Rebuilding the Foundations

Remembering 9/11

2011-09-11T14:53:00.003-04:00

I was in Dallas, TX, on the morning of September 11, 2001, attending technical training on a new fiber communications system our company had recently purchased. The rumors started circulating about an aircraft having crashed into a building in New York City. We heard that it was a cargo aircraft. The class went on, but attendance started dwindling and our attention was being drawn to the only small TV set at the training facility.

By mid-morning we knew what was going on. It was all over the TV. I don’t recall fear, but I did have a sense of calm uncertainty. Somehow, I knew God had this under control and that everything would work out according to His will. I just wasn’t sure how it would all play out or how I would get back to my family in Chattanooga.

Interestingly, one of my friends, who was in our group, and I had visited over the previous weekend the site of another national tragedy, the assassination of President John Kennedy. If we had any doubts that a lone gunman could have killed Kennedy, they were erased on that visit. The guy had a clear field of vision, and his target was about 30 yards away. Conspiracy theories notwithstanding, it was no problem for a skilled marksman. But, I digress.

Back in those days I did not carry a cell phone, so the calling card was the only option. I remember calling my supervisor back in Chattanooga. We spoke for a few moments. He indicated that security measures were being ramped up, especially at the nuclear plants, but we had to keep our noses to the grindstone and do our jobs. What else could he say?

I’m not sure we learned much about fiber communications for the rest of the day, but we went through the motions. What drove it home for us was going outside on break and seeing no contrails in the sky. Some people were crying because they had obviously lost friends and acquaintances in the World Trade Center. We heard about folks on our company Trading Floor who had been on the phone doing business with people in the Trade Center at the time of the impacts. Some escaped. Many died.

The first contact from home was a voice mail on my hotel phone from our daughter, Ginger. She wanted me to come home. My first call home was to my wife, and we had a nice conversation. I told her we would get back home after the training was over, but at that point I had no idea how that would happen. One of the guys in our group had driven his pickup truck to Dallas, so he offered to take the rest of us back to Chattanooga when the time came. Five guys in a pickup for 1200 miles? Hmmmm.

The rest of the week went on pretty normally with the exception of the incessant reruns of the buildings coming down. In a way it reminded me of watching a Titanic movie. You hope for a different outcome, but the ship always sinks in the end. At that point we knew that a lot of ships were going to sink for a very long time.

There were some discussions about who we were going to “nuke” or where we were going to create a new parking lot, but most of the images on TV looked like somebody had already done that. Next option.

With people camped out at Dallas Fort Worth Airport waiting for the resumption of flights we decided we were going to drive. The rental car company (Avis) graciously allowed us to take one of their rentals to “wherever we needed to go” with no drop charge.

Finally, Friday arrived and we cut out early. With light traffic on the road (and some heavy foots on the pedal) we made it back to Chattanooga before dark. And, the rest, as they say, is history.

Why Does Bad Stuff Happen?

2011-05-01T08:31:00.001-04:00

How do you make sense of the death and destruction we saw on Wednesday, April 27, 2011? As is my custom, I was reading Scripture and commentaries in a serial fashion, just as they were given by God’s Holy Spirit (the Scriptures, that is), on that day. Having previously read through Job, I am currently reading Dr. Henry Morris’s great commentary on that book. On April 27, this is what I was reading:

From Dr. Henry Morris – “Then the blow fell. In just one day, Job had all his wealth destroyed, all his servants slain, and his ten children killed in a sudden tornado. Job received the tragic news from different sources within a few minutes of each other (Job 1:13 – 19). . . Not all such phenomena are directly caused by Satan. The natural processes of the world entail occasional storms and holy angels and God himself can control any of the processes that the fallen angels can. We see here, however, that on some occasions these phenomena can have a Satanic cause, if God allows. The same applies to our own reasoning and decision-making processes, so we need to consider all these possibilities prayerfully when difficult circumstances arise in our own lives.” – The Remarkable Record of Job, pp. 59, 60

Right now we don’t know why, but we do know that God is in control, and He does care. That is the message we need to give people, not some “God loves you” sentimentality. Sentiment doesn’t save and it doesn’t do anything practical. So, as we continue to minister by giving money, blood, water, food, or whatever, let’s be prepared to answer questions in an honest, Scriptural fashion, telling people Who God is, who we are, and what Jesus did.

I remain yours, in the Name of Jesus,

Mr. Phil

Marriage Is Honorable

2010-08-21T11:50:00.001-04:00

From Days of Praise, August 21, 2010
Marriage Is Honorable
by Henry Morris, Ph.D. | Aug. 21, 2010
"Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge." (Hebrews 13:4)

Ever since the divine union of Adam and Eve, the institution of marriage has been between a man and woman. However, the "bed" has often been defiled, with all kinds of sexual perversions. Homosexual behavior is often mentioned in the Bible, and always explicitly condemned, even being called an "abomination" by the Lord (Leviticus 18:22). Adultery, fornication, prostitution, incest, bestiality, and all forms of sexual practice outside of heterosexual marriage relations are also condemned. Indeed, "God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions" (Ecclesiastes 7:29).

Yes, but times have changed, we are told. The so-called "gay" lifestyle is now a normal option, they say, and even "same-sex" marriages are acceptable. Premarital sex, as well as adultery, are very common today, all over the world, often even impacting Christian homes and churches. Indeed, the world has changed!

But God has not changed, and His commandments and purposes have not changed. "For I am the LORD, I change not" (Malachi 3:6), He says. In the last book of the Bible, the glorified Christ said that "the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death" (Revelation 21:8).

The Greek word for "whoremongers," incidentally, includes anyone who practices or promotes illicit sex of any kind and the Bible says that "whoremongers and adulterers God will judge." However, God will forgive and purge away any of these sins when they are repudiated and Christ is accepted as Savior. HMM

On Human Marriage

2010-08-05T20:44:00.002-04:00

Marriage can only exist between a man and a woman. We know this because God made the woman from the man and brought her to him so that they could become one flesh (Genesis 2:18 – 25). Jesus Christ, the Son of God, confirmed this when He said, speaking of marriage, that in the beginning God made them male and female (Mark 10:2 – 9). Since both God the Father and God the Son have already ruled on this, no earthly judge or panel of judges can change it. Nor is it open to “majority rule.”

Because the primary purpose of marriage is procreation (Genesis 1:28), logic dictates that marriage can exist between a man and a woman only. It is impossible for two individuals of the same sex to produce a child. This is against nature (Romans 1:26 – 32).

Some may argue that marriage should exist between a man and a woman because of “societal norms” or “traditional family values.” These are false reasons because they change. However, God’s standard never changes.

Any judge or panel of judges who arrogantly attempt to overrule the Lord God concerning marriage should be impeached. God has the final word on human marriage.

I remain yours in the Name above every Name, Jesus Christ,

"Mr. Phil"

What’s Wrong With America?

2010-07-24T14:20:00.002-04:00

Our “christian” culture is the way it is because our “christian” families and churches are the way they are.

The Problem

Rather than quote a long string of statistics, we can firmly state that we just somehow KNOW that things are broken. Peruse these articles for various viewpoints regarding the decline of our culture:

http://www.christianinformation.org/article.asp?artID=88

http://allanturner.com/article14.html

http://www.brutallyhonest.org/brutally_honest/2005/02/whats_wrong_wit.html

http://www.christianpost.com/blogs/christianity/2009/05/something-is-wrong-with-the-church-04/index.html

The Solution

Discussion of the solution to the problem assumes that those who profess to be followers of Christ are being true to their profession. “9That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9, 10) One who is not a true follower of Christ is said to be “dead in trespasses and sin.” A dead person cannot influence family, church, or culture.

Very simply, we must begin operating with a renewed mind. “ . . . be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:2)

The Christ we claim to follow tells us we are to be the salt and light in the culture. “13Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 14Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:13 – 16)

Thankfully, we still have many pastors / teachers who are willing to run counter to the culture and encourage Christian families to build stronger churches and positively influence the culture. See the following resources for a small sample:

http://www.redbankbaptist.org/resources.html

http://shop.churchandfamilyreformation.org/What-He-Must-Be-If-He-Wants-to-Marry-My-Daughter-BKWHMBVB.htm

Conclusion

Our “christian” culture is the way it is because our “christian” families and churches are the way they are. What will you do to create positive change?

I remain yours in the name of Jesus Christ, the Name above every name.

“Mr. Phil”

Hell Invading Helena?

2010-07-14T21:06:00.000-04:00

You decide:

http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=37368

http://www.helena.k12.mt.us/images/documents/curriculum/HealthCurriculum/K12FinalHealth.pdf (See Page 45 ff)

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/07/09/montana-school-proposes-controversial-sex-education-program/

Good reasons to home school!

Every Believer a Witness (1)

2010-03-21T15:36:00.001-04:00

My life before I met Jesus:

I was born in Winchester, VA, the youngest of four siblings. My sister and two brothers are still living there in my hometown.

I was very sad when my parents divorced when I was ten years old. School was a great way for me to lose myself in academics. I also remember watching the Washington Senators on TV with my mother. I learned to play a clarinet in school.

My mother sent me to Sunday School, but I stopped going when I turned ten. My life as a teenager was wrapped up in school. I especially enjoyed amateur radio in those years. I thought I had everything going my way until I went off to college.

After high school graduation, I went off to state university, but that did not last long. Although I had been brought up in a non-religious home, I had received moral teaching. My morals and state university did not mix. So, I went off to a Christian university.

Next installment: How I came to accept Jesus into my life

The Stop Sign, Part 8

2010-03-12T13:43:00.001-05:00

The Stop Sign, Part 8

The warm reception by his parents gave young Jimmy Wilson a sense of doing the right thing, and knowing that he was now on the right road, not only to heaven but also to a life of goodness. Little did he realize that he would eventually leave that road.

The departure came gradually. It was hard, he thought, to put a finger on the precise moment when things began to change but it seemed that there were subtle things in the air when he began high school. It was there, he recalled, that teachers were not so kind to the words of the bible. They began casting some doubts on it. At first, he thought, this was a horrible thing but he discovered that in order to get a good grade in the class, he would have to accept what the teachers were saying. Initially this was a problem but eventually it became easier to see that what they were saying was “more scientific” and must be right…and the bible, somehow, incorrect…maybe even downright wrong.

In high school he began to hear more and more about evolution, especially in biology(i) but also in other science classes; even in things dealing with politics and economics. It seemed that wherever he turned, someone or some book was talking about evolution. Seeing it mentioned in so many ways, Jimmy Wilson had to assume it was true. And increasingly he set aside his determination to hear and read what God had to say about things. “Those things in the bible are only myths,” he kept hearing from teachers, people he was expected to honor. Besides, could they be wrong, he thought.

