Three Things Archbishop Gregory Should Have Said Instead of Criticizing the President By John Horvat II

Three Things Archbishop Gregory Should Have Said Instead of Criticizing the President

By John Horvat II

 

Washington Archbishop Wilton Gregory lashed out against President Trump and the First Lady’s visit to the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in the nation’s capital on June 2. The long-planned event caused an uproar because it happened the day after the President walked to St. John’s Episcopal Church near the White House. He visited the historic church, the day after protesters had set it afire on May 31.

 

When protesters were cleared from the area to facilitate his walk, the media and the left jumped on the incident, which they labeled a photo-op held at the expense of poor protesters. They are joined by progressive clergy who have turned their criticism into their own media event and photo-ops. Even bridge-building Jesuit Fr. James Martin tweeted his indignation at the President’s religious gesture.

The Archbishop Judges

When the President visited the Catholic Shrine on Tuesday, the Archbishop’s official statement insinuated that the directors of the Saint John Paul II National Shrine were being manipulated by the administration to serve as a presidential campaign backdrop.

“I find it baffling and reprehensible that any Catholic facility would allow itself to be so egregiously misused and manipulated in a fashion that violates our religious principles, which call us to defend the rights of all people, even those with whom we might disagree,” Archbishop Gregory said in a statement referring to someone with whom he disagrees.

The statement carried much weight, as Archbishop Gregory is the former President of the U.S. Bishop’s Conference. The prelate abandoned the vague style normally used by bishops in dealing with American politics and leaders. He severely judged the President’s actions and claimed to know his interior motives—which God alone knows.

What Catholics Need to Hear

This message engaging in petty politics is not the one Catholics and Americans need at this time. The key issues that need to be addressed go far beyond whether one likes the President or not.

Indeed, it is “baffling” that Catholics hear only this posturing when they crave spiritual leadership and direction. The vague progressive platitudes invoking social justice and human dignity do nothing to stop the violence and everything to provide it cover.

Catholics need to hear three things from Archbishop Gregory in this time of crisis.

A Clear Condemnation

The first thing Catholics need to hear from Archbishop Gregory is a loud and unequivocal condemnation of what is happening in the riots. The brutal incidents that sparked the protest must not be the pretext for far worse violence. Since when do two wrongs make one right?

The Church’s role is to speak out against injustice, violence and attacks on the most vulnerable. It is time to speak out against the agitators who are employing terror tactics to destroy the remnants of order in our society. There should be prayers for the helpless women, old men and children who are ruthlessly attacked in the streets—or even trapped in burning buildings, while rioters blocked the access of fire engines.

Something must be said to console poor owners whose small businesses and lives are ruined. There should be special prayers for the safety of the policemen who nightly risk (and give) their lives to protect their neighbors from harm. Indeed, “greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).

 

The Archbishop should censure the senseless destruction of property and the defacement of monuments. The Church’s places of worship are set on fire and covered with graffiti.

Vague calls for “solidarity” with protests, which turn violent, only inflames the situation and supports the class struggle narratives that are so contrary to the Gospels that promote social harmony.

An Appeal to Return to Church

A second message Catholics need to hear from the Archbishop is about the reopening of the churches and the sacraments. Whole regions of the nation still do not have access to the sacraments. People are dying without confession and last rites. At a time when protesters crowd the streets, churches that can hold hundreds are often limited to 10 or 25 people. There seems to be no ecclesiastical hurry to reopen.

Catholics want to hear a consistent message from the bishops, assuring them that they feel the urgency of their plight. Leaders need to be vocal in pointing out the contradiction between semi-full restaurants and department stores and near-empty churches. Have pity on the faithful who lack the spiritual nourishment of the sacraments lest they perish.

Where are the Pleas for Pardon and Amendment?

A final message for Catholics from the Archbishop would be the recognition that the violence and social strife are a consequence of the sins of the nation. This is a time to talk about sin. The sins of public blasphemy, procured abortion, same-sex “marriage,” Drag Queen Story Hours for children, drug use, and other such evils that are tearing the country apart.

Catholic bishops should be leading the faithful in prayer, asking for pardon. There should be acts of reparation in reopened churches and special pleas to the Mother of God to have pity on the nation and bring the violence to an end. A final element would be a call upon the faithful to amend their lives and sin no more. In short, the message that needs to be heard is the same one given by Our Lady at Fatima in 1917. Today, the world is witnessing the consequences of ignoring her warnings.

 

There is little chance Archbishop Gregory will deliver these messages. Most of our Catholic bishops prefer the empty pronouncements that conform to the latest social gospel fads or errant theologians. They proceed down the path of self-destruction. The faithful who insist upon following Church tradition receive little encouragement.

Meanwhile, America burns. It is most baffling. . .

As seen on LifeSiteNews.

Forgetting

Forgetting

 

“Brothers, I, for my part, do not think of myself as having gotten hold of it; but one thing I do: forgetting what is behind me and straining forward toward what lies ahead, I keep pursuing the goal in order to win the prize offered by GOD’s upward calling in the MESSIAH YESHUA.” Philippians 3:13-14 CJB Study Philippians 3.

