The Sheepdog Files

Sarah Brady's misguided tears

noreply@blogger.com (Sheepdog) — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 01:26:00 +0000

Well howdy everyone, sorry I haven't been posting. I've been working a lot, and blogging just hasn't been a priority. I am still working on a rebuttal to a video, that will be posted sometime this year I hope.....

Anyhoo, you all have seen the reports on the shooting in Arizona last week. Lots of emotions are running wild, and people are calling for something to be done. A major problem with an instance like this is people take the deeds and thoughts of an insane man and try and paint a picture that anyone who is even remotely close to the same ideas is just like him.

Sarah Brady is calling for more gun control (of course) thinking that will solve the problem:

Obama is our best hope, because he is surely aware that much of the resistance to common-sense changes to our gun laws is meant to shut us down and shut us up. It is meant to allow the guys with the guns -- instead of ordinary Americans like us with the ideas -- and men and women of good conscience, like Gabby and Jim -- to make the rules.

So....People with guns are not ordinary Americans? Anyone with a gun is going to do this? With all the millions of guns in the US, the fact that this doesn't happen often (especially in a place with lots of guns) doesn't mean anything? The instant you must resort to demonizing your opponent, you have already lost the moral high ground.

The bullies have succeeded too often. They have made cowardly lions out of too many members of Congress. This moment, as grievous as it is, presents a new opportunity for the president and other elected leaders to demonstrate political courage -- the way President Bill Clinton did when he stood by the side of victims and fought with all he had to pass the Brady Bill.

That's right, never let a crisis go to waste..never mind that the Brady Bill did absolutely no good in curbing gun crime. Guns are tools. They work both ways. There are no good guns and bad guns, there are only good men and bad men. A "High capacity" magazine could just as easily be used to save lives as to commit mass murder. Think mass rioting/looting that happens when societies collapse (for example, when a large scale earthquake hits California.) One shop owner isn't going to be a deterrent, however, one shop owner with a couple thousand rounds of ammunition at the ready to protect his family and property is quite a deterrent. Firearms are force multipliers...they even the playing field. Suddenly, an 80 year old grandma doesn't need to give in to a 200 lbs rapist. Taking away guns creates an environment where the strong live and the weak suffer.

Say "no" to those who won't retreat from an ideology that is fixated on weapons of war that are turned on babies and grandmothers alike. An ideology that helps assassinate dreamers and the dreams they hold dear. That litters across our fruited plains the bloodstains of innocents. That has kept us from forming that more perfect union, and pistol-whipped us into a seemingly endless cycle of wounding, maiming and murdering one another.

Those "Weapons of war" have been used to murder innocents, yes. There is no question of that. They have also been used to stop mass murder, save people from being mauled alive, put food on the table, etc. Anything can be used for evil, no matter what it is. Nothing is sacred. The internet can be used to stay connected with those you hold dear, stay aware of the world around you, learn things you never could. It could also be used to look at pornography, gossip, destroy someones character, steal military secrets. The tool is not the problem, the person is.

The Brady bunch does not want "common-sense" gun regulations, they want no guns whatsoever. Now, if it were even possible to get all the guns (which it's not, but let's just assume) we would find ourselves in a world with no equalizers. The citizens would be completely reliant on the good will of their governments for protection. Those who devoted their entire lives to training to do violence would have the upper hand and be able to prey on those that did not.

Happy food coma day

noreply@blogger.com (Sheepdog) — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 18:59:00 +0000

Happy thanksgiving everyone, remember who we're giving thanks to! I'll get back to posting more, honest! Just be patient! Have a good one, and remember, don't do anything you don't want to explain to the EMT's.

~Sheepdog

Club-K Missile system

noreply@blogger.com (Sheepdog) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 17:21:00 +0000

We take a break from our regularly scheduled rebuttal program to bring you this special report:

This could be bad. It seems to be something close to four tomahawk cruise missiles, that can be hidden inside a cargo container. This is shamelessly hiding amongst civilians, but that's the exact tactics that have been used by our enemies in the middle east. I don't think this is a viable system to be launched on Americans from within US borders, seeing as DHS scans all cargo containers as they are offloaded. The system is not perfect, however, and some may get in. The very first one of these things that are caught coming into the ports, and the entire system should shut down, and instead be changed to physically checking each container that comes in.The more viable threat would be a sea based launch on coastal cities.

There is still a threat of the missiles being fired from within Mexican borders on US cities. That is a very viable threat in my opinion. Mexico cannot search containers as effectively as we can, and the officials are notoriously crooked and underpaid. I would consider a missile being fired from within Mexican borders to be the most viable option for a terrorist to use.

A few things I noticed:

Firstly, there appears to be a compartment at the "front" of the container. A small door opens, and perhaps a control room is inside? The video seemed to suggest that it was launched via signal from satellite, but perhaps it needs to be launched from within the container. The satellite in the video may have been the blue country's, and was alerting the country to the suspicious container, perhaps.

Secondly, the missiles cannot be launched from a truck while in motion. Notice as the silos erect, two posts extend to the ground to maintain the balance of the truck. These would not be able to extend without damage while moving, and I'd assume they are in place to keep the truck from rocking backwards when the missiles are fired due to the force generated from the blast. I believe this due to the fact that they extended after the silo was erected, and not before as would be the case if the silo was so heavy as to rock the truck back due to the weight of the silo.

Thirdly, the silo may or may not be erected while a train is in motion. In the video, the train was at a standstill, and I'd assume the amount of force generated on the silo while in motion could cause damage.

Fourthly, there would be a very small window of opportunity to shoot down these missiles. Missiles being fired from the water would give slightly more warning, than a land based launch from a border town in Mexico. The US military does have the Patriot Missile System, and other missile defenses, but I am unsure as to weather or not they are already set to launch, or if there would be a time delay to get the system set up and then target the missiles. I would submit that we should have missile defenses at the ready. At least with an ICBM, there is a decent amount of warning from launch to when the missile strikes. Depending on the intended target, this could have an extremely small window of opportunity (seconds even).

Fifthly, with an attack of this nature, it would be very difficult to find the ones responsible. With nuclear attacks, there was always the fear of mutually assured destruction. You fire, everyone on this little green dirt ball dies. With todays world of terrorists, there is no flag to fight. There are organizations, and of course countries that fund them, but it is a very different world than we are used to. I can guarantee that any truck, ship, or train that launches one of these will have a few missiles coming back at them, but that's not a great discouragement when you are taught you will go to paradise if you die a "martyr's" death.

Sixthly, this would be an extremely likely threat towards Israel. I'm sure Hamas would love to use this system, of course they're doing pretty well with their weapons they have already, so perhaps not. It is something to think about.

More information on this would be greatly appreciated.

Rebuttal: Tough questions for Christians, questions 11-20

noreply@blogger.com (Sheepdog) — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 18:22:00 +0000

Continuing on:

Question 11:

A couple things before the question:

He quotes Luke 19:27, completely out of context I might add, and claims that this is saying anyone who does not want Jesus as Lord should be killed. This verse was taken from the parable of ten minas. This parable was of things that are still yet to come. You see, the disciples thought that Jesus would reign on earth, at that time. This is apparent in Luke 19:11, at the very start of the parable. "As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed the kingdom of God was to appear immediately." (ESV) This parable was to make known that the kingdom was still to come. In it, the noble goes away to receive his kingdom, leaving stewards behind each with a mina. That was Jesus ascending into heaven, and leaving us behind to spread His word. In the parable, when the noble goes away to receive his kingdom, some say that they do no wish to be ruled over. That is the world rejecting the work Jesus has done. Jesus has not returned yet, but that is what the rest of the parable tells of. So, Luke 19:27 is talking of what is to come when Jesus returns to rule. When He returns, He will not be meek and mild Jesus. Read Revelations 19:11 and following for Jesus returning in full glory.

Notice that someone who knows the scriptures well enough can make them say anything if they're taken out of context. No matter who is preaching, always alway always read the context! Ask Jesus if it's true! We are human, we make mistakes, some even intentionally twist the scriptures. Watch for the wolves!

Now the question:

"What did Jesus mean when he commanded his followers to bring unbelievers hither and, 'slay them before me?'"

He meant exactly that, but it has a condition. He was referring to what was to come. It was not a command for the now, but a foretelling of what will happen on the last day. Until then, we act as Jesus acted while on earth: Peacefully, yet ready to defend the truth and speak the truth boldly. When Jesus returns, He will be in His full glory, the reigning king, and no one will be able to stand against.

Question 12:

A few things before the question:

"This good God has personally drowned millions of people. He's killed people for infractions as minor as looking the wrong direction." God laid down the ground rules of what to do and not to do, He is very patient, but not unjust. He is a just judge and will deal justice eventually. His wrath does exist, but does His enacting justice make Him not good, or evil? No. Everything good comes from Him, He cannot be untrue to Himself.

