Direct to any page with URL and number i.e. /index3.html
ANGELFIRE 4-1-06
For a number of years now I've been singing on Sunday evenings at LARC (Lexington Assessment and Reassignment Center) which is the hub of our state's fifteen or more prisons. The inmates like to learn Scripture songs, so that's been my specialty. But then a couple of nursing homes, one in PV and another in WW, have allowed me to sing and play the piano each week; not that I'm a great performer but just love to glorify my Lord and Savior. So now the local TV channel 2, KJCS, will carry my "Jesus Sing" at 6:30 to 7pm each Thursday. It would be an honor to have you in the audience. So often, when I've quoted the words from some song here in ANGELFIRE, I've wished it could have been sung for it's full meaning. Now it will be possible for me to do that. I always pray for the the Lord's leading and His patience with my flaws (as I hope PV will be). I'm an amateur musician and that comes from Latin amare "to love," so it defines why I do this. It's from a love for Christ Jesus, Who has now opened this new door of opportunity to me.
That Afghanistani who had accepted Christ some sixteen years ago had gone back home to gain custody of his two daughters in a divorce settlement. The family reported his change to Afghanistan's police and he was sentenced to be executed under Islamic law. Since the constitution of that fledgling democracy guarantees freedom of choice, the courts found a reason to drop the case and now Abdul Rahsan has been released. Italy offered him asylum so that's where he has gone. His conversion was back when he worked with Christians in an agency bringing relief into his country back under Taliban rule. He must have been known there because his name comes from one of that nation's late leaders (now he's Joel, the name taken at his baptism). And his narrow escape from execution shows how Muslims still have such total control there. But maybe he can return some day as a hero for Christ to his own people. Thank GOD for the Italians who welcomed him, and even for the new pope, Benedict 16th, who had appealed to Muslim clerics in Afghanistan that Abdul's (Joel's) life be spared. And thank you Lord Jesus for giving him such courage. He had apparently changed more than just being "converted to Christianity." He'd come to know You as his Lord and Savior. Hallelujah!
ANGELFIRE 4-5-06
As most folks know by now, the war on terror has been expanded into a war to protect democracy. First is was simply for the safety and survival of the USA. Then, since we've considered ourselves the example of freedom (democracy) to other nations, our struggle extended to their lands also i.e. Iraq. That's a nobel and ideal implication though freedom cannot be imposed on other peoples even when we see that it would be for their long range success and stability. Somewhere I've heard it claimed that "I may not agree with what you are saying, but I will defend to my death your right to say it." Sounds high minded and pure, yet rings with a note of phoney baloney to me. We keep waiting for democracy to take hold in Iraq, but they still can't even form a government. Now we hear calls for a new president there who will make it happen. And the trial of their old dictator who we deposed with a costly invasion, just drags on and on. Soon we'll have lost three thousand of our troops in trying to give them democracy so it can become a component of the middle east. But look at the Palestinians and what it has delivered: election of a Hamas leadersh, a terrorist party to run the building of their homeland. So now Israel having made so many concessions, has voted for a prime minister that's done a complete turn about, Ehud Olmert. He once stood for the greater Israel based on Old Testament claims, but he barely gets elected to lead a new party of withdrawal. "Forget the land struggle and just find some peace for now" is Israel's posture. Ehud's name means "united" and in Judges 3:19 was the judge of Israel that was able to assassinate a fat foreign overlong named Eglon (sounds like glutton to me). Being a lefty, Ehud wore a dagger strapped to his right thigh, where it aroused no suspicion from Eglon's guards. He came to pay Israel's tribute as subjects of the Moabite king. Gaining a private audience with Eglon, Ehud said "I must whisper in your ear a message from YAHWEH." As Eglon leaned forward to hear, he felt Ehud's dagger plunged into his belly and just died making no sound. Thus Ehud slipped out and got away to lead an attack by the Israelites that overthrew those Moabites, and set Israel free again. This new Ehud of today has also turned left, but I'm sure whose belly is getting his dagger. I hope that it's Hamas, but relations between Israel and the PLA are as unclear as that night in Judges 3:19. Ariel Sharon is out of the picture and Olmert is the new Prime Minister. He seems to be a pragmatist, the American secular philosophy of "what works is what's true" and a 20th century name of Post Modernism, that we hear about today. LORD we see Your hand writing words on the wall with these current events. Come quickly King Jesus.
