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

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)

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 4C)

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)

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?

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

In modern America, God’s grand and glorious institution, the family, is being ferociously attacked. The relentless and malicious attacks are aimed at the traditional family in general and YOUR family in particular. Enjoy and consider seriously Part 4A (1st of 6 subparts) of this vital discussion.

Back view of little happy family standing on the road and follow a cross

Part 1 identified the most aggressive and influential enemies of the traditional family and the primary targets of those groups. Part 2 profiled the stunning heavy artillery amassed by the anti-family groups and their sources of immense power, along with a challenge to protect YOUR FAMILY. Part 3 characterized a power far greater than all the combined power arrayed against us. Finally, Part 4 provides the practical, detailed strategy to protect YOUR FAMILY.

God is the Greatest Defense and the Greatest Offense

The modern American Goliath is fearsome to behold. But YOU have available far more than David’s five smooth stones. God Himself and His infinite love are far greater than all the cultural and physical weapons ever devised.

Survival Skills for YOUR Family

The forces aligned against the family are determined to weaken the family by dilution, redefinition, and government encroachment. They intend to destroy the sanctity of life, the sanctity of marriage, and the sovereignty of the family. However, there is hope. You have available an astonishing defense as well as incredibly powerful offensive weapons.

Mere intellectual agreement with the list of Judeo-Christian weapons is of little value. They are only useable to the extent of your soul-deep, uncompromising, irrevocable commitment to:

  • Live a fully God-directed life in every area, all day, every day
  • Visibly become the salt of the earth
  • Visibly be the light of the world
  • Actively be an ambassador for the Messiah, by living as an unassailable role model.

Uncompromising conviction will suppress the barrier of pride and open the conduit of your life, for God’s love to flow through. His infinite love will be manifested through YOU as humility, forgiveness, mercifulness, longsuffering, and a servant’s spirit. These are the visible components of love.

To the extent that others see godly character in us, they will become envious. “I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.” [Romans 11:11 KJV]

We become visible and an active positive role model as we grow in godly character. People see godly character as increased confidence, resilience in the face of daily stresses, and an inner joy that is unshakable. It is an image that is real. It provokes the jealousy described in Romans. The jealousy inspires questions about your strength of character, triggering natural and amazingly comfortable opportunities to share your faith. Now, consider the genius of God’s family.

The GENIUS of God’s Family

The traditional family is one of the most awesome, breathtaking, and vitally important of all of God’s magnificent creations! God’s multidimensional portrait of the family is so eloquent and astonishingly beautiful that it makes Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa look like a cartoon character. The extraordinarily beautiful partnership between the husband and wife springs from the holistic and pervasive appreciation of God. Here’s why:

  • God’s portrait stabilizes and provides coherence to the family.
  • The stabilized family builds stability and coherence into the national culture.
  • A stable culture assures continuity of values across future generations.
  • God’s portrait facilitates growth of the God-ordained marriage partnership and family.
  • Married people are happier.
  • Married people are healthier.
  • Family is life’s boot camp for children, instilling virtues and guiding growth.
  • True family-centered families—as opposed to career-centered family arrangements reduce crime.
  • True family-centered families—as opposed to career-centered family arrangements reduce drug abuse.
  • A loving family experience facilitates interpersonal relationships outside the family, enhancing the richness of career, hobby, volunteer, and recreational experiences.
  • God’s portrait enables family members to practice humility, forgiveness, mercy, longsuffering, and a servant’s spirit in a loving, nonthreatening environment.
  • The positive character embedded in family members—parents and children—is carried to the outside community throughout life.
  • Family members learn to overcome pride by serving other family members
  • The family is an incubator for building God-ordained intellectual, emotional, and spiritual views and values (character development).
  • The family aligned with God’s portrait ultimately leaves the greatest of all possible legacies.
  • The family aligned with God’s portrait is the married couple’s gift back to God.
  • The family aligned with God’s portrait inspires frequent, comfortable, and nonthreatening opportunities for faith sharing.
  •  

Each family member is an ambassador of the family and family culture, which is a reflection of God’s presence or His absence. It is the parents’ responsibility to grow themselves from the character of natural sin-scarred man to the character of God, training their children to go with them. The parents must be what they want their children to become. If so, the children will also grow in the character of Christ and eventually pass on the godly legacy. Family is the 1) boot camp for life, 2) the training ground for building and developing character (parents and children), and 3) The God-created, God-ordained basic unit of civilization. Passing on godly character to children and as many other people as possible is life’s most important responsibility.

This life is a relay not a sprint. We accept the family and cultural baton from the last generation; guard it, protect it, and improve upon it; and then pass the baton on to the next generation. Godly growth and character are cultivated only by serving the needs of others (no shortcuts). “…the son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” [Matthew 20:28 & Mark 10:45 NIV]

The husband is responsible for material well-being and spiritual leadership, but the wife is responsible for emotional well-being and spiritual well-being as well as the distribution and use of the material gain. If a husband must work in a dirty corrupted world, his wife must make the home a spiritual shower.

 

The woman is the anchor (stability) and the heart (life of the home). Her responsibility is to make the home the most desirable place in the universe. The man’s job is to make hers easy by providing material resources, emotional support, and loving spiritual leadership. When the woman leaves the home for fulltime employment, the life goes out of the home like the air out of a balloon or a flat tire. The home that was once full of love becomes merely a house filled only with furniture, a place where family members only come home to sleep. To be the anchor and heart of the home, the woman must be part of a mutual ironclad, irrevocable, “’til death do us part” marriage. “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder” (non-optional). [Matthew 19:6; Mark 10:9 KJV] The kids want to come home, because Mom’s there; Dad wants to come home, because his family is there. Together, Dad and Mom are superheroes.

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 3)

In modern America, God’s grand and glorious institution, the family, is being ferociously attacked. The relentless and malicious attacks are aimed at the traditional family in general and YOUR family in particular. Enjoy and consider seriously Part 3 of this vital discussion.

Army soldier reading bible ,selective focus on book and hands

Part 1 identified the most aggressive and influential enemies of the traditional family and the primary targets of those groups. Part 2 profiled the stunning heavy artillery amassed by the anti-family groups and their sources of immense power, along with a challenge to protect YOUR FAMILY. Part 3 characterizes a power far greater than all the combined power arrayed against us. Finally, Part 4 provides the practical, detailed strategy to protect YOUR FAMILY.

