Grace and Peace to the Faithful Saints

Paul's greetings to the church at Ephesus is typical: "to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ."

The first two words describe the people of God: saints and faithful. They are saints because they are sanctified by the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all and have received the gift of the Holy Ghost which is given to them who belong to Christ. They are believers because the Holy Spirit works faith in them and hope which is the adjunct of faith. By hope they trust in the promises of God, which they esteem more precious than any thing in the world.

The last two words describe the most precious gifts that God gives to his faithful saints: grace and peace. Grace means that they live in a state of blessedness by the free gift of God; their sins are forgiven them, they are adopted children of God and inherit freely all the gifts of the Holy Spirit which are showered upon them, described in Galatians 5.

By peace is meant the assurance of all the blessings of God by the free gift of God through Jesus Christ, so that the soul rests, ceasing from its agitation about the favor of God, for this is assured to Him by grace. "Being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." God would have his people live with a settled peace in their souls. The peace of God is to keep our hearts and minds.

So peace also means confidence that God will supply all our needs, so that we need not be agitated over what we shall eat, what we shall drink, or wherewithal we shall be clothed, as Jesus said. Our heavenly father knows what we need before we ask and will supply all our needs, according to our riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Peace means that we are not so attached to the things of the world that our souls become disquieted because of them; we learn in what ever state we are to be content.

Because the soul is at peace with God and because it does not fret over earthly things, the faithful saint is able to live at peace in the church with the people of God. He trusts in His father and does not fear what men can do to him nor does he presume to control the behavior of others, the two major causes of strife in the world. He faithfully does the work that God has given him to do and does not meddle in the affairs of others. Pr 20:3 "It is an honour for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling." The fool meddles because wisdom is not in his heart and mind.

Grace and peace go together, just as holiness and faith go together. Holiness and faith are characteristics of the likeness of Christ, and grace and peace are the precious gifts of God.

Ye Shall Be as Gods!

It is the oldest of all the temptations, even older than the oldest profession! It had nothing to do with sex, even though the woman was deceived in the temptation. It had to do with whether or not man would define right and wrong independently from the word of God.

The test was a simple one. God told Adam and Eve not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. That's what the test was about: what is good and what is evil? God did not leave it to Adam and Eve to decide: they could eat every tree of the garden except that one.

It was not that the Tree was evil in itself, nor was it evil because Adam esteemed it to be evil: no, the evil of eating the tree was evil because God said it was evil: the measure was not in Adam himself or in the tree: the measure was in the wisdom and mind of God, revealed to Adam in words.

The minister of the Gospel is obligated to "reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and doctrine." He is obliged to do as Paul told Titus: Tit 3:8 "This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men."

This did not mean that Titus was to constantly affirm that believers follow their own hearts or decide for themselves what the grace of God tells them to do, for this was simply a return to the first temptation. Adam was not to decide for himself what his relationship with the Tree was. That relationship was defined by God, and God didn't give a flip whether or not Adam had his feelings hurt or not. The church or the world is not to be governed by whether or not so and so has his feelings hurt.

A lot of people had their feelings hurt when Sodom was overthrown and when the earth opened up and swallowed Korah and Abiram. I don't suppose that Ananias and Sapphira had good feeling when they lied to the Holy Ghost and died before Peter and the church at Jerusalem. Truth is not decided by appeal to feelings.

Titus was not to exhort unbelievers to "be careful to maintain good works," for that would have been useless, but to exhort believers, which is good and profitable. This is not contrary to grace, but necessary as the Lord's commands: we should not try to be smarter than God, setting aside what He commands because of our rebellious spirits. Grace does not turn us loose as wild beasts in the Lord's vineyard.

The good works which are commanded are not to be defined by ourselves any more than Adam's were. No, the Bible speaks of them in this way:

1. They are of faith, for whatsoever is not of faith is sin. They must come from a thankful heart that knows that all its sins are forgiven by the blood of Christ.

