I Love My Ducks, but, I hate Eugene!!!

Just read a story from the Eugene newspaper about the MAJOR party problems they are having in Eugene. It's not new, just at an all time high level. I love the Oregon Duck football team, but as I have said a million times, I wish I could pick up Autzen and move it to Keizer, Oregon! I hate Eugene and this article adds to my dislike!

The dozens of people, many of them under-aged, who walk the west and south university neighborhoods each night with open containers of alcohol are hardly an unfamiliar sight to Eugene police Lt. Angie San Miguel.

But even San Miguel, who’s in charge of the night shift Wednesday through Saturday, says she has been surprised by what she’s seen this fall.

“Honestly, I’d say in all my 18 years as a police officer here, the amount of people this year out and about drinking in public and displaying disorderly behavior is the worst I’ve seen,” she said.

The rough outline of where many central parties occur, San Miguel said, is between 13th and 17th avenues between Hilyard and High streets. More specifically, San Miguel said, police have had multiple problems on 14th Avenue from Patterson to Ferry streets, and from 15th and 16th avenues and Hilyard Street.

University of Oregon sophomore Kristina Lekas said she chose her Patterson Street apartment because of the area’s reputation for being a party hot spot. The 20-year-old said she and her three roommates have a party at least once a week.

It’s a good thing she likes to party, she said, because she’d be miserable otherwise.

“It would be impossible to sleep on the weekends if I wanted to,” she said. “Anyone who wants to go to sleep before 4 a.m.: Don’t live here.”

But Lekas said she and her friends are fine with the amount of partying that goes on. The same holds true for the west university neighbor­hood in general, she says, because it’s a college neighborhood.

“I’ve never seen someone over 25 here,” she said.

Lekas also said she sees at least one arrest outside her apartment every week.

The most common citations issued in the university neighborhoods are for minor in possession of alcohol and carrying an open container, San Miguel said.

Between Sept. 24 — the Thursday before fall classes began at the UO — and Nov. 19, officers issued 180 citations for minor in possession of alcohol — 27 in the south university neighborhood and 153 in the west university neighborhood, according to police department data.

During the same time period, police issued 141 open container citations, with four in the south university neighbor­hood and 137 in the west university neighborhood. Additionally, police arrested 13 people in the west university neighborhood in connection with open container offenses.

When intoxication levels go up, so does disorderly behavior, San Miguel said.

On weekends, San Miguel said, it’s not uncommon for officers to have a half-dozen party calls waiting for responses.

Police received about 125 noise complaints in the university neighborhoods from the start of school until Nov. 19, issued 26 citations for noise — 13 in each university neighborhood — and arrested one individual in connection with a noise violation.

“We get so busy with other parties and priority calls on the weekends that we can’t respond to half of the noise complaints we receive in a timely manner,” San Miguel said.

In the south university area, it’s mostly homeowners who make the noise complaints, but in the west university area, homeowners and students alike make the calls, San Miguel said. Police typically don’t break up parties unless they receive a complaint, she said.

“If we see a party with lots of people in the front yard, we’ll make contact,” she said. “But if a party is not bothering anyone, we typically don’t care.”

The most effective way to patrol the university neighborhoods is with officers on bikes, San Miguel said.

Generally, students are cooperative with police. “Some slam doors and don’t let us in,” she said. “But that rarely happens.”

Tommy DeVoe, a 20-year-old university junior and advertising major, said he sees numerous fights every week at his Patterson Street apartment. From what he’s seen, police seem to handle the hectic environment well.

“The police do a good job at it,” he said. “We’ve had no complaints here, and my friends have had no trouble. They do a good job for having a couple thousand college kids around.”

— Rebecca Woolington

What is the matter? We have ANOTHER generation lost in the things of this world. What SEEM like the pleasures of this world are foolishness. These will only leave horrible scars that will stay with these kids all of their lives.
I know, I have them and ONLY because Christ has freed me from the bondage of guilt am I able to sleep at night. The scars though, are still there. They will be until He appears or I go to be with Him! Praise the Lord!

Who do YOU Worship?

You have heard of "tree huggers" right? How about "tree worshippers"? That's right, people who actually "worship" trees.
I found this video while trolling for another story and I couldn't resist.




