Friday, October 28, 2011

The Politics of Evil



Let’s assume for a moment ...
that the devil was in complete control
of ordering the way things work in America.

What are the first three things that he would do?

Well ... I believe he would take the following steps.


To read further please chick here

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

The Way It Is ...





America is at a turning point.


The attached short video clip was filmed over thirty years ago
and it clearly shows the division that existed then;
and it is still with us today.

Our country is hopelessly divided into two groups
with vastly different world views.










Watch this short clip now!



Which way will America turn?

***************************************************


The Way It is …

On the liberal extreme we have those who represent a naturalist/socialist worldview. On the conservative extreme there is the Judeo/Christian worldview. Those who are moderates or independents will ultimately be forced to stand on one side of the line or the other.

Where will you stand? That is the KEY question for us all!


There is no middle ground. Our country will go one way or the other. The coming election will bring about this end result … one way or the other. The resulting decisions will determine the standard of living for our grand-children’s children.

Many in one or the other of these two groups will be making a decision that does not necessarily reflect their values. For example, some atheists will stand with Christians on one side of the line, because they both believe in the values expressed by the tea party. And some Christians will stand with atheists, evolutionists, and environmentalists on the other side of the line because they share common beliefs. But make no mistake; we will all be forced to make a choice.


The purpose of this post is to try and convince you to stand on my side of the line.

I am especially speaking to those of you who claim to be Christians and those who believe in Judeo/Christian values, but not Biblical Christianity. What, you ask; won’t most Christians be on the Conservative and Republican side of the line? Not necessarily. As many as 70-80% of those who identify as Christians have also decided to allegorize God’s Word and follow a worldview supporting a liberal philosophy, organized religion, and the teachings of men, rather than the Truth of the omniscient Creator of all things.

For example, there are literally millions of professing Christians who believe in evolution; which is atheistic at its foundation.

Millions of others are following mega church pastors and the popular books which they have written; and these leaders are systematically guiding them to a New Reformation and the Emerging Church movement. This false doctrine leads away from the foundational truths of the Gospel of Christ.

And all of this creates a big question for many. Are they actually Christians; or have they chosen some other god instead of Christ ... and another gospel?

We should never allow a person, religion, denomination, philosophy or cause stand between us and our Creator, our Savior, and our Lord. Turn to Christ now and be saved!

As you watch the filmed discussion between Phil Donahue and Milton Freidman, they both acknowledge never-ending problems of mankind. And they both have a solution, Freidman explains that free market capitalism is the only system that has ever worked in history. Donahue on the other hand would turn to government and a socialist or Marxist system; which Freidman clearly explains has always failed, and which is also rampant with the same problems of greed and self-centeredness that Donahue denounces.

There is a resolution to these problems. God has given us hundreds of prophesies that have proven true. We could start with the facts of Jesus' birth, miracles, death, and resurrection which were predicted over a thousand years prior; and then one prophesy after another has proven to be true. Now look at the detailed description of the destruction and re-establishment of the state of Israel. Next, we only need look at the nations surrounding Israel which are plotting to attack. This is all foretold in God’s Word in stunning details. Hundreds of prophesies have already come to pass … are many too blinded to see what is coming next?

And also, we have the revelation of things to come for those who trust Jesus Christ and God’s Word. There will be a one world government and a one world religion. Wait a minute; isn’t that what this call for a new reformation in the church is promoting; and also that is on the agenda that the UN is promoting ... right now? People will be told to take an identifying mark. That is not too farfetched when computer barcode technology is considered. The Bible tells us this will all come to pass; and the world as we know it will be destroyed. And also that the greed and self-centeredness; discussed by Freidman and Donahue thirty years ago will be brought to an end.

Jesus says we must stand on one side of the line or the other.

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believes on him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:17-18.


And God promises us a new heaven and a new earth.

For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be you glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. Isaiah 65:17-18


And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Revelation 21:1-4

Where will you stand?

We should never allow a person, religion, denomination, philosophy or cause stand between us and our Creator, our Savior, and our Lord. Turn to Christ now and be saved!

God bless you my friends, Bob

And yes ... please forward this post to everyone on your email list.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

New Things Have Come



For the love of Christ constrains us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not from now on live to themselves, but to him which died for them, and rose again. Why from now on know we no man after the flesh: yes, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now from now on know we him no more. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses to them; and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be you reconciled to God. For he has made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 2 Corinthians 5:14-21



The scripture above has become one of my personal favorites.


For me as a Christian, this has become my purpose statement.
I have put it to memory in more than one translation.
It clarifies for me my old ways and that they are to be of the past for me.
And then it explains the new things that have come to me in Christ.



When we are following Christ, and when God looks at you and I … He sees Christ.

I know this sounds impossible, but with Him all things are possible, even for you and me.

How can we possibly ever live up to this Truth? We can't. Jesus can!

We must know the Truth and the Truth will become alive in each of us.

His Word and His Spirit will transform us.




So the question is: What new things have come?


The new things Paul outlines here are many, and will fill up our entire life if we let them, but in this short post, we will only discuss one thing.


When “the love of Christ constraineth us; or controls us; or compels us; therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh.


Why from now on know we no man after the flesh. AKJ
Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh. NAS
So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. NIV



Now that is most powerful when you consider it. Think about this for a minute. Meditate upon it. Does the love of Christ control or compel you to the point where you recognize no one from a worldly point of view or according to the flesh?



I must admit that although I see things much differently than I did before I became a Christian, and I am much less judgmental, and much more forgiving; I still often fall into the old habit of viewing others according to the flesh, and unconsciously judging them accordingly. Most recently a clip of Muslims burning Christians alive comes to mind, and left me with desires that were not loving, but with anger, pain, and remorse for the Nigerian Christian martyrs.




Imagine the mind of Christ and how His perfect love automatically separates the person from their actions and evil ways and loves them and wants them to be saved and delivered into His kingdom eternally. Only when we come to understand His love which is foreign to our natural man can we watch as the Love of Christ controls us.



We must be transformed by the renewing of our minds; and we will come to a point where: “we are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” 2 Corinthians 10:5 This can only become a reality when we are following the leadership of the Holy Spirit and the guidance of God’s eternal Truth.

An Old Testament example of this came to mind earlier today that inspired this post. My pastor was preaching from Daniel Chapter 6. We all know the story of Daniel and the Lion’s den, but to help you see my point I will quickly bring the facts to your attention:

1. The king had appointed 120 satraps or princes over the kingdom of Babylon.
2. Over these 120 princes the king had placed three presidents or commissioners of whom Daniel was first to be answered to.
3. The king had decided that because of Daniel’s excellent spirit that he would be placed over the entire realm.
4. The other leaders were jealous and vindictive and searched for any fault or corruption in Daniel but could find not a single fault.
5. They did know that Daniel was faithful to His God and set about to deceive the king into irreversibly condemning Daniel to the Lion’s Den.
6. When Daniel was observed praying three times a day to his God as he always did, the traitors challenged the king with his foolish decree.
7. The king forced to enforce his decree regrettably had Daniel thrown into the den of lions.
8. The following morning; when the king called out Daniel, the following exchange took place: “The king spoke and said to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you constantly serve, been able to deliver you from the lions?” Then Daniel spoke to the king, “O king, live forever! “My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as I was found innocent before Him; and also toward you, O king, I have committed no crime.”
9. Daniel was freed and the king dealt with Daniels accusers most harshly.
10. But more importantly the king made a new decree: “that in all the dominion of my kingdom men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel; For He is the living God and enduring forever. Daniel 6:26
God used the love of Christ in Daniel's heart to win the king, and his kingdom.

