Of Gungor And Scripture And Discernment And...

I am perplexed. Baffled. Puzzled. Bewildered. Confounded. Utterly confused. I can’t seem to figure something out that is taking place in perceived Christianity.

I have been a champion for always being wary of what you are consuming, especially when it comes to the entertainment that you allow to enter your mind and affect you to the core. (See Here, Here, Here, Here, Here, Here and here. I have been aware of the namesake for the band Gungor’s recent remarks about his views against Biblical accuracy. I did not, however, look into exactly what his remarks were until today.

I first starting reading an article about Ken Ham, of Answers in Genesis and the Creation Museum, which he was addressing Gungor’s stance against Biblical accounts of creation and publicly calling Gungor to repent. I stopped reading shortly into the article because I wanted to read Michael Gungor’s actual words first, without having an opinion formed about what Gungor said, without reading what Gungor said. (Here is a post directly from Ken Ham)

Having never listened to Gungor, the only opinion I had formed about Gungor was based on people expressing how “great” the music was that the band had been producing. I have never heard a Gungor song, I have never heard Gungor talk even. I had a fresh slate, no kind of preconceived notions of what this man believes. As I read Michael Gungor’s words I began getting the feeling that the term “fundamentalist” was being used derogatorily and that Mr. Gungor harbored some animosity for those that might actually believe what the Bible says.

Gungor’s arguments seemed to match up with the world outside of perceived Christianity. From belittling those that believe the Biblical accounts of creation and Adam and Eve to be factual to likening the Bible’s account of Noah and the ark to an episode of Star Trek I was seeing that Gungor has been heavily influenced by this world’s lack of understanding of Scripture. (Original Gungor post - Followup post)

I will stop short of calling Michael Gungor a non-Christian, but I think that may be a real likely thing. Why is that? Can’t someone believe science trumps scripture and still be a Christian? Sure they can. How is that? Because there are a lot of Baby Christians out there who do not have the proper understanding of scripture and do not understand the Bible’s true nature. It is The Word of God. Period. The Bible is not simply a narrative of events, a collection of nifty stories or an outdated list of rules as Gungor and others would try to persuade. It is a reflection of the Nature of God. And with that statement I end up firmly on Gungor’s naughty list of Biblical Fundies.

I am praying that the Gungors take Ken Ham up on his invitation to visit the Creation Museum and to learn what the Biblical narrative really is. The scientists at the Creation Museum have volunteered to meet with the Gungors and show them how a ship could fit all of the animals that scripture says it did. They will be able to see where the water came from, the paths that it carved as it receded, the fossil beds that its aftermath left. If Michael Gungor visits the museum and is a Christian he certainly must change his understanding of what the Bible says and change his perceptions of Scripture as true and stop ridiculing those that actually believe what the Bible says.

Saying all of this I come to the real point of this post, the reason I am confused. Many a true believer have held the wrong understanding of the Biblical accounts as Michael Gungor holds. I would even venture to say that there are probably other mainstream CCM musicians that hold the same beliefs. What I find perplexing is the castigation of Gungor in light of this, the night and day perception of Gungor without actually trying to have a straight forward and heart to heart discussion with and to Michael Gungor. Michael Gungor has been accursed by a lot of people for his views and his words (rightfully so?). So why is that perplexing to me? Because other musical groups that blatantly and obviously believe and teach heretical doctrine are openly welcomed in Christian circles.

It is a sad state that a wrong view of the Bible, maybe caused by a lack of study or discipleship, sets someone outside the camp with folks washing their hands clean of Gungor while groups like Philips, Craig and Dean are defended, praised and lifted up as “brothers” when their view of God is blatantly heretical. PC&D not only believe heresy they also teach the heresy of Modalism with a kicker of a Prosperity gospel in the “churches” that they “pastor”.

Discernment is a rare commodity these days. False teachers/ prophets abound in our world today, smiling and telling you that your best life is now, that you can speak things into existence. False religions are being held as acceptable simply because the popular adherents hold the same political views as most Conservative Christians do (Glenn Beck, Mitt Romney). The ones that must be named get a free pass, while Gungor gets tied to the stake in mainstream circles. Rather ironic, I must say.

So, what to do? My suggestion is to see how Michael Gungor reacts to Ken Ham’s invitation. No preconceived narratives from me on what “might” happen or what Mr. Gungor “might” say or do with the invitation. I am fairly confident though, that if Michael Gungor accepts the invitation, sees the Christian view of Creation, with the scientific backing of Christian scientists, with PHDs, that he will change his view of Scripture and become a radical fundie, just like me.

What this boils down to, in my view, is that people are too heavily influenced by the musicians they like. Entertainment, music, musicians, movies, etc. are all chosen with what the flesh seems to enjoy. That is an alright thing, but that definitely doesn't trump Biblical accuracy and doing a little research into a band that catches your ear. We are to test all things (1 Thessalonians 5:21) and I am really certain that music, which impacts your mind and spirit, must be investigated before "liking" it and adding it to your MP3 player. Christians must be diligent to always look beyond what their foot taps to and see what theology has laid the foundation for what you are consuming. If you know a band or singer has some questionable theology then you would be wise to avoid them at all costs. If the TV preacher teaches contrary to scripture then you must mark them as anathema and avoid them, not "chew up the meat and spit out the bones". 

Discernment is lacking greatly in all areas of Christianity. How is that remedied? By knowing what the Bible says, by studying scripture, by taking God at His Word and applying it to your life and letting it shape you (Romans 12:2, Philippians 2:5). Simply follow Christ and God's Word. Let God be your guide and not what is popular in the world or within Christian circles.

Should We Seek To Be Discerning?

Part 3 in the “What Is Discernment” series

One of the most common unbiblical biblical statements we hear these days is “Judge not”. Some do go on to say “Lest ye be judged”, which is straight out of the KJV Old English version of scripture. Thing is, this is a biblical statement, but only as long as it is said in context. A simple and blanket statement of “Thou shalt not judge” is neither correct nor biblical.

As we saw in me last post (Types/ Kinds Of Biblical Discernment) we are told to practice discernment. What is discernment? Making an informed decision based on knowledge to provide the correct reaction to a particular issue, action or whatever else we face. This is also the definition of judging something. We look, hear, smell, taste or feel and those senses reach our brain at which time we will use our experience (our knowledge) to make a judgment. What’s the first thing you do when you take the milk carton out of the fridge? Open it, twist off the top, look into the opening and then take a big old sniff. What you’re doing is practicing discernment. You do it every day, all day.

So why is practicing Biblical discernment frowned upon and seen as a hindrance by most church goers? Why are people who are labeled “fundamentalist”, “Bible thumpers”, “Holier than thous” and “Jesus Freaks” because they take seriously the things of God, most specifically God’s Word and instructions for this world.

