Category: Culture

The Beauty of the Gay Rainbow

Leave a comment

rainbow

Last week a friend from Arkansas came to visit with her 5 children. The children had never been to the beach so we took a day and traveled to Pensacola, FL. As soon as we got there it started to rain. Not wanting them to miss the opportunity to see the ocean we decided to stick it out. The rain only lasted a few minutes and when it was over we saw a complete double rainbow. It was incredible. One end began on the beach and the other ended in the ocean. Above the brightly colored rainbow was a fainter rainbow. It was the most beautiful gay rainbow I’ve ever seen.

Yes, I meant to say, “gay rainbow”. Scripture tells us that the heart of the righteous studieth to answer, that is they ponder the answer. (Prov. 15:28) In addition, I always tell my children to say what you mean and mean what you say. That is the reason I choose the phrase gay rainbow. Only recently has the word gay been a disgrace. While the younger generation only knows the definition that brings shame, the older generations can recall the word commonly being used as meaning merry, happy or even brightly colored. We are all familiar with the passage in James 2:3 referring to “gay clothing”. But now, you would never hear a Christian describe them self as wearing gay clothing. Here world, take a word with a merry meaning and let the God-haters (Romans 1:24-32) have it. While you’re at it, let’s let the world have the word “marriage”. For there was a time when no one questioned the definition of this word. But now, Christians have to define it as between one man and one woman. How much longer will we be able to hold onto that word? We’ve already let them have the word gay. What about the word rainbow? Ask any child who attends Sunday school to tell you about the rainbow and they will go into a lively story about Noah’s Ark. Two by two God brought the animals onto the ark with Noah and all his family. After the flood, the Lord put a rainbow in the sky as a promise to never again destroy the world with water. (Genesis 9) But, let me submit that there is a little more to the story. According to Genesis chapter 6, God looked upon the wickedness of earth and His heart was grieved therefore He said, “I will destroy man”. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Therefore, God judged the rest of the earth and saved Noah and his family and two of every kind of animal on the ark. Because God is the Creator of all and this is His world He can judge it. Because God is Holy and Just and Righteous, He must judge this world. There are many who struggle with that truth. But, nevertheless, it’s still the truth. Not only did God judge the world, but He will one day judge it again. While the rainbow is a sign in the sky that He will not destroy it with water, scripture teaches us that the earth will one day be destroyed with fire. God will judge this world. Yet now God hating men go around parading in their sins, using symbols like the rainbow to identify themselves as homosexuals. And the Christians stand by and let them. Just like the word “gay”, we will no longer use the rainbow as a symbol because we fear the world. Friends, we should be proud of the rainbow. Christians should use the rainbow as an example of God’s love, mercy, holiness, and judgment. Shame on us for allowing it to be used as a banner of sin and shame on us for allowing the word “gay” to use as an adjective for homosexuality. We’ve just handed it over to Satan and the world like everything else. What will we allow next? What happens when they want to use a dove or the cross as a sign of their debauched lifestyle? Will we turn those words over to them as well? God forbid.

Christians, we need to stand up. There is a war going on all around us, not of flesh and blood but against principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, and spiritual wickedness in high places. Therefore I will choose to look at this world through the light of scripture and in it I see the splendor of the gay rainbow.

Halloween

Leave a comment

It never ceases to amaze me the length of worldliness that professing Christians will linger in all for the sake of “want to”.  I don’t want my children to “miss out”.  I don’t want to look “weird”.  I don’t want to….fill in the blanks.  With tears in my eyes and a heavy heart I ask, plead, and beg with those who call themselves Christ-like and ask, “What does your Lord want?”

This month the world celebrates Halloween.  Why, if over 80% of Americans are “Christian” are we celebrating this “holiday”?  Why is Halloween the second most decorated “holiday” in our country?  There are three reasons.  The first is the most obvious and that is that the 80% of professing Christians are mostly unsaved.  Can I judge their salvation?  NO, but they can and better before it’s too late.  I can however, look at the fruits of their lives and a so called apple tree that produces figs is not an apple tree no matter how much it claims to be one.

