by Harry Jackson Jr.

August 30, 2010

This weekend marks the 47th anniversary of the famed March on Washington - the crowning glory or turning point in the civil rights movement. It was also this march, which catapulted the "I Have A Dream Message" to the front pages of papers and eventually captured the imagination of the Nobel Peace Prize judges. The question for this coming weekend will be, "What would Martin do about the social ills of our day?"

Then enter Rev. Al Sharpton, who decided to develop a competing rally. Trumped by Beck's location and media platform, Sharpton has organized a march accusingly titled, "Reclaiming the Dream." Sharpton's website invites "progressive" organizations to march with him for reform of immigration, healthcare, and other social justice issues. Beck's rally originally was cast as spiritual, while Rev. Sharpton and his allies have characterized his march as a protest to Beck's event. Further, Sharpton's march sounds like an overtly, politically driven throwback to the '60s - without the focus and fire of King's original event.

This weekend these two groups will face off in Washington, DC: Glen Beck with his Restoring Honor Rally and Al Sharpton with his Reclaiming the Dream Rally. As these rallies descend on my city this weekend - every hotel room will be taken and over a million people are expected to join them. One group is ostensibly white, conservative, and largely Republican. The other group is predominately black, liberal, and largely Democratic. Both groups will have descendants of MLK as part of their presentation teams - Martin Luther King, III with Sharpton and Alveda King (MLK's niece) with Beck. Both will claim that they represent the true spirit of King's legacy. One group will label the other un-American, while the other claims its opponent is racist.

The fact that there are two competing events is good because engagement is the mother's milk of democracy. The only question I have is whether the events of this weekend will lead to more of the same old race-based politics of the past or not. You know exactly what I am talking about. Further, I am concerned that everything is set in motion to create a political stalemate - the PR equivalent of two people attempting to shout over one another to impress a third party.

At this critical juncture in history, all Americans need solution-based moral and political leadership. We need to break the historically tainted lenses through which we view our collective moral and political decisions. African Americans are at an even more acutely strategic moment. Having slipped to the second most numerous minority African-American civic and moral leaders must decide to exert their political power and become a conscience to both Democrats and Republicans.

If only 18 to 20 percent of black voters feel at liberty to vote their values, blacks could become the swing vote that changes the destiny of our nation - race by race, candidate by candidate. The most natural unifying alliance that African Americans could build is with white and Hispanic evangelicals, who share their core values and worldview. With this kind of radical new alignment, new approaches to our most pressing problems could be developed and tested. Our newly defined "good guys" of whatever party could begin to emerge. Wishful thinking? Perhaps.

Yet this weekend we are celebrating the legacy of the ultimate dreamer, whose famed words moved him from being seen as a national security threat to center stage of the nation's value system. Forty-seven years after the speech, everyone wants to be identified with the passion, power, and purpose of his message. In order to make real moral and political change possible in 2010, once again some black leaders have to wander off the "political plantation" upon which their people currently reside - the Democratic Party.

Therefore, although I have very close friends and associates on both sides, I have chosen to participate with Glenn Beck and to attempt to build the new coalition I have just discussed. Rallying with Beck may temporarily bring a backlash of ridicule and rebuke to many of the black civic and religious leaders who join me. Long term, however, the courage of these leaders will point the way and embolden others. Despite any personal discomfort, we feel that it is time to make a real change.

The African-American relationship with those in power in the Democratic Party is very similar to being in an adulterous relationship. Our lover shows up at his convenience, demanding what he wants on his terms. Oh yes, there are always the promises, which are never fulfilled. As an adulterous woman, you get no respect. There is no romance, no flowers, and no acknowledgement in our lover's everyday world. After all, he is married to another woman.

On the other hand, Republicans have historically failed to give black voters the time of day. The members of the GOP often speak in lofty terms of disembodied, conservative principles instead of applying those principles to solving real life problems. As the preacher once declared, "People don't want to know how much you know, until they know how much you care."