So how does this story relate to the Love of Christ controlling or compelling Daniel? Well obviously if anyone ever had reason to hate, it was Daniel; but not one ill word towards the other men was spoken by Daniel. All He could talk about was God, and his justice, His power, and the angel that He had sent to shut the mouths of the lions.

Daniel’s heart and mind were unwaveringly focused on God and His promises and God honored and delivered him from the lions. Daniel was transformed by the renewing of His mind and heart and He took every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Daniel is our example that mere men can allow the love of Christ to control them.


Another perfect example that God has given us to look up to is Joseph. When his brothers sold Him into slavery and later when God made him the second most powerful man in all of Egypt and his brothers were brought begging before him, what did Joseph say? Joseph could have easily been bitter, vindictive, and vengeful ... but no, listen to Joseph's words:

"And his brothers also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be your servants. 19And Joseph said to them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? 20But as for you, you thought evil against me; but God meant it to good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. 21Now therefore fear you not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spoke kindly to them."
Genesis 50:18-20








Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh. KJV
Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh. NAS
So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. NIV


As impossible as it seems, if they can do it, we can do it also.
God’s Word and the Holy Spirit will lead us to victory over our old self.

God bless you my friends, Bob

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Become Centered





It is your Choice …

Become Centered!

It is better to trust in the LORD

than to put confidence in man. Psalm 118:8







I am excited!



Yesterday was one of the best days I have seen since I stood in a field in Bamako Mali and witnessed hundreds pray to receive Christ watching the Jesus film; and when I witnessed to strangers on the streets of Accra; and knocked on doors in Nairobi with Campus Crusade for Christ. I spent yesterday with Wayside Harvesters at a street fair/carnival in Twenty-nine Palms CA. I know that doesn't sound like much ... but I'm talking about people's lives saved here.

I must admit that I had reservations, at first. Although I have been a salesman all my life, talking to strangers is not something I do on a daily basis; but witnessing has always come naturally for me. But at this event, most were marines and their families, or children and young adults. Mainly I just observed for the first several hours, watching carefully as Bob and Paul spoke to those passing by.

Let me tell you about a boy named Chris. I was standing next to a display that gave the challenge: Take the test … answer the question: “what are the three things God cannot do?” A young African American boy came up to me; he was about twelve years old. “Can I take the test?” he asked. Sure I said; what is your name; Chris, the boy replied. I think I can do it, I was here last year.


The answers behind the doors on the display were: 1. God cannot lie. 2. God cannot change. 3. God cannot allow us allow us to go to heaven unless we are born again.
Chris remembered the first two answers but he had a problem with the third. When I helped him, he said recalled the third, and when I asked he said he was born again. Chris thanked me and then he wandered away. A couple of hours later three other boys about the same age came up and asked for the free bracelet we were offering. I said sure pull up a chair and I will explain the story of the bracelet.


The boys listened carefully as I explained the fall of man in the garden, the reality of sin, what Jesus did for us on the cross and His plan for salvation. I asked if they would like to pray for forgiveness and to have Jesus become their Lord and Savior. They replied, yes we would. So I led them in a simple prayer that invited asked Jesus to forgive them and become their Lord and Savior.

When I looked up, we had another visitor … guess who … it was Chris. He quickly asked; what were they just doing? I explained they were praying to be born again of the Spirit, and asking Jesus to become their Lord and Savior. Chris absolutely was just waiting for the opportunity to pray. I didn’t do that last year, Chris said; can I pray with you now he asked. The three boys had to leave, but Chris took my card as I told him there was much more I needed to share with him.

What is so exciting for me? Because, the same story repeated itself, over and over again; it was like the reverse of knocking on doors. People wanted to know about Jesus. A mother and her two daughters prayed to receive Christ; two young parents and their two children; a mother and her three sons. All of this happened in a small 10 by 10 open ended tent placed between a vendor selling AC/DC hats and Tee-shirts on one side, and a vendor selling Bob Marley and various pot paraphernalia on the other side. Our signs drew people to Christ like a magnet.

Many others also came who had strong opinions. Several stayed and talked for an hour or more. Some will continue to be witnessed to and discipled. These young adults had a common theme. They were all struggling with the same problem. It was clear to me and I explained the message in the attached video which clearly shows a key message God has for us all.

This message is the center verse, of the Bible.

You must watch this video clip to more clearly understand that there are no accidents in God’s kingdom.
Men did not place the scriptures in a certain order to put this verse in the exact center of the Bible. God ordered the Bible before the heavens and the earth and men were even created. His Truth was … before the beginning. It is never changing.

Unlike the teachings and books of men, we can always trust God’s Truth. It is the foundation of our faith and our belief system. Without God’s Truth, we have nothing; or as best just another religion. Perhaps these teachings are wise ideas from men; but really, who cares about the conclusions of men, when measured up against the Truth of the Creator of all things?

God points a giant arrow at this verse in the center to help us to understand his Truth and His Plan for us.


Watch this video NOW! God shows you the two roads men have the option to take and clearly tells you the way of Wisdom.




It is your Choice … Become Centered!

It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. Psalm 118:8

It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. Psalm 118:8


The fact that God strategically placed this verse (Psalm 118:8) in exactly the center of His Holy Bible is no accident. There are no accidents with God. And it clearly explains the solution that leads to everything that all men need to know. You see, men fell as a result of a lie. And because of our fallen nature we naturally follow that lie all the rest of our lives. What was the lie?

“The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:4-5

You see; this is the problem of all mankind. It is all about the truth. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. When some are given the choice, they chose to follow the lie which has an appeal to pride and flesh. Yesterday, when asked if she wanted to pray to receive Christ; one young woman replied, “I’m not ready.” When asked what was holding her back; she replied; “there are many books. This is your book, and surely you believe it; but how am to know it is true, when compared to all the other religious books?” She walked away lost and still confused.


Another young marine had been to; but dropped out of Catholic seminary, and he was convinced that the first chapters of Genesis were all allegorical, as he had apparently been taught. He was very intelligent, but he had clearly accepted some of the wisdom from his religious training, and apparently rejected the clear teachings of God’s Truth.

This is what happens when we do not trust God’s Word. The Bible clearly teaches:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. John 1:1-5… “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14



God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are all one and the same Creator, God. They are not an allegory. How do we know this? Because Jesus and God’s Word tells us this is Truth. It is not just some book we have chosen to follow written by men. God spoke this eternal truth through men over a period of thousands of years and He tells us that he is the Way and the Truth, and that His Word is Truth. Men can change it or misinterpret it but they cannot change the Truth, it is eternal and we have the ancient manuscripts, prophecies, historic and archaeological evidence gives compelling evidence to this Truth. But the only evidence we really need is the witness of the Holy Spirit who has established residence in the hearts and minds of believers.


