Going Up or Down? You Should Know Already.

Here is a video from a debate that took place during now-President Obama's Senate campaign. Watch particularly from :22 - :31.

Look, if you REALLY ARE A Christian; a believer in Jesus Christ and the atonement He provided for us on the cross, then you KNOW whether you are going up or down. You don't have to ask HIM about it. There are so many 'believers' who are NOT sure. They should stop calling themselves Christians. The church is responsible for this by the way. It has, for too long, preached a watered-down gospel. ( I will provide, in a future post some examples of this. Right now I am experiencing some technical difficulties with regards to videos.)



The President is not the only one like this, but he is the President, hence the high-profile standards. Don't tell me that we are on the same side because you believe like I do. You do NOT believe like I do if you do not know for a certainty whether you are going up or down. In all fairness, this video was a while ago, and it's possible that by sitting under the preaching of Jeremiah Wright, he learned of his true fate, but I doubt that. Heh.

Just my occasional political twist on matters of faith.

Focus Part Two - Yes, You Can.

In the first part of this lesson, we talked about how when there is a work to be done, distractions will come. We talked about how one of those distractions is sin; represented in the story of Nehemiah by Sanballat.

Let's move on now to the next distraction that will come: Tobiah. It is found in the same passage; Nehemiah 4:1-3

From the Web Bible Encyclopedia:
Tobiah - pleasing to Jehovah, the “servant”

Tobiah is the believer; your co-laborer in Christ. Tobiah is the one that is supposed to be on your side. Tobiah is the one who says "Praise the Lord!" to your face, and talks about you behind your back. Tobiah is your fellow laborer sneaking around to get in the other door before you and then smiling at you once you're in the room together.

This is not to say that fellow believers should never be trusted. On the contrary, we are supposed to be of the same mind. (1Cor 2:16). But Tobiah-minded believers say that even though you are doing the work, it will fail. They wish you failure. I do not understand this at all. Why, if indeed they claim to have the same interests at heart, the same goals to achieve, would they wish failure upon you? I accept the fact that perhaps they may not agree with the method, or the plan, but to wish failure upon your co-laborer is plain wrong.

"Well, preacher", you say. "Tobiah wasn't a co-laborer." Yup. You're right. However, Mr. Pleasing-to-Jehovah was an Ammonite.

Ammonites were descendants of Ammon, the son of Lot. Along with the Moabites, this tribe hired Balaam to curse Israel. They were, through Lot, closely related to the Israelites through blood and language.

You see, it is their close relation that makes them a 'co-laborer'. Even though they were not working along side the Israelites in this task, they were originally from the same family, and that is how we draw the connection.

Let's move on.

So after Nehemiah prays, we see this verse:

So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.
Nehemiah 4:6

Why is it that the wall was able to be built, halfway completed, even though there were these distractions and oppositions? Because the people had amind to work

You can get a lot done if you have a mind to work. You can get even more done if those that are with you have a mind to work. You can get people to do extraordinary things as long as you and they have a mind to work. You can beat the oppostion if you have a mind to work.

You can reach the unreachable.

You can do the impossible.

You can beat the enemy.

You can overcome every obstacle...

if you have the mind to work.

When the people have a mind to work, they can.

Brief Briefs

"Brief Briefs" is my new recurring entry for our two cents on current and newsworthy events. I hope you enjoy.

13-Year Old Father

Clearly this kid lacked some sort of sex education. How is it that the first thing he decides to do with it, once he can do something with it, is exactly what he shouldn't be doing with it. Didn't his parents see this girl he was hanging with, and that she was clearly much more physically mature than him?

He was 12 at conception!

Great Britain started down this path a long time ago. What path? They started down the path of a godless nation. They formed their own god to suit their needs; in government and society. Now they are paying the price. If this continues, he could be a grandfather at 25! America should take heed now. This is what happens when you remove God. And yes, her parents are just as much to blame as are his.


