Too Many Coincidences...

These two pictures are way too close in so many ways...

1. Both are 'out of touch' with reality. Or, maybe they are too much in touch with reality. I was watching Benny Hinn (like an accident, when you scroll by it on the TV, you just cannot help to stop and stare in disbelief!) healing a lady from a limp she had. She could barely talk, as she mumbled most of her words. It was quite funny to watch.

2. One's name is Dr. Evil, and the other could be called Dr. Evil based on the Bible! Benny sucks in millions of dollars a year scamming people into believing he is healing them.

3. Birds of a feather, flock together! Hmm- just looking at the Benny-man's attire makes me laugh (not to mention his TV antics). It is amazing how anyone can take him seriously. But, the world is full of people who are 'foolish'.

4. They both think that they are going to 'win'. Just look at this world's scammers, especially the TV types. Many wind up disgraced, according to the world's standards. Unfortunately, the spiritual implications are much more serious.

I think they are the same person! Benny Hinn and Dr. Evil are the same people. They have the same personality, tailor, and outrageous methods to get what he wants.

They both belong in Ripley's...or at least the people who think the Benny-man is legitimate and send him money.

End Game

What happens when 'Fatigue' is the number one reason to stop doing something?

Edmund Burke, the Irish politician and philosopher said this very true and famous observation:

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.

While I am assisting one of our units deploy to Iraq, I came across this story that was given to me when I went to Iraq. I am not sure if the author, Irma S. Chambers, is true or the title "A Lesson to my Son" is legit or not. It really doesn't matter to me.

When we get 'tired' of this 'War on Terror', we need to remember the reason and purpose. It is so much bigger than just Iraq. America is far from perfect. We probably should have been involved in more 'wars' and conflicts over the years. We should have gone into Bosnia and Kosovo a couple of years earlier, and saved the lives of 100,000 plus lives. We should have gone to Darfur a long time ago and saved 300,000+ lives there. The list goes on.

We are not a perfect nation, but over the past 231 years, we have fed and cared for many nations. Below is a 'picture' of not just Iraq, but the many times we have come the aide of a country in need:

The other day, my nine year old son wanted to know why we were at war. My husband looked at our son and then looked at me. My husband and I were in the Army during the Gulf War and we would be honored to serve and defend our country again today. I knew that my husband would give him a good explanation. My husband thought for a few minutes and then told my son to go stand in our front living room window.

He told him: "Son, stand there and tell me what you see? " "I see trees and cars and our neighbors houses. " he replied. "OK, now I want you to pretend that our house and our yard is the United States of America and you are President Bush. "

Our son giggled and said "OK. ""Now son, I want you to look out the window and pretend that every house and yard on this block is a different country. " my husband said.

"OK Dad, I'm pretending. "

"Now I want you to stand there and look out the window and see that man come out of his house with his wife and he has her by the hair and is hitting her. You see her bleeding and crying. He hits her in the face, he throws her on the ground, then he starts to kick her to death. Their children run out and are afraid to stop him, they are crying, they are watching this but do nothing because they are kids and afraid of their father.

You see all of this son. . . . what do you do? "

"Dad? "

"What do you do son? ! "

"I call the police, Dad. "

"OK. Pretend that the police are the United Nations and they take your call, listen to what you know and saw but they refuse to help. What do you do then son? "

"Dad, but the police are supposed to help! " My son starts to whine.

"They don't want to son, because they say that it is not their place or your place to get involved and that you should stay out of it, " my husband says.

"But Dad. . . he killed her! ! " my son exclaims; "I know he did. . ." but the police tell you to stay out of it.

Now I want you to look out that window and pretend you see our neighbor who you're pretending is Saddam turn around and do the same thing to his children. "

"Daddy. . . he kills them? "

"Yes son, he does. What do you do? "

"Well, if the police don't want to help, I will go and ask my next door neighbor to help me stop him. " our son says.

"Son, our next door neighbor sees what is happening and refuses to get involved as well. He refuses to open the door and help you stop him, " my husband says.

"But Dad, I NEED help! ! ! I can't stop him by myself! ! "

"What do you do son? "Our son starts to cry.

"OK, no one wants to help you, the man across the street saw you ask for help and saw that no one would help you stop him. He stands taller and puffs out his chest. Guess what he does next son? "

"What Daddy? "

"He walks across the street to the old ladies house and breaks down her door and drags her out, steals all her stuff and sets her house on fire and then. . . he kills her. He turns around and sees you standing in he window and laughs at you."

"Daddy. . . "

"What do you do son? "Our son is crying and he looks down and he whispers,

"I close the blinds, Daddy. "

My husband looks at our son with tears in his eyes and asks him. . .