When he started college and was working his way through the years of undergraduate and graduate studies he became committed to the evolutionary perspective, setting aside all he had ever thought to be true of God. He stopped attending church by this time, though he knew that he shouldn’t have. About the only time he returned to church was the day he married Sally Witherspoon, a beautiful gal from Fort Wayne, Indiana. She was a music major at the time and later gave private voice lessons in their home, all of that followed the addition of three children to their home: two boys and a girl. After graduation, with a Ph.D. in biology, Wilson secured the job he has been holding for nearly 30 years, a job he was about to leave.

It was much the order of the day for him to teach evolution as he had been taught. Of late, however, the task had not been so easy. Several years earlier he had come to read some books that cast serious doubts on the idea of evolution. Maybe the first was Michael Denton’s book: Evolution-A Theory in Crisis. Other books followed this and lectures, all of which cast dark shadows on the things he thought were true. He came to realize that the orientation of amino acids didn’t make sense in a world unless they were created. He came to see that there was no way the complexity he observed in living organisms could have occurred through chance. He understood that the design he saw in nature was not an “apparent” design but was real design, requiring a designer. Increasingly he felt tension in what he was hearing and reading and what he was telling his students. But he had tried to ignore this tension, arguing that it wouldn’t be long and he would be outside the campus, no longer having to worry about what he taught or what he said. If he could only hang on, he thought, just a little longer until retirement, then he would be able to shed the cloak of evolution which had so much been a part of his life but which he now knew to be wrong and unscientific.

It is hard, he thought, to admit he was wrong….but Sally knew something was awry.

“What’s the problem, Jim? She would ask this over supper. She had a way of knowing these things but he seldom had the courage to admit the real problem. “I’m alright,” he said…”Maybe a little tired.”

Dan Schobert, W9MFG@charter.net

"(i)..you could say that I lost the last remnants of my faith in God during biology class in high school when I first was taught that evolution explained the origin and development of life. The implications were clear. Charles Darwin's theory eliminated the need for a supernatural creator...."

So says Lee Strobel in his 2000 (Zondervan) book, The Case for Faith which I had the occasion to read this week, on audio tape. Strobel's work follows closely on the heels of his earlier piece, The Case for Christ. Strobel, a former atheist and award winning legal editor at the Chicago Tribune, used the approach of a journalist by raising important questions, in this particular case about faith and going to several experts in the field for reasonable answers. On the question of faith and science, he spoke with Walter Bradley. Though I believe Bradley might be classified as an Old Earth Creationist, he did point out the vast data which points, on the basis of the information, to an initial source of intelligence.

Perhaps more than anything, this work of Strobel builds the case for understanding and accepting the Word of God as being true. This book is easy to read and a handy tool to give unbelieving friends.

(Footnote added in May 2004): Strobel has now added another book to this discussion. The Case for a Creator, from Zondervan became available in 2004 and, like the earlier works, presents information which places into question much of what has so often presented as evidence for evolution.

Families – Threats – Morality not being taught in schools

2010-02-26T17:32:00.001-05:00

From our Introductory Post:

“The righteous have sat back and allowed the wicked to take over our relationships to God, families, churches, governments, schools and colleges, journalism, entertainment, sports, sciences, and a whole litany of other endeavors in our society.”

Families – Threats – Morality not being taught in schools

In our previous post we considered the topic of Threats to Families, specifically Pornography. We will now take a look at another threat to the family, Morality not being taught in schools.

We must understand from the start that this blog considers all Morality to be Biblical in nature because true morality derives from the Bible, the Word of God. Some may disagree with this approach, and that is your privilege, but the only reasonable approach is that morality is objective. Any morality that is subjective can change and, therefore, is not truly morality.

“In Colonial America the schools were mostly run by the churches. The first settlers in America felt that it was important that children learned to read so they could read their Bibles.” This statement from http://www.schoolprayerinamerica.info/ provides the basis for teaching Biblical morality in American schools. Students of that day read the Bible and the New England Primer. “Daily school prayer was a natural part of this educational system. After the American Revolution, Noah Webster introduced the Blue-backed Speller which also used Bible verses to teach reading and spelling. In 1836 the McGuffey Reader was introduced which also featured Bible verses to teach moral values. This school system produced some of the world’s brightest inventors and set the Industrial Revolution in motion. The schools continued to be run mostly by Christian Churches until the 1890's at which point States started to take control of the existing schools. By 1900 many other text books were in use and they all had Bible quotes in them.”

In today’s schools people expect the continued teaching of “morality,” but many of them think of morality in terms of a humanist approach, as in http://www.freeinquiry.com/teaching-morals.html . Cities are concerned about the incidence of crime and feel that the problem can be addressed through the educational system. “While everyone in our city (New Orleans, LA) should seek to comprehend why so many high school- and college-aged people are involved in violence, educators have a particular responsibility to understand the problem and take action.” See http://blog.nola.com/guesteditorials/2009/01/why_schools_must_teach_moralit.html . Some school systems approach the teaching of morals as “character education.” Such terms as “fairness” and “respect” are used without explaining the basis of these character traits. See http://www.hcde.org/site/partners/character_ed/default.aspx .

All approaches are doomed to failure except a return to Biblical morality. How can anyone argue with a system that produced the greatest republic in the history of the world? Even with all of our present problems America is still the shining light attracting people from all over the world.

Summary

This post has examined morality not being taught in schools as a major threat to families. We discovered that the solution is found in returning to the Biblical morality of our founding ancestors. Our next post will take a look at another threat to families, Poverty.

I remain yours in the name of Jesus Christ, the Creator and Name above every name.

“Mr. Phil”

The Stop Sign, Part 7

2010-02-12T21:18:00.001-05:00

The Stop Sign, Part 7

Soon the hall was empty except for Billy and the professor who remained sitting on his desk. Shortly Billy rose from his seat, grabbed the loops of a backpack and walked down the slanted aisle to where the professor sat. Reaching into his pack, Billy took out a brown paper wrapped item, a gift with a colorful red ribbon and placed it on the professor’s brief case. Billy extended his hand to the professor.

“I really appreciate your thoughts,” he said. “I think it was difficult to share those in today’s class. Good luck as you retire.”

The professor grabbed Billy’s hand and shook it but not sure exactly what it meant. In his heart he wanted to confirm what Billy Lynch had said but it seemed unwise at the moment as he simply wanted the day to end, not knowing what might happen next as the word spread among the students that he had actually questioned the validity of evolution.

“Thanks,” he said. “Thanks for being in my class today. What is in the package,” he asked, lifting it from its place on the desk and balancing it in his hand.

“It is something I’ve been holding for you,” said Billy. “I hope you enjoy it.”

With that, Billy Lynch left the professor sitting on the desk, walked up the stairway to the hallway and disappeared.

The professor sat on his desk for a long time, pondering the comments he had just made and heard and wondering about the package he held. He wondered how it could be that he had drifted so far away from the goals he had embraced when a child. His mind took him back to moments when, as a ten-year-old lad at a church camp, he had decided that being a Christian was the right thing to do. His decision followed a week of camp fun; lots of swimming, hiking, singing and bon fires at Camp Lake Louise in Michigan. It was a great trip for a kid like him. He remembered the ride in a old green school bus which took the young people from their small country church near Bowling Green, Ohio to the camp not far from the big Mac bridge at the northern tip of Michigan’s southern peninsula. He could nearly smell the inescapable odors of the Cedar boards used in the construction of the cabins and the wonderful meals; the experiences came back to his mind as though they occurred yesterday. It had been a memorable experience. Each night at the campfire, the camp pastor would tell bible stories and challenge the young people to give their lives to Christ. On the last night little Jimmy Wilson (that’s what they called him) raised his hand and decided then and there that he would live for God the rest of his life.

When he returned to the Ohio farmhouse where he lived with his mother and father, he was quick to share the news of his time at camp, especially of deciding to be a Christian.

“This is wonderful,” said his father. “We have been praying for you even since you were born.” His mother hugged him and kissed him on the check. “We are so happy,” she said.

Dan Schobert, W9MFG@charter.net

The Stop Sign, Part 6

2010-02-08T14:10:00.002-05:00

The Stop Sign, Part 6

Professor Wilson was surprised, as were his students, to hear such words in a University classroom, words that had not resonated there in many years, though it was commonly discussed in the early days of the institution, those days when the leadership and founders had dedicated the campus to the Glory of God. A lot had happened in the following years, decades of gradual decline until the present moment when it seemed that even the mention of God was like expressing an ugly word.

Billy Lynch appeared to be satisfied with the answer. “Thank you professor,” he said. “It seems to me,” he continued, “that if God is the one who provides absolutes, He would also be the one who could give important information about the origins of things. This being the case, it would seem necessary to consider His words. But the lectures we have been getting have pretty much tossed the Bible aside and asked us to believe that everything we see around us are the result of time and chance. I am aware that there have been many attempts to reconcile both views but, in my opinion, these have failed because, in the long run, they have tended to down play the role of God. So, perhaps, it comes down to trusting God.”

“But there is more,” he said. “Let’s say that I have a gun.”

He quickly pushed his right hand into his pocket. The students and Professor gasped, perhaps thinking they were going to be victims. Slowly Billy Lynch pulled his hand from his pocket but it was in the form of a gun, with his index finger pointing ahead and thumb erect, the kind of gesture kids make when playing. He pointed the “gun” around the room, finally taking aim at the professor.

“Imagine this is a real gun,” he said. “And I was about to shoot you or maybe some of my classmates, even myself. Though an illegal act, and besides the fact that you probably wouldn’t like me to shoot you or anyone else, on what basis can it be said that I shouldn’t do this? I mean, we have been hearing in this lecture series that evolution has always proceeded on the basis of survival. And maybe I sense that you and the others in this room are a danger to my survival and believe that removing you would increase my longevity. So, under the rules of evolution, I have every right to do just that, and not be punished for it because I would be acting in accordance with the rules of evolution.”

Billy slowly put his “gun” back into his pocket and sat down. The hall was quiet except for the hum of the air conditioner. Professor Wilson said nothing. He was stunned because he knew that what Billy Lynch had said was true. He knew it to be true and he also knew that most of his fellow professors, deep down, would agree.

Soon the students began to file out. Some paused at Billy’s desk, shaking his hand or giving him a thumbs up salute. “Way to go,” someone said in passing.

Not a few, however, shook their heads, believing Lynch to be some sort of fanatic. “You’re crazy,” one said. “What are you, a religious nut?” someone shouted.

Dan Schobert, W9MFG@charter.net

The Stop Sign, Part 5

2010-01-30T21:17:00.002-05:00

The Stop Sign, Part 5

He said it with a particular sense of awe and reverence. It was the word he had long before vowed to avoid in his conversations, in his classes, in his life. But he knew, deep down, this was the answer; it was the answer he had been avoiding for his thirty years of teaching because he knew that what he had been teaching about evolution had only eliminated the word, but not God Himself. He knew that the idea of evolution was questionable at best but he had been teaching it anyway, hoping against hope that he would never be called on the carpet to defend it. In the end, he knew, the real answer to the great questions of life did not come from something that emerged from a slimy pit eons ago, but came from God. As though emerging from a moment of silent prayer, Professor Wilson raised his eyes to the fourth row, fifth seat where Billy Lynch remained standing, hands in his pockets.