 

Forgetting the past is a hard thing to do, almost impossible. That is not what Paul is talking about, there is no clearing the mind of bad memories and keeping only the good. Paul recalls his past sometimes with shame and sometimes with pride, but never with boosting of himself only boosting of GOD and JESUS CHRIST.

 

So how do we get over those things that distract us in our daily life; those events that are so hurtful, degrading or glorious? As JESUS and His disciples did – they only did what The Father gave them to do.

 

JESUS: “For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve – and to give His live as a ransom for many. Therefore, YESHUA said to them, ‘Yes, Indeed! I tell you that The Son cannot do anything on His own, but only what He sees The Father doing; whatever The Father does, The Son does too. I can’t do a thing on My own. As I hear; I judge; and My judgment is right because I don’t seek My own desire, but the desire of The One who sent Me. For I have come down from Heaven to do not My own will but the will of The One who sent Me.’ So YESHUA said, ‘You will lift up The Son of Man; then you will know that I AM (who I say I Am), and that of Myself I do nothing, but say only what The Father has taught Me. For I have not spoken on My own initiative, but The Father who sent Me has given Me a command, namely, what to say and how to say it. And I know that His command is eternal life. So what I say is simply what The Father has told Me to say. Don’t you believe that I Am united with The Father, and The Father united with Me? What I Am telling you, I Am not saying on My own initiative; The Father living in Me is doing His own works. Trust Me, that I Am united with The Father, and The Father united with Me. But if you can’t, then trust because of the works themselves.’ He went about a stone’s throw away from them, kneeled down and prayed, ‘Father, if You are willing, take this cup away from Me; still, let not My will but Yours be done,’ and in great anguish He prayed more intensely, so that His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.” Matthew 20:28; John 5:19, 30, 6:38, 8:28, 12:49-50, 14:10-11; Luke 22:41-44 CJB

 

The Apostles: They all called themselves servants or slaves of GOD and JESUS knowing that by doing Their will they were only fulfilling their obligation. “Paul, a bondservant of JESUS CHRIST, called to be an Apostle, separated to the Gospel of GOD.” “James, a bondservant of GOD and of The LORD JESUS CHRIST. To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad.” “Simon Peter, a bondservant and Apostle of JESUS CHRIST. To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our GOD and Savior JESUS CHRIST.” “Jude, a bondservant of JESUS CHRIST, and brother of James. To those who are called, sanctified by GOD The Father, and preserved in JESUS CHRIST.” “The Revelation of JESUS CHRIST, which GOD gave Him to show His servants–things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His Servant John, who bore witness to the Word of GOD; and to the Testimony of JESUS CHRIST, to all things that he saw.” Romans 1:1; James 1:1; 2 Peter 1:1; Jude 1:1; Revelation 1:1-2 NKJV

 

The Heavenly Host are Their servants: “Then the adversary let Him alone, and angels came and took care of Him.” “Immediately The SPIRIT drove Him out into the wilderness, and He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by the adversary. He was with the wild animals and the angels took care of Him.” “Z’kharyah said to the angel, ‘How can I be sure of this? For I am an old man, my wife too is well on in years.’ ‘I am Gavri’el,’ the angel answered him, ‘and I stand in the presence of GOD, I was sent to speak to you, to give you this good news.’” “In the sixth month, the angel, Gavri’el was sent by GOD to a city in the Galil called Natzeret, to a virgin engaged to a man named Yosef, of the house of David; the virgin’s name was Miryam.” “’Father, if You are willing, take this cup away from Me; still, let not My will but Yours be done.’ There appeared to Him an angel from Heaven giving Him strength, and in great anguish He prayed more intensely, so that His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.”

“Moreover, to which of the angels has He ever said, ‘Sit at My right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet!’? Aren’t they all merely spirits who serve, sent out to help those whom GOD will deliver?” “Then I, Yochanan, the one hearing and seeing these things, when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel showing them to me. But he said to me, ‘Don’t do that! I am only a fellow-servant with you and your brothers, the prophets and the people who obey the Word of this Book. Worship GOD!” Matthew 4:11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 1:19, 26-27, 22:42-44; Hebrews 1:13-14; Revelation 22:8-9 CJB

 

US: “Then to everyone He said, ‘If anyone wants to come after Me, let him say, “No” to himself, take up his execution-stake daily and keep following Me. For whoever tries to save his own life will destroy it, but whoever destroys his life on My account will save it. What will it benefit a person if he gains the whole world but destroys or forfeits his own life?’” “So, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed when I was with you, it is even more important now that you obey even when I am away from you: keep working out your deliverance with fear and trembling, for GOD is The One working among you both the willing and the working for what pleases Him. Do everything without grumbling or arguing.” Luke 9:23-25; Philippians 2:12-14 CJB