2. They are for the glory of God, for all other works are a perversion of the image of God, who resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.

3. They are according to the commands of God, for sin is transgression of the law of God.

Every faithful minister must do these things and must be highly esteemed if he does them, as the Bible says. He is ordained and given authority to do this by the laying on of the hands of the presbytery, if his ordaination is biblical. If it is not biblical, then he should be quiet and live at peace.

There Is Always Something Else!

When people are acting crazy, there is always something underneath that others don't know about.

Little Johnny went to school one fine spring morning and captured a wasp, which he carefully put in a little metal box he had in his back pocket. He forgot about the bee.

But after a few minutes in class, the top worked off the box, and the wasp began to work on Johnny. He begin to squirm. This was in the days when students were expected to sit still and be quiet and listen to the teacher, so the teacher said, "Johnny, be still."

"Yes, Ma'am," said Johnny. But a few minutes later the bee popped him again and he jumped.

"Be still, Johnny," said his teacher. "Yes, Ma'am" said Johnny.

A few minutes later, the bee hit him again and this time he yelped and jumped from his seat.

"Johnny! Didn't I tell you to sit still?" said the teacher again.

"Yes, Ma'am," said Johnny, "but there's something going on back here that you don't know nuthin' about."

When people are unreasonable and get up in the air over nothing, you can be assured that they are being worked on by their own private bee. There is something going on that you don't know about, but sooner or later it will come out so everyone will know about it.

There was indignation among the disciples when a woman anointed Christ with precious ointment. The instigator of the strife was Judas, the traitor of our Lord, who pretended to be very concerned about the poor, and objected to the waste of the ointment that was used to anoint Christ. He didn't give a flip about the poor or about Jesus, he was just a thief and wanted the money in the common bag so he could steal from it. [John 12]

Pious protestations and agitations of spirit very often cover a great deal of wicked thought.

James put it this way, "Where there is envy and strife, there is confusion and every evil work." [James 3:16]

Don't Take It Out on Me!

Jas 4:1-2 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

James nails it: the reason we fight and war with each other in the church is because we are expecting to get from people what only God can give us. "We have not because we ask not."

Others simply cannot deliver what is essential to my soul. The reason there is external war is because there is internal war. Disgruntled and unhappy people war with others because of the misery that is in their own souls.

When I was a kid, from time to time you would hear somebody say, "Well, don’t take it out on me!" because even kids are smarter than we often think. Every one knew that when you didn’t get your own way you had a tendency to strike out at someone. "Kicking the dog" is the name of the behavior. We knew that bullies essentially were very unhappy people.

When there are fightings and wars within the soul, the result will be fightings and wars with other people--either that or a form of suicide, depending upon the person. Some people, frustrated in their own lives, react against other people and pick fights with those around them. Others, of a different temperament, will turn against themselves and drink themselves to death, use drugs, eat too much, or fall into other forms of self-destructive behavior. In extreme forms the aggression results in murder in the former case, and suicide in the latter case.

In either case, the solution is found in the gracious words to Cain, when his sacrifice was not accepted of God: "If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him."

The solution to unsatisfied desires is neither murder nor suicide. Our business is always with God, not with men. "When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him." (Pr 16:7)

Pr 22:24 Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go:
Pr 29:22 An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression.

Let them kick their own dog. It is best to leave them alone.

The Risings of the Spirit

"12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; 13 And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves." (1Th 5:12-13 av)

Just as insurrection against the legitmate authorities in the civil realm, insurrection against the officers of the church is contrary to the Christian faith and can be justified only on a very narrow basis.

The work of the church authorities is described in three verbs: "labor among you," "are over you in the Lord," and "admonish you."

It is the express command of the Lord that His people live under the authority of the officers that He has appointed. They are to "labor" in the work of the Gospel and their role is clearly defined: "reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and doctrine." It has been the experience of this poor minister over some 50 years of ministry that those who so harden their hearts against this work of Christ will not end well.