The second reason that Christians are celebrating Halloween is that they do not know the truth.  You see, like most people when my first child was born I went along with the flow of the tide.  When Halloween came around I found a costume for my baby like everyone else did and took him to get candy.  No harm in that!  No bothered conscience.  But the second year, I remember taking him to the mall on Halloween.  The absolute evil and oppression present was astonishing.  It was then that I questioned why I was doing this.  I started my research and I started in the place that all Christian people should  –  the Bible.  It didn’t take long to know the will of God in this matter.  The question came of what was I going to do with this knowledge? 

Which brings us to the third reason Christian people celebrate Halloween.  They know the truth and do not care.  Did you know that a person can justify anything?  They can read in scripture to abhor evil and to abstain from even the appearance of evil and yet somehow justify in their mind and heart that what they are doing is not evil.  Unfortunately, the average person’s mind is full of the world (Mark 4:18-19) and their heart is deceitfully wicked (Jer. 17:9).  But amazingly, we will trust our hearts and minds over the very Words of God.  A person will read in scripture that we are to be separate from the world but yet they will justify in their hearts their love for the things of this world.  Did you know that we are called to be the light of the world?  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.  Do you know why a city on a hill cannot be hid?  It is because the light is separated.  A person wondering around with the masses trying to shine their lighted jack-o-lanterns with the rest of the world will not give off much light, but take a person who is called out, a peculiar person, a holy person, a chosen person (I Peter 2:9) and set this person up on a hill for all the world to see.

As professing Christians, we teach our children that every word, every action and every deed should be done for the glory of God.  Every means every.  Celebrating (observe, show happiness, mark an occasion) Halloween can in no way bring glory to God.  When a person tells me that they will use this evil day to witness to the world my question for them is, “Are you witnessing for the Lord on all the other days?  Do you hand out tracts and talk to people about their salvation the other 364 days?”  A person trying to get another person saved while participating in Halloween is equivalent to a doctor taking his dying heart patient to Krispy Kreme Donuts to discuss the importance of eating healthy foods.  The message would be looked at in disgust.  This might explain why the world looks at the message of the church in utter disdain.

So, my question to professing Christians who celebrate this “holiday” is why?  Are you truly a child of God, do you just not care about God’s Word, or have you never searched out the truth?   I pray for and pity those who live in darkness, may God has mercy on them.  And, for those who truly want to know the truth and who are willing to search out God’s will I encourage them to open the Word of God.  Open His precious Word, not with intents to trample on it but in a humble spirit.  For in reality, God’s ways to a true believer are not grievous. His ways are light, His ways are worthy, His ways are above all others.

(For those who are searching out the truth, the following article was what Dana used in youth ministry when addressing this issue.)

Halloween – Can it be an entirely innocent practice?

What is the origin of Halloween?

It is generally agreed that in the church history Halloween took the place of a special day celebrated by the ancient Druids who was the priestly class of the Celtic religion. Our modern Halloween appears to initially be traced to their winter festival on October 31. The Celts and their Druid priest began their New Year on November 1, which marked the beginning of winter. They apparently believed that on October 31 the Lord of Death gathered the souls of the evil dead who had been condemned to enter into the bodies of animals. Thus they believed that on their New Years Eve (October 31) ghost, evil spirits and some say witches roamed about. On this night evil or frustrated ghost were also supposed to play tricks on humans.

Some things to consider:

-Halloween is the most sacred day of witchcraft and other occults.

-It remains a special day for Satanists. It was and is believed by Satanists to be the only day of the year in which the devil’s help could be invoked for a variety of things.

-Human sacrifice was and is offered on this day.

– It has and will continue to encourage occult activity on the part of children and adults. It is common for children to pull out an Ouija board and attempt to contact the ghost and spirits that are believed to be roaming about. But Ouija boards are anything but an innocent pastime.

– It helps support pagan philosophies and practices by encouraging people’s interest in things like ghost.

– Probably no Halloween activity or symbol can be found that does not go back to pagan occultism. For example: Jack-O-Lantern – This comes from a legend of a drunk man named Jack who tricked the devil into agreeing to never come after his soul. As Jack is leaving hell the devil throws a hot piece of coal at Jack. So Jack wanders the earth carrying the coal in a pumpkin. Halloween costumes – Halloween was a night where evil spirits roamed freely and played tricks on the living. So it was to the advantage of people to hide from them or scare them away by wearing costumes. Trick or Treat – This is related to the idea that ghost and witches created mischief on this night. For example, if the living did not provide food (or “treats“) for the spirits than they would “trick” them. When a child goes door to door in the ritual of “trick or treat” he is re-enacting the ancient superstition.