Study Matthew 10:34-39, 16:24-27; Mark 8:34-38; Luke 9:23-26, 14:25-27, 17:7-10; John 8:31, 12:26, 14:12-16, 15:18-20; Romans 12:1; Ephesians 6:5-8; Philippians 2:1-15; Colossians 2:8-10, 3:1-4:6; 2 Timothy 1:7-10, 3:10-17; James 1, 2:14-26;

 

Another key factor in not carrying the burden of yesterday with us is forgiveness! “So if you are offering your gift at the Temple altar and you remember there that your brother has something against you, leave your gift where it is by the altar, and go, make peace with your brother. Then come back and offer your gift. For if you forgive others, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others their offenses, your Heavenly Father will not forgive yours.” “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, violent assertiveness and slander, along with all spitefulness. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted; and forgive each other, just as in the Messiah GOD has forgiven you.” Matthew 5:23-24, 6:14-15; Ephesians 4:31-32 CJB

 

Submitting our mind: “Let your attitude toward one another be governed by your being in union with The Messiah YESHUA:” “For GOD gave us a SPIRIT who produces not timidity, but power, love and self-discipline.” Philippians 2:5; 2 Timothy 1:7 CJB In Philippians 2:5 many translations use the word mind instead of attitude and in 2 Timothy self-discipline is rendered sound mind in many translations.

 

Our mind reflects our attitude based on our beliefs and they are expressed through what we say and how we live. Surrendering our will and self-discipline are the keys to obedient service to our GOD and our LORD JESUS CHRIST.

 

Then only today will be in our thoughts for tomorrow is not promised except through direct revelation. “There was in Yerushalayim a man names Shim’on. This man was a tzaddik, he was devout, he waited eagerly for GOD to comfort Isra’el, and The Ruach HaKodesh was upon him. It had been revealed to him by The Ruach HaKodesh that he would not die before he had seen the Messiah of ADONAI.” “Come to Me, all you who are struggling and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, because I Am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” “Then to the people He said, ‘Be careful to guard against all forms of greed, because even if someone is rich, his life does not consist in what he owns.’ And He gave them this illustration: ‘There was a man whose land was very productive. He debated with himself, “What should I do?...Your a lucky man!…Start taking it easy! Eat! Drink! Enjoy yourself!”...But GOD said to him, “You fool! This very night you will die! And the things you prepared – whose will they be?”’” “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, stay there a year trading and make a profit’! You don’t even know if you will be alive tomorrow! For all you are is a mist that appears for a little while and then disappears. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If ADONAI wants it to happen, we will live, to do this or that. But as it is, in your arrogance you boost. All such boasting is evil. So then anyone who knows the right thing to do and fails to do it is committing sin.” Luke 2:25-26; Matthew 11:28-30; Luke 12:15-21; James 4:13-17 CJB

Study Matthew 1&2, 6; Luke 1&2, 12; John 1:16-51; James 4

Think

Think

 

I heard Bishop Dale C. Bronner say while speaking on Philippians 2:5, “Let this mind be in you which was also in CHRIST JESUS,” NKJV; speaking about that mind as an attitude, and our attitude determines our response and behavior. Philippians 2:5 in the Complete Jewish Bible translates mind as attitude.

 

What is in our heart determines how we think and that determines how we speck and behave. “You snakes! How can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what overflows from the heart. The good person brings forth good things from his store of good, and an evil person brings forth evil things from his store of evil. Moreover, I tell you this: on the Day of Judgment people will have to give an account for every carless word they have spoken; for by your own words will you be acquitted, and by your own words will you be condemned.” Matthew 12:34-37 CJB

 

The word think is an acronym for:

True

Helpful

Inspirational

Necessary

Kind

Before we speak or act we need to think and make sure it is true, helpful, inspirational, necessary and kind!

Truth

Truth

 

I heard Jimmy Evans say that as he was praying about 2020 The LORD told him that there was going to be an all out war against Truth.

 

He was teaching out of Mark 4 where JESUS told the parable of the sower and later the disciples asked about why He taught in parables and in verse 12 He quoted from Isaiah 6:9-10, “…they may always be looking but never seeing; always listening but never understanding. Otherwise, they might turn and be forgiven.” CJB Later after He explained to the disciples the meaning of the parable, He told them in verses 22-26, “Indeed, nothing is hidden, except to be disclosed; and nothing is covered up, except to come out into the open. Those who have ears to hear with, let them hear!” He also said to them, “Pay attention to what you are hearing! The measure with which you measure out will be used to measure to you – and more besides! For anyone who has something will be given more; but from anyone who has nothing, even what he does have will be taken away.” CJB

 

This teaching is about truth, if we ignore or reject truth (The Word of GOD) we will lose it and soon we will not be able to discern truth any longer and we will begin to believe lies rather than truth.

