Known by the Company We Keep? – No, says Obama, It’s the Economy Stupid  by Rev Michael Bresciani

Obama says the McCain campaign is pointing to the wrong issue by bringing up his association with, racists, haters and domestic bombers. It’s the economy says Barack! Is he asking Americans to suspend the time tested wisdom that we teach our children even to this day, namely that we are known by the company we keep? Apparently he is!

Let’s review sociology 101 for a brief moment. Are we comfortable when our kids bring home a kid who smokes pot or carries a knife? Do we rest easy when Junior decides to join a local gang instead of hanging with kids who are college bound? When Susie brings home a girlfriend all garbed in Gothic black and brooding aren’t we the slightest bit un-nerved? Of course not says Barack Obama, as long as Junior and Susie have enough money to spend and a nice home to come home to what difference do their associations make.

The question might seem foolish but no less than the answer Barack Obama is giving to America about his associations with Wright, Ayers, Farrakhan and others.

Obama helped to distribute grant money for Ayers (fifty million dollars) to promote radical thinking in Chicago schools and now says “I hardly knew the man.” When is the last time any average American got the purse strings on that much money from a person they didn’t know very well or at all? It sounds so absurd that for some of us it is as if we have a cartoon character running for President.

Should we collectively divert our attention to the economy as Barack says? Yes, if you’re willing to believe that the kind of judgment that disregards very bad associations will suddenly shine when it comes to sound fiscal policies.

The big cartoonish wooden mallet that pummels Obama may bounce off as he makes an instant recovery but in real life it just isn’t that way. We are now and always will be known by the company we keep. No amount of Obameristic Tom and Jerry-ism will change that even if it ends in a victory in November and a jolly “th- th- th, that’s all folks” from the president elect.

The proving ground for this fantasmical Barackian nonsense is America and the generation to come. That will cost more than even a good economy can afford.

Does America really believe that a partisan change in the white house and a little more change in their pockets will be any more important than changing a shirt if it brings in a man who spent twenty years at the feet of a racist pastor and says he didn’t notice the racism? Wouldn’t most of us expect to be called a liar if we made such a claim?

Change is what we need in America and we need it right now. We need to ask Sen. Obama to come clean and make a bit of a change in how gullible he thinks we are. But if some are among the true believers it is a change they will have to deal with a lot closer to home. It is a change in perception. For some Americans perception has become reality. Perception is not reality only the truth is reality and as long as we refuse to demand the truth from Sen. Obama we may drown in our own misguided perception, even if the economy is perfectly healthy.

People that are larger than life are often compared to Biblical characters as a means of quickly identifying their persona or their unusual accomplishments. In the new smash hit ‘Flash of Genius’ the inventor of the intermittent windshield wiper, Dr. Robert Kearns, is portrayed as a David and Goliath type character. Obviously Dr.Kearns played by Greg Kinnear is David standing up to his Goliath which is the giant Ford Motor Co.

Looking for a Biblical character to liken Barak Obama to has been hard up to now but Obama’s latest declaration about his association with admitted domestic bomber William Ayers definitely casts him as an Apostle Peter.

Christ had warned Peter that he would deny him three times before the rooster crowed. In the twenty sixth chapter of Matthews’s gospel Peter finished his third denial with the infamous words “I do not know the man.” Sounds a lot like our Jr. Senator from Illinois but with the exception that at least Peter later repented and admitted he was lying through his teeth.

Standing in a crowd and chanting, O-bam-a, over and over again may just get the initiated what they are calling for but what a price to pay. The Israelites chanting for Saul got a king they had been warned against who was almost as oppressive as their enemies. The Pharisees and the cronies they incited got a murderer, Barabbas, instead of the holiest man that ever lived. Funny about these biblical comparisons they often don’t flatter the likened to.

To Barack Obama and the crowd of sycophants that follow him should we not ask at least this very bare minimum question?

Shouldn’t Senator Obama be willing to try some of this ‘change’ on himself, before he tries to sell it to us?

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Palin Critics Swallowing Camels? by Rev Michael Bresciani

With only days left to the final showdown between John McCain and Barack Obama it looks like the Dem’s have taken to the lowest common denominator in their hunt for dirt on Sarah Palin. Its only politics as usual but it makes being impartial very hard.

While stressing the issues, the economy obviously on the front burner the Dem’s have a reported 30 or so investigators combing the frozen tundra for dirt or perhaps even dust if that’s all that can be found on Sarah Palin.

AP press writer Brett Blackledge said in an article on Sunday Sept, 28, 2008 entitled “AP Investigation: Palin got zoning aid, gifts” that Palin failed to clean up a fire hazard on her property and may have received some flowers and perhaps even some salmon as a gift from special interest groups.

Gosh, a woman who got some flowers and fish, how can America bear the insult!

It seems America may have collectively taken leave of its senses if it dared to even make a comparison of Palin’s allegedly misbegotten gifts and the blaring voting record and highly dubious associations of Sen. Obama.

