Our nation has changed and is changing so drastically that you can hardly recognize it. Do a comparison– put our constitution, legal documents, testimonies from our founding fathers, and history on one side of the page, then put a description of current events on the other side. They are two entirely different things. We are being, or should I say “have been”, destroyed from within without a shot being fired! The article below is a good example of our bad situation:

Chicago Plays Chicken With Christians

By George Neumayr, July 27, 2012

The Obama Left places believing Christians in the same moral category as racists. The bullying has escalated to the point that prominent liberal mayors, such as Chicago’s Rahm Emanuel, now openly say that Christians are unworthy of even running a fast food chain in the public square.

“Chick-fil-A’s values are not Chicago values. They’re not respectful of our residents, our neighbors and our family members. And if you’re gonna be part of the Chicago community, you should reflect Chicago values,” said Emanuel, backing alderman Joe Moreno’s goal of preventing the chicken restaurant from opening its doors in the Logan Square neighborhood.

This is a stunning doubling down in the left’s war on Christianity by a prominent Democrat. Emanuel, Obama’s former chief of staff, has in effect told the religious across the country, in an election year no less, that traditional Christian values are not American values.

Obama supporter Tom Hanks once said that opponents of gay marriage in California were “un-American,” but Emanuel’s comment spells this view out even more explicitly. The dictatorship of relativism, to borrow Pope Benedict XVI’s phrase, has never been more cocky. Apparently, Americans must not only learn to live under the amoral style of “Chicago politics” but also under the in-your-face secularism of “Chicago values.”

A less biased press would see great significance in Emanuel’s thuggish phrase. But since reporters sympathize with the Left’s war on Christianity, and since Mitt Romney shows little to no interest in engaging Obama on non-economic matters, this remarkable outburst will not get the attention it deserves. Has the culture really changed so quickly and dramatically that a position held by many Democrats, including the president, just months ago — a position ratified by the people in over thirty states — can be the grounds for depriving a chicken restaurant chain from operating in major American cities?

Emanuel has been joined by Boston mayor Thomas Menino in this get-the-hell-out-of-my-city message to Christians. “In recent days you said Chick-fil-A opposes same-sex marriage, and said the generation that supports it has an ‘arrogant attitude,'” Menino wrote to the company’s top executive in Atlanta. “Now — incredibly — your company says you are backing out of the same-sex marriage debate. I urge you to back out of your plans to locate in Boston.”

All of this tough talk is dished up with the usual irony-oblivious prattle about tolerance and freedom. No one is more intolerant than a “tolerant” liberal. It has been reported that Menino didn’t want a Chick-fil-A anywhere near the “Freedom trail” in Boston. Well, if that is the way he feels, perhaps Menino should dig up and ban the “Freedom trail,” since the founding fathers who blazed it agreed completely with St. Paul’s condemnation of homosexual behavior. They never confused liberty with secularist license. Even the mere phrase “gay marriage” would have been unfathomable to them.

The values of the Boy Scouts (another blameless group tormented by oh-so-progressive mayors) and Chick-fil-A are not foreign to America’s principles, but the “Chicago values” of the Obama left certainly are. This level of secularist hubris is unprecedented in American history. Not only must Christians pay for what they see as the immoral practices decreed by Obama, pace the HHS mandate, they aren’t even permitted to harbor “thoughts” contrary to regnant secularist propaganda.

The executives of Chick-fil-A simply hold the view that redefining marriage is wrong. So do millions of Americans, as seen every time it comes up for a direct vote in state referenda. Yet that’s enough to deny them from opening restaurants in major American cities like they are segregationists? This is unbelievable.

Americans are coming to see in more and more graphic form-from the HHS mandate all the way down to mayoral decrees enforcing political correctness-what Obama meant when he said in the 2008 campaign that he was going to “fundamentally transform” the country. He is the “one” we have “been waiting for,” his supporters chanted, meaning that he would run the ball into the end zone for radicalism.