Just last week Sarah Palin showed all conservatives how to do it wrong. She made the classic mistake of supporting Dr. Laura Schlessinger's use of the "N" word without sufficiently articulating her understanding of the feelings of the average black voter. Most African Americans would simply have said to Dr. Laura, "The N word should never be used 11 times in one program."

As an aside, I happened to appear on the Larry King Live show the same night that Dr. Laura announced that she was going to quit the airways because of the personal attacks. Her statement that she needed to resign in order to regain her voice was appropriate, but I think that both she and Palin need to also regain their voices through meaningful public service, reaching out to minorities, and pursuing younger Americans by championing causes with which they can identify.

My personal reasons for involvement in the Restoring Honor Rally are primarily moral, not political. First of all, I believe that there needs to be a spiritual alarm sounded in the nation. I am convinced that the only answer to our country's moral freefall is another great awakening. This means that we preachers must preach to individuals with a desire to see them transformed internally and spiritually.

Second, this critical mass of faithful believers will need to start a grassroots movement to recapture the essentials of "living faith." We then must take responsibility for the disappointing political and cultural leaders we have elected or tolerated.

I would like to encourage everyone to pray for a spiritual awakening in America, which will affect the way we vote and the way we rebuild our most cherished institution. This weekend, I will join hundreds of thousands of Christians in prayer and reflection. I believe that America can continue to fulfill its call to be an instrument of God - if the churches return to faithful prayer, practice, and preaching of the Word of God. My dream for America is based on the same Bible that inspired Dr. King's dream...the same Bible from which he preached...the same Bible that formed the basis of most of our American laws and values. If King were alive today, he would lament the fact that Al Sharpton has become simply a protestor and not a dreamer. He would decry the divisive tone of the "Reclaiming the Dream" event fashioned in honor of his vision. I believe he would applaud the Glenn Beck event with just one word of caution: "Be careful to finish what you start!"

by Chuck Colson

August 30, 2010

The little family had gone to hear the speakers who had arrived in Albany, New York, to talk about the need to protect traditional marriage. But they soon found out how determined some people were that they not be allowed to hear this message.

If it was, it didn't work-not there, and not anywhere else. The speakers were part of the "Summer for Marriage" tour, put on by the National Organization for Marriage. The speakers are traveling by bus to 22 state capitals to talk about the need to protect one-man, one-woman marriage. They are determined to engage the arguments of their opponents, and argue with civility and respect. In return, they're being harassed, threatened, and bullied by same-sex marriage supporters who tried to shut down their events.

In Providence, Rhode Island, protesters shook bottles filled with rocks and shouted "Shame! Shame! Shame!" One angry man can be seen on a YouTube video threatening to kidnap the child of traditional marriage supporters.

In Madison, Wisconsin, a priest prayed for "our fellow human beings," noting that in the church, "there is no place for gay-bashing or gay-bashers." As he began the Lord's Prayer, opponents-holding signs reading "homophobic bigots"--tried to shout him down.

In some cities, protesters have climbed onto the speakers' platforms. They've screamed abuse in their faces. Police have been forced to intervene.

Now, if this is all news to you, I'm not surprised. This harassment has been ignored by members of the national media. But isn't it interesting how little tolerance is displayed by those who keep demanding it from others? But members of the "Summer for Marriage" tour are right to keep things as civil as possible-just as civil rights workers did a generation ago, no matter what was done to them.

This is not only a good strategy politically; it's a good spiritual strategy. In the New Testament book of Acts, we read of how Paul and Silas were thrown in jail for sharing the gospel. Instead of getting angry, they prayed and sang hymns. Their behavior so impressed the jailer that he accepted Christ.

Despite their hostile reaction to the "Summer for Marriage" speakers, I believe the loving response of the speakers can have an impact on the hearts of those who are showing up to shout them down-an impact that may one day bear spiritual fruit.

