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I must give you my highest commendations for WORLD NET DAILY, Lighthouse Trails (and Jan Markell's, and Ken Silva's) rightful scathing sharp rebuke of Rick Warren! Shout it from the rooftops!!! Here is my response to this abomination committed by Rick Warren: I found it extremely ironic that Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Churches enforce removal of Bible studies, removal of good Bible teachers from churches, Christian purpose-driven pastors (like a top Rick Warren lieutenant) calling the police to remove a Christian from public property in front of his church because he picketed against the church conducting purpose driven teachings and...

Will You Examine Yourself? "Joshua said to the people, ’You cannot serve the Lord . . .’ " —Joshua 24:19 Do you have even the slightest reliance on anything or anyone other than God? Is there a remnant of reliance left on any natural quality within you, or on any particular set of circumstances? Are you relying on yourself in any manner whatsoever regarding this new proposal or plan which God has placed before you? Will you examine yourself by asking these probing questions? It really is true to say, "I cannot live a holy life," but you can...

Because of the good progress of the last few years with the SSPX, His Holiness has now taken the next, logical step. Pope Benedict has now implemented what he said he would do concerning the ad hoc Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei".  He has fused it into the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, making the Prefect of the CDF, ex officio, the Commission’s President and retaining the office of a Secretary and giving it also staff. The Pope did this by means of a new Motu Proprio, Ecclesiae unitatem, signed on the anniversary of the establishment of the PCED...

Will To Be Faithful ". . . choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve . . ." —Joshua 24:15 A person’s will is embodied in the actions of the whole person. I cannot give up my will— I must exercise it, putting it into action. I must will to obey, and I must will to receive God’s Spirit. When God gives me a vision of truth, there is never a question of what He will do, but only of what I will do. The Lord has been placing in front of each of us some big proposals...

An Open Letter to Pastor Rick Warren By Jan Markell On July 5 the Washington Times online reported that Pastor Rick Warren told his Islamic audience, the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA,) that he envisions "a coalition of faith." Whether Pastor Warren knows this or not, this is just another term for the coming one-world religion outlined in Revelation 13. It is further outlined in Revelation 17. I have not taken on the issue of Rick Warren all that often, but after reading what the Washington Times has to say about his message to a group of spiritually lost...

All Efforts of Worth and Excellence Are Difficult "Enter by the narrow gate . . . . Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life . . ." —Matthew 7:13-14 If we are going to live as disciples of Jesus, we have to remember that all efforts of worth and excellence are difficult.  The Christian life is gloriously difficult, but it difficulty does not make us faint and cave in—it stirs us up to overcome.  Do we appreciate the miraculous salvation of Jesus Christ enough to be our utmost for His highest—our best...

Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the Mormon Church, taught that not only is God our Heavenly Father an "exalted" man who evolved into godhood, but he lives with his wives on a planet near the star Kolob (Abraham 3:2-3, 16). There, from a distance, he reigns over the earth. Seriously. — By Brian Saint-Paul, Envoy Magazine, www.envoymagazine.com — In three short months, Joseph Smith would be dead — murdered at the hands of an angry mob. But on this day in April of 1844, his followers were assembled in a lush grove to pay homage to one who...

Visions Become Reality "The parched ground shall become a pool . . ." —Isaiah 35:7 We always have a vision of something before it actually becomes real to us. When we realize that the vision is real, but is not yet real in us, Satan comes to us with his temptations, and we are inclined to say that there is no point in even trying to continue. Instead of the vision becoming real to us, we have entered into a valley of humiliation.Life is not as idle ore, But iron dug from central gloom, And battered by the shocks...

Many Catholics just don’t know what to say when someone asks them whether they are saved. As Catholics, we're vaguely familiar with "saved" language. We don't usually ask someone, "Are you saved?" and when someone asks us this question, we often stutter and fumble for an answer. So how should we answer: "Are you saved?" Constantly. We are constantly being saved by the incarnation, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Why? Because salvation is dynamic, ongoing. It's a past, present, and future reality. Let me explain. Salvation is a past reality: We have been saved by the death of...

After years of discussion, the Baptist and Roman Catholic bodies in Italy signed an agreement on “interchurch” marriage this week. The agreement, called “A Common Document for a Pastoral Approach to Marriages between Catholics and Baptists in Italy,” addresses issues encountered by such mixed church couples. In Italy, there are only about 6,400 Baptists who are members of one of the 116 churches of the Christian Evangelical Baptist Union of Italy (UCEBI). By comparison, more than 87 percent of Italy’s 60 million population identify themselves as Roman Catholic. “As the number of Baptists in Italy is very small, only in...

