One of the most precious gifts God has given us is the ability to remember. There are plenty of hurts and disappointments in life that we should forget. But good memories become a treasure chest of priceless reminders of relationships shared and joys experienced.--Bill Crowder, ODB ("http://rbc.org/odb/odb-08-16-07.shtml")

Paul wrote about his lovely memories of the Christians at Philippi:  I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.--Philippians 1:3-6 (NIV) 

Who and what are the memories you cherish?  Are you making new cherished memories?  Shouldn't these days be "the good old days" of your future?  Start working on it.  For example, do all the people you love know how you feel?  Tell them!  That way, today can be a cherished memory, too.

And try to tell someone about your love for Jesus today, too.  "He who began a good work in you" will never leave you in any place where His love cannot reach you.  And all of your friends and loved ones should know...

In the movie RoboCop, there comes a time when the hero tells one of the villains, "I'm not going to arrest you any more" and proceeds to dispensing justice at 600 rounds per minute.

There are times when I with the illegal immigration problem could be dealt with as simply.  However, I know better.

These people, millions of them, are basically no different than anyone else who left their hometown to look for work. Well, most of them...

Some of them, over 20% of our US prison population, came here to commit serious crimes.  Many more are only now being caught.

I'm certain that most Americans bear no ill-will towards the folks who love America and came here for the economic success our system offers.  BUT!  To demand it upon threat of violence (like the marches and protests) is to spit into the wind.

Americans pay billions in foreign aid.  We provide billions in charitable causes.  But we go to war over demands.

No matter which side of this issue you want to champion, may I ask that you take a moment and pray to God for wisdom to do the right thing?

For all of us...

Genesis 12:1-4

1 The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.

2 "I will make you into a great nation
       and I will bless you;
       I will make your name great,
       and you will be a blessing.

3 I will bless those who bless you,
       and whoever curses you I will curse;
       and all peoples on earth
       will be blessed through you."

4 So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran.

Seventy-five years old and he moved to a land he didn't know at the call of God.  The Lord blessed Abram, renamed him Abraham, and, through him and his descendants, blessed the whole world.

What are you prepared to do?  Where are you prepared to go when the Lord calls you?  Do you have enough faith to tell your next-door neighbor about Jesus? 

Where does faith come from?

Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17)

Read the Bible.  Pray for faith.  Pray that God will use you mightily.

It may be a very humble path, or a glorious highway he chooses for you; but if you submit to God, He will bless you beyond your hopes and dreams.

MSM continues to lie and slander brave Iraqi men and women of good will.  Here is an excerpt from Michael Yon's latest report:

False advertising is afoot. I write these words from Indonesia, soaking wet, having just returned from photographing rice paddies in a pouring rain, wearing a Florida Gators shirt. That means there is a green alligator on my chest. While supporting my team, my shirt perpetuates the myth that alligators are green, when in fact they are black when wet, gray when dry.The mantra that “there is no political progress in Iraq” is rapidly becoming the “surge” equivalent of a green alligator: when enough people repeat something that sounds plausible, but also happens to be false, it becomes accepted as fact. The more often it is repeated—and the larger the number of people repeating it—the harder it is to convince anyone of the truth: alligators are not green, and Iraqis are making plenty of political progress.

Too much of the Western Media lies boldly and even when they don't need to do so.  They have no shame.  Their shrill cries, like angry seagulls robbed of a bit of decaying flotsam, merely add to the turmoil of the war and the suffering of the innocent.  Watching them has become a profoundly sad experience, reminiscent of Cats!; but there is no redemption for them unless they repent...

If it was up to me, those who preach doom and gloom while hope shines through would be forced to work in the new schools, hospitals, and markets.  OTOH, I suppose it will be enough pain to watch, in the next few years as al Qaeda in Iraq and around the world is defeated by brave American men and women of good will--in spite of the false and treasonous claims made against their character.

Americans must reject the cult of Narcissis or we perish.

Colossians 3:12-17 (New International Version)

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

We are not called to judge others according to our interpretation of Scripture.  We are not instructed to seek out "malefactors" and deal harsh justice to them.  We are, instead, instruvted to love each other.  But love does not mean weakness, as some seem to believe.

2 Thessalonians 3:6-15 (New International Version)

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone's food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow. For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat."

We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat. And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right.

If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of him. Do not associate with him, in order that he may feel ashamed. Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.

Please don't misunderstand me here.  I'm not saying we should starve people out if they don't believe exactly what I do.  But we should find work for everyone who is physically capable of it.  It is not healthy for their mind or spirit for a person to be paid to be idle.

