Christian Faith in America

Pay Attention to the Commas

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Christian Faith In America

Written by Pastor Mark Driskill
January 26, 2012

It’s a little after three in the morning and I wish I were sleeping. But it’s one of those mornings when my brain refuses to go into sleep mode. I find myself thinking about everything from the mundane to the profound to the absurd. After repeated attempts to negotiate a ceasefire with my thoughts I make a decision. I can fritter away the wee hours of the morning trying to tell myself to stop thinking, which only leads to more thinking about not thinking, which then leads to frustration because I can’t seem to stop thinking about not thinking. For some reason my mind insists on playing out scenarios in which my wife and children move away, I lose my ministry, and end up living in a shack all by myself and discover that I totally missed God along the way and end up hearing Him say in the end, “I don’t believe I know you…” — I can spend all night playing out this and other similar scenes or I can do something actually a little more close to reality and get up and spend some time with the Lord. So on this morning I am up.

I get up and come into the living room to sit in silence with my Bible. But the silence is hard to find at even this early hour. There is one sound that just seems to be a complete distraction. The clock on the wall is ticking louder than usual. After spending a few moments trying to shut out that irritating, relentless noise, only to have it grow louder so that each tick and every tock digs into my consciousness like a shard of glass, I take the clock down and put it in another room. Ahh silence. But only for a moment, then I can hear the tick tock, tick tock which has become imbedded in my thoughts. It just won’t stop! That incessant reminder that time is ticking away just won’t stop! I find myself keenly aware that time really is ticking away.

In two weeks the love of my life will turn fifty. Next year so will I. Next year my daughter graduates from college. My youngest daughter and son are looking more like adults every twelve seconds. I will be sixty in twelve short years! What have I done with this fleeting breath of life? Have I loved my wife and children well? Have I lived for Jesus or for myself in his name? The barrage of questions is more than I can take. So I throw open my Bible hoping to escape this assault from father time. Where does my Bible land in this desperate game of Bible roulette? – Ecclesiastes 3- “For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven. A time to be born, and a time to die.” – I can’t read any farther. My eyes are focused on that little comma between the word, “born” and the clause “and a time to die.” That tiny, punctuation, usually unnoticed, now expands to become as deep and wide as the ocean separating what has been from what is sure to come–Birth and death. That tiny little mark sits quietly between life’s beginning and its completion. But if I look deep enough into that ink spot I pause- after all that’s what commas are for, to make you pause, slow down, catch your breath-and think about what I’m doing in between the bookends of my existence.

It’s no secret that I have been really struggling with this season called midlife, not to the point of buying a red Corvette, but I have been doing some serious reflection on this little vapor I call my life. I’m not so much thinking in terms of grandiose dreams of accomplishment and adventure as about the moments of glory hidden like treasure in the seemingly mundane activities of life. Too often I have rushed past them on my way to empty mirages of what I thought would fulfill me. Mirages of great deeds and mighty accomplishments that looked like destiny from a distance but faded like cotton candy on the tongue when I got up close. I wonder how many moments I miss running after mirages. How many moments with my family were sacrificed on the way to meetings I can’t even remember? How many sunsets and sunrises, gloriously painted by the master have I brushed by in my quest to save the world? How many conversations with friends have I traded in for rushed appointments? How many treasures like these have I trampled over on my way to a mirage? What have I been doing with this brief comma between eternity and eternity? Time to slow down and pay attention to the clock. So I go and bring it back into the living room and listen intently.

I want to change the way I approach life. I want to pay attention to the commas in between birth and death; The sounds of laughter around my dinner table, the smell of the wood burning in the woodstove, the crunch of snow under my boots, the ridiculous wiggle of my dog as he runs to greet me as if I had been gone forever,and the warm feeling of a hand clasped in mine. Things like these are like sparkles of sunlight on the lake of our existence, dancing for joy beneath the sun. I don’t want to miss those. So as the tick tock becomes a little less irritating but no less challenging, I think about how I want to spend my days in this comma in which I live. I make some decisions. “For everything there is a season..and a purpose.”

I want my seasons to be full of purpose.
I want to live in the moments, knowing that they are the building blocks of eternity.
I want to text less and converse more.
I want less time on face book and more time face to face.
I want to argue less and understand more.
I want think less about being right and more about doing right.
I want to take less and give more.
I want to be less concerned about who loves me and more concerned with who I love.
I want to say “I” less and “you” more.
I want to dream less about my success and work more for yours.
I want to believe God more.
I want to look at the stars, smell the coffee, laugh at the kids, and sing off key without caring who listens.
I want to preach my sermons to God as an offering of praise only looking for his approval.
I want to act stupid with my kids, and look more deeply in to my wife’s beautiful eyes.
I want to argue less about theology and simply live what I believe.

In short… I want to live this life as if it were the gift God designed it to be.

I hear the tick tock again. Only this time it isn’t so irritating. It’s calling to me like a caring friend. It beckons me to pay attention to the commas in my life and enjoy them. It pleads with me to make the most of life but to do so with an awareness that God has set eternity in my heart for a reason. I dare not fritter away precious moments on empty and vain pursuits. I must avoid being so caught up in what I have to do that I miss what I get to do. There are two things you cannot control, when you are born and when you die. But the comma in between is yours to fill. How are you filling it? By the way thanks for lending me the gift of your time.

