Tag: Marriage

Do You Think Joy and Happiness Are the Same? Wrong!

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

joy-of-the-lord

For unbelievers, there may be a certain interchangeableness of joy and happiness. Indeed, there are even some passages in the Bible that use the words for joy and happiness somewhat interchangeably. The overarching point here is that the pure joy that continuously comes from the Lord is vastly different than the occasional happiness that comes from man.

For believers, joy in the Lord is the persistent, upbeat, sense of peace and delight that arises, because the Lord first loves us and we in turn love Him as best we can. Joy arises from the continuous operation of God’s love, grace, forgiveness, mercy, and longsuffering in our lives. The joy of the Lord is permanent, dependable, reliable, and therefore an anchor of the believer’s life.

Some—especially prosperity TV preachers—claim that God wants everyone to be happy all the time. Really? Then why does God say that suffering is the most powerful tool for building strong godly character? Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds…” [James 1:2 ESV]

Clearly, God wants us to experience the inner joy that comes only from Him. That joy persists despite suffering and attracts others to a saving faith in Jesus. Suffering itself is not fun; it is often painful physically, emotionally, spiritually or all three. Suffering and happiness cannot coexist; for believers, suffering and the joy of the Lord MUST exist simultaneously. It is the most powerful route to building strong character and becoming an effective witness for God.

Happiness is a temporary response to the words and actions of others who will always let us down. In short, all-embracing joy comes from God, but fleeting happiness depends upon others. Consider the comparison of joy and happiness in the table.

joy-v-happiness

Happiness cycles frequently according to the ebb and flow, of outward circumstances. Happiness depends on others who are fickle and will always let us down.

The joy of the Lord should be rock solid. “…the joy of the LORD is your strength.” [Nehemiah 8:10 NIV] Nevertheless, since all people are flawed and sinful, there may be an occasional lapse of joy, but in a believer, it should be very rare.

Most believers are familiar with at least one stage 4 cancer victim who seemed to radiate the love of the Lord in the days just before death. Stage 4 cancer is no fun and can at times be very painful. Happiness becomes very scarce. When pain arrives, happiness often leaves. But true inner joy—the kind that only comes from God—can shine through despite the pain. It is the joy that shines through the pain that often draws people to Jesus.

The pervasive, immediate and eternal benefits of seeking God’s incomparable joy so far surpass man’s fickle, short-term happiness, that the choice of which to pursue is inescapably clear. Yet, we seem to devote most of our waking hours chasing man’s flawed and undependable happiness, often missing God’s sustained, perfect joy simply due to lack of time.

The joy of the Lord should and must be a permanent characteristic of every believer. It is simply a matter of getting pride out of the way and allowing God’s light and love to shine through. God’s light and love will attract others to Jesus, even, or perhaps especially, when outward happiness is at a record low.

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

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

What Does Trump’s Victory Mean for Believers?

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn Abortion, American Culture, American Exceptionalism, Baby Boomers, Church, Education, Freedom, God's Love, Government, Judeo-Christian Culture, Marriage, VoteLeave a comment

trump-time-mag

God has given believers a reprieve! We have four years to stand up, stand out, and speak out as fearless ambassadors of Christ.

Donald Trump has won the Presidency of the United States with a landslide electoral majority (Trump 290 v Clinton 232, Michigan count incomplete, but leaning Trump—16 electoral votes). It is a victory of:

  • nationalism over globalism,
  • democracy over socialism, and
  • faith in God over Humanism.

We have escaped the shackles of political correctness and the captivity of the liberal/progressive/socialist/Humanist/Marxist/globalist movement.

Collectively, the American people have said, “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore.” Network [movie, 1976] When Trump makes decisions or takes actions aligned with Scripture, we will stand up and cheer. When he makes decisions or takes actions inconsistent with God’s Word, we may stand up and boo—in love of course.

At times, the Israelites of old, “did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord.” At other times, they did that which was right in their own eyes. Later on, the Israelite kings did the same. When those in Judah persistently, “did what was right in their own eyes,” they were carried into captivity in Babylon. When those in Israel did the same, they were carried into captivity in Assyria.

For nearly, 200 years, Americans tried hard to “do what was right in the eyes of the Lord.” For the last 40 years, the Baby Boomers have wandered in a spiritual wilderness, “doing what was right in their own eyes.” The consequences have been tragic and catastrophic. We have increasingly, been carried into the runaway government captivity aggressively created by the elites of the liberal/progressive/socialist/Humanist/Marxist/globalist movement.

God has given believers a reprieve! We have four years to stand up, stand out, and speak out as fearless ambassadors of Christ.

What America looks like in four years will depend far more on the collective actions of believers than on the actions of President-elect Trump. It may be our last chance to restore America, our families, and stabilize the American culture for our children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and beyond.
Trump’s victory has given the body of Judeo-Christian believers a four-year reprieve and an opportunity to once again, “do what is right in the eyes of the Lord,” to restore America. The alternative is unthinkable.

The Unthinkable

A Hillary Clinton victory would have carried us further into the ever tightening captivity of a malignant government that would continue to destroy the Constitution, the family, the free enterprise system, and catalyze a rapidly growing cultural exposure to  incursions of Sharia law.

A Clinton victory would have confirmed that a majority of Americans no longer understand the difference between right and wrong and no longer sense a conviction about the difference between good and evil. Why? Because one of the main tenets of the Humanist movement Hillary leads is that there is no such thing as objective truth and therefore no universal set of values, applicable at all times.

The Humanist movement, all of its aligned political groups, and Hillary are relentlessly, and vigorously running away from God as fast as possible. Since Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life…,” [John 14:6 NIV] they can only run from God by running from truth.

The ramifications of running from truth are incalculably immense. If there is no objective truth, there cannot be a lie because, by definition a lie is a deviation from truth. If there is no truth, there can be no values such as honesty and integrity, because those values must be built on a virtuous foundation of truth.

Without truth, there is no contrast between good and evil, because everything is seen as good (ultimate tolerance) and evil does not exist. The existence of evil is simply denied.

