Chaplain Mick's Blog: January 2009

Friday, January 30, 2009

Weekly ReCap – 01-30-2009 – Self-Evident

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,
- The Declaration of Independence

These truths are self-evident “since what may be known about God [the Creator] is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”
- Romans 1:19-20

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it,
- The Declaration of Independence

“I desire to bless and praise the name of God most high for appointing me my birth in a land of Gospel Light where the glorious tidings of a Savior and of pardon and salvation through Him have been continually sounding in mine ears.”
- Robert Treat Paine, Military Chaplain; Signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Feedback Requested for 2009 Bible Challenge
The Bible Challenge is a yearly Quest from Easter to Easter, and we are fast approaching the end of this quest and preparing for the next. I would like to hear from you. Please reply to this message or any weekly message with your feedback. You can also comment at the bottom of the blog posts. But in particular, I would like to know what type of reading plan you would like to do for 2009?
Learn more and reply!
Illinois Governor Impeached
It's time to stop "bailing out" a two party ship that has brought this state and our country to its social and economic knees and start "jumping on" the only ship committed to RESTORING our great state and country to the constitutional republic that our founding father gave us. . . The Constitution Party!
Learn more. . .
Bible Challenge 2008 - Week 44
Knights and Ladies. . . Science and the scientific method were born out of a love of God and an eager desire to know more about Him and His creation. Praise the Creator not the creation!
Read more. . .

Reading:

- “Pastors, Join the Black Regiment!”
by David Alan Black, daveblackonline.com, restoring our biblical and constitutional foundations
“We need pastors who reject the lie that our national ideals stem from the influence of the French Enlightenment rather than from the Bible and Christianity, pastors who, with John Wingate Thornton, understand that 'To the Pulpit, the Puritan Pulpit, we owe the moral force which won our independence.' We need pastors who realize that our independence today stems from one thing and one thing only: from the biblical concept that all men are created in the image of God, and because of this all men are entitled to equal treatment and unalienable rights. . .

In short, we need pastors who are willing to join today’s 'Black Regiment.' The Black Regiment was a group of clergy who were fierce opponents of British tyranny and a driving force in the decision of the colonies to seek independence. King George had provoked many of these men to leave England by demanding that they submit to licensing by the crown. He called them the Black Regiment because of the black robes they wore when preaching. . .”

- “The Constitution of the United States of America”

- “Lord Ahmed Threatens [with 10,000 Muslims] Parliament Into Submission”
ACT for America
“It appears that a member of the House of Lords had invited the Dutch politician, Geert Wilders, to a private meeting in the Palace of Westminster. She had intended to invite her colleagues in the Lords to a private viewing of his ‘documentary’ Fitna, followed by discussion and debate in true parliamentary fashion. . . But no sooner had the unsuspecting baroness sent out her invitations, Lord Ahmed raised hell. It is reported that he ‘threatened to mobilise 10,000 Muslims to prevent Mr Wilders from entering the House and threatened to take the colleague who was organising the event to court’.

And so Fitna has been cancelled: it shall not now be screened in the House of Lords on 29th January. . . It is for moments such as these that one might hope the Lords Spiritual might enter the fray and defend the right of the noble baroness to extend an invitation to a democratically-elected Dutch MP. Their silence is deafening. They no longer believe anything strongly for fear of causing offence; they no longer defend anything for fear of being abolished. . .

There are occasions when turning the other cheek is sheer folly.”

- “atheism: the intellectual embarrassment”
by Living Waters, pull the plug on atheism
“So if you call yourself an atheist, you are saying that you have no belief in a God—a Creator. Creation just happened. Everything you see—all the different breeds of dog (both male and female), all the different breeds of cat (both male and female), all the different fish in the ocean (both male and female), giraffes, elephants, cattle, sheep, horses, birds, flowers, trees, the sun, the moon, the stars, the four seasons, night and day, the marvels of the human body—the eye with its 137,000,000 light sensitive cells (we have been made well Robert) . . . all these marvels of creation were made by nothing. They all just happened. That’s atheism at its core. What an intellectual embarrassment.”

Grateful for:

- The United States Constitution, so long as it is upheld and well administered! Pray that our new Administration and Congress respect and uphold the letter and intent of our Constitution!

“That invisible hand which has so often interposed to save our Country from impending destruction, seems in no instance to have been more remarkably excited than in that of disposing the people of this extensive Continent to adopt, in a peaceable manner, a Constitution, which if well administered, bids fair to make America a happy nation.”
- George Washington

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Bible Challenge 2008 - Week 44

Week 44

“By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” Hebrews 11:3

“By faith we understand much more of the formation of the world than ever could be understood by the naked eye of natural reason. Faith is not a force upon the understanding, but a friend and a help to it.”
(Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible)

Knights and Ladies, God created this natural world that we live in. As Paul says in Romans 1, “For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” Science and the scientific method were born out of a love of God and an eager desire to know more about Him and His creation. Praise the Creator not the creation!