Pastor Mark Driskill
Web Minister of Begotten By the Word web ministry
See our website at http://ourchurch.com/member/b/bbtw
and
www.facebook.com (to group “begotten by the word”)
Begotten By the Word is a ministry of Helping Hands Christian resources-Evangelism Outreach
www.hhcr05.org
(Feel free to copy in any way that will bring glory to God and further his kingdom.)

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India 2012

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Christian Faith In America

Written by Pastor Mark Driskill
January 23, 2012

I have been asked to write a brief explanation of this mission to India for any who would like to pass it around. Thanks for all you are doing to help out.

I will be going with Global Advance (check them out. It’s an awesome organization) to India March 3-11, 2012. The team I am going with will be leading a three day event for pastors, called “Front line shepherding Conference.” We expect around 200-300 pastors to be there for encouragement, training and ministry. Also there will be opportunities to preach in local churches. This is a great opportunity to strengthen the body of Christ, preach the gospel to the lost, heal the sick, and minister to the hurting in Jesus powerful name.

My goal is to raise $4000.00 to completely cover expenses including plane tickets, visa, immunizations, room and board and helping out with travel expenses while there.You can help by sending donations of any size to the address below. Also you are invited to a Fund Raising Dinner Hosted by Tommy Miller (Translated, really good food y’all) on a donation basis, no other charge. It will be held Saturday February 11 from 5-7 p.m. Also if you are like most of us and on a really tight budget you can join the $5.00 challenge. Some of my Facebook friends have begun a campaign to see if we can get 1000 of my FB friends to give $5.00 each- totaling $5,000.00. This is a monumental task but God is able. Of course those who wish to give more and feel led by God are more than welcome to do so :)

Here’s the thing I really want to emphasize. I really want you to pray about this. Ask God two things:

Do you want me to support this?
How much do you want me to give?

I believe God will call some of you to give while others he will call to use his resources elsewhere in the kingdom. SO thanks for your consideration. If you should sense Gods leading in this I would like to have donations in within the next two or three weeks if at all possible. Send to

Mark Driskill
P.O. Box 1159
Jackson, KY 41339

I will be happy to answer any further questions you may have. And I will send out a report of the mission when I return.

Be Blessed! Mark

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Successful Service?

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Christian Faith In America

Written by Pastor Mark Driskill
January 25, 2012

Read John 1:35-39

“Two disciples heard him say this and they followed Jesus.”

John the Baptist was running a successful ministry. Estimates are that his call to repentance and baptism impacted around one million people. Everyone from common people to religious leaders to Roman soldiers were found seeking him out. If there had been a Time or Newsweek magazine in that day the wild prophet from the Judean desert would have surely appeared on the cover at least once.

One would expect a guy with that kind of success to continue gathering followers unto himself so as the keep the momentum as his following reached critical mass. This was not the time to back down, but to capitalize and push through to the next level of success. But that’s not what we see with John. His gaze is not fixed on the next issue of ”Facts and Trends” magazine or on the next election. His eyes are fixed on someone infinitely more important.

We hear John say, as Jesus walks along the horizon of the desert landscape, “Behold the Lamb of God!” Now here is where things get interesting. Here is where we watch as all the ideas of success and personal achievement come crashing to the ground. As John directs his followers to “Behold the Lamb.” We read these words: “Two (of Johns) disciples heard him say this and they followed Jesus.” Notice it didn’t say, “Two of John’s disciples heard him say this and….they bragged about how articulate and passionate John’s message about Jesus was and started selling DVD’s of John’s powerful insights about the messiah.” In our day perhaps that would have happened. Our warped ideas of success have cost us dearly. But you know what the real sign of a successful ministry is? It’s not in the number of people you can gather around yourself, but rather it is in the number of people you send after Jesus.

Whether you are a preacher, teacher, or every day witness, don’t measure your success by the number of people who are hanging onto you, but on the number who are hoofing it after the savior. John shows us the real mark of a successful witness. I am successful to the degree that people overhear me talking about Jesus and, like his two followers, are motivated to “come and see” him for themselves.

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Make the Courageous Resolution

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Christian Faith In America

I just watched the Movie “Courageous.” It was not only good clean entertainment, it was a powerful message about the importance of the role Dad’s play in the lives of their children. In the movie, the main character comes up with a “resolution” to be a more godly influence. That “resolution” from the movie is published below. You can read a detailed review of the movie here. I plan to strive to keep this resolution. I challenge dads everywhere to join me.

Courageous Resolution

I do solemnly resolve before God to take full responsibility for myself, my wife, and my children.

