Paradox Principles: November 2010

Sunday, November 28, 2010

God's Prophecy Leads Us ... 2

With Absolute Certainty

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him....And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
1 John 2:15-17

Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. Acts 17:11

This post is a continuation of God's Prophecy Leads Us … be sure to read it first to understand the proper context.

Certainly the world is all about solving its problems without the God of the Bible. Yet many professing Christians are rushing to remedy the world's troubles in ways that are without the support of Scripture, some even in contradiction to what the Scriptures teach. Rick Warren's global P.E.A.C.E. plan is one of many programs and teachings that, for the most part, cannot be reconciled with God's prophetic Word. It is Warren's "50-year plan" to cure global issues such as "pandemic diseases, extreme poverty, illiteracy, corruption, global warming, [and] spiritual emptiness" (see www.thebereancall.org). He claims that his social-works agenda developed from his reading of the Gospels--that Jesus gave him the model that was the antidote to the five biggest problems on the planet. Warren subsequently expanded that model from an exclusive endeavor of Christianity to one requiring the support of all religions. The "P" in his P.E.A.C.E. plan originally stood for "Planting Churches" as the key antidote for curing the world's ills. Later, however, before a panel and audience of representatives of the world's religions, he changed the "P" from "Planting Churches" to "Promoting Reconciliation".

Warren announced unequivocally that the universal problems cannot be solved "without including people of faith and their religious institutions". He told his audience at the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland (1/24/08) that the various houses of worship are needed for distribution centers of resources to help eradicate global problems. His shift, however, to an ecumenical program that includes Islamic mosques, Hindu temples, Jewish synagogues, and other religious establishments as participants in meeting social needs may impress the world, but it is contrary to what God says in His Word. The God of the Bible is an exclusive God: "I am the Lord, and there is none else, and there is no God beside me" Isaiah 45:5. There is to be no participation with the purveyors of false gods. The Apostle Paul tells us we are not to be "unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?" 2 Corinthians 6:14-15.

Rick Warren's "ill-curing" ecumenical agenda is illogical as well as unbiblical. How can his game plan for remedying "spiritual emptiness" work with those who promote a false spirituality? Peter tells us, "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name [Jesus Christ] under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). Jesus himself declared, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" John 14:6. If there is no other true God but the God revealed in the Bible, and if salvation comes only through Jesus Christ-as the Scriptures declare-then all other gods and all other ways of salvation are false, with no hope for their followers. Yet Warren told his Davos religious audience that he was not concerned about their motivation in doing good, "as long as you do good." Tragically, he reinforced the very lie that keeps billions of religious people blinded to the truth and from turning to Jesus Christ: works salvation.

The influence of this fix-the-earth program is staggering. Warren's best-selling Purpose Driven Life (30 million copies- plus sold worldwide) introduced his "50- year" global P.E.A.C.E Plan and has been translated into 52 languages. According to his website, more than 500,000 evangelical churches are partnering with him in his unbiblical ecumenical effort.

Although Warren's attempt to solve the world's problems is more than misguided, it's not the only prophecy-denying, earthbound enterprise that's gaining followers today. Rob Bell, in his book Velvet Elvis, reflects the "fix the earth" eschatology of nearly all Emerging Church leaders: "Salvation is the entire universe being brought back into harmony with its maker....But we can join a movement that is as wide and as big as the universe itself. Rocks and trees and birds and swamps and ecosystems....God's desire is to restore all of it....The goal isn't escaping this world but making this world the kind of place God can come to. And God is remaking us into the kind of people who can do this kind of work."

Brian McLaren, arguably the best-known emergent leader, has a low, if not distorted, view of biblical prophecy, as do most of his peers in the Emerging Church Movement. He regards the Book of Revelation as "literature of the oppressed" to inspire "each generation," rather than God's warning of future events and judgments to come upon mankind.

Those future events and judgments are clearly at odds with the agenda of solving the world's problems and turning it into a paradise. McLaren declares: "In this light, [that is, removing the prophetic aspect of the Book of Revelation] Revelation becomes a powerful book about the kingdom of God here and now, available to all." He believes, as does Rick Warren (who also has a low view of prophecy), that it is necessary for all the religions of the world to work together for the greater good of society: "I think our future will also require us to join humbly and charitably with people of other faiths--Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, secularists, and others--in pursuit of peace, environmental stewardship, and justice for all people, things that matter greatly to the heart of God." That sentiment, although pleasing to the flesh, is far removed from the "heart of God" and His Word.

Restoring or preserving this planet as a rallying cause in the church has far exceeded the biblical principle of stewardship today and has become an earthbound mindset. Scripture is quite clear that any abuse of what God has provided for mankind is sin. Yet some are using the Bible erroneously to support their unbiblical agendas. Eugene Peterson, in his 10-million-bestselling The Message Bible, has no qualms about distorting the Scriptures for "the cause." He translates John 3:17 to say that Jesus "came to help, to put the world right again," rather than "that the world through Him might be saved" (meaning the salvation of souls-KJV). He then promotes the ecological Green Movement by adding the adjective "green" to Romans 15:13: "Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy...."

Marketing Bibles is big business today, and where there's a "cause," there's usually an attempt to come up with a Bible that implies that the agenda is supported in Scripture. The Green Bible is just one example. It is presented in conjunction with the Sierra Club, The Humane Society, and the National Council of Churches' Eco-Justice Program. It features an introduction by arch-heretic Archbishop Desmond Tutu and contributions by emergent leader Brian McLaren and theologian N. T. Wright, both of whom preach "redeeming the earth." Sales promotions claim that because the Bible mentions the earth twice as often as "heaven" and "love," it "carries a powerful message for the earth." That rationale is both delusionary and deceptive. The "powerful message" of the Bible is the "good news" of what God has accomplished to reconcile man to Himself that we might spend life everlasting with Him. This present earth plays a very minute part in God's eternal plan.

Sadly, increasing numbers of believers are attempting to secure their lifeboats to our Titanic -- like earth for the purpose of redeeming it. Instead, our "agenda" needs to line up with the biblical mandate of evangelist and soul winner John Harper (read An Unlikely Hero)

There is no redemption for this earth--only for its people.

Lord, give us that same love for the perishing that You gave to Your servant John Harper, and, by Your grace, use us according to Your Word.
... excerpted from The Temporal Delusion, part 2 by Dave Hunt and T.A. McMahon The Berean Call
================================================================================

Where does this all lead when we carry this logic it to it's end? Well recently an advocate of the social justice gospel, and the emerging church legalistically judged me, questioning my Christianity because I did not support, and often speak out against Obamacare. This Christian member of Rick Warren's church quoted Jesus' parable of the sheep and the goats out of context (I might ad) and implied that I was a goat, and would be dealt with accordingly when I stand before Christ. I am waiting for him to question my salvation in a similar way due to my stand against the global warming hoax.

Eugene Peterson's ignorant distortion of God's word, and his use of the term "the God of green hope" shows how far these paraphrases have twisted the truth to fit personal agendas. Also the fact that they would create a green bible shows how desperate the environmentalists are to promote their false religion disguised as a bible.

