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Who is Ted Cruz?
A few times in a lifetime you may have the chance to support a candidate who actually means what he says. And perhaps once in lifetime you'll have the chance to vote for a principled individual who actually has a chance of claiming office. Congratulations everyone, today is your day. And Ted Cruz is the man.
Ted Cruz, the Hispanic-American Senator who has made it his mission to take on the corruption in Washington D.C. He has done so. He has fought a losing battle against the K-street lobbyists and their shills in the Senate. And he needs our help.
Ted Cruz is a politician that actually means what he says. He actually fights for the people. It's something unheard of in our time. It's expected, 100% of the time that despite what any politician says, it's universally understood that they are BSing us and will do whatever they please once in office.
The mere suggestion of an honest politician, a man seeking office who actually has character is something the media and establishment mock and ridicule as a sort of passe' possibility. It's a possibility the agenda-driven media would mock and shame as a person who is an "ideological purist." Why? Because they actually mean what they say and speak the truth. Telling the truth in Washington is the unpardonable sin. It can't be tolerated by the establishment or their buddies in the media.
Something seems desperately wrong about that to average Americans, especially those with religious beliefs, with character and principles. People like you and me can't understand the media, the GOP establishment and their way of doing business. And they can't understand us either. They never will understand, they can't, because to understand they would first have to comprehend character, honor, dignity, and morality. They don't understand those values. What they understand is self-preservation at any cost, big money, and back room deals. They are the political class, kept in perpetual power by the cronies on K-street, big lobbyists, and moneyed interests. The injustices on the federal level perpetrated by these cronies are largely prevented from exposure to the people, the great check-and-balance against tyranny. The truth is hidden by the gatekeeper mainstream media, who so effectively keep the people in the dark; focused on celebrity gossip, the latest trends, fancy new tech, and irrelevant concerns spun for the gain of the progressive agenda.
The American system of checks and balances is a difficult system to circumvent. But they've managed to do so. They've blocked the people from checking Washington through the television media. They've prevented Congress from checking big business corruption through bribery and lobbying on K-street. And they've scrambled the Supreme Court's ability to check unjust laws through judicial activism.
Washington is in trouble. Our nation is in trouble. It's an ugly thing. But let me tell you something: In Ted Cruz we have a man who is really willing to stand up to this bi-partisan corruption. I know, your skeptical, but hear me out.
Ted Cruz has seriously pissed off the establishment. Look at how they all despise him. Bob Dole came out of whatever hole he had crawled into just to blast Ted Cruz. George W. Bush who had remained largely silent came out just to stick it to Ted Cruz. John McCain, Mitch McConnell, Harry Reid, these senators have all skittered out of the woodwork just to take potshots at Ted Cruz. The face of the establishment, Karl Rove has repeatedly attacked and mocked Ted Cruz. These are all people within the GOP. The list goes on and on, of high profile establishment types attacking Ted Cruz. And let me tell you, the more these establishment clowns gun for Ted Cruz, the more I like Ted Cruz. Because if things were going great in the GOP, if things were going great in the establishment, in Congress, in the media, then we wouldn't be out here taking a stand against the corruption. Those clowns are the problem, the centrist, establishment goons who have sold out our country and lurched to left on issue after issue.
Ted Cruz could be our next president. Many of us, myself included, have never had the opportunity of voting for a principled conservative in a presidential election. We've had the corrupt Mitt Romney. We've had centrist neocon John McCain. We've had Bob Dole. And that's about it. On the other side, Bill Clinton, John Kerry, Al Gore, and Barack Obama. What a disaster!
Many of you, most of you that I speak to regularly are burnt out on politics. You can't stand politics. It makes you so angry you just want to give up. So you shun politics.
I'm asking you to step forward. I'm asking you to participate. I'm asking you to step forward, one by one, until we're lined up on the line. I want us lined up, in ranks, to stand for the Christian worldview in the political arena. This is not an easy thing to do. This is not a fun thing to do. But it must be done. And being burnt out, frustrated, sad, and pessimistic... well, those aren't excuses reasonable enough for you to abdicate your duty to be salt and light to this world. You don't have any choice in this. You have to step forward. I'm telling you to step forward, for the sake of your country, for the sake of your children, for the sake of religious liberty, and out of respect for your God. God asks us to participate meaningfully. He asks us to obey the governing authorities (Romans 13). In a democratic republic obeying the authorities means participating in the government as a good steward. In a dictatorship that would not be part of the requirement. In a democracy it most certainly is. Your tasked to elect Godly leaders because the convening authority ultimately rests on the individual.