God’s Word is a mirror of His character, it gives us a glimpse of God, in His chosen manner, to know what He requires, desires and demands of us. It is a sad fact that most Christians (professing, truly converted or false converts alike) have only a cursory understanding of scripture. Most preachers only feed their congregations milk, sometimes chocolate milk when they indulge their message with the sweet, feel good stories, but most of the time, in most of the church buildings attendees are given a baby bottle as they enter the door along with their weekly church bulletin. Why that is is open for discussion, either the preacher desires to be a buddy instead of a leader, denying God’s command for them to preach the Word in truth or the preacher knows that the people will choke from solid food instead of milk and the occasional pureed veggies. Either way, the preacher is wrong.

How do we feed a baby? It starts off with milk, then progresses to cereals, then to soft foods, then to semi-solids, then the baby usually starts grabbing everything that it can and shoving it into its mouth. It should also be a natural progression for a follower of Christ. We do not stick a T-Bone into a 6 month old’s mouth, but one day that child will have grown enough and developed the capacity to chew and digest a steak.

Where am I going with this post? I’m attempting to show that a Christian should be seeking growth, should be examining scripture, should be seeking Christ more every day, should be eating the solid food of scripture. This is the way to progress in discernment, as we stated in the last blog post, from an understanding of God’s Word in context.

This is not to say that we are to have a judgmental spirit about us or to be critical of people, but that we are to take all aspects of our lives and apply scripture to them. As I stated before, we do the same thing in “normal” areas of our lives and think it to be good. So how much more then should we be applying scripture to our lives? We are to use our judgment to decide the proper course, the proper path, the proper action to correspond to every choice we have. There is no secular/ sacred divide in the life of a believer. A Christian’s life will all be sacred, as the Spirit of God dwells within us, which is the catalyst and the way we must judge/ discern our actions, words spoken and all choices.

So, as we saw in the last post we have the learned ability to judge things, from the study of God’s Word. Then we have the Spirit within us that gives us the Supernatural discernment in other areas. These work in tandem, as a grace of God to guide us through our life, our walk with Christ.

Our lives are full of choices that require discernment and judgment.  As a follower of Christ make sure that those choices glorify God. Look at each choice with the question of “How will this affect my walk with the Lord?” then make the choice. Then things will become more black and white in your mind. As you practice your discernment you will begin to build on the foundation and grow in your discernment. We should desire to be discerning, we should desire to grow in understanding the Word of God.

Why would someone who has encountered God, who has His Spirit living within them, not have a desire to have a greater understanding and greater application of God’s Word in their life?  It shouldn’t be. This is why it is hard to understand how people who claim to have been changed by God can remain stuck with a baby bottle in their mouth instead of eating steak and potatoes. Is it that they are false converts? Possibly. Is it that they have not been taught the whole counsel of Scripture? Probably. It is also up to them to study scripture, to show themselves approved of God, not to depend on 1 hour sermons each week to be their only sustenance. It just couldn’t be or they would starve.

Types/ Kinds Of Biblical Discernment

Part 2 in the "What is Discernment" series.

What is discernment? Is it as simple as just telling the difference between what is “right” and what is “wrong”? If so, then what is “right” and what is “wrong”?

Ultimately, yes, discernment is telling the differences between what is right, be it lawful, good, meaningful, needed, desired or any other word you place on something that needs a decision to be made between two or more options. That leads to another question - “Does discernment have to be between something that is “good” and something that is “bad”? Could discernment between two or more “good” things? Which, at the surface level, would be answered with a yes.

This series of questions is why the Charles Spurgeon quote:
“Discernment is not a matter of simply telling the difference between right and wrong; rather, it is telling the difference between right and almost right.”
has rung in my mind for years. This quote puts into focus verses such as Matthew 7:15 and 2 Timothy 4:3-4 which we are told that their will be teachers, preachers, leaders that will so much appear to be men of God, but are actually tools of the enemy who have come to deceive, to kill and to damn.

So, this first post in this series on discernment I would like to define what Biblical discernment is and what the types of discernment are. In the upcoming lessons we will dive in and see why if we need to be discerning, should we be discerning and why we should be discerning. Although I do not want this series to be an all out assault on false teachers and things that are perceived as Biblical by many within evangelicalism, that will invariably happen as I use examples that are all around us. Daily.

The dictionary’s definition of discernment is:
dis·cern·ment noun \di-ˈsərn-mənt, -ˈzərn-\
: the ability to see and understand people, things, or situations clearly and intelligently

Would this be the same as the Bible’s definition and reasonings for being discerning? To a certain degree it would be as we are to discern each of the things listed in the secular definition of the word. Of course, scripture goes into more detail.

Let’s look at the different types of discernment listed in the Bible.

The first is what I will call “learned” discernment. This is not to say that discernment is something in and of itself that can be taught, but that learning brings discernment.
Hebrews 5:14 makes this point, that “those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil”. The writer of Hebrews is talking about those that have a stunted growth, who are not growing in knowledge, who are not discerning. Paul also touches on mental growth in Ephesians 4:14 equating lack of knowledge in the things of God as being tossed around, deceived by everything that we hear or that proclaims to be of God.

Paul links knowledge and discernment in Philippians 1:9-10 and that we may “approve the things that are excellent”, which would be the things of God, Kingdom things. Paul also gives the straight forward definition and goal of discernment in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 telling us to “test all things” for the reason of holding onto what is “good” which are the things of God. 

This type of discernment is gained knowledge of the Word of God, gained through the study of scripture, prayerfully seeking God’s guidance. Knowing what God says, within context, about all things. Knowing the heart of God in all facets of your being while here on this planet. This is where so many professing Christians fail right off the bat in their walk. They are ignorantly deceived into accepting all professions of being “Christian” as true, because they do not know what being a Christian truly is. Every wind of doctrine is blindly accepted as orthodox because there is no desire to prove something or someone in light of what God has said in His Word. 

Knowledge is lacking in the non-discerning. This does not mean that these people are not Christians, but their reaction to being confronted about their lack of discernment and willful acceptance to things blatantly anti-God will be very telling, which we will explore in the next section. Gaining knowledge in the things of God, through study, through discipleship, through prayer are all a must. We cannot be lazy and expect to grow in knowledge to be able to be discerning as God wants us to be. 

Sadly many people want to stay in this willful state of ignorant bliss. They grasp onto the ear tickling false teachers on TV or pick up the latest trending book at the local Lifeway. They usually grasp hold of teachers, books and things that make them feel good about themselves or give a false stamp of approval to something they enjoy, which more than likely is something that does not bring glory to God. This is the reason the prosperity “gospel” is so rampant these days, because it is all about “me”. Who do we love more than anyone else when we are self focused? Me. How can I make “me” richer? Healthier? Successful? More loved? God takes a backseat to “me” and the only time the Bible is mentioned is as a proof verse, out of context, to say “Hey, see that, God wants you to have money”. That is not saying that someone with money is not discerning, but the desire of the heart for personal prosperity really exposes the desires of the heart, which is in polar opposition to the desires of the heart that mentioned in Psalm 37:4. 

In summary of the first “type” of discernment - It is to “know” what God says in His Word and to properly test all things against His Word, to actively and purposefully judge what we do, consume, say, desire, read, sing, listen to, talk about. Basically how we live our life in light of God’s Word in pursuit of knowing Him more and becoming more Christlike each day.

