Sunday, March 17, 2013

Sunday Faith Blog

"Father, I pray in Jesus' name that You restore a social conscience to our nation.  Thank you for the rich and glorious heritage we have as a country.  Let us never forget that this was a country founded upon religious freedom and the principles and precepts of Your Word.  May the same spirit reside in us as it did in our founding fathers.  Let us never forget the thousands upon thousands who shed their blood and gave their lives so we might enjoy the freedoms we now have.

Help us unite together in support of our nation.  Help us rise above political, racial, and social differences, to stand together as citizens of the United States of America.  Let us bind together in support of our president, military and Congress.   Let us be proud to fly the American flag and sing "The Star Spangled Banner."

Help us be mindful to pray for our nation and its leaders.  Help us to pray for those in authority to make the right decisions that will keep our nation strong.  Help us remember that even though our country may have faults, it deserves the loyalty, commitment, and support of all citizens."

"Our institutions of freedom will not survive unless they are constantly replenished by the faith that gave them birth."   John Foster Dulles, Secretary of State, 1953-59, under President Eisenhower. ...

..........from Pray for our Nation by Keith and Megan Provance
 
"Many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a faithful man who can find? The righteous man leads a blameless life; blessed are his children after him."  Proverbs 20: 6,7

let us pray...

z


23 comments:

TS/WS said...

It is a sin to call someone a fool, because we all are fools. It is a far worse sin to be a fools fool.
I read it in the Bible some where, when I was word flipping in the Bible and not marking any of the verses. researching and flipping to fast.
But I see it in the Politics of self aggrandizing, it is the lefts agenda to try and make the population (the targeted poor and uninformed), their fools and as such fools fools. Just an other tool in their quiver used to disgust G_d, and try to use the population to anger Him so he will turn His face from this Nation, then that will allow the enemies of this Country to take over without the sword (firing a shot).

FreeThinke said...

If we would be free, we must pray first and last to quell the desire to oppress our fellow men and women.

Today is St. Patrick's Day, which should be a celebration of the herculean effort made - and great success achieved -- of "Patricius," a remarkable man of Roman ancestry, who after having been enslaved as a boy by the fierce pagan tribes of primitive Ireland, devoted his life to freeing these primitive people by converting them to belief in Jesus Christ.

Ireland -- and by extension the entire world -- has suffered a great deal from the insane-but-ubiquitous notion that "other" human societies exist primarily to be conquered and taken advantage of.

That, of course, is the direct opposite of what our Lord came to teach us, yet still we persist.

OPPRESSION -- forcing our will on others, for whatever reason -- is undoubtedly the greatest sin of all -- and the primary reason for all our ills.

FreeThinke said...

O Paddy, dear, and did ye hear
_____ the news that's goin' round?
The shamrock is by law forbid
_____ to grow on Irish ground!
No more Saint Patrick's Day we'll keep,
_____ his color can't be seen
For there's a cruel law ag'in
_____ the Wearin' o' the Green. ...


I met with Napper Tandy,
_____ and he took me by the hand
And he said, "How's poor old Ireland,
_____ and how does she stand?"
"She's the most distressful country
_____ that ever yet was seen
For they're hanging men and women there
_____ for the Wearin' o' the Green.


So if the color we must wear
_____ be England's cruel red
Let it remind us of the blood
_____ that Irishmen have shed
And pull the shamrock from your hat,
_____ and throw it on the sod
But never fear, 'twill take root there,
_____ though underfoot 'tis trod.


When laws can stop the blades of grass
_____from growin' as they grow
And when the leaves in summer-time
_____ their color dare not show
Then I will change the color too
_____ I wear in my caubeen
But till that day, please God,
_____ I'll stick to the Wearin' o' the Green.


~ Traditional Irish ballad

____________________________

Until we realize that it doesn't matter
whether it's the Irish, the Jews, the Huguenots, the American Indians, the American Negro, the Mormons, the Russian peasants, the Armenians, the Workers, the North Vietnamese, etc. who are being persecuted and oppressed -- until we realize that ALL forms of oppression are wrong -- we will never be free, ourselves, from our inherent inhumanity -- the very thing from which Jesus sought to save us.

Ed Bonderenka said...

