Committed to Christ

2010-09-22T00:03:00.002-04:00

THE COVENANTS AND THE IMPORTANCE OF THEM

I am sure you all know about the promises made to Noah, Abraham, and David.

Well what kind of covenants were they? All of these covenants were unconditional covenants that God made with these men.

Now why would God make so many covenants with a bunch of men?
Let's observe the scriptures and see why they were so special.

Noah: Genesis 6:8, "Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD."

Abraham: James 2:23, "Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God."

David: 1 Samuel 13:14,"the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart,".

THE COVENANTS

* (Genesis 9) God's promise to Noah was the "Noahic Covenant". The promise that God would never again flood the earth. The sign of this covenant is the "bow in the clouds", commonly known as a rainbow. We are still seeing the signs of this unconditional and everlasting covenant today.

* (Genesis 12-15) God's promise to Abraham, the Abrahamic Covenant, was the promise of land (Genesis 12:1), the promise of descendants (Genesis 12:2), and the promise of blessing and redemption (Genesis 12:3). The ceremony of this covenant was preformed in Genesis 15. The special part of this covenant is that God swore by his very being, to keep this promise.

Now, since Abraham had more then one son, (Ishmael and Isaac), God clarifies through scripture which son and grandson were to continue the blessings and inheritance."The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob," Acts 3:13"

* (2nd Samuel 7) God promises David and Israel that the Messiah (Jesus Christ) would come from the lineage of David and the tribe of Judah and would establish a kingdom that would endure forever (vs 10-13).

1) In this Covenant, God reaffirms the promise of the land that He made in the first two covenants (Abrahamic and Mosaic) with Israel.

2) God promises that David’s descendants or “seed” will succeed him as king of Israel and that David’s throne will be established forever. The special part of this covenant was that it was not only everlasting in this life, it was eternal!

Not many people these day's really seem to understand the concept of these covenants or any covenant for this matter. (Check out how many marriages are holding up these days and you'll understand my point.)

I could list dozens and dozens of promises that God made to Israel, but because of lack of space and time, I'll just pick out several important verses throughout the bible that go along with the importance of these covenants.

God says in Psalms 89:28-37, My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him. His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven. If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments; Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.
My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me. It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah."

God's covenant to David was so very important to Him.

When God allowed Israel to go into captivity because of their ungodliness, the Israelites were wondering if God was totally cutting them off forever. God assured his people that it was only temporary.

Isaiah 54:7-10, For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer. For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee.

God says that the Mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed, and yet Israel will still recieve his blessings.

Jeremiah 31:35-37, "Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name: If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever. Thus saith the LORD; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD."

Now, if God no longer controls the sun, moon, stars, and sea, then Israel will cease from being a nation forever! We all know that God is still in control of all those things. So, therefore, Israel must still be a nation blessed by Him. By the way, the heavens CANNOT be measured.
This passage of scripture is also repeated in Jeremiah 33:20-21, 25-26.

These are just a couple verses where God reminds Israel that He will not break the covenant with them, no matter what they do.

Now on to the belief of. . . .

The Church Is Israel And Israel Is The Church.

This is a belief among some evangelical Christians in our day and age that the physical
nation of Israel has no place in the future times and that they are NO LONGER God's people.

Is this true? Let's explore what the New Testament says about this since we already know what the Old Testament says concerning this subject.

"I say then, Hath God cast away his people (Israel)?. . . Romans 11:1"
(The Greek word here for cast away is "Apothomia" meaning to totally reject.)

Has God cast away his people? That question is very common these days. Then again most people don't even bother to question they just say "God has cast away his people, because they rejected the Messiah." Did He really cast them off?

Paul answers this question in the rest of the chapter.

"God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew." Romans 11:1b-2a
(The greek word for "God Forbid" means, "NO. Can't happen. Never." The word that is used here is the strongest greek word for no.)

So, if the Jews were not cast off, then why does Romans 9,10, and parts of 11, say that the Jews are cut off?

Romans 11 makes it clear that the Jews were cut off...but only temporarily.

"For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: Romans 11:25-26"

"Until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in." What does that mean?

This means that God has set the Jews aside until He's finished with the Church. The Church will be raptured, then God will bring up His people again. This time ALL Israel will finally except Jesus Christ as their Messiah. At this point, 144,000 young men of Israel will be sealed by God and will go out into the world and proclaim the message of Christ, and multitudes will accept Him as their Lord and Saviour. Israel will finally be the Light of the World that God created them to be. Isaiah 43:21, "This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise."

The Jews have never fulfilled their purpose. So, before anyone can assume that they are finished, they MUST fulfill the purpose God created them to do. Even then, according to the Davidic Covenant, they will still be His people. :D :D

Now, just to be sure that I was interpreting scripture correctly, I researched to see how some great men of God interpreted it. Matthew Henry, Adam Clarke, Charles Spurgeon, John MacArthur, Jonathon Edwards, D.L Moody, all say that these verses and God's future promise to Israel are literal.

The Beach!

2009-09-01T21:26:00.010-04:00

Last week, I had the honor of taking my grandparents down to a desolate beach in Longboat Key, Sarasota. They were staying for a week and wanted a little company, so I just "had" to go along! It was such a peaceful little beach and it was so nice to just relax after a stressful week. Anyways, I drove them there (scary, I know!) on a Sunday and stayed till Tuesday afternoon. These are a bunch of pictures that we took of our little beach. I hope y'all enjoy them :).

The very secluded beach....We were so blessed to have such a nice place and not have to worry about immodest people.

But there was this one guy......

He just kept looking at us......

It kinda creeped us out......

The weird dude that kept watching us. :)

The view from our backyard

The pretty little walkway from the courtyard to the beach.

Jessica :).

Relaxation...

The bay. This is a good place to go fishing at night.

Jess and I at our favorite dock :).

Life is sweet! :)

Cool feet pic! I got this pic by hanging upside down off the dock :).

Resting.....Okay, not 100% true. I was kinda posing in this pic too! :).

These evil little sand spurs hurt really bad. Especially when you get them in the bottom of your foot!

AHH! It's the murky water shadow people!

Scenery. :)

(Stating the obvious) Jess and I :).

Not a very happy looking fellow is he?

A cool looking thingamabob that washed up on the shore.

Had to get a picture of bare feet in this post. (flip flops don't count.)

Leaving Anna Marie Island and enjoying the boats :).

After we left the Island, the sky got dark and rainy. It was almost like a tropical storm cause the wind was really bad and the rain was pouring down. But after sitting for awhile waiting for it to stop, this is what we were blessed with seeing.

God's wonderful promise. How can anyone deny that there is a God when they see a beautiful rainbow?

Peter Marshall Sermon.

2009-07-20T23:05:00.000-04:00

A sermon off of the movie "A Man Called Peter." A true story about a Scottish Preacher here in America during the 40's. An awesome video made in Hollywood....You will possibly be shocked about what "Hollywood" allowed in this movie, and how much our society has changed. This Sermon is about the downfall of America and how we need godly men to stand up! (They thought it was bad in the 40's) :( :(

P.S The actor is not Billy Chapin. Peter Marshall is played by Richard Todd.

Independence Day Tea Party, 2009.

2009-07-04T15:50:00.008-04:00

On July 4th, my father, my siblings, and I went to our local tea party.
We had a good turnout....about 500 people. :) Before the party was a parade, as you may see some parade pic's.
Hope you enjoy the pictures!

This picture speaks for itself.

Ronald Mcdonald waving at Ben....(He liked his red hair.)

Uncle Sam pointing at me/camera :).

The parade signs.....

Amen to both of them :).

This lady posed just for me :).

America Bless GOD.

Daddy and his sign. "Where's the birth certificate?"

"Don't tread on me."

The man with the kilt. He was a funny little man. :)

Sam and his sign. "Happy B-Day Mr. President. Where were you born?"