He is building a secularist Animal Farm which no one is free to leave. For all of his talk about “privacy,” nothing in the end is private under his coercive mentality. A chance remark to a reporter by a fast food executive can become the occasion for destroying a company. In Obamaland, you either bow to his new morality of abortion and gay marriage or you go out of business.

That is the Chicago way, and now “Chicago values.”—————- THINK ABOUT IT !

I just read the sad news that 12 people were killed, and another 11 injured, after their pickup truck crashed into trees in a rural South Texas community. This comes just a few days after the mass murder of 12 in Aurora, Colorado. In both cases people died as the result of an inanimate object being used in the wrong way. The shooting has prompted many to call for stricter gun control laws, or the banning of guns. I can’t help but wonder—will those folks also call for a ban on pickup trucks?

IMHO it is foolish to blame evil acts on inanimate objects, rather than the free moral agents who used them. There is no such thing as “gun violence”. Saying guns kill people is like blaming pencils for misspelled words. Why is it that after a shooting spree they want to take guns away from the people who didn’t do it. In my mind, the very fact that there are people who will misuse guns is all the more reason for us to “keep and bear arms”. Why should the wrongs of others result in us losing the means of protecting ourselves.

I am offended by the fact that the same people who support the butchering of babies through abortion are usually the first ones to call for a ban on guns.If they are so concern about protecting lives why don’t they protest the killing of innocent babies? Any government that promotes the murder of millions through abortion and then strips people of their right to keep and bear arms is a government that cannot be trusted. Thomas Jefferson said it well, “The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government”.

Shortly before his death, Colonel Jeff Cooper wrote,”One cannot legislate the maniacs off the street—these maniacs can only be shut down by an armed citizenry. Indeed bad things can happen in nations where the citizenry is armed, but not as bad as those which seem to be threatening our disarmed citizenry in this country at this time.” That is a voice of reason that deserves our attention at this time. The problem is not with trucks and guns, but with the person who has his hands on the steering wheel or his finger on the trigger. We have more than enough laws, but not nearly enough love for God and others. We need to deal with the root of the problem rather than the fruit of the problem.

Here is an article by Tim Challies that needs to be read widely and thought about deeply. Challies addresses a problem that is ruining our nation and touches every area of our life. I hope you will take time to read and think about what he says:

Jack Chambless is Professor of Economics at Valencia College. Every year he starts his class off by asking his students to write a 10 minute essay on what the American dream looks like to them, and what they want the federal government to do to help them achieve that dream. He describes this year’s results:

About 10% of the students said they wanted the government to leave them alone, not tax them too much, and let them regulate their own lives. But over 80% of the students said that the American Dream to them meant a house and a job and plenty of money for retirement, and vacations and things like this. But when it came to the part about the federal government 8 out of 10 students said they wanted free health care, they wanted the government to pay for their tuition. They want the government to pay for the down payment on their house. They expect the government “to give them a job.” Many of them said they wanted the government to tax wealthier individuals so that they would have an opportunity to have a better life.

Professor Chambless’ students belong to the “Entitlement Generation,” also known as the “Gimme Generation.” They think they can have and should have whatever they want, whenever they want, and from whomever they want it, while others pay for it.” Or more simply, as one Occupy Protestor painted on her placard, “Where’s my bailout?”

That sense of economic entitlement usually goes hand in hand with education entitlement. Students now come to college expecting straight A’s. That’s the default. And, as Anthony Carter notes, woe-betide any professor who “fails” to comply.

Harvard Professor of Law, Lawrence Lessig, has noticed a huge increase in the sense of entitlement among students especially in questioning authority. He says that the Internet “has created a world where everybody feels entitled to question somebody else.” He goes on:

There’s no authority, there’s no like being the professor of law from Harvard that entitles you to say here’s what the truth is. There’s an opening. Here’s a professor of law from Harvard who says here’s what the truth is. That’s a way of beginning a conversation. Some fifteen year old can say I just spent the last 6 months studying about the history about the fourteenth amendment and what you just said is #@X!. Here’s the right answer. We’ve come to this place where the younger generation just believes its their right to be as involved and as engaged as anybody.