"And if God created everything, then He is personally responsible for the Ebola virus, the Bubonic plague, flesh eating bacteria, and bad breath." The world we look at is a fallen world. Things are not as they should be. Who knows what purpose bacteria served before the fall? Everything has been affected by sin. Nothing is left untouched. Praise the Lord that He will one day make everything right, and there will be a new heaven, and a new earth, perfect in every way.

"If that's good, then what's evil." Let's define evil. Evil is the absence of God. Everything good comes from God, and everything evil is where God is not. take for example cold. Cold is the absence of heat. You can make something hotter and hotter, but total absence of heat is -273.15 Degrees Celsius, -459.67 Degrees Fahrenheit, and 0 Degrees Kalvin. We have not seen a total absence of God yet, take the most evil man that ever lived and you wont have been anywhere near what it would be like to be fully evil.

Now the question: "What actions would be 'evil' or 'immoral' if committed by God?"

Anything that would go against God's nature would be considered evil. However, God cannot go against His own nature.

Question 13:

One thing before the question:

He continually mangles the trinity. The Father, Son and Spirit working as one make up God. When Jesus was praying, He was praying to the Father. God is three distinct persons, but still one God.

Now the question:

"Why was God so reluctant to sacrifice himself for you[r] sins?"

He was not reluctant. He is the one with the plan, and His goal is to bring glory to Himself. He was under no obligation to save us of our sins, but He made a plan and then followed through. His plan is complex, yet perfect. Everything worked together to glorify Him, and continues to do so.

Question 14:

One thing before the question:

He is talking of the age of accountability, and he rightly says it is not in the bible. There is no biblical ground for it. If there is an age of accountability, then abortion would be the greatest, man made heaven filling device. We know in our hearts this is not right. I believe that God is sovereign. He chooses to save who he chooses, and doesn't save who he doesn't choose. He knows all, and is good. Who are we to question Him? He will do what is right, whatever that is, I don't know.

Now the question: "Would you risk eternity in hell if it meant your children could spend eternity in heaven?"

Now that is a tough one, only because it shows how loyal you are to your children. My answer would have to be probably not. Fortunately, there is nothing I can do to separate myself from Christ. I didn't deserve to be saved originally, don't deserve to be saved now, nothing I can do in the future to make myself more undeserving either. Jesus paid it all, nothing I did saved me, nothing I can do to give up what He's given me. I'm not holding Him, He's holding me, and He doesn't let go of His own.

Question 15:

"Why aren't you reattaching limbs for the glory of God?"

First, I would like to point out that what he says is true, Jesus did reattach limbs, and our God is all powerful. Why hasn't He done that recently, I'm not sure. He certainly is capable of it. It is up to Him to decide weather to do so or not, He is under no obligation to heal us. Now, to answer the question, it is not our own power that we do anything. Everything good comes from God. We are powerless on our own, none of our gifts come from ourselves. If Jesus sees fit to use one of us to heal, then praise the Lord, if not, praise the Lord. It is His own glory at stake, He will defend Himself as He sees fit.

Question 16:

Before we get to the question, a few things:

In the video, he gives mention to Jim Jones and his cult called The People temple. He states that the peoples temple members were "devout believers in Christ, who's lives involved bible study and prayer on a daily basis." Further examination of the cults teaching, however, reveals they were not. Jim Jones, the cult leader, identified the God of the Bible as a "trickster" or false deity. His teaching were Marxist, and his cult held a very communistic ideology. He preached, "God is principle, principle is love, and love is socialism." The cult believed that the concept of socialism was God. Further, Jones deified himself, "Jim Jones is God because he is the embodiment of Divine Socialism." For more information, please see here: http://www.suite101.com/content/the-theology-of-jim-jones-a49331 and here: http://www.caic.org.au/biblebase/apocolyptic/jones.htm

Also, in the video, he gives mention to the Branch Davidians. After studying their website (yes, they're still around) for most of the day, I must say, they are definitely a cult, and not Christian as they claim. First and foremost, it appears that they reject Jesus as God, and instead see him as a prophet. Secondly, they believe in reincarnation. Thirdly, they twist scripture to suite their views, or just flat out change it. Fourthly the claim that someone still to come, one of the Davidians who survived the raid at Waco, TX, is the lamb refered to in Revelation. Not Jesus. Fifthly, they claim there is a Father God, and Mother God. There's quite a bit more, and I may take an entire post or two to show the differences if God calls me too, but I believe this is sufficient evidence to disprove the claim that they were indeed Christians. For more information, here is their official site: http://www.sevenseals.com/

As for the bit about the civil war, many on both sides were Christians, and it was fought over a lot more than just slavery. Pointing out that Christians were on the union side as a way to say slavery is wrong in God's eyes is not a valid argument. Look at Galatians 3:28, speaking of the way Christ sees us, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

"What system did God establish, which you follow but 'mislead' Christians ignore, that ensures you are following the real God, while others believers are so easily mislead?"

A very good point. The answer is the Bible. The people temple was a cult. Cults are funny things, they are wolves in sheep's clothing, claiming to study the bible, but teaching something different. However, close examination of these cults proves that they did not know our Lord, or they would not have done such things. There are false teachers, and that is why we must pay such close attention to what is being preached. If there are false teachers, who are unrepentant, they should be sent out of the church and no longer allowed to teach.

Question 17:

"If people can only be damned if they consciously reject Jesus, why tell anyone about him?"

The Bible does not teach that it is only if they reject Jesus consciously. It does teach that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. God is all knowing, and all powerful; He is just, and everything He does is right and good. He is also sovereign. I trust that God will do what is right, whatever that is. That is all that matters. Jesus instructed us to go out and preach the gospel, so we do so.

Question 18:

Before we get to the question:

"Apparently he needs some sort of external marker so he knows who he's supposed to slaughter." No, the Israelites putting blood on their doors was showing that they had faith in God. It was a statement of faith. Also, when the Egyptians woke up the next morning to see that God had slaughtered them, but that the Israelites were all well, God's glory was displayed.

The analogy about the promise land has a major difference from history. Azsuperman01 did not own the car, or the Jones family. God owns everything on earth. It is His to destroy or to prosper. Every day, waking up is because of Him.

Now the question: "Why did God make the Israelites murder so many people in order to take possession of the land he promised them?"

Could God have killed everyone in the land before hand? Sure. He uses His people to let us help. Think of a father taking his son to work. Now, the father could do a lot more, with a lot less stress and worry if his son wasn't there, but he bring his son along to let his son help. If your dad ever brought you along to work along side him, then you know the feeling, it's a feeling of pride and joy to get to help dad out.

I think the other reason was for the Israelites to see the glory and power of God, for example with Jericho. March around the city 7 times, blow the trumpets, and the walls come tumbling down. How else can that be explained besides God's almighty power? The people of the land then knew that God was real, and powerful, and that He was coming after them.

A third reason could be that, again, it was a statement of faith. That they had faith that if God was for them, no one could stand against. That God could do anything, and would bring them victory.

Question 19:

"Did God create hell with the foreknowledge and intent of torturing humanity? Or is he a bumbling idiot who could not foresee the consequences of his own actions?"

God is all knowing, and all powerful, so yes, God created hell knowing who would end up there. Hells hot, eternity's a long time, stop running towards destruction and surrender to the one who died for you. Think of it this way, Jesus jumped on a grenade for you. But, it's not like you were battle buddies and a grenade came in so He jumped on it. No, you were the enemy, shooting at Him, and He ran across the field of fire to jump on His own grenade and save you. That's a poor analogy of what Jesus did for us on the cross, but I think it helps to explain it.

Question 20:

"How many souls does a Chimera have, and what happens to the other soul?"

That is an interesting point. Truth is, I don't know. God does, He is just, all knowing, all powerful. In heaven, everything will be made clear.

Rebuttal: Tough questions for Christians, questions 1-10

noreply@blogger.com (Sheepdog) — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 16:31:00 +0000

There is a series on youtube called "Tough Questions for Christians." I believe God is calling me to answer these questions, by His grace, and the wisdom He grants. This post will cover questions 1-10.

Question 1:

A few things that stand out before we get to the question:

1. In the analogy, he did not pursue the person who hit the car. Jesus (who is God) does pursue us actively. He reveals Himself to us through His word, the Bible, as well as with His creation, and the conscience He gave us to tell right from wrong.

2. At the end he says, "You could hit my car tomorrow, die within 24 hours, and Jesus and God could sentence you to hell because you hit the car, and drove away; and didn't ask them for forgiveness before you died." Well, yes, and no...without Jesus saving grace, then yes, you'd be sentenced for that and every other sin you committed. However, if you have been saved by Jesus, you are set free. It is not up to us to ask forgiveness of every single sin we committed, and if we missed one, we don't go to hell for it. Jesus paid it all, it is not by our works.

