Why I Believe they Missed It.

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Due to the long hours of the tax season and since I work as a tax preparer, I will only be making one posting to this blog per week over the next few weeks.  I hope to return to two postings per week after February 15 as the tax season slows down.  Now for this weeks posting.

Genesis 1:1

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

NKJV

Genesis 1:1, the first verse in both the Jewish Tora and the Christian Bible lays the foundational truth upon which Christianity and Judaism are built, that God created all we see around us.  Some may argue that God did not create the laptop upon which I am writing this posting.  However, I would argue that God created the raw materials that went into its manufacture as well as the creation of the people whose knowledge went into the creation of the hardware and software I am using. 

This week, meteorologists warned the northeast of the United States about the pending storm of the century, perhaps the millennium.  (1)  However, the day after what meteorologists hyped as a storm bringing total destruction and devastation, these same meteorologists were apologizing for missing it.  (2)   Let us take a moment to look at why I believe they missed it for I believe there are valuable lessons to learn. 

1)      Lack of a belief in God – When one lacks a belief in a supreme creator; it is easy to be deceived into believing mankind has the ability and power to destroy the earth.  Granted God commands us to be good stewards of what he has provided for us (Genesis 1:15), including the planet we live on, but I also believe that God will stop mankind short of total planetary destruction.  I therefore seek to live responsibility when it comes to the environment but do not buy into the fear pedaled by the environmentalists and their anti-capitalist political agenda.  Instead, I believe in an all-powerful, almighty God who will not allow His creation to be obliterated. 

2)      The politicization of science – Once upon a time science used the scientific method to arrive at conclusions.  This method involved asking a question, doing background research, constructing a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis, analyzing the data and drawing a conclusion, and communicating the results.  (3)   Unfortunately, since most scientific research now functions on government grants, scientists now begin with a conclusion predicting some cataclysmic disaster so they can secure funding for their research.  Of course, to continue receiving this funding they must insure the conclusions of their research agree with the conclusion with which they began.  In our judicial system this would be like the presumption of guilt until proving innocence except for the fact that in scientific research, arriving at a conclusion disproving the original conclusion would be the end of funding and thus the end of research. 

3)      An anti-capitalist agenda with the goal of the destruction of the free market – For some time in our society we have witnessed the vilification of the wealthy.  We witness it in our television shows and movies.  The progressive income tax system in the United States insures the rich pay a much greater share of taxes.  (4)  Environmentalists also have an anti-capitalist agenda and through the regulatory power of agencies like the EPA enact onerous regulations on industry virtually making it impossible for them to operate profitably.  (5)   President Obama himself when running for president stated that he was not against someone opening up a coal plant but warned them that they would go bankrupt.  (6)

Meteorologists who have no belief in a supreme creator, who have been politicized in order to maintain their funding or jobs, and who have an anti-capitalist agenda wanted there to be a cataclysmic storm on the east coast this week.  This caused them to begin with the conclusion of a cataclysmic storm when they saw a storm coming in without conducting research to determine if their conclusions were accurate.  Instead, they relied on computer models, models skewed by programmers with the same political anti-capitalist agenda.  The result was another foolish prediction of global catastrophe that did not come true. 

God, the creator of the universe and the earth we live on is in control and will not let mankind destroy his creation.  The missed prediction of a weather catastrophe this week on the east coast of the United States is just another demonstration of the foolishness of man trying to predict what God is going to do.       

1. Shoichet, Michael Pearson and Catherine E. 'Historic' storm set to slam Northeast; airlines cancel flights. www.cnn.com. [Online] CNN, January 26, 2015. [Cited: January 30, 2015.] http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/26/us/weather-storm/.

2. CBS News. Blizzard 2015: Meteorologist apologizes for "big forecast miss". www.cbs.com. [Online] CBS News, January 27, 2015. [Cited: January 30, 2015.] http://www.cbsnews.com/news/blizzard-2015-meteorologist-apologizes-for-big-forecast-miss/.

3. Science Buddies. Steps of the Scientific Method. www.sciencebuddies.org. [Online] [Cited: January 30, 2015.] http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_scientific_method.shtml.

4. Worstall, Tim. The US Tax System Just Keeps On Getting More And More Progressive. www.forbes.com. [Online] Forbes, January 8, 2015. [Cited: January 30, 2015.] http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2015/01/08/the-us-tax-system-just-keeps-on-getting-more-and-more-progressive/.