"Let us bind together in support of our president, military and Congress. "
Nope.
I cannot support the President or the Senate. Barely the House.
Unless it's in prayer for their repentance or removal.
@TS/WS: Jesus was comparing the fact that if you insulted someone by calling them a fool (an air-head, "raca") you were in danger of the council, but calling them a "moros" (moron) put you in danger of hellfire.
This refers to checking our own spiritual condition, such as the comparison of lust and adultery or hate and murder, it being a matter of the condition of the heart and checking ones own.
Jesus himself said that it would be said of the rich man who built barns for his increased wealth: "Thou fool! Tonight thy soul is required of thee."
or:
Psalm 14:1 "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God."
(Which is why April 1st is Atheist Day).
Typically fools in the Bible are unbelievers. To accuse a fellow Jew of being an unbeliever was serious enough to go before the council.
To call them a moron is a reflection on the God in whose image they were created.
I do have to watch my own spiritual condition when I call liberals "morons", as if God didn't give then the ability to repent.

sue hanes said...


Z - Thanks for these Sunday Faith Blog thoughts. No one can argue against them - I don't think.

Have a good Sunday - Z.

Z said...

'FOOL'? Can someone tell me where they got that from my post? I'm missing something, They Say and Ed!! ???

Ed, sadly, I'm with you on praying for this president, though I DO TRY.
You might laugh with me when I tell you I was praying with a dear, small prayer group at my previous church, about 4 women who are very close friends, and I found myself saying "and Lord, we lift Obama up to you........could you please keep him UP there for a while? "
That got a whoop of delight, let me tell you! I still laugh myself :-)

Sue, thanks...you have a wonderful Sunday, too. xx

Z said...

Sue, are you blogging at all anymore? You have so many blogs listed and I'm never quite sure, when people do that, which you're up-to-date on??

Z said...

By the way..I just saw Alan Colmes tell someone that if he has a problem with MA high schoolers portraying Jesus and his Apostles as gay in a school play he must have a personal problem with gays and should "look into that." Imagine?
Talk about a FOOL. Sin or not, that is FOOLISH and UGLY and a typical leftwinger's ridiculous attempt at changing the focus and insulting.
And yes, They Say/We Say...disgusting God seems to be the wave of our future; not a good idea!

FT...Are you saying that bringing the Irish to Christ was oppression??
I don't follow you on your oppression bent one bit..please explain.. thanks!

Ed Bonderenka said...

@Z: I just responded to TS/WS's fool comment, couldn't resist. Just the Bible teacher in me.
I think FT was saying that Patrick was setting Ireland free, that's what Christians do, as opposed to enslaving them, as they had done to him.
Lord, I too lift Obama up to you.
(I deleted my funny comment about God being insulted at my offering because it would be inappropriate.)

Z said...

Ed, I thought that was what FT was saying, but there was enough there to throw one off.
I'm still stinging from a music coach telling high school kids who are producing BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON (a terrible musical) that the Indians were so oppressive in bringing Christianity to the natives.

Yes, I wondered where They Say came up with 'fool' for his comment...I think he opened with that out of the clear blue sky; most comments come straight out of the post, so I was curious. Very good points, that's for sure.

And I'm glad you didn't write that inappropriate comment here :-)

Did you read what what I wrote above about what Alan Colmes did to the conservative on FOX this morning?...about the high schoolers portraying those in the Jesus story as gay? Unbelievable.

Funny, but as I watched Colmes' face as the talk show host responded and the hostess thanked them for being there, I thought I saw that either he knew what a really ridiculous remark he'd made or was contemplating how he was wrong and it could be held against him in the future...probably the second.

FreeThinke said...

"FT... Are you saying that bringing the Irish to Christ was oppression?"

Of course not. Certainly not the way St. Patrick converted the Celtic tribes of Ireland. He used the gentle art of persuasion along with incredible patience and perseverance. Today many would say he used "psychology" on the Celts in order to bring them to Jesus.

There could be no true "conversion" to any religion if made under pain of death while being dominated by foreigner intruders determined to steal your land and enslave you.

My point, which I had hoped would be obvious, is that our prayers and aspirations would best be directed at the fundamental cause of the evils that beset us. I truly believe this terrible urge to try to acquire dominion over others -- a trait ALL human beings seem to have to one degree or another -- is the worst thing about us -- the thing we need most to recognize in ourselves and strive through earnest prayer, supplication and daily effort in all our direct dealings to overcome.

The Irish were most hideously oppressed by the English, certainly not St Patrick, who was from everything I've been able to learn about him a most admirable iconic -- actually heroic -- figure.

