Random Ramblings From a Dad in Training

A Short Editorial On My Wretchedness

2011-04-26T20:52:00.002-05:00

Why do I constantly tell God that I'm giving Him control of my life and then I take it back? I'm constantly reminded by God that I can do nothing and am nothing without Him. I am still beside myself at the concept of the fact that He sent His only Son as a ransom for my sinfulness. I sooooooo do not deserve to be in paradise for eternity, but actually fully deserve to spend forever separated from God, in the pit of despair that is Hell. I find I am repeatedly humbled by God's love for me, especially given my proclivity to repeatedly sinning.

Coming Soon!: Courageous

2011-04-04T22:07:00.003-05:00

Check it out on or after September 30! If it's anything like Fireproof, Facing the Giants, or Flywheel, this will be a convicting movie that God will use to bring people closer to him. For this one namely fathers and husbands as they're called to be the LEADERS of their families!

Love DOES Win, But Hell Is Also Very Real

2011-04-04T21:55:00.007-05:00

Anyone heard anything about Rob Bell's new book, "Love Wins?" Unfortunately, this man keeps preaching a false gospel of emergent church doctrines and he shows in his latest book that he believes that you get to choose to follow God and trust in Christ AFTER you die and that a "loving" God wouldn't send people to Hell.

True Biblical Christianity doesn't teach this, but instead teaches that unless you trust in Christ as your Lord and Savior while alive on this earth, you're destined for Hell, as well as the Second Death in the Lake of Fire after the Great White Throne Judgement.

Please pray for Rob Bell (as well as those that agree with him) as this doctrine of the Devil will lead many astray... Christ did die for all, but he's not going to let people in His Kingdom unless they choose Him in THIS life!

JFK Speech Our Current Gov't Would Cringe At!

2010-12-10T20:55:00.003-06:00

I'll Try Harder...

2010-09-08T21:20:00.003-05:00

Okay... I need to get back on this thing and start posting more and more. So, with all that's going on, you'd think there's something for me to talk about. We'll get there eventually...

Red River Bible and Prophecy Conference

2010-03-18T20:45:00.005-05:00

There's a great Bible conference going on in the Fargo, North Dakota area this weekend. If you're local, head to the Courtyard Marriot in Moorhead - it's FREE and going on all day tonight, tomorrow, Saturday and there will be a church service on Sunday as well. Some great teachers of God's Word!

Check out the conference's Web site at www.titus213hope.com

Check out a live (AND FREE) Webcast at www.godlyconferences.com

Should Be Back Posting Now

2009-11-15T15:43:00.003-06:00

Wow... Things have calmed down a bit--I think. We moved, Sarah was on bed rest, now the baby is here, and in a couple of weeks we'll be moving again into our new house. Whew... It's been busy around here.

So, all in all... This post means I should be back posting again more often. I hope to post at least a couple times a week, if not more. I'm hoping to move my posting to things that deal more with the church and the like, but there will likely be a few personal posts from time to time.

It'll Soon Be Against the Law to be a Christian in the US

2009-04-30T15:51:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, even though the national media hasn't paid much attention, the US House of Representatives voted in favor of the Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009 (H.R. 1913). Now it goes to the Senate (S. 909) for a vote. If it passes, you can pretty much guarantee Obama will put his rubber stamp of approval on it because he's approved of everything else that does away with the sanctity of all that is holy in the past 101 days as our President.

The Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009 would give "actual or perceived" "sexual orientation" and"gender identity" the same federal legal protection as race. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not in favor of people committing a hate crime, or any crime for that matter, but what this bill suggests and can potentially infringe on is the main concern.

Here's what I mean--

Can potentially be interpreted as making it illegal for a pastor to stand up at the pulpit on a Sunday and preach against homosexuality
Can hold a preacher responsible for inciting a hate crime if they read any condemnation of homosexuality in the Bible and then a parishoner goes and kills a homosexual
Creates a privileged class of citizens in LGBT people by stating their right to their sexual identity or orientation usurps that of anothers right to believe in the Christian faith (or any faith for that matter)
Creates "thought" crimes and essentially ends equality in the US
Provides grant money for so-called "sensitivity-training" to provide pro-homosexual propaganda

Quite simply, it will infringe on our first amendment right to freedom of speech. It will be illegal to be a professing Christian and standing up for what God teaches us in His Word. Supporters of the bill disagree, but a statement from the bill itself reads, "Whoever commits an offense against the United States or aids, abets, counsels, commands, induces or procures its commission, is punishable as a principal."

Similar legislation was passed a few years ago in Canada and now pastors are being sent to jail for standing on street corners and preaching against homosexuality. But a homosexual can stand on that same street corner and expell pro-homosexual propaganda with no recourse.

There is still time to do something. Contact your states' Senators and request they vote no on the bill in the Senate. S. 909 is the bill number and state that you don't support it and they need to rightfully vote No on this Orwellian legislation. If anyone wants to know where we're headed after this, read the book "1984" or simply open your Bible.

The good news is God wins and those to trust in the Lord will be in paradise with Him!

Boom! Right There! Madden Retires

2009-04-16T12:19:00.003-05:00

John Madden is officially retired. I wonder if it had anything to do with Favre’s retirement and realizing that it’ll be further uncouth to compare every other player to Favre?

But, on this day of retirement, let’s remember some of the classic Madden quotes from the past—

“Sometime you just gotta let Brett Favre be Brett Favre. ‘Cause then he does Brett Favre things.”

“See, a turducken is a duck, stuffed inside a chicken, which is then stuffed inside a turkey. It’s really a complete meal.”

“Hey, the offensive linemen are the biggest guys on the field, they're bigger than everybody else, and that's what makes them the biggest guys on the field.”

“When your arm gets hit, the ball is not going to go where you want it to.”

And let’s not forget, "Boom!", "Whap!", "Bang!" and "Doink!”

I wonder how many telestrator screens he wore out by drawing on the backsides of offensive linemen as well as circling clipboards, turducken legs, hats, and anything else a telestrator should NOT be used for in American sports.

