Chaplain Mick's Blog: December 2007

Monday, December 31, 2007

Romans 15:4 Project 2008 Vision

“. . . let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.”
(Romans 13:11-14)

Knights! “. . . come out of the closet! March on the Bastille! Mount the barricades. Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition. What is the ammunition? Courage, commitment, conscience, and convictions. Your children are in the balance!” (Boys)

On the East coast, it is okay for children as young as 11 years old to obtain birth control from the school nurse without their parents being notified.

The CDC (center for disease control) has issued warnings about the rise in STDs (s-xually transmitted diseases).

On the West coast, the state of California has made it law to indoctrinate children into the homos-xual lifestyle.

Locally, I couldn’t even walk with my family through a local High School football game here in the small town of Peoria, Illinois without hearing the F-bomb at least a dozen times from students!

And recently a home schooling mother in Utah was threatened with having her children taken away from her!

It is a fallen and FALLING world; The world is cursed with sin and hurting.

Do we, the disciples of Jesus Christ, understand the times? Are we prepared as Christian Knights yearning for eternity, to keep ourselves Holy as He is Holy and to capture every thought for Christ, as we reach out with love and truth to this hurting world? Have we taken our charge to “go and make disciples of all the nations” seriously?

I pray that the saints wake up soon, or our posterity, our children and our children’s children, will pay the price for our apathy and indifference!

This is the Romans 15:4 Project vision for the year of our Lord 2008:
- to promote discipleship; to encourage the knights to stand in the gaps and begin rebuilding the wall of righteousness (Ezekiel 22:27-31 NLT)
- to promote family values; to encourage the knights to lead their families and take primary responsibility for the upbringing of their children (Deuteronomy 11:19)
- to promote action; to encourage the knights to be prepared and to respond (Romans 13:11-14)
- to glorify God! (John 15:8)
- and to do all of the above with love and the good news of Jesus Christ

Join the Knighthood! Specific Initiatives:
Sign up for weekly updates. You will be notified of events and be kept current with discipleship and family building initiatives.

I am developing lesson plans and preparing myself to offer Disaster Response Training (DiRT) this September (National Preparedness Month). I am also preparing lesson plans and preparing myself to start American Heritage small group and community forum events. The materials and preparation are not cheap. I would love for everyone to participate, and could really use your support. A $5 donation or more would go a long way.

Of course the Bible Challenge 2007 will continue until completion near Easter, and will begin again for 2008! Blogging devotionals and current events will continue as well.

Thank you and may God bless you!

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[ DiRT ] [ American Heritage ] [ Contact Chaplain Mick ]

God willing,
Mick Dobra
Chaplain and founder of the Romans 15:4 Project

Works Cited / Notes:

Boys, Don, Ph.D. “Who Are the Real Child Abusers – Homeschoolers or their Persecutors?” The Conservative Voice. Dec. 25, 2007

Dobra, Mick.
(1) “‘Mom’ and ‘Dad’ Offensive?” Romans 15:4 Project. 10/23/2007
(2) “American Liberty, A Christian Issue?” Romans 15:4 Project. 09/13/2007
(3) “Tyranny’s Progress – Home Schooling” Romans 15:4 Project. 12/17/2007

O’Reilly, Bill.
(1) “Birth Control Pills for 11-Year-Old Girls. . .” Fox News. 10/19/2007
(2) “Bad Teaching Stops Here” Fox News. 12/19/2007

Thomas, Ed.
(1) “Physician: Promiscuity powering alarming STD rates” OneNewsNow. Nov. 29, 2007
(2) “Psychiatrist says suicide prevention will mean war on ‘hook-up culture’” OneNewsNow. Oct. 27, 2007
(3) “DC officials challenged to cite behavioral cause of HIV’s skyrocketing rates” OneNewsNow. Nov. 28, 2007

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All Scripture links by BibleGateway.com Unless otherwise noted.

Friday, December 28, 2007

Weekly ReCap - 12-28-2007 - Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

“. . . let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.” (Romans 13:11-14)

The above passage from the Apostle Paul has been key to my look ahead for 2008. Next week I will share the Romans 15:4 Project Vision for 2008.