Jesus explained this fact: “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. John 14:16-17


Those who have chosen to compromise the Truth and reject God’s Truth such as:
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1 have rejected the Creator, the counsel of the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ who tells us He is Yahweh the mighty Creator God, “I Am.” To reject the Creator or turn him into an allegory, is to reject Christ and His Word.

We must never allow for the teachings of men or a denomination or a church to come between us and our Lord and Savior. He is Jesus, the Christ, Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent, Yahweh, Creator, The Great I Am, Ego eimi, Holy and Just, Lord of all, Prince of Peace Counselor, Almighty God. There is nothing He does not know. He is the beginning, the end, and everything in between. He is all powerful and has power over all things … including all of those things beyond the finite imagination knowledge, and understanding of men.

Wayside Harvesters not only provides hope for those who need the Savior. For someone like me, it is a way to better fulfill the primary mission Jesus has given me. It is like showing Joe Montana he can play in the NFL again ... only this is not a silly game of football; but rather helping people come to know their Lord and Savior. This is the most important thing we can ever do; fulfilling our mission that God has given each of us. The idea that I might help many more young people to come to know Christ in my senior years is new hope and meaning for me.


This is a simple way for each of us to be centered on witnessing the good news of Christ on an ongoing basis, anywhere we are, anywhere in the world. You can be helping others come to know Christ tomorrow and the next day. No evangelism program in your church? Go to your pastor, tell him you would like to get it started and God is calling you to this ministry.

A huge thank you to my friend Bob Ricciardi ... the Lord has used you to give my life restored meaning and purpose. Much of everything else we do is only filling time until we are home with the Lord.



Do you want to be centered on the mission Christ has given you? Wherever you are; start your own Wayside harvesters. If you would like more specifics on how to accomplish this in your area, just email me direct at: talavera.bob@gmail.com


Watch this video ... NOW! God shows you the two roads men have the option to take and clearly tells you the way of Wisdom.





It is your Choice … Become Centered!
It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. Psalm 118:8

God Bless you my friends, Bob

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

The Watchman


For thus has the LORD said to me,
Go, set a watchman,
let him declare what he sees. Isaiah 21:6

"So you, son of man:
I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel;
therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth
and warn them for Me" Ezekiel 33:7





The Watchman On The Wall



The watchman is clearly one of the most important roles God can give any of us. How can I know this? Well this is the mission that God gave to the prophet Ezekiel when He spoke to him above.


When I think about a watchman, a story comes to my mind that I heard over thirty years ago, told by my first pastor Chuck Swindoll. I have pieced the story together from memory, and with online research so I’ll try to bring this one back to life for you, as best I can.


The scene was a battlefield outpost during the civil war. A young soldier was on guard duty in the middle of night. For any of you who have ever sat in the night as a watchman, you know how monotonous this time can become. The soldier had an amazing singing voice and was singing in the light of the moon. This is not normally a wise idea while watching for the enemy. An opposing soldier was a short distance away with his rifle aimed at the watchman and prepared to pull the trigger. The young singer then began a new song and filled the night air with a most inspiring rendition of: “Savior like a shepherd lead us” The man aiming his gun was moved to take his hand off of the trigger. He stood there in the dark shadows listening to the mesmorizing song in the night. Then he silently turned and slipped away.

The story now shifts to thirteen years later. It was Christmas Eve 1875 and Ira Sankey was traveling on a Delaware River steamboat. The war was long past, and the young singing soldier was in fact Ira Sankey, now the famous song leader for Dwight L Moody’s ministry crusade. Not able to make it home in time, and spend Christmas with his family, Sankey was feeling quite low. Wanting some time alone, he had gone to a quiet spot on the deck for some solitude and prayer, as the night slowly passed on the dark Delaware River. On deck Sankey was soon recognized by some of the passengers, who excitedly asked him to sing one of his own hymns; but Sankey had a different idea, saying that he preferred to sing “Savior Like a Shepherd Lead Us.”

Here are the amazing events that occurred next: “As he sang, the stanza “We are Thine; do Thou befriend us, Be the Guardian of our way” filled the night air. When he had finished, another man stepped out from the shadows and asked, “Did you ever serve in the Union Army?” “Why yes,” Mr. Sankey answered, “in the spring of 1860.”

“Can you remember if you were doing guard duty on a bright, moonlit night in 1862?”


“Yes,” Mr. Sankey answered ... very much surprised.


“So did I, but I was serving in the Confederate army. When I saw you standing at your post, I thought to myself, ‘That fellow will never get away alive.’ I raised my musket and took aim. I was standing in the shadow, completely concealed, while the full light of the moon was falling upon you. At that instant, just as a moment ago, you raised your eyes to heaven and began to sing… Savior Like a Shepherd lead Us ...

‘Let him sing his song to the end,’ I thought to myself, ‘I can shoot him afterwards.’ He’s my victim in any event, my bullet surely cannot miss him.”


But the song you sang then was the song you sang just now. I heard the words perfectly: ‘We are Thine; do Thou befriend us. Be the Guardian of our way.’ Those words stirred up many memories. I began to think of my childhood and my God-fearing mother. She had many times sung that song to me. When you had finished your song, it was impossible for me to take aim again. I thought, ‘The Lord who is able to save that man from certain death must surely be great and mighty.’ And my arm of its own accord dropped limp at my side.”


Is this a coincidence that both men were on the same steamboat on Christmas Eve thirteen years later; and that Stankey was led to sing the exact same song; and that this enemy soldier just happened to be listening to the song his mother sang to him as a child? I don’t think so. There is obviously a much bigger message here: God knows the beginning, the end, and everything in between. God inspired one man’s mother to sing the song repeatedly to him, in his childhood. And on both occasions, God put the song on Sankey’s heart; and both men were also placed on the deck of that steamboat just at the right moment; so that God could bring encouragement and assurance to them both. God performed this miracle ... so that these Christian men would know that Jesus, their Savior was with them both moment by moment, all of the days of their lives; and that He was continually leading and protecting them every step of the way.


That is a pretty inspiring story, don’t you think? Well, it is also for all of the watchmen that God has placed strategically throughout the world, for all times. Who are God’s watchmen here and now? Do you know anyone who is a watchman? What would his duties be? Who is the enemy that the watchman must look out for?


Well I am writing this post on the 2am to 5am watch. God awakened me and called me to the watch. Here are God’s instructions: “Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he sees” and; “therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me.” I am convinced that a key role of the watchman in our church today is to guard the truth. As a result; our training for this mission is that we must know God’s Truth, in order for Him to place His trust in us with this mission post.


I would assume that God has posted a number of watchmen in every Biblically committed church in the world. The enemy is the god of this world Satan, and he will deceive many with false doctrines. The teachings of the world have infected many of our churches today. The aim of the enemy is to replace the inerrant truth with the ideas of men that have had success in the secular and business world.


