1 Peter 1:6-7In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
Just as a hammer and high heat are used to forge instruments of iron, God uses trials to develop genuine faith and strength of character in us.

Real Love: A Paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 13

If I talk a lot about God, the Bible, and the Church, but I fail to ask about other people’s needs, I’m simply making a lot of empty religious noise.

If I graduate from a respected private Christian university and know all the answers to questions you’ll never even think of asking, and if I have all of the degrees to prove it…and if I say I believe in God with all my heart, soul, and strength, claiming to have incredible answers to my prayers, but I fail to take the time to find out what makes others laugh and why they cry, I’m nothing.

If I sell an extra car and some of my books to raise money for poor starving kids somewhere, and if I give my life for God’s service and burn out after pouring everything I have into the work, but do it all without ever once caring about the people, the real hurting people—the moms and dads and sons and daughters and orphans and widows and the lonely and forgotten—if I pour my life into the Kingdom but forget to love those here on earth, my energy is wasted, and so is my life.

Here is what love is like…genuine love. God’s kind of love. It’s patient. It can wait. It helps others, even if they never find out who assisted them. Love doesn’t look for greener pastures. Love doesn’t boast. It doesn’t try to build itself up to be something it isn’t.

Love doesn’t act in a loose, immoral way. It doesn’t seek to take, but it willingly gives. Love doesn’t lose its temper. It doesn’t keep changing its mind. Love doesn’t think about how difficult the other person is, and certainly doesn’t think of how it could get back at someone. Love is grieved deeply over the evil in this world, but it rejoices over truth.

Love comes and sits with you when you’re feeling down and finds out what is wrong. It empathizes with you and believes in you. Love knows you’ll come through just as God planned, and love carries on to the end. It doesn’t give up, quit, diminish, or go home.

Love perseveres, even when everything goes wrong and the feelings leave and the other person doesn’t seem as special anymore. Love succeeds 100 percent of the time.

That, my friends, is what real love is.

The Right NOT to Remain Silent

It’s time that that a united church body across the land stand up for righteousness and align ourselves with Gods truth. We are called to love all, and we must never compromise on that command. But in loving the lost we must also not compromise on the rest of Scripture, which makes it clear that while God is merciful, He is also just and will ultimately punish those who are living in sin.

First Corinthians 2:5 makes it clear that our faith must not stand “in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” It is time for the church once more to boldly take its stand on God’s Word, empowered by His Spirit, declaring His mercy and truth to this generation.

Our nation has allowed evil to flourish.......We have come to the point of calling "evil, good" and "good, evil!"

The networks make a mockery of Christians, the Christian faith and Christian values with nearly every show they air.  Greed, materialism, violence, sexual immorality, and homosexuality are standard fare and in the face of our children daily.  Program after program, movie after movie, contains anti-Christian episodes and plots and mews articles condescendingly refer to the "fundamentalists, right-wing, extremist Christians",  those who speak out for the sacredness of life are branded as extremists!

And yet; 300,000 pulpits remain silent!

Christ wants you to be a soldier for Him; Pray that God will fill you with a "passionate intensity" to do whatever you can, to become involved, to get out of the bleachers and pews, and onto the field and become a visible and verbal "participant" in the greatest struggle in the history of the world--A struggle for goodness, a struggle for righteousness, a struggle for godliness; A struggle of Christ against Satan!

That is the real battle we are in today!

"The United States Constitution is the impassioned and inspired vehicle by which we travel through history. It grew out of the most fundamental inspiration of our existence: that we are here to serve Him by living free -- that living free releases in us the noblest of impulses and the best of our abilities; that we would use these gifts for good and generous purposes and would secure them not just for ourselves and for our children but for all mankind."

RONALD REAGAN
State of the Union address, Jan. 27, 1987

I've come to the conclusion that liberalism is not a mental disease, but a spiritual disease! It effects thinking and cauterizes the conscience preventing any form rational human reasoning. It has an antidote called repentance that is proven to work 100% of the time, but it is rarely employed.

How should a Christian respond to persecution?

There’s no doubt that persecution is a stark reality of living the Christian life. The apostle Paul warned us that “everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). Jesus told us to expect persecution from the world because if they persecuted Him, they will persecute His followers also. Jesus has made it very clear to us that those of the world will hate us because they hate Him. If Christians were like the world—vain, earthly, sensual, and given to pleasure, wealth, and ambition—the world would not oppose us. But Christians do not belong to the world which is why they hate and persecute us (John 15:18-19). Christians are, or should be, influenced by different principles from those of the world. We are motivated by the love of God and holiness, while the world is driven by the love of sin. It is our very separation from the world that arouses the world's animosity toward us. The world would prefer that we were like them; since we are not, they hate us (1 Peter 4:3-4).