God’s Power and Love are Far Stronger and Longer Lasting Than Any Other

Clearly, the greatest and most complete source of information about God is the Bible. Most conservative believers would readily agree that it is the inspired inerrant Word of God.

But what happened? Have we become spiritually numbed by the uniquely American luxury of having a shelf full of Bibles and a weekly dose of sugar-coated sermons? The rampant compromises among believers scream a resounding, “Yes!” Wow! Chew on that one for a while. Perhaps, for many, the notion that the Bible is the inspired Word of God is merely intellectual assent, rather than a soul-deep conviction.

A military analogy is helpful. Anyone who has ever been in the military knows that with rare exceptions, disobeying an order is unthinkable. Obedience is deeply embedded in the military culture, because in combat there is no time to appoint a committee to study the situation. The assumption is that the highest ranking onsite officer has the greatest training and experience and therefore has the greatest probability of making the most effective decision at the lowest casualty rate.

Similarly, we are soldiers in the spiritual battle between good and evil, facing the arsenal of big guns aimed at our families. Our orders are issued by the Commanding General of the Universe. His orders are always perfect and guarantee success. They are found in the Bible.

God’s orders are often expressed as commands. If the word command is not used, the orders are nearly always written in the active voice or as an imperative. The essence of a command is that it is 1) non-negotiable, 2) not optional, 3) do it now, and 4) no excuses. Of course, His love for us is so great that He gives us the awesome gift of free will that allows us to choose to be disobedient. Nevertheless, God’s Word is directive, because He knows that the natural penalty or consequence for disobedience is painful, often rippling through many others.

Obedience to God is always much more beneficial for us than disobedience. The gap between God’s wisdom and ours is so vast that obedience should be an inescapably obvious no-brainer. But it is a lesson we need to constantly relearn, because of the relentless interference of pride.

The Bible is not simply a guidebook. Suggestions or flexible guidelines are rare. Long ago at the beginning of my engineering career, my Dad offered an important piece of advice. He said, “The boss never makes a suggestion; it may sound like a suggestion, but it’s not a suggestion.” Dad was urging me to treat my boss’s apparent suggestions as an order or direct instruction. The advice has held up well throughout my career. If it is important to treat the suggestions of an earthly boss as an order, how much more important is it to treat any of God’s apparent Biblical suggestions or guidelines as an order or commandment?

God gave us the Bible to be revered. It is our most treasured and sacred possession. If the house is on fire and you are fleeing, you cannot carry very much, but at least grab the Bible. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” [2 Timothy 3: 16-17 KJV]

When you have soulfully restored the Bible to life’s highest priority and most treasured of all possessions, your family can survive relentless attack by the powerful and well-organized anti-family enemies. Here are the Judeo-Christian weapons.

  • God’s power
  • God’s infinite love
  • Prayer (God’s direct personal communications line)
  • Bible (God’s specific directions—not guidelines—for life)

The family must be viewed as Dad, Mom, and the children against the universe. Marriage is permanent; abortion is never an option; family and children are the highest priority in this life. No exceptions!

The wholeness and sanctity of marriage, family, and life at all stages must be unconquerable by government as God designed it and as the Founders codified it. Abraham Kuyper called it the sovereignty of the family. It is in constant tension with the sovereignty of the state. If believers are unwilling to defend God’s turf, the government will take it away. “…Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” [Mark 12:17 KJV] Every believer must deeply and irrevocably commit to never giving unto government that which is God’s.

Part 4 will conclude this series with a breathtaking strategy for successfully protecting YOUR FAMILY. It will be posted in several subparts.

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 2)

In modern America, God’s grand and glorious institution, the family, is being ferociously attacked. The relentless and malicious attacks are aimed at the traditional family in general and YOUR family in particular. Consider seriously, Part 2 of this vital discussion.

Group of different families together of all races

Part 1 identified the most aggressive and influential enemies of the traditional family and the primary targets of those groups. Part 2 profiles the stunning heavy artillery amassed by the anti-family groups and their sources of immense power, along with a challenge to protect YOUR FAMILY. Part 3 characterizes a power far greater than all the combined power arrayed against us. Finally, Part 4 provides the practical, detailed strategy to protect YOUR FAMILY.

Stunning Heavy Artillery Amassed by the Anti-Family Groups

Weapons are required to destroy the targets. The anti-family groups have assembled a formidable arsenal of powerful weapons aimed at YOUR family, including but not limited to.

  • Political correctness, a means to shut down all opposing viewpoints, by eliminating freedom of speech.
    • Unconditional abortion often paid for by the government
      • No-fault divorce
        • Social approval of cohabitation
          • Encourage single-parent “families.”
            • Social approval of out-of-wedlock births
              • Malignant welfare state establishing permanent dependence on government
                • Effectively ban religion from public discourse by abusive interpretation of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
                  • Legal recognition of same-sex “marriage”
                  • Theory of evolution
  • Child adoption by same-sex couples
    • Surrogate births for same-sex couples
      • Unlimited government regulations of every area of life
        • Easy student loans create dependence on government
          • Promote massive change using the judicial system to bypass the voters
            • Prioritize career over family, withdrawing women and love from the home
              • Legal recognition of transgendered individuals.
                • First promote “tolerance” of all manner of perverse behavior followed by legal recognition of “equality” of practitioners (establishes the moral equivalence of good and evil; lack of tolerance for sinful behavior is proclaimed “evil”)
                  • Government takeover of parental responsibilities
                  • Claimed racism
                  • Infanticide/euthanasia

Fearsome Power of the Anti-Family Groups

The attackers have available the formidable and intimidating power of the:

  • Highest level politicians
    • Full weight of the mainstream press
      • Highly publicized personal and moral failures of sports and entertainment celebrities
        • Emotional and spiritual power of most of the entertainment industry
          • Peer and cultural pressure of a rapidly collapsing American culture
            • Corrupt public school systems that have become intellectually incompetent as well as emotionally and spiritually toxic
              • Brute force of the Federal government facilitated by a runaway judiciary

YOU Must Protect YOUR Family from Cultural Devastation!

