Former NC State Women's basketball coach Kay Yow's final testimony

Before Coach Kay Yow died from cancer she made a video of her testimony to be shown at her funeral. While I'm not a big fan of the "Roman's Road" gospel presentation, what she did is still touching and impressive, and a great idea. It's all good but listen particularly between 1:30-3:04 & 15:12-16:40.
"So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life" Judges 16:30c

Pro-lifers are militia members?

If you believe abortion is wrong & is baby-killing, the Department of Homeland Security may label you a member of a domestic militia group & comsider you a terrorist threat.
If you're an anti-abortion activist, or if you display political paraphernalia supporting a third-party candidate or a certain Republican member of Congress, if you possess subversive literature, you very well might be a member of a domestic paramilitary group.

That's according to "The Modern Militia Movement," a report by the Missouri Information Analysis Center (MIAC), a government collective that identifies the warning signs of potential domestic terrorists for law enforcement communities.

Isn't a militia legal according to the Constitution? Somebody correct me.
The Second Ammendment:
"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

Clicking the headline will link to the whole article.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/03/23/fusion-centers-expand-criteria-identify-militia-members/

Patrick Henry, March 23rd, 1775

234 years ago today.

This is the last half of his speech, which for some reason seems not so irrelevant even today.

"If we wish to be free if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending²if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained, we must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight! An appeal to arms and to the God of Hosts is all that is left us!

They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance, by lying supinely on our backs, and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot? Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power. Three millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations; and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave. Besides, sir, we have no election. If we were base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from the contest. There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable²and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come.

It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace²but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"

"Weather gods" not cooperating with global-warningismists

Global-warmingismists are struggling as they were on there way to visit the "weather gods" at the North Pole. Pen Hadow, Martin Hartley and Ann Daniels began an 85-day hike to the North Pole on February 28 to worship. “Waiting is almost the worst part of an expedition as we’re in the lap of the weather gods.”Hadow said. Ironically while they were on their way to prove how the gods were causing the earth to warm & melt the polar ice caps, bad weather is hampering supply flights, and the team is down to half-rations, battling desperate sub-zero temperatures and unable to proceed. Click the headline to link to more of the story.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,509735,00.html

Special Book Offer

"The Shack" and author William P Young, prophet or heretic?

Apparently the suedo-Christian book The Shack is the next Best thing since The Purpose Driven Life,but is it really what it says it is? Is William Young promoting Biblical Christianity? Take a look at this interview Young had with Kendall Adams:
....................................................

Adams: You wouldn't agree that the Cross was a place of punishment for our sins?

Young: No, I an not a penal substitution, reformation...

Adams: But isn't that at the heart of the Gospel? The heart of the Gospel?

Young: No, the heart of the Gospel is Ephesians 1:5-"He predestined us before the foundation of the world to be adopted as sons..." that everything was by, for and through Jesus and when Jesus dies, all die.

Adams: There are so many scriptures that Christ died for our sins. 1 Corinthians 15:3

Young: Oh, and I agree with that, he became sin for us.

Adams: No, he died for our sins, Romans says, "The Father delivered him over for our sins."

Young: I'm not disagreeing with any of these passages at all, it's just that how do we understand it and how do we define what exactly took place, and I'm saying that there is a huge amount of disagreement amomg theologians and so there is you know, a degree of ambiguity there. I'm saying that everything that happens there is the purpose of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit and that purpose is our redemption, is salvations reconiliation and I don't see that it is necessary to have the Father punish in that sense, the Son.

Adams: Do you believe that a person, before death must personally believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, in order to have eternal life, in order to be with the Father?

Young: Absolutely, absolutely, I believe that everyone was included in the finished work of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit upon the Cross.

Adams: Do you believe that everyone..., the Muslim who rejects Christ who doesn't believe he's the Son of God, will be ultimately saved?

Young: I don't know, I don't know that, but I tell you what, the salvation,,,, Let me ask you this question, what saves us our ability to choose what Christ did, or what Christ did? Salvation was accomplished on the Cross, once for all, and it was finished, so it is not the issue of salvation that preventd people from eternal life, it's the issue to be in a relationship or not.

Adams: They have to believe in him to have eternal life, would you agree?

Young: Absolutely.

Adams: This side of death?

Young: Yes, but here's the deal, it was accopmlished by what he did, not by even our choice to believe it.

Adams: No, if they don't believe in this life it sounds like you are saying they can be ultimately saved.

Young: I don't know, I don't know that and I don't think anybody else knows that.
...............................................