But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you. But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward. But thou shalt say unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the LORD their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth. Jeremiah 7:23-24, 28


Evolving Christians

Either you are a Christian or you believe in evolution. You can NOT have both. The Word of God states clearly that God created all things:

Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive the glory and the honor and dominion, for You created all things; by Your will they were [brought into being] and were created.
Revelation 4:11 AMP

For ever since the creation of the world His invisible nature and attributes, that is, His eternal power and divinity, have been made intelligible and clearly discernible in and through the things that have been made (His handiworks). So [men] are without excuse [altogether without any defense or justification], Because when they knew and recognized Him as God, they did not honor and glorify Him as God or give Him thanks. But instead they became futile and godless in their thinking [with vain imaginings, foolish reasoning, and stupid speculations] and their senseless minds were darkened.
Romans 1:20-21 AMP

When you suggest that God did or didn't do something when His Word clearly states the opposite, you have broken the second commandment and created a god to suit yourself. This is what Adam & Eve did in the garden when tempted.

These preachers are preaching lies. We pray for their flock, that they not be led astray.

Life Lesson # 42

Never sign anything that you have not read.

Excellent speech becometh not a fool: much less do lying lips a prince.
Proverbs 17:7

What's the Big Deal?

Lawsuit: Florida Clinic Botched Abortion, Threw Out Live Baby

"Just before noon she began to feel ill. The clinic contacted Renelique (the 'doctor'). Two hours later, he still hadn't shown up. Williams went into labor and delivered the baby....one of the clinic owners, Belkis Gonzalez came in and cut the umbilical cord with scissors, then placed the baby in a plastic bag, and the bag in a trash can."

OK. So what's the problem?

Abortion is legal in this country. I do not agree with that, but it is.

The woman, Sycloria Williams, went to have an abortion, at 23 weeks. I do not agree with that.

Her plans were to terminate the life growing inside of her. Instead, the life was terminated outside of her. Why is she suing?

Why is there such outrage?

The best quote from this story is this one:

"She came face to face with a human being," Pennekamp said. "And that changed everything."

Huh? Wasn't 'it' a human being before 'it' came out of her?

Was it alright to kill a human being if you can't see them?

Are you kidding me?

I think this is one of the most tragic things I have heard of in a long time. But I am sure it has happened before. I just do not understand why...

"Even those who support abortion rights are concerned about the allegations."

Maybe because this will put a spotlight on their American holocaust and show it for what it really is: Murder of innocent people.

Reality Check: All aborted babies end up in plastic bags. Plastic bags do not decompose.

AHAZ WAS twenty years old when he began his sixteen-year reign in Jerusalem. He did not do right in the sight of the Lord, like David his father [forefather]. But he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and even made molten images for the Baals. And he burned incense in the Valley of Ben-hinnom [son of Hinnom] and burned his sons as an offering, after the abominable customs of the [heathen] nations whom the Lord drove out before the Israelites.
2 Chronicles 28:1-3 (emphasis mine)

You can read up on Hinnom at Easton's Bible Dictionary:

God wasn't happy with it then. He is not happy with it now.

Jubilee

Jubilee is the name of the great semi-centennial festival of the Hebrews. It lasted for a year. During this year the land was to be fallow, and the Israelites were only permitted to gather the spontaneous produce of the fields (Lev. 25:11-12). All landed property during that year reverted to its original owner (Lev. 25:13-34; Lev. 27:16-24), and all who were slaves were set free (Lev. 25:39-54), and all debts were remitted.

Sounds like God already knew man wasn't going to be a good steward of his finances.

"Focus" - Part One

"SIN"

The story of Nehemiah is chock full of lessons for the believer. One of those many lessons is how to overcome the challenge of distraction.

In the book of Nehemiah, he has gone, with the blessing of the Persian king, to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

It is good if you read the whole story so you can get an idea of the whole scope of things. Some of it is a lot of names. If those names are a challenge for you, I think God will let you slide by if you call Jedaiah, 'Jed' and Harumaph, 'Harry'. Really, don't you think God would like you to get the message He has for you before you get discouraged because you can't read all the names. When you decide to do a full study on it, then you can go back and look up all the names. Until then...

Chapter 3 talks about where everyone was working on the wall. Let's look at 3:28

From above the horse gate repaired the priests, every one over against his house.
Nehemiah 3:28

Each person was working on the part of the wall that was near their house. This is how we should be in this world as well as in the church. There are a lot of walls that need to be rebuilt. There are walls of this nation that need repair.

There are all different sections of the wall. Those who 'live' on that part of the wall are responsible for its repair.