As much as he was annoying and retarded in the broadcast booth, he’ll be missed. I wonder who NBC will put in the booth with Al now?

Further Info On Rick Warren's Lies on His Stance on Prop 8

2009-04-13T14:10:00.001-05:00

This link below is a great article by Berit Kjos about Rick Warren and his playing both sides of the fence--

http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/009/warren-prop8.htm

Keep praying everyone!

Rick Warren Now Recinds His Comments in Support of Prop 8?

2009-04-09T09:56:00.003-05:00

http://www.covenantnews.com/blog/archives/054939.html

Hit the link to read the news. These are facts, folks. Can't argue with them. Why would a man support something, and then later say he never supported it? Could it be he doesn't want to suffer the economic consequenses? Could it be he doesn't want his celebrity status to dwindle? False teacher indeed.

This Just In! ND SB 2278 Defeated!

2009-04-03T15:46:00.002-05:00

I'm so very pleased to share a section of this article from the Fargo Forum Newspaper's Web site posted this afternoon--

"The North Dakota House has voted down a bill to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The vote this afternoon to defeat Senate Bill 2278 was 54-34."

There have been many prayers going up about this bill for weeks and weeks and it's especially encouraging considering the news that came out of Iowa this morning regarding marriage.

The battle obviously isn't over, as many other states are battling similar issues, including a large bunch of folks that wish to overturn Prop 8 in California. Keep praying all!

Come and Join Because of Rick Warren? Tickled Ears Indeed

2009-03-31T16:28:00.003-05:00

Further proof that Rick Warren is out for this himself, not for the glory of God.

http://saddlebackfamily.com/blogs/newsandviews/index.html?contentID=2085

Seems more of a wanton pride for “more members” than a true desire to share the gospel of Christ when some of the top 8 reasons to come and join are because Rick Warren is there and you can meet him.

Forget the Banks! Fargo Needs a Bailout - Grab your Pail! (see last pic in post)

2009-03-31T16:09:00.008-05:00

Wow—who needs FEMA when you have people that will work together to fight back the flood waters? God has surely blessed the Fargo area through this with some wise people, and people out to help not looking for any recognition whatsoever.

My wife was interviewed by a reporter from the AP yesterday and it ended up producing the below linked story--

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29962032/

It’s a little eerie around here, but encouraging at the same time. Most of the area is shut down, and the weather is just not cooperating.

I’ve included a few interesting pictures from the past week. Credit goes to The Forum newspaper and the AP.

Obama's Youth Brigade Forbids Church Attendance & Sharing the Gospel of Christ?

2009-03-25T12:11:00.004-05:00

How's this for "change?" HR 1388, called the “Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Bill" would require that any student in the brigade is not allowed to participate in “engaging in religious instruction, conducting worship services, providing instruction as part of a program that includes mandatory religious instruction or worship, constructing or operating facilities devoted to religious instruction or worship, maintaining facilities primarily or inherently devoted to religious instruction or worship, or engaging in any form of religious proselytization."

Just what does this mean? It's quite simple actually--these youth, which it's reported that Obama hopes will number at least 1 million, will not be allowed to share the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

This is not in the headlines, it's not on TV much, it's barely reported at all... Obama and the rest of the government are taking away our Constitutional rights--this one, freedom of speech.

What is more alarming is that some are comparing this to the Nazi Youth of Hitler's Germany. I don't know about that, but the goal does seem to be similar--to get service out of as many people as you can and limiting their freedoms, by simply offering cash for "education."

Luckily, Christians are required to not obey the law of the land if it's not consistent with God's law. It's going to certainly get worse folks, but the good news is there is hope! God said things like this would happen. He said that knowledge would increase, people will travel to and fro, people will trade the truth for a lie because it satisfies their sinful desires! But in the end, if you read the Bible, God wins! If you're part of God's kingdom you'll be just fine! All we need to do is repent from our sin and accept Christ as Lord and Savior! Grace is all we need, indeed!

Maranatha, Lord Jesus! Maranatha!

Possessions Over Life...

2009-03-25T12:02:00.002-05:00

A horrible story of families with expected and wanted pregnancies, terminating them because of their economic standing--

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-03-24-family-planning_N.htm?csp=34#SignOut

We are simply in a horrible state of affairs when people do things like this because they value money and posessions over life.

Badgers are Done Dancing

2009-03-23T11:09:00.001-05:00

The ride is over for the Badgers now too… They played horribly in the second half against Xavier yesterday. But it kind of sums up the season. They just couldn’t finish games very well. It was nice to see them make it to “The Dance” and win their first one to arguably be one of the best 32 teams in the nation.

So, NDSU lost, Wisconsin lost, and Marquette lost, but Duke won. It’s also nice to see the Big Ten with two teams heading to the Sweet 16 and both with a very good chance of making the Final Four if they continue to play good ball.

I’m glad it’s only about 4 months to the start of spring training for the NFL!

The Dance is Over for NDSU... sniff, sniff...

2009-03-20T13:53:00.002-05:00

Final score: # 14 seed NDSU Bison 74, # 3 seed Kansas Jayhawks 84. The Bison kept it close pretty much the whole game and if it wasn’t for a couple of bad turnovers the Herd might have pulled it out against the defending National Champions. Ben Woodside scored 37 and really took control for NDSU. Kansas likely won this game with their great defense against Brett Winkleman and really kept him pretty quiet for most of the day, even though he did have a double-double and with the rebounds he pulled down they made him the record holder for most rebounds in a career at NDSU. The KU Jayhawks, led by Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins in this game, were just too much for NDSU to overcome.

It sure has been fun to ride with these guys this season, and even though I’m a bigger Wisconsin Badger fan than I am an NDSU Bison fan, I have learned a new respect for the smaller Divison I schools that usually only get one team in the Big Dance through a conference tournament championship. These guys work just as hard, if not harder than the big basketball schools like Duke, UNC, and Kansas, and earn their spot just as well as the big guys do.