“Is that the answer you wanted,” asked the professor with a voice, though a whisper, it could be heard by everyone.

“Thank you Professor Wilson. That is the answer but I have to wonder where you received information about God. This does not seem to have an evolutionary source. If the idea of God has also come through evolutionary processes, it would make His existence no different from any other idea we might hold. I mean, it is maybe easy to say the word GOD but saying it doesn’t make something exist, does it?”

The professor moved away from the chalkboard and stood again in front of his gray metal desk, the kind with two drawers on either side of the place where a person sits, the kind the University administration seemed to think is befitting a lecture hall. Pushing aside his briefcase and several books, the professor sat on the desk edge with his feet, encased in a pair of Brown penny loafers, dangling several inches from the floor. With his left and right hands grasping the desk edges to his sides, he seemed lost in his thoughts. ‘Where do I go next with this discussion,’ he wondered. Raising his head, he scanned across the audience and looked into the eyes of his students, these young people who had been listening to him talk about evolution. He also had a flash back to those thousands of students which had been in those same seats for the many years of his teaching, students whom he had failed because he hadn’t spoke to them about really important things but instead had told them a fairy tale about life and they had bought it, as they should have, in order that he would give them a passing grade and allow them to move on to additional studies. He, at the moment, felt he had let them down and he was beginning to sense the harm he had done to so many.

After looking into the eyes of those who were staring at him, his focus returned to Billy Lynch, this young man who remained standing, a lone figure among a sitting crowd.

“Yes,” he finally said. “Yes, God is more than a three letter word on a University chalkboard. Even if I had not written that word, God would still exist. He exists, not because I say so, but because the Bible says so. It is there we learn about such an important matter.”

Dan Schobert, W9MFG@charter.net

Families – Threats – Pornography

2010-01-29T16:23:00.000-05:00

From our Introductory Post:

“The righteous have sat back and allowed the wicked to take over our relationships to God, families, churches, governments, schools and colleges, journalism, entertainment, sports, sciences, and a whole litany of other endeavors in our society.”

Families – Threats – Pornography

In our previous post we considered the topic of Threats to Families, specifically Cohabitation Before Marriage. We will now take a look at another threat to the family, Pornography.

We continue looking at areas that may create some ire among certain readers. Generally, when pet sins are exposed, even professing “christians” take exception. I am really not concerned about sparing feelings at this point so will be as objective as I can about this topic and other topics as they present threats to the family. Those who take offense need to deal with it between themselves and God.

How often have we heard, "Men, women and sometimes even children are saturated by sexual content, and more significantly, are told that it has no real effect. It's just a little amusement."? This quote from Pat Fagan, senior fellow of the Family Research Council, reveals the tension caused by the proliferation of pornography throughout our culture. Dr. Fagan in the same article, http://www.christianpost.com/article/20091202 , details some of the negative effects of pornography summarized by the statement, "pornography corrodes the conscience, promotes distrust between husbands and wives and debases untold thousands of young women."

Jill C. Manning, M.S., in testimony before a U.S. Senate committee in November, 2005, detailed the negative effects of pornography as related to the family.

“1. Increased marital distress, and risk of separation and divorce,
2. Decreased marital intimacy and sexual satisfaction,
3. Infidelity
4. Increased appetite for more graphic types of pornography and sexual activity associated with abusive, illegal or unsafe practices,
5. Devaluation of monogamy, marriage and child rearing,
6. An increasing number of people struggling with compulsive and addictive sexual behaviour.” ( http://www.heritage.org/research/family/tst111405a.cfm?renderforprint=1 )

With all of these negative effects documented and intuitively known it is fair to ask why pornography continues to be tolerated by our nation. First Amendment considerations aside, a report from PBS’s Frontline is insightful here:

“It's one of the hottest industries in America. Easier to order at home than a pizza, bigger than rock music, it's arguably the most profitable enterprise in cyberspace. AT&T has been in the business. Yahoo! has profited from it. Westin and Marriott have made more money selling it than selling snacks and drinks in their mini-bars. And with estimates as high as $10 billion a year, it boasts the kind of earnings that most American businesses would envy.” (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/porn/view/ )

It would seem the real bottom line regarding pornography, as with most things, is the bottom line. There is simply too much money being made from this industry to get anyone in authority to do anything substantive about.

The solution here is found in the Biblical admonitions, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,” (2 Corinthians 6:17) and “For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.” (1 Thessalonians 4:7) among others. By simply saying no to many of the offerings of the media and the Internet and replacing them with God’s Word, wholesome books, DVDs, downloads, films, etc. we can overcome the negative effects of the plague of pornography in our families.

Summary

This post has examined Pornography as a major threat to families. We discovered that the solution is found not only in observing Biblical injunctions but providing positive practical alternatives to the programming offered by the typical media outlets and the Internet. Our next post will take a look at another threat to families, Morality not Being Taught in Schools.

I remain yours in the name of Jesus Christ, the Creator and Name above every name.

“Mr. Phil”

The Stop Sign, Part 4

2010-01-27T15:41:00.001-05:00

The Stop Sign, Part 4

There, he thought…he had actually used that word, the one he dreaded to say because saying something is ‘absolute’ meant it came from somewhere outside of himself though his college education in science had forced him to believe that nothing existed that could not be tested. He knew that the only source of absolutes was God but God had been far from his mind since entered the education field.

Lifting his eyes, raising his eyebrows toward Lynch, he said: “Is that the answer you wanted?”

The class, though anxious to leave the hall and get to another room, sat in their seats as though they were glued in them. There was little movement except the turning of heads from the professor to their classmate who had suddenly become the focus of attention, something they thought a little strange since few had given Lynch much notice. Now they looked at Billy and began to wonder about him. What gave him the strength to stand up to a professor? Wasn’t he concerned about getting a lower grade?

Lynch, still standing as the other students sat and gazed at him, kept his eyes on the professor.

“Thank you professor, that is part of the answer I was seeking,” said Billy. “Can you tell me, tell us (motioning with his hands), what might be the source of this absolute value? That is…during your course lectures you have repeatedly said that all of what we see…reality. . is the result of time + chance. In such a situation of happenstance, there doesn’t seem to be any way for something to be absolutely true. It seems to me that anything we say and anything we do would be like a toss of dice. Who can truly say that something like an absolute exists when the word itself may simply be an expression of some interesting, chance connection in the brain?”

The class was stunned to hear such a thing. Many of Billy’s classmates had not given such thoughts any consideration before this moment. They had failed to see that the idea of evolution was more than biology; it was more than physics or chemistry. There was more here than they had realized and they remained in their seats, not so much concerned with their next classes but wondering where this face-to-face discussion was going to lead.

Professor Wilson, himself somewhat stunned by the student’s courage and intrigued by the ongoing expression of Lynch’s mind, looked down from the audience. His head bowed, as though in deep thought, he moved toward the chalkboard and picked up a new, three inch piece of chalk. Slowly, and with as much care as possible, Wilson slowly wrote three big letters on the board. G-O-D is what he wrote, with a broad white underline for emphasis.

“That is the source of my, of our, absolute statement(1),” said Wilson.

Dan Schobert, W9MFG@charter.net

Note

(1)In a recent national survey conducted by the Barna Research Group, people were asked if they believe that there are moral absolutes that are unchanging or if moral truth is relative to the circumstances. By a 3-to-1 margin (645 vs. 22 %), adults said truth is always relative to the person and the situation. Among teens who were polled, 83% said moral truth depends on the circumstances, and only six % said moral truth is absolute. Born-again Christians were more likely than others to accept moral absolutes. George Barna, head of the research group, noted that substantial numbers of people who call themselves Christians believe that activities such as abortion, gay sex, cohabitation, drunkenness, and pornography are morally acceptable. “Without some firm and compelling basis for suggesting that acts are inappropriate, people are left with philosophies such as “if it feels good, do it,’ ‘everyone else is doing it,’ or ‘as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else, it’s permissible.’” Barna went on to say that based on these findings the church is in trouble and that failure to address this issue at its root, and to do so quickly and persuasively, will undermine the strength of the church for at least another generation and probably longer. (cited in Church Around the world, May 2002, from Tyndale Publishers)

The Stop Sign, Part 3

2010-01-25T17:19:00.001-05:00

The Stop Sign, Part 3
“Thank you professor but it still isn’t clear to me why you wouldn’t like someone to get hurt or killed. Is this an opinion you have? Maybe there is someone in the world, even someone in this room who would be delighted if someone was hurt or killed for failing to stop at a stop sign. What would make your thought any more valid than that thought? Is your position on this seemingly strange question one of absolute truth, or is it an opinion?

Professor Wilson, stalling to ponder the issue on the floor, continued to put away his lecture notes, stuffing them into the black leather brief case, the one he had been given 30 years ago when he began his teaching career. The case was showing its age; the handle needing some repair. He snapped the case shut with a click, left it on his desk and slowly moved to the front of the desk, his hands behind his back. He had long ago been aware that a question like this might arise; he had expected it but had hoped that he could get through his teaching career without having to address the thought behind the question. He remembered that long ago, before college, he would have had a quick answer to this kind of question but his college education had changed his mind. He had known & been aware that the things he was teaching about evolution had a moral concern but he had put the problem aside, so that he could accept this position at the University and live a good life. He simply wished to maintain his career with the least amount of confrontation, accepting his comfortable paychecks without having to deal with questions that bothered him. Wilson was keenly aware that much of what he taught about evolution was nonsense but he did it anyway. What would his colleagues think of him if he didn’t spew the usual story? He would be laughed at; he might even lose his position. No, he thought, during his 30 years of teaching…he would teach what he had been taught to teach and not worry about other things. But here he was, facing a crowd of some 600 eyes…all wishing to have some word of wisdom from the old professor.

He stood in front of his desk for a long time, his eyes focused on young ‘Billy’Lynch. Not that he was at a loss of words but he wondered about the connection between this strange question and the many lectures that preceded it, though he feared where the question might be leading. What was the connection between stopping for a stop sign and the hours of telling the students about evolution? In all his years of attending school himself, he had never found himself in this kind of situation.

Wilson was not a big man, as men go. His 200 pounds were spread over a frame that would hardly qualify for a football team. Most of his hair was gone, not that he was bald but he had, several years earlier, decided to keep his hair short, not skin-head short but clipped very close. He wore steel rimmed glasses; bifocals. They sat on his broad nose just above a thin line mustache. His chin was now beardless though he often sported a beard, a goatee of sorts. He had recently shaved it off, giving him a new look, even a freshman look, perhaps fitting for the retirement he had envisioned with Sally, his wife, as they made plans to visit Europe as soon as things on campus were wrapped up. He was wearing a light blue denim short-sleeved shirt, one with a banded collar, unbuttoned at the top. The shirt was tucked into his dark blue Levi trousers, and he had a wide western style belt with a large buckle, the kind many cowboys wear.