Now that I've gotten on my soap box and preached, let me step down and tell you about Ted Cruz.
Let me say this though: I'm not saying you have to vote for Ted Cruz. I am saying you need to vote though. You need to vote in your local primary or caucus. And you need to vote again in the general election. So get on Google and look up the dates and your voting location.
I'm also asking you to pray for our nation, for our leadership, and for our culture. I'm asking you to pray daily. But I'm also asking you to take action.
Why am I supporting Ted Cruz? I believe he really means what he says and will actually do what he said he would do once in office. I believe he is strong enough and principled enough to stand against the corruption in our government. I believe he can make a real difference, but only if we stand with him. Because Ted Cruz works for us, not the other way around.
Brass tacks, based on his voting record Ted Cruz receives the following scores from Constitutional organizations:
Heritage Action: 100% (click here to view)
Conservative Review: 97% (click here to view)
Freedom Works: 98% (click here to view)
He votes with his principles. He votes with the Constitution. He tells the truth. He's not like other politicians. He's the real deal. He really believes in his office and what he does.
Ted Cruz holds the following political stances on key issues as follows:
Ted Cruz is a fiscal conservative and will cut out of control spending in Washington. This is an extremely important issue. The debt is completely out of control and Congress continues out of control spending as if nothing were wrong. The national debt is just over 19 trillion dollars, and unfunded liabilities are in excess of 100 trillion dollars. Ted Cruz will make meaningful changes, when most politicians would make only token changes.
Ted Cruz is a firm supporter of the 2nd Amendment and the right to bear arms. His voting record confirms this.
Ted Cruz is a firm supporter of school choice. Ted Cruz spoke recently at a school choice rally, lending his support to school choice.
Ted Cruz is a firm defender of the right to life and he has fought to take tax payer dollars from planned parenthood. Ted Cruz fought to defund planned parenthood when most in Congress did very little.
Ted Cruz is a strong supporter of natural marriage, the union of one man and one woman. Cruz decried the same sex marriage ruling in the Supreme Court as judicial activism, by lawless self appointing philosopher kings.
Ted Cruz is a firm defender of state's rights and has argued before the Supreme Court in defense of state's rights. In fact Ted Cruz clerked under Chief Justice William Rehnquist one of the most effectual defenders of state's rights in recent history.
Ted Cruz is a strong defender of the military and veterans.
Ted Cruz believes in a robust foreign policy. He wants to strengthen the military and deal with ISIS. But Ted Cruz is not a hawk neocon imperialist nation builder. Ted Cruz's foreign policy is a happy medium between Obama's disengagement and George. W Bush's aggressive nation building.
Ted Cruz is a firm, vocal supporter of religious liberty. This is vital about Ted Cruz. While virtually all the other candidates have been silent on religious liberty, Ted Cruz hosted a rally in defense of religious liberty. Cruz continues to make this a key issue of his campaign.
Ted Cruz will appoint strong Constitutionalists to the Supreme Court. We have a lawless Supreme Court right now. Think of the decisions that have been handed down, Roe V. Wade legalizing abortion, and now Obergefell v. Hodges forcing same sex marriage on all fifty states. We are only one justice away from a liberal majority Supreme Court. But this isn't about left vs. right this is about appointing judges who will look at the law and determine the correct ruling, regardless of political ideology.
Ted Cruz is a strong supporter of personal liberty and has stood along side Rand Paul time and again to stop warrant-less wiretapping of Americans. Hawk establishment types have criticized Cruz for doing this, but personal liberty remains a key issue that has been trodded on by Republicans and Democrats alike. While Bush and Obama both fought for the Patriot Act and it's re-authorization, liberty-candidates like Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, and Ron Paul have stood against such blatant authoritarian violations of our rights. There is no need to sacrifice liberty for security, we can have both.
Ted Cruz is the strongest candidate by evidence of record who will stand against illegal immigration, secure the border, and put an end to sanctuary cities. This kind of lawlessness is not compassionate, it's foolishness, and Ted Cruz will see that our laws are properly enforced.
Ted Cruz believes in supporting and protecting Israel from her foreign enemies.
Ted Cruz is a supporter of audit the Fed and would help work to end the Fed.