Final record for the Bison is 26-7 with a season of a LOT of firsts! Ben Woodside becomes career scoring leader at NDSU, ties Pistol Pete Maracich’s record for most free throw’s in a game at 30, scores 60 in a game; Ben Winkleman is career rebound leader at NDSU, as well as the number one Academic All-American Player of the Year for all of NCAA basketball; the team qualifies for the NCAA tournament in their first year of eligibility by winning the Summit Conference Tournament, as well as winning the conference outright. I know I’m missing others, but those are the ones that come to mind initially.

Even though it’s over—GO BISON!

Bison Men Going To The BIG DANCE!!!!!

2009-03-11T13:06:00.002-05:00

Most everyone who knows me knows that I love watching college basketball and that it’s pretty closely tied with my enjoyment of football season.’

Well, aside from being a die-hard Wisconsin Badger fan, I’ve become quite the die-hard North Dakota State Bison fan since marrying an alumnus and living in Fargo over the past almost 7 years. Last night, the Bison made history—the first school to get an automatic bid to the NCAA Basketball Tournament in their first year of eligibility since 1970. The men’s team won the Summit Conference Tournament Championship behind their four star seniors last night, and the shooting of a sophomore. After being down most of the game, guard Ben Woodside hit a long, off-balanced jump shot from the top of the key to give them the lead by 2 points with 2 seconds left. Oakland U in-bounded the ball and missed the long three-pointer to win and pandemonium broke out. The students rushed the floor and it ended up being the highlight of the night last night on ESPN news.

It’s been the talk of the town today, on local radio, front page of the paper, and I even talked to my parents last night and their news from Madison even mentioned it since Bison head coach Saul Phillips used to be a player for Badger head coach Bo Ryan when Ryan coached at UW-Platteville. It’s quite the accomplishment since NDSU decided to make the move to Division 1 for sports 5 years ago.

Now, the question is, who do the Bison get to play and when? ESPN.com has them tentatively as a 13-seed, which is pretty good. It might put them in position to be a Cinderella of sorts. But one thing is for sure. I’m going to Scheels after work today to buy my championship t-shirt and I’ll be ready to root for them starting next week when they play their first round game!

Handy-capped

2009-02-26T14:23:00.001-06:00

Well, we didn’t win the annual alumni basketball tourney this year… But had fun, even though I broke the 4th metacarpal bone in my right hand… I have surgery on next week Wednesday to put a screw or two in there for it to properly heal.

Funny thing is I didn’t realize how much not being able to use your right hand was a massive inconvenience. And I’m left-handed! Tried folding laundry last night—took twice as long; showering and getting dressed---takes twice as long; cleaning up from a meal---takes twice as long; and the big one—typing—takes almost three times as long!

Shame For Supporting Truth?

2009-02-26T13:54:00.002-06:00

“I think that it is a good time for those who voted for the ban against gay marriage to sit and reflect and anticipate their great shame and the shame in their grandchildren’s eyes if they continue that way of support. We’ve got to have equal rights for everyone. And there are, and there are, these last two things. I’m very, very proud to live in a country that is willing to elect an elegant man president and a country who, for all its toughness, creates courageous artists.”

That was Sean Penn’s ‘best actor’ acceptance speech at the Oscars this past Sunday night… Wow… Shame for supporting the truth of the Bible that homosexuality is a sin? Isn’t it odd the propaganda that Satan uses to twist things? I don't doubt there were probably some unholy words on the signs Mr Penn refers to just before my posted quote, but it doesn't mean that supporting marriage as between 1 man and 1 woman as Proposition 8 states, is a shameful thing to do. Truth is certainly hate to those who hate the truth.

Great Role Model

2009-02-18T15:22:00.004-06:00

'Bristol Palin acknowledges that abstinence is "not realistic at all."'

Thats a quote from the daughter of the woman that was running for Vice President of the United States in a 2-part interview shown on Fox News Monday and Tuesday--http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,495244,00.html.

What part isn't realistic? It's thinking like this that has turned our culture into one that accepts not only pre-marital sex as a norm, but homosexuality as well.

How much worse will it get before humanity wakes up and see's it's being forcably blinded by evil?

A Legend Retires... Again

2009-02-11T15:04:00.007-06:00

Brett Favre announced today that he's retiring from the NFL. The New York Jets organization has also confirmed it and ESPN at least has something more to report on than givine A-Rod all that face time--though I highly doubt they'll have as much os a retirement spectacle for him as they did last year when Favre retired for the first time.

Love him or hate him, he was a fun guy to watch. I just hope we don't have to hear his southern quips from the announcers booth. Please--NBC, CBS, ESPN, NFL Network, don't hire this man as an announcer. Maybe a guest commentator for certain situations, but not a regular--PLEASE!

Best of luck in retirement, Brett! I had a fun time growing up watching you, and had a fun time watching you in New York last year. Enjoy watching the next season from your man-throne in Kiln, MS, on your big screen, in HD, and enjoying your millions while you watch your replacements get hit--hard. All mind changing you did aside, I'm proud to call myself a Packers Fan and a Brett Favre Fan in the same sentence.

Our Tax Dollars At Work...

2009-01-23T11:43:00.002-06:00

Not only are our tax dollars being used in support of the murder of the 50 million + children over the past 36 years, but now Obama will sign an executive order that will send our tax dollars overseas to support it.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/01/23/obama-lift-ban-overseas-abortion-funding/

While our media pummels the front pages of Web sites and newspapers with pics and reports of out new president shaking hands and kissing babies, signing orders to close Gitmo (but no specifics on what will happen to those there), putting regulations in place to avoid lobbying “issues,” and answering softball questions about whether or not he’s found the White House gym or played basketball on the outdoor court or not yet (in case you’re interested, he hasn’t because it’s too cold)—what is being rarely reported is that Obama is advancing the killing fields of abortion.

