Save the Date - November 8

Don't know what to do on November 8? I have some thoughts and recommendations.

If you've seen my blog in the past you might have noticed I have not been particularly complimentary of the major party nominees for the office of US President. I still think both parties could have done better with their nominees. However, there are some really significant reasons to support (gulp) Donald Trump this year.

Yes, that's right, I'm going to turn out with all my deplorable friends on November 8 and vote for Donald Trump. Here's why...

No Serious Third-Party Choices

I probably would not throw away my vote on a candidate that had no possibility of winning, especially if my second choice candidate needed my vote, as Mr. Trump does (well maybe not in Texas, but you get my point.) In my opinion Libertarian Gary Johnson is just not up to the job, and even if he were he does not share my worldview. His agenda seems to be mainly focused on marijuana, if you can call that "focus". The Green Party candidate seems like a nice smart lady but her politics are way too far left of the foul line.

Experience

Whaaat...experience? Hillary Clinton has far more experience in government than Donald Trump, I will grant you that. Mr. Trump's experience with government is mostly related to being the subject of government regulators and bureaucrats. However the value of his long experience as an entrepreneur favorably compares with that of President Obama's experience as a "community organizer" and first-term mostly-absent Senator when he entered the White House.

Mrs. Clinton's experience proves only that she has an agenda that is not pro-America but rather pro-Clinton. Any major party candidate will bring a team of experienced advisers and consultants from the ranks of their party, along with the established departments of government and military leaders to help them hit the ground running. What really affects the ultimate course of the country is not experience but the president's worldview and agenda.

Agenda

Both candidates come with an agenda. Mrs. Clinton comes with a progressive agenda, which means she wants to undo practically everything that the greatest generation of America stood for, a strong America that could hold back the tide of evil despotic regimes and set a moral standard for the world to envy and emulate. Mrs. Clinton's history indicates she will chart a course similar to the Obama agenda, trading America's sovereignty and strength for globalism and compromise with organizations like the U.N. or the World Court. On the home front she will press even further toward anti-Christian and anti-family values, led by her friends and mentors on the progressive left. Her agenda on the economic side includes the typical FDR-era government make-work programs.

As far as I can tell, Mr. Trump's agenda (beyond the obvious quest for power and a place in the history books) is to restore America's preeminent place in the world, which has been unilaterally surrendered by the Obama administration. I believe he sincerely wants to help get Americans back to work in the private sector, even if some of his proposals are a bit off-the-wall. I believe he would take a practical approach to deregulation and tax reforms that could help our economy grow.

Temperament

Most people would give Mrs. Clinton the upper hand for being more composed and thoughtful than Mr. Trump. Thus, in spite of her high untrustworthy ratings, she is considered the "safer choice". I can't deny that there is some risk in a Trump presidency, but let me offer this perspective.  Mr. Trump has the proven ability to lead large organizations and make decisions that affect thousands of people's lives and livelihoods. He has also proven his ability to raise responsible hard-working children against all odds for someone in his income bracket. In spite of this Mr. Trump is universally hated by most of the media elites in America and around the world. If elected he would have a tremendous challenge getting anything controversial done without severe criticism and calls for impeachment or resignation from the left, and possibly even members of his own party. This makes it highly unlikely that he could do much damage to the integrity of the presidency.

Mrs. Clinton on the other hand has carte blanche from the media all around the world. She also has the "woman card" that she will use if needed (e.g. "the first female president" and so forth.) She also has a federal court system that was stacked by her husband and President Obama to support her. One or two Supreme Court appointments will make her practically immune to any legal attacks or publicity campaigns, which could quickly be silenced by her executive powers. As she has proven repeatedly, she is willing to put her own interests above those of the country, and like her husband is she capable of successfully thwarting any attempts to uncover the incriminating truth.

The Supreme Choice

By far the largest and most important factor to consider is the precarious state of the Supreme Court. The constitution literally hangs in the balances of this election. Hillary Clinton appointees will consistently rule against private gun ownership and self-defense rights, against first amendment rights of religion and speech (except for Muslims of course), and against any other rights that stand in her way. Clinton appointees will consistently rule in favor of the progressive left agenda. This will affect the moral fabric of our nation so profoundly that I believe we may never recover. Maybe we have already passed the point of no return, but if voting has any ability to change the course of history, my vote will be cast in favor of a stronger United States and against socialism and one-world government.