For now, I thank God for another year. I thank God for my family and for our health, and I thank God for my work, both vocation and ministry. (Eccl. 5:18-20)

I pray God would shine upon you in the new year.

Christmas Readings - Sunday After
Jesus is born! He has come to "free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death." and "Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted." (Hebrews 2:10-18)
Read more. . .
Christmas Readings - New Years Day
Our confident hope. "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Revelation 21:1-6)
Read more. . .
Bible Challenge 2007 - Week 39
The Geneva Bible, God’s Word, God Himself through His holy Providence, once again altered the course of history!
Read more. . .

Knights! “. . . come out of the closet! March on the Bastille! Mount the barricades. Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition. What is the ammunition? Courage, commitment, conscience, and convictions. Your children are in the balance!” (Boys). . . I pray that the saints wake up soon, or our posterity, our children and our children’s children, will pay the price for our apathy and indifference! [Romans 15:4 Project 2008 Vision: coming next week!]

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All Scripture links by BibleGateway.com Unless otherwise noted.

Bible Challenge 2007 - Week 39

Week 39

My wife got me the best Christmas present, the new edition of the 1599 Geneva Bible. What a history! This bible, the first translated into common English after Martin Luther’s German translation, carried an oppressed people out of the dark middle ages and into the light of Christ! It inspired the pilgrims as they ventured to a new land to escape persecution, and was likely in the hands of the writers of the Mayflower Compact, the foundation of our constitutional form of government! God’s Word once again altered the course of history!

God’s Word is a double edged sword!

Sunday Amos 4-6
Monday Amos 7-9
Tuesday Obadiah
Wednesday Jonah 1-4
Thursday Micah 1-3
Friday Micah 4-7
Saturday Nahum 1-3

The Geneva Bible, “. . . researched, compiled, and translated into English by exiled Reformers in Geneva, Switzerland, between 1557 and 1560, and was destined to be the major component of the English-speaking people’s rise from the backwaters of history to the center of civilization. . . Calvin and the Reformers defended the clear meaning of Scripture against the whims of king or popes. Thus did the Geneva Bible begin the unstoppable march to liberty in England, Scotland, and America. . . Ultimately, the knowledge of and obedience to God’s written Word led to constitutional, limited government; the end of slavery and the caste system; free enterprise and the concept of private property; the so-called Puritan work ethic that fueled the scientific and industrial revolutions; wholesome, uplifting standards in the arts; and many other forms of progress.” (“The History and Impact of the Geneva Bible” 1599 Geneva Bible)

“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)

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All Scripture links by BibleGateway.com Unless otherwise noted.

Christmas Readings - New Years Day

Christmas Readings – Year A, from The online Revised Common Lectionary

New Years Day

Ecclesiastes 3:1-13

Psalm 8

Revelation 21:1-6a

Matthew 25:31-46

Works Cited:

Revised Common Lectionary. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revised_Common_Lectionary)

The online Revised Common Lectionary. The online Revised Common Lectionary is a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, a division of the Jean and Alexander Heard Library. (http://divinity.lib.vanderbilt.edu/lectionary/)

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All Scripture links by BibleGateway.com Unless otherwise noted.

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Christmas Readings - Sunday After

Christmas Readings – Year A, from The online Revised Common Lectionary

First Sunday after Christmas Day: Dec. 30th

Isaiah 63:7-9

Psalm 148

Hebrews 2:10-18

Matthew 2:13-23

Works Cited:

Revised Common Lectionary. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revised_Common_Lectionary)

The online Revised Common Lectionary. The online Revised Common Lectionary is a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, a division of the Jean and Alexander Heard Library. (http://divinity.lib.vanderbilt.edu/lectionary/)

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All Scripture links by BibleGateway.com Unless otherwise noted.

Friday, December 21, 2007

Weekly ReCap - 12-21-2007 - Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Love came down to earth! Heaven was brought down to be found in the hearts of the faithful!

I pray you have a love filled and faith filled Christmas.

