Pursuit of Happiness

Former Senator John Edwards was interviewed recently by You Tube and in a lightning round asked if certain things were "rights" or "privileges". See the interview by clicking here. There were six questions.... Edwards answered that five of them were rights and only one was a privilege. Here are the six category/questions:

1) College education
2) Health Care
3) Livable wage
4) Owning a handgun
5) American citizenship for someone that was not born here but that has worked here for five years.
6) Access to the internet.

Notice that the interpretation of four of these questions can be very broad and subjective except for two of them, owning a handgun and the citizenship question. To which question was the answer a "privilege"? You guessed it....owning a handgun....the only Constitutionally guaranteed right out of the group and this former Senator and Presidential hopeful believes that this 2nd Amendment protected right is a privilege! I think Mr. Edwards should go back to Civics class. All of the other categories would certainly fall within that unalienable Right of the pursuit of Happiness, but it's their pursuit which is guaranteed and not their apprehension.

The Fulfillment of Scripture in America's Disobedience

Wow!! Listen to these two broadcasts on Focus on the Family's website from John MacArthur. This is one message in two parts delivered last month on the National Day of Prayer. This message details MacArthur's position that America is currently under the wrath and judgment of God revealed by his abandonment of our land. I agree completely.

Here is a painfully accurate statement from the second half of the sermon...

"There's no surer indicator of a corrupted, wicked and abandoned society under God's wrath than when that society does not tolerate anger against sin." - Rev. John MacArthur

Sound familiar? It was just last week that our own Congress attempted legislation that would begin to silence publicly spoken opposition to many "politically correct" social and moral issues labeling it as hate speech and with the stroke of a pen making your thoughts and words criminal in the land.

The evidence comes from the fulfillment of Romans 1:18-32. God has given America over to a reprobate or a depraved mind. As I listened to this message I struggled to find any public example to refute this condition. This is pointed and in your face preaching that the Church desparately needs to hear and embrace.

There is hope that God desperately seeks to deliver.....look at these words from Psalm 81. God requires obedience and hates sin. His reward for walking in His ways are great!

13"Oh that My people would listen to Me, That Israel would walk in My ways! 14"I would quickly subdue their enemies And turn My hand against their adversaries. 15"Those who hate the LORD would pretend obedience to Him, And their time of punishment would be forever. 16"But I would feed you with the finest of the wheat, And with honey from the rock I would satisfy you."

Psalm 81:13-16

http://www.oneplace.com/Ministries/Focus_on_the_Family/Archives.asp?bcd=2007-6-4

It's not long till Jamestown

My dad the preacher

I heard my dad preach this past Sunday, May 27th, for the first time since July 2006. For nearly my whole life and for about as long as I can remember my dad has been a Baptist preacher....delivering the Word of God each Sunday morning, visiting the sick, needy and lost throughout the week, counseling those in need....But most importantly to me he was just my dad. It was so good to hear him from the pulpit again.

Grandchildren are the crown of old men, And the glory of sons is their fathers.

Proverbs 17:6

Sunday's message was preached from Psalm 127 and John 10:10. It was a message on the multi-generational faithfulness of God to his children....and how He provides for us to have life more abundantly through Him as we live and function in families built on God's word. God designed and ordained families to carry out His work and through families the Church is built. Christ the "builder" uses us, the "building materials" to labor in the Lord as we build our "house" on a biblical foundation. All other efforts are in vain! Jesus said in Matthew Chapter 7 that any man who hears his words and acts on them is like a wise man who builds his house on the rock. And when the storms come the house will not fall. But, any man who hears his words and does not act on them is like a fool who builds his house on the sand. When the storms come his house will fall. And the fall will be great! Does that sound familiar?

How many families in our world are built on the Word of God? How may families are in total despair and chaos from disobedience to God? The family today is experiencing a total attack. I'm afraid that most are like the house built on the sand and their fall will be great. We see this all around us everyday. It is the need of the day. It is imperative that we labor in the Lord to build our families and to build our churches strong in the Lord on a foundation of the word of Jesus Christ.

Mission Home Baptist Church
Fleetwood, NC

Sticks and Stones...

"Pleasant words are a honeycomb,
Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones"
Proverbs 16:24

We've been studying Proverbs in our daily devotions and recently covered this verse. We had to stop and memorize it as a family. What great wisdom from the Lord.

A Positive Reason in the News to Homeschool

I think this story about two teens in Idaho was at least partially meant to make homeschoolers look like gun toting, back woods, socially recluse, paranoids....but it actually does the opposite. The quotes from the young man are indicative of a very well grounded and highly educated person able to stand firm on his own. In other words....this eighteen-year old seems to be able to form ideas, relay the information in an intelligent way and defend his position based on personal belief, historical precedent, and constitutional, common, and statutory law. This is exactly what homeschool parents are seeking to develop in children....the ability to be functional members of our society and not dependent dys-functional ones.

It's a shame that the shooting instructor in this story simply fails to get it. It's obvious he's missed the point. He questions the need for these teens to carry firearms in town even though legal to do so...maybe he should check the news that just broke in his state where a lone gunman killed a police officer, wounded a deputy, killed an innocent civilian and wounded another before killing himself. That's right sir...looks like nobody in Idaho needs to exercise their right to carry arms just because they can. I applaud these young men for exercising their rights and having the courage and conviction to do so in the face of obvious local pressure and misunderstanding.

Some reasons in the news this week to homeschool

Just a couple stories from the week. And just what about socialization?

http://www.wral.com/news/news_briefs/story/1424496/

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,273942,00.html

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,273949,00.html