Impeach Judge Vaughn Walker

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." Edmond Burke

The People of California VOTED in favor of Proposition 8 that clarifies that marriage is between one man and one woman. ONE man, Judge Vaughn Walker, overturned the PEOPLE's VOTE and made marriage between homosexuals legal.

His decision to even hear this case and to overturn the people's vote is pure dictatorship and unconstitutional. In addition, the subject matter is MORALLY WRONG. That alone should make Christians want to do something.

"...and do not give the devil a foothold." Ephesians 4:27 NIV

The New American Standard Bible translation reads:

^"...and do not give the devil an opportunity." Ephesians 4:27 NASB

The American Family Association has an action alert asking the PEOPLE to take steps to impeach Judge Vaughn Walker. It begins by urging your State Representative to Impeach this judge.

After you click on the link, all you have to do is enter your zip code. The AFA website has made it as fast and easy as it could possibly be. Please take action. Please send this to everyone you know.

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7

"A girl needs to be so lost in God, that the guy is going to have to seek HIM to find her!" ...Maya Angelou

What's The Difference?

Celebration: Hanukkah also known as the Festival of Lights.

Significance: A Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.
Religious Practice: Jewish

Representation: The Menorah

Celebration: Ramadan

Significance: Islamic month of fasting, to teach the Muslim patience, modesty and spirituality.
Religious Practice: Muslim

Representation: The waxing crescent moon.

Celebration: Kwanzaa

Significance: A celebration held in the United States honoring African heritage and culture.
Religious Practice: Cultural, not religious.

Representation: A kinara

Celebration: christmas, also known as holiday.

Significance: A worldwide celebration that revolves around fantasy and focuses on an imaginary magical man that leaves presents under the christmas tree. The purpose is giving and receiving presents, to participate in the "magic of christmas", and to believe in Santa Claus and receive the "spirit of christmas".
Religious Practice: Cultural, secular, not religious, celebrated by people of many religions.

Representation: Santa Claus

Celebration: Christmas, a Holy Day.

Significance: A Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Savior. The focus is the True gift and Wonder of God's love, salvation to all who believe in Jesus Christ, and the promise of the Holy Spirit.
Religious Practice: Christian, Followers of Christ.

Representation: Nativity or Manger scene representing the biblical account of the birth of Jesus Christ.

Much is said about keeping Christ in CHRISTmas but the fact of the matter is, we have been allowing and assisting in removing Christ from CHRISTmas for years by blending our CHRISTmas Holy Day with cultural, secular christmas holiday. Do you see the similarities of the last two celebrations above? They are separate celebrations but they have become so well blended that the differences are barely even noticed, and the push to finalize it is overwhelming now. Our culture (this world) doesn't celebrate Christmas the Holy Day, they celebrate christmas the holiday. When we blend with the culture, we are conforming.

   “...I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.  Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you." 2 Corinthians 6:16-17

Whether on not we believe there is anything wrong with the cultural, secular "representation" of the celebration is irrelevant. The fact is, it does not represent the Birth of Jesus Christ, it does represent the cultural view of the christmas celebration. It is not our Light.

How will anyone know that you look favorably on me—on me and on your people—if you don’t go with us? For your presence among us sets your people and me apart from all other people on the earth. Exodus 33:16 (emphasis mine)

So set yourselves apart to be holy, for I am the Lord your God. Leviticus 20:7

You must be holy because I, the Lord, am holy. I have set you apart from all other people to be my very own. Leviticus 20:26

You have been set apart as holy to the Lord your God, and he has chosen you from all the nations of the earth to be his own special treasure. Deuteronomy 14:2

"A girl needs to be so lost in God, that the guy is going to have to seek HIM to find her!" ...Maya Angelou

Call it Christmas

Recently I was having an email discussion with another bloggy friend and in one of her emails she mentioned that she had written a post about "Keeping Christ in Christmas" and someone had left a comment that she wasn't quite sure how to respond to and asked for my thoughts. I read the comment, prayed about it, and asked her permission to respond in her comments section, which she granted.

From this comment my impression of this commenter was that she was a thinker and didn't base her views on feeling but put thought into why she held the views that she held. I also deduced that if she put this much effort into researching it out, there was a chance that she was sincerely looking for the truth of the matter. I visited her blog and confirmed that she was a deep thinker and I also discovered that she was not a Christian. I asked God to give me the words as I was writing the response.