He lowered his hands to his sides, realizing that he had to say something.

“Yes,” he said. “It is absolutely true that it would not be a good thing for someone to be hurt or killed at a stop sign.”

Dan Schobert, W9MFG@charter.net

Open Letter to Candidates

2010-01-19T20:21:00.001-05:00

During this 2010 election year I have decided to send an open letter to each candidate for each office for which I will cast a vote. I have reproduced that letter in this blog. The writing of this document took me a number of days of reflection and prayer.

I truly believe that this document reflects the type of individual we need in elective office. Everything in this letter reflects either a Biblical or truly traditional American principle. I did not make up any of this. Any person who decides to reject the principles in this document is likely either ignorant or evil or both and is not worthy to seek elective office in this country.

I encourage you to copy this letter and, after customizing for your situation, send it to your newspaper or online editorial section or office seekers in your area.

I remain yours in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ,

“Mr. Phil”

“Dear . . .,

I appreciate your interest in serving as . . .

When an individual decides to seek elective office at any level in our great Republic, it is understood that a wonderful opportunity is available to educate the public, especially traditional families, through that campaign. The American election process is more about passing on the American tradition of governance and free enterprise than winning individual elections or shifting the “balance of power” at the local, state, or national level.

Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence said, “. . . all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights . . .” Modern statists, insisting rights are granted by a central government, would not agree with Mr. Jefferson’s belief that rights are derived from God.

John Jay, first Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, stated, “Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.” In Jay’s day, “Christian” had a rather different meaning than it does today. He would likely write, “persons of Biblical faith” in today’s language.

Jay was a Founding Father, member of the 1st and 2nd Continental Congresses, President of the Continental Congress, instrumental in the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, a writer of the Federalist Papers, involved in the writing of the Constitution of New York state, Governor of New York, and had many other accomplishments. John Jay was a man who should be studied and emulated by our children.

John Adams, second President of the U.S. said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." Adams also stated in correspondence to Thomas Jefferson, "I have examined all religions, as well as my narrow sphere, my straightened means, and my busy life, would allow; and the result is that the Bible is the best Book in the world. It contains more philosophy than all the libraries I have seen." He went on to say, "Without Religion this World would be Something not fit to be mentioned in polite Company, I mean Hell." Modern secularists, insisting that “religion” should remain within the four walls of a church, would not agree with Mr. Jay or Mr. Adams. At the same time they are doing all they can to promote their religion of evolutionary secular humanism through the government school systems.

The colonists of Plymouth Plantation despaired of working “for the common good” and gave up the idea of expending effort so that others, who would not work, could share in the benefits. This resulted in poverty and starvation. William Bradford, Governor, replaced the failed collectivist economic system of the London sponsors of that colony with a system of free enterprise. After the implementation of free enterprise, in which each person retained the fruits of his labor, the situation turned around and led to further colonization by others of like mind from the European continent. A system of trade with the local native population was developed, resulting in greater prosperity for all concerned.

Therefore, considering that we are likely less wise than our Founding Fathers, I would encourage use of the campaign pulpit to teach from their ideas our families and children, along with the general voting public, what it means to be an American, a Christian or person of Biblical faith, and an entrepreneur. Please read publicly, first from the Bible, and then from our Founding Documents without shame and embarrassment. As Adams said, our system will work “only for a moral and religious people.” The wisdom of William Bradford prevailed in ensuring a free enterprise approach in the founding of an economic system within the new Republic. We are all responsible to promote that kind of society.

Thank you for caring.

Sincerely,”

Families – Threats – Cohabitation Before Marriage

2010-01-07T20:34:00.001-05:00

From our Introductory Post:

“The righteous have sat back and allowed the wicked to take over our relationships to God, families, churches, governments, schools and colleges, journalism, entertainment, sports, sciences, and a whole litany of other endeavors in our society.”

Families – Threats – Cohabitation Before Marriage

In our previous post we considered the topic of Threats to Families, specifically Absentee Fathers. We will now take a look at another threat to the family, Cohabitation Before Marriage.

Now we move into areas that may create some ire among certain readers. Generally, when pet sins are exposed, even professing “christians” take exception. I am really not concerned about sparing feelings at this point so will be as objective as I can about this topic and other topics as they present threats to the family. The usual argument goes something like, “You wouldn’t buy a pair of shoes unless you tried them on!” Excuse me; trying on a pair of shoes does not equate to a lifetime commitment to a man or woman in marriage. Those who take offense need to deal with it between themselves and God.

Before considering the effects of this phenomenon, we should investigate the extent of it. The United States Census Bureau has reported that “. . . the number of cohabiting households increased from 1.1 million in 1977 to 4.9 million 20 years later in 1997. Cohabiting households made up 1.5 percent of all households in 1977, increasing to 4.8 percent by 1997.” A more ominous aspect of the extent of the problem of cohabitation is revealed when we consider that “. . . in 1997, 43 percent of unmarried couple households contained children . . .” and “. . . the proportion of unmarried couple households containing children has increased from 29 percent in 1977 to 43 percent in 1997.” The entire report, Historical Estimates of Cohabitation by Lynne M. Casper, Philip N. Cohen, and Tavia Simmons, may be read at:
http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0036/twps0036.html

The June, 2003, Catholic Update reports numerous negative effects of cohabitation such as “higher risk of divorce, less satisfactory adjustments in marriage, harmful effect upon children, ducking tough issues, repressed anger, avoiding criticism of each other’s annoying behavior, failure to develop realistic and satisfactory financial habits, suffering strained relationships with parents, close family members and treasured friends, and struggling with an undercurrent of guilt by this violation of one's conscience or religious upbringing.” See the report, Cohabitation Before Marriage by Joseph M. Champlin, at:
http://www.americancatholic.org/Newsletters/CU/ac0603.asp

The Washington Post is hardly a religious publication. The August 16, 2009, piece, Force of Cohabit: Making or Breaking a Marriage? by Ellen McCarthy, discusses the phenomenon of cohabitation in a somewhat more balanced fashion but is surprisingly negative. Scott “Stanley, a University of Denver psychologist, has spent the past 15 years trying to figure out why premarital cohabitation is associated with lower levels of satisfaction in marriage and a greater potential for divorce.” Stanley discovered that “. . . almost 19 percent of those who lived together before getting engaged had at some point suggested divorce, compared with 10 percent for those who waited until marriage to live together.” "Cohabitation may not be making some relationships more risky," Stanley says. "What it may be doing is making some risky relationships more likely to continue." Read the whole article at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/13/AR2009081304118_pf.html

What is the solution to the problem of cohabitation? It may be nothing more than old fashioned preaching against sin. See “Flee also youthful lusts:” (2 Timothy 2:22) and “Flee fornication.” (1 Corinthians 6:18), among others.

Summary

This post has examined Cohabitation Before Marriage as a major threat to families. We discovered that the solution is found in observing Biblical injunctions. Our next post will take a look at another threat to families, Pornography.

I remain yours in the name of Jesus Christ, the Creator and Name above every name.

“Mr. Phil”

The Stop Sign, Part 2

2010-01-01T13:44:00.002-05:00

The Stop Sign, Part 2

Encouraged by the professor, and hoping to stand his ground in what he felt would be a decisive give and take, Billy Lynch pushed on.

“No disagreement there professor. We put up stop signs to encourage people to stop. So my next question, if I may, is this: Why do you want people to stop?

Although he was feeling the urge to quickly do away with the question, Dr. Wilson sensed that he should continue.

“I would want people to stop because if they didn’t stop, they might get hurt, even killed,” he said. The students’ attention switched from Wilson to Lynch, wondering where this was leading.

“True enough,” said Lynch. “I believe we can agree that this would be likely. I simply wonder why you care that people not be hurt or killed if they fail to observe a stop sign.”

The professor quickly responded: “You don’t want people to get hurt or killed, do you?”

Billy Lynch began to feel pressured to respond as the professor expected but he knew there was a better way.

“Meaning no disrespect Professor Wilson, but it is not my role to provide an answer since you were the one who asked for questions. It is to you that I am looking for an answer to my concern. Here I am wondering why you care if someone gets hurt or killed at a stop sign…and your answer should not be in the form of a question to me. I know how I would respond but I wonder about your response.”

The class was a little stunned at Lynch’s bravado. He was actually putting the professor in the hot seat and this fact was not lost on Professor Wilson. He was being asked something very important, but didn’t really know what to say. Neither Professor Wilson nor the other students knew much about Billy. They didn’t know that he was a brilliant young man, having entered college at the age of 16, after quickly going through a home school program taught by his mother. It was at her knees that he had learned to be alert and to think deeply about ideas. He had, at her insistence, heard all about evolution and its many faults. He had been encouraged to study carefully the evidence for evolution and, in the process, had come to see that the evidence for evolution was actually interpretations which had been turned around as evidence; that the concept of evolution was nothing more than a clever scheme to deny the existence and work of God. He had a big advantage over his classmates who had been nearly forced to accept, what some have called, “an adult fairy tale” in order to graduate.

“You are right, absolutely right Mr. Lynch. I did ask for questions and this is what you’ve done. It is up to me to provide answers. When it comes to not wanting anyone to be hurt or killed because they fail to observe and obey a stop sign, I believe my answer is that I wouldn’t like it. And that is my final answer.”

This brought a few laughs from throughout the lecture hall as they recalled the now famous line from a popular TV quiz program.

Dan Schobert, W9MFG@charter.net

Families – Threats – Lack of a Stay at Home Parent

2009-12-29T16:31:00.001-05:00

From our Introductory Post:

“The righteous have sat back and allowed the wicked to take over our relationships to God, families, churches, governments, schools and colleges, journalism, entertainment, sports, sciences, and a whole litany of other endeavors in our society.”

Families – Threats – Lack of a Stay at Home Parent

In our previous post we considered the topic of Threats to Families, specifically Absentee Fathers. We will now take a look at another threat to the family, Lack of a Stay at Home Parent.

First, we should consider what none other than the venerable United States Government Census Bureau has to say about this problem. According to a Statistical Bulletin, SB/94-5 issued in April, 1994, “In fall 1991, there were 31 million children under age 15 living with their employed mothers.” Between 1988 and 1991 “a fairly substantial number (8 percent, or 1.6 million 5 to 14 year olds) were ‘latchkey’ kids – they spent some or all of these hours home alone.”

Wow, you say, those are really old statistics! Consider this from associatedcontent.com, by Jareb Collins, October 23, 2006. “Every day, as many as 77 percent of American youth are labeled by special definition: Latchkey Kids. Latchkey kids are children who carry a key in their pocket, bag, purse – anywhere on their personal being. The reason they carry this key, and derive the namesake, is because the abodes for which those keys are intended are empty when they arrive there.” Jareb pegs this as a growing problem.

Parentpedia asks, “When is a child old enough to stay home alone?” The answer: “In fact, the statistics provide many reasons why your child should not be home alone; studies have found that latch-key kids are more likely to use alcohol, cigarettes, and illegal drugs than children who are supervised after school.”