Your calling is your 'home'. If your calling is blogging on certain topics, then perhaps that is your part of the wall. If your 'home' is politics, start rebuilding. If your 'home' is ministry, start repairing the breaches.

If you are going to undertake this task with the rest of us, you must be aware of one thing: you can not do it without calling on God first. I will address that in a future post.

Repairing the wall requires going back to the original plan. Only someone who knows the original layout of that part of the wall is qualified to rebuild that part of the wall. It is the responsibility of people that live on that part of the wall to fix it. Wherever you call 'home', it is your responsibility to fix that part of the wall. You may be a preacher, a missionary, someone who shares their faith on the job or a pray-er. Your home is on that part of the wall. Your security in the city depends on that part of the wall. Walls enable you to see the enemy from afar. It's your responsibility to repair that part of the wall.

Part of the reason that I had such trouble blogging in the past is that during the election season, I was so drawn to the political realm and had so many opinions on the various goings-on from a godly perspective, but didn't know how to separate the two. So, here I am, on my part of the wall. And I am here to stay.

Rebuilding the part of the wall that is near your house is also a personal matter. Take care of the wall near your home; your personal life, your marriage, your children. If everyone saw to the repair of their own part of the wall, the wall would be fixed.

Some parts of the wall have too many people working on them. Stick to your own portion and leave others' alone.

OK. Let's move on to Chapter 4.

Nehemiah 4:1-3

But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we built the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews. And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned? Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall.

Understand this: When you start doing a good work, someone will always oppose you. Don't ever think that you will get away with completing anything noble without some sort of opposition. We have seen this play out in our own nation. You've probably seen it in your own lives; if not, your own struggles. But stand firm because righteousness brings a righteous reward. Righteous action may attract opposition. So what?

Now you need some name research.

From Jewishencyclopedia.com: "Sanballat," according to Sayce (in Hastings, "Dict. Bible," s.v.), is connected with the Assyrian "Sinballidh," and means "Sin has vivified."

Sanballat means 'Sin has given life'. We are not talking about (a)sin, like cursing and the like. We are talking about (b)Sin, a Sumerian god. Now, (b)Sin was a false god because we know that there is only one God. That is the belief to which we ascribe here. Without getting into too much depth on this note, let's say that all (a)sin is some sort of false god or worshipping of some sort of false god. So, for our purposes, (a)sin and (b)Sin are one in the same, if not very closely related. Follow me?

Be assured that there are many things that will try to get in the way of your righteous endeavors. And as sure as that is, it is sure that one of them will be sin.

Sin seems to be able to distract you at any given time but especially when you are making some headway. It can be something as subtle as despising the actions of another or the person themselves, or as loud as some addiction.

Sin will creep up on you and do what Sanballat did. It will mock you. As soon as you get anything accomplished, sin is right there to mock you; to bring about feelings of worthlessness and doubt about yourself and your task at hand.

Tobiah was Sanballat's henchman: "Yeah, boss. What you said boss. Heh." Tobiah will further point out your failures and shortcomings.

Wait until you hear what Tobiah means!

How much is it?

In the biblical standard of time, the world has been around for approximately 6000 years. At least that's how I understand it. I know, that puts all those million, billion years evolutionists on their heads. Frankly, I don't care. There's less proof for evolution (read: no proof) than the wind. Anyway, so, 6000 years.

For the sake of this post, let's say that the world has been around for 6,342 years. Stay with me.

That would be 2,314,830 days. (That's millions).

That would be 55,555,920 hours. (That's millions).

That would be 3,333,355,200 minutes. (That's billions).

That would be 200,001,312,000 seconds. (That's billions).

So, if you had $4.00 for every second that the earth has been in existence, you would have 800 billion dollars.

That's how much that is.

Tick - tock.

2e

The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.

Ecclesiastes 1:9-10

Why is it that in this world we have so much trouble dealing with events? If we were to look back over history, we would see that everything has been already. Yet, we act as if we are the first to encounter it. We are so self-absorbed that we can not even learn from our own successes and failures.

Even our country could learn from times past, both in its own history and the history of the world, of how to deal with our current struggles. Yet we forget the lessons learned by ourselves and others. We even re-write history at times to appease the masses. We will NOT succeed that way.