The next “type” of discernment I see in scripture is a “spiritual discernment”. This is when the Spirit bears witness with a Christian and they just “know” that something is of God. This is NOT merely a “feeling” or emotion, but the Spirit of the living and True God “making real” to someone what is true of God. This is the exact thing that Paul exhorts us to in 1 Corinthians 2:14

“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

Jesus also addresses the Spiritual discernment aspect of a believer in Matthew 13:11-17. He equates knowing the mysteries of God as a gift given to us, when it has not been given to the worldly person, the non-Christian. This is why a believer can read the Bible and be moved, enthralled, encouraged and more as opposed to someone who does not have the Spirit of God reading and in that the Bible is seen as dull, boring, full of rules, full of hate, etc. Jesus calls this in this passage as “eyes to see and ears to hear”, which are gifts of God, given by the Spirit, not learned, not “knowledge” from study or academics, but purely as Spiritually imparted. 

John sums this up perfectly for us in 1 John 2:27

But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.

There may be other “types” of discernment in scripture but they will stem from these 2 branches from the same vine. Ultimately discernment is simply “knowing” what God says and desires for us, His children, Christ’s body, to bring more glory to Him. There are also only 2 ways to have true godly discernment; given by God Himself, training and studying God’s Word (2 Timothy 2:15). Continual pointing and reliance on the Word of God as our “proof” for anything is the motivation and desire. The goal is to glorify God. 

In the next post we will look into the desire for discernment. Should we have that desire? What if we do not have a desire to be discerning? What does it mean if we are complacent, seemingly feeding on milk and never growing in knowledge of the things of God? 

Footnotes and citations:

Matthew 7:15

New King James Version 

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

2 Timothy 4:3-4

New King James Version

3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discernment

Hebrews 5:14

New King James Version 

14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Ephesians 4:14

New King James Version 

14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,

Philippians 1:9-10

New King James Version 

9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, 10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ,

1 Thessalonians 5:21

New King James Version 

21 Test all things; hold fast what is good.

http://www.notafan.com/ 

Psalm 37:4

New King James Version 

4 Delight yourself also in the Lord,

And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

1 Corinthians 2:14

New King James Version 

14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Matthew 13:11-17

New King James Version 

11 He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:

‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,

And seeing you will see and not perceive;

15 For the hearts of this people have grown dull.

Their ears are hard of hearing,

And their eyes they have closed,

Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,

Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,

So that I should heal them.’

16 But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; 17 for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

1 John 2:27

New King James Version 

27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.

What Is Discernment?

Discernment. That word, these days, causes much strife and grief, especially among church folk. The question is then: "Should it?" As I begin this series I have my own opinion, but I am going to practice a little discernment off the bat and not interject my opinion at this point.

This series will reflect the biblical definition(s) of discernment, when we should practice it, when we shouldn't, how to practice it and other aspects. My plan is to have this be an ongoing lesson, hopefully with input from anyone who may happen onto this series. I have become increasingly frustrated with a call to not practice discernment, to just accept everything that adds the name "Jesus" or "Christian" to it as being orthodox. So many these days get upset, angry, that someone or something is pointed out as being in opposition to God's Word. That just shouldn't be. Why? We shall find out together.

I have no definite timetable or definite path that this series will run, only to be as biblically focused as possible. I cannot say that my personal viewpoints will not be seen and I actually think that they will be seen in detail. I have some very stern views, at this point, on discernment, but with the exploration within the series I am praying that I will be led of God to accurately divide what His Word says and apply it to myself and learn.

You are cordially invited to come along on this journey with me. To a destination of understanding and a pursuit of what God says about this topic.

Who better to start the series off with than Charles Spurgeon:

Discernment is not a matter of simply telling the difference between right and wrong; rather it is telling the difference between right and almost right.

Always Right?

I've had a thought today. Actually this thought has been playing a big part in my life lately. I've even developed a quote around it:

"Just because you may always be right doesn't mean that you must always be right."

Let that sink in for a moment.


What does this, somewhat, cryptic quote mean? Let me equate it to a Person, not just any person, but The Person, Jesus Christ. Here is the only person that lived who was always right..... about everything. But did He always try to win an argument? Did He always exert His knowledge and reasoning to prove Himself right? No. Just look at the story of the rich young ruler (Mark 10:17-27). Here a young ruler in the temple came to Christ, knowing that he did not have what it took to be saved and asked Jesus what he needed to do. Jesus took him through a whole laundry list of sins and the young ruler said that he had not committed any of them. Really? I would think that he had told a lie, or even thought of telling a lie even just once, but Jesus does not address that issue. Jesus doesn't try to prove anything to him regarding those sins and the one he just committed by lying to Christ Himself in the flesh.

Jesus could have said to this fellow," Whoa there man. You remember that time when your mother asked if you broke the water bowl and you told her that your brother knocked it in the floor?" Which would have shown that he was a liar and didn't respect his mother and had hate in your heart for blaming it on your brother. No, Jesus doesn't try to prove this man wrong, but points to a place that He knows the young ruler will be pierced straight through. Money.

Or maybe a story that we can all relate to in one way or another, that of Peter's denial of Jesus. Jesus had told Peter that he would deny Him before the rooster crowed. Peter was adamant that he would never deny Jesus, but we all know what happened. Peter did just as Jesus had said, but yet Jesus never brought that up to Peter, unless you count the 3 times that Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him (John 21:15-17), which some say was Jesus giving Peter the opportunity to "un-deny" Him.

Of course, the ultimate way Jesus did not try to prove He was right was on the Cross at Calvary. Jesus, the Lamb of God who had never even had the thought of sin cross His mind, willingly said "I'm wrong", even though He was ALWAYS right. He bore the sins of the world, taking the wrath of the Father upon His own body, so that we could be reconciled to Him. He was always right, but yet He didn't feel the need to be outwardly.

Knowing these stories (and others) in the Word of God, we take them all in the fullness of scripture and see verses like:

Mark 8:35 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.

Matthew 5:11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.

2 Corinthians 12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 

John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 

1 John 4:7-11 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 

Now, is this "laying your life down" the actual, physical stepping in front of a bullet or pushing your buddy out in from the path of a semi-truck and getting hit yourself? Probably not, but it could be. What the point of "laying your life down" is that you put other's needs, feelings, emotions and well being above your own. You may actually be right in a disagreement, but that doesn't mean that you keep arguing your point to the brink of losing your relationship over it. You can just realize that the "greater  good" is peace and love, in the Name of Christ. As He willfully laid His life for you, even though He was right, you do the same thing in this less weightier matter.

It's a matter of love, a matter of the heart, as all things are. Where is your heart in this particular situation? Is it so bent on proving you are right, that you have 5 points and 3 websites that prove you're right, really more important than causing greater strife? Is the feeling of, "Yes, I put you in your place!" showing the love of Christ, when Jesus was put in your place? Can we not just treat the other person as though they are right and just pray that God reveal it to them in some other fashion? Why must we prove ourselves "right" every time? We don't have to. All in the name of love and unity and to the Glory of Christ.