A watchman’s life will be lonely and it can get ugly. Jesus tells us: “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. “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” John 15:18-20


I have a close friend who was recently asked to leave his church. What did he do to bring about this unloving and un-Christian end result? He challenged the leadership with the Bible. The teachings and ministry are moving in a direction contrary to scripture, and he followed the leading of God's Word and Spirit. Isn’t this what we are called to do? Yes, but church leaders who are not following the leading of the Holy Spirit are often uncomfortable when given scripture and asked; “pastor, could you explain how this verse applies to our church; or this situation?” A Biblically centered question in a Sunday school class will sometimes embarrass an unprepared leader.


My friend met with the pastor after he was asked to leave, but his attempts to have a conversation that was grounded in God’s Word and a Biblical reconciliation fell on deaf ears. This church is more like a social club; than a church that leads believers to biblical transformation by the renewing of their minds. If my friend had continued to challenge them, it may have resulted in a Matthew 28 rejection before the church body, but in that event the church would have had a serious problem … my friend has not acted in a sinful, un-loving, or un-Christian way. Instead he chose to “shake the dust off of his feet and move on. I can only say that my friend is an inspiration and an encouragement to me.


So, God wants to speak through watchmen. Whenever the church falls into the practice of following the lead of men and the world or blending it’s teachings with the wisdom of the world; rather than the Lord Jesus Christ and His eternal Truth, God wants for the watchman to sound the trumpet.


How is this most likely to play out?

The battlefield is for the hearts and minds of the people. It is a spiritual battle which our Lord and Savior is leading from His position in heaven. As Christians, we are not of this world. When we converted to Christianity, at that moment we became a member the royal family, the royal priesthood of the Creator of the universe and everything in it.


Currently, we remain here on earth as ambassadors for Christ, a watchman who has been strategically positioned by Christ with a mission. In the same way that God positioned Sankey on guard duty on the wall, in the civil war, He has also positioned each of us. Many of us, for a variety of reasons decide not to sing God’s song. We fail to sound the alarm and we fail in the mission that we have been given. This is why it is so critical that we know God’s Truth. We are the defenders of God’s Word. It is the foundation of our belief system. How will you know when God wants you to be the watchman? The Holy Spirit will move you from within, and by the power of His Word.

The enemy on the other hand wants to neutralize the Gospel.
A primary battlefield would be: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1

The enemy knows that to destroy God’s Truth at its foundation in the hearts and minds of men is a victory for his evil plan.



So in America for the past hundred years, evolution and the philosophies of men have been put up against God's eternal Truth. This has been a primary battlefield. Now with multiple generations brainwashed by the public education system and this evolution heresy, Satan has gained access to the church through the minds of those deceived. A majority of Christian church members now believe the teachings of men over God’s eternal Truth. There is a smaller percentage who are following the Holy Spirit, and God’s Truth. These are the watchmen. When they sound the alarm, Jesus has made it clear “the world will hate them as they have hated Him” and as they hated His Hebrew prophets of old as well.


How has Satan’s next attack been planned to play out against God’s people. The attack is ongoing and currently under way. 

In the meantime, watchmen are to take God’s Truth listed below ... literally.

Watchman, the time for your watch is now.
Put on your armor and get out there on the wall:

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, 15and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, 19and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak." Ephesians 6:10-20

God bless you my friends, Bob


Savior Like A Shepherd Lead US



Enjoy this one!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Mainstream Media Bias?



Rescue me and deliver me out of the hand of aliens,
Whose mouth speaks deceit
and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood. Psalms 144:11

Why Can't the mainstream media
and the politicians just tell us the truth?


The answers are simple:
1. They think they know what's best for us
2. Twisting the truth has become a daily habit
3. The media is totally and wholeheartedly biased.
4. The politicians are bought and paid for
by special interests that pay for their election.


Mainstream Media Bias?


Gee … I wonder???




Networks Keeping Viewers In the Dark on Solyndra Scandal
ABC, CBS and NBC Bury News of Taxpayer Money Squandered
on Obama-Linked Solar Energy Company


Media Research Center By: Rich Noyes Tuesday, October 11, 2011


A study by the Media Research Center finds that the three broadcast networks are providing virtually no coverage of the Solyndra scandal, a solar energy firm that went bankrupt after getting more than $500 million in taxpayer money from the Obama administration. This is not the approach the networks took after the collapse of Enron, an energy company with Republican ties. In just the first two months of 2002, the ABC, CBS and NBC evening newscasts cranked out 198 stories on the Enron debacle, compared to just eight so far on Solyndra, a 24-to-1 disparity.

Friday night — in a classic and cynical news management strategy — the administration disgorged e-mails showing a top Obama fund-raiser and Energy Department official, Steven Spinner — who had supposedly recused himself from Solyndra’s loan application because his wife worked at a law firm representing the solar energy company — had badgered his colleagues to approve the deal.

One e-mail exchange published by The Politico demanded to know: “Any word on OMB? [the Office of Management and Budget] I have the O.V.P. [Office of the Vice President] and W.H. [White House] breathing down my neck on this....How hard is this? What is he waiting for?”

Even though these e-mails were sensational enough to make it onto the front-page of Saturday’s New York Times, ABC, CBS and NBC never found a moment over the long Columbus Day weekend to mention any of this, just as they skipped news earlier in the week that Jonathan Silver, who ran the Department of Energy loan program that handed more than $500 million in taxpayer money to Solyndra, had resigned. When two Solyndra executives took the Fifth Amendment before a congressional committee in late September, ABC and NBC skipped that news, too, while CBS offered a whopping 25 seconds of coverage.

A review of the ABC, CBS and NBC morning and evening news shows by the Media Research Center found just fifteen stories mentioning the Solyndra scandal since its August 31 bankruptcy filing — eight on the evening newscasts (four full reports plus another four brief anchor-read items) and seven on the morning news shows (five full reports and two brief items). The network total coverage over nearly six weeks: just 25 minutes, 30 seconds, or less than 0.2% of the available network news airtime.


That’s remarkably paltry compared to what one imagines the coverage would have been if a Republican administration had funneled that much government cash to a company dominated by political allies (the company’s biggest investor, George Kaiser, bundled more than $50,000 in contributions for the President’s 2008 campaign, and visited the White House four times before the loan from the Department of Energy was finalized).

While the networks are treating Solyndra as just a minor blip on Obama’s radar screen, the scandal exposes deep flaws in the President’s economic and environmental approaches. And, the media’s lackadaisical attitude is a vivid example of their ever-more partisan approach to covering Washington politics:

The Failure of Obama’s “Stimulus” Spending Spree: The taxpayer money for Solyndra came from Obama’s “stimulus,” and back in 2009 the media cheered the administration’s plan to massively increase government spending in order to jump start the economy. MRC’s analysis showed nearly six out of ten network news stories (58%) tilted in favor of the big government approach as Congress debated it at the time (January 20 through February 14, 2009). In the year after it passed, the networks grew even more skewed, with more than 70% of stories applauding the stimulus as good economic medicine.


The presumption that government spending would create the jobs it promised was too good to check, and network reporters passed along the administration’s claims of success. Typical was then-CBS anchor Katie Couric, who enthusiastically chirped on the March 6, 2009 Evening News: “We’ll show you the new jobs his stimulus plan is creating.”

Two years later, a review by the MRC’s Business & Media Institute found virtually no network stories (just 2% out of 589) reminding viewers how the original White House pitch for new spending included the idea that it would keep unemployment from rising higher than 8%. In fact, the unemployment rate has been above 8% for the past 32 months, since February 2009.