ANGELFIRE 4-12-06
FIRM aka Fair Immigation Reform Movement is making things happen. Watch for the next move on May 1, which is to be a boycott of school, work and purchasing to show immigrant strength. Sunday's demonstrations were just preliminary, and Monday was the big Action day. Nearly every city across the land saw throngs of Hispanics out in their white shirts showing solidarity as Mexican immigrants. A million was the estimate given by reporters. It recalled the "million man march" of Louis Ferrican, the black Muslim leader, several years ago; and also the "million woman" sequel there in DC. How do such colossal events take place? Don't people have to be at their jobs? Who makes the arrangements. All that mass of humanity has to be fed and housed. It just blows my mind. Then I recall my year in OKC a score of years ago, when I was in ministry to street people and transients trying to find jobs (or saying so). My task was to know possible employers and get the needy folks in touch with them. They had usually arrived in town without any place to stay. There was a Jesus House back then near our office. And we had a food pantry there at Skyline Urban Ministry on NW 8th. But after a year, I felt a sense of futility. Guess I suffered compassion fatigue. We were dealing with a culture of mobility, families in old cars full of kids and heading elsewhere. That was their life style, on the road, and permanency in the future. They were itinerants to the core, and knew the Interstate highways well, even aid centers in other cities. That's been two decades ago and we don't hear of street people anymore. Now its immigrants, and not just by thousands but millions instead. What an overwhelming spectacle that was what I watched all day, even on C-SPAN where the rally at our nation's capital was covered live. Yet the speakers spoke in Spanish and "Olah" or "Adious" is about all I know. Ted Kennedy gave his blessing, plus Hillarie Clinton, John Kerry and a clergyman who bemoaned the lack of Evangelical support. I supposed he was Catholic since most Hispanics are. Surely his implication was that our president's sympathy should have gained the following of Bible believing Americans. As such one, I felt admiration for all these folks just wanting to work and condemned here mostly because they'll do it for less pay. Yet even a spokesman for the AFL/CIO was there to welcome them. So why did I have such anxiety. Surely they're nothing like those street people (seeming to me as professional leaches). Many Hispanics have served in our military and given their lives for this nation even though so many others are law breakers here illegally. Yesterday nearly all were carrying American flags. I've pondered through the night and prayed about feeling so conflicted over this. As I try to think of Biblical comparisons, the notion that comes to me is "If you let this uneasy feeling grow, you'll be like the Egyptians who became bitter toward those children of Israel that Joseph had brought into their country as his relatives. So at last a new Pharoah made them slaves (after the Pharoah who favored Joseph had given them Gosen at first, the very best land they had). They finally even started to kill all the Israelite male babies." I'm recalling that we began with "compassionate conservatism." GOD save us from ever descending to such satanic behavior as ancient Egypt's. Come Lord Jesus!
ANGELFIRE 4-14-06
This is Good Friday as I write and I've just finished reading the prophecy of Zephaniah, very close to the shortest of the Old Testament minor prophets, Obadiah (one chapter). It's three chapters begin with divine wrath poured out over all the earth because of mankind's unfaithfulness, but ends with the regathering of Israel: "At that time I will bring you back...For I will give you fame and praise Among all the peoples of the earth, When I return your captivities before your eyes," Says the LORD. In 1948 my generation saw the state of Israel come into being on the world stage. After two thousand years of dispersion, Jews gained a homeland again and just as foretold by Zephaniah, have become very famous. Our other state song HOME ON THE RANGE says "where the air is so pure, and the zephYrs so free." Thus, Zephaniah was another new wind of hope blowing into history to give the world an earthly image of heavenly reality. That image became more complete in '67 when Israel regained it's ancient capitol, Jerusalem (city of shalom), which is a type of the holy city (Jerusalem from above) that John saw in Revelation 21 "coming down from GOD out of heaven." Jews consider their holiest day as the Day of Atonement. And it's a shadow of this DAY on which our high priest Christ Jesus went into the holy of holies with His own blood as the offering. The N.T. book of Hebrews does spell this out clearly about those things that were "types and shadows" of the final reality to come. And Christ's rising from the dead is proof positive given from on high that He's our Prophet, Priest and King. What a sign of Satan is that book "The Gospel of Judas." It's very name's an oxymoron. Gnostics were so Greek minded that they considered the body of no importance. But in all the O.T. we are warned that this corrupted flesh and blood of humanity must be redeemed from the curse of that fall in Eden which gave us this sinful nature. Just knowledge "gnosis" isn't enough and the Kingdom of heaven, though personal and subjective, is also social and objective; which awaits the return of Christ in glory and majesty. That false gospel, from what I've heard of it, equates with the Saddusee's belief that this life is all, with no resurrection nor hereafter. They got along with the Roman power quite well and wanted things to stay like that. So they considered Jesus a trouble maker and a threat to stability. As one of the inmates at LARC who is always quite joyful in Jesus described them, "sad, you see." Well holy Saturday might fit, but certainly not East-er (pointing to His return in the eastern sky). Hallelujah! Not sad you see, but glad to be.
