This year started off looking very promising with our math department and our school overall but that promise has turned into the same frustration that I have had every year as a teacher.

We made several changes in our school which focused on collaboration within each department to establish clear objectives for teachers and students. This collaboration has now turned into requirements from the top on how we would teach our classes. Teachers are no longer able to teach their classes using their own uniqueness and strengths, rather, we are expected to create a one-size-fits all style that makes every class a carbon copy of those in charge.

We must all use the same chapter tests and final exams. We must all use the same worksheets and assign the same problems from the book on the same day. We must all test on the same day and we must all do it under the mantra, "If learning is to be the constant, time must be the variable." This is the newest buzz phrase in education. Educators have accepted this notion that it shouldn't matter how long it takes a child to "get" something, as long as they get it. In our math department, this led to a discussion about replacing a failed chapter test during the semester with a grade taken from the score on the corresponding section of the final. The idea is that the student was able to demonstrate that they learned the material so why should they be punished for not knowing it the first time.

This sounds great at first but you must take it to its logical conclusion. At first thought, why shouldn't a student be able to replace a poor score with a better score on the same material? Well, where does it stop if time truly is the variable? What if the student fails the tests and the final exam? If time is the variable, why should this student fail? Shouldn't they be able to extend their "learning" into the next semester and retake the final. What if they fail all of their tests, should they be able to replace every test with their better score on the final exam? If so, what is the point of taking the tests in the first place if they won't count? What if a kid passes all of their semester exams but fails the final? Will they lose the scores from the semester because they could not demonstrate the fact that they "learned" the material? Why do we have semesters in the first place if time is variable? Shouldn't the students be able to take as long as they need to pass the class and ultimately graduate from high school? Why not, time is variable by the way and must be extended to allow the student enough time to demonstrate learning which is our desired constant.

All of this is silly because time is not variable. Time is the constant because time leads to deadlines. There must be accountability and standards that a student must reach in order to successfully complete requirements for graduation. Life is full of deadlines. All of us from previous generations made it through the system where time was constant. We had tests, we had final exams, we got grades at the end of the semester, we failed if those grades were low, etc. We were accountable for our own education because we did not have the ability to replace grades and take as much time as we wanted.

This mindset comes from a culture brought about by social liberals and moral relativists. We hear many of these same underlying ideas coming from those running for the Democratic nomination for President. They tell us that we have two Americas. One where people got lucky and became wealthy for it. The other that has not received the same breaks and without those breaks they will remain poor. It has nothing to do with life choices, it is pure luck from a system is set up to be unfair and uncaring. They say that the health care system is out to get people and the government needs to come in and provide health care for everyone. They claim that their is massive disenfranchisement of voters (unless they win of course, then it was a fair election and the voice of the people) and feel that everyone should be able to vote, even if they miss deadlines, fail to fill out forms correctly, or do anything that invalidates their vote. It is never anyone's own fault, it is always something else that was set up in a way to do them in.

This is a very important election. We cannot afford to have any of the three Democratic candidates to become President. They would continue a devastating trend in our education system and country that teaches us that nobody is accountable for their own actions. We must be given chance after chance, and handout after handout from those above us, whether they be teachers and administrators or government officials.

I haven't decided who I want for our President but any of the Republicans (my current order is Thompson, Romney, Giuliani, Huckabee, McCain)would be better for the country. We will have to wait and see.

There is a little sarcasm in my title but I actually do love my two children very much and wouldn't trade anything to go back to a life without them. They bring far more joy to my life than they do stress and frustration but they definitely have their moments.

This weekend included some of each. We went camping along the coast and the weekend was great. We decided to come home last night rather than stay and leave this morning. On Saturday, I took my wedding ring off while we went down to the beach so I wouldn't lose it in the water or in the sand as we were messing around. I placed it in the cup holder in the center console and knew exactly where it was at all times. On Sunday, I even checked and it was still there during the day (this is where I messed up because I should have put it back on but was distracted by some event in our campsite and I left it there).

As I was packing up the campsite, my 2 1/2 year old was messing around in the van and I am left to assume that he found my ring and did something with it. It was there before he was in the car and not there after he was alone in the car. So, now, I no longer have my wedding ring thanks to my little bundle.

I could react in several ways. I could yell at him and make him feel really bad and cry and tell him what a loser he is. I could grab a paddle and make his little bottom feel really bad. Neither of those two would help the situation and neither would bring my ring back. They would likely lead to me feeling really remorseful because I love my little guy and would not want to see him hurt, either emotionally or physically especially if I were the one to hurt him. Another option is interrogate him and see if we can figure out where the ring ended up ala Sherlock Holmes. This option started out great but eventually led to seven different stories, no ring, and lots of frustration.

