Spiritual Prepping

     I sometimes have to laugh.  My husband, Peace-Loving Warrior, or myself, will get a phone call from a friend who considers themself to be up-to-date on current events and the state of the world.  They make the effort to listen to alternative newsites and read a variety of op-eds; they do not fall prey to the "official" propaganda of the MSM.

     They usually have food stored, are able to defend their family, and have educated themselves on the inevitable worldwide economic collapse, breakdown of our Constitutional rights, and threats of foreign governments and/or terrorists.  In other words, they don't have their heads in the sand, and are not ignorant of the clock on the wall.  Yet they just can't quite go all the way.
     By that, I mean that while they are pro-active in preparing for any number of crisis scenarios, and they have spent considerable time studying what the economic gurus suggest to protect their nest eggs, they still ask the question, "What else can I do?  There's got to be one more thing that will see us through these calamities."  They are still hoping for that secret antidote that will cure what ails us.
     No matter how many times they ask, our answer is always the same.... "You must get right with God."  Now I know that sounds like a stale and overworked solution.  But it is the only way out of this mess for any of us.  You see, I think that so many people profess a reliance on God, but in order to do that, you have to be willing to lose all that has come to define you.  And that means houses, cars, boats, planes, bank accounts, precious metals, means of defense, authority, prestige, titles, those we love ... everything ... up to, and including, our lives.
     And there's no doubt about it; that thought sucks!  After all, we have worked so hard to achieve things and status; and we have just reached what should be the "payoff period" for all our efforts.  We should be experiencing the best time of our lives!  There's got to be some miracle formula that we haven't thought of, right?

     Now I can excuse non-believers for reaching for that mysterious way out, but if you call yourself a Christian, then shame on you!  I'm not saying that you shouldn't take precautions and prepare yourself as best you can, but they are not enough!  You should realize that all those safeguards are merely temporal; they will only serve to protect you from worldly affairs, never spiritual.  And by the way, as a self-professing Christian, have you taken the time to read our manual?  It's called the Bible.  Going to church, getting baptized, and observing all the rituals is not enough!  Because if you will devote the time to getting to know the God you proclaim as your hope ... and I mean really getting to know Him ... then you will discover that what faces us is nothing new.
     From that first temptation in the Garden of Eden, man has sought to control his own destiny.  Adam and Eve were convinced they could manage their own fate; God lost his primary position in their lives. And so it is with us today.  We think that we're smart enough, successful enough, or creative enough to work our way out of this downward spiral.  If we just get the right elected officials in office ... or if we throw enough money at living off-grid .... or if we just try to be a good person, then God will recognize our efforts and we can buy some more time.
     Then there are those who always seem to skate through the tumultuous times with nary a scratch.  Sure, they may be cashing in on the new oil boom, and real estate is still a hot commodity.  So while they are laying up earthly rewards, they feel inoculated against spiritual judgment.  I know it sounds so trite, but really, people --- do you honestly think that the few years you occupy space on this planet is all there is to your existence?  Are you so caught up in all your "stuff" that you've never given a thought to what happens the exact moment after you die?  Just being a good person does not guarantee a spot in Heaven.
      Oh, we've got our image of God in our back pocket and we pull Him out whenever we get in over our heads, or things are particularly scary.  But folks, God cannot be confined, and neither can He be summoned at our convenience.  We need to face the reality of our situation:  our future looks dark.  We cannot solve political and social problems without a spiritual reawakening.  I have a pretty good idea that most people who are reading this post have accomplished as much preparation as is humanly possible.  Now the real work begins ... you can concentrate on spending the same amount of time in your Bible, getting to know your God and discovering His promises to you, if you will put Him first.  That, my friend, is real preparation, real security and real hope!

1 Corinthians 2:12     "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God."

What Am I To Do?

     I really struggled with what to write about today.  To be honest, I am tired of looking at the headlines and listening to the news reports of world events.  Whether it is the politics of racism, or mistrust in my government, or the threats of war and terrorism --- I feel helpless to change the course of events.  There is truly a sense of a "top down, bottom up" manipulation that is going to trap us all in a non-negotiable position.  So how am I supposed to live my life?
     I have come to realize that I have been lucky to have lived in the time span I've occupied.  I have been able to experience freedom and liberty, and enjoy the fruits of those precious gifts like no other generation before me ... and sadly, I'm afraid, like no other generation to come after me.