5. Institute for Energy Research. SMOKING GUN: New Documents Reveal Obama's Anti-Capitalist Agenda. instituteforenergyresearch.org. [Online] January 22, 2014. [Cited: January 30, 2015.] http://instituteforenergyresearch.org/press/smoking-gun-new-documents-reveal-obamas-anti-capitalist-agenda/.

6. WSAZ Charleston. Obama Called for Bankrupting Coal Fired Power Plants. www.youtube.com. [Online] WSAZ Charleston, November 3, 2008. [Cited: August 28, 2012.] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wF7Qm31LIDM.

The State of Hypocrisy Address

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Matthew 23:28

Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

NKJV

Matthew 23:28 comes in the middle of a message Jesus gave to the multitudes and his disciples regarding the Pharisees and religious leaders of his day.  The main theme of the message is to be concerned about what is in our hearts and not our outward appearance.  In another portion of Scripture Jesus spoke of our mouth speaking what comes out of the abundance of our hearts (Matthew 12:34-35). 

This is why it is important for the people of God to consistently study God’s Word, Pray, and attend church in order to fill our hearts with the goodness of God.  This not only enables us to live Godly lives but also allows us to discern good from evil and lies from truth. 

This past Tuesday, President Obama delivered his State of the Union address.  I admit I did not watch the speech for I had to work preparing taxes.  However, even if I had not had to work, I would not have watched the speech for as with many of Obama’s other speeches, this too was billed to be a speech full of lies and hypocrisy and from what I have read about the speech, it lived up to its billing. 

President Obama spoke of the need for civility in the nation then immediately taunted Republicans.  (1)   I agree that in light of the riots in Ferguson and other parts of the country coupled with the increased threat of terrorism, it is imperative for the citizens of the nation to remain civil.  However, taunting others can lead to incivility.  We see this when watching sporting events where a player taunts another player after a big play and a fight ensues. 

It is therefore hypocritical for the President of the United States to call for civility and then taunt the GOP with the fact that he won the last two presidential elections when they applaud his not having to run again.  The Republican members of Congress are naturally at odds with the agenda of a sitting Democrat president and we thus expect them to applaud the fact that the election will have no incumbent in 2016.  Rather than taunting them with the fact of his past two victories, the best thing would be for him to not take their applause personally and move on, trying to work with the new Republican majorities.  There is no doubt that whoever the GOP nominee for president is, they will use this as a sound bite in a commercial. 

It is also hypocritical for the President of the United States to call for an end to constant fund raising and then ask for donations.  (2)   President Obama has done more fundraising than any president I remember in my lifetime.  Looking at President Obama’s actions, we can surmise that fundraising for his causes is in his heart.  After all, Obama’s background is as a community organizer, which entails constant fundraising.  So Mr. President, if you want to end constant fundraising, you first. 

Finally, when the President invites someone to attend the State of the Union address, be honest about his or her background.  To invite someone and point out that they have experienced many challenges in their life that the President’s policies have helped her overcome, only to later discover she worked as a campaign staffer for a democrat campaign is deceptive.  (3)   The fact that she worked as a campaign staffer means that she has a political agenda to advance democrat policies and her invitation to the State of the Union is to act as a prop.  In addition, if while working as a staffer, she experienced hardships, I recommend Democrats running for office pay their staffers better instead of pocketing their campaign largesse. 

The 2016 presidential campaign is preparing to shift into high gear as several GOP hopefuls descend on Iowa today for the Iowa Freedom Summit.  (4)   This means that we the voters must also begin seeking leaders of integrity who will not be hypocritical or deceptive once in office. 

Instead, we want leadership with a heart that loves the country and the people they will lead.  We want leadership that instead of apologizing for the greatness of our country to foreign leaders will tout its greatness and encourage other countries to adopt our love for freedom.  We want leadership that instead of making people dependent on government to solve problems will get out of the way and empower individuals to find solutions to their problems and pursue their own dreams and desires.  We also want leadership that will in a civil way engage in debate over the important issues of the day without uncivil political gamesmanship. 

The United States is a great, although imperfect, nation and can be great again.  The 2014 election made great progress as we tossed out the democrat leadership in the Senate and increased the Republican majority in the House.  We must now keep the momentum going by selecting a strong, patriotic leader for president in 2016. 