I WILL love them, protect them, serve them, and teach them the Word of God as the spiritual leader of my home.
I WILL be faithful to my wife, to love and honor her, and be willing to lay down my life for her as Jesus Christ did for me.
I WILL bless my children and teach them to love God with all of their hearts, all of their minds, and all of their strength.
I WILL train them to honor authority and live responsibly.
I WILL confront evil, pursue justice, and love mercy.
I WILL pray for others and treat them with kindness, respect, and compassion.
I WILL work diligently to provide for the needs of my family.
I WILL forgive those who have wronged me and reconcile with those I have wronged.
I WILL learn from my mistakes, repent of my sins, and walk with integrity as a man answerable to God.
I WILL seek to honor God, be faithful to His church, obey His Word, and do His will.
I WILL courageously work with the strength God provides to fulfill this resolution for the rest of my life and for His glory.

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. —Joshua 24:15″

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Drowning in Power

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Christian Faith In America

Written by Pastor Mark Driskill
January 24, 2012

Read: John 1:29-34

“This is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.”

How can you speak meaningfully of Jesus without talking about the work of the Holy Spirit? How can you speak of following Jesus without seriously engaging the Holy Spirit? John identified our Lord as the one who immerses us in the Holy Spirit and fire.

Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit in Mary’s womb and lived in that power and authority all his life. From the day of his baptism when the Spirit came upon him like a dove, through the temptations in the desert and his entire ministry you see him bursting with the Holy power of the Spirit. Jesus lived by the Spirit and promised the same to His followers. He is found crying out at the feast, “Whoever believes in me, out of his innermost being will flow rivers of living water (meaning the Holy Spirit.)”

The Spirit is God’s gift to the believer. He marks us as God’s children, brings us to life from our dead condition, teaches us when we need direction, comforts us when we are discouraged, shows us what is to come, and empowers our ministry in this world. Yet so many live in constant defeat because they have not yet given him access to their lives. We’re glad the Holy Spirit is in us for salvation, but we forget that Jesus did not come to give us a little Holy Spirit to live in us quietly until we die. John called our Lord, “The one who baptizes (or dunks, immerses, bathes) us in the Holy Spirit.

We are to be saturated, drenched, and dripping wet with the living water. Does this characterize your life? Are you allowing the savior to immerse you in his spirit? Are you letting him influence the way you think, feel , speak and act? This is the key to true victory in life. Paul tells us in Galatians 5, “Walk in the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” We spend so much time trying to Christianize ourselves with outward behavior instead of simply surrendering to the Holy Spirit and allowing him to change us and fill us with power daily. Begin your day today asking the Lord to immerse you in the power of the Spirit. Consciously rely on him and listen to his still small voice leading you through the day. Live by the Spirit.

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Ann Coulter May Be Helping Gingrich by Attacking South Carolina

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Christian Faith In America

By Dr. Tony Beam.

Let me begin by putting my cards on the table. I adore Ann Coulter. After all, what’s not to love? She is beautiful, smart, funny, and conservative. She is always right about the left and she is usually right about the right. But her analysis of why Gingrich won South Carolina is not only wrong, it’s wrong to the point of placing her firmly in camp of those who are actually helping fuel the Newt surge.

On Sunday’s edition of “Fox and Friends” Coulter opened her diatribe against South Carolina by saying, “Apparently, South Carolina would rather have the emotional security of a snotty remark toward the president than to beat Obama in the fall.” She followed by accusing the “tea party crowd” of loving the name calling while ignoring Gingrich’s past. She ended with a flourish saying, “With Gingrich you throw out the baby and keep the bath water!”

The only baby being thrown out here is Mitt Romney. His moderate, rehearsed, milk toast, methodical answers in the debates sound like they were written in some political spin room by professional politicians who know how to turn a phrase but are clueless when it comes to turning out the base. Obama bamboozled the American electorate and we are in no mood for another slick politician who has perfect hair, the perfect answer to every question, and who happens to be the next establishment candidate in line.

If Ann Coulter thinks the presidential election of 2012 will be won by the dispassionate, robotic approach of Mitt Romney she is greatly mistaken. The American people are angry. We are tired of being lied to by the left and by their mouthpieces in most of the mainstream media. We are done with politicians who refuse to boldly speak the truth and then back it up with some genuine passion. We are through with small ideas and a middle of the road mentality that beats a hasty retreat every time one of the elite, ruling class says, “boo.”

I was present at the Fox News Republican debate in Myrtle Beach the Monday night before the South Carolina primary. I knew the election was turning when the crowd erupted with emotion at Gingrich’s impassioned exchange with Juan Williams. In a moment, Gingrich captured the rage of decent Americans who have had about all of the left wing grandstanding and moderate soft talk we can stand. He stood up and spoke out with clarity, not compromise, and just about every person in the house stood up with him. Maybe the response of the crowd wasn’t reasonable but it was real. It may not have been well thought out but it was felt throughout America.

There were clear winners and losers both coming out of and remaining in South Carolina. A clear loser that remains is Governor Nikki Haley. She gave Mitt Romney her endorsement, campaigned with him, and invested all of her political capital toward a Romney victory. For Romney to lose by over 12 points with many of those points representing tea party votes is an embarrassment for someone whose political fortune is clearly tied to the tea party movement.
The losers coming out of South Carolina include Ron Paul and Mitt Romney. Ron Paul lost because he expected a third place finish in South Carolina and he finished fourth. Romney lost because his pathway to the nomination, which is being paved by the Republican establishment, ran headlong into the Tea Party. In her attacks on South Carolinians and their way of thinking Ann Coulter seems to forget that the historic take over of the House of Representatives by Republicans in 2010 was fueled by Tea Party Patriots and not by status quo Republicans.