With the days ever so short to the election are the American people willing to overlook a man with a voting record on abortion and gay activism that looks like the quintessential liberal doctrinal manifesto. Can we all just whistle on the way to the polls knowing one of the candidates has had long and intimate associations with bombers, (Ayers) racist pastors, (Wright) preachers of hate. (Farrakhan)

Thanks to the AP we at least have been well warned of the GOP’s nefarious flower loving, fish eating VP candidate whose backyard they have assured us has yet to be cleaned up.

The wonderful thing about America is that no one can tell us how to vote. Behind the curtain may be one of the only places left in this land that is not open to electronic surveillance or scrutiny by a government agency, so far!

The best the Dem’s can do is dig for dirt and siphon it over to a liberally slanted press in time for the evening news and Americas scrutiny sometime around the big sit down for Jeopardy and The Wheel of Fortune.

Here is some scrutiny, when Jesus was rebuking the highly religious Pharisees of the Jewish Temple system he said they adhered to the finer elements of the Mosaic law with such ardor that they missed the weightier matters of love, mercy and good judgment. His reply has been resounding down through the ages to the meticulously religious crowd ever since, but now it can take on a whole new use.

Christ lambasted the Pharisees with a stern rebuke for their hypocrisy in Matthew’s gospel (Mt. 23:24) by saying “Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.” Ignoring Barack Obama’s record and his associations while going after the flower girl of the tundra certainly qualifies as some good old “camel swallowing” by any standards.

Whatever can be dug up on Palin should surface as quickly as possible to have any real effect on the outcome of the election. Another matter that should surface quickly is whether Sen. Obama has yet proven that he is a real US citizen. The suit brought by Democrat Philip Berg is still under review.

Berg contends that while John McCain was required to prove his citizenship Barack Obama may still have constitutional questions about his birth in Kenya and a possible forged birth certificate from Hawaii. But why strain at a gnat; it’s just a constitutional requirement for presidential candidates and not some shameful lust for the gift of flowers.

Again, America can vote any way it chooses but it can’t hide the shame of a few dirt mongers who are reaching to the bottom of the barrel for something foul even while Sarah Palin obviously rises to the occasion as the crème of the crop.

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If  by Perry Crisp

What comes after "if" in 2nd Chronicles 7:14 is the key to correcting our nation's corruption. Since you may not take the time to look it up, let's talk about it.

"If ________________________ will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

We tend to fill in the blank following the "ifs" of our nation's moral, social, and economic collapses and challenges a little differently than the Bible does.

"If the President would..."

"If Congress would..."

"If the Supreme Court would..."

"If the media would..."

"If government would..."

We fill in the blanks wrong. God put a different set of folks behind the "if." Don't get me wrong, I enjoy tossing blame grenades as much as anyone. But it doesn't transform anything or anyone. It only destroys.

In spite of how I might think the whole world needs to change, God keeps telling me to narrow it down a bit.

Willing to agree with God, I confess, “You’re right, God. The whole NATION needs to change."

"Narrow it down a bit more," He replies.

I keep trying and He keeps making the circle smaller until I'm the only one standing in it. What's behind God's "if"? Me. You. Everyone like us who claims to be a child of God.

"If My people who are called by My name..." We thought we were spectators watching a movie called, "Why the World is Going to Hell," and all those other folks were the actors and stars in the movie. We're expecting to see drug dealers, corrupt judges, and liberal college professors on the big screen of blame. God takes our popcorn, hands us a script, and says, "You're needed on the set. You've got the starring role."

We have a part to play.

"But God! THEY took prayer out of our schools!"

"Yes, but who took it off YOUR schedule?"

Solutions to life's problems are not, as a rule, external. They involve us meeting with God at the altar inside our hearts, bowing before Him, confessing and turning away from our sins, and seeking a personal encounter with God. That's when the "if" turns to "then."

THEN things change. When we change.

www.thismorningwithgod.blogspot.com

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Prophetic Implications of the 2008 Election  by Rev Michael Bresciani

Does the Bible have anything to say about the 2008 elections in America? Specific outcomes of the race may not be covered in the scriptures but since prophecy is pre-written history the general implications of the election are inescapable, what are they?

One of the surest things about the future is that the world will see the rise of a final world dictator. He will rise over the newly formed EU and will extend his rule across the globe not by warfare but through the most attractive economic system the world has ever seen. Yes it is connected to the mysterious and infamous number 666. That connection cannot be explained in a paragraph but to the nominally versed in the study of Biblical Eschatology most of the details are already known.

I pondered the idea of just waiting until the election was over to write this piece but because prophecy is motivated by God’s desire to warn both the unbeliever and the faithful it is in keeping with the very nature of prophetic utterance to give people a chance to ponder the consequences and implications of the paths they choose.

When I started a look into Bible prophecy over 40 years ago I was surprised to see how many people believed we were in the last period of time. Certain prophecies have been fulfilled in this generation that can’t be ignored. Just the re-birth of Israel alone is a fulfillment of one of the most important last day’s warnings in the entire Bible. Today the number of people who have become aware of these prophecies has risen exponentially. It is befitting because God has promised that when he is about to do something many of his servants will be warned. (Amos 3:7)

America is patently unaware of the meaning of the meteoric rise of the EU. Europe has survived the direct onslaught of two world wars and now has the strongest currency in the world, three times the GDP of America and controls over fifty percent of the world’s trade. America dances to the tune of its own politics and domestic affairs while largely ignoring the rise of the EU giant, almost as if Europe is still only our post war recovering little brother. Using terms to describe ourselves like “super power” and “leaders of the free world” the awesome spread of EU power has remained oblique to the average American and most of our leaders as well.