The pastor about to give the invocation.

The singing of the National Anthem.

"Speak for yourself, Mr President. We are a Christian nation!"
A sign I really liked :).

I liked this sign.

A man running for congress. :)

I liked this lady's accesories.

Our senator, Rhonda Storms. She was good :).

A simple American flag waving in the wind.

A mother and her young children.

Mr. Randy Wilkinson. He's running for Congress, too!

Mrs. Storms being taken captive by the media. :)

"Congress will pay on election day!" Yep, thats true! Cause next time I get to vote. Look out Washington! :)

A long time family friend and our representative...Miss Rachel Burgin.

To My Father.

2009-06-24T21:21:00.003-04:00

My daddy was my hero
For my very youngest years;
Daddy kept me safe and happy,
And he chased away my fears.
I watched in awe and wonder
At each manly thing he did;
Oh, I looked up to my daddy,
When I was a little kid

My dad was still my hero,
As the years passed, one by one.
He taught important lessons,
And he took some time for fun.
He was my firm foundation;
On my dad I did depend;
He was always there for me,
My dad, my guide, my friend

My father is my hero,
Now that I am fully grown
I love him and respect him,
The best man I've ever known.
I know that when I marry
That my husband has to be
A great man, just like my father,
Dad, my hero you'll always be."
-Author Unknown

Just some pictures of Daddy and Us.

HAPPY FATHERS DAY!! We love you Daddy!!

The letter. . . .

2009-06-18T19:29:00.006-04:00

Dear Friend,

As you get up this morning, I watched you and hoped you would talk to me--even if it was just a few words, asking my opinion or thanking me for something good that happened in your life yesterday, but I noticed you were too busy trying to find the right outfit to put on and wear to work. So I waited....

When you ran around the house getting ready, I knew there would be a few minutes for you to stop and say "hello," but you were too busy. At one point you had to wait 15 minutes with nothing to do except sit in a chair. Then I saw you spring to your feet. I thought you wanted to talk to me, but you ran to the phone and called a friend to get the latest gossip. I watched as you went to work, and I waited patiently all day long. . .

With all your activities I guess you were to busy to say anything to me. I noticed that before lunch you looked all around. Maybe you felt embarrased to talk to me, and that is why you didn't bow your head. You glanced three or four tables over and you noticed some of your friends talking to me briefly before they ate. . . but you didn't. That's okay . . . There is still some time left, and I have hope you will talk to me even yet.

You went home , and it seems as if you had lots of things to do. After a few of them were done, you turned on the TV. I don't know if I like TV or not. Just about anything goes there, and you spend a lot of time each day in front of it, not thinking--just enjoying the show. I waited patiently again as you watched TV and ate your meal . . . but again you didn't talk to me.

As you did your homework I waited again, as you did what you had to do. At bedtime. . . .I guess you felt too tired. After you said good night to your family, you plopped into bed and fell asleep in no time. That's okay, because you may not realize that I am always there for you. I've got patience--more then you will ever know. I even want to teach you how to be patient with others as well. It was because I loveyou so much, that a long time ago I left a wonderful place called Heaven and came to earth. I gave it up to be ridiculed and made fun of. I even died so you wouldn't have to take my place. I love you so much that I wait--everyday--for a nod, a prayer, a thought or a thankful place in your heart. It is so hard to have a one-sided conversation. Well, you are getting up again; and once again, I will wait . . . with nothing but love for you, hoping that today you will give me some time. I have always loved you, and I always will.

Have a nice day!

Your Friend,

~Jesus~

And so it begans.....

2009-06-08T22:53:00.000-04:00

So begins the Christian persecution here in America. Street preachers being thrown in jail for preaching during a satanic parade. Not being able to preach against Homosexuality. Families not being allowed to hold a bible study/church service in their own homes. The government outlawing evangelizing on a college campus. Saying "Praise the Lord" or " in Jesus's name" in public could get you thrown in prison and the list goes on and on. I know Christians have been persecuted here in America since our Lord was taken out of our society, but we have come to where it is almost illegal just to be one. I have been researching some verses throughout my study notes and found all these verses about persecution and encouragement when going through persecution.

(In the last day's) Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
2 timothy 3:12

Okay, so maybe that wasn't one of the most encouraging verses in the Bible, but Christians need to know the promise that God made to us for the last days. Even though we shall suffer persecution, He promises to be with us through it all! Also....

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Matthew 5:10-12

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Romans 8:18

"For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open
unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?
But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid
of their terror, neither be troubled; But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Having a good conscience; that whereas they speak evil of you, as of evil doers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing." 1st Peter 3:12-17

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalms 27:1

Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah. Psalms 32:7

Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy.
Psalms 33:18

Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
Psalms 37:7

The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. The LORD shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.
Psalms 37:12-13

But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strenth in the time of trouble.
And the LORD shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.
Psalms 37: 39-40

For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me. But thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us. In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever. Selah.
Psalms 44:6-8

GOD is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will we not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
Psalms 46:1-2

For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.
Psalms 48:14

Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, hich frameth mischief by a law?
They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood. But the LORD is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge.
Psalms 94:22

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory though our Lord Jesus Christ.
1st Corinthians 15:55-57

But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on his behalf. 1st Peter 4:15-16

Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of thier souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.
1 peter 4:19

Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,
Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision.
Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Psalm 2:1-5

Now...sometimes I get down and I think, "God, how can you let such a wicked man (Obama) have such a high place in our nation/world? Why can't there be a good, God-fearing, Christian man in this office?". I strongly believe that these are the end times and that God is using Obama to bring about the signs of the times."Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Matthew 24:34.

God says that there will be false prophets, men claiming to be like God, wars and rumors of wars, nation against nation, kingdom against kingdom, famines, pestilence, and earthquakes.

The Bible also says that nobody but God knows when Jesus shall return. But I found verses that encouraged me to make sure that whenever my Lord comes back, if I be alive, I am doing what He has told me/us to do. "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Matthew 24:42-46

I hope you all were encouraged by these verses. I know I was!

May God bless everyone this week.

In Christ,

Rachel

Freedom Is Not Free.

2009-05-24T22:52:00.005-04:00

Freedom Is Not Free
- Kelly Strong

I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it,
and then he stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud,
He'd stand out in any crowd.
I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers' tears?
How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No, freedom isn't free.

I heard the sound of TAPS one night,
When everything was still
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times
That TAPS had meant "Amen,"
When a flag had draped a coffin
Of a brother or a friend.
I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.
I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No, freedom isn't free.

God Bless Our Troops!

For the beauty of the earth.....

2009-05-16T22:00:00.004-04:00

Hey Y'all!
Sorry I haven't updated recently. My family and I have been on an amazing out west trip all the way to Washington state!!! Recently I did a little video of some amazing sights along our journey with a beautiful CD we got recently :). A lot of the pictures look professionally done, but they are all ours. My sister is a pretty awesome photographer. :) Hope you all enjoy this video.

In Christ, Rachel

BTW the families at the end are the Shaver and Graves family. :) Just put the picture on there for fun:).

Bartow Tea party.

2009-04-16T14:29:00.010-04:00

Samuel Adams wanna be...."Sam, Would you still wanna be like him, if you knew he is one of my Ancestors?? :D :D :D

My favorite Masterpiece. :D :D :D

Daddy's sign.

My two favorite people besides Mama :).

Bound for heaven!

Tell 'em!!

A speaker and his wife.

Grace and her sign. "It is when the people forget God, that tyrants forge their chains." ~Patrick Henry.

Protesters and their signs;).

Mrs Stokes and I.

Party like it's 1773!

More Protesters :).

AMEN!!

Gabriel: "Michael keep on eye on that trouble maker with the camera. She could be a problem." :)

Mrs Tanner and her sign. :)

Jordan speaking.