Monday --- Hebrews 12
Tuesday --- Hebrews 13
Wednesday --- James 1
Thursday --- James 2
Friday --- James 3

“Since all basic presuppositions begin with faith, ‘God is’ is as rational as any other first premise.

Evidence that points toward the intelligent design of the universe increases the probability that ‘God is’. The more that is learned of the structure of the billions of human cells that make up our body, the clearer it is that cells function based on intelligent information, DNA, that is more complicated, as Bill Gates has said, than any software ever written. And there is now abundant cosmological evidence that this planet is uniquely hospitable to human life – the unique orbit of the earth, the distance from the sun, and the like. It is as if, on scientist wrote, ‘the universe in some sense must have known that we were coming.’. .

But the knowledge of God is innate within human beings – it’s born into us (Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 1:18 and following). Today, even secular biologists and scientists studying the human mind have found strong evidence of this intuitive knowledge – what some have even called the [g]od gene. . . We are made for the transcendent in ways a purposeless, random process could not explain.”
(“The Faith: Given Once, For All: What Christians Believe, Why They Believe It, and Why It Matters” by Charles Colson, Harold Fickett)

“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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Illinois Governor Impeached

A message from Randy Stufflebeam of the Constitution Party:

Dear Friends, Family and Fellow Constitutionalists,

As most of you know, by now, Rod Blagojevich has been impeached as the Governor of Illinois by a Senate vote of 59 to 0 -- a unanimous decision. Having watched most of the "Impeachment Tribunal" and much "Blagovision," I have a few comments/thoughts that I'd like to share.

It's our fault

Before I say one word about the impeachment proceedings or anything else for that matter, let me say without equivocation, "IT IS OUR FAULT!" It's bad enough that we did it the first time, but, We, the people of the state of Illinois, elected the governor to a second term in office.

Though, I will say that I did everything in my power to prevent the re-election of Governor Rod Blagojevich, I'm still a party of the system that elected him and so are you.

I make this commitment -- to continue doing everything within my power to get constitutional men and women who are dedicated to the principles of honor and integrity elected to every level and office of government. But, I can't do it by myself, we are going to have to work together to make this happen.

Its time we stopped depending on government paid prosecutors to bail us out of our self-induced misery. If you want something different, you must DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT!

Governor Blagojevich did not act alone.

As noted by several of the Senators during their speeches that argued for Governor Blagojevich's impeachment, Blagojevich could not have accomplished all that he did by himself and that there were others and even some within the Senate Chamber that had some culpability in the wrong-doings of the Governor.

One of those that I believe had culpability is the Illinois State's Attorney General, Lisa Madigan.
As some of you will recall, while I was running for Governor in 2006, I used the reports as part of my cry against corruption, that Auditor General, Mr. William Holland, had produced that very year, which reflected millions upon millions of taxpayer's dollars having been spent and then were totally UNACCOUNTED for. I remember the words "Scathing Report" being used back then as well.

I remember very distinctly it was reported that Mr. Holland was angry at the level of corruption that he had uncovered back then.

Mr. Holland not only submitted the report of his audit of several state departments to the Governor's Office, he also delivered that same report to the Office of the Attorney General. Ms. Madigan had every opportunity to root out corruption back then by indicting those responsible for the blatant mismanagement and misuse of taxpayer’s dollars. It was hardly three months later that the Auditor General produced a similar report of corruption within several other state departments and yet nothing from either office.

Again, she not only had the opportunity, but a clear responsibility to the people of Illinois, who elected her, to go after the Governor during their first term in office, when, according to Mr. Holland's report and testimony, the Governor had "allegedly" broke state AND federal law.

As far as I have been able to ascertain, all these and other reports of criminal behavior through out the government of the state of Illinois have been summarily dismissed or ignored by the Office of the Attorney General and the word on the street is that the Attorney General, Lisa Madigan is going to be running for Governor in 2010. Can you just imagine what a team her and her dad, Illinois State Speaker of the House, Michael Madigan, would make if she were to become the Governor of Illinois?

"If I'd known they were listening."

I've heard, and I agree, that a measure of a man's character is not what he will do when all eyes are upon him, but what he will do when he thinks no one is watching.

The following two statements by Blagojevich would be funny if not for the gravity of the situation. The first was made during a television interview:

"If I had known they were listening in, I would not have used that type of language."
I'm sure his wife is thinking the same thing, as she was heard in the background using the same language.

