Redemption Rocks Even with Coupons

 Redeeming a coupon is an awesome invention. The Store has the product you want held in ransom for a $1.25. You don't want to pay the full amount yourself. So the Manufacturer who created the product for you says “I'll make a coupon and knock off a few cents on the products redeeming value and that way more folks will buy our product. You go into the store and there you ring up your purchase and they demand the ransom. You hand them the coupon and they proceed to knock off the said value and you celebrate. But the store sometimes will double your coupon and you get double discounting. We think wow that is so cool. There are ladies who we have now risen in their art of coupon cutting and are entitled the coupon queens. You can call them up and they know websites where you can get mega coupons. The best ransom price for the coupon queen the greatest joy is when they hit the right day and time and get all coupons redeemed and the product is free. They walk out full of victory and joy as they celebrate the redemption at a free pric

This concept is not a recent invention in our day in time. In fact the Jews had a system of redemption for family that goes back 5000 years now. They had a cultural law that there in Genesis 38 we see in action. The law is this: If a man has three sons say, If one of the sons dies without a successor there was to be a kinsman nearest to him that would in his honor raise us a child that would inhereit the honored Father's property and servants and animals. So usually the oldest brother in the family would have the first right of redemption to take the dead brothers wife marry her and have a son and that son would not be his but would in a sense be raised to be the inheritor of the brother and to live in honor to the brother taking his name and all.

In Genesis 28 such an event happened to Judah one of Jacob's sons. The eldest son married Tamar and died. The next in line was evil and before he could marry the woman Tamar he was killed. So the right of redemption went to the next in line. The Bible says that he didn't like the idea that the son who was raised up wouldn't be his so he married Tamar and performed the consummation of the marriage but instead of impregnating her he enjoyed the sex but didn't not finish the consummation and the Lord was angry and with him for his evil and deception and he too died. So there being no more sons the law defaults to the Father Judah, now having to fulfill the redemption.

We see a similar event in the book of Ruth it is a history of a love story unlike any we have ever heard. 7 to 800 years later we have the time of the Judges in the Bible where there were no kings and the political system was an eldership and anarchy was very prominent. Yet we have a story there in the book of Ruth where in the little town of Bethlehem there was a family that had hard times with a drought and one thing after another. So the dad took off for the suburbs of Moab to try and find better farming conditions. It didn't happen in fact they enjoyed a short success and the two sons were married to moabite women. But before any heirs were born both sons and the dad died. There was no on left to redeem the ladies and inheritance. The Mom sent the wives back to their families but on lady Ruth took her vows to her new husband and she loved her mother in law and stayed with her. She cared for her. Mom was an elderly widow who would not live long in this time and society without someones care. So Ruth did what she could and when they returned to Bethlehem from Moab they Ruth applied for their welfare system and went to work gleaning field scraps or droppings from the harvesters to get food for them to survive. The town was a buzzing with good talk for what this young lady did to help her Mother in Law and to humbly accept the tradition and work very hard. The owner of one of the fields took notice of this ladies work and servitude and it touched his heart. He found out who she was and then went to work to begin the redeeming process. The law not only defaults to the Father after the sons die but then if the Father dies it goes to the nearest of the Uncles. Dad's brothers now had the right to redeem the land and wife. The oldest brother found out that he'd have to marry another woman but he knew his wife would not allow that or stand for it so he passed on the right of redemption to the younger brother Boaz the owner of the field who then redeemed the field but not because he needed another field but because in that field is a beautiful lady who has a sweet heart and he loved her. He wanted to redeem her from the humility of living on welfare and give her an inheritance.

The interesting thing about this story is when the first son was born the town did not celebrate to Ruth and Boaz on their new arrival the town went to Old Naomi san and said, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a near kinsman; and may his name be famous in Israel and may be be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter in law, who is better than seven sons has borne him.” And then Ruth did not raise the boy but Naomi the grandmother in law took the son and raised him as her own. The redeemer was not Boaz guys the redeemer was the son born to take the place of the other men. Obed the son was the grandfather to King David and also the great great great umpteen grandfather to Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is the one we celebrate at this time of year why? Why don't we celebrate (Obed mas)? You see this Jewish law was given by God. God the manufacturer of all the universe had given the world as an inheritance to Adam his created first born. But Adam made a mistake and did not fulfill his role to raise up and eternal heir to inherit the earth. He seeded the earth and the control there of to Satan. Satan is the owner of this world and all its kingdoms the Bible says. There was no on who on this planet who could redeem all the world for God. The right of redemption defaults to the Father. God the Father had to fulfill the right of redemption and raise up an heir for Adam that would fulfill the control of the land and its people. But God didn't want the land he wants the people inside whom he loves very much like Ruth. He sees us all laboring away and sees our struggles and difficulties and see how the sin of Adam affects us all in every way from family problems to jobs power struggles and even neighbor fallout.

So there in Luke 2 an event has happened unlike any before in the since the beginning of time. It is such a grand event that in the middle of the night the Angels went out into the fields of Bethlehem (same city) and shouted glory to God in the highest. Luke 2:8-14,

“I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people, For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign to you; you will find the Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.

A son was born. The virgin gave birth to a supernatural being the God/Man Jesus Christ. 100% God in human flesh 100% man in Spirit. He was born with one purpose in mind. Not to be a ruler or lawyer or a teacher, the purpose was to be a redeemer of humanity. Though Jesus is the redeemer he needs to fulfill the act of redemption. You know you hand the clerk your coupon and they give you the product at the redeemed price. In this case Satan the owner of God's creation and the people inside demanded the death of the son as the redemption price. Jesus was born to die to redeem the world from the curse of being under Satan's control and power.

Galatians 3:13 says; Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law having become a curse for us.

1 Peter 1:18; “Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers. But with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that you faith and hope are in God.