     So while I am not exactly happy about the direction the world is taking, I can still rejoice in where I've been and what I still have.  I've been able to grow up during a time when our history was admired and respected; when heroes were men and women of personal courage; people who were willing to sacrifice for others and who accomplished great feats that benefitted all mankind --- not some 15-minute celebrity who is elevated to superstar status for embarrassing themselves on a TV reality show.
     And our national leaders were proud of our country and believed in the goodness of our people.  America is not perfect; but there was a time that we bowed to no one, and led the world as a role model.  I got to witness America when no one dared apologize for our benevolence; when our charity, goodwill and humanitarianism were welcomed and recognized as coming from our innate compassion.
     I had the opportunity to pursue an education that was affordable, and in which there was the free exchange of ideas.  I did not have to suffer through biased teaching or restricted dialogue.  And I didn't finish my higher education with insurmountable debt and no job prospects.
     I had the luxury of worshipping God without being ridiculed.  My faith was not mandatory; one was free to believe or not.  But I was able to follow my faith, as were others of different ideologies, in peace and respect.  My beliefs were not questioned or mocked, and there were no attempts to ban the practice of my faith, or keep me from publicly declaring it.  And there was certainly no effort to legislate it!  That was when I was a young child.  It has also been my regrettable privilege to see my faith be criticized in the public square; to see it diminished and diluted.  I have seen the elevated position of my Holy God brought low by skepticism, unbelief, intolerance, and lies.  Perhaps most tragic of all, the Church in America did not defend Him.
     But I will never abandon nor relinquish Him for some false promise.  I am who I am because of what God has done in my life, and I am thankful for all the good I have experienced, as well as the challenges of the past, and the trials to come.  You see, I have a foundation that will sustain me; a fundamental core that I'm not sure this latest generation can understand.  Things haven't ever come easily for me, and I've never been a conformist.... it's amazing how adversity and marching to a different drummer can make you stronger.  I know I'm going to sound old-fashioned, but when I look at  our youth today, I fear for them because I don't see many who want to stand above the crowd or take a risk.  They just want to do whatever takes the least amount of effort and have someone else make it happen for them.  I need to believe that there's time to instill that drive in them.
     I admit that I don't have a clue what lies ahead of us in the foreseeable future.  It certainly doesn't look promising or liberating.  But I know that my God is bigger than whatever I will face.  He has given me an incredible ride so far -- far more breath-taking than I ever could have imagined, or done on my own.  So I will rely on Him, first and foremost, and then use the lessons I've learned, the knowledge of who I am, and the examples of past heroes to forge my way.  There's still a lot of living to do, and no limit to the blessings awaiting us!

Philippians 4:12-13    "I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me."

Be Aware Of Your Past

     Have you ever done something stupid in your past?  Especially those teen and college years?  Think that it can't come back to haunt you 40 years later and cause you to lose your Second Amendment rights?  Well, that's Ron Kelly's story.
     Kelly is a retired Army veteran, having given 20 years of service to his country.  Yet, when he tried to buy a .22-cal rifle at a Wal-Mart in Tomball, Texas, the computerized background check flagged him for a 42-year-old misdemeanor charge involving marijuana.  The violation occurred while he was in high school, and resulted in a night spent in jail, and one year's probation.  Little did he know, that over 40 years later, the incident would strip him of his Second Amendment rights.

     The irony of the situation, is that Kelly had a long career of firing tanks, machine guns and an array of other weapons in the Army.  Now he is being denied the right that he served to defend.
     According to the FBI, which runs the background checks known as the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, the law states that a person can be prevented from owning a gun if they are convicted of a misdemeanor in which they could spend more than two years behind bars.  The fact that Kelly was sentenced probation back in 1971, doesn't matter.... He could have received a sentence of two years or more.
     I want to make it perfectly clear that I do not endorse drug use, or excuse him for breaking the law.  This is not about letting anyone have a gun who wants one.  I just find it ironic that the government had no problem with training him to use firearms during his military service; nor did they apparently think his "criminal" background was cause to exempt him from exposure to firearms.  Granted, they may not have been aware of his misdemeanor charge, but shouldn't 20 years of exemplary service in the military count for something? And isn't it possible that if he goes to court and gets this old record expunged, that his rights could be restored?
     Kelly wanted the gun to keep around the house for self-protection, and considering that he fired perhaps 100,000 rounds of government ammo over his 20 years of service, it's a pretty safe bet that he knows how to handle the weapon.
     As for checking his record back in North Carolina, where he was born and raised, arrested and later joined the service – his conviction is so old that officials there can’t readily find the record.  And as the reporter for the Houston Chronicle, who covered his story asks, "If they can’t find the conviction, how did the FBI?"
     Does anyone else besides me find this incident preposterous?  And for me, it raises many more questions ... Is he being singled out because he is a military veteran?  Is he being profiled?  A misdemeanor charge does not necessarily exclude you from jury service, yet your Second Amendment right can be violated?  Surely, he can't be the only citizen with decades old misdemeanor charges applying for gun ownership.  Was his application just the luck of the draw?
     I find it hard to believe that this decision will stand.  Perhaps Mr. Kelly's Congressman can go to bat for him, or the Federal Government will take a new look at this application, consider it on an individual basis, and find a more reasonable solution.  This man has served his country well and apparently been a model citizen.  He went about the purchase of a firearm in a legal manner and is now being punished for what serves as a minor infraction in today's world.  Apparently, "tolerance" is today's mantra, and applies to everything but the Second Amendment.

Matthew 6:12     "And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors."

The Aftermath

     Our country has been embroiled for nearly one-and-a-half years in the prosecution of George Zimmerman for the death of Trayvon Martin .... both in a court of law and in the court of public opinion.  This weekend, the verdict was reached, and George Zimmerman was found not guilty of second-degree murder and the jury declined to convict him on a lesser charge of manslaughter.  Whether or not you agree with the verdict, we are faced with some very tough questions about the state of our society.
     And so that we clearly understand the charge to the jury, for a finding of second-degree murder, the jurors would have had to believe that Martin's unlawful killing was "done from ill will, hatred, spite or an evil intent" and would be "of such a nature that the act itself indicates an indifference to human life."
     To convict Zimmerman of manslaughter, the jurors would have had to believe he "intentionally committed an act or acts that caused the death of Trayvon Martin." That charge could have carried a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, though the jury was not told of that possible sentence.

