Banana Republic

by: GREGORY H. B.
With the re-election of Barack Obama, the United States has officially become a banana republic. From a nation that produced patriots like Ronald Reagan and John Kennedy, we have knowingly selected the lowest common denominator as our commander in chief.
From China to Iran, the enemies of freedom can now breathe a collective sigh of relief as the citizens of the United States have placed an empty suit at the helm of state. To think the American people would select Barack Obama over a man like Mitt Romney is a national embarrassment that we will not soon overcome.
Never in history has a nation so great fallen so far, so fast, as ours did on Nov. 6, 2012. Albert Einstein said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Using this definition, anyone who expects anything different from Obama must surely be insane.

Biblical Self-Defense: What does the Bible say about self-defense? Bible study about self-defense questions: Can a Christian own a gun? What do the Scriptures say about using lethal force for self-protection?

Biblical Self-Defense: What does the Bible say about self-defense? Bible study about self-defense questions: Can a Christian own a gun? What do the Scriptures say about using lethal force for self-protection?

Soldier

"In World War II, 11.2% of the nation served in four years. In Vietnam, 4.3% served in 12 years. Since 2001, only 0.45% of our population has served in the Global War on Terror. These are unbelievable statistics.

Over time, fewer and fewer people have shouldered more and more of the burden and it is only getting worse. Our troops were sent to war in Iraq by a Congress consisting of 10% veterans with only one person having a child in the military. Taxes did not increase to pay for the war. War bonds were not sold. Gas was not regulated. In fact, the average citizen was asked to sacrifice nothing, and has sacrificed nothing unless they have chosen to out of the goodness of their hearts.

The only people who have sacrificed are the veterans and their families. The volunteers. The people who swore an oath to defend this nation. You.

You stand there, deployment after deployment and fight on. You've lost relationships, spent years of your lives in extreme conditions, years apart from kids you'll never get back, and beaten your body in a way that even professional athletes don't understand. And you come home to a nation that doesn't understand. They don't understand suffering. They don't understand sacrifice. They don't understand that bad people exist. They look at you like you're a machine like something is wrong with you. You are the misguided one not them. When you get out, you sit in the college classrooms with political science teachers that discount your opinions on Iraq and Afghanistan because YOU WERE THERE and can't understand the "macro" issues they gathered from books with your bias. You watch TV shows where every vet has PTSD and the violent strain at that. Your Congress is debating your benefits, your retirement, and your pay, while they ask you to do more.

But the amazing thing about you is that you all know this. You know your country will never pay back what you've given up. You know that the populace at large will never truly understand or appreciate what you have done for them. Hell, you know that in some circles, you will be thought as less than normal for having worn the uniform. But you do it anyway. You do what the greatest men and women of this country have done since 1775 YOU SERVED. Just that decision alone makes you part of an elite group.

Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few.

You are the 0.45%."

General David Petraeus West Point Class 1974 

the tower of Babel

To understand the Lord's response to the people building
the tower of Babel, consider the command God gave Noah and his descendants in Genesis 9:1: "So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.' "
In apparent disobedience, the people stayed in one place and began to build a monument to themselves. In response, God confused their languages and scattered the people over the face of the earth.
God deals with disobedience in different ways. Sometimes He lets us go our own way and suffer the natural consequences of our sin. At other times the issue is a major part of His program, and it cannot be ignored.
Disobedience always has a price, and in the end God always has His way. Obedience, then, while not always easy, is always wise. God always acts for the ultimate benefit of His children.

Being Saved

Ceremonies and rituals cannot save a person, only Jesus can save us. Observing traditions of whatever sort cannot save anyone, only the blood of Christ can do that, and being transformed into His likeness can only be hindered by such things, for only personal relationship between the Master and His disciple can transform a person.

Christianity

Now that the Supreme Court has changed the definition of marriage, it doesn't mean that GOD has changed His definition of marriage. But, we all have a free will to choose what we want to do. We can follow God's Word or we can do whatever we want. 
I'll be he first to admit that I'm not perfect, but I am forgiven. You see, that's what separates the Christians from the world. If we read Romans chapter 1 we will all find ourselves short of the glory of God. I found myself there, at least until I repented of my sins and asked Jesus into my life. You see, when you get saved, you shouldn't be the same person you were before. That takes repentance!
I am not focused completely about todays decision. I am worried about all sinners and all sin. Drinking, drugs, adultery, fornication, and much more. Contrary to what some people think, if you come to most churches we will not be telling you how bad homosexuality is. We will tell you how bad all sin is and that there is a Savior who died for all sins if you accept Him.
Yes, Jesus Loves You and I do too.