3. "Jesus and God" No, Jesus is God. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three distinct persons, but one God.

Now the question: "Why is God powerless to forgive you after you're dead?"

God is just. How can He go against His nature, and deny Himself? He cannot permit evil to remain. He had every right to just send everyone to hell, to not save anyone, and just start over. He didn't give a plan of salvation for the demons, He could have done the same for us. Yes, you do have one life time, then comes judgement. That is God's plan, He has every right to make it so. He has told us that is the plan, He gives us the opportunity to accept His love, if you die rejecting that love, then you will go to hell. He must carry out justice, and must follow through with what He said He would do.

Question 2:

Before we get to the question:

"Christ died for the sins of all mankind" Armenians would hold this to be true. References such as Romans 5:18 are used to back this up, "Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men." (ESV). Calvinists would say, no, Christ died for the elect. References such as Romans 8:29-30 are used to back this up, "For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the first born among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified." (ESV) For more information on this particular difference between Calvinism and Armenianism, I'd suggest this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3yZMlempDw specifically 28 minutes in. Lots of heated debate on the subject.

On his analogy of the fine in court: Think of it this way. He must pay a fine. Someone (Jesus) steps in, and says I will pay this fine. The judge says, that would be acceptable, but he pipes up and starts fighting Jesus, wanting to pay it himself. Eventually Jesus says ok, I was willing, but you rejected it, you can now pay your fine.

"Now I know, I know, God and Jesus same person." Ehh.....sorta....God is three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They are one God. Wanted to make sure it was clear just in case.

"If God doesn't accept Him, He'll send you to hell. If God does accept Him, then He'll send Jesus to Hell. Which supposedly He's already done, Jesus's finished and come back again." Here's something that is definitely wrong. Where in the Bible does it say that Jesus went to hell? Why would Jesus have to go to hell? He paid for our sins on the cross, when the wrath of God was turned on Him, and He was completely cut off from God. John 19:30 "When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, 'It is finished,' and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." (ESV) So, I take this to mean, it was complete, our sins were paid for. If I am mistaken, please leave a comment below. Also, what did Jesus say to the criminal next to Him on the cross? Luke 23:43 "And he said to him, 'Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."

Now the question: "If God accepted Jesus' sacrifice as payment for the sins of mankind, then why will man kind still be punished for the sins that Jesus paid for?"

It is a good question, and one I think can only be answered by, Christ did not die for all, only for the elect. However, we do not know who the elect are, so we must treat everyone as if they were elect, and spread God's word to all. I do not claim to be either Calvinist, nor Armenian, I believe they both have valid arguments, and that way to much devision is made over the two thoughts. I try to base my beliefs off what the scriptures say. In this case, I believe they say that Christ died for the elect. I know this is dangerous territory, but that's what I believe to be true. If you can prove otherwise through scripture, please do so.

Question 3:

"What is the point of God giving us free-will if we're not allowed to use it?"

This is assuming that all free will is evil thoughts. That free will is the opposite of God's will. Though it normally is, it does not have to be. When Christ gets a hold of a heart, He doesn't just save it, He changes it. He gives new desires, the flesh no longer pleases the same way it did before. It is literally a new heart. You are still allowed to choose, but it'd be like saying to choose between eating feces or eating good food. It's not really a hard option, but you still have the will to choose.

Question 4:

"Do you really think you DESERVE to be tortured?"

Well, if Christ had not gotten a hold of my heart and saved me, then yes, torture is exactly what I deserve. Would it be pleasant? No, that's the point. It's not like God hasn't given everyone an equal chance to be saved. Those that choose to continue on sinning and rejecting Him get what they're asking for. He keeps saying that His way is the truly enjoyable way, yet they want the world, and so, He lets them taste it. But even after tasting it, they only want more, and so, He continues to call them, but, at one point, His patience runs out. They die, and then they will get what they have been heading for for quite some time.

Question 5:

A few things before we get to the question:

"It's really not a great deterrent either, because, if you don't already believe in hell, then it's not going to deter you from doing anything." What's a fairly common, if not the number one, response if you ask someone why God should let them into heaven? "Because I'm a good person." This implies that they do good works and don't do bad works, to stay out of hell. So, I'm going to have to say that it is a deterrent.

"In heaven, we shouldn't be able to be killed, we're already dead, and theoretically, we shouldn't be able to be injured, there's not really anything you're needing to be protected from. So, sending someone to hell doesn't protect the rest of the souls in heaven either." I haven't seen anything in the bible about not being able to be injured in heaven. Also, this statement is ignoring the fact that heaven does not make everyone perfect. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to me that he assumes that while in heave everyone would act civil just because they're in heaven. This is not the case. Christ changes us, Christ makes us perfect. When we die and go to heaven, our perfection will be made complete by Him, however, if someone dies, without Christ in their heart, they are not changed. Would it be just to send someone to heaven who was still rebelling against God? Remember, we are the problem, Jesus is the answer. Without Him, the problem still exists.

Now the question: "What is the purpose of hell?"

As both a deterrent and to protect those in heaven, as well as to enact the justice God has promised to enact on those who do not accept Him. He is just, and will carry out what He has said He will do.

Question 6:

A few things before we get to the question:

"God was thwarted right from the beginning." No....God is all knowing, and all powerful. The man and women rebelled against Him, and He knew it was going to happen. For some amazing reason, He still loved us enough to let us hurt Him.

"And they grew worse and worse and worse, until finally the merciful God decided to drown them all." He had every right to destroy every last one of us and start over, but He didn't. By grace, He allowed Noah, a sinning man, to live. He chalks this up to be God's failure, but is it His failure, or just another way in which He shows Himself? Does He not show His great compassion through this? Isn't it a warning as well as to the fact that we are evil?

"Since He couldn't focus on everyone, He'd focus on a small group." No....He chose a small group of people to represent Himself. It was His plan. Who are we to question it? He chooses what will reveal His glory most effectively. God doesn't make mistakes. Everything happens at the perfect time, in the perfect way.

"He couldn't succeed with everyone, and He couldn't succeed with the descendants of Abraham either, His chosen people were captured by the Egyptians and they were lead into slavery for 400 years." And if they had not been in slavery, the 7 plagues would not have come on Egypt, the passover would not have happened, pharaohs army would not have been destroyed in the red sea, etc etc etc. It is His plan, all things work together for good. What we see as a failure is just another event along the road.

"Yet again He failed, the people hated Him." Failed at what? Getting them to like Him? Might I submit, that that wasn't His goal. His goal was to bring glory to Himself, and show the world that Israel was His chosen people.

Throughout the video, he continues to insist that there were no schools, or other things that would indicate society. What of the ancient Hebrew writings that are found? Why must we assume that there were no schools? Yes, the bible doesn't say that there where any, but it also doesn't say that there weren't.

I'd like to know how we as humans failing translates into God's failures, because that's my understanding of what was said in the video. He offers us life, we reject Him and follow the world. He says to serve Him, we served ashera and baal. He shows that the scriptures pointed towards Him, we killed Him. But with each of our blunders, God brought about good.

And now the question: "Is the Bible, with the repeated stories of God's failures, a true history of a PERFECT being?"

Now that's a trap if I ever saw one. That question assumes that everything we did wrong was God's failures. God is all powerful, could He have forced us to do whatever He wanted us to do? You betcha, but He chose to leave us freewill. It is a story of His love, a love so great, He's willing to still love us even when we reject Him. Can we really say that this is God's failure because He has given us multiple chances to return to Him?

Question 7:

"Why doesn't God give everyone the same amount of evidence as he gave Thomas?"

Perhaps that is why the story of Thomas doubting is in the Bible. For those who doubt so much. If Thomas had to go through that much proof to believe it, then there is no question about it. He felt Jesus hands and feet, he was satisfied. Someone who doubted that much to believe, should make it plain to everyone that it is indeed true.

Question 8:

"Why is God only willing to give extraordinary evidence to some people, instead of giving the same degree of proof to everyone?"

Through God's word, we do get the same amount of evidence. What else would explain, a man so bent on destroying the early church, then changing, being persecuted himself, tortured, and eventually executed for the very thing he was originally attempting to destroy? It gives Christ glory, to see how much a person changes when Christ gets a hold of the heart!

Bonus question: "Did God take away Paul's freewill when he revealed himself?"

No, Paul still could have said no. It would have been stupid, but he still could have. You see, when you see Christ for who He truly is, why would you want to serve anyone else? On top of that, when you accept Christ into your heart, He literally gives you a new heart. It's a complete change. The old desires do not give you the same pleasure they once did, and He gives you new desires. It feels so right when you live your life for Christ.