Here is the comment.

Forgive me for being blunt, but if we're going to discuss the true meaning of Christmas, it doesn't necessarily trace back to remembrance of Jesus Christ, either.

Simply put, no one knows the day that Christ was born - from biblical descriptions historians are led to believe that he may have been born sometime in September (approximately 6 months after passover).

Why do people celebrate his birthday has having been December 25th? The answer lies in the fact that the origins of Christmas came from several pagan celebrations that occurred at this time.

Babylonians participated in the Feast of the Son of Isis on Dec. 25th, while Romans celebrated the Winter Solstice (complete with performers who traveled house to house entertaining neighbors - this is the origin of caroling) December through January. In Northern Europe many other traditions that are now considered part of Christian worship were begun long before the participants ever even heard of Christ.

In the year 350, Pope Julius I declared that Christ's birthday would be celebrated on December 25th. Essentially it would make converting pagans to Christianity easier because at least then their feasts and celebrations would not be taken from them. Essentially, the Christmas we celebrate now was good strategizing on behalf of someone who wanted to gain more followers for his religion.

Why, then, would it be a bad thing for the Christmas season to become inclusive of other holidays (Ramadan, Kwanzaa, etc.) when the origins of Christmas itself were to more or less market Christ at around the same time that other festivities were taking place?

What exactly is wrong with saying "Happy Holidays" to include all the possible celebrations people may be participating in? The United States may proclaim itself to mainly be a Christian country, but Christianity is by no means the only religion here - so why is it fair, then, to act as though yours is the only celebration that should be observed?

I'm honestly just curious and hope that I haven't presented myself in a disrespectful or inflammatory way.

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My prayerful response.

Dear XXX - You are correct that we don't know the exact day that Christ was born. But does that mean we shouldn't celebrate His birth? Not at all. I have known people who did not know the day they were born so a day was chosen to celebrate their birth each year. They call it their birthday. The date is inconsequential. It's the celebration that is important. It's the celebration of a person. No matter how the date was chosen it's still the celebration of that person's birth and all that they mean to us. How much more would we hold that celebration dear when it is the Birth of Christ. The One and only True God. The Only God who Loves us so much that He chose to be born of a woman and take on the flesh of man so that He could save us from the consequences of sin. CHRISTmas is about the celebration of Christ's birth. That is why is it is called CHRISTmas.

When muslims celebrate Ramadan they don't call it Christmas and they don't say Happy Holidays. When Jews celebrate Hanukkah they don't say Happy Holidays, they say Happy Hanukkah. When Africans celebrate Kwanzaa they don't say Happy Holidays, they say Happy Kwanzaa. The same is true of any celebration. If you are celebrating Christmas then you should say Merry Christmas. If you are celebrating something else then you should say what it is. Christians aren't telling others not to call their celebrations what they are. We only want to keep our celebration what it is and we only ask for that same respect in return.

When a person is celebrating something it is for a reason. There is specific purpose and meaning in it. It is not just a generic day to go have fun for whatever reason you want. Celebrations are by their very nature focused on something. When you celebrate your children's birthdays, are you not celebrating their very lives? Would you want other people who don't know and love your child to tell you that you can't make it about him or her because that isn't inclusive? No, you would not and you should not. That would simply turn it into just another day and NOT the celebration of your child's birth. If we are going to respect all peoples celebrations then we should truly respect ALL of them and call them what they are.

There is so much more I could say but I will end here. I sincerely appreciate that you asked and expressed your views. My relationship with Christ began by my asking God to show me if He was real and by explaining my perspective to Him (as if He didn't already know). He didn't take offense, He answered because He LOVES HIS CREATION. I hope that you know that my answer is also not meant to offend, only to give an answer for what you are asking. I truly hope that you will also choose to take your questions to God and seek out His Truth in all matters.

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I left a nice comment on this person's blog and let her know that I had responded to her question. I don't know if she ever read the response because she did not reply. But likely she did read it, it's human nature to wonder, and seeds of thought were planted in her mind. The results are in God's hands. It is His job to tend to the seeds, it is ours to plant them.

The reason that I'm posting this is because this is one portion of the culture that we need to change, the removal of Christ from Christmas. Please notice that in my response I did not dispute any of her well researched points. Whether or not they are true is irrelevant. My purpose was to show that Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ and that means everything to Christians. If we take Christ out of Christmas then you might as well call it something else because it is something else.