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.” (John 3:1-2).

In order to understand this story, we need to know two things about  Nicodemus.  First, he was a Pharisee.  If you are a student of the Bible, you probably have a negative view of the Pharisees.  You may think that all the Pharisees were legalistic hypocrites who hated Jesus.  But that’s not true at all.  In the first century the Pharisees were widely respected for their intense piety and deep scholarship.  They were men who devoted their lives to the study of the Torah and its application to daily life.  They truly wanted to obey God’s law.  That meant studying the Bible for hours each day, praying two hours a day, giving a tithe of all they possessed, and in general, being scrupulously concerned about morality.  There were only a few thousand Pharisees because not many men would make that kind of personal sacrifice.  Those who did were held in high esteem.

Second, Nicodemus was a member of the Jewish ruling council. This was a select group of 70 men who served as a kind of combination Congress and Supreme Court.  They adjudicated various disputes and settled legal matters so that the Romans wouldn’t have to get involved. As you might expect, only the leading men were elected to such a prestigious position. The fact that Nicodemus was part of the ruling council meant that he must have been highly respected by his peers.  In 21th century terms, he was like a United States Senator or a Supreme Court justice.

That’s the man who came to see Jesus one night in Jerusalem. But why come at night? Perhaps because he knew that Jesus was controversial and he couldn’t risk being seen publicly. Or perhaps he wished to have time for a lengthy personal interview. I’m sure there were elements of curiosity mixed with a sense of duty.  After all, this upstart rabbi had been gaining followers by the day.  As a leader, he had an obligation to find about more about this man.

Surely there is more to the story than that. The fact that he risked his own position to come to Jesus speaks of his own personal need. Note what he said. “No one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.” Nicodemus admits that Jesus has been sent from God. He is no mere man; he’s more than a teacher from Galilee. In Jesus Nicodemus recognized the mark of divine parentage. 

Spiritual warfare

Jesus is our ultimate example when it comes to warding off spiritual attacks. Observe how Jesus handled direct attacks from Satan when He was tempted by him in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). Each temptation was answered the same way—with the words “It is written” and a quote from the Scriptures. Jesus knew the Word of the living God is the most powerful weapon against the temptations of the devil. If Jesus Himself used the Word to counter the devil, do we dare to use anything less?

The ultimate example of how not to engage in spiritual warfare is the seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish priest, who went around driving out evil spirits by trying to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. One day the evil spirit answered them, “‘Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?’ Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding” (Acts 19:13-16). The seven sons of Sceva were using Jesus’ name, but because they did not have a relationship with Jesus, their words were void of any power or authority. They were not relying on Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and they were not employing the Word of God in their spiritual warfare. As a result, they received a humiliating beating. May we learn from their bad example and conduct spiritual warfare as the Bible instructs.

Manila - 20 Million and Rising.

https://youtu.be/PwVD43s27pk

Herzl - the Man and the Dream

Herzl - the Man and the Dream

The People History Blog: 1970's News and Interesting Tidbits From History

The People History Blog: 1970's News and Interesting Tidbits From History

Karl Marx

“The whole gospel of Karl Marx can be summed up in a single sentence: Hate the man who is better off than you are.  Never under any circumstances admit that his success may be due to his own efforts, to the productive contribution he has made to the whole community.”

THINK ABOUT

For those Americans still capable of actually thinking with a sense of honesty,

THINK ABOUT

Part I:
10 Poorest Cities in America and how did it happen?
City, State, % of People Below the Poverty Level

1. Detroit , MI 32.5%
2. Buffalo , NY 29.9%
3. Cincinnati , OH 27.8%
4. Cleveland , OH 27.0%
5. Miami , FL 26.9%
5. St. Louis , MO 26.8%
7. El Paso , TX 26.4%
8. Milwaukee , WI 26.2%
9. Philadelphia , PA 25.1%
10. Newark , NJ 24.2%

What do the top ten cities (over 250,000) with the highest poverty rate all have in common?