That brought the final option and the one that I am sure God has to deal with continually with us. I could hug him, focus on how much I love him, and realize that it is only a ring and can be replaced. Sure, I hate the fact that my ring is gone. It is special and will not be cheap to replace but my son did not do it on purpose. He should not have been messing around and should have known better but he is only 2 1/2. How often do we do the same to our Heavenly Father? I mess up all the time but God does not respond with breaking me down and making me feel horrible. Quite often, He somehow rewards me and blesses me (grace) and I do a good job of feeling horrible on my own when I realize how stupid I was. I should have been broken down and cast off into outer darkness because of my sin but He doesn't do that (mercy).

I am glad that our God does not decide to crush us every time we mess up. If He did, we wouldn't last very long. In the same way, I need to realize that my son made a mistake but it is not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things. I still love him, I still have him and I am still married even though I don't have a little circular piece of metal to remind me of our wedding date:)

It is really amazing how rampant perversion, mainly sexual, is in among the elected leaders in our Government, both local, state and national. Mitt Romney rightly described the ordeal with Larry Craig as "disgusting" but was criticized for being too harsh in his language by the media. Disgusting is a good word but I am not sure if that even describes it completely.

Larry Craig is married to a woman and was having sexual relationships with men that he met in bathrooms. Craig is not alone however. We have Barney Frank, a homosexual whose younger boyfriend was running a gay call service out of his apartment. We have Mark Foley who was engaging in very "disgusting" behavior with young male pages. We have Jim McGreevey who was also having sexual relationships with men while cheating on his wife. The infamous Mayor of San Francisco, Gavin Newsom, was also cheating on his wife, and the list goes on.

The most famous of all governmental perverts is Bill Clinton. He may be the worst because he solidified the notion that you can get away with this behavior, stay in office, and remain popular. This disgusting man was already accused of groping, and even raping, women when he "did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky." What he did do is have a young female White House intern perform oral sex on him multiple times in the Oval Office. Sometimes he would have her do it while speaking to others on the phone. When you actually think about this, though I suggest against it, the thought is absolutely repulsive and "disgusting". As a high school teacher, this would be similar to me having my female student teacher perform oral sex on me while emailing parents or talking to fellow teachers on the phone during my prep period. If I were to get caught doing this, I would be suspended immediately and most likely fired. (I could possibly get away with it though in our current society and public school system if I had the right lawyer) Bill Clinton did get away with it though. Not only that, but people actually defended his actions and attacked those who sought to impeach him. He became the victim. He became the object of compassion.

I am very concerned about the future of our nation. If this many people in elected positions are getting caught, how many more are getting away with it. We have sexual perverts running our country including adulterers, philanderers, homosexuals, bisexuals, pedophiles, and such. These people are determining the direction our nations goes, they are determining our laws, our educational goals, our foreign policies, our judges, and our values. Something needs to change or America is going to fall and when it does, the world will be in huge trouble.

Our Wednesday night service focused on Joel Chapter 3 and it's New Testament parallel passage in Matthew 25. It is a reference to the Day of the Lord and God's judgement during the end times when He will bring the Jews back to their land and gather the nations of the world for their final judgement.

Joel 3:1-17 says:

1 “For behold, in those days and at that time,
When I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem,
2 I will also gather all nations,
And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;
And I will enter into judgment with them there
On account of My people, My heritage Israel,
Whom they have scattered among the nations;
They have also divided up My land.
3 They have cast lots for My people,
Have given a boy as payment for a harlot,
And sold a girl for wine, that they may drink.
4 “ Indeed, what have you to do with Me,
O Tyre and Sidon, and all the coasts of Philistia?
Will you retaliate against Me?
But if you retaliate against Me,
Swiftly and speedily I will return your retaliation upon your own head;
5 Because you have taken My silver and My gold,
And have carried into your temples My prized possessions.
6 Also the people of Judah and the people of Jerusalem
You have sold to the Greeks,
That you may remove them far from their borders.
7 “ Behold, I will raise them
Out of the place to which you have sold them,
And will return your retaliation upon your own head.
8 I will sell your sons and your daughters
Into the hand of the people of Judah,
And they will sell them to the Sabeans,[a]
To a people far off;
For the LORD has spoken.”
9 Proclaim this among the nations:

“ Prepare for war!
Wake up the mighty men,
Let all the men of war draw near,
Let them come up.
10 Beat your plowshares into swords
And your pruning hooks into spears;
Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’”
11 Assemble and come, all you nations,
And gather together all around.
Cause Your mighty ones to go down there, O LORD.
12 “ Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;
For there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations.
13 Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe.
Come, go down;
For the winepress is full,
The vats overflow—
For their wickedness is great.”
14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!
For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
15 The sun and moon will grow dark,
And the stars will diminish their brightness.
16 The LORD also will roar from Zion,
And utter His voice from Jerusalem;
The heavens and earth will shake;
But the LORD will be a shelter for His people,
And the strength of the children of Israel.
17 “ So you shall know that I am the LORD your God,
Dwelling in Zion My holy mountain.
Then Jerusalem shall be holy,
And no aliens shall ever pass through her again.”

If you look at verses 2 and 3, the Lord says that He will judge the nations on account of His people, the Jews, and how the world treated them.