The winners out of South Carolina are Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum. Gingrich raised 1 million dollars in the 12 hours following the primary. He turned an 18-point polling deficit in Florida into a 9-point plus advantage. Can he sustain it? It depends. Romney will now have to go on the attack. Can he rise to meet Newt’s passion in the debates or will he continue his platitudes in the face of Newt’s reasoned attacks against the left and passionate defense of American excpetionalism. I suspect that Newt’s attacks against the media will have a short shelf life if he pursues them to often.

Santorum is a winner coming out of South Carolina because he was able to post a strong third place showing. As long as he stays in the top three he will continue to raise enough money to soldier on. His conservative message of traditional, evangelical, family values paired with fiscal conservatism and a strong understanding of America’s role as a leader in the world will continue to resonate. And who knows, if he hangs in there in this crazy, unpredictable political climate the other candidates might take each other out giving Santorum a renewed chance of winning the nomination.

You can hear Dr. Tony Beam live on Christian Talk 660 weekday mornings from 7:00-9:00 AM (EST) as he is the host of Christian Worldview Today. Visit Dr. Beam’s website at www.tonybeam.com.

Dr. Tony Beam is Vice-President for Student Services and the Director of the Christian Worldview Center at North Greenville University in Tigerville, South Carolina, Dr. Tony Beam received his Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, and his Doctor of Ministry from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

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Exercise with Godliness

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Christian Faith In America

Pastor Carlton Cleveland

Sermon preached by Carlton Cleveland

Have you ever heard someone say “drop and give me 25″? Typically it refers to doing 25 push-ups. It is what drill instructors might tell new Marine recruits or a football coach might tell his team. It is part of physical training for the body. It might hurt, or be tiring. Likewise when you exercise godliness it can at push you beyond your comfort zone. In 1 Timothy 4:7-8, Paul explains the value of “exercising” godliness.

In order to strive toward godliness you must Exercise yourself… “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness” ~1 Timothy 4:7

You must realize godliness is a Profitable matter… “for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” ~1 Timothy 4:8

You must understand godliness is a Progressive matter… “for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” ~1 Timothy 4:8

When it comes to physical training, it becomes easier to “drop and do 25″ push ups as you train and your body responds by getting stronger. The same is true in spiritual matters. James 1:3 (NIV) says “…that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” So here are 25 exercise routines you can do to increase godliness. In each of the 25 different exercises below you can “drop and do 25.” The more exercises you do, the stronger you get spiritually. Stretch yourself.

25 Spiritual Exercise Routines

The Exercise of Prayer – 25 minutes a day.
The Exercise of Bible Reading – 25 minutes a day.
The Exercise of Memorization – memorize 25 Bible verses this year.
The Exercise of Evangelism – share the Gospel with 25 people this year.
The Exercise of Good Deeds for your church – 25 this year.
The Exercise of Good Deeds for your fellow man – 25 this year.
The Exercise of Faith – attempt 25 acts that require pure faith this year.
The Exercise of Forgiveness – completely forgive 25 people this year.
The Exercise of (Agape) Love – love 25 undeserving people this year.
The Exercise of Tithing (not “tipping”) – give extra to God 25 times this year.
The Exercise of Friendship – befriend 25 new friends this year (In real life, not on Facebook!)
The Exercise of Family – accomplish 25 home improvements this year.
The Exercise of Temptation – overcome 25 temptations this year (using prayer, fasting, and sincerely seeking the Lord.
The Exercise of Church – attend 25 extra services this year.
The Exercise of the Tongue – identify 25 ways you will control your tongue this year.
The Exercise of being Poor in Spirit – identify 25 areas where you are spiritually empty of God.
The Exercise of Mourning – identify 25 areas that you are broken over.
The Exercise of Meekness – identify 25 areas that you are willing to humble yourself before God
The Exercise of Hunger and Thirst (after righteousness) – identify 25 ways you will increase your spiritual appetite.
The Exercise of Mercy (tenderness) – identify 25 people you can extend tenderness.
The Exercise of Purity – identify 25 areas where you can practice purity.
The Exercise of Peacemaker – identify 25 situations where you can restore peace.
The Exercise of Persecution – identify 25 areas where you will openly stand up for Christ and not be ashamed.
The Exercise of Being a Salty Saint – identify 25 places where you can make it a better place.
The Exercise of Being the Light – Determine to shine the light of Christ in 25 dark sinful places.

Carlton Cleveland is the lead pastor of Potters Clay Fellowship (PCF) in Easley, SC. If you are in the Greater Easley area, you can worship at PCF on Sundays at 10:30 AM and 6 :00 PM. You can also attend Sunday School Sundays at 9:30 AM or get in the mid week Bible study Wednesdays at 7:oo PM. There is something for all ages at PCF. “No matter who you are, no matter what you have done, no matter where you have been… YOU will be loved in this place.” Visit the PCF website at www.pottersclayfellowship.com.

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Who Won The CNN/Southern Republican Debate?