. . . the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Luke 2:1-20

Advent - Christmas Readings - Fourth Sunday Dec. 23
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. . .
Read more. . .
Tryanny's Progress - Home Schooling
I’ve warned before, “When the education enforcement officers knock on your door and say ‘we are here to take your children’, will you render unto Caesar?” Unfortunately, it is closer than we think. Pray this is an isolated incident that is brought to justice swiftly!
Read more. . .
Christmas Readings - Christmas Day
And the time came for the baby to be born!
Read more. . .
The Right to Keep and Bear Arms!
Ok, an auxiliary citizen chases away a car jacker that BEAT a woman and may have done worse if not chased away, and we are arguing about the details! Bravo Zulu to the Armed Peoria Citizen that Shot at the Car Jacker!
Read more. . .
Bible Challenge 2007 - Week 38
“As we faithfully use God’s Word to counsel one another, we are equipped for the work of God." Let’s joyfully continue our spiritual sacrifice of time and devotion to God by faithfully and eagerly reading His Word!
Read more. . .

Restore us, O God;
make your face shine upon us,
that we may be saved.
Psalm 80:1-7,17-19

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
Titus 2:11-14

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All Scripture links by BibleGateway.com Unless otherwise noted.

Bible Challenge 2007 - Week 38

Week 38

“. . . as the priests of God, believers today offer up spiritual sacrifices through Him:” (“Be Satisfied” by Warren W. Wiersbe)

Let’s joyfully continue our spiritual sacrifice of time and devotion to God by faithfully and eagerly reading His Word!

Sunday Daniel 10-12
Monday Hosea 1-3
Tuesday Hosea 4-6
Wednesday Hosea 7-10
Thursday Hosea 11-14
Friday Joel 1-3
Saturday Amos 1-3

“As we faithfully use God’s Word to counsel one another, we are equipped for the work of God. God has breathed out His Word so that we have His all-sufficient tool for the carrying out of the good work of discipling one another toward the purpose of becoming obedient followers of Jesus. The Scriptures alone form the basis of a truly Christian worldview that will transform our lives and the lives of others for generations to come.”
(“The Sufficiency of the Word for Discipleship Counseling” Paul Tautges Christian Worldview Network)

“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)

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All Scripture links by BibleGateway.com Unless otherwise noted.

Thursday, December 20, 2007

The Right to Keep and Bear Arms!

Bravo Zulu to the Armed Peoria Citizen that Shot at the Car Jacker!

“Arms discourage and keep the invader and plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as well as property. ... Horrid mischief would ensue were the law-abiding deprived of the use of them.”
- Founding Father Thomas Paine

“They that are on their guard and appear ready to receive their adversaries, are in much less danger of being attacked than the supine, secure and egligent.”
- Benjamin Franklin

Unfortunately, Illinois is a police state. “According to Illinois law, it is illegal for auxiliary police officers to carry firearms on their person if they are not in uniform and performing job duties, unless they have permission from the police chief.” (Smothers)

Ok, an auxiliary citizen chases away a car jacker that BEAT a woman and may have done worse if not chased away, and we are arguing about the details! How insane are we? Did some “authority” figure get his toes stepped on? Get over it! We are not sheeple! Or at least I’m not! This citizen should be commended!

“The gun control agenda is based on the view that ordinary citizens cannot be trusted to use the physical power of arms responsibly. But a people that cannot be trusted with guns cannot be trusted with the much more dangerous powers of self-government. The gun control agenda is thus an implicit denial of the human capacity for self-government and is tyrannical in principle.” (Alan Keyes)

Excerpt from a Constitution Party Press Release:

“The Constitution Party encourages all Americans to look critically at the example of [the Colorado shootings] tragedy that could have been worse, and note the effort to disarm Americans with more gun laws has not resulted in fewer shootings. ‘On the contrary, schools and other places where people are prevented from carrying self-defense weapons have become easy targets for gunmen. It’s time Americans stop and think about where all these shootings are taking place…certainly not at police stations or places where there would be armed resistance’, said Clymer.”
(Constitution Party)

Here is an excerpt from an excellent post from Chuck Baldwin:

One thing the national news media will always ignore is the practice of lawful self-defense. For example, most people are probably not aware of the fact that American citizens use a firearm to defend themselves more than 2.4 million times EVERY YEAR. That is more than 6,500 times EVERY DAY. This means that, each year, firearms are used 60 times more often to protect the lives of honest citizens than totake lives. Furthermore, of the 2.4 million self-defense cases, more than 192,000 are by women defending themselves against sexual assault. And in less than eight percent of those occasions is a shot actually fired. The vast majority of the time (92%), the mere presence of a firearm helps to avert a major crime from occurring. That is what Congressman Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD) concluded after extensive research. According to Rep. Bartlett, the number of defensive uses is four times the number of crimes reported committed with guns. . .