Compare this to Matthew 25:31-46 which says:

31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy[c] angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
44 “Then they also will answer Him,[d] saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

The Bible makes it clear that in God's eyes, there are two groups of people in the world, there are Jews and there are Gentiles. The Jews were His chosen people and He said that He will bless those that bless His people and He will curse those who curse His people. Romans tells us that when the Jews as a whole rejected Jesus, their Messiah, salvation was opened up to the Gentiles creating a new separation among the Gentiles (non-Jews). Now there was the Church (Gentiles who repented and accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior) and the Christ rejecting Gentiles. These two are referenced here in Matthew 25 as the Sheep and the Goats but there is a third group mentioned as well. Jesus mentions His brethren in verse 40 speaking of the Jewish people.

Liberal Christians and non-Christians love to use this chapter to claim that good works can allow you to find favor with God and get you into Heaven based on how you treat people but that is not what is being said here at all. Jesus said that the Sheep would inherit the Kingdom which was prepared for them at the foundation of the world, speaking of His divine election and saving grace. The Bible clearly teaches that salvation comes solely by God's grace through our faith in Jesus Christ and not of our own works. Therefore, this passage cannot be claiming that we can earn our way into favor by doing good works for others. Jesus does, however, go on to say that the Sheep did do good things for Him to which the respond, "When?" They did good works to the Lord by treating His brethren with kindness. The Jewish people are never grouped with the nations of the world in the Bible. They are always distinguished as the Lord's people when the nations of the world are referenced. Here, the nations of the world are being judged and when you connect Joel 3 with Matthew 25, it makes sense that the brethren the Lord is speaking about refers to the Jewish people.

The Jewish people have been treated worse than any group of people in the history of the world. They have been tortured, enslaved, kicked out of their land, and hated by more nations than any other group of people. The fact that they even exist still as a people and have their own country back should be proof enough for anyone that God exists. The Lord proclaims here in Joel 3 that the Jews are His people and the land of Israel is His land.

According to Romans, as Christians, we are not to speak out against the natural branch of the olive tree (the Jews) because they were cut off due to their unbelief partly so that we, the wild branch, could be grafted in and attain salvation that was otherwise intended solely for God's people. Paul clearly tells us that our salvation has nothing to do with us but God's grace and if we boast against the Jews for the rejection of Jesus, we too can be cut off. God has a plan for the Jews and they will soon realize that Jesus was their Messiah and the whole nation of Israel will be saved and restored into the olive tree whose root is Jesus Christ. The judgment spoken of here will separate the Sheep from the Goats and the Lord will see how we treated His people.

We cannot earn God's favor by going out and doing good things for people. That doesn't mean we should help people who are in need. If we have received God's grace, our natural tendency should be to help others out but what's more important is how we view and treat God's chosen people.

The Jewish people are not perfect by any means, just like Christians are not perfect by any means. We are all human and therefore all sinners. But, do you believe God is done with the Jews? Do you believe they have no right to their land? Do you believe they are the bad guys in the struggle in the Middle East? Or, do you pray for them that they might recognize their Messiah and turn to Him? Do you pray for their protection from those who want to wipe them out?

I saw that Hillary's official Blog had a post on Global Warming and what she was going to do to help save the world from this evil that threatens humanity. I also found an interesting article from Spiegel Online regarding the CO2 produced by Moose flatulence so I asked Hillary in a comment:

What is Senator Clinton's plan regarding the recently reported Spiegel Online article on the Moose flatulence problem in Norway?

Will she threaten santions on Norway should she become President unless they address the gassy Moose problem. According to the research, a driver would have to travel 13,000km (8,078 miles) in a car to produce the same amount of CO2 as a Moose does in a year.

With an estimated 120,000 Moose in Norway, that equates to 1,560,000,000km (969,340,195 miles) of worth of car travel during that same year. This poses a real threat to the Earth and could speed up the time table set by former VP Gore of 10 years until global warming causes irreversible damage.

My comment was not posted on the website while 4 other Hillary supporters did get their comments posted after mine. I don't think Hillary is taking this Moose flatulence seriously and any candidate who doesn't think Moose gas is a threat is not fit for office.

 If you haven't ever read the Proverbs 31 description of a virtuous woman, specifically a wife and mother, you should. It is completely the opposite of what the feminist movement born in the 60's considers what a woman should be. According to feminism, women should be treated just like men. They are no different than men. The ideal model of feminism was Eleanor Roosevelt. Today, many people talk about Hillary Clinton as the model of a strong modern woman. If you look at Proverbs 31, you find an entirely different portrait of what the Bible defines as a virtuous wife.

The Bible clearly defines the roles of men and women and distinguishes between the two. Men were given the position of authority and leadership. Men are typically more logical, less emotional, less sensitive, more aggressive, and stronger. Men were given the curse of hard work and labor to provide for their families. Women are typically more sensitive, more emotional, more nurturing, less aggressive, and more delicate. These characteristics do not make one better than the other. This is how God created men and women and set their roles.

