Chaplain Mick's Blog: September 2007

Friday, September 28, 2007

Weekly ReCap - 09-28-2007

Early Childhood Development - In the Family
Why do daycare lobbyists and "early learning" advocates insist that institutionalized environments (i.e. artificial environments) are better than the nurturing family environment for early childhood development? That is a question raised by recent research. . .
Read more. . .
The 'Lesser of Two Evils' is still evil!
Maybe you’ve heard it said before, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” It is time to do something different!
Read more. . .
Bible Challenge 2007 - Week 26
We are on a pilgrimage to draw nearer to God! We journey closer to Him out of joy and love for Him and the great works He has done including our salvation through His Son Jesus Christ.
Read more. . .

I am grateful for:
- God's Providence
- "Hoops" with Luke
- My wife's blue tassle

* I need your help. . . find out more! *

[ Mid-Week Devotionals ][ Subscribe for Updates ]
[ Join the Bible Challenge ]

Cybermick Web and IT Services!
Get a custom link tracking and reporting database system hosted by Cybermick.com.

All Scripture links by BibleGateway.com Unless otherwise noted.

Bible Challenge 2007 - Week 26

Week 26

“Happy are the people whose strength is in You, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.” (Psalm 84:5)

We are on a pilgrimage to draw nearer to God! We journey closer to Him out of joy and love for Him and the great works He has done including our salvation through His Son Jesus Christ.

There will be difficulties in the journey, but “make it a source of springwater; even the autumn rain will cover it with blessings.” (Psalm 84:6)

Sunday Psalms 106-110
Monday Psalms 111-115
Tuesday Psalms 116-120
Wednesday Psalms 121-125
Thursday Psalms 126-130
Friday Psalms 131-135
Saturday Psalms 136-140

“. . . we have to be able to move from the Scriptures to life and we have to be able to move from life to the Scriptures. This ability comes when we are committed to the authority of God’s word and when that commitment is real enough to drive us to it for answers to all of our questions theological, philosophical, and indeed every day practical.”
(“A Plea to Use the Bible Every Day” by Dr. Paul Dean. Crosswalk.com)

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

{ Bible Challenge Home } { Past Weeks } { Project Home }

* I need your help. . . find out more! *

[ Mid-Week Devotionals ][ Subscribe for Updates ]
[ Join the Bible Challenge ]

Cybermick Web and IT Services!
Get a custom link tracking and reporting database system hosted by Cybermick.com.

All Scripture links by BibleGateway.com Unless otherwise noted.

The ‘Lesser of Two Evils’ is still evil!

Maybe you’ve heard it said before, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.”

It is time to do something different! Even if it means losing a few battles to win the war.

If you are serious about wanting change in America, you should go take the Alan Keyes Pledge for America’s Revival today!

“‘The people who say to me, 'There's no point in supporting Alan Keyes,' don't understand there is actually no point in continuing to do things the old way,’ Will believes. ‘The Democrats keep on going further and further to the left, and the Republican leadership is doing nothing but following them. We Republicans compromise. They don't.’

The antidote to this pernicious political drift is to anchor ourselves once again in the sure haven of Declaration principles, as championed and articulated by the contemporary figure who represents them the best — Republican presidential candidate Alan Keyes.” (Valois)

“This, my friends, is VICTORY. Casting yet another cowering, conscience-stricken vote for someone whose views do not measure up to the Declaration's principles is not a victory, even if -- especially if -- that politician ends up in office. At AlanKeyes.com, we will be tracking our progress towards true victory daily, so that we can compare real numbers with the rigged polls, slanted news stories, and sophomoric mockery with which the elites of all affiliations attempt to hold us in check.” (Helen Valois, Deputy Grassroots Coordinator)

Works Cited:

Valois, Helen. “America’s Revival: Leading pledge keeper speaks out”. Renew America. September 28, 2007

* I need your help. . . find out more! *

[ Mid-Week Devotionals ][ Subscribe for Updates ]
[ Join the Bible Challenge ]

Cybermick Web and IT Services!
Get a custom link tracking and reporting database system hosted by Cybermick.com.

All Scripture links by BibleGateway.com Unless otherwise noted.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Early Childhood Development – In the Family!

Why do daycare lobbyists and "early learning" advocates insist that institutionalized environments (i.e. artificial environments) are better than the nurturing family environment for early childhood development?