In this regard, I am dead set against "Worker's Compensation" and "Aid For Families With Dependent Children" as currently operated.  They allow able-bodied people to sit at home and watch TV and get paid.  I have known people who slipped through the cracks, so to speak, "gaming the system" as it were for years.

We need to show more individual compassion towards the unfortunate in our society.  We need to eliminate bureaucracy.  Otherwise, society will become a giant, heartless, soulless corporation--much like the Hollywood depictions of the future.  And at that point, we'll be better off not being a part of it...

This time, it's about the math...  Which leads me to believe that, like the time I yelled at the bank teller about missing money (really a long, long time ago), people who are wrong at the top of their lungs ought to have the grace to apologize just as publicly...

Read Technology Review, and Watt's Up With That and see what you think Al Gore and "all of the world's scientists" ought to be doing on the Sunday Morning shows...

OTOH, I think the narcissistic lunkheads will blame Bush for this, too...

No one ever ended a fight with a bully or gang member by being subservient--all that does is create an incentive for that bully and others to impose their will.  And the payment never stops or gets smaller.  It's just human nature...

Rudyard Kipling's poem Danegeld is spot-on here:

For fear they should succumb and go astray;

You will find it better policy to say: --

No matter how trifling the cost;

And the nation that pays it is lost!"

South Korea's response should have been to offer the Afghan government an additional company of soldiers for each Korean Hostage plus an additional battalion for each hostage killed.  With the additional 3-5000 Korean troops on the way, the Taliban would have wisely released the hostages, unharmed, already...

Instead, the Korean Government has chosen to show the white feather.  It is a sad day, indeed.  And since the Korean government has chosen to remove any value from the hostages being alive, the Taliban will likely just kill them all to prove they were serious.

Paul hit the nail on the head.  We are not to hate other people--not even terrorists.  Instead, we are to remain strong in the knowledge that our side has already won:

Romans 8:28-39 (NIV)

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:

"For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Isaiah 51:1-16 tells us that God is not going to allow Israel (the people, not necessarily the secular country) to be destroyed.  This is in direct opposition to the Sura that claims Jesus is going to come back and help hunt down and kill the Jews...

 Everlasting Salvation for Zion

 1 "Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness
       and who seek the LORD :
       Look to the rock from which you were cut
       and to the quarry from which you were hewn;

 2 look to Abraham, your father,
       and to Sarah, who gave you birth.
       When I called him he was but one,
       and I blessed him and made him many.

 3 The LORD will surely comfort Zion
       and will look with compassion on all her ruins;
       he will make her deserts like Eden,
       her wastelands like the garden of the LORD.
       Joy and gladness will be found in her,
       thanksgiving and the sound of singing.

 4 "Listen to me, my people;
       hear me, my nation:
       The law will go out from me;
       my justice will become a light to the nations.

 5 My righteousness draws near speedily,
       my salvation is on the way,
       and my arm will bring justice to the nations.
       The islands will look to me
       and wait in hope for my arm.

 6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
       look at the earth beneath;
       the heavens will vanish like smoke,
       the earth will wear out like a garment
       and its inhabitants die like flies.
       But my salvation will last forever,
       my righteousness will never fail.

 7 "Hear me, you who know what is right,
       you people who have my law in your hearts:
       Do not fear the reproach of men
       or be terrified by their insults.

 8 For the moth will eat them up like a garment;
       the worm will devour them like wool.
       But my righteousness will last forever,
       my salvation through all generations."

 9 Awake, awake! Clothe yourself with strength,
       O arm of the LORD;
       awake, as in days gone by,
       as in generations of old.
       Was it not you who cut Rahab to pieces,
       who pierced that monster through?

 10 Was it not you who dried up the sea,
       the waters of the great deep,
       who made a road in the depths of the sea
       so that the redeemed might cross over?

 11 The ransomed of the LORD will return.
       They will enter Zion with singing;
       everlasting joy will crown their heads.
       Gladness and joy will overtake them,
       and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

 12 "I, even I, am he who comforts you.
       Who are you that you fear mortal men,
       the sons of men, who are but grass,

 13 that you forget the LORD your Maker,
       who stretched out the heavens
       and laid the foundations of the earth,
       that you live in constant terror every day
       because of the wrath of the oppressor,
       who is bent on destruction?
       For where is the wrath of the oppressor?

 14 The cowering prisoners will soon be set free;
       they will not die in their dungeon,
       nor will they lack bread.

 15 For I am the LORD your God,
       who churns up the sea so that its waves roar—
       the LORD Almighty is his name.

