Tuesday, April 30, 2013

A Soul Saved

Yesterday morning was a moment predestined by God. I had scheduled a counseling session with one of my soldiers and our conversation quickly turned to salvation. In my few years in ministry I have led hundreds of men and women in professions of faith in Jesus Christ. Some of these individuals were unfortunately false converts, never truly repenting of their sins or believing that Jesus was the Lord of their life, thus the Holy Spirit never indwelt them. But on Monday morning, I truly believe this young man found genuine salvation in Jesus Christ. Tears were shed and I sensed genuine repentance in his voice and heart. He understood for the first time how sinful he was and exactly why Christ had to die on the cross.
One of the many scriptures I shared with him was Matthew 7:13, 14. I wanted him to see that entering into the Kingdom will require him traveling the narrow road of righteousness and understanding that this road will be difficult, but it will lead to life and few will find it. I told him he will experience suffering and trouble, but his life will be blessed because of what he will experience. A follower of Christ will face persecution and hardship from time to time, but what joy he will find doing the will of God.
Praise God for answering prayers and delivering a soul into the Kingdom of God!

Friday, April 26, 2013

Looking to stand with God and defend our Constitution?

If you are conservative like me and are looking for a political party that stands with God and supports our Constitution, then consider the Constitution Party.
I recently read through their 2012 party platform and was very inspired.
I am currently registered as an Independent, because neither of the two major political parties represent conservative values and principles. Thus I will be joining the Constitution Party.

Will you support and defend the moral and ethical values our forefathers fought and died for?

I urge you to not stand by silently any longer.

If you are a Christian and an American:

1) Pray for our country and our leadership
2) Study and learn the Bible
3) Read and study our Constitution

It strongly urge you to get behind the Constitution Party!

http://constitutionparty.com/






US Army Blocks Southern Baptist Convention Website

Blocks Access to Southern Baptist Website


Pentagon Blocks Access to Southern Baptist Website
Apr 24, 2013
By Todd Starnes
The U.S. Military has blocked access to the Southern Baptist Convention’s website on an unknown number of military bases because it contains “hostile content” — just weeks after an Army briefing labeled Evangelical Christians and Roman Catholics as examples of religious extremism, Fox News has learned.
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The Southern Baptist Convention is the nation’s largest Protestant denomination known for its support of the pro-life movement and its strong belief in traditional marriage.
Southern Baptist chaplains reported that SBC.net had been blocked at military installations around the nation. An Air Force officer told Fox News that when he tried to log on to the website he received a message that his Internet usage was being logged and monitored for trying to access a blocked site.

