Chaplain Issued Day of Prayer, Fasting for U.S. Army. Religion News Service reports that the Army’s top chaplain declared yesterday  a day of prayer and fasting for U.S. soldiers, a response to rising suicide rates in the Army. Last year, the Army reported the highest suicide rate since record-keeping began in 1980. “I therefore call the Chaplaincy to a Day of Prayer and Fasting, in keeping with your religious traditions, to be observed on 8 April 2009 that the united cry of our Corps will be heard and answered regarding the protection, preservation, and peace for our Soldiers and Families,” Carver said in his proclamation, which was issued March 2. “[W]e really encourage not only Baptists but all local churches to pray for the military,” Carver told the Baptist Press.

HERE ARE SOME GREAT THOUGHTS FROM AN EMAIL BY CHUCK MISSLER. EDUCATION CHOICES: WE DON’T NEED NO THOUGHT CONTROL –

Spring will officially arrive in just less than a month. High school students are busy applying to colleges, and parents of 4-year-olds have to move quickly to get their little ones into limited pre-school spots. It’s the time of year when adults fill out applications to go back to school, and impatient fifth graders feel summer will never come.

We all know a good education is vital.  In the “old” days, our forefathers wanted to make sure children were literate so that they could read the Bible. Yet, not only is the Word of God hardly permitted through school doors these days, but too many high schools churn out students who know more about condoms than about history or grammar.  Parents wonder how to both give their kids a great education and protect their hearts. Happily, an increasing number of education choices have been made available during the past few decades.

Home-School:
After decades of fighting for the right to educate their children at home, home-schooling parents have gained massive miles of ground. In the 1980s, states and education organizations battled against parents who wanted to home-school; today home-schooling is legal in every state, and many states promote home-schooling by offering parents a variety of helps. Cooperative school districts allow students to take selected classes from public schools and even participate in after-school sports. The reporting requirements for home-schooling differ from state to state, but those requirements are spelled out and easily accessible online. There is no longer a single state that absolutely requires parents to be certified in order to teach their own children. The stigma has slowly been worn away, and countless thousands of families are enjoying their God-given rights to raise their own kids.

Thanks to groups like the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), new victories are being made every year. On Monday, the Virginia House passed Senate Bill 1547 without opposition, making it possible for home-school students to be eligible for scholarships just like other students. The state needs to develop standards for giving home-schoolers the equivalent of a grade point average for scholarships that require one.

It benefits states to promote and foster home-schooling. Not only do home-school students tend to excel, but students who stay home also free up seats in overcrowded public school classrooms, benefiting the rest of the students.

Home-School Co-ops:
Home-schooling is not easy. It requires commitment and time and energy from parents and students alike. Home-school co-ops and support groups have sprouted and matured in every state. Some co-ops are simple once-a-month gatherings in which parents connect and take their students on field trips. Some co-ops offer once-a-week science or art or music classes. Some co-ops have become consistent, frequent gatherings in which parents partner up to teach students. Then, there are co-ops like the Christian Family Cooperative, which is like an actual school three days per week. Half the week 150 students meet for morning classes at Christian Family, and the rest of the week their parents fill in the gaps. These types of supports have helped increasingly more parents enjoy home-school as an option.

Charter Schools:
Not all families are able to home-school due to financial or time constraints. Yet, parents in poor or high-population areas have long sought alternatives to their failing public schools. Charter schools have proven to be a reasonable second choice in many cities. Charter schools are funded by taxes just like regular public schools, but they are freed from a lot of the red tape that hobbles public education. Charter schools operate under a pact – a “charter” – with the local school system. They get the freedom to hire their own teachers and use their own teaching methods, but in return they have to maintain high standards. For instance, a charter school might hire a historian with great communication skills, even if he does not have a state teaching certification. If the charter school fails to produce results, it can be shut down. This increased freedom paired with accountability has allowed charter schools to succeed.

In January, Donna Gundle-Krieg wrote in the Education Improvement Examiner, “While many charter schools are great, some have been closed for not performing. Doesn’t the closing of non-performing schools demonstrate the accountability of the system? Have you ever seen a public school closed for non-performance?”   Touché.

Noting the success of charter schools, Bill Gates said in his January 2009 letter from his pro-education foundation, “If you want your child to get the best education possible, it’s actually more important to get him assigned to a great teacher than to a great school.”