Question 9:

A few things before we get to the question:

"If God had made sin as distasteful or unpleasant as stabbing yourself, slamming your fingers in the door, or eating cat feces; then the entire world would be for the most part saved." God did not create sin. Sin came into the world when we rejected Him. Evil is the absence of God. When Christ grabs hold of your heart, sin truly does become that unpleasant. A heart changed by Christ can never look at sin the same way again.

"God went so far as to put massive amounts of nerve endings on the reproductive organs, and then penalize people for using them. I mean seriously, having sex in anyway, for anything other than procreation is suddenly sinful and abhorring. You can't do it, you shouldn't do it, it's bad." No, He put them there for our enjoyment, when used in a way that's pleasing to Him. Meaning, within a marriage, it is perfectly ok to have intimacy. That is how God intended it, for a man and his wife to enjoy each other. As to the bit about having sex in anyway other than procreation, most people will point towards Genesis 38:8-10, "Then Judah said to Onan, 'Go into your brother's wife and perform your duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother. "But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his. So whenever he went in to his brother's wife he would waste the semen on the ground, so as not to give offspring to his brother. And what he did was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and he put him to death also." Ahh, see? Wasting the seed is evil, therefore, birth control is evil, etc etc. No, this is because he was not fulfilling his duty, and was being selfish towards his brothers wife. On top of that, he was disobeying his father. I suggest reading the Song of Solomon, pages of intimacy, no mention of having children. Mars Hill Church has a very good series on it: http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/the-peasant-princess/preview

Now the question: "If God didn't want us to sin, why did he make sinning feel good?"

As stated above, God did not create sin, and when someone is changed by Christ sin does not feel good whatsoever.

Question 10:

"Was Jesus' sacrifice to insignificant to please God? If not, why does God reinstate animal sacrifices?"

No, Jesus' payment was the final payment, all animal sacrifices were merely analogies of what was to come. The sacrifices here are meant for the near future, not after the final battle. Why would God give instructions to Ezekiel on how to divide the land if everything was already complete? If you read Ezekiel, there was a break between the vision about the last battle, and the vision about the building of the temple. These are two separate thoughts, there is no reason to assume they are chronological events.

That's all for now, hopefully soon, the next post will be out. There are about 36 videos that he's made from what I can see.

On Abortion

noreply@blogger.com (Sheepdog) — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 16:20:00 +0000

Abortion is murder, plain and simple. I know that is not a popular view, nor a politically correct one, but the truth is rarely popular, nor politically correct. The arguments I have heard is "My body, my life" and "This is about women's rights." These arguments are not valid, because they ignore the right of the defenseless baby. Though the baby has had no chance to harm anyone, he or she is not allowed to live for the sake of what? Comfort? The other argument I have heard is, "The baby is not a person yet." Therefore, they claim it does not deserve the same rights, and is somehow less human. There is a double standard however, if someone were to murder a pregnant woman, he would be charged with two counts: The killing of the mother, and of the child. So, our government does recognize the baby still has a right to life, however, they turn a blind eye, or in some cases, outright support the killing of innocent life if it is convenient for the mother. This brings us to the next point: Governments roll.

The roll of Government is to represent Jesus' authority on earth. Our government obviously has not done this, and refuses to do so. I understand that is not a valid argument in most groups, so I shall use one that is, not because I am ashamed of my savior, but because the goal of this is to bring about change in peoples thinking. The roll of the government should be to not let the rights of the citizens be encroached upon. This means, they are not to encroach on the rights of the citizens, and are to keep order in such a way as to protect and defend the citizens. At this too, they have failed. It is a slippery slope we find ourselves on, and our government isn't even trying to run back up, but instead, has turned and is leading the charge down. It is the duty of the government to intervene when the rights of the people are being infringed upon, and this means babies also. It boggles the mind that we have such a high value of children, but only the children that are convenient apparently.

Men, we have great responsibilities to bear, responsibilities that should have us on our knees every morning praying that Jesus would not allow us to fail, because the consequences are so great. One of those responsibilities is to "Speak up for those who cannot speak up for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly, defend the rights of the poor and the needy." (Proverbs 31:8-9) Society, and even many churches sadly, has turned men into cowards. Putting great emphasis on peace, and tolerance, so much so that we forget there are things worth fighting for. More and more, I see young Christian men, who grew up in the church, thinking just because they didn't do anything wrong, that they are in the right. You see, there are sins of omission, and commission. Take for example, original sin. Where was Adam when Eve first ate of the fruit? Genesis 3:6 "So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate." So, he was there, with her, and did nothing to defend her and her conscience, nor did he defend God and His commands. This is a sin of omission, not living up to his duty as a man to protect and defend.

You are no longer an innocent sheep, you have now been given knowledge about the subject. You have three options, be a wolf and fight for abortion, be a guilty sheep and ignore what you have learned today, or be a sheepdog and take a stand.

Sanctity of life

noreply@blogger.com (Sheepdog) — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 16:26:00 +0000

From AP:

Often, overtreating fatal illnesses happens because patients don't want to give up.
Saideh Browne said her mother, Khadija Akmal-Lamb, wanted to fight her advanced ovarian cancer even after learning it had spread to her liver. The 55-year-old Kansas City, Mo., woman had chemo until two weeks before she died last August.
"She kept throwing up, she couldn't go to the bathroom," and her body ached, Browne said. The doctors urged hospice care and said, "your mom was stubborn," Browne recalled. "She wanted her chemo and she wanted to live."
Browne, who lives in New York, formed a women's cancer foundation in her mother's honor. She said she would encourage dying cancer patients to choose comfort care over needless medicine that prolongs suffering.

You see, this is what happens when you try and create a perfect world without God. This is what happens when you start looking at people as society, and not image bearers of God. Step one is making it easier to cope with loss of life, either by saying there was never any real life, or their life is torture, and therefore not true life. They say, "Oh, it's not a baby, just some tissue," or, "They're just going to be in a vegetated state, no feeling or emotion." or even, "They're going to be in agony, it's better to end it now." This is evil.

God created us, and He has set a time for us to die. He has determined the number of our days, if we are still alive, it is only because He has let us keep breathing. He also created us, therefore, how can someone say it is their choice and right to determine if the unborn are allowed to live? No matter what the circumstances, God still allowed him or her to be created, and meticulously made them that way.

What is happening now, has happened before. History repeats itself, there is nothing new under the sun. Nazi Germany started off with their slaughter of the old by telling society that they were unneeded and not useful. That it was merciful to kill the sick and dying. This made it easier to allow the murder and slaughter of those without voice.

Now, the problem I have right now is not with people giving up on life. That is their choice, and while sad, is still their choice. What I do have a problem with is that our country is headed towards a society where life is not highly valued. Where the government will control healthcare, and will decide weather or not you are worth letting live. Where it is "merciful" to let you die, or just outright kill you. Where before, you might have been able to afford the operation, it will now be to costly to the government. It should not be someone else's choice to determine if God is right in letting you live. A mere man cannot possibly see what God sees, and cannot possibly determine if it is time to go home.

This has not come suddenly, it has been happening for sometime. The problem is, good people have not done enough to fight it. Darkness can never over come light. If the darkness is moving, it is because the light is not there. When have you ever opened up a door to a dark room and had the darkness put out the light? It doesn't happen. Darkness is not a force, it is the absence of a force. Evil is a bit different, in that it is a force, but still, it cannot stand up against God. If God is with us, who can stand against us? If we, the people of God, stand up for what is right, can evil stand against us?

Search your heart. Ask God what in your life is holding you back from following Him. If you feel called, then make a stand.

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men nothing" -Edmund Burke

It's not like EMTs are people or anything..

noreply@blogger.com (Sheepdog) — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 04:59:00 +0000

I was looking for Christian EMT courses and found this:

http://atheism.about.com/b/2008/06/28/christian-emt-workers-allowed-to-let-pregnant-women-die.htm

So basically, the author takes a story of an EMT who refused to take a pregnant woman to get an abortion, and through a very round about way, comes to the conclusion that Christians are a threat to the public health. Considering the late date of this post, I can only find articles about the lawsuit that followed (BTW, if you have articles stating otherwise, please send them to me as I would like the truth behind anything), but the story that I've gathered is that this was a woman who wanted the ambulance to take her to have an abortion, and an EMT said no on the grounds that it went against her moral beliefs. She was fired on the spot and another EMT took her place.