One problem with men over time has been that they take their position of authority and abuse it. They have demeaned women, treated them as lower class citizens, abused them, and lorded over them in a way that the Bible does not condone. This lead to the feminist movement and swung the pendulum too far the other direction. It became a bad thing for men to be men. They must be sensitive and more feminine. Women must act more like men. Women were no longer respected for taking care of their homes and their children and loving their husbands and looking at him as the leader. Women were told that if they were worth anything, they must leave the home and get a career job. They left what they were naturally gifted and strong in to act more like men and take on the curse of a man.

Proverbs 31 describes a virtuous wife as one who loves her husband all the days of her life. She rises up before everyone else and prepares everything for the upcoming day. She is compassionate and kind and speaks of her husband respectfully. She takes care of the home and her children. She has wisdom because she loves God and fears the Lord.

I know several women at my church who decided to be stay at home moms, my wife included, and many of them also home school their kids. These woman are all very intelligent and could easily work in a career and become very successful but they chose to do what Proverbs 31 describes as virtuous. Society gives them no glory and views them as lazy and dumb because they don't work and hand around with kids all day. Nothing could be further from the truth. These women work harder than almost any other woman out in the workforce. They rarely get a break and do not get paid for their time and services. They must be ready at all hours of the day to deal with any situation that presents itself. Most of them, however, are happy. They get joy and satisfaction taking on the responsibility of keeping their homes nice and raising up decent, respectful, knowledgeable children.

Our society is so screwed up right now because we have strayed so far from God's plan for men and women. Being a man is good. A man should be a leader and so many aren't today. They ditch out on their families, they deflect blame to others while trying to protect their own skin. They sit back and let women do all the work. Women think it is demeaning to submit to the authority of a man because they believe this makes them inferior. It does not. It establishes a hierarchy of leadership that is needed for society to function properly. It does not mean the woman should be trampled down and ruled. The Bible says that wives are to submit to their husbands as unto the Lord but then goes on to say that husbands are to love their wives as Christ loves the Church. We have a perfect model of marriage here. Wives should respect their husbands and follow his will as the leader. The husbands have the tougher job of loving their wives as Christ loves the Church. What did Christ do for the Church? He sacrificed His life for her. He served the Church, washed her feet, corrected and instructed her in a loving and compassionate way. He did not rule over her and tell her to do what He said or else! He is the perfect husband and we, as the Church, should want to submit because He is always doing what is in our best interest. So too should the wife and husband be. The husband should make the decision but those decisions should be based on what is best for his wife.

It is sickening to see what our society has become since the role reversals of the 60's defined what it meant to be a man and a woman. Men, take charge and be leaders. Women, love your husbands and quit trying to be like men. Society, honor women who take care of their homes and children and honor men who are strong and take responsibility for their families and their country.

 Here are the top 5 things we tell our kids that I really don't understand why.

5. Don't throw rocks into the lake!

What is wrong with throwing rocks into a large body of water? People tell their kids this all the time but what is the point of a lake other than to throw rocks in. (I know, there are lots of other things a lake is good for but you get my point. It is fun to watch rocks spash)

4. Don't walk on the grass!

Why is it wrong to walk on grass? We were at some outlet stores and a mom told her son that he couldn't go on the grass to get to a store but had to walk 50 around the grass.

3. Eat all your food because there are starving children in Africa!

What do starting children in Africa have to do with how much food you eat now. What if the kid isn't hungry anymore? They just learned that they must overeat beyond at which they wanted to stop simply because there are other kids in the world that don't have as much food. If they are not eating because they want dessert of some other dinner, just take it away and wait until they are hungry enough to eat what you gave them. Either way, the fact that kids are starving in Africa is completely irrelevant to whether or not we should eat everything on our plates. It is good to leave food on our plates because Americans eat too much as it is.

2. Don't spash in the puddles!

I have a four and a two year old and they get so excited when they see puddles because they think it is fun to spash in them. (Little boys are infatuated with spashing water. See #5) So they get a little wet, so what! Let them have a little fun.

1. Don't get dirty!

Little kids love to get dirty. That is part of being a kid. If the parent says this because they don't want their kid to get their nice clothes dirty, put old clothes on them. I remember playing in the mud, making tunnels for trucks in big piles of dirt, playing in the sand, getting grass stains from playing tackle football with my buddies and so on.

Now, obviously, there are times when we should tell kids these things if there is reason for concern that someone might get hurt. If they are throwing rocks and people are swimming there, they shouldn't throw rocks. Come on though, we are preventing our kids from exploring and learning while having fun at the same time. Yes, they might get hurt sometimes while doing these things, but getting hurt is part of life. I broke my arm when I was 5, I got a concussion when I was 16, I tore my ACL when I was 18, and got lots of bumps and bruises in between but I am ok.