– It can unequally yoke Christians and pagans together. “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness and unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part that he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” 2 Corinthians 6:14-18

– Christians participating in Halloween may be a ploy of the devil to mock God. How does God feel when He looks down on Halloween night (in full awareness of the events that have happened on this night) and views Christian children dressed up as ghosts, devils, witches, and goblins? Or, even innocent characters but going out on the very night that Satan is most honored. Satan, of course, knows the meanings of all of these symbols and so does God.

– The Bible has many references condemning the practices of witchcraft, sorcery, spiritism, contacting the dead and so forth.

“Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.” Leviticus 19:31

“There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. “ Deuteronomy 19:10-11

“..Also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and delt with a familiar spirit and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger.” 2 Chronicles 33:6

Is it possible to glorify God by imitating what occultists do on their special day, however innocently? Historically, this is the very day that evil powers have chosen above all others. Most people think that imitating these things on Halloween is innocent enough since they are not engaging in the original practices or intents. But, what does the Bible say?

“Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. he that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.” 3 John 11

“Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.” I Corinthians 11:1

“Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints.” Ephesians 5:1-3

“For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth) proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. “ Ephesians 5:8-11

“When thou are come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.” Deuteronomy 18:9

“..Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.” Romans 12:9

“Abstain from all appearance of evil.” 1 Thessalonians 5:22

Stupid men and inept parents

Leave a comment

Maybe you’ve seen theses commercials on TV.  A man and woman are sitting at Sonic.  The man says something stupid and the woman roles her eyes.  What about the wife that slaps her husband on the forehead and claims, “You could have had a V8.”?  Or, the cell phone commercial that has two children explaining to their parents how to operate their phones.  As the parents drive away and leave their children behind the kids turn to each other and exclaim how proud they are of their inept parents.  Can you see the dishonor in these commercials?  What about the average sitcom?  Are there any that doesn’t portray the husband as an idiot?  Can you turn on the TV without seeing children treating their parents disrespectfully?  We have gotten to the point in our home that we cringe when the average cartoon is turned on  –  the parents are portrayed  as idiots and the children are portrayed  as superior.  Is this something I want my children to accept as the norm?  Many would say that, “it’s just a cartoon or a funny commercial, what’s the big deal?:”  We could desensitize ourselves to what we watch to the point of it not being a big deal or  we could dive into the Word of  God and draw our  conclusions from it.  Look at how far we’ve come in our culture.  The feminist movement has enlightened us so much that Christian women don’t even flinch when a man or husband is treated rudely and boorishly.   However, this is contrary to God’s Word that says “A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.” (Pro 12:4)  I don’t want to live by the world’s standards; I’ll take God’s!  God’s standards say that the heart of my husband should safely trust in me.  Think about the analogy given from Ephesians about the husband and wife and Christ and the Church.  If the husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church then the wife is to treat her husband with the same honor that the church treats Christ.  In other words, Christ is to the husband as the church is to the wife.  Women, when we see the putrid attitude towards men that the world gives, we should be ashamed and offended.  Just as if we saw a church treating Christ with dishonor.  Would we laugh at that?  I don’t think so.

 

What about the attitude we get from the world in regards to children and parents.  A person who is even a little familiar with the Word of God knows what God’s view is.  The first Bible verses we taught our children were Ephesians 6:1-3.   “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honor thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.” (Eph 6:1-3)  I don’t teach my children to honor and obey me because I want honor or even obedience.  I teach my children to do this because in doing it they honor and obey God.  Their obedience to me is obedience to God.  And, their disobedience to me is direct disobedience to God.  Do you see why I wish to guard my children from the rubbish on TV?  When we accept these things we say to our children that the Word of God is just for church.  It can’t possible be applied to our daily lives.  You see, that’s called hypocrisy.  So, when we do see something like the commercial with the children speaking to their parents like they are morons then we should use it as a teaching opportunity to our own children.  We should show them what the Word of God says and we should live our lives according to it.  We should teach our children to honor and respect their elders.  Consider what  Leviticus 19:32 says, “Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honor the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD.”   Do we do this because they deserve honor?  Some do but not all so we honor our elders because we fear God.  We should teach our children the same.  When my husband comes home and wants to sit down in his favorite spot I have taught my sons to get up and in honor give him his seat.  I have taught my daughter to rise and offer to fix her father a glass of ice tea.  The same principle applies to their grandparents when we visit.  We show honor and respect for this is pleasing to God.

