Jesus Himself said, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” [Mark 12:17 KJV]

The sanctity of life, sanctity of marriage, and the sanctity of the God-designed family ALL belong to God, not to Caesar. Freedom comes from God not from the government as do all the freedoms enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. As God’s earthly representatives, we must be willing to take a stand!

What do YOU think? What are YOU personally willing to do with respect to even one of the issues raised in the preceding discussion?

What does it take to wake up the body of believers?

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

The Thanksgiving Miracle of Five Kernels of Corn!

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, American Exceptionalism, Baby Boomers, Church, Education, Family, Freedom, God's Love, Government, Holidays, Judeo-Christian Culture, Love, Thanksgiving, Uncategorized8 Comments

Bible and Holiday Dinner

Most of us learned about Thanksgiving in school. You know the drill. In 1620, the Pilgrims crossed the ocean blue and experienced a devastatingly harsh winter along the Massachusetts coast. About half of them perished. Spring finally arrived and a friendly Indian named Squanto helped the Pilgrims learn how to obtain food by stomping eels out of the mud and fertilizing corn with dead fish. The following fall, they celebrated an abundant harvest with a feast that became known as the first Thanksgiving. But there is more, much more. The string of miracles is nearly endless:

  • Many years before, the Separatists, later known as the Pilgrims, reached the breaking point of frustration and disappointment after enduring severe persecution by the Church of England. They “removed” to Leyden, Holland. After nearly a dozen years of severe adversity and personal toughening, it was time to leave. They came to believe the America was their “promised land.” They found their way back to England on the ship, Speedwell, prepared to join the Mayflower for the long difficult voyage to America. At Southhampton, their sponsors forcibly required them to accommodate 80 “strangers” who would later strain the best of interpersonal relationships. The Pilgrims numbers were reduced due to limited capacity on the ships. In July, 1620, they sailed west. In barely three days they had to return to England, because of structural problems with the masts on the Speedwell. Again, their numbers were reduced to stay within the carrying capacity of the Mayflower. God had sifted their numbers repeatedly. Only the hardiest of the hardy remained on the Mayflower for the epic journey.
  • Crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the Pilgrims endured “seven weeks of the hell of an ill-lighted, rolling, pitching, stinking inferno” as well as tormenting by the crew. All manner of sins were brought to the surface, confessed, and forgiven. By the time they reached land, they were a spiritually cleansed and extremely close-knit group. Adversity does that.
  • Mid-way across the Atlantic, they experienced a life-threatening emergency. The immense cross-beam supporting the main mast was failing. They would likely be lost at sea. After intense prayer, William Brewster had a eureka moment. He recommended using the giant iron printing press screw to support the breaking beam. It worked! Even the skeptical sailors praised God along with the Pilgrims.
  • Just before landing at Plymouth in Massachusetts, they realized they were under no legal jurisdiction. To maintain order, they wrote and everyone signed the Mayflower Compact. The miracle and genius of the document is that it included many of the same principles later embodied in our founding documents.
  • Their landing site was protected by Cape Cod. The site was flat, cleared, and had four freshwater streams and even a cache of corn. How could that happen? The area was previously cleared and inhabited by the Patuxet Indians, one of the few tribes known to be extremely hostile. Years before the Pilgrims’ arrival, the tribe was wiped out by a plague. Other tribes avoided the area, fearing presence of evil spirits. It was a miracle site for the Pilgrims.
  • They finally set foot on land in mid-November, 1620.The first winter was extremely harsh and food was scarce. In January, the thatched roof of the Common House caught fire, a life-threatening emergency, due to their utter dependence on that building. Adversity inspired even more prayer and bound them together even tighter. By Spring, they had lost about half their number. Still the mortality rate was not nearly as high as in Jamestown, Virginia. The miracle was that half did survive.
  • In their most desperate hour into their camp walked a Christian, English-speaking Indian, a Patuxet no less. Yes, you read it right. He was the Squanto of our school days lessons. He was the only survivor of the plague that killed the rest of his tribe, because he was not there. In 1605, Squanto was one of four Indians taken captive and shipped to England, where they were taught English so they could be questioned. Squanto spent nine years in England. In 1614, he was returned to America by Captain John Smith (Yes, it is the same one you remember from the Pocohontas story hundreds of miles to the South.). But Squanto was quickly captured again, taken to Spain and sold as a slave. He was bought and feed by local friars who taught him the Christian faith. Upon his second return to America, Squanto was devastated to find that his entire tribe had succumbed to a plague. Alone and wandering through the woods, Squanto was discovered by Massasoit, chief of the Wampanoags. The wise chief recognized that the Pilgrims had a desperate need and the Squanto desperately needed to be needed. Massasoit sent Squanto, the Christian, English-speaking Indian to the Pilgrims. William Brewster would later call Squanto, “a special instrument sent of God for their good, beyond their expectation.” Squanto effectively became an earthly savior. He taught the Pilgrims how to survive in a harsh, rugged, untamed wilderness.
  • Following a bountiful harvest, they and about ninety Indians celebrated the feast that became known as the First Thanksgiving. The three-day celebration and the new arrivals from England consumed much of the provisions for the second winter.
  • By Spring, the food ration for each individual was down to an unimaginable five kernels of corn per day. Nevertheless, they survived again and enjoyed a bountiful harvest after the second summer.
  • When everyone approached the table for the Second Thanksgiving feast, they found a plate with just five kernels of corn as a reminder of God’s limitless grace even under the harshest of conditions.