"Why? "

"Because Daddy. . . . . the police are supposed to help. . . people who need it. . . . and they won't help. . . . You always say that neighbors are supposed to HELP neighbors, but they won't help either. . . they won't help me stop him. . . I'm afraid. . . . I can't do it by myself. . . Daddy. . . . . I can't look out my window and just watch him do all these terrible things and. . . and. . . . . do nothing. . . so. . . . I'm just going to close the blinds. . . . so I can't see what he's doing. . . . . . . . and I'm going to pretend that it is not happening. "

I start to cry. My husband looks at our nine year old son standing in the window, looking pitiful and ashamed at his answers to my husbands questions and he tells him. . . . "Son"

"Yes, Daddy. "

"Open the blinds because that man. . . . he's at your front door. . . What do you do? ! "

My son looks at his father, anger and defiance in his eyes. He balls up his tiny fists and looks his father square in the eyes, without hesitation he says:

"I DEFEND MY FAMILY DAD! I'M NOT GONNA LET HIM HURT MOMMY OR MY SISTER, DAD! I'M GONNA FIGHT HIM, DAD, I'M GONNA FIGHT HIM! ! ! ! ! "

I see a tear roll down my husband's cheek and he grabs my son to his chest and hugs him tight, and cries. . .

"It's too late to fight him, he's too strong and he's already at YOUR front door, son. . . . . you should have stopped him BEFORE he killed his wife.

You have to do what's right, even if you have to do it alone, before. . . . . . it's too late. " my husband whispers.

THAT scenario I just gave you is WHY we are at war with Iraq. When good men stand by and let evil happen is the greatest EVIL of all.

Our President is doing what is right. We, as a free nation, must understand that this war is a war of humanity.

WE must remove this evil man from power so that we can continue to live in a free world where we are not afraid to look out our window and see crimes on humanity. So that my nine year old son won't grow up in aworld where he feels that if he just "closes" the blinds the atrocities in the world won't affect him. Today the second day of "WAR on IRAQ" I felt compelled to write this and pass it along.

Hopefully, you will understand the lesson my husband tried to teach our son.

"YOU MUST NEVER BE AFRAID TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT! EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO DO IT ALONE! "

BE PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN! BE PROUD OF OUR PRESIDENT! BE PROUD OF OUR TROOPS! SUPPORT THEM! SUPPORT AMERICA! SO THAT IN THE FUTURE OUR CHILDREN WILL NEVER HAVE TO CLOSE THEIR BLINDS. . . .

The Two Gates

It's never a coincidence when I read a passage of scripture, hear it talked about on the radio, read about the same concept in a book, then (amazingly enough) hear it preached at a non-denominational military service.





The fact that the chaplain did not use one watered down homile (which I am used to hearing in the usual chaplain services) and talked about entering into His Heaven through the narrow gate was a great relief to hear.

The passage I read was concerning Naaman, the Syrian, being healed by God through His prophet Elisha. It's in 2 Kings 5. The bottom line is this-

When God calls us, He calls us for His purpose (to Glorify Him), through His methods (To Glorify Him), at His timing, at His location, and who He wants.

Naaman was a Syrian/Aram. NOT A JEW. He and His people were unclean. Of course, Elisha was a Jew, and one of God's prophets. In order for Naaman to be healed of his leprosy (Naaman was not only not Jewish, he was a leper, strike two!). Save the point that the Aram/Syrians were the enemies of the Jewish Nation (Israel, the Northern Kingdom).

This dude had three strikes. But what did God do? He demanded that if Naaman wanted to be healed he had to do it His way. Naaman is a picture of all of us Christians. We want to be 'cleansed' the easy way. He wanted to do it with money and gifts. He brought the equivalent of over 75 million dollars to Elisha to be healed. But when Elisha demanded he go through the healing process His (God's) way, Naaman refused. We have all done this. When we finally realize that we must do something uncomfortable and unnatural (Which is God's way), we refuse.

This is our sinful nature. We initially repel all things that are of God. We are depraved. However, if Naaman wanted to be healed, he had to do it through the narrow gate. He had to do it God's way.

Matthew 7:13, Jesus talks about the narrow gate. Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress is an excellent picture of a Christian's (and Christian's) spiritual walk. Both gates are together, next to each other. Interestingly enough both paths parallel each other, as a picture of our life here on earth. We sit next to people (in church!) who are on the wicked path and don't even know it. They refuse to cleanse themselves in the Jordan River, as God demanded of Naaman. They are going back home to cleanse themselves in their own 'filthy' water. The water of the world.

So many of us refuse to be cleansed by God's Spirit and His power. It is not a coincidence that in this passage of Matthew Jesus sums it up by saying "Not everyone who cries Lord, Lord will enter the Kingdom of Heaven". Not everyone who raises their hand during an invitation.