It is actually pretty easy for us to know that: John 3:18 says, "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not belived in the name of God'e one and only Son."
Young is speaking out of both sides of his mouth, he doesn't believe Jesus was punished, a substitute for our punishment, but he agrees with 1 Corinthians 15:3. He and Bill clinton need to get together and figure out what the definition of "is" is.

For an informative review of his book click the headline to link to:
http://www.normangeisler.net/theshack.html

HIV rate in D.C. is as high as West Africa

Cases of HIV in Washington D.C. have increased to a "severe" epidemic level of 3% of the population. The infiltration of the AIDS virus into the polulation is considered a booming success by Shannon L. Hader, director of the District's HIV/AIDS Administration, "We have every mode of transmission" -- men having sex with men, heterosexual and injected drug use -- "going up, all on the rise, and we have to deal with them," Hader said. For some unexplained reason they have been unable to infect very many married couples in a monogamous relationship, "This is very, very depressing news, especially considering HIV's profound impact on minority communities,said Anthony Fauci." But she is still hopeful,"...remember: The city's numbers are just based on people who've gotten tested." Apparently talking seems to help, Charlene Cotton, a D.C. resident who got an HIV positive diagnosis five years ago, said breaking the taboo on discussing HIV is the key to moving forward. "You need to start at home and talk about it," Cotton said.
Apparently there were not enough drug addicts in D.C. either, so the city has lifted a ban on the use of local tax dollars for a needle exchange program. You can never have too many heroin needles on hand.
There is good news in the AIDS office's report: More people are getting HIV diagnoses early, while they are still healthy, as a result of a policy of routine testing implemented by the city in mid-2006. Publicly supported HIV testing expanded by 70 percent. The actual spreading of the disease is lagging behind though at a slower rate of 22 percent. But if anyone can find a way to speed it up, it's Washington.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/14/AR2009031402176_pf.html

John Piper's answer to David Wilkerson's Prophecy

You may or may not have heard about David Wilkerson's "urgent message" that he sent out a few days ago, warning of fire's & destuction in the in various places, specifically New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and "major cities all across America." John Piper gave an interesting response. Click the headline to link to it. http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1670_testing_david_wilkersons_prophecy/
David Wilkerson's original blog below:
http://davidwilkersontoday.blogspot.com/2009/03/urgent-message.html

An eye for an eye?

Study finds percentage of Christians in the nation has declined

Perhaps we should say "professing" Christians. Although percentages have declined, actual numbers have still gone up, just not as fast as the population. Still, work needs to be done. Click the headline for the link to the article.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29585222/from/ET/

Preaching 'Great Sex' in Church, Appropriate?

The pastor of Daystar church in Good Hope, Alabama has decided to preach a monthlong sermon series on sex. Click the headline to read article about it. What do you think? Is this a good idea or is it a gimmic to draw crowds? Is that sort of thing profitable to advance the Bible? http://news.aol.com/article/sex-sermons-in-alabama-church/378163

South Koreans sending gospel tracts into North Korea

Who really reaches the lost?

What kind of preachers do you admire (if you admire preachers)? The ones who have the 5,000, 10,000 or 20,000 member churches? The ones that impress me the most are the ones who are willing to go to the streets & face the lost on their territory. Who stand out & raise their voice in the public square & declare the gospel to whoever passes by. I met Sal (the man in the picture above, shown with a UT student) Monday afternoon on Campus of the University of Tennessee. Almost every day, Monday through Friday he is out there sharing the word with anyone who will listen. Sometimes standing on a wall and preaching, sometimes witnessing one-on-one. I'll bet he reaches more lost people in a week than most pastors do in a year. How encouraging and humbling it was to meet him. It gives you a better perspective of where the work is & what we should be doing.

Connecticut goes after the Catholic Church & misses - for now

The state of Connecticut, planning a hearing to introduce controversial bill that would change the way the Catholic church spent it's money backed off for now after hundreds of people, many of whom where angry about what they view as the state's inappropriate and perhaps unconstitutional incursion into church affairs, were expected at the hearing.
Does it matter if you are not Catholic? If the government can control the Catho;ic church. They can control yours too.
http://www.courant.com/news/politics/hc-catholic-church-bill-0310,0,2406636.story

"Modern day King David story supposed to air on NBC this Sunday

NBC, of all stations, is starting a news series 8:00 PM Sunday, March 15th, that is supposed to be a modern-day story based on the life of King David. I can't imagine them getting it anywhere close to right but I may check it out at least once just out of curiosity.
http://www.faithnews.cc/2009/02/27/story-of-king-david-sets-base-for-new-nbc-series/

Pastor Killed in Maryville (Illinois) shooting

Pray for his family. I don't know what or if there was a motive. I've read from some unofficial sources that the shooter had suffered from lyme disease. Not sure why that would make you want to shoot a pastor.
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/F34B63CBC9D773D88625757300553A0A?OpenDocument

Survey shows church attendance increasing in Great Britain

A recent survey showed 5% increase in church attendance in Great Britain. Of course after a certain point, there is only one way to go.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/4389361/Number-of-churchgoers-rises-by-5-in-a-year-according-to-charity.html

What can you learn from an ex-nazi?