Here is a challenge for you. Set this year’s Thanksgiving table with just five kernels of corn on each plate. Before enjoying the rest of the feast, share this story with your family and guests. God’s grace is truly wonderful! Tell everyone, about it, beginning with your family.

Much of this story was abstracted from The Light and the Glory, by Peter Marshall and David Manuel (1977), Fleming H. Revell Company; Old Tappan, New Jersey.

The Genius of the God-Designed Family

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn Abortion, American Culture, American Exceptionalism, Baby Boomers, Church, Education, Family, Father, God's Love, Homemaker, Judeo-Christian Culture, Love, Marriage, Mother2 Comments

God’s arrow of time from the Garden of Eden to Heaven passes through the family. Yet history is littered with the baggage of broken families. The amount of baggage increases just before the collapse of every civilization and culture in all of recorded history.

Genius of Gods Family

The genius and power of the God-designed family is jaw-dropping. The family is one of God’s greatest creations. The specific roles of the man and woman were assigned directly to Adam and Eve. They have never changed. To do so would compromise God’s infinite genius.

Man was created in the likeness of God. The God-designed family is a picture of God. We know Him as one God manifested to us in three Persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Similarly, the one impregnable family is represented by Dad, Mom, and the children. The family is an unbeatable team. It is the only way to carry out God’s commandments in a reliable way throughout posterity. It is the only way to enjoy all God’s blessings and the fullness of the life experience.

Marriage was created in the Garden of Eden, before Adam and Eve were disobedient to the Lord. God said, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” [Genesis 2:24 KJV] Since marriage was created in the Garden of Eden, it was created in an environment of virtual perfection. After disobeying God by eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, God, proclaimed their respective, but perfectly complementary roles in a fallen world.

God’s Assignment for the Man

“…unto Adam he said, Because thou has…eaten of the tree, of which I commanded you, saying you shall not eat of it: cursed is the ground for your sake; in sorrow shall you eat of it all the days of your life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to you; and you shall eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shall you eat bread, till you return unto the ground: for out of it were you taken; for dust you are, and unto dust shall you return.” [Genesis 3:17-19 NKJV]

The man protects and provides for his mother, wife, and children. When his father and son do the same, they form an unbroken shield of protection assuring a perpetually safe, secure environment within which the family can thrive. His protection of the family is fueled by God’s love. As such, the man is the primary, but not exclusive, model for the commandment to love God with body, mind and soul:

“And you shalt love the Lord your God with all thine heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words, which I command you this day, shall be in your heart: You shalt teach them diligently unto your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in thine house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up…You shall write them upon the posts of your house, and on your gates.” [Deuteronomy 6:5-7 & 9 NKJV]

God has assigned to the man a vital role in developing the character of his children. His role is far greater than merely providing for security and financial needs, for food, clothes, and shelter. He is the protector of his family physically, intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually.

The man actively and routinely provides emotional and spiritual nourishment by being a conduit of God’s love. The man protects his family from outside influences that would weaken the character of his wife or interfere with or disrupt the development of character in their children.

God’s blessings for the obedient man are, “Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband does safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.” [Proverbs 31:10-12 NKJV]

However, God requires of the husband an ironclad ultimate commitment, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it…” [Ephesians 5:25 KJV] The husband’s love and commitment to his wife must be so great the he would be willing to risk death for her.