Humanism and its progeny lead to destruction of the family and destruction of the American culture. The Humanist movement encourages the resulting chaos, because chaos becomes the excuse for government to demand ever more socialistic power, growing continuously until the government self-destructs under its own weight. The pattern has been repeated endlessly throughout history.

The Unprecedented Opportunity

Instead, the election of Donald Trump to President of the United States stops or at least temporarily interrupts the downward spiral pursued by the liberal/progressive/socialist/Humanist/Marxist/globalist movement. The resulting opportunity for believers is a gift. It is unprecedented in our lifetime.

God has given believers a reprieve! We have four years to stand up, stand out, and speak out as fearless ambassadors of Christ.

NOW is the time for Judeo-Christian believers to wake-up, coalesce, and take action. Jesus declared, “You are the salt of the earth…” [Matthew 5:13 NIV] Think about it! No one else anywhere in the world can be the salt of the earth. Only believers are qualified and empowered for that role. If we fail, there is no one else. If we fail, we will have failed our families, our countrymen and the Lord.

Jesus immediately raised the stakes in the next verse, declaring, “You are the light of the world…” [Matthew 5:14 NIV] Once again, no one else anywhere on earth can be the light of the world. Only believers are qualified and empowered for that role. If we fail, there is no one else. If we fail, we will have failed our families, our countrymen and the Lord. We absolutely must not allow our light to dim and must not hide it under a basket, i.e. in our homes and places of worship.

If believers reading this are not yet feeling the heat, the Apostle Paul forcefully trumpets, “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.” [2 Corinthians 5:20 NIV] Does any of us have the brass to be a barrier to God’s appeal through us?

As believers, we ARE ambassadors for Christ 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We cannot choose not to be an ambassador. The only choice available to us is whether to be a positive ambassador, drawing others toward us and toward Jesus, or a negative ambassador, driving others away from us and away from Jesus.

As soon as people discover that you and I are believers, we live in a spiritually glass house. There is no shortage of people ready to proclaim us to be hypocrites or narrow minded, judgmental dupes or worse. We must not give them the excuse to do so.

Each of us is an ambassador, with every breath we take and every moment we live. Whenever we utter an unkind word, exhibit a facial expression that is less than loving, or do something that is even questionable, we are being a negative ambassador, driving people away from us and away from the Lord. Sharing our faith becomes virtually impossible.

Instead, if we set aside our pride, allow God’s love to shine through us and allow His unhindered appeal to reach all those around us, they will be drawn toward us and toward the Lord. As the visible vehicle of God’s love, our conversation will be uplifting, our facial expression will be warmly inviting, and our behavior will be beyond reproach. We will be viewed as a positive ambassador as the Lord and Paul intended. Sharing our faith becomes natural and comfortable.
We can pray, “Come quickly Lord Jesus.” [Rev. 22:20]. But in the meantime, we must accept the responsibilities He has imposed on us. For a moment, consider the testimony of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

“Now, Dr. Lowry said something about my having certain convictions as to a God in Heaven and an Almighty power. Well, I don’t think anyone needs a great deal of credit for believing in what seems to me to be obvious…This relationship between a spiritual faith…and our form of government is…so obvious that we should really not need to identify a man as unusual because he recognizes it. Our whole theory of government finally expressed in our Declaration…said…Man is endowed by his Creator…When you come back to it, there is just one thing…man is worthwhile because he was born in the image of his God…Democracy is nothing in the world but a spiritual conviction…that each of us is enormously valuable, because of a certain standing before our own God. Any group that…awakens all of     us to these simple things…is, in my mind, a dedicated, patriotic group that can well take the Bible in one hand and the flag in the other, and march ahead.” [Emphasis added.]

President Dwight D. Eisenhower,

November 9, 1954

We must be the salt of the earth, the light of the world, and strong positive ambassadors for Christ. We have no other choice. This may be our last chance before America drops into an abyss of her own making.

God has given believers a reprieve! Let’s not blow it. America and future generations of our families are depending on YOU and me.

Congratulations President-elect Trump! For you and the nation, we will:

Pray! Pray! Pray!

and

Act! Act! Act!

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

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

Vote for God!

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn Abortion, American Culture, American Exceptionalism, Baby Boomers, Church, Education, Family, Father, Freedom, God's Love, Government, Homemaker, Judeo-Christian Culture, Love, Marriage, Mother, Vote19 Comments

Open Bible on American Flag

Is it really possible to vote for God? Absolutely! Here’s why. Here’s how.

The American people have enjoyed the greatest freedom for living and self-determination since the Garden of Eden. The only other culture coming close was the ancient Israelites, during the time of the judges (before the kings), a period of about 400 years.

Movie director Cecile B. DeMille personally introduced his epic, The Ten Commandments, the story of the mass exodus of hundreds of thousands of Hebrew slaves (later known as Israelites) from Egypt. DeMille billed the story as “the birth of freedom.” Thousands of years later, the Founders of the newly born United States of America tasked a small committee, including John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson with designing the Great Seal of the United States.

The Founders used the model of the ancient Israelites for many of the features of the new American government. The Great Seal committee was so inspired by the ancients that an early draft of the Great Seal proposed an embossed sketch of the Hebrews leaving Egypt. The draft was later set aside as excessively complex. However, its existence as part of the preplan underscores the affection the Founders had for the ancient culture and the inspiration they derived from it.

The Founders recognized that freedom and certain rights are gifts from God, not grants from government. Representative freedoms and rights were enshrined in the American Declaration of Independence and codified in the United States Constitution.

The role of future politicians was to protect those freedoms and rights from encroachment by the newly formed Federal government. The Constitution provided powerful protection by confining the Federal government within a very tight box. The Constitution itself could be amended only by a brilliantly well-chosen and deliberately burdensome amendment process.

The writers of the Constitution bound the federal government with very tight restrictions, because they understood that man’s sin nature produced a relentless concentration of power in virtually every culture throughout all time periods of recorded history. Secular philosophers call the same phenomenon “egoism.”

