February 26, 2021

                                                             Freedom

Liberty in America has always been under attack. We are living nine decades after the Great Depression, eight decades after Pearl Harbor, five decades after the social-sexual revolution of the 1960s, three decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and two decades after the terrorist attack of September 11th. Some of these have been external attacks from outside forces intent on stealing our freedom as a country and as individuals. But today, a little over a month ago, we encountered through an inauguration an internal and institutional attack, an inside assault of our freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, freedom to bear arms, and freedom of thought. The greatness of America according to Victor Davis Hansen is not Equality but Freedom. If you have freedom equality normally occurs as a by-product. It is never perfect nor complete, but it is the best this world has ever seen. A constitutional-republic form of government grounded in a Judeo-Christian moral framework of Laws was responsible for freedom and equality the likes of which the world has never experienced before. Montesquieu warned that a nation will perish when the Legislative Branch is more corrupt than the Executive Branch. But what do you do when they both are equally corrupt? As Lincoln spoke with insightful prescience in 1838, “If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of Freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.” From a sociological perspective, these are grave words indeed, but from a spiritual perspective we must always remember that Jesus declared; “Therefore if the Son has made you free, you shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36) Paul also reminds us that; “Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Liberty.” (2 Corinthians 3:17) Never forget where true Freedom & Liberty come from. Never forget; Christianity is not dependent upon the environment but on relationships. Serving Him with you until He comes for us, Fred

 February 19, 2021

“A Ship In Harbor Is Safe, But That Is Not What Ships Are Built For”

The church is living in a culture that is like a raging sea. We departed safe harbor long ago. However, today we are living in a typhoon awash in a tsunami of cultural corruption orchestrated no longer by the halls of academia or the mob in the street, but now institutionalized by new governmental leaders and new laws meant to stifle and stagnate the church and make it not only irrelevant but also to declare it dangerous. We are “the mystic prophets of the absolute” who dare to proclaim “true Truth,” and as such we are declared to be “Canceled.” The church was never meant to be safe and secure in the harbor. We have been commissioned to venture out on a voyage and sail amidst difficulties and dangers in uncharted waters and endure the storms of life. And some may even be shipwrecked (I Timothy 1:19.) When you sail on the open sea you need tools to navigate and negotiate the journey. A sextant is used to measure the angle between an astronomical object and the horizon for the purposes of celestial navigation. A compass provides a directional finder and keeps your perspective objective. A map shows you the route to your destination.   Our Savior Jesus is our sextant to show how to navigate the difficulties of life. Christ is our compass to guide us toward true north. The sacred scriptures provide a map to lead us in this world and guide us safely home.   Now is the time to deepen your study of the Bible. Now is the time to develop your fellowship with Jesus. Now is the time to depend on the Holy Spirit as you live in an unholy world.   Serving Him with you until He comes for us, Fred

 February 12, 2021

God Buries His Workers but His Work Goes On

The man who introduced me to Jesus Christ 50 years ago died this week. We were in high school together. It was the height of the Hippie movement and the Jesus movement in California. I was interested in neither. My friend and I were in sports. He was four feet eight inches tall and had three black belts in martial arts and was the 100-yard dash champion. He was also very strong. He was known as “the preacher” as he would walk the halls with his “20 pound Bible” wrapped in thick leather and buckled with two snaps. He was not shy of talking about Jesus. In fact, he was almost obnoxious. And then there was me. Raised in an atheistic home, I had many questions and so we had many talks about the Christ. It took six months of meeting, reading, and thinking which led me to praying to receive Jesus as my Savior. I lost touch with my friend Andy, but I had heard that his life took many twists and turns, but he always loved and shared Jesus. And now he is with the Lord. The past 50 years have been a wonderful adventure as I have lived with and learned much about Jesus. But it all began with my friend telling me about God who had a gift for me, a gift of love. A love that can never be earned and a love that can never be lost. It is the gift of eternal life. Serving Him with you until He comes for us, Fred

 February 5, 2021

How Do You See People?

It is easy in today’s world to see many things and many people that trouble me, a minority of governors, many in Congress, and most in the media. A majority of their beliefs and behaviors disgust me. I hope I am in line with Psalm 119:53: “Burning indignation has seized me because of the wicked, who forsake Thy Law.” I must admit that this sometimes leads me to feel very uncharitable, unmerciful, and downright angry. Anger is okay if it is for the right reason and does not lead to sin. (Ephesians 5) But sometimes my feelings go over the line. Perspective is key, but I need to have a transcendent perspective. Jesus gave me His transcendent perspective. Who did Jesus see and how did he see them from the cross? As Jesus looked down from the cross, he saw the religious leaders, self-satisfied with their victory over the heretic and blasphemer. He saw the civic rulers and soldiers who had convicted him and beat him within an inch of his life. Then there were some of his followers, but not many since they had run away. And then there was his mother. You can only imagine what she felt.  I truly cannot imagine or know what Jesus felt on the cross, but I do know what he said to that group of cowards, haters, and enemies… “Father, Forgive Them. They do not know what they are doing.” That says a lot about the Father, a lot about Jesus, a lot about them, and it says a lot to me.              Serving Him with you until He comes for us, Fred