THE QUESTION that CHANGED MY LIFE -by David Ryser A number of years ago, I had the privilege of teaching at a school of ministry. My students were hungry for God, and I was constantly searching for ways to challenge them to fall more in love with Jesus and to become voices for revival in the Church. I came across a quote attributed most often to Rev. Sam Pascoe. It is a short version of the history of Christianity, and it goes like this:

Don’t Plan Without God "Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass" —Psalm 37:5 Don’t plan without God. God seems to have a delightful way of upsetting the plans we have made, when we have not taken Him into account. We get ourselves into circumstances that were not chosen by God, and suddenly we realize that we have been making our plans without Him— that we have not even considered Him to be a vital, living factor in the planning of our lives. And yet the only thing that will...

One of God’s Great "Don’ts" "Do not fret— it only causes harm" —Psalm 37:8 Fretting means getting ourselves "out of joint" mentally or spiritually. It is one thing to say, "Do not fret," but something very different to have such a nature that you find yourself unable to fret. It’s easy to say, "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him" ( Psalm 37:7  ) until our own little world is turned upside down and we are forced to live in confusion and agony like so many other people. Is it possible to "rest in the Lord" then? If...

SAN ANSELMO, CA — Elizabeth Liebert will become the first Roman Catholic sister named as dean of a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) seminary this summer when she takes over the position at San Francisco Theological Seminary (SFTS). With more than two decades of teaching experience at the 138-year-old seminary, Liebert will replace the Rev. Jana Childers, who will step down June 30 after nearly eight years as dean. “We are particularly pleased to be attaining a historic ecumenical milestone,” SFTS President Phil Butin said. “Dr. Liebert's deanship is a sterling example of SFTS's thoroughgoing commitment to ecumenical theological education.” “This seems...

ELCA NEWS SERVICE July 2, 2009 Worship, Bible Study Leaders for ELCA Churchwide Assembly Named 09-147-CD* CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Preachers, presiding ministers and Bible study leaders chosen for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's (ECLA) Churchwide Assembly in Minneapolis this August come from diverse backgrounds. The preachers, presiders and Bible study leaders were chosen by the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop. The Rev. Jennifer P. Ollikainen, associate for worship resources, said the goal with this group was to have "broad representation" of the church body. The presiding and preaching ministers include four pastors who are bilingual, a first-year...

The Concentration of Personal Sin "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips . . ." —Isaiah 6:5 When I come into the very presence of God, I do not realize that I am a sinner in an indefinite sense, but I suddenly realize and the focus of my attention is directed toward the concentration of sin in a particular area of my life. A person will easily say, "Oh yes, I know I am a sinner," but when he comes into the presence of God he cannot get away with such...

The Conditions of Discipleship "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also . . . . And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me . . . . So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple" —Luke 14:26-27, 33 If the closest relationships of a disciple’s life conflict with the claims of Jesus Christ, then our Lord requires instant obedience to Himself. Discipleship means personal, passionate devotion to a Person— our...

The Inevitable Penalty "You will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny" —Matthew 5:26 There is no heaven that has a little corner of hell in it. God is determined to make you pure, holy, and right, and He will not allow you to escape from the scrutiny of the Holy Spirit for even one moment. He urged you to come to judgment immediately when He convicted you, but you did not obey. Then the inevitable process began to work, bringing its inevitable penalty. Now you have been "thrown into prison, [and]...

COKATO, DELANO, HOWARD LAKE, MONTROSE, WAVERLY, MN – David Valderrama, 29, has carried his large cross more than 1,000 miles since he first began a mission to tell the world, “Jesus loves you.” He recently flew to Minnesota and was spotted Monday, June 29 just east of Howard Lake after walking along Highway 12 through the cities of Delano, Montrose, and Waverly heading towards Howard Lake and Cokato on his way to Litchfield. This is one of many journeys that Valderrama of Tulsa, OK has been on since he began carrying his cross September 2007 from Baltimore, MD to St....