Regarding Rick Warren's Plan: I have been an admirer and student of Pastor Rick Warren for over 25 years. As a result, I thought long and hard before posting this article. But I am afraid he has stepped away from his churche's founding principles of 1. the great commission and 2. the greatest commandment. I truly respect what Rick Warren and Saddleback have accomplished for the cause of Christ, and his heart for the Lord. But on this issue, I am convinced that he has confused his priorities to the detriment of God's Word, and is leading committed Christians down the wrong path. If you doubt the validity of this conclusion ... read for yourself the Pew/Warren interview where pastor Warren discusses these specific issues and more. Warren/Pew interview. In the interview he explains his exit strategy from Saddleback Church and his new plan which has already begun. He refers to himself as a liberal. His negative description of Conservative Christian Fundamentalists as “having stopped listening” ... and he lumps us together with Islamists, atheists and other false religions (apparently meant as an insult), and to tickle his liberal audience; but in reality it is a compliment ... since to stop listening to unbiblical worldly counsel is actually what the Bible teaches Biblical Christians to do. "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:2

His plan to use churches worldwide as clinics during the week to heal the sick is brilliant, from a worldly human perspective; and IF there were many true gods who created the universe and multiple valid religions and paths to eternal life ... I would say this makes sense spiritually. But the Bible is clear. According to the God that Pastor Warren has committed his life to serve; most of these other religions he is lining up with to fulfill his plan are false religions, worshiping false gods. To join together with them is clearly contrary to what the Bible teaches; as noted in the above scriptures.

BOTTOM LINE: The end ... clearly WILL NEVER NEVER EVER ... justify the means.

What will the Islamists do when our medical missionaries lovingly witness to sick and lost Muslims … cut off the Christian’s heads, or stone them to death? Our mission of sharing the gospel and planting churches is a thousand times more important than promoting reconciliation of false religions; or showing false religions and atheists how to heal the sick. We must pray for Pastor Rick Warren that God will make the truth of His Word clear to him. Bob

“If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. “But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me. John 15: 19-21

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Mathew 28:18-20

These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

We cannot have heaven on earth by minimizing Christ and His plan. Following plans that blend false religions with Christianity for the "common good" and "environmental stewardship" are not plans from Jesus Christ ... this is clearly a scheme of the false god of this world.

God Bless you my friends, Bob

Macy's Surprise

Here is a clip that the atheists, ACLU, Seasons Greetings,
and Happy Holidays only crowd; as well as the anti-Jesus Christ advocates
most surely did not appreciate.

People are shopping at Macy's in Philadelphia,
Unaware that anything out of the ordinary was going on UNTIL 650 opera singers
who had secretly infiltrated the crowd as shoppers took their cue ...
Click Here

And THEN ... the joy of the Lord begins to spread elsewhere ... IS THIS A REVIVAL?

God Bless Macy's for honoring Jesus Christ.

God's Prophecy Leads Us

Saturday, November 27, 2010

A Simple Life ... 2

As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he … Proverbs 23:7

A wise man once told me that if I would categorize all of the activities of my life, they would easily fit under one of the following three headings: Becoming, Relating, and Achieving. This idea was insightful to me because when I developed these three lists, I couldn’t find any of my activities that did not fit on one or the other of the lists. I have concluded that most people have never been given much formal training in how to excel in any of these three areas. When we look at where most Americans have ended up, it is clear that what you are about to read is not often taught in universities. Since the vast majority of us fail miserably at one of our main goals: ending up with a measure of financial security, I would like to talk here about: achieving … financially. Most of us are allowing our lives to be guided with faulty knowledge, no vision and no plan.

This post is a continuation of A Simple Life … be sure to read it first to understand the proper context.

So what basic foundational principles do I wish my parents and society had taught me to be better equipped to have success, happiness and victory in the world?

1. That the Bible is the foundation of everything in life and that the New Testament is God’s plan and His New Covenant for me. The gospel of Jesus Christ. Understanding God’s plan and purpose, the Biblical doctrines of Sin, Judgment, Love, Forgiveness, Grace, Justification, Reconciliation, Sanctification, Mission, Ministry, and my Position in Christ are the very essence of life. All of the answers to Becoming, Relating and Achieving are found here.
2. As a free American I am glad I was taught the importance of love and respect for my country, and all of it’s founding principles.
3. The importance of our health, through diet, exercise and responsible living is foundational to everything we do.
4. Education is critical ... especially reading and looking deeply into the truth is a key element to forming and shaping our mind and gaining wisdom. As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he … Proverbs 23:7.
This verse establishes the critical importance of gaining knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.
5. Money management is a key to our success and happiness. If we do not understand and apply these rules in the financial areas of our lives, we will become a slave to finances. Understanding and diligently applying these financial principles is critical to becoming a ruler rather than a slave to our finances. The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower becomes the lender's slave. Proverbs 22:7

Understanding and teaching these foundational principles should a a first priority in training up all of our children.

We will now focus on the Miss-use of credit. My success at a young age was largely due to leveraged credit. With limited assets to start with, I had no idea that there was a better way that would bring far better results and very limited risk. The more successful I became, the more credit I was offered. Inflation was high and it was easy to borrow and double my money annually. A big mistake was that I had no idea that I was putting my assets at risk. When we finally forced to sell business, there was over a million dollars owing on our lines of credit. Although all my payments were current, the lenders were forced by federal regulators to call the loans due in full. This forced the sale of my assets at the worst possible time. But now that I understand better how bank financing and compound interest works, I understand that my loss was far greater that I ever imagined at the time.

To bring this discussion into a perspective that almost anyone can relate to, let’s just look at the financing of my first two luxury cars. At the time, I leased the most expensive Mercedes Benz on the market. When converted into today’s dollars my Mercedes roadster would be priced at over $150,000. But for the sake of keeping this estimation in the real world, let’s consider the lease of a 2010 BMW 5 series GT at a cost of $64,325. This is a typical purchase for a businessman similar to where I was then, in today’s world. According to Cars.com, on a five year lease the monthly payment will be $862.35 with $6,500 down payment. At the end of the first five years, I turn my car in, and sign up for a similar lease. How much did my two cars cost me over a ten year period? $116,482. Wow that sounds horrible, doesn’t it? Yes, for the cost of a car … especially when you consider that I did this for 30 years and that the two Mercedes I first bought were much more than this estimate in today’s dollars.

But the bigger question is: how much would I have now if I had invested the cost of those cars over the same 10 years at a 7% return? Answer: $234,089. And what if I left that money alone compounding at a 7% return until today with no additional deposits? How much would be in my account … right now? Answer: $1,340,257. Now that I know how much my cars actually cost me over the years (millions), I think I want to go back to riding a bicycle. Do you get the point? Everything you buy has a much higher cost when you consider the future value of the money spent. Consciously considering the financial steps we take leads to freedom. We must learn, understand, practice and teach these truths to our children.

I know you might be saying; that doesn’t apply to me because I would never have leased a car for $862 per month. But as a loan officer over the past 15 years, I can assure you that the vast majority of people pay that amount or more in combined interest on their cars and credit cards and at much higher rates than the lease factor I used. You might say that the car is fully tax deductible. I would respond by asking: have you considered tax free cash flow for the rest of your life? That idea kind of minimizes the value of tax deductions, don’t you think? You might also say that I pay cash for my cars, or I buy with a loan, not a lease. I could easily demonstrate to you that when those methods of payment are used that the end result is basically not much different from the lease. The main difference with cash is the time involved it takes you to save the money, and when you pay for an auto with your cash, you lose the investment return on your capital.