Deplorable Politics

I found the recent comments of the Democratic presidential nominee, lumping millions of people into a "basket of deplorables", to be extremely troubling. Her explanation and "apology" was even more troubling.

Certainly racism and xenophobia are deplorable attitudes, but Clinton's comments went beyond that to call millions of people themselves deplorable. That is the closest thing to hate speech I have ever heard from a presidential candidate. And this was not just a slip of the tongue or momentary lapse in judgement - she had obviously used that term repeatedly and was comfortable including it in a public forum, albeit one that was friendly to her agenda.

The terms "sexist", "homophobic" and "Islamophobic" are even more troubling, especially in the context of her highly-publicized speech, because they are highly subjective terms depending on the perception of the audience. I suspect many of those agreeing with her sentiment would consider those with traditional views of marriage and concerns about the rise of Islamic radicalism to be in that "basket".

Mrs. Clinton tried to minimize the political damage by suggesting that it was a mistake to say "half of Trump supporters are in that basket". The number is irrelevant; what is troubling is the idea that anyone could be lumped into this category of "deplorables", as if they could just be carted away and society would be better off without them.

How long does it take to turn a "basket of deplorables" 

into a "boxcar of deplorables"?

The elitist attitude that certain groups of people are "deplorable", combined with a consensus that certain difficulties are caused by these "deplorables" soon results in attacks, social stigmas, and sometimes acts of genocide. Thank God this has not happened in America, but the direction of politics in this country is certainly pointing down this dark path, arguably on both sides of the aisle.

Can this country be healed of its deep divisions? I'm pretty certain the answer will not be found in politics, though politics can certainly make it worse. No, the answer can only come from God, through the love that only the presence of Christ can impart in our hearts toward one another.

We should each ask the question, am I infected with hatred toward others based on their political views? Can I forgive my brother, even as I need forgiveness daily myself? God have mercy on us and revive our spirits to call on the Name of Jesus for deliverance!

A Dream and a Song

Saturday morning I awakened early with some anxiety. After dawn I finally got back to sleep. That is usually when I have the most vivid dreams.

Saturday I dreamed that I was back in my college town, and my parents were there to visit me. We were staying in a motel room, and my parents were young like they were when I was in college. I remember at one point in the dream realizing that my father was there (he passed away about eight years ago now), and I hugged him like I never hugged him before. I could feel his soft brown hair on the back of his neck whisking across my face. I didn't want to let go, but soon realized I was waking up and the dream was fleeting away.

There was a song drifting through my mind as I awakened, and tears in my eyes. The song stayed with me through the day, cycling over and over again. I can't remember the tune now, but if you're my age you may identify with my emotions.

I'm so very glad you're here.
I'll be so sorry when you're gone.

That's it, just those simple words. Life is so short and family is so valuable. If you still have parents in this world they're a treasure. If you have kids, let them treasure you while they can. My parents were a gift I did not deserve, but a gift I will never forget, and for which I will always be grateful.

The Misconception of Mrs. Clinton

I would like to comment on a misconception regarding Hillary Clinton. The recently concluded FBI investigation found evidence that she and her colleagues "were extremely careless in their handling of very sensitive, highly classified information." Mrs. Clinton said that this was a mistake in judgment she made for the sake of convenience while running the State Department.

The misconception is that Mrs. Clinton is careless and naive concerning her handling of government secrets. Nothing could be further from the truth. "Reckless disregard for the security of the nation" might be a more accurate description of her conduct. Both she and her husband are extremely intelligent and careful people regarding legal matters, and she took extraordinary measures to keep her communications outside of government purview. Remember that she had months of stalling before turning over the servers that had "somehow been wiped" and had "hard drive failures", so basically the FBI was dealing with only the information she allowed them to see.

The Clintons are Masters of Misdirection. In this case, the misdirection was the embarrassing but not quite incriminating revelation that she compromised top-secret government communications by using personal email servers. That was an enticing bone to throw to the investigators, but it also threw them off the trail of the more important case involving the use of her position in government to solicit donations from foreign sources that would create dangerous conflicts of interest as a top-level cabinet officer and possible future president of the U.S.