We all know the truth of that statement.  We all can think of incredible teachers who gave us a love for the subject matter by the way they taught it.  We also can all remember wretched teachers who made every day a droning misery.  Charter schools have the freedom to focus on getting great teachers, whoever they may be.

Private Schools:
Many parents would love to send their children to private schools. Not only are class sizes smaller, offering teachers more one-on-one time with students, but the family atmosphere of many small private schools promotes tremendous parent-teacher communication. Parents can know exactly what their children are being taught and feel confident that their children’s education will match their values. The problem of course is the cost. Public school is “free” and private school is not. There are options, however! Many private schools offer scholarships for low-income students. As the economy tilts, private schools may have a difficult time keeping students and may be willing to make deals with parents determined to find a way.

School vouchers are another option in a few states like Wisconsin, Georgia, and Louisiana. The Supreme Court declared in 2002 that school vouchers were not illegal, freeing states to offer parents vouchers to send their children to private schools when public schools were floundering. To find out what is going on with vouchers in your state, see the links below.

Public Schools Plus:
The majority of parents will choose to send their kids to the public school down the road, with a school bus to pick them up in the morning and bring them home in the evening. While some parents are disgusted with their public schools, they still see no workable alternative for their children.  On the other hand, many parents believe their local schools are just fine. There are some excellent, dedicated teachers in public schools, and many parents will be pleased with what they are getting with their tax dollars.  Despite the NEA, public school teachers and administrators can still have the same values as the parents of the community, and do a great job.  Many wonderful public school teachers are just as frustrated with the state of the union as parents are, and should be treated as partners and not enemies.

Still, we live in a confusing world, filled with a flurry of conflicting ideas.  Plenty of public school classes are absolutely anti-Christian and promote humanism as a matter-of-fact.  Parents need to make sure their kids have a solid Biblical world view and know how to defend their faith when they go to school or college or out into the world. Whatever school children attend, there are many things parents can do to prepare kids for the serious ideological battles they will face as teens and young adults. For instance:

a) Turn off the television. You don’t have to become Attila the TV Destroyer, but limit the amount of time kids spend in front of a screen.
b) Spend time with your kids. Enjoy their company. Learn about them. Let them learn about you. Your kids will be more likely to listen to you if they have a real, warm relationship with you.
c) Take the time to help them with school work. This not only keeps you up on what they’re studying, but helps them learn the material. If you can’t remember how to do algebra, find somebody who does. Encourage your kids. Let them know you’re behind them.
d) Engage in interesting discussions with your children about important issues. Ask them what they think about sex, about the existence of God, about the morality of throwing somebody off a life boat (for those of you who remember that happy little social experiment).  Work through controversies with them so that they can both learn to be good thinkers and also understand solid answers to hard questions. Give them reliable, age-appropriate information. If you don’t know the answers to their questions, hunt down the answers with them.
e) Read together. After all, with the television off, you need to find something else to do. Read classics.  Read mysteries. Pick out books on controversial subjects that interest your kids, and take turns reading while doing the dishes or drawing or putting together jigsaw puzzles.
f) Go to conferences. For instance, Summit Ministries offers week-long conferences for both students and adults. The conferences are geared toward helping students know how to defend a Biblical worldview.  There are ministries that focus on evolution/creation issues, or the historicity of the Bible, or promoting healthy relationships, or the Christian history of America.  Find a ministry that focuses on a subject of interest to your kids, and go learn all you can together.

We have a lot of options these days in seeking out what is best for our kids. In the end, parents are responsible for raising their children, and we all need to do so prayerfully, carefully, and with the guidance of our own Heavenly Father.  It’s our responsibility to give our kids the tools they need to be strong, bright lamps on a hill, and not allow their lights to be puffed out by deceptions and misinformation.

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:” -1 Peter 3:15

This morning I saw a CNN Poll that stated that 85% of Americans polled feel more optimistic since the Presidents speech last night. My question is , what did he say? I found little substance as to what will be done in the speech. Talk is cheap. What is being done to help the average American pay their bills and put food on the table? The media also declares that the American people are fully behind Obama on this stimulus. I do not think so. This country is deeply divided and it will come to a head.

America needs far more than a good pep rally. We need to get back to the constitution and eliminate these pork plans so that the greedy can stop dominating the politics of this country.

I wish we would have listened to Joe the plummber.

