Last of a Generation

Revelation 21:1-4

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth:for the first heaven and the first earth are passed away; and the sea is no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven of God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of the throne saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he shall dwell with them, and they shall be his peoples, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God: and he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more:the first things are passed away.

Today we buried my Aunt Kay. She was the widow of my favorite Uncle Gus. He was the youngest of the Gossard Brothers who farmed the land of Tipton County, Indiana. The Gossard family farmed this land since the 1870s.

Only God knows whether her recent profession of faith was genuine The Pastor read these verses, among others, to claim that only those who confess their sins and trust in Jesus as their Lord and Savior can have the Revelation Peace that John writes about. It was a bittersweet service. Glad that she was no longer suffering and that my mother can finally rest after caring for her for the past 18 months.

Aunt Kay, widow of Donald "Uncle Gus" Gossard. 1917-2013.

Visions and words from Jeremiah 23

Jeremiah 23:16
This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you;
they fill you with false hopes.
They speak visions from their own minds,
not from the mouth of the Lord.

Many popular and 'hip' evangelical speakers use words flippantly. Kind of like the Princess Bride when Fezek says "I don't think that word means what you think it means."

These pastors and pastorettes (women who unbiblically take this title, too like Judah Smith and his co-pastor wife Chelsea for the City Church in Seattle) use word and phrases like:

1- God came to me and told me...
2- Jesus walked through the door and...
3- I had a vision where God...
4- God gave me a special word to...
5- Open your mind and...
6- What did Jesus say to you...

In and of themselves, these are innocuous statements. But WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THEM? The band Jesus Culture is a dangerous group because of this. What do they mean when they/we sing the popular praise song 'God works all things together for MY good!'. I am sorry, what do you mean? Romans 8:28 does not end there! Paul did not pen that verse to build up our self-esteem or remove some emotional teen-angst.

Do some research! Jesus Culture is part of the New Apostolic Movement. Yes, these are the people who abuse the name of the Holy Spirit when they have Holy moments such as clucking like chickens, barking like dogs. The also pray over dead members of their church for the dead-person's spirit to impart their spirit to them.

Bill Redding is their pastor (Bethel Church) and is a false teacher because he teaches this stuff to his young, naive congregation. He has smoke and dust blown through his sanctuary and says it is a sign from God that He is in their presence and equates it to God's presence with Moses and the Israelites coming out of Egypt.

Jesus Culture is his praise band. One of their band members is Kim Walker-Smith and she will preach during their concerts. One time she says Jesus came to her and 'cuddled with her' during one of her 'down times'.

Really? Their songs are now mainstream in our churches. People need to know that this is subtle because we do not define the terms. What is the first rule of any debate or discussion? DEFINE THE TERMS.

God has spoken to us through His Word, the Bible. There is no more revelation or prophecies. When Jesus said 'It is Finished'. The redemptive work was done. Period. He is the Alpha and the Omega. The sufficiency of Scripture. There are no more Revelations or Prophecies. The Holy Spirit will help us rightly decide the Word of God.

Jesus WILL NEVER come down off the Throne of Almighty God to 'cuddle'.

Isaiah 53

Fitting reading of Isaiah 53 that foretells of the Messiah 400+ years in the future. Zechariah, John the Baptist's father, would be the next one to hear from God. God's work is not always seen and heard. For over 400 years He was preparing the world for the Messiah. The fullness of time was not a contingency plan. It was planned before the foundation of the world. All for the Glory of God. And as a Christian, we get to be a part of it.

Isaiah 31:1 - Isaiah 34:17

Isaia 34:2- the Lord is angry with ALL nations. He is coming with a sword not of peace, but a sword of blood. Those who are found unrighteous will be cut down. 

Those who are found blameless before Him will be rescued.  Only those who have Jesus as their mediator will be found blameless and rescued.

On a side note, a dear friend pass away last night after many years of battling cancer.  Milbrey was one of my nurses at Beaufort Memorial Hospital, in Beaufort, South Carolina.  We had much in common, two boys the same age, married the same year and graduated the same in high school and college. 

She leave behind two sons and a husband.  A sad day for the family, nothing can prepare a child for the death of their parent, no matter the age.

We will all miss Milbrey.

Hosea 8-14

Ephraim is the focus of Hoshea's prophecy. 