Statistics show that stimulus money was overwhelmingly directed toward projects in Democratic congressional districts, not Republican ones. Even for those who believe that government spending can boost economic growth, that’s a red flag suggesting money was handed out to pet causes and constituencies, not to those who could necessarily use it most wisely. Yet the networks have yet to seize on Solyndra’s Democratic ties to more broadly question how Obama’s stimulus dollars were actually spent.

Green Jobs Are an Even Bigger Failure: As for the “green jobs” that would result from showering cash on companies like Solyndra, the Washington Post crunched the numbers in September 2011 and found failure: Instead of creating 65,000 jobs, as promised, the $38 billion loan program which included Solyndra could only claim 3,545 jobs.

Yet, as the MRC documented, the network coverage of the “green jobs” concept has been even more lopsided than coverage of the stimulus overall. Skepticism has been virtually non-existent. “We have gotten the message. Green-collar jobs are the wave of the future,” co-host Diane Sawyer cheered ABC’s Good Morning America back on April 15, 2009. Out of 52 network stories that mentioned the administration’s “green jobs” program, only four (8%) bothered to include any critics at all.

Conservatives have criticized the entire Obama concept as antithetical to a free market. “When government takes $535 million and invests in a loser, it not only wastes taxpayer money but it also denies that capital to some other project in the private economy that might have succeeded. The Solyndra e-mails show how ill-equipped government is to predict the industries of the present, much less the future,” a Wall Street Journal editorial declared on Monday.

Yet in the 15 stories since the company’s bankruptcy, not one has included the suggestion that Solyndra’s failure casts any doubt on the administration’s green jobs campaign. Instead, the networks have maintained the Obama administration’s line that the scandal is an isolated matter, an aberration that should not be seen as impugning the overall record.

Double-Standard Scorecard: Bush/Enron, 198; Obama/Solyndra, 8: Solyndra went bankrupt in 2011 after taking $500 million in direct government loans. In late 2001, the energy giant Enron went bankrupt, and it quickly emerged that the Bush administration had refused pleas from company executives to provide a taxpayer-funded bailout.


Yet the networks attempted to twist that story of corporate fraud into one of political malfeasance by stressing an imagined link between the Bush administration and the company’s corruption. “Enron’s connections to the Bush administration, wide and deep,” ABC anchor Peter Jennings intoned on January 10, 2002. Over on MSNBC that night, future NBC anchor Brian Williams hyped it as “the story some are already calling Bush’s Whitewater.”

In just the first two months of 2002, the ABC, CBS and NBC evening newscasts cranked out 198 stories on the Enron debacle, many about the potential entanglement of the Bush White House. Such feeding-frenzy coverage dwarfs the eight stories those broadcasts have devoted so far to Solyndra’s demise, a 24-to-1 disparity. Yet the Solyndra case involves the actual transfer of more than $500 million to a company whose largest investor, George Kaiser, was a major Obama campaign bundler (raising in between $50,000 and $100,000 for the President’s 2008 campaign).

And Obama’s Energy Department took the unusual step of restructuring the loan to Solyndra, so that private investors would be paid off before taxpayers in the event of a bankruptcy. According to e-mails released Friday, Treasury Department officials warned that such an arrangement might require a Justice Department ruling, but were ignored.

The few stories that have reached the air have been fairly tough. ABC’s Brian Ross, for example, painted the administration as deceitful in a September 14 World News report: “This year, even as Solyndra approached bankruptcy, the company and the White House kept it a secret, telling Congress and the workers everything was going great until the day it shut its doors.”

But the networks’ minimalist approach to this scandal seems designed to ensure that many Americans never even hear about Solyndra. A Pew Research Center survey in late September (after most of the stories aired) found 43% of respondents had never even heard of the scandal.

The media touted their adversarial, watchdog approach during the Bush years. If the Solyndra case is any indication, those once-aggressive reporters are now contented lapdogs snoozing at Obama’s feet.
By: Rich Noyes Media Research Center Tuesday, October 11, 2011
==========================================================

Stimulus money for jobs? That's beyond pathetic when they remove all of that JOBS SAVED rhetoric!
It goes on and on ... lie upon lie, deception upon deception.

This is an article that will in the future be published on Religiolitics.com
Once I have the new blog up and running.
Thanks for your patience.

God bless you my friends, Bob

Monday, October 10, 2011

Religiolitics



Then said Jesus to those Jews who believed Him
If you continue in my word, then you are my disciples indeed;
And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

They answered him, we be Abraham's seed,
And were never in bondage to any man:
How is it that you say, ‘you will become free’?”

Jesus answered them, truly, truly, I say to you,
Whoever commits sin is the servant of sin.
The slave does not remain in the house forever;
The son does remain forever.

If the Son therefore shall make you free,
You shall be free indeed. John 8:31-36



I am excited!



Paradox Principles is a spiritual blog ... and I have reluctantly discussed my political views here. I realize I have lost some and possibly offended other readers here due to politics, and that is not my aim or intent with anything I write. My aim is to stand for the Truth wherever that leads; and I know that in this quest, some will be offended. I am getting ready with a new blog called Religiolitics that will promote spiritually conservative Christian views on religion and politics. This will allow for me to return to my original intent here which is: Understand God's Biblical Truth; expose distortions of God's Truth; and learning how to live His Truth in our daily lives.

My aim is to keep Paradox Principles a purely Conservative Christian site that teaches sound doctrine and Biblical insights, and confront heresy. Our challenge in today's world is conflicting worldviews that are clearly spiritual and have been manipulated politically by atheistic influence. Our society has been educated away from God's values and has often adopted a secular worldview contrary to our values. Unfortunately, many Christians are so confused that they are attempting to find a common ground, and oftentimes they are led to serve conflicting worldviews.

I am building the new blog "Religiolitics" which will allow me to get back to my purpose here which is: Understand God's Truth and expose distortions of the Truth, and speak to politics freely on the new blog. Religiolitics will allow for me to expand on religious and political issues as they apply in this most important upcoming election year. It will also allow me to reach out to those of all religious and political views without watering down Paradox Principles biblically.

I am excited about it, but my challenge is my website programming skills are quite limited. Now, if I could only find someone who could help me get the web site up and running properly and. Any ideas on how I can get this done quickly and affordably, please email me direct at: talavera.bob@gmail.com


Religiolitics will have a variety of features hard to find on the net. One of my ideas is to feature a recommended “Blog of the Week” This will allow for me to better support my like-minded friends and help readers find the best places to go online. If you would like to write a post on Religiolitics; or post an appeal for the mission God has given you; or perhaps a link to your best post ever, email me at talavera.bob@gmail.com.

Truth will be a common theme on Religiolitics. I will promote Truth and confront the manipulation of truth that is so common in our world today.

“And you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” John 8:32


Here is an example of an article which I read this morning that was released by the associated press. Distortions and false statements by politicians on both sides of the aisle is the biggest problem Americans face.

Our Religious and Political leaders must be forced to deal with us truthfully.