God’s Assignment for the Woman

“Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in sorrow you shall bring forth children; and your desire shall be to your husband, and he shall rule over you.” [Genesis 3:16 NKJV]

The woman is the connector and propagator of life assuring a continuity of generations from the Garden of Eden to Heaven. All reproduction, physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual pass through the woman. As the connector and propagator of life, she is the primary, but not exclusive, model for the commandment, “…you shall love your neighbor as yourself…” [Leviticus 19:18 NKJV]

God’s blessings for the obedient woman are, “She opens her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She looks well to the ways of her household, and…Her children arise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her. [Proverbs 31:25-28 NKJV]

However, God requires a commitment of her, “Wives submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.” [Ephesians 5:22 KJV] Submission merely means voluntarily choosing to respect and defer to his leadership even when he is wrong. When he does make a wrong choice, the shared consequences will be character building for the whole family. Actually, God’s perfect family plan is mutual submission, “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.” [Ephesians 5:21 KJV]

The practice of mutual submission should characterize all interpersonal relationships. Within the context of marriage and family, the stakes are simply higher than anywhere else. The blessings of mutual submission are greatest in marriage. The consequences of lack of mutual submission are more painful in marriage.

Together the Married Man and Woman Are Truly Awesome!

Combining the man’s vertical responsibility with the woman’s horizontal responsibility, Jesus proclaimed, “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the prophets.” [Matthew 22:40 KJV] Their roles are perfectly complementary. After all, they were created by the greatest genius of the universe, God Himself.

Multi-generational contact is vital to the maintenance and stability of the chain of life. The woman is responsible for the cohesion of the family and the sustainability of the culture. She is the primary facilitator of the commandment to love your neighbor as yourself.

There is nothing like the genius of the God-designed family. Dad and Mom are an awesome team specifically designed by God to:

  • Create a cohesive family that mirrors God’s relationship with humanity.
  • Solidify the family assuring that God’s symbolic representation of His relationship with us is maintained throughout all generations.
  • Establish a sustainable culture that remains unbroken for posterity.

The God-designed family minimizes overall stress by reducing time pressures, encouraging character development among parents and children, and building warm close interpersonal relationships. When the woman’s career is at home pursuing God’s design, there are an additional 40 hours per week available to destress the entire family, compared to the married career woman trying to have it all.

If either Dad or Mom contemplates and chooses divorce or any path that undermines and devalues the family, the continuity is broken and the surviving family fragments become especially vulnerable to all manner of evil.

Today, the American culture has almost completely lost sight of God’s plan. The results have been tragic. It is up to us as Judeo-Christian believers to step up, restore, and magnify His amazing and magnificent vision.

What does it take to wake up the body of believers?

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

Billy Graham issues a stern warning regarding upcoming persecution!

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, American Exceptionalism, Baby Boomers, Church, Family, Father, Freedom, God's Love, Judeo-Christian Culture, Mother2 Comments

billygraham

“As a whole, our nation does not know what privation is. We do not know what sacrifice is. We do not know what suffering is. Suppose persecution were to come to the church in America, as it has come in other countries,” “Christ strongly warned Christians that to follow Him would not be popular, and that in most circumstances it would mean cross-bearing and persecution,”

“… it is likely that under pressure many would deny Christ. Those who shout the loudest about their faith may surrender soonest. Many who boast of being courageous would be cowardly.”

Specific actions for faith to survive the coming trials.

“Make sure of your relationship with God.” “Even though most Americans see the storm clouds gathering on the horizon, by and large we are making few preparations to meet God. This is a time for repentance and faith. It is a time for soul-searching, to see if our anchor holds.”

“If you are not strengthening the inner man or woman by daily walking with God now, when a crisis comes you will quake with fear and give in, having no strength to stand up for Christ.”

“Too many Christians today are entangled with the affairs of this world, caught in a net of material interest and diversion. Scripture, to many, is little more than a reference book for biblical facts. It is seldom opened and rarely relished as the spiritual staff of life that it is.”

“If Christianity is to survive in a world filled with materialism, the church must have a revival of prayer. As individuals, we must repent of prayerlessness. The prayer meeting must become the vital institution it was when evangelical Christianity was the mightiest force in the world.”

“Christ must be vitally real to us if we are to prove loyal to Him in the hours of crisis.”