1. Dinan, Stephen. Obama calls for civility, then immediately taunts Republicans. www.washingtontimes.com. [Online] The Washington Times, January 20, 2015. [Cited: January 24, 2015.] http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jan/20/obama-calls-civility-then-immediately-taunts-repub/.

2. Halper, Daniel. Obama Knocks 'Constant Fundraising,' Then Immediately Asks for Donations. m.weeklystandard.com. [Online] The Weekly Standard, January 20, 2015. [Cited: January 24, 2015.] http://m.weeklystandard.com/blogs/obama-knocks-constant-fundraising-then-immediately-asks-donations_824183.html.

3. Snopes.com. Bait of the Union. www.snopes.com. [Online] Snopes.com, 20 2015, January. [Cited: 24 2015, January.] http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/erler.asp.

4. Boyle, Matthew. IT BEGINS: 2016 REPUBLICAN HOPEFULS DESCEND ON IOWA FOR FREEDOM SUMMIT. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart News, January 23, 2015. [Cited: January 24, 2015.] http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/01/23/it-begins-2016-republican-hopefuls-descend-on-iowa-for-freedom-summit/.

Getting to the Root Cause of the Problem by Knowing Which Came First.

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Genesis 1:3

Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.

NKJV

The first thing mentioned in the Genesis account of creation is the creation of light.  Interestingly, however, the creation of the sun and moon is not until the fourth day (Genesis 1:14-16).  Sceptics of the creation account in Genesis see this as an impossibility and thus have ammunition against the belief that God created the heavens and earth.  However, as a Christian I believe in the inerrant truth of God’s Word which presents an interesting question, since light came before the sun and moon, what was the source of light for the first three days of the earth’s existence? 

Jesus proclaimed Himself as the light of the world in John 8:12.  Since Jesus is God, this proclamation means that the Godhead is its own source of light and was the supply of light for earth for its first three days of existence.  In fact, when the Kingdom of God comes to earth, God’s glorious light will once again dwarf that of the sun (Revelation 22:4). 

It is appalling to me that our President did not feel it was important to go, or at least send representation, to Paris for the unity demonstration.  Granted, he did later send Secretary of State John Kerry, along with James Taylor to sing You’ve Got a Friend, hoping I guess a song would mend relations.  Of course, this is the same administration that refuses to realize the fact that attacks, such as those that occurred in Paris, are the result of the teachings of radical Islam that encourage hate and murder of innocent people just because they do not choose to adhere to the teachings of the Koran and Sharaih law.  Instead, this administration and liberals want us to believe that terrorism came first and that they are using Islam to justify their actions. 

The failure of this Administration to recognize that radical Islam is the breeding ground for the hatred behind terrorists and groups like ISIS means that we are only treating the symptoms of the problem instead of getting to the root cause of the problem, radical Islam, a theology of hatred people are indoctrinated into from their birth.  However, in countries like the United States where everyone has freedom of religion, there are legal obstacles to just shutting down the practice of Islam.  However, this does not mean the situation is hopeless. 

Just as Satan in the form of the serpent was able to deceive Adam and Eve by convincing them that God was depriving them of the knowledge of good and evil, Satan through radical Islam targets individuals who believe they have received a raw deal in life.  Void of any belief in a loving moral God, these individuals are easily deceived into believing people that do not believe as they do are infidels and that Allah condones killing them.  In fact, dying in the process of killing infidels means Allah will reward them. 

The key to defeating radical Islam is in realizing that what came first was the deception of Satan and that Satan, the deceiver, is using radical Islam, just as he used the serpent, as a vehicle to carry out his deception.  When we realize the deception of Satan is the root of the problem, we also realize that the only solution to the problem is the one spoken of in Genesis 3:15 that bruised the serpent’s head, Jesus Christ. 

Jesus said in John 8:12 that He is the light of the world.  This includes a light in the hearts of men and women that dispels the darkness of deception, even the deception of Islam.  This does not however mean we abandon all efforts to disarm terrorist and openly accept them into our countries.  No, this is a call for Christians to begin praying for those deceived by Satan through the teachings of Islam.  In addition, if God presents us with an opportunity, we should share the peaceful message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them, knowing that God has our back and is protecting us.