When did the world become so overtly insane. Worldnetdailyreported a story about how a Mayor in a Canadian town refused to fly a rainbow colored homosexual pride flag in the town hall. Why on Earth would a town hall fly a homosexual pride flag? Why would a group of people who are characterized by whom they have sex with have their flag represented at the town hall. I am left handed. Does that mean I should be able to demand that a flag representing my people should also fly at the town hall where I live? If not, why? I am 30 years old and going bald. Does that mean a flag representing all bald people should fly as well? How about a specific flag for heterosexual, white, male, Christians? Can that be flown?

The reason so many people care about homosexuality is made clear by stories like this. We live in a free country where people are allowed to live a homosexual lifestyle. What people get upset about is cases like this where homosexuals demand that their flag is flown at the town hall and resort to accusations of homophobia when they are denied.

Lately I have heard many people say that Christians and Muslims worship the same God. They make this claim because they do not think about the issue any further than Allah means god in Arabic. Since Allah simply means god this obviously leads one to conclude they are the same. Some will go a little further by saying that Ishmael was a descendant of Abraham and Yahweh is the God of Abraham so Allah, the god of the Arab people who descended from Ishmael, must be the same.

This thinking disregards the actual nature of Yahweh and Allah. Just because both names refer to a god, does that mean they are both the same God? Absolutely not! I am not going to go into the beliefs of Islam because I am not Muslim but there is one aspect of Islam that is undeniably a belief of their faith. That is, Jesus was a prophet but not Himself God. Jesus was just a man and they deny that He was crucified, died, and resurrected three days later. What does the Bible say about this?

The Bible is absolutely clear on the Deity of Jesus, His place in the Holy Trinity where He is Himself God who came down and became a man to live a perfect life amongst us, die for our sins, and raise three days later from the dead.

The clearest scripture stating that Jesus is God is found in John 1:1-3, 14.

Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Joh 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

It is very clear here that the Word being spoken about is Jesus Christ. He was there with the Father in the beginning and He Himself was God with the Father. He made all things and then He became flesh and dwelt with His creation.

This is not the only verse that clearly states that Jesus is Himself God.

Romans 9:5 states:

Rom 9:5 Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.

1 Timothy 3:16 states:

1Ti 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:

God was manifest in the flesh,
justified in the Spirit,
seen of angels,
preached unto the Gentiles,
believed on in the world,
received up into glory.

Hebrews 1 states:

Heb 1:1 God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
Heb 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Heb 1:4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
Heb 1:5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?
Heb 1:6 And again, when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.
Heb 1:7 And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.
Heb 1:8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom.
Heb 1:9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
Heb 1:10 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:
Heb 1:11 They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;
Heb 1:12 And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.
Heb 1:13 But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?
Heb 1:14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

The Deity of Christ is also expressed in many places in the Old Testament. One very clear expression of His Deity is found in Zechariah 12:10-14.

Zec 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
Zec 12:11 In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.
Zec 12:12 And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart;
Zec 12:13 The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart;
Zec 12:14 All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart.

What does all of this mean? It means that Christianity clearly teaches that Jesus is our God. He and the Father are one. They are two parts of the Holy Trinity that also includes the Holy Spirit, the Helper that Jesus sent humanity after He left Earth to sit on His throne at the right hand of the Father. The Spirit that calls men to repentance and leads them to the saving grace of our Father through His Son Jesus Christ.

The Bible states that Jesus is the only way through which men can be saved in Acts 4:10-12.

Act 4:10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
Act 4:11 This is the stone which was set at naught of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
Act 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

1 John 2:22-24 states:

1Jn 2:22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
1Jn 2:23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: but he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
1Jn 2:24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.

To say that Jesus is the Christ means that He is the promised Messiah. The scriptures clearly teach that this Messiah is Himself God as seen by the previous scriptures. If you deny this, John is saying that you are also denying the Father and not just the Son. If you deny the Son, you do not have the Father. Muslims deny that Jesus is the Messiah. They deny that He is God, part of the Trinity.

Galatians 1:6-12 states:

Gal 1:6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
Gal 1:7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
Gal 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
Gal 1:9 As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
Gal 1:10 For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
Gal 1:11 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
Gal 1:12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

According to Muhammad, the angel Gabriel gave him the Koran and the "new gospel" of Islam. Paul is saying here that if any man or angel from Heaven comes down with a different gospel other than the one given by the Apostles, they are accursed. Islam teaches an entire different message than that of Christianity. They deny that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. They deny that He is the only name by which men must be saved. They deny that He is God and the He was resurrected from the dead.

Romans 10:9 says:

Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Unless Muslims are ready and willing to proclaim that Jesus is Lord (Meaning that He is also God) and believe that God has raised Him from the dead (resurrection three days after crucifixion) then they are not believing in the God of Christianity.

Yahweh and Allah are not the same. While both may be gods, only one is the True and Living God, the Creator of all things and the one who has the authority to save and allow to enter into Heaven.

Which one is real is entirely up to you. I know which one I believe is real.

