"One may practice one's religion in private; however, once a religious person comes into the public arena, there are limitations in how the expression of their religion impacts others."
Coming to your neighborhood! You too can have a totalitarian regime controlling your every thought, word, and deed! Elect Democrats this November!
If everyone else thinks they're safe, because they are not in Massachusetts, this was the U.S. Supreme Court, not the Massachusetts Supreme Court, who allowed the local ruling to stand.
This is what happens when history is replaced by multicultural studies
posted Tuesday, October 7, 2008 :: 9:56 AM
The O hasn't even won the election yet, but the totalitarian silencing of the dissenting media has already begun.The youth who are fawning over the O don't even know what that means.
I discovered when I started to work this morning, that the video I had linked to in yesterday's blog post had been taken down. Why, I ask myself, and who took it down? There must be something there that someone doesn't want regular folks like you and I to see. (By the way, I did find the same video in an alternate link. Quick and go see it, before it gets taken down again! I will try to keep updating the links.)
So that got me to thinking, what else is being hidden?
The Real Obama by Thomas Sowell introduces the Obama connection - alliance, not association - with radicals and Weather Underground terrorists.
If you were a child during the 60s, as I was, and can't quite remember who the Weather Underground was or what they did, the Weather Underground Documentary will fill you in. It turns out they are as bad as Al Qaeda for trying to destroy the country.
Then go read the American Thinker for some fascinating commentary on the Radical Communist Left and how Obama is constantly communicating, in his speeches and appearances, that he is one of them.
I think when Obama says "Change is coming," he might mean something a little different than what you and I assume he means.
Now, go read Understanding Obama for an explanation of this personality cult following. Then forward these links to everyone you know. People simply don't know what we will be in for should Obama win the presidency in one month.
Update: Wow, it didn't take the censors long to delete the Obama Youth video chanting to Obama, "alpha, omega!" Fortunately, the video has been saved, and enterprising people are reposting it as fast as it gets taken down. Go see before it gets taken down again!
'Jesus was a Palestinian,' claims a history textbook in use in every state of the U.S. Jesus was in fact a Jew. Palestinians are ethnic Jordanians, from the territory once occupied by Moab and Ammon. Well, look on the bright side. At least Jesus is now being acknowledged as a historical figure instead of a myth. History books are the one of the worst for spreading factual errors. Science books are also full of inaccuracies. Add to that the dumbing down of English and Math texts, and it is no wonder Americans are exiting the public school system at record rates.
Some of my friends and I were talking the other day about some of the passages in the New Testament which seem to indicate that the Law, the Torah, has passed away, even though Jesus said that it would NOT pass away until ALL was fulfilled. One of the most troubling was Galatians 3:23-25:
"But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be JUSTIFIED by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor."
To me, the key word is JUSTIFIED. Justification is about how we obtain RIGHT STANDING to stand before God. The Pharisees thought, misunderstanding Moses, that they could obtain RIGHT STANDING by obeying the law. That they misunderstood Moses about this point, Moses himself said:
"Do not think in your heart, after the Lord your God has cast them [Canaanites] out before you, saying, "It is because of MY RIGHTEOUSNESS the Lord has brought me in to possess this land' [i.e., established His covenant with them]; but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out from before you. It is NOT because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart ..." and that which follows is a long list of their sins since leaving Egypt, LOL. Deu 9:4-5
When I saw this, I realized Moses preached the same gospel that Paul preached: we stand before God because of the BLOOD COVENANT, not because of OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Paul says over and over that by works of the law no man can be JUSTIFIED. The writer of Hebrews said that the law never made anything perfect (Heb 7:19, and I believe from the context, he was talking about our obedience to the law making us perfect enough to stand before God).
In Galatians, Paul was upset because "some who trouble you ... want to pervert the gospel of Christ." Gal 1:7. What is the gospel of Christ? That JUSTIFICATION is by faith in Christ, and not works of obedience to the law!
When we read Paul, bringing to him our assumptions of what he must mean, then it is easy to misunderstand him. But when we read him, letting his own words, and the context of his letters, speak for themselves, then we see that he is not advocating throwing the law out the window, but he is advocating the law be relegated to its proper place: not as a means of salvation or justification, but merely a tutor to teach us the definition of love, of honor, of holiness, of right, of wrong.
Paul himself assumes in Gal 3:23 that those who come to faith in Christ were first RAISED in the knowledge of Torah as a guardian and tutor. Before they came to Christ, they already knew everything the Torah said about right and wrong, what love means and what honor means, and how to approach a holy God. Now that they have come to faith in Christ, the Spirit of God dwells in their hearts, where the law of God is now written. So if the law of God is written on your heart, how will you act? In accordance with the law. And this point he makes over and over again (Gal 5:16 and following, as well as in all his other letters).