Ted Cruz believes the war on drugs has been a failure and would leave decisions on such issues to the states where those decisions belong.
Ted Cruz believes in free markets and empowering the private sector to create jobs. Ted Cruz has voted regularly to cut red tape and regulations, to benefit small businesses.
Ted Cruz believes in a simple flat tax and would end the IRS.
Ted Cruz would end the Department of Education and allow much more local autonomy when it comes to education.
Learn more at Ted Cruz on the Issues.
Now that you've had the chance to learn more about Ted Cruz's views on key issues, I'd like to encourage you to view some of these presentations on You Tube. You can get a good feel for his positions that way. Here are some excellent videos:
1. The Real Story of What is Happening in Washington
2. Presidential Forum on Faith and Freedom
3. The People vs. the Washington Cartel
4. Rally for Religious Liberty
5. Town Hall, South Carolina
I would also encourage you to read his book: "A Time for Truth" by Ted Cruz. I've been listening to it on audiobook and I've been very impressed so far.
I'd also encourage you to get educated on key political issues. We need you on the frontlines of these battles. I recommend books by Mark Levin, Judge Andrew Napolitano, Dr. Ben Carson, Dr. Ron Paul, Rand Paul, Charles Colson, Albert Mohler, Glenn Beck, Dinesh D'Souza, and Ben Shapiro.
Now assuming you find that Ted Cruz is a candidate you can support, then there are several things you can do:
1. Pray everyday. Pray for the campaign. Pray for our nation. Pray God would raise up godly men and women to lead our nation in Congress. Pray on the issues, and pray against the enemy.
2. Get involved and sign up to volunteer at TedCruz.org. They can set you up with your state and local leaders to make phone calls, knock on doors, and interact on social media.
3. If your like me and love to engage on social media, then start sharing pictures, video links, articles, and Ted Cruz content. I constantly share on social media and it has a very real impact. Visit some of these Facebook groups: Second Amendment Supporters for Ted Cruz, Ted Cruz 2016 - People's Choice, and Ted Cruz Meme Group.
4. Talk to your friends, coworkers, church members, and family. Share the message of liberty, small government, and economic freedom.
5. Make sure your registered to vote in your local primary, make sure you know the date and your local polling area. Vote in the primary/caucus and vote again in the general presidential election. And vote your values.
Thank you for taking the time to read. We're at a pivotal moment in our history as a nation. This could really go either way. It's up to me and you to see that our nation has a future. Yes it's that dire of a situation. We've got over 19 trillion dollars in debt being piled on the backs of young people, our future. We've got a public education system that turns out children that don't even understand basic logic. We've got a generation of young people who now consider themselves socialists and are supporting Bernie Sanders. We've got colleges teaching young people they have the right to not be offended by anything. We've got a mainstream media and Hollywood full of depravity, sexual sin, greed, and consumerism. We've got a Congress in the back-pocket of lobbyists and special interest groups. On one side we have a progressive movement seeking to fundamentally transform America into a socialist equality LGBT utopia and on the other side we have an establishment that is so corrupt and greedy that all they care about is enriching themselves and holding onto power.
But I'm seeing something very special taking place. I'm seeing young people rising up, principled young people who hold principled views. They want to set things right. In Congress we see the Freedom Caucus and the Appeal to Heaven caucus. We see Tea Party candidates and Libertarian candidates rising up and beginning to cross swords with the establishment shills and corrupt moneyed politicians. We're seeing leaders like Justin Amash, Sean Duffy, and Mike Lee emerging. We're seeing leaders like Rand Paul, Jeff Sessions, and Trey Gowdy beginning to challenge the status quo on key issues. And now we're seeing evangelicals, libertarians, Reagan democrats, and tea partiers beginning to coalesce around the Ted Cruz for President campaign. This hasn't happened since the Reagan administration. This is our moment, and I'm asking you to be a part of it now. Not later, now! This is our chance. We have to fight with every breath we have, day and night, prayerfully and powerfully to reclaim our nation at this pivotal juncture. Take a stand my friends, take a stand now, today, because your country needs you. God bless you all, amen.
Related Posts:
- Christians: Let's Talk about Ted Cruz
- An Appeal to Heaven: The Movement
- The Supreme Court, Same Sex Marriage, Religious Liberty
- Thoughts on Public Schooling: Should Christians homeschool their Children?