Whether or not you feel we are truly in the "end times" (of course the "end times" have been the "end times" since the moment Jesus was caught into the clouds but let's forget that for the moment), this is a really, really scary video.
Let's look at Paul's writing in the book of Romans:
Romans 1:25 - THEY EXCHANGED THE TRUTH OF GOD FOR A LIE AND WORSHIPPED CREATED THINGS RATHER THAN THE CREATOR, WHO IS FOREVER, AMEN!

Note in the video they are lifting their hands in praise of the trees, just as we are commanded in Scripture to "lift Holy Hands" to God. Notice the holding hands in prayer towards the trees. Just as we are commanded to "pray unceasingly" to our Father in Heaven.
Note the comment about the "rock and all of the life it has". Remember when Jesus said in Luke 19:40 - "I tell you, if they keep quiet, the rocks will cry out".
Now, Jesus was of course saying, that if WE don't praise him, and we continue to withhold our worship of the True God, then the he'll allow the rocks to worship Him.
Of course He is being somewhat facetious, but the point is, WE don't worship rocks, they don't have life. God IS life, and we owe Him our worship.
Worship of created things is an abomination to God, a breaking of his Commandments and just plain STUPID!

I won't say this "scares" me, but it does drive home the point, that we are closer than ever to the return of Christ, Amen!

Gloom and Doom on the Horizon

I caught myself being sucked into the mainstream media's whole "the sky is falling" mentality the other day and didn't even recognize it at first.

Headlines today scream: "Don't let Fear Overcome You".

Fear of the economy, gas prices, tomatoes, China, Iran, the war in Iraq, etc etc.

These are all concerns, but just that, concerns.

If we are trusting in the God who holds the wind and rain and sun and stars in His might Hands, then what is there to fear?

The battle is ours! He who is in the world is not the winner, it is the ONE who created the world who will win every time!

"Fear not! I am with you even unto the ends of the Earth!"

I don't know what is coming next, only He does, and since ALL Authority on Earth is put here by him (not our lousy little votes), He will do His will, and, it will be GOOD!

If you are reading this, and you have not put your trust in Christ, I implore you, look past politics, look past sports, movies and all the other stuff I put up here now and then, most of it is purely garbage that I waste time with(Bill's WASTE OF AIR remember?), this is YOUR life.

Are you willing to take the chance that YOU are right and God is wrong?

Read the Book of John. Seek out a Christian who loves God and loves people. Ask them why they are so content and happy even if perhaps they are in a tough situation.

Once again I have found myself perusing great sermons and one that always comes back and speaks to me is the one that John R. Rice was most famous for:

What Must I Do to be Saved?

By John R. Rice
What must I do to be saved? Here in the simplest, shortest form is put the question to which every man must learn the answer, or spend eternity lost, away from God, suffering the torments of the damned!

Thank God, this question is asked and answered in the Word of God so simply that every soul can understand it. There are other questions in God's Word which affect the soul's welfare, and many places in the Bible is the plan of salvation made plain, but only one place is this question given word for word, and there, too, we find the answer.

Paul and Silas were in jail in the city of Philippi and at midnight they sang and prayed until God broke down all the doors and broke the stocks which held their feet, with a mighty earthquake. The poor jailer, frightened and convicted of his sins, came to these two preachers and asked this question. Read it in Acts 16:29-31:
"Then he called for a light and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."
"What must I do to be saved?" "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved"! There is God's plan of salvation, the only plan He has for every man, woman and child who was ever born into the whole world.

WHAT MUST I DO?
Sinner, there is something you must do if you would be saved. There was hope for this jailer because he saw himself a lost sinner and came trembling to inquire, "What must I do?" Reader, you are a sinner. The Word of God from beginning to end emphasizes that fact. In Isaiah 53:6 we learn:
"ALL we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned EVERY ONE to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us ALL."

We have all gone astray! The Lord is not content for sinners to be left believing themselves good. In Romans the third chapter, how positive, how certain is the Word of God that every man, woman and child is a sinner!

"What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are ALL under sin; As it is written, There is NONE righteous, NO, NOT ONE: There is NONE that understandeth, there is NONE that seeketh after God. They are ALL gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is NONE that doeth good, NO, NOT ONE"!--Rom. 3:9-12.

In verses 22 and 23 it is stated again that "there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." That is the reason Jesus said to Nicodemus in the third chapter of John, "Marvel not that I said unto thee, YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN." And a little later in the same chapter, verse 18, He said that the man who has not believed in Jesus is already condemned.