His Attentive listeners.:)

The Country Cousins.

God's the only one who can save US.

Daddy and Mr Stricklen.

The Cutest FBI agent ever!! :)

"Obama get your hands out of my piggy bank."

Sam getting angry with the FBI. (Free Born Individual)

Walking to Sonny's with my sign. People honked the entire time....Except the Tanners. :( :P. Haha

(Actual Conversation in restaurant)
Person 1# "Why do they dress like that?"
Person 2# "I don't know. Maybe they have low self esteem and they're just trying to get attention."

From reading through the Bible and the Constitution I have come to believe that taxes are not wrong and were biblical. I wanted you all to know that I did not protest against taxes yesterday, my reason for protesting is the out of contol spending. The government is allowed to tax, But the constitution tells them what they can tax people for in Article 1 section 8. The governments responsibility's come before anything, but our government is throwing off those responsibility's and are giving OUR money to organizations like Planned Parenthood and other wicked organizations. I am against President Obama and the government for not giving the American People a voice when it comes to making HUGE decisions that will affect this nation. I'm not against Taxes.

In Christ,
Rachel :)

America's Real Wake Up Call.....

2009-04-09T12:41:00.004-04:00

Kirk Cameron (Fireproof) evangelizes this man in an awesome eye opening way. Please take time to watch. It is really encouraging. This is the kinda "Change" our nation so badly needs.
http://www.wayofthemaster.com/

Reminder of R.E.D. March 31st, 2009

2009-03-30T21:18:00.005-04:00

Just a little reminder to those participating in the Red Envelope Day, that tomorrow is the day we are to send them to President Barack Obama. It's red envelopes with

President Barack Obama
1600 pennsylvania ave
Washington D.C 20500

Inscribed on the front. Then on the back of the envelope write

"This envelope represents one child who died because of an abortion. It
is empty because the life that was taken is now unable to be apart of our world."

You will leave the envelope empty.

Many people have said "You really think that this will make a difference?"

My answer to them is:

"With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. Matthew 19:26b"

"He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much:" Luke 16:10a

We just got to have faith because, "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will." Proverbs 21:1

God will do what he wants, But we've got to take the first step....we got to show God that we have faith and he will allow what he will allow. Also I want abortion gone, and I am willing to try anything and everything to get rid of it. Alot of people are doing this and I believe that the Voice of the American people is our strongest weapon (that and prayer).

I may be naive, but God tells us that we should have the faith of little children. :)

Also, on April 15th 2009, people from all over the USA will be gathering together to voice their opinions on President Barack Obama's 3.5 TRILLION dollar bailout. I am STRONGLY against this and believe that going into debt (even more) will not solve anything. I will be out there with others voicing my opinion. I pray you all will too.

http://www.teapartyday.com/

This is the website and you can find someone near you that has a group organized and you can join the group. :).

In Christ,

Rachel Graves.

Loving our enemies?

2009-03-17T16:23:00.001-04:00

This week God has laid on my heart the significance of prayer and how prayer is a Christian's greatest weapon. Several amazing changes could be happening in my family's future, But these amazing changes will open the floodgates of Hell on our family and anyone involved.
Because it could be an awesome opportunity to share the gospel and openly share God's word with our community.

God promises that we will suffer persecution for doing what he tells us to do. But He also tells us that if we suffer for him, we will be blessed. I wanted to encourage all you young people and adults who will have to stand up for Jesus. I am not an expert in this category, but my family and I have suffered many persecutions in many area's and God is always so merciful and brings us through it. Here is some scripture that I thought could encourage you all.

Matthew 5:10-11

"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake."

Romans 8:16-18

"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."

2 corinthians 12:9-10

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong."

John 15:18-21

"If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me."

Here in Matthew God promises that we will be hated for his sake.

If I had to be hated by everyone because I stuck to God's word and did what he told me, Then so be it, But I do not desire to be hated. Everyone desires to be loved by people. But I have seen that If your life as a Christian is a happy and comfortable life, Your doing something wrong. My family and I have a great life, We are happy, But every time we try to witness or do something for Christ, BAM! The devil attacks. One thing I've learned in my years as a Christian, God doesn't promise a long happy life for us on earth. He promises us that we will be hated, persecuted, cursed, and possibly even killed, for his sake. But Heaven will be very worth any suffering or persecutions we may go through. :)

Matthew 10:21-22

"And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved."

My advice to you is if there is something in your life that is causing you not to talk about God or maybe there is something taking the place of God. Then you need to ask God to remove that "parasite" (As mentioned in the Movie Fireproof).

I have many "parasites" that are taking God's place, one is Country Music. I seem to talk alot about it, when I should be talking about Christ. I've seen this struggle and I've asked God to remove all temptations I might have in this area. Now that doesn't mean I won't have temptations, because I've had several. But God allows the devil to tempt us when we are trying to do good just to see how strong we are. I hope you will all pray for me in this area.

James 5:16

"Confess your faults one to another, and pray for one another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

Our nation is becoming more and more like what God warns us about in his word. Christians are being persecuted and Christian's rights are being taken away. I wish I had been more effective for Christ, when It would not have been against the rules of the Government, but no matter what Christ always comes first. With God's help, I will share my faith with people I come in contact with. But if it means I must suffer with Jesus......I will suffer. Because God commands us to go out into the world and witness to everyone. No one is beyond God's grace.

Luke 14:23

"And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled."

Here is one verse that hits hard in my life. I cringe every time I hear it (ask my father if you don't believe me).

Matthew 5:44

"Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;"

I struggle with this verse all the time. Even with my younger brother (Who I promise God must have put on this earth to keep me humble!!) He is far from my enemy, but sometimes it is so hard to pray for him when we get in a fight. Sometimes I would rather be mad at him then pray for him ( Gotta tell you being mad at someone really drains you). But God sticks you in a rock and a hard place in this situation.

1st John 4:20

"If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?"

Even though I do not hate my brother, that one makes me cringe. That verse doesn't apply to just brothers, it applies to everyone, Including our enemies. I would count President Obama as my enemy, because he is making it difficult for Christians to share the gospel. But Still God commands us to love him. If I say I Love God, then I should also love President Obama. Now I know most likely I will get nailed for referring to "loving such an evil man." but the kind of love God wants us to have for our enemies and everyone is caring about their salvation (Compassion). Not Jonah's kinda love....He had no compassion for the people of Ninevah.

The people without Christ are going to a devil's hell. I don't know if you've thought about Hell much, but it will worse then we could ever imagine. We are fortunate, because God got to us. But what if we were the people that are without Christ? Would you want the Christian's to tell you about Jesus and tell us of a way out of going to a devil's hell? I sure would. We must go out and tell people about Christ.

God deals with the feeling about loving them that love you.

Matthew 5:46-48

"For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."

It seems so easy to just be around people who you know are on their way to heaven and have the same conviction's as you do. But God put us here for a reason: That we may fill his house with people who are not saved. It is good to be around people that are like-minded. But avoiding those that are not like you, is extremely judgemental and wrong. I hate to say this, but it's exactly what the Pharisee's did in Jesus's time. :( You can see how wrong they were.

Now what I have said here is something I struggle with also. I am writing only what I have felt led to write. Because we as Christian's need to hear it.

I hope this article will help all who read it to develop compassion for the unsaved and also not lose faith when persecution comes. :)

In Christ,
Rachel

The Real Pledge.

2009-03-10T14:02:00.005-04:00

Red Skelton explains the pledge of allegiance.
Beautifully done!

Red Skelton's version of the Pledge.

“When I was a small boy in Vincennes, Indiana, I heard, I think, one of the most outstanding speeches I ever heard in my life. I think it compares with the Sermon on the Mount and Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. We had just finished reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, and he called us all together, and he says, “Uh, boys and girls, I have been listening to you recite the Pledge of Allegiance all semester, and it seems that it has become monotonous to you. Or, could it be, you do not understand the meaning of each word? If I may, I would like to recite the pledge, and give you a definition for each word:

I, Me; an individual; a committee of one.