So, how do we fix this problem? The mother, as the primary nurturer and care provider, must become a Proverbs 31 woman, and men must be the husbands and fathers God expects. We need to care for our children according to the principles found in Ephesians 6. A mother can work to earn income as long as the needs of the children are met. A husband and father should continue to be the primary income generator as well as participating with their mother in educating and bringing the children up in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord.” Parentpedia offers positive suggestions for keeping children safe and secure: “Instead of letting your child stay home alone, exhaust your options. Look to family members, neighbors, and after-school activities or sports to keep your child busy.” The answer is not mere “busyness” but options for productive at-home time for the kids.

Summary

This post has examined Lack of a Stay at Home Parent as a major threat to families. We discovered that the solution is found not only in observing Biblical injunctions but providing positive practical alternatives to “home alone” scenarios. Our next post will take a look at another threat to families, Cohabitation Before Marriage.

I remain yours in the name of Jesus Christ, the Creator and Name above every name.

“Mr. Phil”

Guest Post - The Stop Sign, Part 1

2009-11-22T14:47:00.002-05:00

Guest Post

I am happy to present another guest post by my friend, Dan Schobert. I thought I would do this one like the old-fashioned serials. Enjoy! Dan said he would like to hear from anyone who wants to email him.

The Stop Sign, Part 1

“And that, my dear students, is the end of my talk on evolution.” Professor James Wilson began putting his notes away. It was the conclusion of Evolution 101, a 13 week class in which college students were given an introduction to the background of evolutionary science. As was his usual procedure, and without lifting his eyes, he asked: “any questions?” It was the question he always asked when concluding a day’s lecture but he seldom received any responses from the close to 300 students crowded into the state university lecture hall. Wilson sometimes wondered if the students were alive, let alone awake. But he didn’t care because, in a few weeks, he would be going into retirement.

Little did he know that things were about to change. Believing things were normal, Wilson lifted his head and scanned the audience to see, if by some slim chance, someone actually had a question. Moving from left to right across the hall, he was surprised to see an uplifted hand in the fourth row, fifth seat.

“Oh, what a surprise. We have a question. Stand up young man and lets hear what you have on your mind.” Slowly the student rose. It was 20-year-old William (Billy) Lynch. A quiet student, Billy seldom made much fuss in class, keeping to himself most of the time. His six feet, two inch frame was attired in the typical fashion of the day; army fatigues, Nike shoes, torn shirt. At least the clothes were clean. He rose slowly from his seat, ran his fingers through his wavy brown hair and cleared his throat.

“Thank you Professor Wilson,” he began. “I’ve been sitting here for these several weeks as you have lectured on evolution and I have found your comments very interesting. I have been trying to put all these things together, to make sense to me.. and I’ve come up with a question.” “Well spit it out boy; we’ve got things to do,” said the Professor, with a bit of anxiety in his voice, hoping he could be finished with this student in quick order. “With all due respect Professor Wilson, I realize you have been teaching the course for years and you will probably think my question to be unreasonable but I was just wondering this: Why do we have stop signs?”

The class broke into an uproar with laughs, whistles, hoots and hollers. Professor Wilson had to restrain himself to not join in the ruckus, knowing that no question is unreasonable though this one seemed a bit out of context. Clearing his throat and hoping the question would easily be answered, Professor Wilson said: “My boy, that seems like a good question and my answer is this: We have stop signs to inform people that they need to stop at a particular intersection.”

Dan Schobert, W9MFG@charter.net

Families – Threats – Absentee Fathers

2009-11-20T11:33:00.001-05:00

From our Introductory Post:

“The righteous have sat back and allowed the wicked to take over our relationships to God, families, churches, governments, schools and colleges, journalism, entertainment, sports, sciences, and a whole litany of other endeavors in our society.”

Families – Threats – Absentee Fathers

In our previous post we considered the topic of Threats to Families, specifically Materialism. We will now take a look at another threat to the family, Absentee Fathers.

This one is personal for me because my dad, except for his money, was absent from my life beginning at the age of 10 until I became an adult. As I got older and gained a little wisdom, I discovered that my dad was a hard working person who loved his family, but did not understand how to show it. He wasn’t nearly as bad a fellow as I had been led to believe. Sadly, he died at an early age so I did not get to know him very well.

It is safe to say that the problem of absentee fathers is of great concern to our whole society regardless of political affiliation or religious belief. Absentee fathers are easy targets, and everyone considers them a lower form of life. Many state legislatures have passed “dead beat dad” laws in an effort, not to get dads back in their homes, but to recover money to be distributed by dedicated government bureaucrats.

One can find all kinds of statistics at the website, http://www.dads-daughters.com/absentee-fathers.html . I encourage you to visit this site to see how bad the situation really is. According to an older article in USA Today we learn that, “Communities across the country are experiencing success with counseling for unwed fathers plus other mentoring initiatives.” See http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1272/is_n2638_v127/ai_20954306/ . Apparently a real genius wrote this article because the conclusion is, “kids still need two parents to protect and prepare them for life as adults.” Imagine that! Even “Manchurian candidate” Obama went after absentee fathers in the black community, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/16/us/politics/15cnd-obama.html . Has anyone heard him say much about it since his election as president? Well, at least he models fatherhood with his two girls as far as we can see. However, some of the comments offered by his daughters during his campaign did make one wonder about their respect for their father.

Analyzing statistics and assessing blame is all well and good. The solution to the absentee father problem is found in Scripture. “1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) 3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. 4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:1 – 4) If a father is to bring children up, he must be present in the family, the mother must support him in his efforts, and the children have an obligation to obey the parents and honor the father and mother. Perhaps the situation with the “absentee” fathers is being aggravated by un-submissive wives and disobedient children. Just a thought!

Summary

This post has examined Absentee Fathers as a major threat to families. We discovered that the solution is obedience to the commandments of God for fathers and children found especially in Ephesians 6:1 - 4. Our next post will take a look at another threat to families, Lack of a Stay-at-Home Parent.

I remain yours in the name of Jesus Christ, the Creator and Name above every name.

“Mr. Phil”

Families – Threats – Materialism

2009-11-17T08:46:00.001-05:00

From our Introductory Post:

“The righteous have sat back and allowed the wicked to take over our relationships to God, families, churches, governments, schools and colleges, journalism, entertainment, sports, sciences, and a whole litany of other endeavors in our society.”

Families – Threats – Materialism

In our previous post we considered the topic of Threats to Families, specifically Negative Influences of the Media. We will now take a look at another threat to the family, Materialism.

It almost seems un-American NOT to be a materialist and collect as many TOYS as possible. However, we discover from the Bible, a founding document of our American nation, that at the root of materialism is covetousness.

“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.” (Exodus 20:17)

“And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” (Luke 12:15)

We would do well to consider the dictionary definition of materialism.

“materialism, noun.1. the belief that all action, thought, and feeling is made up of material things and not of ideas. Ex. In the latter half of the 1800's, materialism severely challenged the traditional spiritual view of man (Science). 2. the tendency to leave out or forget the spiritual side of things; worldliness. Ex. Our materialism has produced too much dependence upon industry (Atlantic). 3. the ethical doctrine that material self-interest should and does determine conduct.” (World Book Dictionary)

Some pretty good advice comes from a surprising source, Disney Family.com. This from what appears, on the surface, to be an organization dedicated to covetousness and “making dreams come true.”

“What do you do when you notice that your child is right -- she really is the only one at school without an iPod?”
• “avoid competitive ‘Keep up with the Joneses’ thinking”
• “set the stage for the discussion by explaining that each family is different”
• “learning to cope with disappointment is an important growth skill.”
• “Tell him (your child) that you'll make sure he has what he needs, but beyond that it's a process of negotiation.”

http://family.go.com/parentpedia/preteen-teen/behavior/teen-materialism/ (Disney)

The obvious solution to this threat to our families is “Thou shalt not covet.”

Summary

This post has examined Materialism as a major threat to families. We discovered that the solution is obedience to the commandment of God not to covet. Our next post will take a look at another threat to families, Absentee Fathers.

I remain yours in the name of Jesus Christ, the Creator and Name above every name.

“Mr. Phil”

Negative Influences from the Media

2009-11-11T20:44:00.001-05:00

From our Introductory Post:

“The righteous have sat back and allowed the wicked to take over our relationships to God, families, churches, governments, schools and colleges, journalism, entertainment, sports, sciences, and a whole litany of other endeavors in our society.”

Families – Threats – Negative Influences from the Media

In our previous post we considered the topic of Threats to Families, specifically Divorce. We will now take a look at another threat to the family, Negative Influences from the Media.

Marshall McLuhan, a futurist or philosopher of the 1960s wrote a piece in which he stated, “The medium is the message because it is the medium that shapes and controls the scale and form of human association and action.” Parents are increasingly aware of this in their children in today’s world. In fact, children seem to be lost in their iPods, G3s, cell phones, or whatever.

The dictionary definition of mass media, “any forms of communication, such as the press, television, radio, and motion pictures, which reach large numbers of people,” demonstrates the scale of the problem with the negative influence on families. Influence is “the power of persons or things to act on others, seen only in its effects.” Influence, in its verb form, works to produce “change the nature or behavior of.” In the case of today’s media the change is not for the better.

Although the mass media is influential in the life of the family, it has become irrelevant because it is sending messages that are “not important or meaningful.” In other words a family spending a lot of time interacting with mass media is wasting valuable time attempting to recover positive messages from irrelevance.

I suppose there are some good things running through our sewer systems on occasion or, perhaps, buried in dumpsters and landfills. Do we spend time cruising through the sewers or mining dumpsters and landfills in order to recover the few “gems” that might be there? Anyone doing this would not readily admit it for fear of being declared insane. Why do we continue allowing and even encouraging our families to cruise the sewers and mine the dumpsters and landfills of the mass media?

Summary

This post has examined Negative Influences from the Media as a major threat to families. Our next post will take a look at another threat to families, Materialism.

I remain yours in the name of Jesus Christ, the Creator and Name above every name.

“Mr. Phil”

Guest Blog - Toys

2009-10-31T09:00:00.003-04:00

I would like to introduce a guest bloggist, my good friend and brother in the Lord, Dan. He has written a great piece on toys. He would be glad to hear from anyone and would like to see your comments on his essay.

TOYS

We began getting toys about as soon as we took our first breaths. From the womb to the tomb, we have been involved with toys. Safe to say our parents were delighted with the giggles and other sounds toys seem to encourage from us. As we grew, so did the desire for toys. Few of can not recall the excitement most of us had as we anticipated the arrival of more toys for Christmas or for a birthday celebration. They were expected. Getting older didn’t mean no toys at all but more expensive and larger. Having toys seems to be a modern day necessity. Whether young or old, male or female, westerners appear to have a place in their lives for toys. It may be hard to nail down how other peoples and cultures view toys but for us, they tend to be a big deal.