Detroit , MI (1st on the poverty rate list) hasn't elected a Republican mayor since 1961

Buffalo , NY (2nd) hasn't elected one since 1954

Cincinnati , OH - (3rd) since 1984

Cleveland , OH - (4th) since 1989

Miami , FL - (5th) has never had a Republican mayor

St. Louis , MO - (6th) since 1949

El Paso , TX - (7th) has never had a Republican mayor

Milwaukee , WI - (8th) since 1908

Philadelphia , PA - (9th) since 1952

Newark , NJ - (10th) since 1907

THINK ABOUT IT!
Einstein once said, 'The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.'

It is the poor who habitually elect Democrats...yet they are still POOR.

THINK ABOUT IT!

Part II:

"You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's initiative and independence.
You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves."
...........Abraham Lincoln

THINK ABOUT IT!

"Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the government take care of him had better take a closer look at the American Indian.” - Henry Ford

THINK ABOUT IT!

History

In the past 100 years there has been a literal explosion in the increase of knowledge.
The invention of electricity, automobiles, airplanes and computers have all taken place
in our generation.

The Hebrew word for “increase” (ra^ba^h) implies not only an addition of knowledge,
but also a multiplication or a knowledge that is increasing exponentially. This is so
much of an exact prophecy that knowledge is now
presently doubling every twenty-two months.

Daniel uses the words “time of the end”. This increase in knowledge explosion has
happened in the same century as therebirth of Israel.

Scriptures
Daniel 12:4 Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end:
many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

Matthew 16:3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and
lowering. O you hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can you not discern the signs of the times

Different viewpoints

John relates Jesus’ life from a heavenly point of view, while Matthew relates it from a Jewish point of view, Luke from a Greek point of view, and Mark from a Roman viewpoint. As a consequence, John is the only Gospel author who wrote to a universal audience. Why did he write the book? Here is John’s answer to that question:
“These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
John 20:31

Dicernment

It is right to have a heart that would continually give to others, and it pleases God to see this wonderful characteristic in our lives. However, in this area of giving and helping, the Bible also teaches that we must have wise discernment (Matthew 10:16). God gives us certain standards that we must take into account when it comes to giving our time and money to others. When the Bible tells us we are to help others, the purpose is never for us to do this to the point where it becomes detrimental. It's good to do what we're able to do, but 2 Thessalonians 3:10 also reminds us, "If a man will not work, he shall not eat." There are people who want to live an irresponsible lifestyle with absolutely no accountability. So there must be limits; we will help someone with a need, but if we see that it's become a chronic life pattern, it's wrong for us to continue to encourage that. It's very harmful to others to contribute to their indolence, laziness, and lack of effort. The old saying "Give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach him to fish and he eats for a lifetime" is very true. As long as we see that someone is sincerely making an effort, we should be there to support him in whatever way God leads.

Conundrums

by oii8yoCFfvwcswa65

Free people are not equal. Equal people are not free.
“A gun is like a parachute. If you need one, and don’t
have one, you’ll probably never need one again.” The
definition of the word Conundrum is: something that is
puzzling or confusing.

Here are six Conundrums of socialism in the
United States of America :

1. America is capitalist and greedy –
yet half of the population is subsidized.

2. Half of the population is subsidized –
yet they think they are victims.

3. They think they are victims – yet their
representatives run the government.

4. Their representatives run the government –
yet the poor keep getting poorer.

5. The poor keep getting poorer – yet they
have things that people in other countries
only dream about.

6. They have things that people in other
countries only dream about – yet they want
America to be more like those other countries.

Think about it! And that, my friends, pretty
much sums up the USA in the 21st Century.
Makes you wonder who is doing the math.

These three, short sentences tell you a lot
about the direction of our current government
and cultural environment :

1. We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims
by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are
encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the
actions of a few lunatics.

Funny how that works.
And here’s another one worth considering…

2. Seems we constantly hear about how Social
Security is going to run out of money. But we
never hear about welfare or food stamps running
out of money? What’s interesting is the first
group “worked for” their money, but the second
didn’t.

Think about it…..and Last but not least :

3. Why are we cutting benefits for our veterans,
no pay raises for our military and cutting our army
but we are not stopping the payments or benefits
to illegal aliens.

A Damaged Culture: A New Philippines?

A Damaged Culture: A New Philippines?