The censorship was made public after an Army officer tried to log onto the denomination’s website and instead — received a warning message.
“The site you have requested has been blocked by Team CONUS (C-TNOSC/RCERT-CONUS) due to hostile content,” the message read.
Team CONUS protects the computer network of the Dept. of Defense. The SBC’s website was not blocked at the Pentagon.
It’s unclear what the “hostile content” might have been. The SBC is pro-life and opposed to same-sex marriage.
“So the Southern Baptist Convention is now considered hostile to the U.S. Army,” the officer wrote in an email to the American Family Association.hostile
Sing Oldham, spokesman for the SBC, told Fox News he had been in touch with the Dept. of Defense and had serious concerns.
“This is deeply disturbing,” he told Fox News. “While the Deputy Chief of Operation of the US Army has assured us this is a random event with no malicious intent, the Army must run this to the ground to assure that this is the case.”
However, Fox News has received reports from across the country of Southern Baptist chaplains unable to access the website.
“If the government blocked any portion of the SBC.net Web site for any purpose, that would be an unconscionable breach of trust with the American public,” Oldham said. “The First Amendment exists to protect the church from governmental censorship of or infringement upon religious speech and the free exercise of religion.”
The Dept. of Defense confirmed to Fox News late Wednesday that the SBC website had been blocked — but not intentionally.
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“The Department of Defense is not intentionally blocking access to this site, said Lt. Col. Damien Pickart. “We are working diligently to investigate what might be causing access issues for some of our service members and to correct the situation as quickly as possible.”
The AFA sent out an action alert urging its members to contact the Pentagon and ask them to “stop the military’s alarming trend of hostility towards faith and religious freedom in our military.”
“Most disturbing to him (the Army officer) was the fact that the military labeled his personal religious faith as ‘hostile’ to the U.S. Army,” AFA spokesman Randy Sharp told Fox News.
Ron Crews, executive director of the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty, told Fox News that Southern Baptist chaplains on military bases around the nation have been unable to access the website.
“It’s a concern for the Dept. of Defense to block the website of one of the major evangelical denominations in the country,” Crews told Fox News. “The Southern Baptist Convention has the largest number of chaplains in the military representing Southern Baptist soldiers and churches. Those chaplains need access to their denomination’s website.”
An Army Reservist contacted Fox News and said he tried to log onto the site and an “Access Denied” message appeared on the screen.
“You request was categorized by Blue Coat Web Filter as ‘Religion,’” the message read.
Richard Land, president of the SBC’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission denounced the censorship and demanded that Southern Baptist soldiers be provided access to the site.
“This is outrageous,” Land told Fox News. “Southern Baptists make up a higher percentage of the all-volunteer military than in the general population. It’s outrageous that our website would be blocked for Southern Baptists serving in the military and defending the freedom to access websites.”
Land said the military censorship was part of a “disturbing trend.”
“They need to unblock the website and find out who is responsible,” he said. “That person needs to be fired.”
Pickart told Fox News the Dept. of Defense “strongly supports the rights of service members, to include their ability to access religious websites like that of the SBC.”
“With Internet technology constantly evolving, the Department is working to ensure that service members have access to an open Internet while preserving information and operational security,” he said.
Religious liberty groups were outraged by the block and called for an immediate investigation.
“This is another example of the growing hostility toward evangelical Christians in the armed forces,” Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Jerry Boykin, executive vice president of the Family Research Council  told Fox News. “Ironically, the very people who are sworn to support and defend the rights provided in the U.S. Constitution are being denied the right to exercise those rights individually.”
The American Family Association feared it was further evidence of what they called religious hostility within the Pentagon.
“This is one more example of the Defense Department leadership allowing hostility towards faith and religious freedom in our military,” Sharp told Fox News. “The growing list of offenses is overwhelming and Secretary Chuck Hagel should no longer ignore it.”
In recent days, the Army has come under fire after an officer sent an email to subordinates labeling the AFA and the Family Research Council as “domestic hate groups.”
In another incident a group of Army Reservists were told that Evangelical Christians and Catholics are examples of religious extremists.
The Army categorized the incidents as isolated and not condoned by the Dept. of the Army. They said the presentation to the reservists was not produced by the Army nor did it reflect their policy or doctrine.
Last week, soldiers at Fort Wainwright in Alaska were told to scrape off a Bible verse reference on their weapon scopes. That verse had been inscribed by the maker of the scopes.
Among other incidents:
  • A War Games scenario at Fort Leavenworth that identified Christian groups and Evangelical groups as being potential threats;
  • A 2009 Dept. of Homeland Security memorandum that identified future threats to national security coming from Evangelicals and pro-life groups;
  • A West Point study released by the U.S. Military Academy’s Combating Terrorism Center that linked pro-lifers to terrorism;
  • Evangelical leader Franklin Graham was uninvited from the Pentagon’s National Day of Prayer service because of his comments about Islam;
  • Christian prayers were banned at the funeral services for veterans at Houston’s National Cemetery;
  • Bibles were banned at Walter Reed Army Medical Center – a decision that was later rescinded;
  • Christian crosses and a steeple were removed from a chapel in Afghanistan because the military said the icons disrespected other religions;
  • Catholic chaplains were told not to read a letter to parishioners from their archbishop related to Obamacare mandates. The Secretary of the Army feared the letter could be viewed as a call for civil disobedience.
“All of these things make one concerned about the attitude in the military toward evangelicals, Roman Catholics and other people of faith,” Crews said. “He are hoping the military makes every necessary step to correct this.”
The incidents led more than 40 members of Congress to write the Secretary of the Army earlier this month demanding an explanation and an apology.
“This is astonishing and offensive,” read a  written by Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO). “We call on you to rescind this briefing and apologize for its content and set the record straight on the Army’s view on these faith groups by providing a balanced briefing on religious extremism.”

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

A Peek at the Future

This was an actual Power Point slide from an Army Reserve Equal Opportunity brief. What will the future hold?

