Guilty until proven innocent….

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. (Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution)

Often we hear the phrase "innocent until proven guilty", especially in various legal movies and television shows. Unfortunately, with the recent explosion of Police License scanners, Red-light cams and the assortment of more and more surveillance cameras that are starting to pop up, it seems that those with the power are taking the position of "We know you're guilty, we just need to catch you".

Don't get me wrong. I fully support banks and businesses that put these devices in place. But these are not places that have anything to gain. A bank monitors to protect its customers. A restaurant that puts such up in their parking lot again is protecting its customers. And should I decide that I don't like one of these places using such devices, I can always take my business elsewhere.

The problem is when government gets involved. Many of these Red-light cams are being used to generate revenue, and if revenue is down, what stops a corrupt government from misusing these devices for their own purposes? There are only so many alternate routes one can take if they are against these red-light cameras, and those routes are becoming fewer and fewer. Please don't get me wrong, I do not map my route to avoid these cameras, I am just using this as an example.

This is just a minor infringement. I have always had these same concerns with regard to the Patriot Act put into place by the president George Bush. I had disagreements with some of the things he did, but overall, I had trust in our president. I never thought of him as one to be against his own country. But I have concerns for our current government. Daily my respect for our elected officials diminishes. As Peter Parkers uncle in the movie "Spider Man" says, "With great power comes great responsibility" (oddly reminiscent of Luke 12:48). I do not see our current government coming close to acting worthy of the responsibility it has been given.

In the eyes of God, we are definitely guilty, and God is everywhere, so God sees every transgression we make. But that is God's right, not government.

Trust….

I enjoy listening to Politics. I also obviously enjoy discussing religious topics. One of my favorites personalities to listen to is Glenn Beck. I believe that he is spot-on with the issues facing our country. And I can disagree with him on the religious issues (He is a professed/practicing Mormon), yet can stand next to him in defense of our country.

Lately Glenn has been quoting a lot of scripture. On one hand, I applaud him, as too many these days won't take a stand for their faith. And to his credit, he has not started quoting the book of Mormon (sticking to the bible, and being pretty good with keeping things in the correct context). But I have one word of warning for both him and those who have the same political stand. Glenn has pointed out how the founding fathers felt that government was a necessary evil, and that we shouldn't put out trust in Government to solve our problems, but in the American people. Many times he has referenced the following:

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Ephesians 6:12, KJV)

He is correct in this, but I also wish to point out the following:

It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes. (Psalm 118:8-9, KJV)

This passage in Psalms reinforces not over-trusting leaders, but it also warns us that we should not refocus our trust in man either. It is God whom we need to turn to. It is God where we need to be placing our trust. Our country has gone out of it's way to remove God from the minds of men, thus if we can't trust government, most will put their faith in their fellow man. Many men may have good intentions, but often the wickedness in their hearts will deceive them (Jeremiah 17:9 KJV).

Glenn, keep up the good work, but remember to not over emphasize man, and make sure you are putting your faith in the correct God.

Red Skelton's Pledge of Allegiance

Lent – Day 11

Our church has been having a marriage counseling retreat the last couple of days. I wanted to share a little on what was taught last night.

There is a hierarchy of priorities that we must always remember:

1. God – We are to keep God first and foremost.
   
2. Family – Family is second. Before the church was ever started, God created the family. A Father cannot expect his family to be right with God if he is not being the spiritual head of the household, being an example to his family.
   
3. Church – We are to be in a bible teaching/believing church, learning the word and supporting our church (tithes, offerings, helping where needed)
   
4. Others – This is a broad area, but it includes work (being a good workman, living a godly live as an example to others, helping and witnessing, etc.)
   
5. Self – We should be servants. We should be last on the list, but When we have the above four things in order, we will be right with God and we will be taken care of.
   

That's just a brief sampling, but one I wanted to post, not only to share with others, but to be a reminder to myself.

As to Lent, For the most part, things continue well. I have been fighting some weakness in the flesh by wanting to eat more, but have mostly fought that off. Not perfect, but when I make a mistake, I must remember to confess, seek God, and get back on the band wagon.

Lent – Day 9

Just a few thoughts from the fast so far:

In regards to building my relationship with the Lord, on the plus side, I have been doing the bible studies as originally planned at http://www.settingcaptivesfree.com/. This study I have been taking is an in-depth look at the Cross, and examples from the old testament that point to the meaning of the sacrifice made at the Calvary. While some has been review, there has also been a lot of good stuff presented. When I finish this study, I will write about some of the things that stood out to me. At the same time, my time in prayer has not improved. I know the reason for this… I have a high degree of pride. Not such that I am boastful around people, but in that I have been raised that you only ask for help when it is something beyond your ability to fix. God wants me to come to him in all things, yet I want to try and take care of these things, even the minor ones, on my own. I need to swallow my pride and truly turn to the Lord in all things.