Well then, what is the point of my example? We all need cars, don’t we? Of course we do, this isn’t about cars. It is about paying interest. Quite simply: Americans have been lulled into becoming the slave of the lenders. We have been seduced into buying things that we do not need, with money that we do not have. When the interest and taxes are calculated, for most of us there is quite simply nothing left at the end of the month. Like the IRS, who gets paid up front, we need to pay ourselves first and save, and then take over the role of the bank.

So what else do all of us need to do? Figure out a way to break free from the bondage of paying interest, and put interest to work for us instead of against us. We are not alone … our entire society is guilty. Our government has also bought into the lies of the moneychangers. I know that for many reading this, every dollar you have is going to pay the bills for past purchases and past commitments. But there is a better way ... everyday, other people are deciding to free themselves from these: buy now on credit schemes. The money problems were established over a long period of time, and your solutions to get free will take time to implement.

When I consider the future value of a couple of cars over a ten year period, I shudder to think of the total money that I have paid to banks and lenders for goods and services that I did not need over the past 25 years. For the few of you who think this doesn’t apply to you I ask; Are you on a course that will result in tax free cash flow for the rest of your life at retirement? Well this is what we are talking about; for you, and your children, and your children's grandchildren. There is a road to financial freedom and victory that has been hidden from all but a privileged few. A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children. Proverbs 13:22.

Am I saying we shouldn’t buy cars and computers and the other basic necessities of life? No, of course not, but what I am saying is that interest either works against you; or for you; 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Banks have been practicing these principles for hundreds of years. Those who figure out how to put this power to work for them rather than against them have become converted from a slave to a master. We all have the option to choose to be in control of our financial future. We need to learn how to become victorious over our financial lives and teach our children and our grandchildren the keys to financial freedom. These are very hard times in America. I know there are many of you reading this that think that getting free is just not possible for you … but it truly is an option that is available for almost everyone. These are challenging times. My most recent career as a loan broker has been destroyed, but I have no fear. Our God has promised us victory and I believe Him. We can all live victoriously when we get out from under the bondage of paying interest to the master.

“The problem in America isn’t so much what people don’t now;
the problem is what people think they know ... that just ain’t so” – Will Rogers

God Bless you my friends, Bob

Friday, November 26, 2010

An Unlikely Hero

The love story you won't see in James Cameron's movie version of Titanic

The Titanic was no run of the mill ship. It was the epitome of luxury and power advertised as "a floating hotel, a small town at sea." John Harper and his family waved fondly at thousands who gathered to watch it set sail. Later on as the orchestra played John Harper stood on the deck in the afterglow of the sunset watching the red western sky, he said, It will be beautiful in the morning. At 11:40 p.m. a giant iceberg scraped the starboard side of the world's biggest man-made moveable object. The deck was showered with ice, as it buckled the sides ripping open six watertight compartments. The sea poured in and the stern of the huge ship began to reel upwards. A few minutes later a deep rumble could be heard echoing from the holds of majestic queen of the White Star fleet.

Born in Scotland on May 29, 1872, John Harper became a Christian 13 years later. His life was challenged by adversity and punctuated by tragedy. Throughout it all faith was his anchor. As a toddler he fell into a well nearly drowning. By the time he was seventeen he was preaching and trained at the Baptist Pioneer Mission in London. In his mid twenties he was swept out to sea and six years later he was stranded in the middle of the Mediterranean on a leaky ship. By 1896 he established the Paisley Road Baptist Church that began with 25 members. Happily married he soon became a widower raising his daughter Nina after his wife died. A little over a decade later his small parsonage had grown to 500 members. An evangelist John possessed a deep passion for souls. As a pastor he would often spend the whole night pacing up and down the aisle of his house of worship praying for church members by name. He professed the simplest of doctrines saying that it was "the Word of God."

The early spring of 1912 found the Scottish pastor looking forward to the voyage across the Atlantic to the Moody Memorial Church. For £33 he booked his passage and excitedly began to pack. His six-year-old daughter Nina would be accompanying him as well as his sister Jessie Wills Leitch who would tend to Nina as her nanny. John Harper and his small family boarded the Titanic as 2nd Class passengers at Southampton on Wednesday 10th April 1912, destination: Chicago Illinois United States.

Jessie had been awakened by John. Grabbing the sleeping Nina from her berth she took her on deck clad only in her little night gown, wrapped in a blanket and then again in Jessie's cloak. The Carpathia located sixty miles away rescued both girls who had made it safely to the life boats. As Jessie stood shivering in the cold night air a woman insisted on throwing a heavy ulster over her. They would spend the night huddled in the corner of the ship's library. Nina and Jessie would not learn the fate of John until they arrived in New York.

By the breath of God frost is given

Harper scrambled up the deck calling, "Women, children and unsaved into the lifeboats!" Someone told him there was an explosion but in reality the ship was breaking in half. People began jumping off the decks and into the dark ocean below. While other people were trying to buy their way onto the lifeboats John Harper flung himself into the 28-degree water. Over 1500 people jumped or fell into the icy water and as hypothermia quickly set in many died of exposure. Only six of the 1,500 people in the water were eventually rescued, one by one each gradually drowned or froze to death.

Harper gave up his lifejacket to one man and was seen swimming frantically from one passenger to another offering the salvation of Christ. Survivors report that he then began witnessing to anyone who would listen. John Harper clung to a board for nearly an hour listening to the feeble cries as he called out trying to comfort the frightened.

The Titanic disappeared three hours later into the inky, bitter waters of the North Atlantic. Even after the great ship was at the bottom of the sea, the newspapers announced that the Titanic was "absolutely unsinkable." The headline in New York Evening Sun the following afternoon read: "All Saved From Titanic After Collision." When news of the disaster exploded around the world. The unsinkable Titanic had sunk, a wail of sorrow swept through the civilized world at the thought of over a thousand lives being lost. Survivor Eva Hart, about the same age as Nina at the time said in an interview before her death in 1996, "The wreck of the Titanic is a monument to man's arrogance."

Hold me up in mighty waters

A message soon arrived at John Harper's church saying, "Miss Leitch and Nana (sic) arrived well. Lost everything. When they were taken to the upper decks the women and children did not know it meant separation. No opportunity for farewells. We have no hopes Mr. Harper is rescued." Sometime perhaps later that month Jessie Leitch's wrote a brief account for the grieving parishioners of the church where John Harper was heading. It was found between two pages in the minute book for the executive committee of the Moody Memorial Church, near the minutes for April 17, 1912. :

About midnight Mr. Harper came to our stateroom and told us that the vessel had struck an iceberg. While I was dressing he went to learn further particulars, and returned to say that the order had been given to put on the life belts. We did so, and, picking up Nana (sic) in his arms, he took her up to the deck. There the women were ordered to the upper deck. I had to climb a vertical iron ladder, and Mr. Harper brought Nana (sic) after me up to the ladder, and the men at the top lifted her up to me again.

There was no opportunity for farewell, and, in fact, even then we did not realize the danger, as we were assured again and again that the vessel could not sink, that the Olympic would be alongside at any minute, and that the women and children were to be put into the boats first and the men to follow, and that there were boats sufficient for all. Our boat was well manned- it was the eleventh to leave the vessel.

After about half an hour the Titanic went down. We were about a mile away, but even then I hope and expected that Mr. Harper was in one of the other boats, many of which reached the Carpathia before ours did. How eagerly I looked for his face on the deck as we approached that vessel, but when all the boatloads had come abroad I feared the worst.