One undisputed teaching of the Bible is that all nations including America are heading toward a major intersecting with Europe, in some ways it will be more of a collision course. The EU will succeed. Another unquestionable teaching of scripture is that the last and worst dictator the world will ever know emerges from the newly formed European Union shortly after it begins as a sovereign nation with leaders like a president and vice president. He will not immediately plunge the world into war but in fact will be heralded as the most attractive world leader to arise in history. Up through normal political channels he will prove his prowess through a world economy and diplomatic achievements heretofore never seen. In short he will be loved not hated!

The only thing that will be hated is a moment at the end of his rule when billions will become aware that they have been duped. For those who chose not to believe that the living God was incarnated in the person of Jesus Christ the painful awareness of another incarnation will be made known to them. This ruler is the very incarnation of the god of this world (Satan) and all the available wisdom of this world will have come into play to lead them down the primrose path to their own judgment. Strewn along this path will be anarchy passing itself off as personal freedom, freedom to abort human babies, freedom to practice any deviant sexual behavior, freedom to acquire unlimited personal wealth and the freedom to dismiss, deny and even destroy both the word and the people of God as they see fit. But all this freedom will last a mere seven years.

While America’s place in the aforementioned is speculative at best, the rest of it is only eschatology 101. The question of what role America plays in the whole portent may be speculative but of late the specifics have begun to emerge and the next election holds more importance in the surmising than at any other time in our recent history. Because of the willingness of Europeans to have central government under the Lisbon treaty expected to be ratified in 2010, with single administrators like a president and vice president, the timing has never been more urgent. The leaders Americans choose now will certainly play a part in the outcome of the emerging European world power. What is that part?

In spite of our enormous advances in science the collective knowledge of our civilization does little to reach the masses with the specifics of that knowledge. Perhaps one tenth of one percent of the world’s population can explain the theory of relativity or quantum physics or has a need to do so. Eschatology is exactly like that to the average Joe and it will remain so until the end. Jesus said it repeatedly “…he that hath ears to hear, let him hear” (Mt. 11:15) so what difference can it make? In fact it is the difference between life and death!

Simply put, there are only two distinct possibilities regarding the possible outcome of the coming election and the choice made by America as the EU and “Columbia the Gem of the Ocean” intersect in history. Old NATO ties will be inadequate to explain what will be expected of us in our future relations with Europe.

If we elect conservative leaders as in the McCain–Palin ticket we may end up at odds with the powerful coming ruler. It could result in an all out conflict of world powers that results in the invasion of our shores by a pact of Eurasian nations sent to bring us into submission. Is this my idea? Not on your life. It was allegedly a vision given to George Washington on the battlefields of Valley Forge. You might want to Google “The Vision of George Washington” to get the basics. Whether the vision is true or not makes little difference because the result will be the same. If we insist on our sovereignty as we always have we will buck the emerging EU and its rulers. How that will play out will be disturbing at the very least.

If liberals have their way in the upcoming election and the Obama-Biden ticket wins the day we can expect an entirely different outcome in the near future. It is no secret that Senator Obama is inclined toward world consensus in his foreign policy ideas and it is the sovereignty of the US that will suffer the most because of that. Any liberal leaning government in America will aid the coming ruler of the EU superpower, it is a foregone.

Like Jesus when he was slapped with the words “physician heal thyself” (Lk 4:23) I have been called upon to predict the outcome of the coming election. Sorry, a prophet is not a mere prognosticator and while soothsayers are not without a measure of acclaim “a prophet is not accepted in his own country” (Lk 4:24) I haven’t a clue who will win the 2008 election but I am certain beyond a doubt we will intersect with the EU in ways few Americans are contemplating. That convergence will be a history changing matter that will affect every man women and child in this nation.

I would not insult the citizens of this country I love so much by saying they are too dumb to see the writing on the wall. Most Americans are simply too busy, preoccupied, distracted or complacent to take note of the facts revealed in Biblical prophecies. No one said this better than Christ who warned that it wasn’t just a deceiver that could catch us off guard in the last days but our own everyday activities. “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark.” (Mt. 24: 37, 38)

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The American Gospel Train – Mountain Grade Ahead  by Rev Michael Bresciani

While there are far more passenger trains criss-crossing the European country side, only America has a long and historical fascination with trains. It has spawned countless images, metaphors, songs and ballads. What is this attraction to the mighty iron horse?

My mother’s folks hailed from Virginia from humble Welch stock and resided in Charlottesville. As a young man I visited my great grandmother there and among the many curios sights was a small window in my late great grandfathers upper bedroom from which could be seen some of the green rolling hills of Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello home. Much more intriguing were the stories and memorabilia from my grandfather’s history as an engineer on the railroad. I was never told just when or where it was that he lost his life. His train derailed in some steep mountain pass somewhere in the Appalachian Mountains.