That is a question raised by recent research in which the results “suggest that something other than the welfare of children may be driving the current pre-K craze.” (WCF)

I would contend that it is the natural outcome of the persistent attack against the natural family. Artificial environments for child development are being created to replace the family. “Where the church provided social support and help in times of need on a basis that often encouraged marriage and self-discipline, the government welfare system did so on a basis that systematically discouraged and undermined marriage and actually rewarded self-destructive behavior.” (Alan Keyes)

“. . . a study by Lisa N. Hickman at the Ohio State University challenges their agenda, finding that children who attend daycare or preschool the year prior to kindergarten do not gain greater social or cognitive skills and in some measures end up lagging behind their peers who enjoy the attention of their parents exclusively.”

Daycare/Preschool Children:
- “During the first grade, the daycare/ preschool children have significantly lower math scores (p<.05).”
- “In both grades [kindergarten and first grade], these children scored significantly lower in the ‘approaches to learning’ measure”
- “exhibit poorer social skills throughout kindergarten.”
- “have worse self-control, have worse interpersonal skills, and externalize problems more than their peers under parental care”

While children “who follow the more traditional pattern of parental care start kindergarten with significantly better social skills in three of four different measures in tests with and without controls.”

Larry Jacobs, Global Coordinator of the World Congress of Families, in a recent press release concerning the “PRESIDENTIAL PROCLAMATION OF NATIONAL FAMILY DAY” said, “‘Other studies show that children who have strong bonds with their parents are also far less likely to engage in adolescent sex or criminal activity. They do better in school, are involved in more extracurricular activities and are more likely to stay in school and graduate – and to form stable families themselves’. . . ‘There’s no substitute for the family,’ Jacobs concluded. ‘It doesn’t take a village to raise a healthy child. That’s the mission of the natural family.’”

Family is THE place for childhood development!

“Because, that was God's plan. Marriage exists for the sake of procreation, for the commitment made, man and woman, to God's will as it is then exemplified in the child when the two become one flesh, and that is also a commitment of responsibility and self-sacrifice for the sake of respecting God's will for the future.” (Alan Keyes)

Works Cited:

Keyes, Alan. http://www.alankeys.com/

WCF. “Family Research Abstract of the Week: Is Preschool Really Necessary?” World Congress of Families – Family Update Volume 08, Issue 38. 18 September 2007. http://www.worldcongress.org/WCFUpdate/wcf_update.htm

WCF. “WORLD CONGRESS OF FAMILIES HEARTENED BY PRESIDENTIAL PROCLAMATION OF NATIONAL FAMILY DAY” World Congress of Families – Press Release: 24 September 2007, Rockford, Illinois. http://www.worldcongress.org/

* I need your help. . . find out more! *

[ Mid-Week Devotionals ][ Subscribe for Updates ]
[ Join the Bible Challenge ]

Cybermick Web and IT Services!
Get a custom link tracking and reporting database system hosted by Cybermick.com.

All Scripture links by BibleGateway.com Unless otherwise noted.

Friday, September 21, 2007

Weekly ReCap - 09-21-2007 - Hope of the World!

It is the busy season! So I kept it short this week.

Alan Keyes Announces for President!
"We're putting together an effort that's not going to be like anything before, because it's going to be entirely based on citizen action. We're going to be challenging people to take a pledge for America's revival"
Read more. . .
The Church is the Hope of the World!
. . . in America a majority of the population seems to be more dependent on the civil government than God and His Church. Why? . . . Are we in God’s game or merely sitting on the sidelines talking a good game? The Church is the hope of the world. We need to be in the game!
Read more. . .
Bible Challenge 2007 - Week 25
You can really sense the emotions and love for God. Let’s draw on those emotions and love as we continue to dwell in God’s Word.
Read more. . .

I am grateful for:
- The changing of the seasons.
- Beds. Soft comfy beds.
- Good books.

* I need your help. . . find out more! *

[ Mid-Week Devotionals ][ Subscribe for Updates ]
[ Join the Bible Challenge ]

Cybermick Web and IT Services!
Get a custom link tracking and reporting database system hosted by Cybermick.com.

All Scripture links by BibleGateway.com Unless otherwise noted.

Bible Challenge 2007 - Week 25

Week 25

I don’t consider myself to be very good at prayer. But I know where to go when I need prayer inspiration. . . the Psalms!

You can really sense the emotions and love for God. Let’s draw on those emotions and love as we continue to dwell in God’s Word.