(This if course is not the case for heretical doctrine. We must always stand on the Word of God when His Word is attacked. Be careful here,, too, as how you say something can be just as important as what you say. Always speak the truth in love and let God do with it as He wills Ephesians 4:15)

To The Breaking Point

I've seen it firsthand. Actually I am seeing it more readily now. The bending of morality to the point of breaking. Once a person's morals are weakened then it makes it easier for them to bend and break in other areas. So, what is the reason for this? Let's explore it together.

Any number of "bendings" may start the slide down the slippery slope, which is then followed by any other "bending". All are rooted in either personal gratification or an skewed view of humanity and the Aleister Crowley view of "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law". In other words, "If it feels good to you then no one else can say anything about it". You may also have heard this, seemingly harmless, put as "Live and let live". It does sound quite cushy and respective of others, but it can and is very damaging. Of course, this way of thinking is built around the post-modern thinks of "all truths are valid", which is self-contradictory and refutes itself in those 4 words.

Truth is a "static" thing; it doesn't move, it doesn't waver and it is fixed. Nothing can change a truth, nothing can prove a truth incorrect or invalid. Some people today would have you believe that "truth" is whatever you perceive as reality. This could go as far as saying 2+2=5 can be correct to you. Of course, anyone with a 1st grade education knows that 2+2=4 and that there is no wavering and no other correct answer. In that same vein, we know that reproduction of life is by one male and one female, that is a law of nature. Some would have you believe that it is perfectly "natural" for those of the same sex to have "relations" and to have the same relationship that heterosexuals do. In scripture it is called sin and an abomination to God, since He created man and woman to be one, not a perversion for sexual desires between same sex people. But some, even some that call themselves Christians, would say that the Word of God is incorrect, even try to make a mockery of God's Word by pulling in archaic verses out of context while saying, "If you think being gay is a sin, then so is eating shrimp or cutting your hair". Of course this is proof that this person doesn't know the Word of God and that they hold human desires above scripture. This is a very dangerous place to be for a person. It would be better if that person would just deny being a Christian, as their portrayal of being a follower of Jesus is actually blasphemous when they try to speak contrary to the Word of God.

So, the perception that lying is normal is one of the things that some people bend on. Others may be drunkenness, drugs, theft, hatred, gambling, sex outside of marriage, speeding, slothfulness, abortion and any number of other things that go against the Truths of God. Once you have bent and broken one, it is not hard to bend and break another, then another, then another and then end up in the mind state of "Live and let live. To each his own. Who am I to say something is wrong?" That is exactly why we, as the human race, need a solid foundation in which to put our trust - Jesus Christ.

God is unchanging (Malachi 3:6, James 1:17, Hebrews 13:8), very unlike our human existence. Look at the rise and fall of societies, look at the short life of the U.S.A. for example. See how morality has declined in just the past 40 years. This may be due to the lack of reverence for God or the lack of reverence may just be an evidence of the human quest for independence from God, the view that "we" are god and "we" choose our path. Thing is that "path" is a path to destruction without God. Wavering on just one single fact that is plainly laid out in scripture will always lead to other errors. Laying aside known Truth will always end in destruction, which is where our country and our world is headed.

In 1973 Roe V Wade set the path for infanticide, which  has now led to a President and government that wants to force Christians to pay for this murdering of babies. This one court case, set into motion a series of events, a decline over 40 years that has culminated in 1.5 million baby murders per year, in the U.S.A alone. Our government not only allows these murders, but they promote and provide these murders.  Show me in scripture where killing babies is a "good thing". Show me where telling a lie is acceptable or there is room given to make excuses for telling a lie to try and change the outcome of something. Where in the Bible does it say that "all truths are valid"? None of that is in there and Scripture condemns all of that. So we can only conclude that anyone who promotes the things that God condemns cannot be a Christian at all, they are trying to make a mockery of God and His Word.

The breaking point is always within our reach. This is why we must always rely on and go to God's Word for EVERYTHING. While it may not lay out, in detail, the particular issues you may be facing, the principles are there. Do not try to bend God's Word to fit your stinkin' thinkin'. Turn your heart to the Word and allow your mind to be transformed by the Word

Romans 12:2

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Altar-ed Call

I've set through a lot of altar calls in my life. Some of these altar calls were bad, in the baddest sense, others were worse, but none worse than the one I set through last night. It was actually three altar calls strung together over about an hour and a half.

Being raised in a typical “American church” I grew up with altar calls after every service. It was just how the service progressed: Singing, prayer, preaching, altar call with soft music, proclamations of salvation, leave. Of course, I use the “preaching” and the “prayer” in loose terms as they were both usually man-centered. But hey, it's all I knew as a child and I was a fine product of the “modern gospel” for 30 years, believing I was saved because of an altar call. I was “held over hell on a corn stalk” being told how terrible hell was, literally having the hell scared out of me and driving me right to the altar to say the prayer. It was just “how it was” and that's all I knew.

Thirty years later, when I actually had an encounter with God He began to show me things. I had returned to the church of my youth and had heard the same messages, seen the same methods, witnessed the same results. People flocked to the altars to “get saved” or “rededicate” their lives to Christ. The altar call trip when I was 8 was my only one, but I would say 50% of the other altar calls I set through I was praying that prayer all over again. As a mater of fact my prayer before going to bed each night usually had some form of, “God, if I'm not really saved, please forgive me and don't send me to hell”.

The extended altar call last night really struck bad to me. I had just enjoyed a great concert from a Christian band that I really like. I made my way to the merch table to pick up a t-shirt and have the band sign my CD cover before I left. The guest “evangelist” began to speak and they shut down everything, no sales, everyone stop and pay attention. I was told that, “We can't sell anything now, this is why we put this on tonight, right here”, with a head nod to the stage area. The “evangelist” started out making fun of how a few girls had laughed at other events that he had been a part of. I would say that if any of those girls had been there they would not have been very flattered by the words he was saying. He was after laughs and he received laughs. I guess this was his ice breaker routine to grab attention of everyone. It worked, because my attention was fixed on him, wondering why he would be squandering this opportunity to share Christ with the crowd before him. He did speak a little about the bible, told how God's sheep hear His voice and then the altar call commenced.

“Do you want to hear God's voice?”

“Do you want to go to heaven when you die?”

That's about it in several different forms. By this time a brief shower had started falling, so he was rushing to get to the altar call and rushing, somewhat to get to “the prayer”. He asked everyone to bow their heads, raise their hand if they wanted to be able to hear God's voice an commenced the text book “sinner's prayer”. He then did the next thing in the “Altar Calls 101” play book and asked those that said the prayer to stand up, “nobody's looking” after all. Then after a few had made it to their feet began to tell them, “OK, now don't be ashamed, come on forward.” Typical psychological manipulation. I would guess that about 35 kids went forward and were passed off to the events counselors at the side of the stage.

