Preachers practiced the Second Amendment decades before it was written.
In fact, it was the preachers in America that inspired the Revolution, and the Second Amendment, by their actions, and scared King George the most.
King George said so.
PREACHERS PRACTICED WHAT THEY PREACHED
C H R I S T M A S 2025
(I shared this at Church In The Park on Sunday, before Christmas)
CHRISTMAS 2025
O holy night, the stars are brightly shining;
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!
Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices!
O night divine! O night when Christ was born!
O night, O holy night, O night divine!
Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother,
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! O praise His name forever!
His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!
His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head;
The stars in the heavens looked down where He lay,
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.
Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask Thee to stay
Close by me forever, and love me, I pray.
Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care,
And fit us for heaven, to live with Thee there.
Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing pow’r?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
☆ ☆ Have you been to Jesus ? ☆ ☆
- to the manger to worship ?
- to the cross to repent ?
- to the grave ? ? ?
— Jesus’ grave is not the end of story
— Jesus’ grave has no memorial
— Jesus’ grave is EMPTY
— Jesus’ empty grave means victory - Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
My life is worth the living just because He lives.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
“We love Him because He first loved us.”
“I love the Lord because He hears my prayers and answers them.
Because He bends down and listens, I will pray as long as I live.”
I love you Lord,
And I lift my voice
To worship You.
O my soul, rejoice.
Take joy, my King,
In what You hear;
May it be a sweet, sweet sound
In Your ear.
Blessed assurance,
Jesus is mine.
Oh what a foretaste
Of glory divine.
Heir of salvation,
Purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit,
Washed in His blood.
This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long.
☆ BLESSED ASSURANCE ☆
Will you get this blessed assurance, this Peace—
— Peace from Jesus
— Peace with Jesus
— Peace in Jesus
— Peace of Jesus
— Peace, only if you have Jesus
“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid.”
Jesus leaves us with His Peace.
The world leaves us with peace, that leaves.
My Christmas wish for you—in this last song:
☆ ☆ ☆ Far away in the depths of my spirit tonight
Rolls a melody sweeter than psalm;
In celestial-like strains it unceasingly falls
O’er my soul like an infinite calm.
Peace, peace! wonderful peace,
Coming down from the Father above,
Sweep over my spirit forever, I pray,
In fathomless billows of love. ☆ ☆ ☆
“The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
BLESSED CHRISTMAS TO ALL !
WHY DO WE WANT TO KNOW ‘WHY?’ ?
Why do we want to know “WHY?” ?
Why do we try to explain “WHY?” ?
We think that if we can explain why things happen, especially bad things, we can somehow change what happens, for the better.
–
Explaining why things happen remains very limited.
Changing what we can change, for the better, remains very limited, despite our best efforts.
The problem of evil—explaining evil—stays with us, mostly unchanged.
So, what can we say ?
What can we say that hasn’t been said ?
All I know is to say what God said:
“The day you eat of it (the forbidden fruit), you shall surely die.”
“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life.”
“The thief (the devil) comes to kill, steal, and destroy—I (Jesus) came that you may have life, and have it more abundantly.”
“In the world you will have tribulation (trouble), but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world.”
SENIOR SORROWS – – – WHAT DOES GOD THINK ?
What is God’s perspective on the inevitable deterioration in senior years ?
We “call on Him in every trouble”, every challenge, every test, every detail.
He “delivers us” over and over again.
We “glorify Him” just like His Word tells us.
Some experience more deliverance than others, and come to the end of life with glory and praise for God’s goodness.
But most of us experience decline in senior years—in health, in strength, in mental function, in what we can do, in what doesn’t work like it used to, in pain, in failure, in loss, in heartache, in heartbreak, in all the cryptic descriptions of Ecclesiastes 12. *
So, how much of this should we fight and claim victory over—with the multitude of Bible verses that promise miracles—yes, even experienced before, with faith.
So, how much of this “going down” are we supposed to accept and ‘adjust to?’ because that’s just what happens in this fallen world.
Is is possible to know what God thinks ?
I know it is dangerous to say what God thinks.
We can confidently say what God says in His Word.
In His Word He tells us His Will.
In His Word He tells us His Promises.
In His Word He tells us how He kept His Promises.
But now, personal, in my life, where do I claim overcoming with His Promises, and where do I resign with His Promises.
I’ve been walking with Jesus too long with too much reality, to spin His Promises with my words to suit my comfort level.
All the people who walked with Jesus before me, like Daddy, enduring to the end, “faithful unto death”, certainly had God’s smile of approval and reward, “the crown of life”.
If we endure, even when we start to ‘lose it’ in later years, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself. Remind the believers of these things.”
* May I suggest reading this chapter from your Bible, before reading the following.
Ecclesiastes 12, with translations of the cryptic (help from Bible Lessons International).
“Remember your Creator in the days of your youth,
before the days of adversity come
[times of sickness, sorrow, senility]
and the years approach of which you will say,
‘I find no pleasure in them,’
[deterioration of the physical body robs life of joy]
before the light of the sun, moon, and stars is darkened,
[even the beauty of seeing God’s creation grows dim as one ages]
and the clouds return after the rain,
[never a clear day, never a sunlit morning, always gray and gloomy]
on the day the keepers of the house tremble
[the body’s arms shaking (from age or fear)]
and the strong men stoop,
[the legs]
when those grinding cease because they are few
[the teeth]
and those watching through windows see dimly,
[the eyes]
when the doors to the street are shut
[lack of hearing]
and the sound of the mill fades away,
[ears]
when one rises at the sound of a bird
[sleeplessness]
and all the daughters of song grow faint,
[bad hearing, fading sexual desire]
when men fear the heights and dangers of the road,
[standing, fear of falling, difficulty walking]
when the almond tree blossoms,
[white, gray hair]
the grasshopper drags himself,
[elderly walking bent over]
and the caper berry is ineffective—
[normal sexual desire is gone]
for then man goes to his eternal home
and mourners walk the streets.
[waiting for you to die]
Remember Him before the silver cord is snapped
and the golden bowl is crushed,
[the value, yet frailty of human life]
before the pitcher is shattered at the spring
and the wheel is broken at the well,
[household items, daily chores]
before the dust returns to the ground from which it came
[humans made from dust]
and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
[breath from God]
When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: Fear God and keep His commandments, because this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, along with every hidden thing, whether good or evil.”