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Christian Faith In America

By Dr. Tony Beam.

Who Won The CNN/Southern Republican Debate? The truth is… It doesn’t matter. At this point in this epic back and forth, up and down, in and out fight for the Republican nomination it really doesn’t matter who won or lost the last debate. What matters is this one, simple, indisputable fact. Which of the final four can wake this country up from the nightmare that is the Obama Administration?

We already know more about these candidates than we have known about any candidate for president since 1980. They have been vetted, re-vetted, examined, dissected, and picked over to the point of insanity. The media, the press, the democrats, fellow Republicans, and average, everyday citizens have asked every conceivable question and raised very possible scenario that any president might face during his or her tenure in the White House. It’s time to turn off the grill and decide which of the candidates are ready to serve.

The last debate before the South Carolina primary was the most informative of all the debates to date. Here are the primary points to ponder while on your way to the polls on Saturday:

Do you believe that Mitt Romney, the architect of government run, government mandated healthcare can make the case for the repeal of Obamacare without being laughed off of the debate stage? Believe me, I get the fact that, as government monstrosities go, Romney care is dwarfed by Obamacare. You can make any comparison you want between what Governor Romney did in Massachusetts and President Obama did in Washington. But at the end of the debate the fact remains we have a Republican frontrunner who says he is a conservative who, when he had the chance to craft a healthcare plan for his state decided a government mandate is better than a free market solution. On Thursday night, Rick Santorum finally penetrated the shield Mitt Romney has somehow managed to raise around Romneycare. If a Republican can successfully hang Romney with Romneycare what do you think President Obama will do?
Do you believe that a strong, constitutional government means babies can be aborted in one state while their lives are protected in another? Do you believe marriage can be defined by twenty-five states as being exclusively between a man and a woman and in 25 states as whatever the left can dream up? Are you ok with legalized prostitution, legalized drugs and a near isolationist foreign policy that will move America from the shinning city on a hill to the dark fortress behind the moat? Ron Paul’s libertarian world may sound like a utopia to his followers but to me it sounds like chaos and confusion on steroids. If abortion is the murder of an innocent, pre-born child who became a living being at the moment of conception and who is made in the image of the Creator then why would we allow it in any state? If abortion is legal in Maine and illegal in South Carolina do you think a young, scared, pregnant girl might get on a plane in South Carolina and fly to Maine to have an abortion? How about this? Let’s say you have two lesbians who get legally married in New York. Suppose one of the women is impregnated by artificial insemination and has a baby. Later, she decides to exit the homosexual lifestyle so she takes her biological baby and goes to South Carolina where same-sex marriage is illegal. Will the courts give the baby to the biological mother who now wants the child to be raised in a traditional home or will a lesbian in New York raise the child? If we legalize drugs do you think the addiction rates will go up or come down? How about the Taliban? Are they murderous dictators who like to cut the heads off of the people who challenge them or are they just misunderstood people who are defending their country? These are all questions you need to answer before you pick to a libertarian to be the standard bearer for the Republican Party.\
Does Newt Gingrich have the discipline necessary to turn his big ideas into legislation that can be passed and implemented? Gingrich has been brilliant in the debates and on the stump. But at some point the candidate has to leave the stage and come down from the stump and actually govern. Big ideas have to implemented through a series of big decisions. Making big decisions requires discipline and the leadership to turn big decisions into policy requires focus. Does Newt Gingrich have the discipline necessary to turn his big ideas into big decisions that can become the laws that will restore our republic?
Finally, can a good man who loves his family and has a mostly consistent record of sticking to and leading on conservative issues overcome his few areas of inconsistency and defeat President Obama? Rick Santorum’s strength may be his greatest weakness. He is truly a good guy and in a postmodern world that has abandoned truth and reason good guys often finish last. Is he tough enough to go toe to toe with President Obama and come out on top? Rick Santorum is one of the most vilified people on the planet and his tormentors are the radical leftists who hate everything he stands for and has fought for. It would take a miracle for him to be elected president in the current cultural and political atmosphere. But then again, we thought it would be a miracle if he won Iowa.

The debate this past Thursday night should be the last. We don’t need any more debates to help us understand the positions and the potential of the candidates. Five candidates that started the race are gone. Cain, Huntsman, Bachman, Perry, and Pawlenty have all been eliminated from the race by the process of endless examination. Now it’s crunch time for the four who are left standing. Let’s review it, think it through, pray over it and then make a decision. Our future depends on it.

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Obama Administration “Rigging” US Census By Counting Illegal Aliens

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Christian Faith In America

By Chuck Baldwin
January 20, 2012

The Barack Obama administration is quietly in the process of rigging use of the US Census of 2010, which deliberately counted millions of illegal aliens, for the purpose of restructuring the apportionment of the US House of Representatives. Accordingly, as candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor of one of the negatively affected states (Montana), Mr. Bob Fanning and I have joined with several others in becoming amici curiae in a pending federal lawsuit brought by the State of Louisiana against the US Secretary of Commerce, et al., which was filed January, 13, 2012 in the United States Supreme Court.