The Redeeming opportunity is complete the manufacturer has created the waribiki coupon of Jesus. Satan who owns the manufacturers product (US) demands full payment no discounts here. So the manufacturer wants the product back for himself. Can't he make more? Well he loves this bunch so much He loves you and me and has given us the opportunity to be redeemed by his son. He comes to us to collect us when we depart this earth. But there is a problem. Though we have been redeemed and the full payment was already given by Jesus there on that cross and he has fulfilled the right to take the land and it's inhabitants. God isn't a mean dictator. He is a loving creator. He asks you and I that if we would like to have our lives redeemed that we accept is Son Jesus into our life. We no longer listen to Satan and his world. The rules of the world tell you to strive for money or power or fame. We can fight all our lives to climb to the tops of these ladders and the view we have is only of the carnage we left behind as we prevailed. It is lonely and depressing to have made it. Most lottery winners are broke and poor and lonely after 5 to 10 years. But God gives you the opportunity to set out of that system. This stepping out of the fight is called repentance. We turn from our ungodly ways of succeeding and we realized this opportunity to be loved by God is worth more value than all the riches in the world. We can now have a relationship with God the Father through is redeeming son Jesus. The price is free. We are all now set free to choose God or Satan. With God the Bible promises eternal life. The power of the Holy Spirit to lead us, the peace in our life through all storms of life. We will still have difficulties and storms and sin around our lives will wash up on our shores. But God's gift of Jesus is not just a one time redemption but it is eternal. Maybe you accepted Jesus at one time and like the typical citizen of earth you go though the Culture shock phases. There is the romance stage where life with God is great new and wow, then there is the realization stage where life is different. God is not like this world, it isn't as easy to acclimate to this new culture of a citizen of the kingdom of heaven. Then we enter the rejection phase. This is where we stop reading our Bibles and praying and stop going to church. We are struggling as we find two diametrically opposing cultures in conflict. God's ways are not our ways says the Bible. It will be hard to change. It is hard to forgive, It is impossible to love others, But he gives us the Holy Spirit and His power to do these things. The final phase is the resolve phase. We resolve in our hearts to tough it out. We don't give up. In revelation, it says blessed is the one who overcomes and world and satan. Maybe you tried God once in you life but never made it past the rejection phase. The culture is too different. I'm not talking American culture. I'm specifically speaking of the Creator Culture. Even those of us shake our heads when we read the Bible and learn God's ways and see that our own church culture had entropy(ed) into a convoluted system of non-biblical culture and tradition that conflicts with God's word. Maybe you realize tonight that you didn't understand God's culture and gave up. I'm in my 4^th year in Japan. I confess to you have had a hard time in the rejection phase of the people I love so much. I am not Japanese I rejected the culture, language, food, socialism and group power plays. I wanted to give up. I want to come back to California and not deal with the miserable lives that Japanese people struggle with. They are high tech but so are their problems. The depth of family issues runs deep and there are bonds and ties that the whole nation is pulling each other down and the slippery slope shows that like the USA we are all sinking into a time of evil unlike any other since the history of humanity began. There is no escape but one. Jesus. He will transform our hearts to a heart like his. The strings can be cut and we can rise above all the evil around us. But not in our own strength. We need Jesus.

For you who rejected God's culture there is hope. God is not angry but understands what you are going through. He never says understand me first and then lets have a relationship. No like all our relationships we just start and then later we wonder what did we get into? But Jesus is faithful and if you rejected him he has not rejected you. But he waits like a patient spouse. He gives you space and time to deal with it and process but he longs for you to come back into fellowship there is grace and forgiveness. The Bible says if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

For you who have never known this creator and his son Jesus. He extends to you the same opportunity as to all humanity. You can have your sins forgiven and be cleansed of all evil and be set free to have a relationship with the creator. He just asks that you give up your earthly life. Not quit your job. But the striving to use evil as a tool to get a better position on the board. The gossip to destroy another or tarnish their reputation. The all the ways of sin that we mastered, lying, backstabbing, manipulating all these things are opposite of God's culture. We give that up and we seek to learn through study of the Bible God's culture and ways and we try through the power of the Holy Spirit to do those things that please him. So do we do good works and that pleases God. NO!

The Bible says without faith it is impossible to please God. The government of heaven has an economy unlike our earthly one. They don't have a monetary system of monies. The system of success and wealth comes from FAITH. More faith that God can do great things in me the more amazing things he will do with my life. If I doubt God's work in me he will do little or nothing with me. You must believe in your heart first and foremost that Jesus Christ was born there in bethlehem, died on a cross in Jerusalem and rose again and is in heaven ready to give you an inheritance. If you believe John 1:12 you have the right to become children of God. If you believe you have the right to be forgiven. If you believe you have the right to eternal life, Do you believe? If you do then you begin by praying and talking to him and introducing yourself to him. “God the Father, I am (insert your name here). I am a sinner from earth that wants to come to your kingdom. I understand you sent Jesus to redeem me and forgive my sins. I would like to ask you to forgive me and allow me the opportunity to be redeemed by you. Please forgive my sin, and please come into my life and show me what I must do? I pray this in your Son Jesus Christ's name, Amen!

If your a citizen of heaven then you will naturally tell others. The Bibles says, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord (Redeemer) you shall be saved. If you deny Jesus before me the Bibles says Jesus will deny you before God the Father.

The Christmas story is good tidings for all humanity. A historical fact of God's redemptive plan put into action. That is what it's all about that is why we celebrate every year. The birth of a savior. Wow. He is so wonderful. He will guide you and lead you and love you. But not like you think. Your culture is different. His will blow you away. I for one am so thankful for God redeeming my soul. If you'd like to begin a relationship with God let's pray after this I'll help you. If you'd like to repent from rejecting God's culture then let's do that. Let's take this opportunity to once again pick up where we left off and renew our relationship with our Father in Heaven and His redeemer Jesus. Amen.

What's biting you?