The Constitution was designed to be an anchor for the American government and the American culture. Nearly a century later, the emerging liberal/progressive Humanist movement proclaimed that the Constitution must be a “living” document that can change with the times. From that time on, the liberal big government view challenged the long-standing conservative small government view. The need to restrict the passions of men using a Constitutional lock box is the basis for today’s conservative view supporting small government.

Since the original Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were based, insofar as possible, on Biblical standards and a Biblical worldview, changes to the Constitution inexorably move the American culture away from the original Biblical worldview.

Voting for God is simply voting for candidates up and down the ballot who will do the most to protect those freedoms and rights that are gifts from God, not grants from government. For believers, sitting at home, on election day, is NOT an option; it is a failure to do what is necessary to protect God’s gifts. Voting for a third party candidate is NOT an option; it is a wasted vote and a failure to do what is necessary to protect God’s gifts.

After election day, November 8, 2016, the President of the United States will be either Donald Trump (nationalist) or Hillary Clinton (globalist). As voters, it is important to ignore the trash in the media to focus on the beliefs and actions the candidates are likely to pursue if elected.

As a nationalist, most of Donald Trump’s beliefs are aligned with the Biblical worldview. He is flawed like all candidates, but his actions as president will clearly do the most to protect God’s wonderful, incomparable gifts. Trump will do the most to protect the sanctity of life, the sanctity of marriage, and the cohesiveness of the family.

As a globalist, Hillary Clinton’s liberal/progressive views and actions as president would be diametrically opposed to Trump’s. Hillary is determined to achieve unlimited abortion at taxpayer expense, greatly expand Planned Parenthood funding, destroy marriage as an important cultural concept, and virtually eliminate American sovereignty by eliminating borders and giving away sovereignty by camouflaging the giveaways in so called free trade agreements.

Finally, the judges appointed by the next president will serve lifetime appointments long after the president leaves office. Trump is committed to appointing conservative Constitutionalist judges, some from a list he has already publicized. Hillary is committed to appointing judges who will arbitrarily exceed Constitutional authority by “legislating from the bench.”

Will America survive or die? It is up to YOU! Vote for God! But first, pray and consider several quotes from those who loved America from the depths of their souls.

 

“Religion in America…must be regarded as the foremost of the political institutions of that country; for if it does not impart a taste for freedom, it facilitates the use of it…

Alexis de Tocqueville

“You…are placed by Providence in the post of honor, because it is the post of danger…The eyes not only of North America and the whole British Empire, but of all Europe, are upon you. Let us be, therefore altogether solicitous that no disorderly behavior, nothing unbecoming our character as American, as citizens and Christians, be justly chargeable to us.

Resistance to tyranny becomes the Christian and social duty of each individual…Continue steadfast, and with a proper sense of your dependence on God, nobly defend those rights which heaven gave, and no man ought to take from us.”

Provincial Congress of Massachusetts, 1774

Boston Patriot Josiah Quincy proclaimed, “Under God, we are determined that wheresoever, whensoever, or howsoever we shall be called to make our exit, we will die free men.”

Vote! Vote! Vote! Vote at every opportunity including seemingly minor local offices. Vote thoughtfully after careful consideration of the record of each candidate and his/her specifically clarified views. Do not fail to vote; do not vote frivolously.

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

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

Awesome Puritans Get a Bum Rap!

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

An engraved illustration of the Pilgrim Fathers leaving England, from a Victorian book dated 1886 that is no longer in copyrigh

In modern times, the earliest American settlers have been wrongly whitewashed as a dour, always somber-faced people who led unpleasant legalistic lives constrained by an overly oppressive and complex matrix of strict rules they believed had Biblical origin. Ugh! Who would want to live that way?

However, to understand a historical people, it is always far better to read what they said and wrote themselves, rather than rely on third party historians who are often biased. The process is called using primary source material.

The Puritans left or handed down an abundance of personal diaries attesting to their colorful clothing (They may have worn black and whites on Sunday morning.), vibrant sense of humor, and enthusiasm for throwing a good party. Their personal testimonies are at stark odds with the modern stereotype.

Nevertheless, there is an overarching principle that drove the everyday lives of the Puritans, a principle that we desperately need to learn today. They made no distinction between the sacred and the secular. To the Puritans, all of life is sacred. Their view is refreshing, incredibly simple, elegant, and powerful.

But how did they derive such a view? The Puritans regarded every moment and every breath we take as a gift from our awesome, loving, God. What we do with every moment and every breath we take is our gift back to God. It our expression of gratitude, guided by His love for us.

The holistic Puritan view and example does not mean that we should live each day with a persimmon-mouth appearance, driven by an overly churchy attitude, while living the monastic life of a medieval monk.

It does mean that an overarching purpose of our life is to love and meet the needs of others. It also means that, whether we are with our family, at work, or enjoying recreational pursuits, we are continually sensitive to God’s desire for our life and well-being. After all, since He created us, He knows what is best for us and that deviations from God’s best always carry a price, sometimes a painfully heavy price. What is best for us? His Word, the Bible says it best!

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

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

Diversity Madness and Matrimony

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn Abortion, American Culture, Baby Boomers, Church, Education, Father, Freedom, God's Love, Government, Homemaker, Judeo-Christian Culture, Marriage, Mother, Same Sex Marriage, Wedding Vows4 Comments

Marriage License Closeup

Diversity! Diversity! Diversity! It’s everywhere; it’s proclaimed incessantly by the media; it’s embedded in many textbooks and taught as axiomatic throughout the educational system; it’s treated with Humanistic reverence by politicians. Diversity is the buzzword and allegedly one of the most important cultural goals of our time.

In truth, it is a powerful liberal/progressive/Humanistic weapon designed to convert America’s beautiful Judeo-Christian culture into a chaotic scrambled eggs-like mass of languages and customs that can be easily controlled by the globalist elite. Break the American culture by breaking the whole into an infinite number of parts that are easily scrambled and easily subdued.

Celebrate the differences, they said. Yet, there is one glaring exception to the insane diversity craze.

