LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY REMINDER OF POST-VIETNAM ERA

In the late 1960's and early 1970's our nation adopted a disregarded for the importance of those that put their lives. What once was a proud country, was replaced with an attitude of disgust.  Disgust for those who were protecting their lives, their country and their futures....our military.  There is story after story of Vietnam veterans who came home to be dishonored with words and actions.  One would have to ask, from all accounts of what happened in Florida last weekend.....have we returned to those ways?    

University of Florida and Emory University fraternity members visiting Panama City, Florida last  weekend allegedly harassed wounded veterans in ways reminiscent of Vietnam War-era protests.

“They actually spit on me and my service dog as well. That’s just so disrespectful,” veteran Nicholas Connole  told a local NBC affiliate Thursday.

Mr. Connole and other veterans were in town for its biannual Warrior Beach Retreat.   Suspected fraternity members were also said to have poured beer on veterans and urinated on the American flag.

They’re a total disgrace for our military,” said Linda Cope, founder of Warrior Beach Retreat, the station reported. “They were urinating on the American flag. They were throwing things off of the balconies.”

The retreat was founded in September 2009, about three years after Cope’s son, Sgt. Joshua Cope, lost both legs in an explosion in Iraq,  according to Warrior Beach Retreat website.

"We focus on the caregiver and strengthening marriages,” Cope said. “That’s our vision.”
The event brought together combat wounded veterans and included a parade on April 16 where between 8,000 and 10,000 people lined the streets. 



A weekend of patriotism led to a display of hatred

Zeta Beta Tau fraternity members from the University of Florida and Emory University were staying at the Lake Town Wharf Resort when the alleged incidents occurred.

Dave Kratzer — a retired U.S. Army major general, combat veteran and standing UF vice president of student affairs —  wrote in a press release.  “I am personally offended and disappointed by the behavior that has been described to me. This is not representative of our students or of the university.” 

Three ZBT members have since been expelled from the UF chapter, according to a statement from Laurence Bolotin, executive director of the fraternity at large. Bolotin says the fraternity has contacted Warrior Beach Retreat and hopes to “work together in the future to support our nation’s brave veterans.”  

The University of Florida suspended its Zeta Beta Tau chapter on April 24th on an interim basis pending an investigation.   

So what has brought about the return to post-Vietnam attitudes?   Perhaps something like this....   

A university in southern Georgia canceled classes on Friday before a rally that drew about 1,000 demonstrators angry that an American flag was stepped on during a recent protest on campus.
Valdosta State University officials said no classes would be held and about 100 law enforcement officers were on campus during the event to ensure the safety of students and staff.  The university, located about 15 miles from the Florida border, has drawn national attention after a cell phone video of an altercation at the April 17 rally was posted on the Internet.

"This is a home for free speech," said William McKinney, the university's president, at a news conference after the event, noting his pride that it had taken place peacefully. "This is what America is about, what it should be about."

Focal point in the protest was the arrest of a woman named Michelle Manhart, an Air Force veteran living in the area.  Manhart took a flag from protesters to protect it.  Manhart refused to return the flag, even after being ordered to do so by police.  She was eventually detained by officers and has been banned from the campus, according to local media reports.

Flag defenders had been critical of the school president's response that freedom of speech must be upheld even if it includes disrespect to the flag.  Critics launched their own protest movement called "Flags over VSU."

"We will not waiver in standing up for our nation, our flag and our soldiers",  they retorted.

It would appear antics like the two mentioned offer a complete lack of accountability....from both students and educators.  So, what, comes of it?  Most likely, little if anything...but we can only hope. 

Let's begin with some suspensions at the university.....not of the fraternity, but the students themselves.  And for Mr. McKinley, the Valdosta State University President.....it's time for you to move on.   

Perhaps I'm a little short-sighted with behavior of this kind.  However, if you've had a son in the armed services, or served yourself......if you had a family member risk their life for our right to freedom, then you'll understand my next few words.  If you don't like this country, then try somewhere else.  See where that gets you....

YGG,

John  

1 Timothy 6 3-5

If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing.   He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth.

HEY CHRISTIAN, HOW'S THAT LUKEWARMNESS GOING?