What I don’t understand is how any logical person can think this is okay? How can any reasonable person believe, even partially, that abortion is an option? It just goes to show you the overtime that Satan has been putting in for centuries to get society to bow down to wickedness and selfishness instead of God.

Pray for all men and women that have been affected by abortion. It doesn't just kill a child, it affects marriages, it affects women's bodies, and it affects the way Satan attacks those involved because he starts to win more often.

God can heal anything--He can heal broken marriages. He can heal broken hearts. He can heal a mother and a father from the hurt it causes. PRAISE GOD for THAT!

Ashamed...

2009-01-21T17:20:00.009-06:00

Never in my life have I been so ashamed to be an American. I love my country and have the utmost respect for those who have righteously fought for the rights and freedoms I enjoy today (and continue to support them), but I severely fear my government.

Yesterday we had an unheralded day in our history—a necessary day to say the least for showing equality for all Americans in showing that we can get past skin color and believe that a person of a certain skin color can be just as qualified as those that have gone before him (though the media has played skin color up so much it makes anyone against Obama perceived to be racist).

Many things are appalling, however. For instance—

Last night Sarah and I watched a little bit of the television coverage of the “Neighborhood Ball.” This was a spectacle that only the Oscars and Grammy’s can compare to. I was outright offended at the commercializing of such an event as this was. I began to truly understand what got Obama elected—his ability to fully embrace popular culture while satisfying all opinions and ideas with his nonsensical statements of vague design. I cannot imagine a George W. Bush, a Bill Clinton, a George H.W. Bush, or a Ronald Regan allowing themselves to be serenaded by Beyonce Knowles to the tune of “At Last” as if finally, for some strange reason, as if for no other time in history, things will finally be a perfect utopia of happiness in the US. To add insult to injury, Obama ate it up as his “subjects” chanted his name; unaware of the trance they’re in.

The new Prez in his inaugural address comes across as a preacher to the nation, more than the leader of the free world. Never, with exception to Kennedy’s “Ask not what your country can do for you” speech, or Regan’s “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall” speech has any President preached to a people more. Even worse, I read through the transcript of his speech today (after listening to it on the radio yesterday) and noticed that the sentence structure and statements provide no actual clear path or direction. It’s an instruction manual for the weak-minded and pop-culture followers at best.

Not soon after Mr. Obama took the oath of office (or perhaps as it was occurring) the White House Web site got updated with his “Civil Rights” platform in support of the LGBT “community.” Some lowlights from the Web site itself-- http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/civil_rights/.

"While we have come a long way since the Stonewall riots in 1969, we still have a lot of work to do. Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us. But at its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans. It's about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect." -- Barack Obama, June 1, 2007
Support Full Civil Unions and Federal Rights for LGBT Couples: President Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples. Obama also believes we need to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and enact legislation that would ensure that the 1,100+ federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same-sex couples in civil unions and other legally-recognized unions. These rights and benefits include the right to assist a loved one in times of emergency, the right to equal health insurance and other employment benefits, and property rights.
Expand Adoption Rights: President Obama believes that we must ensure adoption rights for all couples and individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation. He thinks that a child will benefit from a healthy and loving home, whether the parents are gay or not.

Pastor Rick Warren, who provided the invocation at the inauguration prayed, “I humbly ask this in the name of the one who changed my life, Yeshua, Isa [which is Islamic], Jesus [the Spanish pronunciation], Jesus, who taught us to pray: “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come...” This was after a call to, “Help us to share, to serve and to seek the common good of all. May all people of goodwill today join together to work for a more just, a more healthy, and a more prosperous nation and a peaceful planet.” If Warren knew anything about the Bible he preaches from, he’s have mentioned in his prayer that world peace is not possible until the millennial reign of Christ (but that would be divisive and we can’t have that). He’d have also mentioned that Christ is Lord and Savior for all, not just a guy who changed his life—Christ SAVED it (but that would be divisive and we can’t have that).

Do I really need to mention that because Obama was criticized for having Warren there, a pro-life, anti-homosexual preaching pastor, that he also invited gay bishop Gene Robinson to pray at a Sunday service to balance out the issues? Is this the seeking the common good of all that Warren prayed about yesterday.

I’m ashamed to be an American today. Especially as we celebrate a man who is not only pro-homosexual “rights” (as if someone can’t do anything about their sexuality), but as we observe Sanctity of Human Life week. Tomorrow, January 22 will mark the 36th anniversary of the tragic Roe V Wade decision. Since then more than 50 million American children have been “legally” murdered—with less than 1% being because of rape, incest, or the health of the mother. Just this last week, the North Dakota clinic (there’s only 1) that performs all abortions for the state estimated that around 1400 abortions were performed in 2008. That means that less than one block away from where I work every Thursday there are on average 27 children murdered.

I’m ashamed… This is not love… This is not compassion… This is not truth...

We've Kicked God Out

2008-11-12T15:53:00.003-06:00

I visited a blog of a girl I went to high school with and cringed at her posts for Obama. I’m not talking about the fact that she supports him (as I’ve supported specific political decisions and candidates in the past like Ron Paul and the marriage amendment in North Dakota a couple years ago). What bothered me was her statement on election night – “I am excited to see what the next four years will bring. It won’t be easy, I’m sure, but now there is HOPE.” [capitals hers] What bothers me about that is people are constantly putting their hope in politicians, their homes, or money. We’ve all seen in recent months and years that to do just that is a foolish thing to do—our hope should be in Christ Jesus.

She raved over the fact that all the states she’s ever lived in carried Obama for electoral votes last week, and even has a post about how people need to join with the others in California to protest the passage of Proposition 8 (which happens to define marriage as being between 1 man and 1 woman). To quote her, she says, “Be a marriage ninja and join people across the country this Saturday to protest the passing of Prop 8 in Cal…”

Interestingly enough I saw a bumper sticker on the back of a car a couple months ago for the local Christian radio station in the Fargo area. However, there were about 20 other bumper stickers on the same car that were pro-gay propaganda—one of which said, “Love the heterosexual, hate the sin” as if to say that people that believe in the sanctity of marriage are the ones who are wrong in thinking so. I admit it was probably meant to be tongue-in-cheek, but no matter what it’s meant to symbolize, it was very inappropriate. This same care also had lots of Equality stickers on it which is just a blue sticker with a yellow equals symbol. The logo of a national equality organization that is pro-gay. I’m all for equality, but under the rules God has laid out for us. Anything but the rules God lays out for us is not equality at all.