8:11 appears to me to be one of the roots of their coming destruction.  "Though Ephraim built many altars for sin offerings, these have become altars for sinning."

Our intentions come from a human mind and heart.  Both of whom are fallen and cursed.  Our purposes lead to destruction. 

However, only when we submit to God's commands will He do a remarkable work in us.  Our intentions are still rooted in Adam's sin;  but as Christians, God gives us the ability to pray, worship and come close to Him where His thought become our thoughts.  He reveals His will for our lives when He wants to and guides our steps.

2 Chronicles 28 and 2 Kings 16 & 17

2 Kings 16 verse 15 is a copy of what we do today in our churches and it ultimately leads to people who are not saved who think they are.

Ahaz was the son of Jotham (good) and next in line for King of Judah.  However, Ahaz "did evil in the sight of the Lord" and even sacrificed his son to his gods.  Uriah was the Prophet of God at this time

Uriah built Ahaz a new altar for sacrifice based on an alter in a pagan land, Assyria.  Ahaz further changed it.  Why?

"He took away the Sabbath canopy that had been built at the temple and removed the royal entryway outside the temple of the Lord, in deference to the king of Assyria."

Who was Ahaz trying to please?  A 'non-member'?  Tiglath-Pileser was the King of Assyria and Ahaz was trying to please the Assyrian King.  Not THE KING, the king.

This is what we do today.  We change our worship to please church members.  We change our worship hoping the latest 'gimmick' will bring people in.  We change our worship so we do not offend people in the pews. 

This leads to destruction.  This lead to Judah and Israel's destruction by way of being conquered and carried off to distant lands.  The Israelites had a false sense of security during this time by appeasing others.  It was short lived. 

They were destroyed 

2 Kings 17:23  "They were exiled to Assyria, and they are still there." 

2 Kings 17:41  "Even while these people were worshiping the Lord, they were serving their idols.  To this day, their children and grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did." 

Who is worship for?  It is for God.  NOT for the non-Christian, not for 'recruiting tithers', not for anyone but God.  Not even for the Christian.

Who worships God?  The one who claims that Jesus is Lord and Savior.  No one else can, or is allowed, to bring praise to God.  God only hears one thing from the non-Christian and that is a prayer of repentance and complete submission to Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Micah 1:1 - Micah 7:20

A word about those who falsely prophecy by ignoring God's promises (rebuking) yet claim unearned blessings. 

Sounds familiar?  Joel Osteen?  Hmm...

Ch 3, v4 "They will cry out to the Lord, but He will not answer them.  At that time He will hide His face from them becuase of the evil they have done."

I pray that my family will 'Walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever.' (4:6)

2 Chr 27:1-9 and Isa 9:1 - 12:6

King Jotham, son of Uzziah, did right in the sight of the Lord.  But, unlike his father, he did not enter the temple of the Lord.

Regardless of our heart and what, and how, we want to worship, it must honor God.  Our desires are sinful desires, as we are all fallen.  We may 'feel' our worship is right, but it is according to our own opinions and desires.  Uzziah's heart may have been right, in his own opinion, but he still disobeyed God's law regarding worship.  The Bible, Old and New Testaments, are filled with great intentions, but God dealt harshly with those people. 

God's does not lower his Righteouss standards because we 'feel' good about ourselves.  Incense burned by our own standards is 'strange' and will be discarded by God and found not worthy.

Reading Amos Chapters 1-9 in my Bible reading plan.  Israel's destruction is coming because they did not serve God, depended on earthen 'stuff' for their faith and protection, and were led by wicked kings.

Empty worship in the Temple.  Crushed the poor, disowned the widows.  The land will be barren, day will become night, you will thirst for water.  They will be carried away to other lands.

V 10  All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.  11 In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof;  and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old.

V 15  And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the Lord thy God.

There was always a remant of faithful in Israel that worshiped and honored God's commands.  He never forsakes the truly faithful.

Our Strategy in Iraq and Afghanistan. Is it working?

COL Gian Gentile, the current Dean of History at the USMA, presents a very interesting case for Counter Insurgency (COIN) doctrine.  COIN is the current method of operation in Iraq and Afghanistan.  GEN Petraeus was the Iraq and Afghanistan commander who is credited with the 'huge success' in turning the corner in Iraq in 2008-09 with the Surge and COIN approach.