In regards to the fast, I have had a couple of minor slips (I had a coke slushy at the movie the other day without really thinking about it before hand), but for the most part I have been doing well. On Sunday (when I could eat), after not eating for 4 days, food had a incredibly good taste. And so far I have lost 9.9 pounds.

Rumors, Gossip and your Testamony

It's that time of year again, when people start forwarding all sorts of emails with cute Christmas stories. Add these to the collection of emails I get from people telling me how this senator is corrupt, a representative is doing something underhanded, or that evils of some of the actions our current president is involved in, I find that I spend a lot of time reading emails, most of which are junk. Below part of a message I put together some time ago addressing this topic, and how forwarding unverified email just ruins your credibility. I thought I would share this today…

---

Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.
    -Exodus 23:1 (KJV)

When I first became a Christian, many of my friends started forwarding me things they thought were "cute" or "interesting" little Christian stories. As time went on, I started discovering that many of the stories being sent to me were fake. One example went like this:

I am sure that all of you heard about the sandstorm in Iraq Tuesday and Wednesday (the worst in 100 years some say) and the drenching rain that followed the next day. Our troops were bogged down and couldn't move effectively.

The media was already wondering if the troops were in a "quagmire" and dire predictions of gloom and doom came from the left wing media. What they didn't report was that yesterday, after the weather had cleared, the Marine group that was mired the worst looked out at the plain they were just about to cross. What did they see? Hundreds if not thousands of anti-tank and anti-personnel mines had been uncovered by the wind and then washed off by the rain. If they had proceeded as planned, many lives would have undoubtedly been lost.

As it was, they simply drove around them and let the demolition teams destroy them.

Praises be to His mighty name! Thank you God, for protecting our young men and women!

Cute story, except that it is a total lie, and only 15 minutes of searching uncovered this hoax (Urban Legends Reference Pages: Glurge Gallery (Sandstorm)).

Another email still roaming around warns people that they should check their computer for the file JDBGMGR.EXE. If this file is on their computer, it should be delete immediately as it is a virus. Unfortunately, this is not a virus. If you were a programmer who deleted this file, you could no longer debug javascripts. How open is the friend that deleted this program (based on your advice) going to be to the gospel after you have wrecked their computer? Why should they believe you?

Do we bring honor to our Lord when we circulate these little lies? Is this how to reach a spiritually lost and dying world? Spreading these lies ruins our testimony. Why should someone believe us about our walk with God when we are also willing to send them bogus stories of how someone drilled into hell? They question if we really know what we are talking about. God doesn't need us to fabricate something in order to make Him look good. When we pass these "lies" around, (and in the past I have been guilty of this also), do we not become guilty of telling lies, spreading false teachings, and even helping to create a false "god" of our own?

Before you forward that next message about how a little girl needs prayers for her brother, or that some organization will give you money if you forward this email", Or some cute (but totally untrue) story of how God did some action, take 15 minutes to see if what you are about to send is right. The testimony you save might just be your own.

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
    -John 8:32 (KJV)

The Beam in my eye…

I find this message a little hard to write. First, I can't find my glasses, which results in all this being a bit blurry. Thankfully I can adjust the font size on my laptop so I can see well enough to write this.

Second, this is the first time I've attempted to post to this blog using the publishing option in Microsoft Office. It looks simple enough. Yes, I'm a computer technician, but I deal primarily with hardware, not software, so I have no clue how this will display when I click on "Publish".

Third, this is a hard blog for me to write personally. Throughout the past posts, I've focused on the idea that we should know what we believe, why we believe it, and then see if we actually act upon those beliefs. Granted that on the grand scale I focus on a combination of politics and religion, but these same methods should apply to how we handle our daily living. Let me share the following story:

A missionary I know has an outreach to teens. He has an incredible life story, and praises how the Lord has worked in his life. He goes into both schools and churches sharing his experiences with alcohol, drugs and the down side of music. It is a successful ministry, and the Lord is working greatly thru this man. I have heard his messages and they are both sound scripturally, and moving. But I have one problem: his size. I would bet that this guy weighs between 350 and 400 pounds. When he preaches, he is very vocal and paces about the podium… and he ends up dripping in sweat. While he is a wonderful minister, but I have found myself wondering how many people judge him by his size? In my case, I agree with his message, but how many kids look at him, don't like what he is saying, and dismiss him as some fat guy screaming at them? And I know kids… they may not like the bible, or know very little about it, but many of them will ask: "Isn't gluttony a sin?" How many more might he reach if he showed restraint in his diet?

I hate hypocrites.