Acts 28 Paul and the 276 people on the sinking ship make it swimming to Malta Island. While building the fire. A snake fastens to his hand and he just shakes it off and goes back to work. Paul didn't freak out. He didn't stomp his feet and cry that's it Lord I am tired of getting beaten to near death. He didn't go go twisted sister; I can't take it anymore I am  better than this. NO! Paul has God's promise to go to Rome and nothing is going to stand in his way. Acts 27:23-25So many times the people around us can appear like a viper and bite us with their venomous words. I can get depressed and lose focus and just wonder why did they have to say that. Today we learned from Paul's example "Just shake it off!" That is what sports players do when they get banged up. They try to shake it off.

Maybe your one whose been bit and you're infected big time. You can't get over it. You'll never forgive it. It was a torpedo direct hit on your very core. But now your in bondage to the person. You can't stop thinking about them. They control your day. One thought of remembrance will send you flying off angry or send you spiraling into the depths of depression. Paul knew God's promise and call. Knowing that he was able to shake it off. If you want to be free. Look to Jesus he said. "You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free." Those timeless promises of God that are just for you. He loves you and is able to forgive you all the time. Get her head back into the game and eyes on the promises of God and shake off that stupid painful viper. Get up and go there is so much work to do.
Another thing to note here about Paul's example. The natives were watching him like a hawk. They wanted, better yet expected him to blow up swollen and feverish. But then they saw him as a god. Paul by his example of faith to shake off the snake was able to be a witness to those watching him. Who might be watching you? If we look to Jesus and shake it off it will be a testimony to others. All glory to God he will take us his servant and serve up some snakes to latch onto us. Our job is to pass the test and shake it off and get back to work.

Add caption

Update the Newsletter "Valley of Decision"

Bolinger update to newsletter "Valley of Decision"

Ever wish you could retract something? I sent out that last newsletter too early. I should have waited for the Doctor appointment to then sent out an email. The way I was feeling prior was not good at all. I felt deceived in someways because the expected out come was not what we thought. Having felt sick for so long. We just assumed it was my heart getting worse. I was dizzy and sick and sleepy.

Come to find out the doc says your actually getting better. Your BNP (Heart Hormone) is coming way down. A year ago it was 800-900. June it was 600. Last month it was 465. and this month it's in the 300's. We were stoked He said that the drugs are causing these problems you need a change. He took away my Lasix (Diuretic) and reduced some others. Mihoko and I were like confused because it was a 180 from what we thought. Today at church I had more energy than usual but also I was happier and Mihoko in the middle of the message was like, "What did you eat today?" ?

I told the doc that I was thinking we'd have to leave Japan and go home soon. He, very serious, looked at me and said, "My hope is that you will never need a transplant. If you keep loosing weight the hormone and heart damage will be less and you'll feel better. I had been depressed and back to eating comfort food. I gained 10 pounds back. I have been depressed at that as well. I may never get off the meds but I have the opportunity to live a near normal life. Normal is way too boring. There could be risks and potentials along the way for future problems. But a normal BNP is 100 or less. So I am still not healed. I still get fatigued and dizzy during today. But at least it isn't a constant.

Thank you for your prayers. God is good. We are still praying about decisions with the Church/School. Please keep praying with us.

God bless,
Dan and Fam

News letter titled "Valley of Decision

Dear Guys,

    Pray for us. Dan it's time to get up? Mihoko calls from the kitchen where she has been working for a long time making the kids lunches and breakfast. She is already thinking about dinner and setting out the food to prep. The kids have already eaten, hung laundry, and got ready for school. Dan? As I roll up out of bed to stand up I fall back down exhausted and dizzy. I try again sitting for a while on the side of the bed. I stand. Holding onto furniture and shuffling to the bathroom. The kids are out the door "Bye dad!" Appointments to keep and classes to prepare for and teach. It's a normal day. With my heart problem I often wake up with low blood pressure. Yesterday, 88/43 was a grand low. The Doctor appointment is in two days. I am praying for him to change my meds. I was feeling great until he added a new drug. It has offset the balance of the others and is causing me to feel just plain yucky and sick. Usually about noon I am revved up and ready to go. My energy level is able to carry me through the night of teaching providing I don't do dumb stuff and lift heavy things or climb stairs. Today, I woke up at 6am and felt great. My BP was up and I was able to hang laundry and help with breakfast before the kids wake up. Praise the Lord. But even in the difficulties we are no different than normal humanity. We picked up bread at Costco for the weekly distribution. We had prayed for a city contact that we could assist and distribute the donated bread to. On Tuesday, when my BP was really low we had to go to the city hall for business. In our city the city hall is where your insurance is. Welfare office, School district offices, the foreigners help desk is there. Also our handicap office where we turn in gas receipts for reimbursement is in the same building. It is kind of efficient for us but I am sure the workers are struggling as they work around each other. I was able to go the the volunteer office where I originally got the radio dj job. They were so happy to see us. We asked about the bread distribution. They were happy to introduce us to a lady who is helping families and they said she is a Christian like you guys. So we have made contact and hope we can serve together. Tonight is Handa san's new believers class. He is amazing and is loving all the things he is learning. We have studied about the attributes of God and he began reading through the bible on his own about 5-10 chapters a week. So we are in exodus and will discuss the temple elements and the priestly garments and their significance in the New Testament and with Jesus. Mihoko and I are so enjoying the time. Sundays are going great. We still have our faithful few and last week a visit of the Bedow family we had good fellowship. It was a blessed time. Pray for Mrs Sasaki she is not talking about the results of her cancer. Her husband is just staying busy working even though he is retired. The elderly love to keep busy and feel needed. They really don't understand retirement. They say if you stop working you stop living. So I say  so working hard is really living. Why don't people look more happy? They don't know how to answer me. Hee Hee. During my Tuesday class one of the moms hung out and was looking at the books and freebees we have. She won't take any but she looks with fascination. I try to explain things but she just smiles and nods not really comprehending the things. We do talk but she defers and distracts from the spiritual questions. Pray for the parents of the kids we are ministering to. They so need salvation. There is questioning in the hearts a restlessness with the status quo. There must be more to this life. In the parents life there is a window of opportunity to answer these life questions. Soon though it closes with a sigh of, "This is the way its always been and this is the way it will continue."