EvangelicalsLis2t

 

Military warned ‘evangelicals’ No. 1 threat


Soldiers in the U.S. military have been told in a training briefing that evangelical Christians are the No. 1 extremist threat to America – ahead of groups like the Muslim Brotherhood, KKK, Nation of Islam, al-Qaida, Hamas and others.
“Men and women of faith who have served the Army faithfully for centuries shouldn’t be likened to those who have regularly threatened the peace and security of the United States,” said Col. (Ret.) Ron Crews, executive director of the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty. “It is dishonorable for any U.S. military entity to allow this type of wrongheaded characterization. It also appears that some military entities are using definitions of ‘hate’ and ‘extreme’ from the lists of anti-Christian political organizations. That violates the apolitical stance appropriate for the military.”
The briefing, which was given to an Army reserve unit in Pennsylvania, came from a U.S. Army Reserve Equal Opportunity training brief titled “Extremism and Extremist Organizations.”
The material mentions neo-Nazis, the KKK and other white supremacist organizations. Pictures are shown on various slides of people in Klan attire and Nazi flags. The significance of gang tattoos, and racist acronyms and the significance of numbers were also discussed.


Read more: http://savingourfuture.com/2013/04/military-warned-evangelicals-no-1-threat/#ixzz2RJCMsA6I

Friday, April 19, 2013

Grandparent's Day at Metrolina Christian Academy

My wife attended Grandparent's Day at Metrolina Christian Academy this morning. It's events like this I dearly miss. I wish I could have seen Taylor perform.
I'm so grateful Taylor loves Christian worship music, her favorite song is "My God's Not Dead" by Newsboys.
They are singing a song called "The Proof of Your Love" by "For King and Country."
 

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Easter on the Red Sea

This is a photo of me preaching on Easter morning during our post-sunrise service here at South Camp. The service was held at the O'Deuce Theater on the banks of the Red Sea. You can see the small coffin with the hammer on top prepared to symbolically nail and bury the sins and old lives of many closed forever.
 

Friday, April 12, 2013

Religious Freedom

This was taken from my favorite actor's blog, Chuck Norris:


—The Colorado Court of Appeals ruled that the state's annual Day of Prayer proclamations violated the state constitution.

—Officials in Buhler, Kan., are removing a cross from the city's seal, which was placed on it four decades ago to represent the city's founders, who were immigrants fleeing religious persecution.

—The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit ruled that crosses placed on Utah roadsides to honor fallen state troopers violated the establishment clause of the First Amendment.

—A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled that a cross displayed as part of the Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial in San Diego was unconstitutional.

—The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit ruled that a North Carolina board of commissioners' prayer policy was unconstitutional because the prayers mentioned Jesus too frequently.

—The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ruled that a Florida city commission's practice of offering an invocation at the beginning of each meeting was unconstitutional.

—For decades, the Sussex County Council in Delaware had opened meetings with the Lord's Prayer, but after a yearlong court battle challenging the practice, the council agreed to replace it with a recitation of Psalm 23.

—Other lawsuits by activist groups targeting the tradition of city and county council prayer are sweeping the nation. Here are a few more recent headlines. In North Carolina: "Prayer in public meetings debated in Greenville" (journalists Kristen Hunter and Jonathan Rodriguez). In New Jersey: "New Invocation Policy Includes Indemnification Waiver for All Council Members" (GallowayTwpNews.com). In California: "Rialto City Council defends public prayers before meetings" (The Sun). In Michigan: "Prayer at Oakland Twp. meeting draws ACLU's attention" (The Associated Press). In Georgia: "Cave Spring rethinking Lord's Prayer issue" (Rome News-Tribune). In Washington: "'Christ' ban signals apparent end to Longview council meeting invocation" (The Daily News).

—Officials at the Department of Health and Human Services denied funding for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' successful program for sex trafficking victims because of the church's teaching on human life.

—In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, many New York synagogues and other houses of worship discovered that they were ineligible for financial assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

—Presidential administration officials refused to intervene in the closing of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.

—Walter Reed National Military Medical Center drafted a policy that prohibited individuals from using or distributing religious items during visits to the hospital.

—Retired Army Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin, a Delta Force war hero, couldn't speak at West Point because of his Christian faith.

—The Air Force Academy apologized for merely announcing Operation Christmas Child — a Christian-based charity and relief program designed to send Christmas gifts to impoverished children around the world.

—The Marine Corps considered tearing down a Camp Pendleton cross meant to honor fallen heroes.