Now actually, the second is kind of funny, consider the irony that he was on the phone discussing things that the "whole world" was indeed listening to.

"You got to be careful how you express that, and assume everybody's listening. The whole world is listening. I would do it in person. I would not do it on the phone"

I was thinking of "...Gandhi, Mandela and Martin Luther King."

Are you kidding me? I was driving in heavy traffic when I heard the following sound bite from then Governor Blagojevich. I nearly ran into the back of the vehicle in front of me from laughing so hard.

"When I was arrested, I thought about Mandela, Dr. King, and Gandhi..."

Supreme Executive

According to Article V, Section 8 of the Constitution of the state of Illinois, ‘The Governor shall have the supreme executive power...”

Is there any doubt in anybody's mind that Governor Blagojevich took this supremacy to heart? It was poignantly obvious that he took this supremacy seriously when he attempted to justify the means to include going outside the law to accomplish the end.

Sadly, he failed to live out the constitutional purpose for this supremacy. The second clause of the article states, “... and shall be responsible for the faithful execution of the laws.“

Pat Quinn

Lt. Governor Pat Quinn is now the Governor of the state of Illinois. According to the Constitution of the state of Illinois, the post of Lt. Governor will remain vacant for the remainder of the term.

Undoubtedly, Governor Pat Quinn will be using the remainder of the Governor's term to make a name for himself.

Governor Pat Quinn has an opportunity never before afforded a Governor of Illinois. He has the opportunity to clean up his predecessor's mess, without having been elected to do so. Even though it will make it harder to run against him in 2010, because of what it will mean to every citizen of Illinois, I pray that he is successful in doing so.

Stats

As mentioned in a previous message (and to now to include Ex-Governor Blagojevich):
- 5 of the last 9 Governors have been indicted for wrong doing
- 1 of the 5 Governors indicted was acquitted of charges (Stratton).
- 3 of the last 8 Governors have done (or is still doing) jail time for wrong-doing:
- - Otto Kerner (33rd Governor, Dem.)
- - Dan Walker (36th Governor, Dem.)
- - George Ryan (39th Governor, Rep.)
- 2 of the 2 major parties have given us governors that have been corrupt beyond toleration.

A New Party

The iceberg of corruption is a fact within the political waters of Illinois, of which Blagojevich is just the tip -- the part that you see. Just like an iceberg, that corruption runs deep and wide and it is the part that you can’t (or won't) see that has punctured the vessel of Illinois to the point of sinking.

There is an SOS (Save or Ship) distress signal that is being sent out. Like the Titanic, I believe the political ship that we have been aboard for so long has had its hull ripped open by corruption to the point of no return and that the only salvation for the people aboard is to abandon ship so as to be picked up by the only ship I believe has the ability to carry the people safely to shore and that is the good ship, "Constitution Party."

It's time to stop "bailing out" a two party ship that has brought this state and our country to its social and economic knees and start "jumping on" the only ship committed to RESTORING our great state and country to the constitutional republic that our founding father gave us.

The alternative is to stay on board and be overcome and overwhelmed by the frigid sea of self-server corruption, that will destroy the last vestige of liberty and economic freedom that we have in this state and country. Don't be caught on the lower decks when the bow of the ship finally succumbs to the waves that have been bashing against the hull for so long.

If you are ready to jump on board the Constitution Party here in the state of Illinois, please contact me, as we are preparing to win the 2010 Battle here in Illinois, against the culture of corruption that is so pervasive throughout our government, by electing principled men and women, who are dedicate to honor and integrity, to every office within the state of Illinois and throughout country.

If you are from another state, please let me know and I will point you in the right direction, or get you in contact with the Constitution Party in your state. For those of you who have already contacted me, please let me know if there has been follow through. We can't afford to let folks slip through the cracks, as I believe it is every citizen's responsibility for involvement.

Yours in Liberty,
Randall C. Stufflebeam
Chairman, Constitution Party of Illinois
www.ConstitutionPartyIL.com
Chairman-CPIL@cp-il.com

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Friday, January 23, 2009

Weekly ReCap – 01-23-2009 – Sanctity of Marriage

“Has not the LORD made [the husband and wife] one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offspring.” (Malachi 2:15a)

“'Perhaps in no other community have the consequences of familial breakdown been more evident than among African-Americans. When marriage declines, children and society both suffer. Violent crime, youth crime, welfare dependency and child poverty track more closely with family disintegration than with any other social variable – including race and income level.'