Now look back at my last two posts about where the culture change begins. It begins with Christians. I will discuss this more in an upcoming post.

"if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14 (emphasis mine)

"A girl needs to be so lost in God, that the guy is going to have to seek HIM to find her!" ...Maya Angelou

Do Not Be Conformed

What do you think of our culture? Are you happy with the messages embraced in our culture? Do you like what your children are being taught in this culture? Does our culture reflect Biblical values? Do you want to change the culture?

My answer. I want change the culture. I'm sick of secular culture views being crammed down my throat and into the minds of my grand-girls. It didn't used to be that way in this nation. There was a time when moral and biblical values reigned. So how did it change so drastically? That secular minority stood up and fought for what they believed in. Or maybe I should say they fought against what they didn't believe in. The point is, they didn't conform to a moral culture they didn't want, instead they changed it.

In Romans 12:2 Jesus tells us...

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

Jesus tells us that we are not to conform to this world. Let's look at the definition and synonyms of conform.

1. to act in accordance or harmony; comply.
2. to act in accord with the prevailing standards, attitudes, practices, etc., of society or a group.
3. to be or become similar in form, nature, or character.
4. to be in harmony or accord.

Synonyms: yield, agree, consent, correspond, agree, tally, adapt, adjust, accommodate.

Let's see if we can gain a fresh perspective on this. I have substituted the word conform with some of the synonyms and definitions.
do not act in harmony with this world.
do not comply with this world.
do not be similar in form to this world.
do not yield to this world.
do not adapt to this world.
do not adjust to this world.
do not accomodate this world.

Now lets consider what is meant by "this world". It's easy to think of "this world" in the big things, the things that are blatantly and obviously against the Word of God, but we need to be especially sensitive to the subtle things of the world that may not have the appearance of sin or evil but can distract us. These are the things that the enemy will use most effectively to keep us conformed to "this world". These are the things that will keep us from making progress in our efforts to forward the Kingdom and will cause us to lose ground. It's been happening under our noses for years and is the reason our nation is in the sad state it is in. Thoughts that something really isn't too bad, or that bad, or it's only, or it's just a little, or not a big deal, are just some of the warnings that we might be conforming, yielding, adjusting, and accommodating. We need to ask God for His perspective. Our lives are transformed as Jesus gives us a new mind, His mind, the mind of Christ. It isn't the same mind we had before we said we would follow Him. In order for that to happen we must give Him full reign over all our thoughts and take on His perspective in everything. We do this in willing active cooperation with Him on a continuous basis.

While you and I benefit from this transformation, it is not for me or for you, but it is to prove that the Will Of God is Good, Acceptable, and Perfect. It is to display the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God to other believers so that they will be encouraged, and it is to show the world of nonbelievers that God's will is good, acceptable, and perfect. It is to Glorify God!

We have learned that change begins with the individual so it makes sense that we begin changing the culture by doing what this scripture says and refusing to yield, agree with, adapt to, and accommodate the standards, attitudes, and practices of this world. Not just the obvious but the subtle as well.

I am praying and asking God to show me those areas where I have unknowingly conformed to this world. I hope you will continue on this journey with me.




"A girl needs to be so lost in God, that the guy is going to have to seek HIM to find her!" ...Maya Angelou

Change

For the last few months, God has continually impressed the thought in my mind and heart that it's time to Change the Culture. It's time to stop yielding, adapting, and accommodating this world and start making changes that will last. How do we do that? First we need to recognize that change does not occur overnight or in one fell swoop. So how does change occur?

1. Change begins in the mind of an individual. As Christians we are to have the mind of Christ. We should consult God in everything. No thought is too small or insignificant to take to God for His perspective. We need to question our own views and search out scripture for sound biblical reasons for our views. Don't search to prove your own view correct but search for the Truth and ask God to reveal it. Keep at it until you know, that you know, that you know, that God has revealed it, and that you have a sound biblical basis for it. If you have a doubt about it later on, bring it back to Him again and ask Him to confirm again that you understand His perspective.