Before the more important investigation could occur, the press and the public will lose interest, partly because it is a more complicated story, partly because the real cover-up has been much more effective in this case, and partly because the public and the media will simply become "fatigued" by the constant investigations.

These are the active ingredients in the slick legal coating that covers the Clinton family. Just as the salacious Lewinsky scandal misdirected the media from the story of abuse of executive power to focus on the naughty details of Bill Clinton's personal life, even so the email scandal has been used to change the narrative from corrupt and dangerous liaisons with foreign officials to a so-called careless handling of government emails.

Please understand that if elected, these donations will affect Mrs. Clinton's decisions regarding energy policy and our handling of terrorism and national defense, among a host of other important national issues. And with one pending Supreme Court appointment and possibly two others arising during the next presidential term, along with her husband's earlier federal court appointments, the Clinton family will have complete legal cover for their future actions in the White House.

This next election is NOT about whether we should have the "first female president in American history", or even about electing someone with a better presidential resume. This is about protecting the integrity of our federal government and the future of the republic for which it stands. Our children deserve to inherit a functional democracy as our founders intended, not one that is rigged and corrupted by a family of professional lawyers who know how to dance around the edges of the law.

Do I Love God - Unconditionally?

I was directed to the last chapter of the Gospel of John today by my Biblehub reading plan. I find that the more I read the Bible, the more the Word of God speaks to me.

Today Jesus asks the question of Peter - Do you love Me more than these? The word love here comes from the Greek word Agapao - in this context, Do you prefer to be with me and respect my wishes above all others, even your closest friends? I have always understood this kind of love to be unconditional, the way God loves us, putting our spiritual welfare above the cost of His very own life, even when we are in rebellion against Him. It struck me as odd today to apply that Godly love from us toward God.

Jesus asks Peter again - Do you love Me (really)? Again the Greek word for unconditional love is used, and again Peter answers the same - Yes Lord, you know that I love you (affectionately). Perhaps Peter is unwilling to commit to unconditional love, or perhaps Peter wants to emphasize that he has a special affection for the Lord.

Regardless, Jesus asks Peter a third time - Do you love me (affectionately)? This time Jesus asks Peter the same question with a different word for love (Phileo), and this time Peter is deeply grieved. He recalls that he denied the Lord three times, and this third question brings that painful memory into bold relief. Lord, you know everything; you KNOW that I love you (with all my heart).

Peter recalls how his love for Jesus was conditioned on his mistaken concept of His coming kingdom. He was probably disappointed that this man in whom he had placed his complete confidence did not establish an earthly kingdom and destroy the enemies of the Jewish people. He was disillusioned because his King had apparently been defeated and Peter was next in line to be led to the cross. Peter was ready to FIGHT, but not to lay down his life in a sacrificial act of mercy. And Peter knew that the Lord Jesus could read his mind, could understand his confusion and fear, but could also understand his sincere desire to follow Him.

Of course, the gifts and calling of the Lord are irrevocable, and as promised Jesus accepted Peter's repentance and made him the first pastor of His flock on earth.

Seeing this chapter again made me think - do I love God unconditionally? What if I feel like God has somehow let me down, or is somehow different than my expectations? Will I continue to love Him when things don't work out as I hoped and prayed? I hear people question God in the midst of personal crises, but I hope for better things in my own life. Pray with me if you wish:

I need to know you Lord, and I need to trust you enough to love you even when I don't understand. Please enlarge my faith dear Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus and for His kingdom's sake!

How Corporate Leftists Are Defeating Democracy in America

Activist corporate chiefs like Marc Benioff of Salesforce.com are using the economic power of their corporations to overrule the will of voters across America. This is a new and very dangerous trend that must be understood and resisted.

Case in point, a recent law in Georgia (HB 757) was passed by the Georgia legislature and was well on its way to becoming law, when Mr. Benioff threatened to pull his business out of the state if the governor did not veto the bill. Money talks, and the bill was vetoed. This bill would have protected religious institutions from being forced to perform ceremonies that violate their sincerely held beliefs. I read the bill closely and can say without hesitation that this bill did not discriminate against any person on the basis of their sexual orientation, nor did it allow such discrimination. The bill simply prevented the state or local governments from penalizing religious organizations for refusing to provide services that are in violation of their beliefs and teachings.