The Judeo-Christian family today faces a formidable array of big guns designed to weaken and destroy it. The family has already been directly substantially weakened by

  1. Dilution (cohabitation)
  2. Redefinition (any combination of people living together)
  3. Government intrusion into every aspect of family life
  4. Destruction of the sanctity of life
  5. Decimation of the sanctity of marriage
  6. Annihilation of the sovereignty of the family

The traditional family is virtually at war with the federal government. Many people would not choose a term as harsh as war. But the tension between the sovereignty of the family and the sovereignty of the state has undeniably escalated in recent decades.

The government breaches family sovereignty by:

  • Encouraging divorce, abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide
  • Removing children from their family
    • Tacitly for ever increasing amounts of “education”
    • Physically for an ever-widening list of alleged “abuses”
  • Dilution, diffusion, and redefinition (ever broadening definition of “family” to include a growing list of “alternative lifestyles”)
  • Increasing control over personal health, including life and death decisions
  • Promoting radical feminism and materialism, which undermine and scatter the family
  • Attacking traditional Biblical roles of family members
  • Facilitating a progressively increasing dependence on government
  • Replacing traditional family values with evolution-rooted post-modern views (no god; no absolute/objective truth; no single set of universal values)
  • Promoting multiculturalism while denying the value and importance of traditional Judeo-Christian culture and values
  • Adopting a suffocating array of ever increasing over-regulations

The collective effect of the big guns attaches plausibility to non-Biblical and immoral conditions and behaviors. The ever increasing number of “alternative lifestyles,” represented here as heavy artillery, elicit an unending series of compromises to the institution of marriage, the sanctity of life, and the sovereignty of the family. Aggregated compromises become cultural bunker busters.

Part 3 is a discussion of a power so great that it can easily overcome the formidable forces arrayed against us.

Big Guns are Aimed at YOUR FAMILY! Will It Survive? (Part 1)

In modern America, God’s grand and glorious institution, the family, is being ferociously attacked. The relentless and malicious attacks are aimed at the traditional family in general and YOUR family in particular.

Group of different families together of all races

Consider first the context of the modern American culture. Then wrestle with the grim and determined attacks by the unprecedented number of highly organized groups determined to destroy YOUR family. They have specific targets, a huge arsenal of devastating weapons, and massive power.

Part 1 identifies the most aggressive and influential enemies of the traditional family and the primary targets of those groups. Part 2 profiles the stunning heavy artillery amassed by the anti-family groups and their sources of immense power, along with a challenge to protect YOUR FAMILY. Part 3 characterizes a power far greater than all the combined power arrayed against us. Finally, Part 4 provides the practical, detailed strategy to protect YOUR FAMILY.

Powerful Anti-Family Enemies Aligned Against YOUR Family

  • Evolutionists
    • Radical feminists
      • Multiculturalists
        • Planned Parenthood
          • American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
            • Liberal/Progressives
              • LGBT Organizations
                • Muslims/Islamists
                  • Abortion activists
                  • Socialists/Marxists
                  • Animal rights activists

All of these groups are Humanist or antagonistic to the American family or both. They have made man his own god. They are determined to reshape America in the socialist, Humanist mold, a “fundamental transformation.”

Perhaps, like many, you have concluded that as a Judeo-Christian believer, “I don’t belong to any of these groups nor do I support them.” Therefore, they have nothing to do with me. Wrong! Wrong! Dead wrong! They have everything to do with YOU. They ALL share a publically declared goal to destroy YOUR FAMILY. They will mock your successes and cheer your failures. In the Internet Age of virtually no privacy and instant everything, you can no longer “fly under the radar” and be protected by a weekly trip to church or synagogue.

Collectively, the groups create a cultural climate that undermines and weakens the sanctity of life, the sanctity of marriage, and the sovereignty of the family. The statistically equivalent rates of abortion and divorce between conservative believers and atheists/agnostics unambiguously demonstrates that the body of believers has been severely and negatively compromised by the combined efforts of the anti-family groups.

Targets of the Anti-Family Groups Include YOUR Family

To fundamentally transform America, the anti-family groups must have specific targets and objectives. A few of them are:

  • Destroy the Biblical family INCLUDING YOURS
    • Ridicule patriotism (an outgrowth of Judeo-Christian tradition)
      • Substantially weaken the Unites States Constitution
        • Undermine the concept of a representative republic (democracy)
          • Abolish capitalism and the free enterprise system
            • Denigrate the Founding Fathers
              • Eliminate the sanctity marriage
                • Destroy the sanctity of life
                  • Annihilate the sovereignty of the family

The God-created, God-ordained, Biblical family is the only real source of long-term cultural stability. A culture is stable only to the extent that the people consider the needs of others before the needs of self. It is an unassailable Biblical principle that can only be passed on to posterity through soulfully committed traditional families. The family is the heart and strength of the “Great American Experiment.” No nation has ever survived the breakdown of the family.

The anti-family Humanist groups must destabilize, weaken, and eventually destroy the family to make the American culture receptive to massive change (fundamental transformation). The intent to deliberately destroy the institution of the family is well documented in their published writings.

Part 2 will identify the mind blowing weaponry and the sources of the massive power available to the anti-family groups. Do not be discouraged. Part 2 will also include a challenge to protect YOUR FAMILY. Subsequent parts will explain how.

Love is NOT what you think!

It is always amazing to see how miss-translation from one language into another causes all manner of miscommunication and misunderstanding. Consider the word “love” as applied to interpersonal relationships.

undying love

Authors have written a myriad of books and ministers have preached endless sermons claiming that four Greek words represent four different kinds of love. Why? Because that is what they have been taught and that is the conclusion drawn by the Bible translators.

Actually, some have said that as many as 6-7 Greek words should be translated as “love.” Nevertheless, four Greek words are more than enough to examine here. Of the four, only two actually appear in Scripture, but it helps to present the context of all four. Only one is actually love. Consider each separately; then examine the context:

  • Eros (not in Scripture)—an intense, hormone-driven attraction, sometimes called romance, ultimately manifested by sexual intimacy. Physical intimacy is God’s incredibly awesome gift to the couple who has already developed a soul-deep bond of love and committed that bond to a lifetime of protection within the covenant of marriage. It is intended to “seal the deal” and provide for cohesive families and a sustainable culture. However, it is NOT love.
  • Storge (not in Scripture)—a natural affection between and among family members. It is wonderful to experience such affection, but the feelings can peak and wane like a roller coaster, depending on short-term and long-term circumstances. However, it is NOT love.
  • Phileo (found in Scripture)—a brotherly affection for others. It is also wonderful to experience such affection, but the feelings and attachments can rise and fall like a roller coaster, depending on short-term and long-term circumstances. However, it is NOT love.
  • Agape (found in Scripture)—the very nature of God. Scripture unequivocally defines love. “God is love.” [1 John 4:16 KJV] God is the origin and originator of love. All love comes from God, whether or not He gets credit for it. It is the only real love. God’s love is the action of putting others before self. Love cannot exist without giving. “For God so loved…that He gave His…Son (the most valuable gift of all)…” [John 3:16 KJV]

Love characterizes all interpersonal relationships—God/man; man/woman; parent/child; boss/employee; teacher/student; or friend/friend. “…if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another…If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.” [1John 4:11, 12 KJV]

Love and the relationships that it binds can only exist to the extent that there is regular mutual giving. In the absence of giving, relationships will weaken and eventually break. The exception of course is marriage that may become lifeless in the absence of giving, but must not be broken.