The last day we spent on the Titanic was Sunday. Mr. Harper asked me to read the chapter at our morning family prayers, and later we went to the Sunday morning services. The day was quietly and pleasantly spent, and when Nana (sic) and I went to look for Mr. Harper at about 6 o'clock to go to dinner I found him earnestly talking to a young Englishman whom he was seeking to lead to Christ. That evening before we retired we went on deck, and there was still a glint of red in the west. I remember Mr. Harper saying, "It will be beautiful in the morning." We then went down to the staterooms. He read from the Bible and prayed, and so he left us.

I caught hold of something and clung to it for dear life, the wail of the perishing all around was ringing in my ears.
(Hears Ship Strike Iceberg)

Of the half dozen survivors that were rescued from the icy waters that night, one of them was a young man Harper had spoken to while they floated among the debris. Historian Elesha Coffman tells about John Harper's last convert:

Four years later a Scotchman rose in a meeting in Hamilton, Canada, and said, "I am a survivor of the Titanic. When I was drifting alone on a spar that awful night, the tide brought Mr. John Harper, of Glasgow, also on a piece of wreck near me. 'Man,' he said, 'are you saved?' 'No,' I said. 'I am not.' He replied, 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.'

The waves bore him away; but, strange to say brought him back a little later, and he said, 'Are you saved now?' 'No,' I said, 'I cannot honestly say that I am.' He said again, 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved,'3and shortly after he went down; and there, alone in the night, and with two miles of water under me, I believed. I am John Harper's last convert.
(Sacrifice at Sea)

When the Titanic sank John Harper was 39 years old. He had preached numerous times in Ulster, especially East Belfast not far from the Harland & Wolff shipyards where the Titanic was built. There were many heroes that fateful night aboard the Titanic and one was Pastor John Harper. In 1922 the Harper Memorial Baptist Church in Glasgow, Scotland was renamed for the evangelist. John Harper's body was never recovered.

Lessons to learn from this true story:

1) The preciousness of the human soul: John Harper gave his dying moments to seeing that his fellow passengers were converted to God.
For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? (Mark 8:36)

2) The sufficiency of Jesus Christ alone for salvation from the penalty and chains of sin: John Harper mentioned no one else.
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21)
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)

3) The act of faith that secures salvation, without works or sacraments etc., of any kind:
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:31)
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (Ephesians 2:8)

4) The unexpectedness of the hour of death:
Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. (Proverbs 27:1)
Be ye also ready... (Matthew 24:44)

Are YOU saved?

God Bless you my friends, Bob

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Meaning of Thanksgiving

Many Americans think of Thanksgiving as a wonderful time to celebrate getting out of school for a long weekend, and eating a great dinner. Or, maybe they think it is the start of the Christmas holiday season. What is the real meaning behind Thanksgiving?

Catherine Millard writes:

We can trace this historic American Christian tradition to the year 1623. After the harvest crops were gathered in November 1623, Governor William Bradford of the 1620 Pilgrim Colony, “Plymouth Plantation” in Plymouth, Massachusetts proclaimed:
"All ye Pilgrims with your wives and little ones, do gather at the Meeting House, on the hill… there to listen to the pastor, and render Thanksgiving to the Almighty God for all His blessings."

This is the origin of our annual Thanksgiving Day celebration. Congress of the United States has proclaimed National Days of Thanksgiving to Almighty God many times throughout the following years. On November 1, 1777, by order of Congress, the first National Thanksgiving Proclamation was proclaimed, and signed by Henry Laurens, President of Continental Congress. The third Thursday of December, 1777 was thus officially set aside:

"…for solemn thanksgiving and praise. That with one heart and one voice the good people may express the grateful feelings of their hearts, and consecrate themselves to the service of their Divine Benefactor;… and their humble and earnest supplication that it may please God, through the merits of Jesus Christ, mercifully to forgive and blot them (their manifold sins) out of remembrance… That it may please Him… to take schools and seminaries of education, so necessary for cultivating the principles of true liberty, virtue and piety under His nurturing hand, and to prosper the means of religion for the promotion and enlargement of that kingdom which consisteth of 'righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost'…"
Then again, on January 1, 1795, our first United States President, George Washington, wrote his famed National Thanksgiving Proclamation, in which he says that it is…

"…our duty as a people, with devout reverence and affectionate gratitude, to acknowledge our many and great obligations to Almighty God, and to implore Him to continue is… our duty as a people, with devout reverence and affectionate gratitude, to acknowledge our many and great obligations to Almighty God, and to implore Him to continue and confirm the blessings we experienced…"
Thursday, the 19th day of February, 1795 was thus set aside by George Washington as a National Day of Thanksgiving.

Many years later, on October 3, 1863, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed, by Act of Congress, an annual National Day of Thanksgiving "on the last Thursday of November, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens." In this Thanksgiving proclamation, our 16th President says that it is…
"…announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the Lord… But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, by the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own… It has seemed to me fit and proper that God should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people…"

So it is that on Thanksgiving Day each year, Americans give thanks to Almighty God for all His blessings and mercies toward us throughout the year.

So, remember, that although Football, partying, and food – lots of it – have taken a forefront in our modern observance of Thanksgiving Day, let’s take a moment to reflect on what we ought to REALLY do on that day: it’s the same thing we ought to do on each and every day of our lives – give thanks to Almighty God for His love and gifts – the greatest of which is the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ, who atoned for our sins.

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

God bless you my friends, Bob

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

THE YEAR IS 1910

This will boggle your mind!

The year is 1910
One hundred years ago.
What a difference a century makes!

Here are some statistics for the Year 1910:

The average life expectancy for men was 47 years.
Fuel for this car was sold in drug stores only.
Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.
Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles of paved roads.
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower !
The average US wage in 1910 was 22 cents per hour.
The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year ..
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year,
A dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
More than 95 percent of all births took place at HOME .
Ninety percent of all Doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION!
Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which
Were condemned in the press AND the government as 'substandard.'
Sugar cost four cents a pound.
Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.
The Five leading causes of death were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke
The American flag had 45 stars ....
The population of Las Vegas , Nevada , was only 30!!!!
Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented yet.
There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write and
Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school..
Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores.
Back then pharmacists said, 'Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind,
Regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health'
( Shocking? DUH! )
Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help ....
There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A. !

I am now going to forward this to someone else without typing it myself.
From there, it will be sent to others all over the WORLD - all in a matter of seconds!
Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years.
IT STAGGERS THE MIND thanks to Linda Blume

God bless you my friend, Bob

Monday, November 22, 2010

Abuse of Power

OBAMA USING EXECUTIVE ORDERS
TO IMPLEMENT RADICAL AGENDA
By Dick Morris

Does President Obama plan to move to the center in response to his overwhelming rejection at the polls on November 2nd? No way! Instead, he is moving to implement, through executive action, two of the most controversial items in his 2010 agenda — a carbon tax and pollution permit system and a ban on the use of secret ballots in union elections. Through executive action by the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the Obama Administration is planning to effectuate both policies without asking Congress.

Never mind that he couldn’t persuade even a top heavy Democratic Congress to pass either program. Or that public opinion polls show massive rejection of both measures. Or that each is a sure job killer by itself — and together, they are even worse. This arrogant, ideologically-driven radical is determined to have his way and the public be damned!