So, can you understand that pastors in America will be forced to perform gay weddings against their conscience or face penalty of law? Of course the intent of these activists is not to have these services performed by those who object, but rather to shut down the religious organizations and people of faith who stand in their way.

Is this really America the land of the free? Well it had better be the home of the brave now, because those freedoms are being taken away, not by a majority of voters, but by leftist CEOs from San Francisco, New York and Boston. Is this DEMOCRACY? It reeks of plutocracy and hypocrisy from those who profess to be advocates for democratic policies.

If you want to understand more, please read this Wall Street Journal article (http://www.wsj.com/articles/salesforces-marc-benioff-has-kicked-off-new-era-of-corporate-social-activism-1462201172) (10-5-2020 NOTE: This article now requires subscription to WSJ. But in the last four years and especially in 2020, seemingly all corporate boards are being stacked with leftist activists like Benioff, under the banner of "ESG - Environmental, Social, Governance". Just check corporate news for any large multi-national corporation in the last 6 months).

My dear friends, corruption is not only coming down from Washington, but seeping into state governments from the most powerful corporations in America. Votes are important, but understanding where the influences are really coming from should help you decide how to more effectively resist these anti-democratic forces. Corporate boards are elected by shareholders, and if you are a shareholder you can speak up about this inappropriate use of company resources.

I leave you with this question: Who should control lawmakers in your state on matters of conscience, the voters of your state, or a San Francisco billionaire and his cronies?


Reference:
Religious Freedom Restoration Act
State Religious Freedom Restoration Acts
Free Exercise Protection Act of Georgia

Dancing in the Fire

I'm wearing a pair of shoes that don't match any more. One shoe is almost new; the other is worn out and blackened, with holes in the nylon mesh and crusty shoelaces. Let me explain...

Saturday was a very windy day in Katy, and much colder than the day before. We had four grandchildren at the house along with their parents, and we had a charcoal grill ready to go. I had cleaned the grill with some paper towels soaked in cooking oil while the fire was hot, and tossed these in the trash bag in the garage. After dinner we wanted to have a fire in the fire pit and enjoy what would probably be the last cold day before summer, which starts early in this part of the world.

Hurriedly I put the grill away and got out the fire pit. In my rush I dumped the fire pit ashes in the trash bag, thinking they were cool. You can probably guess the rest of the story, or not.

About ten minutes later, while I was watching the grandkids madly running around the back yard, my younger son looked in the garage and shouted, THE GARAGE IS ON FIRE. I bolted to the garage to see a nine-foot-tall blaze reaching to the ceiling and quickly filling the garage with smoke. The fire was starting to engulf the front of my wife's car and spreading across the indoor-outdoor carpet in all directions. The only thought that crossed my mind was to keep the flames from getting under the car, and without really thinking clearly I decided to try to stomp the fire out with my right shoe. The first step or two were wildly risky, but thankfully the flames were quickly reduced to knee-high flames and my other son came to the rescue with the garden hose just in time to save me from setting my clothes on fire.

When all this commotion finally came to an end, I was a nervous wreck. It didn't take long to realize what a miracle had just occurred. That flame could have easily brought down our house if it had gone unattended for even one more minute. Only a few feet away I had a gasoline can with a gallon of fuel mix in it. When I looked around I realized that NOTHING had been damaged except about ten square feet of indoor-outdoor carpet, and one almost-new sneaker. I was deeply humiliated about my hurried decisions that led to this conflagration. I could not believe the grace of God that spared me the terrible damage it could have caused.

For just a few moments it might have looked like I was dancing in that fire. I thought about the story in the book of Daniel where the Hebrew children were walking around in the flames unharmed. I know the Son of God was with me because not a single hair on my body was singed. Yes my right shoe was partially melted, but that's just a reminder to me of God's protection and mercy that was extended to me absolutely undeserved. As King Nebuchadnezzar said,

"Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego,

who has sent his angel and rescued his servants!"