Today there were some schools that had events with other schools and so there was an unusual amount of kids exiting the train station. I was waving to them and saying hi. They love to interact in English. Occasionally, I get a few that try to talk to me. I am able to tell them who I am and where our church and school is. I offer them a pamphlet. After that our train station department store had a renewal grand opening for the supermarket. I went over there just wanting to see the store. It was a crazy mad house the membership lines were longer than the register lines, which were down the isles blocking items to shop for. I went in and the noise was deafening. The new employees were shouting greetings out loud. The product reps were playing music at the ends of the isles for specials. The music was really loud. Then there was a manager announcing specials over the intercom that was competing over the store music that was blasted. The noise was so distracting and disjunct I couldn't think. My heart started to palpitate and I knew I had to get out of there. Walking home about a eighth of a mile was so exhausting. I crawled back into bed and took a nap. I woke at noon to my alarm for medicine time. So I take meds and make lunch. Mihoko had a women's Bible study to attend and she came home after lunch and we went to Costco and got the bread. When we got home I began to prep pulling together the study of material for tonight's fellowship. Then I wrote this. this has been a fairly normal day.

Pray for daily energy and strength, Pray for the parents of our students salvation. Pray for Mrs Sasaki's cancer healing. Pray for Mr. Sasaki to desire to know more about God. Pray for Handa San's growth spiritually. Pray for his desire to minister to the other AA men. We have begun praying for them and desire for them to want to come to fellowship with us. There is a problem with the drug and alcohol programs. They don't fix lives. It is one thing to get dry. But the problem of drinking is only a symptom of a deeper need. Families are hurting from violence or fighting. Some men are out of work. They have no purpose to exist and many desire suicide. Pray we can reach these men and their families. It would be cool to have a U-Turn for Christ here. Pray for us as we weigh our existence here. The serious issue is my kids who had this sickness reach a month and even a week where the health just spirals fast into the ER. I am not there yet, but we know that day is coming. Do we continue in faith or in faith become practical with health concerns. It isn't an easy decision. Pastor Phil offered some advice but that isn't hearing from the Lord. God is very silent right now. We are so praying for him to confirm in our hearts what we should do.

Depression

Hello here is an update to the newsletter we just put out. 

Depression is a sneaking thing. It doesn't just pounce on you like Tiger. It slithers around your feet and winds up into your brain and nests in your heart. You think you are tough and beyond depression. After all, I'm a pastor, I help folks with depression. Yet, you listen to its sensual talk and you feel down. I told my wife for weeks the medicine is making me feel funny. I am tired all the time. I had lost over a hundred pounds now I have gained 10 pounds back. What? HOW? I feel sicker. Getting out of bed is harder and harder. The days when there is challenging work to do are the hardest. The days for rest are up and easier. Still there is this weight that grows in the heart. Emotions not under control. Anger, fear, resignation to fate, giving up symptoms are viral in my blood. The weight of the stuff makes reading the word fuzzy not so inspiring. Cynicism is the choice of all conversations. Back handed comments are wrapped in compliments. The clouds of darkness surround me. What is happening? The fear gives way to hallucinations of projected outcomes for things that are unrealistic. A thought! I'm on track for what my kids, Caleb and Rachel, went through. Shock and denial have broken into fear and panic of undesired things. I feel like Jesus in the garden in some ways although I am not sweating blood. I am drooling for comfort food. I have been putting hot sauce on everything. I even drank a packet of taco bell hot sauce just because I could. I am disgusting and when I look at disgusting the noose of depression tightens around my neck. Hopelessness begins to crumbling the foundation stones of the call of God on my life. I have been rock solid in the things the Lord has done and know that I am called to this ministry. Yet, there I am wavering teary eyed thinking God is taking it all away. Why Lord? So I go to the doctor this last week in despair and thinking this is it. We are going home... God must laugh at me sometimes for all the wild stuff I dream up. The Doctor looked me in the eye and said Dan, as far as I am concerned you won't need a transplant you are getting better. Look...” and he showed us the numbers and stats and its like wow. I am getting better. BNP is a blood test that measures a hormone that comes from the heart. Here is information I got off the internet.

• BNP levels below 100 pg/mL indicate no heart failure •  

BNP levels of 100-300 suggest heart failure is present
• BNP levels above 600 pg/mL indicate moderate heart failure.

BNP levels above 300 pg/mL indicate mild heart failure

• BNP levels above 900 pg/mL indicate severe heart failure. 

The I asked the doc why I felt so terrible. He shrugs and says I don't know you should have plenty of energy and not feel dizzy. Then the Lord spoke to my heart I have been depressed. The Doc says I'll reduce your diuretics better yet I'll stop them all together. What? Wait I need those for weight loss? No, those are to prevent water retention. Weight loss is my not eating gig. 

On June 1, 2012 I was 668 BNP. This weeks BNP was just above 300. It was in the 8-9 hundreds last year. God is healing me. The key is to loose the weight and lower that BNP which is a hormone that is produced from the normal stress on the heart. If your heart is damaged there is more hormone produced. So If I can drop down to 100 there is the chance of never needing a transplant and or any other type of intervention. Whew. 

Praise God! Here I was, all depressed and sick to my stomach that I had to pull out of Japan and go home and all kinds of fear and doubt. So I was thinking how did that happen? Just a few months back we were so charged up about serving the Lord and all. So I took to the Word of God and started to study. I came to Psalm 42 and found myself sizing up pretty closed to David's feelings in his situation. He had very real enemies of persons wanting to kill him. I only have deadly thoughts that kill ministry and life and hope. Below is my study of the chapter. God bless you if you read it especially if you have been depressed. I am renewed in hope and joy for God is my salvation and the sustainer of my life. He will continually use us and test us. I failed the faith test but it's okay He lets me retake it over and over again until I get it right. God is a great teacher. He is an awesome God that loves us so much. God bless you. 

