Psalm 111:2

Psalm 111:2

“The deeds of ADONAI are great, greatly desired by all who enjoy them.” CJB

“The works of the LORD are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.” KJV

“The works of the LORD are great, studied by all who have pleasure in them.” NKJV

The key thought in this verse is that those who enjoy GOD’s works greatly desire, seek out, and study them! This is not passive enjoyment of what GOD does but rather who GOD is. The cross reference verse in my NKJV is Psalm 143:5.

“I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your works; I muse on the work of Your hands. I spread out my hands to You; my soul longs for You like a thirsty land. Selah” Psalm 143:5-6 NKJV The KJV uses the same words except for thee and th.

“I remember the days of old, reflecting on all Your deeds, thinking about the work of Your hands. I spread out my hands to You, I long for You like a thirsty land. Selah.” CJB

Again the key thought is meditating, thinking, musing and reflecting on GOD’s works and therefore who He is.

JESUS told us the same thing! “Your Will be done in the earth as it is in Heaven.” “Seek first the Kingdom of GOD and His Righteousness.” Matthew 6:10, 33a

Our prayer and seeking activity has to be about GOD’s Kingdom in the earth so that His Will is being done in the earth.

JESUS also said, “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake, will find it.” When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the Gospel’s will save it.” Matthew 10:38-39; Mark 8:34-35 NKJV

JESUS tells us to do the same thing the Psalmist said he did, “Love The LORD your GOD with all your heart, mind, body and strength. And, love your neighbor as yourself.”

How the Despair of Humanism Leads to Climate Doom By Edwin Benson

How the Despair of Humanism Leads to Climate Doom

By Edwin Benson

Those who sincerely believe in “anthropogenic” (formerly manmade) climate change are a hard bunch to understand. This excludes those who cynically use environmentalism to promote an overall leftist agenda or to sell books and turn a profit.

Millions of people really await an apocalypse that they see as imminent. They have a deep emotional connection to the movement as a defining part of themselves.

Deep Adaptation

Enter Jem Bendell, climate change advocate extraordinaire. He argues that the end is near, very near. He is the author of Deep Adaptation: A Map for Navigating Climate Tragedy. According to BBC, it has been downloaded over half a million times.

Deep Adaptation argues that “climate-induced societal collapse is now inevitable in the near term.” The culprit is a gradually warming climate. Dr. Bendell cites the claim that “Seventeen of the 18 warmest years in the 136-year record all have occurred since 2001, and global temperatures have increased by 0.9°C since 1880.” He sees that extra degree in temperature as catastrophic because “we need to stay beneath 2 degrees warming of global ambient temperatures, to avoid dangerous and uncontrollable levels of climate change, with impacts such as mass starvation, disease, flooding, storm destruction, forced migration and war.” The only cure would be to expand current efforts, “by a factor of 2 million within two years.”

Since the paper is dated July 27, 2018, his two-year window has nearly expired.

The Academic Doomsayer

Dr. Bendell has some serious academic credentials. He graduated from Cambridge and is currently the Professor of Sustainability Leadership at the University of Cumbria (UK).

Unlike the alarmism of Deep Adaptation, his more recent writing is melancholic. Consider the first paragraph of the article “A Pandemic of Love – Deeply Adapting to Corona,” posted to his website on March 18, 2020:

“I’ve not been breathing so deeply recently… I’ve been wondering how best to protect myself, loved ones, and participate in wider efforts at change. I’ve felt anger as I witness slow and ethically dubious responses from people with the power to make decisions that matter… But rather than get stuck with blame, I am also hearing of heart-warming action from people all around the world.… we can become part of an exponential pandemic of love.”

These words appear to be the work of a man battling his anger and resignation. Dr. Bendell is not alone. He claims that his “Deep Adaptation Forum” has fifty volunteers and an audience of over 15,000 people around the world.