==================================================================================


FACT CHECK: Obama claims miss some evidence
By JIM KUHNHENN, Associated Press – 3 days ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — In challenging Republicans to get behind his jobs bill Thursday, President Barack Obama argued Republicans have supported his proposals before, demanded that they explain themselves if they oppose him, and challenged others to come up with a plan of their own. The rhetoric in the president's quick-moving press conference dodged some facts and left some evidence in the dust.

OBAMA: "If it turns out that there are Republicans who are opposed to this bill, they need to explain to me, but more importantly to their constituencies and the American people, why they're opposed, and what would they do."

THE FACTS: While Republicans might not be campaigning on their opposition to Obama's plan, they've hardly kept their objections a secret.

In a memorandum to House Republicans Sept. 16, House Speaker John Boehner and members of the GOP leadership said they could find common ground with Obama on the extension of certain business tax breaks, waiving a payment withholding provision for federal contractors, incentives for hiring veterans, and job training measures in connection with unemployment insurance.

They objected to new spending on public works programs, suggesting instead that Congress and the president work out those priorities in a highway spending bill. And they raised concerns about Obama's payroll tax cuts for workers and small businesses, arguing that the benefits of a one-year tax cut would be short-lived. The memo also pointed out that reducing payroll taxes which pay for Social Security, temporarily forces Social Security to tap the government's general fund. And it opposed additional spending to prevent layoffs of teachers, police officers and other public workers.

___

OBAMA: "Every idea that we've put forward are ones that traditionally have been supported by Democrats and Republicans alike."

THE FACTS: Obama proposes to pay for his jobs bill by raising taxes, something traditionally opposed by Republicans and, in the form Obama proposed it, even some Democrats. Senate Democrats were so allergic to Obama's approach, which relied largely on limiting deductions that can be taken by individuals making over $200,000 a year and couples making more than $250,000, that they're eliminating it and replacing it with a new tax on millionaires.

In claiming bipartisan support for the components of his proposal, the president appears to be referring just to what the plan would do, not how it's paid for, but that's a crucial distinction he doesn't make.

Some of tax-cutting proposals offered by Obama have received significant Republican support in the past. But some of the new spending he proposes has received only nominal Republican backing. Evidence of bipartisanship provided by the White House includes legislation last year that provided $10 billion to prevent teacher layoffs. It won the support of only two Republican senators — Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, both of Maine and among the most moderate (liberal) Republicans in Congress. Another example cited by the White House was the proposal last year to offer tax breaks to businesses that hire new workers — it passed the House 217-201 with six Republican votes.

___

OBAMA: "The answer we're getting right now is: Well, we're going to roll back all these Obama regulations... Does anybody really think that that is going to create jobs right now and meet the challenges of a global economy?"

THE FACTS: Well, yes, some think it will. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce last month submitted a jobs proposal to Obama that included a call to ease regulations on businesses. It specifically called for streamlining environmental reviews on major construction projects and to delay the issuance of some potentially burdensome regulations until the economy and employment have improved. In the letter, Chamber President Thomas Donohue also called on Congress to pass legislation that would require congressional approval of major regulations. The chamber did not indicate how many jobs such regulatory changes could create, but it said: "Immediate regulatory relief is required in order to begin moving $1 trillion-$2 trillion in accumulated private capital off of the sidelines and into business expansion."

___

OBAMA: "We can either keep taxes exactly as they are for millionaires and billionaires, with loopholes that lead them to have lower tax rates, in some cases, than plumbers and teachers, or we can put teachers and construction workers and veterans back on the job."

THE FACTS: True, "in some cases" wealthy people can exploit loopholes to make their tax rate lower than for people of middle or low income. In recent rhetoric, Obama had suggested it was commonplace for rich people to pay lower rates than others, a claim not supported by IRS statistics. But on Thursday, Obama accurately stated that it only happens sometimes.

In 2009, 1,470 households filed tax returns with incomes above $1 million yet paid no federal income tax, according to the IRS. Yet that was less than 1 percent of returns with incomes above $1 million. On average, taxpayers who made $1 million or more paid 24.4 percent of their income in federal income taxes; those making $100,000 to $125,000 paid 9.9 percent; those making $50,000 to $60,000 paid 6.3 percent. The White House argues that when payroll taxes — paid only on the first $106,800 of wages — are factored in, more middle class workers wind up with a higher tax rate than millionaires.

(Rich people clearly pay their fair share! It is absurd to imply that solving this supposed problem will somehow solve America's jobs or spending problems. Obama knows that this is a problem that a flat tax would quickly fix. Why not propose a real solution for all? Does the president think that we are all ignorant or ... just his supporters? this is class warfare, plain and simple. bw)


___

OBAMA: "China has been very aggressive in gaming the trading system to its advantage and to the disadvantage of other countries, particularly the United States. .... And currency manipulation is one example of it, or at least intervening in the currency markets in ways that have led their currency to be valued lower than the market would normally dictate. And that makes their exports cheaper and that makes our exports to them more expensive."

THE FACTS: While Obama complained about China's efforts to keeps its currency undervalued to gain trade advantages, his administration has repeatedly refused to brand China as a currency manipulator in a report that the Treasury Department is required to send to Congress twice a year.

Such a designation would trigger negotiations between the two countries and could ultimately lead to U.S. trade sanctions against China.

The administration has been reluctant to brand China a currency manipulator, as have past administrations, because the United States depends on China to buy U.S. Treasury securities to help finance America's budget deficits. China owns $1.17 trillion in U.S. Treasury securities, making it the largest foreign holder of Treasury debt.
Associated Press writers Erica Werner, Martin Crutsinger and Calvin Woodward contributed to this report. Copyright © 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
=====================================================
This article is not right-wing rhetoric … this is the associated press ... not even remotely conservative.

Politicians regardless of their office are not above the truth.

President Obama must think that the people are ignorant. His jobs bill and his claim that it will somehow create new jobs the coming year is demonstrably false. Obama knows this and so does any intelligent person who has simply looked at the issue.

The idea that corporate jet owners and million dollar income earners not paying their fair share is clearly politically motivated, class warfare, and campaign rhetoric. When the president contends otherwise, he is directly and continuously lying to us. This is clearly not the hope and change he promised and he was elected to bring about.

The American people must respond accordingly.

Let me know what you think. Talavera.bob@gmail.com

“and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” John 8:32


God bless you my friends, Bob

Thursday, October 6, 2011

The Forces Of Evil



For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,

but against the rulers, against the powers,
against the world forces of this darkness,

against the spiritual forces of wickedness
in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12



The evil one has an unlimited number of lines attack.
Some are just more insidious and evil than others.



We must be careful what we open on the internet.


For example, this past month my wife went to her computer in the morning, only to learn that a virus had completely blacked out her computer, wiping out all data. We have no idea how this happened, she is very careful. It took me a few hours to get it fixed, but only after reloading a new operating system and starting over.

This clearly shows the need for back-up, but also it exposes an ever present force:

EVIL

How else can we explain the logic that would inspire someone to spend the time to create a virus that would attack and destroy millions of computers of people they have never even met? It’s EVIL.