For decades, the same groups championing diversity without substance have loudly proclaimed that there is no difference between a man and woman except for a few pieces of external plumbing. Men and woman were regarded as interchangeable. A single parent was all that was necessary for a “family.” The God of the Bible was replaced by the god of government.

The attacks on the traditional American family have been brutal and relentless. The attacks are an essential part of the liberal/progressive/Humanist strategy of breaking the culture to facilitate a fundamental transformation from a democracy to a socialist state. The results have been so disastrous that they have become conspicuously clear to most people.

Celebrate the sameness, they said. But, the simple and relentless proclamation of no difference between a man and a woman is no longer sufficient. The differences are far too obvious. Then came Plan B. Instead of simply proclaiming sameness, they sought to smear the obvious differences.

The liberal/progressive/Humanist movement has increasingly smeared the two sexes into an imagined spectrum of maleness, femaleness, and gender identity. The movement has latched onto LGBTQ causes as the Plan B weapon. Regardless of obvious physical, emotional, and spiritual attributes, a man may self “identify” as a woman or a woman may self “identify” as a man.

God, it seems, can be overruled by a single selfish, self-serving statement of feelings. Humanist surgeons are all too happy to rearrange the external plumbing to accommodate perceived sexual “feelings.”

Further confusion is facilitated by emerging concepts such as gender and species-fluidity. Someone may identify as a man today, a woman tomorrow, a four-year old child the third day, and cocker spaniel on the fourth day. Watch out for the self-identified rabbits! That should slow down the body-mutilating surgeons a bit. Consider just two absurd examples.

Canadian Lauren Southern is clearly all woman. As an underground reporter, she exposes how easy it is to convince a doctor to certify that she’s a man. Using the doctor’s letter, she visits a government agency and obtains a government ID card legally declaring that she’s a man. Finally, Lauren exposes the disastrous cultural repercussions of such idiocy. Refer to “Lauren Southern Becomes a Man”  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGpZSefYvwM Know in advance that there is a little bit of course language in the opening seconds of the video.

Lauren quickly observes that this diversity madness forces society to give up its sense of honesty, objectivity, and respect for facts. Reality is replaced by a “toxic hedonism” that celebrates feelings over objective honesty.

The second illustration is provide by the Family Policy Institute of Washington (FPIW) who visited Seattle University. In a series of interviews, the university students were genuinely unable to explain one of the most obvious facts of human existence, the difference between male and female. Statistically, at least a few of them must have been Judeo-Christian believers. Refer to “College Kids Say the Darndest Things on Gender,” https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=robo&p=YouTube+University+of+Seattle+male+v+female+interviews#id=1&vid=0b8857b4d833e74925f211394d5fed8a&action=click

Tragically, many Judeo-Christian believers have bought in to this insanity.

Folks, we’re in deep tapioca!

The problems incited by all the cultural lunacy are numerous, huge, and devastating. For now, consider just one. Each of us carries between 50 trillion and 100 trillion cells in our body. Each cell contains a nucleus, within which resides a strand of DNA that loudly and unambiguously proclaims the YOU are either a man or a woman. Nearly 100 trillion witnesses “take the stand” certifying that you are either a man or a woman. That binary distinction is clear, unarguable, and permanent. Feelings or identity does not change this simple conspicuously obvious biological fact.

It is astonishing how easily the public, including, believers, accepts the sheer idiocy of no difference or alternatively an unbroken spectrum of sexual “identities.”

The distinction between a man and a woman, is a creation of God and emerges from His limitless wisdom. In His infinite genius, God, “…created them male and female and blessed them.” [Genesis 5:2 NIV] “Jesus answered, Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’” [Matthew 19:4 NAS] “However, from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’” [Mark 10:6 NAS]

Celebrate the differences, God said.

If God made YOU a man that is awesome; if He made YOU a woman that is incredible. Be excited, thankful, and humbled by the God that created YOU as one sex or the other. Either way, you have an important and powerful role in the family of God and in your own home family. Celebrate the differences between a man and a woman, as God created them.

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

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

The next blog will explore the magnificent differences between a man and a woman.

Wedding Vows? Anchor or Valentine?

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn Abortion, American Culture, Baby Boomers, Church, Education, Family, Father, God's Love, Homemaker, Judeo-Christian Culture, Love, Marriage, Mother, Wedding VowsLeave a comment

At a time when our national culture is rapidly declining and serial-marriage seems to be becoming a tragic new norm or marriage is avoided altogether, this may be one of the most urgent and important messages I’ve written. The vital question is simple. Are the traditional wedding vows the immutable anchor expressing the Biblical worldview or have they devolved into the equivalent of a valentine?

No civilization has ever survived the breakdown of the family. Cohesive families are the bedrock foundation of all sustainable cultures. Sustainable families cannot exist unless anchored by a strong marriage that begins with a powerful, binding, and highly respected wedding. “Let marriage be held in honor among all…” [Hebrews 13:4 ESV]

A Godly wedding is an extraordinarily beautiful picture of the ultimate wedding between the perfect bridegroom, Jesus, with His bride, the body of believers. [Revelation 19:7-10; Ephesians 5:22,23; 2 Corinthians 11:2 KJV] The genius of God’s heavenly reunion is pictured by the earthly union. A marriage between a man and a woman honors God, when they enthusiastically live according to the sacred vows and tenaciously adhere to the exclusive and binding relationship to which they voluntarily committed. The preliminary process is familiar.

Following an initial meeting, a man and a woman form a physical/intellectual bond (mutual respect and appreciation, building to admiration), an emotional bond (What a hunk or chick! That hug feels rrrreally good!), and ultimately a spiritual bond (sense of peace knowing that the other is a mature and actively growing believer). At a later time, when they have grown sufficiently together, he proposes and she agrees to marry.

CAUTION: After months of preparation, many couples are so anxious and exhausted on their all-important wedding day that the vows seem to go by in a blur of sensory experiences. The vitality of the moment is often lost. Later, the married couple may attend other weddings as a guest, but may pay to little heed to the vows. After all, they’ve “been there; done that” and they are looking forward to the reception. Occasional mentions of wedding vow fragments on television shows or in the movies cannot possibly fill the gap of insufficient understanding.