If we remember nothing else, can we please remember the words of the 'teacher' (and that, without misquoting him):

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

Embracing What is Right

First, let me say that this is not a political entry. This is a personal entry. I try very hard to steer away from the political realm, as difficult as that sometimes is. Also, I am not claiming anyone to be guilty by association, so don't even read into that here.

As I watched history unfold during the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States, I was unimpressed. There wa no 'wow' moment for me. From Rick Warren's 'prayer' until the end of Joseph Lowery's 'bendiction' - nothing.

I wasn't surprised by the crowds. I expected them.

The music left no lasting impression except for the fact that they could keep stringed instruments in such great tune at such low temperatures. I hear that maybe it was pre-recorded; a Yo-Yo version of lip-synching? Yo-Yo Manilli. I couldn't resist.

There was no historic 'quote' from th ePresident's speech that we will ever see etched in marble or written in history books. For such a charismatic and eloquent man, and after all of the campaign speeches, it was almost anti-climactic. We appear to be stuck with "Yes, we can."

The poem was, well, odd.

And then Rev. Lowery takes to the microphone to pronounce the benediction. Still not impressed, but it definitely sticks with me.

BENEDICTION - A benediction (Latin: bene, well + dicere, to speak) is a short invocation for divine help, blessing and guidance, usually at the end of worship service.

According to wikipedia, Dr Lowery has been in ministry since at least 1952. He should certainly know the purpose of a benediction. He got most of it right. He prayed for protection over the President and his family. He prayed for an end to war in this world. He prayed for the unity of the millions in attendance. Then he tried to add the rhyming and humor to his 'prayer'.

Here is the closing text of this benediction:

"Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around ... when yellow will be mellow ... when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right. That all those who do justice and love mercy say Amen."

That is NOT a blessing! It is NOT, as the latin states, speaking well of anyone.

This is not an attack on the man of God. He has very many accomplishments, has served God many years and I would never discount any of that. But, I would think that after all of the trouble our new President has had in the past with preachers, he would make some safer choices.

In the following video, you can even see his regret in his face...watch closely...



There are some other things that I can say here regarding the struggle against racism in the United States, but they may start a riot in front of my home. Now, while SOME of my readers may want me to do that, I am not going to. There are many of my African American blogging friends who say it very well.

Suffice it to say, that the three main challenges facing us with regard to racism are these:

1. Old thoughts are still in play. That is to say that people of the older generation and even some out-of-touch, uneducated people of my own generation, have a certain mind-set regarding other races. they do not see anything wrong with their viewpoint, and feel free to speak their mind on the issue.

2. We still call racism a 'problem'. The more you call something a problem, the more of a problem it becomes. The Bible says that:

Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
Proverbs 18:21

3. The victim mentality. A young man that I have really grown to admire says it best in the following video. And since he's black, he is allowed to say it. Whatever! This was posted pre-election. While I agreed with his views in the rest of the video at that time, some of it now falls out of line with our support of our current President. I know you're going to watch it all. This video was in response to someone else's blog entry, but watch around :54 through 1:34. A tip of the hat to an Ol' Broad for this video.



Finally, let me say this: When we start viewing ourselves as we are; a great, blessed, powerful country, we will be able to re-take our rightful place in this world as a leader. As long as we view ourselves as struggling within, we will always be a struggling nation. It is time for us, as a nation to renew our mind. The current President is in office because the left succeeded at getting some on the right to renew their minds about certain things. Unfortunately, the church is responsible for putting an ungodly man in office and America as a nation will pay the price.

Yes, it is time for white and every other color to embrace what is right.

God is right.

We made it!

I received the following from a wonderful woman in my life through an email. I have made some adjustments and posted it here.

To Those of You Born

1925 - 1983

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED THE
1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's & 80's!!

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can and didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-base paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had baseball caps not helmets on our heads.

As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, no booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes. Riding in the back of a pick- up truck on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and no one actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread, white rice, white pasta, real butter and bacon. We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar. And, we weren't overweight. WHY? Because we were always outside playing...that's why!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. And, we were O.K. We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride them down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times,we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's and X-boxes. There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet, no Facebook, no MySpace and no chat rooms.

WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever. We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes. We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them.

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

No one had ADD or ADHD. We were disciplined to pay attention and learned self-discipline. Some just needed more of the 'discipline' than others.

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

Our generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever. The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all.