- All those who Wander are not Lost: A Study in Nothingness
- Kim Davis is only the Beginning: Prepare your Ministry for Persecution
- A Cause Worth Dying For: Materialism, Millennials, & the Authentic Mission
- What is the Truth about Abortion? Fact, Fiction, Christianity & Humanism
- Faith in the 21st Century: The Seven Key aspects of Faith
- Christian Activism: Can Christianity survive the new cultural attitudes?
The War on Principles & the Hope in our Worldview
The War on Principles & the Hope in our Worldview
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| The Pilgrims pray for their journey fleeing religious persecution |
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| Daniel in the Lion's den |
We live in a culture where really, values are passe. You aren't allowed to have values. Morality, principles are scorned by the media, ignored by academia, dismissed in politics, and mocked by Hollywood. Especially for young people, if you have values your a loser. If you carry a Bible around at public school, your a laughing stock. If you believe in moral behavior, your backwards. If you believe in principles in the political realm, then your an ideologue. If you believe politicians should make decisions based on Constitutional principles, then your an ideological purist. If you think sex is something sacred that should be reserved for marriage, then your a backwards rube, a traditionalist fool. If you refuse to endorse, support, finance, and celebrate gay marriage then you are evil, bigoted, homophobic, racist, sexist, and the very definition of wickedness. You are really worse than Hitler or Stalin if you don't endorse and celebrate gay marriage. If you think the Bible is real, then your an ignorant and dangerous fundamentalist. If you think a fetus represents a sacred life, your waging a war on women. If your blind to race, then your actually a raving racist and white supremacist. If you think a sovereign nation should police it's borders and prevent certain persons from entering illegally, then you are a heartless bigoted anti-immigrant hater. The list goes on, ad infinitum.
Insanity is the new sanity. Lies are the new truth. Depravity is the new holiness. Hate is the new love language. Sin is the new standard. Outrage, the new free speech. And if you disagree, then they will silence you, or get you fired from your job. And media will have a field day dancing on your ashes and celebrating your demise as the latest victory for social justice.
I'd like to say something about all that. And I hope you'll join me. I hope I'm not alone in saying this: "No. You are wrong. Values still matter. Religious faith should be respected. Gay marriage is still wrong. The Constitution is not out of vogue. And yes, even the dreaded heresy of heresies: Jesus Christ is alive, and he is God."
In a world of lies, half truths, where we are astounded by the fact that all that we oppose in life seems to have full control... in the limelight of culture, media, and academia, we must be guided by marrow deep principles. We must be guided by a worldview that is unshakable and firmly set within our souls.
We aren't people who are guided by talking heads in the media, or by big personalities in culture, or even by the latest "experts" and their speculations and calculations as to what is right and true. Instead we are guided by presuppositions based upon value sets. And so are they, those on the other side, the atheist, progressive, secular, Marxist, Freudian, anti-religious, democratic socialists, and all the other various ideologies and views of life that vie for power in our country.
They attack us for basing our worldview on the Bible, the Constitution, and moral behavior. They say that those presuppositions can't be proven. I would say, and have said many times that our presuppositions are more provable than theirs are.
The Bible is a respected historical document which lines up with outside historical accounts. The Bible has transformed hundreds of millions of lives for the better. The Bible is a remarkable document that only arrogant, condescending naturalists in academia have the gumption to mock. Read a full case here. The Constitution is not perfect, but given empirical reality, it has functioned very well to guide the prosperity of an amazing nation: The United States. Moral behavior, well that flows from both of those sources, and it's value to society goes without saying, it is self-evident.
Consider the alternative: various forms of marxism, which have led to decay, economic collapse, and brutal genocides. Consider the alternative of a society that doesn't value life, like Hitler's Germany. Genocide followed, when one group of people were made to appear as the enemy. Today conservative Christians are being scapegoated as an enemy.
All the many names that fit under this crowd of seculars base their worldview on presuppositions. Their presuppositions are that humanity is basically good, that humanity must look to itself for it's utmost and highest. Is humanity good? The state of the world, and the history of humanity should be enough, in short form, to disprove that immediately. As Malcom Muggeridge the noted journalist said,"The depravity of man is at once the most empirically verifiable fact while at the same time being the most intellectually resisted."
Second, our adversary believes that only the natural world exists. They believe in only the physical world. Is that presupposition provable? Absolutely not. It's a presupposition. It's a prior belief system based on faith in the doctrines of naturalism and evolutionary biology.