Pledge: Dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without self-pity.

Allegiance: My love and my devotion.

To the Flag: Our standard. “Old Glory”; a symbol of courage. And wherever she waves, there is respect, because your loyalty has given her a dignity that shouts “Freedom is everybody's job”.

States: Individual communities that have united into forty-eight great states. Forty-eight individual communities with pride and dignity and purpose. All divided by imaginary boundaries, yet united to a common cause, and that’s love of country, of America.

And to the Republic: A Republic: a sovereign state in which power is invested into the representatives chosen by the people to govern. And the government is the people; and it's from the people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people.

For which it stands One Nation: Meaning so blessed by God.

Indivisible: Incapable of being divided.

With Liberty: Which is Freedom.The right of power for one to live his own life without fears,
threats, or any sort of retaliation.

And Justice: The principle and qualities of dealing fairly with others.

For All: For All. That means, boys and girls, it's as much your country as it is mine.”

Now let me hear you recite the Pledge of Allegiance:

I pledge allegiance
to the Flag of the United States of America,
and to the Republic, for which it stands;
one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Since I was a small boy, two states have been added to our country, and two words have been added to the Pledge of Allegiance: "Under God." Wouldn't it be a pity if someone said that
is a prayer and that would be eliminated from schools too?

Red Envelope Day!! March 31st

2009-03-05T20:07:00.002-05:00

Join us on March 31st, 2009 in sending Red Envelopes from all over the nation to the White House. We ask that you write on the back of the envelope:

"This envelope represents one child who died because of an abortion. It is empty because the life
that was taken is now unable to be apart of our world."

Address the Envelope to:

President Barack Obama
1600 pennsylvania ave
Washington, DC 20500

Alot of american's are doing this. It's a small, but powerful way to show we are against abortion! If you do this, I suggest to send 1 envelope for each person in your family.

Please participate in this event! It will be so powerful.

In Christ,
Rachel

For more information on Red Envelope Day, visit:
http://www.redenvelopeday.com/index.html

Mr Miller....

2009-03-03T18:00:00.004-05:00

RG, Thank you for revealing yourself.....I already knew those anonymous comments were you, Because you have a way of speaking that is quite obvious. First I will respond to your slavery comments.
In Matthew 19: 3-9, The Pharisees tempted Jesus with the issue of Divorcement. When Jesus told them that they should not divorce, the pharisees said "Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?" Then Jesus answered. "Moses, because the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so."

God did not create slavery, he did not intend for people to be slaves.

He allowed slavery because of the hardness of our hearts. He created those rules on how to treat slaves to protect the slave, so that he/she would not be treated like an animal.

When Israel wanted to be ruled by a king, God allowed them to be, because of the hardness of thier hearts. He didn't want them to have a king, because He wanted to be thier king. But they didn't want Christ, so He allowed the government to rule the people. Because of the hardness of our heart's, we no longer are being ruled by God, but by a government. When God allowed the people to have a government, he made rules on how we should obey them. (Romans 13)

Slavery was first started in Egypt. Egypt was not a nation that followed God.

If God did create slavery, then who did God create to be the slaves? ( answer this scripturally)

In regards to your post about honoring Barack Obama and paying your taxes:
You were reading between the lines of scripture, in stating that Jesus and his Apostles did not carry around coins. John 13:29: Says that Judas Iscariot carried the "bag" and since he carried it, Jesus asked him to buy things they needed. Also there is a mention of Judas carrying thier "bag" in John 12:6. You sir, are the one twisting scripture. You gave me no Scriptural proof to prove your point. I answer with 2 different verses where it mentions Judas Iscariot being the treasurer for the disciples.

I have another question. If the Roman money was worthless, then why was it so hard for the Jews to pay taxes? If American money is worthless to you, then why is it so hard for you to give it back? Back then, even though the Jews hated that money and didn't want to carry it around because it was honoring Caesar as a god, they still had to use it to pay taxes (which was a law back then).

The Roman money may have been no good....but Jesus payed his taxes with the coins.
(Matthew 17:24-27)

I am not mis-interpreting scripture. My convictions are what the Lord says, I don't set my conviction's then look for scripture to prove them right (something you might want to take into consideration). In fact, I hated President Barack Obama, I still don't think too highly of him, but when I was reading through the New Testament I saw alot of scripture that said to honor the one's above you. To tell you the truth; it hurt. I knew many other friends that felt the same way so I wrote that article to show us what the Bible says about honoring your authorities to help us learn to honor. I do not respect Barack Obama as a man, but I do respect him as my President. Because of the hardness of our hearts, he IS our authority. If you say that honoring your authorities is evil, then Jesus is not the son of God. Because God's son would never sin.

God says to honor your Father and Mother: (which are our authority's) several times. We as American's still have the right to speak and to keep the government from getting to big for it's britches, but we are sitting around complaining and wanting to start over, when that's not what God has us here for. We need to come together as Christian's and quit complaining over our differences and stand up for what we do agree on. (Abortion, Homosexuality, etc..)

The devil is allowing the differences between Christian's to cause a problem. I know that you and I agree that Abortion and Homosexuality are HORRIBLE sins! We need to stand up and proclaim that our nation is doing evil!! It only takes 1 person to make a difference and to start a revival.

Christian's are still the majority of the United States. 85% of America claims to be Christian. But we are being silenced by the "15%" of Non-christian's and we are allowing them to do that! The Christian's are at fault for America turning it's back on God.

Since the scriptures I gave you in my Post of Paying taxes are not enough to convince you that paying taxes is okay, I'll give you Constitutional proof.

Article 1 section 8: of the United States Constitution says, "The Congress shall have Power to lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts, and Excises to pay the debts and provide for the Common defense and general welfare of the United States; but all duties, imposts, and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States."
Ammendment 16: "The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on Incomes, from whatever source derived without apportionment among the several states, and without regard to any census or enumeration."

The 16th amendment was ratified with the vote of 42 out of 48 states. It was ratified "In the year of our Lord, the third of February, 1913." The Constitution only requires 2/3rd of the states votes to pass a bill.

You seem to attack what I say, but it's not me your attacking. It's God. Nothing I have said did I come up with. I came to all those conclusion's simply by reading my Bible. I Love my Lord, and I would never try to twist His Perfect word.

I pray that you will consider these things as you seek HIS face.

~Rachel

Slavery vs Abortion.

2009-02-27T15:25:00.003-05:00

My Daddy wrote the following on slavery and abortion and how they are alike.
This is from his writing's on "The Bibical analysis of the Civil War."
Hope Y'all enjoy this. :)
In Christ,
Rachel