He sums up his strategy in three words, resilience, relinquishment, and restoration. Resilience refers to clinging to positive attitudes that might survive the collapse. Relinquishment is letting go of those aspects of life that only make the meltdown worse. Restoration is looking to the past to recover aspects of life that will assist us in creating a new society. Among other things, he mentions restoring landscapes to their wild state and changing diets to reflect the seasons of the year.

The Followers

The BBC refers to Dr. Bendell and his followers as “climate doomers.” It quotes one of his excursions into wishful thinking. “People are rising up in love in response to their despair and fear, [Deep Adaptation] seems to have reached people in all walks of life, at least in the West – heads of banks, UN agencies, European Commission divisions, political parties, religious leaders…”

The same article profiles two of Dr. Bendell’s British followers.

One is “Rachel,” who cultivates foodstuffs in the small yard behind her home. “I find the more I do it, the less anxious I am. It’s better than just sitting in the living room looking at the news and thinking, ‘Climate change is happening, what do we do?'” Every six weeks, she takes a 450-mile round trip with two of her daughters to an organic farm in Wales, where the children learn to forage. “I don’t say to them that in five years we won’t be here, but they do accept that food will be difficult to find.”

Another follower is Lionel Kirbyshire, who left his career as a chemical engineer and settled with his wife in a small town in Fife. Like Rachel, he cultivates small amounts of food in growing boxes. “We’re not stockpiling food but as the years go on, I can’t see us having much left.” Mr. Kirbyshire draws much of his emotional support from online forums like “Near-Term Human Extinction Group,” where he can share his thoughts with the like-minded. “Sometimes I say that I’m feeling quite low and someone will say they’re feeling the same, so you know you’re not in it alone.”

The Extinction Group’s Facebook cover page states its purpose. “The Near Term Human Extinction Support Group is for people who have accepted that HUMAN EXTINCTION IS INEVITABLE IN THE NEAR TERM due to anthropogenic global warming (AGW) and the consequences, based on trends determined by scientific research… This is a forum for friendly and non-threatening discussion… Discuss, laugh, cry, hold hands, share ideas, and know you are not alone.”

The Despair of Humanism

The Catholic Encyclopedia defines despair as “the voluntary and complete abandonment of all hope of saving one’s soul and of having the means required for that end. It is not a passive state of mind: on the contrary, it involves a positive act of the will by which a person deliberately gives over any expectation of ever reaching eternal life.”

The climate doomers seem to participate in this despair since they exclude any possibility of a Providential God who watches over humanity and guides them to eternal life.

These people are trapped in naturalistic humanism. Their science has no room for God. They only believe in what they see, and that view is bleak. They talk of love without knowing its source. Their naturalistic manner of understanding the universe excludes the Creator and therefore makes no sense. Despair is almost a logical consequence of their limited vision of the universe.

Escaping the Trap

These doomers entrap themselves by allowing the environmentalist cause to define their lives. Even if it leads to despair, they still see this skewed vision as preferable to a life without any meaning. Embracing true Christianity is a psychological risk that they are unwilling to take.

In Matthew 16:24, Our Lord said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” That denial of self is precisely the step that activists will not risk. Thus, everything takes on a sense of doom.

In Face of Coronaphobia We Need to Recognize, “Jesus is My King” By Norman Fulkerson

In Face of Coronaphobia We Need to Recognize, “Jesus is My King”

By Norman Fulkerson

The fear of the coronavirus has created a climate of frenetic intemperance that is causing much anxiety and agitation. In times of crisis like these, calm is a very important virtue.

I witnessed this need for calm during a recent trip to Walmart. I was not there to buy anything since I simply wanted to see how the public was reacting to the crisis. One elderly man stood out from the rest as a paladin of calm, and thus provided what I call a Return to Order moment.

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon in York, Pennsylvania. I had heard that the shelves of the supermarkets were empty. I went to see for myself by visiting several grocery stores and eventually, Walmart, “Where America Shops.”