 16 I have put my words in your mouth
       and covered you with the shadow of my hand—
       I who set the heavens in place,
       who laid the foundations of the earth,
       and who say to Zion, 'You are my people.' "

Obviously, it's up to you, Gentle Reader, to decide what to believe.  My prayer is that you will receive God's blessing of Wisdom and choose the right path.

Bae Hyung-kyu was martyred in Afghanistan because of his selfless actions in trying to help ease the suffering of the Afghan people.

Killed by the Taliban, Pastor Bae leaves behind an example that puts to shame all of us who merely call ourselves "Christians" and inwardly complain if the service is a few minutes too long.

May God have mercy on us and send us a renewing of His Holy Spirit.  May we be granted repentance and grace to renew our vows to the Lord andstart doing what He told us to do.

We may not all be called to be martyrs; but we know we can do more.  We cannot, in our own strength defeat every evil in the world; but we have a Friend who can.

Let's start today, right now... 

Let's fall on our knees and ask for God's mercy for the other men and women out there spreading the Word--especially those in the hands of the Taliban and other terrorist groups.

UPDATE:  Another Hostage Killed!  Pray for them all that they will be true to our Lord to the end!!

James 1:19-27: Listening and Doing

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.  Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.  Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.

If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

The Christian life is difficult.  It is much too difficult for us to do on our own.  Yet many of us act as though the Lord made us Inquisitor General or set us in loco parentis of other adults.  We need to remember we are His servants and behave that way.

Yes, we need to maintain order and discipline in the USA--that's why we have laws and policemen.  Yes, we need to do our best to protect the helpless from their oppressors at home and abroad--that's why we have our Armed Forces.  Yes, we need to do good to all around us--that's why we have so many benevolent associations here.

But we need to remember to behave properly while doing all of that.  Our Lord hated hypocrites while He was here with us--and He is the same today.  Let us pray that we can put aside our pride and join in with Him and do His work, His way...a

The world is full of fighting.  The animal kingdom is certainly full of it--look at the "food chain"--and humans often act like animals.  But there is a better, higher path.

Humans can fight or not by our own choices.  Sure, some fights are about our physical or national survival.  But we have a choice.  Not fighting is not always surrender; but we must avoid the extremes of fighting for fighting's sake and dhimmitude.  Some things are worth the pain of fighting, win or lose--and each of us must make the choices ourselves...

Sometimes, the turmoil inside wants to tear us apart.  Yes, that happens to everyone.  We know that sometimes we remember and feel guilty for things we have confessed to the Lord and asked Him to forgive.  Sometimes we don't forgive ourselves even though we have His forgiveness. 

We need to read 1 John 3:20 again and remember that God always keeps His word.

I recommend you start each day in prayer and Bible-reading.  You may be surprised at the differences that can make in how you see your life.

Paul was a religious zealot before he was saved.  He imprisoned and killed many Christians; but God's love was greater than Paul's sin.

1 Timothy 1:12-17 (New International Version)

The Lord's Grace to Paul

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever.  Amen.


And just as God loves us, so we are to love others.  Not just with words--we are to show our love every day in our actions.

1 John 3:11-24 (New International Version)

Love one another

This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous. Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.


May you get the Spirit and follow the Lord in obedience to His word.

How long has it been since President Bush signed The Secure Fence Act (PL 109-367)?  How many actual miles of fence have been built?  Why aren't you SHOWING US that you GIVE A DAMN?

When are you going to FOLLOW THE LAW and BUILD THE FENCE?

An to you, Mr. President, what is goinmg on here?  Do you want your "Legacy" to be the same as your Daddy's "Read My Lips" fiasco?  Why won't you defend US borders with the same vigor you apply to fighting al Qaeda in Iraq?  Are you looking expectantly toward another terror attack?  Have the drug cartels bought off DHS?  Are you unwilling to stop human trafficking into the US?

If there is a good reason, we want to know.  We are reasonably intelligent.  We are very flexible, as long as we feel like we're not getting the run-around..

Don't "misunderestimate" the US public.  We are a kind and generous people.  We give Billions in foreign aid every year and don't b*tch about 90% of it going to fund various petty dictatorships around the Third World.  We know that--in some countries--that's just the way it works.  We know that "AIDS" in Africa includes a lot of other diseases, nearly all caused by poor hygiene, immorality, and won't be cured by condoms, education, or all the "best wishes" we can send.  And yet, we hope that just a few young people can have their pain eased by our efforts, just a few can escape the plaque...