Slavery vs Abortion.
In the presidential election of 2008, our nation, as well as the two largest political parties, is sharply divided over the issue of abortion. Half of our nation and one party believe that a woman has a constitutional right to control her body and that it is not a life until it is born. Their whole argument is regardless of anything, a woman has the right to do with her body as she pleases. Some have even tried to defend it on Biblical terms. In the other camp, abortion is seen as nothing but murder, due to the scriptural teachings that life begins in the womb. Both sides have a respect for people’s rights. There are those who believe that if it continues, it will bring about the judgment of God on this nation.
In regards to slavery, it is very much the same as abortion. One side saw how it was their
constitutional right to own slaves and to be forced to stop was a violation of those rights they held dear. We today can clearly see how slavery was wrong and how it was a multi-billion dollar enterprise. We struggle with how anyone could buy or sale a person without a second thought. If our Founding Fathers could see us now, they would strongly struggle with how one could stand and take this abuse concerning abortion. When one studies this period of life, 1860-1865, one has to think in that time period to try to
understand the problems of the day. Most importantly, we need to seek Godly wisdom and pray that God would give us a discerning spirit when we study anything. Ultimately, the problems that we have today in our country are many, but the root problem deals with our morality as a people. Slavery was believed by many, even our Founding Fathers, to be a judgment of Providence. If not dealt with, it would eventually bring about bloodshed and death. When it comes to any subject, we must firmly base our decisions on the word of God. In Proverbs 21:30, God’s word reads, “There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD". What make’s it even more difficult, is when there is a subject that both sides are shared with committed Christians. This is the problem that we face concerning the Civil War.
When I was growing up, my first lessons of the American Civil War was that it was caused because of the institution of slavery. As I entered into my high school years, I learned it was because of state’s rights. I learned that it was fought and settled over 100 years ago. One of my favorite presidents during that time was Abraham Lincoln and how he had not only freed the slaves, but he kept our nation together. His death brought most of the north and south together once again. Recently, I have read books that have redefined Lincoln from a man of character to a tyrant and dictator.
This study will explore several questions concerning this terrible time from 1861-1865, but first we need to start as always with the Word of God.
Egypt When Joseph went to Egypt, he went from slave to governor of the land. After he died, there rose a king that did not know Joseph and eventually the Israelites found themselves as slaves for over 400 years. When the Israelites cried out to God to send them a deliverer, he sent Moses, and by the hand of the Lord he delivered them and they were set free. The Egyptians saw the slaves as great revenue and felt that they were their property and no one was going to take what belonged to them. They were also considered as an inferior race that would always be servants to them. Even when the Lord punished Egypt and they were eventually freed, they never forgot what had been done to them. Over a thousand years later, when the Greeks ruled Egypt, the Egyptians tried to get compensated for what was done to them during the Exodus. They refused to see that they were being punished because of their own sin. May we learn from the mistakes of others in dealing with any subject. When the kingdom of Israel was divided after Solomon‘s death, it all came to a head because the king refused to give his people relief in taxes, but it ultimately was because of sin. The division eventually brought destruction and dispersion of both kingdoms.
Like Israel, America was built on the very same godly principals that Israel started out with. But like Israel, America has people who want to rebel against the very principals that make it great.

Answering the Critics.

2009-02-24T21:03:00.005-05:00

Answering my critics: Mr Anonymous

In regards to my post concerning honoring our authorities, he accused me of breaking "one of the least commandments" in the following comment.

Matthew 5:19 "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven:"

Isa 5:20 "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"

My article was thoroughly researched through scripture and the principles were clearly seen.
I can only say to Mr Anonymous either you didn't read the article fully or it is you who is in danger of breaking "one of these least commandments". Something noteworthy: Honoring one's authority is not one of the least commandments....it is one of the great commandments. Romans 13.

~Rachel

What does the Bible say about Abortion?

2009-02-16T11:30:00.000-05:00

Today, I sat down and wrote a letter to President Barack Obama. I have been reading and listening to him talk about the "Freedom of Choice Act." and "Planned Parenthood". So, today I decided I am going to write him a letter appealing that he not sign the document. I went through the Bible and with help from my father, found scripture where God says that abortion is wrong.

Deuteronomy 30:19, "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."

Exodus 20:13 "Thou shalt not kill." (simple as that.)

I know alot of people do not believe that a fetus is a human being before it is born, but the Bible says they are.

Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet.

Think about it...."I ordained thee a prophet." God ordains human beings, not just a "fetus".

Luke 1:41 "And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb, and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost."

God refers to (the fetus) as a babe...a babe is a human being. Hmm....

Judges 13: 3-5. "and the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, behold now thou art barren, and bearest not, but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son. Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing. For, lo, thou shalt conceive and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head, for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the philistines."

God ordained many prophets before they were even born. The Lord also tells us what a woman should and should not eat while expecting.

Also, I found a couple verses where God punishes people for abortions.

Amos 1:13 "Thus saith the LORD; for three transgressions of the children of Ammon, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have ripped up the woman with child of gilead, that they might enlarge their border."

Genesis 9:6 "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: For in the image of God made he man."

Exodus 21:22 If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

President Barack Obama said that if his daughters made the mistake of becoming pregnant before marriage, he would not want them punished with a baby. First off....Baby's are not a punishment. The Bible says that being fruitful and being able to have children is a blessing. Everytime God blessed Israel, He says they would be fruitful.

Psalms 127:3-5. "Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.'

"Happy is the man that hath his quiver full..." I'm sorry, but that does not sound like a punishment.
Barack Obama said, "I've got two daughters, 9 years old and 6 years old. I am going to teach them first of all about values and morals. But if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby."

The Bible says in Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

If Barack Obama is training his young girls the good values and morals based on scripture...He should have no worry that his daughters will go and become pregnant. I hope the scripture helped with your questions about abortion. This is a hard time in our nation's history. Our president is about to sign a bill that will legalize abortion and kill millions of innocent children. Someone once told me an illustration on abortion and it makes you think...."This person cried to God and said "LORD, why are so many people dying of cancer? Why won't you send us doctors and scientists to find cures?" and God replied " I did, but you aborted them."" It's so true....Our nation is killing off the ones that could lead this country into a revivial and become good christian leaders or become doctors with cures for our cancers. I encourage you (If you haven't already) to write our president and appeal to him not to sign that bill (FOCA). We still have a voice and need to use it. "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will." The LORD is still on the throne and he will allow Obama to do whatever God's will is.

Also, my father wrote a tract on abortion. What I did not talk about abortion, my father did :).

Please take the time to read this tract.

http://www.timetracts.com/Tracts/AbortionThe%20Hidden%20Holocaust.htm

In Christ,
~Rachel

Lincoln's Bicentennial 1809-2009.

2009-02-12T13:00:00.000-05:00

ABRAHAM LINCOLN

(Febuary 12th, 1809-April 15th, 1965)

I wanted to put up a special post for America's greatest president, Abraham Lincoln. Today marks the 200th anniversary of his birth. I thought that since people have questioned for the last 144 yrs if this great man was a Christian, I would post the evidence we have today on his Christian life.

In Christ,
~Rachel.

Was Abraham Lincoln a Christian?