In contrast, consider the genius, incomparable elegance, conspicuous power, and profound security of the traditional wedding ceremony illustrated in the graphic.

wedding-vows-3

It begins with a solemn promise that is total, sacred, and voluntary. As a commitment “before God,” confirmed by “these witnesses,” the promise declares that the entire ceremony is an act of worship.

The vows themselves are comprehensive. Each requires valuing the other before self:

  • Love—unconditional, holding spouse in higher esteem than self
  • Comfort—console and reassure at all times
  • Cherish—guard with care and affection; hold dear
  • Honor—show high regard, appreciation and respect
  • Keep—remain absolutely faithful, no exceptions

The scope is unlimited; it has no boundaries and the relationship is absolutely exclusive. They mutually pledge that nothing will ever inhibit or damage their marriage, regardless of life conditions (better/worse; richer/poorer; sickness/health).

The marriage is rock solid regardless of standard-of-living (aggregate value of accumulated stuff) or quality-of-life (personal health and richness of network of interpersonal relationships, beginning with the family and working outward. No outsider will ever be permitted to breach its bulwark.

The commitment is ultimate and ironclad, “…as long as you both shall live!”

The wholeness of bond is characterized by firmly binding together, “…my life, my heart, and all my worldly goods.” They have unalterably bound themselves together, physically/intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually.

Finally, the seal becomes irrevocable, when they call for their marriage to be sealed by the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. The earthly representation of that seal is the married couple’s first encounter with God’s incredible gift of physical intimacy, often referred to as consummating the marriage. Physical intimacy is the capstone of God’s process of bringing two people together in the unique, exclusive relationship called marriage.

Tragically, in modern America, far too many couples succumb to temptation, experiencing physical intimacy before marriage. When they do so, the experience is so powerful and binding that it effectively “scrambles the brain,” interfering with the intellectual, emotional, and spiritual bonding process, which is a vitally important prelude to the marriage decision. It becomes exceedingly difficult to determine whether or not a sex partner is the best candidate for a lifelong, exclusive marriage.

Now—What do YOU think? Are the wedding vows an immutable anchor or merely a valentine?

God’s way is always the best way. Your happiness depends on it; your future depends on it; your spouse depends on it. Your family depends on it. America depends on it.

There is nothing in any other social relations in any way parallel to the mutual attraction of the sexes. By missing this simple point, the modern world has fallen into a hundred follies…There is no dispute about the purpose of Nature in creating such an attraction. It would be more intelligent to call it the purpose of God; for Nature can have no purpose unless God is behind it.

G. K. Chesterton

The happy State of Matrimony is, undoubtedly, the surest and most lasting Foundation of Comfort and Love; the Source of all that endearing Tenderness and Affection which arises from Relation and Affinity; the grand Point of Property; the Cause of all good Order in the World, and what alone preserves it from the utmost Confusion; and, to sum up all, the Appointment of infinite Wisdom for these great and good Purposes [sic].

Benjamin Franklin

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

What does it take to wake-up the clergy?

 

Fall of Roman Empire Mirrors America Today!

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, American Exceptionalism, Baby Boomers, Church, Family, Freedom, Government, Judeo-Christian Culture, Marriage2 Comments

Colosseum in Rome

When many of us were in school, we were taught that the Roman Empire fell, because it was overrun by barbarians from the north. Partly right, but only partly. Consider the constellation of conditions that existed at the time. Compare them with America today. The resemblance is inescapable and alarming:

  • Rome was overrun by illegal immigrants, initially assimilating, but later failing to learn the Roman language (Latin). Sound familiar today?
  • Roman military was widely dispersed throughout the known world and greatly strained. America today?
  • Rome had a trade deficit rooted in outsourcing grain production to North Africa. Rome was unable to protect the area from capture. Contrary to today’s media reports, corporate outsourcing is more a result of government actions than so called corporate “greed.”
  • Attila the Hun committed terrorist attacks. Today’s Global Terrorism Database provides information on 150,000 terrorist attacks
  • Roman welfare gave free bread to citizens. Juvenal (circa A.D. 100) said the Roman politicians pacified the citizens and bought their vote with “bread and circuses.” A contemporary quote proclaimed, “Those who live at the expense of the public funds are more numerous than those who provide them.” Today, people working for the government outnumber those in manufacturing by nearly 2:1. Nearly 100,000,000 people are out of work. Only those still collecting unemployment compensation show up in the unemployment statistics.
  • Citizens feared Roman tax collectors who were, “more terrible than the enemy.” Sound like the IRS?
  • Huge government bureaucracies created monstrous debt. Self-evident today.
  • Court favoritism was common. Self-evident today.
  • Infidelity and sexual immorality became normal. Political correctness says every behavior should be “tolerated.”
  • Perverted bathhouses Transgender restrooms and locker rooms anyone?
  • Gratuitous violence, as in gladiator fights, became common. The Roman violence was real. Today, the violence in video games, television, and the movies is so lifelike, they trigger brain responses very similar to real violence, thus numbing the public to violence that should be repulsive.

Do we ever learn from history? Should we learn from history? What are the risks of not learning from history?

The conditions listed above contributed greatly to the breakdown of the family. No civilization has ever survived the breakdown of the family.

Living for self (Humanism, liberalism, progressivism, Marxism, etc.) always leads to the decline of civilizations and ultimate ruin. Living for others (Judeo-Christian tradition, religious and political conservatism) creates a stable culture that can be passed on to subsequent generations. What are YOU willing to do to save America?

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

What does it take to wake-up the clergy?

The Family is God’s First and Most Important Support Group!

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

Families

It’s been trendy, among churches, in the last two or three decades to create all manner of support groups. There are support groups for people dealing with alcohol addiction; drug addiction; divorce; mentally or physically disabled children; and older people, with various forms of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease or other chronic illnesses (caregiver support groups).