As Christians fight cultural battles, we must remember that the most important thing we can do is pray. This is why I am part of the Pray and Act Campaign, a group of Christian leaders in all walks of life who are inviting Christians to spend 40 days in prayer and fasting for our nation. The time of prayer and fasting begins on September 20. You can learn more about it at BreakPoint.org.

And if the "Summer for Marriage" tour comes to your city, I urge you to attend, to listen with civility-and to pray for those caught up in a lie about sexuality.

by Dave Ramsey

August 30, 2010

Dear Dave,

My wife and I are getting close to retirement, and our 36-year-old son recently moved back in with us. His automotive restoration business went bankrupt, he hasn't been able to find another job, and he has nowhere else to go. What can we do to help him?

John

You have to define what helping your son really means. In my mind, you haven't helped him at all if he's still squatting in your basement five years from now. That's called being an enabler. But it's not going to help him, either, if you toss him on the street and say "You're 36. Be a man!" I think you should formulate a progressive plan somewhere between those two extremes--something that includes a move-out deadline, but will help him regain some dignity.

As part of living with you, I'd require him to do three or four things. One is that he abides by your household rules. If he's going to live in your home, he should act the way you want him to act. Number two, he needs to be engaged in some kind of regular physical activity. Even if you have to pay for it, you could get a membership at a gym or buy some exercise equipment. Exercise stimulates the mind, and he needs that right now. It'll also be great for his body. Getting beat up like he's been can be tough at that age. It can lead to depression if you don't engage in physical activity and goal setting.

Next, is to think about career steps. He could start with a part-time job to get some money in his pockets. Then, work on a long-term career goal. He knows how to turn a wrench, and he probably likes that kind of work. His mind works spatially, which means he can look at things and figure out how they operate. So, it might be a good idea to move in that direction. It doesn't even have to be cars. He could learn to work on boats or aircraft.

You don't want to beat the kid when he's down, but you don't want to participate in his sewage, either. Help him clean up his life, and get him out of there as fast as possible. It's what's best for everyone!

-- Dave

by Dennis Prager

August 30, 2010

I recently wrote about leftists' hatred for conservatives as people, not merely for conservative ideas. Demonization of opponents is a fundamental characteristic of the left. It is not merely tactical; they believe people on the right are bad. (Here's a test: Ask someone on the left if active support of California Proposition 8 -- retaining the man-woman definition of marriage -- was an act of hate.)

In the left's worldview, conservative opponents of affirmative action cannot be driven by concern for blacks -- opposition is animated by racists; conservative opponents of illegal immigration are animated by racism and xenophobia; opposition to abortion is a function of sexism; President Bush went to war for oil and American imperialism; and conservative supporters of retaining man-woman marriage hate gays.

This is not true of elite conservatives. Leading conservative columnists, leading Republicans, etc., rarely depict liberals as motivated by evil. Conservatives can say "There are good people on both sides of the issue" because we actually believe it.

Almost any contentious issue would provide proof of the left's need to attack motives, but the proposed Islamic center and mosque near ground zero provides a particularly excellent example.

I have not come across a mainstream leftist description of opponents of the mosque/Islamic center being built near ground zero that has not ascribed hate-filled, intolerant, bigoted, "Islamophobic" or xenophobic motives to those who oppose the mosque. Contrast this with how mainstream opponents of the mosque describe the proponents of the mosque and you will see an immense divide between right and left in the way they talk about each other.

Here are but a few examples of how mainstream proponents of the mosque describe opponents and their motives:

Michael Kinsley, editor at large, The Atlantic: "Is there any reason to oppose the mosque that isn't bigoted, or demagogic, or unconstitutional? None that I've heard or read."

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times Blog, Aug. 19, 2010: "The far right wing has seized on the issue as an occasion for fanning hatred against Muslims."

Tony Norman, columnist, Pittsburgh Post Gazette: "... a handful of politicians who cynically conflate the religion of American Muslims with the nihilism of the 9/11 terrorists."