The author makes a case concerning a law that should have protected her from being fired which says something along the lines of, if you have a moral or religious objection concerning aiding a person, you do not have to aid them. He then has this to say:

According to Manion's reading of Illinois' "conscience clause," it really wouldn’t matter if the abortion were an emergency, would it? If Stephanie Adamson had a moral objection to transporting someone for an abortion, it wouldn't matter if the abortion were purely elective or absolutely necessary to save the woman's life — a moral objection is sufficient to allow her to refuse to lift a finger to save the woman's life. Questioning whether the abortion was an "emergency" strikes me as little more than an attempt to cast aspersions on the motives of the woman who was, he acknowledges, in pain and thus in need of medical treatment.
Even if we ignore this, though, the question is pretty easy to answer: not all hospitals offer abortion services and, even if they do, there might be someone else better qualified to either perform an abortion or to perform an abortion on women in particular medical circumstances. There are plenty of good medical reasons for why it might be necessary to transport a woman in pain from a hospital to a clinic where she can get an abortion. There are few, if any, good medical reasons for an EMT to refuse to transport a woman in such a situation. There are no good reasons — medical or moral — to give EMTs the right to let a woman die rather than drive her to where her life can be saved.

What I am gathering from this, is that he would like EMTs to be good little sheep following the herd, and doing whatever, without question. While 99% of the time, this is ok, you still have to watch out for that 1% of the time when there's something wrong and stopping it means going against the grain. Never mind my views on abortion, never mind my morals, making EMTs prosecutable by law for not giving a treatment ties their hands, makes them second guess themselves, and in general, turns people away from getting into this field to help others.

The EMT did not wish to assist in the murder of an innocent child. The author takes this, and turns it into, "Christian EMT workers allowed to let pregnant women die?" as he titled his post.

As for the abortion, is it denial of a womans right over her body to not let her abort? Well, if you are with the world, then yes. A world without God sees this and says, it is the woman's body, and it is the woman's life. She should be allowed to make the decisions about them both. From a biblical stand point, abortion is evil, no matter the circumstances. God doesn't make mistakes. Since before time, He planned what we would do, from birth to the grave. That means, even in cases of incest or rape, though they are pure evil, it is not right to abort. God can take an evil situation, like rape, and turn it into something beautiful, like a child. If someone decides to take the life of their unborn child, they are, without a doubt, committing murder.

Even our own society realizes that unborn children have value! If a person punches a pregnant woman in the stomach, and she miscarries, the person will (and should) be convicted of murder. However, there is a double standard. If a woman decides that she is not ready to have a child, she can go to a clinic, and have the baby burned alive with acid, and essentially suffocate to kill it. No matter what grounds they say, it is still evil. "It was the humane thing to do, I couldn't support it." "The baby was going to be missing a limb, I couldn't give it a life like that." God still created that child, why is it up to you, to decide whether or not the baby should live? The Lord has a plan for everyone, even those that society views as worthless. It is not up to us to make the decision of who lives, and who dies; especially when they cannot defend themselves.

Life's tough, being a parent's tougher, but with the Lord's help, you can do it. God will not give you a challenge you cannot face. Now, He will almost certainly give you challenges that you cannot face alone. That's what is so great about our God, He is always good, but He is not safe. He wants what is best for us, and He is willing to give us difficult, painful times to make us love Him more, and to make us grow. Nothing worth while will ever be easy. Following God is a constant battle. Battles are not easy, but I can tell you this, the battle is worth it. Looking back on my short life so far, I have seen times where I wanted something, and God didn't let me have it. Looking back, His plan was perfect. He brought me through, and was with me every step the way, with my best interest at heart.

With a God that good, how can we try and say that it would be better to not bring a child into the world who God has a plan for? No matter what the circumstances, God still has a plan, and though you may not see it (and normally you wont), it is heading towards something beautiful and great.

Remember

noreply@blogger.com (Sheepdog) — Mon, 31 May 2010 17:39:00 +0000

Today is Memorial Day. Today, the men and women who have served and are serving are remembered for their service. In the words of R.A. Heinlein, "The price of freedom is the willingness to do sudden battle anywhere, any time and with utter recklessness." Freedom is not free.

Lest we forget the sacrifices of those who have served, and what they served for:

If you have served, thank-you.

The knife

noreply@blogger.com (Sheepdog) — Wed, 19 May 2010 23:17:00 +0000

This is a story of hunting in winter, of cold, of living off the land. This is called The Knife.

Up north in the arctic circle, there is a group of people who have been living there many years. We know them as Eskimos. Now these Eskimos have been there so long, and have adapted to their environment so well, that 20 degrees Fahrenheit feels hot enough to wear a T-Shirt. Their eyes can see 32 different shades of white. When I look at fresh snow, I see pure snow. They, on the other hand, can look at a snow bank and say "That snow over there has fresh water below it, that over there has salt water flowing beneath it. Over there is snow hard enough to be ice, whereas over there is a death trap of soft snow and long drops." In other words, they are masters of the environment.

Our story takes place in a small village, the days are becoming longer, the air is getting warmer, and many of the young boys are getting restless with anticipation for what is to come. One day the elder, the oldest and wisest of the people, gets up, and takes out The Knife. "shnnnk,, shnnnnk, shnnnk." the sound emanates as the elder sharpens the knife. The young boys are really excited now, for now they know the hunt is soon to begin. The elder does this for hours, at a time, not eating or drinking, only sharpening the knife across the stone, until, at long last, the knife is sharp enough to break skin if you touched it to firmly.

Finally after several hours, the knife is ready, and sharp. The Elder calls 5 of the best youth from the tribe to himself. These are young men, around 20 or 25 who know and honor the traditions, who know when to speak and when to hold back, and who he trusts to follow his orders without question. It is now around 3 in the afternoon, and he sends them on a hunt, but neither he, nor the knife, go with them.

They hike miles out to the section of ice where water flows beneath. 4 of them wear very visible black, the fifth wears a very bland white. Two of the ones in black stand very close and visible to a hole in the ice where the seals must come to breath. Further along, another two take up position at a second hole, again very visible. At the the third hole, the one in white waits alone, with a single spear. A seal swims just below the ice, and notices the two men by his air hole, this is no mater, because he can still swim on to the next. At the next one, he again sees two men, so he swims on. By this next hole, he is almost out of oxygen, and must come up for air.

The man in white waits patiently as the seal comes up and looks around. He does not immediately strike, for he knows he must wait. The seal looks about, and then submerges before launching himself almost totally out of the hole. At this point, the man strikes. His thrust is deliberate and well aimed, and with it, he unleashes his full strength and skill. He is careful though, to kill the animal, and yet not let it bleed. The blood must stay inside for now.

The other men gather around, and without a word being said, they head back to the village, carrying the seal and 2 buckets of water back with them. This was not the hunt. This was the preparation.

Once at the village, they set to work. The seal is allowed to bleed into a bucket, and The Knife is dipped into the blood. The knife is dipped, and withdrawn. When it is withdrawn, the blood freezes, and The Knife is dipped again. This goes on for about 2 hours, with each new dipping, a new layer of blood freezes onto the knife. The buckets of water are kept just above freezing, with just a thin layer of ice at the top.

Finally at about midnight, the elder gathers his men together and they set out, with The Knife and the two buckets of water. They hike through the snow, walking softly so as not to alert their prey. They are totally attuned to their environment. A hightened sense of things grips them. They feel the wind, blowing towards them, they see the fresh snow, solid and without tracks in it. Now there is a snow bank about 100yd's from a thicket of trees. The elder leaves the men and walks to the snow bank alone, being careful not make a sound, nor leave a footprint. He walks to the top of the bank, more of a mound, and places the knife in the snow, being careful to leave the blade pointing vertical.

Without a word, the men carrying the buckets walk to the knife and begin poring the water around the knife in a steadily growing circle. As they poor, the circle of ice grows bigger, and bigger, and the edges grow farther and farther from The Knife. After the the buckets are emptied, the elder silently gathers his men together and says, "The hunt is complete." The men walk back to their village, not a word is uttered, but you can sense it in the air. Each one is excited. It is now about 4 in the morning and the men must get the few hours of sleep they can before the next day.

Back in those trees, a wolf slowly raises his head. He sniffs the air. There is a sent, a scent that he has been waiting for for sometime. It is the scent of blood. The pack has been hungry the past few months, and now, the scent of a wounded seal brings hope. Each member of the back sniffs, and waits. They wait for the alpha male to sense it, and when he does, they rise and go out. As they approach, each of the wolves are getting hungrier, and hungrier. But as they draw near, a new scent comes to the nostrils of the alpha male. It is the scent of man.

The alpha male holds back, fearing a trap, yet the younger ones continue on. They normally do not get as big a portion as the alpha male, and therefore, rush ahead to get what they can. The first one get's there and begins liking, and then a second and a third, then a forth. The location of the knife is set up so only four may lick the blood at a time. Have you ever licked a popsicle that was so cold, that afterwards your tongue went numb? That is what happens here. The wolf licks and licks until finally the blood is gone, and all that is left is the razor sharp edge, and when he licks this, he cuts his tongue. His tongue is numb, so he doesn't notice this, and continues to drink his own blood until, from lack of blood, he collapses. Ah, but then, a new wolf takes his place, and now there is fresh warm blood on the knife. And he continues licking until, likewise, he collapses, and another- well, you get the idea.