1 As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, O God.

The Psalmist feels distant from the Lord. He is questioning his silence. He feels dry in his soul for a fresh drink in the
fountain of the Lord. The river of joy is dried up, the overflowing life is quenched and the desert of desolation has taken its place. He feels lost.

2. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. 

When shall I come and appear before God?

He is not desiring the things of the world there is only one element in the universe that can satiate this dryness. It isn't just any god type experience. It's not a louder or longer worship service. He waits like a forlorn lover deprived of his soul mate. He wants intimacy. He wants holiness alive and active and healing.

3. My tears have been my food day and night, 

while they continually say to me, 

“Where is your God?”

The deprivation has even made nourishment less than desirable. The hopelessness he feels seems, from my perspective, to have people around him saying, "Dude what happened to the God you believe in? You feel God has abandoned you but where is your God?" He has spiritually isolated himself in the vacuum of hopelessness. It is sucking the life out of his relationship with God.

4. When I remember these things,
I pour out my soul within me: 

For I used to go with the multitude; 

I went with them to the house of God, 

With voice of joy and praise

With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast.

The time wasted in this place of despair and depression have led him to neglecting the things of God. He notes that spiritually he is withdrawn and now looks back to joyful times going to Church and loving the Lord with worship. He desires to walk with God yet the depression makes this physically impossible. Something is missing? What is missing? Why can't I get back to where I need to be? He has looked at God and he has looked at Church but those aren't the problems or the reason for his despair. Now he must look to self...

5. Why are you cast down, O my soul? 

And Why are you disquieted within me? 

Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him

For the help of his countenance.

Now he gets to the source of his depression. He has been looking at external realities and social abnormalities but now he must go deep into the darkness and turn on the light. Why is it so dark down here? It's like a cellar. His questions give way to a command. "Put your hope in God." Hope? is that the core problem here? Turn on the light with hope. In the soul of man, a seed of hope can feed him for life and give expectation of better times lying ahead. When that seed is uprooted by the claws of depression the cares of this life choke out the seed.

6. O my God, my soul is cast down within me; 

therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan, 

And from the heights of Hermon

(a Sanctuary also the largest MT in Israel) — 

from the Hill Mizar. (Mizar means mount small)

His inspection of soul has yielded a trip down memory lane. He is literally talking to his soul. He has diagnosed the problem. Himself. He is looking at self. Now he make a conscious decision to cast aside all thoughts of self and to think on God. He tracks his memory banks of God through the geography of Israel. God has done mighty works intervening in man's history and has yielded a great legacy that God is always there and cares and loves. God loves us. Romans 5:5 "Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."

7. Deep calls to deep at the noise of your waterfalls; 

all your waves and billows have gone over me.

The Love of God is like a deep ocean. Like the fish that call to the deep and the sonar echoes back, "God loves you." It bounces around the depths of deep calling to deep echoing the same voice, "God loves you." As he travels out of the sea of this great love it is still reaching out to him and washing over him in great waves of love. He is carried

away by the love of God washing away the hopelessness that was there.

8. By day the Lord directs his love, 

at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.

The cleansing of God's love has yielded the fruit of a relationship with the Living God. No longer is he lonely at night fighting with tears the vanity of hopelessness. Now his love is back and is singing him to sleep. He is in worship, fellowship, and prayer to the God of his life.

9. I say to God my Rock, 

“Why have you forgotten me? 

Why do I go mourning,

because of the oppression of the enemy?”

The question to God is a rhetorical one with the accent on the word have. "why HAVE you forgotten me?" finish with rising intonation as if a question that remains unanswered. His first answer to this self posed question? Because I have been focused on the enemies of my life that are oppressing me. The cares of this life. I look at things that take my eyes off of you. I allow personal perception to cloud godly wisdom.

10. As with a breaking of my bones 

my enemies reproach me, 

while they say to me all day long,

“Where is your God?”

The fruit of this allowing yields very real pain. Down to the core of his very frame he is tortured by these cares. The frame of his faith the pillars of high quality construction are like bones breaking or shattering. Luke 21:26 "men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth," Spoken by Jesus Christ. He also adds in verses 34-36 "But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth, watch therefore and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass and to stand before the Son of Man.” The Psalmist restates the previous in a conclusion of the poem. So the circumstances and enemies which are the cares at staring at him speaking to him saying, "Where is your God?"

11. Why are you cast down, O my soul ? 

And why are you disquieted within me? 

Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him,

The help of my countenance and my God.

He finishes his conversation with self by restating the original question and then giving the answer to the problems of self and the cares of this life. Jesus says for us to pray always. Paul says we are to pray without ceasing. Get eyes off self and on God. God's eternal love is there ready to wash over your life and cast out the despair of depression. This action renews us for proper worship and a right mind before the Lord who is our Savior and our God. Hebrews 11:6, "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." Hope is the seed of faith in Hebrew 11:1 "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Again hope is the container for faith it is like a tire that holds the air of faith. If the tire gets punctured then faith leaks out. Depending on the nature of the puncture it could be a rush or a very slow leak. It's the slow leaks that catch us by surprise. I don't realize I am getting flat, losing faith, until I'm in the same place as this Psalmist, stuck in a desert of despair and depressed at the conditions of life sitting next to my flattened hope tire.

HOPE IS THE TIRE THAT HOLDS THE AIR OF FAITH

Giving Up

     Have you ever felt like just giving up? No matter what it is we just can't see the future in this thing and we are struggling and are panicked and worried. The stress is taking years off our life and each day we can mumble around "Why am I doing this?"