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16

In the midst of religious revival, Abraham Lincoln was born to Tom Lincoln and Nancy Hanks Lincoln. His mother was a godly woman who sat Lincoln upon her knees day after day and read to him the Scriptures and encouraged him to remember it.
Particularly she encouraged him to learn the Ten Commandments. They had a profound effect upon Lincoln's life. He said that whenever he was tempted to do something wrong, he could still hear the clear tones of his mother's voice saying, "I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage . . . Thou shalt have no other gods before me . . . Thou shalt not steal . . . Thou shalt not kill . . . Thou shalt not bear false witness . . . " Exodus 20
Abraham Lincoln became known, believe it or not, as the most honest lawyer east of China. Once when he was a shopkeeper, he walked for miles to return an overpayment of only a few cents to one of his customers. Lincoln also had a great regard for the Sabbath, as well.
At one time during the war, when he was President, he went to Falmouth and there he visited with the general who told him he was going to begin on Sunday the March to Richmond. Richmond was the heart of the Confederacy, its capital, and this well could mean the end of the war, for which Lincoln had so fervently prayed for so long. The general brought it up because he knew of the hostilities the President had toward beginning military initiatives on the Sabbath day. The President was silent for a long while. He then said, "General take a good rest and begin on Monday morning."
Lincoln was never a member of any church. Most churches today would be thrilled to have members who had as high a regard for the Sabbath as Lincoln did.
Was he a Christian? Listen to Lincoln's own words: "I am not a Christian. God knows I would be one." He said that he did not read the Scriptures like those clergymen in Springfield who opposed his election because of his skepticism. And they were right. When Lincoln came to Springfield he fell in with some agnostic and skeptical friends who gave him among other things, Volney's Ruins, a great volume of unbelief which attacked the Scriptures.
Lincoln was an incredibly humble man. His humility is seen when, immediately after the war, he went to Richmond to the home of the President of the Confederacy who was, as you might imagine "not home". His wife came to the door carrying a little baby in her arms, the baby of Jefferson Davis. The baby reached out to the President. He took the baby into his arms and was given a big wet smack on the face. He handed the baby back to Mrs. Jefferson Davis and said, "Tell your husband that for the sake of that kiss, I forgive him."
Theodore Roosevelt said that Lincoln mastered only one book and that was the Bible. He had committed thousands of verses to memory many whole chapters and he was trying to change his life to be what God would want him to be.
He was a man whose life was filled with tragedy. His beloved mother died when he was only nine. Then his sister died. The woman he loved, Ann Rutledge, died also.
He was married to a woman who challenged his humility, Mary Todd. Lincoln is loved by people all over the world and is considered by many to be the most beloved President that the United States has ever produced. Mary Todd never saw anything good in him at all. As far as she was concerned, he had terrible faults.
Ward Lamon, who had been his law partner, his private secretary when he was President, his bodyguard for years, and had known him intimately, said of Lincoln, " ...the melancholy that dripped from him as he walked, was due to his want of religious faith."
Then little Willie died, the apple of his eye, his beloved son, his little boy. Lincoln was absolutely crushed. He was so overwhelmed with grief that he set aside every Thursday to mourn his death. He would see no one on that day, but wept and mourned and lamented the death of his son Willie.
Dr. Francis Vinton, rector of Trinity Church, came down to Washington from New York. He was a friend of the family, and was allowed in to see the President. Not wanting to beat around the bush, he told him it was not right to mourn like this over his son. He said, "Your son is alive in paradise with Christ, and you must not continue." Lincoln sat there as though he were in a stupor, and then his mind caught onto the words that Dr. Vinton had said. He exclaimed, "Alive! Alive! Surely, sir, you mock me." "No, Mr. President, it is a great doctrine of the church. Jesus himself said that God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." Lincoln leaped to his feet and threw his arms around this pastor. He wept openly and sobbed, saying, "Alive! Alive! My boy is alive!" From that day on there began a change in Lincoln that even his wife Mary noticed.
His religious views began to dramatically change. There is a remarkable letter from an Illinois clergyman who talked to Lincoln after this time. He said this to Mr. Lincoln, "Mr. President, do you love Jesus?" After a long pause, Mr. Lincoln solemnly replied: "When I left Springfield, I asked the people to pray for me. I was not a Christian. When I buried my son, the severest trial of my life, I was not a Christian. But when I went to Gettysburg and saw the graves of thousands of our soldiers, I then and there consecrated myself to Christ. Yes, I do love Jesus."
Even though Lincoln's invitation to Gettysburg was an afterthought, the world noted, far more than he ever thought, the words that he spoke there. The orator of the day was Edward Everett, perhaps the greatest in the land, who spoke for two hours. What did he say? No one knows. Lincoln spoke for two minutes and no one has forgotten!
New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington was where Lincoln attended church regularly, not only on Sunday morning, but also on Wednesday night. Dr. Gurley, pastor of that church, said that Lincoln had wanted to make a public profession of his faith on Easter Sunday morning. But then came Ford's Theater.
The last speech he gave, three days before his death, was one in which he said that he was submitting a proclamation for a National Day of Thanksgiving to God. He said that now that the abomination of slavery was removed, the next point on the agenda would be to get rid of the curse of alcohol, which had so plagued the land.
His last act was to issue an edict that on every coin would be printed the words: "In God We Trust". That night he was invited to Ford's Theater to see a play he wasn't really interested in. He had received that very day the news that the war was over. He sat in his chair in the Presidential Box that was supposed to be guarded by a soldier. He had talked about the curse of liquor that plagued the land.
That afternoon an actor of that play from the south, crossed the street, went into a tavern and had a number of drinks. His name was John Wilkes Booth. That evening a soldier from the north left his post, crossed the same street and entered the same tavern to have a drink while the aforementioned actor quietly opened the unguarded door to the President's Box and went in. Lincoln was sitting up talking to his wife, not paying any attention to the play.

He said, "Mary, do you know what I would like to do ? Now that the war is over, we could go to the Near East. We could go to Bethlehem where He was born. We could visit Bethany where those hallowed steps were so often heard." Lincoln continued, "And we could go up to Jeru--" BANG!
Lincoln was carried across the street to a boarding house and laid diagonally across the bed that was too short for his huge frame. On the next day, Good Friday, he died.
He was going to make his public profession on Easter Sunday.
Secretary of War Stanton, when he looked down at his cold form, said, "Here lies the most perfect ruler of men that the world has ever known." He had abandoned his trust in the commandments for his salvation and now he trusted in Christ. Yes, dear friend, at long length, Abraham Lincoln was a Christian. Are you?

A Radical Threat to Human Life.

2009-02-02T21:00:00.004-05:00

We are facing the most serious threat to Pro-life policies ever--the "Freedom of Choice Act", or FOCA. This bill would create a right to abortion the government could not limit and bring about a national abortion policy far worse then the U.S Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision. For the first time, abortion would become and entitlement the government must fund and promote. Citizens would lose the freedom they now have to enact even modest regulation of the abortion industry. FOCA would:

*Eliminate regulations that protect women from unsafe clinics and unscrupulous abortionists.

*Force American taxpayers to fund abortion.

*Force every state to allow partial-birth abortions--its sponsors have said a primary purpose of the bill is to ensure that killing partially born children will again be permitted nationwide.

*Run roughshod over the conscience rights of physicians, nurses, and hospitals that oppose abortion on religious, moral or ethical grounds.

*Strip parents of their right and responsibility to be involved in their minor daughter's abortion decision.

Simply put, if FOCA becomes law, it will put at risk all the widely-supported laws that for 35 years have promoted women's health, ensured informed consent, protected minors, ensured parental involvement, safe-guarded rights of conscience, and respected the desire of most citizens not to support abortion with their tax dollars.

FOCA also explicity encourages challenges in court against any law or regulation that protects unborn children and their mothers and families in the abortion context, promising a virtual cottage industry of lawsuits.

And FOCA's tentacles would reach beyond federal policies to every state and local law or regulation having to do with abortion.

FOCA is without a doubt the most radical abortion legislation ever considered in the United States.

Aborition supporters have been trying to pass FOCA since 1989--and now we have a congress more disposed than any in recent years to pass the bill, and a new President who has said he will sign the measure into law.

____________________________________________________________________

Today I went to work at the Pregnancy Care Center. A lady that works there, stopped and talked to me about FOCA. President Obama has wiped all funding for abstinance training. She and several others may be out of a job in September if we allow this bill to be passed. Please, I beg you, contact the people below and please tell them "WE DO NOT WANT FOCA PASSED!!"

WE as Christian still have a voice, let's use it!! :( Abortion is the most horrible thing, it's legal murder. This is also the begining of a socialist nation. Let us not allow that to happen.

There are several ways to get ahold of someone to tell them that you do not want FOCA passed!

What you can do:

*write a thoughtful letter.

*make a phone call.

*send an email message.

*Write a letter-to-the-editor to your local paper.

*Call a radio talk show.

*Speak at a public event.

* Meet with your Representative and senators.

*Place an add in a local paper (www.usccb.org/prolife/media/docs/foca.pdf.)

Where to write if you want to send a letter:

********

United States House of Representatives

Washington, DC 20515

United States Senate

Washington DC 20510

The President

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20500

********

Where to call:

U.S. Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121

(ask for the offices of your representatives and two senators)

The White House: 202-456-1111

If you would like to send an E-mail.