The rain had stopped, so the second altar call commenced. This time it was geared at those that “have heard God's voice, but now listen to the voice of the world instead”. He was giving the altar call for people to rededicate their lives. This was filled with a story about scaring girls when he was younger and was played into “don't be scared to live for God”. Not much of a reaction to this part of his extended altar call. He ended it with “prayer” and handed the mic to the promoter.

I was ready to buy my t-shirt and hit the road for the hour drive back home. But, alas, the promoter must not have thought that the second altar call was good enough. He began with the same “don't be scared” ploy. This was followed by “we have to do....”, “why aren't you.....” and “If you don't.....”. This man was filling these people's heads with works and trying to lay guilt trips on everyone. At one point he said, “If you are not out evangelizing then you are sending people to hell”. My head was about to explode because I had yet to hear anything, in the three altar calls, about God's holiness, God's requirements, man's sinfulness and rebellion, Christ's perfect atonement, the blood of Christ that takes away all of our sins, the grace of God in even allowing us to have a breath because of our rebellion. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. No Gospel. No call to repentance. Nothing of the true Gospel whatsoever. Only a emotional call and guilt trip to garner decisions. I prayed during all of this that God would save despite the false message. He saved me despite the false teachings I was sitting under, so I know He does it.

If I were a confrontational person I would have been in a serious discussion with the promoter and staff last night. If there ever was a time I wanted to confront someone it was last night. It was probably for the best that I did, at that time, not say anything. But, I will probably say something if I ever happen to be at another event that this guy puts on. I know that this false gospel is sending millions to hell. I also think that most of these people mean well, but also that the “road to hell is paved with good intentions”. Unless someone repents and is born again they will not see the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus made it clear that you must follow Him, lay everything aside, even the love for your family is to seem like hate in comparison for your love for Him. The easy believism that permeates most “churches” and “Christian” events must be addressed and must be stopped. Then again, this may just be part of the judgment of God, giving man over to their own self centered desires and works mentality, trusting in themselves for salvation and not on Christ.

We must stand on the Word of God alone. We must not water down the Message of Christ. We must not tickle the ears of others and tell them what they want to hear in order to get them to commit to a decision. We must not play people's emotions and instead preach the full council of God and allow the Holy Spirit to work in convicting them, God made it simple enough to trust in Him. Sell it all and follow Him. Do not give regard for the things of this life, but instead have the mind of a pilgrim, just passing through, making disciples, pointing to Christ in all that we do, exalting His Name, preaching the Gospel in season and out of season. Proclaiming The good News to this lost and dying world. Are you ready? Then Go!  

Whitney Houston Dead At 48

I am sure for the next few weeks we will be inundated with memorials to Whitney Houston. Her passing today made her part of the ultimate statistic - 1 in 1 will die. I am sure as she woke up this morning she had no idea that this would be the last day she would do so. As her day progressed she probably had no idea that today, this day, February 11th 2012 she would breath her last breath and step into eternity.

I am not an expert on the life of Whitney Houston. I know she was a very popular singer and acted in The Bodyguard, was married to Bobby Brown for a while and had a child together. Other than that I couldn’t really tell you, other than her erratic behavior and drug abuse. I have no idea if she was a Christian or even professed faith in God, which is a sign that she did not actively proclaim Christ.

The Grammy Awards will be telecast tomorrow night, in which we will hear many accolades to Ms. Houston. I am also fairly certain we will even hear how she is “with God now” or “in the arms of angels” or people bidding her to “rest in peace”. Thing is, by all accounts she is probably not doing any of those things. From the little research I did this evening Houston was raised in a Baptist home, later attended a Pentecostal church and went to a Catholic school. She sometimes talked about her “faith” but I could find no account of what that “faith” was. Her life was full of drug use, rehab stays and behavior that makes faith in Christ seem to be the farthest thing from the truth. This is not to say that Christians cannot fall into these evils, but they will definitely not stay there. I caution everyone to be really careful about preaching Whitney Houston into heaven. Professing faith does not really mean a lot. And just because she was famous and had an obvious God given talent does not mean that she was a Christian, it just means she wasted her God given talent on selfish ambitions.

So, what to do? Use this as a springboard, a reason to talk to people about death. Explain to them that we are all going to die one day, maybe even today. Don’t scare them into saying a prayer or anything, but make sure they know that today is the day of salvation and that we are not promised another breath on this earth. Make sure they know the true gospel of scripture and are not placing their faith anywhere except on Christ. Not in a prayer, not in church membership or attendance, not on being proclaimed saved by a pastor, not on how good they have lived - only repenting of their sin and trusting in Jesus Christ and His merit can save them. Point them to resources such as Real Truth Matters , www.needgod.com or any other biblically based ministry’s website. Pursue a relationship with them, disciple those that you talk to, show them where your faith lies.

Use this tragic end to a tumultuous life as a way to share the Gospel. Never waste the opportunity to tell someone how they too can know God.

In Search Of Christmas

Over the past couple of years there has been a struggle inside of me around this time of year. What is that? About Christmas. Why is that? The commercialization? Not really, but that does play part of my thought process during the Holiday Season.

I had a great talk today with dear brother in Christ, Whitt Madden, about an article that I posted on Facebook yesterday about Christmas. This article pretty much summed up a lot of what has been going on within me lately. To put it frankly, I am torn. I am battling 43 years of instilled holiday cheer with Christmas as it really is, where it is rooted and what it has become.

To sum up the battle in a few words - Christmas did not start out as a “Christian Holiday” (Holy Day), it began as a pagan festival in recognition of the sun’s position during the winter solstice. The Roman Catholic church did not like this and began to “Christianize” the festival and pull the congregation back from the worship of Saturn, the sun god. I will not rehash what is common on the web with all that was added or “Christianized” in the process, but much of it is still seen this day in same or slightly changed forms (Yule log, tree, etc.) Fast forward to our day and society has thrown Christmas back to pagan rituals with worship of money, giving gifts, receiving gifts, decorations, family get togethers, and so many more rituals that now begin even before Halloween.

So, what is Christmas this day and age? It is not a reverence to a sun god, but it is definitely still not reverence to the Son of God and His birth either. It is a mish-mash of Roman Catholic traditions (Christ-Mas, being the most obvious) and the love of “me” (what can I do to make me feel better (give gifts,, etc), what will I get this year, how pretty can I make my tree, how many people can I feed, how many people will come to my house, and on and on). But Christ is nowhere to be found.

Am I ready to throw in the towel for Christmas? Not entirely, but to continue in how the world “celebrates” Christmas, yes. I have seen both sides of this argument played out last year and starting to see it this year. In the one camp are the staunch “You better not be celebrating Christmas - it is pagan and you definitely can’t be a Christian and celebrate Christmas - you are a heretic” contrasted with the other camp “I love Christmas time of year, family, fun, giving, singing, mistletoe, Christmas tree up before Halloween, spiced cider. Oh, and Jesus too” camp that thinks the other camp is nuts for calling them nuts and back and forth. Ughhhhh. Alas, I fit into neither camp, but somewhere in between.