GET THE DOUBT OUT.

The more we grow up spiritually in the Lord, we become more rooted and grounded in the faithfulness of our God. But sometimes doubt will try to creep in and attack our trust in the Lord. In order for us to not lose ground under the attack of the enemy, we must act decisively. Below are 4 steps that we must take to eliminate doubt.

Matthew 21: 20-22 says, “Seeing this, the disciples were amazed and asked, ” How did the fig tree wither all at once?”. And Jesus answered and said to them, ” Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ” Be taken up and cast into the sea’ it will happen. And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” (NASB)

The first thing we must do when dealing with doubt is to recall God’s past faithfulness, and remember His promises. God has done so much for each of us, we have no reason to think that He won’t help us in what we are going through now. When we spend time praising God for what He has done for us in previous situations, we are reminded of His Love and provision. Meditating on promises from scripture will reassure us that God will continue to meet every one of our needs.
Read Psalm 41:12, John 16:13; Eph. 3:16 for encouragement.

The second thing is that we must ask the Lord for scriptural guidance. The Lord will direct you to certain passages and make them a rhema word to you for your situation. Get these passages from the Lord down into your inner man. Meditate on them and give God thanks and praise for being active in your life. Prayerfully consider how to apply these verses from the Lord to your circumstances.

The third step is to choose to believe God and His promises. We are wise to put our confidence in Him.

And finally, we must place our trust and faith in what Jesus did for us at the Cross of Calvary. That is where the victory was won forever..

Our human nature is what makes us vulnerable to doubt. But we are also partakers of the Divine nature if we are born again.( 2 Peter 1:3-4) So when we choose to trust God, uncertainty cannot shrink our faith.
God bless you.

” And when the chief Shepard shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. 1 Peter 5:4

There is a crown of rejoicing for the soul winner.There is a crown of righteousness for those who love the appearance of Jesus. There is a crown of life for the persecuted Christian. And there is a crown of victory for the overcomer. The very prize of your endurance will be the words spoken by Jesus on that great and glorious day, ” Well done good and faithful servant… Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” Matthew 25:23

Subject: Ten Top Predictions…No Matter Who Wins The Election

1. The Bible will still have all the answers.

2. Prayer will still work.

3. The Holy Spirit will still move.

4. God will still inhabit the praises of His people.

5. There will still be God-anointed preaching.

6. There will still be singing of praise to God.

7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people.

8. There will still be room at the Cross.

9. Jesus will still love you.

10. Jesus will still save the lost when they come to Him.

….and God approves this message!

Our country is dealing with many issues–like immigration, healthcare reform, the economy and the war on terror. The way these
issues are handled will shape our politics and country for the next four years as well as the rest of the century. The general feeling
is that politicians in this country are not accomplishing anything on these fronts. The President’s rating is low and Congress’s rating
is even lower.

The Left and Islam share many of the same values. Both deny that individuals have a personal ethic. They believe a central authority

should control all things. Ironically, they both see themselves as leaders in the movement of history while insulting and denigrating their opponents. The left has betrayed their own ideals by their silence on Islam and , therefore, have become the puppets of Islamic Imperialism. Our Leftist media is ignoring what is right in front of their face. They are not prepared to show anything bad about Islam and blame all the faults of Islam on our own ignorances.

We should demand that all politicians make their position on Islam clear. We need to realize that we are in a struggle of ideologies with our freedom, democracy and human rights on one hand and their ways of oppression and intolerance on the other. Unfortunately, our government is trying to fight organizations, not the belief that gives rise to them.

We have become too politically correct and the left has become apologists for militant Islanic radicalism. They say that the terrorist attcks are the consequences of American’s foreign policy in the Middle East and our unconditional support for Israel. The Left fails to understand the fact that there are few Americans in countries such as India, Thailand, Bali and others where the radical Jihad is also waging a relentless campaign of terror.

It is important to oppose the nations that practice Islamic Law. We have to scrutinize our immigrants from these countries–Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia (the true Axis of Evil). These countries are not our allies, they are our enemies and need to be demilitarized, secularized and democraticized. This should be our true “War on Terror”. Until these nations forego their fundamentalist and militarist theology and join the secular humanity there will not be a lasting peace in the world.