However, God created the first and by far the most important support group. It’s called the family. Tragically, as Judeo-Christian believers, we have become professionals as slicing and dicing the family in every imaginable way. Walk into virtually any church and find the family shot gunned into widely dispersed groups based on gender, age, marital status or educational level. Each group is tightly proscribed, narrowly limited, and quickly becomes isolated, especially from the family.

The same situation exists whether the church is traditional (Sunday School) or contemporary (home-base groups). The contemporary church simply scatters the traditional Sunday School around the neighborhood, scattering the family as in the traditional church. The increasingly popular home based groups in some cases exert even more pressure on the family, because they are scheduled at different times and places, during the week.

The result is that the family is forcefully splintered at the very place where they should be reinforced as well as worshiping and learning together. Family members lose a sense of the panorama of time and how they fit into that panorama.

Of course, God views the entire panorama of time from the Garden of Eden to the return of the Messiah. Even with our human limitations, it is extremely important that we understand our debt to the 3-4 generations of ancestors who preceded us and our duty to the 3-4 generations of descendants who follow us.

The usual rationale for slicing and dicing the family at church is that each family member is at a different place in life and has different needs. Balderdash! Every family member has exactly the same need to learn that “God is love” and that His love is manifested through us as humility, forgiveness, mercifulness, longsuffering, and a servant’s spirit. Collectively, they represent the character of God and the lifelong journey to grow in them. Those are lessons the entire family can learn together. Each family member helps the others learn those lessons daily.

 

In modern America, the family is being blown apart. The modern church is structured in a way that facilitates the breakdown of the family. No statistics are necessary. It is self-evident that the family is breaking down among the bodies of believers nearly as fast as it is breaking down in the background secular culture.

The church, whether traditional or contemporary must be restructured to strongly reinforce and build up the family, rather than tearing it apart. Families must meet together, worship together, and learn together as they have for millennia. The devastating slicing and dicing of the family has only been part of the church structure for the last 100 to 150 years.

The family is God’s only support group. It is far more powerful than any other. There are major limitations created by the collapsing American culture. Generations are often separated by long distances. People find themselves single following a divorce that was not of their own choosing. There is also enormous cultural pressure to satisfy self, rather than serve others.

Here is a Biblical remedy. Consider forming numerous family support groups, where groups of families can reinforce each others experiences and learn about high risk activities and how to help family members who fall prey to those risks before the crisis occurs. Thus armed, a family, demonstrating a servant’s spirit, may want to consider informally “adopting” someone in crisis as a means of helping that person. Similarly, when generations are separated by long distances, a family may choose to adopt an older or younger generation family locally.

There is still a place for some of those support groups mentioned in the opening paragraph, but only for those people who don’t have the support of an immediate family.

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

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

Urgent Message to Pastors!

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

During the run-up to the American Revolution, the pulpits of America were aflame with righteousness. In contrast, it is not necessary to characterize today’s cultural chaos. Instead,

 shane-idleman

Consider carefully this word to pastors from Shane Idleman, nationally known pastor of Westside Christian Fellowship, in Lancaster, CA.

One of my great concerns is for the pulpits of America. Many are exchanging truth for tolerance, boldness for balance, and conviction for cowardliness…they are not aflame with righteousness. We don’t want to offend; we might lose our audience. We are not to seek the applause of men but the applause of God.

The pulpit regulates the spiritual condition of God’s people which affects the nation. A lukewarm, sex-saturated culture (and church) simply reflects the lack of conviction in the pulpit as well as the pew. Pastors, we are not just cheerleaders, we are game changers. We are called to stir and to convict so that change takes place.

Granted, there are many wonderful pastors and churches—I appreciate their ministry, but, as a whole, the church has drifted off course. They have lost the compass of truth.

As the moral and cultural war rages between our shores, the need to be awakened from our spiritual slumber has never been greater. “Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is tested” (Martin Luther). This battle is for the very soul of our nation. It’s our choice—stand or fall.

But there is hope for those who are teachable and humble. The journey with God begins with the first step in the right direction. Simply say, “Lord, I’ve been wrong…remove my carnality, crush my pride, draw me closer to You. I repent of my sin and I turn completely and unconditionally to you. You are my only hope. God help me!”

http://westsidechristianfellowship.org/articles/3-15-14-an-indictment-against-america-pastor-shane-idleman/

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

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

Five Frightening Election Words!

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn Abortion, American Culture, American Exceptionalism, Baby Boomers, Church, Education, Family, Father, Freedom, God's Love, Government, Judeo-Christian Culture, Marriage, Mother, Vote12 Comments

donald trump

Here are five frightening words for all voters who backed losing candidates in the Republican primaries and who are threatening to sit out the November election because they don’t like Donald Trump:

Supreme Court Justice Barack Obama.

The choice in November is clear – it will be either Donald Trump or

Hillary Clinton, and a no-vote or a third party vote is the same as a vote for Hillary Clinton.

If Hillary Clinton, arguably the most dishonest and corrupt person ever to run for President of the United States, wins, she likely will name President Obama to the Supreme Court for several very good reasons:

  1. he has covered her backside, no easy task that, in the email server scandals and now wants payback;
  2. he claims credentials as a Constitutional lawyer;
  3. he is buying a mansion in Washington D.C. and has made no secret of his desire to stay in the capitol; and
  4. he could complete his “fundamental transformation”  of our Republic during a lifetime on the Supreme Court.

If that’s not enough to scare everyone into voting, I don’t know what will.

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

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

Greatest Destroyer of Peace is Abortion!

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, Mother2 Comments

mother-teresa-2

“I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child, a direct killing of the innocent child, murder by the mother herself, and if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another?…Please don’t kill the child…give me the child. I am willing to accept any child who would be aborted and to give that child to a married couple who will love the child and be loved by the child.”

Mother Teresa

National Prayer Breakfast

February 3, 1994

The Time for Believers to Act is Now—or Perhaps Never!