     So according to the rule of law, (and I would like to think that we still abide by that in this country), we in the United States are guaranteed, under Article Three of the Constitution, as well as the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments, to a jury by trial of our peers.  Furthermore, we agree to abide by the ruling of that jury.   Both the prosecution and defense counsels presented their cases and evidence.  A qualified and approved jury listened to all the testimony and came to their decision.  But it seems that there are many who are unwilling to accept the verdict.
     Now, the "rule of law" generally refers to the "authority and influence of law in society," especially as a constraint upon behavior.  And that, I fear, is where our society is breaking down.  Let me explain.
     The effects of the NOT GUILTY verdict in the Zimmerman trial will be felt for a considerable time to come.  But we are already seeing that the influence of our Constitutional laws upon society are waning.  Many among the media, as well as celebrities and politicians seem to feel that our rules of law account for nothing.  They dismiss the jury's decision, in favor of what they deem as "justice".
     I find it disgraceful that a paid athlete of the highest order thinks it is OK to broadcast a threatening tweet against the life of the defendant.  (Where are the critics who were so willing to castigate Paula Deen for her 30-year-old remark?)  And what about the celebrities who act as judge and jury in front of thousands of fans when they proclaim that this verdict was a miscarriage of justice.  Unless you were sitting in that jury box, I don't believe you are qualified to make a judgment on whether justice was done or not.  Then there are no repercussions when the Black Panther Party offers a  $10,000 reward for whomever can capture George Zimmerman?!  Add to that the Federal Government, who is considering overlooking the not guilty verdict in order to exact some form of punishment on a man that was legally judged innocent.   Are we a nation of laws, or aren't we? 
    I worry that this case will set a dangerous precedent; that every time a legal decision doesn't go our way, we can simply ignore the judgment and exact our own sense of justice.  So what is the point of law?  Won't we simply descend into mob rule and civil disorder?
     Just yesterday, we had a sitting Senator, Harry Reid, ask for the Justice Department to prosecute George Zimmerman. “I think the Justice Department is going to take a look at this,” Reid told NBC’s Meet the Press. “This isn’t over with and I think that’s good. That’s our system, it’s gotten better, not worse.”  Umm, excuse me, Mr. Senator, but I thought he had been prosecuted, and found INNOCENT!  And if it is our system, why aren't you willing to abide by it?  It seems that you want what you want, not what our system has decided is just.
     And of course, the politicians are never going to let this "crisis go to waste."  So how convenient is it to bring in gun control in the aftermath of this verdict?  I can hear them in late night caucuses, "We can still salvage a victory out of this mess yet!  Passions are high and we can combine racism and gun control into one issue and it will make a perfect vehicle for our agenda."
     I am praying that the foundation of our Constitution can hold up under this onslaught.  I feel that it is only hanging by a thread and the scales of justice are about to be overwhelmed.  Consider the hallowed words of the Preamble of our Constitution:

We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

     Now ask yourself this question .... in the wake of this prominent trial in Florida, are we still concerned with "establishing justice and insuring domestic tranquility"?  Or are we more inclined to throw justice to the wind in favor of personal biases, influence, and partisanships?  Is the purpose of justice to serve the common good and truth, or is it to further personal agendas?  It is a sad and tragic fact that Trayvon Martin was killed.  I cannot imagine that anyone celebrates what happened on that night.  But humanity has attempted justice in the best way we know how, and whether we like the outcome or not, our laws have been followed.  The threat of chaos and lawlessness will only serve to rip apart the fabric of our fragile society.
     Dear God in Heaven, I have always believed that this nation was set apart by your Divine plan, but I am beginning to see only the Devil's hand in the midst of this tragedy.  Do not forsake us; return us to your precepts and your model of behavior and thought.  Heal our land!

Zechariah 7:9       This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another."  
   
     
   

James 4:8

Because I am a Christian, I choose to dedicate my Sunday posts to the worship of my God.  I love to explore the Bible and listen to what God is trying to tell me about how to live this earthly life.  I hope you can glean some Truth from my words and apply it to your own life.  Blessings!

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. 

Cleanse your hands, you sinners; 

and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

     I am currently involved in a twelve-week Bible study that is designed to help me "rethink God Biblically".  The study is entitled Behold Your God, and I would encourage you to check it out for yourself.  I don't usually recommend specific studies, but this one has literally rocked my understanding of my relationship with the God of the Bible, and we are only in week two!

     Which brings me back to this week's Scripture.  Draw near .... I always supposed that I knew how to do that, or that at the very least, I was actively in pursuit of an intimate relationship with God.  But my study this week has revealed that I know less about how that relationship is to be conducted than I thought.  And it's because, while I may acknowledge that God is the focus and center of my life, my actions may reveal that I do not really draw near to Him, and therefore I must ask this question ....  Do I really KNOW my God?  Knowing God is not some superficial capacity to quote Scripture or rattle off all the character attributes of God.  Truly knowing Him means that I must seek out the sin areas of my life that keep Him at a distance. 