My daughter had a very important test. She had been riding the train everyday but with her older brother and younger sister. Today was the day she was going to assume responsibility for herself. Confidence was exuding from her prideful stature. She was going to get up early and then hop on the train all by her self and get to school on time for the test. Well, she hadn't paid attention to the names of the train and the one she boarded blew past her stop as an express train that doesn't stop there. She went into panic mode. But she held it together I'll just get off and go back. Yet she calls us only to cry and say, "I missed the test." "We comfort her and tell to do her best and continue on." She says she is going back to a certain stop and catch another train to her destination. That stop is only one or two stops. But that stop never appeared. The 3rd and 4th stop pass by and she realizes she went to the wrong platform and boarded a train that went even a different direction. She was now in major panic. She calls and is broken and crying I wanna come home. Mom consoles her and tells her what to do. Her crying was blinding and sobbing and she was fearful. She is lost and missed a test but most of all she was humbled that she needed our help. This time she got on a train going in a third direction she is now on her way to Shinjuku Tokyo one of the busiest stops for trains in the world. We start to panic. Mom tells her to get off at the next stop and to wait. She does. Mom rescues her by physically going to get her and take her to school. She still wants to come home for all the embarrassment. But no her job is to go to school. Her job is to face her responsibilities head on and do her best.We are not to give up.

I have been here as I am sure many of you have too. Exasperation leads to absolute desolation and depression and we drop our hands and resign to just give up. "I quit!" In the Bible, we are encouraged by the Apostle Paul to in these times to look unto Jesus.In Hebrews 3:1-2a, the writer encourages, "Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest. ² He was faithful to the one who appointed him," 

God will give us trials and will speak to us in these times. We are encouraged in the Bible to over and over again never give up. But to press on reaching for a prize, running to win, looking to the author and finisher of our faith. there are many more themes that come out of the life of faith. 

Hebrews 3:7 " So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion during the time of testing in the wilderness,"(NIV) In the NKJV it says, "In the day of trial in the wilderness." The days of trial are plentiful. And the Bible says there will be many. It also says our God is with us and the Holy Spirit is speaking. Look at verse 7. "The Holy Spirit says." That means He is speaking to us. Listen, don't go in your own confidence. But do what is right and obey. If you don't obey the consequences are worse. But it you do obey when we are done with that trial there will be some rest.

This scripture speaks more to the culmination of life and that when we die to self we can enter that rest even while we are in the trial.

Quandry of the world...NO ONE IS LISTENING

What a mess the world is in. We can share our opinions on how we see things. Yet they will chant and shout and won't listen. So one must reason that there are no ears wanting to hear. Jesus said, "He who has ears let him hear." Now we are understanding this more these days. When someone does not want to hear opinion or other view teaching then they will not listen. It is hard to understand this. The Bible also says in the last days the hearts of others will grow cold. It also mentions about there will be those who have a seared consciousness and will commit awful acts against humans and won't think it wrong. We are heading into this time. The U.S.' passive approach is too weak. I look to Israel a roaring lion in the desert and the nations around them fear them and won't touch them. Israel is very diplomatic and responds to any aggression and quashes it. The U.S. always wants to sit down and talk. How man "G" type meetings are there? Those meetings have produced lots of policy and centering world doctrine but it does little to benefit the globe. At least I don't see it.  There we are they don't want to listen and don't have ears to hear so what is all this talking? When Jesus comes back to Earth the Bible says that He will rule with a rod of Iron. I say let's get a head start.

America is in trouble financially, Yet year after year they give billions of dollars to these nations that hate us. I am not seeing the benefit of this. The Bible says the problem is going to get so bad that the nations of the world will have to create a global government. It is already being talked about. We are looking at cashless societies and banking as the norm now. Hand held devices control everything. We now have global access to all the news; including video, minute news feeds, and weather. It is so amazing. We can even view space and the mars rover pictures in almost real time. A human can know the conditions on a planet millions of miles away on a tiny little phone. Yet all of this technology will benefit none of those who won't hear. The Bible is coming true and there are hundreds of prophecies still yet to be fulfilled and we are looking forward to that. Jesus will come again and will make a things new again and will reign and rule in righteousness.

Ben Stein's take on Obama

WE'VE FIGURED HIM OUT!
By Ben Stein

Why was President Barack Obama in such a hurry to get his socialized medicine bill passed? Because he and his cunning circle realize some basic truths:

The American people in their unimaginable kindness and trust voted for a pig in a poke in 2008.
(Pig in a poke means: an offering or deal that is foolishly accepted without being examined first. A poke means sack.)

They wanted so much to believe Barack Obama was somehow better and different from other ultra-leftists that they simply took him on faith.

They ignored his anti-white writings in his books.

They ignored his quiet acceptance of hysterical anti-American diatribes by his minister, Jeremiah Wright.

They ignored his refusal to explain years at a time of his life as a student.

They ignored his ultra-left record as a "community organizer," Illinois state legislator, and Senator.

The American people ignored his total zero of an academic record as a student and teacher, his complete lack of scholarship when he was being touted as a scholar.

Now, the American people are starting to wake up to the truth. Barack Obama is a super likeable super leftist, and not a fan of this country.

The American people have already awakened to the truth that the stimulus bill -- a great idea in theory -- was really an immense bribe to Democrat interest groups, and in no way helped all Americans.

The American people already know that Mr. Obama's plan to lower health costs while expanding coverage and bureaucracy is a myth, a promise of something that never was and never can be --
"a bureaucracy lowering costs in a free society." Either the costs go up or the free society goes away... an historical truth.

These are perilous times. Mrs. Hillary Clinton, our Secretary of State, has given Iran the go-ahead to have nuclear weapons, an unqualified betrayal of the nation. Now, we face a devastating loss of freedom at home in health care. It will be joined by controls on our lives to "protect us" from global warming, itself largely a fraud, if believed to be caused by man. She has also signed on to a Small Firearms Treaty at the U.N. This is a back door gun control move. This is approved by the Senate and a 2nd Amendment majority doesn't exist in the Senate now. It will supersede all U.S. Law and the 2nd Amendment. All citizen possession will be eliminated through confiscation. Just Like Great Britain and Australia .