Certainly these Scriptures must make it clear to every man who believes the Word of God that he is a sinner, and until he has believed in Christ and has been saved, he is a lost sinner and needs saving. The heart is wrong, and only God can make that right. Then if you want to be saved, you must admit in your own heart, "I am a sinner. I am lost and need to be saved." No one ever was saved without coming for salvation as a sinner.

CHRIST DIED TO SAVE SINNERS, NOT GOOD MEN
Oh, I beg you, see it today! You are a poor, lost sinner, a Hell-bound sinner! Your heart is black. You have hardened your heart, you have resisted the call of God, you have rejected Christ. However good you are in man's sight, you are a terrible sinner, and unless you turn to Christ you must spend eternity in Hell. A SINNER! That is what you are. Admit it in your own heart, confess it to God. You are a sinner and you need saving worse than you need anything else in the world.
If you have settled in your heart that matter, then you are ready to learn God's answer to your question, "What must I do to be saved?"

BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
Here is God's simple way to be saved. You are a sinner, your heart is wrong, you cannot save yourself, you are already condemned. The thing you are to do then, to be saved, is to simply trust the Lord Jesus with that matter. When you do trust Him, then you have God's promise, "Thou shalt be saved."

I do not mean that you are simply to believe that there is a God or that there is a Saviour. Devils believe that and tremble (James 2:19). You can believe that a certain physician is a good doctor without calling him to be your doctor when you are sick. You can believe that a certain man is a good lawyer without taking him as your lawyer to defend your case. You are not just to believe the truth about Jesus; you are to believe on Him, that is, depend upon Him, risk Him, trust Him; and when you do, you are saved.

NOT SAVED BY GOOD WORKS
Of course, you do not deserve salvation. There is nothing you can do that will make you worthy of it. You cannot be saved by keeping the Ten Commandments, for the Scripture clearly shows that you have not kept them. Romans 3:20 says:
"Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his own sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin."
The same thing is told in Galatians 3:11 which says:
"But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith."
Many, many Scriptures repeat again and again that there is no salvation through human goodness.
"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost."--Titus 3:5.
"FOR BY GRACE ARE YE SAVED THROUGH FAITH; AND THAT NOT OF YOURSELVES; IT IS THE GIFT OF
GOD: NOT OF WORKS, LEST ANY MAN SHOULD BOAST."--Eph. 2:8, 9.

We had as well admit, then, that no man deserves saving and no man can save himself. Salvation must be free or the sinner could never get it. In fact, it takes blood to pay for sin, for the Scripture says:
"Without Shedding of Blood Is No Remission"--Hebrews 9:22
"For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly."--Rom. 5:6.
"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all."--Isa. 53:6.
Peter tells us that all of us are bought by the blood of Christ:
"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."--1 Peter 1:18, 19.

Every lamb, bullock, heifer, goat, turtle dove and pigeon offered in the Old Testament times on the altar pictured this: that man, a guilty sinner, must have some innocent one to shed his blood to pay for one man's sins. Jesus died for our sins, and, thank God, salvation is bought for every man in the world, if he will have it, as the free gift of God.

"For the wages of sin is death; but the GIFT of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."--Rom. 6:23.

Dear sinner, remember that church membership will not save you. If you have been baptized that cannot save you. Baptism does not save, does not keep anybody saved. It is only an act of duty for those who have already found Christ as their Saviour. A moral life or lodge membership or good citizenship--these must all fail to bring salvation, for it is "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us" (Titus 3:5). Don't depend, then, on what you do, but on what Jesus did and promises to do for you.

WHAT ABOUT REPENTANCE?
Does not the Bible say that we must repent? Yes, the Bible plainly says that "God ... commandeth all men every where to repent" (Acts 17:30), and again, "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3, 5). This was the preaching of John the Baptist, of Jesus, of Peter and of Paul, that men should repent. And certainly repentance is God's plan of salvation. The trouble here, however, is that men misunderstand what repentance means, and there has grown up an idea that repentance means a period of weeping and mourning over sin, or sorrow for sins.

This idea comes from the Douay Version of the Bible which instead of "repent" says "do penance." So the place of inquiry, where people should be taught the plan of salvation from the Bible, in revival meetings, became "the mourner's bench" and thousands of people have been taught that God would not hear their prayer nor forgive their sins until they went through a process of sorrow and mourning over their sins!

