Who's a Christian?

Over the last nearly 3 years I have seen rage, jealousy and bitterness run people. They become bitter against one another, and the root of it all is greed, hate, and jealousy. To see men and women who should be brothers and sisters act like this is disgusting and disheartening.

Folks, our nation is doomed because of the self-seeking ways of those around us.

Disputes between brothers and sisters

Let me be very clear: if you are part of a clique that is divisive, filled with envy, jealousy, rage, anger, or any other of the works of the flesh, then you are NOT a Christian. If you set out to destroy someone and deliberately take something away from them because you think you know something, you are not a Christian.You can pray, you can cry, and your prayers will hit the ceiling of brass. If you do  manage to accomplish your goal by banding together, it will be short lived.

"Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift." Matthew 5:23,24

You will likely say to me, but this has happened before, so we are justified. No you are not.  The fruit of these little cliques is evil - and the motive is not pure.  Are you working to save lives? Are you working to reconcile? Are you working to help the victim?  Do you care about how  your personal attacks have affected the people?

Leadership

On the principle of leadership- when someone is called  to create something, then they are the one called to do it. Regardless of personality disputes, if they are the one who created it - they are the one who created it. Do you tell your commanding officer you can do it better and march in to take his place?  Likely if you do that, you will go to jail.

Leaders are rarely perfect. In fact, most of the time they are not...many of them have serious problems. Mutiny is a serious offense. But it is NOT someone else's place to destroy them. It is in the hands of God and Him alone. If you are offended by everything they do, then that is something wrong with YOU, not them. What is the motive? It is not altruistic, it is fleshly and of the works of the flesh.

"Now the works of the flesh are evident which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousy,outbursts of wrath, selfish ambition, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just a I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God." Galatians 5:19-21

Hatred

The venom spewed by some of these little cliques is disgusting and abhorrent. It is rooted in the love of money and jealousy, not goodness or love. Kindness has left them, understanding has fled from them.

"If someone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also." 1 John 4:20-21

"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through  with many sorrows." 1 Timothy 6:10

Wicked times

Last night I drenched my pillow in tears, alternately with sorrow, anger and rage. Why? Because my America, my state, my heritage, is lost. We may never be able to get it back.

My husband came home from his huckleberry prospecting yesterday to tell me that some government agency is spraying the forests with a chemical that is killing the huckleberries. While he was out he saw brown, dead bushes that will never again yield the luscious purple berries that both humans and bears love to eat. They are killing a traditional food supply for us all, and even the animals who depend upon them.

He also informed me that baited wolf traps litter the area- where people used to love to walk with their dogs. The traps endanger not only people and dogs, but other animals as well. Signs can't be read by animals- duh. Shoot them according to the law if you must, but baited traps are cruel and dangerous to every one and every thing. I was enraged!

Yesterday morning I had coffee with an old friend who told me about some experiences he had with campgrounds and small towns in south central Idaho - the tides of immigrants from Mexico who are pushing local residents out. Many of the residents of those towns are moving to Twin Falls - where they will experience yet another government travesty. Mexican and South American Immigrants who live on the taxpayer welfare money - and drive their expensive trucks with boats  and ATVs. They are not friendly, these people who feel entitled. Are they getting so much taxpayer money that they live better than most ordinary people? Or are they supplementing it with drug money?

Idaho 's governor Butch Otter has also accepted the stream of Muslims from Syria into our state...more welfare money out of our pockets for people who hate us and want us dead. Some are sent to Boise, some are sent to Twin Falls...so the people who were pushed out of other towns will eventually be pushed out of Twin Falls as well.What will they do?

Let me make this clear - Idahoans are generally good people. But this kind of government malfeasance must stop. Will we, as residents of this state continue to be destroyed by the government? Or will we do something about it?

That's just Idaho. What about the nation as a whole? Where people kill police officers out of spite. Where a race war is on our doorstep because of a President who is a hate-filled Marxist.  Where good is thought of as evil and evil is good? Where Christians are now targets as the bad guys and treated with disdain? Where we are threatened on every side from people who hate us...

We are in desperate need of God. Will our desperation finally drive us to our knees?

The Thin Blue Line

A police officer I used to work with was shot and killed on Tuesday. I remember his smile, his jovial attitude, and on occasion he'd crack a joke when he came into my office. He was a kind-hearted soul, a credit to his uniform.

As I wrote up the story of the shooting, I ran across a picture taken by KREM reporter Sten Walstrom.  It was a twitter photo of a Coeur d'Alene fireman spraying the pavement with a chemical, probably to remove blood. It hit me hard. A sad moment, the testimony of a solid, good life reduced to a pool of blood on the pavement.

The Thin Blue Line

Police officers stand a short distance between us and the criminals of this nation.  The distance is often a very thin blue line.

The Wilbur Avenue neighborhood where Sgt Moore was killed is filled with homes. People going about their daily business, never dreaming they might have been one heartbeat away from death.

One officer's life - one split second of danger that forever changed his friends and family- and perhaps the neighborhood where he died- and most definitely the life of the shooter, who now faces a murder charge in addition to the others.



One Second to Eternity

That Thin Blue Line is the line between life and death, between here and eternity.  It is the moment when a police officer takes an undeserved bullet from a criminal who could case less about anyone but himself. Policemen know the risks. Spouses know the risks. And yet the shock of losing loved ones is always worse than we can fathom.

In a few weeks, most will forget. They will once again go about their daily routines, not mindful of the men and women who stand between them and the bad guys.

My advice to all of you - keep an eye out for our law enforcement officers. Honor them, respect them, support them. The more society wants to condemn them- or kill them- the more tense and nervous they will become. If we want to keep any semblance of home town police officers in America we must honor and recognize that Thin Blue Line.

The Bread of Life

In the Old Testament temple, there was a plate with "shewbread" on it.The symbolism for it was of the Presence of God. That bread had to be baked FRESH every day, showing that the Presence of God must remain fresh. Only the Priest could partake of it. He would break the bread by tearing it apart, bless it, then eat it.

Along comes King David- who ate the bread and gave some to his men as well. Was it blasphemy? What did it mean? Or was David just being an rebellious fool?

Now comes Jesus. He continually claims to be the "Bread of Life" and tells people they must eat Him. hmmm.... He is the embodiment of the Presence of God within us.At the Passover celebration, He stated, "This is My Body, broken for you." Yet not one of His legs were "broken" at the crucifixion - which was highly unusual.

On the cross, Jesus cried out, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?" The moment He died, the covering between the Holy of Holies in the Temple and ordinary people was ripped in two. That religious separation was destroyed.

The moment the sins of the world were placed upon Him, He was SEPARATED FROM THE FATHER as the perfect sacrifice was made. The Bread of Life was torn from the Father.

He is the Repairer of the Breach, the Restoration, the Bread of Life.

The true Bread of LIfe was broken for us - separated from the Father for that brief time when sin broke Him apart from the Godhead. He is the living Presence of God... the Bread of Life.

Now that Bread, that living Presence of God is once again whole- and we are invited to partake of Him. It's about relationship- which King David understood innately because he KNEW his God.

So the question remains for all Christians- do they have relationship or religion?