I also read yesterday about a church in Lansing, Michigan that was barraged by protesters during the worship service with people chanting, “Jesus was gay,” and other inappropriate messages and demonstrations at the pulpit and throughout the congregation. Wonderfully enough, after all of the protestors departed (apparently all running out of the church and hopping in their cars before the police arrived), the pastor led the church in prayer not for revenge or justice, but that each and every one of those people would find a saving relationship with Christ. How cool is that?!

I also read today that many buses in Washington, DC, starting next week, will have an ad campaign on the side proclaiming, “Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness’ sake.” The American Humanist Association unveiled the $40,000 ad campaign yesterday, set to run through the holidays. I also read a couple weeks ago that the UK’s version of this association is doing something similar on buses in London (and perhaps all over big cities in the UK).

Finally, new news today is that in the wake of fallout from Proposition 8 in California, a judge paved the way today for “gay marriage” to be legal immediately in the state of Connecticut. People are already heading to City Hall in New Haven to get licenses and get married.

All I can say is that I’m beginning to understand why so much of this is happening in the US. God is turning the US over to its own selfish desires because we’ve turned out backs on God time and time again. He promised this would happen in His Word!

We’ve kicked Him out of our schools, but invited in evolution, safe sex campaigns and pushy high self-esteem teaching. The result? Children who are out having sex, teenage mothers, continued turning away from Christ in the teaching of evolution’s propaganda message, and kids that have no respect for authority because they’re taught that they should make their own decisions that they can’t hurt anybody if they’re only doing something to their own lives.

We’ve kicked Him out of our government and courts. The result? We have a government that shuns public servants who bow their knees to Christ and make them look illogical and ignorant. We have a society that forces judges to remove the 10 Commandments from their buildings and determine right from wrong based on legislation and opinion, and not God’s standards which have stood the test of time.

We’ve kicked Him out of our churches in fact in many cases, inviting in agendas that feed the poor and heal the sick, but don’t do anything that impacts a person’s eternity. We have churches that believe in cultist practices like the Eucharist and refuse to discuss prophecy and hell—interestingly enough those are the churches that are packed with thousands every Sunday—Bill Hybels’ Willow Creek Church, Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church, and Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church.

God is crying out to us to return to Him, America just refuses to see it. Change is certainly coming to America, I’m just not sure it’s the change anyone really wants.

Catching Up - 8/29/08 - Update on the False Lakeland Revival

2008-10-14T10:42:00.000-05:00

Instead of writing my own update on this, I thought I'd copy and paste Jan Markell's note from Olive Tree Ministries. I don't want to boast on Mr Bentley's failure, because I don't wish marriages to fail on anyone. I think the post below says it best--

(Note from Jan: Pastor Chris Elrod, Sr. Pastor, Compass Point Church, Lakeland, Florida, sums up the Todd Bentley scenario. None of us who were sounding warnings take delight in this closure. Yet we are relieved that fewer will now be harmed by another "counterfeit revival." - Jan Markell)

As I was on my way home from South Carolina last Thursday night, I got "the call." My friend and fellow Lakeland pastor let me know that the news about Todd Bentley -- the news that had circulated around Lakeland for weeks -- was finally about to break. For months it had been rumor with very little hard facts to back it up. Local church leaders had been hearing things about Todd and Ignited Church that caused us to question even more the validity of the "revival."

Then the truth began to come out bit by bit, first to Lakeland and then to the world, and now Todd's wife was in Canada getting help while he was "floating around" the United States trying to get his head together. Yes, Todd was legally separating from his wife. Yes, there was another woman involved. Yes, this was not the first time Todd had been involved with another woman.

Yes, Todd and Ignited Church had failed to address concerns -- many being voiced by their own denomination and people who support such outpourings -- about the heresy being preached and displayed at the "revival." Yes, there was not one single medical document to prove that any healing had actually taken place.

As the fallout continues and more facts are beginning to emerge about everyone involved with this mess, I have begun to ask myself some pretty hard questions. Did I handle this correctly?

When the first news began to break around here about Todd, healings, and the revival, I went to see it for myself. In all, I attended four separate "revival" meetings over a two-month period. I also watched countless hours of the events on the Internet. I witnessed Todd hollering "BAM" a lot. I witnessed "verification teams" in the parking lot carefully choosing people deemed candidates for "healing" while turning many others down. I watched ushers push ill children away from the stage area because they had not been preapproved for "healing."

I heard stories about pixie-dust-spreading angels and conversations with the Apostles in some abstract heavenly cabin. I saw leg drops, high kicks, head punches, and every other Wrestlemania cliche under the sun. I heard anonymous crazy stories about people being healed and others being raised from the dead. I heard and saw many strange things -- but nothing that even remotely kept with sound doctrine. Every biblical-discerning bone in my body showed me that there was nothing going on at the "revival" that was in keeping with God's Word.

I began to speak out against the revival, Todd, and Ignited Church, to our people. Mainly it was through our Journey Groups, one-on-one conversations, phone calls, and e-mails. However, I was advised by several other pastors not to speak out against it publicly because "I might be speaking against something that God is actually doing" (I wasn't questioning God -- I was questioning Todd). I never addressed it from the pulpit because our podcast is heard by hundreds of people all over the world. I never blogged about it because I get a 1,000+ hits on a normal day.

I dodged the questions about the revival in recent radio interviews I did in other parts of the United States. Finally, I refused to answer the hundreds of e-mails I got about the "revival" from other folks all over the world. In essence, I protected my flock from the three-ring circus and hoopla but did nothing to protect the Body of Christ as a whole.