At 7 that morning, the village wakes up. Everyone is moving hurriedly, the dogs are barking and wagging their tails in anticipation. Everyone is excited to see what the hunt has brought in the last night. The men of the village hook up their dog teams, and away they go. They recover the kills and bring them back to the village. Nothing goes to waste. The meat feeds the people, the bones are ground down to a powder that is mixed with milk, the fur is used to make cloths for the elderly and young children that need them. What they cannot eat, they give to the dogs. Not one piece goes to waste.

Lessons from my father

noreply@blogger.com (Sheepdog) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 17:03:00 +0000

A friend of mine posted this to facebook:

The series is called Lessons From My Father, and from what I have seen, it is very good.

I'd like to talk specifically about the scenario in the video where a town lost electricity. The majority of society collapsed. From just losing electricity! You see, this sort of shocked me, I'm ashamed to say. I grew up thinking what most people consider "tough," was normal. My friends and I always had the same mindset growing up. If we wanted something we got it, by building, earning, whatever. We never thought it would be given to us, and most of the time we'd get it after a great deal of working for it. Unfortunately, the rest of society is not that way.

During the aftermath of Katrina, something that's always stuck with me in my mind was a video clip of a single mom getting interviewed. She had lost her home, and belongings, and was sitting on a curb. The interviewer asked what she was going to do next, and what she said shocked me. "I'm just going to sit here till someone comes to take care of me." All I could think was what a horrible mindset.

Thinking about myself, I have a very "If it's to be, it's up to me." mindset. That's one of my sins sometimes, because I find it hard to trust that God will take care of me, and instead turn inward. However, it is most certainly a gift from God as well, because it instills a Get-R-Done, and I will survive attitude in me. That attitude has most certainly helped get me through some difficult times in life, and as long as I realize, that it comes from God, and not from me, I am blessed with success.

My dad always told me, "Don't sweat the small stuff." Funny how dad's have those words of wisdom that stick with ya for years after. I believe I've learned a lot from my dad. As a kid he did a lot of hiking, growing up as a missionary kid in the Philippines and Napal. By the time he had me and my siblings as kids, he had developed a dislike for camping. Sleeping on the ground, hiking through the woods, just wasn't his thing. He did, however, let us go camping with our friends, and my sister and I readily did that. Most wouldn't call my dad "tough." He's a computer programmer, wears glasses, etc. However, he was the one that instilled the mindset of a sheepdog within me, we trained side by side in martial arts, he taught me from a young age about God, he taught me to shoot, all that good stuff. His mindset is one of a survivor and a sheepdog.

I hope my readers will check out the other videos in the series, and teach others how to be sheepdogs.

Till next time, God bless!

Godly dating

noreply@blogger.com (Sheepdog) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 01:46:00 +0000

Lately the Lord has guided me to Mars Hill Church's website, and I have been watching their sermons. Below is an excellent one on Godly dating.

Here is the post I wrote on dating before.

In everything, always consult the Lord first. If it is the Lord's will for you to be married and to find a Godly spouse, it will be so, but it will be on God's terms. His ways are perfect and pure. Who is man to question them? Who is man that he thinks he knows better than God?

It is hard to be single, our hearts long to be with someone. Be careful and discerning in who you choose. It should be someone you are ready to live with the rest of your life. One man, one woman, one flesh, one lifetime. That is how God intended it, and that is the way I intend to live.

Some thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (Sheepdog) — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 15:51:00 +0000

I have noticed that everyone has a longing for the love of the Lord, weather they admit it or not. We all have something within us that knows Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, yet for so many years we suppress it, and try and push it down.

That, I believe, is why atheists care about us believing in Christ. Logically, if there is no God, what would they care about who we worship? But deep down they know the truth, though they will not admit it. So a fear of what will happen wells up, and instead of surrendering, they fight (as every sinner did once).

I think it's something like, if I can make them stop believing, than it must be so. If they lose faith than there really is nothing to fear. Throughout history we see empires, rulers, warlords, etc; trying to destroy God's word, and His people, yet the Lord is gracious, and still has a use for His people.

Through it all, He reigns victorious, and continues to use us, such wretched people, to His glory. How great the feeling that comes with doing His work! How great His love! How great our sin, yet far greater, His mercy!

Appearances

noreply@blogger.com (Sheepdog) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 05:42:00 +0000

The city of Charleston, Illinois; has decided to ban the discharge of toy guns.

WEAPONS: A. Discharge of Weapons: It shall be unlawful to discharge any firearm, air gun, BB gun, pistol, cannon,toy gun, bow, mechanically drawn bow, or any type of mechanical device projecting pellets, arrows, missiles or projectiles, leaden or otherwise or any other type of missile excepting in a regularly established shooting gallery or unless fired or discharged for ceremonial purposes with a weapon that may cause a report but does not deliver a projectile capable of causing serious injury and with the approval of the Chief of Police;

So nerf guns are illegal to discharge. This is the way the world deals with things. They deal with appearance, not with the problem. So they teach safe sex instead of abstinence, and when this fails, they have abortions, killing taking another life to solve what they view as a mistake. They ban the tools instead of the crime. The make the appearance of security. They make the appearance of a lack of evil. The problem comes that evil still exists. That we cannot destroy evil by ignoring it.

In order to destroy evil, it must be fought at every advance. So who do we turn to for protection? The police? They are spread thin, and for the most part, can only arrest the person after the damage is done. The people at ground zero must be the first line of defense. They must protect themselves, and those that are in need. Therefore, they must have the best means of defense available: firearms.

But it is not only with firearms that appearances are placed ahead of the problem. Abortions are a way to keep up appearances. Instead of going through a long pregnancy, and then parenthood, why not just have it finished before it begins? Because, an abortion is murder of innocents, and no matter what you tell yourself, you will have to live with what you do. I know of some that have aborted, and then were haunted every day from that day to this about how it could have been had they not taken the life of their baby.

Fortunately, even with murder, there is forgiveness by the Lord Jesus. It is still hard to forgive yourself, but through Jesus, there is forgiveness, and not only that, but redemption and justification. It would still have been better had they not done it in the first place, but there is nothing to great that it was not covered by Jesus love.

Thoughts on good works, and God's grace.

noreply@blogger.com (Sheepdog) — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 19:31:00 +0000

As Christians, we do not believe that we are saved by good works. Rather, by grace. Everything we have ever done or ever will do is forgiven. Even our doubts about God. If we are saved by grace, then we are free. That is not to say that we should do evil and get away with it. Only that we do not do good to get salvation. Because of our salvation, we do good works, for the glory of God the Father. You see, it is not that we do something to get something, but rather, that we get something, therefore we do something. The doing is a product of the getting. Our salvation does not come because of anything we have done. God does not see anyone differently. We were all dead in our sins at some time. God's grace is available to all, but not all will accept it.

That brings us to the subject of God's elect. Some would say that only God's elect may be saved. I believe that it is only God's elect which will accept God's grace. Though it is open to those that are not the elect, they will not accept it. Should they accept, then they would be God would have already elected them. God wishes everyone to come to him, but knows already which ones will, and which ones wont. That is not to say that we should not evangelize, because God's elect will be saved somehow if they are His elect. We should evangelize, we should go into all the world and preach the gospel.

I believe that God uses His people to advance the kingdom. How incredible that He should use such wretches as us. That we, saved by grace, but still failing to live up to that grace every day, could be used to fulfill the will of the Lord of Hosts. We are broken, yet can still be used for good. It is incredible looking at history and seeing in what ways God used the most evil of men to do His work. If He can use such men to advance the kingdom, than He can most certainly use you, and me.

That is not to say that we are any better than those we know to be evil. We are all evil in God's eyes, unless we are covered by the blood of Jesus. I would say it is only by God's grace that we can even do good. That without God, we would all be worse than Hitler, Stalin, etc. I believe that the only reason there is any good in this world is because of Jesus. God's love for His creation is shown throughout life. The very fact that we can feel emotion is evidence of this. That we can feel happy, that we can feel love. That we can tell right from wrong. That those who do evil are eventually put to justice. How incredible! And how awful it would be, if God did not exist!

The Lord is full of mercy and grace. His grace is offered for all, yet few accept it. However, at least the option is open to them. How terrible to be one who grew up in the church, and saw the good that was around them, yet still rejected God! How great God's love for us! How great the hate of God is shown throughout the world! Oh that they would just turn back to God and accept such a love! Oh that they would stop running from and fighting with God! Oh that everyone would be saved! But, alas, it is not so. Alas, they have turned from God and His love, and have instead gone with the world.

How wretched is the man who has, at one time, walked with the Lord, but now follows the world. Oh how the Lord cries for him to return! And oh what joy to be brought back into God's presence! Even the prodigal son, while he was running from his father's hows, was still his fathers son; and oh how his father rejoiced when he came home! Blessed is he who was lost, and is now found! May he never leave again! May he go out into the world and proclaim what he has seen, and the great love that he has found! Hallelujah! Amen!

