Are You a Christian Zombie?

Recent events have convinced me we are in the midst of a Christian zombie apocalypse.  Far too many of the Christians I meet appear to be zombies.  I try to engage them, but the vacant stare soon convinces me to back away lest they figure out I’m not one of them. 

 

I’m not much of a zombie fan.  The television and movie portrayals are too gory and fanciful for me.  I’ve seen enough, though, to recognize zombie traits.  Zombies stagger around, mindlessly driven by their need to use a living person’s brain to fuel their not-really-alive existence.  I’m convinced the zombie emphasis in the media is indicative of something deeper going on in our culture, even Church culture. Where are the living, breathing, thinking believers this world desperately needs?

 

Christian book stores, if you can find one, have a corner for theology, which the ancients called the “mother of all sciences”, while there is row after row on how to be happy.  There are books on happy marriages, happy children, happy jobs.  All based on the idea that God wants you to be happy.  Someone, please stumble over to your Bible and find me that promise.

 

Certainly, God cares for our hurts and He wants to meet our needs. His promises of provision, however, are for those who have died to self to live for Him.  He has no promises for those who seek Him for selfish and temporary reasons.  His call is to take up a cross, and follow.

 

Where are the thinkers of contemporary Christianity?  Billy Graham is still with us, and he faithfully calls us back to the Bible and repentance.  Chuck Colson tried to challenge believers to be salt and light, but his voice is silent.  Also gone are Francis Schaeffer and C.S. Lewis.  Pray that the Lord will give us voices like this again, voices to challenge believers to rise above the mindless worldliness that focuses on materialism, self-actualization, and small and petty self-pleasing theology.

 

In the midst of all this zombie-like searching for pleasure and happiness, has it occurred to anyone that perhaps we are not to be happy in this broken world?  Do our pulpits still ring with that thought?  Do we remember that we are not to love this world, that love of the world excludes the love of God?  (Jn. 15:19, 1 Jn. 2:15)

 

You’re not dead yet.  Let go of living for yourself, walk into the light, follow Him and live for His purpose.

GUN CONTROL OR PEOPLE CONTROL?

It is crunch time and we must be active.  Though I’m tired of dealing with this and you are probably tired of reading about it, we must work harder the next few days.  We can win this.  Here is the short version.

A cynical and ghoulish Senator Feinstein had her bill ready for a year while she waited for some crazy person to commit an atrocity.  Her bill and all the others (including the “compromise”) would not have stopped any of the recent mass shootings.  THOSE LAWS TARGET HONEST PEOPLE.

We must not let Congress operate this way.  They must stop this reactionary, useless action, response that targets honest citizens, and begin to deal with real causes and criminals.  Today they are targeting honest gun owners; tomorrow it will be faith groups, churches, businesses, you name it!  WE MUST NOT STAND FOR IT!

Below are the phone numbers for our Indiana Senators.  Call them today and everyday till this threat to American Civilization is over.  Tell them you are tired of being targeted by Congress.   It takes only a couple minutes.  You owe it to your kids.  I’ve also included a notice from the NRA on the recent “compromise”.  LET’S ROLL!

Senator Coats: 202-224-5623       Senator Donnelly: 202-224-4814

Yesterday marked the unveiling of a “deal” in the Senate to expand background checks for commercial gun purchases. …, it is vital that you remain informed of NRA’s stance on topics such as this. Frequent www.NRAILA.org to stay up to date on the latest news, straight from NRA.

Armor For The Battle

Anyone who pays even a little attention to the news and has Christian values has no doubt suffered from confusion, frustration, isolation and anger the past several weeks.  Our Country has rapidly picked up many of the earmarks of a culture in decline.  If you think things are going along well, then this tome is not for you.  You can go back to reading Joe Biden’s Big Book of Self-Defense.  If you have been troubled, here are some helpful tips.

How to conquer in a culture of corruption:

Understand you are not alone.  There are a lot of us out here who feel the same way.  Remember that the Bible tells us that Job was vexed by his ungodly neighbors.

Realize it is OK to be stressed out when you have legitimate concerns for yourself, your children or grand-kids and the type of country they will inherit.  (See Job once again.)