The EPA is currently soliciting public comments for its plan to use the Clean Air Act of 1970 to regulate carbon dioxide emissions. The Clean Air Act, as the name indicates, is designed to fight against pollution — unhealthy chemicals that are belched into the air by smokestacks. It was passed to fight sulfur dioxide, particulates, nitrous oxides and other chemicals that cause human diseases. To use it to fight carbon dioxide — which we all breathe without ill effects — because of concerns about global warming — is a perversion of the law.

Worse, because the Clean Air Act is designed to protect public health by measuring aggregate pollution in each geographic area, it limits economic development in communities where the pollution levels exceed prescribed standards. But carbon dioxide doesn’t poison anyone. It makes no sense to ban factory expansion in areas where the nature of the industries is that there will be high carbon dioxide levels (like oil area of Texas and Louisiana). But that’s what the EPA plans to do, virtually making economic growth illegal in large parts of the United States.

Meanwhile, Craig Becker, the former chief counsel of the SEIU (Service Employees International Union) — now the head of the NLRB — has secured a 3-2 majority party line majority to repeal the Dana decision which mandates secret ballots in unionization elections. The NLRB will rule that if a majority of workers check off that they want a union on cards then the union will automatically be approved without a secret ballot vote of the entire workforce. Currently, if a majority of the workers sign the cards, a secret ballot vote is then triggered. Frequently, the union loses these elections, proving that the card check off is subject to coercion and bullying. The Democratic majority in the Senate wouldn’t approve the card check change so the NLRB is planning to accomplish the same objective administratively, trapping workers into unionization they would reject if afforded the opportunity to vote by secret ballot.

Both the pollution permit/carbon tax and the forced unionization proposals will be job killers. The U.S. has maintained its 25% share of global manufacturing by replacing workers with energy driven machines. In the past ten years, the number of manufacturing employees has declined by 33% but our production has risen by 50%. But automation takes energy — lots of it — by taxing energy, we are eliminating the strategy that has preserved our jobs. And massive unionization of the private sector will also drive out our jobs. Since 1990, unionized manufacturing jobs have declined by 75%. But non-union manufacturing jobs have actually risen over the same period by 15%.

After he lost Congress in 1992, Bill Clinton, too, resorted to executive orders to maintain his momentum as president. With Congress unwilling to pass anything he proposed, the president canvassed the Administration for ideas that could be implemented by executive orders. A very productive period followed during which tobacco regulation, higher educational standards, affirmative action reform, and other key measures were implemented without asking Congress’ permission. But Clinton’s executive orders were on subjects on which Congress had not voted. They did not contradict the express will of the body. Obama is using the strategy to act in direct defiance of Congressional action. He is passing ideas Congress refused to pass, even when he had huge majorities.

Obama will live to regret these moves. Republicans in the House will defund these actions and insert legislative language making it a crime to spend appropriated funds to implement them. By this strategy, all of the controversial Obama legislation will be at issue during the budget fight — taxes, Obamacare, cap and trade, and card check. The more these issues are inserted into the budget fight, the greater the chances of Republican victory.

So President Obama has not learned the lessons of 2010 and likely never will. By Dick Morris
===================================================================================

This comes as no surprise to me. But it certainly shows why President Obama needs to be removed from the White House. He has no concern for the constitution, the views of congress, or the will of the American people. He is driven by his ideology, plain and simple. A message on election day only results in him withdrawing into a position of denial. He knows what is best for us and will give it to us, regardless of whether we need it, or want it, ... or not. The people he has put in charge of the EPU and the NLRB are radical anti-Americans and whether they are allowed to remain in America let alone step foot in the white house should be the issue; rather than them implementing legislation that destroys our economy and the creation of jobs in America.

This must be stopped.

God bless you my friends, Bob

A Simple Life

As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he … Proverbs 23:7

A wise man once told me that if I would categorize all of the activities of my life, they would easily fit under one of the following three headings: Becoming, Relating, and Achieving. This idea was insightful to me because when I developed these three lists, I couldn’t find any of my activities that did not fit on one or the other of the lists. I have concluded that most people have never been given much formal training in how to excel in any of these three areas. When we look at where most Americans have ended up, it is clear that what you are about to read is not often taught in universities. Since the vast majority of us fail miserably at one of our main goals: ending up with a measure of financial security, I would like to talk here about: achieving … financially. Most of us are allowing our lives to be guided with faulty knowledge, no vision and no plan.

Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keeps the law, happy is he. Proverbs 29:19
The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower becomes the lender's slave. Proverbs 22:7

First, let's take a quick peak at a simple life. I don’t know about you, but as a child, I was not given much training in what to do, or how to think financially. Our family lived month to month on what my father earned. Certainly there was no training of depth in managing financially, intellectually, or spiritually taught to me. But the values I was given served me well. I can sum up most of what I learned in my childhood in this one paragraph. I was to show respect to all adults regardless of whether they were right or wrong … especially my mother and father. I loved my family and friends and was taught the value of loyalty. I was taught to tell the truth, and to always do the right thing. Love of, and respect for my country was an absolute. I believed in God, and said my prayers but could not really explain what that meant. I enjoyed the outdoors, camping, hunting, and fishing. And baseball was the number one priority of my life. I was absolutely certain I would be a baseball player when I grew up.

And then suddenly … when I was at age of thirteen, I heard my mother’s screams and when I ran into her room, I watched as my father unexpectedly died of a heart attack. For me, my childhood ended that day, and my dreams of baseball died with my father also.

My mother was not left with money or other financial assets. She had no training in any career field beyond being a stay at home mom. She housed a blind student to help meet our living expenses. Also, she took a sales job at a local clothing store. I have no idea how she made it, but beyond our home, she surely had no credit debt. The four years that followed were the most fun years of my life. To say that I ran wild is putting it mildly. But to bring that into context, wild back then was nothing like the reality that wild has become today. And then I turned eighteen, and ran head on into reality: the Viet Nam war. Priorities were quickly established for me as I soon learned that I only thought I was in control of my life. I want to stay on point here so I will just say that I knew how to get people to like me and trust me, but beyond that I had learned nothing in my schooling that trained me in the areas of how to consciously go about Becoming, Relating, and Achieving in the affairs of life. Adult life was in front of me and I was not prepared to do anything profitable or productive. Children allowed to drift aimlessly are not likely to decide to follow a righteous path by accident. The bad habits, desires, temptations, and lusts of life have dug many pits that we can all easily fall into.

I settled on a career in real estate sales and rode my people skills and a belief in following the golden rule to enormous success at a young age. There was no training or direction here either. One day I walked into an open house and met a lady who explained to me her ten year investment, retirement, and tax savings plan. It was quite simple. Buy one home a year for ten years, and rent them out for equity growth … borrowing as values increased to help with down payments for future purchases. In the tenth year, sell the home you purchased in year one, and use a portion of the proceeds to buy a replacement rental. The depreciation benefits and expenses on the rentals would offset all rental income and provide tax shelter to shield my ordinary income. The remaining proceeds would pay my annual living expenses. Sell one rental with ten years equity each year, and buy a replacement rental for the remainder of my life. I had no idea that the results would be so dramatic.