 

As Christians we should believe the Bible is the inerrant Word of GOD! Here are the Cliff Notes version of 7 things that he gave as basic Truths about GOD:

1 GOD created everything that exists in 7 literal days.

2 GOD created humanity in His image as male and female.

3 GOD created marriage between one man and one woman only.

4 The devil is real and he only steals, kills and destroys.

5 Mankind rebelled against GOD and gave his dominion to the devil.

6 JESUS paid the price of salvation for every person who will receive it.

7 Every person will stand before GOD in judgment.

 

“But if we are walking in the light, as He is in the Light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of His Son YESHUA purifies us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7 CJB. Oswald Chambers said in reference to this scripture, “Never let GOD give you one point of Truth which you do not instantly live up to. Always work it out, keep in the Light of it.” My Utmost For His Highest

 

The Bible, The Word of GOD and Truth are all synonymous; they are all the same thing. As those who claim to believe in The One True GOD, His Son JESUS and His HOLY SPIRIT we are called to have faith in Him and His Word. Faith also means trust, do we trust GOD that what He reveals about Himself and His purpose for humanity through His Word? The Bible is Truth and therefore accurate and dependable.

 

We cannot serve GOD and receive His gifts and rewards if we do not trust Him enough to just believe and obey His Word. All who are Christian can serve and obey GOD just by His Word The Bible. Many who believe do not seek His SPIRIT yet they unknowingly follow Him since they are sealed in salvation by His presence in their life, this is the mark of GOD.

 

Because The Bible is True anyone can follow it’s teachings and have an abundant life even if they do not believe in GOD. They are not redeemed because that is an act of the will to believe that GOD Is and that He saves us by faith (trust) in JESUS; but truth is always true no matter who practices it.

 

There has been for some time a war on truth even in the Church, there are many who do not believe in the inerrancy of the Bible or it’s divine inspiration.

 

JESUS quoted the Old Testament when He said, “I desire obedience rather than sacrifice.” He was actually challenging those listening to Him that they did not understand this concept because of their religious practices. It is not that there is no sacrifice in obedience because there is. JESUS made this clear when He told us that to be His disciples we would have to take up our cross (death to self will) and follow Him (obedience to The Father’s will) daily.

 

Everybody wants to live the good life, but the source of the good life can only come from GOD not from the world or ourself. In John 10:10 when JESUS said that “the thief (satan) only comes to steal, kill and destroy; but that He (JESUS) came to give life and give it in abundance.”, He was not talking about the good life in this world, He was talking about eternal life in His eternal Kingdom. This can only come through trust and obedience to GOD and His Word!

 

There is also controversy in the Church about the Ten Commandments, are they for today? Yes they are! The Ten Commandments did not come with an expiration date, they are eternal. Remember, JESUS said that He did not come to do away with the Law but to fulfill it. He also said that heaven and earth will pass away before a single letter of the Law passes away. Everyone of the Ten Commandments are still in effect today and will be until we are in the New Heaven and New Earth (because only those who love and obey GOD will be there). That means that when every person stands before GOD, Christian and non-Christian, they will be held accountable for their adherence to the Ten Commandments.

 

GOD is Truth and therefore The Truth has always and will always be true, whatever He says is true!

Study John 1 and 1 John 1.

The Bleak World of Post-Coronavirus Schools by Edwin Benson

The Bleak World of Post-Coronavirus Schools

By Edwin Benson

The segment of society that was least prepared for the Coronavirus crisis was education.

The whole education model – public, parochial, and private – involves bringing together children from many families into a single room. Everything from circle rugs in preschools to the large university classes in lecture halls shares this common characteristic.

Almost every school in the nation suspended classes around March 15. Administrators scrambled to patch together something to finish the year. Teachers, parents, and students struggled to make those plans work.

Now, they will have to figure out a plan for the next school year. Should there be a “second wave” of the coronavirus, it could prevent the school from starting. It could also interrupt the year in October, November, or whenever.

Paul Reville, of the Harvard School of Education and former Massachusetts secretary of education, laid out the task ahead. “Next fall should mark the beginning of the end of the “one size fits all” approach to schooling—whether schooling is conducted in person or remotely. To get students back on track, educators will need to meet them where they are and give them what they need, customizing an education strategy for each child designed … to determine the particular academic and social-emotional needs of each student.”

 

However, some fundamental (and extremely difficult) problems will have to be solved first.

Physical Arrangement

Even before the Coronavirus, the size of most classrooms was substandard.  The University of Georgia’s School of Design and Planning concluded that the optimal size for a junior or senior high school classroom with twenty students is 1,344 square feet. Very few classrooms have that much space and contain far more than twenty students.  Insider showed that the average high school class size was somewhere between 22 and 27 students per class. Seating a class to accommodate 25 students six feet apart would require massive classrooms. In addition, cafeterias, libraries, restrooms, gymnasiums, and auditoriums would need to be enlarged. That additional space needs to be heated, cooled, lighted, and cleaned. Every chair, desk, counter, locker and commonly used furniture will need to be wiped daily to meet new health protocols. Some schools hope to relieve the pressure by having half of the students come one day and the other half on the next.  Some may try having half of the students come in the morning and the other half during the afternoon. Large classes could be taught in the auditoriums or other classes held outside.

 

Grading

Grades were initially designed to express each student’s command of the material. They soon became seen as a punishment for those who had not done well. Educationists have been trying to get rid of them for decades, but public opinion has not allowed that to happen.