Sunday Psalms 71-75
Monday Psalms 76-80
Tuesday Psalms 81-85
Wednesday Psalms 86-90
Thursday Psalms 91-95
Friday Psalms 96-100
Saturday Psalms 101-105

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.”
Psalm 51:10-12

“We have more than 5,700 Greek copies of the New Testament. There are another 10,000 copies in Latin. Then there are versions in other languages—Coptic, Syriac, Armenian, Georgian, and so on. These are estimated to number between 10,000 and 15,000. So right there we've got 25,000 to 30,000 handwritten copies of the New Testament. The most remarkable thing to me is the tedium of looking at manuscript after manuscript after manuscript that just don't change.”
(“Zondervan Daily Inspiration” by Daniel B. Wallace, PhD)

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

{ Bible Challenge Home } { Past Weeks } { Project Home }

* I need your help. . . find out more! *

[ Mid-Week Devotionals ][ Subscribe for Updates ]
[ Join the Bible Challenge ]

Cybermick Web and IT Services!
Get a custom link tracking and reporting database system hosted by Cybermick.com.

All Scripture links by BibleGateway.com Unless otherwise noted.

Monday, September 17, 2007

The Church is the Hope of the World

2007 Willowcreek Leadership Summit Part 3 of 3

Overview for Marty Hunt, Discipleship Pastor, Richwoods Christian Church By Mick Dobra

Speaking of taking action, the third over arching principle is the need for the church to be the hope of the world in deed as well as word.

Bill Hybels said that his interview with Richard Curtis was disturbing because Richard, who is unsure of his faith, was basically taking the Church to task for not being in the leadership on issues of world poverty.[i] I can hear the Pharisees now, “How dare this uncircumcised gentile judge the righteous!”

But it is true, I even get the sense that the Church seems to be one step behind the market place on some issues, and certainly in America a majority of the population seems to be more dependent on the civil government than God and His Church. Why?

I’m afraid my unqualified answer is disunity. Looking at [many] local churches I can see [they are] not prepared to tackle some of the big issues like education, community building, health care, disaster response, and poverty, not even in our local community or among our own flock. But perhaps, if we partnered with other churches and para-church ministries we, as the Church of Jesus Christ, could be a leader in addressing these symptoms of a fallen world. Michael Porter alluded to this when discussing what causes to support based on where we can add the most benefit and how to create maximum value.[ii]

Perhaps this would be an area to focus our prayers of discernment. Are the local churches so caught up in their own personal “shadow missions”[iii] that they are unable to participate in the larger mission of God’s Church? Admittedly, this is a topic beyond my experience level. But I have a discontent in my heart for the lack of Church leadership in key areas of our community. I would encourage [local church] staff, elders and missions teams to prayerfully consider if we are missing any aspects of our true mission.

Can it be done? Can a church rebuild a community for God’s glory? Well, first, dare we ask if it can be done? God will carry out His plan whether we choose to be a part of it or not! Second, I was brought to tears listening to how Rev. Dr. Floyd H. Flake led his flock to rebuild a community in Queens, New York.[iv]

From page five of the Leadership Summit workbook, “Allen Cathedral has grown into a 23,000-member church with senior citizen centers, a private school, and hundreds of housing units for members and community residents. Along with its subsidiaries, Allen Cathedral is the second-largest African-American employer in New York City.”

Are we in God’s game or merely sitting on the sidelines talking a good game? The Church is the hope of the world. We need to be in the game!

[i] Curtis, Richard. “Living for the Greater Good” Session 8
[ii] Porter, Michael E. “Strategy and Leadership” Session 5
[iii] Ortberg, John. “A Leader’s Greatest Fear” Session 7
[iv] # 8

{ Part 1: Know Your People } { Part 2: Make the Vision Your People's Vision }

* I need your help. . . find out more! *

[ Mid-Week Devotionals ][ Subscribe for Updates ]
[ Join the Bible Challenge ]

Cybermick Web and IT Services!
Get a custom link tracking and reporting database system hosted by Cybermick.com.

All Scripture links by BibleGateway.com Unless otherwise noted.

Alan Keyes Announces for President!!

For immediate release: Grassroots effort to support Alan Keyes for President.

Our country is in moral turmoil. We have been lead away from the principles and values that made America a great nation. We are on a path to global socialism or communism. We the people need a leader to turn us back to the principles of our American Constitution.

Keyes told Janet Parshall, host of a nationally syndicated radio show, that he's "unmoved" by the lack of moral courage shown by the other candidates, among whom he sees no standout who articulates the "key kernel of truth that must, with courage, be presented to our people."

He added, "The one thing I've always been called to do is to raise the standard . . . of our allegiance to God and His authority that has been the foundation stone of our nation's life"--and he decried the lack of "forthright, clear, and clarion declaration" from the other candidates concerning this issue.