Yom Teruah means "Day of Trumpet Blowing." This is the meat of an e-mail I received from Israel concerning sighting the new moon for the Feast of Trumpets: it helps to understand how these things are figured:
"On Tuesday September 30, 2008 the new moon was not sighted by observers from Israel. With the time between sunset and moonset only 20 minutes this was exactly as expected. As a result, Yom Teruah will begin Wednesday night, Oct 1, which is the 31st day from the previous sighting. This is because a lunar month can only be 29 or 30 days long and the non-sighting tonight made the Sixth biblical month 30 days."
I looked for the new moon of the 7th biblical Monday night, but did not see it. I searched for it last night without seeing it also. I really didn't expect to see it -- with today's astronomical calculations, we can pinpoint the day it will appear. But we have been instructed to be on the alert and watch for the returning of our King, so I figure it does not hurt to watch and wait. I expect to be able to see it tonight when I look.
That will mean that the Feast of Trumpets is beginning. Our feast dinner is planned, guests are invited ... today after work I am cooking and baking. One of my friends asked me yesterday morning what my plans were for celebrating Trumpets. Well, eat, LOL. And when the sun sets, we are going outside to a place where we have a clear view of the western sky, to look for the new moon. When we see it, that is when the celebration begins! We are supposed to blow trumpets in rejoicing, as this day is foreshadowing the return of Jesus Christ and the trumpet blast the angel will blow to announce His coming. I don't have a trumpet, but I have some Phil Driscoll trumpet music on CD, and I am going to play it - LOUDLY!
"God is gone up with a shout! [teruah]
And YHVH with the sound of a trumpet!" Ps 47:5
I don't know if this one is supposed to be sung, but "teruah" is the same Hebrew word used for "trumpet blowing," and the psalm is all about the greatness of the Lord, the reigning King, and praising Him with joyful shouting and trumpet blowing. So we are singing it!
We will have our communion, by which we remember Jesus our sin sacrifice, with the bread and the wine. There is also supposed to be a holy convocation, a set apart assembly of the ekklesia, but since there is nothing going on at the church, I just invited as many believers as would come to my house. There will be ten of us. We will come before the Lord in prayer together, and worship Him. We will dedicate ourselves to Him as living olahs, living sacrifices. Then we will have our dessert and play games until everyone has to go home.
Tomorrow is a sabbath of rest, so Nothing New Press will be closed, and I hope to take the grandkids to the park - it is supposed to be a nice day. And that is how we are planning on celebrating the Feast of Trumpets. I hope your Feast day is likewise blessed!
I had a great post all written about the financial crisis and the biblical financial principles which, if followed, would have avoided it (and avoid it in the future). Hint: the bailout does not solve anything according to God's principles. But as I was finishing the links in it, I hit the tab (in Firefox) which was my open Homeschool Blogger post, and closed it by accident. Without saving it! Aaargggh and double aaargggh! I so hate that when that happens! I need to learn to write posts in Wordpad and then just copy them into the Homeschool Blogger editor.
Oh well. I can't reconstruct it now, because I have work to do to prepare for Sabbath. I will work on reconstructing it on Sunday, and maybe I can have a facsimile ready for Monday's post. Have a blessed Sabbath rest.
Where do we get our definition of what it means to be upright, and what it means to be wicked? If we do not get it from God and His word, then we have an erroneous definition. For example, most people today would excuse a pastor who is living in a homo[s-x]ual relationship with his partner, saying "He is a good man." Last summer I blogged about an Atlanta pastor, who was retained in his position instead of fired, because of that very reason: he was a good pastor, and performed his duties well.
But the Lord says, "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination." Leviticus 18:22. This conduct, according to the Creator of heaven and earth, is not upright, but wicked. A person who practices such without repentance is a wicked person - not according to man's definition, not according to the world's definition, but according to God's definition.
God's definition of uprightness and wickedness is found in Torah primarily, in Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, with commentary throughout the rest of the Scriptures. I was thinking about this when I was reading Psalm 50 recently:
"But to the wicked God says,
What right have you to declare My statutes,
Or take My covenant in your mouth,
Seeing you hate instruction,
And cast My words behind you?" - Psalm 50:16-17
Whoa, what are the wicked doing taking God's covenant in their mouths? That doesn't jive with our definition of "wicked," which is akin to "ax murderer." God's definition of "wicked" is not ours. May God open the eyes of all who might be deceived into thinking that obedience to the precepts of the Lord no longer matters.
About the financial crisis we currently find ourselves in: the government does not run its finances according to biblical principles, and banks also do not run their finances according to biblical principles. Anytime biblical principles are ignored or actually rebelled against, negative consequences are sure to follow.