     These could be Pride, Deceit or Fear -- all of which I keep hidden from His light, and which keep me from humbling myself and submitting my lowly, sinful nature for His inspection and saving grace.  It is the hardest thing to do, to ask, "Lord, show me myself."  Yet, we must face ourselves with honesty if we are truly to draw near to Him.  We must ask ourselves, Who rules over our lives?  And that means every aspect of our lives ... who rules over my time, my money, how I spend my down time, what TV shows or music I listen to, who my friends are?  If we find satisfaction in any area of our lives that caters to our desires, instead of God's, then we do not know Him, and it will be impossible to draw near to Him.  

     Perhaps the most illuminating thing I learned this week in my study, was that there are fruit sins that result from root sins.  The fruit sins are the outward expressions of our rebellion against God, such as anger, envy, greed or lying, to same just a few.  The root sins are what is hidden in our sinful nature and produces the fruit ... such as pride, unbelief and selfishness.  They must be cleaned out and our hearts purified, as the Scripture says, if we are to know God and draw near to Him.  Most of the time, I am asking for forgiveness for those fruits of my sins (angry words, for instance), without ever digging deeper to eradicate the roots of my transgressions.

     Pride will tell us that we, not God, are the most significant being in all the universe.  Our desires, not God's, become the focus of our everyday life.  Unbelief is the result of doubting that what God has told us about Himself in the Bible is actually true.  It convinces us that our sin is not really as bad as God says it is, and when coupled with Pride, persuades us that the lies we tell ourselves are more trustworthy than the principles spoken by our God, who cannot lie.  How foolish of us to ignore that sin  always lies.  Then there is Selfishness, which whispers that we won't be truly happy if we don't get our way; if we forsake our sins and follow God's ways.  What we want comes before any other, especially our God.  

     So what do we do?  We reconstruct the God we say we know into someone that better suits our sin nature.  Now that's a God we can say we "know", right?  If He is modeled after my desires, my ideas of what sin is, and who He needs to be to make me happy with myself, then I've created a false idol and a God of my own creation.  He is not the God of the Bible! 

     So what do I need to do to make sure I am on the right path to drawing near to my God; to truly knowing Him?  Because as the above Scripture states, until I draw near to Him, He will not draw near to me.  And that is my utmost desire!  This is what I've learned:  First, I must earnestly seek out the truth about God.  And by that, I mean the truth that the Bible tells me about God; not my own "convenient" image of Him.  Secondly, what I discover about God will help me to be honest with myself and uncover the root sins I have been hiding from His light.  That, in turn, will redefine what I think about all sin and how I am to cleanse and purify myself.  I must discover these truths in this order, and ultimately, I will realize how big God is and how small am I.  

     When I endeavor to understand who God really is, and how that knowledge can alter who I am, and affect how I deal with my sins, then I will be able to see my salvation in a new light.  It is not about me!  It is about honoring God and glorifying Him for rescuing me.  That results in a true recognition of who God is and a heartfelt desire to draw near to that pure love.  What a blessing it becomes when He draws near to us!  That's the kind of Christian I want to be!

The Mystery Of TWA Flight 800

     Like many of you, I am always intrigued by a good mystery; especially when it involves real-life scenarios.  Such is the case of TWA Flight 800.  As you will recall, TWA 800, a Boeing 747, was a scheduled international passenger flight from New York City to Rome, Italy, with a stopover in Paris, France. At about 8:31 PM, on July 17, 1996, nearly 12 minutes after takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport, TWA 800 exploded and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near East Moriches, New York.  Of the 230 passengers and crew on board, no survivors were found, making TWA 800 the second deadliest aircraft accident in the United States at that time.
     From the beginning, the cause of the crash was swirling in controversy.  But from the first, there were many witnesses to the accident who claimed they had seen a "streak of light" that was usually described as ascending, moving to a point where a large fireball appeared.  As one might suspect, there was intense public interest in these witness reports and much speculation that the reported streak of light was a missile that had struck TWA 800, causing the airplane to explode.
     Combine these on-site witnesses with the testimony of several commercial airline pilots, who being in the vicinity of JFK International Airport, reported that they saw a missile strike the plane.  (I personally have a friend who is a retired airline pilot, whose colleagues were in the air over New York City that day, and corroborate this theory).