Do not misunderstand me. God is anxious for you to have a penitent, broken heart over your sins. You have gone away from God. You have trampled under foot the blood of Jesus Christ, wasted years of your life which you can never live over again. You have served your father, the Devil. There is plenty for you to weep over, and I am not surprised if you feel deep shame and sorrow in your heart that you have so mistreated the God who made you and the Saviour who died for you. I am not surprised if you cannot keep back the tears! But what I want you to know is that tears or no tears, however much sorrow you may have in your heart, or not have, those things do not save you.

You ought to be sorry for your sins and ashamed of them. "Godly sorrow worketh repentance" (2 Cor. 7:10)--the right kind of sorrow leads to immediate repentance, but mourning is not itself repentance.
"Could my tears forever flow, Could my zeal no respite know, These for sin cold not atone; Thou must save, and Thou alone."

To repent literally means to have a change of mind or spirit toward God and toward sin. It means to turn from your sins, earnestly, with all your heart, and trust in Jesus Christ to save you. You can see, then, how the man who believes in Christ repents and the man who repents believes in Christ. The jailer repented when he turned form sin to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

INSTANT SALVATION!
The jailer did not go through a period of mourning. He was told to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ; he did just that and was saved, and his whole family was saved the same way, immediately, the same hour of the night. Everywhere you look through the New Testament you find that people were saved all at once without any process, without any period of mourning.

Zacchaeus, up a tree, trusted Jesus and made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully (Luke 19:6-9). Jesus said,
"This day is salvation come to this house." When Peter told Cornelius and his assembled household that they could be saved by believing, immediately "while Peter yet spake these words," the Scripture says, the Holy Spirit came on them and they were happily saved (Acts 10:44-48). The thief on the cross, wicked sinner that he was, who a few minutes before had been railing at Jesus, was saved immediately when he inquired of Jesus (Luke 23:42, 43). In the first chapter of John, verses 35 to 49, we see where Andrew, Simon Peter, Philip and Nathanael were all converted, one by one, immediately by faith in Christ. There is no record of any person in Bible times who was ever told to wait, or mourn, or weep over his sins before trusting Jesus and being saved! One who believes in Christ has repented. Repentance and faith are the same thing put in different words, and neither requires a long period of time, nor a process of mourning and sorrow.

Salvation is instantaneous. All that keeps you today from being saved is the wickedness of your heart that holds on to sin and will not run to Jesus to trust in Him for salvation. I beg you, turn in shame and sorrow from your sins this minute, and trust in Christ and be saved!

CAN ONE BE SAVED WITHOUT PRAYER?
In the Bible there are many cases of sinners who prayed like the thief on the cross or the publican in the temple. In fact, Romans 10:13 says:
"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
Many people believe that a sinner cannot be saved without a period of prayer, without consciously calling on God. However, the Bible does not say that a sinner must pray in order to be saved. In fact, immediately following the verse in Romans 10:13 is an explanation which shows that calling on God is an evidence of faith in the heart and that it is really faith which settles the matter. Read it again.
"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?"--Rom. 10:13, 14.

The Lord encourages the sinner to pray, and the Lord hears and answers the sinner's prayer, if that sinner trusts in Jesus Christ for salvation when he prays. He heard the prayer of the thief on the cross, of the publican in the temple, of blind Bartimaeus. But the Scripture says, "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?" Certainly every one who is to be saved must believe. Prayer is evidence of faith. No matter how long one prays, if he does not trust in Christ, he can never be saved. If he trusts in Christ without conscious prayer, then he is saved already. There is just one plan of salvation and just one step a sinner must take to secure it. That step is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ!

Some way we preachers have left the impression on this poor world of sinners that God is hardhearted and that it takes many tears and loud cries and long periods of sorrow before He will hear and save the sinner. We have left the impression that God does not care whether sinners are saved or not, and that sinners must some way touch the heart of God and get Him ready to forgive. What a slander on a good and holy God who "so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Man's sins are already paid for, God's wrath is already turned away from any sinner who wants to be saved. Both the Father and the Son are a million times more anxious to save every sinner than the sinner can be to get saved! Thank God, I do not have to beg God to forgive my sins. He will do it the minute I am willing to trust it with Him.