Take care of your family.  Love them, nurture them, and teach them.  It is your responsibility, and you cannot expect any help from the schools or the surrounding culture.  That is probably the way God intended it anyway.  Make a difference for them!

Be personally committed to the Lord and to following Him in righteousness and holiness.  You must focus on this and make it your goal.  As in the above, you will not receive help or support from the culture, quite the contrary.

Be engaged and involved.  Support groups that promote godliness, Christ-like principles, and protect our Constitution.  We must stick together, and we must confront our culture.  When our Constitution is gutted, we will have no legal protection.  Do not think you can hide.  You can still make a difference.

Be purposeful and intentional in reaching your neighbors.  “Be ready always…,” the Bible says.  Ministry is not a group activity or a meeting. It is your individual responsibility and duty.  If it were illegal for Christians to meet, we could still share the gospel.  Actually, those circumstances have produced the strongest believers and churches.  Yes, ponder that, a strong church that cannot have a meeting.

Lastly, remember that culture cannot redefine truth.  Our culture’s weak and feeble attempts to reshape the world into its own image will not stand the test of time or the Judgment Seat of Christ.  Stay faithful in trials; the Lord has a crown for those who do.

Rope-A-Dope!

Don’t Stop Now!

The gun banners are counting on you to run out of steam.  Don’t give them the satisfaction.  Keep communicating with your Representatives.  Here is a link. Ruger Advocacy

Rope-A-Dope: What they are really after is Firearm Registration!  You will begin to hear more and more about “Universal Background Checks”.  Every bill suggested for this contains registration or a “database”.  The banners may well concede they cannot get an AWB and push for a “compromise”.  Don’t fall for it!  There is only one reason they want a database; are you ready? Confiscation!  Registration is the real cherry they are trying to pick.  When you write your Representative tell them NO, on universal background checks.

Magazine Bans: Dave Kopel gave some insightful and powerful testimony before the Senate last week.  You can view his testimony here.  I encourage you to check it out; it might help you be better informed.

What is a high capacity magazine?  Technically, it is probably one that contains more rounds than the magazine designed for and that came with the firearm.  So, a Glock 17 has a 17 round magazine, an AR15 type firearm has a 30 round magazine.  These are standard capacity.  Do not call them high capacity!  When your favorite store or vendor sells a standard capacity magazine, make them call it that.  Again; a standard capacity magazine is one that came with the firearm, and, or is in common use with that firearm.

NRA:  After their press conference the National Rifle Association was pilloried by the press and anyone with a keyboard or microphone.  The problem for the critics is that most of America agreed with the NRA.  Have you noticed that the things they suggested have gained steam and mental health and school security strategies are being studied and adopted all across the country?  The NRA is taking the hits, but they have set the parameters for the debate.  Hats off to the NRA, keep it up!

Are you member?  Here is a terrific deal on a life membership: Follow this link to Tom Gresham’s page and you can get an NRA life membership for only $300.  That’s a savings of $700.  Thanks Tom!

Follow the Patriot Prayer League here.  Twitter hash tag #ppl

Till later.

Patriot Prayer League!

The most powerful form of political activism is Prayer!

It is our duty as believers to vote and to communicate with those we select to make the daily decisions needed to run this great country.  Political involvement is necessary and good.

But the greater authority, the greater power, lies in our prayers.

I’m asking you to commit to pray for our country and its leaders.  Every Day!

Here is what you can do:  Pick some hour on the clock that you are likely to see twice each day, like 7 or 8 and commit to pray for 5 minutes – 5 minutes for our country and its leaders at the top of one of those hours.  The hour is not important; five minutes of prayer is.  You can be flexible; you have two choices each day.  You can change the time on the fly, but please pray. 1 Timothy 2:8 I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.

Each time you hear something upsetting, frustrating or maddening on the news, turn that passion to prayer.  Pray about that issue and those who are making that decision. Fifteen or 30 seconds of earnest prayer can touch the heart of God.

Pray humbly; remember, you do not know everything.  You do not know all the pressures our representatives may be feeling. Pray for courage and wisdom!