Andrew Sullivan, The Atlantic blog: "The pursuit of power through demagoguery."

Peter Beinart, senior political writer for The Daily Beast, associate professor of journalism and political science at City University of New York (in a column titled "America Has Disgraced Itself"): "In today's GOP, even bigotry doesn't spare you from bigotry."

"GOP leaders call them (those building the mosque) terrorists because they don't share Benjamin Netanyahu's view of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."

"And oh yes, my fellow Jews, who are so thrilled to be locked arm in arm with the heirs of Pat Robertson and Father Coughlin against the Islamic threat."

And in a Politico column titled "Decency Lost": "Republicans are clawing over each other to demonize Muslims."

HuffingtonPost, Allison Kilkenny: "This mock piety is really a cover for Islamophobia."

"Indeed, America is extremely hostile -- not only to Islam -- but to anyone who gives off the air of being exotic, or different."

"Xenophobia is really a convenient cover for a deeper bigotry."

HuffingtonPost, James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute: "Shame. Your bigoted appeals to fear and intolerance disgrace us all and put our country at risk in the world."

HuffingtonPost, Michael Hughes: "Even more hideous is the way in which these bigots try to hide their overt prejudice in the emotional guise of love and caring, purportedly because they believe we must be 'sensitive' to the families of the victims of 9/11."

New York Times editorial: "Republican ideologues, predictably ... spew more of their intolerant rhetoric.

"The country ignores such cynicism and ugliness at its own peril."

"Too many Republican leaders are determined to whip up as much false controversy and anguish as they can."

New York Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof: "Why do so many Republicans find strip clubs appropriate for the ground zero neighborhood but object to a house of worship?"

"(They) are cynically turning the Islamic center into a nationwide issue in hopes of votes. ... They're just like the Saudi officials who ban churches, and even confiscate Bibles, out of sensitivity to local feelings."

"Today's crusaders against the Islamic community center are promoting a similar paranoid intolerance."

Keith Olbermann, MSNBC: "(The) country has begun to run on a horrible fuel of hatred -- magnified, amplified, multiplied, by politicians and zealots, within government and without."

New York Times columnist Frank Rich: "This month's incessant and indiscriminate orgy of Muslim-bashing."

"So virulent is the Islamophobic hysteria of the neocon and Fox News right -- abetted by the useful idiocy of the Anti-Defamation League ..."

"The ginned-up rage over the 'ground zero mosque' (was motivated) by the potential short-term rewards of winning votes by pandering to fear during an election season."

It started with "a New York Post jihad."

"The Islamophobia command center, Murdoch's News Corporation..."

Why does the left attribute only nefarious motives to those who believe that the Islamic center does not belong near ground zero?

Because leftism holds these beliefs:

1. Those who hold leftist positions are, by definition, better people than their opponents.

2. Those who hold leftist positions have, by definition, pure motives; therefore, the motives of their opponents must be impure.

I conclude with this: I believe that a wiser man than the present imam would have decided to avoid precisely what he has inspired -- intense division in America -- and would have immediately retracted his decision to erect an Islamic center and mosque right by the slaughterhouse of 9/11 which happened to have been caused by his co-religionists.

But I also believe that there are good arguments and good people on both sides of this issue.

I can say that, however, for one reason.

I am not on the left.

by David Brody

August 30, 2010

The Brody File has learned about a letter from Christian leaders who are calling for "public officials, faith leaders, and the media to offer no further support or airtime to those who misrepresent and call into question the President's Christian faith."

TD Jakes, Joel Hunter, David Gushee are among the ones who have signed the letter.

The Brody File has the entire letter below.

As Christian leaders-- whose primary responsibility is sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with our congregations, our communities, and our world-- we are deeply troubled by the recent questioning of President Obama's faith. We understand that these are contentious times, but the personal faith of our leaders should not be up for public debate.