“Our nation ranks as the greatest power on the face of the earth. But if we put our trust in armed might instead of Almighty God, the coming conflict could conceivably go against us. History and the Bible indicate that mechanical and material might are insufficient in times of great crisis”

“The wheels of God’s judgment can be heard by discerning souls across the length and breadth of nations. Things are happening fast! The need for a return to God has never been more urgent.”

What does it take to wake up the body of believers?

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

Is this why some women are miserable?

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, American Exceptionalism, Family, Father, Homemaker, Judeo-Christian Culture, Love, Marriage, MotherLeave a comment

This message is awesome. The American Christian woman has been smothered by worldly messages. The result has been the tragic loss of the American culture.

wretchednetwork's avatarWretched with Todd Friel

Episode 1613

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Big Guns are Aimed at YOUR FAMILY! Will It Survive? (Part 4F)

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn Abortion, American Culture, American Exceptionalism, Baby Boomers, Church, Education, Family, Father, God's Love, Homemaker, Judeo-Christian Culture, Love, Marriage, Mother8 Comments

mother and child little daughter planting vegetable in home garden field

Leverage the Forgotten Power of the Homemaker

Acclaim and demonstrate the vital importance of the homemaker—The Biblical homemaker enjoys the most vital and exciting career in the universe. Family and culture decline rapidly when the homemaker leaves home. To destroy a culture, remove the homemaker from the home. A major strategy of the spiritual and temporal enemies of the traditional family is to deflate or collapse the family by enticing the homemaker out of the home. But God says otherwise, “The women of my people have ye cast out from their pleasant houses; from their children have ye taken away my glory forever. Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest: because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction.” [Micah 2:9, &10 KJV] All roads go through the homemaker; she is the real, not just metaphorical heart of the home:

The homemaker is the heart of the home physically—Everyone is born through the womb of the mother. The bond between mother and child begins at the moment of conception and strengthens throughout the child’s growing time in the womb. No other bond in the universe comes close to matching the early mother-child bond. The bond is reinforced during the period of breast-feeding and continues to grow even as the mother lets go of the emancipated adult. Her loving bond with the father cements the continuity of generations, is a source of personal satisfaction for both, and provides desperately needed role models for the children. Her efforts to maintain or improve the home environment are an expression of love for her husband and children.

The homemaker is the heart of the home intellectually—Scripture assigns parents the responsibility of educating the children. For millennia, the mother was the primary teacher, later assisted by the Church. Schools were created by the Church to teach children about life, God, and His amazing creation. The great universities, including most Ivy League schools, were founded to teach young men to be ministers. But in the last century, the Church and parents have largely abdicated their roles and responsibilities for education in favor of government schools that have become increasingly abusive regarding all aspects of Judeo-Christian tradition. Raising the children is far more than simply taking care of the children.

The homemaker is the heart of the home emotionally—Children learn emotional awareness and compassion far more from the mother than from the father. Indulging a sports analogy, dad is primarily a coach; mom is the quarterback, the source and catalyst of virtually all action in the family and the home. What would happen on game day if the quarterback decided to go fishing instead of instead of going to the stadium? The athletic coach probably has a backup quarterback who may not perform quite as well as the star quarterback. But in the home, every homemaker is a star and there is no backup when she is not there.

The homemaker is the heart of the home spiritually—In most homes, it is the mother who primarily instills spiritual principles through day-to-day training. Often it is the mother who takes the children to church or synagogue. Shame on the dads who are not the spiritual leaders in their homes as well. But even in the homes where dad is a strong spiritual leader, the children still spend far more time with the mother and are therefore more available to her for spiritual training. Dad becomes the reinforcer.

These vitally important lessons are not learned when strangers, such as nursery schools, babysitters, an endless round of age-graded day care centers, and government-run schools raise the children. Lifestyle absentee parenting is tragic and leads to disastrous consequences.

To survive, a family must actively and irrevocably commit to Biblical values and fight aggressively and continuously to maintain those values.

No civilization has ever survived the breakdown of the family.

If parents want their children and grandchildren to enjoy a free society (country), they absolutely must deeply embed Biblical family values in their children. It is an impossible task for absentee parents.

In perilous times, there will be people “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof…Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” [2 Timothy 3: 5 & 7 KJV] Never be satisfied with a “form of godliness.” Do everything God’s way. You will be glad you did.

What does it take to wake up the body of believers?