   
Now we must take into account that the thought of terrorist attacks was far removed from the American consciousness at this point in our history.  It was 1996, and the bombings of the World Trade Towers was still five years away, and the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 was eight years in the past and took place over foreign soil.  We Americans, if we are nothing else, are quick to forget and slow to ponder.  So it is easy to surmise that we would not want to consider the possibility that a terrorist attack could happen in our homeland.  And let's not forget that we had a Presidential election coming up.  Wouldn't want anything to put a damper on that, would we?
     But at the time, there was enough interest paid to the eyewitness testimony that the FBI initiated a parallel criminal investigation alongside the NTSB's accident investigation.  The search and recovery effort was long and extensive.  Pieces of the airplane wreckage were discovered floating on and beneath the surface of the Atlantic Ocean about 8 miles south of East Moriches, New York.  The main wreckage was found scattered on the ocean floor in an area about 4 miles long by 3 1/2 miles wide.  In the end, over 95% of the airplane wreckage was eventually recovered.  It was then transported by boat to shore and then by truck to leased hangar space at the former Grumman Aircraft facility in Calverton, New York, for storage, examination, and reconstruction.
     It wasn't long before the public began receiving the picture of the crash as formulated by NTSB investigators.  They postulated that residue found on the wreckage indicated that the probable cause of the crash of TWA 800 was an explosion of flammable fuel/air vapors in a fuel tank, most likely from a short-circuit.   Never mind the fact that the FBI viewed test results of the residue as possibly indicative of a criminal act.  And there were the other less-publicized theories of an accidental "friendly fire" missile from the U.S. Navy, a terrorist missile strike or an on-board bomb.
     What is even less known is the theory that TWA 800 was blown up by a bomb intended to disrupt the trial of terrorist Ramzi Yousef, the nephew of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and planner of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.  One of the most significant revelations by Yousef, documented in a series of FBI memos, obtained by author Peter Lance, for his book Cover Up: What the Government Is Still Hiding About the War on Terror, was a threat Yousef had made to put a bomb on a U.S. airliner during his trial so that he would get a mistrial.  And guess what?  The crash of TWA Flight 800 occurred on the eve of the most damning evidence against Yousef being admitted at trial; and the very day after the crash Yousef, who was representing himself in federal court asked the Judge for a mistrial.    Have you ever heard of that connection?
     Ultimately the NTSB was unable to determine the exact source of explosive residues found on the wreckage.  Some of the possibilities considered were contamination from the aircraft's use in 1991 as it transported troops during the Gulf War, or its use in a dog-training explosive detection exercise about one month before the accident.   But when you can't make a definite determination, what is the best way to deflect from your lack of competence?  Why, state what it "was not", of course.  So the final NTSB Report states that with the lack of any other corroborating evidence associated with a high-energy explosion, their investigative team concluded that "the in-flight breakup of TWA flight 800 was not initiated by a bomb or missile strike."
     So now, here we are in 2013, nearly 17 years to the date of this fateful crash.  Last month, six members of the original investigation team, now retired, filed a petition to reopen the probe.  As Fox News has reported, the group is comprised of people who worked for the National Transportation Safety Board, TWA and the Airline Pilots Association, all of whom have since retired. All six say that the evidence shows the plane was brought down by a projectile traveling at a high speed.  They also say there was an active effort within the federal government to make the crash look like an accident despite evidence of an external explosion.
     Hank Hughes, a retired senior accident investigator for NTSB, said probers were not allowed to seek answers once the FBI took over the crime scene. "We just want to see the truth come out," Hughes said. "We don't have hidden agendas. The only thing we are looking for is the truth.  It was either a terrorist attack, that they wanted to ignore, or an accident as a result of a military operation that went wrong."
     Hughes has reportedly been trying for years to get his theory wider attention and says that while it's hard to imagine the government would be capable of such a cover up, he told ABC News, "governments are capable of doing some terrible things."  (Admit it.  you're thinking Benghazi, right?)
     Jim Speer, an accident investigator for the Airline Pilots Association, said “It’s obvious that the truth was not allowed to be pursued.  A majority of people working in that hanger did not feel as if the evidence was being properly handled.”
     So now the question remains ... will we get the truth this time?  Do we have any more evidence that the authorities are interested in seeking the truth?  If you are as fascinated as I am about this mystery, you might want to watch the trailer for a new documentary on TWA Flight 800 and its alleged coverup.  After all, there's nothing like a good mystery is there?  

Exodus 23:7    "Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent and righteous, for I will not acquit the wicked."

Unused, Unoccupied and Unexplainable

     The U.S. government debt is closing in on $17 Trillion!  Nearly one-third of Americans are on food stamps, while only 47 percent of all adults in the United States have a full-time job.  Our financial house is a wreck and threatens to be demolished by a tsunami of poor government policies, regulations and programs.  Here's one that should make your blood boil.
     According to a report in the Washington Post, the State Department thought it would be a good idea to spend $34 million of the taxpayer's money building a 64,000 square foot complex of offices and operations center that compose the U.S. Military’s headquarters in Afghanistan.  In addition, a building to repair the military’s vehicles and other equipment cost $45 million. And the State Department spent $80 million and signed a 10-year lease on a site for a consulate.  Well, "This is war", you might say.  "And it costs money to run a war; and the Military's top brass need proper access and materiel at the front."
     But here's a little known fact .... These sites are expected to see little or no use.  Why?  They have either been deemed in a dangerous location, or relatively useless, as the U.S. military moves forward with its plan to pull out combat troops by 2014.  Quoting the article :  But some senior officers see the giant headquarters as the whitest elephant in a war littered with wasteful, dysfunctional and unnecessary projects funded by American taxpayers. A hulking presence at the center of Camp Leatherneck in Helmand province, it has become the butt of jokes among Marines stationed there and an object lesson for senior officers in Kabul and Washington.