The coronavirus has obliterated this assessment. Many schools decreed that any work will be automatically deemed satisfactory. Other systems have decided that such work – even if it is poorly done or not done – will not lower the grade that the student had before the suspension of classes. The San Francisco schools decided to give all students A’s for all classes this year before they dropped the plan due to community reaction.

 

In a distance learning environment, helping students that have difficulty is complicated.  A skilled teacher can look at students as they work and see which ones are having difficulty. Often, a timely intervention can get those students “back on track.” Under distance learning, the teacher does not see the work until it has been completed. Showing students their errors and persuading them to fix them is difficult. It is much easier to “give them the benefit of the doubt” and post grades higher than those earned by the students.

Community Expectations

Society continues to pay for a broken education system because it provides many non-educational benefits to the community.

One basic expectation is that the students are housed, supervised, and kept busy for six-to-eight hours a day, five days a week. Two-income households must have some place to keep their children safe and out of trouble. Installing a system in which students attend every other day will not suffice. Many unsupervised students are a menace to themselves and their communities.

Most communities also expect schools to provide a wide range of sports and extracurricular activities, which are now suspended. These activities may not be feasible if the current “social distancing” guidelines are extended.

Money

No school has unlimited financial resources. Constructing larger buildings would be expensive. If existing classrooms are used, class size will have to be cut so that schools will need more classrooms. That means hiring extra teachers. In most schools, teacher salaries are already the biggest single expense, especially when pensions and fringe benefits are counted.

Social distancing will also impact the cost of busing. According to Education Week, “[Kathy] Granger [superintendent of the Mountain Empire Unified School District in southeastern San Diego County] already spends $1.5 million a year—7 percent of her annual budget—to bus 3,200 students to eight schools. But to make sure kids can be spaced out enough on buses this fall—meaning no more than 20 per bus—Granger figures she needs to quadruple the district’s 14 bus routes a day to 56. Sticker price: $4.5 million.”

 

Distance education may be part of the long-term answer, but it also carries high costs. The National Center for Education Statistics estimates that 56,678,000 students will be enrolled in America’s K-12 schools this fall. Each student needs the digital infrastructure to participate in such learning. School systems will need to hire people to maintain and update devices. There will also be massive costs involved to ensure that students in rural areas can be connected to the system for several hours a day. Michael Griffith, a senior school finance researcher and policy analyst for the Learning Policy Institute, estimates that “15 percent of children between 3 and 18 don’t have home access to the internet.”

 

The only source of money for public schools is taxation. The coronavirus shutdown has affected taxation at all levels. California alone expects to cut more than $19 billion from its education spending.

The Outlook

These considerations would be monumental if the administrators had years to plan, implement, and test solutions. They do not have that time. Even though most schools have been suspended for the rest of the school year, the students will be back in just a few short months. They need a plan for the here and now.

The first step should be to evaluate the dangers involved. What makes the whole scenario perplexing is the fact that students at all levels are the least affected by the coronavirus. All these measures are mandated to protect a population segment that experiences almost no deaths from the virus.

Would it not be wiser to address the problem by considering the reality of the facts? Schools are reopening in other places without massive changes. Schools should take commonsense sanitary precautions that match the minimal risks involved for young people. There is no need to turn schools into sterile hospital wards.

Solving problems based on truth and facts is what education is supposed to be about.

Light and Life!

Light and Life

As I was praying and meditating one morning I had two thoughts:

GOD created light three days before He created the sun, moon and stars!

HOLY SPIRIT is the Power of Life!

So I started looking up scriptures on both and found that light and life have a symbiotic relationship both physically and spiritually. Humans generally think that there is no life without sunlight, yet we know that there are plant and animal life forms in the earth that never see sun light. Light does physically exist because GOD said, “Let there be light!” and there was; therefore it had to exist spiritually for GOD is SPIRIT (Genesis 1:1; John 4:24). So what do the scriptures tell us about light and life? First we know that GOD created or called forth both, Genesis 1 and 2 tell us the story of the creation of everything that we are aware of that physically exists; living and inanimate.

Natural Light:

In The American Heritage College Dictionary of 2007, the definitions and descriptions of light take up just over a full page. The first one is: light (lit) n. 1. Physics a. Electromagnetic radiation that has a wavelength in the range from about 4,000 (violet) to about 7,700 (red) angstroms and may be perceived by the normal unaided human eye. b. electromagnetic radiation of any wavelength. 2. The sensation of perceiving light; brightness. 8. Spiritual awareness; illumination. 17. Light in Quaker doctrine, the guiding spirit or divine presence in each person.

We speak of feeling light, how it feels on our skin both good and bad. Sun light is not the topic of this study, but we do feel sunlight. It’s heat can dehydrate us and burn our skin; we feel the comfort of it’s warmth. When you are calm and attentive you can feel it’s presence in the sunrise and you can feel the darkness encroach as the sunsets; these are physical and emotional experiences. SC Johnson makes Windex and they are currently running a TV ad that says, “Enjoy all of light’s goodness!” and “Light is life, let it all in!” We only see the natural light of the sun and the artificial light we have generated; we do not see the Spiritual Light that GOD first called into being.