'Marriage is what makes fatherhood more than a biological event,' added Innis. 'Marriage is the social glue that unites the two halves of the human race to share in the enterprise of parenting – increasing the chance that children will be raised with a mother and a father.' Niger Innis, National Spokesperson for the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), one of the 'Big Four' historic civil rights groups.”
{ Protect DOMA (Defense Of Marriage Act) - protectdoma.org }

Sanctity of Marriage:
“The natural family, creation of God, is the fundamental human community, based on the life-long marriage between a man and a woman, in which new individuals are conceived, born and raised.”
- World Congress of Families. The Warsaw Declaration, 2007.

{ The FamilyLife Weekend to Remember Marriage Conference in Peoria March 6-8! }

Sanctity of Marriage!
Your attention and action are needed. . . please read the following! Your parental rights, in turn are supported by the sanctity of marriage. Anything that undermines marriage may ultimately undermine parental rights. Amending the Illinois Constitution will protect the concept of marriage from activist state judges.
Learn more, take action!
Sanctity of Life Sunday [Update!]
The Obama administration is expected to issue a reversal of a ban on federal funding [ie Tax Payer Funding] for non-governmental organizations working outside the U.S. that offer abortions or abortion counseling.
Learn more. . .
Public Service
A message from the Southern Illinois Regional Chairman of the Constitution Party, Jeff Trexler: . . . If we aren't running for office ourselves (and most of us aren't), we still have much to do in the work of finding and supporting those who WILL run for office. So our work is public service too. It is public SERVICE, and it isn't called service for nothing. Public service often involves sacrificing your own time and energy without pay. God bless righteous public servants.
Read more. . .
Feedback Requested for 2009 Bible Challenge
I would like to hear from you. Please reply to this message or any weekly message with your feedback. You can also comment at the bottom of the blog posts. But in particular, I would like to know what type of reading plan you would like to do for 2009?
Learn more. . .
Bible Challenge 2008 - Week 43
Knights and Ladies, Jesus has been there. Wherever we are, whatever we endure, Jesus knows our pain, suffering, struggle. We can come to Him with our burdens, and He knows exactly what we need. Spend time with our King today!
Read more. . .

Reading:

- “Dr. King and Christian Activism: Truth, Love, and Endurance”
by Chuck Colson, Christian Post
“As Americans observe Martin Luther King Day today, I am reminded of the rich Christian tradition of activism in this country. For millions of Christians who have gone before us, activism was considered fruit of the faith. Not only was the civil-rights movement led by evangelical Christians like Dr. King, so too were campaigns for abolition and women’s suffrage heavily influenced by Christians expressing their faith.”

- “The media went wild this week over the 'almost' creation of life in the lab”
AIG News to Note, January 17, 2009
“Researchers at the Scripps Research Institute have created something 'tantalizingly close' to life’s origin, asserts LiveScience editorial director Robert Roy Britt. It’s not life, the researchers caution, but it’s nonetheless fueling the hopes of evolutionists that life could have evolved spontaneously. . . First, while the scientists’ enzyme pool contains 'novel' mutations—ones that the researchers didn’t specifically create beforehand—there isn’t actually any new information involved. . . Second, it’s important to remember that this is a carefully engineered, artificial environment that is allowing the enzymes to survive. . . So far, evolutionists can’t point to a single information-adding mutation, either in nature or in the laboratory, but even if evolutionists hypothetically discovered one such mutation, the historicity of evolution remains an idea ultimately taken on faith.”

- “Darwinism & Communism, Part II”
posted by David Klinghoffer, Jan. 20, 2009, Discovery Institute Evolution News & Views
“In 1891 in Gori, Georgia, a 13-year-old choirboy with dreams of becoming a priest, Iosef Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili, was discovered by his mother at dawn, having stayed awake through the night reading Darwin’s Origin of Species.

'I loved the book so much, Mummy, I couldn’t stop reading,' he explained. He later told a friend that God 'doesn’t actually exist. We’ve been deceived.'

'How can you say such a thing?' the friend exclaimed, to which the boy, the future Joseph Stalin, replied by handing him a copy of Darwin.

In this little series, we are asking, among other things, what came from Stalin’s precocious appreciation of evolutionary theory? Hitler and Stalin alike sought to create a new race of supermen. Where did they both happen to get this idea? From Darwinian theory, in the broad sense, of course. . .”

- “Book Claims Nazi 'Angel of Death' Responsible for High Rate of Twins in Brazilian Town”
Fox News, Jan 22, 2009
“A German doctor who was commissioned by Adolf Hitler to artificially increase the Aryan birthrate may be responsible for a large number of twins born in a small Brazilian town, a new book claims. . . The Telegraph reported that one in five pregnancies in the town of Candido Godoi produce twins, often with blond hair and blue eyes. . .”