This was an article I copied off Facebook by Ben Stein. His understanding of things is quite blunt and truthful. As I read this, I felt like a huge curtain has been pulled over the eyes of the American people. The concert of smoke and lights has the people energized for nothing but to execute their own demise. I fear the future of America. It is doomed to fail. The time of the people in control of the power and politics is almost over. It doesn't matter who gets into office there are super powerful people I believe just enjoying pulling the puppet strings. I just thank God that his Word tells me the truth and the future. America is no where to be found in the Bible. It is not even a drop in the bucket of Biblical prophecy. Some will say we are aligned with Israel. No we are not. Others may say we are there in the deep wording and typology. Wishful thinking and good luck with that hope. 

Why would God allow this?

      In 2002 after the 911 attacks, Billy Graham's daughter Anne Graham Lotts was interviewed on the early show by Jane Clayson. Her question to Anne and the following response she made need to be reiterated.

"How could God let something like this happen?" (Regarding the 911 attacks).


Anne's answer: "I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?"

Len Goldstein also responded to this question: "In light of recent events...terrorist attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (She was murdered) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK.

Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school...the Bible says do not kill, do not steal, do not lie, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he is talking about. And we said OK.

Then someone said, let's let our daughters have abortions if they want, and they won't even have to tell their parents. And we said OK.

Then some wise school board member said, since boys will be boys and they're going to do it anyway let's give our sons all the condoms they want so they can have all the fun they desire, and we won't have to tell the parents they got them at school. And we said OK.

Then some of our top elected officials said it doesn't matter what we do in private as long as we do our jobs, Agreeing with them, we said it doesn't matter to me what anyone, including the President does in private, as long as I have a job and the economy is good.

Then someone said lets post online free pornography and call it wholesome entertainment. And we said Ok. For a while there the posting of children's nude pictures was seen as free speech.

Then the networks said hey if it is not prime free television then we can allow all the profanity we desire. Then they added illicit sex.

Then the music companies said it is a form of expression to produce music that encourages rape, drugs, suicide, and satanic themes. And we agreed saying it is just entertainment, it has no adverse affect, nobody takes it seriously, anyway.

Now we are asking ourselves why our children have no conscience? Why don't they know right from wrong? And why doesn't it bother them to kill strangers, classmates and themselves? Probably if we think about it long enough and hard enough we can figure it out." Len Goldstein


A few verses to think about:

Don't be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. They have planted the wind and will harvest the whirlwind. The stalks of grain wither and produce nothing to eat. And even if there is any grain, foreigners will eat it. There will be terrible times in the last days.  People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. God overlooked people's ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now he commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him. For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead. Jesus Christ is alive and well and ready to come and settle accounts. Are you ready?


Galatians 6:7-8
Hosea 8:7
2 Timothy 3
James 4:17
Acts 17:30-31

The Overgrowth of Overgrowth

This is an opinion meant to poke fun of all the companies, schools, hospitals, homes, government buildings and other places that are showing how "GREEN" they really are by growing Goya or Ivy plants to cover buildings under the guise that it will save on cooling costs and emit oxygen and filter out harmful carbon monoxide. I do not mock and poke fun of the ideology here. I think it is great to do what we can to enhance the environment. But I am not convinced that this was thought through for very long. 
In England they have old homes covered in the green foliage and there is a quaint nuance about it. But the majority of it is covering BRICK buildings. This is important. I have seen over the years Ivy type foliage do serious damage to buildings and frames and in my old home that we lived in for a couple of years in Torrance we had this mystery beast Ivy.

It was a mystery because I lost so many toys in that mess. My favorite hot wheels gone. The greatest jumbo marble that could win every time... ricochet and landed in the lost world. Look as hard as I could it was consumed by the beast. We even had plants consumed by the beast. There was a five foot tall Yucca tree but it was being mummified by the ivy. It was evil and sinister the way the beast slithered up the tree and one day we notice it was almost gone.

The real final straw that happened to cause the beast to cross a line was when it allowed its weapons of defense to get out of control. The bugs were like something from Beetle juice. they were everywhere. That is what hindered most search and rescues for my hot wheels. The wolf spiders were horrendous. Who ever was first out of the house in the morning was met with a series of disgusting spider webs spanning our walkway. I'd sometimes walk half way to school picking webs out of my hair. This was one website that I truly hated. The crossing the line was when my Mother was almost mummified by the webbing while leaving the house to go to church. She felt gross and wanted to change her clothes. You always have that eery thought okay where is the stupid spider?

That week the Ivy was doomed.

In Japan, there is a push by the religion of environMENTALism. It appears under the umbrella of ECOism. It's friendly and green. I stress the mental part. Like a lot of religion the mental state of ones adherent can be quite cultish. What is driving a lot of today's bandwagon knee-jerk reaction is fear. Fear of a negative label. The other thing is greed.

Negative labeling is the weapon of choice for humanity gone wild without morality. When people don't like something they just shoot it with a negative label. Intolerant is like the "S" word in this religion. Fanatic is another one but not too bad. The worst is the big "F" word of "Fundamentalist Evangelical Christian!" This tactic has been around since the Garden of Eden. Satan used it to label God in a way that deceived Eve into doing something that, had she truly thought it through, may have never done it. The believers in Jesus during Acts were labeled as "Christians". Meant to be a derogatory word but wound up becoming a word of honor. I think though we have come full circle and once again are being labeled as a negative thing to be a Christian.

When a sports star commits a sin in the eyes of the world. Don't get me started on the hypocrisy here in this religion. They all know the person is sinning but as long as no one says anything there is the "No harm no foul" commandment. Yet when harm is cried then the rule kicks in. Those associated with sponsoring such a villain will be labeled as well and banned and punished for their support of such said sin. As if a corporate sponsor knew anything about their life or cared. But as in many cases it is the sponsors that egg on bad behavior to bring about a profit. Their loud voices booming the mantra and goose stepping with the mainstream media condemning the star, "We are shocked and disappointing at this turn of events. Though we are neutral on this we must remove ourselves from the negative press." This loyal act causes stock prices to climb as the ECOist applaud and cheer for the alleged martyrdom. Which leads into point two that the driving force of today's corporate mentalism is greed.