     
     The top Marine commander in Helmand sent a memo to the U.S. headquarters in Kabul three years ago stating that the new structure was unnecessary. But his assessment was ignored or disregarded by officers issuing contracts for construction projects, according to senior military officials familiar with the issue.
     The building’s amenities also have prompted alarm among senior officers. A two-star Marine general who has toured the facility called it “better appointed than any Marine headquarters anywhere in the world.” A two-star Army general said the operations center is as large as those at the U.S. Central Command or the supreme allied headquarters in Europe.
     “What the hell were they thinking?” the Army general said. “There was never any justification to build something this fancy.”
     Even more upsetting is the letter sent to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, John Sopko.  In his very candid letter, Mr. Sopko stated, in part, that "One senior U.S. military official told me that this facility was designed for a military division that was never deployed and, subsequently, a decision was made not to construct the facility, but inexplicably the building construction started and is now complete. Military officials explained this is an example of what is wrong with military construction in general— once a project is started, it is very difficult to stop."  He furthermore stated that, "According to a senior U.S. military official, as the footprint of Camp Leatherneck decreases, the building could be outside the security perimeter, thereby making it unsafe for the U.S. military to occupy it. This leaves the military with two primary options—demolish the building or give it to the Afghan government."
     How did this gross mismanagement come to pass?  Apparently, it all started in 2009, when the President  decided to surge more troops to southern Afghanistan to beat back Taliban insurgents. Army planners in South Carolina and at the Pentagon determined that Camp Leatherneck, which had been selected as the headquarters for Marine forces in the south, required a sophisticated command-and-control facility.  If they had listened to the officers in the field, we taxpayers might have been spared more debt laid on our backs.  In fact, when Marine officers in Helmand heard of the plans, they objected. The commander at the time, then-Maj. Gen. Richard P. Mills, believed his plywood-walled headquarters was sufficient and made that clear to his superiors in Kabul.
     But mysteriously, and inexplicably, as the troop presence decreased, the building progress went full-steam ahead.  And even after our administration decided to remove an additional 34,000 troops this year, the project continued apace. Cubicles filled the floor. Theater seats arrived. The contractor made modifications to address problems with emergency exits.  And now we have a multi-million dollar boondoggle sitting unused and unoccupied .... which will most likely be demolished.
     A two-star Army general at the Pentagon calls it "terribly embarrassing."  I call it careless, shameful and unethical.  Those are the nicest words I could come up with.  This is just another example of the slide toward degeneracy that is becoming America's hallmark.  Unfortunately, we seem to be mirroring the decline of the once great Roman Empire, in which their military institutions degenerated in much the same manner as their political and social institutions.  The corruption of these segments, combined with increased taxation and an escalating cost of operating the State, resulted in a stagnant economy and the eventual destabilization of the Empire.  Sound familiar?  Just think how that money could have been used to relieve the tax burden of every American, or at least been applied to a program that benefitted our citizens.  We cut Meals on Wheels for this?

Proverbs 13:16        "In everything the prudent acts with knowledge, but a fool flaunts his folly."

Product Recommendation: Sauce Master Food Strainer

     As my garden production comes to an end, I wanted to share a piece of equipment that has made my life much easier.  First of all, I must admit that I can understand why our grandmothers embraced the advent of canned goods in the grocery store.  Having spent the last few summers canning the fruits of my labors out of my garden, I will tell you that it is exhausting work.  It begins with picking the produce; washing and cleaning it; oftentimes boiling, blanching and peeling it; cutting, chopping or slicing; washing the jars and rings; filling them with the fresh food; and tending the pressure canner for sometimes an hour and a half ..... you had better dedicate an entire day to the canning process.
     No wonder our grandmothers were willing to trade some healthy aspects of the food they served their families for a little convenience and extra time!  There is a price to pay for such healthy goodness, and it involves tired feet and an aching back.  But all my grumbling aside, I still enjoy the finished product and take great pride in my efforts.  That being said, I'm not above finding a tool or implement that will shave off time and make the experience even more enjoyable.  That's where the NorPro Sauce Master comes in.
     My yield of tomatoes this season was plentiful, and I couldn't wait to can a supply of spaghetti sauce and salsa.  But the step of blanching and peeling the tomatoes was my least favorite part of the process. The Sauce Master helped eliminate the drudgery of that chore.  It automatically separates juice and pulp from seeds and skin, with an easy continuous operation, which makes it ideal for home canning, freezing, and dehydrating.  You can use it for the production of tomato juice, fruit butters, fruit leather, applesauce, baby food, pumpkin pie filling, jams and jellies.  The best part is that there is no pre-cooking needed for soft textured fruits like tomatoes.  The Sauce Master includes a plunger, spout, standard spiral and stainless steel screen, recipes and instructions.... all you need to speed up your canning process.
     The following pictures will show you how easy it is to prepare your tomatoes and get either more pulp or simply sauce, depending on what you are trying to achieve.  The difference is in the use of the different screens ... a finer one will result in more of the tomato being discarded, while the Salsa screen allows you to retain more meat of the tomato and acquire a "chunky" consistency.

Tomatoes are put into the hopper.  With the Salsa screen,
skin is discarded into the pan on the left, while the meat
of the tomato is poured into the pan on the right.

Tomatoes are cooked with green peppers, jalapeños,
onions, garlic and cilantro.

Pints of Salsa after coming out of the Boiling Water Canner.

The Standard screen discards skin and seeds into bowl on
the left, and pulverizes tomato into pure sauce.

After adding appropriate spices, onion and garlic, I cook the
Spaghetti sauce until it boils for 20 minutes, pour it into
quart jars with a tablespoon of lemon juice and can it in
a boiling water bath.  It's beautiful!