If the title of this post concerning lukewarmness doesn't evoke some emotion, than I'm not sure what might.  Because the subject were going to talk about isn't to be taken lightly and it shouldn't be dismissed.  If you are lukewarm in your faith, you've got issues.  Frankly, an atheist and agnostic at least have a commitment in their thinking.  And as you're about to find out,  most Christians have a lot of soul searching to do. 

Let's see what Revelations 3 15-16 has to say about being lukewarm:
 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other.        16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

Is that God's anger we're reading...an utter disdain for the lukewarm mind.  I think so.   In some interpretations, the "spit you out" is closer to the word "puke".  That most likely says it all.


Where are you at on the thermometer?



One of my favorite Christian radio hosts is Adrian Rogers.   For over fifty years, Rogers consistently presented the Good News of Jesus Christ with strong conviction, compassion and integrity.  He led Southern Baptist churches in the deep South and challenged his congregation each and every time he spoke.  He was a three-term President of the Southern Baptists.  When he spoke, people not only listened, they were moved to act.  Rogers died in 2005 yet his sermons are heard daily on hundreds of radio stations across the world.  His sermons are as accurate today as they were then....the message is unchanged.  Rogers has some in-your-face thoughts regarding the lukewarm Christian. 

 "Lukewarmness is that state of being a little too cold to be hot and a little too hot to be cold; no fire, zeal or enthusiasm for the things of God.  Believers who yawn in the face of God".   If.....the greatest commandment there is, is, "love the Lord with all your Heart", then the greatest sin, is, not, "loving the Lord with all of your Heart". 

So, what does lukewarm look like...

Lukewarm people give money to charity and to the church as long as it doesn’t impinge on their standard of living. If they have a little extra and it is easy and safe to give, they do so.  After all, God loves a cheerful giver, right? 

Lukewarm people tend to choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict. They desire to fit in both at church and outside of church; they care more about what people think of their actions (like church attendance and giving) than what God thinks of their hearts and lives. 

Lukewarm people don’t really want to be saved from their sin; they want only to be saved from the penalty of their sin. They don’t genuinely hate sin and aren’t truly sorry for it; they’re merely sorry because God is going to punish them. Lukewarm people don’t really believe that this new life Jesus offers is better than the old sinful one. 

Lukewarm people are moved by stories of people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act. They assume such action is for “extreme” Christians, not average ones. Lukewarm people call “radical” what Jesus expected of all His followers. 

Lukewarm people rarely share their faith with their neighbors, coworkers, or friends. They do not want to be rejected, nor do they want to make people uncomfortable by talking about private issues like religion.

Perhaps you see yourself in the descriptions above. Perhaps they challenge you.  Perhaps it's time for some changes.......you say, Perhaps.

At what temperature are we lukewarm?  All we know is lukewarm is cooler than hot.  Everyone has different thermostats.  What you think is hot might be cold to God.  If at one time you are on fire for God and have begun to cool off, at what point does that cooling become lukewarm?  There is not really a gauge between hot, cold, and lukewarm.  Have you ever wondered about the thermostat wars that go on between you and your wife? Why did God make men and women in this way?  Why is it that my wife is cold when it's 90°?  Why is it that am not cool until it's below 70?  At bedtime she's got a pile of blankets, and as men we are throwing the blankets off of us.  The point is this, we don't really have an accurate way to measure hot and cold.  Everyone has a different gauge.  God says when you hit his lukewarm point he is spewing you out of his mouth.  It means that you are distasteful, intolerable, and rejected by God.  What does that mean to you?  God says if you keep letting this cooling process continue in your life, you will reach a point when God is done.  You need to let those words bother you.  Can you look at your life in the light of this text and say I'm not on fire.  Can you live with that and continue to live your life like everything's okay.

So how does a person keep lukewarmess in check?  Try this...."Reading the Bible should not be a philosophical pursuit or an exercise in academia. The purpose of God's word is to show who God is and show us who we really are, to align ourselves to the God we will face on Judgment Day. James 1:22 - '.. be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.'

Some of the most deceived people on the planet sit in churches every Sunday profoundly deceived because thinking that because they hear the word, that makes them right with God.  It is astonishing how many Christians are not doers of the word.