I am so thankful for brothers like Whitt that God has placed in my life. He has had very similar convictions as I have (as well as others around me too). After speaking with him today I think he had the most Christ centered reaction to Christmas I have ever heard - let it be about Christ and His glory. How novel is that? Instead of giving electronics or toys that will be forgotten or broken in a few days or weeks, give that money to Cure International and watch God work through that gift to show Christ to someone in need of medical attention. Do not give a gift that does not point to Christ, either directly or that will bring people together in the Name of Christ. Some things could be bibles, hand made devotionals, donations to Cure, donation to World Vision to buy livestock for families in impoverished areas, donation to Heart Cry Missionary Society to support indigenous missionaries across the world, donations to your local Church or ministry, giving your time to Christ based missions to show the love of Christ to others. So many ways that can make an eternal impact FOR the Kingdom rather than temporary splashes that will be gone tomorrow and have no impact whatsoever.

At Whitt’s website, Be The Domino, he is a few days in to a series called “Give This Christmas Away”. I highly suggest that you check out this series and let the heart of this series impact you. Go to God and pray how He would use you to give Him away this Christmas season instead of an iTunes gift card or blu-ray player or even a baby doll. Give a gift in someone’s name to a Christ based ministry, give that person a card and inscribe in it how that the money normally spent on the superficial is now being placed in the hands of God to do the Supernatural in someone’s life. Who knows what eternal impacts can be made from Christ focused giving this year and years to come.

I know that my focus on Christmas has evolved and is continuing to be sanctified and brought into a more Christ focused view. I will not, however, be calling anyone a heretic that continues to “celebrate” as I always did nor will I be confused over the other extreme in pointing the finger back and calling people “scrooge” for shunning the “pagan rituals” of this land. As all other aspects of my life I wish to glorify the Lord in this, especially since the Holiday was given His Name.

Becoming More Like The World

I want to start out saying what this blog post is NOT. I am sure there will be some offended by this post and think I am speaking of them, or about their own personal choices. While I do not participate in the activities I am going to write about I am not going to point a finger of legality and tell someone to stop doing something. The closest I will get is to highly recommend searching scripture and seeing what your actions represent - this world or the Holy God if the Universe.

Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

I know many people that celebrate Halloween. Out of them I will assume that the majority are either admitting to not be Christians, some professing to be Christians and then a small percentage true believers of Christ. I say that fearfully, because the subject of this "holiday" has its roots in the occult and pagan rituals. And yes, I know that Christmas also had its start way back as an alternative to pagan rituals. I do not condone the worldly celebrations of Christmas either, just as I do not condone anything that is not focused on Jesus Christ Himself.

I do not want to go into pointing fingers, throwing accusations or causing division because we don't agree on celebrating Halloween or not, that is not my intent not my mindset. I just want to address something that was really brought to the forefront of my mind this morning, while hearing a conversation that a few of my coworkers were having about "trick-or-treaters" last night. The usual "did you have fun" kind of small talk went on for a few moments, then the subject of how many little goblins and ghouls showed up wanting their little bags filled with sugary snacks. It seemed that these folks were disappointed that not many had stopped by their doors looking for a treat. The next words are what really exposed what this "holiday" is becoming; "Yeah, I don't think as many kids are trick or treating because all of the churches are doing the trunk or treats". Wow, that just really hit home to me at that moment.

To hear these people talk about how "churches" are taking over this "holiday" really disturbed me. Of course most do not use the name "Halloween" in their titles. Most use "Harvest Party", "Fall Festival" or the popular "Trunk Or Treat", all of which still are just celebrating Halloween. The same things take place, the same exchanges take place, ask any kid what they are doing and they know, but the parents seem to just want to call it an "alternative" to Halloween, when it is actually becoming the popular and preferred mode of celebrating Halloween..... at a church.

Is this really what Christ died for? Are churches really supposed to be conforming to the world like this? Actually becoming the world, sprucing up the title and "Christianizing" a pagan holiday? I think not. I think the church is supposed to be doing the opposite and being a beacon of light to this dark world. How can the light shine if it is dressed up like the world? That brings a mental picture of Luke 11:33-36 “No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. 36 If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.” Instead the churches seem to really enjoy delving into this dark holiday.

I will stop right there, so I do not start getting personal. I want this to stay focused on churches that are to be shining the Light of Christ to this world, not gleefully embracing darkness. Of course it is individuals that make up the body/ congregation. At best this practice is pragmatic, but extremely dangerous to those that participate and shows a mixed message to the kids that they are trying to protect and offer an "safe" alternative to trick or treating. I would say that their spiritual well being would be more important than a sack full of candy. Use this day (October 31) to teach of Martin Luther's nailing of the 95 Thesis to the church door. After all, "Reformation Day" seems to be the best "alternative" to Halloween..... Just sayin'

Occupy Wall Street And Christianity Are A Match?

I'm sitting here in my hotel room, 800 miles from home and my loved ones, fending off sleep since I woke up at 3:15 this morning for the red-eye out of Paducah. So, what is a guy to do? Well, this guy decided to check out the broo-ha over the Occupy Wall Street movement going on across the U.S.
I've heard about this “movement” for a couple of weeks now, but admittedly haven't paid it much attention. Downtime away from home seems to allow for things done that I normally do not do, like search for information on “movements” of a worldly nature. “Why?” You may ask. Because I wanted to make an informed decision on my thoughts of what this is all about.

After looking at a few websites, even those that say they are “part” of the movement, I still don't know a lot about what these folks are trying to accomplish. Well, that is not exactly true, as they seem to be “for” being against a lot of things with “corporate greed” as a main focus. The first web-page I encountered was a demonstration that happened to have a video embedded within the page, so I indulged and watched it. I soon discovered what a “People's Microphone” is and also quickly discovered that the majority (99%) of those that I saw in the video and in several photos appeared to be modern hippies. I also saw that the “majority” in their open voting at the location liked to silence anyone that was outside of their “99%” mentality.

Let me explain the “99%” mentality. It is simply their assumption that 1% of America's richest run everything, while the other 99% have to deal with the repercussions. Alright, sounds good on the surface, but what about the meat of what this movement stands for. What exactly are the people involved in this trying to accomplish/ what are they against? Let me take a deep breath and list a few things for you:
Raise taxes on the rich
Raise taxes on corporations
End “corporate welfare”
Support of trade unions
“Protection” of Social Security/ Medicare in their current forms
Audit or elimination of the Federal Reserve
Affordable health care
Ending all wars
Elimination of student loan repayment
Peace (?)
And a unlimited number of other “issues”

Now, while I do agree with some of those demands, I do not agree with their thinking behind them. It appears to me, and many others, that this movement is made up of liberal freeloaders that want the government to be a socialized mess taking care of them indefinitely. Really? The way I see it is that the majority of those that I saw on the news sites, videos and pictures are of the younger age bracket that has been raised with entitlements ingrained into them. This is nothing new, but we are now seeing how the past several decades of government welfare has molded upcoming generations. I would say that it is no stretch to say that the majority of those involved are part of the 50% of Americans that pay 0 in income taxes and actually receive back more than they have paid in, thanks to our faulty tax codes (that is another issue).