HOW TO GET THE CHANGE OF HEART
This simple way of being saved by faith seems so easy, and it is. Some sinner may say, "But I thought one must have a change of heart." So you must, dear sinner, but that is God's part. Jesus was talking to Nicodemus when He said, "Ye must be born again," and in the same chapter He tells Nicodemus how to get the new birth.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."--John 3:16.
The change in your heart, sinner, is God's part and you may be sure He will attend to that. Your part is to simply believe in Him. Whatever else is necessary in your eternal salvation, the Lord attends to when you trust in Him, or believe in Him.

HOW SHOULD I FEEL?
Some people have an idea that the change of heart is a matter of feeling. Some do not want to claim Christ as Saviour until they have the mysterious feeling that they want. Do not let the Devil deceive you here. I believe in heartfelt religion, and thank God for the joy which He gives to me day by day. But the Bible nowhere tells how one must feel before he is saved, nor does it anywhere say how you feel after you are saved. In fact, people do not feel the same. Feeling varies with the person saved.
Some cry when they are saved, some laugh, and a few shout aloud the praises of God. One is no more saved than the other.

What you want, dear sinner, is salvation, and you should be satisfied to feel any way that will please the Lord, just so He forgives your sins.

Be sure you notice another fact, too, and that is that you cannot feel right until you get right. Rejoicing does not come before you trust the Lord. One does not feel the result of medicine before he takes it. The Children of Israel in the wilderness, bitten by fiery serpents and at the point of death, were not healed and did not feel healed until they looked to the brass serpent on the pole (Num. 21:6-9). People are not saved by feeling; they are saved by trusting in Christ. The prodigal son, away from home in the hog pen, decided to arise and go to his father, but he did not feel good. He was without shoes, clothed in rags, without the ring of sonship, without any evidence of his father's forgiveness, perishing with hunger! Yet he arose and came to his father, not by feeling, but by faith in his father. Thank God, his father received him, like God receives every sinner who will come. And when the prodigal boy sat down at his father's table, with shoes of the gospel of peace, clothed in the garments of righteousness of Christ, with the ring of sonship on his finger, eating the fatted calf at the right hand of the father, happy in his love, then he has plenty of feeling. Feeling comes after salvation. Leave the feeling with the Lord and come to the Saviour by faith today.

After you are saved, you will get peace and joy out of following the Lord in baptism, reading His Word, winning souls and otherwise pleasing Him. You need to go to the Lord again and again day by day for the joy of a Christian life. But thank God that salvation is settled once and for all when you simply depend upon Christ as your Saviour.

WHAT ABOUT PUBLIC CONFESSION?
Every person who is saved ought to publicly confess Christ. Matthew 10:32 and Romans 10:9 plainly teach that God will claim as His child any of us who will claim Christ as our Saviour, but we simply confess with the mouth what we have already trusted in our hearts. Concerning that very matter Romans 10:10 says:
"For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

To claim Christ as your Saviour simply proves that you trust Him in the heart. Likewise with all other promises in the Bible about how to be saved. "Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out," says John 6:37; and salvation is promised in John 1:12 to as many as receive Jesus. But you could not come to Christ without trusting Him, and John 1:12 shows that receiving Jesus is the same as believing on His name.

Dear sinner, do not make this a difficult matter. There is one simple step between you and Jesus. When you trust Him, everything else is settled, and you have repented, you have come to Christ, you have received Him, you have done everything necessary to be saved. Take the answer in Acts 16:31 at face value: "BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, AND THOU SHALT BE SAVED"!

In dozens of Scriptures all through the Bible salvation is promised to those that believe. Read carefully the following Scriptures and see that again and again, many, many times, God has promised all any poor sinner would ever need when he believes on the Lord Jesus Christ.
"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that BELIEVE on his name."--John 1:12.
"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever BELIEVETH in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever BELIEVETH in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."--John 3:14-16.
"He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that BELIEVETH not is condemned already, because he hath not BELIEVED in the name of the only begotten Son of God."--John 3:18.

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that BELIEVETH not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."--John 3:36.
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and BELIEVETH on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life."--John 5:24.

"And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and BELIEVETH on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day."--John 6:40.

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that BELIEVETH on me hath everlasting life."--John 6:47.

"To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever BELIEVETH in him shall receive remission of sins."--Acts 10:43.

"And by him all that BELIEVE are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses."--Acts 13:39.

Read again the Scripture we started with:
"What must I do to be saved?"
"BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved."--Acts 16:30, 31.