There were, in fact, some bare shelves. At the time of this experience—who knows what tomorrow will bring– bread, bottled water, milk and toilet paper were the hot commodities. When I asked an employee what was going on, he said, “They think it is Armageddon.”

Indeed, I noticed a certain frenzy among shoppers. People were still civil with one another, but there seemed to be an ever-so-razor-thin-line that prevented things from quickly spiraling out of control. I noticed an employee pulling a cart with paper towels and toilet paper and quickly snapped a photo. He seemed surprised but continued his trek to fill the empty shelves. As he went, customers came out of the woodwork, following him like the pied piper. It reminded me of Black Friday after Thanksgiving.

As I was leaving the store, I noticed a calm gentleman, different from the frenzied crowd. He was pushing a cart with just one item inside—a box of cereal. I was intrigued by the message on his hat that said, “Jesus is My Boss.”

“Excuse me, sir,” I said. “I like your hat. He is also my boss.” I then quickly added, “I went the Holy Land last year.” Curiously enough, this did not get the response I was expecting, so I added with great emphasis, “I walked on the same ground Jesus did!” This caught his attention. By his calmness, I sensed he was someone who had beaten coronaphobia.

“What is going on here?” I asked, pointing to the frenzied masses. With great certainty and total calm, he said, “It’s the end of the world.” While we face a serious situation that requires precautions, I assured the man that it is not the end of the world but could be a prefigure of it.

We then chatted a bit about the need for faith in God in these difficult times. Although we profess different religions, I felt we had something profoundly in common. We cannot let this crisis allow us to forget that we are children of a forgiving God. Like the father of the Prodigal Son, He is ready to receive us with open arms. The only thing we need to do is repent and return to our Father’s house.

In his book, Return to Order, author John Horvat compares our modern society to a “cruise ship.” This cruise ship has come to a screeching halt. Now is the time to reacquire the lost virtue of calm like the gentleman in Walmart. We must recognize that materialistic solutions alone will not get us out of our mess. It is time that our secularistic world recognizes God’s authority and obey His laws.

While I liked my Walmart friend’s hat, I would put it in different terms. Referring to the Savior of the world as a “boss” transforms Him into a type of big CEO. He is much more. He is truly King of King and Lord of Lords. Therefore it is time for us all to accept Jesus as our King.

Humility and Submission or Pride and Rebellion

Humility and Submission or Pride and Rebellion

I have read two books by Andrew Murray, Humility and Submission; the counter point of humility is pride and the counter point of submission is rebellion; both of which Andrew Murray called the root of all sin.

I see pride and rebellion as synonymous, if you are living one you will live the other. In today’s society pride is not necessarily wrong. We are told to be our own person, achieve our own dreams as long as they conform to today’s political correctness. Rebellion against moral standards is not wrong, it is encouraged as long as it conforms to today’s political correctness.

Lack of humility always leads to rebellion because pride tells us that we are right and everyone who does not agree is wrong; therefore we rebel against their standards and expectations. We can be led into rebellion without being prideful but if we come to believe in our rebellion we will become prideful against those who do not agree with our lack of moral standards and expectations.

Most people do not want to rebel against the moral standards that humanity has lived by for thousands of years; the moral standard GOD has given us in our heart and in The Bible. But, most people also want to be socially acceptable or politically correct; so they are led into rebellion. “Wide is the way that leads to destruction and many find it. Narrow is the way that leads to Eternal Life and few find it.”

Now they become confused about what is right and wrong and they tend to listen to the loudest yellers rather than the still small voice of GOD. They seek appeasement rather than GOD’s Righteousness.

JESUS said that even those who do the works of His Kingdom in the earth but have rebellion (He calls them lawless) in their heart will not enter into His Kingdom! JESUS said that no murderer, sexually immoral, liar, or hater will enter into His Eternal Kingdom.