Hindsight they say is 20/20. It now turns out that all of the rumors were true. It now turns out that the scriptural discernment was correct. It now turns out that this was the same craziness without accountability that the leadership of the sponsoring church is known for. The three-ring circus has been packed up, the tents have been taken down, and the moral failure has been announced. Everyone involved is pushing back, and thousands of hurting people are left questioning God and their salvation.

The question that I now have to ask myself and the question that will haunt me for quite a while is this. Did I sit on the sidelines while the playing field burned? Should have I blogged about it and spoken out about it publicly -- done more to get the word out to the rest of the world that this whole thing was about Todd and not God? I took care of my own house -- but should I have done more to take care of the entire neighborhood?

Charismatic leader Dutch Sheets also humbled himself stating, "My assignment from the Lord is to repent on behalf of the leadership of the Charismatic Body of Christ. We have failed the Lord and His people in many ways. We must repent if we are to be trusted in the future. We, the leaders of the Charismatic community, have operated in an extremely low level of discernment. Frankly, we often don't even try to discern. We assume a person's credibility based on gifts, charisma, whether they can prophesy, or work a miracle."

NOTE FROM JAN: I am glad that these two leaders have been brave enough to speak out. Let's hope that many other leaders will follow in their steps and lead their followers to test ALL things and not just follow every wind of doctrine.

Remember to pray for Todd and his family.

Catching Up - 8/26/08 - I'm on My Soapbox Again! This Time it's About Abortion

2008-10-14T10:40:00.000-05:00

I haven't watched the second hour yet, it's still sitting on our DVR, but I watched the first hour of the Saddleback Civil Forum where Pastor Rick Warren interviewed Barak Obama and John McCain individually. It took place on 8/16 and was shown on CNN, MSNBC, C-SPAN, FoxNews, PBS, and a few other channels.

Warren has already proven he is out more for political gain than leading people to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ and he threw a lot of softball questions to make Obama look good.

The part that made me most angry is when asked when a baby gets human rights Obama replied that the decision was out of his pay grade and proceeded to inform the audience he was pro-choice not because he's "pro-abortion" but because he knows it’s not an easy decision that women make. Later in the interview, Obama mentioned that the US should work to end genocide in other nations. Well, I ask then—what abortion is called? Isn’t it the extermination of unwanted life? Isn’t that genocide?

Abortion means the end of a child’s life. It’s that simple. It’s not about the privacy of what a person can do with their own body. Our way of life is murder the children but by all means let’s make sure we don’t use too many bags at the grocery store. In the words of a Casting Crowns song, "We are sung to sleep by philosophies of 'save the trees' and 'kill the children.'"

For those that believe a woman has the right to choose, what about that baby’s right to live? Even if it’s a right to choose, does that make it right? I have a right to be a drunk, but that's doesn't make it right. Is there any question that it’s a human growing inside that womb? You can’t scientifically argue that it’s anything other than a human being, so why don’t they deserve human rights?

I looked up North Dakota’s abortion statistics on the state’s official web site. In 2006 the local “clinic” in Fargo killed 1298 children. That works out to be a little more than 24 per week. Since the legalization of abortion, the US has exterminated more than 40 million children, with less than 1% because of health problems of the mother or rape. Who will speak up for the truth here?

There are times that I can't sleep on Wednesday nights because I know that Thursday is abortion day at the Fargo abortion "clinic." It's difficult for me to go to work just a stone's throw from that building where 20+ women each Thursday go to "terminate their pregnancies."

Pardon me for being rude, but we are a selfish nation, and we need to wake up and return to the truth.

“For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear” (2 Timothy 4:3).

Catching Up - 8/7/08 - The Favre Drama Is Over!

2008-10-14T10:38:00.000-05:00

Last night Brett Favre was officially traded to the New York Jets for a conditional draft pick. Apparently the deal says that the most snaps Favre takes in games, as well as the better the Jets do, the higher the draft pick the Packers get. That isn’t bad for a 38 (soon to be 39)-year-old quarterback that might not last the whole season if he realizes he doesn’t have the desire to play half-way through.

I’m a big Brett Favre fan as you all know, but I’m an even bigger Green Bay Packers fan. I’m happy to see the soap opera drama be done for a while, and unless the Packers and Jets reach the Superbowl this year, the Packers will never have to face their old QB (unless Favre plays more than 1 year).

Favre called it quits and the Packers moved on. Then after the Packers made all the financial and draft decisions based on not having him available to play, and also not having his $12 million per year salary hurting their salary cap, he wanted to play. So if the Packers would have welcomed him back, they’d not only risk having salary cap issues, but also risked alienating many of it’s players, including Aaron Rogers who could easily jump ship because of the situation if he’d wanted to. After all, the Packers completely changed their offensive scheme to match up with Rogers’ strengths and it wasn’t a standard West Coast Offense that Favre plays best in. It’s too late for the Packers to go back to the old offense, and even if there would have been a challenge for the starting job, there would have been huge division in the lockerroom.

I think the Packers did what was best for not only the immediate success of the team, but for the long-term success. What this a pretty issue to deal with and an easy solution? No. Did I or most other fans want to see Brett Favre in another team’s uniform? No. But what’s done is done.

Go Packers! I hope Favre does well too, but not at the expense of the Packers.

Catching Up - 8/4/08 - Beware of Todd Bentley!

2008-10-14T10:36:00.000-05:00

Wow… We have another false prophet among us and his name is Todd Bentley. In spite of what this man says, these “revivals” he does is NOT from God. And if it’s not from God, who can it be from? There’s only one alternative!

What Todd Bentley does and teaches is simply based on “transference,” the demonic act of transferring an anointing that Exodus 30 condemns. Just simply go to You Tube and search for a video titled “Todd Bentley – Not Drunk As You Would Suppose” and you’ll see first hand this man’s unbiblical teaching and preaching. The odd head bobbing and uncontrollable laughter is one thing, but when he performs his “transfer” of anointing for healing is even sicker.