President Obama has been unwavering in confessing Christ as Lord and has spoken often about the importance of his Christian faith.  Many of the signees on this letter have prayed and worshipped with this President.  We believe that questioning, and especially misrepresenting, the faith of a confessing believer goes too far.

This is not a political issue. The signers of this letter come from different political and ideological backgrounds, but we are unified in our belief in Jesus Christ.  As Christian pastors and leaders, we believe that fellow Christians need to be an encouragement to those who call Christ their savior, not question the veracity of their faith.

Therefore, we urge public officials, faith leaders, and the media to offer no further support or airtime to those who misrepresent and call into question the President's Christian faith.  And we join with the President in praying that God will continue to bless the United States of America.

For a complete list of who signed the list, click here.

The Brody File heard back from a couple of other prominent Evangelical leaders on the issue of President Obama's Faith.

Leith Anderson, president of the NAE:

"One of the verses I memorized at church when I was a child was Romans 10:9, "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." Ever since then I have been asking people if they believe in Jesus.

When someone says they are Atheist, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu or Christian, I let them identify their own faith or lack of faith. Only God can see inside a human heart. We listen to human words.

I've never heard President Obama describe himself as anything other than a Christian. He should know better than anyone else."

And a spokesman for Dr. Rick Warren, Senior Pastor, Saddleback Church:

Dr. Warren has not made any comment, nor has he signed any group letters or statements.

The only identifiable reference would be his question to then-candidate Obama at the Saddleback Civil Forum in August 2008, when he asked "What does faith in Jesus Christ and Christianity mean to you on a daily basis?"

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints. (Ephesians 1:18)

There is no need to sit around waiting on someone else to get you what is yours. Nobody else is coming. The One who needed to come has already come. Jesus said, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:10b) That is all you need.

The power to get wealth is in your tongue. You shall have whatever you say. If you keep sitting around murmuring, groaning and complaining, you use your tongue against yourself. Your speech has got you bent over and crippled. You may be destroying yourself with your words.

Open your mouth and speak something good about yourself so you can stand up on your feet. You used your mouth against yourself. Then you spoke against all the other women around you because you treated them like you treated yourself. Open your mouth now and begin to speak deliverance and power. You are not defeated. You are Abraham's daughter.

When you start speaking correctly, God will give you what you say. You say you want it. Jesus said, "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." (Matt. 21:22) God willed you something. Your Father left you an inheritance. If God would bless the sons of Abraham, surely He would bless the daughters of Abraham.

by Daniel Whyte III

July 26, 2010

Have you ever heard a dear saint pray the following: "Lord, please do what only You can do"? Well, there are some things that only God can do. And there are some things that need to be done in Haiti that only God can do. The Haitian people have needs that only God can meet. There are things that need to be fixed that only God can fix. There are people who need to be healed that only God can heal.

Have you ever sung or heard the hymn, "Come, Ye Disconsolate Wherever Ye Languish"? The words of that hymn aptly describe where the people of Haiti are right now. Below are the words of this blessed song, and nobody can sing it like the Sensational Nightingales, so I included an audio of them singing it below. May it bless your heart.

Come, ye disconsolate, where'er ye languish,
Come to the mercy seat, fervently kneel.
Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish;
Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.

Joy of the desolate, light of the straying,
Hope of the penitent, fadeless and pure!
Here speaks the Comforter, tenderly saying,
"Earth has no sorrow that Heaven cannot cure."

Here see the Bread of Life, see waters flowing
Forth from the throne of God, pure from above.
Come to the feast of love; come, ever knowing
Earth has no sorrow but heaven can remove.

How can we more specifically and fervently pray for the people of Haiti? Here are a few ways that I would suggest:

May the Lord bless you and yours as you pray for the Haitian people during this time, for as S.D. Gordon said, "The greatest thing anyone can do for God and man is pray."