Daniel 3:28

The Spectrum of Politics

This year in politics has proven my long-held theory that the political universe is not linear from left to right, but curved. In this bizarro world of politics, Bernard Sanders and Donald J. Trump live in the same neighborhood. Bernie's neighbors to the left and Donald's neighbors to the right actually live in the same house together, a crack-house whose residents feed on fear and anger caused by the desperation and delusion of a world without God.

In the spectrum of politics, where deep red and deep indigo plunge into political darkness, demagogues of the past fanned the flames of fear and anger to rise to power while the masses that followed them drank their witches brew of delusion and zeal. Look into this darkness and you will see where the generals of Saddam Hussein's left-wing Baathist party collaborated with the most right-wing zealots of Islam, a meth lab known as Camp Bucca where the evil army we now know as "ISIS" was born.

Demagogues who rise to power have a nasty habit of making themselves demigods. I say this not to suggest that our current political wannabes are of such ilk, but to state plainly that America and the western world have chosen that path by rejecting God. The path away from God leads not to freedom but to a world of hatred and tyranny, led by the prince of darkness. I can understand why those in darkness run to this destructive light, but what baffles me is how the children of God can be led in the same direction.

Jesus said his kingdom is not of this world, and the world of politics is beneath the pursuit of eternal things, but decisions we make in politics have an irreparable effect on young people growing up in the world we leave them. Let us not leave them a world of political extremism where lives are cut short by angry mobs and unnecessary wars. Let us turn back to love and the God who enables love through his unconditional offer of grace.

I am writing a new commandment to you,

which is true in Him and in you,

because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining. 

The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother

is in the darkness until now. 

The one who loves his brother abides in the Light

and there is no cause for stumbling in him.

But the one who hates his brother

is in the darkness and walks in the darkness,

and does not know where he is going

because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

I John 2:8-11

The Puppet King

I will soon be helping with a children's puppet show at our church. One of the key puppet characters in the show will be the king who had Daniel thrown into the lion's den. But that's not the character I want to write about.

During the ministry of Christ on earth, Herod Antipas was tetrarch of Galilee. Though some called him king, he was anything but sovereign. He served at the decree of Augustus emperor of Rome, as did his father Herod the Great. Thus he was in a sense a puppet of the Roman emperor. But those weren't the only people pulling his strings.

The descendants of Herod the Great were raised as Jews because of the forced Jewish conversion of Herod the Great's father Antipater, who was Idumean (Edomite) by descent. In order to rule the land of Israel, Herod and his descendants would not only collaborate with Rome, but with the Jewish religious leaders. In that line Herod Antipas, wanting to be accepted by his people, would receive the scalding preaching of John the Baptist, even when the finger of chastisement was pointed directly at him and his illegitimate wife Herodias.

Herodias wanted to execute John because of the public scorn she had to endure, until she finally found a way to pull Herod's strings. When Herodias' daughter danced at Herod's birthday party, Herod was filled with such incestuous lust that he offered her a gift of up to half the value of his kingdom. Herodias instructed her daughter to request John's head on a platter, an action which Herod reluctantly performed. It was not Herodias who pulled these strings however, but Herod's own sinful lust, probably augmented by a generous helping of alcohol and epicurean debauchery.

Jesus said "everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin". We don't see the puppet strings that control our own desires and decisions, but they are there nonetheless. We can never truly be rulers of our own destiny, but we are free to choose whom we serve. If you think you are truly free serving your own desires, look behind the curtain and see who pulls the strings. If it is not the God of Love, it is most certainly the one who seeks your destruction. Choose this day whom you will serve!

Seventy Times Seven

Thoughts regarding the seventieth Jubilee, the kindness and patience of God, and the end of sin...

The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

II Peter 3:9 NASB

Just how patient is God and just how long will he wait for us? In Noah's generation it was many years from the time Noah began to build the ark until the flood came. After the prophecy of Jonah, God waited more than 100 years to destroy Nineveh and the kingdom of Assyria. After the crucifixion of Christ, the church endured 38 years of Jewish persecution before Jerusalem was destroyed and the Jewish nation was scattered. None of these time periods indicate a time limit for sin, but they do prove that there is a limit to God's patience and that an end of sin is coming. A clue can be found in Matthew 18:

Peter came and said to Him,

“Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”

Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven."

