A Very Blessed 2013 to All!

Toying with Death

Learning to love evil & crave violence
 by Berit Kjos

"Police investigating the Virginia Tech killings are looking at whether Cho Seung-Hui was copying parts of a violent film when he murdered 32 people. Officers believe he repeatedly watched Oldboy as part of his preparation for the killing spree.... It contains stylized scenes of killings and an attempted suicide, and is filled with what one critic called 'punishing emotional violence'.... The video, which Cho posted to an American TV network while carrying out his murderous rampage, appears to include photographs of Cho re-enacting scenes from the film."[1] "Killer Enacted Violent Film" [Skip down to Copycat killing]

"After the Jonesboro shootings, one of the high-school teachers told me how her students reacted when she told them about the shootings at the middle school. 'They laughed,' she told me with dismay. A similar reaction happens all the time in movie theaters when there is bloody violence. The young people laugh and cheer and keep right on eating popcorn and drinking pop. We have raised a generation of barbarians who have learned to associate violence with pleasure, like the Romans cheering and snacking as the Christians were slaughtered in the Coliseum."[2]

"Visitors at a beauty spot near Glasgow watched helplessly as three boys [aged 18, 17 and 15) forced a terrified schoolboy to fall 25ft over a cliff and then cheered as their victim plunged on to rocks below, a court heard yesterday."[3]

"Are we training our children to kill?" asked Lieutenant Colonel David Grossman, an expert in the field of killology. For many years, he has "traveled the world training medical, law enforcement, and U.S. military personnel about the realities of warfare." He contends that point-and-shoot video games actually train young players to accurately shoot and kill human targets in spite of their natural, God-given resistance. His statistics validate his frightening conclusions:

"The per capita murder rate doubled in this country between 1957... and 1992. A fuller picture of the problem, however, is indicated by the rate people are attempting to kill one another—the aggravated assault rate. That rate in America has gone from around 60 per 100,000 in 1957 to over 440 per 100,000 by the middle of this decade. 
"Violence is rising in many nations with draconian gun laws. ... There is only one new variable present in each of these countries, bearing the exact same fruit: media violence presented as entertainment for children.
"Children don't naturally kill. It is a learned skill. And they learn it... most pervasively, from violence as entertainment in television, the movies, and interactive video games.
"Killing requires training because there is a built-in aversion to killing one's own kind... Within the midbrain there is a powerful, God-given resistance to killing your own kind.... When we human beings are overwhelmed with anger and fear, we slam head-on into that midbrain resistance that generally prevents us from killing. Only sociopaths—who by definition don't have that resistance—lack this innate violence immune system....
"During World War II, US Army Brig. Gen. S. L. A. Marshall had a team of researchers study what soldiers did in battle.... They discovered that only 15 to 20 percent of the individual riflemen could bring themselves to fire at an exposed enemy soldier. Men are willing to die, they are willing to sacrifice themselves for their nation; but they are not willing to kill. It is a phenomenal insight into human nature; but when the military became aware of that, they systematically went about the process of trying to fix this 'problem.'...
"The training methods militaries use are brutalization, classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and role modeling. ... Just as the army is conditioning people to kill, we are indiscriminately doing the same thing to our children, but without the safeguards."[2]

Read more here...http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/007/toying-with-death.htm 