Grateful for:

- My daughter, Emily's, smile. The joy she gets from our response when she does the backwards wave and says “ha dada, ha mom.” Blessed beyond measure!

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Bible Challenge 2008 - Week 43

Week 43

“Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” (Hebrews 2:18)

“He became man, and was tempted, that he might be every way qualified to [bring aid to] his people, seeing that he had passed through the same temptations himself, but continued perfectly free from sin. Then let not the afflicted and tempted despond, or give place to Satan, as if temptations made it wrong for them to come to the Lord in prayer.”
(Mathew Henry’s Concise Commentary on the Bible)

Knights and Ladies, Jesus has been there. Wherever we are, whatever we endure, Jesus knows our pain, suffering, struggle. We can come to Him with our burdens, and He knows exactly what we need. Spend time with our King today!

Monday --- Hebrews 7
Tuesday --- Hebrews 8
Wednesday --- Hebrews 9
Thursday --- Hebrews 10
Friday --- Hebrews 11

“I believe Jesus' primary method for changing lives was, and is, time spent. By simply being with people, Jesus transformed them.

Jesus walked around with his disciples, he stayed at their homes, he ate with them. When he traveled about teaching, they came along. They followed him. Jesus just hung out with them—and looked for teachable moments. As a result, his followers (which included not only the twelve apostles but many other men and women) were radically changed. After Jesus died, Peter and John were preaching and healing, carrying on the ministry (see Acts 4:13).

My deep desire is that when other people look at my life, and listen to my words, that they would notice that apparently, I've been with Jesus. Time spent with him revises my life much more radically than any goal-setting or self-improvement plan.”
(“Rest: Living in Sabbath Simplicity” by Keri Wyatt Kent, quoted in Zondervan Inspirations)

“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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Thursday, January 22, 2009

Feedback Requested for 2009 Bible Challenge

Greetings Knights and Ladies,

“Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (Galatians 1:3-5)

Amen!

We are just ten weeks away from completing the 2008 New Testament in a Year Bible Challenge! What a rewarding quest it has been!

The Bible Challenge is a yearly Quest from Easter to Easter, and we are fast approaching the end of this quest and preparing for the next.

I would like to hear from you. Please reply to this message or any weekly message with your feedback. You can also comment at the bottom of the blog posts.

But in particular, I would like to know what type of reading plan you would like to do for 2009?

- Bible in a year: Genesis to Revelation. Like we did for 2007?
- Bible in a year: Chronological?
- The Words of Jesus in a year: The four Gospels, beginning of Acts and Revelation four times in a year? This is what I am leaning towards, a deep reflection on Jesus' words.
- or something else?

Please reply and let me know what type of Quest you would like to take this upcoming year!

The grace of our King Jesus Christ be with you!

Mick Dobra,
Chaplain and Founder the Romans 15:4 Project

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Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Public Service

A message from the Southern Illinois Regional Chairman of the Constitution Party, Jeff Trexler:

Greetings friends,

The state convention in Peoria really inspired me. The work that is being done by like-minded people across the state is encouraging. I know it looks small, but isn't that the way God has always worked?

As Randy and others have pointed out, our major objective as a political party is to get people elected who will stand for Biblical and Constitutional principles of government. If we aren't running for office ourselves (and most of us aren't), we still have much to do in the work of finding and supporting those who WILL run for office. So our work is public service too. It is public SERVICE, and it isn't called service for nothing. Public service often involves sacrificing your own time and energy without pay. God bless righteous public servants. No greater love has any man than this, that he lay down his own life for his friends. Thank you all for being public servants and friends.

But we do have other work to do that isn't directly related to electing candidates. There are countless legal and cultural issues to be addressed even in our own towns. Here are a few things I think we need to be doing by making ourselves and others more aware of:

- how our local governments are organized and operated
- the Constitution (state and federal) and current legal dialogue
- the role of the Secular state schools in shaping law and culture
- education alternatives to the state schools
- promoting legislation that gives citizens freedom of education (undermining government monopoly of education)
- protecting property rights from the tyranny of majority

There are certainly many more. Some of us can write well and should write to newspapers and magazines to address these issues. Others have the time (or can make the time) to attend public meetings and represent us. All of us can ask questions and learn more about what is going on. All of us can talk to our friends and family about these issues.

What isn't talked about is forgotten, and there is a spirit at work in our world to make us afraid of meaningful dialogue (it says we should leave these matters to "experts"). Preaching passivity is offensive, and it ought to be offended as often as possible. Go out and offend, not to be offensive, but to turn the people back from ignorance and injustice.

Psalm 51:12-13 - Matthew 10:32-39

God bless and keep you and yours, and may he bless your work with fruitfulness and joy.

Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!
-Benjamin Franklin

{ The Constitution Party of IL } - { The Constitution Party National }

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Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Sanctity of Marriage!

"Marriage should be honored by all. . . " Hebrews 13:4

Your attention and action are needed. . . please read the following!

Message from HSLDA:

January 13, 2009 Illinois:

Your Calls Needed to Protect Traditional Marriage

Dear HSLDA Members and Friends: Representative David Reis has prefiled House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 2, which allows a marriage amendment to go to the voters this upcoming election. The amendment defines marriage as only between one man and one woman.

If HJRCA 2 is passed by both the House and the Senate, the issue will go to the people and you will have the opportunity to vote for traditional marriage during the next election!

The main part of HJRCA 2 reads:

"To secure and preserve the benefits of marriage for our society and for future generations of children, only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this State. This State and its political subdivisions shall not create or recognize a legal status similar to that of marriage."

Your right to homeschool rests on another freedom: the freedom to direct the education and upbringing of your children. Your parental rights, in turn are supported by the sanctity of marriage. Anything that undermines marriage may ultimately undermine parental rights.

Amending the Illinois Constitution will protect the concept of marriage from activist state judges. Without this amendment, an activist judge out of step with the citizens will one day redefine marriage for us.

ACTION REQUESTED

Call your state representative and give this message:

"Please support this amendment that defines marriage as between one man and one woman. Please vote for House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 2. Give citizens an opportunity to have their voices heard in support of preserving traditional marriage."

You do not need to identify yourself as a homeschooler.

Go to http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=5992 to find contact information on your state representative.

BACKGROUND

How does redefining marriage as being between one man and one woman or creating civil unions in effect providing same-sex marriage potentially affect your right to homeschool your children? Here is what the Supreme Court said in 2000 in the case of Troxel v. Granville:

"Our jurisprudence historically has reflected Western civilization concepts of the family (a married couple of one man and one woman) as a unit with broad parental authority over minor children. Our cases have consistently followed that course."

Parental rights are based on "western civilization concepts of the family." When those concepts are no longer the legal definition of the family in this nation, then the foundation upon which parental rights are based is completely removed.

HSLDA will continue to fight against same-sex marriage. Same-sex marriage attacks the traditions of the family in Western civilization. This is an attack on parental rights and a battle the homeschooling movement cannot afford to lose.

Thank you for your support of traditional marriage in Illinois!

Sincerely,
Christopher J. Klicka
HSLDA Senior Counsel

{ The FamilyLife Weekend to Remember Marriage Conference in Peoria March 6-8! }

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Friday, January 16, 2009

Weekly ReCap – 01-16-2009 – Sanctity of Life

Pregnancy & Alcohol DO NOT MIX!

If alcohol harms unborn babies, what does abortion do to them?

“Consider the bizarre implications of this double standard. If a woman is scheduled to get an abortion, but on her way to the abortion clinic her baby is killed in-utero, the baby's killer will be prosecuted for murder. But if this murder doesn't occur, an hour later the doctor will be paid to perform a legal procedure killing exactly the same child (in a way that is probably more gruesome). To the child, what's the difference who kills her?”
- Randy Alcorn, “Why Pro-Life? Caring for the Unborn and Their Mothers”

“What difference does two or three minutes inside or outside the womb really make? One’s ‘late-term’ and the other’s ‘postpartum’.”
- Senator Barak Obama

This Sunday, Jan. 18, is Sanctity of Life Sunday.

Constitution Party Convention in Peoria
January 17, 2009 at the Peoria Public Library from 9:00 am until 4:45 pm. For the sake of the state and nation please set aside some time to come learn more about these Constitutional Patriots!
Learn more. . .
Sanctity of Life Sunday - 01-18-2009
January 18, 2009 This Sunday is Sanctity of Life Sunday — a wonderful way to start a week that includes the presidential inauguration and the annual March for Life.
Learn more. . .
21 Days for a New Awakening! Jan 1-21 2009
January 21, 2009 Join me at the next prayer meeting, Wed. Jan. 21, 6:30-7:00 AM, at Kades Coffee.
Learn more. . .
Bible Challenge 2008 - Week 42
Knights and Ladies, Christ died for us, saving and redeeming us as His, that we may carry out His work until He returns!
Read more. . .

Reading:

- “Washington Times Op-ed - U.N. Treaty Might Weaken Families”
by J. Michael Smith, HSLDA President, HSLDA

One of the issues American families could face this year is the ramifications from a treaty called the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).