Trust Jesus, the Great Physician

If you were sick and about to die, and there was some good doctor whom you could trust, would you not risk him to take your case, give you the necessary treatment, and with God's help get you well? Then just like that, trust in Christ, depend on Him for your salvation, and turn it over to Him today. With the same kind of faith that will call in a doctor and risk him for your body, you can call in the Lord Jesus Christ and risk Him to forgive your sins and save your poor lost soul! He said, "They that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick" (Luke 5:31). He is the Great Physician and will heal your soul instantly if you will trust Him. As you would trust a doctor, submit to his treatment, depend on him for results, so trust Jesus today about your soul. To be sure, human doctors fail many times. Their results at best are gradual, and so no doctor is a perfect picture of Jesus. The doctor can work no miracles, but Jesus can, and the change that is needed in that poor, wicked heart, He will make immediately, instantly, without any further effort on your part, when you trust Him!

JESUS IS OUR LAWYER
If you had committed a crime and were thrown in jail, probably the first thing you would do would be to send for some lawyer in whom you had confidence and trust him with the entire matter of your defense. In God's sight you are a criminal, condemned already and with the wrath of God upon you day by day. But God has provided somebody to take the part of us poor sinners, criminals before the bar of God's justice, and Jesus is that lawyer, for the Scripture says:

"If any man sin, we have an advocate [or lawyer] with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for our's only, but also for the sins of the whole world."--1 John 2:1, 2.

Jesus will not only be your lawyer to defend your case; He has already paid the penalty and you may safely trust Him to have you immediately pardoned and justified! Why not simply risk Jesus as you would risk a good lawyer? Jesus is better than any lawyer, of course, and you do not have to pay Him a fee, and He never fails.

A WEDDING
A young man and young woman stand together, side by side, before the preacher. The preacher says, "You will join right hands." Then to the young man he says, "Do you take this young woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love her and cherish her until death do you part?" He answers, "I do." To the young woman the preacher says: "Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband until death do you part?" She answers, "I do." Then the preacher says: "I pronounce you man and wife," and they are married in the sight of God and man.

What a simple picture of salvation! Jesus is the bridegroom and we who trust Him are to be His bride. Already Jesus has loved you and has long urged you to accept His love. Jesus invites you to accept His love. Jesus invites you to believe in Him right now and be saved and so become a part of His bride. Will you not right now with the same simple faith of that young woman who takes a husband, accept Jesus as your Saviour and say to Him, "I do."?

MAKE IT SURE--CLAIM HIM TODAY!
The way is plain and you can be saved this moment if you will.
Surely it has become plain, dear lost sinner, that it is your own fault if you are lost! Do you hate Jesus Christ? Will you hold on to your sin and go to Hell for your stubbornness? Nothing in the world could show your wickedness like postponing this matter. You can be saved right now, this minute. I beg you, do it now. Turn your whole heart from sin to trust in Christ. Choose for Heaven against Hell, choose for Christ against Satan. Do not let Satan deceive you any longer. If you delay, it may result in a hardened heart, a wasted life and a tortured soul in Hell! And if you are not saved, when God has made the way so plain and paid the price for your sins, then you have no one to blame but yourself. Will you trust Jesus Christ today and be saved?

"Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth."--Prov. 27:1.

"Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."--2 Cor. 6:2.

"Today if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts."--Heb. 3:7, 8.
God has given you this heartbeat, this breath, this moment in order to trust Christ, but there is no promise of another. I beg you do it right now, and then claim Him as your Saviour.

One who trusts Jesus Christ as personal Saviour should publicly claim Him before men. "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Romans 10:10).

After trusting Jesus Christ you should join a church and be baptized. I hope you will find a good Bible-believing church and attend faithfully.

"Love your Neighbor as Yourself!"

Ever thought about what Jesus said in Luke 10:27?
Can you love your spouse, your children, your friends, your family, you NEIGHBOR, if you don't love yourself?

Jesus is so awesome, He gives us permission and in fact commands us to LOVE ourselves!!
In an egotistictical way? No.
In an arrogant way? No.

2 Corinthians 5:17: "If anyone is in CHRIST, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come!"
Psalm 139: 13-14: "I am fearfully and WONDERFULLY made! For you created my inmost being!"

How cool is God? He loves us so much he forgave us our sin, made us new creatures and allows us eternal life with Him, and God don't make Junk!
So, LOVE YOURSELF as God Loves You!