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

The hand that rocks the cradle IS THE MOST POWERFUL HAND IN THE WORLD

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn Abortion, American Culture, American Exceptionalism, Baby Boomers, Church, Family, God's Love, Homemaker, Judeo-Christian Culture, Love, Marriage, Mother7 Comments

Until recent decades, people often quoted, “The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.” We have lost sight of the real power of a mother. Actually, the hand that rocks the cradle IS THE MOST POWERFUL HAND IN THE WORLD. Most people don’t know where the slogan originated. It is from a 19th Century poem. Enjoy! It is powerful.

Mother and baby

William Ross Wallace (1819-1881)

THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE IS THE HAND THAT RULES THE WORLD.

BLESSINGS on the hand of women!

Angels guard its strength and grace.

In the palace, cottage, hovel,

Oh, no matter where the place;

Would that never storms assailed it,

Rainbows ever gently curled,      

For the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.

Infancy’s the tender fountain,

Power may with beauty flow,

Mothers first to guide the streamlets,

From them souls unresting grow—

Grow on for the good or evil,

Sunshine streamed or evil hurled,      

For the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.

Woman, how divine your mission,

Here upon our natal sod;

Keep—oh, keep the young heart open

Always to the breath of God!

All true trophies of the ages

Are from mother-love impearled,

For the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.

Blessings on the hand of women!

Fathers, sons, and daughters cry,

And the sacred song is mingled

With the worship in the sky—

Mingles where no tempest darkens,

Rainbows evermore are hurled;

For the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.

The poem can be found in:

  Northrop, H.D. Beautiful Gems of Thought and Sentiment. Boston, MA: The Colins-Patten Co., 1890.

Big Guns are Aimed at YOUR FAMILY! Will It Survive? (Part 4E)

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn Abortion, American Culture, American Exceptionalism, Entertainment, Family, Freedom, God's Love, Government, Judeo-Christian Culture, Marriage, Mother2 Comments

The PAIN When God’s Family Turns Away from HIM

beauty girl cry

History has treated the family as a state within a state attaching to the family a certain “sovereignty.”6 G.K. Chesterton. Two people must agree to marriage; only one is necessary to guarantee a government facilitated divorce. Divorce cedes authority to the state, assuring increasing dependence on the state and perpetual domination of the wealthy over the poor and middle class. Consider that most people go to church to be married, but go to the government to be divorced. Marriage costs the state very little, but a huge tax payer-funded bureaucracy is required to support divorce. We pay billions in taxes to support the sinful choices of others. Marriage preserves freedom from government control. Divorce cedes freedom and control to the government.

Limiting sexual intimacy to the confines of marriage contributes to the permanence of the marriage. True sexual intimacy reflects the intellectual, emotional, and spiritual intimacy (bonding of two souls), which become the mortar that holds together the structure of the marriage. Physical intimacy before marriage allows two people the shallow transient pleasure of a rub and a tickle, rather than unfettered soulful bonding. But that transient experience is so powerful, so all-consuming that it becomes virtually impossible to clearly discern whether or not that partner is the best one to become an irrevocable, lifetime, “til-death-do-us-part” marriage partner.

Multiple intimate partners before marriage weaken or damage the soul and seriously inhibit the ability to make and sustain a lifetime commitment to a marriage partner. Following a series of temporary “bonds,” it becomes increasingly difficult to form the pervasive holistic bond that God intended with the one special marriage partner.

Similarly, extra-marital intimacy following the marriage creates the potential for destroying the marriage and family. The devastation painfully damages the spouse, children, siblings of the couple, and many friends. In addition, there is an immediate ripple effect among many people and an extended ripple effect through at least three or four subsequent generations. Is it worth it? Of course not! There is no way that the momentary pleasure even when repeated numerous times can justify the extended sphere of subsequent pain and suffering.

“Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.” [Hebrews 13:4 NAS] “Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not covet.” [Exodus 20:14 & 17 KJV] Hosea repeatedly forgave Gomer even though she was adulterous and a prostitute. [Hosea 3:3 KJV] As always, God’s moral law is an expression of His love established for our benefit.

Tasting the original forbidden fruit carried a high price. (1) “When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.” [Genesis 3:6 KJV]. Sin entered the world. Similarly, (2) “The path of the adulteress leads to death.” [Proverbs 2:16-22 KJV] “What therefore God hath joined together let not man put asunder.” [Matthew 19:6, Mark 10:9 KJV] The command is non-optional and non-negotiable.