You may ask, “How could a treaty directly affect internal decision-making by American families?” We generally think of treaties as agreements affecting international relations between countries. The U.N., however, has initiated treaties that not only affect international relations, but also the domestic relations of member nations as well. These treaties, sometimes called “conventions,” require member nations that ratify the treaty to implement the requirements as binding law or rules. . .

The CRC would be treated as superior to laws in every state regarding the parent-child relationship. This would include issues regarding education, health care, family discipline, the child’s role in family decision-making, and a host of other subjects. . .

The bottom line is the CRC would drastically weaken the United States’ sovereignty over family life, which would have a substantial impact on every American family.

More info: http://www.parentalrights.org/learn

Grateful for:

- Dry, fluffy, and light snow, as opposed to the heavy wet stuff!

{ Bible Knights } { The King } { The Sword } { The Quest } { The Fellowship }

{ The Chaplain } { The Project } { The Vision } { The Blog }

Bible Challenge 2008 - Week 42

Week 42

“He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for Himself a special people, eager to do good works.” (Titus 2:14)

“He loved us, and gave himself for us; and what can we do less than love and give up ourselves to him! . . . And the further we are removed from boasting of fancied good works, or trusting in them, so that we glory in Christ alone, the more zealous shall we be to abound in real good works.”
(Mathew Henry’s Concise Commentary on the Bible)

The simplest description I have heard for good works is that we are not saved by works, but for good works.

Knights and Ladies, Christ died for us, saving and redeeming us as His, that we may carry out His work until He returns!

Monday --- Hebrews 2
Tuesday --- Hebrews 3
Wednesday --- Hebrews 4
Thursday --- Hebrews 5
Friday --- Hebrews 6

“It's the power of the love of Jesus Christ, the love that conquers sin and wipes out shame and heals wounds and reconciles enemies and patches broken dreams and ultimately changes the world, one life at a time. And what grips my heart every day is the knowledge that the radical message of that transforming love has been given to the church.

That means that in a very real way the future of the world rests in the hands of local congregations like yours and mine. It's the church or it's lights out. Without churches so filled with the power of God that they can't help but spill goodness and peace and love and joy into the world, depravity will win the day; evil will flood the world. But it doesn't have to be that way. Strong, growing communities of faith can turn the tide of history. They can! Don't bother looking elsewhere. The church is it.”
(“Courageous Leadership” by Bill Hybels, quoted in Zondervan Inspirations)

“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 Knights } { The King } { The Sword } { The Quest } { The Fellowship }

{ The Chaplain } { The Project } { The Vision } { The Blog }

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Sanctity of Life Sunday [Update!]

"The first thing I’d do as President is sign the Freedom of Choice Act. That’s the first thing I’d do." - Presidential Candidate Barak Obama, 2008

[Update!] Fox News Reports 1/22/2009:
"Separately, the administration is expected to issue a reversal of a ban on
federal funding [ie Tax Payer Funding] for non-governmental organizations working outside the U.S. that offer abortions or abortion counseling.

Obama will sign the executive order on the 36th anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion in all 50 states."

Forgive our nation, Lord!

"Abortion has set us on a dangerous course. We may come to our senses and back away from the slippery slope. Or we may follow it to its inescapable conclusion - a society in which the powerful, for their own self-interest, determine which human beings will live and which will die." - Randy Alcorn, "Why Pro-Life? Caring for the Unborn and Their Mothers"

Message from AUL Action:

This Sunday is Sanctity of Life Sunday — a wonderful way to start a week that includes the presidential inauguration and the annual March for Life. Millions of Americans will go to churches where there will be a special emphasis on the sanctity of human life.

Yet many of those Americans haven’t heard about Congress’ plans to expand abortion through the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) — and other bills like it that would eliminate virtually every pro-life law in the country and force taxpayers to help pay for it.

You can help spread the word. It’s easy: http://www.fightfoca.com/

Visit Fight FOCA today!

{ Bible Knights } { The King } { The Sword } { The Quest } { The Fellowship }

{ The Chaplain } { The Project } { The Vision } { The Blog }

Friday, January 09, 2009

Weekly ReCap - 01-09-2009 - Resolutions

I didn't make any normal resolutions this year. You know, lose weight, work out more, stop [whatever]. . . Behaviors and habits. . .

Instead, I'm going to resolve to improve my faith and character. I want to strive this year to see change from the inside out. I'll keep you posted on how it goes. . . like cleaning out a really messy garage, it sometimes has to get worse before it gets better!