It is not the nature of the flesh to endure reproofs, rebukes, exhortations no matter how longsuffering the minister is or how sound his doctrine, so the apostle begs the people of God to "know" their ministers and esteem them highly in love because of their work. It is a thankless job, but the work of the ministry is performed for the good of the church.

"Be at peace among yourselves" is a direct command and not a "beseeching." "Peace" and "rest" are mentioned directly at least 150 times in the New Testament, and "war" and "fight" and such words are used less than one fifth as much.

In addition there is the command that we "study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you." (1Th 4:11) The word quiet literally means to be silent, to stay at home and mind your own business, to be at rest.

This is the reason that the constitution of the Reformed Church expressly requires that contentiousness be dealt with by discipline, for there is no greater work of the devil than a refusal to live at peace and a refusal to be reconciled to the people of the God. In fact, Jesus said that we "Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift." (Mt 5:24 av)

Solomon understood this well: Pr 25:28 "He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls." Self control means to control the risings of the spirit--the anger, distress, hurt, strife, pride, and such--that destroy the peace and tranquility of the church and allow it to be raided by all sorts of bad things. It is the duty of the officers of the church to see that this does not happen, to see that the walls are intact and in good repair.

"For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work." (Jas 3:16 av)

Jesus is the Son of God

Thomas, one of the Twelve, would not believe that Jesus had risen from the dead. He said, "I will not believe unless I put my fingers into the wounds in His hands and thrust my hand into the wound in His side."

Shortly after, Jesus appeared to his disciples and asked Thomas to do just that and said, "Be not faithless but believing." Thomas refused of course but worshipped Jesus saying, "My Lord and my God."

It is what Jesus replied to Thomas that is most significant, as wonderful as Thomas' confession is.

Jesus said, "Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed."

First of all, Jesus did not rebuke Thomas for calling him "God" as every good created being in the Bible did when men tried to give them divine honors. Jesus did just the opposite and blessed Thomas for his confession. Furthermore, Jesus said Thomas' blessing is ours also, for we have also believed, even though, unlike Thomas, we have not seen."

We do not see the miracle, but our faith is as good as Thomas' for we have believed those who spoke the Word of God to us.

C. W. Powell

CNN Political Ticker: All politics, all the time Blog Archive - Kerry blasts Bill Clinton for ‘abusing truth’ « - Blogs from CNN.com

CNN Political Ticker: All politics, all the time Blog Archive - Kerry blasts Bill Clinton for ‘abusing truth’ « - Blogs from CNN.com: "WASHINGTON (CNN) — John Kerry, the Democratic Party's 2004 nominee for president, took aim at Bill Clinton Friday, telling the National Journal the former president does 'not have a license to abuse the truth.'"
===========

Sez who? Who revoked his license? He lied his way through eight years of the Presidency and who knows how many years in Arkansas. Who has his license? John K, where were you during those eight years when he was lying about women, republicans, conservatives, etc.? Did you give him a license when it benefitted you and your shady friends?

I'm not going to write about politics anymore. I feel slimy.

The Word Trumps the Sign and Wonder

Piggy-backing on my last post about a strange potato:

"If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, 2 And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; 3 Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him." (De 13:1-4 av)

The Word of God is enough for the Lord's Sheep. If the "sign" affirms the word, it is not needed. If the sign contradicts the word, it is dangerous. Don't go whoring after signs and wonders.