Pray for decisions that honor God and promote righteousness.

Pray for other believers and ask God to stir their hearts to pray.

Here is something else you can do.  Like this page Patriot Prayer League!  This page is our combined prayer journal.  Use this page to record what you prayed for that day.  Your entry will be guidance and encouragement to others.  Tell of your prayer victories and struggles, and post encouraging comments when others post. Hebrews 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.  We need each other.  Let’s take our struggle against the enemy as an opportunity for unity and encouragement.  This will strike another blow against the enemy of our souls.  Don’t forget to invite your friends to join us.

You may also post your prayer insights on Twitter using this hash-tag, #ppl.

Who is with me?  Let’s pray for the rebirth our country needs – one issue at a time!

Here is a good start:  Pray these simple one-sentence prayers, earnestly and from your heart.

God save our Republic.

God save our President.

More later, time to pray!

Gridlock is Good!

Happy Wednesday All;

Here is a brief, mid-week update.

DON’T STOP CONTACTING YOUR REPRESENTATIVES:  It is important they continue to hear from us, for at least 10 more weeks.  Your liberty and that of your children depends upon it. No new gun laws!

Here is another site to make it easy to contact your elected officials.  Click the link on the right, fill in your contact information, hit submit a couple times and you’re done for the week.  It is also OK to call and send post cards.  http://www.ruger.com/micros/advocacy/

Senator Reid and the Nuclear Option:  For years the Senate has needed a super majority of 60 votes to end debate and bring a bill to a vote.  It has been part of Senate rules for both Democrats and Republicans.  Senator Reid wants to change that, so bills can be rammed through without debate, filibuster, or amendments he deems inappropriate.  Here’s the catch; it takes 60 votes to change the rules.  He doesn’t have 60 votes, so he is planning on suspending (breaking) the rules and having a simple majority vote on changing the rules.  Breaking the rules to change the rules!  Brilliant!

Brief history lesson:  Our government was established with competing interests and branches so each could be a check on the other.  The Legislative is to protect its turf from the Executive and vice versa.  The States are to protect their interests from other states and the Federal government.  “Gridlock” was designed into the system to protect our rights and keep government in check.  “Gridlock” is good!

Contact Harry Reid and Indiana’s Democrat Senator (their contact info is in the above link) and tell them to protect the integrity of the Senate and maintain the rules.

Later this week, the Patriot Prayer League will be up and running.  Go here to sign up for the Facebook  page of #ppl.

Till later,

Engaged and Involved!

Well, the President made his emotional announcement about guns, complete with children as props, and signed his Executive Orders.  We will sort the orders out later.  First; here are a couple more pressing issues.

This Saturday is Gun Appreciation Day.  Here is a link with more information.   http://gunappreciationday.com/  I encourage you to participate, there are lots of options, for you and your friends.  It might be great to have a Gun Appreciation Shoot, put on a pot of chili and challenge everyone to write their Representatives and join the NRA.  These are good folks and I’ve sent them some money. One of the key sponsors is the Second Amendment Foundation.  You may not have heard about them, but they were the major funders and brain trust behind the two recent, favorable SCOTUS decisions.

This coming week Senator Feinstein will introduce her sweeping new gun ban.  It will ban future ownership and eventually all ownership of the vast majority of semi-auto firearms.Carbine competition

 

The 70 year old M1 Carbine this youngster is competing with is on her ban list.  Don’t think she and her friends will stop there.  Think about it, how much difference is there between a double action revolver and a semi-auto pistol?  One trigger pull, one shot.  The time to draw the line in the sand is NOW.  Contact your representatives and tell them, “No new gun laws, 20,000 is enough!”   Go here and click on the link on the right to write your Representatives.  http://www.nraila.org/

Be on the look out!  In a few days I will post info on the Patriots Prayer League.  There are practical steps we can use to turn our country around.

Just came across this!  Ever encounter confusion about the Assault Weapon term?  Go here for all your answers, hardware and political.  http://www.assaultweapon.info/

Engaged, Involved or Doomed!