Third, they believe government should fix everything. They tend to believe more government programs will help cure the ills of society. They appeal to government in fact to transform America into a sort of capitalist-socialist hybrid. They look to Europe and seek to make the USA look more like Europe. Well, so far so good, our debt and stagnating economy certain now look more like Europes'. (Many European countries have debt exceeding their GDP which America now has after eight years of President Obama.)
Now I work for the Salvation Army, and charities are what we believe in on the Constitutional vein. We don't believe we need to appeal to government when there is a problem. Instead we appeal to heaven. We create charities, church organizations, and temperance movements to transform the society to deal with social ills. We don't believe the government should fix these things, instead we look to people to form organizations and charities to deal with social ills. And when we do that, wonderful things happen.
When we demand government fix everything, well, the United States is now over 19 trillion dollars in debt. When we appeal to government to make the economy better, we get crony-capitalism. When we appeal to the government to fix social problems, we get massive debt and failing government programs. We get record numbers on government assistance, and debt spiraling out of control.
The point here is, these ideologies don't work. They don't function! They are destroying our country. These fools have destroyed the moral structure of our nation. They've driven this country into debt. And they've made political war on Christians. They've mocked and ridiculed Christians, conservatives, and Constitutionalists. Madness! They've created these problems and then they swoop in to fix them, with government programs.
They've removed morality, religious thought, and personal responsibility, now propagating their destructive ideologies in public schools and university institutions. Is it any wonder that so many millennials feel an absurd sense of entitlement? That everything should be free? That government needs to care for them and give them free stuff from cradle to grave? And is it any wonder that these young people are devoid of spiritual thought, given how so many in academia, politics, media, and public discourse make it a point to routinely mock Christianity? And is it working for these millennials? Is it? Divorces skyrocketing, teen pregnancy skyrocketing, drug addiction on the rise! Is that working? I've lived in two towns, Wausau Wisconsin and now Escanaba Michigan. People in both these cities are dumbfounded by the flood of drugs moving in. It's like the fabric of the societies are starting to give way. This process began in the public schools, and in broken families and broken homes, and now it's come to it's full fruition; a generation devoid of morality, devoid of religious thought, and devoid of personal responsibility: a helpless generation that then either turns to a despot, Donald Trump, or turns to a socialist offering free stuff: Bernie Sanders. My generation has been so lied to, so deceived, so tricked into turning away from the values that made this nation great. It's sick! They think the world owes them everything and they think meaning is to found in multicolored pills and in glass pipes. I understand why. They've been raised in a value-less public school system, matched with overworked families breaking apart under attack, then multiplied by a depraved media pushing sex, drugs, alcohol, theft, violence, and immorality of all kinds. Is it any wonder given this destructive equation that we see young people are messed up in the head and broken inside and out? No it isn't.
In this mess, this soup of chaos we must be that much more determined to be linked to our values, our principles, and our Christian worldview. We've got to stick to our guns day and night; metaphorically speaking our principles and our worldview. Let's look at these principles that have changed the world and brought about such profound liberty and prosperity. What are the basic precepts that make up this worldview? Once again let us turn to Dr. Norm Geisler's key categories. They are as follows:
Origin - Where did I come from?
Identity - Who am I?
Meaning - What is my purpose?
Morality - What is my code?
Destiny - What is my future?
Despite all the information imparted to young people, imagine if they could answer definitively these five questions. Imagine young people armed to the teeth with this sort of rock-ribbed worldview. Maybe they wouldn't be killing themselves in record numbers every year?
Origin - Where did I come from?
If your a naturalist, an atheist then you believe laughably that you came from rocks which were formed by energy released by a big bang 13.82 billion years ago. (Note: As the years go by the age of the Earth keeps getting older and older as scientists attempt to account for the insane complexity of the universe.) Yes, people actually believe this stuff. Naturalists can't stand the miraculous. But their own worldview requires miracles. The miracles of naturalism, atheism are as follows:
1. Getting something from nothing - There is a universe, it can't explode from nothing. Basic logic, and if they throw "well who created God?" that's an error of logic called "tu quoque." Plus they are making a category error.
2. Getting life from non-life - We've never observed that in science, ever.
3. Getting order from chaos - entropy, the second law of thermodynamics indicates that a system will tend toward disorder not order (and yes, this law applies to our universe.)