But that is only one line of attack of the evil one. Recently, a friend forwarded a video clip to me that had been posted on the internet by the drug cartel in Mexico, on our border. The logic of my friend who sent me the clip, who is a hardened war veteran was that he wanted me to understand the depth of the problem on our border, and how near we are to evil. I only wish I did not watch that evil. The sight of men being beheaded with a chainsaw is now etched in my memory. I will not describe the remainder of the clip or the men who carried out their work with the casualness of a gardener trimming a tree.

The only thing I can say is: EVIL.

These poor victims were sons, husbands, and fathers to someone, and they were treated like less than garbage to be left for the vultures. And their only crime was to somehow cross evil incarnate.

This is not an isolated incident. Recently, when a policeman was sent to investigate the killing of an American jet skier in cold blood, on a Texas/Mexico border lake; the officer was killed and beheaded within a few short days. That ended the police investigation.


And last month police found a newswoman's decapitated body alongside the road in Nuevo Laredo, with a handwritten sign saying she was killed in retaliation for her postings on a social networking site providing the location of drug dealers. The sign read as follows: “I'm The Laredo Girl, and I'm here because of my reports, and yours," the message read. "For those who don't want to believe, this happened to me because of my actions, for believing in the army and the navy. Thank you for your attention, respectfully, Laredo Girl...ZZZZ. This poor woman was the eighth journalist murdered by the Mexican drug cartels this year.


Why is our government allowing for this evil cancer to continue to expand and operate unopposed? Our military could easily wipe this scum off the map in a matter of months. We should join forces with Mexico and exterminate this evil that is infecting the Mexican border. If we do not control our border and the evil that is pushing across ... in a short time they will have total control of both sides of the border.


Our politicians who refuse to deal with this problem should each be forced to live in Nuevo Laredo for a few months in order to get a clearer understanding of the depth of the problem that they are refusing to deal with. Perhaps President Obama, Eric Holder, and Janet Napolitano should be the first three to spend a few months down there with their families, in order to give them a clearer understanding.


Evil comes in many forms, some worse than others. Cancer would spread through our body in a way similar to my wife’s computer virus, if we allowed it. But no, if we discovered cancer in our body we will do whatever is needed to remove it quickly. What about the mental input into one's mind by evil forces that eventually controls their actions and thinking? This form of evil is stealth, very well hidden, silent but very deadly!


The evil result is accomplished in a short time period: normal people soon become crazed drug cartel killers with a chainsaw; or Iranian Muslims demanding that a Christian pastor be hanged simply because he questioned the fact that his two small children were being forced into the evil Iranian Islamic religious mind control school system.


How are these Islamic fanatics any different than those that flew the planes into the twin towers on 911; or the maniac with the chain saw? The same forces of evil are directing all of these killers.


And how is the Iranian Muslim Brotherhood any different than the ones our foolish government has had our troops fighting alongside in Libya and is also now working alongside in Egypt and other middle eastern countries? There is no difference. They all have the same end in sight … either they will rule; or they will behead the infidels. Those who have been brainwashed with this ideology are a political movement hiding behind a religion, and they should be treated as the enemies that they clearly have shown themselves to be.


Pray for this persecuted Iranian Christian Pastor, Yusef Nadarkhani and his family.
He has done nothing beyond being a Christian, and his Muslim fanatical accusers have now convicted him to a sentence of death, and are plotting to kill him. His supposed crime is that he refused to renounce his faith in Christ, and embrace the Muslim religion. In many similar cases, I am told that if the execution is carried out, that the victims family is also murdered as well ... in this case, the pastor has a wife and two small children.

Forward this post ... pressure must be brought on the Iranian government to reverse this act of evil.
I wonder if the Iranians will ransom him off, like they did recently with the lost hikers who were captured along the Iranian border.
These people are insane!



God bless you my friends, Bob

Jesus Freak





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






Steve McQueen was my favorite movie star. 




His crazy free spirited roles greatly modeled the person I was pretending to be in my youth.


His later life obsessions evolved into wasting his life away ... collecting antique cars, and old gas pumps. How boring that must have been.  Shortly before McQueen died, he met a real life free spirited pilot who he hired to teach him to 
fly WW2 crop-duster planes. 


This man also convinced Steve to commit his life to Jesus Christ. The mighty Steve McQueen, the man who had come to understand that being Mr. Big Shot and having everything actually meant very little, and it surely did not lead to happiness. 


Steve McQueen became a Jesus Freak.


This was the wisest decision Steve McQueen ever made ... and without question, his most important life accomplishment. A short while later McQueen got sick and died. It was as if God was waiting for him to humble himself so that He could bring him home. 


Jesus Freak ... that is how some of my friends from my younger life might surely describe me now, especially those who are not spiritually minded ... and who are still just as wild and crazy as I used to be.



I understand where my friends are coming from ... but that which they might see as a negative; I now know is my most important character quality.


Hopefully, they would never see me as legalistic or judgmental towards them. I try to never push my beliefs on others but I am confident, opinionated, and wish the best for my friends and family, whom I love very much. I am committed to helping others know the Truth, even if it means the loss of friendship, for a time.

When you think about describing yourself, what words quickly come to mind?


Be honest with yourself. This is an interesting exercise. Next ask your spouse or your most honest friend to list ten words that best describe you. Now ... how do the two lists match up? Viewed properly, this should give you much insight, and new ideas for areas that you need to work on in the quest to become a better person.





Here is my personal list: Christian, Bible, ministry, loving, honest, transparent, intelligent, creative, conservative, committed, serious, blunt, politically incorrect, family, friend, humorous, loyal, trusting, tired, salesman, books, music, writer, strategic, manager, salesman, counselor, angry, opinionated, listener, debater, confronter, computer, clutter.

Here was my wife Cheryl’s list for me: honest, moody, caring, loves family, intelligent, short tempered, opinionated, Christian, creative, entrepreneurial, sedentary. I’m glad I told her only ten words, I got a mostly positive review.

There is much for me to learn here, especially from my wife’s list. Hint: moody, short tempered, and sedentary. But also by some specific words that are missing from my personal list such as humble, prayer, meditation, exercise, and diet.


Now, you must admit a lack of transparency is not where I am lacking. Bluntness and insensitivity have sometimes caused me much trouble. Many people can’t handle the truth; regardless of how much they tell you to the contrary.



Here is a question I was recently asked by my doctor that I would not have thought of, and this is the primary focus of this post.

How have you handled the major traumatic events in your life?

Now this is getting more personal and transparent than I had planned, but here goes.



My response to the doctor’s question was that I am a very non-emotional person which is apparently common for men. I then went on to explain that I have not had much trauma in my life. Our conversation then uncovered a list of events that most people would find traumatic and often devastating.


The doctor then asked what about when you were thirteen and your father died.” I replied, I cannot really explain it, but I was not emotional. The doctor felt this was not normal, and shutting out my feelings was possibly blocking my recovery from my health problems. He described this as emotional blockage.


With my counseling training and experience, I have a hard time accepting this, but that does not mean it is not the truth, and I want a healthy body … so here we are. We are all subject to having potential blinders.


We are working as a team, and I want to do everything I can to be the best I can be health-wise, so I have been considering this question in more depth.


I will try here to consider this question and better understand and explain to him what I think might be making me the way that I am. Hopefully this may be of help to some of you as well … especially those who tend to hold things inside: men … ha?