My fascination with trains started when I was only seven. When staying at the home of my Italian grandparents in a small town in New England I could hear the distant sound of the train whistle each morning and evening. After learning the track was only about a quarter mile behind the home I determined to find a way to reach the train as it passed. The haunting whine of the whistle provoked wonder in my heart. Where was the train going, who was on the train, what far away destinations would it reach and what were those cities, towns and villages like? The world was bigger than I could imagine and the train whistle attested that to my young heart everyday.

When I finally navigated a path to the tracks and calculated how much time was needed from the first whistle for me to get to the fence bordering the track I visited often. There I would hold tightly to the fence with fear as the ground trembled under my feet. I strained to see a face in the windows of the coaches but the whizzing train blurred everything from such a hope. Would I ever get to ride this mighty iron horse, little did I know!

Later in life I acquired what I thought was an impressive interaction with trains. From hopping a box car in New Orleans that took me down through the French Quarter to a long trip up the eastern seaboard in one of Amtrak’s sleeper couches, it was all good. I experienced the romance of eating on the fine linen of a few dining cars as the world rolled by just outside a huge plate-glass window. I have done it all I thought, I put a penny on the track and egged a few box cars in my youth but the highest point may have been a ride on the French TGV. The TGV (train a grande vitesse) rolls from Paris to the Spanish border at the awesome speed of 405 mph. As a boy the speed would not allow me to see the passengers streaming by, as an adult the speed from inside the TGV would not allow me to see almost anything unless it was several hundred yards away.

Many times in American history the Gospel (good news of salvation) has been likened to a train. An old negro spiritual “People Get Ready There’s a Train a Coming” has been sung by the Chambers Brothers, Rod Stewart and Curtis Mayfield just to name a few. To this day gospel quartets and groups are still singing Eliza Snow’s “Life’s Railway to Heaven.” Merle Haggard, Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash and a plethora of other artist have all sung or recorded this song. The song is about a train and it is about life.

Life is like a mountain railroad, with an engineer that’s brave                       We must make the run successful, from the cradle to the grave                   Watch the curves, the hills, the tunnels, never falter, never fail                    Keep your hand upon the throttle and your eye upon the rail

Who in America has not heard Josh Turners “Long Black Train” or seen the video where some are depicted as boarding and being lost while others are spared the ride by looking upward to God. Turner ends the tune with the somber warning to remember that Satan rides the long black train.

Trains have long been associated with the gospel in America because trains are powerful, carefully scheduled and unlike planes or cars their destinations cannot be altered. The track remains the same and while virtually nothing can stop the train it still gears down at the most insignificant spots on the map to take in a traveler. The gospel cannot be stopped or derailed either but the influences outside of it can convince sojourners that they have no need to ever get on board.

In the last decade Barna and Pew reports added to daily stories from the news are indicating that a huge number of formerly solid believers are alighting from the train for other destinations. Churches are more involved with prosperity preaching, social gospel endeavors and opening up to all religions and not just the gospel. Does that slow the train? The train can neither be slowed nor diverted from its destination the only thing that can be changed is the passenger list.

Jesus Christ has given the invitation to anyone who will listen to board the gospel train. It is the same as it was two thousand years ago, it is situated on a singular track called “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) It has only one destination which is to the presence of the Father and eventually a city that measures 1500 miles high on a new earth. There God the Father provides the light of his presence instead of the sun. The train will then be mothballed because that destination is for keeps. It is the last verse of “Life’s Railway to Heaven” that perhaps says it all.

As you roll across the trestle, spanning Jordan’s swelling tide                    You’ll behold the Union depot, into which your train will glide                  There you’ll meet the Superintendant, God the Father, God the Son          With a hearty joyous plaudit, weary pilgrim, welcome home

It is the train and the destination that no one need miss. It requires only a sincere and humble repentance, faith in Jesus Christ and surrender to him in obedience for the remainder of your entire life. Once onboard, God will be sure to get you through to your destination. “He will be our guide to the end. (Psalm 48:14)

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Who’s in the Right House?  by Perry Crisp

"But there is a God in heaven" (Daniel 2:28).

A refreshing reminder. I don't know about you, but I sure could use it. As presidential candidates are picking running mates, prancing in football stadiums, tootin' their own horns, making promises that we all know they won't keep, vying for attention, and elevating themselves to savior-hood... let's just remind ourselves who the real thing is.

I don't stand on either side of the aisle when I say this. I'm not Democrat or Republican. I'm Theocratican. I believe God has the last word on all of us and our security rests solely in Him. When God makes a promise, you know He doesn't have a two-sided mouth. It'll happen.

You would think that this election was the most important thing in the whole wide world or in the history of humanity by the way the news channels and papers are talking. Oh really? Maybe it would be IF there wasn't a God in heaven.