Subject: ANGELFIRE 4-19-06
In second Timothy 1:7, St.Paul tells that faithful young man that "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind...now revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death..through the Gospel." Paul had no earthly offspring, but he came to count Timothy as his son in the ministry. And the "sound mind" they both shared is quite essential for serving the Lord, then and now. Satan is the source of error and fatal spiritual deception. That's why the daily ration for "soldiers of Christ" must be Bible study first, then other worthwhile material or media. Paul goes on in chapter 3:14 "But you must continue in the things which you have learned...from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God...that the man of God may be complete." So beginning with sound mindedness, we go on to completion of our personhood (psychology is so much more in depth that the behaviorism I studied at OU way back).
But when I was young, it was natural science that thrilled me as having all the answers. Thomas A. Edison was an American hero then and how I admired his career. Our general science teacher at Mt.Vernon Hi seemed so much like the great Edison. He conducted class room experiments each day that captivated us students, especially me. Once he told the class that I had drawn the right conclusion from an experiment, "Joe thinks like a scientist" he said. "He looks for causes instead of seeing some purpose in what's happening here. We have to get away from purposeful thinking. It hindered science for so long." Wow, I though I had the world by the tail and would go on to figure out everything with my "sound mind." But Lou Cummins was not St.Paul. He had set me on the course of a 20th century delusion in America that led to banning the Bible (our basic book) from our civil life. In this new century we are learning that just "cause and effect" doesn't give the full story. Even our final quantum physics of what controls everything (unified field theory) acknowledges the possibility of "principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness, and spiritual hosts of wickedness in high places." Ep.6:12 We've moved clear beyond that mechanical view of the world that enthralled my boyish mind. Edison may have given the world an electric light, but we still need inner Light. After I'd been to seminary and was stressed over changing my world view (repentance), I thought I was heading for a nervous breakdown with many interpersonal pressures. Then the D.S. in OKC quoted 2 Tim.1:7 when I phoned him about it. His name was Leland Clegg, a soul long gone on to glory. But that sound mindedness he referenced is more urgent than ever today, lest the terrible crimes happening daily all over our land drive us to the brink of insanity. Our good bishop Paul Milhouse used to rap his gavel and say after protracted and tiresome business sessions of annual Conference, "Hold steady, now just hold steady." That comes to my mind when I hear such big clocks as the one in downtown PV strike some notes each hour that preceed the count: "Christ will be here. Let's be ready. Soon He'll appear. So hold steady." Lord Jesus give us sound minds as we hear the daily soundings of events. We know that Your death and resurrection has already brought light and immortality to us, as we look for Your return. Hallelujah
ANGELFIRE 4-26-06
The book of Ezra tells of the Temple being rebuilt in Jerusalem and Evangelicals should know that the book of Nehemiah is about rebuilding the walls around Jerusalem. They had been torn down by the Babylonian army when it burned the first Temple and carried the Jews into several decades of captivity. The walls were rebuilt under Nehemiah's leadership, who declared it a work of the LORD. Now we don't seek to be walled off like that in Christ, but we can see rabbi Ezra as erecting a more permanent wall in the Law (Torah) which he read to the people (Neh.8:4) Here is where the KJV reads "pulpit," a term that's been central to Protestants. Yet now the NewKJV says "platform of wood" instead, and has no mention of pulpits anywhere. Then the day long reading by Ezra from that platform was a glorious reclaiming of faith. The people wept over their neglect and Nehemiah reassured them saying "Go your way...This day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength" (a song I like to sing). Then they kept the festival of booths for the next eight days as ancient Israel observed long before them. What a joyful celebration it must have been with all the branches gathered to make booths! Palm Sunday seems an echo of it in my mind, as Jesus arrived, becoming the true Temple when He was raised from the dead. He is the chief cornerstone and we are all living stones built upon the twelve Apostles. Remember the charges against HIm of claiming to destroy the Temple and rebuilt it in three days? He was speaking of His own body (which He didn't destroy), that the church would become spiritually after His ascension back to heaven. And the walls needed so desperately today are around that heavenly Temple to keep out worldly corruption. The Israelis keep building their wall to keep out terrorists and we hear calls for a wall to stop illegal immigrants from Mexico. But saying "No" to the many forms of unGodliness that intrude upon us is the wall we most urgently require. In Rev.21 we read about the beauty of the walls of precious stones for the Holy City. It's the beauty of holiness. which is beyond even the Law to repel ugliness. And verses 22-23 say "But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are it's temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light." That's the ultimate immigration where Christ's cleansing blood makes us legal and welcome. Shalom