 

As Christian mothers, we have two options when it comes to teaching our children.  We can take the time and effort and teach them God’s view via the Holy Bible or we can do nothing and let the world teach our children.  The world wants to mold and shape your child.  Will you let it?

Oh be careful little eyes…what you read!

Leave a comment

In Wednesday night youth choir we sing a song called “Oh be careful little eyes”.  It goes like this.  “Oh be careful little eyes what you see….For the Father up above is looking down in love so be careful little eyes what you see.”  The song goes on to say be careful little ears what you hear, be careful little hands what you do, be careful little feet where you go and be careful little tongue what you say.  It’s a good song and one that needs to be taught to our precious children.

I have often told my children and girls that I have mentored in the past that as Christians we must be so careful as to what we not only watch and listen to but also what we read.  You see, the truth is that I’m not spiritual enough to just read anything I want to.  If I read every secular book and magazine that was available it would be impossible to live up to the high calling.  If I filled my mind with the things of the world I would constantly be battling the flesh.  I would struggle with sin and my mind would be filled with earthly pleasures.  I’m weak; therefore I must be constantly filling my mind with the things of God.  I can’t say with my mouth that I want to live for God and please Him but then with my eyes welcome the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life into my heart.

Does this mean I only read the Bible?  No, although there certainly wouldn’t be anything wrong with that.  I love to read Christian fiction.  I love to read History.  I love to read biographies of famous Christian men and women.  I also love to read commentaries and various Bible studies.   The point is that when I do read something other than the Holy Bible I try to be so careful that what I’m reading would be pleasing to God.  I want what I put into my mind to help me in my Christian walk and not hinder it.

Let me say here that just because the book seems to be “Christian” doesn’t mean that it is. Just because the author claims to be Christian doesn’t mean it’s truth. The average Christian Book Store has many books that I wouldn’t waste my time reading.  There are false teachings and heretical views hidden throughout many books.  If we are to grow in our faith then we must be more familiar with the Scriptures than anything else.  That way when we are presented with false teachings we will recognize them. 

Two particular books, “Conversations with God” and “Conversations with God for Teens” are a perfect example of just this.  The books are written by Neale D. Walsch and have been on the New York Times best sellers list for a number of weeks.  The author claims to answer questions asked by kids using the “voice of God”.  However, the answers that he gives are not Bible-based and go against the very infallible Word of God.  Questions like, ‘Why am I a lesbian?’ are answered with (and I paraphrase) because of genetics.  Then he tells her to go out and ‘celebrate’ her differences.  Another girl poses the question ‘I am living with my boyfriend.  My parents say I should marry him because I am living in sin, should I?  His reply is, ‘Who are you sinning against?  Not me, because you have done nothing wrong.’
Another question asks about God’s forgiveness of sin. His reply ‘I do not forgive anyone because there is nothing to forgive. There is no such thing  as right or wrong and that is what I have been trying to tell everyone, do not judge people. People have chosen to judge one another and this is wrong, because the rule is ”judge not lest ye be judged.’  Not only are these books the false doctrine of the devil, but in some instances quote (in error) the Word of God.

As Christian ladies we need to be careful what we read.  As Christian parents we need to be aware of what our children are reading.  These books and others like it are being sold to schoolchildren through the Scholastic Book Club.  Our children are under attack. So I pray that you be sober and vigilant about teaching your children the Word of God, and guarding their exposure to worldly evils, because our adversary, the devil, roams about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). We know that lions usually hunt for the slowest, weakest and youngest of its prey.  May we ever be on guard, may we stand strong and be mature in our faith!  Oh be careful little eyes what you read!

God’s Blessings….NO THANK YOU!

Leave a comment

 

Yesterday, I heard the statement that “Christianity in America is dying one home at a time.”  From the same man I heard him say, “Yes, we want our country to be Christian, we just don’t want to birth, raise, and train children to be Christians.”  The sermon I heard made me think.  Was this just this one man’s opinion or could it be backed by the Word of God?  So I went to the Source of all knowledge, the Holy Bible. 