Of course, being a Harvard professor, Lessig thinks this is great:

I think that’s a thing to be celebrated and encouraged, but I think that what you recognize that what you can see in a wide range of internet contacts the sense of entitlement has driven enormous creativity and engagement that before was presumed to be disqualified.

So is it just a case of, “Well there are some pros, and some cons to this. No big deal. Let’s move on?”

Jean Twenge wrote the book Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled—and More Miserable Than Ever Before. She describes the entitlement generation as “smart, brash, even arrogant, and endowed with a commanding sense of entitlement.”

But, like Professor Lessig, Twenge also sees a flipside. She sees many of the “Gimme Generation” as individualists, “free-thinkers who are willing to break the status quo and pursue their dreams. Their confidence is what allows them to accomplish great things and can keep companies progressing.”

Again, we’re being tempted to minimize the significance of these societal changes. So, do we just shrug our shoulders and succumb to the spirit of the age? Economics Professor Thomas Sowell was interviewed about this on Fox News:

Interviewer: Professor, we had a series here a couple of weeks ago called Entitlement. There’s so many things that Americans now think they are entitled to because of government largesse. Everything from health care to food stamps, houses, even jobs. How do we get out of that?

Sowell:That’s going to be very tough. Because the whole media, the educational system promotes the idea that you are entitled to something. It just seems obvious. Society is not entitled to anything. We can’t even get the food that we need without working for it. So when you say that somebody is entitled to it you mean that somebody else has to pay for what you want…

I’m totally with Professor Sowell on this. I see no long-term good coming from this entitlement mentality. It destroys initiative, independence, inventiveness, resourcefulness, motivation, the fear of consequences, and the link between cause and effect. It promotes indulgence, jealousy, conceit, laziness, and self-centeredness. It creates bad winners and bad losers.

It hurts marriages by putting the focus on “What can I get from him/her?” rather than “What can I give?” It hurts charity because the rich leave it to the government and withdraw from contact with the poor; the poor just get handouts from an impersonal, faceless, soulless State rather than from real caring people. Above all, a sense of entitlement destroys the Christian life.

As a Christian, I believe in one entitlement.

I’m entitled to Hell. That’s the only entitlement I have. That’s all I deserve, because of my sin. Anything else is grace, an unmerited bonus from the God of all grace. I don’t deserve a breath of life, a crumb of food, a drop of water, a stitch of clothing, a cent in my wallet, or an hour of education. I’m not entitled to one friend, one vacation, one verse of Scripture, or even one sermon. I’m certainly not entitled to salvation and heaven. I’m entitled to damnation and Hell.

That sense of entitlement makes me seek mercy, receive mercy, enjoy mercy, and be merciful to others. To paraphrase the Apostle Paul, “What have I that I did not receive as a free gift of divine grace? How therefore can I ever boast as if I had actually been entitled to it or earned it?”  

So, there are basically only two ways to live: with a proud and angry sense of entitlement or with a humble and thankful sense of responsibility.

To summarize, “The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).

THINK ABOUT IT!

The headline said,”Massive drought in U.S. Midwest sends global crop prices soaring”. The article then proceeds to paint a bleak picture. We, of course, already knew this. Unless you’re living under a rock without access to the media you know what’s happening. You also know that, although concerned, you can’t change or control the circumstances. It is what it is and we have to deal with it.

There is, however, a drought of a different sort that should trouble us even more. I’m talking about a spiritual drought, our need for revival. I won’t elaborate, but this drought could very well be the cause of the other. Since “the LORD hath his way in the whirl-wind and in the storm”(Nah. 1:3) it is no stretch of the imagination to connect our current situation to divine providence. God has His finger in everything. Nothing happens that He does not cause or allow. Yeah I know, you’ve got some questions–get in line. I’m just giving you the facts. God will have to answer your questions.

I’m not going into a lot of detail and bore you with statistics, but I do want to remind you that all the major Christian denominations are in a state of decline–Hello Europe,”Here we come”. Church leaders are frantic and the so called “experts” are banging their heads against the wall trying to come up with an explanation and solution to stop the bleeding. In their answers you hear just about everything. Some, as the kids say, leave you ROTFL. But this isn’t funny.