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn Abortion, American Culture, Baby Boomers, Church, Education, Family, Father, Freedom, God's Love, Government, Judeo-Christian Culture, Marriage, Mother, Same Sex Marriage2 Comments

woman reading the bible in the darkness

The time for believers to act—and to act aggressively is now! There may not be another chance to be a positive and effective ambassador for the Lord until He returns. Generational drift has produce believers who are astonishingly ignorant of the Bible and its application to today most vital issues. Consider God’s own perfect words:

“Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?

But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.” [James 4:1-6 NKJV Emphasis added]

The body of believers has become far too friendly with the world. It is a friendship that has distorted the Biblical worldview as perceived my many believers, especially the younger generations. The worldly-influenced distortions of the Biblical worldview has produced generations of sincere believers who are astonishingly ignorant of the pervasive nature of the Biblical worldview and how it applies to the powerful and devastating issues of our time.

Ponder just a few examples:

  • Abortion—Many have a vague notion that abortion is wrong, but are unable to clearly articulate why it is wrong. They may generally recall a Scripture verse where the Lord says, “I knew you when you were in the womb,” but many believers don’t know where to find it. Tragically, many believers have bought into the commonly held abortion exceptions for conceptions resulting from rape or incest and for protecting the health of the mother. They might even consider abortion when tests indicate that the baby might be born with some physical or mental limitations. Bottom line: Statistically, there is no difference between the rates of abortion among conservative Bible believers and the rate of abortion among atheists/agnostics.
  • Divorce—Today, many believers have essentially accepted serial marriage as a new norm. With unmistakable clarity God proclaims in Malachi, “I hate divorce.” Exactly what part of “I hate divorce” do people not understand? Most readers already know and understand the Biblical passages dealing with marriage and divorce. Nevertheless, the political notion of no-fault divorce that easily swept through most state legislatures greased the skids for believers to follow the world’s concept of divorce. Bottom line: The divorce rate among conservative Bible believers is statistically indistinguishable from the divorce rate among atheist/agnostics. Indeed, the United States, driven by Judeo-Christian tradition for centuries, now has a divorce rate among the top five highest in the world.
  • Same-Sex Marriage—For many believers, there is comfort in the God-given Biblical concept of marriage as one man, one woman, for one lifetime. Yet, they are unable to articulate why. They have gradually accepted alternative lifestyles up to and including so called “same-sex marriage.” Traditional marriage is carpet-bombed daily, by the media, the entertainment industry, liberal/progressive politicians, and the public educational system. Bottom line: Like Lot of old, many believers have long ago pitched their tent toward Sodom and have effectively since moved in. The tragic result is the catastrophic collapse of the American culture.
  • Strangers (largely government employees) raising the children of believers—In a devastating about face, the American culture now reveres career as a higher priority than family. Believers have succumbed to that siren song. There is no way a child can emerge into adulthood with solid soul-deep Biblical values unless the child is raised by his/her biological mom who is a full time homemaker, at least during child rearing years, and biological dad. It will not happen when a child is subjected to an endless round of babysitters, infant child care, nursery schools, before school care, after school care and so on. There is no substitute for a child’s God-given parents. Bottom line: The family is being intentionally obliterated by the myriad of forces that oppose it, while believers effectively roll over and play dead. The American culture, envied by the world since its inception, is rapidly falling into the dust bin of history.
  • Pornography—The explosion of the Internet has brought with it an explosion in pornography. It has become nearly impossible to avoid. While many believers will readily acknowledge that habitually viewing hard core pornography is wrong, they quietly accept the notion that a bit of soft porn is no big deal. Bottom line: Porn in any form is a big deal; it destroys relationships; it destroys marriages; it destroys families, thereby causing lasting damage to children. Yet most believers do not understand why and certainly are unable to articulate it.
  • LGBT adoptions—When they hear about LGBT adoptions, believers my feel a ripple of discontent pass through their heart and mind. Once again, they are unable to clearly articulate the associated problems from the perspective of a Biblical worldview. Bottom line: The rate of LGBT adoptions continues to increase with devastating effects on the American culture, while being tacitly supported by many believers.

Believers have become nearly indistinguishable from the world. If we want our children and grandchildren to experience even a fragment of a remaining free culture, the body of believers must act now, with determination and persistence. There is no time left. An occasional Bible class lesson or sermon on a controversial life-damaging topic will not come anywhere close to overcoming the widespread ignorance among believers.

There must be a very intense, all-out effort lead by the clergy. Here are a few recommendations:

  • Weekly group discussions—There must be intense weekly discussions for at least 8-12 weeks to cover all relevant issues. The discussions could occur within the traditional Sunday School or in home-based groups at any time.
  • Weekly sermons—Throughout the same period, there must be a reinforcing series of sermons on the same topics. People desperately want to hear from their spiritual leaders.
  • Suggested resource—An excellent resource is Dr. James L. Garlow’s book, Well Versed: Biblical Answers to Today’s Tough Issues. His book was just published within recent weeks and addresses many of today’s most vexing issues in 3-5 page bite size chunks. A sampling of topics includes political correctness, school choice and parental authority, marriage, schools universities and the Christian faith, abortion, sexual orientation, the judiciary, social justice, Israel, racism, and many more. All topics are addressed from an uncompromising Biblical world viewpoint.

We cannot fail to arm the believers within our sphere of influence with clear, accurate, easy-to-articulate Biblical information to wage the ongoing spiritual war.

But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their intimidation; do not be shaken.” But in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to articulate a defense to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But respond with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who slander you will be put to shame by your good behavior in Christ.… [1 Peter 3:14-15 NIV]

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

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

 

The Gender Unicorn Is Coming To A Middle School Near YOU!

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

The relentless liberal/progressive effort to blur gender distinctions, invent new “genders,” and create new forms of “gender expression,” is currently invading an ever broadening list of public middle schools. The latest and most insidious wave is the Gender Unicorn:

gender-unicorn

Notice the similarity between the Gender Unicorn and Barney, the purple anthropomorphic tyrannosaurus rex, with whom many children are already familiar. Having already embraced a warm and fuzzy Barney, it becomes a very short step to embracing the Gender Unicorn.