Naaman 'walked the aisle'. Naaman 'tithed'. However, the picture paints a man who knew the physical state he was in. He was cursed, as we are cursed with our sin-state. He recognized he could not save him self. He needed others to tell him this after his first denial.

Naaman finally realized he could not do it himself. This is a problem we all have. Naaman was a powerful man, the King of Syria's right hand man, General of all the armies. However, he finally realized his fate. He humbled himself to be washed clean by order of someone else.

Many of us, especially today, wander back to this point. We will consistently refuse to abide by God's instruction. Naaman, as we read it, may have had a full conversion. As he requested soil from Israel to put down in his home/temple so he would offer sacrifices to The God, and not to the gods of Syria/Aram. And he asked for forgiveness for helping his king bow to those gods.

It seem he had a true change of heart. He entered through the Narrow Gate. I am not a theologian, but the next chapter talks about the sons of Elisha, so it seems that Naaman may(hopefully) died, because Syria/Aram are back at their war again...

Anyway. We must enter through the Narrow Gate. We cannot bypass it and say, I'll enter the Narrow Way later. That is not an option. We cannot 'cut in' at the last moment. Jesus said, 'Enter through the Narrow Gate', not join us on the Narrow Path somewhere down the way.

No. That is a very dangerous way to play with one's eternity. It is very serious. It is something we must be ever mindful in our lives as we help others see the two gates. There are two gates. The easy wide open gate leads to eternal destruction. The other gate is the Narrow gate that is difficult to get into, but it leads to Almighty God and His Eternal Glory.

A Godly Woman

Psalm 31: 10-12, 25-31

10 An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels.

11 The hear of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain

12 She does him good and not evil all the days of her life.

25 Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she smiles at the future.

26 She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

27 She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.

28 Her children rise up and bless her; her husband also, and he praises her, saying:

29 "Many daughters have done nobly, but you excel them all."

30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.

31 Give her the product of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.

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Over the past few weeks I have done a lot with the military (just ask my wife, and my boys...) and have encountered many who are one of the following:

1. Unhappily married (as if it were an arranged marriage!)

2. Happily divorced (some multiple times)

3. Going through a divorce (with and without children which is a tragedy)

4. The "I Just got married because I am about to go Iraq and want the extra money" group.

5. The "I just got married because I really love my girlfriend and were going to get married anyway so why not now" group.

6. The "I tolerate the old lady because it's too hard to train another one" group.

Then there is the group I am in, which I have found to be in the small minority. It is the one that many feminist groups would think holds women down in a subservient role. A role that is detrimental to the growth of young women, especially young mothers. We can't stop there, it's even worse in the World's view: how horrible it is to be a stay-at-home Mom.

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Hmm...that's another post.

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Anyone who thinks that because she stays at home with three children is not 'living up to her potential' as a liberated woman doesn't have a concept of what it means to be a Godly Woman. Of course what really matters is what God says through His Scripture as to what it really means to be a Woman.

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She has raised two Godly boys who continue to amaze her as to their knowledge of the Bible their understanding of their place in God's plan for their lives. This is where I fall down as the spiritual leader of the home, and she has taken the lead in many ways. This is part of the reason I am writing this today.

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She needs to work on her self-confidence! She often wonders if she is being a 'good mom'. The boys are the apple of her eye, or the 'femur of the dinosaur', or the 'eye-patch of the pirate' to make it applicable to each of them! From each of their teachers in school, to their Sunday School Teachers who continue to be amazed by their knowledge of the Bible, to strangers at the store who complement her on their behaviour.

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They reflect the Godliness they see in her. She has, many times, been a single mom, because Dad has been gone probably three of the eight years since our oldest has been born.

I am continually amazed by what she had done over our wonderful almost 14 years of marriage.

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Who would have thought that the quiet 'strange girl' I met 15 years ago (who had lived in the same house her entire life, except for college) would have stepped out of her comfort zone so many times I have lost count. She has joined churches on her own with two little boys while I was away. She has endured physical trials while I was gone and not able to be with her. Who would have pictured her as persevering and tough?

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God does, as he has given her sufficient Grace, in His time, in His amount. She has weathered many of these things because of her desire for God. I continue to be amazed at her walk with the Lord. Daily she is in the Word, praying and seeking God's guidance for her and her family.

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I love the Godly Woman I married. Her boys love their mother, and will seek a wife that has a heart for God like their mother. Her infant daughter will come to love her mother, and strive to be a Godly Woman like her mother.

Now, if I could get her to complete verse 16 "...she considers a field and buys it and plants a vineyard." Maybe when our littlest one is in kindergarten, she'll have some extra time...