My father died of a heart attack early one morning, shortly after I heard my mother’s screams. I clearly remember the fact that I felt very little emotion. I can actually remember wondering if something was wrong with me, since in my family of six children everyone else was very upset during the weeks that followed.


I also remember wondering to myself, why is everyone so upset? Since we go to heaven when we die, isn’t that a reason to actually be happy for a person when they die? My father had a hard troubled work life, and serious heart problems and he was not very happy person.


This caused me to question the small amount of misguided Christian training that I had received, and resulted in me not knowing what I believed spiritually for the twenty years that followed.




But still … no emotion, is that normal? Am I blocking my emotions in the traumatic moments of my life, as the doctor suggests? I honestly do not think so. But if this is my unconscious habit, I need to know it. This would need to be unblocked for my overall improved health.




I’m sorry to admit it; but the fact is that with my father, our relationship was not very strong. I was just getting to the point where I was about to be able to relate with my father on an adult level, and sadly he died.


I can’t really recall any quality personal moments with my father. His life was primarily focused on relating with my older brothers and sisters on an adult level, and his long hours of work.


In reality, I hardly knew my father when he died. As a young teenager, my life was focused on playing baseball and my friends. This is sad, but true.




In thinking back, when I consider other points of tragedy or trauma in my life, and there have been many, my reaction has been more emotional. The death of my brother-in-law Rick, the murder of my niece Mary, my sister’s death of cancer, and the death of my mother definitely all brought me to tears and open sorrow.




Additionally, the marriage of my daughters; and sad and or inspirational moments, stories, or movies can sometimes move me to tears. So the more I think about it, I am more emotional than I first admitted.




On the other hand, I definitely can remember keeping my cool and possibly holding my feelings inside when I have been cheated in business or betrayed by close friends that I have trusted. This has happened to me multiple times in the past.






The scriptures clearly advise against internalizing feelings of anger or hurt will lead to bitterness and hardening of the heart, which I have tried not to do. “BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity. Ephesians 4:26-27.


I think with more careful thought I can clarify my personal blockage; and it is a direct result of my conversion to Christianity. On October 20 1980, I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior. In the years that followed, one of the key principles that I learned was:


Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 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 12:1-2



I also learned to believe the Words of the Bible literally. This resulted in my current mindset … from that point forward. I believe I am an ambassador for Christ with a ministry of reconciliation. Therefore, my life here on earth is only a temporary transitional period. I am able to abide above and be relatively unconcerned about any trials or traumas that may come my way. I know this might sound fanciful or unstable for someone who believes differently, but it give me peace and rest beyond understanding in the worst of times.




As a result, I have no fear of anything, and am able to turn all of my problems over to the Creator. In the worst of times I have no sleepless nights or worry. Three separate examples of this are: the collapse of my business; my stroke; and my heart failure and the major surgeries that followed. I had no fear of death whatsoever … not even for an instant. In fact, I daily look forward to being with Christ eternally.


“Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth; for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. Colossians 3:1-4


At this point in my life if someone who I love very much were to die an atheist, that would bring me to tears of sadness … but I believe those who die in Christ are experiencing happiness, peace and joy beyond my comprehension at that instant … tears for them should be tears of joy.


Would my beliefs control my emotions? I am convinced that in many cases … NO, we are all subject to our emotions; but Christ has given us victory over all things including our emotions, feelings, and hurts that are beyond our control. I know that the Holy Spirit and God’s Truth would definitely help me through those feelings that might overwhelm my spirit.


I hope this helps my doctor better understand who I am at my core and how my beliefs may have been contributing to the challenge that he diagnosed as blockage. I definitely have worked to renew my mind with God's Truth and not be conformed to this world. This has definitely resulted in controlling my emotions. Has this helped control my negative emotions? Anger is still a problem, and I could always be a more loving person; but in many ways I am greatly improved.


As a result of these facts, I do not feel I easily fit into the typical psychological box with many others; including the vast majority of confessing Christians.

Do I fit into the Jesus Freak box? … Most Definitely.



This one is for my friends ... not my favorite type of music; but it is one of my favorite songs.



Jesus Freak


God bless you my friends, Bob

Sunday, October 2, 2011

I Believe ...


Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them;
for God has showed it to them.

For the invisible things of him from
the creation of the world are clearly seen,

being understood by the things that are made,
even his eternal power and Godhead;
so that they are without excuse:



Because that, when they knew God,
they glorified him not as God,
neither were thankful;
but became vain in their imaginations,
and their foolish heart was darkened. Romans 1:18-24
.





Watch this video and then simply ask yourself ...

How can someone say: "It's an accident, it all happened by chance" ...

there is no god!

How can anyone deny the reality of God's Creation?
How can anyone conclude ... this is an accident?
There is no Plan, no Creator, No Vision ... No God




Evidence of the Creator is so evident in this video, that it is undeniable to anyone who is faithful and who is thinking clearly.

So ... how can so many fall for the evolution scam? Those who deny have been deceived by the same lies that brought about the fall of man.

"And the serpent said to the woman, You shall not surely die: For God does know that in the day you eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." Genesis 3:4-5


For professing Christians, there is another problem. Many have accepted Christ and rejected the Truth of the Word. This same Truth that was there in the beginning, and that became flesh and dwelt among us ... Jesus Christ, God, and the Holy Spirit are all one and the same. For someone to deny the Word of Truth is also to deny Christ. God will not allow for us to have it both ways.


In the beginning was the Word,and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him,and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelled among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:1-14


For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness ... Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools" Romans 1:18-22


Unfortunately, God has a response to this foolishness ...
Those who deny Him or His Word will be denied by Him in eternity.


He that believes on him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:18

The question for all of us is this: "do you believe in Jesus Christ and His Word?

All of those miracles that are so hard to believe, and Jesus Christ are one and the same. All creation; Noah and the flood; Jonah and the whale; Moses and the parting of the sea; the manna from heaven; the virgin birth; walking on water; turning water into wine; feeding thousands with two loaves and a few fish; healing the blind, lame and lepers; raising men from the dead; God coming to earth in the form of a man; the death and resurrection from the dead of the Lord Jesus Christ; and finally when we receive His free gift ... his death on the the cross is the atonement for our sins. Do you believe that Christ will return to rapture the church? ALL of these miracles and Christ are one with the Creator of all things.

All of these miracles are rejected by those who deny Christ. Those who are atheists, evolutionists, naturalists and believers in false religions (christian or otherwise). Do not stand with those who deny Christ. Many supposed christian pastors have fallen for this foolishness and are leading others away from Christ and eternity. Do not be deceived. All teachings must be tested against God's Truth, not the reasoning of men. Christians who stand with them and think they are safe and can have the best of both worlds are fooling themselves. Believing in Christ is believing in the miracles.

All or nothing ... of course, you have the freedom to create your own belief system, but then you are the creator of your beliefs, and you are the god of your life ... not the true Creator.

Repent ... return to Christ and His Holy Word.

His Word alone is eternal Truth.

Choose Jesus Christ, the Truth ... the Savior and Creator of all.

I Believe ...
I Believe ...

I Believe ...

God bless you my friends, Bob