What has happened is, the US Census Bureau erroneously claims that it “‘is required by the U.S. Constitution count everyone living in this country, regardless of immigration or citizenship status.’” Accordingly, they have counted millions of illegal aliens in the 2010 Census and are using those figures to apportion the US House of Representatives. If this egregious misinterpretation of the US Constitution is allowed to stand, five states (Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, and Ohio) will lose representation in the US Congress to which they are lawfully entitled, while three states (California, Texas, and Florida) will be awarded additional representation in the US Congress to which they are not lawfully entitled. And, of course, this will also directly impact the makeup of the Electoral College, which ultimately elects the President of the United States.

Of course, this manipulation of the 2010 US Census also impacts the election of the US President, as those states that are granted more seats in the US Congress are also granted more votes in the Electoral College as the Electoral College is composed of a “Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress. . . .” (Article. II. Section. I. Clause. 2. US Constitution). And, as everyone knows, under the US Constitution, it is the Electoral College that ultimately elects the President of the United States. Thus, the states of Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, and Ohio, will be unjustly denied their lawful votes in the Electoral College, while California, Texas, and Florida, are being unjustly granted unlawful votes in the Electoral College. Would it not be extraordinary if the margin by which President Obama is re-elected in the Electoral College would be provided by the manipulation of the census data under his control? Again, this would be an outrage!

In essence, the Obama administration is rigging the US Census to steal a congressional seat from the State of Montana. This rigging will keep Montana from having a second congressional representative. If the illegals in California, Texas, and Florida are not included, then Montana will receive two congressional seats and four electoral votes. Under Obama’s rigging plan, Montana will continue to have only one congressional seat and three electoral votes.

Considering the major media and even most “conservative” talking heads have said virtually nothing about this monstrous misallocation of constitutional government is just the latest example of how truly out of touch the people who are entrusted to inform the American people really are.

The plaintiff in this case is the State of Louisiana, which has now been joined and supported by amici U.S. Border Control, U.S. Border Control Foundation, U.S. Justice Foundation, Institute on the Constitution, Gun Owners of America, Inc., Gun Owners Foundation, English First, English First Foundation, Conservative Legal Defense and Education Fund, The Lincoln Institute for Research and Education, Public Advocate of the United States, Policy Analysis Center, Virginia Del. Bob Marshall, Oklahoma Rep. Charles Key, Maryland Del. Don Dwyer, Washington Rep. Matt Shea, Wyoming Sen. Kit Jennings, as well as Candidate for Governor of Montana, Bob Fanning, and Candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Montana, Chuck Baldwin.

Attorneys filing this brief before the US Supreme Court are Herbert W. Titus, William J. Olson, John S. Miles, Jeremiah L. Morgan (of the law firm of William J. Olson, P.C. of Vienna, Virginia) and Gary G. Kreep (of the U.S. Justice Foundation).

As citizens of the State of Montana, and as candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor of the State of Montana, Bob Fanning and I are outraged at this unconstitutional manipulation of the 2010 US Census, and the subsequent unconstitutional and unlawful misapportionment of the US House of Representatives. We are further outraged that our own governor, Brian Schweitzer (the incumbent Democrat governor who is term-limited out of office after the completion of his current term) has done nothing to prevent the people of the State of Montana from being denied the rightful seating of an additional US House member from the Montana delegation to Washington, D.C. He has not served as Montana’s watchman, to make certain that our State is being treated fairly by the Obama administration. Louisiana has been forced to go it alone, as the only State willing to bring this challenge. By not joining the lawsuit against the Obama administration, what Governor Schweitzer in essence is doing is allowing illegal aliens to deny the due representation of the citizens of Montana in Washington, D.C. This is an outrage!

It is a gross misinterpretation of the US Constitution to claim that the US Census is supposed to “count everyone living in this country.” Article. I. Section. I. Clause 3. as amended by Section. 2. of the 14th Amendment authorizes “a targeted decennial census of the ‘respective numbers’ of ‘the People’ of the several States, not a wholesale count of the numbers of persons found ‘living’ in the United States.” The term “the People” is a technical term used in the U.S. Constitution to refer to the polity, that is, the people who constituted the government and who are legal citizens of the nation. Only by such a tailored count can the constitutionally-authorized decennial census serve the purpose for which that census has been required–the apportionment of representation of the people of the several states in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“It is manifestly untrue that the decennial census ordained by the Constitution is to be taken without regard to a person’s ‘immigration or citizenship status.’ The decennial census is conducted for the apportionment of representation in the House of Representatives, the members of which are ‘chosen every second Year by the People of the several States.’ (Article. I. Section. 2. Clause. 1. US Constitution). The first sentence of the 14th Amendment establishes a symbiotic relationship between a person’s United States citizenship and that person’s State citizenship. Thus, whether a person is part of ‘the People’ of a State is largely, if not exclusively, dictated by a person’s ‘immigration or citizenship status.’ Any census that ignores that connection is fatally flawed.”

In the afore-mentioned lawsuit, we are asking the US Supreme Court to preserve the integrity of the US House of Representatives and Electoral College.