Letter From Ex-Witch Regarding Harry Potter

New 'Purpose Driven Life' Book Released

The reason Christian leaders aren’t taking the New Age more seriously is because figures, like [Rick] Warren, are not ringing out a warning and are themselves being influenced and deceived by the New Age. - Warren B. Smith Ten years after the first edition of Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life was released, Zondervan has now released a new 2012 “Expanded Edition” of the New York Times best seller geared for a “new generation.” As the cover of the new edition reads, over 32 million copies of The Purpose Driven Life have been sold. This special Lighthouse Trails report will examine how the new edition has retained Rick Warren's unbiblical position. FIRST SOME BACKGROUND It was Fall of 2002, and the fledgling Lighthouse Trails Publishing was just about to release its first book, A Time of Departing, written by a fairly unknown author, Ray Yungen. At the same time, unbeknownst to us, another book was hitting the bookstores but this one by a fairly well-known author, Rick Warren with his book, The Purpose Driven Life. Some knew Warren from his first book in the 90s called The Purpose Driven Church. But his name was about to become a virtual household name in the Western world with The Purpose Driven Life. As time wore on and the book climbed the charts, many, including Rick Warren himself, said it must be from God or there wouldn’t be this much success. Rick Warren came to believe that the Purpose Driven movement was the most important contribution being made to the 21st century church: Personal computers have brand names. But inside every pc is an Intel chip and an operating system, Windows,” Warren says. “The Purpose Driven paradigm is the Intel chip for the 21st-century church and the Windows system of the 21st-century church—Rick Warren, Christianity Today, Oct. 2005. Lighthouse Trails sent a copy of A Time of Departing to Rick Warren in early 2003, hoping to warn this influential pastor of the contemplative prayer and spiritual formation movement. Warren sent a personal note thanking Lighthouse Trails for the book and admitted it was a “hot topic.” The following year, Lighthouse Trails editors heard about a book that was suggesting The Purpose Driven movement had leanings toward the New Age. LT editors purchased a copy of the book, which had been written by Warren B. Smith. The book, titled Deceived on Purpose: the New Age implications of the Purpose Driven movement, was the first book on the market that challenged Rick Warren and the Purpose Driven movement. Since then, Warren Smith has written a follow-up book titled A “Wonderful” Deception, Ray Yungen has added an entire chapter on Rick Warren in a 2nd edition of A Time of Departing (showing Rick Warren’s propensities toward and promotion of contemplative spirituality), and Lighthouse Trails author Roger Oakland included Rick Warren in his expose book on the emerging church, Faith Undone. Needless to say, Lighthouse Trails was very interested to know if Rick Warren has corrected the things that Warren Smith, Ray Yungen, and Roger Oakland challenged him on (from a biblical point of view) in their books. This report will examine these very things. I. DECEIVED ON PURPOSE & A “WONDERFUL” DECEPTION VS THE NEW EDITION OF THE PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE 1. In Deceived on Purpose, Warren Smith contended that Rick Warren’s use of Eugene Peterson’s The Message compromised his book significantly. Anyone reading The Message should be able to quickly see how verses from Scripture often had their otherwise clear meanings obscured or even altered. Important details were sometimes omitted, while misleading words and phrases were often added. (DOP, p. 24) Since the release of The Purpose Driven Life in 2002, there has been ample documentation proving that The Message paraphrase is not trustworthy, and in fact, is quite misleading. But did this cause Rick Warren to reconsider? No, the new expanded Purpose Driven Life still contains quotes from Eugene Peterson’s The Message (Day 2, Day 8, Day 32). One of the most disturbing things that Warren Smith unveiled about The Message was the New Age maxim substituted into the Lord’s Prayer, “as above, so below.” This phrase [as above, so below] comes from the beginning of The Emerald Tablet and embraces the entire system of traditional and modern magic which was inscribed upon the tablet in cryptic wording by Hermes Trismegistus. The significance of this phrase is that it is believed to hold the key to all mysteries. All systems of magic are claimed to function by this formula. “‘That which is above is the same as that which is below’….The universe is the same as God, God is the same as man.” (DOP, p. 33) Even though Peterson’s ”As above, so below” revision was brought to Rick Warren’s attention by at least one person who sent him a copy of Deceived on Purpose, that didn’t stop Rick Warren from including The Message in his new 2012 edition of The Purpose Driven Life.  2. In the 2002 edition of The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren quoted a man named Bernie Siegel. Warren Smith addresses this in Deceived on Purpose and later again in his book, A “Wonderful” Deception: In The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren introduces his main themes of “hope” and “purpose.” Inexplicably, Warren chooses to introduce “hope” and “purpose” in his book by citing Dr. Bernie Siegel—a veteran New Age leader who claims to have a spirit-guide named George. Somehow, readers of The Purpose Driven Life are expected to believe that God inspired Warren to introduce the themes of hope and purpose by referencing the “wisdom” of Bernie Siegel, an author and leader in the New Age movement.