Sounds easy, don’t you think? Well, to make a very long story short, within five years I had accumulated thirty five rental homes located mainly in Lakewood and Cerritos CA. My annual income back then would equal a million or more tax free today. I only wish I had been wise enough to follow the rest of that wise lady’s plan. I was convinced to leverage my assets on what became a very successful but under capitalized business ... a critical mistake on my part. I could have retired at age thirty-five a rich man for life. Unfortunately, “as a man thinketh … so is he” brought me down ... lack of knowing vital information combined with the manipulations of the economy by our government came into play and destroyed my simple financial plan. This story is thirty years old and it is still painful for me to tell, but the fact is that my thinking was based on my limited and narrow experience, and I was not prepared to handle the challenges of the economic cycle that has actually been ongoing for hundreds of years. But that is all ancient history. The questions we need to consider here are what factors helped me to win; and what wrong thinking caused me to lose; and what have I learned that can help you achieve financial independence?

The first thing I want to make clear is that although the real estate crash of 80-82 was a horrible time for me and America, I have only myself to blame for the consequences I suffered. Circumstances developed that put my fate out of my control, but I had taken risks to get to the top, and I took my good fortune for granted and put it at risk. Looking back, I had actually come to believe that I was the reason I had succeeded financially. The fact is the plan was sound, and the timing to a point was perfect. I was actually only along for the ride ... an observer. I can remember before I had the wealth making the statement; how could anyone fortunate enough to obtain millions be ignorant enough to lose it? Well everyone’s circumstances are different and some are smarter than others, but we are all human and humans make mistakes. My mistakes were many and in a number of ways, my thinking was doomed. To start with, every mistake I made can be traced to the violation of one or more Biblical principles. My natural man’s excuse would be that I was not a Christian and had never read the Bible. I didn’t understand. Sorry Bob, God does not buy that excuse. In 1980 when I first read the Bible, I found hundreds of verses where I had been doing the exact opposite of the God's best. Let’s look at one of my major mistakes that hinders many people their entire life. I am sure many of you are struggling with this problem daily, as you read this post. There is hope and a plan for your prosperity. NEVER GIVE UP!

To be continued

God Bless you my friends, Bob

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Love is Patient

A Picture of Patience

Come with me to Paris, France, 1954. Elie Wiesel is a correspondent for a Jewish newspaper. A decade earlier he was a prisoner in a Jewish concentration camp. A decade later he would be known as the author of Night, the Pulitzer Prize winning account of the Holocaust. Eventually he’ll be awarded the congressional Medal of Achievement and the Nobel Peace Prize.

But tonight Elie Wiesel is a 26-old unknown newspaper correspondent. He is about to interview the French author Francois Mauriac, who is a devout Christian. Mauriac is France’s most recent Nobel laureate for literature and an expert on French political life.

Wiesel shows up at Mauriac’s apartment, nervous and chain-smoking — his emotions still frayed from the German horror, his comfort as a writer still raw. The older Mauriac tries to put him at ease. He invites Wiesel in, and the two sit in the small room. Before Wiesel can ask a question, however, Mauriac, a staunch Roman Catholic, begins to speak about his favorite subject: Jesus. Wiesel grows uneasy. The name of Jesus is a pressed thumb on his infected wounds.

Wiesel tries to reroute the conversation but can’t. It is as though everything in creation leads back to Jesus. Jerusalem? Jerusalem is where Jesus ministered. The Old Testament? Because of Jesus, the Old is now enriched by the New. Mauriac turns every topic toward the Messiah. The anger in Wiesel begins to heat. The Christian anti-Semitism he’d grown up with, the layers of grief from Sighet, Auschwitz, and Buchenwald — it all boils over. He puts away his pen, shuts his notebook, and stands up angrily.

“Sir,” he said to the still-seated Mauriac, “you speak of Christ. Christians love to speak of him. The passion of Christ, the agony of Christ, the death of Christ. In your religion, that is all you speak of. Well, I want you to know that tens years ago, not very far from here, I knew Jewish children every one of whom suffered a thousand times more, six million times more, than Christ on the cross. And we don’t speak about them. Can you understand that, sir? We don’t speak about them.” (David Aikman, Great Souls: Six Who Changed the Century, Nashville: Word Publishing, 1998, p. 341-342.)

Mauriac is stunned. Wiesel turns and marches out the door. Mauriac sits in shock, his woolen blanket still around him. The young reporter is pressing the elevator button when Mauriac appears in the hall. He gently reaches for Wiesel’s arm. “Come back,” he implores. Wiesel agrees, and the two sit on the sofa. At this point Mauriac begins to weep. He looks at Wiesel but says nothing. Just tears.

Wiesel starts to apologize. Mauriac will have nothing of it. Instead he urges his young friend to talk. He wants to hear about it — the camps, the trains, the deaths. He asks Wiesel why he hasn’t put this to paper. Wiesel tells him the pain is too severe. He’s made a vow of silence. The older man tells him to break it and speak out.

The evening changed them both. The drama became the soil of a life-long friendship. They corresponded until Mauriac’s death in 1970. “I owe Francois Mauriac my career,” Wiesel has said . . .and it was to Mauriac that Wiesel sent the first manuscript of Night.

What if Mauriac had kept the door shut? Would anyone have blamed him? Cut by the sharp words of Wiesel, he could have become impatient with the angry young man and have been glad to be rid of him. But he didn’t and he wasn’t. He reacted decisively, quickly, and lovingly. He was “slow to boil.” And, because he was, a heart began to heal.

May I urge you to do the same?

“God is being patient with you” (2 Pet. 3:9). And if God is being patient with you, can’t you pass on some patience to others? Of course you can.

Because before love is anything else: Love is patient.
Excerpted from A Love Worth Giving by Max Lucado
==================================================================================

Message from Bob: In a similar way that love is patient ... haters can also be patient. (this clip is long but a must watch for Christians and freedom lovers everywhere.)We must not allow our desire to be patient with others to be confused with our need as a society of free people to stand up to the vowed enemies of freedom. They have a death wish fo each of us, and are willing to die to fulfill that wish. This is not a joke or time for philosophical or religious discussion. This is war. The free world must stand against this enemy of freedom, or they will systematically destroy all of us.

Just as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and haters of Israel worldwide deny the Jewish Holocaust ... calling the murder of millions by Hitler and the Nazis a myth. Today's politically correct establishment would pretend that there are not 100 million Islamic Jihadist believers who are potential terrorists worldwide. This small percentage of Muslims worldwide are committed to political world domination with sharia law and their crazed religious beliefs; and to fulfill the Koran's call for the murder of all of us unbelievers who do not submit to their demands. The leaders of these enemies of the free people of the world have been methodically implementing their plans for more than sixty years ... this did not begin on 9/11. And now they are freely meeting and recruiting radicals in America.
Watch these clips: clip 1 clip 2 clip 3 clip 4 crazy Islam
I know we all want to just ignore this insanity and go about living our lives in peace, but our enemies plan does not allow for that option.

We must stand together to stop this evil that has now spread throughout the world.
God Bless you my friends, Bob

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Warming Hoax ... Cooling

Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him. Pro. 26:12

Dr. Phil Jones, director of the University of East Anglia’s Climatic Research Unit and one of the main players in Climategate, now acknowledges that there has been no measurable warming since 1995, despite steadily rising atmospheric carbon dioxide.
(that's 15 years of hidden cooling ... by promoting phony science)
Recent peer-reviewed studies indicate that increasing CO2 levels in the atmosphere (natural or man-made) have minimal effects on climate change – while others demonstrate that, on balance, this plant-fertilizing gas is beneficial, rather than harmful, for mankind and the biosphere.

Climate change no longer scary in Europe by Hans Labohm

Bjorn Lomborg’s ongoing publicity campaign for his new film makes it obvious that the fight against the delusion of dangerous man-made global warming remains an uphill struggle.