Or you could try this....Serve, Give, Lead someone to the Lord, Find a Mission Field and Love.

A recent study by the Barna Group showed that among ten activities studied of Christians, that Americans are most likely to pray.  More than four out of every five Americans (83%) said they had prayed in the last week.  This was followed by attending a church service (43%) and reading the Bible outside of church worship services (41%).  Notably, just one-quarter of adults possess an active faith, meaning they engage in all three of these activities (pray, attend church, and read the Bible in a typical week).

Slightly less than one-quarter of adults had volunteered free time to help a church (22%) or some other type of non-profit (23%) in the last week.  About one-fifth of all adults had attended Sunday school (20%), while a similar proportion had participated in a small group for Bible study, prayer and Christian fellowship (19%). The survey showed that half of all adults (50%) said they had donated money to a congregation in the past year.

If my quick look is accurate, I see only one category where the numbers are over 50%...that being the fact the 83% of Americans said they prayed last week.  And to draw some attention to that, I quote Adrian Rogers, "if you remain in your lukewarmness....you are most likely a sitting duck".

There's and old expression that goes something like this, "Lord Love a Duck".  Now the question is, are you a sitting duck or a duck?  Just because it looks like a duck and walks like a duck....could be blended into, just because it looks like a Christian and walks like a Christian, doesn't mean it's a Christian.  

YGG,

John    





 

ENGLAND'S CAMERON OFFERS A DIFFERENT CHRISTIAN TUNE THAN OBAMA

England's Prime Minister David Cameron struck a chord and in many respects he might have put together an entire progression when he offered some words of advise to the people of Great Britain in his Easter address.  His focus was the persecution of Christians in other parts of the world.

"Easter is a time for Christians to celebrate the ultimate triumph of life over death in the resurrection of Jesus," Cameron said. "And for all of us it's a time to reflect on the part that Christianity plays in our national life."

Cameron said the Church is "not just a collection of beautiful old buildings," but a "living, active force doing great works right across our country."

Now let's compare that with what's at work in the United States.  This is from Craig Masters of the Northern Colorado Gazette:

"Barack Obama’s education in Muslim schools seems to have been as distorted in favor of Islam as it was against Christianity. When he decided to tell Christian Americans to get off their “high horse” and understand that what the ISIS fighters are doing to Christians today is really no different than what Christians did to Muslims during the Crusades, he was clearly telling America his sympathy lies with the ISIS fighters.  But his version of history is the lie of Islam, not the truth of Freedom.

Obama himself finally blew the smoke away from the mirrors he had so successfully hidden behind for so long. Although the disgraced network news readers have ignored or excused the President’s anti-Christian speech, his own press secretary has defended it by saying that the words Obama spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast were carefully chosen.

Will this exposure allow just a few more Americans to see “their” leader is a traitor who – up until his “Christians on their high horse” speech – has diverted their attention while attacking America’s economy and undermining our freedoms, future and independence. An attack directed against us from inside our own protected walls of the White House.

How much more obvious can it become that the Obama presidency has been nothing short of an all out attack on The United States, Christianity, the Constitution, and Freedom.  Islam demands no freedom. Sheria Law has no provisions for equality of women, no punishment for throwing homosexuals from rooftops or beheading children of infidels and the missionaries who dare to challenge the words of Muhammad". 

Mr. Masters has made some very strong comments, but it does cause a person to reflect on their accuracy.  If....you take a long, hard look, it would be more than difficult to argue otherwise. 

Is there much in common with Obama and Cameron? 

Let's get back to Prime Minister Cameron and some of the other words of encouragement and  wisdom he shared.  Cameron praised Christians for feeding the homeless, helping people conquer addictions and comforting those who are suffering.

"I know from the most difficult times in my own life that the kindness of the church can be a huge comfort", Cameron said.  "Christians don't just talk loving their neighbor; they live it out in faith schools, in prisons, in community groups.  And it's for all these reasons that we should feel proud to say this is a Christian country".  "Yes, we're a nation that embraces, welcomes and accepts all faiths and none, but we're still a Christian country."  Cameron went on to denounce the ongoing persecution of Christians in parts of the Middle East, Africa and Asia, saying there is "a duty to speak out about the persecution of Christians around the world."