What is meant by: toy? It seems fair enough to define the word by saying a toy is something a person possesses by which or through which pleasure or excitement is gained but which is not necessary for survival. For adults, toys come in various packages, shapes and costs. Where does a person start when considering a list of toys in today’s adult world? Pleasure vehicles of sundry sorts come to mind, like: speed boats, snowmobiles, motorcycles (not used for getting to and from work), airplanes, skies, mountain bikes. There are hobbies (which are like toys in that they consume time and money) which attract many people, like: collecting beer cans, pasting things in a scrapbook, amateur radio[1], old cars, sky diving, model railroad building, even cooking, keeping track of sports events, watching the skies, collecting stamps or coins or old magazines or books, painting landscapes, etc. There are many others which could be added to such a list. The point is that there are many things and activities which seem to draw our attention, our money and our energies. ..and these can be viewed as toys or toy related programs. They are things we enjoy using and or do through much of our lives.

Consider the broad category of entertainment. These are so often events we see on TV but can also include those events to which a person would have to travel to participate. Here it would include ‘spectator sports,’ or, more precisely, professional sports. People often drive; even fly great distances to see their favorite football, basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, swimming, and tennis and volleyball squad face competition. Many of these activities occur on Sunday. Die hard fans are likely to miss church in order to attend exciting games.

Perhaps the question to be asked: are these things evil? Not necessarily but they do require a person to consider their importance. At the end of things, it may be a question of balance in a person’s life. If a person would place all these toys and related items on a scale with things of the Church on the other end of the scale, we know the general bent of things. The things of the world would most likely reveal much more attention. This doesn’t mean the things of the world are evil and to be avoided. Such a measure of balance would show that something is out of whack. How these things are viewed is a reflection of how believers view their relationship with God.

About the only Biblical reference to things like toys is in the New Testament. “When I was a child, I used to speak as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.” (I Cor. 13:11) This is in the so called “love” chapter of the N.T. It is fair to assume toys would also have been set aside. One might ponder, at what point did Paul (known earlier as Saul) become a man. In the context of this entire 13th chapter, the intent seems to be toward a maturation of a person, moving away from non-essentials to a more “grown up” life. This being the case, it can be assumed that Paul became a man, not at 21 years of age as we may think in today’s world, but later. Perhaps becoming a man was not tied to a person’s age but to becoming more mature, especially in things relating to God. One who studies Paul’s life would probably conclude that his turning from childish things to mature things began when he met Christ on the road to Damascus. Maturation is related to the ‘new life’ or ‘new birth’ a person finds in the new relationship a person has with God through the salvation purchased by Jesus Christ. By the time of this Damascus Road event, Paul must have been some years advanced from his 20s as he was busy in the persecution of early church members, not a task usually given to a teen. At the time, Paul must have considered himself a ‘man,’ but when he became a new person in Christ, he realized how far he had been from the mark of true maturation. There was a change in his mind and attitude, in his purpose for living, in what he came to see as more important than all the things he had held as precious as a younger person, as a child.

This verse not only gives a glimpse into Paul’s life and attitude but, being scripture, is an admonition for other believers to consider in their Christian walk.

It may be unfair to ascribe toys as being part of Christ’s life as a youngster. We have little record of those some 30 years. It seems likely, however, that he must have some toys common among youngsters in his neighborhood. Surely nothing like the toys boys and girls have today but we might catch a glimpse of how it may have been when we view children today in the 3rd world. We know how pleased they become when given a shoe box at Christmas time from Operation Christmas Child.

It’s been said by many people, that God has created us in such a way that there is within a hole that only He can fill. We try to fill this hole with many things, with many events, perhaps with many ungodly relationships. All these may seem to be the answer at the time but their ability to satisfy is short lived. To be sure there is nothing inherently wrong or evil about the things discussed here; it largely comes down to matters of balance and what we decide is important in our lives at a particular time.

Someone once said that our lives will soon be past; only what is done for Christ lasts. Maybe this is what our focus should be when it comes to the toys of life, being careful that we put first things first.

Dan Schobert
August 24, 2008
Plover, Wisconsin 54467

W9MFG@Charter.net

[1] This is my hobby, licensed in 1956.

Families – Threats – Divorce

2009-10-02T08:18:00.002-04:00

From our Introductory Post:

“The righteous have sat back and allowed the wicked to take over our relationships to God, families, churches, governments, schools and colleges, journalism, entertainment, sports, sciences, and a whole litany of other endeavors in our society.”

Families – Threats – Divorce

In our previous post we considered the topic of Threats to Families, specifically the End of Child Bearing. We will now take a look at another threat to the family, Divorce. This will likely be a most painful blog post for me since my parents divorced when I was 10 years old. From my perspective there is no such thing as an “amicable” divorce, and the children of divorce are always damaged, probably for the rest of their lives.

Taking a look at the statistics reveals that we do have a problem with the divorce rate running at about ½ the marriage rate. See: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/divorce.htm

•Number of marriages: 2,162,000
•Marriage rate: 7.1 per 1,000 total population
•Divorce rate: 3.5 per 1,000 population (44 reporting States and D.C.)
Source: Births, Marriages, Divorces, and Deaths: Provisional Data for 2008, table A

Googling “divorce” yields a number of Page 1 hits of websites devoted to the subject:
www.divorcemag.com/statistics/statsUS.shtml, www.divorcestatistics.org/, www.divorceandlife.com/, www.divorcerate.org/, www.divorcereform.org/stats.html
The organization, Focus on the Family, is a major player providing Biblical teaching and resources to help families understand their responsibilities before God to maintain the family as the fundamental unit of society. See: http://www.focusonthefamily.com/lifechallenges/relationship_challenges/divorce.aspx

The Old Testament passage, Deuteronomy 24:1 – 4, deals with divorce not by way of command but as a form of regulation. The implication is that divorce was being practiced. Moses sought to bring some degree of justice to the practice by providing contractual protection to a woman and allowing her to remarry.

Jesus in the New Testament built upon the Old Testament law and restricted it to allow adultery as the only justifiable reason for divorce (Matthew 5:32). Again, He is not commanding divorce but attempting to regulate its practice with divine law.

How should the church deal with divorce? We must continue to teach that God hates it just as He hates any other sin. We cannot water down the teaching of one man married to one woman with children for life. However, we cannot single out divorced people as some kind of pariahs to be avoided. We are all (i.e. true believers) sinners saved by grace. God will use us after He saves us from sin. If He required perfection, none of us would be qualified to serve. We must advocate changing the laws of our culture to make divorce more difficult and preserve families. One positive change in this regard is to do away with “no fault” statutes. See the book, The Natural Family, by Carlson and Mero.

Summary

This post has examined Divorce as a major threat to families. We discovered that the divorce rate is running about one half the marriage rate. There are many resources devoted to the topic of divorce. Biblical teaching on divorce provides for ways of dealing with the practice as well as proscribing it. Our next post will take a look at another threat to families, Negative Influences from the Media.

I remain yours in the name of Jesus Christ, the Creator and Name above every name.

“Mr. Phil”

Families – Threats – End of Child Bearing

2009-09-25T05:52:00.000-04:00

From our Introductory Post:

“The righteous have sat back and allowed the wicked to take over our relationships to God, families, churches, governments, schools and colleges, journalism, entertainment, sports, sciences, and a whole litany of other endeavors in our society.”

Families – Threats – End of Child Bearing

In our previous post we considered the topic of Threats to Families, specifically the End of Marriage. We will now take a look at another threat to the family, the End of Child Bearing. As incredible as it seems, humans, the pinnacle of God’s Creation, are bent on ending the human race through “population control.”

God told Adam and Eve to “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish (fill) the earth.” (Genesis 1:28) The command was repeated to Noah and his family. (Genesis 9:1) God later gave the commandment to children to “Honor thy father and thy mother.” (Exodus 20:12) In the New Testament instructions are given to parents and children regarding mutual responsibilities. (Ephesians 6:1-4) It is safe to assume, therefore, that child bearing is an expectation for humanity on the part of the Creator.

Current world population statistics are not encouraging. Fertility rate statistics are available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fertility_rate_world_map_2.png.
“Replacement fertility is the total fertility rate at which newborn girls would have an average of exactly 1 daughter over their lifetimes. In more familiar terms, women have just enough babies to replace themselves.” “Taken globally, the total fertility rate at replacement is 2.33 children per woman. At this rate, global population growth would trend towards zero.” See website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Replacement_rate#Replacement_rates

In the United Nations report, ASSUMPTIONS UNDERLYING THE RESULTS OF THE 2008 REVISION OF WORLD POPULATION PROSPECTS, found at: http://esa.un.org/unpp/assumptions.html , is the statement, “Total fertility in all countries is assumed to converge eventually toward a level of 1.85 children per woman. However, not all countries reach this level during the projection period, that is, by 2045-2050. Projection procedures differ slightly depending on whether a country had a total fertility above or below 1.85 children per woman in 2005-2010.”

Therefore, with a total fertility at 1.85 and the replacement value at 2.33, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that we are in trouble, especially in the traditional Western cultures. In fact, some of the traditional high birth rate regions are leveling off and beginning to decline. I invite you to do your own research.

Summary

This post has examined the End of Child Bearing as a major threat to families. World population statistics point to a decline in human population by 2050, which is contrary to the will of God. Our next post will take a look at another threat to families, Divorce.

I remain yours in the name of Jesus Christ, the Creator and Name above every name.

“Mr. Phil”

Families – Threats – End of Marriage

2009-09-15T21:17:00.001-04:00

From our Introductory Post:

“The righteous have sat back and allowed the wicked to take over our relationships to God, families, churches, governments, schools and colleges, journalism, entertainment, sports, sciences, and a whole litany of other endeavors in our society.”

Families – Threats – End of Marriage

In our previous post we introduced the topic of Threats to Families with a broad overview of the many evils aligned against this first human institution ordained by God (See Genesis 1:26 - 28). Beginning with this post we will take a detailed look at some of the most egregious wickedness weakening and destroying families in the twenty-first century.

Giving up on marriage and divorce are two sides of the same coin. We will look at how these two phenomena are working together to destroy the foundations of society. Perhaps we should call the combination of these “The End of Marriage.” Since God ordained the human family based on a loving life-long commitment of a man and a woman resulting in children, we can safely say that He hates anything that would go against His will in that area.

See Emmanuel Research Review, http://www.egc.org/research/issue_36.html.