One ironic side of this whole debacle is endorsements by the likes of Kanye West, Michael Moore, Roseanne Barr, Susan Surandon and Russel Simmons. All of these are multi-millionaires, by the way, with Simmons owning a debit card company that is one of the major industries behind “corporate greed”. Hmm.

So, what does this have to do with me? Why am I writing about this on this Christian blog? Because it seems that a group called “The Protest Chaplains” has jumped into the fray, claiming to be Christians and thereby saying that they represent the Body of Christ. With this I take offense and if you are a Christian so should you. I invite you to check out their website and to read their “What We've Learned So Far” list. This list is actually a set of guidelines for people to participate as “chaplains”, but as acting as chaplains they are to totally set aside their Christian faith and stand opposed to Jesus Christ and the Bible. Among these guidelines are; Interfaith “spirituality”, learn from the Occupy Wall Street movement instead of the movement learning from Christianity, Don't defend your religion because it is not your job to, practice nonviolent communication and active listening, do not proselytize (evangelize because it is obnoxious and detrimental to the movement), be a resource (do, do, do, work, work, work), encourage YOGA, meditation, Muslim prayers and let what happens happen and the ever popular “uncreate division”.

Whew, that sounds an awful lot like Christianity, huh? Not! It is the exact polar opposite and stands contrary to everything in scripture. So, yeah! I am offended because this group of “chaplains” that claim faith in Christ, trying to pass themselves off as members of His Body, want Christians to endorse other religions, learn from a worldly movement and totally ignore the great commission and shun evangelizing these lost and perverted members of society. Why must groups like this bring Christ into this ungodly movement centered in worldliness? Why try to say that Jesus would want us to accept what is going on?

What I see with these misguided people, is that they do not understand Christianity and do not truly know Jesus Christ. They have a very distorted view of the Word of God and sadly have fallen into an ecumenical mindset that believes all roads lead to God. Why take principles of scripture and try to relate them to this mammon driven movement? Why take the “golden calf” of Wall Street and use it to say that Jesus has compassion on these people that are actually guilty of idolatry as well, saying how much they deserve the money over Wall Street and Corporate America. Just “spread the wealth” instead of it going to the companies that are making the money. I can't stand the entitlement/ victim mentality that seems to have attached itself to all those involved in this movement.

I am not part of what they call the 99%. I am not part of the 1% that they say runs the U.S. I am a middle class American that works hard, pays my taxes, pays my bills, loves Jesus and wants everyone else to come to a saving faith in Christ. That all flows from my relationship with Jesus and I will not compromise any of that because of any movement. Scripture paints it clear that if you deny Christ that He will deny you. If you compromise the Gospel, enter into interfaith communion and think Christians can learn from a misguided movement of liberals then you are very far gone and need to seriously examine your faith. I will say, without a doubt, that if you are following the guidelines of the “Protest Chaplains” you are not a true Christian. If you disagree show me scripture that supports the things I quoted from their website. If you can I will give a humble apology and write a retraction. I am 100% certain you can not find anything, in context to support the things they stand for/ against. But I am always willing to be proven wrong.

FYI – Saying that I am a left-wing, conservative, Fox News watching, Rush Limbaugh listening Pharisee is not proving anything except you are childish.

Must Watch - 180 The Movie - From The Way Of The Master/ Living Waters

The main question that envelopes the new release from The Way of the Master/ Living Waters is "It's OK to kill a baby in the womb when.....?" The short documentary rings true and exposes just how atrocious abortion is. They craftily draw contrasts between Hitler and the Holocaust to what is, in effect, more murderous than the Nazi brutality headed by Hitler.

Sadly, the opening of the "movie" people are asked "Who is Adolf Hitler", which not many know the answer. How can in less than two generations, after the mass murdering from Nazi Germany, of 17 million people can people not know what happened or who Hitler was? More disturbing is the fact that some people shown still buy into the brainwashing that Hitler instilled. It is enough to turn your stomach, thinking about the carnage of that awful period of time.

As gruesome and unbelievable as the reign of Hitler and the deaths that he took part in, lives lost to legalized murder in the United States has been over 53 Million since Roe v Wade in 1973. Once again, this number is in the USA... alone! Abortion has claimed nearly 4 times the lives lost at the hands of Adolf Hitler. Shockingly people do not seem that rattled by that. The fine folks at WOTM/ Living Waters have done a very great job at convincingly drawing a parallel to these two atrocities. The people featured in the documentary, once shown these parallels soon have a change of mind and see the horror of what they were once defending.

I will not tell the whole of the movie, but will instead ask that you watch this short presentation. It has been made available to watch free online, so watch it and share it however you can - Facebook, Twitter, blog post, email. This message is of utmost importance, especially going into an election year when our current administration is adamantly pro murder abortion.

Remembering 9-11

Ten years ago today the U.S. saw it’s most devastating terrorist attack, ever. Almost 3,000 people lost their lives as Islamic terrorists overthrew control of 4 airliners and used them as missiles to create as much destruction as possible. In the 10 years since the attacks of 9/11/01 not only has the United States gone through many drastic changes, but also the rest of the world. Security alerts, the Patriot Act, increased traveling guidelines and rules and most alarmingly the rise of this religion that brought forth these terrorists.

My day was like any other, until I heard the news of the first tower being hit. I was working in the factory, but had a TV in the same room as my desk, so I went into the office to see what was going on. I remember at first the reporters were saying that a pilot had made a huge mistake and had crashed into one of the buildings of the Twin Towers. I relayed this message to the line workers and went back in to the office to see the second plane hit the second tower live on the TV. I then knew that these were not accidents, but done purposefully. Then came news of the Pentagon and Flight 93 and the world was ever changed.

That day I also remember falling back onto what I had always been told and taught about God, “Just ask Him into your heart and you will be OK”. That’s what I did several times, realizing in the minutes after the attacks that life can end at any moment and I wanted to be “right with God” if I were to die that day also. Thing is, I had said this exact same prayer hundreds of times through my life, first at 8 years old and then countless times through my years. I remember reading the “Left Behind” book just the year before the 911 attacks and doing the same thing, feeling the same emptiness and knowing that I did not really know God.

Something was happening to me though. God was working in my life to reveal Himself to me. Over the next few years I got married, got a promotion and lost my father to complications from a stroke. Death became very real to me and so did the fact that I did not know God. This is when He started to really work in me and allowed me to start hearing some really God centered men speak of the grace that God has extended to me, to the whole world. I had always seen myself as a “good” person, after all I had never killed anyone, I worked hard, never stole anything and was even the designated driver when I went out with the guys. In relation to the rest of the world I was indeed a good person, but in relation to God I was sin filled and in condemnation. For the first time in my life God had revealed to me my heart and how me-centric it was. He began to show me my need of Him and just how much was sacrificed so that I could have a relationship with Him. The Cross became real to me and so did Jesus Christ. That is when I truly believed and “the prayer” was not even needed. I, for the first time, knew that I was so far separated from God, there was nothing I could ever do to deserve a relationship with Him and totally put my faith in His Word and in Christ and His sinless life, His sacrifice on Calvary, His resurrection and took the yoke off of me and placed it onto Him, once and forever.