Imagine what could happen if Christians prayed for people deceived by Islam and peacefully shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with the same passion radical Islamists violently force others to convert or die.  This is what occurred in the early church and even though many died for their faith, they were rewarded with eternal life and the message of the Gospel continued to grow.  Our hope is that the Prince of Peace is coming back and when He does, the deception will end.  

The Good Work of Keeping Campaign Promises

By:  Dale Weckbacher

James 2:20

But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?

NKJV

Some interpret this verse to mean that our salvation is based upon our good works.  In fact, some even believe the Apostle Paul and James were at odds doctrinally over the doctrine of salvation by grace since Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:8 that our salvation was based upon God’s grace and had nothing to do with our works.  The truth is that there is no disagreement between James and Paul when we look at these verses in their context. 

Paul is talking about salvation but James is talking about the effect our faith has on others around us.  There is nothing any of us could do to deserve salvation from God for as we read in Isaiah, all our righteousness are like filthy rags to God (Isaiah 64:6) and the only way to wash these filthy rags is the blood of Jesus Christ.  James 2:20 is encouraging us to demonstrate our faith in Jesus Christ through our good works.  If those who have not experienced salvation do not see a change in our lives from doing works of evil to righteous works, why would they want to give their lives to Christ?  We could interpret James 2:20 to mean our witness for Christ without works is dead. 

Politically, most of us are frustrated when we vote for someone who promises one thing during the campaign only to reverse course once in office.  When we vote for a change in leadership, as voters did in the 2014 election, we have an expectation that the ones we put into office will make good on their campaign promises.  The recently passed legislation that outlaws Obama’s executive amnesty will provide the first test on the resolve of the newly elected republican majorities in the House and Senate to follow through on their campaign promises. 

The legislation now moves on to the Senate where even though Republicans hold a 55 to 45 majority, the bill must clear cloture before coming to a vote.  To clear cloture requires 60 votes so even if all 55 Republicans vote for the legislation, 5 Democrats will be necessary to bring the bill up for a vote before the full Senate.  This, however, does not mean these Democrats are required to vote for the legislation for the cloture vote is only a vote to allow the full Senate to vote for it.  If you live in a state with a Democrat senator, I encourage you to call or email them encouraging them to vote yes on cloture, allowing the full Senate to consider the legislation. 

However, even if the law passes the Senate obstacle, it then goes to the President where it is almost certain to receive his veto.  Congress can overturn the President’s veto but that requires a two-thirds majority, something that would be very difficult, if not impossible to achieve in the current political climate. 

Looking at the difficulties this legislation will encounter, it might be easy to throw up our hands and give up but that is where our newly elected leaders have an opportunity to demonstrate their resolve to live up to the promises they campaigned on.  Even if this legislation either dies in the Senate due to not being able to achieve cloture, or dies under the veto pen of the President, going through this process will demonstrate which party is out of touch with the desires of the American voters, and which party is in touch with voters.  In essence, going through this process will demonstrate the resolve of Republicans in Congress to perform good works dedicated to doing what they campaigned to do. 

I believe that this type of demonstration of good works by the newly elected Republicans in Congress will make it easier for a Republican dedicated to performing the same good works to win both the GOP nomination and win the 2016 Presidential election.  Failure to follow through however will only cause more voters to lose faith in both parties and stay home in 2016 as they did in 2012.  This is something our nation cannot afford.  

Conformity to Christ

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Romans 12:2

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

NKJV

In our modern politically correct and diverse society, we feel constant pressure to tolerate others.  I am for tolerance when it comes to race, gender, and even tolerant of opinions that may differ from my own.  However, I will never, nor do I encourage others to tolerate surrendering their deeply held values in the interest of political correctness and diversity.  I also will never condone tolerating others whose values include the murder of people who do not hold their values. 

Once again, terrorism has reared its ugly head and as is usually the case, the perpetrators of these violent acts are linked to radical Islam.  Many believe the religion of Islam is a religion of peace but when we look at the meaning of the world Islam we discover that it actually mean submission.  Islam was founded in violence and still believes in violence as a principle and as a way of life.  (1) 

The thing adherents of Islam command their followers to submit to is Sharaih Law.  The greatest danger Sharaih law poses to the United States is its command for both Islamic terrorism and pre-violent “civilization jihad” or “stealth jihad” depending on whatever is necessary to bring people into submission to Sharaih Law.  (2)  In other words besides the visible acts of terrorism like what we saw on 9/11 and most recently in Paris, jihad also involves fundamentally changing a civilization bringing it into submission to Sharaih Law in a stealth manner. 