(AWD, p. 16) Once again, Rick Warren dismisses legitimate concerns and includes the Bernie Siegel reference in the new 2012 expanded edition of The Purpose Driven Life. 3. In the 2002 edition of PDL, Rick Warren twists Scripture and says, “The Bible says, ‘He rules everything and is everywhere and is in everything.” Warren Smith responded saying: Out of the fifteen different Bible versions Rick Warren uses in The Purpose Driven Life, he chooses to cite Ephesians 4:6 from a new translation that erroneously conveys the panentheistic New Age teaching that God is “in” everything. According to New Age leaders, this teaching is foundational to the New Age/New Spirituality. Yet of these fifteen Bible versions Warren uses in his book, he chooses the New Century Version that has potentially misled millions of Purpose Driven readers to believe this key New Age doctrine that God is “in” everything. (AWD, p. 16) What does Rick Warren do with this misuse of Scripture? You will find the very same misuse in the new 2012 edition of PDL. 4. In the 2002 edition of PDL, Rick Warren distorts the words of Jesus regarding His second coming. In The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren strongly discourages the study of prophecy. He states that “in essence” Jesus told his disciples: “The details of my return are none of your business.” Contrary to what Warren writes, in Jesus’ discussion on the Mount of Olives, He tells His disciples that an understanding of the details of His return is very important. He provides much needed prophetic information so that His followers will not be deceived about the details of His return at the end of time. (AWD, pp. 20-21) In the 2012 expanded edition of PDL, Rick Warren says the exact same thing again. 5. In the 2002 edition of PDL, echoing Robert Schuller, Rick Warren writes, “It helps to know that Satan is entirely predictable.” In Deceived on Purpose, Warren Smith refutes this highly irresponsible remark by Rick Warren that unfortunately millions of people have now heard: Because Rick Warren and other church leaders don’t seem to discern the deception, they are unfortunately becoming a part of the deceptive process. Perhaps deceived into thinking that they can’t be deceived, their inability to spiritually discern what is happening is placing the Church in grave danger. (DOP, p. 131) In the 2012 expanded edition of PDL, Rick Warren repeats: "It helps to know that Satan is entirely predictable,” once again underestimating the wiles of the devil and ignoring the many Scriptures that warn us about spiritual deception. 6. In the 2002 edition of The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren quotes occultist and New Ager Aldous Huxley (is it any wonder that former New Age follower Warren Smith wrote two books on the Purpose Driven movement!). After incorrectly diagnosing the Apostle Paul as suffering from “doubt” and “depression” rather than persecution, Rick Warren emphasized the importance of “shared experiences” by quoting Huxley. . . Rick Warren’s citing of the metaphysical Huxley in discussing the importance of “shared experiences” seemed as inappropriate as his referencing New Age leader Bernie Siegel in introducing “hope” and “purpose.” Randomly quoting influential New Age figures with no introduction or explanation as to who these people are is not exactly what you expect from a shepherd who is supposed to be protecting his flock. (DOP, pp. 96-97) II. A TIME OF DEPARTING VS THE NEW EDITION OF THE PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE 1. In the 2002 edition of PDL, Rick Warren references Brother Lawrence (Practicing the Presence of God) several times and tells readers to practice ”breath prayers.” Ray Yungen challenges this: Brother Lawrence is often quoted by contemplative authors for his habit of what he called “practicing the presence of God.” But what was the actual nature of this presence? Was it something that would reflect the true character of God? I find the following account from a devout advocate of Brother Lawrence both questionable and disturbing: “It is said of Brother Lawrence that when something had taken his mind away from love’s presence he would receive “a reminder from God” that so moved his soul that he “cried out, singing and dancing violently like a mad man.” You will note that the reminders came from God and were not his own doing.” (Gerald May, The Awakened Heart, First HarperCollins Paperback Edition, 1993) p. 87, citing from The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence, translated) Brother Lawrence says that secret phrases must be “repeat[ed] often in the day,” and “for the right practice of it, the heart must be empty of all other things.” He speaks of the trouble of wandering thoughts and says that the habit of practicing the presence of God is the “one remedy” and the “best and easiest method” he knows to dissolve distractions. (ATOD, p. 147) Rick Warren received a copy of A Time of Departing in 2003 and yet, in the 2012 expanded edition of PDL, Warren once again references Brother Lawrence and tells his readers to practice “breath prayers.” 2. In the 2002 edition of PDL, Warren advises readers to use visual reminders throughout the day and gives an example of others who practice breath prayers—Benedictine monks, known for their contemplative spirituality and interspirituality. Yet, in the 2012 expanded edition of PDL, Rick Warren again tells readers to consider the example that the contemplative Benedictine monks have set before us. 3. Regarding the 2002 edition of PDL, Ray Yungen points out in A Time of Departing: “Warren not only promotes breath prayers on Day 11 in The Purpose Driven Life but also on Day 38, where he tells readers how to become “world-class Christian[s]” through the “practice [of]. . . breath prayers.” In the 2012 expanded edition of The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren repeats this second instruction on using breath prayers. 