Repent means to stop sinning (living according to our own standard) and live according to GOD’s. JESUS said that we are to “take up our cross daily and follow Him.”, that we are to “seek first the Kingdom of GOD and His Righteousness.” There is no place in GOD’s Eternal Kingdom for pride and rebellion only humility and submission.

Study Matthew chapters 5 – 7.

Just As You Are!

Just As You Are!

I have heard and said, “GOD Loves you just as you are!” I understand the truth behind that but; I think it would be better to say to sinners, “GOD Loves you so much that He died for you!”

GOD Loves every person just as we are, He died for us knowing who we are; but who we are at the moment when we hear that is not who we are called to be. JESUS ministered to several with Love and Mercy but He told them to stop sinning which means to stop being a sinner. JESUS came as the Son of Man to overcome temptation and sin and then give His life as a sacrifice to take away our sin so that GOD will forgive us. Forgiveness is the beginning of no longer sinning. We are called to stop sinning so that we can start serving GOD’s Will.

Matthew 1:18-25, 3:4-12, 9:1-8, 28:16-20; Mark 1:1-8, 2:1-12, 3:22-30, 4:10-13, 16:14-18; Luke 1:67-79, 3:1-18, 5:17-26, 7:44-50, 24:44-49; John 1:1-37, 3:1-51, 5:1-16, 8:1-11; Acts 1:6-8, 2:37-39, 3:12-20, 5:29-32, 10:42-43, 13:32-41, 22:12-16, 26:12-18 and many more.

Remission = aphesis (af’-es-is) freedom; (figuratively) pardon:-deliverance, forgiveness, liberty, remission. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible

Repentance = metanoia met-an’-oy-ah (subject) compunction (for guilt, including reformation); by implication reversal (of [another’s] decision):-repentance. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible

Who You Are!

Who You Are!

“You don’t become what you want to be, you become what you are.” Matt Crouch 2020

From the movie ‘Along Came a Spider’ detective 1 to detective 2, “You do what you are.” Det. 2, “You mean you are what you do?” Det. 1, “No, I mean you do what you are, you’ve been given a gift. Without that you get good at something along the way and what you’re good at don’t take for granted, don’t betray it.” Det. 2, “What if you do, betray it?” Det. 1, “You betray yourself, it’s a sad thing.”

Who we are is determined by GOD in our mother’s womb (Psalm 139) and if we will yield our life to GOD we will be happy and fulfilled with who we are and what we do (Ecclesiastes 12:13). When we pursue what we want rather than what are we may be successful but we will not have pure joy because we are not doing GOD’s Will for us.

Can Pleasure and Pornography Improve Public Health by Edwin Benson

Can Pleasure and Pornography Improve Public Health?

By Edwin Benson

“Public health” brings to mind preventing the flu or better dental hygiene. It often incorporates current events like the water crisis in Flint, Michigan or the ongoing controversy over “vaping.” That is not what you will find in the February issue of the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH).

The articles in this issue provide a glimpse of what AJPH’s healthcare professionals have in mind for the future of America’s children. It is a repulsive picture that does not promote healthy but that which is harmful to well-being of countless young people who will be influenced by public health decisions.

“Public health” brings to mind preventing the flu or better dental hygiene. It often incorporates current events like the water crisis in Flint, Michigan or the ongoing controversy over “vaping.” That is not what you will find in the February issue of the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH).

The articles in this issue provide a glimpse of what AJPH’s healthcare professionals have in mind for the future of America’s children. It is a repulsive picture that does not promote healthy but that which is harmful to well-being of countless young people who will be influenced by public health decisions.

The AJPH is discussing only one form of pleasure, as can be seen in the titles of the articles in this issue.

·         Pleasure and Sex Education: The Need for Broadening Both Content and Measurement

·         Should Public Health Professionals Consider Pornography a Public Health Crisis?

·         A Pornography Literacy Program for Adolescents

·         A Call for (Renewed) Commitment to Sexual Health, Sexual Rights, and Sexual Pleasure

How can the AJPH discuss ideas that are antithetic to public health in such a positive light?