One of the most shocking things that have been revealed to the world after the attacks in Paris is the existence of so-called “no-go” zones.”  These “no-go” zones are areas in the French state that are Muslim-dominated and not under French control.  (3)  We must now wonder if the “no-go” zones the French started in the belief that these zones would allow followers of Islam to freely practice their so-called religion of peace, have now become breeding grounds of hatred and violent jihad.  (4)  We must also wonder if similar “no-go” zones could arise in the United States.

To insure the United States does not form “no-go” zones we must,

1)      Abandon our concern to be politically correct in dealing with radical Islam and call it what it is, a religion promoting violence and jihad.  (1)

2)      Educate people on the truth of what Sharaih Law entails so they will not want to see it adopted in the United States.  For instance, the adherents of Sharaih are fundamentally opposed to the survival of the Constitution of the United States.  For example, the first amendment of the United States grants everyone the freedom of speech, and religion.  Sharaih, however, does not allow the practice of any other religion or speech that speaks out against Allah.  If we were to allow “no-go” zones in the United States where they practice Sharaih, how long would it be before they would begin to attempt civilizational jihad and the fundamental changing of our society.  We do not want to ever reach a point in the United States where 16% of people favor ISIS as they do in France.  (5)

3)      Promote conformity to Jesus Christ.  Romans 12:2 encourages us not to conform to this world but to instead allow our minds to be transformed through the renewing of our minds in order to demonstrate the perfect and acceptable will of God.  Islam teaches conformity to Allah but it is a forced conformity of “convert or die.”  Christianity teaches a voluntary conformity to Jesus Christ with the reward of eternal life (John 3:16). 

Christianity is a truly peaceful religion for Jesus himself taught that it is the peacemakers, not violent jihadists, which will inherit the Kingdom of God.  I believe that as more and more people choose to conform to the peaceful teachings of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, it will be more difficult for jihadists to recruit followers. 

The attacks in Paris and the growing acceptance of Sharaih Law is a call to action for Christians reading this all over the world.  As Christians we must,

1)      Draw closer to God through prayer and study of the Bible to bring our lives more into conformity with Jesus Christ. 

2)      Begin living lives that glorify God and non-conformity to the world.  This does not mean we have to abandon any fun in our lives but when we are tempted to do something that violates God and His Word, we must resist the temptation and maybe even run away just as Joseph did when tempted by Potiphar’s wife.  In this way we can witness to the world that we have decided to live lives of conformity to God and the Bible.

3)      Share with others what Jesus has done in our lives so they too can have an opportunity to live lives of conformity to Jesus Christ. 

Join me by taking time this week to spend time alone with God in prayer and study of the Bible.  Ask God to reveal any area of your life that is not in conformity to Jesus, repent, and begin living a life in conformity to Jesus.  This is the beginning of what I believe will be a revival to our world. 

1. Darwich, Bassam. Islam & Peace. www.answering-islam.org. [Online] [Cited: January 13, 2015.] http://www.answering-islam.org/Hoaxes/salamislam.html.

2. Center for Security Policy. What is Shariah. shariahthethreat.org. [Online] [Cited: January 13, 2015.] http://shariahthethreat.org/a-short-course-1-what-is-shariah/.

3. James, Abigail. The shocking reality of 'no-go' zones: France has no control over Muslim-populated neighborhoods. www.catholic.org. [Online] Catholic Online, January 9, 2015. [Cited: January 13, 2015.] http://www.catholic.org/news/international/europe/story.php?id=58341.

4. Scarbouough, Rowan. Muslims segregated from French society in growing Islamist mini-states. www.washingtontimes.com. [Online] The Washington Times, January 7, 2015. [Cited: January 13, 2015.] http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jan/7/french-islamist-mini-states-grow-into-problem-out-/?page=all.

5. Grant, Madeline. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jan/7/french-islamist-mini-states-grow-into-problem-out-/?page=all. www.newsweek.com. [Online] Newsweek, August 26, 2014. [Cited: January 13, 2015.] http://www.newsweek.com/16-french-citizens-support-isis-poll-finds-266795.