The questions he poses is that the success in Iraq was not due to a change in tactics from conventional to
COIN operations- it was due to other external and internal factors unrelated to COIN.  The supposed 'success' in Iraq would have happened without the 'surge' and GEN Petraeus' change in approach (COIN)

However, COL Gentile takes a look at history and COIN to debunk the myth(s) of COIN and its supposed success.  Furthermore, he presents historical evidence from Israel experiences in Lebanon to UK Colonial India to US involvement in Vietnam. 

His thinking will definitely challenge your thinking on Iraq and Afghanistan.  Furthermore, it is somewhat comforting to think that the 'Establishment' would allow someone like him who is opposed to the popular 'COIN' group-think to not only teach, but be the Dean of the department. 

Two articles that are very interesting in COL Gentile and how he has challenged the current 'COIN' thinking in the US Army and Department of Defense as a whole.

http://original.antiwar.com/vlahos/2009/05/06/gian-gentile-exposing-counterfeit-coin/

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120753402909694027.html

Stars on the Wall- heros we may never know.

Most of us have seen the entrance and the Stars on the Wall in movies or in the news.  Very few actually get to go inside the Central Intelligence Agency and visit the two museums (CIA Museum and the OSS Museum) and see the smaller 'book' that is below the Stars.  I was fortunate to be able to go and visit the CIA.  This book contains the names, and the un-named.  Heroes we may never know.



The book lists a small number of the men and women who have died protecting us.  Those stars that have no name are men and women who simply did not come home. 

A wife never received signed letter from the President on behalf of 'A Grateful Nation'. 
A son never received the Folded American Flag from the casket of his father.

The families of these men and women never saw their loved one come home.  They only knew that their husband had to go out of town to do some important business.  Never to be seen again.  Never knowing.  Never knowing because knowing would put others in harm's way.  Never knowing because there are 'bad people' in the world'.  Never knowing because 300 million Americans will never know the sacrifice that so few have made. 

On the wall opposite the Star is a large Bible verse that reads:  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free- John 8:32.  Although a theological misapplication, it does show the foundation our Country.  Truth.  It is extremely important to the fabric of our nation.

Not just the ultimate sacrifice of the one who died, but a life-long sacrifice of those who will carry that burden of not knowing.  Never knowing.  A son or daughter who will never know their dad and what he did for our Country.  Someone knows.  A grateful nation knows.

Below is a one such man.  He was the first death in our War on Terror.  A man of honor who gave the ultimate sacrifice.  His Star on the Wall has his name.  Many do not.

Johnny Micheal "Mike" Spann  (click on his name for more information)- a Paramilitary Operations Officer from the Special Activities Division killed during a Taliban prison uprising in November 2001 in Mazer-e-Sharif.  His star, the 79th, was added in 2002.  Officer Spann was posthumously awarded the Intelligence Star for Valor for his actions.

What not to do during a Press Conference

A spoof on Donald Rumsfeld and his interaction with the press.  Although very funny- probably not how to win the support of the media! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhYzcPdU7XY

West Point Class of 2002.

President Bush delivered their Commencement Address.  Subject of a book called "In A Time a War" by Bill Murphy.

The true story of the West Point class of 2002, who are the first cadets in a generation to graduate during a time of war.  Several never came back. 

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1721335/in_a_time_of_war/

We must never forget.

What is Your Quest?

Since 9-11, what is our quest? Kind of like that Monty Python's Holy Grail. What is our end state?

Read this article and Google our President's 'Priorities for the 21st Century Defense'.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/01/23/obama_needs_a_grand_strategy

What is America's Quest?

The Real Situation Room

Nice, sugar-coated Situation Room video from the White House PR Office:











http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/video/inside-white-house-situation-room

Postmonderism, Culture and America

What is the definition of Postmodernism?

Deconstruction of what is TRUTH. Where truth comes from. Albert Mohler (President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary presents an excellent lecture on what Postmodernism is, obviously from a Biblical Worldview.

One can ignore the 'Christian Evangelism' point of view, but has wide-ranging implications for our society as a whole. 'What does it mean to you' is a postmodern statement that is increasing in popularity.

We had some great discussions in class yesterday concerning Culture and the American perspective. What is culture? Does America have a 'culture'? Is our culture better than others? What makes us different from Great Britain, France or Russia? History, language, dialect, accent, religion, etc all come together to create a culture. What does that say about America?