4. In A Time of Departing, Ray Yungen documents how Rick and Kay Warren find great affinity with Catholic contemplative mystic Henri Nouwen. In both the 2002 and the new 2012 expanded edition of PDL, Warren quotes Henri Nouwen twice. One of the quotes directly follows Warren’s quote of St. John of the Cross where Warren likens the panentheist St. John’s “dark night of the soul” to Henri Nouwen’s “ministry of absence.” If Rick Warren had read A Time of Departing when it was sent to him in 2003, he would have known that Nouwen practiced eastern style meditation; and he would have known that Nouwen had a propensity toward universalism, as demonstrated in Nouwen's words: Today I personally believe that while Jesus came to open the door to God's house, all human beings can walk through that door, whether they know about Jesus or not. Today I see it as my call to help every person claim his or her own way to God. (Sabbatical Journey, p. 51) III. FAITH UNDONE VS. THE NEW EDITION OF THE PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE 1. In Faith Undone, Roger Oakland shows Rick Warren’s distortion of biblical prophecy and the return of Jesus Christ in the 2002 edition of The Purpose Driven Life. In The Purpose Driven Life, Warren was actually laying ground-work for the emerging church’s new reformation, a reformation that rejects thinking about the return of Christ and works more at convincing the multitudes that Christ is already in them as a global christ-consciousness. As you will see in the following documentation, Warren has a low regard for Bible prophecy. Perhaps this helps explain why so many who once were anticipating the return of the Lord have become occupied with worldly ambitions. Warren writes: “When the disciples wanted to talk about prophecy, Jesus quickly switched the conversation to evangelism. He wanted them to concentrate on their mission in the world. He said in essence, ‘The details of my return are none of your business. What is your business is the mission I have given you. Focus on that’” I find it simply astounding that a statement of this sort would be in a New York Times best-seller in the present-day Christian book market. Jesus was telling the disciples they could not know the day or the hour, but nowhere does Jesus ever indicate that “the details of my return are none of your business.” Rather than quickly changing the subject, we find in Matthew 24 and Luke 21 two of the longest passages in Scripture quoting Jesus’ own words, as He details the signs of His coming. (FA, pp. 154-155) As this report stated earlier, the new edition of The Purpose Driven Life also takes Jesus’ words out of context regarding Bible prophecy and His return. 2. In the 2002 edition of PDL, Rick Warren takes Christ’s words out of context when he tells readers that those who think about Bible prophecy (i.e., the Lord’s return) are ”not fit for the kingdom of God.” Roger Oakland shows how he did this distortion. In the 2012 edition of PDL, Warren tells readers again that they are “not fit for the kingdom of God” if they think about Bible prophecy too much. CONCLUSION: So What IS Different About the new 2012 edition? In a Zondervan promotional video, Rick Warren says that he has learned a lot of things in the past decade about hindrances that keep people from finding their true purpose, and he has put this information in two new chapters: “The Envy Trap” and “the People Pleaser Trap.” He has also added links to both video and audio teachings by himself. While Lighthouse Trails editors have strong concerns about what these teachings will introduce to readers (such as the audio for Day 11, where Rick and Kay Warren talk about how to “connect” with God through “the stillness,” via monks, monasteries, and Henri Nouwen), this report is not on what Rick Warren has added to PDL but rather what he has not removed. Thus, the following can be stated with certainty: the new edition of The Purpose Driven Life is as problematic as the first edition was and could potentially lead a whole “new generation” astray. One only needs to look at the declining condition of America over the past 10 years to see that The Purpose Driven Life (where 60 million people have read it, Warren said recently on a Fox News interview ) has not helped the country or the church get on track. On the Zondervan website, it states: “The Purpose Driven Life is far more than just a book; it is a guide to a spiritual journey that has transformed millions of lives. Once you take this journey, you’ll never be the same again” (emphasis added). As Lighthouse Trails has stated for over 10 years, the Purpose Driven “spiritual journey” is one that should be avoided. Hopefully, this report has shown some of the reasons. While this Special Report does not address issues such as Rick Warren’s P.E.A.C.E. Plan and the Daniel Plan, please refer to the “Related Articles” section below for further documentation on the Purpose Driven movement. NOTE: Books by Ray Yungen, Roger Oakland, and Warren B. Smith are available through the Lighthouse Trails store or most major online bookstores. If you have not read all three of these books - A Time of Departing, Faith Undone, and A “Wonderful” Deception (which summarizes Deceived on Purpose in chapter 1), we highly recommend you do. If you cannot afford the books, please write to us at P.O. Box 908, Eureka, MT 59917, and we will send you a free copy of one of them. Or you can visit our research site where we have extensive free information and many excerpts from these books. Also we have a list of free chapter excerpts that you can access. Related Articles: Rick Warren Makes Bold Move Unveiling Centering Prayer Devotion Rick Warren “Annoyed” with Those Who Challenge Him – Serving Two Masters Not Working The Purpose Driven Inclusive Church by Roger Oakland The Angel of Light’s “Plan” for World Peace by Tamara Hartzell (from In the Name of Purpose) Creating a New Society: Change Agents and Influence Peddlers by Carl Teichrib Rick Warren Plays “Catch Me if You Can” While Promoting Mysticism Saddleback’s Response to Criticism Over Daniel Plan – An Unscriptural Paradox! Emanuel Swedenborg’s Occultic Beliefs Influence Rick Warren’s Health Advisor and Now the Christian Church by John Lanagan