I can tell you that the people who want to disassemble constitutional government in this country are hoping that no one notices what the Obama administration is doing to manipulate the 2010 US Census to unlawfully reconstruct the US House of Representatives and Electoral College. Well, I can tell you, Bob Fanning and I (along with the other amici curiae supporting Louisiana in this lawsuit) are not going to let that happen!

I will be holding a press conference to blow the whistle on what is taking place to deny the people of the State of Montana (along with the people of the states of Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio) their lawful representation in Washington, D.C. I am also using the influence and outreach of this column to alert the American people as to how the Obama administration is attempting to manipulate the US House of Representatives and Electoral College.

It is more than interesting also that the “anointed” establishment neocon Republican Montana gubernatorial candidate, Rick Hill, has, himself, not even bothered to alert the people of Montana to this travesty. Why not? Rick is a career politician who once served in the US House of Representatives from Montana. One would think he would want to protect the people of the State of Montana from this outrage. But he has said nothing! Plus, have you heard anything about this from any of the “conservative” talking heads on FOX News? No you haven’t! Why not? Why is it left to this column to alert you to this gross violation of constitutional government?

Therefore, I unashamedly appeal to readers to help Bob and I carry this fight to preserve the integrity of the US House of Representative and the Electoral College to the US Supreme Court. Please go to our web site at: http://www.fanning-baldwin.com

I also highly encourage readers to visit the web site of the law firm filing this brief. William J. Olson, Herbert Titus, et al., have been at the front lines in helping to defend constitutional government for longer than many of us have been alive. Bill Olson and Herb Titus have defended a sizeable number of patriot organizations and individuals against federal usurpation for decades. I don’t know of another law firm with the credentials and track record of fighting for constitutional government, Second Amendment rights, and individual liberty anywhere in the country than the law firm of William J. Olson, P.C.

To learn more about this lawsuit and the Olson law firm, go to:

http://www.lawandfreedom.com/

In the meantime, each of us should be using our individual and collective sphere of influence to trumpet this attempted travesty as loudly as possible! I especially encourage readers in the states of Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, and Ohio to demand of every elected public office holder in their respective states to use every means possible to defend the lawful rights of their states to proper representation in the US House of Representatives and the Electoral College. The people of America simply must not allow this flagrant manipulation of the 2010 US Census to take place! If the Obama administration gets by with this now, think how the states’ representation in Congress will be abused in the future.

This column is archived at
http://chuckbaldwinlive.com/home/?p=4422

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Copyright © Chuck Baldwin

NOTE TO THE READER:

Chuck Baldwin is a syndicated columnist, radio broadcaster, author, and pastor dedicated to preserving the historic principles upon which America was founded. He was the 2008 Presidential candidate for the Constitution Party. He and his wife, Connie, have 3 children and 8 grandchildren. See Chuck’s complete bio at:

http://chuckbaldwinlive.com/home/?page_id=6

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Warvangelicals

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Christian Faith In America

By Coach Dave Daubenmire
Originally Published on NewsWithViews.com
Reprinted with Permission of the author

I want you to know right up front that I am not a pacifist.

I believe in a strong military, and that national defense is one of the Constitutional responsibilities of our government. When a “terrorist” blows up a group of people He should be swiftly put to death.

I believe in a strong national defense and that our obligation is to America first.

But I do not believe in continuous wars, especially the politically-correct ones.

You know what I am talking about.

The types of wars we fight today are, for the most part, offensive, even though our leaders try to convince us that they are necessary for our defense.

Most are not. At least not in my life time. America has been at war somewhere in the world for the entirety of my 59 years on this earth. WWI was known as “the war to end all wars,” which of course it didn’t. It was just a slogan. Americans like slogans. Slogans often masquerade the real issue and make us feel better about jumping on the bandwagon..

The war on terror, the war on drugs, the war on poverty, and the war on ignorance are all nothing more than sloganeering. It is high time the American people came to the realization that each one of those wars was never engaged with victory as the goal. It was the fighting of the war, the funding of the war, and the perpetuation of the war that they were interested in.

Billions of dollars have been thrown down a rat-holes fighting wars that they knew could not be won. And many became rich. The same applies to military wars.

Today we continue to fight in Afghanistan even though America is insolvent.

No one can tell you why we are there. I think it somehow connects to 19 Saudis flying planes into the Twin Towers back in 2001 and “The War on Terror”, but that is just a guess.

Somewhere along the line somebody figured out that there were a lot of dollars to be made in war. Bullets and bombs were needed for war and a sinister group of warmongers figured out a way to make millions by performing their “civic duty” by supplying the ammo…often to both sides.

Christian/conservative Republicans are the greatest promoters of this perpetual-state-of-war. They serve the Prince of Peace by cheering, and voting, for war.

Someone coined the term “Warvangelicals.” They are determined to evangelize the world through the barrel of a rifle. Jesus warned us to be careful…those who live by the sword shall die by the sword.

If you listen closely you will hear the rattle of death reverberating through the American economy. Misuse of the “sword” is bringing death to America.

Wars will not destroy America, but paying for them will. Will the Republican Party even permit you to be a member if you happen to be against the wars?