2 Corinthians 10:5
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. - NIV (emphasis mine)

Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, - NKJV (emphasis mine)

The tools of our trade aren't for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. - MSG (emphasis mine)

2. Change occurs over a period of time but only when an action is applied. Change does not occur when there is no action. If change begins in the mind of an individual then the action must also begin with the individual. When we find those views that don't agree with God's perspective, and we will find some, we need to change our view and how it is lived out in our life, and adopt His perspective. Not doing so is a choice to conform to this world instead of the likeness of Christ.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son... Romans 8:29

3. Change will have opposition. Change does not occur without resistance to the opposition, and at times, a battle. The battle will affect the individual. It will likely begin in the mind with doubts, or justifications for not applying the change to our own lives. This is another reason it is so important to place every thought under the authority of Jesus Christ.

The battle is spiritual but plays itself out in the physical aspects of our lives. When we take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ, we gain a victory. Many of the doubts and discouraging thoughts that play through our minds are the whisperings of the enemy. If he can make you doubt God then he will render you ineffective. When you have thoughts like this, verbalize that you are taking that thought captive and making it obedient to Jesus Christ. In doing this you are resisting the devil and letting him know it. The enemy has no power over a child of God and must flee when you resist whether the battle is in the mind or obstacles that he is placing in your path.

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7

Trying to resist the devil without submitting yourself to God is not only ineffective, but it is also dangerous. It is only by the Power of Jesus Christ that we can resist the devil. It is only by submitting to God that we have the Power of Christ. It is only by applying that Power, that we can change the culture. But we can change it through the Power of Christ.

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. Colossians 2:9-10

Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.” Matthew 19:26 NLT

I will be discussing this in more posts throughout the month and beyond as God leads. I would like to invite you to join me in seeking God's guidance and favor in purposefully changing this culture.



"A girl needs to be so lost in God, that the guy is going to have to seek HIM to find her!" ...Maya Angelou

Changing the Culture

I used to love Greek mythology as a child. The imagination that went into these stories of different gods and how they controlled our world was fascinating to me. I didn't believe any of the tales and had no idea that anyone else did either. But Greek mythology was actually a part of the religious practice in ancient Greece. The cult and ritual practices in the worship of these gods was very real and prevalent in the land. It was a regular part of their culture.

Early Greek religion was a blend of the Achaean, Dorian, Minoan, Egyptian and the Asian cultures, and came about as a result of the mingling of these cultures. Each city was under the protection of one particular god, who was worshiped with unique emphasis in that city. Athena is the goddess of Athens, Artemis is the god of Sparta, Aphrodite was worshiped at Corinth, Apollo worshiped at Delphi and Delos, and Zeus, the king of gods, was worshiped with special reverence at Olympia.

Blood sacrifices of animals such as oxen, sheep, horses, swine, dogs, birds, fish, fowl etc were held in the temples of the gods. During sacrifices, the people offered the blood, bones and hides of the slaughter animal to the god, and the remaining portions were used up as food for themselves.

Paul traveled through Greece with Silas and after some trouble with the Jews for preaching the gospel, he was sent to Athens to wait for Silas and Timothy. (Acts 17 )

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. Acts 17:16

Paul was always looking for an opportunity to present the gospel in a way that was relevant to the person or people he was speaking with. In this case he chose the culture's dedication to religion.

"For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you." Acts 17:23

Paul used that as his opening remark to tell the people about the salvation that comes from Christ. He didn't join in their customs and practices, but rather, he pulled something out from it. He wasn't trying to add another god to their extensive collection of gods. What he was trying to do was change the culture and it's practices. He was introducing the Unknown God, our Savior Jesus Christ, to the people with the full intent of displacing all other gods, beliefs, and religious practices in the culture. I like the way Alistair Begg stated it in a recent message on Acts 17. "Becoming a Christian involves a radical transformation and a break from all non-Christian habits. Becoming a Christian does not mean simply adding a Jesus package to a lifestyle of our own choosing."

With the onset of Christianity, the Greek religion slowly became extinct. This happened because the believers turned away from the practices of the culture and taught new believers to do the same. Do we, as followers of Jesus Christ, do that in this culture? Do we try to displace any evil that sets itself up against Jesus, or do we accept it, tolerate it, and even embrace it while we set up our belief system right next to it?

"...and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. ...for they will turn your sons away from following me...This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols in the fire. For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession." Deuteronomy 7:2,4-6

"A girl needs to be so lost in God, that the guy is going to have to seek HIM to find her!" ...Maya Angelou