Light and darkness existed before the sun. On the first day of creation, Genesis 1:1-2, GOD created the heavens and the earth and the earth was without form and darkness covered it. In 1:3 GOD said, “Let there be Light!” and there was. In verses 4-5 GOD divided the light and the darkness and called light day and darkness night. Then on the fourth day, Genesis 1:14-19 GOD creates the sun to rule the day and the moon and the stars to rule the night. Light and darkness co-existed at the beginning of creation and GOD divided them, then three days later He created the sun, moon and stars. We know that the moon has no light of itself, it reflects the light of the sun and we know that the stars are suns of solar systems that are very far away.

Natural light gives life and darkness suppresses life. We know that humans and most plant and animal life is dependent on light while a few animals and plants can live without light – that is not evolution – that Is GOD! Life begins in darkness, seeds of plants germinate in darkness buried in the soil, but they must reach the sunlight above ground to thrive and produce. Human and mammal animal life begins in the darkness of the uterus and other life forms in the darkness of an egg; but at the moment of conception of humans and mammals there is a flash of light (research it) and the life moves to the womb where it can experience light and darkness (even for eggs, they are laid and now experience light and darkness). Then birth into the world of light and darkness! That spark, as all things natural, have a medical or scientific explanation –  that is not evolution – that Is GOD! It is at the moment of conception that the seed and egg become one physical form and the light is GOD making them a living spirit. Do a Bible word study on life, light, conception and womb.

Spiritual Light:

Genesis 1:1-4, “In the beginning GOD created the heavens and the earth. The earth was unformed and void, darkness was on the face of the deep, and The SPIRIT of GOD hovered over the water. And GOD said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. GOD saw that the light was good, and GOD divided the light from the darkness. GOD called the light day, and the darkness He called night. So there was evening, and there was morning, one day.” CJB

In Psalm 18:9-12, 28 CJB, David, wrote, “He lowered heaven and came down with thick darkness under His feet. He rode on a keruv (cherub); He flew, swooping down on the wings of the wind. He made darkness His hiding place, His canopy thick clouds dark with water. From the brightness before Him, there broke through His thick clouds hailstones and fiery coals…For You ADONAI, light my lamp; ADONAI, my GOD, lights up my darkness.”

David in Psalm 139 talks of not being able to escape GOD’s SPIRIT, in verses 11-12 he describes his dilemma, “If I say, ‘Let darkness surround me, let the light around me be night, even darkness like this is not too dark for You; rather, night is as clear as day, darkness and light are the same.” How can the creator of light be bound by darkness? In creation light and dark were co-existent and GOD’s vision was not hindered because He is Light and darkness cannot exist in GOD (1 John 1:5). In Revelation 21:22-23 John talking of the New Heaven and the New Earth that were revealed to him, he was shown the Bride of The LAMB – Jerusalem. As he describes it he said, “I saw no Temple in the city, for ADONAI, GOD of Heaven’s Armies, is its Temple, as is the LAMB. The city has no need for the sun and the moon to shine on it, because GOD’s Sh’khinah gives it light, and its Lamp is the LAMB.” CJB

Spiritual Light is the True Light, the sun, moon and stars are given for the natural world which is finite; but Spiritual Light is eternal, it is GOD!

Why is GOD not affected by darkness? Why does GOD not need the sun and the moon? “And this is the message we have heard from Him and proclaim to you: GOD is Light and there is no darkness in Him – none!” “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with GOD, and the Word was GOD. He was with GOD in the beginning. All things came to be through Him, and without Him nothing made had being. In Him was life, and the life was the light of mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not suppressed it…This was the true light, which gives light to everyone entering the world. He was in the world – the world came to be through Him – yet the world did not know Him…The Word became a human being and lived with us, and we saw His Sh’khinah, the Sh’khinah of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.”  1 John 1:5, John 1:1-14 CJB

JESUS said that we, human beings, are the light of the world and that our light can be darkness. Study Matthew 5:13-16 and 6:22-23.

Natural Life:

In The American Heritage College Dictionary of 2007, the definitions and descriptions of life take up almost a full page. The first one is: life (lif) n., pl. lives (live) 1. Biology a. The property or quality that distinguishes living organisms from dead organisms and inanimate matter, manifested in functions such as metabolism, growth, reproduction, and response to stimuli or adaptation to the environment originating from within the organism. B. The characteristic state or condition of a living organism. 4. The physical, mental and spiritual experiences that constitute existence. 7. A spiritual state regarded as transcending of corporeal death.

All life as we know it comes from GOD – if it is a physically living thing or being GOD made it and gives it life; Genesis 1 and 2 tells of the process of creation and that from nothing GOD made every physical thing that exists. In Proverbs 8:22-31 Wisdom tells of GOD’s creative and life giving process. In John 1:1-14 JESUS is proclaimed the Word of GOD who was present with GOD during the creation and is the Light and Life of humanity. “In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men.” Verse 4 NKJV The scriptures actually say that JESUS was the creator of everything that exists. In John 14:6 JESUS says, “…I Am the Way, The Truth and The Life…”

There is no life outside of GOD, there is no life spiritual or physical that GOD did not make for His own pleasure and purpose.

