NO PAIN—NO GAIN
Fine motivational poster/slogan for youth fitness, generally based on fact.
Now, for seniors, the saying takes on a different wording, also largely based on fact.
PAIN—NO GAIN
NO PAIN – NO GAIN – – – THEN AND NOW
September 18, 2024 By Leave a Comment
“I WILL HUMBLE YOU”
September 4, 2024 By Leave a Comment
In tears, Gordon McDonald told Ravi Zacharias, after Gordon’s moral failure and loss of ministry, “The Lord told me He would humble me. ‘If you don’t humble yourself, I will humble you.’ The Lord humbled me !”
Then, Ravi had a catastrophic moral failure, ending a massive, worldwide apologetics ministry with dozens of associates.
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Consider the impact of one person, one mighty man of God, man of faith, in a single act of sex outside God’s will.
Consider the resulting devastation on billions of people for over 3000 years—hatred, fighting, killing millions—continuing today.
— The descendants of that sinful sex became a great people.
— The descendants of the same man of God and his wife (from their promised son years later) became a great people.
—- The child from sinful sex—Ishmael.
The descendants, as promised to his desperate mother, Hagaar, became a great people—the Arabs, mostly muslims.
—- The child of promise—Isaac.
The descendants, as promised to his father, Abraham, became a great people—the Children of Israel (Isaac’s son), the Jews.
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God kept His promise to Abraham—all people are blessed (can be blessed) in Abraham’s descendant, Jesus, who died to save anyone who believes.
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One-time sinful sex—consequences ?
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David and Bathsheba—
— Their child died.
— The prophet/preacher told David, “You’re the man!”
— Wrong sex—adultery.
— Stole Uriah’s wife.
— Killed Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah.
— Nathan told David, “The sword will never leave your household.”
— One of David’s sons raped David’s daughter.
— Another of David’s sons killed the rapist.
— Another of David’s sons led a rebellion and took over David’s kingdom (forcing David to flee), until he was killed.
— Another of David’s sons was killed after David died.
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One-time sinful sex—consequences ?
LIFE FROM CONCEPTION—NO EXCEPTION
September 4, 2024 By Leave a Comment
LIFE FROM CONCEPTION—NO EXCEPTION
That’s what the Bible says.
So that’s what God says.
His Word is the final Word.
He created life.
He creates every life.
I’ve never heard of a single Bible-based exception to life for babies—born, unborn ! ! !
I’ve heard—I’ve read—the most severe, horrific death deserved for anyone who even hurts, who even offends, one of these little ones—IN THE BIBLE.
How can we escape His judgment ?
How can we even debate—while we wait for His judgment ?
“JUST . . .” ?
August 14, 2024 By Leave a Comment
Pregnant ?
Pregnant “with tissue” ?
Try saying this, to make it personal, about yourself:
– I was “just tissue” for nine months (more or less) ?
– I was “just an inconvenience” ?
– I was “just an unhealthy part of my mommy’s body” ?
– I was “a malignant growth in my mommy”—endangered my mommy’s life—should have had it cut out ?
OR
Pregnant !
Pregnant with a baby !
“You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.”
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is His reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;
They shall not be ashamed,
But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.”
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The Bible is PRO-LIFE—loaded.
God is PRO-LIFE—invented all life.
God is PRO-LIFE—does not make mistakes.
God is PRO-MALE+FEMALE—He said it—“He created male and female”—that’s it.
God is PRO-MARRIAGE—He said it—“a man bound to his wife”—that’s it.
God is PRO-SEX—He said it—“Let your fountain be blessed”*—that’s it.
God is PRO-PROCREATION—He said it—“fruitful, multiply”, first command—that’s it.
God is PRO-LIFE—He said it—“choose life”—all life, beginning to end.
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God made His Way clear to Israel 3400 years ago, and it remains clear to us today in our Bible.
“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”
*”Let your fountain be blessed,
And rejoice with the wife of your youth.
As a loving deer and a graceful doe,
Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;
And always be enraptured with her love.”
SENIOR + – – – ELDERLY ?
August 8, 2024 By Leave a Comment
I’m okay with ‘senior’, which has its positives.
Not so good with ‘elderly’, because of daily warnings how they get in danger with the heat—that’s me, now, for the first time.
And it takes so much time stopping to take another break, another nap.
SATURDAY, JULY 13, 2024
July 19, 2024 By Leave a Comment
The next day at Church In The Park in Temple, Texas, a dear friend, a veteran in his later seventies with health issues that challenge to the limit—asked me what went through my mind when I learned that Donald Trump was shot.
ONE
America is at the boiling point, and it will spill over into more violence, if we don’t return to what made this country great for 250 years.
TWO
I remembered what Trump said at the picturesque America rally at Mt. Rushmore—
“They’re not coming after me—they’re coming after you.”
THREE
I prayed that this would be a wake up call for Donald Trump, to personally turn to God—a life-changing time, spiritually.
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Trump’s speech last night, Thursday, July 18, was an answer to my prayer, and the prayers of millions of other Christians.
He rewrote his speech because of the attempt on his life.
Trump acknowledged in detail how it was a miracle that he was even there last night.
He mentioned God a number of times, and not casually in passing.
“I am here by the grace of Almighty God.”