Matthew 18:21-22 NASB

In this passage and the following parable, Jesus indicates that we must always be ready to forgive, since we have each been forgiven an unimaginable debt to God ourselves. The condition in the parable that triggers God's wrath is not a number or a time limit, but rather the unmerciful behavior of the one who was given great mercy. (Note that Jesus commands heart-forgiveness; to do less is to leave our debtors in prison.)

There is another "seventy times seven" in the Bible, an interesting coincidence or maybe something more:

Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city,

to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity,

to bring in everlasting righteousness,

to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy.

Daniel 9:24 NASB

Those weeks (Hebrew "shabuim") are generally interpreted by Christian scholars as periods of seven years, thus the prophecy primarily refers to the 490 years from that time until the final atoning sacrifice of Christ and the anointing of the body of Christ for world outreach. This prophecy was to be sealed and only released after it was fulfilled. If the math seems strange, consider that seven years is the time designated by God for the remission of debt. The last year of this shabua is known as a "Sabbath year" (Hebrew "shemittah"). Seventy times the shemittah would be observed in the land of Israel, seventy times seven times the high priest would offer the yearly atonement for their sins. After this time God would turn his face away from the Jews and send his Jewish church to the Gentiles. (Remember that after God lifts his hand of protection, there may be years before the natural consequence of sin causes the inevitable disastrous effects.)

The question remains how long before the "times of the Gentiles" is fulfilled and the Messiah returns to reconcile the Jews to himself. There is another type of "shabua" or period of seven known as "Jubilee" (Hebrew "yobel"). Jubilee occurs after seven shemitta periods, or every 49 years. Jubilee is a year when Jews are to return to their tribal homeland, and when the land of Israel should revert to its original tribal allotments. Thus Jubilee has a special relationship to the promised return of Messiah and the establishment of his kingdom on earth.

It turns out that, according to many who have studied this subject, we are in the seventieth Jubilee since the promised land was first given to the tribes of Israel. There are two possible implications regarding this time that we live in now. First, that the seventy times seven prophecy of Daniel applies also to the second coming of Christ, and that the time has come for sin and transgression to end and the promised everlasting righteousness to be established on earth. Second, that the grace of God extended to mankind may have a limit of "seventy times seven" after all, as alluded to by Christ in the book of Matthew.

I'm not suggesting that there is a time limit on God's forgiveness, or that Messiah must come within a certain known time window, but rather that now is a special time and should be treated with utmost diligence to seek a right relationship with God through the mercy offered to us in Christ.

Jubilee is a season of liberation, and a time of spiritual renewal. Though the land may sit idle (i.e. we should not focus on material gain), it is a time when we should use our storehouse of spiritual treasure to reach those in need. Here's a good article on the positive aspects of this Jubilee year:

http://www.johnnyandelizabeth.com/blog/2016-true-year-of-jubilee.

If this Jubilee is bringing the kingdom of Satan to an end, let's consider what that could mean. The One speaking in Daniel 12 says this:

“At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise.

There will be a time of distress

such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then.

But at that time your people

—everyone whose name is found written in the book—

will be delivered.

Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake:

some to everlasting life,

others to shame and everlasting contempt.

Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens,

and those who lead many to righteousness,

like the stars for ever and ever.

Daniel 12:1-3 NASB

The final jubilee will be a time when all property returns to its rightful owner (God). Such a financial catastrophe will lead to a time of great distress for those who don't have faith, but in the midst of this trouble the people of God will be delivered, and will shine like the stars of heaven. Stars shine at all times, but they can only be seen in darkness. People will be drawn to the light, or they will run to the darkness, so that the fruit will be evident and the harvest can begin.

The true church will stand and grow, while the apostate church will descend with the reprobate culture. At some point this apostasy will exhaust the patience of God, and then the end will come. Truthfully, I don't know how or when this will end, but I know The One who will end it. I'm sure it will be crystal clear at that time, as clear as the glassy sea around His throne. Until then we must work while it is called today, so that Christ may present us to himself as his spotless bride.