The Source of Evil

By:  Dale Weckbacher                   

Ephesians 2:1-2

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,

NKJV

Wednesday’s vicious terrorist, that’s right, terrorist attacks in France once again illustrate that we live in a world dominated by evil.  It is easy for us to point fingers at media inciting evil by publishing articles that may offend someone.  It is also easy to point fingers at media, which subjects viewers to evil through movies, television, or video games.  We can even point fingers at religion as a way of inciting evil.

Even though these things may incite some to commit evil, they are not the true source of evil in our world.  In Ephesians 2:2, Scripture points to the true source of evil, the prince of the power of the air.  It is therefore imperative for us to understand who this prince is and what we can do to avoid his evil. 

First, this prince is not a flesh and blood prince but a prince that reins over principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, and hosts of wickedness in heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12).  As such, the conventional weapons of warfare used against flesh and blood are inadequate.  However, at times, the ongoing war in the spiritual realm spills over into the physical world and we see vicious attacks like what occurred on 9/11 and Wednesday in Paris.  As such, it is the duty of governments to protect their citizens from evil through a strong military, strong law enforcement, and enforcing the rule of law. 

This evil is not something new for it came into the world when Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3).  However, God loves His creation and in Genesis 3:15 promised Adam and Eve that a man would emerge on the scene that would bruise the serpent, Satan’s, head.  Eve looked forward to the fulfillment of this promise so much that when she gave birth to Cain, she believed he would be that man given to her from the Lord (Genesis 4:1) but her hopes were dashed when Cain became to first man to commit murder (Genesis 4:8).  It was not until Jesus Christ came into the world that the promise of Genesis 3:15 would be fulfilled.

So why do we still have evil in the world 2000 years after the birth of Jesus?  The answer is that Jesus first coming 2000 years ago was not to remove evil from the world but to remove the cancer of sin from the hearts of men and women who were descendants of Adam and Eve.  A righteous God could not allow mankind to live with Him in paradise while still having the cancer of sin in their hearts for just as cancer if not removed spreads throughout the body, sin would also move throughout paradise and infect it. 

Okay, but why has God allowed 200 years of evil to happen since Jesus died for the sins of mankind?  The answer is that God is a merciful and gracious God who does not want anyone to perish.  Thankfully, we who have accepted God’s gift of salvation that are still alive were able to do so because God is gracious and merciful.  My readers who have not accepted God’s gift of salvation still have an opportunity because of God’s grace and mercy. 

However, the day will come when Jesus will return and at that time, it will be too late to accept God’s gift of salvation so I strongly encourage you not to delay but to accept God’s gift of salvation now.  John 3:16 tells us that God loved the world and that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life.  1 John 1:9 tells us that if we will confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  No matter how great our sins may be, Jesus shed blood on the cross has the power to forgive them. 

To open God’s gift of salvation, you simply have to confess your sins and believe that Jesus died, was buried, and rose again to cleanse us of our sins.  Pray with me now

Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned and ask you to forgive me of my sins.  I believe you died, were buried, and rose again so I can have eternal life.  Amen

Click on the link for need answers and go to the relationship tab to find a church in your area so you can begin associate with other believers.  If there is no church in your area, you click on the link to the streamed services at Calvary Community Church and listen to some excellent teaching from the Bible.  The required reading tab has a link to an affordable print Bible and a free online Bible.  The recommended reading tab has links to great books to help you grow in knowledge about your new faith.  

Congratulations on your life changing decision for you now are no longer controlled by the source of evil but the source of eternal life.  

Republican Revolt and Revenge

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Romans 12:19

Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord.

NKJV

Rather than seeking revenge against those that wrong us, God wants us to be forgiving and make room for wrath.  Wrath or vengeance is the Lords job.  In fact, when we seek revenge for someone that has wronged us we are in essence giving that person control over us.  To truly live in freedom, we must learn to forgive and not be obsessed with seeking vengeance. 

The first day of work in the new Congress was a day full of Republican revolt and the possibility of revenge against those participating in the revolt.  With the many problems facing the new Congress, this is not what people voted for in the 2014 election for we expect our representatives to serve us the voters and not be distracted by petty differences distracting them from the work they were elected to perform.