Spirit of the Sixties

The roots of the AJPH’s position goes back to the “do your own thing” attitude of the late sixties and early seventies. Cohabitation gained social approval. Many people saw “trial marriages” as a way to test compatibility. Soon activity once been reserved for marriage became a recreational activity like any other.

During the sixties, pseudo-intellectuals argued that all morality was “personal,” and that standards of behavior were up to the individual. They repeated the phrases “You can’t legislate morality” and “I don’t care what you do in your bedroom” until the general public accepted them. That, in turn, gave rise to the superficial “Who am I to judge?” attitude that is so common today.

Underlying this attitude was an even more profound shift was at work. The worship of youth replaced respect for the experience of elders. A permissive culture sough to convince people to discard the Church’s moral system. In the process, moral protection for the young disappeared. Indeed, too many people old enough to know better looked enviously on their children’s immoral lives and imitated them. Divorce, adultery, abortion, and child abandonment proliferated.

The AJPH’s remedy for these ills is “Pornography Literacy.” They assert that such a program will “improve knowledge about sexually explicit media and sexual behavior, to increase attitudes consistent with valuing sexual consent and nonaggression in dating relationships… some adolescent knowledge, beliefs, and behavioral intentions will change.”

A Public Health Crisis

Pushing back against this attitude is the laudable stand taken by seventeen states since 2016 that pornography is a public health crisis. For the AJPH, a public health crisis requires three conditions. First, it must require immediate action. Second, it must cause serious harm like death, disease, and the displacement or destruction of property. Third, the capacity of “local systems” to meet the situation must be overwhelmed.

AJPH argues that pornography does not meet these criteria. “Should Public Health Professionals Consider Pornography a Public Health Crisis?” concludes, “Although research suggests that pornography use likely influences some people negatively, and it merits further research, pornography itself is not a crisis. The movement to declare pornography a public health crisis is rooted in an ideology that is antithetical to many core values of public health promotion and is a political stunt, not reflective of best available evidence.”

This statement reflects willful ignorance. Public health “professionals” won’t gather the data, but it is hard to refute that pornography is the introduction to sexual immorality. By turning women into objects, it kills the respect that God implants in men for women. Evidence of the damage to relationships is everywhere.

Egalitarianism

According to the AJPH, all forms of sexual activity are equal and desirable.

“A Call for (Renewed) Commitment to Sexual Health…” states their view explicitly. “We need to ensure in our own research, programming, service delivery, and activism in sexual health that we pay attention to pleasure and sexual rights for all people, including adolescents; sex workers; those living with HIV; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex individuals; refugees or internally displaced persons; persons with disabilities; religious or ethnic minorities; or any combination thereof.”

This egalitarian attitude not only violates the tenets of the Church, but also the standards of every civilized society. Such cultures have followed natural law by preferring monogamous and fertile unions. Different tribes and nations tolerated other practices while forbidding others. However, no culture has ever accorded equality to the variety of acts suggested by the AJPH. Not only do the public health “experts” want to make them equal – they wish to accord “rights” to any sexual practice.

What is the AJPH Commitment?

The AJPH’s primary commitment is not to public health. Many of the acts promoted in these articles are intensely harmful, both mentally and physically. Even the most basic standard of public health would exclude prostitution (“sex workers’) and the potential of spreading HIV.

To these people, sexual pleasure comes before health. Their vocabulary may be scholarly, but the ideas promulgated by these so-called experts are radical and detrimental.

However, the harm is real. Both the organization and the journal present themselves as authoritative. As such, they can be cited by those in a position to do great harm to young people. Health teachers in Anytown, U.S.A. could institute their own “Pornography Literacy Programs.” After all, the public health intelligentsia has provided their stamp of approval.

This attitude infected your local schools years ago. It must be turned back. Children’s lives and morals are at stake.