Even our Lord understood and validated the right of every person to arm themselves for personal self-defense. He said, "He that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one." (Luke 22:36 KJV) The old Roman sword was the First Century equivalent of a modern handgun. It was the most practical and convenient form of self-defense available at that time. Also, please note that at least two of Jesus' disciples (one of whom was Simon Peter) were in the habit of carrying their own personal swords, and Jesus never rebuked them. (See Luke22:38.). . .

Thomas Jefferson said, ‘No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.’ He also said, ‘Laws that forbid the carrying of arms . . . disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes . . . Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man.’”
(“Buy a Gun” by Chuck Baldwin emphasis added)

Works Cited:

Baldwin, Chuck. “Buy A Gun” Chuck Baldwin Live. Dec. 14, 2007

Smothers, Michael, et. al. “Creve Couer chief says man who shot at carjacker should be commended” Peoria Journal Star. Dec. 20, 2007

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All Scripture links by BibleGateway.com Unless otherwise noted.

Christmas Readings - Christmas Day

Christmas Readings – Year A, from The online Revised Common Lectionary

Nativity of the Lord

Isaiah 9:2-7

Psalm 96

Titus 2:11-14

Luke 2:1-14, (15-20)

Works Cited:

Revised Common Lectionary. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revised_Common_Lectionary)

The online Revised Common Lectionary. The online Revised Common Lectionary is a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, a division of the Jean and Alexander Heard Library. (http://divinity.lib.vanderbilt.edu/lectionary/)

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

All Scripture links by BibleGateway.com Unless otherwise noted.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Christian Carnival CCIII

Romans 15:4 Project "Tyranny's Progress - Home Schooling" post is in this weeks Christian Carnival.

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All Scripture links by BibleGateway.com Unless otherwise noted.

Monday, December 17, 2007

Tyranny’s Progress – Home Schooling

No king but Jesus!

I’ve warned before, “When the education enforcement officers knock on your door and say ‘we are here to take your children’, will you render unto Caesar?”

Unfortunately, it is closer than we think. Pray this is an isolated incident that is brought to justice swiftly!

Mom threatened with jail for teaching kids at home: Judge gives Utah woman 1 day to finish enrollment (Unruh)

"Shortt says the case is reminiscent of what is happening in Germany, where a Nazi-era law makes home schooling illegal." (Pugh)

Need I remind everyone that it is an election season, and just how important it is?

“The value-free education offered by the government-run schools has all too often proven to be education without value. This is especially true now that Outcome Based Education has been used as an excuse to establish curricular elements that amount to the politically correct brainwashing of our children.

Government money is increasingly used to enforce a low quality, crass form of vocationalism in the School-to-Work scheme, while the same educrats debase traditional academics with such fads as Whole Language Learning and Fuzzy Math. Parents and local citizens often know better than their educrat masters, but find themselves unable to resist the power of an entrenched and costly monopoly. Education reform is thus a question of liberty and self-government.

I strongly favor school choice approaches that empower parents to take control of their children's education, in accordance with the parents' faith and values. We not only need prayer in schools, we need schools that are in the hands of people who pray. Above all, we must break the government monopoly on public education.” (Alan Keyes emphasis added)

Works Cited:

Dobra, Mick. “Tyranny and Rebellion” Romans 15:4 Project. July 10, 2007.

Dobra, Mick “Education – The Hope or Downfall of Our Nation” Romans 15:4 Project. June 11, 2007.

Pugh, Rusty. "Judge threatens home-school mom with jail" OneNewsNow. Dec. 20, 2007.

Unruh, Bob. “Mom threatened with jail for teaching kids at home: Judge gives Utah woman 1 day to finish enrollment” WorldNetDaily. December 16, 2007.

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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

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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