"It is truly shocking that in 2015 there are still Christians being threatened, tortured, even killed because of their faith, from Egypt to Nigeria, Libya to North Korea", Cameron said. "Across the Middle East Christians have been hounded out of their homes, forced to flee from village to village, many of them forced to renounce their faith, or brutally murdered".

"To all those brave Christians in Iraq and Syria who are practicing their faith or sheltering others, we must say, 'We stand with you".

There is stark difference between the two leaders, for sure.  And ultimately it leads one to wonder what the future is of both of their countries.  For those in the United States, I offer this:

"Why isn’t America in bible prophecy?  In all likelihood, some of us will not know the answer in this life, but in hindsight, it will most likely be plain and obvious to the people of the Tribulation.

The need to see America in bible prophecy stems from a common mistake in the study of bible prophecy – trying to fit bible prophecy into the current headlines, rather than reading current headlines in the context of bible prophecy.

 

We can see the many signs of the end times, knowing the hour is late and His coming is near.

 

And with America still holding a position of strength and power in the world, it’s difficult to reconcile our belief that the end is near with the Bible’s silence regarding America’s role.

 

Nevertheless, we can be confident that bible prophecy will come to pass with 100% accuracy, and the United States will not be a significant player in end time events".

 

If those thoughts get you fired up, remember some words said a long, long time ago, "because the Bible tells me so".  We can debate all we want as to the why and where fors, but somewhere, sometime, the wheels came off the track.     

 

YGG,

 

John 

REVENGE, ABANDONMENT AND BETRAYAL

If you've heard a loud sigh lately, it's most likely coming from me.  Unless that is, you've reached the same point in all the politics being played out in the world these days.  It's gotten down right stupid and it's led one person to put a spot on assessment of what it means.   There are times where we need to share things with others.  Not use it and put your own spin on it....just share it.  Today, this is the time. The words are from Jan Markell, Founder, President and Host of Understanding the Times

Did you ever expect to see those three words linked to the U.S.-Israel relationship?  (Revenge, Abandonment and Betrayal)  Have we fallen down a hole and we now are in an "Alice-in-Wonderland" world? America embraces her enemies and lifts sanctions on Iran. She will likely place sanctions on Israel. It is an upside down world. Is the Mad Hatter in charge?

Things aren't falling apart--they're falling in place.

The entire world is in the process of abandoning Israel which the Bible foretells in Zechariah 12:3. It is ultimately fulfilled in the Tribulation but the process begins much sooner.

Falling Apart or Falling in Place?

  Here's what some are saying.

  

Pamela Geller, President of the American Freedom Defense Initiative  and Stop Islamization of America says, "The White House actions against Israel and Prime Minister Netanyahu are a 'jihad against the Jews.'"

She refers to the story broken by Israel National News that the Obama administration declassified a Department of Defense top-secret document with details of Israel's nuclear assets, a highly covert topic that Israel has never formally announced to avoid a regional nuclear arms race.

Geller states that Israel has shared its nuclear secrets with America for decades. They just never imagined someone in the White House would stoop so low as to reveal them to the world.

Joel Rosenberg says, "There is mounting evidence that Obama is preparing to 'divorce Israel.' Once it would have been preposterous even to ask such a question. Today, it feels like it's a matter of 'when', not 'if' Mr. Obama will formally abandon American support for the Jewish State. And the situation is rapidly going from bad to worse."

Rosenberg cites some headlines:

1.  U.S. Could Abandon Israel at the U.N. (CNN)
2.  Washington Threatens to Abandon Israel at the U.N. (Times of London)
3.  Israel-White House Relations at All-Time Low (Breaking Israel News)
4.  Iran Deal Worse Than Israel Feared (Times of Israel)

Rosenberg states, "For an American President, or Congress, or the American people, to turn against Israel and the Jewish people would be more than bad policy or unfortunate politics. According to Bible prophecy, such moves would pose an existential threat to the future of the United States."