WE WILL NEVER CONTROL OUR BORDERS!

Want to know why? It's been tried before:

Ok seriously, on to more important stuff, I just needed a laugh today.

Last night my friend Dan, went home to Heaven. He was 49. It started as a little spot on his lung, and quickly it became cancer everywhere and he went fast.

Through it all, his biggest concern was that he would remain a witness for Christ. He was.

The last 48 hours of his life were spent in a coma type state, unconscious. This brings me to a thought about when a Christian is in this state.

This is not Biblical nor theological, just Bill-ical. I was thinking as I was praying for Dan Sunday night, as he lays there unconscious, his body basically dead, but his brain and his soul, or spirit still alive, what is his spirit doing? I have had this thought before. I can't see God allowing our souls to be in torment, as the body was at that point, and I also can't see the soul being asleep or not aware, yet it has not left the body yet, so, my thinking is this: God allows the soul or spirit to be in a state of some sort of bliss. Not quite in Heaven but not quite still here. Jesus said "it is finished" when He "gave up his Spirit". So far in my limited amount of interaction with people dying, they have all done something, said something even in comatose states, have shouted something, just before their actual death. Could that be the spirit inside them, telling the body and we around the body "it is finished"?

Kind of rambling but just thinking out loud.

Dan is in Heaven and probably speaking with Jesus right now! I know he loved Missions and now he will be able to see the fruits of his work and the ongoing work that he supported. I will miss Dan greatly, but am so excited that soon we will all be reunited!

(Dante and Beatrice gaze upon the highest Heaven (The Empyrean); from Gustave Doré's illustrations to the Divine Comedy, Paradiso Canto)

Thoughts on Good Friday and Easter

I always approach Good Friday with mixed emotions. I am so grateful and thankful for what Christ did for me on the cross, but am so heart broken that He even HAD to do this. I found a picture of an empty cross, because IT IS EMPTY, AS IS THE TOMB!

Of course He didn't HAVE to, He wanted to. He wanted to restore our relationship with the Father.

Do you really understand what He did on the cross for you? Do you understand that from the moment of birth you are a sinner. You are separated from God due to that sin, and only by accepting the Blood of Christ as atonement for your sin can you restore that relationship?

Celebrate Easter with more than the baskets, bonnets and Peeps. Celebrate the crucified Son of God who is now seated at the right hand of God waiting to return and bring His own to Heaven!

I found a great description of Crucifixion and had to include it here.

Crucifixion: Jesus Faced a Horrible Death

Crucifixion sometimes began with a scourging or flogging of the victim’s back. The Romans used a whip called a flagrum, which consisted of small pieces of bone and metal attached to a number of leather strands. The number of blows given to Jesus is not recorded; however, the number of blows in Jewish law was 39 (one less than the 40 called for in the Torah, to prevent a counting error). During the scourging, the skin was ripped from the back, exposing a bloody mass of tissue and bone. Extreme blood loss occurred, often causing death, or at least unconsciousness. In addition to the flogging, Jesus faced severe beating and torment by the Roman soldiers, including the plucking of His beard and the piercing of His scalp with a crown of thorns.

After the flogging, the victim was often forced to carry his own crossbar, or patibulum, to the execution site. The patibulum could easily weigh 100 pounds. In the case of Jesus, the record shows that He may have carried His patibulum the distance of over two football fields. In a weak and tormented state, it’s no wonder the record establishes that Jesus needed a great deal of assistance.

Once the victim arrived at the execution site, the patibulum was put on the ground and the victim was forced to lie upon it. Spikes about 7 inches long and 3/8 of an inch in diameter were driven into the wrists. The spikes would hit the area of the median nerve, causing shocks of pain up the arms to the shoulders and neck.

Already standing at the crucifixion site would be the 7-foot-tall post, called a stipes. In the center of the stipes was a crude seat to “support” for the victim. The patibulum was then lifted on to the stipes, and the victim’s body was awkwardly turned on the seat so that the feet could be nailed to the stipes. At this point, there was tremendous strain put on the wrists, arms and shoulders, resulting in a dislocation of the shoulder and elbow joints. The position of the nailed body held the victim’s rib cage in a fixed position, which made it extremely difficult to exhale, and impossible to take a full breath.