4. Getting the immaterial from physical matter - amazing how they don't realize their own miraculous claims.
For a Christian we understand that all life has value. My life has value and so does yours. The life of the most staunch atheist has value, even the life of Hitler or Stalin has value. Why? Because all life has value. Every person is made in the image of God. They are in fact a beautiful and unique snowflake. Isn't that excellent? This value guides so much of what we does as Christians and Constitutionalists. We are willing to allow opposing opinions, because we know that every person has value and therefore has certain inalienable rights. We don't engage in silencing people like progressives do, we believe that all people have the right to their opinions and should be treated respectfully. The implications are huge for this simple fact, but I'll leave it there for the sake of time.
Identity - Who am I?
I think we really covered that more so in the first category. We are beings created by God, is our origin, and our identity is that of having infinite value and worth. We are beings worthy of protection and ought to have life, liberty, and the ability to pursue happiness. Which is why we must, must, must appose abortion. Abortion is the organized genocide of our day; abortion takes life, liberty, and the ability to pursue happiness from the most precious among us: children.
Meaning - What is my purpose?
If only young people understand that life does have meaning. And it's not the meaning we make up in our heads. Life has objective meaning. There is in fact a purpose to life and to the world and to the universe.
What is the purpose within the Christian worldview? Our purpose is to come to know the being who created us, and the being who created the universe. Our purpose is to come into full relationship with God almighty, and to love God and be loved by Him. In addition, just as important is our imperative to love. Love is the very center of our mission and purpose on Earth: We are charged to love those who are unlovable, to care for those who are careless and to stand for those who can't stand themselves. It is a beautiful charge, and a life of supreme meaning. We are to lead a life sharing the message of the gospel, of Jesus Christ, to the lost and broken of this world. It is a life that leads to charities being founded, it's a life that leads to mission trips to dig wells in 3rd world countries, it's a life that leads to orphanages being built and hospitals being founded. It's a mission that seeks to fight injustice and destroy slavery and worldly evils. It's a life that turns a person inside out, from selfish, lonely and miserable to loving, merciful, and serving to those in need. And truly it is a hard life, it is a difficult challenge, and it's a cause that requires every inch of who you are. It's not a pale grim path, but a path of danger, darkness, light, sorrow, joy and awe. It is a beautiful, magnificent purpose that is true, and real. It's not true because it's good, that is an added bonus, it's true because it's the actual state of reality; how things truly are.
Morality - What is my code?
The Bible and the Constitution articulate an astounding moral code. This moral code gives instruction in every area from personal growth to sexual practices, to how to treat the poor and how to deal with evil.
This is where the rubber meets the road. How am I going to live? What am I going to do? And I mean really, when it's tough. When a lovely young lady wants to take you home to bed. Yet she's married. Or she's your best friend's girl? Are your values going to transition into that situation? Or are they going out the window for the sake of pleasure? Are we hedonists or are we principled conservatives? And another area, money. Are we giving 10% of our income to charity? Are we caring for our family? Or does our money go only to our wants and desires? These two areas are the most crucial I think. Sex and money. These are the areas where either we'll stick to our principles or we'll give in like hedonists every time. What about drugs? Or alcohol? What about telling the truth? What about cheating others for a profit? These are the questions we need to ask.
When Ben Carson had the option, either I endorse a principled conservative and get nothing in return, or get a seat in Trump's administration if I kiss the ring... what decision did he make? What would you have done? What do we do in these situations? Can we stand with our principles when it means we lose? Can we ignore a bribe and take a pounding for it? Can we side with the American people and be hated by the elite in Washington? Can we tell the truth about those in power and receive the full weight of their scorn? We need to look at these situations through the lens of our convictions, and act accordingly. Otherwise we're just hypocrites and deserve nothing good in life.
Destiny - What is my future?
Finally, what is my future? If your an atheist, naturalist then you believe your future is to blink out of existence. No life after death, and no reason to live rightly now. If you die and no longer exist, why not live it up in sexual acting out, drugs, parties, bars, strip joints, and all the rest? In other words, this worldview is not a sustainable one for a healthy society. A healthy society can't function with those who believe life has no meaning; because people who believe that behave in self destructive ways, tending to bring disorder to the society. Isn't that self evident? It really is.