That is why this is hard for me to write. Let me share the following scriptures, and then tie them together:

Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things
     - Philippians 3:19 (KJV)

For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.
     - Proverbs 23:21 (KJV)

Scripture definitely tells me gluttony is a sin. There are many passages regarding not just overeating, but all gluttony in regards to overindulgence.

And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
     - Matthew 7:3 (KJV)

Did I not just ask how many kids dismiss him because of his weight? Isn't that what I've just done? Yes, the missionary is overweight. And it might help his ministry if he lost weight. But who am I to say this? I am overweight. As of this morning I weight 261. I should be somewhere between 170 and 190. Yes, I believe that being overweight affects how one ministers. And that is one thing that does hinder my ministry (or perhaps I use that as an excuse..?) But you know what? This missionary is doing a LOT more than I am in regards to reaching out to the lost. I have no right to judge him. Before I should ever bring the issue of weight into it, I should be taking care of my weight issues first, and working to improve my outreach to the lost before this should ever be an issue.

Yes, he is overweight. It is easy for me to say he is overweight simply because I am not as overweight as he is. It makes me feel like I am somehow "better" than he is, but if I step back, I can see the truth – we are both overweight, and HE is doing much more to serve the Lord. I need to follow the instruction of the Lord, and take care of the beam that is in my own eye rather than pointing out the mote (splinter) in his. Only once I have my weight under control could I ever approach him about this, and then it must be done in love and kindness, not with an attitude of superiority. So what do I do?

Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
     - 1^st Corinthians 10:31 (KJV)

I must acknowledge that I need to make changes in my eating habits. I need to rein in my eating so that it brings glory to God (along with everything else I do).

I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?
     - Job 31:1

Covenant -

A writing containing the terms of agreement or contract between parties; or the clause of agreement in a deed containing the covenant.
     - Websters 1828 Dictionary

To do this, I need to make a covenant. Job did this: he made a covenant, a contract that he would not allow himself to look upon other women. He knew how lust displeased the Lord, so he made a contract that he would not do this. Now I do not believe that it was a written contract, but God remembers when you make a contract with him (and how many such contracts have I broken myself?).

Today I am making a covenant: With Thanksgiving upon us, I will take care to no over-indulge during these next few days, and after Thanksgiving, to have a period of hard hitting dieting. By this time next year I want to be at 190 or lower (that 71+ pounds I plan to lose). And while this is first and foremost between me and the Lord, I will post current weight and amount lost at the end of all future blog entries. Should anyone read this, I covet your support.

Current and Starting weight: 261

Where do you stand?

I was given the chance to share the following as a brief message at church last Sunday. While similiar to my original first post (Question with Boldness), it is more detailed. I hope this is a blessing to anyone reading this...

---

Martin Niemöller was a German pastor and theologian born in Lippstadt, Germany, in 1892. Niemöller was an anti-Communist who supported Hitler's rise to power at first. But when Hitler insisted on the supremacy of the state over religion, Niemöller became disillusioned. He became the leader of a group of German clergymen opposed to Hitler. Unlike Niemöller, most gave in to the Nazis' threats. Hitler personally detested Niemöller and in 1937 had him arrested and eventually confined in the Sachsenhausen and Dachau concentration camps. Many of you may not know who Martin Niemöller is, but you are probably familiar with a poem he wrote:

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
after all I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
after all I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
after all I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.
His poem is well-known, frequently quoted, and is a popular model for describing the dangers of political apathy, as it often begins with specific and targeted fear and hatred which soon escalates out of control.

Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
     - Esther 4:13-14

Both Pastor Niemöller and Mordecai are saying the same thing: Make a stand. But we can’t make a successful stand unless we know our world view, knowing what we believe and why we believe it. So how do we do this? How can I know for sure what my world view is, and that I am taking a Godly stand?

1) Question your beliefs.

“Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear.”
     - Thomas Jefferson

2nd Corinthians 13:5 tells us to examine ourselves. Are you standing firm in the faith? Are you sure? Our actions are based upon what we believe, but how often do we catch ourselves, or worse yet, someone else catches us doing the opposite of what we say we believe?

In this age of political correctness, how often are we afraid to question others about what they believe simply because we want to avoid confrontation? Worse is the fact that all too often we ourselves don’t know the answer, when we are confronted with doubt because we either fail to remember what we have been taught, both in Church and school, or, either accidental or on purpose, we were taught wrong.