Unfortunately, the various Greek words typically translated as “love” can be misleading and elicit compromise. For example, George emerges from where he just heard a brilliant sermon on the four different kinds of love. He muses to himself, “I can understand and relate to eros, phileo, and storge. But that unconditional agape? I just don’t know. After all Jesus said, “love your enemies.” [Matthew 5:44 KJV] I don’t know if I can do that. There was only One who could unconditionally love His enemies. Well, I guess I have a lifetime to grow into it.”

George walks away comfortable with three different kinds of attractions that are not love, conceding that the only real love is seemingly out of reach. He quickly returns to life as usual; nothing has changed.

Yet God is telling us in Scripture that unless any relationship is characterized by agape, manifested in unconditional giving, there is no love in the relationship. There is no love, because the three attractions are all self-serving to some extent. They are all tied to conditions. The end result is that George ceases to grow and mature or does so at a snail’s pace.

Growth and maturity are produced by agape love. There is no substitute. The affections masquerading as love tend to be fruitless over the long-term. Their self-serving nature becomes a barrier to the growth of real godly love.

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

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

Childish Workplace Behavior Elicited by “Offended” Culture

Mass murders or extreme violence are often reported in the national news. Such extremes mask the growing mass of coarse and uncivil behavior not considered newsworthy. But now, growing national immaturity has become an important story. Consider this from CBS News:

Office life: business team having a fight

“According to the poll (conducted by CareerBuilder) of over 2,500 hiring and human resources managers as well as more than 3,000 adult employees across a wide spectrum of industries and companies, “adolescent” behaviors such as whining, pouting and temper tantrums are an all-too-common occurrence in U.S. offices and other work spaces.

More than three-quarters of the employees polled said they’ve witnessed some type of childish behavior among their colleagues. More than half, 55 percent, said they’ve dealt with whining, and 46 percent have watched other employees openly pout over events that didn’t go their way.” http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-rise-of-childish-workplace-behavior/

For the last 50 years, a growing body of common law has unleashed the brute force of government to require people to do this… or not do that…, because somebody, somewhere “might” be offended.

Anyone who has ever been married knows that it is nearly impossible to get through more than a few days without offending your spouse—the one who is closer to you than anyone in the universe. If occasionally offending your spouse is inevitable, it is not possible to live life without occasionally offending people, whether it is intentional or inadvertent.

Most of the time, being offended is a mark of immaturity or childishness in this context. A mature person of good character will deliberately choose NOT to be offended, regardless of what others say or do.

I have often told groups of people that my joy comes from the Lord and nothing anyone says or does will deprive me of that joy. The comment can be very disarming and allows people to relax and enjoy a conversation free from anxiety.

Sadly, the American culture has, for decades, rewarded claims of being offended. If one or a group whines loud enough, they are often given what they want to shut them up or maintain an uneasy peace. Our culture has learned to reward weak character.

The government set the pace; business sheepishly followed. Anyone in business knows that you get more of whatever is rewarded. Childish behavior is often rewarded. The result is that it grows. Today, it is careening out of control.

The childish behavior and its rewards continue to grow because today many managers have grown up in the same dysfunctional culture as their usually younger employees. In addition, there has been a growing popularity of 360-degree evaluations in business, education, and government. The well-known concept provides a formal mechanism for employees to evaluate their peers, bosses, and subordinates. Consequently, the mangers become Neville Chamberlain peace-at-any-price supervisors, rewarding whiners to shut them up or risk a negative evaluation.

Is there a solution? Of course there is! As always, it is found in the Holy Scriptures. We cannot stop others from whining or complaining, but the Bible is very clear about how we should respond:

“The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just.” [Psalm 37:30 NIV] “Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” [Proverbs 4:6-7 NIV] “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech.” [1 Peter 3:10 NIV]

A mature manager or employee knows that, “Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.” [2 Peter 3:3 NIV] Proverbs 3:34 says that God “scoffs at the scoffers, yet He gives grace to the afflicted.” [ESV]

Scripture proclaims God’s ideal behavior, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” [Ephesians 4:29 ESV] Finally, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” [1 Thessalonians 5:18 ESV]

But citing Scripture verses is not sufficient. It is merely an intellectual exercise. The passages do not incite action until they are soul-deep. When they are instinctively and routinely acted upon, we call it maturity.

There is not instant road to maturity. In each person, it must begin during earliest childhood. Real biological parents who are not absentee parents and the clergy must together instill positive character, beginning with small children and continuing throughout their lifetime. The very survival of the American culture depends on it. The American culture depends on YOU.

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

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

Words Are More Powerful Than Nuclear Weapons!

The following summarizes an e-mail from a Liberty University history professor to Jason and David Benham (The Benhams have graciously provided a strong endorsement for my book.). It highlights the incredible power of words:

Words are powerful tools. They can be used to build up or tear down. To inspire or incite. To encourage or defeat. To cause trouble or create calm. To unite or divide. To liberate or enslave. Words can, and often are, used to divert, deflect, deceive, or hide the true motives of the one speaking. Words are powerful.

Side view portrait woman talking with alphabet letters coming out of her open mouth isolated grey wall background. Human face expressions, emotions. Communication, information, intelligence concept

For a people to come together, form a culture, and live in peace and safety, they must be able to communicate with each other. Language, which involves the use of words, is the tool that serves that purpose. And for communication to take place, words must have commonly understood and generally accepted meanings.