What is your future if your a Christian? Your future is to live in glory with God almighty, in a restored universe, a perfected reality that people such as us cannot even imagine. Not because we're pie in the sky types, not because we're afraid of death, but because such a position tracks with reality. It tracks with near death experiences. It tracks with the spread of Christianity worldwide. It tracks with the default understanding within the human heart that what we are now is only a pale reflection of who we truly are and what we truly shall be. Or as C.S. Lewis said,"If I find within myself a desire which nothing on Earth can satisfy the logical conclusion is that I was made for another world." Or as the writer of the book of Ecclesiastes recorded: "God has placed eternity upon the human heart." We know these things. They are self evident. They are natural truths built within our very souls. It is only by the false rabbit trails created by secular culture that we could be convinced to believe otherwise.
Understand this: God is real, even if we don't want Him to be. God is real. He did in fact send us a savior, a God-man into the world named Jesus Christ, born in Bethlehem, grew up Galilee who did in fact die on a cross, put to death by the Romans, who also did in fact resurrect bodily from the dead, in the power of the creator of reality, demonstrating to us his victory over death and the hard-line formula for the salvation of humanity. This formula is simple, profound, magical, yet firmly planted in the ground. It is a reality of life.
There will be a day, not too far from now when each and every single person who lives today and has ever lived, will stand physically before the God who made the universe. Each of us will give an account of what decisions we made and what things we did. It's true, believe it. We are morally accountable beings. Our actions really do have consequences. Our bad decisions cause evil in the world. Our good decisions cause hope, rejuvenation, and joy in the world. We will one day have to answer for our choices. And we will have to answer the question as to who is for us. On that day I will be certain to say and to know that Jesus Christ is my savior, that he has paid the penalty for all my poor actions, my sins against God. For those who are unable to answer with such a statement, they will be removed from the presence of God, just as any of us would no longer seek to be in the company of those who reject us. And they will then be in a place of sadness, a place of darkness. And there is no escape from such a place. It's true. And God is just, right, and good to do so. Believe it, and act accordingly.
In conclusion, in this crazy world of moral relativism and secular ideology it's more important than ever to have the courage to live out our principles. Our principles are grounded in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit who works within us to help us stand against any and all temptations. Continue to stand firm in the Christian worldview, and the rights found in the Constitution. It's not too late. There is still hope in our culture. There is still hope for a new great awakening. It could be right around the corner, closer than we all imagine. It's always in the darkest moments of history that people come together to do great things, right before the moment of no return. That moment is today. Live accordingly.
Related Posts:
- Evangelicals, You need to Vote: Here's Why
- An Appeal to Heaven: The Movement
- The Supreme Court, Same Sex Marriage, Religious Liberty
- Thoughts on Public Schooling: Should Christians homeschool their Children?
- All those who Wander are not Lost: A Study in Nothingness
- Kim Davis is only the Beginning: Prepare your Ministry for Persecution
- A Cause Worth Dying For: Materialism, Millennials, & the Authentic Mission
- What is the Truth about Abortion? Fact, Fiction, Christianity & Humanism
- Faith in the 21st Century: The Seven Key aspects of Faith
- Christian Activism: Can Christianity survive the new cultural attitudes?
Saturday, March 19, 2016
Friday, March 18, 2016
Thursday, March 17, 2016
Christian heritage
There has never been anything like the United States. This kind of
prosperity, this kind of safety, this kind of liberty, and this kind of
freedom of worship doesn't exist anywhere else. The more we allow
secular progressives to remove the pillars of our nation (morality,
religious faith, personal responsibility, the value of human life) the
more God's hand of favor drifts away from our towns and cities. They
think they are helping to create a utopian future, based on the best
knowledge of the day; through government programs and redistributing
wealth and group responsibility. But they don't believe in God. They
can't understand the spiritual. So the more they divert our society
away from it's Christian heritage, the more they drive our nation out of
the hand's of God. And when that transition is complete, God's
protection will depart, and our nation will fall to one of it's enemies
or fall into economic collapse. We can't let that happen. We have to
stop them before it's too late. God will give us the strength to do
this, if we will only stand for Him, now.