How deep the Fathers love for us,

How vast beyond all measure.

That He should give His only son,

To make a wretch His treasure.

How deep the pain of searing loss,

The Father turns His face away.

As wounds which mar the chosen one,

Bring many sons to glory.

Behold the Man upon the cross,
My sin upon His shoulders.
Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin the held Him there,

Until it was accomplished!

His dying breath hath brought me life,

I know that it is finished!

I shall not boast in anything,

No gifts, no power, no wisdom.

Yet I will boast in Jesus Christ

His death, and resurrection!

Why should I gain from His reward?

I cannot give an answer!

But this I know with all my heart,

His wounds have paid my ransom!

Oh how beautiful those words are! Oh how much meaning they have! To every Christian they should have deep meaning. To me, it gives me chills any time I hear it. Because of what I have done, Jesus had to die for me! And so, now that we are saved, we do not keep abstain from doing evil because we fear God's wrath, Jesus paid it all. We abstain from doing evil, and instead do good, because I do not wish to disappoint God, and instead, wish to please Him. Because He first love us, we love Him. It is the love of a perfect Father, and we, the imperfect sons, show love towards Him, though we can never love Him as fully as He loves us.

Quote of the day

noreply@blogger.com (Sheepdog) — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 17:29:00 +0000

The Anti-Gunners (let's call them anti-self defensers shall we?) freak out when they see large amounts of firearms in the hands of civilians. Why would we ever need them? Are we planning on fighting a war? We must be terrorists!

Well, the fact that it is an inalienable right should be enough, let's give a few more reasons. The 2nd Amendment was set up to guarantee that we are governed, not ruled. Like wise, it was set up to guarantee the right of the people to defend themselves against all enemies, both foreign and domestic.

With that, I give you the quote of the day:

"You cannot invade mainland America. There would be a rifle behind every blade of grass." -Isoroku Yamamoto, Japanese Admiral

The Japaneses came close to finding out that that was true, but fortunately, they didn't. The question is, does that still hold true today? If an enemy force invaded, would there be a rifle behind every blade of grass, or just another sheep cowering, waiting for the slaughter? Something to ponder.

Dark Matter

noreply@blogger.com (Sheepdog) — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 22:06:00 +0000

The universe by all statistics, shouldnt exist. The ammount of matter that we can detect is not enough to hold it all together. The universe should be chaos and destruction, but obviously it is not. We live, we breath, we see, there is order. Scientists have seen this, and say there must be something more. There must be something we cannot see. They call this "Dark matter," and "Dark energy." This substance is apparently not made of atoms, cannot be seen by anything we've created, cannot be felt, etc.

I submit that they have rejected God, therefore, they look for other explenations. Those explenations seem to get wilder and wilder. Is it not clear that God is holding the entire universe together? That all of this order couldn't be random chance? That we have a maker?

I look around at the world, and I see a world held together by a perfect, and loving God who has created it all. A God that cares, and loves, so deeply for His creation, that He would not give up on it even when the creation destroyed itself. I also see a creation that has rejected its creator, and wishes to go its own way. To create its own reality.

So the unbeliever looks around the world, and sees a world that shouldn't be in existence. That has no explenation using modern science methods. Yet, they have rejected God, and, in fact, have created the lie that there is no God. No creator. No savior. So they explain the creation of the universe by the big bang theory. They explain the order by dark matter. They explain our existence through the random chance and adaption of evolution.

The problem is, God still exists, and no matter how many answers you come up with in modern science to explain where we came from, and why we exist, another problem comes up. The thirst for a solution will never be explained fully by science. It cannot. You can prove something that isn't true, at least for a while. Sooner or later, the false theories get shot full of holes, and the quest for knowledge begins again. The quest only ends when you put God into the equation. He is the only answer to all of this.

Remember.

noreply@blogger.com (Sheepdog) — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 07:27:00 +0000

Last Easter Sunday, 3 US Navy SEAL snipers simultaneously shot 3 Somalian pirates holding Capt Richard Phillips hostage. Let's do the math shall we? One pirate + one million dollar ransom = one million pirates. On the other hand, one pirate + one .50 BMG = one less pirate in the world. Million dollar ransom costs a million dollars, .50 BMG costs about two dollars. Just something to think about.

Oh yeah, happy Easter! He is risen! Praise God! We are free! Free of sin, free of death. We live because of Christ! Amen!

Hope you all have a blessed time with close friends and family! Live for Christ!

You're going to hate me but...

noreply@blogger.com (Sheepdog) — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 20:50:00 +0000

...click here if you dare.

The difference between Terrorism and Militia

noreply@blogger.com (Sheepdog) — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 18:10:00 +0000

Saw this on MSNBC today:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The video states that a "Christian Militia" plotted attacks on the US government in order to bring about the ruin of the government. One such attack involved killing a police officer, then bombing the funeral. This, my friends, is terrorism. A militia provides for the common defense, this seems to be an offense against fellow citizens. The group hides behind a religious front claiming they are preparing for the anti-Christ. This may, or may not be true, but judging by their plan of action against US citizens, I would have to say this is an extremist anarchy group.

The press eats this up, because it is everything they claim we are. A bunch of knuckle dragging, anti-government, gun clinging, bible thumping, flag waving, extremists. Only they seem to have their own flag that they fight under, and the only mention of Christianity is preparing to defend against the anti-Christ. I do not know their heart, so I cannot judge, but this seems extremely cultish.

Be wary of these sorts of things. Though we may not agree with our leaders, God has still placed them over us. There may be a time when we have to fight with arms, to defend our rights, to be free to worship, etc; but as of now, we can fight it in the courts and congress. God is still in control, He has placed people in authority over us, and therefore, we should obey them, until their orders contradict the orders of God. We should pay taxes, give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's. Though it may seem bad and chaotic, in time, it will all make sense. During WWII, I doubt that it seemed to be making sense what was happening, and why things were going the way they were going; however, looking back, it all comes together. Everything happened in just the right way for evil to be stopped, at least for a while. Israel was created once again, and a nation of Israel was set up, so that the prophecies in Revelation could be fulfilled.

Should we fear the anti-Christ? No, we have salvation in Jesus. Who can stand against the awesome power of Christ? Our sins are forgiven, they are washed away, we have been made clean. We are children of God now, not the devil; sin and death have lost their power. Nothing of this world can have affect. Our God is an awesome God, He rescues His people out of darkness. We yearn for the day we can be united with Him in heaven, but until that day, we carry out His work.

Should we prepare? Yes. Hard times are ahead, I believe. Real persecution, like that which is in other countries. Our freedom has granted us an easy life thus far, we are free to worship, we are free to pray, we are not killed by the government for our faith. But that may change. I believe it will, personally. Prepare for that. Memorize scripture, know what you know is true. You must be sure of your faith, you must be sure of who Christ is, you must be sure of your forgiveness from sin. At one time, you might be faced with a choice, deny Christ or die. Remember, to live is Christ, to die is gain. Let the world despise and leave us, they have left our savior too. Let them destroy the body, let them take away the very air we breath, our God is mighty to save, and they cannot harm the soul. I do not believe we can fully prepare for that time of suffering, but I pray that I will have the courage to say "Yes, I do believe in Christ."

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Human Nature

noreply@blogger.com (Sheepdog) — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 05:14:00 +0000

Anonymous said...

Such is life. I accept your condemnation. And for the last time, there is no god. So stop with all this child talk. Grow up, you damn sheep.

No! There is a God! Of this I have no doubt! His love is displayed all around. In creation, in the complexity of life, in the beautiful poem that is His will. The way all these great acts of evil work into good. The way that all the prophecies of the Old Testament concerning Jesus were fulfilled, and the way that the prophecies in Revelation are being fulfilled. The way that each person is created different, but equal. The way that all the different parts of the world work, and fit perfectly with one another.

Could this be chance? Could this really have happened by coincidence? No, I don't see how it could. There is evidence of a creator in the world. I see it all around. There is evidence of a savior, I feel it every day. Our God is an awesome God. He reveals Himself to us through His word. Who can stand against the Lord? He is almighty, all powerful. Who is greater than our Lord? There is no one. May the name of the Lord be praised. Might are His works! His love for His people is seen throughout history, and even today. The Lord our God is mighty to save, and mighty to forgive. I beg of you, reconsider your position. Do not harden your heart.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Human Nature

noreply@blogger.com (Sheepdog) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 08:05:00 +0000

Anonymous said...

Indeed, you are right. Indeed, you are wrong. I always loved the little proverbs people spit out, they never realize how easily they can be turned around.

I will admit it has been fun entertaining this kinship with you.