All manner of problems emerge when language breaks down. Let me give you an example. What do you hear me saying in this statement? “I am a perfect gay liberal man who can do nothing to stop abortion.” This would be a rather startling announcement from a conservative. But let’s take a look at what I just said.

Some of you may be thinking, “What is he, a homosexual left-wing guy who supports the deliberate killing of unborn babies?” If that is what you think I said, communication between us did not take place. Because I used those words according to their standard and historically accepted meanings; that is, the meaning those words conveyed prior to the time when radicals began deconstructing the English language.

Radicals among us have been busy tearing down our language for more than a hundred years. They disregard the generally accepted meaning of words and use words in ways that are contrary to their intended meanings. The end result of this subterfuge is to make language ultimately meaningless. Justice Antonin Scalia said in his dissenting opinion in the latest Obamacare ruling, that “words no longer have meaning.”

Let me tell you what I meant when I said I am “a perfect gay liberal man who could do nothing to stop abortion.” What I was attempting to communicate to you through the use of those words was this, “I am a mature, happy, liberty-minded man who is unable to prevent expectant mothers from suffering miscarriages.”

Hmm.

Let’s break those words down. “Perfect” means mature, “gay” means happy, “liberal” means the maximizing of liberty, and “abortion” means miscarriage. That was the clear and commonly accepted meaning of those words before radicals started using them for their own purposes.

Did you know that in the first trimester, approximately 20 percent of known pregnancies unfortunately end in miscarriage? However, the medical word for a miscarriage is “spontaneous abortion.” Yes, a miscarriage is called an abortion by the medical community. The deliberate killing of an unborn child is not an abortion. Abortion is the term used by medical professionals, whereas miscarriage is the word used by the general culture to describe the same thing.

The deliberate act of killing an unborn child is a feticide or an aborticide. Just like insecticide is the killing of insects, herbicide is the killing of weeds, homicide is the killing of individual people, and genocide is the killing of a political, or cultural group of people, infanticide is the killing of an infant. So the deliberate killing of a preborn child is a feticide or an aborticide. The English root “cide” comes from the Latin “cidium,” which means the act of killing.

Whenever a group of radicals seeks to mainstream a deviant, disturbing or evil practice, they must first desensitize the general public as to the gravity of their deviancy. To do so, they steal an upright word and by repetitious use superimpose that word on that which the general public finds abhorrent. Their objective is to attach some new meaning to the word in the minds of their hearers and thereby transfer that good feeling people previously associated that word to their diabolical practice.

You see, radicals of all stripes have no principles – they only have goals. Their goal is to destroy everything this country and culture stand for … and to rebuild anew on a man-made foundation. They will twist, distort and misuse language if it advances their agenda and moves them closer to their goal. It is the end that is all-important to them, not the means. Changing language, words and their meanings is a major weapon in their arsenal in doing so.

We must ever be mindful that whoever controls the use and meaning of words comes to control the cultural and political agenda, as well as the emotions of the masses. Right now, more than ever in history, emotions control the agenda far more than facts. So more bluntly stated, “he who defines the terms always wins the debate.”

If we want to be victorious and see liberty restored and preserved, we must retake command of the words we use and thereby reframe the argument. When we do so, we will win every debate.

I close with a quote from Sam Adams, that revolutionary firebrand, and defender of liberty in the late 18th century. He said, “How strangely will the tools of a tyrant pervert the plain meaning of words.”
http://www.wnd.com/2015/08/a-perfectly-gay-liberal-man-who-cant-stop-abortion/#qy8isQx4kE3dC2Rl.99

 

Past/Present Jews and Christians Saving Each Other from an Earthly Hell!

Recently, I posted a message about a 95-year old Jewish Holocaust survivor who is personally arranging to rescue over 2,000 Middle East Christians fleeing ISIS. The elderly British man was a child in Austria who was part of a group of children rescued by British Christians and transported to England just before the breakout of World War II. He is flying the Christians to other countries and providing a fund that will support them for 12 to 18 months.

 The grieving woman

Meanwhile, 28 Iraqi Christians arrived in the United States legally, carrying all the necessary paperwork. They voluntarily reported to the immigration authorities, because they wanted to follow all the proper procedures. They requested sanctuary as refugees fleeing terrorism. How were they treated by the United States government? They have been detained at the Otay Detention Facility in San Diego for 4-6 months. Despite the euphemism, does that sound a bit like incarceration? Most of them have family in the United States and jobs waiting for them. Despite their efforts to honorably follow the rules, it was reported today that at least a dozen of them will be deported back to Iraq. The disposition of the rest remains unknown.

 Along the same lines, there is an extraordinary docudrama on Netflix. This is a must see:

 If you have access to Netflix, watch Nicky’s Family and keep the tissue nearby. It’s a factual story about Nicholas Winton, a young Brit who, during the run up to WWII, engineered the evacuation of about 669 Jewish children (babies to teenagers) from Czechoslovakia to England. The risks were extraordinarily high; the obstacles were enormous. The parents, knowing that war was coming, anguished over sending their children away—perhaps forever—but were simultaneously eager to save them. Some of the evacuated children received letters from their parents for a time. At varying intervals, the letters stopped. Apparently, all the parents and other adult family members perished in the Holocaust. Although valiant efforts were exerted, there is no evidence of any reunions after the war.

 The act and anguish of the parents sending their children away is reminiscent of Moses’ mother placing the baby Moses in the basket along the Nile River. Surely his mother experienced the same indescribable anguish as the Czech parents. It’s difficult to imagine the extent of the anguish in both cases.

 When the War broke out, Nicky’s efforts to save the children were forcibly blocked by the Nazis. He said the only thing left for him to do was to defend his country. Nicky joined the British Royal Air Force. He never had any contact with the children he saved. The children never knew who it was that saved their lives. Until now! Fifty years after the war, Nicky’s wife found an old scrapbook in the attic that told the story. After repeated efforts to publicize the story, it was picked up by the BBC. Many of the now aging children along with their children and grandchildren were rounded up on at least two occasions to honor Nicky—50 years after the war and again 70 years after the war (Nicky’s 100th birthday party). It’s truly amazing how many of the children and grandchildren of the original 669 have been driven to lives of extraordinary service, inspired by the earthly savior of their parents or grandparents. The story continues even today.

NOW THAT’S GOD’S LOVE IN ACTION!      

The movie is an incredibly powerful and gripping docudrama. Don’t miss it!