 

by Dr. Charles Stanley

August 30, 2010

Read | Proverbs 3:5-6

Tough times have a way of separating the "wheat" from the "chaff." That is, when two people face similar dilemmas, one grows closer to God, bears spiritual fruit, and becomes more peaceful. 

We all know that hardship is part of life. Becoming a Christian does not change that fact (John 16:33). What shifts is our understanding of God's sovereignty--nothing touches our lives unless He permits it. The Lord allowed a murderous king to pursue David for years (1 Sam. 23). But the fugitive responded to adversity with faith and called God his stronghold and refuge (Ps. 59:16).

We are confronted with challenges for many reasons. God intends for them to grow our faith, change our perspective, or deepen our compassion. Sometimes believers reach heaven before they understand why they've had to endure suffering. But whatever the trial or God's intention for it, He is available to help us in our affliction (Ps. 46:1). We can turn toward Him for comfort, guidance, and support. Or we can get angry and resentful that we are not being rescued from our shadowy valley (See Ps. 23:4).

When affliction strips away every crutch, one has only the Lord to depend upon. Can you think of a better position to find yourself in than to be undergirded by our faithful and sovereign God? Though some people are destroyed by that kind of situation, others are built into stalwart believers.

by Earl Ofari Hutchinson

August 30, 2010

It's no surprise that so many Americans think that Obama is a Muslim. The Pew Research Center poll found a big increase in the number of Republicans that think that. Certainly that was no surprise. 

But the Obama is a Muslim tag carries a special taint. No religious group in America has been more distorted, reviled, and demonized than Muslims. Simply utter the word, and this instantly conjures up for many dark images of bombings, terrorist attacks, war, chaos, destruction, and fanaticism. Muslims have stirred the nativist, xenophobia, and religious intolerance pulse in many Americans that has always lurked just beneath the surface in American life. Politicians have at times played to that impulse and it in turn translated it into a massive religious social revolt, and reaped big gains at the ballot box. The rumor and fear mongering images of Islam and Muslims escalated with the emotion throbbing September 11 terror attacks. The attack stirred tremors among Muslims that they would routinely be targeted, subject to search and surveillance, and profiled at airports. 

The profiling alarm bells went off again after a soldier with a Muslim name shot up the military base at Ft. Hood back in November. The Council on American-Islamic Relations wasted no time and issued a loud and vigorous denunciation of the mass killing. The Council didn't know at that moment whether Major Nidal Malik Hasan, the alleged shooter, was a Muslim by birth, a converted Muslim, or even a Muslim at all. The name and the horrific murder spree was enough to drive the group to quickly distance itself from the rampage. Other Muslim organizations instantly followed suit and issued their own equally strong disavowal of Hasan.

This didn't stop the pack of Fox Network commentators, conservative radio talk show hosts, writers, and some officials from again openly shouting for even tighter scrutiny of Muslim groups. Airline bombing suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab raised the decibel level on their call for transportation officials to openly profile Muslims at airports, train stations, and even on the open highways.

But this was a mere dress rehearsal for the Muslim scare that's dogged President Obama. His speeches in Cairo last year to a Muslim and international audience, his repeated preaching of tolerance and outreach to the Muslim world, his occasional tough line on Israeli settlement expansion, and the topper, his White House Ramadan dinner, and a his favorable statement supporting the right to build a mosque at ground zero. This for many was smoking gun proof that Obama is not a closet but an avowed Muslim. Though some GOP political strategists have urged caution about making the ground zero mosque and Obama a campaign issue, the GOP will do it anyway. Fox News, the pack of right wing talk show hosts, and bloggers have had a field day doing everything possible to fan the fire of anti-Muslim sentiment. They have even dumped on the table an outrageously distorted, misstated, and misunderstood discussion of Sharia Law, and declared that any Muslim who believes in it and practices it does not believe in the Constitution and by extension can't be a loyal American. The implication being that since Obama is a Muslim than he must also believe in the strict tenets of Sharia Law and therefore..... The dots have never been more wrongly and badly connected.