WHAT HOLDS Your HEART?

by David Wilkerson

What holds your heart right now? Does your soul yearn for Jesus, 
or for the things of this world?

A woman on our mailing list wrote this distressing note: "My 
husband was once on fire for God. For years he gave himself 
faithfully to the Lord's work but today he's all wrapped up in a 
new pursuit. He no longer has any time for the Lord. I worry for 
him, because he's grown so cold."

Jesus told a parable about this very kind of legitimate pursuit. A 
wealthy man sent his servant to invite all his friends to a great feast 
he was holding. But, Scripture says, the man's friends "all with 
one consent began to make excuse" (Luke 14:18).

One friend told the servant, "I just bought a piece of land, sight 
unseen, and I have to inspect it. Please tell your master I won't 
be able to come." The next friend told the servant, "I just bought 
a yoke of oxen and I haven't had time to test them. Tell your 
master I can't come, because I have to go into the field to plow 
with them." Yet another friend told the servant, "I just got married 
and I'm about to take my honeymoon. I don't have time to come 
to the feast."

This man had invited all his friends to enjoy an intimate time of 
fellowship with him. He had made all the arrangements for their 
comfort and convenience. The table had been set and everything 
had been prepared, but no one came. Everyone was simply too 
busy or preoccupied.

Each person had a good, legitimate reason for not coming. After 
all, they were not avoiding their friend so that they could go partying 
or bar-hopping. On the contrary, the Bible commends everything 
these people were doing: Buying and selling can provide security 
for one's family, and testing a major purchase is a sound business 
practice. Finally, marriage is a blessing that the Scriptures encourage.

Yet, how did this wealthy man react? Scripture says, "The lord 
said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and 
compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say 
unto you, that none of those men which were bidden shall taste 
of my supper" (verses 23-24).

Jesus makes a very clear point in this parable: Each of these 
good, legitimate things becomes sinful when it takes priority over 
the Lord. 

Source - http://www.worldchallenge.org/en/node/20781

God's Love in Action

Jesus said: "Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me".  
(Mt. 25:40)

THOUGHTS ON THANKSGIVING

In 1621, the 53 surviving Pilgrims of the Mayflower company held a Thanksgiving feast. In Of Plymouth Plantation, William Bradford lists the Mayflower passengers and also those who died during the first winter of 1620/1621 and during the spring of 1621. No other ships arrived in Plymouth until after the "First Thanksgiving" celebration. Forty-five of the 102 emigrants died the first winter and were buried. The Pilgrims at the "First Thanksgiving" were the only Mayflower survivors. That works out to a 44 percent mortality rate. The first Thanksgiving feast lasted three days and was attended by 53 Pilgrims and 90 Wampanoag Indians. Earlier this month, many Christians were disappointed and some were depressed at the 2012 election results. But should believers be surprised, let alone depressed, over such events? Is our hope in this world? Should we not be giving thanks to God not just today but for each day that He gives us? What was the focus of the Pilgrims? Governor William Bradford wrote that Reverend John Robinson, prior to their departure from Holland and voyage to the New World, "...spent a good part of the day very profitably and suitable to their present occasion; the rest of the time was spent pouring out prayers to the Lord with great fervency, mixed with abundance of tears. And the time being come that they must depart, they were accompanied with most of their brethren out of the city, unto a town sundry miles off called Delftshaven, where the ship lay ready to receive them. So they left that goodly and pleasant city which had been their resting place near twelve years; but they knew they were pilgrims, and looked not much on those things, but lift up their eyes to the heavens, their dearest country, and quieted their spirits." This excerpt from Bradford's Of Plymouth Plantation  references the Epistle to the Hebrews 11:13-16: "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city." --TBC Staff HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