That’s good enough for me, for now.
I share Franklin Graham’s prayer that Donald Trump will commit his heart and life to Jesus.
I believe God is working on that in Trump.
STATS ON TRANS
July 14, 2024 By Leave a Comment
Guys in girls’ places.
Guys in girls’ sports.
Not really struggling with trans.
Disproportionate media coverage.
Unrealistic emphasis and Unnatural application by policy makers and revolutionaries have hijacked yet another minor part of culture to blow apart a stable society and replace with disaster.
Without these crutches creating and propping up this insanity, the statistics of reality would show a tiny percentage with this problem, and honest, healthy help available.
Read IDENTIFY AS FEMALE ? on this site
TRANS PORN
July 10, 2024 By Leave a Comment
Consider this:
In a Bible study with men, I recall hearing this:
“If you have a problem that may be a potential addiction, then you should take steps to deal with it and get help.”
Somewhere behind that comment is a subtle, underlying idea that it doesn’t apply to the person saying it.
Test question, “Do you have problem, thinking a little won’t hurt, won’t affect you, because you don’t have an addiction?”
With secret, subconscious reasoning (not good reasoning), people talk themselves into ‘just a little’, saying it’s not as bad as . . .
But I didn’t say anything, because . . .
A guy talking straight about sex temptations, pornography, ‘transgender’ fantasies—will be judged, labeled with a ‘problem’.
Everything these days is couched in newscast-approved language, so nobody talks about this big problem honestly.
IDENTIFY AS FEMALE* is the universal scam from the evil one, the father of lies.
It is a lie, even when unspoken, and re-broadcast thousands of times to give legitimacy to indulging sexual fantasies in real life, or unlimited freedom with thoughts.
And every time it is mentioned, and promoted, and mandated, and then reported—male ‘identifying as female’ can use girls’ bathrooms, locker rooms, showers—that is TRANS PORN (‘transgender’ pornography)—overnight proliferation of fantasies by anyone allowing thoughts in the mind without pictures.
One more domino fallen, in the culture gone over the cliff—no logic, no common sense, no restraint.
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With some addictions, the offending problem must be modified, controlled.
With some addictions, the offending problem must be eliminated, zero tolerance.
The big issue is identifying which of the two categories you’re dealing with, honestly.
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Give the devil a little finger, and he’ll take the whole hand.
or
“Abstain from every appearance of evil.”
*IDENTIFY AS FEMALE is just a clever ticket to sin of choice, and it abandons the fractional percentage of people with legitimate gender struggles, who need honest help, not the tsunami of devastation pursued and pushed nowadays.
IDENTIFY AS FEMALE ? ? ?
June 19, 2024 By Leave a Comment
I wish I could use extreme language to state the truth about the title.
“BULL” will have to do for now.
“The Emperor Has No Clothes” is accurate, but doesn’t come close to saying the obvious, strongly enough.
WHO IS KIDDING WHOM ?
The guys taking advantage of this current disaster don’t need to have a transgender issue, to indulge their lifelong fantasies of entering women’s bathrooms and locker rooms.
They never feel more like a male than when they get the thrill of crossing boundary lines protecting women.
It’s a fantasy version of rape—and some have used this insanity to do just that.
And I wonder how many creators of the policy are vicariously getting sexual satisfaction through those exposing themselves in ‘girls only’ places and watching girls.
If there are any girls or women okay with these policies, the same can be said about them as well as the guys.
The difference is they are not safe—sooner or later they will be victims of sexual assault or unwanted sexual advance.
And that will change their view.
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Any healthy society will set barriers and steel itself against lgbt gaining a foothold.
Any compromise over sexual boundaries to protect women and families and keep men from crossing those lines, will weaken the society.
When weakness is detected, that emboldens evil forces to maximize the demise of everything good for strong families.
And when families are weakened, the downfall of society is inevitable.
UNAPOLOGETIC PROMISES
June 17, 2024 By Leave a Comment
UNPOPULAR UNAPOLOGETIC PROMISES
Jesus did not say, “Sorry about your problems.”
Or, “What’s your problem that you’ve got trouble?”
He said, “In this world you will have trouble; but be of good cheer, because I have overcome the world.”
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”
We resist when things go against us.
We want God to fix them.
Or we want to fix them ourselves.
Can we “rejoice in our sufferings”?
Can we “count it all joy”?
Paul did.
He “learned in whatever state to be content”.
Persecuted Christians today thank God for a closer, sweeter walk with Jesus through their severe persecutions.
How much of that is available for us today ?
How much of that do we want today ?
Lord, what do I have to lose, to gain the perspective of Paul, writing letters of encouragement to joy, from prison ?
Paul—world traveling troublemaker for Jesus.
John Bunyan—during his years in prison, wrote Pilgrim’s Progress about the real Christian life, second best seller after the Bible.
Bunyan—in prison for preaching about Jesus.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer—powerful theology studied today, written in Nazi prisons.
Bonhoeffer—hanged for plotting to kill Hitler.
Richard and Sabina Wurmbrandt—in communist prisons, taking uncompromising stand for Jesus.
Wurmbrandts—founders of Voice of the Martyrs seven decades ago, remembering and helping persecuted Christians and their families today.