As faithful Christians, we must learn to recognize the value of persecution and even to rejoice in it, not in an ostentatious way, but quietly and humbly because persecution has great spiritual value. First, persecution allows us to share in a unique fellowship with our Lord. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul outlined a number of things he surrendered for the cause of Christ. Such losses, however, he viewed as “rubbish” (Philippians 3:8), or “dung” (KJV), that he might share in the “fellowship of [Christ’s] sufferings” (Philippians 3:10). The noble apostle even counted his chains as a grace (favor) which God had bestowed upon him (Philippians 1:7).

Second, in all truth, persecution is good for us. James argues that trials test our faith, work or develop (endurance) in our lives, and help develop maturity (James 1:2-4). For as steel is tempered in the flames of the forge, trials and persecution serve to hone down those rough edges that tarnish our character. Yielding graciously to persecution allows one to demonstrate that he is of a superior quality than his adversaries. It’s easy to be hateful, but an ugly disposition throws a light upon our human weakness. It is much more Christ-like to remain calm and to respond in kindness in the face of evil opposition. Without question this is a tremendous challenge, but we have the power of the Holy Spirit within us and the wonderful example of the Lord to encourage us. Peter says of Jesus, “When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23).

Third, persecution enables us to value the support of true friends. Conflict sometimes brings faithful children of God together in an encouraging and supportive way they might not have known otherwise. Hardship can stimulate the Lord’s people toward a greater resolve to love and comfort one another and lift one another to the throne of grace in prayer. There’s nothing like an unpleasant incident to help the more mature rise toward a greater level of brotherly love.

So, when we think about it seriously, we can move ourselves forward, even in the face of antagonism, whether from the world or within the church, and press on. We can thank God for His grace and for His patience with us. We can express gratitude for those whom we love in the Lord and who stand with us in times of distress. And we can pray for those who would accuse, misuse, or abuse us (2 Corinthians 11:24;Romans 10:1)
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America’s greatest threat is APATHY.

America’s greatest threat is not Barack Obama. It’s not George Soros, Islamic Terror, Socialism, Communism, or Liberalism.
No… America’s greatest threat is APATHY.

America is suffering from an epidemic of selfish, gutless people who do not care, and will not sober up from their reality tv, politically correct, clueless stupor and get off their couch to stand up and fight for the things that made this nation great.
God, please help me to help them WAKE UP!!

The day that Americans feel as individuals, they are helpless to make a difference, is a day we all need to step back and examine what we have done with the gift from our Founders.

We were to be a nation of the people, by the people, and for the people… not a nation of the government, by the government and for the government. Our Founders designed this Constitutional Republic to be run by the people. The government is there to serve US. Somehow, we have lost sight of this pecking order and it is time to remind those who serve us, who is the boss. Apathy is the government’s best friend. It cannot grow, thrive and survive without it.

We must stand up and fight APATHY!

How?
Allow me to list the ways YOU as an individual CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE:
* We must not be afraid to take a stand publicly for what is right and speak against all that is wrong. We must share truth with our friends, family, and neighbors, even when it is uncomfortable to do so.
* We must educate our children about the importance of the Constitution and Bill of Rights so they are sensitive to any efforts by the government to infringe on liberty.
* We must stay on top of our children’s education. Know what is in their text books and what their teachers are putting in their brains on a daily basis.
* Teach your children or grandchildren gun safety, good marksmanship, and the importance of the 2nd Amendment. Without it we have no way to defend the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
In the 20th century, over 270 million people have been annihilated by their own governments AFTER BEING DISARMED.
* We must stay on top of current events. Watch the news (not msnbc, nbc, cbs,and abc).. Read reliable news outlets on the net… Listen to Conservative news talk radio
* Get involved in active Conservative groups that are fighting for Constitutional causes in your state
* Financially support political campaigns of candidates who stand for the values that made this country great.
* If you can’t donate money, volunteer to knock on doors, work a phone bank or put up campaign signs
* Once your candidate is elected, you must stay on his or her back. Keep him/her accountable. You put them in office and you can remove them.
* Run for office. We need people,(not politicians) in office who know and understand what its like to live in real world America. Eliminating career politicians from our legislative branch of government is the fastest road to fiscal health and a sound Constitutional Republic.
* Financially support organizations that stand up for YOUR 2nd Amendment Right… NRA, Gun Owners of America, The Second Amendment Foundation, Oath Keepers, National Association of Gun Rights.

Those are just a few of my suggestions. America did not get in this desperate state over night and we will not recover overnight. It is going to be a long, tough, road but we must become determined, passionate, and consistent with our efforts to overcome. Only then will we be victorious! I look forward to celebrating that da