As you may know, since the SandyHook murders there has been a call for stringent gun control.  I have included part of an email from Tom Gresham below that will explain what you can do to make a difference in this issue and the future of our country.  THIS IS NOT JUST ABOUT GUNS! Though guns are important, the freedom they represent is more important.  You may remember the quote about “clinging to guns and religion”.  I believe that statement is rooted in a philosophy of anti-freedom and the effort aimed at guns today will move on to religion tomorrow.  Enough intro, here is the excerpt.  Don’t forget to check out the links.

I’m asking you to commit to contacting your two senators and your one representative in the house once a week for eight to 12 weeks. (If your reps are strongly anti-gun, I’ll have advice for you in a minute.) Simple. Easy. Quick. Once a week. Three contacts. For eight to 12 weeks.

The message is simple.

1.  We won’t stand for scapegoating.

2.  No new gun laws.

3.  Remove the phony “gun free” zones which enable killers to go unchecked.

4. Work with us or we will work to retire you.

I’ve worked with a number of smart and experienced people on these “talking points,” and I’m convinced that offering any suggestions to Congress is a recipe for losing. Some have asked me to supply sources of information to back up their counter-arguments to gun control. Honestly, I think that’s a waste of time.

I don’t want to convince them we are right. I want to convince them we will hurt them politically if they vote the wrong way. That’s the way Washington, DC, works. Bare knuckles and 2x4s.

The Democrat party lost control of Congress in 1994 because they voted for the Crime Bill and the “assault weapon” ban. President Clinton said in his 1995 State of the Union address that many lost their seats in Congress by voting for gun control. He was right, and he didn’t care. It didn’t cost him his job.

We must remind both Democrats and Republicans alike that we can and will send them home if they vote for any form of gun control law.

Once a week for . . . oh, call it 12 weeks.

To find the contact info for your elected representatives, visit the NRAILA‘s website (http://nraila.org/get-involved-locally/grassroots/write-your-reps.aspx).

“But I Live In California”

Yep, there’s no point in writing Diane Feinstein. She’s on her way out, and she wants a gun ban as her legacy. So, what to do?

Write Senate president Harry Reid. Tell him 1. Do not let a vote on gun laws come to the floor, and 2.  Do not allow a rule change to allow a filibuster to be ended with a simple majority vote. The latter, you should say, is a vote against gun rights.

Don’t Twist That Book!

Did Jesus really say that?

Recently I was scrolling through the channels to find some cure for my mental lethargy when I encountered a popular TV preacher.  This fellow is often enlightening and always entertaining so I stopped to listen. His topic was the strategic thinking of Christ and how we often view life’s events like isolated incidents, while the Lord sees the whole.  I was encouraged by the message in spite of the fact that he was dressed like a senator from the Star Wars movies. Then he jumped the shark. He quoted Philippians 2:5 where it says, “Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus,” and proceeded to tell us to think like Jesus and get the big picture.

I changed the channel.

If you know your Bible, you’ll know that Philippians 2 deals with humility and service.  The reference above deals specifically with Christ leaving His Glory to come among us to die for us.  There are other examples of humility there; but my topic is not Philippians or humility, but how we use scripture.   You cannot take a statement from its context and use it elsewhere unless the speaker/writer does it or it is done by another biblical writer.

Think about this.  A dad takes his children to the local kids’ game and pizza place for a special treat because he got a big raise.  Once inside and ready to play games, he says, “I love you and want you to have all you want.”  The kids have a great time and remember the special day the rest of their lives.  Months later, the kids decide to apply Dad’s promise at the grocery store, get their own cart and load it with chocolate, candy, and soft drinks.  When they get to the checkout counter, they are disappointed when neither mom nor dad will pay for all their goodies. “You promised, Dad!” they protest. “Don’t you love us anymore”?

Christians and pastors do the same thing all the time. They take a scripture out of its context, apply it where the Lord never did, and run around saying how the Lord spoke to them.  Only the Lord has enough patience to deal with it.  Kids might make the mistake in my illustration, but they should soon grow mature enough to sense that something larger is going on.  That mature discernment is missing in many of our churches because preachers like my brother above need scripture to reinforce their point.