E-mail messsages reinforce communications sent through postcards, letters, phone calls, and personal meetings. To send emails to capital hill or the white house, please visit the special e-mail action page a: nchla.org

also, I have a printable letter to Barack Obama right here:
http://docs.google.com/gview?a=v&attid=0.1&thid=11f3984d44b3dcc7&mt=application%2Fpdf

God Bless You All!!!

~Rachel

Honoring Barack Obama?

2009-01-20T21:00:00.001-05:00

Hey Y'all,

This week I am in Pensacola, Florida, helping my sister with nannying for some precious friends of ours. During the last week I have been able to study alot of the New Testament and some of the Old. I thought that maybe since today was the inaugaration I would post something on what God says in His word about honoring people like President Obama and many others. I struggle with wanting to honor my authorities (government) because of what they have done. Our government supports sodomy and abortion and is allowing socialistic ideas to enter in our nation. Ever since the election last year, I have been reading books upon books of the Bible and God repeats several times about honoring the "Higher Powers". In 1st Peter 2:13-18 it says:

" Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be kings, as supreme; or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: as free and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king."

Also, Romans 13:1-2 says "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is NO power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall recieve to themselves damnation."

I know several people (including myself) that stuggle with honoring and wanting to honor our new president and government. Barack Obama is not the only evil man that has gotten put in such a high authority. Jesus himself honored the fact that God ordained men to rule over the people. John 19:10-11 says, "Then saith pilate unto him, speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have the power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? Jesus answered, "thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin." Jesus knew that God was in control. We as Christians need to honor the office of President and of all the leaders in Washington. If we really want to make a good impression to people that are without Christ, what a testimony it would be for unsaved people to see that we honor our authorities because God allowed them to be over us. Also, the story of Paul and his encounter with the high priest in Acts 23:1-5 "And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and Brethern, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day. And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth. Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sitteth thou to judge me after the law, and commandeth me to be smitten contrary to the law? And they that stood by said, revileth thou God's high priest? Then said Paul, I wist not, brethern, that he was the high priest: for it is written, thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people." Paul, one of God's greatest tools for preaching the word back then, corrected himself when he dishonored the man God allowed to be in that postion.

The story of David and Saul in the Old Testament... if you have read both Samuels, you know that Saul tried to kill David many times. I'm sure if someone tried to kill you, you would want them dead. David didn't lay a hand on Saul, even when he had the chance.

In 2 samuel 1:1-15, Saul was killed by an Amalekite, went to David with Saul's crown and bracelet and told David that he killed Saul (thinking he would be rewarded for it) and David ripped his clothes and he mourned, wept, and fasted for Saul, Jonathon, and Israel. He then ordered his men to kill the man that claimed to kill Saul, because he took it upon himself to kill the "Lord's Anointed". You would think David would be jumping and praising God, but no he knew how to honor God's anointed, no matter how evil.

What does God say about paying taxes?
Recently, I have heard about people not wanting to pay taxes, because it's "evil". I have a question for those people....Was Jesus evil? Did He ever sin? I can answer that right now. No Jesus did not sin. He is God's son, He is perfect. You know one thing Jesus did? He payed his taxes. Even the pharisees tried to tempt Him with "is it lawful to pay tribute to Caesar?"

Jesus told them to get him a penny, when they did, he said "Whose is this image and subscription?" and they said Caesar's. Jesus answered "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's." This is found in Mark 12:14-17.

In Matthew 17:24-27 "And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute? He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers? Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free. Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee."

These are pure examples of Jesus paying taxes and telling us that we should pay taxes. So....those people you "think" are being patriotic for NOT paying taxes....are not being patriotic at all. They are being rebellious and are trying to cause division. God is not proud of them that disobey the authorities he has placed to rule them. If Jesus can do it, why cant we? Is it really that difficult?

In Christ,

Rachel

Onward Christian Soldiers.

2009-01-05T22:45:00.000-05:00

Luke AFB is west of Phoenix and is rapidly being surrounded by civilization that complains about the noise from the base and its planes, forgetting that it was there long before they were. A certain lieutenant colonel at Luke AFB deserves a big pat on the back. Apparently, an individual who lives somewhere near Luke AFB wrote the local paper complaining about a group of F-16s that disturbed his/her day at the mall.When that individual read the response from a Luke AFB officer, it must Have stung quite a bit.

The complaint :'Question of the day for Luke Air Force Base:
Whom do we thank for the morning air show? Last Wednesday, at precisely 9:11 A.M, a tight formation of four F-16 jets made a low pass over Arrowhead Mall, continuing west over Bell Road at approximately 500 feet. Imagine our good fortune! Do the Tom Cruise-wannabes feel we need this wake-up call, or were they trying to impress the cashiers at Mervyns early bird special?

Any response would be appreciated.

The response:
Regarding 'A wake-up call from Luke's jets' On June 15, at precisely 9:12 a.m., a perfectly timed four- ship fly by of F-16s from the 63rd Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base flew over the grave of Capt. Jeremy Fresques. Capt Fresques was an Air Force officer who was previously stationed at Luke Air Force Base and was killed in Iraq on May 30, Memorial Day.
At 9 a. m. on June 15, his family and friends gathered at Sunland Memorial Park in Sun City to mourn the loss of a husband, son and friend. Based on the letter writer's recount of the fly by, and because of the jet noise, I'm sure you didn't hear the 21-gun salute, the playing of t aps, or my words to the widow and parents of Capt. Fresques as I gave them their son's flag on behalf of the President of the United States and all those veterans and servicemen and women who understand the sacrifices they have endured..
A four-ship fly by is a display of respect the Air Force gives to those who give their lives in defense of freedom. We are professional aviators and take our jobs seriously, and on June 15 what the letter writer witnessed was four officers lining up to pay their ultimate respects.
The letter writer asks, 'Who m do we thank for the morning air show? The 56th Fighter Wing will make the call for you, and forward your thanks to the widow and parents of Capt Fresques, and thank them for you, for it was in their honor that my pilots flew the most honorable formation of their lives.
Only 2 defining forces have ever offered to die for you.....Jesus Christ and the American Soldier.One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.

Lt. Col. Grant L. Rosensteel, Jr.

USAF

__________________________
In Christ,
Rachel

2008 in review.

2009-01-03T20:30:00.000-05:00

Happy New Years, everyone!
I hope you all had a blessed 2008 and will have a blessed 2009. I just wanted to share some of the things I've experienced this last year. Well, first of all, February 29th, 2008 my mother found out she had invasive cervical cancer. The way we were told was she basically only had several months left to live. I can honestly say that was the hardest time for me and my family in our whole lives. It was so heartbreaking to see my Daddy cry and my little brother, Zachary who has a hard time understanding things, cry like a baby when Momma told us she might die. Life just felt very dark. But through that time God showed himself mighty. I know loosing a loved one or almost loosing a loved one can make you question God, but God was so powerful then. He was (and still is) there everyday helping us through those major trials. The Lord healed our Mother and she is totally cured from the cancer. :) Thank You Lord Jesus!