Now you can think as you please, but there can be no denying of the fact that interest in the Bible, church, and the Christian disciplines are waning. The average person simply has other things on their mind. I don’t think I am exaggerating one bit when I say, the need for revival has never been greater and interest in it has never been less. The fact that a shocking number of churches are closing everyday doesn’t seen to bother people at all. The decline in professions of faith, baptisms, church attendance, giving, and men surrendering to the ministry doesn’t seen to trouble anyone anymore. You just got to wonder,”What will it take”. I think I know, but I don’t like to think about it!

Well they say,”Its darkest before the dawn”, so maybe there is hope. It just might be that if it keeps getting worse it will finally get better. Do I need to remind you how painful that will be? I understand very well that God alone can send revival, but I also know that it is conditional. Until God’s people turn to Him with their whole heart there is no chance for it. One thing is sure–we can’t keep doing business as usual and expect thing to get better. It doesn’t work that way. This is how it works: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”–2 Chron.7:14.

I know, you’ve heard that verse a thousand times before, but what have you done about it? This verse reminds us that we are wicked, our land is sick, and God is able and willing to heal. Just like ancient Israel, we have a choice. We can seek God and live or seek only to please self and die. It is our choice. I’m going to pray–right now! What are you going to do? Think about it!

Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his
own reward according to his own labour.–1 Cor. 3:8

Christians often spend a lot of time bickering among themselves without ever getting
to the real root of the problem. This story by Dr. Bob Griffin helps us put things in the
proper perspective:

Walking through the forest, a seasoned hiker came upon a broad, slowly
moving river. He stopped to gaze over the waters, appreciating the beauty,
when suddenly he heard a faint cry coming from upstream. Looking in the
direction of the noise, he saw an obviously drowning man floundering in the
river and drifting slowly toward him.

The hiker was stunned momentarily, but he sprang into action when he saw the
man disappear beneath the waters. Throwing off all of his cumbersome gear,
he dove into the river and swam like a madman toward the spot where the man
went under.

Upon reaching the spot he plunged below the surface and frantically hauled
up the helpless man. He then laboriously towed the victim to shore. Heaving
the lifeless body up on the riverbank, the hiker attempted to revive the
man, who eventually spit up water and began to breathe.

Relieved, the hiker paused to catch his breath. But no sooner had he done so
than he heard another voice out on the water. Another drowning person! Once
again he swam out and pulled the person to shore, a little more slowly this
time. As the hiker-turned lifeguard revived the second victim, he heard yet
another cry for help.

All day long the hiker worked, rescuing one person after another as they
came drifting down the river. There seemed to be no end of drowning victims,
and the hiker didn’t think he could keep it up.

Just when he was about to collapse from exhaustion, he spotted another man
walking rapidly beside the river, headed upstream. “Hey mister!” he cried
out. “Please help me! These poor people are drowning!” Amazingly, the man
kept walking upstream. The astonished hiker called out again. Without even
acknowledging the cry, the man kept going. Indignant and angry, the hiker
leapt to his feet, ran toward the seemingly uncompassionate man, stood
directly in his path, and in a loud voice demanded, “Sir! How can you
possibly walk past all these drowning people? Have you no conscience? Must I
force you to help me save these people?”

The stranger stopped, looked at him for the first time and said with a calm,
focused voice, “Sir, please get out of my way. I am headed upstream to stop
the guy who is pushing all these people in.”

Each of us has a role to play in rescuing those who are drowning in sin. The
important part is that we DO the work God called us to do. Of course, GOD
does the work in hearts, but we all have gifts to help us minister in His
name. Some of us pull people from the water and resuscitate them with
counseling, food and shelter, a rehabilitation program, a support group, or
financial aid. Others of us find our place of ministry upstream, opposing
the one pushing people into the river. We do this by introducing those
people to Jesus Christ, knowing Christ sets a person free from sin and
releases them from Satan’s power over them. By itself, pulling people from
the water isn’t enough. We need God to free people from sin, dealing with
the problem of sin at its source.–THINK ABOUT IT!