As a result, Keyes said, "We're putting together an effort that's not going to be like anything before, because it's going to be entirely based on citizen action. We're going to be challenging people to take a pledge for America's revival," and elevate them from spectators in the political arena to participants.

Click Here and take the Pledge for America's Revival!

- A Reagan Statesman
“Statesmanship is not just a matter of coping with the political challenges of the moment, or doing well at getting elected, or even meeting immediate problems the right way. You must approach them according to an understanding — according to a set of principles — that reflects a sense of the permanent destiny of the nation.”

- A Constitutional Scholar

- A Declarationist
1. All human beings are created equal and endowed by God with unalienable rights;
2. The purpose of government is to secure these rights; and
3. No government is just or legitimate if it systematically violates these rights.

- A Moral Conservative
“We need to start addressing the real underlying cause of these challenges and to recapture a sense of the moral foundation, so that we can restore the moral discipline, restore the sense of commitment to true family life that then provides the basis for economic strength in our communities, for better performance for our children in our schools, for a greater sense of responsibility on the part of parents toward those children, and so forth and so on. We know that these are the keys to real progress, and it's time we got out and voted like we know.”

- and a Pro-Life Leader
“It is like the issue of slavery and the issue of civil rights, an issue of whether or not we really acknowledge the transcendent authority on the basis of which we have our rights, or whether we are going to arrogate that authority to ourselves and declare that we have the right to draw the line determining who is human and who is not. If we arrogate this power to ourselves, don't fool yourself. You have dethroned the authority of that Creator; you have denied His will. And this regime cannot survive.”

Learn more at Alan Keyes for President

“While it's true that the first order of business is to keep the ship afloat, if that becomes the goal of captaincy, the ship is unlikely to take us where we want to go. The better captain is the one who keeps our goal in mind and knows his craft well enough to use the wind, the waves, and the stars to plot a course that gets us there.

According to the oath that all public officials swear when they take office, our leaders' principal goal is to preserve our liberty — which is to say, to preserve, protect, and defend the constitutional form of government that gives the people of our country a decisive voice in its affairs. The failure to take account of this goal isn't just an incidental shortcoming. It's an indication of fatally defective leadership that must eventually produce the destruction of our way of life.”
The key to American statesmanship: Part 5 of 'The Crisis of the Republic', Alan Keyes June 8, 2007

* I need your help. . . find out more! *

[ Mid-Week Devotionals ][ Subscribe for Updates ]
[ Join the Bible Challenge ]

Cybermick Web and IT Services!
Get a custom link tracking and reporting database system hosted by Cybermick.com.

All Scripture links by BibleGateway.com Unless otherwise noted.

Friday, September 14, 2007

Weekly ReCap – 09-14-2007 – God Bless America

Sorry, got a little (ok, maybe a lot!) patriotic this week. Sept. 11, 2001 was a major turning point in my faith. In fact, prior to that day I didn’t have any. The events of that day caused me to question why? Why did the terrorists attack? Why is there evil if not good? What is the source of good and evil?

Why are you alive, breathing, thinking and dreaming? What is your purpose for being, Mick?

Man was created in the image and likeness of God. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27)

Man has a God that loves him. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

Man has a purpose. We are “God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance” for us (Ephesians 2:10).

Continued below. . .

Make the Vision Your People's Vision
2007 Willowcreek Leadership Summit Part 2 of 3. The second most important lesson after the importance of knowing your people is getting your people’s ownership in a preferred vision of the future.
Read more. . .
Never Forget
Lights On. . . 9/11! How many times does the Declaration of Independence refer to God?
Read more. . .
National Preparedness Month: Family Finances
God's people need to be prepared, and it starts with individual families!
Read more. . .
American Liberty, A Christian Issue?
Is the liberty and freedom of America important to the Christian? Do Christians have a duty as American citizens?
Read more. . .
Bible Challenge 2007 - Week 24
"The wicked return to the grave, all the nations that forget God."
Read more. . .

We can’t “be good” enough to meet God’s perfect and Holy requirements. God’s people, the Israelites, had God’s law, God’s standard, written out for them and they still missed the mark! We can’t do it on our own through religious legalism or “being good.” (Romans 3:20)

But we have good news! God provided a way for us! Faith in Jesus Christ! (Romans 5:1)

“if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)

And this salvation through faith is available to all people. (Romans 11:32)

My prayer: If you are not a part of Islam, I pray you will be informed and that God would protect your household. If you are a member of Islam, I pray God would open your eyes to see the evil that has deceived you, and that you may turn from it and find the true Prince of Peace whose tomb is empty! Whose greatest commands to us were to love God and love each other as ourselves (including our enemies!). Jesus has risen to free us from the bondage of sin and religious legalism! Jesus has risen so that all who voluntarily and sincerely believe in Him will have eternal life! Flee the darkness and turn to the light! This is my prayer for you in Jesus Christ’s name – Amen.