alternate ANGELFIRE for Holocaust Day
Since I'm writing this on the day of Holocaust remembrance, it seems appropriate to share a conversation I had with a college student in '66, when I was a young pastor at Sayre OK and he even younger in Canada. I had been to the World Methodist Convocation in London and we sat by each other on a British Overseas Airways flight back to Montreal. He was a student there at McGill University and I was taking his route heading home just to see some of Canada. (Spent a whole day in Montreal) Our extended talk began as I told him where I had just been and learned that he was returning from twice as long a trip clear to Israel. "Oh, then you've been to the Holy Land" I said. "No, it's not a holy place" he replied. "Well then Palestine, I mean."No that's not accurate either. I guess I should say that I've been to Israel." Back forty years ago that still wasn't such a familiar state in the world. So I said "Then I guess you must be a Jew." "Not really, but then you would call me that I suppose." "How do you mean it?" I asked. "Atheist, that is what I am" he answered politely. (This was during the Cold War and that word was anathema that shook me) "I see now, you couldn't be a Jew and an atheist at the same time." "Certainly could, because many of us who lost our parents under the Nazis no longer believe in God." "Hitler had yours executed?" (Holocaust wasn't yet a familiar term). "Yes and I grew up in a group home in Israel. (I forget the name of those places that I later learned on my two visits in Israelm some sort of communes). We just realized that couldn't have happened if there was really a God. He would have prevented it with divine protection. And we're like most of the Zionists who established the state of Israel. They broke with those religious Rabbis who wanted to wait on God to bring it about and went ahead to do it themselves. So that's not a holy place to me and this was no pilgrimage. All that religion never got us anywhere for nearly two thousand years." I had learned some of the "religionless Christianity" that grew popular in the sixties. So I talked to him about Paul Tillich's faith expression in Ultimate Concern theology, then asked if he didn't have something like that? He wasn't an arrogant atheist at all. In fact I sensed that he was pained about the matter, feeling anguish in his soul. I told him that Jesus satisfies the deepest longing in mankind and he listened. Then I quoted from Tillich in that secular tone, who said "The GOD beyond God is the One who appears when God (of religion) has disappeared in anxiety and doubt." He said "I'll keep that to think about." In recent years there has been a rise of Messianic Jews who accept Jesus to become completed in their Judaism rather than switching to Christianity. Maybe he came to Christ that way, though it was 40 years ago that I witnessed to him.
ANGELFIRE 4-29-06
"Watch it jump and feel pain at the pump." How's that for a verse of things getting worse? (Not just your blood pressure) Hey, I feel like that character in Alley Oop who only talks in rhymes. How I wish I could just laugh this matter off. But it's not very funny and I want to blame it on big oil for being so greedy, especially their CEOs taking such fantastic pay. I even puzzle over nationalizing EXXON and their ilk, though such ideas as federal confiscation have always been alien to me. The impact of China and India keep being sited as basic to the price rise. But how could their gradual increase in consumption have caused it in such a short time? Guess I'll go back to Alley Oop, where PV's Phil Henderson will soon be appearing in the land of Moo. Say that's a way out. I'll get a dinosaur to replace my car. I'm back to rhymes you see.
But seriously, I view everything as tied to the middle east. And there's an "alternate ANGELFIRE" on my site of a conversation I had 40 years ago that relates to Tuesday's Holocause Memorial Day; that alternate column's first time I've ever shared the enlightening encounter when I was so young. Yet another holocaust nearly a century ago happened in Armenia where Islamic "Young Turks" tried to exterminate the Armenian Christians in east Turkey early in the last century. My Armenian friend Glen Simonsen grew up in NYC, where his family had come to escape. And he's told me his grandmother's account of it as we go up to prison ministry at LARK. It's been ignored by historians but the killing of a million and a half people can't be hidden forever. "Armenian Genocide" was the TV documentary a week or so ago telling how the Ottoman Empire dealt with Armenians, who were the very first to claim Christ as a nation. St.Gregory had won their king to the faith in 276ad. That was even before Constantine was "converted." In 1915-18 they became the first humans to face genocide/racial murder, and finally the world is learning it nearly happened, though Turkey still denies it. This shows that Satan can't keep his secrets permanently hidden. April 24 is the day to recall that grizzly endeavor, when the Young Turks began their annihilation butchery. Hitler studied history and learned how the slaughter was done by them. And he thought the Holocaust could be kept secret also. So Christians and Jews both have a day to remind them what human depravity is capable of such colossal crime. I don't know if Islam has any similar warning sign, unless it could admit that the Ottoman Turks had gone crazy. But the Wahabbie jehad is repeating it in these suicide bombings of global terrorism, as I see it. Come Lord Yeshua!