Where is the body of believers today?

Where are the clergy?

Mothers are Awesome!

Young mother and daughter doing yoga exercise in fitness studio with big windows on background

“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.” [Shannon]

The Power of the Breast

The breasts of a woman illustrate that her power and her freedom are greater when she is satisfying the needs of her family than anywhere else. For a moment, set aside all the breast jokes you have ever heard and consider a much more profound discussion.

When she is pregnant, she is bonding with the baby for nine months. It is reasonable to recognize that “fetus” is a scientific term acceptable for use in a laboratory and for scientific research. But any woman who has ever been pregnant knows that she is carrying her baby. Her unique bonding with the baby continues during and following birth, as long as she is using her breasts to nurse the baby. The bond grows throughout the child’s growing years as she devotes special individual attention to the child’s needs.

The breasts have another vital function as part of reproductive or recreational intimacy with her husband, activities that contribute to the growing and sustaining the marriage bond. Of course the breasts of a woman are the outward physical representation of a much more holistic bond with the baby (intellectual, emotional, and spiritual) and a much more holistic bond with her husband (intellectual, emotional, and spiritual).

As the ultimate bonding connection between the woman and her child and between the woman and her husband, her breasts represent the indispensable totality and power of her role as the heart of the home. The powerful bond with her husband is her link with the present and the past; her powerful bond with the children is her link with the future. When she leaves the home for a career, she becomes the missing link. Love leaves the home like air out of a flat tire. Her involved presence is vital to the continuity and cohesiveness of the family and the sustainability of the culture.

Mothers are indispensable!

Mothers are Awesome!

Mothers are one of God’s greatest miracles!

I Will NOT Render Unto Caesar That Which is God’s!

The traditional family and institution of marriage are under relentless and ferocious attack. Together they are the bedrock of American culture. Yet most believers are unable to articulate, advocate, and defend them. Nor are they able to cast an informed vote.

Happy young family with three children celebrating the baptism

Scripture says, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. [Mark 13:17 KJV] Caesar (the government) can confiscate all of my material possessions as excessive taxes, but:

  • The institution of Marriage was created by God millennia before man’s creation of the American government. Marriage belongs to God, not Caesar! The government is NOT free to redefine marriage.
  • The institution of the Family was created by God millennia before man’s creation of the American government. The family belongs to God, not Caesar! The government is NOT free to redefine the family.
  • Life was created and given by God millennia before man’s creation of the American government. Life belongs to God not Caesar. The government is NOT free to redefine or exterminate life, except for capital punishment as prescribed by God.
  • Freedom was given by God millennia before man’s creation of the American government. Freedom is an incredible gift from God, not a piece meal grant from Caesar. The government is NOT free to restrict freedom beyond Biblical restrictions that come from God.

Believers should have no problem rendering unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s, However, believers must be willing to exert whatever effort is necessary to defend that which is God’s and prohibit takeover by the government. We owe that much to God, to our children, to our grandchildren, and to our great grandchildren.

Otherwise, the iniquity (sins) of the fathers will be visited, “upon the children unto the third and fourth generation” [Numbers 14:18 KJV] and “Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the LORD; and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.” [Psalm 109:14 KJV] Are YOU willing to allow your sins of neglect to be passed on to the next three or four generations?

“If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home and leave us in peace. We seek not your council, nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you; and may posterity forget that ye were our country men.” Samuel Adams

The body of believers has always impacted their surrounding culture to an extent far greater than their numbers. It is unlikely that conservative believers have ever been a majority in the United States. Yet, the culture was largely driven by Judeo-Christian tradition and values for nearly 200 years. Today, our light is dim and we have lost our saltiness. In recent decades, the body of believers has negatively impacted the American culture. It is way past time to turn that negative impact into a lasting positive impact. The Master expects it! We owe it!

Marriage, family, life, and freedom are all extraordinary gifts from God. He would reasonably expect believers to respect, value, treasure, protect and defend those gifts for now and posterity (future generations).

One day, He will ask each believer, “What did YOU do with my gifts?” Will we be excited about sharing our love and protection of His awesome, incomparable gifts? Or will we hang our heads in shame as we feebly attempt to explain that we were so addicted to material and other self-indulgent pursuits that we allowed His precious gifts to be taken from us without a whimper?

America’s founding documents, The Declaration of Independence and The Constitution of the United States, considered together, were written in their entirety to preserve and guarantee personal freedom in the broadest sense and religious freedom in a special sense. The founding package was and is unique in all of recorded history. It was designed to protect the people and their God-given gifts from a potentially runaway government. Reducing an understanding of the Founders intentions as expressed in those documents to a mere discussion of the First Amendment or even the Bill of Rights (the first ten amendments) is a monumental distortion of America’s governing principles.

Today, the founding documents are continually undermined by public ignorance, apathy, and indifference enabling a government that increasingly ignores the Constitution and its strict boundaries.

“There is no nation on earth powerful enough to accomplish our overthrow. Our destruction, should it come at all, will be from another quarter. From the inattention of the people to the concerns of their government, from their carelessness and negligence. I must confess that I do apprehend some danger. I fear that they may place too implicit a confidence in their public servants and fail properly to scrutinize their conduct; that in this way they may be made the dupes of designing men and become the instruments of their own undoing…Hold on, my friends, to the Constitution and to the Republic for which it stands. Miracles do not cluster, and what has happened once in 6000 years, may not happen again. Hold on to the Constitution, for if the American Constitution should fail, there will be anarchy throughout the world.” Daniel Webster

Are YOU willing to do whatever is necessary to restore and protect our God-endowed “unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness?” Or will YOU merely slip back into your materialistic, self-indulgent slumber after reading this statement?

Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment!

How many people do YOU know who are truly merciful?

Mercy

Once again many groups have responded with bewilderment and a struggle to identify such persons within their circle of relationships. Jesus modeled mercy toward an adulteress about to be stoned. “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” [John. 8:7 NIV] Even at the point of death, Jesus showed mercy toward a thief hanging from an adjacent cross by confirming that, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” [Luke 23:43 NIV]

During the Revolutionary War, the winter of 1777-1778 was particularly brutal. General George Washington and his army were quartered at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The General listened to a very unusual request for mercy. Michael Wittman, a spy, had been sentenced to hang for treason. The night before the scheduled execution, an elderly man, Peter Miller, was given permission to see the commanding officer. In exchange for many previous favors, Miller asked for only one:

I’ve come to ask you to pardon Michael Wittman.”