If you have any questions about this, please don't hesitate to contact me! mickATcybermickDOTcom (replace AT and DOT)

I am grateful for:
- The free and undeserved gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ!
- Cool fall breezes.
- The engaging compassion of those who helped me along in my faith.

* I need your help. . . find out more! *

[ Mid-Week Devotionals ][ Subscribe for Updates ]
[ Join the Bible Challenge ]

Cybermick Web and IT Services!
Get a custom link tracking and reporting database system hosted by Cybermick.com.

All Scripture links by BibleGateway.com Unless otherwise noted.

Bible Challenge 2007 - Week 24

Week 24

“The wicked return to the grave, all the nations that forget God.
But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish.
Arise, O LORD, let not man triumph; let the nations be judged in your presence.
Strike them with terror, O LORD; let the nations know they are but men. Selah” (Psalm 9:17-20)

Sunday Psalms 36-40
Monday Psalms 41-45
Tuesday Psalms 46-50
Wednesday Psalms 51-55
Thursday Psalms 56-60
Friday Psalms 61-65
Saturday Psalms 66-70

“As goes the Bible….so goes the Constitution. The principles founded have their basis in a culture that understands that God is watching and that he is absolute and supreme! As we have gone away from biblical truth we have also gone away from the principles established in the Constitution. This is why James Madison said the following;

‘We have staked the whole future of American civilization not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the whole future of all our political institutions on the capacity of man for self government, on the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to sustain our selves, according to the ten commandments of God’ – James Madison”
(“As the Bible goes. . . so goes the Constitution” by Dr. David M. Berman)

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

{ Bible Challenge Home } { Past Weeks } { Project Home }

* I need your help. . . find out more! *

[ Mid-Week Devotionals ][ Subscribe for Updates ]
[ Join the Bible Challenge ]

Cybermick Web and IT Services!
Get a custom link tracking and reporting database system hosted by Cybermick.com.

All Scripture links by BibleGateway.com Unless otherwise noted.

"Brethren, we came to this country to practice our religious liberties, and if we don’t get involved, we’re going to lose them."

John Peter Muhlenberg "January 21, 1776 in the Lutheran church in Woodstock, Virginia, Reverend Muhlenberg took his sermon text from the third chapter Ecclesiastes, which starts with 'To every thing there is a season...'; after reading the eighth verse, 'a time of war, and a time of peace,' he declared, 'And this is the time of war,' removing his clerical robe to reveal his Colonel's uniform. Outside the church door the drums began to roll as men turned to kiss their wives and then walked down the aisle to enlist, and within half an hour, 162 men were enrolled. The next day he led out 300 men from the county to form the nucleus of the Eighth Virginia."
John Peter Muhlenberg, American Heritage

Samaritan Ministries

Voice of the Martyrs

Answers in Genesis

Podcast Powered By Podbean

Currently Reading
The Second Amendment by David Barton"Constitution signer John Dickinson, like many of the others in his day, defined an inalienable right as a right 'which God gave to you and which no inferior power has a right to take away.' Our Founders believed that it was the duty of government to protect inalienable, or God-granted, rights from encroachment or usurpation...

the Second Amendment was to protect what was frequently called "the first law of nature" - the right of self-protection. This right of self-protection was, in fact, considered an inalienable right - a right guaranteed to every citizen individually."
Every American Patriot must read The Second Amendment by David Barton

Book Reviews

Follow on Amazon!

No King but Jesus!
One nation, under God!

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." -Edmund Burke

"If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen." ~Samuel Adams

Saint: "the people of God, the church of Jesus Christ. . . the idea of being set apart for God as well as conformity to God's likeness through the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit." We are all called saints that believe and have faith. The "celebrated" saints are people who lived extraordinary lives and can inspire us to do the same.
Saint Stephen I of Hungary

"The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves; whether they are to have any property they can call their own; whether their Houses, and Farms, are to be pillaged and destroyed, and they consigned to a State of Wretchedness from which no human efforts will probably deliver them. The fate of unborn Millions will now depend, under God, on the Courage and Conduct of this army-Our cruel and unrelenting Enemy leaves us no choice but a brave resistance, or the most abject submission; that is all we can expect. We have therefore to resolve to conquer or die."
- General George Washington to his troops before the Battle of Long Island
Thanks to Jim's Quote of the Day