How President Lincoln Established Thanksgiving Day

11/22/12 | Steve Strang

In spite of the problems we face in our nation regarding the economy, religious liberty and increasing godlessness, we still have much to be thankful for. I’m thankful for my family, a wonderful wife, good health and a wonderful year of growth and influence through books such as The Harbinger. I know you’ll take time, as I do, to thank God for His many blessings.

It’s also a good time to be reminded of how many problems there were in 1863, when Abraham Lincoln told the country it should put aside a day to thank God for His blessings. Enjoy reading his own words in his proclamation dated Oct. 3, 1863:

In the words of Lincoln...

"The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God.

"In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign states to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.

"Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defense have not arrested the plough, the shuttle, or the ship; the axe had enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battlefield; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years, with large increase of freedom.

"No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

"It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people.  I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.

"And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.

"In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

"Done at the city of Washington, this third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the independence of the United States the eighty-eighth."

ISLAMIC SHARIA LAW COMES TO GREAT BRITAIN [Excerpts)

Stoning for adultery. Amputations for theft. Death for apostates. And second-class status for Christians and Jews. This is life under Sharia law, the Islamic system practiced in countries like Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Great Britain.

Yes, Great Britain.

There are reportedly some 85 Sharia courts now operating there, with Islamic judges ruling on cases ranging from financial to marital disputes among British Muslims.

"We went into some proceedings and there were a couple of Islamic judges sitting up above the rest," said Alan Craig, who recently stepped down as leader of the Christian Peoples Alliance party. "And there was one Muslim woman who was suing for divorce."

Craig is a former city councilor in East London, home to several Sharia courts where women face open discrimination.

"A woman's witness value is half that of a man," Craig told CBN News. "So [the courts] will tend, therefore, to take the man's position in a divorce."

Craig is working with Baroness Caroline Cox to pass a bill in Britain's House of Lords protecting women from this Sharia oppression.

Muslim women in Great Britain often face intimidation within their communities to settle things the Sharia way. According to Craig, some wrongly believe Islamic courts are their only option.

"What we're trying to do is say, Muslim women, especially in this country, need to be informed," he explained. "They actually have other rights and our view, better rights, under English law."

(Stakelbeck, CBN News Online: World, 11/15/12)

 

Four More Years… Of Exile (Responding to the Obama Re-Election)

The encouraging word below was emailed to me by a friend and I wanted to share it here, along with a few of my own thoughts, with everyone else who I'm sure is asking the same question of - "WHY"? 

Needless to say, I was not at all happy with the election results either, but as the writer here points out this may INDEED be "the plan". I have shared before that I think believers have gotten waaaay too caught up in "politics", and that politics in itself is not going to produce the much sought after "change" desired since the real problem lies within the HEART of individuals and their desperate need for God. Perhaps this election result is just one more method God will use to relinquish His people's proclivity to still put their trust in "man" and what man can do for them.

That said, I truly think that if we handle this correctly it absolutely can become one of the best times for the true church to really SHINE. I think we need to be careful of the whining, complaining, blaming and badmouthing we are all at times tempted to do, and I'll be the first one to plead guilty there! 

However, there's definitely a better way. Instead of the continual complaints about the way things are, and/or the giving into feelings of hopelessness over it all...we need to be fervently praying, seeking God and His will for our own personal lives more than ever - that and that alone is what will really begin to make a DIFFERENCE.

Sadly, the true church, for the most part has been AWOL - the time has come when it's no longer what can so and so in office do to help us, but rather what can WE as His people, like the disciples of old, DO, to once again turn this world right side up! I don't believe this world we live in will get "better" per se', because Jesus clearly said that evil will "increase" not decrease in the last days, but I do believe it's a time when many will repent and turn to the Lord as they begin to realize that He truly is their only hope both in this life and the next.