The revolt revolves around the many members of the House that they are unhappy with the failures of John Boehner as Speaker of the House.  Among those failures are,

1)      Boehner Delays Vote, Considers Changes to Debt Bill [7/28/11]

2)      House leadership blocks vote on payroll tax cut extension [12/19/11]

3)      Former Highway Bill Foe Boehner Scavenging for U.S. House Votes [2/17/12]

4)      Cliff chaos: Boehner pulls GOP bill [12/21/12]

5)      Boehner blasted for pulling Sandy aid bill [1/2/13]

6)      House Republicans Pull Health Care Bill After Backlash [4/24/13]

7)      House rejection of farm bill sows bad seeds for Boehner [6/20/13]

8)      Boehner pulls shutdown bill in major defeat [10/15/13]

9)      Boehner backs down and drops Republican demands on debt ceiling [2/11/14]

10)   House GOP kills last hope for immigration bill [7/10/14]

11)   Revolt within GOP quashes border vote [7/31/14]  (1)

In each of these instances, Speaker Boehner caved into President Obama, which is precisely why the voters in 2014 gave the Republicans majorities in both houses of Congress.  Looking at this record it is no wonder that voters and many members of Congress fear Speaker Boehner will forget the desires of voters and cave in once again to demands from donors, the main stream media, and President Obama out of fear of being called racist for taking a stand against the President’s failed and unconstitutional policies. 

The potential revenge revolves around potential retribution by speaker Boehner against the 24 representatives who voted against him.  In fact, the first part of Boehner’s revenge came when Boehner moved swiftly to boot two members off the rules committee.  (2)  Many fear this could just be a precursor to more retribution. 

Politics is a full contact sport and as such, those in politics need to understand that people will disagree with their policies and actions.  They also must understand that when they are in a position of leadership, those they lead were elected to office to fulfill the desires of the voters in their districts.  It is these voters, not the Speaker of the House that is the boss of these representatives.  When the Speaker does not agree with their agendas, he must be thick skinned and understand there may be push back. 

It would be wise for Speaker Boehner to follow the teaching of Romans 12:19 and not enact revenge but instead leave that up to God.  Of course this would involve forgiveness and the possibility that God may reveal that his policies are wrong. 

I therefore urge Speaker Boehner to bury the hatchet and forgive those that did not vote for him and allow them to perform the duties the voters elected them to do.  If what they were elected to do is not the will of God, then he must leave room for God to see to it their policies fail.  However, Speaker Boehner must face the possibility that the policies of those choosing not to vote for him as speaker are what God wants for the country and as such be willing to give them consideration by the full Congress. 

Speaker Boehner, stop your obsession with enacting revenge against those disagreeing with you and instead work with your expanded majority in the House to begin reversing the damage done to the nation over the last six years of the Obama Administration.  This includes,

1)      Defunding Obama’s unconstitutional executive amnesty

2)      Reversing Obamacare

3)      Balancing the budget and ending out of control spending

4)      Passing real economic stimulus through tax cuts and ending needless and harassing regulations that stifle job creation and economic growth.

5)      Rebuilding the military that President Obama has decimated so the United States will once again have security and once again be a power for good in the dangerous world we now live in.

Speaker Boehner, you now have an expanded majority.  Instead of fighting them, work with them and go down in history as the Speaker that saved the country from ruin.  This is the message the voters gave in the 2014 election and what they expect.  Don’t disappoint them.

1. Jones, Sarah. Cut and Run: A LIST of John Boehner’s Epic and Pathetic House Republican Failures. www.politicususa.comn. [Online] Politicususa, August 1, 2014. [Cited: January 6, 2015.] http://www.politicususa.com/2014/08/01/sides-agree-john-boehner-fail-watch-epic.html.

2. Bresnahan, Jake Sherman and John. www.politico.com. www.politico.com. [Online] Politico, January 6, 2015. [Cited: January 6, 2015.] http://www.politico.com/story/2015/01/boehner-allies-out-for-revenge-114007.html.

I Am Not Ashamed

By:  Dale Weckbacher   

Romans 1:16

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

NKJV

Like Paul, I too am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for I believe that it is the answer to all that is wrong with our world.  As we begin this new year, I will continue to write as one unashamed of the gospel and as one dedicated to spreading the good news that Jesus Christ came into the world, not to condemn the world, but to save it (John 3:16-17).  If you have not already done so, take a moment before reading any further to ask Jesus to come into your heart by acknowledging that he came and died, was buried, and rose again to save you from your sins.  If you have accepted Jesus as your savior, take a moment right now at the beginning of this new year to rededicate your life to serve Him in this new year. 