Spiritual Life

GOD existed before creation and all of the spiritual realm in which He exists existed before the creation of our physical existence. All that physically exists that we know of were created by GOD for His pleasure, Proverbs 8:12-31 speaks of GOD creating The Spirit of Wisdom before anything in the natural realm was created, “ADONAI made me as the beginning of His way, the first of His ancient works. I was appointed before the world, before the start, before the earth’s beginnings.” 8:22-23 CJB, “You are worthy O LORD, to receive Glory and Honor and Power: for You have created all things, and for Your pleasure they are created.” Revelation 4:11 KJV, many versions replace pleasure with will, and is GOD’s will not His pleasure?

There is a scripture that can confuse people, “But someone will ask, ‘In what manner are the dead raised? What sort of body do they have?’ Stupid! When you sow a seed, it doesn’t come alive unless it first dies. Also what you sow is not the body that will be, but a bare seed of, say, wheat or something else; but GOD gives it the body He intended for it; and to each kind of seed He gives its own body. Not all living matter is the same living matter; on the contrary, there is one kind for human beings, another kind of living matter for animals, another for birds and another for fish. Further, there are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies; but the beauty of heavenly bodies is one thing, while the beauty of earthly bodies is something else. The sun has one kind of beauty, the moon another, the stars yet another; indeed, each star has its own individual kind of beauty. So it is with the resurrection of the dead. When the body is “sown,” it decays; when it is raised it cannot decay. When sown, it is without dignity; when raised, it will be beautiful. When sown, it is weak; when raised, it is strong. When sown, it is an ordinary human body; when raised, it will be a body controlled by the Spirit. If there is an ordinary human body, there is also a body controlled by the Spirit. In fact the Tanakh says so: Adam, the first man, became a living human being; but the last “Adam” has become a life-giving SPIRIT. Note, however, that the body from the SPIRIT did not come first, but the ordinary human one; the one from the SPIRIT comes afterwards. The first man is from the earth, made of dust; the second Man is from Heaven.  People born of dust are like the man of dust, and people born from Heaven are like the Man from Heaven; and just as we have born the image of the man of dust, so also we will bear the image of the Man from Heaven.” 1 Corinthians 15:35-49 CJB This is what JESUS was telling Nicodemus in John 3 about being born again.

In the KJV 1 Corinthians 15:46 says, “However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual.” This has caused error for some, they believe that the natural is first and therefore more important. The natural is the process to achieve the spiritual, or become gods! Wrong!

As stated above the spiritual realm existed before GOD created the natural realm of our current existence. While in this realm or the natural life everything comes to us in the natural first then the spiritual. We are born of our natural parents then we are born of the SPIRIT; we die a natural death, then we live a spiritual (eternal) life. The natural is first for us but it must die and the spiritual remains. This is because the spiritual realm is eternal both before and after the created natural realm. “YESHUA said to her, ‘I AM the resurrection and the Life! Whoever puts his trust in Me will live, even if he dies; and everyone living and trusting in Me will never die. Do you believe this?’” John 11:25-26 CJB

JESUS said, “The thief comes only in order to steal, kill and destroy; I have come that they may have Life; Life in it’s fullest measure.” John 10:10 CJB Eternal or Spiritual Life not natural life is the fullest measure of Life.

So, my second thought was that The HOLY SPIRIT is the Power of Life. “But you shall receive power when The HOLY SPIRIT has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” “So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please GOD. But you are not in the flesh but in the SPIRIT, if indeed the SPIRIT of GOD dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the SPIRIT of CHRIST, he is not His. And if CHRIST is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the SPIRIT is Life because of Righteousness. But if the SPIRIT of Him who raised JESUS from the dead dwells in you, He who raised CHRIST from the dead will also quicken your mortal bodies through His SPIRIT who dwells in you.” Acts 1:8; Romans 8:8-11 NKJV

The HOLY SPIRIT is the power of Life, “And the angel answered and said to her, ‘The HOLY SPIRIT will come upon you, and the Power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, That HOLY ONE who is to be born will be called the Son of GOD.’” Luke 1:35NKJV

We cannot have eternal Life if we are not in GOD’s Light! So what about those who reject GOD’s gift of salvation, JESUS CHRIST? The scripture is clear that they will be in eternal darkness and torment. Matthew 7:15-39, 10:27-31, 25:30, 41; Romans 6:23; Revelation 19:11-15.

We will all live eternally; will you live in eternal Light or darkness – Life or torment? The choice is yours alone to make! You alone will be judged for how you live this life!

How Leftists Try to Turn Crime into Virtue By Edwin Benson

How Leftists Try to Turn Crime into Virtue

By Edwin Benson

In today’s polarized America, Supreme Court cases are rarely decided unanimously. Rarer yet is a case that is a defeat for the left. However, this is what happened in the case of United States v. Sineneng-Smith.