One Evil: Ancient Rome

One Evil: Ancient Rome

Gehenna

Jerusalem’s ancient garbage dump—a place called Gehenna—was illustrative of the ceaseless agonies ofhell. This dump was on the south side of Jerusalem. In Old Testament times, children had been sacrificed to idols there (2 Kings 23:10); in Jesus’ day, it was a place burning with constant fires to consume the waste that was thrown there. The material burned there included everything from household trash to animal carcasses to convicted criminals (Jeremiah 7:31–33). Needless to say, the Jews considered Gehenna a cursed place of impurity and uncleanness. The word translated “hell” inMark 9:43is the Greek wordGehenna, which comes from the Hebrew name for a place called the “Valley of Hinnom.” Jesus uses this place to paint a vivid image of what hell is like. The Jewish people often associated the Valley of Hinnom with spiritual death. InMark 9:48, when Jesus says, “Where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched” (ESV), He is quoting fromIsaiah 66:24: “They will go out and look on the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; the worms that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.” In both texts the word translated as “worm” literally means “grub” or “maggot.” A maggot would have an obvious association with a dump like Gehenna where dead bodies are thrown; however, the maggot Christ speaks of “will not die.” Taken at face value, this text is one of the most horrific descriptions of what hell is like. The thought of eternal torment, likened to maggots eating away at a rotting corpse, is undoubtedly ghastly. Hell is so awful that Christ said, figuratively speaking, it’s better to cut off the hand that causes you to sin than to end up in hell (Matthew 5:30). Mark 9:48does not mean that there are literal worms in hell or that there are worms that live forever; rather, Jesus is teaching the fact of unending suffering in hell—the “worm” never stops causing torment. Notice that the worm is personal. BothIsaiah 66:24andMark 9:48use the wordtheirto identify the worm’s owner. The sources of torment are attached each to its own host. Some Bible scholars believe the “worm” refers to a man’sconscience. Those in hell, being completely cut off from God, exist with a nagging, guilty conscience that, like a persistent worm, gnaws away at its victim with a remorse that can never be mitigated. No matter what the wordwormrefers to, the most important thing to be gained from these words of Christ is that we should do everything in our power to escape the horrors of hell, and there is only one thing to that end—receiving Jesus as the Lord of our lives (John 3:16). Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/worm-will-not-die.html#ixzz2vlXvL9da

The Awareness of God's Presence - Dr Charles Stanley

Dr. Charles Stanley, The Two Paths of Life

The Rise of Evil | The Life Project

The Rise of Evil | The Life Project

Black people are allowing themselves to be played like a fiddle. Obama launched his political career from Bill Ayer’s living room. The same Ayers who started SDS and Weather Underground who bombed places to kill policemen. In the 1960s SDS and WU wrote about how they were going to overthrow the system. One of their most important tools was Black people, because they could be placed in a position of dependency (Welfare, EBT, War on Poverty) and easily manipulated. They would incite Black people to riot so that they could declare martial law and collapse the system. Do not take my word for it. Google: “Prairie Fire” And read it for yourself.

Scientists Discover Proof That Humanity Is Getting Dumber, Smaller And Weaker

Scientists Discover Proof That Humanity Is Getting Dumber, Smaller And Weaker

A Civilization in Decline

A Civilization in Decline    This is a great article well worth the time it takes to read.

One Evil: Slave Trade

One Evil: Slave Trade

Pride

Why would pride bring disgrace?; what is it about pride that could do that? Isn’t a little pride a good thing; don’t they say that you should have pride in what you do?
Maybe that is it, right there: Have pride in what you do.
There is more than one kind of pride, just as there is more than one kind of love. We can be prideful, or we can be proud of the way we do things, and these are quite different. To be proud of our work means that we are pleased to do our work the right way; with quality and integrity. To be prideful on the other hand, is not so good, for in that case, we believe that we are better than other people, that we are more worthy, that we are more privileged, and all too often that the rules do not apply to us. An attitude like this leads a person to trouble.
This is the attitude that cuts corners, makes crooked deals and is willing to cheat others; why not if we are better than they are? This leads to disgrace sooner or later when we are found out.
Humility on the other hand, leads a person in a different direction, for a humble man or woman does not believe they are more worthy or superior to anyone else. They go about their business fairly, openly and with justice before God and Man, and that is wisdom itself.

Philippines

Sadly misplaced nationalism along with undisciplined emotional immaturity has hurt the Philippines. National pride and incompetent leadership has allowed the country to slide down the road towards anarchy. As with many Latin American and African countries, the people have suffered because of corrupt leaders more interested in enriching themselves than caring the people they rule.
Police and military organisations have become infected with corruption, more interested in protecting their commercial and political interests than serving the people.

Filipinos need to work on their ego - Get Real Post

Filipinos need to work on their ego - Get Real Post