Do It Now! "Agree with your adversary quickly . . ." —Matthew 5:25 In this verse, Jesus Christ laid down a very important principle by saying, "Do what you know you must do— now. Do it quickly. If you don’t, an inevitable process will begin to work ’till you have paid the last penny’ ( Matthew 5:26  ) in pain, agony, and distress." God’s laws are unchangeable and there is no escape from them. The teachings of Jesus always penetrate right to the heart of our being.Wanting to make sure that my adversary gives me all my rights is a...

The Strictest Discipline "If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell" —Matthew 5:30 Jesus did not say that everyone must cut off his right hand, but that "if your right hand causes you to sin" in your walk with Him, then it is better to "cut it off." There are many things that are perfectly legitimate, but if you are going to concentrate on God you cannot do...

Do Vatican II’s teachings on ecumenism and religous liberty really conflict with Traditional Catholic teaching? In his first Envoy article on traditionalist apologetics [see “All Tradition Leads to Rome,” Volume 4.6], canon lawyer Pete Vere identified seven common arguments offered by the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) in defense of their schism, and how he overcame these objections during his journey back to the Catholic Church. Some readers responded that this schism, initiated by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in 1988, isn’t merely about the Latin Mass. The SSPX also takes issue with the Second Vatican Council, particularly on the...

Held by the Grip of God "I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me" —Philippians 3:12 Never choose to be a worker for God, but once God has placed His call on you, woe be to you if you "turn aside to the right hand or to the left" ( Deuteronomy 5:32  ). We are not here to work for God because we have chosen to do so, but because God has "laid hold of" us. And once He has done so, we never have this thought, "Well,...

Why does the Catholic Church teach that there is "no salvation outside the Church"? Doesn’t this contradict Scripture? God "desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:4). "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). Peter proclaimed to the Sanhedrin, "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). Since God intends (plans, wills) that every human being should...

The Overshadowing of God’s Personal Deliverance ". . . I am with you to deliver you,’ says the Lord" —Jeremiah 1:8 God promised Jeremiah that He would deliver him personally— ". . . your life shall be as a prize to you . . ." (Jeremiah 39:18  ). That is all God promises His children. Wherever God sends us, He will guard our lives. Our personal property and possessions are to be a matter of indifference to us, and our hold on these things should be very loose. If this is not the case, we will have panic, heartache,...

To Our Venerable Brethren the Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, Bishops and other Ordinaries at Peace and in Communion with the Apostolic See Venerable Brethren, Health and Our Apostolic Benediction St. Cyril, Patriarch of Alexandria, glory of the Eastern Church and celebrated champion of the Virgin Mother of God, has always been held by the Church in the highest esteem, and We welcome the opportunity of recalling his merits in this brief Letter, now that fifteen centuries have passed since he happily exchanged this earthly exile for his heavenly home. 2. Our Predecessor St. Celestine I hailed him as 'good defender...

I sometimes find myself thinking about the homilies I wish I'd heard but haven't. Here are a few of those I would most like to hear; I'm sure you will have some of your own. To an outsider, one of the odder things that many of us Catholics do occurs when we go into church: apparently, rather absent-mindedly, we dab a bit of water on our faces, or thereabouts, and then (apparently) swat an invisible fly or brush a cobweb off our noses before grabbing a Mass book and parish newsletter. What should we really be doing? I have never...

Drawing on the Grace of God— Now "We . . . plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain" —2 Corinthians 6:1 The grace you had yesterday will not be sufficient for today. Grace is the overflowing favor of God, and you can always count on it being available to draw upon as needed. ". . . in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses"— that is where our patience is tested ( 2 Corinthians 6:4 ). Are you failing to rely on the grace of God there? Are you saying to yourself, "Oh well, I...

I remember listening to a conversation among several “traditional” Catholics (you know, the anti-Vatican II/anti-John Paul II/anti-Novus Ordo Missae/Latin Mass only crowd!) when I heard one individual exclaim: “Ecumenism is a bad word!” The others quickly nodded in agreement. (Not exactly a surprising statement and response, considering the source.) But seriously, ecumenism is a vital mission of the Church that needs to be understood more fully and correctly, especially as we enter this ostensibly pivotal third millennium. Is ecumenism really a bad word? Or, more to the point, does ecumenism require Catholics to compromise their faith? The answer lies in...

Receiving Yourself in the Fires of Sorrow ". . . what shall I say? ’Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. ’Father, glorify Your name’ " —John 12:27-28 As a saint of God, my attitude toward sorrow and difficulty should not be to ask that they be prevented, but to ask that God protect me so that I may remain what He created me to be, in spite of all my fires of sorrow. Our Lord received Himself, accepting His position and realizing His purpose, in the midst of the fire...