His point was valid and preachers are allowed to draw conclusions, so he probably didn’t need to misapply the verse he did.  But folks, those conclusions need to be judged by scripture; and we cannot begin to do that when we don’t teach how to read it and apply it in the first place.

This world is a treacherous place, physically and spiritually, and it is not getting better.  The Bible has the answers and wisdom we need, if we read it to find out what the Lord said, rather than to find something we want.

Feel Goodisms and Fuzzy Thinking!

Below is my response to an editorial in our local paper about guns and finding common ground.  The link to the editorial follows before my reply.  My original reply had to be edited because of length.  http://www.kpcnews.com/opinions/our_view/kpcnews/article_1da8c493-e16c-5729-a3c7-b8e2e868fd5b.html

The full length reply is below.

Letter to the Editor:

Your attempt at finding “Common Ground” in the December 23rd “Our View” is commendable, though the ground you claim to be common to both is always given by one side.  Compromise seems to always mean yielding fundamental rights to an increasingly intrusive government.  I have only limited experience with the mental health issues you address, so I will confine my comments to the points you made about firearms.

You state that gun ownership will never be banned, yet banning a particular type of firearm is in fact a ban!  Restricting a subset of the population from ownership is also a ban.  Both have been done in the past.  Your comforting promise is shallow.

You believe that it is better to prevent gun violence than resist the perpetrators. Well intentioned, but a fantasy.  It is a false construct that under even minimal scrutiny fails the test of practicality.  If you believe what you wrote, I suggest you leave your keys in your car and your door unlocked.  We have laws and programs against theft; and according to your theory, theft is thus prevented.  If on the contrary, there are still evil people, thieves and worse, then perhaps you should lock your home.  Firearms are used millions of times annually to defend life.  A gun is a tool of last resort, but many believe their life is worth defending.  If you do not, you are free to make that choice.  If you are not willing, when capable, of defending yourself, I suggest you refrain from calling the police or anyone for help.  Do not presume they think more highly of your life than you do.  By the way, please remember to remind that police officer who is confronted by a violent individual armed with a knife, a ball bat or even a large rock, that preventing violence is better than doing battle.

I agree that gun owners should be trained.  I am an instructor; how have you helped?  I volunteer my time; what do you do?  Have you taken a course in firearm safety or hunter education?  Are you aware that each year tens of thousands of young people are trained in firearms safety by scouting programs, church groups, and 4-H?

You also state that violent criminals should not have access to guns. That is already the law.  As a matter of fact, your access to firearms can be lost by committing non-violent crime.  Instant checks are already done in the manner you suggest.  These checks cannot, however, detect people who might commit crime or who might become mentally unstable.

In your effort to claim common ground, you throw the National Rifle Association under the bus.  The NRA is the largest firearms safety organization in the world.  It trains private citizens and Law Enforcement professionals.  The NRA has pioneered crime prevention programs and worked to preserve hunting rights in all 50 states.  It has influence in Washington because it is a grass-roots organization with millions of members and affiliate organizations in every state.  The Brady Campaign, on the other hand, might have 50,000 members and gets most of its money from foundations.  It is the Brady organization that has a disproportionate influence because it does not represent voters, but elitist social engineers.

The “common ground” that most Americans stand on is personal responsibility.  Over the past several years, responsible Americans have legally purchased hundreds of thousands of firearms and used them responsibly for hunting, target shooting and self-defense.  You seem to imply these law-abiding folks are somehow guilty by association, connected to deranged murderers by their tools.  You use inflammatory language like “carnage in our schools” and compare alcohol use with a fundamental right granted by Natural Law and guaranteed by our Constitution. You suggest things that already exist to convince your readers that not enough is being done.  You fail to mention the 20,000 or so gun laws already on the books in the United States.  You forgot that every firearm manufacturer must serialize his product and that it is tracked from the factory door to the end user. You failed to mention that the target of choice for these murderers, be it a theater or a school, is a place where armed resistance is prohibited.  You forgot that almost all of these cowardly killers stop when confronted with armed resistance.  You can do better. If you truly seek common ground, come over here and stand by me; I’ve moved far enough already.

 

Real, Practical Christianity