You see, heaven is higher than the white house. Just thought I should remind you. The human in the white house can veto the humans on capital hill. But the God in heaven has veto power over them all. The human in the white house can appoint judges and justices. But the God in heaven holds the only gavel that matters. His justice is consistent and overrides man's inconsistent idea of justice.

Democrats are afraid that McCain will be four more years of the last eight. Republicans are afraid that Obama will be... well, they're not sure what he will be. But they don't want to find out. Everyone wrings their hands in fear.

Need I remind you? Republicans survived eight years of Clinton and Democrats survived eight years of Bush. Have any back-to-back, two-term presidents been as despised and maligned by their opposing parties as these two have?

Yet we survived. We're still the most powerful, affluent nation in the world. While others walk ten miles to use a telephone, our five-year-olds are packin' blackberries and surfing the net from their tricycles. Can we all agree that we can probably survive just about anything as long as there's a God in heaven?

I just thought we should start the day with this important announcement: "but there is a God in heaven..."

From the Platform of the Theocratican Convention,

Perry Crisp

www.thismorningwithgod.blogspot.com

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How Right is Your Conservative Commentator  by Rev Michael Bresciani

Those who host conservative radio shows are less likely to be pressured by PC watchdogs but all of them occasionally take leave of reality especially when it comes to theology. Let’s see!

From the stinging replies of Americas “culture warrior,” Bill O’Reilly, to the sardonic humor of Glenn Beck and all in between there is a lot to be desired.

It may be naiveté as in President Bush’s remark about Islam being a “peaceful religion” or it may just be that after all they are only political commentators and not avowed conservative theologians. In either case, some who are only slightly above novice theologians have to cringe from time to time at what they have to say.

In O’Reilly’s Culture Warrior he notes that he must leave all judgment about sin to the deity. (pg. 179) No problem with that but then he indicates that he sees no problem with gay couples raising children. As with all others he offers a chance for the Catholic Church to explain their reasons for the negative positions they hold about children in such unions. It still might be easier to get the Pope to come on the “Factor” than Barack Obama but I doubt he is going to accept the offer if one is made.

The biblically grounded use the Bible as their ultimate authority under what is known as the belief in the “plenary verbal” method of biblical inspiration. In short that means that every letter, word and phrase was chosen explicitly by God. Catholic theology allows for ex-cathedra which in essence says that the Pope can speak in Christ's stead through something called apostolic succession. Then there’s Bill O’Reilly’s view. He is right about a lot of things and always interesting but for those of us who trust God’s word only scripture is endowed with intrinsic infallibility.

I don’t need to say what the bible says about homosexuality again but if I did the fastest way to get the info would be to check the rhetoric on the gay sites where the blogs are always in full steam and much is always being said against those words.

Then along comes Glenn Beck with his feisty and often gut splitting raw humor and sarcasm, until he starts praising ministers like Osteen and Warren. Both are well intentioned icons of the day but once again the best bet for biblical truth is still the bible itself, not the surmising of an icon.

Beck graduated from Sehome H.S. and O’Reilly often reminds his viewers that he is an alumnus of Harvard University so it is safe to say we should not expect theology that reflects an education from Dallas Theological Seminary from either of the aforementioned. What we might hope for is that someone explains to Glenn that for millions of conservative Christians around the nation the mega church darlings are part of the problem (apostasy) not the solution.

Being interviewed between stops and found at an airport, Rick Warren was lauded by Beck for his shear “brilliance” as he wrapped up the question of what he planned to ask the candidates Obama and McCain at his upcoming forum.

Warren said he planned to ask them the question of how they see the Constitution of the United States. Do they view it as “carved in stone” immovable and rigid, or is it “a living” document open to interpretation.

It is the old “open to interpretation” aspect of the question that causes the greatest concern. For the politically conservative it is that very question that makes us look for Supreme Court judges who are willing to take the constitution at face value. Among the biblically conservative it is the same reason we look for leaders who will take the bible at face value.

For well over 35 years I have been reproving those who virtually ignore every word in the bible under the guise that it is after all a book that is open to all sorts of interpretations. Nonsense! It would be almost impossible to line up the major 24 translations of the bible and choose a passage that after reading every translation would not say exactly the same thing.

Hiding behind an open interpretation clause when it pertains to God’s word is shaky ground at best. The Apostle Peter addressed the silly notion that just anyone could see just anything they wanted to in scriptures when he said “Knowing this first that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.” (2Pet 1:20)  But even if Peter had been silent who would dare trust the most well intentioned preacher or commentator, conservative or not, if you couldn’t take God at his word?

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Substance vs. Style  by Perry Crisp

The imminent presidential election is a classic example of the ongoing contest between substance and style. McCain has substance. Obama has style. It can be (and has been) argued that neither has the other.

If we were all in high school electing a student body president, style would win the day. And it wouldn't matter. What student body president has the access codes to nuclear weapons? Or knows the phone number to the CIA?

Style is fine if we are selecting a host for the Oscars or a guest for David Letterman. But we're not. We're electing a president who will instantly become the most powerful and influential human on the planet. Sure, style is fun...but can we all please graduate from junior high now?