Here is a prayer from George Washington's prayer journal that covers character resolve:

O eternal and everlasting God, . . . increase my faith in the sweet promises of the gospel; give me repentance from dead works; pardon my wanderings, and direct my thoughts unto thyself, the God of my salvation; teach me how to live in thy fear, labor in thy service, and ever to run in the ways of thy commandments; make me always watchful over my heart, that neither the terrors of conscience, the loathing of holy duties, the love of sin, nor an unwillingness to depart this life, may cast me into a spiritual slumber, but daily frame me more and more into the likeness of thy son Jesus Christ, that living in thy fear, and dying in thy favor, I may in thy appointed time attain the resurrection of the just unto eternal life - bless my family, friends, and kindred.

Amen!

21 Days for a New Awakening! Jan 1-21 2009
Join me at the next prayer meeting, Wed. Jan. 14, 6:30-7:30 AM, at Kades Coffee.
Learn more. . .
Constitution Party Convention in Peoria
January 17, 2009 at the Peoria Public Library from 9:00 am until 4:45 pm. For the sake of the state and nation please set aside some time to come learn more about these Constitutional Patriots!
Learn more. . .
Peoria FCA Banquet Special Guest: Kurt Warner!
Greater Peoria Area FCA 2009 HOME TEAM DRIVE & BANQUET Special Guest: Kurt Warner, Arizona Cardinals Quarterback Date: Monday, March 30th, 2009, 11:30am-1:00pm
Learn more. . .
Bible Challenge 2008 - Week 41
Knights and Ladies, we have been given a spirit of power, love and self-discipline! Fan the flames of God's spirit within us! Live boldly for the gospel!
Read more. . .

Greatful for:

- My wife, my son, my daughter. . . my legacy.

{ Bible Knights } { The King } { The Sword } { The Quest } { The Fellowship }

{ The Chaplain } { The Project } { The Vision } { The Blog }

Bible Challenge 2008 - Week 41

Week 41

“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”(2 Timothy 1:6-7)

Knights and Ladies, we have been given a spirit of power, love and self-discipline! Fan the flames of God's spirit within us! Live boldly for the gospel!

Monday --- Titus 1
Tuesday --- Titus 2
Wednesday --- Titus 3
Thursday --- Philemon 1
Friday --- Hebrews 1

“Tragically, postmodern culture has infected and weakened the Church, particularly in the West. Spain, once the most Catholic country in Europe, has become, within a generation, among the most secularized. A recent report among Spain’s bishops lays the blame squarely on heretical teaching as to the nature of Christ and his atoning work. . .

The majority of evangelicals – whom Barna calls ‘born-again Christians’ – do not believe in absolute truth. Sixty percent of Americans can’t name five of the Ten Commandments; 50 percent of high school seniors think Sodom and Gomorrah were married. . .

Christians must see that the faith is more than a religion or even a relationship with Jesus; the faith is a complete view of the world and humankind’s place in it. Christianity is a worldview that speaks to every area of life, and its foundational doctrines define its content. If we don’t know what we believe – even what Christianity is – how can we live it and defend it? Our ignorance is crippling us.”
(“The Faith: Given Once, For All: What Christians Believe, Why They Believe It, and Why It Matters” by Charles Colson, Harold Fickett)

“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 Knights } { The King } { The Sword } { The Quest } { The Fellowship }

{ The Chaplain } { The Project } { The Vision } { The Blog }

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Peoria FCA Banquet Special Guest: Kurt Warner!

Greater Peoria Area FCA 2009 HOME TEAM DRIVE & BANQUET

Special Guest: Kurt Warner, Arizona Cardinals Quarterback
Date: Monday, March 30th, 2009
Location: Peoria Civic Center Ballroom, 201 SW Jefferson Ave. Peoria, IL, 61602
Time: 11:30AM - 1:00PM (Doors open @ 11:00AM)

Reservations will be made through table hosts and special invites. If you are interested in partnering with FCA as a Table Host or Banquet Sponsor please contact us to let us know of your interest.

There is no cost for the banquet. We just want you to come and hear what God is doing through the FCA ministry in this area, and then prayerfully consider joining our “Home Team” of financial supporters, if you have not already. Our Home Team is made up of friends who give $25 or more per month or $300 or more per year to support the Greater Peoria Area FCA.

Visit us on the web @ http://www.peoriafca.org

Cole Espenschied
Area Representative
Fellowship of Christian Athletes
Greater Peoria Area
4100 N. Brandywine, Suite 210
Peoria, IL 61614
(309) 682-7322

If you would like to reserve your seat or become a table host, you can contact Cole and the Greater Peoria Area FCA directly, or contact me at 309-231-4542. Thank you for your support. May God be glorified and His kingdom advanced!
- Mick

{ Bible Knights } { The King } { The Sword } { The Quest } { The Fellowship }

{ The Chaplain } { The Project } { The Vision } { The Blog }