I likewise am not ashamed to be an American and citizen of the United States of America.  Like all nations on earth, governed by flawed individuals, the United States is not perfect.  However, the premise of the founding of the United States as expressed in its founding documents is a more perfect nation where individuals have the liberty to pursue their dreams.  The founders of the United States envisioned a small government with the role of defending the God given rights of citizens and not a nation wanting to control its citizens. 

Unfortunately, the current leadership of the United States does not see the nation as a liberating force in the world but sees it as a colonial conquering nation.  (1)  This could not be further from the truth for it was such a conquering nation that the United States fought with for its freedom.  Here are just a few examples of why I do not see the United States is not a conquering but liberating force on the world. 

1)      World War I and II – In World War I and II the United States went to war against Germany, not because Germany attacked the United States, but to assist their European allies against the threat of occupation by a tyrannical German regime.  However, instead of occupying Germany along with our allies after the war, we helped the nation rebuild its infrastructure and government only leaving bases behind not to occupy the nation but to insure the tyrannical government we defeated did not return.  Even though Japan did attack the United States at Pearl Harbor, we to did not occupy Japan after the war but helped them rebuild as well leaving a few bases to also insure they did not reestablish a tyrannical regime. 

2)      Cuba – The United States once had free and open trade with Cuba but after the takeover by the Castro regime chose to implement sanctions limiting trade with the nation.  The goal of these sanctions was to cripple the regime in the hope the people would over throw their tyrannical government in favor of a more free government.  This did not occur but this does not mean we should abandon this strategy for in doing so the United States is in essence condoning tyranny in Cuba. 

3)      Iraq and Afghanistan – The Taliban occupiers of Afghanistan did brutally attack innocent people in the United States on September 11, 2001.  In response to these brutal attacks, the United States went to war against Afghanistan with the goal of deposing the oppressive Taliban regime.  Intelligence also told the United States that the Hussein regime in Iraq both supported and trained the Taliban and stopping them was in the best interest of stopping terrorism.  After deposing the Hussein regime in Iraq, the United States could have moved in and taken possession of the precious oil fields in Iraq as payment for liberating the people of Iraq.  However, in line with the nation’s history of being a liberating and not colonial conquering force, we once again helped the nation rebuild and establish a democratic government.  Unfortunately, unlike Japan and Germany, we failed to leave behind sufficient forces to maintain the peace and now ISIS has been able to depose the Democratic government the United States helped establish.  The current government of the United States, incorrectly viewing themselves as a conquering colonial force prematurely withdrew leaving the citizens of Iraq defenseless against the real conquering force, ISIS.

In each of these instances, the United States could have taken over the governments of these nations either by annexing them as states or territories as we could have done with Germany and Japan in World Wars I and II and Afghanistan after deposing their tyrannical governments.  If we were a conquering colonial regime as our current leadership believes we would have taken over in Iraq and confiscated their oil fields so we would have an abundance of cheap crude oil. 

No instead the United States takes on the role of a liberating force by rebuilding the infrastructure our military destroys during hostilities and assists the nation in establishing a more perfect government patterned after our own.  In the case of Cuba, we did not go to war with the nation but instead chose to limit our interaction with their tyrannical regime in the hope that would spur the people to depose their tyrannical regime in the interest of a government supporting the freedoms of the individual.  Even though this Cuba strategy did not accomplish its goal, abandoning this strategy is in essence expressing our support of Cuba’s tyrannical regime.  In other words, Obama’s new Cuba strategy is not condoning the liberation of the Cuban citizens but condoning continued tyranny over them by their oppressive regime. 

I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ for it is the solid foundation upon which we should build our lives.  I am also not ashamed to be a citizen of the United States and even though it is not a perfect nation, I believe the constitutional government established by its founders is the most perfect and liberating form of government established by man.  My prayer is that this year we can begin reestablishing the constitutional government envisioned by the founders of the United States and reverse the path to tyranny we are currently going down. 

1. DeYoung, Karen. Obama moves to normalize relations with Cuba as American is released by Havana. www.washingtonpost.com. [Online] The Washington Post, December 17, 2014. [Cited: January 3, 2015.] http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/report-cuba-frees-american-alan-gross-after-5-years-detention-on-spy-charges/2014/12/17/a2840518-85f5-11e4-a702-fa31ff4ae98e_story.html.