2) Study - 2nd Timothy 2:15 tells us to “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

This is exactly what the Bereans did. The apostle Paul had just been forced from Thessalonica because what he taught was different than the common thinking and teachings of his time. There were even plans to kill Paul. But when Paul arrived in Berea, he found a different mind set: here the people would listen to him, then consult the scriptures to see for themselves if what Paul taught was correct. Paul tells us…

“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
     - Acts 17:11 (KJV)

These Bereans were considered “more noble” because they were seeking the truth. They didn’t not just listen to Paul and then say to themselves “Hey, he sounds like he knows what he is talking about”, accepting his statements at face value. Nor did they think to themselves “I like what he says better then what I’ve been told before” and then blindly follow Paul. They questioned with boldness, searching the scriptures to see if Paul was telling the truth.

So what are the benefits of questioning what we believe and what we are told?

1) We are approved unto God (2nd Timothy 2:15)
2) We are not deceived by false teaching and false doctrine (Ephesians 4:14), knowing the truth, and the truth shall set us free (John 8:32)
3) Ultimately, as 1st Peter 3:15 tells us, we are able to make a Godly stand, because we are able to give an answer for when others ask us why we believe what we believe.

So why is all this important? We live in a time of false profits and false teachers.

Isiah 5:20 puts it this way: Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

We find this not only in our churches, but in our schools, with the people we work with, with the news we listen to, and even with family members. One of my biggest pet peeves is when someone tells me that our country was not founded on Christian values and principles. I always thought it was, but could never back up my views, because I didn’t know the truth. Partially because I had forgotten what I had been taught, or because what I had been taught had been twisted, I would avoid defending my views. I had to take the above principles and apply them. I had to question my beliefs, and seek answers. Only them could I now only know what I believed, but could defend it.

Here are just a few of the things I came across in that research:

Virtually every one of the 55 writers and signers of the United States Constitution were members of various Christian denominations: 29 were Anglicans, 16 to 18 were Calvinists, 2 were Methodists, 2 were Lutherans, 2 were Roman Catholic, 1 lapsed Quaker and sometimes Anglican, and 1 open deist--Dr. Franklin who attended every kind of Christian worship, called for public prayer, and contributed to all denominations.

In 1800, when Washington, D. C., became the national capital and the President moved into the White House and Congress into the Capitol, Congress approved the use of the Capitol building as a church building for Christian worship services. By 1867, the church in the Capitol had become the largest church in Washington, and the largest Protestant church in America.

It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible.
     - George Washington

“What students would learn in American schools above all is the religion of Jesus Christ.”
     - George Washington, Speech to the Delaware Indian Chiefs May 12, 1779 

It cannot be emphasized too strongly that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded assylum, prosperity and freedom of worship here.
     - Patrick Henry

"Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it should be otherwise; and in this sense and to this extent our civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian."
     - United States Supreme Court, 1892.

"These and many other matters which might be noticed, add a volume of unofficial declarations to the mass of organic utterances that this is a Christian nation."
     - United States Supreme Court, Feb 29, 1892,  Church of the Holy Trinity v. US

"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
     - John Adams

"Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers."
     - John Jay

"Property is the fruit of labor...property is desirable...is a positive good in the world. That some should be rich shows that others may become rich, and hence is just encouragement to industry and enterprise. Let not him who is houseless pull down the house of another; but let him labor diligently and build one for himself, thus by example assuring that his own shall be safe from violence when built."
     - Abraham Lincoln

I’ll close with these two thoughts. Proverbs 14:34 tells us “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.”

Alexander Hamilton, the First US secretary of The Treasury said: “Those who stand for nothing fall for anything.” My challenge today is, are you ready to take a stand? What will you stand for? And more important is, are you standing for the things of God?

Question with Boldness....

So who am I and why should you even listen to me? I’ve already stated that my real name is not Joel Uriel, so why should you put any faith in anything I have to write?

First, in this age of political correctness, we often afraid to question others about what they believe because we want to avoid confrontation. Worse is the fact that all too often we don’t know the answer. There is an area of doubt caused either by our failure to remember what we have been taught, both in Church and school, or, either accidental or on purpose, we were taught wrong.

“Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear.”
- Thomas Jefferson

When we have doubts, question with boldness. If you have the facts wrong, you will learn something. At the same time, If you have the facts right, you will enlighten someone else.

But here is the next thing to remember:

These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
- Acts 17:11 (KJV)

The apostle Paul had just been forced from Thessalonica because what he taught was different than the common thinking and teachings of his time. There were even plans to kill Paul. But when Paul arrived in Berea, he found a different mind set: here the people would listen to him, then consult the scriptures to see for themselves if what Paul taught was correct. These Bereans were considered “more noble” because they were seeking the truth.

All the world needs now is one more Christian blog, but I am here to seek Truth. When I have time, I will share what I know. And should anyone actually read this, I will gladly discuss what I write.

My point here is this: Question everything. Make sure that what you believe is correct. And then make sure that you are living in a way consistent with what you believe.