Washington was taken aback. “Impossible! Wittman has done all in his power to betray us, even offering to join the British and help destroy us.” He shook his head. “In these times we cannot be lenient with traitors; and for that reason I cannot pardon your friend.”

“Friend? [said Miller] He’s no friend of mine. He is my bitterest enemy. He has persecuted me for years. He has even beaten me and spit in my face, knowing full well that I would not strike back. Michael Wittman is no friend of mine!”

Washington was puzzled. “And you still wish me to pardon him?” “I do. I ask it of you as a great personal favor.” “Why?’ “I ask it because Jesus did as much for me.”

Washington turned away and walked into the next room. Soon he returned with a paper on which was written the pardon of Michael Wittman. “My dear friend,” he said to Peter, placing the paper in the old man’s hand. “I thank you for this.”

We often hear the phrase, “That’s not fair.” Did you know that fairness is not a Scriptural concept? Perhaps it is partially because fairness like beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. There is no commonly held standard or definition of fairness. Instead, two prominent elements of the character of God are judgment and mercy. Scripture tells us that in situations where judgment and mercy are in opposition, mercy wins. If mercy is such an important and powerful principle, why are many people missing out?

Are YOU truly merciful?

Are YOU more merciful than you were five or ten years ago?

If not, why are you not growing or maturing in such a vitally important godly character trait?

What do YOU think?

“Mercy triumphs over judgment!” [James 2:13/Proverbs 21:13 NIV]

Are YOU truly forgiving? Why not?

How many people do YOU know who are truly forgiving? When confronted, many groups responded as before with puzzled looks as individuals struggled to identify even one such person within his/her circle of relationships.

A man holds a white rock inscribed with a bible verse

In 2006, the Pennsylvania Amish, regarded by many as a bit strange because of their apparent “old fashioned” lifestyle, gave the world an extraordinary lesson in forgiveness. A gunman from a religious home invaded a small Amish schoolhouse shooting ten young girls. Five girls died from the wounds.

At the end of the rampage, the gunman committed suicide. His suicide left behind a widow and his two young children. Despite the horrendous nature of the tragedy, the leaders of the Amish church appeared at the gunman’s home within hours to comfort the gunman’s family and offer their help to the widow in any way she wished. Later the Amish people attended the gunman’s funeral; his widow was invited to attend the Amish funerals. The experience evoked numerous other stories of extraordinary forgiveness.

Many people, including those with a strong faith in God, were astonished at the quickness, generosity, and extent of the Amish people’s forgiveness of the gunman who committed such an unspeakable atrocity. Why did it happen?

Forgiveness is soulfully embedded in the Amish culture. After all, the model prayer, often called The Lord’s Prayer, says in part, “…Forgive us our debts (trespasses), as we also have forgiven our debtors (those who trespass against us)…” [Matthew 6:12 NIV] The passage immediately following the prayer indicates that, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” [Matthew 6:14-15 NIV]

It is the only part of the prayer that is immediately reinforced. It is as if the Lord is saying even if you miss everything else be sure to get the forgiveness thing right. If forgiveness is so important, are many of the rest of us in our Judeo-Christian culture missing something? Those seemingly strange Pennsylvania folks who insist on horse-and-buggy transportation and avoiding modern technology have given the rest of us a truly powerful lesson in forgiveness. What do YOU think? Does YOUR life match their forgiveness? Why not?

Humility is magnetic and godly. Are YOU?

The components of love are expressed as attitudes and specific acts of humility, forgiveness, mercy, long-suffering, and a servant’s spirit. Collectively, the growth of those influences in each person’s life moves him/her toward the perfection of godly character, i.e. maturity.

How many people do YOU know who are truly humble?

Hand holding an empty dish

Many groups have been asked that question. The response has typically been a wave of bewildered looks. Some say they do not know anyone who is truly humble. Others struggle to identify one such person or two at most. Clearly such people are rare in American culture—even in religious cultures. Yet Scripture loudly proclaims, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” [James 4:6 NIV/ also Proverbs 3:34 & Psalms 138:6]

The Supreme Commander in Chief is also our supreme role model. He entered this world in a very humble way through a stable manger. He left us in the humblest possible way through a torturous death on a cross and led a continuously humble life in between.

Mother Teresa was one of the best known modern role models of humility. In relative obscurity, she devoted many years to meeting the needs of the poorest of the poor in the slums of Calcutta, India before receiving worldwide recognition late in life. In part, that recognition included a Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.

The greatest politicians and statesmen, such as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln are known as much for their humility as for their magnificent accomplishments.

Researcher and author Jim Collins, lead a large team that collectively devoted about 15,000 hours to researching the difference between good companies and great companies. The difference they concluded was what they called Level 5 leadership—extreme humility coupled with an unyielding commitment to a vision.

Leaf through a rack of leadership books. Humility is rarely mentioned. Yet it is a vital part of the most effective leadership in any area of life.

How about YOU? Would others say that you are a humble person? Is it a characteristic that you strive to build into your life? Be careful! As soon as you claim humility verbally, you’ve lost it.

But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.” [Matthew 19:30 NIV]

Apostle Paul’s Disciples Condemn Abortion

Barnabas

“You shall not murder a child by abortion, nor kill them when born.” Barnabas, 100 A.D.

“Christians follow the customs of their native lands…they marry and have children, but they never have abortions.” Mathetes, 130 A.D.

Do YOU Really Think God Will Overlook the American Holocaust of Unborn Children?

Do YOU really think God will overlook the American Holocaust of unborn children? Consider the historical precedents.

American Civil War

On Saturday, March 4, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln delivered his Second Inaugural Address just a few weeks before his assassination. It’s the one with the famous line near the end, “With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right…” let us repair the physical, emotional, and spiritual damage of the Civil War. The brief, but profound speech is inscribed on the wall of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC.

The Civil War was by far the bloodiest of all American Wars. More blood was shed and lives lost during the Civil War than all other wars involving Americans put together. Why? Lincoln provided an answer in the lines preceding the famous one:

Both [sides] read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invoked His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God’s assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men’s faces, but let us judge not, that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered. That of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has His own purposes. “Woe unto the world because of offenses; for it must needs be that offenses come, but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh.” [Matthew 18:7 KJV]

If we shall suppose that American slavery is one of those offenses which, in the providence of God, must needs come, but which having continued through His appointed time, He now wills to remove, and that He gives to both North and South this terrible war as the woe due to those by whom the offense came, shall we discern therein any departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a living God always ascribe to Him? Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away.

Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman’s two hundred and fifty years of unrequired toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash (slavery) shall be paid by another drawn with the sword (war), as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said “the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.” (parentheses added)

Such is the “woe” (price) Americans apparently paid of the “offense” of slavery. Now, let’s fast forward to World War II.

Holocaust of World War II

We are accustomed to viewing World War II from the perspective of the Americans and Allied Forces. However, Anita Dittman provided another profound perspective in her just published book, Trapped in Hitler’s Hell: A Young Jewish Girl Discovers the Messiah’s faithfulness in the Midst of the Holocaust. Anita’s faith sustained her throughout the most horrifying times the human mind can possibly conjure. The book is her story.

Her comments near the end of the book highlight the enormous price Germany paid for the holocaust of the Jews:

Germany was a massive, burned-out crater by the end of the war. Three million of her soldiers died, and another million shivered in the prisons of Siberia (presumably dying there as well). More than half a million civilians perished in the air raids over Germany.

The Nazis did their best to exterminate the entire Jewish race. In so doing, the Germans lost nearly as many of their own citizens, in addition to massive material losses. “Woe unto the world because of offenses; for it must needs be that offenses come, but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh.” [Matthew 18:7 KJV] Although the Germans paid an astronomical price for their “woe,” there is yet another one in our time.

Holocaust of America’s Unborn Children

Беременность

Since the U.S. Supreme Court rendered the infamous 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion, there has been a holocaust of nearly 58,000,000 unborn children. “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones…it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” [Matthew 18:6 KJV] Each individual childbirth is widely proclaimed to be a miracle from God. Can we reasonably expect God to keep His word with respect to the woe of slavery and the woe of the Jewish holocaust, yet look the other way regarding the modern woe (holocaust) of His miracle unborn children?

In a recent South Korean TV drama, a young girl discovers she’s pregnant following a single intimate encounter. She tells the father she’ll go to the hospital and have it “taken care of.” Neither liked the idea of abortion, but in the tense moments of the conversation, it seemed to be the only way to deal with the situation. The next morning, the father awakens to a note indicating that the mother was on the way to the hospital. The father rushes into the doctor’s office during a preliminary ultrasound. The father is told that the rhythmic sound emerging from a speaker is the baby’s heartbeat.

After a few anxious moments, both mother and father sign the consent form and the father walks to a waiting room. As he sits down, an immediate expression of anguish spreads across his face. He’s soon sweating bullets. When the tension exceeds his coping ability, he charges down the hospital hall faster than a 100-yard dasher, bursting into the operating room, screaming, “Stop!”

Moments later, the father and still-pregnant mother leave the hospital relieved to have avoided the abortion. The chuckling doctor turns to the nurse saying, “The heartbeat gets’em every time. Nine out of ten of them can’t go through with it after hearing the baby’s heartbeat.” The heart begins beating a mere 18 days after conception. Of course, life begins with God’s miracle at the moment of conception.

It’s fascinating that the Korean doctor’s do everything possible to discourage abortion. In contrast, the doctors in the American money-machine abortion mills do everything possible to encourage abortion. However, it’s not a matter of encouraging or discouraging abortion. The woe of the modern American holocaust of unborn children must be banned altogether.

Anita Dittman further charged that:

Many pastors and churches sold out to the Nazis or else turned a deaf ear and a blind eye to the suffering of Europe’s incarcerated. Satan worked himself into the very heart of the church in Germany and caused many church people—pastors and layman alike—to rationalize and compromise with the Nazis. A hear-no-evil, see-no-evil mentality swept the country with regard to her treatment of the Jews and other “undesirables.”

Today, it appears that many pastors and laymen are similarly turning a deaf hear to the holocaust of abortions. A compromise with evolution-rooted humanism, pressured by the beguiling notion of so called political correctness, is a compromise with Satan. How many Germans suffered severely just because they looked the other way. Do you really think that Americans can get away with “looking the other way?” What do YOU think?

“Woe unto the world because of offenses; for it must needs be that offenses come, but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh.” [Matthew 18:7 KJV] “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones…it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” [Matthew 18:6 KJV]

The Family is Rock Solid!

The family is rock solid. Don’t miss out! The traditional family is one of the most awesome, breathtaking, and vitally important of all of God’s magnificent creations! Here’s why:

happy family in front of house outdoors

  • God’s plan stabilizes and provides coherence to the family.
  • The stabilized family builds stability and coherence into the national culture.
  • A stable culture assures continuity of values across future generations.
  • God’s plan facilitates the growth of the God-ordained marriage partnership and family.
  • Married people are happier.
  • Married people are healthier.
  • Family is life’s boot camp for children, instilling virtues and guiding growth.
  • True family-centered families—as opposed to career-centered family arrangements reduce crime.
  • True family-centered families—as opposed to career-centered family arrangements reduce drug abuse.
  • A loving family experience facilitates interpersonal relationships outside the family, enhancing the richness of career, hobby, volunteer, and recreational experiences.
  • God’s plan enables family members to practice humility, forgiveness, mercy, longsuffering, and a servant’s spirit in a loving, nonthreatening environment.
  • The positive character embedded in family members—parents and children—is carried to the outside community throughout life.
  • Family members learn to overcome pride by serving other family members
  • The family is an incubator for building God-ordained intellectual, emotional, and spiritual views and values (character development).
  • The family aligned with God’s plan ultimately leaves the greatest of all possible legacies.
  • The family aligned with God’s plan is the married couple’s gift back to God.
  • The family aligned with God’s plan inspires frequent, comfortable, and nonthreatening opportunities for faith sharing.

The driving passion for the family visualized in God’s plan is the aggregate of:

  1. Gratitude for the Lord’s personally expressed infinite love.
  2. Desire to express that gratitude by serving Him and others as a way of life.
  3. Desire to be a conduit of His love to succeeding generations by embedding His love and character in the next generation’s children.

Anything that erodes family culture absolutely and irretrievably undermines national culture, at first weakening it and ultimately annihilating it. No culture has ever survived the breakdown of the family. Ours won’t either. It’s up to YOU to save America and the family. What do you think?