The underlying question for America is: are we a Melting Pot Society or are we a Multicultural Society? First we must properly define multiculturalism. There are two great tidal waves that are coming toward each other in America. We are witnessing this in slow motion in America today.

One hold dear to Truth. This foundation is not solely owned by Evangelical Christians. It is also held by Catholics, Mormons, Muslims, Orthodox, Judaism and others. These hold to basic tenants of fundamental right and wrong. There is a social fabric that holds to a greater meaning, purpose of life.

The other belief system are today coined as 'progressives' or post-modernists. There is no meaning but your own. You our 'progressive' in your thinking because you have become enlightened in thinking. When you listen to this broadcast, it will open your eyes. We see this, unfortunately, in the 'Post Modern' churches (and I use 'churches' very loosely). Rob Bell is an excellent example where the Bible no longer holds any authority, because the authority belongs to the reader.

One of the largest components of any culture is Religion. Religion, orthodoxy of any kind, is becoming irrelevant. However, history has shown when a society and nations disregard some notion of Truth, self-destruction is close at hand.

Read 'Atlas Shrugged' by Ayn Rand. Although the novel dismisses religion or a 'God', it attests to the fact that there must be a moral authority code. Relativism is destructive. Right and wrong must have a basis upon a foundation, not merely changing with one's opinions.

Family Planning

Watch this video from the TED symposium by Hans Rosling. He is Swedish and is a professor of Global Health at his institute. The information is very interesting, and will challenge your world-view. The claims made must be scrutinized and put into a proper context.

What is the proper 'causal' relationship? Why do these developing countries have, statistically, more children versus the developed countries (8 v. 2.1). Is it because of 'family planning' that we have that they do not? Is it because they need more people to 'work the fields'- because they are an agrarian society? America was there no less than 60 years ago.

It is not because of family planning that our average children per family has dropped to 2.1 today. I submit that it is because of a myriad of reasons, not just one. Therefore, drawing a conclusion that more 'Family Planning Funding' to these undeveloped nations will decrease their per-family size, therefore reduce the demand for scarce resources, therefore decrease poverty, therefore decrease mortality/morbidity.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTznEIZRkLg

When he says 'we must stop population growth and Family Planning', I hear is sterilization and global funding for abortion (via the UN and Planned Parenthood). This is an error in drawing a linear conclusion from one data point. His mantra is that we must 'Stop Population Growth'.

What are your conclusions? Does it challenge your world-view? It does for me.

Holy Cow! Advances in Civiliation

Two YouTube Videos that my leave you speechless:

How Social Media has enabled our civilization to leap generations ahead like no other technology in mankind's history.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SuNx0UrnEo&feature=related


A 'Holy Cow' moment when you watch this video on how we as an American Culture are impacted globally by other 'Cultures' and the vastness of how our future will be determined. We are not 'alone' nor 'isolated' anymore.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jp_oyHY5bug&feature=related

However, we can be proud that much of this technology was invented and enabled by either Americans or those whose talents were unleashed by the American Institutions!

Power Point Lesson

As staff officers in today's Army (even in the civilian world), we often hide behind Power Point bullet comments (aka sentence fragments) to mask our poor command the English Language.

This is demonstrated by the video clip below. Just imagine the same group wearing uniforms and you have the perfect example.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rHFNJnDPYY&feature=player_embedded

Here at ILE, we have written two papers already (out of a total of six, I believe). Writing is a lost art, as we can see how poorly written the Army Regulations are. I have been a part of three regulation re-writes during my tour at the Army Human Resources Command, and can testify that coherent (and grammatically correct) is nearly non-existent.

I fear that this will continue, as a society as a whole, as technology improves and more Data-Underlying-Messaging-Base-Abbreviated-Syntax-Systems takes hold. (yeah, you figured out the abbreviation!)

Disclaimer!

Since this post is evolving from a personal observation blog to a more direct 'share your thoughts as an Army Officer'- the following disclaimer has to be posted:

Drew Winslow, Major, US Army
Student, Command and General Staff School, Fort Belvoir, Virgina
3 JAN 2012 - 19 APR 2012

"The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense or the U.S. Government."

Well, there you have it, sportsfans! This blog is disclaimed!