For decades the climate debate has been obfuscated by cherry-picking, spin-doctoring and scare-mongering by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and other climate alarmists, including the environmental movement and mainstream media. Their massive effort to overstate the threat of man-made warming has left its imprint on public opinion.

But the tide seems to be turning. The Climate Conference fiasco in Copenhagen, Climategate scandal and stabilization of worldwide temperatures since 1995 have given rise to growing doubts about the putative threat of “dangerous global warming” or “global climate disruption.” Indeed, even Phil Jones, director of the University of East Anglia’s Climatic Research Unit and one of the main players in Climategate, now acknowledges that there has been no measurable warming since 1995, despite steadily rising atmospheric carbon dioxide.

People are paying attention, and opinion polls in many countries show a dramatic fall in the ranking of climate change among people’s major concerns. They are also beginning to understand that major rain and snow storms, hurricanes and other weather extremes are caused by solar-driven changes in global jet streams and warm-cold fronts, not by CO2, and that claims about recent years being the “warmest ever” are based on false or falsified temperature data.

In various parts of the world, the climate debate displays different features. The US and other parts of the non-European Anglo-Saxon world feature highly polarized and politicized debates along the left/right divide. In Europe, all major political parties are still toeing the “official” IPCC line. In both arenas, with a few notable exceptions, skeptical views – even from well-known scientists with impeccable credentials – tend to be ignored and/or actively suppressed by governments, academia and the media. However, skepticism about man-made climate disasters is gradually gaining ground nevertheless.

In my own country, The Netherlands, for instance, it has even received some official recognition, thus dissolving the information monopoly of climate alarmists. The Standing Committee on Environment of the Lower House even organized a one-day hearing, where both climate chaos adherents and disaster skeptics could freely discuss their different views before key parliamentarians who decide climate policy.
This hearing was followed by a special seminar organized by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences, using the same format but focusing on scientific topics. The Academy will soon publish a report about this seminar.

Europe often brags about its emission trading scheme (ETS), regarding itself as the vanguard of an international climate policy. In the European view, the Copenhagen climate summit should have produced a worldwide extension and sharpening of its ETS. But the vast majority of countries in the world refused to follow Europe’s example, so the meeting turned into a fiasco. Its follow-up in Cancun at year’s end will surely produce a similar result. And for good reason.

Contrary to official claims, Europe’s experience with ETS is dismally bad. The system is expensive and prone to massive fraud. More importantly, it serves no useful purpose.

The European Environmental Agency tracks Europe's performance regarding the reduction of CO2 emissions. Its latest report states: “The European Union's greenhouse gas inventory report … shows that emissions have not only continued their downward trend in 2008, but have also picked up pace. The EU-27’s emissions stood 11.3% below their 1990 levels, while EU-15 achieved a reduction of 6.9% compared to Kyoto base-year levels.”

On the face of it, the scheme seems to be pretty successful. However, much of the downward trend was due to the global economic recession, not to the ETS. Moreover, both climate chaos proponents and climate disaster skeptics agree that the scheme will have no detectable impact whatsoever on worldwide temperatures – perhaps 0.1 degrees – though this crucial piece of information has been carefully and deliberately shielded from the public eye.

What about renewable energy as an alternative? Consider these EU costs for various sources of electricity in cents per kilowatt-hour: nuclear 4, coal 4, natural gas 5, onshore wind 13, biomass 16 … solar 56!

Obviously, the price tag for renewables is extremely high, compared to hydrocarbons. The additional costs can be justified either by imminent fossil fuel scarcity (the “oil peak”), which would send petroleum and coal prices through the roof, or by the threat of man-made global warming. But on closer inspection neither argument is tenable.

The authoritative International Energy Agency does not foresee any substantial scarcity of oil and gas in the near to medium future, and coal reserves remain sufficient for centuries to come. As to global warming, the absence of a statistically significant increase in average worldwide temperatures since 1995 obliterates that assertion.

All this argues for a closer look at the cost/benefit relationship of investing in renewable energy projects, to prevent a massive waste of financial and natural resources on unreliable and thus uncompetitive forms of energy. Since every cloud has a silver lining, the ongoing economic crisis might give extra impetus toward that end.

Hans Labohm has served in many international roles, including Deputy Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the OECD.

My friends: After challenging this phony science for years as a hoax, it is encouraging to hear that the facts are finally forcing some environmentalists to back down. The problem is that many politicians and citizens have been brainwashed with this babble in the same way they have been programed with atheistic evolutionary doctrine. In California, the ignorant voters just followed the lead of the ignorant governor and passed a bill to institute global warming legislation. The old ... newly elected "governor moonbeam" has promised to create more green jobs. Whoopee doo ... but first he needs to define what a green job is though. Oh no ... census taker jobs won't be available again for another 10 years. This will only force more employers to relocate to a more job friendly state. Where is California headed? ... 25% unemployment! The likely solutions: federal bailout; bankruptcy; or both. I am ashamed of the example of foolishness that my state has become. The downward spiral will surely draw California into the abyss. Bob

A wise man's heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish man's heart directs him toward the left. Ecclesiastes 10:2
God bless you my friends, Bob

A Bridge to Nowhere

You shall not distort justice;
you shall not be partial,
and you shall not take a bribe,
for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise
and perverts the words of the righteous.
Deuteronomy 16:19.

We must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt. We must make our election between economy and liberty or profusion and servitude. If we run into such debt, as that we must be taxed in our meat and in our drink, in our necessaries and our comforts, in our labors and our amusements, for our calling and our creeds... we will have no time to think, no means of calling our miss-managers to account but be glad to obtain subsistence by hiring ourselves to rivet their chains on the necks of our fellow-sufferers... And this is the tendency of all human governments. A departure from principle in one instance becomes a precedent for another ... till the bulk of society is reduced to be mere automatons of misery... And the fore-horse of this frightful team is public debt. Taxation follows that, and in its train wretchedness and oppression. Thomas Jefferson

The so-called "Bridge to Nowhere" would have linked Ketchikan, Alaska (population 8,900) to its airport on Gravina island (population 50) at a cost to federal taxpayers of $223 million. This was a graphic example of “pork barrel spending” or something also known as an earmark. This would save all the travelers in Ketchikan the inconvenience of a 15-30 minute, $6 ferry ride. The concept is applied when a politician who holds a powerful leadership position inserts his home states pet project to a much larger and more complex bill affecting the nation that is absolutely needed by all. Quite often, these earmarks are deliberately hidden in a bill hundreds of pages in length. The other politicians are then left with little choice but to allow the foolish spending to go through. Their only other option is to vote down the other spending which is needed and is best for all Americans. This tactic is where politicians have come up with the phrase “bringing home the bacon.” When questioned about the bridge to nowhere, the driving force behind the bridge's funding, the Republican Chairman Don Young of the House Transportation Committee, replied as follows: "I'd be silly if I didn't take advantage of my chairmanship ... I think I did a pretty good job."

More clearly defined, earmarks are funds provided by the Congress for specific projects or programs in such a way that the allocation (a) circumvents a merit-based or competitive allocation process; (b) applies to a very limited number of individuals or entities; or (c) otherwise curtails the ability of the Executive Branch to independently manage the agency budget. Thus, an earmark circumvents the appropriations process, as outlined in the Constitution, where Congress grants a lump sum of money to a Federal agency each year and leaves the management of that money to the Executive Branch.