In an interview with the Washington Post, House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) said Monday that a strongly positive report on progress on Iraq by Army Gen. David Petraeus likely would split Democrats and that it would be a real big problem for them (Democrats), no question about that.

Wow, here you have a leader in the Democratic Party, a Representative, and House Majority Whip, saying that good news for America in the war in Iraq would be a big problem for Democrats. So, in order for them to do well next October, they must root for America to suffer defeats and loose ground in Iraq.

Do we really want these people in charge of our country?

 The post I wrote in November on her story as told on the Oprah Show produce more interesting than anything else I have written. Some agreed with me, some disagreed with me, but the ones that caught my attention most were the ones that desired her to burn in Hell for what she did.

I just started reading the book "Twelve Ordinary Men" by John McArthur telling about the lives and personalities of the original Twelve Apostles. The one that speaks to me most is John, the brother of James, and one of the "Sons of Thunder". I can most relate to John's personality as McArthur describes him. He was a man who had a passion for the truth and often pushed aside compassion and love for his zeal for the truth. His passion led him to tell people that they could not cast out demons in the name of Jesus because they were not of the group of twelve. He told children to go away and not bother Jesus. He had arguments on who was going to be the greatest of all the Apostles. Ultimately, John learned about the importance of love and need to balance the passion of truth with the necessity for love. Neither of them are worth much on their own. Without truth, love is shallow and insincere. Without love, truth is harsh and judgemental.

Jesus was the perfect balance of love and truth. He would tell people who should have been knowledgeable of these things that they were heading for Hell and their judgment was going to be greater than that of Sodom and Gomorrah. He told them that it would have been better if they were never born and that their sins would be revealed for all to see. He also showed compassion on the woman who was caught in adultery. According to the law, she should have been stoned, and Jesus agreed saying, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." When everyone left, He told her that He does not condemn her but that she go and sin no more. He did not tell the woman at the well that she was a sinner for lying about her marital status but told her that she spoke well because she was not married as she had said but instead was living with a man who was not her husband.

Jesus is perfectly righteous but is also perfectly loving. I often fall into the same problem as John by focusing on truth over love rather than balancing the truth with love. Over time, I am now 30, I have been able to have more compassion on people but I still have a lot of work to do. I am very quick to get on them for behavior that is blatantly sinful, forgetting that I am also a sinner who is going to Heaven only by God's saving grace. I am very thankful for my wife because she is the opposite of me. She is quicker to respond with love and compassion over truth. She provides a balance to me and together we get it a little better than each of us individually.

There are times when truth is needed and people need to be rebuked for their sinful behavior. Jesus also demonstrated this when He overturned the tables in the Temple courtyard. There are also times, maybe even more often, that we need to exercise compassion on those who sin such as Jessica Coleman.

This is one case where I think I got it right. My first reaction to this young girl was compassion, love, and sadness. When it comes to abortion, I respond with passion and truth on those who pass legislation enabling abortion and those who perform the abortions. There does need to be love there also but their situation is entirely different than the young girls who are having the abortions, or in Jessica's case, having the baby and then killing it and throwing in a quarry.

Girls like her do not need to be condemned. I am certain that most, if not all, realize what they did was wrong and sinful. Jessica has confessed that what she did was horrible. By law she must be punished but as Christians, we should be quick to pray for her and reach out to her with the love of Christ. He is able to forgive all who seek Him in repentance. For those of you who are ready to cast the first stone and sentence her to Hell for eternity, are you sinless as Jesus asked the men who accused the adulterous woman?

I am not going to even come close to claiming that I am perfect in the arena love and compassion. I have a lot to work on and I am getting there. Maybe someday I will be able to say that I have the balance of love and truth down perfectly just like Jesus. This is very unlikely but I will continue to strive for that as we all should.

 

1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God.

2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.

4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,

5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
Spiritual Wisdom

6 However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.

7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory,

8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

9 But as it is written:

“ Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.

11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.

12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.

16 For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

Even though I knew what Paul was saying here was true, and I knew that he wrote this after trying to out-debate the Greeks using logic and rational arguments to no avail, I still thought I could do the same thing in political and religious discussions.

The wisdom of God, here stated by Paul, is a mystery that cannot be understood until it has been revealed by the Holy Spirit. People who reject the Holy Spirit by rejecting the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ cannot understand these mysteries Paul is talking about nor can people who are spiritually mature enough handle the deeper wisdom of the Lord. Some Christians are still in the infant phase and can only handle the spiritual milk as Paul speaks about in Chapter 3 of 1 Corinthians.

Paul realized, as I have just accepted myself after trying to out-debate people, that the wisdom of God is foolishness to men. Psalm 14:1 declares The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." When people reject the existence of God, the Bible declares they are fools and they despise wisdom. When Paul failed at debating others into accepting the Lord, he resorted to simply preaching that Jesus was the Messiah, He was crucified for our sins, and rose from the grave three days later. That was all he needed to say. If people reject that, there is no amount of wisdom or logic that will change their mind. Before anyone can handle the spiritual solid food, they must first become babes in Christ by becoming born again.