In June, I completed all I needed to, to get my learners license. So in June, I became a legal driver. (Evil Laughter)
In August, My family got a very bad sickness....Whooping Cough (A.K.A the 100 day cough.) Needless to say, we were very unsocialable for several weeks. We also found out how to go without sleep for several days :).
In October, I had the honor of being able to take a cross-country trip to California. I got to drive through the most beautiful country in the world (in my honest opinion). But then again I'm kinda biased cause I live in this beautiful country. Anyways, my father, mother, grandparents, and I drove from Tampa, Florida to Los Angeles, California in 5 days. We drove 8-10 hours on the normal days and 14 hours on the first day. Day 1 we drove from Tampa to Vicksburg, Mississippi. Then Day 2 we drove to Oklahoma city, Oklahoma to stay at a Military Base. We met a precious young lady in a Chick-fil-a named Kristen. She was a young lady working there and also attending a bible college and she was from Florida, too. So we all had a nice time talking. After stopping in New Mexico for the next night we stopped in Arizona and got to visit the most beautiful creation of all....the Grand Canyon. It was breathtaking! Literally....One thing about whooping cough is you cough for several minutes without stopping and the cough gets worse the higher you get. I was up 6,000 ft. So....yeah, it was interesting. But I survived! Praise God! The next day we got to California. To tell you the truth I wasn't at all impressed with central California. It was nothing but dessert and cactus. We stayed at Edwards Air Force Base for 2 days to let my grandparents rest from 4 days in a mini-van. While they were resting Momma, Daddy, and I went to the White Mountains to go visit the 4,000 year old Bristlecone Pine trees in Barstow, California. Barstow and the White Mountains were absolutely gorgeous.

After that we headed to Los Angeles. It was crazy and is not what I am used to. I closed my eyes when we got on the freeways. People drive absolutely horrible out there. :P :D

When we were in Los Angeles for 2 days, Daddy left to go home to Florida. Momma and I missed having him around, but we still had a great time. After we let my grandparents visit with their extended family (the purpose of going to California), we left for Vegas. We were staying right outside of Vegas on a military base. It was a beautiful base. Don't worry...Momma and I didn't play any slot machines or visit any casinos :). Ha ha...Then we headed for "Colorful Colorado". I decided I'm moving to Colorado. It's the most beautiful place I have ever seen.

Momma and I were sad to leave Colorado, but we also were extremely overjoyed to head home to the Little's. Yes, as silly as it seems....I did miss my brothers and sisters. More then they will ever know too! It was so weird going from 1 of 9 children to an only child, but the trip was an awesome experience. I was so blessed to be able to take the trip of a lifetime with my parents and grandparents. So....those were the highlights of 2008 for me. I am already being blessed with many opportunities of traveling for 2009. My sister and I are leaving in less then a week for Pensacola to go help an expectant mother/friend of ours for a month. In April, my family and I will head to the east to go visit our nations capitol and Niagra falls and the Gettysburg Battlefield. My mother wants to go visit all the Civil War battlefields....so we will be doing that in April also. I pray 2009 will be a wonderful and memorable year for all of you and I pray God will bless all of you.

In Christ,
Rachel

Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-25T21:40:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone.
I just thought I would take a moment to thank God for this special day. The day his son, Jesus Christ, came down to earth in the humble form of a human being and died for our sins. I also want to thank God that we live in a free country. Today, I read several articles about Christmas in other countries and Christians in Jersualem cannot celebrate the birth of Jesus, because the Muslims are threatening them if they do. I am so grateful that God still allows us to celebrate His birth here in America. American's don't know how blessed they are to be able to worship God and celebrate Christmas in the way they want. We, as American's, take those liberties for granted. We abuse our priveleges and inalienable rights that were given to us by our Founding Fathers. Even though I don't agree with the way our government is ruling, we can change it if we, as American's, stand up for our rights and pray. The scripture, "If God be for us, who can be against us?", still rings true. Sad thing is, we as a nation have turned our backs on God. God still hears and helps those committed to him. So, I'm asking for the commited Christians reading this to please pray for our country, our present and future President, our missionaries in foreign countries, and last but not least, our troops fighting over in various parts of the world.
Below is the article I read on the Christians in Jerusalem. Please take time to read.

Merry Christmas! I hope your day has been wonderful.

In Christ,
Rachel.

Muslim grinches steal Christmas Christians warned against celebration: 'We are living under a state of fear'
Posted: December 24, 20088:50 pm Eastern
By Aaron Klein© 2008 WorldNetDaily
JERUSALEM – Christians living in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip are holding only small, quiet Christmas celebrations after local leaders received warnings from Muslim groups against any public display of Christianity this holiday season, according to a Gaza Christian leader.
Publicly, some Christian leaders announced the dampened festivities were to protest an Israeli blockade imposed on Gaza after Hamas seized control of the territory in the summer of 2007. Israel limits trade convoys but still allows in humanitarian aid and directly supplies Gaza with 75 percent of its electricity. The Jewish state also provides monthly infusions of Israeli currency that fuel the Gaza economy.
Gaza Latin Church pastor Manuel Musalam faxed a statement to reporters announcing his church would not hold midnight Christmas mass to protest both the blockade and a threatened Israeli military invasion of Gaza. At least one other Christian leader in the territory made similar remarks to the media.
Still, according to local Christians, some private, low key celebrations took place.
A top Christian leader in Gaza told WND the decision to keep celebrations quiet came after he received threats from local Muslim groups against any public display of Christianity during Christmas. The leader was speaking on condition of anonymity, saying his life would be threatened if he spoke out publicly. He said the threats were conveyed to other Christian leaders in Gaza.
"We were warned not to celebrate in the streets or ring the church bells, otherwise Christians would be targeted. We are living under a state of fear," the Christian leader said.
"There is nothing we can do about the situation. We don't want to infuriate anyone," he said
The Christian leader would not say whether the threats were verbal or came in the form of written communication.
He said he had reason to believe the threats emanated with Jihadia Salafiya, a Hamas-allied Islamic outreach movement in Gaza that recently announced the opening of a "military wing" to enforce Muslim law. The organization, which is not directly connected to Hamas but publicly supports it, has been suspected in a string of anti-Christian attacks, including the bombing of a Christian bookstore in November 2007 and the murder of the store's manager, local Christian resident Rami Ayyad.
Contacted by WND, Abu Islam, chief of Jihadia Salafiya, denied making any threats against Christians.
Still, Abu Islam commented, "Gaza is a Muslim state. Why do 3,000 Christians need to celebrate openly in a territory of 1 million Muslims? Any celebrations are clearly for missionary purposes and must not be tolerated."
Abu Islam previously gave WND interviews under a different name, Sheik Abu Saqer. He changed his name to Abu Islam in June 2007 in celebration of Hamas' Gaza takeover.
Immediately after Hamas' Gaza coup, Abu Islam told WND in an exclusive interview Christians could continue living safely in the Gaza Strip only if they accepted Islamic law, including a ban on alcohol and on women roaming publicly without proper head coverings.
"[Now that Hamas is in power,] the situation has changed 180 degrees in Gaza," said Abu Islam, speaking from Gaza in June 2007.
"Jihadia Salafiya and other Islamic movements will ensure Christian schools and institutions show publicly what they are teaching to be sure they are not carrying out missionary activity," he said.
Abu Islam accused the Gaza Christian leadership of "proselytizing and trying to convert Muslims with funding from American evangelicals."
"This missionary activity is endangering the entire Christian community in Gaza," he warned.

Christians warned: Accept Islamic law
About 3,000 Christians live in the Gaza Strip, which has a population of over 1 million.
After Hamas' rise to power, Christian in Gaza repeatedly have been targeted. Jihadia Salafiya is suspected of many of the Islamist attacks, such as a May 2007 shooting against a United Nations school in Gaza after it allowed boys and girls to participate in the same sporting event. One person was killed in the attack.
In the case of Ayyad, who managed the only Christian bookstore in Gaza, his body was discovered riddled with gunshot and stab wounds. Just before his murder, Ayyad, a Baptist, was publicly accused by Abu Islam's group of engaging in missionary activities. Ayyad's bookstore, owned by the Palestinian Bible Society, was firebombed in April 2007, after which he told relatives he received numerous death threats from Islamists.
WND quoted witnesses stating Ayyad was publicly tortured a few blocks from his store before he was shot to death.
The witnesses said they saw three armed men, two of whom were wearing masks, beat Ayyad repeatedly with clubs and the butts of their guns while they accused him of attempting to spread Christianity in Gaza. The witnesses said that after sustaining the beating, Ayyad was shot by all three men.