Electing a president is serious business. The moral and economic future of America is at stake. Who cares if he can dance or shoot hoops? Isn't that really all we know about Obama? He can't even get through the election without changing his mind on every issue.

The man can make a speech. I don't disparage his style. I'm a big fan of great speeches. Like anyone else, I get emotionally charged and patriotically stirred by great orators. But I need to know what the speech really means and if the speaker really means it.

"Obama will bring change!" Change is a great word as long as it gets defined. Change can mean we are all going to get better jobs and pay less for gas. But it can also mean we are going to pay more taxes and become a spineless nation that no terrorist fears.

I like Obama's microphone. But I want to see more man standing behind it. I need to know there's something behind a flashy smile other than great dental work. I need someone who can grit his teeth and stand for something without slippery feet.

I'm convinced that Obama thinks politics is a game of Twister. He plants his foot firmly on the green circle of this issue until someone else thumps the Twister arrow and he scoots his feet over to the red circle of the same issue. We all know the outcome of that game, don't we?

As much as I love style, I need substance in a president. Even if I don't agree with all of McCain's political views, at least I know where he stands.

I also know where he has stood. McCain's a proven leader who has shown both grit and grace in both military and public service. Think soberly and pray fervently before you vote. Don't be enamored with the accolades and endorsements of uneducated actors and actresses who have never lived in the real world without eventually needing rehab. You're an adult now. Use wisdom. Learn what is at stake. Vote responsibly.

Perry Crisp  This Morning With God

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The Visual Generation – The Death of Discernment  by Rev Michael Bresciani

When Chairman Mao of China wanted to reach an entire generation, many who were illiterate he produced a communistic booklet in “comic book” style. It resulted in an entire generation of youth jumping onboard Mao’s red wagon and subsequently tearing down the culture and traditions and the very structures of one of the oldest societies in the world.

In America it is mindless, Godless, feckless and useless TV programming, You Tube and Hollywood’s latest offering of films. The result is exactly the same as it was in China but on a much larger scale and with so much more to lose. If you asked anyone who would vote for Barack Obama or any liberal why they chose that candidate the answer you will hear the most is, “I like him.”

If he, she or it looks good that’s good enough for the “media generation.” No discernment needed, wisdom is too hard to explain much less spend time trying to get and who has more than a few seconds of time in this world of screen shots, blips and quick messages to look any deeper. A new language and a new media has developed that thrives on abbreviated communications; OMG have I been talking about texting?

People who read entire books and articles to learn something or to see an authors point are becoming rare. Just getting to this sentence means you probably are one of those people. You may have read some Hemingway or Joyce or at the very least the morning paper. You are one of the rare breed of people that actually forms opinions and conclusions based on a careful weighing of all the facts.

In the Bible (1 Cor 12:10) there is mention of a “spiritual gift” known as “discerning of spirits.” Unfortunately that gift is often placed in a list of charismatic type gifts that end up being thought of as something only observed by a few Pentecostal people. In fact the language of 1:Cor 12:10 connotes the idea of a “judging through” of any and all matters not a fleeting spiritual thought dropping out of the ether.

Discerning of spirits is a God given enterprise that does not work unless God is brought into the equation. He unveils, reveals or shows the deepest meaning of things to the deepest people. They are a peculiar people who weigh everything and refuse to make prejudiced and extraneous judgments based only on what they see or have heard from the grape vine, the media or God knows where!

It is the rarity of such people that serves as only one of a few reasons that can be found for the wholesale blindness that seems to be accompanying the decisions made by the American public about their presidential candidates. The biblically based reason is far more obvious and it reads like this, “In whom the god of this world (Satan) hath blinded the minds of them which believe not” (2 Cor 4:4a) It is what allows people to assent to what late night talk show hosts say about candidates instead of listening to the candidates themselves and comparing what they say to all else. It is almost perverse, because it is a “spirit” that drives the average person to use no spiritual discernment at all.

It is what causes thousands to think Rick Warren is actually helping the American public to choose a better candidate by bringing John McCain and Barack Obama to “Saddleback” so they can smooth out their differences.  The program or show (side show) is partly sponsored by Meg Riley who formerly headed up her denomination’s homosexual advocacy office.  It raises the serious question of whose purpose is the author of “The Purpose Driven Life” fulfilling? It’s a show, a visual, and a media attraction with or without knowing exactly what is really driving Rick Warren’s purpose. What Evangelist Bill Keller told his over two million subscribers to his daily devotional was that Warrens sideshow was a “…load of garbage.”

Has Keller crossed the sacred PC line and sinned against society? No, what he has really done is used God given discernment based on sound scriptural teachings and mustered the guts to say it out loud to a You Tube generation that would rather watch hours of delightful nonsense and tripe  rather than discern anything. Kudos to Bill Keller, shame on Rick Warren!

Sadly, what is really happening is what the Apostle James and other biblical authors predicted would become commonplace as we approach the second coming of Christ. James said, "Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?" (James 2:4) King James Version or not this is exactly the meaning of "choosing between the lesser of two evils." Not much discernment needed to know what that means. This is America today.