I have to say that my spirit definitely bears witness with the word from this brother, and today I too feel a new resolve. 

We as God's people have been lax for far too long being content to live (or better put, exist) in our own little comfort zones, but I believe those times are now coming to an end. The Lord needs each one of us in our proper place on the battlefield. No more christian "celebrities" to look to or depend on, no more looking to "politics" wasting countless time and energy hoping for someone else to bring "change"- the early church NEVER did things that way and neither should we...the last days church, either.

Do you ever wonder HOW the disciples accomplished SO much with so little, while we just seem to continue to spin our wheels, and oftentimes have a hard time getting out of our own way? Could it possibly be because THEY lived for ONE thing ONLY - to seek and know God and to do HIS will. What a distinct difference in the mindset and methods of the believers then and the church of today.

Bottom line, they were willing to truly pay the price Jesus talked about. They had no personal agendas, and/or lofty self-fulfilling goals that they allowed to sidetrack or compromise their ultimate mission.Why do we keep complicating such a simple concept? Why do we keep erroneously thinking we can have God and our way too? I think these are questions we all need to ask ourselves if we want to see the kind of change that only an authentic move of God can bring.

I believe the Lord is calling us to wake up and decide once and for all to be about our Father's business, and His business alone! Our country and this world is in DIRE need not for a republican administration, but for the TRUE Gospel of Jesus Christ which alone can bring lasting peace and freedom. No matter the price we have to pay, we MUST start to speak, think and do differently - we need the Lord more than ever, and in turn He also needs us to be willing and obedient to do HIS will above and beyond our own.

Simply put, the days are short, the time is NOW, and the harvest is more ripe than ever...may God help us all to fully let go of the things and comforts of this world...the many weights that so easily distract and beset us. The jobs and material possessions we'd like to have, the entertainment and sports fanaticism, the nice cushy comfortable lifestyles we all covet and envy, etc., as a soldier in God's army, all these things must pale in comparison to our "call to duty." 

Now, please don't misunderstand, I'm not saying these things are wrong in themselves - I'm just saying that they provide a major distraction and tend to consume waaaay too much of our time and energy. God has not called us to pursue patriotism and work feverishly for our country, He has called us to take up our cross and follow HIM. It's easy to forget that this world is not our home, that we really are citizens of another Kingdom - a Kingdom that alone deserves our unwavering loyalty, time, and attention. I pray the Lord will open our eyes to realize and see this like we never have before.

In any event, in light of the election results and the overall condition of the church and the world we live in, my prayer today is...

Lord help us to get our priorities straight and to make our passions and obsessions to be about YOU alone...help us to truly seek you and your Kingdom FIRST, to see things as you do, to stop the blaming, complaining, rationalizing, excuse making, and badmouthing. Help us to not only read your Word but to wholeheartedly APPLY and DO it...help us to be and live as the "called out" separated people you've ordained us to be. May the world clearly SEE that we are your people, that we are indeed "different" and with no doubt in their mind be able to say of us - surely they have been with Jesus!

Forgive us for not "redeeming the time" in these evil days as you've told us to do...for wasting so much precious time in pursuit of things that have no real spiritual significance or eternal value...and forgive us as well for seeking to please ourselves more than seeking to please you.

God is calling the AWOL church back to their posts...He needs YOU - will you obey and answer? 

I hope the word below encourages you as it did me...

In His love,

Judie 

Posted on November 7, 2012 by Steve Elliott

Four More Years…of exile. But there is hope. Please read my thoughts on where we go from here. –Steve

I’m writing to you to explain why, even after a late and discouraging evening that stretched past 1am on the east coast, I was back at the office before 8am this morning.

And why the sinking feeling i felt last night has already been replaced with a deep determination.

And why I’m going out to buy equipment for our new office this afternoon.

And why we are going to build, build, build — despite a stunning and, for me, unexpected defeat.

+ + Let’s Be Clear: We Just Got Pummeled
Before I go on, let’s be clear: last night was a defeat and I didn’t see it coming. I expected a “Tea Party Wave” — perhaps a 300+ victory for Romney. All the signs seemed to be there. The 2010 elections, the failed recall of Scott Walker and even the Chick-Fil-A Day pointed to a re-shaped political landscape. The polls and crowds made it clear that there was more enthusiasm with Romney.
But that wave never came. The people did not rise up and reject Obama’s statism. Quite the opposite — 15 million fewer people voted and Romney earned less votes than John McCain did four years prior.