Sex is reserved for marriage
Sex is reserved for marriage, as a completion of the connection between a
man and woman. This is intended as a lifetime connection between a man
and woman. Why? Because sex is a sacred act. It isn't meant for fun
between strangers, or even girlfriend and boyfriend. It's meant for
marriage only. When we break that, and sleep around; you'll notice
something: Every time you engage in sex with some new person, it will be
like a piece of you is taken away. And piece by piece,
person by person, you will eventually be hollowed out, empty, and
broken. It's true. 2/3rds of teens who engaged in sex, wish they could
take it back. It was a mistake. And there is something within us that
tells us that, something powerful that occurs in our senses: that we are
breaking something sacred when we engage in sex outside of marriage.
And it leaves us broken, and even addicted to an ever fleeting pleasure,
infinitely diminishing into oceans of meaninglessness. Yet if we keep
ourselves reserved unto marriage, we find that sexual intimacy between
man and woman becomes not only a sensual act, but a spiritual act of
great joy. Wait, be patient, and reserve yourself for marriage: You
aren't just a piece of meat, you are precious and beloved. Reserve that
blessing of sexuality for you and your wife/husband. It is right. And
you know it.
Pastor Burnout
According to the New York Times (August 1, 2010) "Members of the
clergy now suffer from obesity, hypertension and depression at rates
higher than most Americans. In the last decade, their use of
antidepressants has risen, while their life expectancy has fallen. Many
would change jobs if they could."
13% of active pastors are divorced.
23% have been fired or pressured to resign at least once in their careers.
25% don't know where to turn when they have a family or personal conflict or issue.
25% of pastors' wives see their husband's work schedule as a source of conflict.
33% felt burned out within their first five years of ministry.
33% say that being in ministry is an outright hazard to their family.
40% of pastors and 47% of spouses are suffering from burnout, frantic schedules, and/or unrealistic expectations.
45% of pastors' wives say the greatest danger to them and their family is physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual burnout.
Though I can find no specific statistics (I'm sure they are out there), the pastorate is seeing a significant rise in the number of female pastors.
45% of pastors say that they've experienced depression or burnout to the extent that they needed to take a leave of absence from ministry.
50% feel unable to meet the needs of the job.
52% of pastors say they and their spouses believe that being in pastoral ministry is hazardous to their family's well-being and health.
56% of pastors' wives say that they have no close friends.
57% would leave the pastorate if they had somewhere else to go or some other vocation they could do.
70% don't have any close friends.
75% report severe stress causing anguish, worry, bewilderment, anger, depression, fear, and alienation.
80% of pastors say they have insufficient time with their spouse.
80% believe that pastoral ministry affects their families negatively.
90% feel unqualified or poorly prepared for ministry.
90% work more than 50 hours a week.
94% feel under pressure to have a perfect family.
1,500 pastors leave their ministries each month due to burnout, conflict, or moral failure.
-Stats from http://www.pastorburnout.com
13% of active pastors are divorced.
23% have been fired or pressured to resign at least once in their careers.
25% don't know where to turn when they have a family or personal conflict or issue.
25% of pastors' wives see their husband's work schedule as a source of conflict.
33% felt burned out within their first five years of ministry.
33% say that being in ministry is an outright hazard to their family.
40% of pastors and 47% of spouses are suffering from burnout, frantic schedules, and/or unrealistic expectations.
45% of pastors' wives say the greatest danger to them and their family is physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual burnout.
Though I can find no specific statistics (I'm sure they are out there), the pastorate is seeing a significant rise in the number of female pastors.
45% of pastors say that they've experienced depression or burnout to the extent that they needed to take a leave of absence from ministry.
50% feel unable to meet the needs of the job.
52% of pastors say they and their spouses believe that being in pastoral ministry is hazardous to their family's well-being and health.
56% of pastors' wives say that they have no close friends.
57% would leave the pastorate if they had somewhere else to go or some other vocation they could do.
70% don't have any close friends.
75% report severe stress causing anguish, worry, bewilderment, anger, depression, fear, and alienation.
80% of pastors say they have insufficient time with their spouse.
80% believe that pastoral ministry affects their families negatively.
90% feel unqualified or poorly prepared for ministry.
90% work more than 50 hours a week.
94% feel under pressure to have a perfect family.
1,500 pastors leave their ministries each month due to burnout, conflict, or moral failure.
-Stats from http://www.pastorburnout.com
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Monday, March 14, 2016
Saturday, March 12, 2016
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Monday, March 7, 2016
Sunday, March 6, 2016
Saturday, March 5, 2016
Friday, March 4, 2016
Thursday, March 3, 2016
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
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