          I have read some of the reviews on this product on Amazon, and I can honestly say I disagree with all of them.  I have found the parts easy to clean, the handle easy to turn, and the resulting tomato product had the consistency I was looking for.  It greatly improved my canning experience and made the whole process much easier and faster.  I am anxious to try and make applesauce and jams and jellies.  As far as I'm concerned, anything that encourages me to keep canning is worth any little imperfections.  And the more spaghetti sauce I have in my pantry, the happier I am!

Genesis 1:12   "The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good." 

Where Have Our Heroes Gone?

     I ran across a fascinating article on World Net Daily, asking the rhetorical question, "Do We Really Need that 'David and Goliath" Stuff?"  It was the musings of some psychoanalytical sociologist who questioned the need for society to revere superheroes; some malarkey about it engendering divisiveness and violence.  
     She seemed to think it wrong to elevate the heroic exploits of David's defeat of Goliath, or Joan of Arc leading the French army in victory over England; that it "divides life into a black and white picture of good and evil, and in doing so, it justifies violence."  And that, my friends, is at the heart of what is wrong with today's culture!
     Pointy-headed elites such as this want to paint our world in shades of gray, where everything is relative, on the same plane, and where no one stands out above others.   In other words, we are all the same and no one aspires to greatness.  But does that really mean that there will be no disagreements, alienation, or hostilities?  The reality of this world is that it IS black and white; good and evil; light and dark.  And that is why we need heroes!  
     It used to be that heroes possessed certain character traits that made this world a better place.  Some of these were:  courage in the face of personal perils; the ability to care about others; determination and endurance to overcome obstacles; cleverness and inventiveness; a confident belief in oneself, and a positive outlook on circumstances.   But our culture has nearly demonized individuality and changed the image of what a hero is.

     A study at Santa Clara University revealed that a couple years ago the administrators of the Barron Prize for Young Heroes polled American teenagers and found only half could name a personal hero. Superman and Spiderman were named twice as often as Gandhi, Martin Luther King, or Lincoln.  The study made it clear that our media make it all too easy for us to confuse celebrity with excellence; of the students who gave an answer, more than half named an athlete, a movie star, or a musician. One in ten named winners on American Idol as heroes.  How sad is that?  Which caused me to question how we could have let this happen.
     I know that I had my childhood heroes.  And I found them through the books I read and the stories I was told by my elders.  I sat at the knees of my parents and aunts and uncles, and I heard the stories of my  ancestors and the hardships they had overcome in their lives.  I was painted mind pictures of long sea voyages across the Atlantic and lonely arrivals on Ellis Island.  I was told stories of burying the family silver, along with other treasured possessions, in the yard as my great-grandmother fled before the advancing Yankee army.  I was told how my grandmother suffered through a debilitating childhood disease, the death of her young husband, and poverty in the Great Depression to become a symbol of courage, dedication and persistence to an entire town on the plains of eastern Colorado.
     And I gobbled up the legends of early American heroes and heroines through countless pages of books that fueled my hunger for tales of daring and fearlessness.  Were some of those stories embellished?  Probably.  Nevertheless, they made me want to aspire to the noble characteristics of these normal human beings who found it within themselves to become more than average .... and for all the right reasons.  They embodied moral courage and a daring boldness that I wanted to emulate.
     But I fear that our youth today have become both cynical and deceived.  In my day, we applauded the bravery of astronauts who flew to the moon, and recognized the courage it took for Martin Luther King to stand up for his civil rights.  And we honored the memories of those heroes who contributed their lives to the ongoing freedom of our nation.  But today, our kids see the steroid scandals in Major League Baseball, the shocking series of lies and misconduct from within our government at the highest levels, and the glee and triumph with which our media seek to tarnish anyone who reaches for a higher rung.  So who are they left with for heroes?  Movie stars, musicians and reality show celebrities.  And none of that contributes to an effective role model for a successful ... let alone heroic life.
      And that's where I think we've failed.  We should be encouraging them to become heroes; not just another ribbon-receiver with everyone else on the team.  We need to feed their imaginations with the stories of their ancestors and this nation's pioneers, groundbreakers, and trailblazers.  They need to know that it is OK to be more than average; to want to excel; and to dare to be a David or a Joan of Arc.  We need to expand their ideas and sense of possibility and encourage them to be leaders and to reach for the stars!

1 Corinthians 16:13     Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.  

   

Are You Ready For This?

     I sometimes feel as though I am beating a drum that no one hears; that if my fellow Christian Americans can avoid the headlines, then they can convince themselves that there's nothing to worry about.  Well, I'm going to bang the drum louder.  And it doesn't really matter if you count yourself a Believer or not, but you should take a good hard look at the headlines below.  They all appeared in a single day on the website, Worthy.com.  As human beings, how can we continue to ignore these threats?

•  Morsi Muslims "Rage" Against Copts - In the days leading up to the successful anti-Morsi petition by the Egyptian people, Morsi's supporters began threatening Christians via Muslim Brotherhood-run mass media outlets. When Morsi was finally forced from office, Islamist broadcasts blamed both Egypt's military and its Christians, whose blood they vowed to spill in revenge for the former's coup.  Dozens of churches have been vandalized and destroyed, along with the personal homes and businesses of Coptic Christians.  The latest headlines are predicting a bloodbath, and the death toll is now over 50, and rising.