“Except the LORD build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep. Lo, children are a heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.” (Psa 127:1-5)  When I took the time to put this verse in context it really spoke to my heart.  First of all, unless the Lord is the foundation of our homes and cities, all is in vain.  Secondly, God will send blessings through having children.  Thirdly, through having many children we will overcome enemies.  Since this subject was on my heart I took some time and did some research on birthrates.  What I found was astonishing.  Here is America for the first time our replacement level of 2.1 is lower than our fertility rate of 1.9.  Please understand this  –  the Christians in America are not having enough children and the ones we do have are not staying in the faith.  Depending upon which statistic you look at the failure rate is 70-80%.  In addition, the Jewish community is dying. One article said that “low fertility and high intermarriage are pushing American Jewry toward extinction.”    What we have done is mocked the blessings of God.  We have said that we want the prosperity this world has to offer more than we want the blessings of God.  God told Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jacob and all the children of Israel to “be fruitful and multiply” throughout Scripture.  God said that He would bless his people through their offspring.  I could not find anywhere in Scripture that said once the world’s population reached a certain number we should stop having children.  Nor, could I find anywhere that said that since it is so expensive to raise children that we should only have a few.  All I could find was that God is Jehovah Jireh, the Provider and that having children was a blessing from Him.   So whatever view we have about children if it is contrary to the Bible it is a false world view.  That’s a hard statement to say, because I’ve had this worldly view myself.  Only through searching the Scriptures has God opened by eyes to His glorious truth.

 

Just a note….there is one group in the world that has a grasp on the truths that children are a blessing.  The Muslims have a fertility rate of 6 children per woman.  I read one article, Muslim birthrate worries Russia (www.wwrn.org) that declared the national fertility rate in Russia is 1.28 children per women far below what was needed to maintain the countries population.  However, with the Muslim fertility rate of 6 by sheer numbers alone in a few generations the country will be entirely Muslim.  The same thing is happening in France and America is not far behind.  Should we be surprised when we laugh at God and mock His Word?  God help us when we despise His blessings!

 

 

Feminism

Leave a comment

There seems to be two ways of looking at things; the world view and the Biblical view. 
When it comes to feminism the world view is prevalent.  Feminism has been telling us for years that there is no difference in the roles of men and women.  “Anything you can do I can do better” is the attitude of most feminist when it comes to men.  The question isn’t rather women can do the jobs better but rather should they.  Because of the confusion of the roles of men and women, not only have women wanted to act like men, but now men are acting like women.  This attitude is a complete slap in the face of the Almighty God who created us for different purposes.  Remember, woman was created to be the help meet of man.  The feminist says, “I will lead this family because I’m more spiritual.  I will make decisions because I’m smarter.  I will raise the children according to my wishes because I spend more time with them.  I will decide what to do in this house because if ‘Mom isn’t happy, no one is’.  He can not tell me what to do because he has faults of his own and etc., etc., etc.”  But the Biblical view is completely different than the worlds.  In fact, in most cases if your attitude doesn’t stand out in the world and is different then most of those around you then you probably do not have a Biblical view.  When it comes to women the Biblical view is, “My husband will lead this family is all areas, physically, spiritually, and financially.  He is responsible and will answer to God for the holiness of the family, for how the children are raised, for the decisions made within the family.  I will respect his God given position regardless of his faults.  I will lift him up in prayer and honor him as unto the Lord.  I will not talk down to him or about him to others.  I will be his helper in every area of life.”

 

Do you see how different this mind set is?

 

We’re to the point now that when the world sees a man who is the leader of his family it’s very offensive.  But can I tell you that from a woman’s perspective who truly wants a Godly husband that it’s a wonderful thing when a man realizes his responsibilities to God and his family.  When your husband is a Godly leader there is security in all areas of life.  God blesses a man who stands up and leads.  Look at Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David.  Take a look at the men in the New Testament church.  These men were leaders not only in their homes but also in the church.

 

Ladies, until we find our God give role as women; there will never be happiness or contentment in this life.  There will be struggles and fighting.  But when the Biblical role of womanhood is embraced there is peace and joy.  As we humble ourselves before the Lord may God bless our efforts to live a life that is pleasing to Him.