Evelyn Sineneng-Smith operated an “immigration counseling firm” in San Jose, California. Even though she was not a lawyer, her firm assisted those who had violated U.S. immigration law.

A Fraudulent Scheme

Evelyn Sineneng-Smith’s firm was a fraudulent enterprise. Her “clients” were illegal Filipino immigrants who provided home health care services. Between 2001 and 2008, she helped them to complete applications for a “labor certification program” to remain in the U.S. legally.  She charged $5,900 to file with the Department of Labor and another $900 for filing with the U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

She knew those applications would never be accepted because the program expired on April 30, 2001. She also, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, “encouraged victims to overstay the time allowed under their tourist visas and work illegally in residential healthcare facilities.”

The prosecutors charged her with multiple violations of 8 U. S. C. §1324, which makes it a federal felony to “encourag[e] or induc[e] an alien to come to, enter, or reside in the United States, knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that such coming to, entry, or residence is or will be in violation of law.” She was found guilty of urging someone to violate the immigration law.

Joseph Vincent, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations, San Jose, reacted to the conviction. “Those who corrupt the integrity of our nation’s legal immigration system must understand there are serious consequences for those actions. We will continue to work with our counterparts to investigate those who manipulate and exploit that system for their own personal financial gain.”

Leftists Try to Make Fraud into Virtue

On the left, simple facts seldom remain simple. When Sineneng-Smith appealed her conviction to the notoriously leftist Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Judge A. Wallace Tashima invited three left-wing legal advocacy groups to construct a stronger case than that which the defendant had argued. The Federal Defender Organizations of the Ninth Circuit, the Immigrant Defense Project, and the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild filed “friend-of-the-court” briefs. Judge Tashima used those briefs to overturn the conviction.

A brief quotation from Judge Tashima’s ruling illustrates this point. “We begin with an obvious example from one of the amicus briefs: ‘a loving grandmother who urges her grandson to overstay his visa,’ by telling him ‘I encourage you to stay.’  Nothing in [the law] would prevent the grandmother from facing felony charges for her statement…. Just because the grandmother wanted her words to encourage her grandson and said them directly to him does not render those words less protected under the First Amendment.”

Appeal to the Supreme Court

The U.S. prosecutors then appealed to the Supreme Court. Leftists found the curious right to urge people to commit crimes. Slate quoted an attorney with the National Lawyers’ Guild Khaled Alrabe of the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild. He was worried about the possibility that attorneys will be too afraid of prosecution to give accurate legal advice. “It’s ultimately terrible for the undocumented individuals,” said Alrabe, “because attorneys may withhold important information out of fear.”

Thomas Knapp of the website CounterPunch reacted in a display of oversimplification. “Their [the Federal prosecutors] case seems to be that we obviously can’t just have people out there saying whatever they want to say.” The author presented the challenge: “I encourage anyone and everyone who wants to come to the United States in search of work and/or safety to do so, and to stay here for as long as they please, whether the U.S. government likes it or not. I just broke the law.”

A Rare Unanimous Decision

The Supreme Court responded with a stunning unanimous decision. Moreover, the Court’s opinion was written by liberal icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg.  The Supreme Court ruled that the Court of Appeals’ three-judge panel had given more consideration to the briefs it requested from the three organizations than it did to the arguments of the parties of the case.

The Justices said clearly, “No extraordinary circumstances justified the panel’s takeover of the appeal….  Electing not to address the party-presented controversy, the panel projected that [the law] might cover a wide swath of protected speech, including political advocacy, legal advice, even a grandmother’s plea to her alien grandchild to remain in the United States.” They concluded, “[T]he Ninth Circuit’s radical transformation of this case goes well beyond the pale.”

In other words, the Ninth Circuit panel ignored the case in front of them, created a different case, and then ruled on the case that they created. It is the rough equivalent of the student who ignored the essay question on the test and wrote the answer to the question that he wished the teacher had asked.

Restoring Order?

This is an important decision for three reasons.

First, no one, not even an attorney,  should be telling others how to break the law.  A real sense of order demands that freedom of speech be limited when urging others to violate just laws. If a person believes that a law should be changed, that person is free to advocate such a change. Indeed, an unjust law might make it a duty to demand change.

Second, a new form of judicial activism was clipped back in this court case. Ever since the days of Chief Justice Earl Warren (1953-1969), federal courts on all levels have reached far beyond their authority.  This is a minor victory, but it creates hope that some sense of judicial restraint may be creeping back into the courts. The unanimity of the Supreme Court, in this case, is a hopeful sign.

Third, despite occasional exceptions, the federal courts have opened the door to many disordered interpretations of the law. Pornography, contraception, procured abortion, same-sex “marriage” and now  “transsexual” rights have all been aided by courts compliant to leftist demands. A legal “right” to openly advocate violations of the law would have been a valuable tool for the left. Fortunately, it has been taken out of their hands.