Look through other videos linked to this one and you’ll see him say with his own lips and you can hear with your own ears his teaching of doctrines of demons—professing that he has discussions with an angel named Emma (there is no angel named Emma in the Bible) and stating that he “healed” a woman by kicking her in the face with his boot (Jesus, Paul, Timothy, or the disciples never anywhere in the Bible healed in a violent manner).

A few weeks ago, ABC News had a special on their Nightline show about Bentley and this so-called “Lakeland Revival.” They reported on a boy that had a medical condition that couldn’t walk very well. The boy went up to the front for “healing” and apparently was healed. However, moments after the “revival meeting” was finished, the boy could barely stand. The boy also continued to attend many other meetings in Lakeland hoping for additional healing, but continues to have difficulty walking and standing. All I can say is that when the power of the Holy Spirit performed healing in the Bible, it was complete healing 100% of the time. Jesus didn’t do a partial job to allow a person to remain with part of their handicap.

A local church in downtown Fargo is playing the web-casts of the “Bentley revivals” from god.tv. All I can say is that people need to beware of these false signs and wonders.

For more info, see the following links for great information on this—

http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/08/bentley.htm

http://www.crossroad.to/Quotes/spirituality/lighthousetrails/08/8-bentley-dalai-warren.htm

Catching Up - 4/28/08 - Clarifying My Soapbox Position, Part 2

2008-10-14T10:32:00.000-05:00

Here is part 2 of my attempt to clarify my statements made earlier about false teachers—

Joel Osteen: This man said in an interview with Larry King when asked if Jews or Muslims needed to believe in Christ in order to go to heaven he said, “I’m very careful about saying who would and wouldn’t go to heaven. I don’t know.”

He doesn’t know? How can he lead a mega-church in Houston of over 30,000 attendees per weekend and not know the answer to that question? Jesus specifically states, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). It doesn’t get any plainer than that.

On a lighter note, while reading through the transcript on-line of Osteen’s interview on Larry King’s show, I saw that a caller had called in from Hillsboro, Wisconsin. I thought that was interesting. Sadly, here’s what Osteen had to say—

KING: Hillsboro, Wisconsin with Joel Osteen. Hello.
CALLER: Good evening. Joel, I had the privilege a year ago February of attending Lakewood and got a chance to meet you, and it was really a wonderful experience. My question is, I was just in a conversation with a friend recently, and he said he believed that Lucifer was going to be the last one to enter heaven after the rapture because he believed that god is a forgiving god, and even Lucifer will be forgiven. And that just blew me away. And I wondered what your thought would be on that.
OSTEEN: That sounds odd to me. I've never heard that. And it sounds very off-the-wall to me. So...
KING: I asked Reverend Graham if God loves the devil. Didn't -- couldn't -- he'd never been asked it before.
OSTEEN: I never thought of it either. I don't know.
KING: He loves everything. Does he love...
OSTEEN: I don't know. I'll leave that for Dr. Graham.

So here Osteen has the perfect opportunity to set the caller, and King, straight. But instead just dodges the question. Anyone who would be a leader of any sized church should know that Lucifer, Satan, whatever you call him, WILL NOT be in heaven. He’ll be thrown into the lake of fire during the final judgment according to Revelation 20:10. We see here that Joel’s eschatology is just as bad as his overall theology. Why didn’t he answer this and inform the caller of God’s truth? Does he not consider this important? Does he not want to set them straight or not have the ability?

What about his book, “Your Best Life Now”? Catchy title, but what’s inside? I’ve never read it, so can’t comment on much with exception to the fact that he preaches clearly the “prosperity gospel” in it, which is also part of his many sermons. The basic premise is that you can have heaven on earth. This breeds nothing but greediness and selfishness, which is pretty much the same gospel that Joyce Meyers preaches.

One last item for this post, on 12/23/07, Osteen was a guest of Chris Wallace’s on Fox News. Chris asks the question, “And what about Mitt Romney?... Is a Mormon a true Christian?” Osteen answers, “Well, in my mind they are. Mitt Romney has said he believes in Christ as his savior, and that’s what I believe… I am not the one to judge the little details of it. So I believe they are.”

Well, the Christ that Mitt Romney believes in, according to Mormon teaching, was the half-brother of Lucifer. That’s NOT what the Bible teaches. I don’t think that’s a “little detail,” but instead allows a false gospel to be brought in.

There’s no doubt that Osteen is a false teacher. Whether he’s aware that he’s teaching a false gospel or not I don’t know. But considering the number of people that have rebuked him, both publicly and privately, citing the proper evidence, you’d think that if he didn’t already know he’s doing something wrong, he would now. So, either he’s still oblivious to the damage he’s doing to well-intentioned people, or he knows what he’s doing. The only other alternative is he’s crazy.

“But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons” (1 Timothy 4:1).

“For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear” (2 Timothy 4:3).

People like this are plentiful in America, and around the world.

Catching Up - 4/16/08 - Clarifying My Soapbox Position

2008-10-14T10:27:00.000-05:00

Sarah showed me that I need to describe what I mean when I named the two names of false teachers like I did in my last post—and she’s right. So, I’ll do that here. It’ll take a little to explain, so I’ll talk about one person per post.

Rick Warren: This is a man who has been asked to speak at the UN, and even has his own plan for peace, which he presented to the UN, but it never mentions Christ.

He also is the author of The Purpose Driven Life, which is based upon successful business principles employed by his mentor, Peter Drucker, not the Bible. Verses from the Bible are selected to support the business model that Warren uses, many taken out of context.

In the book Warren quotes a scripture after leading people through a relatively vague prayer to ask Jesus to come into their life. To back his assertion that all who pray that prayer are automatically transformed by the Holy Spirit, he quotes a phrase from a "scripture" from “The Message,” a paraphrased Bible translation by Eugene Peterson that promises, "Whoever accepts and trust the Son gets in on everything, life complete and forever!" (John 3:36a).