FOXNews.com - Florida Pastor Finds Jesus Image in Split Potato - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News

FOXNews.com - Florida Pastor Finds Jesus Image in Split Potato - Local News News Articles National News US News: "Said Brewster: 'I just want people to know God is still as real today as he was back then and he can show up anytime he gets ready.'"
---------

Jesus said that it is a wicked and adulterous nation that seeks after a sign. [Matt. 16:4]

Why? because the Lord's sheep hear and follow His words, not signs and wonders: "26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:" (Joh 10:26-27 av)

In Jesus' story of the rich man in hell, the rich man moaned that Lazarus should be sent back to warn his brothers [implying that he had not had sufficient warning of the reality of hellfire]. Abraham said, "They have Moses and the prophets." "Nay, but they will believe if someone rose from the dead," the rich man protested. "If they do not believe Moses and the propehts, neither will they believe if someone rose from the dead," Abraham said. [Luke 16:22ff]

Faith does not come from signs and wonders, but from hearing the word of God. Anyone who is not convinced by the Scriptures inadvertently reveals that he is not the Lord's, but is still wallowing in wickedness and idolatry. He must be born again, as Peter tells us:

"22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: 23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." (1Pe 1:22-23 av)

If the Bible doesn't convince people that "God is still as real today as he was back then and he can show up anytime he gets ready" do you really think they will believe a potato? "Pastor" Brewster needs to get married if she isn't already and keep house and have some babies, and maybe she will stay out of hell, if God wills. Her potato thing shows she knows nothing about the Bible.

"12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. 13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. 15 Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety." (1Ti 2:12-15 av)

Every word of God is pure and Scripture cannot be broken

How come?

How come, that it is a victory for Obama over Hillary when he picks up more delegates in Nevada, even though Hillary won more Democratic votes statewide? When Dubya did the same thing nationally in 2000 [winning more electoral votes while losing the popular vote] Democrats and the print media squawked about injustice and fraud. Hmmmm?

Were the Founding Fathers wise only when it works for you?

That Isn't Natural

Mark 9:34-35: "But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest. And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all."
------

What our Lord requires of believers is not natural to them. A servant's heart can be pretended, and false humility can be worn like a Halloween costume, but the reality is beyond the reach of the flesh.

The flesh requires to be served, it will not willingly humble itself to serve. It wants the church to dance to its tune; it dances to no one's tune.

I have seen it often over almost fifty years of ministry: people want the church to "meet their needs," but not many have their eyes open to meet the needs of others. The same is true of families: families are broken up by divorce because somebody thinks his/her "needs" are not met. It is a consumer mentality and people want to get their "money's worth" out of every relationship.

Those who preach should preach to edify, not to entertain and win the praise of men, and certainly not to win fame and fortune. Those who teach must teach so as to be understood and to enable the weak to stand and the feeble to walk. Those who sing, should sing for edification, and not to please men and win praise from them.

In this we are like the people our Lord referred to in Lu 7:32: "They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept." The rulers rejected Christ because He did not dance to their tunes nor wept to their dirges.

Solomon put it this way: "He that is first in his own cause seemeth just; but his neighbour cometh and searcheth him." Pr 18:17 The man who wants to rule others may make a good case why it must be so, but others see through him and realize the true motives driving his actions.

It is a good thing that our Lord did not have this attitude. "Being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."

Going By Principle Always "Works."

It is when we depart from following Christian principle that we go out of the way. It is not faith to follow whims, emotions, or dreams. The life of faith is a life of principle, for faith trusts in the faithfulness of God to keep His promises.

It is not easy to live by principle. Often the wisdom of the world would counsel us not to be rigid and unloving and to bend the principles that Christ taught us, but it is always results in us losing our way. The path that leads away from the strait and narrow may appear to be headed in the same direction and get to the same goal, but it never does.

But it is easy to be deceived in this. Jesus warned that there were those who would kill the saints, thinking that they did God service. Many things that masquerade as principles are not at all. This is why a throrough knowledge of the Scripture is necessary and why it is wise and proper to listen to others. There is safety in a multitude of counsellors, Solomon said [Proverbs 11:14]. It is folly to trust in your own heart and rush madlong into ruin. The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise. [Pr 12:15]

If a church is a true church, then there are wise and good people within it, for Christ is the head of the church and He sends the Holy Spirit to equip the members and to fulfill the will of the Father that we be conformed to Jesus Christ. We should seek out the counsel of such members and not allow ourselves to be carried away by the angry and bitter: "Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go..."Pr 22:24 "An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression." Pr 29:22 Stay away from those who have grudges and those who insist on having their own way, for neither of these is the way of Christ.