A great deal of his success was due to his wisdom in encouraging the Irish still to be themselves while bringing Jesus into their lives. Patrick respected their customs and mores and did not attempt to convert through castigation and condemnation.

In my opinion the world is suffering horribly from an excess of negativism on all fronts. In my opinion it's un-Christian to give way to it.

Z said...

No, it wasn't obvious, but thanks.
I actually delivered a talk on St Patrick 2 years ago on this very subject.
Obviously, your comment was a little confusing and I'm glad to hear this clarification.

Ed Bonderenka said...

@Z: Holmes is a moro... fool.
I could never make a habit of watching him. He's snide, smug and arrogant.
Homosexuality would get you stoned in the Israel Jesus lived in.
Jesus certainly never violated the Law as given to Moses.
Was this the same play that portrayed Adam and Eve as queer?
How would that "be fruitful and multiply" thing work?

Ed Bonderenka said...

@Z: listen to this:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/41339180/Rosario%20Butterfield.mp3

TS/WS said...

No Ed it was not in the New Testament. It was explained as I wrote.
The left (or who ever-Evil Principalities) use every one of the Noah Laws (The Ones The Jews Say We Should Follow) or The Laws Of Leviticus, to turn G_d's Face from the targeted Nation (where FT was sounding off about), to try and use the Populace as their tool, to disgust G-d.
This is right on target with this post as it is a FACT that the Masses here as well as the whole world is tricked into "Taking from the rich" (covenant thy neighbors goods) turning the life story of Jesus into a Fools FOOL Perception that He was a homo.
That is what the Post is about Praying for this attack on our souls to be thwarted off.
It ain't gonna happen as long as this is not understood the way the Prophets teach us in the Old as well as the 2nd Adam in New Testament.
And FT there are no explanations for this bunch.

Z said...

Ed, that is AMAZING...I'm so glad I listened.
My boss supports Patrick Henry University and now I see why, by the way.
I am considering getting her book. it didn't mention if she'd changed her lifestyle but she did say she "had been" in a lesbian lifestyle.

I tell you what, Ed, reading Scripture with someone leading the way is a very powerful thing.

What struck me so much was how the love of the Gospel and the patience of the pastor who helped her made such a huge impression on someone so "steeped in Marx, etc.."

thanks. Very powerful!

Z said...

http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/authors-on-the-line/from-radical-lesbian-to-redeemed-christian-an-autobiographical-interview-with-rosaria-champagne-butterfield

Ed,listen to her here, too.
I just ordered the book, by the way.

BOY, is she articulate.

The part about the Bible being God's Word and, if we don't believe that, we're separated from him in profound ways even if we are believers, is something very near and dear to me. Wow, can she articulate her thoughts/feelings!

Ed Bonderenka said...

Thanks for the link.
I'll listen tomorrow.
I'm so happy I could share that with you.
BTW, this is me on Bennett the previous day:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/41339180/Francis%20Liberation%20Theology.mp3
good news.

Z said...

Ed, COOL!! neat to hear you!
I have been closely watching the actions of Pope Francis and already miss a Pope who stays a little to himself and weaves a kind of aura of holiness instead of surging right into a crowd.
I like the idea of the Pope praying for his followers more than his constant requesting of prayers for him. I like that he asked once but he's been doing that a lot in the reports I'm reading and it makes me think of my own pastor who sometimes makes me think "Heck, if YOU can't live this life, how am I supposed to!?" because he so frequently talks about his own frailties...which I think is good OCCASIONALLY, not frequently :-)

I think he's very much for the poor and sick, which is fantastic and not unlike any other Pope, probably, and I'm hoping he sticks to the church's anti-abortion stance and other more Biblical stances. Please, God!

Bloviating Zeppelin said...

We'll require every prayer imaginable for this country.

I simply won't see it repaired in my time.

BZ

Ducky's here said...

I could never make a habit of watching him. He's snide, smug and arrogant.
Homosexuality would get you stoned in the Israel Jesus lived in.

----
Does that appeal to you, Ed?

Old testament law is virtually identical to sharia. Think about it.

Ed Bonderenka said...

@duck: My homosexual friends would be surprised if it did.
You're smarter than that.
You know the subject was portraying Jesus as gay.

Z said...

Ducky, you just crack me UP! :-)
Thanks for the morning giggle!!


Ed...not really.