“Lord, grant that I might not so much seek to be loved as to love.” St. Francis of Assisi “…in everything worth having, even in every pleasure, there is a point of pain or tedium that must be survived, so that the pleasure may be revived and endure.” G.K. Chesterton.

For troubled Christian marriages, counseling is not likely to be productive unless and until both parties genuinely agree that the Bible is the inspired inerrant word of God and that divorce is NOT an acceptable option under any circumstances. The agreed upon mutual view solidifies the common goal to save the marriage. In addition, the husband and wife both have an incentive to resolve troublesome issues because they both desire to enjoy the fullness and richness of the human experience. Since they have both agreed that divorce is unacceptable, the only remaining alternative is to resolve the issues. Often the resolution is facilitated if the effort is framed by the memory of why they originally chose to marry.

What does it take to wake up the body of believers?

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

Big Guns are Aimed at YOUR FAMILY! Will It Survive? (Part 4d)

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, American Exceptionalism, Baby Boomers, Church, Education, Entertainment, Family, Father, Freedom, God's Love, Homemaker, Judeo-Christian Culture, Love, Marriage, MotherLeave a comment

God Assigned to the Parents Primary Responsibility for Children’s Education

 Kids doing homework isolated on white background

Scripture assigns to parents the primary responsibility of educating their children. That assignment directly from God has never changed. In time, the parents were aided by religious institutions assuring a seamless character building process from birth to adulthood and beyond. Eventually, government schools assumed the responsibility for educating the children.

Initially, the government sponsored public schools supported the religious mission so well that the parents and religious institutions began to abandon much of their God-assigned responsibilities for educating the children. But, beginning in the 1960s, the government kicked God out of the schools eventually banning most forms of religious expression in schools and virtually all other public places.

Consequently, today’s public educational system is experiencing a major crisis. It has been hijacked by the liberal progressive movement and deprived of emotional and spiritual influences in order to emphasize the “academics,” in preparation for the assumed priority of career over family in the life of every rising young man and young woman. Evolution-driven materialism recognizes no other educational goals.

In contrast, Martin Luther proclaimed, “I would advise no one to send his child where the Holy Scriptures are not supreme. Every institution that does not unceasingly pursue the study of God’s Word becomes corrupt…I greatly fear that the [schools], unless they teach the Holy Scriptures diligently and impress them on the young students, are wide gates to Hell.” Take control of education as God commanded:

Therefore shall you lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. And you shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. And you shall write them upon the door posts of your house, and upon your gates: That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children… [Deuteronomy 11:18-21 KJV 2000] Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. [Proverbs 22:6 KJV]

The Scripture passage requires parents to recognize that education is a high priority, full time, around-the-clock responsibility. The “order from headquarters” come with a promise of a long life for you and for your children. Consider all of home life to be an educational opportunity for both the children and parents. Aggressively pursue home schooling or a Biblically based Christian school.

The churches and synagogues must reclaim the responsibility for parental and organized faith-based education. A few hours in a church or synagogue cannot compete with the powerful and compelling influences of continuous immersion in a culture and public government-run schools systems saturated with an aggressively advocated no-god or mini-god evolution-rooted humanistic worldview. There must be an education alternative.

Home schooling is a great alternative. It is absolutely scriptural and provides parents with the greatest degree of influence and control over the raising of their own children. Home schooled children learn more in 1-2 hours a day than a public school child does in the entire school day. National spelling bees are routinely won or dominated by home schooled children.

The home school resources available today are far superior to the resources available just a few years ago. Active home schooling organizations establish groups for activities such as participation in athletic teams and field trips. Parents and others with special skills draw together small groups of home school children to teach higher level subjects like chemistry, physics, or advanced mathematics. However, many families may not be in a position to engage in home schooling.

Too many churches or synagogues have Monday through Friday pre-school programs allegedly to respond to the needs of changing times. Despite the very best of intentions, preschool programs alone effectively facilitate and even fuel the breakdown of the family. There are many families who are dissatisfied with the public schools and perhaps not equipped for home schooling.

Faith-based schools are no longer just a nice option. They have become vital and essential to the restoration of a passion for freedom and survival of our families and our American culture. Religious and moral teaching feeds the thirst for education and desire to mature in character. Faith-based schools must become a high priority for parents.