Since his initial statements on the ground zero mosque, Obama has kept silence on the controversy. There's absolutely no need for him to say anything more about it. The issue will be fiercely debated by politicians and much of the public in the coming weeks. The danger though is that the issue will incite more rage in the days immediately before the ninth anniversary of the September 11 attack. Expect the Obama foes, and that's nearly any GOP candidate or incumbent who can figure out a way to sneak a line or two about the attack, the ground zero mosque controversy and a sly hint that Obama backed the right to build the mosque into their speeches, to take a dig at Obama. Even some top Democrats facing tough reelection battles have backpedalled fast from Obama's position on the Mosque. Democratic Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid was one. Expect more Democrats to follow him in the weeks to come. 

The ignorance of so many Americans about Obama's religious beliefs if nothing else refutes the old adage that religion and politics don't mix. They do, and Obama's foes have done everything they can to make sure that that's the case with him.

by Dr. Tony Evans

August 30, 2010

Faith is not about how much you believe in what you believe. Faith is about believing that the One you believe in is believable. In fact, you can have all of the faith in the world that your SUV is going to take off and fly you to Canada cruising at 12,000 feet in the air. But that won't change the fact that you're still going to be stuck in traffic somewhere with all four wheels firmly on the ground. 

The way you find out if the one you believe in is believable is by knowing and experiencing Him. 

It's like when a child climbs up on the back of her daddy for a piggyback ride. She doesn't get up there and start asking herself if he can hold her or if he is going to drop her. Instead, she immediately starts asking him, "Do you have me?" as she wiggles and adjusts her legs into place. 

By asking her daddy, "Do you have me?" she is affirming in her mind that the one she is putting her faith in is faithful. Because if he says, "Yes, I have you," and she rests up there only to discover that he really does have her, then the next time she climbs on for a piggy-back ride, the questions become fewer. 

But until she first climbs up onto the back of her daddy, she can say all day long that she believes that he can hold her. Saying it a thousand times won't reduce the hesitation she feels when the offer to get up there is first extended. She will never get to the point where she can experience the full pleasure of his presence until she takes that first climb of faith to discover that he is faithful. 

Faith experienced is faith that is real. It is an easy thing to say that you believe. It is an easy thing to feel like you believe. But faith is not situated in our feelings. Faith is situated in our feet. That's why the Bible calls it "walking by faith" rather than "feeling by faith."

SCRIPTURE READINGS: Hebrews 11, Psalm 1

I've made memories with my family, of course, that will be engraved on my mind forever. My relationship with God, however, preceded my present family. My longest and most effective history with anyone has been with God Himself. I received Christ as my Saviour in childhood and have loved Him longer, known Him better, and experienced life with Him more intimately than anyone else.

You don't have to know God long to make memories with Him. The more you look back, the more you can see that He was always at work, long before you accepted His Son as your Saviour. Actively remembering His faithfulness yesterday will greatly increase your willingness to trust Him today.

In the future, when your children ask you, "What do these stones mean?" tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever. 

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. (Ecclesiastes 3:1 KJV)

 

Thank God life has seasons too, and while we may struggle with the challenges, there is always something of great value and beauty that will happen in every season of our life. As we look around I believe we can say with confidence that things are changing; and it is no longer business as usual....It's a new season!

A Few thoughts on Season Management:

* Although it can be hard to accept the new season, embrace it and move on, the seasons of life are part of the process God created.

* Don't get stuck in an old season. When we are facing a new season, it can be normal to have some kind of emotional response in leaving the old one, but we must be careful to not get stuck in what's passing.

* See the good in every season.  "God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end."   (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT)   

So in review, when we have a new season in life, our opportunity is to not look backwards or get stuck in the current season.  We can be reminded of David, who entered the new season of his life in a battle with Goliath.  David entered the battle as a disregarded little brother and a shepherd boy... he won BIG in his new season of life and we will too! 