The Gender Unicorn is clearly one of the most powerful and dramatic assaults on God, the Bible, and Judeo-Christian values of our time, just behind the U.S. Supreme Court ruling establishing the Constitutional validity of same-sex marriage

Believers are called upon by God to love everyone, regardless of lifestyle. But sin is still sin; it has never changed. The intimate actions of same sex unions are still an abomination to God. Adoptions be same-sex couples are still sinful. Any blurring of the God-given distinctions between men and women and their God-given roles is inviting the wrath of their Creator!

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

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

Presidential Election Demands Attention!

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

donald trump

The upcoming presidential election is very literally the most important election of our time, perhaps the most important election in the history of our country. The book Wake Up America or Die!—YOU Must Save America and the Family includes two chapters devoted to government. One is in the “Undeniable Crisis” section; the other is in the “Awesome Remedy” section. Although written with abundant clarity, neither mentions any specific political party or living politician or candidate.

However, it is no longer possible to escape such specifics. With Hillary Clinton wearing horns and a forked tail, the ongoing controversy over Donald Trump is troublesome and dangerous.

There is a view often stated among university faculty members that, “We must teach the students we have not the students we wish we had.” Donald Trump was not my first choice for a conservative candidate. Nevertheless, the candidates for President of the United States have apparently been reduced to Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.

Compare the Candidates

Voting is essential. It is an act of worship to protect the God-given freedoms secured by the Declaration of Independence and codified in the United States Constitution. Sitting at home and not voting is absolutely not an option for Judeo-Christian believers. Despite the misgivings of some conservatives and clergy, the bright line contrast between Trump and Clinton could not be greater. Consider as side-by-side comparison:

Donald Trump pledged to restore faith to its level of historical prominence in this country.

Hillary Clinton routinely supports views antagonistic to Judeo-Christian tradition. Her occasional politically correct remarks are overtaken by her actions.

Donald Trump is Prolife. Although he is against abortion, he has supported certain well known exceptions with which many believers, including this writer, would disagree.

Hillary Clinton is pro-death (Prochoice)

Donald Trump supports defunding Planned Parenthood.

Hillary Clinton is demanding substantially even more funding for Planned Parenthood.

Donald Trump pledged to nominated originalist (constitutionalist) justices to the Supreme Court.

Hillary Clinton will nominate the most liberal justices available to the Court.

Donald Trump is committed to aggressively dealing with uncontrolled immigration and border security.

Hillary Clinton is a globalist advocate of a borderless United States and a borderless world.

Donald Trump is committed to aggressively combating terrorism in all forms.

Hillary Clinton is unable to identify the sources of terrorism, beyond perfunctory, politically correct comments following each terrorist attack.

Donald Trump will rebuild the military for the protection of all citizens.

Hillary Clinton will continue to decimate the military.

Donald Trump is committed to “Make America Great Again.”

Hillary Clinton is a globalist committed to taking down America, following Obama’s “fundamental transformation” to make all countries equal.

Donald Trump says, “I refuse to be politically correct.” Political correctness is a movement designed to shut down the Biblical worldview.

Hillary Clinton fully embraces political correctness and all of its nuances.

There are other areas of glaring comparison, but those listed are sufficient for this message.

The greatest American presidents were known for having a noticeably humble spirit, a character trait that often fosters good listening skills. Humility seems to be Donald Trump’s most visible short-coming. But even that attitude is better than Hillary Clinton’s arrogance, sense of supremacy, and infamously harsh treatment of those she encounters and even those within her inner circle.

Judicial Appointments

A vastly overarching sleeper issue is the ability of the President to appoint federal judges. Each President appoints hundreds of federal judges who generally operate under the cloak of media darkness unless the media declares a case to be sufficiently controversial to report.

Many bad judicial decisions stand simply because the resources are not available for successive appeals or the Supreme Court is so avalanched with cases they can only hear a few due to the lack of time. Consequently, a Supreme Court decision not to hear a case can be as important as a decision to hear one.

An out-of-control judiciary was feared by the great Founders of the United States of America. Presidents have the opportunity to greatly influence the federal court system by selecting judges and justices who either support a Originalist view of the Constitution (It is a sacred anchor document that means what it says and can only be changed through the amendment process.) or a post-Constitutional view that claims the Constitution must be treated as a living document, continuously reinterpreted to keep up with the changing times. A so called fluid Constitution is effectively no constitution at all.

Due to political polarization, the power of the president to appoint federal judges has become the most influential and lasting power within the president’s grasp.

Former President Franklin Roosevelt was well known for attempting to pack the Supreme Court with liberal justices. Although he died in 1945, his Supreme Court appointees served until 1975. His appointees, along with liberal justices appointed by Presidents Harry Truman, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and even Dwight Eisenhower handed down a stream of devastating decisions including rulings that:

  • Effectively declared all religions equal and equally subservient to the United States Government. Such a decision effectively replaces God with the federal government.
  • Removed prayer from the public schools
  • Removed Bible reading from the public schools
  • Routinely supported the breakdown of morality in the American Culture.
  • Handed down the infamous Roe v. Wade decision
  • Supported no-fault divorces

Justices nominated by Hillary Clinton, as president, would continue the stream of devastating Supreme Court rulings “lowlighted” by the now infamous ruling sanctifying same-sex “marriage.” Constitutionalist justices appointed by Donald Trump as president would be a powerful restraint on the Supreme Court and possibly tilt the Court in a conservative Biblical direction.

Restoring America is up to YOU!

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?

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?

Value of a Soul!

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn Abortion, American Culture, American Exceptionalism, Baby Boomers, Church, Education, Freedom, God's Love, Judeo-Christian CultureLeave a comment

Value of a Soul

What is the value of your soul? Don’t miss this 28-minute video! Three lives search for true worth as their worlds crumble. Follow their unexpected journeys as Franklin Graham addresses the real value of the soul. Just click on the link below or copy/paste into the address block on your Internet browser.

http://billygraham.org/video/value-of-a-soul/?utm_source=Patheos&utm_medium=email&utm_content=CTV&utm_campaign=CTV%20November&SOURCE=BT15BYPAE

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.

Wretched 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?