•  Pakistan Militants Threaten To Kill Christian Lawyer - The chief lawyer defending Christian women who were reportedly sexually abused by activists of Pakistan's ruling party said that Muslim militants have threatened to kill him if he and his legal team continue with these cases, along with those that include attacks on a Christian neighborhood and rape.

•  Free Syrian Army Massacres Christian Village - Around 350 armed militants forcefully entered the homes of Christian families who were all rounded-up in the main square of the village and then summarily executed.  Syrian army sources said they only reached the village after the massacre, resulting in clashes with militants who included both Turkish and Chechen jihadis.  The situation for Syria's religious minorities have become increasingly worse as Free Syrian Army affiliated Islamist organizations are free to engage in ethnic cleansing operations in a country where kidnappings, executions and assassinations have become all too commonplace.

• Christians Slain By Islamists in Nigeria - In the last six months, more than 100 Christian farmers have been killed or injured and almost 100 churches destroyed in attacks by armed Muslim Fulani herdsmen.  The Reverend Johnson Kikem had this to say, "It's because we have refused to bow to the god of Islam, and so the plan is to forcefully Islamize us.  It is part of the Islamic agenda to impose sharia on Christians in the northern part of Nigeria."  Kikem said Islamic extremists are believed to be arming Muslims and encouraging them to attack Christians.

•  Iraq Christians Fear More Violence After Church Attacks, Killings - We in the U.S. are under the false assumption that the war has ended in Iraq and everyone is peacefully co-existing.  Not so!  Just consider these facts that have recently been reported:  1)  Assyrians, one of the main Christian groups in Iraq, are once again the target of violence as part of a wider anti-Christian campaign by Islamic militants that began in 2004 when the first church was bombed  2)  Since 2004 at least 15 church leaders were kidnapped, including seven priests and three deacons who were murdered, while five priests were released after ransom was paid.  3)  Additionally, 73 churches were attacked or bombed since June, 2004.  4)  Women have been especially targeted, with at least 13 young Christian women being abducted and raped, causing some of them to commit suicide.  Militants were reportedly also demanding that Christian women be sent to the mosque to be married off to Muslims.  5)  The terror group Al-Qaeda has also moved into an Assyrian neighborhood to collect jizya, a special tax levied on a section of an Islamic state's non-Muslim citizens.  Approximately 500 Assyrian shops in a market were burned in one night.  6)  Anti-Christian forces were also seen blockading Assyrian villages, while Christian children were kidnapped and forcibly transferred to Kurdish families.

•  Syria Militants Behead Catholic Priest, Two Others - The graphic killing was posted online as an alleged warning to others who would be so bold as to practice their faith.  The Archbishop of the Catholic Church in Syria states that this tragedy underscores "The whole story of Christians in the Middle East" that "is marked and made fruitful by the blood of the martyrs of many persecutions."

     Need I go on?  Because believe me, I could.  These are not isolated nor random headlines.  They are becoming increasingly commonplace and are graphic indications of the threat that Christianity is under throughout the world.  I say The World, because I do not think America will escape our share of persecution.  Indeed, if you are truly paying attention, then you have already seen the early suggestions of coming violence.  And in case you think that these evil forces can determine whether you worship Jesus Christ or not, you better think twice.  Because whether we, as a nation, officially recognize it or not, they view America as a Christian nation.  Kind of ironic, huh?
     Here are just a couple of examples of what our future could look like .... Back in February of 2013, Yusuf Ibrahim, a muslim in New Jersey, shot two Christians in the chest at close range,  beheaded them, and buried their bodies, heads and hands in separate graves.
     This is not a new phenomena, either.  In June of 2010 David Wood, with other Christian Evangelists of Acts 17 Apologetics, were arrested by the city police near the Arab International Festival in Dearborn, Michigan, and charged with “breach of the peace”.  When arrested, the Evangelists were peacefully speaking with passers-by and distributing the gospel of John.

    And are you familiar with the story of Arab author Alaa Alsaegh, who immigrated to the U.S. from Iraq in August, 2011?  He was attacked by Muslims on the streets of St. Louis, Missouri. They stabbed him and carved a Star of David into the flesh of his back.  Why?  Because he  had published an Arabic language poem titled “Tears at the Heart of the Holocaust” on the website ArabsForIsrael.com.  The poem expressed his love for the Jewish people and his sorrow over their fate in the Holocaust.
     There are countless other examples of individuals who find themselves under undue scrutiny for simply stating their Christian beliefs on social media.  They are threatened with loss of jobs, "investigation", or other forms of persecution.  True, we, here in America, have not yet seen the extent of violence being perpetrated against Christians in the Middle East.  But when we turn a blind eye to foreign influences within our government and culture, and turn the other cheek when our faith is forcibly removed from the town square ( or a pitcher's mound in Busch Stadium, for pete's sake!), then we shouldn't be surprised when the cancer that is spreading across the Middle East, Africa, and Europe manifests itself right here in our homeland.
     So don't be surprised when it shows up in a neighborhood near you.  Satan and his evil minions are becoming emboldened by the fervor of anti-Christian sentiment across the globe.  We must prepare ourselves spiritually and physically for what Jesus told us would be our fate if we followed Him.  So please pray for our fellow Christians around the world, and for their protection, as well as ours.  We will endure for our Lord and we will not be defeated!

1 Peter 4:12      "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you."