Unfortunately, Warren doesn’t even quote the whole scripture, just the “good” part, if you can call “The Message” a Bible at all. The NIV says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” Warren totally leaves out the acknowledgement of sin, which is essential to true repentance when accepting Christ as Lord.

He also deliberately changes the Word of God and teaches a different gospel. He said at a TED conference, “Did you know that God smiles when you be you? Some people have the misguided idea that God only gets excited when you're doing “spiritual things” like going to church or helping the poor or confessing or doing something like that. The bottom line is that God gets pleasure watching you be you. Why? He made you. And when you do what you were made to do He says, ‘That’s my boy!’, ‘That’s my girl!’”

I’d be interested to know where God says this in the Bible.

Whether Rick is a believer in Christ is between he and God, but Matthew 7 tells us we'll know false teachers by their fruits. He may have good intentions, and may very well be leading some people to a genuine saving faith in Christ, but he is also leading thousands, perhaps millions astray. The evidence speaks for itself. He uses his many versions of the Bible to support his "purpose." His eschatology just doesn't add up to what the Bible says.

Next post--Joel Osteen.

Catching Up - 3/28/08 - I'm on My Soapbox Again

2008-10-14T10:26:00.001-05:00

Okay, so it’s time for me to get on my soapbox for a while—

It bothers me that we celebrate Easter when we do. Christ was crucified at the time of the Jewish Passover. So why don’t we celebrate his resurrection around that time instead of following the computation of the Alexandrian Church that Easter is the first Sunday after the first fourteenth day of the moon that is on or after the ecclesiastical vernal equinox (yeah, you know what I said). I know the answer—history tells us that the Roman Catholic Church, in an effort to get converts hijacked the holiday of Estre, which is the pagan celebration of Spring’s rejuvenation of the earth fertility. Where else could we have gotten the Easter bunny, eggs, ducks, etc. from? Cadbury’s and Hallmark certainly had nothing to do with it, but they sure do know how to market it!

Yet, I find solace in the fact that the Bible tells us these types of things will happen in the last days before the appearing of Christ—people will rather have their ears itched than put up with sound doctrine (2 Timothy 4:3-4) and false teachers will lead people astray like Joel Osteen and Rick Warren (Matthew 7:15). I’m looking for my Blessed Hope in Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13) that He’ll return for us soon.

Some people have accused me of being a downer by studying prophecy and that I need to watch out or I’ll get depressed. The prophecy is that God has the victory. You can't get any more exciting and loving than that! What depresses me are the people that preach right and left about how God is love, love, love, and more love but ignore His justice and wrath. It’s my goal to try to win as many into the kingdom as I can, God willing, and the best way I know how is by preaching the prophecy in the Bible. After all, the Bible is 66.666% prophecy, am I to ignore all but 33.333% of God’s Word?

Catching Up - 3/18/08 - March Madness and Easter

2008-10-14T10:25:00.000-05:00

Okay, so March Madness starts on Thursday. Badgers play in Omaha against Cal State Fullerton. It SHOULD be a win for them. If not, I’m rooting for Cal State Fullerton to go all the way!

Nothing much else to say aside from the fact that I’ll be in the same city (Omaha) as the Badgers this weekend and won’t be able to see them except for on TV like everyone else. Tickets are going at MAD prices. I’ve seen some ticket web sites scalping them for $2000+ for floor seats. Not in my taste. The biggest disappointment for me is that they’re having a meet and greet with the teams for free tomorrow at the Qwest Center and I’ll still be in North Dakota at that point. Grrrrrrrr.

I hope everyone has a great and blessed Easter. It’s truly a perfect time to remember the sacrifice that Christ made to pay for our sins, and obviously to CELEBRATE His resurrection from death! I never understood the ultimate unselfishness God had when He gave up His one and only Son as a sacrifice for mankind until I had a son of my own. Wow is all I can say. It’s both humbling and convicting that there is a God who loves us so much that He’d do that so we can have communion with Him for all eternity. More on that in another post!...

Catching Up - 3/11/08 - Isaiah's 2nd Swimming Lesson

2008-10-14T10:24:00.000-05:00

We took Isaiah swimming on Saturday. I tell you what; he had so much fun! Sarah and I floated around with him and he splashed with his hands and kicked his legs like no other. I’d throw him up in the air and catch him in the water and he’d just squeal and laugh. Sarah took a few pictures, so we’ll have to update the pictures section soon to show everyone. They’re so cute. Sarah and I took turns changing then when it was time to go home and Isaiah would just watch people jumping off the diving board and swimming and splashing around.

Normal bed time for Isaiah is usually 7pm, but he was so tired we had problems keeping him up until 6pm on Saturday night, which worked out well since it was time for daylight saving time. He had a bath and was ready to hit the hay quite early. Sarah and I were too. It had been so long since I’d swam, that I forgot how much of a great workout it gives you. I used to swim 3 miles a week in college, had plenty of energy, and stayed up to all hours of the night. Now, we swam just floating around and stuff for about 35 minutes and I was ready for bed by 8pm! Sarah was too!

Catching up - 3/04/08 - A Legend Retires After 17 Years...

2008-10-14T10:20:00.000-05:00

A legend has retired. Yesterday, the NFL and the Packers organization announced that Brett Favre is hanging up his cleats. After 17 years in the NFL, and owning almost every career passing record, he's decided it's time for family and to retire. While I was almost ready to "call in depressed" for work today, I find solace that I was able to watch such a fun guy play his heart out for so long. After all, now being at age 28, I can say I grew up watching Brett Favre, who started his first game for the Packers when I was 11 years old, and until this fall, has never missed a game. He's had some pretty good ones that we'll all remember, and some pretty crappy ones too, but that's what made him fun to watch.

I told Sarah last night that we need to plan our vacation to Canton, Ohio in three years from now when Favre will be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. He looked good in green and gold, and will look great in a yellow jacket as well.