The greatest loss from the abandoning of discernment is that America has lost the connection. We are no longer able to discern the “connection” between our morality and all the other issues. The truth is that the economy, our security, and all the other matters of our national life depend on and are inextricably linked to our morality. We have mistakenly allocated morality to an aspect of our religious life and have thereby disconnected it from our own larger national welfare and security.

Political candidates, the news media and pundits rant about the economy, the war, taxes, crime and all the so called “critical issues” while ignoring the gross immorality of homosexuality, abortion, media filth, evolutionary dogma that passes itself of as academic freedom and general sensory driven visual tripe from Hollywood and similar sources. Morality is relegated to the churches and a few PC deficient fundamentalist Bible thumping diehards who just won’t seem to go away.

The result of all this distraction derived from the lack of discernment is in a word: judgment. Is it inevitable? Does the sun Rise? Does the sun set? Using judgment is not a luxury that is reserved for a few and can be ignored by all others. In fact it is a biblical imperative that if ignored will have an immediate and devastating effect on everyone in our nation “The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace." Isa 59:8)

The simplest rule for using good judgment turns out to be just the opposite of what is being done in America’s visual generation. Here it is; “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” Jesus, John 7:24.

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Political Lethargy in the Church – Will American Christians Awake before November 2008  by Rev Michael Bresciani

For the first time in American history two sitting U.S. Senators will battle for the presidency on November 4, 2008. Barack Obama, Jr. Senator from Illinois and John McCain the GOP’s Senior Senator from Arizona are the top contenders in a race unlike any other in history.

The Christian Church has barely weighed in and between IRS restrictions on 501-C organizations and the reticence of leaders like James Dobson to make a firm choice the Church is vacillating like the proverbial reed in the wind. Adding to this is the gross lack of interest, and general political savvy the church displays about the candidates this may come down as the election that flat got away for the body ecclesia.

For the Church the worst would be the biggest setback to the dismantling of Roe V. Wade since its inception in 1973 and a near mortal wound to the sanctity of marriage as derived from biblical tenants. When all the flag waving and promises are finished it won’t be taxes, healthcare, oil or war that will leave the church reeling but the reversal of all the hard won advances and skirmishes won so far in the fight against abortion and in the defense of traditional marriage.

If it is hard for the church to understand the political issues it can be said that it is nearly impossible for the secularists to understand why abortion and the attack on marriage is so critical for the church. Conservative Biblical theology is the single reason that the church can’t take its eye off the ball. For the church it is like cause and effect with a promise. It is a law not a theory or a possibility. The biblically grounded believer knows that to continue with the abortions and the attack against marriage will produce a long range negative effect that will in time destroy the nation and bring judgment against us. That’s the promise.

Liberalism brings with it an attitude and a general cry for isolationism. It is the call for no intervention, no war, and no involvement with higher codes, principles or morality. It is the fuel for “separation of church and state” advocates and it smacks of cowardice at its worst and unbridled self indulgence at its best. When the devils that inhabited a man in the New Testament were threatened by banishment they replied to Christ “let us alone.” (Mark 1:24) That cry is echoed in every liberal cause in our land today and is the precursor to both moral decline and national judgment.

It is said that knowing a little bit of the bible is more deadly than knowing nothing at all. Today the question is; does the Bible really say that homosexuality is a deadly sin that God hates? The simplest answer to that is, yes! It goes without saying that no homosexual person or group is going to accept that answer. But that is only a partial answer and the weightier part of it comes as a replete and recurring theme of the bible.

The destruction of Sodom is not an isolated story from Genesis 19 but it is referred to time and again by the prophets, Christ and his apostles over a 3500 year long period. The theme is the same, the promise is the same, and the result is always the same. It always results in the demise and in some cases the destruction of any nation that defies the laws of God and nature as in the city of Sodom. Of course all the nations that were and are no more all had essentially the same cry, epitaph, epithet or last words, “Let us alone.”

Live and let live may work fine for recovering alcoholics but when used in liberal politics it fosters an attitude that always produces a typical question. It seems like a legitimate question but if investigated further it would be seen that no one pauses long enough or is serious enough to wait for the answer. Such a question was asked by Kirsten Powers in the New York Post July 8, 2008 in an article entitled “The GOP Gay-Marriage Con” The question posed said “Gays and lesbians make up an estimated 5 percent to 10 percent of the US population. How much damage can they do by committing themselves to one another? They certainly can't do worse with marriage than heterosexuals have.”

How much damage can they do? How about irreparable, irreversible damage that can and has brought down the mightiest nations in history.

If unbridled licentiousness can bring down a nation then where does the slaughter of uncounted millions of unborn human beings come into the picture? There is no way of being gentle here; it is the number one reason for the decline of civilization itself much less the decline of a single nation. It is a looming major factor in the final coming judgments of all mankind. It is a prime factor and pre-cursor to Armageddon. That’s theology with a promise. “Thus saith the Lord; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place…But if ye will not hear these words, I swear by myself, saith the Lord, that this house shall become a desolation.” (Jeremiah 22: 3, 5)

It is this kind of promise that should be guiding the church in its decision about who to vote for in the 2008 election and not whether James Dobson endorses a candidate or whether John McCain distances himself from certain pastors. When Christ told the church to be as wise as a serpent but as harmless as a dove (Mt 10: 16) it is understood that he was not leaving political savvy out of the picture. Unfortunately in its current penchant toward apostasy the church is leaning toward the dove side of the equation.