"For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life..." [Pr 6:23]

Piggy-Backing on the Last Post

What if each person insisted on playing his own horn as loud as he could to make sure he got recognition for his work. Would that be a pleasant concert?

Musings for the New Year

My wife and I attended the Colorado Springs Philharmonic Concert for the New Year last night. The program was a pleasant variety of excerpts from old musicals [The King and I], jazz ala Louis Armstrong, marches [Suppé’s “Light Cavalry Overture”] to “The Flight of the Bumblebee” and “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B.” Over two hours of tonal delight.

I did notice that each of the more than sixty musicians in the orchestra had a music stand in front of them and they all had sheets of music on the stands and seemed to be paying attention to them. There was also a conductor who waved his arms. The musicians seems to be paying attention to him, also. I also noted that before they began to play, the concert master stood up, played an "E" his violin and all the performers played an "E" also, to see that all the instruments were in tune. There lies the tale.

What if every musician decided to do his own thing and play his own song? Or suppose each one played the music in front of him but played it to his own beat and pitch and whenever it suited him? I spent some time meditating on that while engrossed in the music.

Do you suppose that any musician who tried such a thing, no matter how talented, would last long in the symphony? I suspect he would be fired. There may be a place for him on a street corner with a tin mug, I suppose, but not in any organized body of musicians. He might make a good living as a soloist, if that suits him, but there would be no place for him in the orchestra.

I am sure that God has as much sense as the directors of an orchestra. Even the devil has more sense than that and will not suffer his kingdom to be divided against itself with each devil doing his own thing. At least Jesus seemed to think so. One thing that is certain in every great musical performance is the discipline of the musicians.

God has provided abundantly for his church, including the way decisions are to be made. They are to be made decently and in order by those who are appointed by Him for the government of the church. Defiance of those decisions is defiance of God himself. The Bible provides for how such officers are to be chosen and guides the church in their selection.. There are various interpretations among Christian denominations as to the nature of the offices and how they are appointed, but only chaos and cacophony results if the government is defied. No church or any other organization—including those of the devil—can survive, if there are no consequences for that defiance.

To change the figure, I remember a big strong boy who came out for basketball when I was in high school. He was the best basketball player in the gym and he expected that everyone, even the coach, would respect him for it. The trouble is, he wouldn’t do what the coach told him to do, so he was kicked off the team, much to his surprise and anger. His pride kept him from playing basketball that year. He learned that there was a difference between being a coach and being a coach-ee.

Even basketball players have to work together in discipline and unity.

Paul put it this way for the church, "submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God" [Eph. 5:21] and the writer of Hebrews: "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you." [13:7]

By What Authority?


11 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.
12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. 1Timothy 2:11,12

Mt 21:23 And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?

The words sound strange to the the modern ear, because everyone thinks his civil right to freedom of religion is a right and authority sanctioned by God Himself.

The biblical fact is otherwise.

The question asked by the chief priests and elders was a very serious one and posed great peril for Christ.

The law given by God to Moses was very clear: those who took it upon themselves to teach religion without authority were condemned to death. Through the prophet Jeremiah God said, "I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied." Jer 23:21

Jesus did not dodge the question. He took the question of authority very seriously. He knew that everyone was not authorized to enter into the temple and throw out the moneychangers and drive out the cattle. "30 Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour. 31 Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith. 32 Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD. Jer 23:30-32.

But Jesus did not answer them according to their folly, to become like them. He answered them according to their folly in order to expose their hypocrisy and folly.

"What about the ministry of John the Baptist?" he said. "Was it of God?" What wisdom this was! The priests were on the horns a dilemma, and they knew it. If they said the John's ministry was not of God, they knew they would cause a riot, for all the people know that John had come from God. On the other hand, if they said that John hand come from God, Jesus would ask why they did not hear John.