So, the terrorist attacks of 911 will be forever a part of our history. We will always remember the horrible terrorist acts carried out that day. A day that seemingly turned the attention of this nation toward God, with many prayer meetings and crying to God for restoration, soon turned again to contempt toward God. Many now question, “Where was God on September 11th ?“ or “How could a loving God allow this type of thing to happen?“. This nation continues to legally kill more lives every day than this act of terrorism caused, in the killing of unborn children. Why or how, some ask. Because of sin, plain and simple. The sin that permeates the livelihood of the majority of people today is what causes these types of things to happen, not God.

I will always remember that day and my initial reactions and how God used that for good in my life. I still get tears in my eyes seeing the images from that day, hearing the cries of people making phone calls to loved ones, hearing the desperation in the voices of fire and rescue personnel and even in the normally calloused news reporters voices as they speak of praying to a God that they do not even know. I was not saved because of the atrocity of 911, but those events made a lasting impression on me that God meant for good.

God Made Me This Way......

I wrote the following article a couple of years ago and remembered it the other day while talking to a friend. I don't think I have ever shared it here, but may have on Myspace, back in the day.

It is fairly self explanatory, but I suggest reading straight through it and then back through the first part again afterwards. Feel free to share, but I would appreciate a link back to this sight.

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Hi,
My name is James Heldon. Please read my story, as I believe it will help you to gain some insight on people like me. We are often misunderstood.

As a child I knew I was always different. I didn’t fit in with the other kids, never had the same interests, sports were boring, cars didn’t catch my eye, nothing that the other guys liked. As far back as I could remember all the other kids made fun of me, because I dressed different than they did, listened to different kinds of music and was usually quiet and to myself.

That all changed, when I turned 18 and moved out of my parent’s home. My dad was never okay with how I was, what I did and what I found interesting. My mom, on the other hand, was very understanding and helped me to cope with some of the rejection I felt as I grew up. I had a few very close friends that I confided in as well, they never judged me or anything, but they always seemed to be trying to talk me out of having the thoughts I did.

I had a lot of people tell me I was twisted, an abomination, evil and I shouldn’t be allowed to walk the streets. I knew that was just how they saw me though, I knew I was different than they were but I also knew in my heart that God had made me how I was. How could I be the way I was on my own choosing? I didn’t like some of the thoughts that went through my head, I couldn’t control the anger I felt when others would judge me.

I prayed all the time for the God I heard about from my dad to change me, but He never did. I still cry sometimes and point my finger in disgust at the sky when I feel like people are looking at me because of my lifestyle. They say it’s a choice, they even say I should be locked up away from everyone else. Now, is that fair? After all I did not choose to be the way I am, do the things I do or be born with these thoughts. I was born this way, God did this to me, so it must be right.

I am currently attending church services. They tell me that God loves me, but I can tell some of these people look at me with disgust. Some won’t even look me in the eyes. My mom doesn’t even come see me any longer, my dad just sends the occasional letter and tells me that I need to repent of my sinfulness and turn to God in faith, to trust in Him. I try so hard to, but I know that his God made me this way, so it can’t be a sin. I have found others where I am now that are like me, they seem to accept me but even they seem to judge me sometimes for what I’ve done to all those guys. They say I was excessive, but I never felt that way.

It felt right when I would hold them before I left them alone in their homes. Some were married, some were single, some had children others had high paying jobs and others had no jobs at all. It didn’t really matter to me as long as they felt like the one at that time. There was one that was different. He actually talked to me before I left. He was crying really hard and was telling me about the same God my dad always did. I don’t really know why he chose to tell me that, but he did. So I had to leave, even before the night was complete. He brought back so many memories of my dad, so I couldn’t carry through with it that night. He actually was the reason I ended up where I am now. Maybe I should thank him; maybe I should curse him.

I don’t think anything will change me. After all I was born this way.


James Lee Heldon
Kentucky State Penitentiary
Death Row
1st Degree Murder X 15 – Serial Killer

James Lee Heldon is one of the most heinous serial killers that Kentucky has ever seen. He stands by the fact that God made him the way he is. He claims to be a Christian even though he says he still desires to kill more people and would if released. He says that his mother would allow him to decapitate neighborhood cats and dogs and would lie for him to cover the deaths when neighbors were looking for their missing pets. His dad never knew the full extent of his son’s sickness, but often times talked to him about repentance and faith in Christ for deliverance from sin. According to James, he always felt like his father was judging him, even though he says that he always told him he loved him and wanted to guide him to know Christ, not just about Christ.

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The preceding story was fictional. Most when reading this story will think that James was a homosexual. That was done on purpose to show that sin is sin, it does not matter if it is sexual sin, murder, lying, stealing or blasphemy. The God of scripture is a Holy God. He demands perfection, which we cannot attain on our own. Most, often try to justify their sins, say they were born the way they are and try to place blame on that Holy God. But we all are born that way. We are all born in the mire of sin, we do not want God – we do not seek after Him – we can’t stand His Holiness and would rather walk down the wide road to hell. We are all born dead in sin, spiritually dead. There is no way that we can resuscitate ourselves, or would even want to. Can a physically dead person want to be alive? Can a dead man tell someone that they want to be alive? Does a dead man seek after someone that can raise them from death? No to all of these. But, this is what Paul says we are spiritually – DEAD- Ephesians 2 lays it out for us saying we are born spiritually dead, followed the ways of this world and it prince, only wanting our pleasures. But God gives saving faith through Grace. Even King David says in Psalms 51:5 that he was conceived sinful.

So how are we made alive spiritually? It’s all by grace, through faith in Christ. God resuscitates us with the blood of Jesus. He washes away our sins, our sin nature. It’s not about making a decision for Christ, filling a God shaped hole in your heart, walking the aisle or saying a prayer. It is all about Jesus, God does it all. There is nothing that we can do to merit His forgiveness, there is nothing we can do to bring ourselves to life. Remember we are dead. All we can do is humbly cry out to Him, repent and believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, 2nd in the Trinity, fully God and fully man, came to Earth, lived a sinless life, was tempted in every fashion that we are but remained pure. Willingly gave His life, shed His blood, took upon Himself the full wrath of God for me, because He loves me. He bore our sins on the cross of Calvary, died a horrible and painful death, was buried in a tomb and 3 days later was the resurrected. Jesus was the first fruits from the dead and now sits at the right hand of the Father as His children’s advocate.

I humbly ask that you cry out to God and seek Him. He promised that those that seek Him will find Him Jeremiah 29:13, Deut 4:29. But, it is all about Him, if you are seeking Him it is because He is drawing you John 6:44, Jeremiah 31:3John 6:65, John 12:32. So if you feel the draw, then praise Him that draws you for loving you, for being His.