What does it take to wake up the body of believers?

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

Big Guns are Aimed at YOUR FAMILY! Will It Survive? (Part 4C)

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, Baby Boomers, Church, Education, Family, God's Love, Homemaker, Judeo-Christian Culture, Love, Marriage, Mother2 Comments

God’s AWESOME Loving Family

some Proud Parents Holding Baby in the bedroom

The genius of the traditional family created by God, and supported by virtually every civilization throughout the 6,000 years of recorded history, rests on a foundation of an irrevocable, complementary and wholly pervasive partnership between a man and a woman (marriage), which is unique and impregnable. “…a man [shall] leave father and mother and shall cleave to his wife; and they twain shall be one flesh…” [Matthew 19:5-6 KJV] “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” (non-optional) [Matthew 19:6; Mark 10:9 Romans 12:2] “…let each esteem other better than themselves.” [Philippians 2:3 KJV] Pride goeth before destruction and an haughty spirit before a fall.” [Proverbs 16:18 KJV] “Self-love [pride] . . . is the sole antagonist of virtue, leading us constantly by our propensities to self-gratification in violation of our moral duties to others.” Thomas Jefferson

The headship of the husband functions only to the extent of his wife’s support even when he makes a wrong decision, e.g. ill-advised investment, for which the entire family may suffer the consequences. The shared sacrifice strengthens the family.

The cohesiveness of the marriage increases as the man and woman continually defer to each other through routine expressions of humility, forgiveness, mercy, longsuffering, and a servant’s spirit. Pride is regularly sacrificed as each grows in the character of God. Collectively, the love and solidarity of the parents is a model for building character in the children. Character is more caught than taught.

Although the parents exhibit the same deferential character with respect to the children, the parents also establish firm physical/temporal boundaries aligned with God’s moral boundaries. The parental boundaries are a visible expression of their love of the children. Since the mother typically has more time with the children, she is the primary character builder supported by the strength and stability of her “’til- death-do-us-part” committed husband. The parents support each other’s decisions even when there is disagreement. The parent’s ongoing expressions of love are the child’s “security blanket.”

“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity…he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off…” [II Peter 1:5-7 & 9 KJV]

A cohesive stable marriage produces a cohesive stable family, which becomes a cohesive stable national culture assuring stability and continuity throughout many generations of time. No culture has ever survived the breakdown of the family.

The MIRACLE of God’s Family Child

When a child is conceived, he/she is endowed by the Creator with a new eternal soul; after an earthly life, the individual’s soul is transported to Heaven, if God’s saving grace has been accepted or is eternally lost to Hell, if God has been rejected. A mother’s highest calling is to introduce that soul (child) to the universe.

The child—often called a miracle of God—arrives knowing nothing except what he/she is taught by the parents, primarily the mother. The child’s lifetime ability to enjoy the fullness of the human experience is largely dependent on that maternal introduction, during childhood. When the mother is substantially absent, the child has little opportunity to soulfully learn the anchor-like virtues which would otherwise establish a lifelong pattern of godly decisions.

Putting a child in a day care center is a bit like putting a dog in a kennel; both are for selfish reasons. If you react negatively to that statement, perhaps reading on will soften the blow. Note that a home schooler can learn in an hour or so as much as another child can learn in a whole day at public school. Imagine the impact of a full-time mother!

Further, the parent’s influence, especially that of the mother, extends through the generations of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren. Consider the positive and negative impacts of Dad and Mom’s influence. “But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him and his righteousness with their children’s children with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts [Psalms 103:17 NIV]”and “…he punishes the children and their children for the sins of the fathers to the third and fourth generation [Exodus 34:7b NIV].”

In addition, the richness of the life experience is dependent on establishing a continuing pattern of godly choices. “Be careful to obey all these regulations I am giving you, so that it may always go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and right in the eyes of the Lord your God [Deuteronomy 12:28 NIV].”

Consider that the mother’s children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren influence the lives of thousands of others, preferably in a positive godly way. What an awesome sacred responsibility God has assigned to the mother!

What does it take to wake up the body of believers?

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

Big Guns are Aimed at YOUR FAMILY! Will It Survive? (Part 4B)

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, American Exceptionalism, Baby Boomers, Family, Father, God's Love, Judeo-Christian Culture, Love, Marriage, MotherLeave a comment

Dad and Mom Are Superheroes 

Man and women with guns on black

Both the Old and New Testaments summarize the Ten Commandments into just two. “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” [Matthew 22:37-40; Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18 NIV] Both commandments represent ultimate love characterized by extreme giving. The first is a vertical love of God; the second is a horizontal love of others.