“Emerging Marriage Trends

In the past two centuries, the world has seen an unprecedented scientific, financial, and intellectual growth which has come with a heavy price tag. It has crossed cultural and ethnic boundaries in its course. Until the beginning of the 20th century societies believed in a ‘Biblical morality,’ which meant that there is such a thing as right and wrong and people knew why. For the next fifty years societies moved to a state of ‘abiblical morality.’ Societies knew there were such things that were right and wrong but did not know why. The 60s and 70s saw the influx of immorality where, even though people knew that certain things were right and wrong, they did not care. Since then, both developed and developing societies have been under the influence of a state of ‘amorality’ or ‘relative morality,’ which simply means that there is no such thing as right or wrong. Over the past fifty plus years, the number of single-parent households has skyrocketed to one-third of all U.S. families. The traditional American family structure appears to be crumbling. Furthermore, the world has seen six major trends emerging in the past fifty years that have crossed ethnic and cultural boundaries. They are:

• Overall 50% decline in the number of marriages that are formally solemnized
• 40 to 50% increase in divorce rate
• 10-fold increase in unmarried cohabitation (1000%)
• Decrease in average children per household from four to two
• Increase of single parent families and children born without fathers from 9 to 28%
• Overall changing attitudes about sex, marriage and family, alternatives to marriage, unwed childbearing (35%), abortion, homosexuality, extramarital relationships, and virtual pleasure.”

The solution to these threats to the family is quite simple. Obey God! If one is involved in a live-in arrangement, get married. If one is already married, stay married. Of course either of these must remain within the Biblical definition of marriage. How hard is that?

Summary

This post has examined the “End of Marriage” threat to the family. The solution to this threat is marriage according to the Biblical definition. Our next post will look at another threat to marriage, “The End of Child-Bearing.”

I remain yours in the name of Jesus Christ, the Creator and Name above every name.

“Mr. Phil”

Families – Threats - Introduction

2009-09-05T16:44:00.001-04:00

From our Introductory Post:

“The righteous have sat back and allowed the wicked to take over our relationships to God, families, churches, governments, schools and colleges, journalism, entertainment, sports, sciences, and a whole litany of other endeavors in our society.”

Families – Threats - Introduction

In our previous post we discussed the various resources available to help build strong families according to the will of God. We will now consider threats which are weakening and even destroying families. According to a survey of church pastors by the Minnesota Family Council (MFC) the top three threats to the family are divorce, negative influences from the media, and materialism.

Other concerns listed in the MFC survey are absentee fathers, families that lack a stay-at-home parent, cohabitation before marriage, pornography, morality not being taught in schools, poverty, and unemployment and/or a poor economy. In addition child/teen and parental alcohol/drug use/abuse, teen sexual activity/pregnancy, adultery, sexual predators, sexual abuse, and the expense of child care are listed.

Focus on the Family (FOF) says new forms of human relationships (e.g. trial marriages), loss of power to transmit values to the younger generation, and homosexual “marriage” even with the blessing of the churches. Also mentioned are having sex more for recreation than for procreation, court assaults, and anti-family biases of the media elite as major threats to the family.

Catholic News Service (CNS) considers war and violence, exploitation of the weak, rampant poverty and underdevelopment, destruction of the environment, the arms race, and everything that serves to weaken the family based on the marriage of a man and a woman. Everything that directly or indirectly stands in the way of its openness to the responsible acceptance of a new life and everything that obstructs its right to be primarily responsible for the education of its children are also threats to the family.

Summary

This post has presented an overview of some of the threats to the family identified by the MFC, FOF, and CNS organizations. Just reading the list may give us the impression that the situation is very dark regarding the family in our world. However, we know that God still rules the universe and knew about all of these things before they entered the evil hearts of humanity. As we consider some of these threats in detail in the following posts, we will also look at their solutions. A great resource available to us is prayer, and we should be praying as we read over this list. (See 1 Thessalonians 5:17)

I remain yours in the name of Jesus Christ, the Creator and Name above every name.

“Mr. Phil”

Families - Resources

2009-08-31T21:39:00.002-04:00

From our Introductory Post:

“The righteous have sat back and allowed the wicked to take over our relationships to God, families, churches, governments, schools and colleges, journalism, entertainment, sports, sciences, and a whole litany of other endeavors in our society.”

Families - Resources

Our previous post discussed the definition of family. In that post we learned that the family is simply what God says it is in His Word. It has not changed to become relevant to society or to conform to what we wish it to be. We will now consider some resources available to assist families in accomplishing the will of God.

1. The greatest resource available to families is a personal and firm faith in God and in His Son, Jesus Christ as the Savior from our sins. Salvation from sin is accomplished by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone, providing the basis for relationship within the family that cannot be equaled.

2. The Word of God, the Bible, is available to parents to teach children. It is more important for our children to understand the precepts of the Bible than anything else. The teaching of the Bible in the home is essential. Knowledge of the Word provides proper context for education, work, cultural activities, sports, etc.

3. Prayer is a resource available to any and all believers all the time. We are commanded to pray. Families should be praying for and with each other.

4. Every family should be involved in a local church that is truly a local church according to the New Testament model. A “church” that puts anything else ahead of the preaching and teaching of God’s Word is not a New Testament church. If the Word has its proper place, everything else follows according to the plan of God, and families benefit from this wonderful spiritual resource.

5. There are many Biblical and encouraging media resources available to families as books, websites, CDs, and videos. Bringing up Boys by Dobson and Raising Godly Children in an Ungodly World by Ham are excellent books on the subject. My Pastor has recommended Exemplary Husband by Scott, Excellent Wife by Peace, Family Survival by Rogers, Love and Respect by Eggerichs, Family Driven Faith by Baucham, and The Natural Family by Carlson and Mero. Focus on the Family, http://www.focusonthefamily.com/ and the American Family Association, http://action.afa.net/ provide great online resources for the family. DVD resources include Bringing up Boys, Raising Godly Children in an Ungodly World, and Your Child: Essentials of Discipline Parenting Seminar.

Summary

In this post we have considered some of the resources available to help build strong families, including faith, prayer, the Bible, the local church, and various media. As we continue this look at the family, we will consider some of the threats to the family and how to meet those threats.

I remain yours in the name of Jesus Christ, the Creator and Name above every name.

“Mr. Phil”

Families - Definition

2009-08-20T15:49:00.000-04:00

From our Introductory Post:

“The righteous have sat back and allowed the wicked to take over our relationships to God, families, churches, governments, schools and colleges, journalism, entertainment, sports, sciences, and a whole litany of other endeavors in our society.”

Families - Definition

Our previous series of posts discussed the various aspects of our relationship to God. We now begin to consider the topic of families.

The first human institution given by God was the family. Genesis 1:26 – 28 simply states, “26And God said, Let us make man in our image. . .; and let them have dominion . . . . 27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish (fill) the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

The definition of family is very clearly given in the Scripture. God created a MALE and a FEMALE and told them to FILL the earth with children. This very simply means that a man and a woman are to be united in a loving life-long relationship for the purpose of raising children to the glory of God.

For those who try to make this passage say something that it does NOT, the word “replenish” simply means “fill.” The Lord is giving them the specific command to populate the whole earth with humans for the very first time.

An earlier Webster’s definition of family is “The collective body of persons who live in one house and under one head or manager; a household, including parents, children and servants, and as the case may be, lodgers or boarders.” Although, obviously, somewhat archaic with reference to servants, lodgers, and boarders, this definition follows the Biblical model.

The World Book simply states, “The Nuclear Family, consisting of a husband (man), a wife (woman), and their children, is considered the traditional American family.”

Summary

With this post we begin a series looking at families. We discovered that, by all definitions, a family is a man, a woman, and children in a committed life-long relationship. In the following posts we will look at the family in depth, how the family is deeply troubled, and how we can strengthen it by God’s formula.

I remain yours in the name of Jesus Christ, the Creator and Name above every name.

“Mr. Phil”

Relationship to God - Worship

2009-08-17T15:45:00.000-04:00

From our Introductory Post:

“The righteous have sat back and allowed the wicked to take over our relationships to God, families, churches, governments, schools and colleges, journalism, entertainment, sports, sciences, and a whole litany of other endeavors in our society.”

Relationship to God - Worship

Our previous post discussed our relationship to God in light of human civilization’s destruction. At the end of the flood, as the ark landed, the first act after Noah and his family stepped onto the dry ground was worship (Genesis 8:20 – 22). This was not what commonly passes for “worship” today, which we will discuss in a later post. The worship spoken of in this passage was TRUE worship of the One Who had delivered Noah and his family. It involved the sacrificial death and blood shedding of animals, and the Lord was pleased with it.

It was the nature of this sacrificial act of worship to remind Noah and his family of their sin and of the awful price of atonement. The system of animal sacrifice pointed to the Sacrifice to be offered some 2500 years later as Jesus Christ was murdered by wicked humans according to the plan of God on a cross in Jerusalem. His Sacrifice was the ONLY effective sacrifice for our sins (Hebrews 10:1 – 10).

At the conclusion of Noah’s worship service God promised to never again send a worldwide destruction by water upon humans. He told Noah and his sons to fill the earth with people and to have exercise stewardship over all the creatures of the earth.

Summary

As we conclude this series of posts regarding our relationships to God, we do well to consider how those relationships lead us to worship God. Do we acknowledge Him as Creator? Are we obedient to Him? Are we growing in Him? Are we moving toward joy in His presence? We can only truly worship Him when we are reminded of His wonderful sacrifice for us. When we have truly worshipped, we can expect to receive God’s promises and direction for our lives.

I remain yours in the name of Jesus Christ, the Creator and Name above every name.

“Mr. Phil”

Relationship to God - Destruction

2009-08-13T08:16:00.001-04:00

From our Introductory Post:

“The righteous have sat back and allowed the wicked to take over our relationships to God, families, churches, governments, schools and colleges, journalism, entertainment, sports, sciences, and a whole litany of other endeavors in our society.”

Relationship to God - Destruction

Our previous post discussed our relationship to God in light of humanity’s decline. The situation deteriorated to the point where “5. . . God saw that the wickedness of man was great . . . . 6And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, . . . 7And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; . . .” (Genesis 6:5 – 7).

Noah found grace in God’s sight and he was given the assignment to build an ark for salvation from the coming watery judgment. Although humanity could have escaped the coming destruction, the vast majority chose to remain in their sin.

Simple and believing reading of Genesis chapters 7 and 8 reveals that the flood was an historical event. The mere size and construction of the vehicle of deliverance is a testimony to the tremendous upheavals that the earth would endure.

Jesus Christ endorsed the historicity of the account of the flood of Noah (Matthew 24:37 – 39) and related it to His second coming, which is as much a certainty as the flood. The apostle Peter also spoke of the flood in his writings (1 Peter 3:20; 2 Peter 2:5), calling those who deny its historicity and its use as an illustration of Christ’s second coming false prophets.

Today we still see and, indeed, live with the results of this cataclysm. Billions of dead things buried in rock layers all over the earth provide ample testimony. The continued presence of volcanoes, earthquakes, and storms affect a significant proportion of the earth’s population on a regular basis.

Summary

The flood of Noah was a real event in history. This is undeniable, and its effects can be easily seen today. This destructive event was sent by the Lord to punish the human race, which had become totally corrupt. Except for the obedience of one man and his family, humanity would not have survived. There was only one salvation, the ark. Today there is only one salvation, Jesus Christ (Acts 4:8 – 12).

I remain yours in the name of Jesus Christ, the Creator and Name above every name.