Fractional reserve banking is not a biblical financial principle. Let's say a bank has $1,000,000.00 in deposits. They figure not every depositor is going to withdraw all the money on the same day. Maybe they think they will only need to pay $10,000.00 of that $1,000,000.00 on any given day. So they will "use" the other $990,000.00 of the depositors' deposits in various ways, usually through loans. They make money by charging bank fees to their depositors and interest on their loans. But what happens when people stop making payments on their loans, and depositors want their money? Since the bank has only kept a fraction of its reserves on hand, they cannot pay their depositors, and the bank fails.
If we as a nation returned to biblical principles in handling money, and to biblical business principles, the economy would run along like gangbusters. And here is a collection of interesting articles I have read about the financial crisis:
Like everyone else, I have been watching with increasing alarm the unfolding financial crisis. A post about that is coming up. As children of the living God, what are we to do?
It is not practical advice, but in a way, it is the most practical advice of all. If the economy goes through an earthquake, our adherence to the world's way of doing things will not deliver us. Our stock portfolio will not deliver us. Our exemplary credit rating will not deliver us. Our customary standard of living will not deliver us, but only the Creator and King of the universe.
As Christians, we sometimes tend to think that where God is concerned, we have already got Him figured out, our sins have been forgiven, and we have spiritually arrived. But when a person sincerely is on their face before God, seeking Him, and asking for the spotlight of His holiness to search out all our sin and unsoundness so that we may repent of it, it is amazing that there is always still something there to make right. Do not fear, for the glorious Lord is ever so gracious and gentle in revealing it, and in leading us in the way that we should go.
"Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name. For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? AND IF IT IS WITH DIFFICULTY THAT THE RIGHTEOUS IS SAVED, WHAT WILL BECOME OF THE GODLESS MAN AND THE SINNER? Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right." 1 Peter 4:12-19
In other words, the suffering a Christian endures should not be because of our wrongdoing or foolishness, but because of persecution for the sake of Jesus Christ. Let it not be because of covetousness, with which our society is rife through and through, but let now be the time we settle in our hearts that OBEDIENCE to God and His commandments matters! Then when testing and judgment comes upon us, since we have done what is right, we can with joy entrust our souls to our faithful Creator, who will perform His word and His promises concerning us no matter what is happening in the world.
In the UK, the headlines are that thousands of FIVE year olds can't write their names after billions spent on preschool education. People, people. Five years old is too young to expect all children to write. Why doesn't Sweden have headlines like that? They don't begin school until age seven (one thing they do right). By then, fine motor coordination has developed in most children to the point that they will be able to write. Britain, if you spend your billions at the right time, when your children are ready and able to learn the specific skill you are trying to teach them, you will find that it will not be a waste of money!
"We have all been raised on it. Why should we not include it into our diet?" Hans Locher, who has become Switzerland's most controversial restaurant owner, said.
I have been going through a Crown Financial bible study with a group in church. I have already learned so much. And since my husband and I try to manage our finances according to biblical principles, we were already in good shape, but we wanted to increase the effectiveness of our stewardship, and find more resources we could convert into support for missions and the kingdom of God. I really recommend Crown Financial if anyone else wants to get their financial house in order!
But, I have a question about something, that this month's rash of financial institution failings have brought up afresh to me. My husband and I have yet to begin investing in Wall Street, because of these words of Jesus:
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21
Socking away income for the future in Wall Street seems to me to be the equivalent of storing up treasure on earth. If it is not, how is it not? So what happens if Wall Street crashes or companies go belly up like Lehman's did? They say people have lost fortunes. That seems like the equivalent of moths and rust destroying. If it is not, how is it not? But if we invest our money into the kingdom of heaven, nothing can touch it - because it doesn't matter what the world's economy is doing, God owns the cattle on a thousand hills and is able to provide in any economy and situation. So maybe people will call us naive, but we have been investing in missions, in spreading the Gospel, in widows and orphans, for the past years, what other people our age put into stocks and bonds. We don't have a fortune in Wall Street to lose. But I am pretty sure God's rate of return is rock solid, no matter what Wall Street, banks, natural disasters and terrorist attacks do.
Visit with Christine Miller awhile and let's share our thoughts on homeschooling, education, and life.
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next biblical feast day
day of atonement
10th day of 7th biblical month
:: sunset, fri 10 oct 2008 ::
(feast days run from sunset to sunset the next day)
this holiday is a sabbath celebrating the day of atonement
"The Story of the Romans provides an introductory context for the culture and ideas so foundational to the development of Western thought.”
Anne Weiland :: The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
:: read a chapter from this book
:: more books
"For new and veteran homeschool families alike, this extensive new release from the editors of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine serves as a homeschool convention in a book. It details today's most viable education models, helping parents formulate an educational game plan and choose teaching methodologies. There are more than twenty contributors." Including Christine Miller, who wrote a chapter on Classical Education.
christine's reading
I am researching the holy days which were instituted by God as a celebration of the Messiah, instead of celebrating the holy days which were instituted by man to honor nature in place of nature's God.
:: Israel's Feast - Wooten
:: Annals - Ussher