As a math teacher, I thrive on logic. It is my profession to draw logical conclusion based on given information. What Paul is speaking about here perfectly translates to my math class so I should have understood. My students will not get advanced algebra of geometric proofs unless they first have a solid grasp of the basics: adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, and fractions. I was trying to debate deep concepts of the Bible such as salvation, the trinity, grace, faith, works, and the literal interpretation of scripture with people who think Jesus may not have even existed or think the Bible is just a book of stories that you can pick and choose their meanings. They were not ready for deeper discussions of God's mysteries, as Paul puts it, because they think what I am saying is absurd and foolish.

I have finally reached that point where I realize that I can not debate people to the Truth of the Lord. As Paul found out, all we need to do is preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Until someone gets that basic understanding that we are all sinners in need of a savior, everything else will sound like complete nonsense. At least it only took me 30 years to fully accept this.

I recently made an attempt to discuss religion and politics on the Ubuntu Backyard forum. The Backyard was there specifically to discuss topics like this apart from the main technical help forums so I thought the other people there actually might like to debate. I quickly found out that I was a very tiny minority being a Christian and a Conservative. Most of the other people in the forum were very liberal Christians who may or may not even believe that the Bible has some truth in it, or they were complete nutcase whacko anarchists and atheist liberals.

Their tactics of debate included making some ridiculous statement then telling me I am stupid for believing in a fairy tale God. I tried to argue all of my points logically and rationally and often tried to formulate my arguments so they didn't rely on the Bible as my source. Obviously the Bible is the main reason I believe what I believe but they reject it so using it as a source would be counterproductive. Plus, since my thoughts and arguments are based on rational observations of our world and how it operates, I don't need to use the Bible because life itself backs up my arguments on such things as homosexual marriage, abortion, drugs, child raising, right and wrong, and world affairs.

At church today, we had a very interesting teaching in light of what I experienced in the "debate" forums. We covered two specific verses in Hosea, 9:9 and 10:9.

Hos 9:9 They have deeply corrupted themselves, as in the days of Gibeah: therefore he will remember their iniquity, he will visit their sins.

Hos 10:9 O Israel, thou hast sinned from the days of Gibeah: there they stood: the battle in Gibeah against the children of iniquity did not overtake them.

In both of these verses, Hosea references Gibeah, the main city of the tribe of Benjamin. This reference is to a specific event that happened in Gibeah and recorded in the book of Judges, chapter 19 and 20.

Jdg 19:1 And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite sojourning on the side of mount Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Bethlehem-judah.

Jdg 19:2 And his concubine played the whore against him, and went away from him unto her father's house to Bethlehem-judah, and was there four whole months.

Jdg 19:3 And her husband arose, and went after her, to speak friendly unto her, and to bring her again, having his servant with him, and a couple of donkeys: and she brought him into her father's house: and when the father of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced to meet him.

Jdg 19:4 And his father-in-law, the damsel's father, retained him; and he abode with him three days: so they did eat and drink, and lodged there.

Jdg 19:5 And it came to pass on the fourth day, when they arose early in the morning, that he rose up to depart: and the damsel's father said unto his son-in-law, Comfort thine heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward go your way.

Jdg 19:6 And they sat down, and did eat and drink both of them together: for the damsel's father had said unto the man, Be content, I pray thee, and tarry all night, and let thine heart be merry.

Jdg 19:7 And when the man rose up to depart, his father-in-law urged him: therefore he lodged there again.

Jdg 19:8 And he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart: and the damsel's father said, Comfort thine heart, I pray thee. And they tarried until afternoon, and they did eat both of them.

Jdg 19:9 And when the man rose up to depart, he, and his concubine, and his servant, his father-in-law, the damsel's father, said unto him, Behold, now the day draweth toward evening, I pray you tarry all night: behold, the day groweth to an end, lodge here, that thine heart may be merry; and tomorrow get you early on your way, that thou mayest go home.

Jdg 19:10 But the man would not tarry that night, but he rose up and departed, and came over against Jebus, which is Jerusalem; and there were with him two asses saddled, his concubine also was with him.

Jdg 19:11 And when they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said unto his master, Come, I pray thee, and let us turn in into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it.

Jdg 19:12 And his master said unto him, We will not turn aside hither into the city of a stranger, that is not of the children of Israel; we will pass over to Gibeah.

Jdg 19:13 And he said unto his servant, Come, and let us draw near to one of these places to lodge all night, in Gibeah, or in Ramah.

Jdg 19:14 And they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down upon them when they were by Gibeah, which belongeth to Benjamin.

Jdg 19:15 And they turned aside thither, to go in and to lodge in Gibeah: and when he went in, he sat him down in a street of the city: for there was no man that took them into his house to lodging.

Jdg 19:16 And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even, which was also of mount Ephraim; and he sojourned in Gibeah: but the men of the place were Benjamites.

Jdg 19:17 And when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw a wayfaring man in the street of the city: and the old man said, Whither goest thou? and whence comest thou?