Earmarks are an ongoing debate in congress. We must strongly encourage our representatives to end this corruption. Since the party in power controls the leaders of the committees who draft and control what goes into the bills … whoever is in power is usually in favor of earmarks. Both Republicans ad Democrats are guilty of using earmarks. Some would argue that those who won have a mandate and should be able to reward their supporters, and that the amounts involved in earmarks are minimal in the big picture. Also they argue that many of these earmarks provide jobs and other resources to groups that are in great need. As absurd as this logic is … is there a bigger problem?

Absolutely! The bigger issue here is corruption and bribery. This a key tool used to pay back lobby groups that provide political donations for election and re-election. Also earmarks are a primary way that BRIBES can be paid to get the needed votes in both houses to pass unpopular legislation. When this logic is pushed to its end, the result is political corruption at its worst. The most obvious recent example of the power of the evil use of earmarks is the recently passed health care legislation. Unable to get the needed votes within their own party, and with no hope of passing the bill, Democratic leaders started meeting with the Democratic party “no” voters, one by one. The result was a series of backroom deals that sent Billions of taxpayer dollars to a handful of states in exchange for their changed vote. In Vermont, that meant 10 billion in funding for new community health centers throughout the state. This is just another version of the “Bridge to Nowhere.” Sure, health care centers are of far greater value than a bridge that provides very little benefit, but forcing taxpayers throughout the US to build Vermont’s new projects as a bribe payoff is wrong, regardless of how it is rationalized by Harry Reid and President Obama.

Ending earmarks is a bullet to the heart of politics as usual. What about a line item veto that would allow for the president to remove these earmarks? Well, that would be good as well, as long as we can trust the president. But, if the president is likely to use this tool as a way to repay his donors, cronies and union buddies, then that doesn't make sense either. “Sometimes it is said that man cannot be trusted with the government of himself. Can he, then, be trusted with the government of others?” In the end it must always come back to the American people. When the politicians cease to follow the constitution and its instructions to serve all of the American people … we must vote them out. “The two enemies of the people are criminals and government, so let us tie the second down with the chains of the Constitution so the second will not become the legalized version of the first.” and “When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.” Jefferson

Unfortunately, it appears that many Americans have developed an entitlement mentality and expect that the government is responsible for their provision, and that the only way to get it is to appropriate it from someone else. That is not consistent with the intent of the founders of America or our constitution. “A wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor and bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government.” and “The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.” and “Yes, we did produce a near-perfect republic. But will they keep it? Or will they, in the enjoyment of plenty, lose the memory of freedom? Material abundance without character is the path of destruction.” and “The whole art of government consists in the art of being honest.”
All quotations by Thomas Jefferson

“When the people find they can vote themselves money … that will herald the end of the republic.” Benjamin Franklin

Can the American people be trusted to not fall for the temptation of voting themselves money?
Are our political leaders walking America across a Bridge to Nowhere?

God bless you my friend, Bob

Friday, November 12, 2010

Casting Your Net

My heart took delight in all my work. Ecclesiastes 2:10

Contrast two workers.
The first one slices the air with his hand, making points, instructing the crowd. He is a teacher and, from the look of things, a compelling one. He stands on a beach, rendering the slanted seashore an amphitheater. As he talks, his audience increases; as the audience grows, his platform shrinks. The instructor steps back and back until the next step will take him into the water. That's when he spots another worker.

A fisherman. Not animated, but frustrated. He spent all night fishing, but caught nothing. All night! Double-digit hours worth of casting, splashing, and pulling the net. But he caught nothing. Unlike the teacher, the fisherman has nothing to show for his work. He draws no crowds; he doesn't even draw fish. Just nets.

Two workers. One pumped up. One worn-out. The first, fruitful. The second, futile. To which do you relate? If you empathize with the fisherman, you walk a crowded path. Before you change professions, try this: change your attitude toward your profession.

Jesus' word for frustrated workers can be found in the fifth chapter of Luke's gospel, where we encounter the teacher and the frustrated fisherman. You've likely guessed their names—Jesus and Peter. Peter, Andrew, James, and John made their living catching and selling fish. Like other fishermen, they worked the night shift, when cool water brought the game to the surface. And, like other fishermen, they knew the drudgery of a fishless night.
While Jesus preaches, they clean nets. And as the crowd grows, Christ has an idea.
He noticed two boats tied up. The fishermen had just left them and were out scrubbing their nets. He climbed into the boat that was and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Sitting there, using the boat for a pulpit, he taught the crowd. (vv. 2-3 MSG)
Jesus claims Peter's boat. He doesn't request the use of it. Christ doesn't fill out an application or ask permission; he simply boards the boat and begins to preach.
He can do that ... you know.

All boats belong to Christ.

Your boat is where you spend your day, make your living, and to a large degree live your life. Your boat is God's pulpit.

I have a friend who understands this. By job description she teaches at a public elementary school. By God's description she pastors a class of precious children. Read the e-mail she sent her friends:
I'm asking for your prayers for my students. I know everyone is busy, but...
On and on the list goes, including nearly deaf Sara. Disorganized-but-thoughtful Terrell. Model-student Alicia. Bossy-but-creative Kaelyn.
Does this teacher work for a school system or for God? Does she spend her day in work or worship? Does she make money or a difference? Every morning she climbs in the boat Jesus loaned her. The two of them row out into the water and cast nets. My friend imitates Peter.

Suppose you were to do what Peter did. Take Christ to work with you. Invite him to superintend your nine-to-five. He showed Peter where to cast nets. Won't he show you where to transfer funds, file the documents, or take the students on a field trip?
Holy Spirit, help me stitch this seam.
Lord of creation, show me why this manifold won't work.
King of kings, please bring clarity to this budget.
Dear Jesus, guide my hands as I trim this hair.
Pray the prayer of Moses: "Let the loveliness of our Lord, our God, rest on us, confirming the work that we do. Oh, yes. Affirm the work that we do!" (Ps. 90:17 MSG).

Hold it there. I saw you roll those eyes. You see no way God could use your work. Your boss has the disposition of a hungry pit bull; hamsters have larger work areas; your kids have better per diems. You feel sentenced to the outpost of Siberia, where hope left on the last train. If so, meet one final witness. He labored eighteen years in a Chinese prison camp. The Communist regime rewarded his faith in Christ with the sewage assignment. The camp kept its human waste in pools until it fermented into fertilizer. The pits seethed with stink and disease. Guards and prisoners alike avoided the cesspools and all who worked there, including this disciple.

After he'd spent weeks in the pit, the stench pigmented his body. He couldn't scrub it out. Imagine his plight, far from home. And even in the prison, far from people. But somehow this godly man found a garden in his prison. "I was thankful for being sent to the cesspool. This was the only place where I was not under severe surveillance. I could pray and sing openly to our Lord. When I was there, the cesspool became my private garden."

He then quoted the words to the old hymn:
I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice so clear whispers in my ear
The Son of God discloses.
And He walks with me
And He talks with me
And He tells me I am His own
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known.

"I never knew the meaning of this hymn until I had been in the labor camp," he said. God can make a garden out of the cesspool you call work, if you take him with you.
For Peter and his nets, my friend and her class, the prisoner and his garden, and for you and your work, the promise is the same: everything changes when you give Jesus your boat. "Take Your Job and Love It" written by Max Lucado

God bless you my friends, Bob

Paradox Principles