“Mr. Phil”

Relationship to God - Decline

2009-08-10T10:34:00.000-04:00

From our Introductory Post:

“The righteous have sat back and allowed the wicked to take over our relationships to God, families, churches, governments, schools and colleges, journalism, entertainment, sports, sciences, and a whole litany of other endeavors in our society.”

Relationship to God - Decline

Our previous post discussed our relationship to God in light of Adam’s and Eve’s disobedience. After making a futile attempt to cover themselves with fig leaves and hide from God, Adam learned the fate of the human race and the creation (Genesis 3). The Lord killed an animal; the first recorded physical death, so that the nakedness of Adam and Eve could be covered with skins. This was undoubtedly a demonstration of the animal blood sacrificial system, which would teach humans the consequences of their sins, but would not forgive sins.

The Protevangel or “First Gospel” is given in Genesis 3:15 (“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”) It is here that we first learn the plan of God in sending a sacrifice sufficient for the sins of mankind (Revelation 13:8).

God kicked Adam and Eve out of the Garden. This was an act of mercy because had they eaten of the tree of life, they would have lived forever in a state of disobedience. Their first son, Cain, became the first murderer because he was jealous of his brother, Abel. Cain brought offerings from his human religion while Abel brought a sacrifice from his animals according to the commandments of God (Genesis 4). One of the most poignant scenes at the Creation Museum near Cincinnati, OH, http://creationmuseum.org/ , shows just Abel on the ground after being slain by his wicked brother, Cain.

This was just the beginning of woes for humanity. Adam’s sin affected the entire creation and started a downward slide, which affects us in our day (Genesis 3:17; Romans 8:22).
The sordid story continued through the line of Cain (Genesis 4). It became so bad that God finally declared the end of humanity except for the few who would obey His commands (Genesis 6:5 – 7). God’s grace was demonstrated in the giving of Seth and his descendants, including Noah and his family, whose obedience led to salvation from the coming destruction.

Summary

The disobedience of Adam and Eve led to the further decline of the human race. God’s plan of salvation began to unfold, but most of humanity was practicing violence, murder, and general evil. God pronounced the end of that corrupt civilization.

I remain yours in the name of Jesus Christ, the Creator and Name above every name.

“Mr. Phil”

Relationship to God - Disobedience

2009-08-06T12:08:00.000-04:00

From our Introductory Post:

“The righteous have sat back and allowed the wicked to take over our relationships to God, families, churches, governments, schools and colleges, journalism, entertainment, sports, sciences, and a whole litany of other endeavors in our society.”

Relationship to God - Disobedience

Our previous post discussed our relationship to God as Creator. Sadly, in fact on the saddest day in human history, our first parents, Adam and Eve, disobeyed the one and only prohibition God had given them.

One of the key principles of Bible study is something called “The rule of first mention.” Disobedience of God’s commands by humans is first found in Genesis chapter 3. Read the entire chapter to get a grasp of the enormity of this event.

Actually, we need to back up to Genesis 2:17 to understand exactly the Lord’s expectation for Adam. “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Notice that this commandment was given to Adam before the creation of Eve. God apparently expected him to instruct Eve.

The Downward Slide

1) The serpent (inhabited by Satan) came to Eve questioning God. “And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” (Genesis 3:1b).
2) Eve, obviously confused, tried to quote Scripture, but ADDED to it. “2. . . We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, . . .” (Genesis 3:2b, 3)
3) The serpent called God a liar. “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:” (Genesis 3:4)
4) The serpent further lied to Eve by promising her that she and Adam could become godlike. (Genesis 3:5)
5) Eve fell for the serpent’s lies by eating the forbidden fruit, and Adam willingly followed her in the disobedience. (Genesis 3:6)

Summary

Thus, we have seen how all of our problems and all of the bad things happening in this life had their beginning. We will explore more of the effects of this disobedience in following posts.

I remain yours in the name of Jesus Christ, the Creator and Name above every name.

“Mr. Phil”

Relationship to God as Creator

2009-08-02T13:51:00.001-04:00

From our Introductory Post:

“The righteous have sat back and allowed the wicked to take over our relationships to God, families, churches, governments, schools and colleges, journalism, entertainment, sports, sciences, and a whole litany of other endeavors in our society.”

Relationship to God as Creator

In evangelicalism today we see many “plans of salvation.” Most of them claim to be THE plan of salvation. However, the point is that most people aren’t even concerned about “salvation.” Instead, they are asking “Salvation from what?” Good question.

In this post and those to follow we will attempt to answer the questions people today are really asking rather than the questions that were asked two or more generations ago. We can no longer assume that people believe that God created them or has any claim on their lives. The standard “plan of salvation,” has no meaning for them. We need to communicate basic Bible truths and the Good News, a regular feature of this blog.

It is necessary to establish the existence of the Creator God (Genesis 1:1). This is generally not complicated. Jesus simply said, “Have faith in God” (Mark 11:22). We need to state the fact and emphasize that this is taught in the Bible, the Word of God. Most unbelievers will accept this after some time for reflection.

The Creator God is taught throughout the Scriptures. From the beginning the Bible teaches that God created in six approximately 24 hour days (Genesis 1; Exodus 20; Exodus 31). We know that the creation was finished a few thousand years ago because the Bible genealogies indicate approximately 2000 years from Creation to Abraham. History teaches approximately 2000 years from Abraham to Jesus and approximately 2000 years from Jesus to the present. This is not a difficult concept to grasp.

There is no compromise position. God DID not and did not NEED to “use” evolution to create. It is oxymoronic to think that the omnipotent (all-powerful) Creator of the universe would stoop to use such an inefficient and cruel process as speculative evolution to bring the universe and all its contents into existence. Jesus himself taught that there was a distinct beginning for humans (Matthew 19:4; Mark 10:6).

Our American Founders understood that God created. They acknowledged the Creator as they literally put their lives on the line by signing the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

I remain yours in the name of Jesus Christ, the Creator and Name above every name.

“Mr. Phil”

Righteousness and Wickedness

2009-07-28T20:16:00.001-04:00

From our Introductory Post:

“The righteous have sat back and allowed the wicked to take over our relationships to God, families, churches, governments, schools and colleges, journalism, entertainment, sports, sciences, and a whole litany of other endeavors in our society.”

Righteousness and Wickedness

A righteous person is FOR God and, according to Webster, is “observant of the divine commands in practice; as a righteous man.” One who is righteous is aligned with the holy Creator God. The holiness of God means He is “perfectly pure, immaculate and complete in moral character.”

A wicked person is AGAINST God and is described as “deviating from the divine law.” One who is wicked is aligned with Satan, an evil being who is totally against God but whose power is, in no sense, equal to God’s.

There is no middle ground in the distinction between righteousness and wickedness. Jesus Christ, the eternally existent Son of the Creator God, said, “He that is not with me is against me.” (Matthew 12:30)

In 1831 a young French aristocratic statesman and political philosopher, Alexis De Tocqueville, visited the United States to observe the distinctively American system at work. He later wrote a lengthy book, Democracy in America, to document his observations. A quote similar to “America is great because America is good” has often been attributed to De Tocqueville. He may or may not have said this, but in his book he did say “I cling with a firmer hold to the belief that for democratic nations to be virtuous and prosperous, they require but to will it.” This quotation is taken from Democracy in America, Chapter VIII, General Survey of the Subject. This says virtually the same thing in different words.

Summary

Therefore, we are not talking about self righteousness but about a righteousness which comes only from the Creator God through His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Being righteous is being FOR God while wickedness is expressed in attitudes and actions AGAINST God. We will follow this thought as we investigate our personal relationship with God in a later post. This alignment is evident even to external observers who desire to make an unprejudiced judgment.

I remain yours in the name of Jesus Christ, the name above every name.

“Mr. Phil”

Introduction

2009-07-23T16:33:00.003-04:00

Having held back for far too long I have decided to take the plunge into “blogging” and may even dabble in Twitter, Tangle, Facebook, Flickr, and YouTube. Who knows?

The righteous have sat back and allowed the wicked to take over our relationships to God, families, churches, governments, schools and colleges, journalism, entertainment, sports, sciences, and a whole litany of other endeavors in our society. With this blog I am drawing a line in the sand and saying, “This far and no farther.” The righteous are taking back God’s world and becoming good stewards as He instructed us.

Disclaimer

1) This is a work in progress.
2) I don’t know everything, but I am learning.

The Rules

This is my blog, so I am making the rules. This is NOT a democracy! The rules are fairly basic:

1) No profanity, no exceptions; if I see profanity, your comment will NOT be posted.
2) No pornographic or sexual content; if you need that, subscribe to cable TV or take the porn filter off your Internet browser.
3) No abusive language or pejoratives (See 1 Peter 3:15).
4) Keep it short; this will likely be the longest blog I will post
5) Other than that, we are open to just about anything to discuss, but before we do:
a. Read The Bible
b. Read the Mayflower Compact
c. Read the Declaration of Independence
d. Read the U.S. Constitution

I realize that this may be challenging for some. If so, LEARN TO READ first. Then, we can begin having some discussions. This especially applies to many recent graduates of government schools.

Getting Started

In this initial blog I would like to quote and look at some commentary on the guiding principle of this blog from the Bible: “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Psalm 11:3 (KJV)

Dr. Henry Morris, deceased, and Dr. John MacArthur are two of my favorite Bible scholars and commentators.

“The wicked, with wordly wisdom, attack that which is foundational in the life of the righteous. For example, the truth of creation as recorded in Genesis is foundational to the rest of the Bible and to the faith and practice of the Christian. This is the primary focus of the attack of the ungodly. The Christian often is oblivious to this critical danger.” (The Defender’s Study Bible, Dr. Henry Morris, pg. 603)

“These are the words [Psalm 11:3] of a committed but confused saint. His philosophical problem is, ‘in view of the crumbling of the theocratic society, what can one righteous person, out of a shrinking remnant, do?’” (The MacArthur Study Bible, John MacArthur, pg. 752)

Thomas Jefferson and James Madison are two giants of our American Founding Fathers. It is interesting to review some of what they have said about the Creator God and the role of true Christianity in our country.

“God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the Gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever.” (Notes on the State of Virginia, Thomas Jefferson, 1781)

“The Christian Religion, when divested of the rags in which they [the clergy] have enveloped it, and brought to the original purity and simplicity of its benevolent institutor, is a religion of all others most friendly to liberty, science, and the freest expansion of the human mind.” (Letter Moses Robinson, Thomas Jefferson, March 23, 1801)

“We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government; upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.” (Quotation, James Madison, 1778)

“The belief in a God All Powerful wise and good, is so essential to the moral order of the World and to the happiness of man, that arguments which enforce it cannot be drawn from too many sources nor adapted with too much solicitude to the different characters and capacities to be impressed with it.” (Letter to Frederick Beasley, James Madison, November 20, 1825)

So, thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying. I close with another favorite passage: “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” Jeremiah 33:3 (KJV)

I remain yours in the name of Jesus Christ, the name above every name.

“Mr. Phil”