If YOU are one of them, CONGRATULATIONS! You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good.

While you are at it, send a link to your kids so they will know how brave and lucky their parents were.

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?

Your J. O. B.

The following post was taken from an Ol' Broad and edited for content:

To All My Valued Employees,

There have been some rumblings around the office about the future of this company, and more specifically, your job. As you know, the economy has changed for the worse and presents many challenges. However, the good news is this: The economy doesn’t pose a threat to your job. What does threaten your job however, is the changing political landscape in this country.

However, let me tell you some little tidbits of fact which might help you decide what is in your best interests.

First, while it is easy to spew rhetoric that casts employers against employees, you have to understand that for every business owner there is a back story. This back story is often neglected and overshadowed by what you see and hear. Sure, you see us as free and self-employed. You’ve imagine us in a big house; dining out with our children. I’m sure all these flashy icons of luxury conjure up some idealized thoughts about our life.

However, what you don’t see is the back story.

We started this company 10 years ago. At that time, We lived in a run down apartment, someone's basement where, as my 8 month pregnant wife and I laid on our mattress on the floor, we could hear the tinkle of everyone in the toilet over our heads, and an unkempt friend's rental for 5 years. More than half of our living room was converted into an office so we could put forth 100% effort into building a company, which by the way, would eventually employ you at a wage of WELL OVER the minimum.

Our diet consisted of Macaroni and cheese on Monday, white rice on Tuesday, white rice with beef bullion on Wednesday, white rice with chicken bullion on Thursday, Spaghetti on Friday and leftovers on the weekends because every dollar we made went right back into this company. If we had any meat to eat, it came from the food pantry in town. We drove broken down, third hand cars with defective transmissions & may-pop tires. Our children sacrificed time with their parents. We didn’t have money to go out. Often times, we stayed home on weekends, while our friends went out to the movies and dinners. While everyone else was secure in their HMO coverage, we depended solely upon the Mercy of God and favor of man.

We lived our business - hard work, discipline, and sacrifice. You can not POSSIBLY tell us how difficult it is to make ends meet. Do not even try.

Meanwhile, our friends and relatives got jobs. They worked 40+ hours a week and made a modest $100K plus a year and spent every dime they earned. They enjoyed good health coverage. They drove flashy cars and lived in expensive homes and wore fancy designer clothes. Instead of hitting the Nordstrom’s for the latest hot fashion item, we were trolling through the clearance racks at Wal-Mart extracting any clothing item that would fit our children. Our own clothes we never bought, but depended on the kindness of wealthier clients to give us their hand-me-downs. Our friends refinanced their mortgages and lived a life of luxury. We, however, did not even own our own home until recently. We put a lot of time, money, and our life into a business with a vision so that eventually, some day, we too, would be able to afford these luxuries our friends supposedly enjoyed.

So, while you physically arrive at to work at 7am, mentally check in at about 11, and then leave at 2pm, we don’t. There is no “off” button for us. When you go home, you are done and you have a weekend all to yourself. We unfortunately do not have the freedom. We eat, and breathe this company every minute of the day. There is no rest. There is no weekend. There is no happy hour. Every day this business is attached to our family like a 1 year old special-needs child. You, of course, only see the fruits of that garden - the house, the cars, the trips … you never realize the back story and the sacrifices we’ve made. But we wouldn't have had it any other way. It was our dream; our vision for our family's future.

Now, the economy is falling apart and we, the couple that made all the right decisions and saved our money, have to bail-out all the people who didn’t. The people that overspent their paychecks suddenly feel entitled to the same luxuries that we earned and sacrificed a decade of our life for.

Yes, business ownership has is benefits but the price we’ve paid is steep and not without wounds.

Unfortunately, the cost of running this business, and employing you, is starting to eclipse the threshold of marginal benefit and let me tell you why:

We are being taxed to the brink and the government thinks we don’t pay enough. We have state taxes. Federal taxes. Property taxes. Sales and use taxes. Payroll taxes. Workers compensation taxes. Unemployment taxes. Taxes on taxes. We have to hire a tax man to manage all these taxes and then guess what? I have to pay taxes for employing him. Government mandates and regulations and all the accounting that goes with it, now occupy most of my time. Sometime between now and April 15th, I will clench my teeth as I find out if I can even break even with our personal taxes or will we have to pay even more.