John Calvin's 500th birthday rolls around next month, and the theologian's influence will be observed in ceremonies and seminars across the country. Our own Texas Faith panelist Cynthia Rigby is participating in Calvin conferences in North Carolina and Russia this year. If you only knew of Calvin's participation in a trial that led to a heretic being put to death, you would think he was a sinister figure bent on punishing his foes. Actually, he was one of the most influential theologians the world has ever known. His work on the sovereignty of God, for example, remains a bedrock of...

Reconciling Yourself to the Fact of Sin "This is your hour, and the power of darkness" —Luke 22:53 Not being reconciled to the fact of sin— not recognizing it and refusing to deal with it— produces all the disasters in life. You may talk about the lofty virtues of human nature, but there is something in human nature that will mockingly laugh in the face of every principle you have. If you refuse to agree with the fact that there is wickedness and selfishness, something downright hateful and wrong, in human beings, when it attacks your life, instead of...

Official Mormon Statements about the Bible: The Mormon church teaches that the Bible has been corrupted and does not contain the fullness of the gospel. This is reflected in one of their Articles of Faith which states: "We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly" (Pearl of Great Price). Joseph Smith stated: "it was apparent that many important points touching the salvation of men, had been taken from the Bible, or lost before it was compiled" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.10); "I believe the Bible as it read when...

New York, NY, June 22, 2009 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today expressed concern at a new document issued by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops that appears to give a green light for the missionizing of Jews. The document, "A Note on Ambiguities Contained in Covenant and Mission," appears to reverse earlier statements on Catholic-Jewish relations by indicating that interfaith dialogue can be used by Catholics as an opportunity to seek Jewish partners to convert. The document was jointly issued on June 18 by the USCCB Committee on Doctrine and Pastoral Practice and the Committee on Ecumenical and...

"Acquainted With Grief" "He is . . . a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief" —Isaiah 53:3 We are not "acquainted with grief" in the same way our Lord was acquainted with it. We endure it and live through it, but we do not become intimate with it. At the beginning of our lives we do not bring ourselves to the point of dealing with the reality of sin. We look at life through the eyes of reason and say that if a person will control his instincts, and educate himself, he can produce a life that will...

Catholics are humbled by the stories of former Anglicans who were faced with a decision and stepped out in faith to join the Catholic Church, said Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston. "The Catholic Church understands and appreciates the sacrifices made by former Anglican clergy and laity who have made the journey as individuals or as communities to full communion with the Catholic Church," he said June 12. "Truly, Rome is home and a place of abiding in our pilgrimage to the father," noted the cardinal in a keynote address at the 2009 Anglican Use Conference in Houston. The June...

June 22Dr. Jay Budziszewski former Episcopalian During the 1990s, J. Budziszewski rose to prominence as one of the leading intellectual lights among Evangelical Christians in America. A political theorist with a special interest in the natural-law tradition, he was highly sought as a speaker at conferences organized by groups such as the InterVarsity Fellowship and Campus Crusade for Christ. A principal theme of his many talks to American campus groups is captured in the title of his 1999 book, How to Stay Christian in College. For some Evangelical Protestants, then, it came as a jolt when, on Easter Sunday...

The Unchanging Law of Judgment "With what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you" —Matthew 7:2 This statement is not some haphazard theory, but it is an eternal law of God. Whatever judgment you give will be the very way you are judged. There is a difference between retaliation and retribution. Jesus said that the basis of life is retribution— "with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you." If you have been shrewd in finding out the shortcomings of others, remember that...

Islamic Society convention lands appearance from Rick WarrenThe Indiana-based Islamic Society of North America will be holding its annual convention -- the largest yearly gathering of Muslims on the continent -- in Washington, D.C. over the Fourth of July weekend. And while convention leaders are holding out hope that President Barack Obama might make the convention his latest stop in his outreach to the Muslim world, the convention has landed another pretty big fish as a featured speaker.Purpose-Driven pastor Rick Warren has agreed to appear at the convention and be part of its main session discussing the convention's theme --...

The Ministry of the Inner Life "You are . . . a royal priesthood . . ." —1 Peter 2:9 By what right have we become "a royal priesthood"? It is by the right of the atonement by the Cross of Christ that this has been accomplished. Are we prepared to purposely disregard ourselves and to launch out into the priestly work of prayer? The continual inner-searching we do in an effort to see if we are what we ought to be generates a self-centered, sickly type of Christianity, not the vigorous and simple life of a child of...