Jdg 19:18 And he said unto him, We are passing from Bethlehem-judah toward the side of mount Ephraim; from thence am I: and I went to Bethlehem-judah, but I am now going to the house of the LORD; and there is no man that receiveth me to house.

Jdg 19:19 Yet there is both straw and provender for our asses; and there is bread and wine also for me, and for thy handmaid, and for the young man which is with thy servants: there is no want of any thing.

Jdg 19:20 And the old man said, Peace be with thee; howsoever let all thy wants lie upon me; only lodge not in the street.

Jdg 19:21 So he brought him into his house, and gave provender unto the donkeys: and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink.

Jdg 19:22 Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spoke to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him.

Jdg 19:23 And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, nay, I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this folly.

Jdg 19:24 Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, and his concubine; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not so vile a thing.

Jdg 19:25 But the men would not hearken to him: so the man took his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go.

Jdg 19:26 Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man's house where her lord was, till it was light.

Jdg 19:27 And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way: and, behold, the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, and her hands were upon the threshold.

Jdg 19:28 And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going. But none answered. Then the man took her up upon a donkey, and the man rose up, and got him unto his place.

Jdg 19:29 And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, together with her bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coasts of Israel.

Jdg 19:30 And it was so, that all that saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day: consider of it, take advice, and speak your minds.

Chapter 20 goes on to tell about what the other tribes of Israel did in response to this incident but the depravity of the people in this city hits a little close to home when you look a little closer at America.

The book of Judges is a very sad book because it says twice, their was no king in the land and the people did what was right in their own eyes. This is modern day moral relativism that is rampant throughout our country. I heard this belief expressed constantly in the debate forums. America along with the rest of the world has embraced this philosophy. Anyone who dares to believe there is a truth out there and that truth comes from our Heavenly Father is labeled intolerant, hateful, bigoted, homophobic, and so on. Believers in relativism call Christian arrogant because we believe there is only one way to Heaven and that way was established by the Creator of all things. I say they are the arrogant ones, however, since they believe that whatever they determine to be right or wrong is what is right and wrong. They, as seen in the Ubuntu forums, are very intolerant of those who believe in a Heavenly Creator and do not want to listen to another point of view.

In this story, the men of Gibeah wanted to have homosexual sex with the man who was passing through with his concubine. Instead, his host offered his virgin daughter and the visitor's concubine for them to rape all night long because that makes it better? The depravity of the situation is very reminiscent of the story of Lot and Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis. In our culture today, homosexuality is embraced and celebrated as normal and healthy. Sexual perversion of all kinds is used for entertainment in movies, pornography, books, night clubs, and so on. We are murdering our unborn children under the banner of reproductive freedom and choice. Our society is completely sick but the rest of the world is no better. We are nearing and crossing many of the same lines of perversion and sin that all former powerful nations once crossed before they fell to another. History does not lie and it often repeats itself.

The Bible speaks of a time when the Christ rejecting, sinful world will finally be judged for its sins and face the wrath of God that should have been avoided if they only accepted the payment Christ gave us on the Cross. We all deserve God's wrath and judgment for our sins but Christ made a way for us to escape it. He paid that price and took what we deserved so that we could spend eternity with the Father in Heaven who loves us.

We are living in a time unique to world history when all the nations have rejected God. There is no king in the world right now and all the nations are doing what is right in their own eyes, including America and that scares me.

I believe the time is drawing close when Jesus will call His bride (the Church) to our seven year wedding celebration while the rest of the world finally realizes that there is a God and He is worthy of our worship and praise. The time is nearing when everyone will be forced to choose between serving God or serving Satan.

One thing that really bothers me is dishonesty in debate. The most guilty party of such dishonesty is the evolution camp. They refuse to respond to the actual points of the debate when it comes to creation vs. evolution. They love to makes charges of stupidity against creationists because they accuse them of not believing in such an obvious thing as evolution.

Is this true? Well, yes and no. It is all a matter of semantics. They love to play the game that evolution just means a change over time, specifically referring to the traits and genes within a species. Nobody denies this is true and observable. That is not the debate however. While that is a textbook definition of microevolution or adaptation. The debate between creation and evolution deals with macroevolution relating to the origin of life and the species. The idea that we all came from a common ancestor, mainly amino acids floating in a bubbling pool or primordial ooze.

This idea is so silly and baseless that they have to spin the debate and attack the creationist's intelligence. They don't want to confront the issue of the origin of life because their side makes no sense and has no evidence. Instead, they claim evolution makes no assertion of the origin of life and only talks about the observable change as though this were the real debate. Evolution relies on the origins of life because in order for their to be change over time, there had to be a starting point of life. Because evolution provides no answers to this origin, though it does provide theories, they don't want to discuss them because the theories are very weak.

If you ask any large population of normal Americans what the theory of evolution is about, almost every one of them will say that it is the theory on how life came about after the Big Bang going from non-life to all the life we have here on Earth. T