Perhaps like David you  have been struggling in the background unnoticed battling, enduring and getting dirty.  When GOD restores what the cankerworn, caterpiller and locust consumed it is like a dream; almost too good to be true.(Psalms 126)  The set time of favor, and the due season of harvest is upon those who have endured! THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO GIVE UP OR GET WEARY!  This the moment that we've all been waiting for! 

May we see each new season with wonder and awe and see it as an adventure with God, who is able to do more than we could ever ask or imagine. 

(I have attached my recording "SEASONS"...may it strenghten and encourage you!)

Much JOY

Sandra

My column titled "What Handouts to Cut?" created a number of angry responses, and for the first time in my life, I had some, not much, sympathy for political cowardice. Most letters were from senior citizens angered by my suggestion that they were receiving handouts and those handouts be cut.

Jagadeesh Gokhale, senior economic adviser, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland; and Laurence J. Kotlikoff, professor of Economics at Boston University document the looming Social Security and Medicare crises in "Is War Between Generations Inevitable?". They report that "A male reaching 65 years of age today (in 2000, the year of their study) can expect to receive $71,000 more in government 'transfer' benefits (of all kinds at both the federal and state levels, but mainly from Social Security and Medicare) than he will pay in taxes (of all kinds at both the federal and state levels) before he dies. A 65-year-old female can expect a net gain of more than twice that amount; she can expect $163,000 more in benefits than she will pay in taxes."

The picture is not so rosy for people who entered the labor force in 2000. They will pay far more in taxes than they will receive from transfer programs. Expansion of elderly handouts, such as prescription drugs, will make things worse. "For example: A 20-year-old female can expect to pay $92,000 more in taxes than she will receive in transfer benefits over her lifetime. The future looks more than three times as bleak for her male cohort, who can expect to pay $312,000 more in taxes than he will ever receive in benefits."

Why is Social Security a better deal for today's seniors? Just look at what they paid in. From 1937 to 1949, the maximum annual Social Security tax was $60. It remained under $200 until 1956. After 1956, Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance was added and in 1966, Medicare was added. It wasn't until 1969 that maximum Social Security taxes exceeded $2,000. Today, the maximum annual Social Security tax is $13,000 and the maximum annual benefit is $25,000.

As with any Ponzi scheme, the people who get on board early make out. This is pointed out by Geoffrey Kollmann and Dawn Nuschler of the Congressional Research Service in their report "Social Security Reform" (October 2002) They say, "Until recent years, Social Security recipients received more, often far more, than the value of the Social Security taxes they paid. ... For example, for workers who earned average wages and retired in 1980 at age 65, it took 2.8 years to recover the value of the retirement portion of the combined employee and employer shares of their Social Security taxes plus interest. For their counterparts who retired at age 65 in 2002, it will take 16.9 years. For those retiring in 2020, it will take 20.9 years." My question is: How can anyone who draws out every penny he's put into Social Security in a few years say that he's not living at the expense of another?

In my opinion, it takes a special form of callousness and disregard for the welfare of future generations of Americans for today's senior citizens to fight against reform. Nobody's talking about abolition of federal senior programs. We must accept that serious mistakes were made and we must take compassionate corrective action. But what the heck! As I said in my "What Handouts to Cut?" column, "Both today's politicians and seniors will be dead so why should they make sacrifices now to prevent an economic calamity decades off into the future?"

by Billy Graham

August 30, 2010

DEAR BILLY GRAHAM: Why didn't God destroy the devil before he had a chance to do anything evil? And where did the devil come from anyway? Did God create him, or has he always existed? -- F.N.

His rebellion failed, but Satan continues to oppose God and lead people astray. And he will continue to do so until the end of time, when he will be bound forever (see Revelation 20:10). Don't be deceived by his temptations, no matter how attractive they seem!

Make sure of your commitment to Christ, for when we give our lives to him, God frees us from Satan's grip and makes us part of his family forever.