The question I have is this: Who is stimulating the economy? Us, the couple who has provided all of you good people with good paying jobs servicing homes and offices in 2 states and 9 counties with a flourishing business? Or, the single mother sitting at home pregnant with her fourth child waiting for her next welfare check? Obviously, government feels the latter is the economic stimulus of this country.

The fact is, if I deducted (Read: Stole) 50% of your paycheck you’d quit and you wouldn’t work here. I mean, why should you? That’s nuts. Who wants to get rewarded only 50% of their hard work? Well, I agree which is why your job is in jeopardy.

Here is what many of you don’t understand … to stimulate the economy you need to stimulate what runs the economy. Had suddenly government mandated to us that we didn’t need to pay taxes, guess what? Instead of depositing over $100,000 into the Washington black-hole, we would spend it, hiring more employees, start new business outlets and ventures and generate substantial economic growth. Our employees would enjoyed the wealth of that tax cut in the form of promotions and better salaries. But you can forget it now.

When you have a comatose man on the verge of death, you don’t defibrillate and shock his thumb thinking that will bring him back to life, do you? Or, do you defibrillate his heart? Business is at the heart of America and always has been. To restart it, you must stimulate it, not kill it. Suddenly, the new power brokers in Washington believe the poor of America are the essential drivers of the American economic engine. Nothing could be further from the truth and this is the type of change you you will get.

So where are we going with all of this? It’s quite simple.

If any new taxes are levied on us, or our company, our reaction will be swift and simple. We will sell off our business assets. We will fire you. We will fire your co-workers. You can then plead with the government to pay for your mortgage, your SUV, and your child’s future. Frankly, it isn’t our problem any more.

Then, we will close this company down, sell most of out possessions and move to another country, do mission work and eventually retire. You see, we're done. We're done with a country that penalizes the productive and gives to the unproductive. Our motivation to work and to provide jobs will be destroyed, and with it, the dream we worked so hard to achieve.

So, if you lose your job, it won’t be at the hands of the economy; it will be at the hands of a political hurricane that swept through this country, steamrolled the constitution, and will have changed its landscape forever. If that happens, you can find us teaching some foreign children the Word of God, being appreciated simply because of what we have to offer and not the tax base we can provide, and with no employees to worry about …

Signed,
your employers.

Marvia Providence

Forwarded Emails (Sowing and Reaping)

I received the following text recently in a forwarded email. DISCLAIMER: I have not checked any of the facts, just posted it as I received it....

DID YOU KNOW THESE FACTS?

I SURE DIDNT TILL NOW

Death is certain but the Bible speaks about untimely death!

Make a personal reflection about this.....

Very interesting, read until the end.....

It is written in the Bible (Galatians 6:7):

'Be not deceived; God is not mocked:

or whatsoever a man sow,

that shall he also reap.

Here are some men and women

who mocked God :

John Lennon (Singer):

Some years before, during his interview with an American Magazine, he said: 'Christianity will end, it will disappear. I do not have to argue about that. I am certain. Jesus was ok, but his subjects were too simple, today we are more famous than Him' (1966). Lennon, after saying that the Beatles were more famous than Jesus Christ, was shot six times.

Tancredo Neves (President of Brazil ):

During the Presidential campaign, he said if he got 500,000 votes from his party, not even God would remove him from Presidency. Sure he got the votes, but he got sick a day before being made President, then he died.

Cazuza (Bi-sexual Brazilian composer, singer and poet):

During A show in Canecio ( Rio de Janeiro ), while smoking his cigarette, he puffed out some smoke into the air and said:'God, that's for you.' He died at the age of 32 of LUNG CANCER in a horrible manner.

The man who built the Titanic

After the construction of Titanic, a reporter asked him how safe the Titanic would be.

With an ironic tone he said: 'Not even God can sink it'. The result: I think you all know what happened to the Titanic

Marilyn Monroe (Actress)

She was visited by Billy Graham during a presentation of a show. He said the Spirit of God had sent him to preach to her. After hearing what the Preacher had to say, she said:

'I don't need your Jesus'. A week later, she was found dead in her apartment

Bon Scott (Singer)

The ex-vocalist of the AC/DC. On one of his 1979 songs he sang: 'Don't stop me; I'm going down all the way, down the highway to hell'. On the 19th of February 1980, Bon Scott was found dead, he had been choked by his own vomit.