Consider how those two commandments uniquely apply to marriage. Scripture explains the marriage relationship:

Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear (reverence, awe) of God. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. [Ephesians 5:21-28 KJV (emphasis added)]

A husband must give himself for his family so they may become as perfect and blameless as is humanly possible. The husband and wife are mutual givers, but there is more, much more.

The earthly marriage is a representation of an eternal relationship with God. The Lord is illustrated scripturally as the bridegroom coming for his bride, the worldwide body of believers. “Let us rejoice and be glad and give him (Messiah) glory! For the wedding of the Lamb (Y’shua; Jesus) has come, and his bride has made herself ready…blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb…These are the true words of God.” [Revelation 19:7&9 NIV] The Bible further clarifies that the apostle John, “saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” [Revelation 21:2 KJV]

Scripturally, the order of the universe is that the Lord is the bridegroom and the body of believers is the bride. Of course, in any earthly marriage the man is the bridegroom and the bride is the beautiful woman spectacularly dressed in a white wedding gown walking down the aisle to meet her man. But in a larger sense, the bride is not just the woman at the ceremony, the bride is the woman and by extension the children she later produces, often referred to as the fruit of her womb. The husband is required to love the wholeness of his bride, i.e. the wholeness of his family, even as the Messiah also loved the church, to the point of the husband’s own death if necessary.

Fallows magnificently explains, “The husband is the ‘house band,’ the earthly giver of life, uniting the divine with the human in the supreme function of fatherhood.” The wife is ‘the weaver,’ shaping and coloring in the prenatal and postnatal influences of sacred motherhood the destinies of her offspring.” “As the “earthly giver of life, uniting the divine with the human,” the husband/father becomes the role model for “the first and greatest commandment” to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”

As the “weaver,” the wife/mother is the connection between the past and future generations of her family, but also the past and future generations of the culture. She is the role model for the second summary commandment to ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Shannon clarifies,

Mothers constitute the only universal agent of civilization. Nature has placed in her hands both infancy and youth. The vital interest of America hang largely upon the influence of mothers.” The queen that sits upon the throne of home, crowned and sceptered as none other ever can be, is—mother. Her enthronement is complete, her reign unrivaled, and the moral issues of her empire are eternal. “Her children rise up, and call her blessed.” Rebellious at times, as the subjects of her government may be, she rules them with marvelous patience, winning tenderness and undying love. She so presents and exemplifies divine truth, that it reproduces itself in the happiest development of childhood—character and life…An ounce of mother is worth more than a pound of clergy.

Sadly, far too many dads in modern America fail to carry out their God-assigned, high- priority, family responsibilities, either due to a lack of holistic understanding, the powerful lure of excessive materialism or both. Far too many moms fall short by not being there and available for raising the children. Together, such parents effectively sacrifice their children on the altar of the false god of materialism. However, when Dad and Mom lovingly and enthusiastically become God’s family, the results can be deeply heartwarming and sometimes even breathtaking. When they do not, the results can range from troublesome to tragic.

Some time ago, I devoted seven years to meeting virtually all the needs and providing around-the-clock care for my terminally ill late wife. She endured a neurodegenerative condition similar to Alzheimer’s disease. After her passing, a well-wisher said. “You really sacrificed a lot during those years.” I thanked her and replied that it did not seem like I sacrificed anything. Providing total care for her was more important than anything else I could have been doing during that time. It was a monumentally life-changing experience, a soul-deep lesson in selfless love. The experience has had long-term impacts on me and those around me and will continue to do so far into the future.

Together, fueled by God’s infinite supply of love, Dad and Mom become virtual super heroes, an incredibly awesome team stabilizing God’s brilliantly designed family and the national culture as a whole. A child forms a vertical relationship with God, primarily, though not exclusively, through the role model of the father; a child forms horizontal relationships with others within and beyond the family primarily, though not exclusively, through the role model of the mother. The complementary combination produces godly character in the child. The actions of role modeling build character in the parents. The character of every family member extends outward to the community and the nation.

That is God’s grand design for Dad and Mom. What incredible superheroes!

What does it take to wake up the body of believers?

What does it take to wake up the clergy?