Gerhard Hennes, a former lieutenant in the German army under Adolf Hitler, spoke Thursday night at Alcoa High School. Here are a few interesting quotes recorded in The Daily Times:

Speaking of how badly the Germans treated prisoners: "I wanted to report this to my superior officers. It was wrong -- you don't do this to prisoners of war," Hennes said. "I had second thoughts ... my career was starting. I did nothing, and it has haunted me ever since."

Recalling a film about the German concentration camps that he saw in May 1945 at Camp Crossville. "It was a beautiful day in which I was transformed from being a hero into a scoundrel," Hennes said. "I couldn't believe that us decent men could do this to fellow human beings."

And finally, speaking of today,"I wonder about the direction our country (the United States) is taking. It behooves us to remain alert to historical drifts and shifts, especially in a country as strong as ours," Hennes said. "We need to watch over what we love so much, because we love it so much... each person is responsible for the acts and words of their leaders. The essential responsibility rests on us people."

This is what the Lord says:
Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who depends on flesh for his strenght
and whose heart turns away from the Lord.
Jeremaiah 17:5

Quote of the day

"When they call the roll in the Senate, the Senators do not know whether to answer 'Present' or 'Not guilty.'"
Theodore Roosevelt
26th president of US (1858 - 1919)

Local Blount County Churches have Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS,

Is there a solution for the AIDS epedemic? The Maryville District of the AME Zion Churches is having a Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS.
Mt. Pleasant AME Zion Church Pastor Dr. Richard Gadzekpo has developed a three-prong approach to combating the problem. The first prong is an integrative one that includes sex education, he said. The second centers around compassionate care and pastoral counseling for those affected by HIV or AIDS. Thirdly, there is the support of programs already in place that help the affected individuals. Noteworthy goals. We hope that one of those prongs will include the Biblical solution for AIDS - marriage, one man, one woman, for life. If this was practiced properly AIDS would be erradicated in one generation. But then people would have to be held accountable for there actions, wouldn't they?

http://www.thedailytimes.com/article/20090228/FAITH/302289983

Who is winning our young people?

How do you change the way a society thinks? Use every way possible to influence (indocterinate?) the young people for a generation. One of the best places is on college campuses. This is the first opportunity for them to be on their own & away from their parents & other mature people they were raised with. Then they are brought into the most liberal part of the secular world in the United States, universities. The battle to keep religion, espcially Christianity, off of the campuses rages every day. For instance, a Christian group that was banned from the campus of Wright State University in Ohio because of its religious standards has was reinstated recently.
The college banned the fellowship from holding meetings on campus Jan. 30 because the group refused to adopt university-mandated nondiscrimination language. Adhering to the college demands would have prevented the fellowship from requiring that voting members adhere to religious and behavioral standards.

In the mean time "non-religious" or should I say anti-religious groups are allowed even encouraged to force their beliefs down young peoples throats on many campuses. Read this testimonial I found on another website:

"When I was growing up in Knoxville I was exposed to almost no trans-gendered people, and I distinctly recall being disgusted whenever I encountered them. That started to change when I went away to college, at what is still by all accounts one of the most LIBERAL universities anywhere, Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT. The most vocal campus group was the GLBTA (gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgendered association). They were EVERYWHERE. Having rallies, putting out papers, giving seminars, writing “GLBTA meeting tonight 7pm Campus Center” with chalk on practically every sidewalk on campus. I struggled with this at first, but rapidly adjusted as I found out that more and more of the people I was meeting, liked, and respected, were either queer, questioning their sexuality, or had no problem with queerness in any form."

Whoever is willing to fight for the hearts and minds of these young people will be the victors in the short run anyhow. Choose today whom you will serve.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,504115,00.html

Is "The Purpose Driven Life" the gospel?

Desparate financial times lead to good times for psychics

CNN is reporting that industry leaders and Wall Street financial barons who are "completely lost" in the turmoil are turning to psychics for guidance with business decisions. "When times are tough, I'm busy," Psychic Kimberly dawn says. "I have seen more skeptics than you could possibly shake a stick at. Of course, when people are stressed out, they're going to be looking for an edge in their business or personal finances." It seens as though some people think consulting with satan gives them that edge.