The greed part is that they have discovered there is money in green mental-ness. The companies are getting people to throw away perfectly good products for newer ones. to prove to be a dutiful follower and show loyalty by diving in financially and showing you're one of the faithful. The hybrid car craze, or the 100% recyclable products, or the Eco friendly AC units all are part of the greed driven mental state. Now I am not saying a hybrid car is bad. It's great. The car company though is deceitful in its representation of facts and qualifications. Like they take a car in a class and change out the seats for light cheap ones. They take the tires off and put on smaller ones and lower the profile and change the weight. Then they get a better rating according to the guidelines set to sell the normal car as a special ECO car. They can take an over taxed car and push it as Eco and you fell like your getting a discount but your getting ripped off from the cool ride you could have had. The 100% recyclable products deal is good. But aren't all products, if you really tried, recyclable? Some electronics are not I know. But this is a ploy to toss your bad not real 100% recyclable product in the trash thus creating more trash and then selling you a cheap item that jambs and slurps recyclable ink like no tomorrow. The recyclablity of a product rests solely on the consumer to take responsibility to properly trash can the item. If you trash can a 100% recyclable product guess what? It ain't getting recycled. The AC units are really a joke. You throw away a good machine for a machine that makes you feel good. but then you're told to not run it at full power. You must set it to maximize the ECO features so that it cools less and saves energy. You sweat your brains out feeling good about how cool you are with your piece of junk. If you want to have true eco AC. Just open your windows it'll probably be cooler and cheaper.

So back to the reason why I am writing this. The companies, schools, hospitals, homes, government buildings and other places that are now reacting to pressure to conform for the new religion are not thinking about things. I forsee a Logan's Run type future where all buildings are overgrown with overgrowth. In the "Jungle Book" King Louey's palace was covered in foliage. In the secret garden the gate was overgrown. The garden was a secret because no one could find the entrance.

The future in japan is going to be a tremendous amount of websites that need to be deleted. The spiders that spin off from this will entrap society in a web of frustration and wondering where that stupid spider is at. The other frustration is people won't want to go to a place covered by a beast that will eat their money and gross them out, and cause hair raising problems.

I really wish the people of Japan would think through their Evironmentalism. They are going to be like a lot of blind cultists who are groping for a door of opportunity only to find themselves locked out and consumed by the beast. That or they will be doing the spider web dance of wanting to be free.

END OF CIVILIZATION

Below is an article from CNN. The article is about a man who played a role playing game for ten years creating civilizations and growing them into nations. The outcome....is quite Biblical. There is no hope for mankind.  He says in regards to the nations the only peace solution is to wipe out others, "It is this that perpetuates the war ad infinitum." 

He also said the only Government that was plausible was a communistic one. Democracy failed to act when needed to. Like a game of Chess, this man played for 10 years and it is quite a fascinating read. There is one scenario that he did not think of and that was God intervening in mankind's fate. In Matthew, Jesus says, "And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." I can't wait, yet I fear how much war and death must we endure until the Christ returns to save mankind from himself.
 
(CNN) -- Can you imagine playing a single video game for 10 years?

One man did. And it helped him imagine something else: a bleak, war-ravaged future version of Earth.

A member of the social news website Reddit who goes by the name Lycerius posted his results from a decade-long game of "Civilization II," a turn-based strategy games in which players build their own society. His epic struggle pushed the game to its limits, further than developers ever imagined or planned for.

The "Civilization" franchise is a series of strategy games that allow players to grow small tribes into large, sprawling nations. Players can manage resources, build armies and engage in diplomacy in an effort to grow their civilization into a world leader.

"Civilization II" was released in 1996. But when the third version of the game was released in 2001, Lycerius said, he was already deep into his current game and wanted to see how far he could go.

He doesn't play every day but returns to what he called a "hellish nightmare of suffering and devastation" when he has some free time.

Now in the year 3991, his world is down to three super-nations, each competing for dwindling resources, and a planet left scarred by multiple nuclear wars. His Celts are locked in a 1,700-year war with the Vikings and the Americans. All other nations have been destroyed or absorbed.

"Peace seems to be impossible. Every time a cease fire is signed, the Vikings will surprise attack me or the Americans the very next turn, often with nuclear weapons," Lycerius wrote on Reddit. "Even when the U.N forces a peace treaty. So I can only assume that peace will come only when they're wiped out. It is this that perpetuates the war ad infinitum."

Because of the continual fighting, he was forced to abandon his democracy and adopt a communist state, because his Senate kept overruling him when he wanted to declare war. Also, his cities are filled with starving people (90% of his world's population died from nuclear annihilation or famine from global warming) because, he says, he has to keep building war machines to sustain his combat efforts.

"So you want a granary so you can eat? Sorry; I have to build another tank instead. Maybe next time," he wrote.

Constant nuclear bombardment and sabotage have melted the world's ice caps over and over again, resulting in the flooding of all terrain other than mountains. He said his world is full of swamp (which is useless for farming) and irradiated lands.

"Civilization" franchise creator Sid Meier said developers never even thought about someone taking a "Civ" game this far into the future.

"There's no way we could have tested for this, so it was a surprise to us," Meier said. "I can't say that we ever thought anyone would play a game of 'Civ' for that long. It's exciting that a fan of the series would dedicate 10 years to playing one continuous game."

Before you think Lycerius is just an unfeeling ruler, he said he does want to find a way to end the longstanding war.

"My goal for the next few years is to try and end the war and thus use the engineers to clear swamps and fallout so that farming may resume. I want to rebuild the world. But I'm not sure how. "

He may not be sure how, but Jesus knows exactly what he will do. It is all laid out in the pages of the Bible. It is funny how generals and world leaders will do scenario play on the outcomes of wars and political take overs. They are shocked when they discovered the outcome they had been thinking of were already written about in the Word of God.