  

Israeli commentator Caroline Glick writes, "the administration's animosity toward Israel is a function of Obama's twin strategic aims, both evident since he entered office: realigning U.S. policy in the Middle East toward Iran and away from its traditional allies Israel and the Sunni Arab states, and ending the US's strategic alliance with Israel.

"Over the past six years, we have seen how Obama has consistently, but gradually, taken steps to advance these two goals. Toward Iran, he has demonstrated an unflappable determination to accommodate the terrorism supporting, nuclear proliferating, human rights repressing and empire building mullahs."

White House correspondent Bill Koenig, my frequent conference and radio guest writes in his e-newsletter, Koenig's Eye-View from the White House: "The more President Obama's actions affect or jeopardize Israel's security, the stronger the response will be from the God of Israel as evidenced in Scripture. This will have enormous implications for the United States."

Koenig writes, "The Obama administration keeps speaking about its unprecedented security cooperation with Israel, but what good is that if Iran gets nuclear weapons? What good is it if Iran deploys missiles in Syria and Lebanon, or Hamas takes over the Palestinian Authority, entrenches itself in the mountains of Judea and Samaria and brings in arms from Iran and Turkey? What good is it if Iran takes control of Yemen and the Red Sea?"

(Find info on subscribing to Koenig's e-newsletter here. It's well worth the nominal cost.)

Journalist Bill Wilson writes, "The U.S. government is trying to literally 'cut' Israel in half with its proposal of a Palestinian state. All that burden themselves with this issue may find themselves 'cut into pieces.'" 

The White House has also suggested Israel shrink her borders to PRE-1967 borders. Call them suicide borders. They are not defensible. 

Bill Koenig states, "This is the White House that continues to leak information that puts Israel's security at risk, while speaking of its close co-operation with Israel. This is the White House that pressured the Pentagon to leak potential Israeli military actions against Iran to the press in 2012, 2013, and 2014. This is the White House that leaks news about Israeli air strikes inside Syria."

  

Koenig provides a complete timeline of Obama's anti-Israel hatred in his newsletter. He quotes Breitbart News suggesting President Obama finally called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to congratulate him on his re-election -- but the "congratulations" was actually a lecture directed at forcing Netanyahu to surrender to the terrorist Palestinian regime. 

Joel Rosenberg summarizes that we are watching Barack Obama:

  Negotiate an incredibly dangerous nuclear deal with Iran
  Refuse to share the precise details of this deal with Israel, America's most    faithful and trusted ally
  Treat the Israeli Prime Minister nearly as persona non grata
  Threaten revenge because Netanyahu won re-election
  Threaten to abandon Israel @ U.N. and allow anti-Israel resolutions to pass
  And now declassifies details of Israel's top secret nuclear program  

Rosenberg concludes, "This is the most dangerous moment in the 67-year history of the U.S.-Israel relationship. What do the next two years hold? I cannot say for sure. I'm praying for the President and his top advisers to back off, turn from this dangerous path, and find common ground with Israel, despite policy and personality differences."

Iran is about to become a nuclear power player with the blessing of America and a few other blind-as-bats nations. That means many nations in the region will  have to pursue this goal as well. If you ever wondered what end-time references to fire, vapors of smoke, and the resulting strange signs in the heavens mean, I think it is obvious. At the time of the very end, nuclear war will be raging -- for sure in the Mideast. Maybe it will happen before the Rapture. The timing of all such events is uncertain. The Bible references appear to be Tribulation-based.

Things are coming together. They are falling in place. Even if it seems they are falling apart, they really are not. Nations must have "distress with perplexity." (Luke 21:25.)  Can you think of a single nation that is not plagued with some kind of perplexity or plague? A dilemma for which the leaders have no solutions. 

  

Neither kings, generals, mullahs, ayatollahs, presidents, Fuhrers, or pharaohs can obliterate Israel. But the evil they perpetrate on God's covenant land can boomerang back on them and their empires.   

  

We have been warned. Scripture is clear. Mess with Israel and there are consequences.

"And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed." (Genesis 12:3)

Thanks so much for sharing with us, Jan.  We'll be watching......

Several weeks ago I shared with you my thoughts on the end times.  Causes some more thoughts to ponder, doesn't it?

YGG,

John