Having suffered from the scourging, the beatings and the walk with the patibulum, Jesus was described as extremely weak and dehydrated. He was probably losing significant amounts of blood. As time passed, the loss of blood and lack of oxygen would cause severe cramps, spasmodic contractions and probably unconsciousness. Ultimately, the mechanism of death in crucifixion was suffocation. To breathe, the victim was forced to push up on his feet to allow for inflation of the lungs. As the body weakened and pain in the feet and legs became unbearable, the victim was forced to trade breathing for pain and exhaustion. Eventually, the victim would succumb in this way, becoming utterly exhausted or lapsing into unconsciousness so that he could no longer lift his body off the stipes and inflate his lungs. Due to the shallow breathing, the victim’s lungs would begin to collapse in areas, probably causing hypoxia. Due to the loss of blood from the scourging, the victim probably formed a respiratory acidosis, resulting in an increased strain on the heart, which beats faster to compensate. Fluid would also build up in the lungs. Under the stress of hypoxia and acidosis, the heart would eventually fail.

There are several different theories on the actual cause of death for Jesus. One theory is that there was a filling of the pericardium with fluid, which put a fatal strain on the ability of His heart to pump blood. Another theory states that Jesus died of cardiac rupture. Another theory is that Jesus' death was “multifactorial and related primarily to hypovolemic shock, exhaustion asphyxia and perhaps acute heart failure.” Regardless of the actual medical cause of final death, the historical record is very clear -- Jesus suffered numerous hours of horrible and sustained torture on the cross of Calvary.

Crucifixion: Jesus Suffered for You and Me

The crucifixion accounts of Jesus Christ are in entire agreement with the customs and practices of the Romans in that period. The evidence for Christ’s horrible and painful death is unquestioned by today’s legitimate scholars. The only dispute is the nature and character of the “criminal” Jesus Christ.

Look at the record yourself -- Even with all the pain, Jesus thought of others rather than Himself. His first words from the cross were, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). He thought of His mother, who stood by the cross weeping, and asked his beloved disciple John to take care of her. On either side of Jesus were two thieves executed at the same time. When one of them accepted Jesus as Lord, Jesus shared with him, "To day shalt thou be with Me in paradise" (Luke 23:43). Finally, Jesus expressed his complete surrender to the will of God as He said, "It is finished;" (John 19:30). "Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit" (Luke 23:46).

Investigate the historical record, and then examine your heart. Jesus gave Himself willingly for you and me. Jesus suffered a horrible death for you and me. Jesus loved us so much that He willingly died in utter shame and pain for our sins. In fact, the Bible teaches us that He who was without sin was literally "made sin" for us. God, in human form, allowed himself to be made sin to save us. On the cross, he bore all the world's sin because of His love. The only way to complete His story of love is to love Him in return.

Dr. James Dobson Makes Official Statement

STATEMENT FROM DR. JAMES DOBSON of FOCUS ON THE FAMILY:

I am deeply disappointed the Republican Party seems poised to select a nominee who did not support a Constitutional amendment to protect the institution of marriage, voted for embryonic stem cell research to kill nascent human beings, opposed tax cuts that ended the marriage penalty, has little regard for freedom of speech, organized the Gang of 14 to preserve filibusters in judicial hearings, and has a legendary temper and often uses foul and obscene language.

I am convinced Sen. McCain is not a conservative, and in fact, has gone out of his way to stick his thumb in the eyes of those who are. He has sounded at times more like a member of the other party. McCain actually considered leaving the GOP caucus in 2001, and approached John Kerry about being Kerry's running mate in 2004. McCain also said publicly that Hillary Clinton would make a good president. Given these and many other concerns, a spoonful of sugar does NOT make the medicine go down. I cannot, and will not, vote for Sen. John McCain, as a matter of conscience.

But what a sad and melancholy decision this is for me and many other conservatives. Should Sen. McCain capture the nomination as many assume, I believe this general election will offer the worst choices for president in my lifetime. I certainly can't vote for Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama based on their virulently anti-family policy positions. If these are the nominees in November, I simply will not cast a ballot for president for the first time in my life.

These decisions are my personal views and do not represent the organization with which I am affiliated. They do reflect my deeply held convictions about the institution of the family, about moral and spiritual beliefs, and about the welfare of our country.

I told you all of these things already but now it is starting to see the light of day.

If you respect Focus on the Family and Dr. Dobson, you will not take this lightly.

To any Obama supporter who claims to be a follower of Christ I ask one question:

What was Jesus' thoughts on life?