For your amusement: I am a devote atheist. I attend a catholic college. Oh, the irony. It makes sense, though. It was being surrounded by fanatics like you that turned me to this path.

My friend, you have no truth. We are all flying around this random star on this weird rock. We dont know where we came from, we dont know where we are going. And we always have to go to the bathroom. Theres no meaning to any of it. Think, if the purpose of life is just for the individual to save himself, even if its through helping others we will still have an eternity of humans accomplishing nothing. No, your way is far too simple, and therefore not truth. I too search for absolute truth, and it is not so easy to find that it is there before we are born.

P.S This will be my last response.
By the way, im only 18.

Mai dimenticata.
Nulla è reale, tutto è lecito.
Arrivederci, mi amico.

I must say, I am truly saddened by such a world view.I don't see how someone with it could have any hope in life. Could even get up in the morning. Can you honestly believe that this world is all chance? That we are but chance? That nothing happens for a reason? That no one is in control?

"Think, if the purpose of life is just for the individual to save himself, even if its through helping others we will still have an eternity of humans accomplishing nothing." The purpose of life is not to save oneself. That is impossible. The purpose of life is bring glory to God. That is what creation was created for.

"No, your way is far too simple, and therefore not truth." Yes, it is simple, isn't it? But there is no other way. Nothing can take away our sin, except the blood of Jesus. Why can't simple be truth? Wouldn't a God who loves us, and wants to be with us, make it as easy as possible to be with Him? Wouldn't He do as much work as he could to make His love available to us? I submit that He has gone as far as possible while still giving us the choice between accepting His love, and denying it.

It is horrible for anyone to go to hell because they did not accept the great love offered them. How much more horrible the one that heard of it repeatedly, who saw it throughout their life, who saw people changed by it, and yet did not accept it! Cursed is that man! I submit it would be better had he never been born, for then he would not have to live with eternal regret for not accepting such a love!

Re: Re: Re: Human Nature

noreply@blogger.com (Sheepdog) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 03:00:00 +0000

Anonymous said...

The axiom upon which you rest your beliefs is the problem with your kind. You always deal with absolutes. If you are not good, then you are evil. If you are not with us you are against us.

You can deny it, but it is apparent in everything you have written to me today. And it is at this point where you are simply and utterly wrong.

There is no good or evil. There is no right or wrong. There is no god. It is not a question of belief, but of existence. Just remember, everything is a perspective and people are no more or less for what they believe. I do not see myself as above you because I believe that your beliefs are wrong, just as you should not view yourself as better than those who chose not to follow your path. And since when did I ever claim perfection? Maybe you dont get it, but I dont care what "evil" i do with my life, because no matter how bad it is your judgement and by extension your gods is useless on me.

In the words of Altair:
Nothing is real. Everything is permitted.

Once you understand this paradox then you will see what i see.

Have a nice life. Or whats left of it anyway.

And such is the way of the world. No hope. No sense of right or wrong. Nothing to judge by. What a horrible world to live in! What a horrible world view to live by! If there is no judge, then why do right? If this life is all we get, then why not please yourself? The very fact that this world is not in complete chaos shows that there is a God who cares about us, and restrains us from being taken completely by evil. Who restrains us from our evil desires. Who has given us a conscience.

There are absolute truths. There is right and wrong. It is apparent. There are laws set forth by our creator, and when we follow such laws, things go well for us. When we do not, things go poorly. These laws work because they are good. They are good because they tell us the nature of what God is. They are based off the attributes of God.

I am sorry if I came off as judgmental, I was not trying to do so. I do not look at people as lower than myself because they do not believe what I believe. The only reason that I talk of such things is because it would be cruelty not to. If you knew how to heal cancer, would you keep it to yourself while you saw those around you suffering? Could you let them continue to suffer even though you knew the secret that would save them? I cannot! Forbid it that anyone should keep such a gift as eternal fellowship with Jesus Christ to themselves! I am not trying to ram it down someones throat, that would be impossible. You can lead a horse to water, yet you cannot make it drink. If it chooses to die of thirst because it refuses to drink of the water, than so be it, but at least you gave it the means to survive.

Christians are not better than those that are around them. We are still human. We still fail. We still fall back into our past addictions, our past patterns, our past sins. So what makes us different? Christ is at work. Christ is changing us. Christ has forgiven all of our past sins, and all of our future sins. But for the grace of God can I stand. In Christ alone is hope. This world has nothing for its people. There is no hope for those that do not have Christ. Christ is everything that we need. I beg of you, do not reject his love anymore. You have heard the truth, you have seen what can save you, it is up to you to drink. We cannot force you to accept rescue, to stop fighting; you must do that. I will be praying for you, my unnamed friend.

Re: Re: Human Nature

noreply@blogger.com (Sheepdog) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 01:05:00 +0000

Anonymous continues:

Anonymous said...

Continue as you will. All I say is remember the days of when you were a child, and knew not of death or religion or politics. And remember this, you imply that we had a choice, a free choice, and we chose evil. So allow me to ask, did you chose to be born? Your view implies that there is a time before we are born when we are not evil, so tell me, why is it that your soul chose to be born, if it knew it was to be born evil? If it knew that it was going to return to god, why even go through with life, and the struggle that is accompany to it? Why not stay in the afterlife, or beforelife in this case?

Answer me! Tell me the meaning of life, and maybe then I shall give your damn religion some credit.

We cannot choose to be born, we cannot choose between good or evil. As I have said, we are evil, and are in need of a savior. I did not say that we chose to be evil, it was Adam and Eve that did so at the beginning. However, we are their descendants, and are born separated from God.

I must ask, have you ever lied? Have you ever cheated? Have you ever stolen? Have you ever hated? Have you ever lusted? Such things are not of God, and anything that is not of God is evil. I have stated before, that evil is the absence of God. Since we are born absent from God, we are evil.

You ask the question, why would I soul choose to be born if it knew it would be evil. I tell you that our souls did not exist before we were born. There is no preexistence for creation. We have a definite beginning. God however, is eternal, He has no beginning, and no end. We are created, and therefore, have a point in time when we were created.

I hope this helps answer your questions.

Re: Human Nature

noreply@blogger.com (Sheepdog) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 21:16:00 +0000

In the comments of my post entitled Human Nature:

Anonymous said...

I respectfully disagree, and believe you are wrong. I am not, nor was I born evil. I am tolerant, and would appreciate that if you believe that humans are naturally evil you apply it only to yourself and not impose it on anyone else. That would be hypocritical.

Now I will be disrespectful and impose me beliefs on you. You believe man is naturally evil, therefore created evil. Yet you believe that your creator loves you though he created you evil. You also believe that heaven is reserved for the good, and hell for the evil. Good and evil, which you define as belief or non-belief in your religion. If that is so then why would your god create you as a low being yet make a way for you to be good? Would it not make more sense that you were created good, for the purpose of doing good in the world, and then have your reward when you die? Of course, you say. It works either way, you say. Except it doesnt. Christianity's basic premise is that Jesus is salvation, and what is he saving you from? Sin, your natural evil. But what tells you that you have sin? It is not imperfection. Imperfection alone does not imply evil, or sin. It is your own Bible that tells you. The Bible says you are evil, and that Jesus is good. One requires the other. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy, and therefore an artificiality.

Thus I submit to you, my convictions.

First, allow me to establish what I believe in regards to man being created. Adam and Eve were created in the image of God. They were created with knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with dominion over the creatures. When God created man, He made a promise of life with them, on condition of perfect obedience. He forbade them to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil upon the pain of death. Adam and Eve, being left to the freedom of their own will, fell from the perfect state that they were created in by sinning against God. The covenant that God made with them, was not only for them, but for all man kind descending from him by ordinary generation. Therefore, we sinned in him, and fell with him. All descendants of Adam are therefore born into sin.

So, God did not create man evil, He created them perfect. We fell short of His glory. All man kind, by that fall, lost communion with God. Man is under His wrath and curse, and therefore liable to all miseries in this life: to death, and to the pains of hell forever. But God, out of His good pleasure, did not leave us to die. He entered into a covenant of grace to deliver us out of our estate of sin and misery, and to bring us into an estate of salvation, by a redeemer. Our only redeemer is Jesus Christ, who being the eternal Son of God, became man, and so was and continues to be, God and man, in two distinct natures, and one person forever.

Therefore, I submit that we were created good, but we gave it up to serve ourselves. All creation was created for one purpose, and one purpose alone: To bring God glory. When we left to bring glory to ourselves, we became evil. We are now born evil. Every day we sin, anyone who says that they do not sin is either a liar or insane. There is none righteous. Everyone has lied. Everyone has cheated. Everyone has had evil thoughts. Everyone has done evil in the sight of the Lord, even if they have not in the sight of man. I do not need the Bible to tell me that I do wrong. I know it in my heart. The Bible tells me how I can be saved from what I have done.