Now that the election has been decided   we need to ask ourselves if they truly understand the importance of dealing strongly with this unrelenting war on terror and the effect it could have on our personal freedoms if left unchecked. Many other issues are important, and will be dealt with accordingly but the war on terror is the one issue that cannot be ignored. Many thanks to my friend Rose for her insights on this Post.

My wife and I recently attended the LeSEA Ministries Conference in August 2008, in South Bend, Indiana. This meeting, particularly the night with Billy Joe and Sharon Daughtery, really ministered to us. Billy Joe preached on the importance of telling others about Jesus wherever we find them. We need to meet the needs of hurting humanity and Jesus is what they need. Jesus is what we all need.. We can always find places to preach if we learn to listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and then obey those promptings. We can witness for Jesus at the gas station, mall, school, workplace, etc. And, in fact, we should be doing this.
Also, the music of Mark Harris is a powerful worship experience. We so endorse his new album ” Windows And Walls”. Mark gives a penatrating look into worship which comes from our hearts.
All in all, it was a great meeting

[Jeremiah 6:16-19] ” Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways,and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken. Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them. Hear, O Earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it.”

The Church of Jesus Christ is at a modern day Crossroads. The word that is translated “ways” here indicates a place of decision. The prophesied apostasy is upon us and we are going to have to “see” and “choose” which path we are going to walk on.So many in the church today are running headlong onto the path of apostasy. The modern “Word of faith” movement, with all of its divergent paths will lead some astray, promising riches and a god-like status that is not Biblical.Others will be drawn down the path of the ” seeker-sensitive” church, which does all it can, even to the estrangement of God’s Word, to make people comfortable. One very dangerous path of the modern church are the so called Church growth methods, such as G-12 and Cell group programs, which seek to totally control its members and introduce believers to a non-biblical route of discipleship. Their path is not one of Grace, but rather, is one of law.

The path that the believer needs to be on, is an old path.It was originated by God after the Fall and has been steadily revealed to mankind ever since. This is the path of the Cross. It is by faith in what Christ finished for us at Calvary that a person enters into relationship with God. As well, it is this same simple Faith in Christ’s finished Work at Calvary that supplies the believer with the supernatural help and Grace needed to live out our daily lives. Faith in God’s redemption plan is the “old path”. God revealed this Holy path to men like Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joesph, David, and to many, many others. When Jesus stated that He was the only “Way” [road or path] that would lead men to the Father, He spoke of who He was and what He would do for all mankind at Calvary.

If you are trusting in your own efforts or law keeping to get you to heaven, you are on the wrong path. If your hope lies in your confession of a certain scripture or a particular church growth method, you are on the wrong path. If your eyes are ever on Jesus Christ, who He is, and What He did at the Cross, then you are on the old path. This path will lead you into a walk with God that is profitable for you; spirit, soul, and body. Righteousness will be your garment and faithfulness will bring you a crown. Every other path will lead you to weeping and gnashing of teeth. Those who reject God’s path, the path of faith in Christ and Him Crucified, will find themselves facing the wrath and judgment of God. What path are you on?

As I listened and heard the roar of the engines and then , finally saw the Blue Angels crest the horizon, a lump still formed in my throat even after all these years. Thank God we are free.
I thank God for our nation. I pray that America will always be free.

As an American, I am so very, very proud of the troops who are serving and protecting our country and our freedom in Iraq and elsewhere around the world. My Dad was a Korean war vet who was also willing to make the sacrifice to defend our nation. He survived that brutal war and taught me from a young age that Freedom is not free; it cost so much in human lives.
We all need to be thankful that these young men and women in our military, are willing to sacrifice and defend us. I grow very upset at the “blame America” crowd. This is one reason we should be very alarmed and leary of the Rev. Wrights of the world. We should be suspicious of anyone who sits under preaching that is openly Anti-American.
I do believe that preachers should be calling the people of America to repent of their sins. That is the Gospel message anywhere in the world.But no preacher should conduct themselves as Rev. Wright has. I do not want to associate with anyone who would sacrifice the freedom of all of us for a few, small, special interest groups.
I bless all of you who are serving our country in the military. You are in our hearts, thoughts, and prayers daily. Thank you for keeping me and my family free. Thank you for ensuring my right to speak freely about anything. Thank you Troops, for keeping our liberty intact. I bless you in Jesus Name.

HAPPY 4th OF JULY

Lets continue to keep America FREE. Consider this when its time to vote.