I am for a strong military, but am against an ever-increasing Department of Defense budget. Did you know that America has military facilities in over 138 different countries including 218 in Germany, 115 in Japan, and 86 in South Korea? “War-mongers”, not liberators,is what the Eastern World calls us.

We have nearly 1.5 million Americans currently serving in the Armed Forces. Nearly 20% of them are deployed overseas. This “Policeman of the World” approach is enriching the Industrial/Military complex, but busting the banks of the American people. Over 400,000 Americans are enriching the economies of other nations through their deployment.

The world has changed, but America is stuck in the “Cold-War” mindset. Why is it the job of Americans to pay for the defense of Germany…or Japan…or South Korea? The American economic coffers are being bled dry. “Those who live by the sword…”

How did war become a Christian/Conservative value?

Christians are soooo confused. Willfully ignorant might be a more appropriate description. Flag-waving Christians are the most ardent supporters of military intervention. Sadly, they know nothing of the theory of just war.

The Principles of Just Wars are:

1. Just cause/right intention: A just war must be fought only for purposes of self-defense against armed attack or to right a serious wrong.
2. Proper authority: A war is just only if waged by a legitimate authority.
3. Last resort: A just war must be the last resort; all peaceful options must be exhausted before the use of force can be justified.
4. Probability of success: There must be a reasonable chance of success; deaths and injury that result from a hopeless cause cannot be morally justified.
5. Beneficial outcome: The outcome of the war must be better than the situation that would exist had the war not taken place.
6. Proportionality: The violence and destruction must be proportional to the injury suffered.Does that sound to you like any of the “conflicts” that we have recently found ourselves embroiled in? America has not fought a “just war” since WWII.

Now, Evangelical favorite Rick Santorum wants to bomb Iran.

My greatest concern from a military point of view is not that Iran may bomb us, but that we are vulnerable to an attack here at home. Fighting in Afghanistan, or keeping Iran from getting a bomb, will not increase security here at home. The enemy is already amongst us. Perhaps we can catch them at the airport!

(Oh I am going to lose half of my friends because of what I am about to say…but I’ve got to say it.)

Much of the reason we are such interventionalists in the Middle East is the position held by most Evangelicals that we have a religious obligation to defend Israel. To say otherwise is to be called “anti-Semitic,” “anti-Israel,” or “un-Biblical.” Listen to how often the Republican candidates mention the word “Israel.” This a Pavlovian trick that makes Evangelicals mouth’s water.

I am not anti-Israel nor anti-Semitic. I am pro-America. If we don’t return to an America-first policy we won’t be able to defend ourselves, let alone our friends in the Middle East.

America has spent a generation arming Israel. Estimates are that Israel is currently in possession of as many as 400 nuclear warheads. American foreign aid to Israel paid for most of their weaponry. They are far and away the most powerful, well armed military in the Middle East.

I understand that God has an “everlasting covenant” with Israel. I understand that those who “bless Israel” will be blessed. I understand that Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East. But I can not find one Biblical admonition to “protect” Israel. I do find the Lord asking us to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” Do we “bless Israel” by sending foreign aid to her enemies?

Is it the obligation of the US Government to defend the nation of Israel? The Covenant was a Covenant between God and Israel. God will keep His promise. Why do Christians see it as our obligation to do for Israel what God has promised HE will do? A broken, financially bankrupt America cannot protect Israel. Only God can do that.

The Kingdom of God is a Spiritual Kingdom, not a natural one. It is the “Spiritual Israel” that God has made the Covenant with. Remember, He told us that “My Kingdom is not of this world.” It is to natural-Israel that Jesus will return and set up his “everlasting Kingdom.” Does He need our intervention to help him keep His Word?

Remember that popular bumper sticker after 911…THE POWER OF PRIDE? Perhaps that is our problem.

Warvangelicals are more concerned with protecting Israel than they are in protecting America. There is nothing “Christian” about invading a sovereign nation and killing innocent women and children. Has the American military now become the “Army of God.”

It is not popular to say it in Evangelical circles, but Christians should not rejoice in the killing of innocent Muslim women and children. Each one is a potential child of the Living God and Christians should be more interested in flooding the Middle East with Bibles rather than bombs. Just War…remember? Currently, they are more interested in “spreading democracy” than they are in spreading the Gospel.

God is judging America, not because we are turning our backs on Israel, but because we are a decadent, insolent, greedy, blood-thirsty nation that winks at the shedding of innocent blood in the womb, while we “high-five” the killing of innocent children in other parts of the world. We have rejected God. Our works are “continuously evil in His sight” and our hands are stained with innocent blood.

I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: Deut. 30:19.

America is dying because we have chosen death and Warvangelicals are the varsity cheerleaders of the War Party.

There, I said it. Are we still friends?

Click Here for an audio version of this commentary.

Coach Dave Daubenmire

Coach Dave Daubenmire, founder and President of Pass The Salt Ministries www.ptsalt.com and Minutemen Unitedwww.minutemenunited.org, is host of the high octane Pass The Salt radio show heard in Columbus, Ohio.

In 1999 Coach Daubenmire was sued by the ACLU for praying with his teams while coaching high school in Ohio. He now spends his energy fighting for Christian principles in the public domain.

E-Mail: coach@ptsalt.com

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