In a recent homily I heard a local minister describe his observations of a group of doves who decided to nest around his property. He said they must be the dumbest bird in the ornithological roster. They build nests in dangerous places, lose their young to predators and are prey to every vicious and marauding bird in the area. I thought of the church and of why Christ demanded that we don’t just function as doves. The “be ye wise as serpents” aspect of his admonition is the essential that the church gives up first as it starts a slide into apostasy.

For biblically grounded Christians there can be only one way to decide on a candidate in the 2008 elections. If a candidate thinks marriage is an open ended deal for any and all combinations of sexes and persuasions they are not the best choice. Above all if they do not regard the innocent and helpless who are struggling for life inside a mother’s womb then they strictly don’t deserve to be considered as a leader.

Christ often said “he that hath ears to hear let him hear.” I would suggest that the church or any good American should set themselves aside and quietly listen for the possibility that there may be a voice that echoes back from the hundreds of abortion clinics in America and the 50 million previously aborted human beings that says; “I want to live…does your candidate want me to live?”

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Mesmerizing Obama  by Rev Michael Bresciani

Reports of sycophantically driven crowds of Obama supporters are making news and bloating the blogs across the nation. Can this phenomenon be explained?

In a recent offering in The Christian Post, Friday June 6, 2008 under “Black Ministers Watching their Words on Obama” AP Writer Dionne Walker said “It’s a historical time for black people; we cannot ignore what’s going on.”

No one would expect the black community to ignore what is going on, we would only hope that they would look deeper into the reasons for supporting Sen. Obama, beyond the fact that he is an African American.

If they can ignore, refusing to pledge to the flag, associations with racist pastors, support for abortions and gay marriages and a wife who takes no pride in her own country then all you have left is the fact Mr. Obama is a black American. It is indeed something to be proud of considering America’s history but hardly anything to be guided by.

Widely known ministers are not immune to the snowballing popularity of Sen. Obama. TV Evangelist TD Jakes has jumped onboard the B.O. train with tacit support and strong affirmations that will no doubt remove doubt from those who are straddling the fence on the candidates.

Pastor Clenard Childress leader of New Jersey based L.E.A.R.N. Northeast is shocked and deeply saddened by Jakes reaction to Obama’s clinching the democratic nomination and said “the man Time Magazine and CNN once referred to as "America's Best Preacher," is showing that biblical moral values are not his top priority.” Childress also said “it will be difficult for Jakes to preach biblical moral values to his church members now that he has aligned himself with a politician who has no problem with abortion and homosexuality. One News Now, June 6, 2008. Pastor Clenard is himself an African American minister.

Ministers have to tread lightly when it comes to endorsing candidates because of IRS non-profit 501-C issues but that has not gone very far in this heated election to curb name dropping, public congratulating and innuendo. Traditionally black churches have yielded time, funds and pulpits to political candidates more than the white churches but the separation of church and state issues have boiled to the top in recent years but never more than in this election.

One blogger responded to the Christian Post article by saying he was an African American but would not let his decision be guided by anything but Obama’s record and what he stands for. It was Obama’s stand and his record that convinced this black voter to look elsewhere. We can hope for more of this kind of discernment but so far it is more the exception that makes the rule than anything else.

It is hard for some believers and almost all non-believers to understand that moral decline and prophetic fulfillment grow in equal and direct proportion to each other. As the moral bar is lowered the prophetic bar is raised. More scripture warnings and promises are being fulfilled in America than at any time in the past 100 years.

Although it is an unpleasant aspect of the bible the promises of an apostate church are inevitable as the time of the antichrist approaches. It is called “the falling away” (2Th 2:3) in more conventional terms it is the “social gospel.” Concern for the environment, aids in Africa and the plight of the poor are socially acceptable causes and can be engaged without calling individuals to personal responsibility and repentance.

The ancient prophet Daniel said more about the second coming of Christ than almost all the prophets put together. He warned that in a time when knowledge was greatly increased and world travel was a common experience around the globe that lines would be drawn. The wicked would do worse than ever before and the faithful would be stronger than ever before. Those lines are becoming increasingly apparent in America.

The book of Revelation which was given to the Apostle John by Christ himself during Johns forced stay on the island of Patmos reiterates Daniels warning. Christ said “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” (Rev 22:11)

More than at any time in history the emphasis on the gospel message is now prophetic in nature. Although the love of Christ can never be eliminated from the message the warning and call to repentance becomes the main thrust of the message as the judgment and the second coming of Christ approaches. Those emphasizing this hard aspect of the gospel will not be well received and fewer people will respond; but that too is prophetic.

The meteoric rise of an inexperienced Senator from Illinois who represents the opposite of everything the founders of this country first brought forth is sad but it is prophecy fully underway.

America should take warning from the well used adage “take heed what you ask for because you just might get it.”

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