Campinas (IN 2005)

In Campinas , Brazil a group of friends, drunk, went to pick up a friend.....The mother accompanied her to the car and was so worried about the drunkenness of her friends and she said to the daughter holding her hand, who was already seated in the car: 'My Daughter, Go With God And May He Protect You.' She responded: 'Only If He (God) Travels In The Trunk, Cause Inside Here.....It's Already Full ' Hours later, news came by that they had been involved in a fatal accident, everyone had died, the car could not be recognized what type of car it had been, but surprisingly, the trunk was intact. The police said there was no way the trunk could have remained intact To their surprise, inside the trunk was a crate of eggs, none was broken

Christine Hewitt (Jamaican Journalist and entertainer)
said the Bible (Word of God) was the worst book ever written. In June 2006 she was found burnt beyond recognition in her motor vehicle.

Many more important people have forgotten that there is no other name that was given so much authority as the name of Jesus.

Many have died, but only Jesus died and rose again, and he is still alive.

'Jesus'

PS: If it was a joke, you would have sent it to everyone.
So are you going to have courage to send this? I have done my part, Jesus said

'If you are embarrassed about me, I will also be embarrassed about you before my father.'

You are my 8 in 8 seconds. I am not breaking this. No way!

I'M TOLD THIS WORKS!!!!!

Bishop T.D. Jakes '8 Second Prayer.' Just repeat this prayer and see how God moves!!

'Lord, I love you and I need you, come into my heart, and bless me, my family, my home, and my friends, in Jesus' name. Amen.' Pass this message to 8 people {EXCEPT YOU AND ME}.You will receive a miracle tomorrow. I Hope that you don't ignore and let God bless you.

Yes, God’s truth is that we will reap what we sow. This is as much a truth as it relates to a prosperous harvest as it does a cursed harvest.

OK, so I 'replied to all' on this one with a link to this blog entry with two intentions:

1. To provide the recipients with a true yet not exhaustive teaching of the Word of God on sowing and reaping & witchcraft.

2. To draw more regular readers to our blog.

So here we go...

The email quoted Galatians 6:7 correctly. However, the Word of God also states this:

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:19-21

I highlighted the word ‘witchcraft’ in verse 20 because that is one thing I want to address here.

WITCHCRAFT

I receive many forwarded emails. I read most. I forward very few. A majority of the forwarded emails out there have a tag-line at the end similar to the one this had, i.e., “if you send this to x amount of people in y amount of time, something will happen”. This is witchcraft. It is not the law of sowing and reaping as God has set forth.

The concepts in this email are true. If you have forwarded it because you wanted to share the truth of God’s Word with someone, and believe that the Word of God has touched you in such a way that it has changed you or the way you think or the way you live your life, then take God's Word at its fullest and at least take the time to delete the crazy ‘spell’ at the end. To do otherwise, now that you know the truth, would be hypocritical. I challenge you all, knowing God's view of witchcraft, to delete the little encantations from here on with whatever emails you get, and then send them. If you send me one with a curse or a promise at the bottom, don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. I wasn’t the one who sowed witchcraft.

SOWING AND REAPING

God’s law of sowing and reaping is that, as this email stated,

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

Galatians 6:7-8

The email was unclear in that it appeared to say that if you mock God, you will reap a curse for it. That is not what the scripture says. When the Word of God says God is not mocked, it is refrring to this:

Look, God has set up order in this world, both natural and spiritual, that follows the law of sowing and reaping. This will NOT change. You will reap that which you have sown.

While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
Genesis 8:22

Whatever you sow, that’s what you will get!

Take a look at the Word...

And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:11-12

And again,

A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

Matthew 7:18

And yet again,

For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.

Luke 6:43-44

God ordered that each grass, herb, & tree brought forth fruit ‘after his (its own) kind’. Have you ever seen oranges on a grape vine? Have you ever seen a snake birth a horse? That is how God set everything in order.

If you sow kindness, you'll reap kindness. If you sow hatred, you'll reap hatred. Anger=anger, spite=spite, love=love, money=money, violence=violence. Yes, I said money. And if you forward a lot of emails, what will you get? OK, I know that’s funny and all, but it’s true nonetheless.

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