—The Navy relocated a live Nativity scene at a base in Bahrain to the chapel area.

—Air Force officials suspended a 20-year-old course on war theory because of its religious aspects.

—Yet, as reported in the Los Angeles Times in November 2011, the Air Force is building "an $80,000 Stonehenge-like worship center" for followers of "Earth-based" religions, including "pagans, Wiccans, druids, witches and followers of Native American faiths."

—The Department of Veterans Affairs censored references to God and Jesus during prayers at Houston National Cemetery.

—The Pentagon released new regulations forcing chaplains to perform same-sex weddings despite their religious objections. However, members of the Congressional Prayer Caucus worked tirelessly to ensure that the final version of the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act included key religious freedom protections for service members generally and chaplains specifically (Section 533).

—The Pentagon revoked approval to use the logo of each service branch on the covers of Bibles sold in military exchange stores.

What is going on in the U.S. military? Apparently, the military's urge for neutrality is officially and fundamentally transforming into hostility toward faith.

What is so difficult for the feds to understand about the free exercise clause in the First Amendment, which says they "shall make no law ... prohibiting the free exercise" of religion?

Long gone are the days when the commander in chief wrote the prologue to the Gideons Bibles given to service members, encouraging them to find strength and courage from the contents. That's what President Franklin D. Roosevelt did before the start of World War II: "As Commander-in-Chief I take pleasure in commending the reading of the Bible to all who serve in the armed forces of the United States. Throughout the centuries men of many faiths and diverse origins have found in the Sacred Book words of wisdom, counsel and inspiration. It is a fountain of strength and now, as always, an aid in attaining the highest aspirations of the human soul."

The only fight left is for we the people to defend our First Amendment's freedom of religion, not espouse or enable the freedom from religion. Start in your own town, and take the battle all the way to Washington.

 


 


 

Me and my friend Jesus

I met a new friend while visiting North Camp. His name is Jesus and he is from Uruguay and for the record, he believes in the "real" Jesus. I was also blessed to visit with another new friend Serili, the chaplain from Fiji. I have grown to love the Fijians, they have such a love for the Lord. Its actually Fijian Army policy that all soldiers attend Chapel each week. What a difference this would make for American troops to hear the supernatural and transformational word of God. For over 200 years the Bible was the foundation of our American education system.
In 1782 these statements were made by our government:

“The United States in Congress assembled … recommend this edition of the Bible to the inhabitants of the United States … a neat edition of the Holy Scriptures for the use of schools.”
- United States Congress 1782
Congress passed this resolution:
“The Congress of the United States recommends and approves the Holy Bible for use in all schools.”
- United States Congress 1782

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Ruck Marching in Egypt

This photo was taken after I came across the finish line of the 14.2 (half) Memorial Bataan Death March here in Egypt. God blessed us with great weather and a cool breeze. I played my iPod the entire time and spent almost 3 hours praising the Lord to Casting Crowns, Third Day, Jeremy Camp, Phillips, Craig and Dean, and Mercy Me, among others. What a great morning.
To God be the the glory!

Monday, April 1, 2013

Easter Sunday in Egypt


What a wonderful Easter service we had here in the Sinai of Egypt. In the picture above is a small coffin Ronnie made for me at our woodshop here on Camp. The coffin represents our old lives before Christ. On the lid are sins that destroy our lives from the inside out. These sins prevent us from having an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ and have no place in the life of a Christian. Unfortunately, even the best Christians pick up some of these sins from time to time. My Easter theme was "New Life" and my foundational scripture for Sunday morning was Romans 6:4, "Therefore we were buried with Him by baptism in His death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in a new way of life."
As people walked into the O'Deuce Theater they were handed an index card and during the service they were instructed to write down whatever sin or sins were rooted in their heart. I then nailed the lid on the coffin and I will eventually bury the coffin once I leave Egypt. The coffin is currently on display in the chapel so no one will forget that they have died to Christ and have symbolically buried their sins and old life with Christ.

Alcohol Related Death and Injury

I wanted to share the following statistics. Statistics really open our eyes to the severity of a problem. In this case alcohol.

-Of the 42,000 people killed in car accidents in 2007, 32% were related to alcohol
-In the U.S, drunk driving is now the leading cause of criminal death
-An alcohol related accident causes death every 45 minutes, and an injury every two minutes.


Reflect on this.