We know life is tough in Mexico and elsewhere.  Our ancestors came here to escape tough times elsewhere.  Immigration is critical to the success of the USA.  BUT, either you make everyone follow the rules or throw out the rules.  The Amnesty you, Ted Kennedy, and John McCain proposed was ill-conceived, aimed at encouraging MASSIVE fraud, and rewarded felonious behavior while penalizing those who had been standing in line paying the fees, filling out the forms, and so on.  THAT is why it received an enormous backlash.

BUILD THE FENCE.  We can work on sorting the illegals into "good guy" and "bad guy" groups AFTER we stop the influx.

BUILD THE ENTRY/EXIT VALIDATION SYSTEM.  We were supposed to get this after the '86 Amnesty Bill.  One more reason most Americans wouldn't trust our government to change a bicycle tire on their own.  We need to know who is here and when they leave.

Just do it. 

Do it now.

O Worship the King

Psalm 18

For the director of music. Of David the servant of the LORD. He sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:

 1 I love you, O LORD, my strength.

 2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
       my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
       He is my shield and the horn ^[a] of my salvation, my stronghold.

 3 I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
       and I am saved from my enemies.

 4 The cords of death entangled me;
       the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.

 5 The cords of the grave ^[b] coiled around me;
       the snares of death confronted me.

 6 In my distress I called to the LORD;
       I cried to my God for help.
       From his temple he heard my voice;
       my cry came before him, into his ears.

 7 The earth trembled and quaked,
       and the foundations of the mountains shook;
       they trembled because he was angry.

 8 Smoke rose from his nostrils;
       consuming fire came from his mouth,
       burning coals blazed out of it.

 9 He parted the heavens and came down;
       dark clouds were under his feet.

 10 He mounted the cherubim and flew;
       he soared on the wings of the wind.

 11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—
       the dark rain clouds of the sky.

 12 Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
       with hailstones and bolts of lightning.

 13 The LORD thundered from heaven;
       the voice of the Most High resounded. ^[c]

 14 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies ,
       great bolts of lightning and routed them.

 15 The valleys of the sea were exposed
       and the foundations of the earth laid bare
       at your rebuke, O LORD,
       at the blast of breath from your nostrils.

 16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
       he drew me out of deep waters.

 17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
       from my foes, who were too strong for me.

 18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
       but the LORD was my support.

 19 He brought me out into a spacious place;
       he rescued me because he delighted in me.

 20 The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness;
       according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.

 21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD;
       I have not done evil by turning from my God.

 22 All his laws are before me;
       I have not turned away from his decrees.

 23 I have been blameless before him
       and have kept myself from sin.

 24 The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
       according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

 25 To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
       to the blameless you show yourself blameless,

 26 to the pure you show yourself pure,
       but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.

 27 You save the humble
       but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.

 28 You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning;
       my God turns my darkness into light.

 29 With your help I can advance against a troop ^[d] ;
       with my God I can scale a wall.

 30 As for God, his way is perfect;
       the word of the LORD is flawless.
       He is a shield
       for all who take refuge in him.

 31 For who is God besides the LORD ?
       And who is the Rock except our God?

 32 It is God who arms me with strength
       and makes my way perfect.

 33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
       he enables me to stand on the heights.

 34 He trains my hands for battle;
       my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

 35 You give me your shield of victory,
       and your right hand sustains me;
       you stoop down to make me great.

 36 You broaden the path beneath me,
       so that my ankles do not turn.

 37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them;
       I did not turn back till they were destroyed.

 38 I crushed them so that they could not rise;
       they fell beneath my feet.

 39 You armed me with strength for battle;
       you made my adversaries bow at my feet.

 40 You made my enemies turn their backs in flight,
       and I destroyed my foes.

 41 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—
       to the LORD, but he did not answer.

 42 I beat them as fine as dust borne on the wind;
       I poured them out like mud in the streets.

 43 You have delivered me from the attacks of the people;
       you have made me the head of nations;
       people I did not know are subject to me.

 44 As soon as they hear me, they obey me;
       foreigners cringe before me.

 45 They all lose heart;
       they come trembling from their strongholds.

 46 The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock!
       Exalted be God my Savior!

 47 He is the God who avenges me,
       who subdues nations under me,

 48 who saves me from my enemies.
       You exalted me above my foes;
       from violent men you rescued me.

 49 Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O LORD;
       I will sing praises to your name.

 50 He gives his king great victories;
       he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed,
       to David and his descendants forever.

Footnotes:

a.  Psalm 18:2 Horn here symbolizes strength.

b.  Psalm 18:5 Hebrew Sheol

c.  Psalm 18:13 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint (see also 2 Samuel 22:14 most Hebrew manuscripts resounded, / amid hailstones and bolts of lightning

d.  Psalm 18:29 Or can run through a barricade