Have You Come to "When" Yet? "The Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends" —Job 42:10 A pitiful, sickly, and self-centered kind of prayer and a determined effort and selfish desire to be right with God are never found in the New Testament. The fact that I am trying to be right with God is actually a sign that I am rebelling against the atonement by the Cross of Christ. I pray, "Lord, I will purify my heart if You will answer my prayer— I will walk rightly before You if You will help me." But...

In Boston, Israeli diplomat speaks of Rome [...] Lewy, who previously represented Israel in Germany, Sweden and Thailand, visited Boston this week, primarily to speak at a conference at Boston College, and I spoke with him Friday morning at his hotel in Newton. Here are edited excerpts of our conversation: Q: Why do relations with the Vatican matter? A: We can not afford, as a Jewish state, and we can not afford as a Jewish people, to continue on after 1,900 years of bad experience, traumatic experience with the Christian world. [...] [...] ...the menorah is not any more in...

My Utmost for His Highest ". . . do you love Me? . . . Tend My sheep" —John 21:16 Jesus did not say to make converts to your way of thinking, but He said to look after His sheep, to see that they get nourished in the knowledge of Him. We consider what we do in the way of Christian work as service, yet Jesus Christ calls service to be what we are to Him, not what we do for Him. Discipleship is based solely on devotion to Jesus Christ, not on following after a particular belief or...

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810045661/video/14045555 Comes out this November.....

Keep Recognizing Jesus ". . . Peter . . . walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid . . ." —Matthew 14:29-30 The wind really was boisterous and the waves really were high, but Peter didn’t see them at first. He didn’t consider them at all; he simply recognized his Lord, stepped out in recognition of Him, and "walked on the water." Then he began to take those things around him into account, and instantly, down he went. Why couldn’t our Lord have enabled him to...

Question: "What is a Christian?" Answer: A dictionary definition of a Christian would be something similar to “a person professing belief in Jesus as the Christ or in the religion based on the teachings of Jesus.” While this is a good starting point, like many dictionary definitions, it falls somewhat short of really communicating the biblical truth of what it means to be a Christian. The word “Christian” is used three times in the New Testament (Acts 11:26; 26:28; 1 Peter 4:16). Followers of Jesus Christ were first called “Christians” in Antioch (Acts 11:26) because their behavior, activity, and speech...

Beware of Criticizing Others "Judge not, that you be not judged" —Matthew 7:1 Jesus’ instructions with regard to judging others is very simply put; He says, "Don’t." The average Christian is the most piercingly critical individual known. Criticism is one of the ordinary activities of people, but in the spiritual realm nothing is accomplished by it. The effect of criticism is the dividing up of the strengths of the one being criticized. The Holy Spirit is the only one in the proper position to criticize, and He alone is able to show what is wrong without hurting and wounding....

"Will You Lay Down Your Life?" "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. . . . I have called you friends . . ." —John 15:13, 15 Jesus does not ask me to die for Him, but to lay down my life for Him. Peter said to the Lord, "I will lay down my life for Your sake," and he meant it ( John 13:37 ). He had a magnificent sense of the heroic. For us to be incapable of making this same statement Peter made would be a bad thing— our...

What is the Hebrew canon and are the deuterocanonicals/apocrypha a part of it? During Jesus' time, the Jews, as a whole, did not officially have a list of inspired books or canon. For example, the Sadducees accepted only the Pentateuch as Scriptures while the Pharisees accepted prophetic writings as well as other wisdom books, like Job and Proverbs as inspired. Which canon of Scriptures was known to Jesus, His followers and the first Christians? The answer is that they knew both Palestinian Canon and the Greek Septuagint translation. Greek-speaking Jews also lived in Palestine and were known as Hellenists (Acts...

Get Moving! (2) "Also . . . add to your faith . . ." —2 Peter 1:5 In the matter of drudgery. Peter said in this passage that we have become "partakers of the divine nature" and that we should now be "giving all diligence," concentrating on forming godly habits (2 Peter 1:4-5 ). We are to "add" to our lives all that character means. No one is born either naturally or supernaturally with character; it must be developed. Nor are we born with habits— we have to form godly habits on the basis of the new life God has...