+ + Far Worse Than 2008
Upon reflection, what happened last night was far worse than what happened in 2008. Our first “dance” with Obama was mostly about smoke and mirrors — “hope and change” that was never really defined. For many Americans, Obama 2008 was more an idea, an idealized dream and a collective catharsis from our dark past.

But Obama 2012 was something altogether different because now we know the real Barack Obama. We watched him advance the most radical leftist agenda at least since FDR. We saw him rape and pillage the free market and impose a government takeover of industries. We witnessed him go to foreign nations nd apologize for America and then leave our people alone to die in Benghazi.
This time we knew Barack Obama. Yet a majority of American voters said, “More!” and the opposition to Obama’s agenda never really showed up at the polls.

We can try to console ourselves by saying it was a close election… that the leftist media gave Obama the election…. that we couldn’t really expect a Northeastern liberal Republican to be our standard bearer…. that a bizarre hurricane swung the election.

All that may be true.

But it matters little now. And the less time we spend blaming each other or the trickery of the other guys the better.

So here’s why I’m more determined…. why I’m building.

+ + A 2,500-Year-Old Letter Written For Today
I want to share with you a letter that, although it is 2,500 years old, it could have been written this morning. For us. For faithful patriots who feel like they just discovered they will have to live at least the next four years in exile.

This letter was written to Jewish exiles who had been pushed out of Jerusalem and forced to live under a tyrannical ruler named Nebuchadnezzar.

The exiles wanted one thing: they wanted to be re-established back in Israel. They even had a prophet named Hananiah come to them and tell them that their time of exile would only last two years.
You can read about it in Jeremiah 28.

Hananiah was a false prophet. He died.

And so Jeremiah wrote a letter to the exiles. You’ve probably heard a part of that letter recited many times. It’s one of the most commonly quoted passages in the entire Bible. Unfortunately, this passage is mostly taken out of its proper context and delivered as a “feel good” word that everything is going to be good.

One of my friends was quoting this verse yesterday morning:

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Those words sound so good. The future is bright. God has a plan for prosperity, for a real hope and a real future. On the eve of the election, it must have meant a Romney win, the GOP takes the Senate and we start the rollback of the Obama regime, right?
Not exactly.

+ + The Plan Was Exile
Here’s the shocking context of Jeremiah 29 (and I offer to you, the context for 11/6/12): Then plan was exile.

That was the “plan” Jeremiah’s letter was talking about. I encourage you to go read all of Jeremiah 29. Here is the immediate context:

This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans…..

The plan was 70 years of exile. Keep that in mind the next time someone quotes Jeremiah 29:11 to encourage you that your time of trouble will soon end. Not only was the exile going to last 70 years, the exile WAS the plan!

If you don’t believe me, go back and read the beginning of the letter, from Jeremiah 29:4. Here you’ll see the Lord (through Jeremiah) giving the Jewish exiles specific instructions on how to conduct themselves in exile:

–Build houses and settle down
–Plan gardens and eat what they produce
–Marry and have sons and daughters
–Marry off your sons and daughters so they can have children
–Increase in number; do not decrease

Again, remember the context. A false prophet had just come and said the time of exile would only last two years. That prophet died. The truth is, the people will be in exile for 70 years. And the directive is to build families, grow businesses, think trans-generationally and increase.

+ + Seek The Welfare Of The Land
It gets better. Because Jeremiah’s letter makes it clear that building and marrying is not enough. People in exile must do something else — they must be a blessing to the land.

Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

So let’s review. First, the Plan is exile. Second, build. Third, bless. Simple, clear instructions.
But why was this important? Why a “plan” for exile with specific instructions on how to act in exile?
Historians tell us that it was during the Babylonian captivity that the Israelites moved from a Temple/ Jerusalem focused society to a synagogue and community focused society. Simply put…

It was the lessons learned during their time in exile which enabled the Jews to survive 2,500 years in exile. But not just surive, but to thrive and become the most prosperous, most successful and most innovative people group in the history of civilization.

Exile was the plan.

So that’s why, today, I’m going to build. And I’m going to plant. I’m going to bless. And I’m going to pray. For that is the final piece to the puzzle…

Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

So let’s get building. Let’s get planting. And let’s get praying. And let’s bless this land. There are lessons to be learned in exile.

Steve Elliott, Grassfire