So they said, "We cannot tell," seeking to avoid the dilemma. So Jesus said, "Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things." They tried to avoid the issue, but He in His divine wisdom had answered his opponents.

Everyone standing there that day knew that John had claimed to be the purifier, come to prepare the way of the Lord, to present the Messiah to the people of Israel. Jesus was the One sent by God to be the Savior of the world. Jesus, among all those who have lived on the earth, was endowed with authority and right to do whatever He pleased in the house of His Father in Heaven. The temple was His and He had the right to rearrange the furniture if He liked. They must bow to His authority; as we all must.

The church is the body of Christ, and He alone has the right to decide how it is to be governed. Not by women, not by children, not by slander, not by usurpers, not by dreamers and those who consult their own hearts. A man's heart will always tell him not to submit to the Scripture, and his own heart will lead to hell, for he that trusts in his own heart is a fool, no matter how piously he wraps the package.

Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, as Samuel told King Saul so many years ago. It is still so today. Jesus did not duck the question of authority, and neither must we.

Of course, the penal sanction of the law of Moses for death to ursurpers is not to be applied today, for in the age of the Spirit, the harshness of the law is replaced by the sweetness of the mild yoke of Christ. But the principle remains: let those who presume to teach the church be ready to explain their authority, as Jesus did. If you have no John the Baptist to attest to your "ministry," then you must be prepared to walk on the water and rise from the dead. Jesus had both.

Savior or Saboteur? - New York Times: "As the Arkansas journalist Max Brantley told the Billary biographer Sally Bedell Smith, 'He’s always evangelizing for the church of Bill.'"
-----
Just wait long enough and prevaricators will reveal themselves. Example: Maureen Doud has now exposed herself completely. The article in the link above is essentially saying, "I have known all the time the truth about Bill and Hillary, but I pretended something else about them all the years they were in power because I have an agenda that includes abortion rights, anti-male, socialism, anti-capitalists, liberal, anti-bible planks and they were useful to my agenda. It is ok for me to lie and to use liars like Bill and Hillary because they are useful to me."

In other words, don't believe anything Doud writes. If she lied to promote Billary, might she also do so to promote someone else that seems more useful [Obama?]

Maybe Bill's worst mistake this time out is to think that his former supporters really believed and admired him.

Usually during this time of year you see bumper stickers or hear comments about a desire to get "Christ back into Christmas."

It might be even a better idea to get Christ back into church.

If you don't know what that means, I would suggest that it might be a good idea to get better acquainted with Him yourself, so that you would know what you are missing. The site Basketoffigs might be a good place to start. There is a lot of information there about the doctrine of Christ,His government of the church, and His commandments.

Please check out a new post at my basketoffigs website

Newsmax.com - Thompson Made the Most of Opportunities: "It's the kind of story you could write a book about: A 35-year-old single mother of three is fired from her state job after refusing to go along with a scheme to pardon criminals who bribe aides to the governor."
----------------

This is not an endorsement. This is a story, however, that every Christian conservative should consider before they make their voting decision. There just may be an authentic human running for President of these United States of America.

The picture above is of ice sparkles in the early morning on Sunday morning a few weeks ago. There is beauty if you look for it. If you click on the image you can get an enlarged picture.

FOXNews.com - Study: Part of Global-Warming Model May Be Wrong - Science News Science & Technology Technology News: "The study, published online this week in the International Journal of Climatology, found that while most of the models predicted that the middle and upper parts of the troposphere -1 to 6 miles above the Earth's surface - would have warmed drastically over the past 30 years, actual observations showed only a little warming, especially over tropical regions. 'Can the models accurately explain the climate from the recent past? It seems that the answer is no,' said lead study author David H. Douglass, a physicist specializing in climate at the University of Rochester"

=============

My, my, my. But experts have an instinct, you know, and must not allow stuborn things like facts to sway them from the appointed conclusion. Forget the anomalies! Full speed ahead!