Thoughts from Gary

If you aren’t familiar with Secular Humanism you certainly need to be.  It is everywhere in America (and Europe) particularly in our schools and government and it is growing.  What is Secular Humanism? It is the religion that seeks to usurp the Judeo-Christian’s recognition of God-Christ as the Creator and center of life by placing man at the center and solution of everything.  Secular Humanism can be a mixed bag, but for the most part it is atheistic, naturalistic, soul-based and is contrary to traditional religious morals, ethics and absolutes.  It is an antonym of Judeo-Christianity.   It is very organized and is evolving, there now being a progression of three different Humanistic Manifestos written.  This infers an inconsistency of thought and belief.  HS has shown that it is against “traditional religion” and its absolutes and is intolerant of it.  John Dewey, an atheist, evolutionary, secular humanist, signatory of the first Humanist ...

Have you ever wondered what heaven will be like?  I am sure you have, and frankly most people don’t seem very excited about it.  After all floating around on a cloud by ourselves, strumming a harp in a white gown (of all things) forever doesn’t sound too appealing to most people…particularly to a male!  Unfortunately, that is the concept most people seem to have, but is that what heaven is really like? Recently I was visiting my good friend’s octogenarian father and the topic of heaven came up.  At 88 you have a lot of time to think on “what’s next” and rightly so.  Physical death is a coming reality.  Yet for most all of us this thought bring a great uncertainty, which has a proclivity to produce great fear for the future, rather than great hope and expectation.    For the person who has never asked Christ for His forgiveness, nor lived their life for Him, there should be a great fear.  The Bible warns us of this so that we might turn f...

As a result of my first posting on Separation of Church and State I was asked the question, "What does "abandoning the wall of separation between Church and state look like?", a statement made by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Rehnquist. The following is my response. •• Religious freedom, though guaranteed by our 1st Amendment, has been constantly and ruthlessly attacked for the last 50 - 70 or more years, by those who feel it their duty to wipe out all vestiges of God and Christianity from any and all areas of public property. Their battle cry is “Separation of Church and State!” Due to their diligence, a large percentage of Americans have come to believe this statement is found in the U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights or some other founding document, as I mentioned in the first article. For example, a few years ago I had lunch with a high school teacher with a PhD who was absolutely shocked when I told him the phrase “Separation of Church and St...

Whereas the Senate of the United States, devoutly recognizing the supreme authority and just government of Almighty God in all the affairs of men and of nations, has by a resolution requested the President to designate and set apart a day for national prayer and humiliation; and Whereas it is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon, and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord; And, insomuch as we know that by His divine law nations, like individuals, are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world, may we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war which now desolates the land may be but a punishment inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end ...

As an American do you believe in “The Separation of Church and State”? Do you believe that we must abide by this according to the U.S. Constitution? If you do, you are not alone. Many citizens believe that this phrase is found in the American Constitution which makes it a law of the land. If you are one of these good folks, then please take a few minutes to review a copy of the Constitution to find where it is written. You will not find it. It is not, nor has it ever been, in the US Constitution, Declaration of Independence or any other governmental statute. It can be located, however, in the constitution of the former U.S.S.R. That is right, the U.S.S.R.! The Constitution does say: “ Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion , or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble , and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” That giv...

“The postmodern world has no need of half evangelists preaching a half gospel to the half converted, and leading a halfhearted church.” -Dr. Albert Mohler I am sure that many will agree with Dr. Mohler, but I wonder how many would wholeheartedly agree if they knew the context of his statement? He is speaking about how so few pastors ever preach or teach on the wrath of God and the judgment to come, a topic that receives rare coverage in these current times. Mohler goes on to say, “if there is any one Christian doctrine that is most uniformly dismissed by a post Christian, postmodern world, this is it.” The idea of God’s wrath is so repulsive to many churches and theologians that they work diligently to deny and destroy it altogether. They say things like: “God is not mad at anyone”. “God loves all His children and just wants them to do good things and get along.” “There is no wrath; we all just suffer the consequences of our own selfish actions.” Those who believe this sho...

Here is a test: Do you seem to spend more time accusing, slandering and libeling the government then you do praying for it? Not that there isn’t plenty of opportunity and good reason for comments, but are you giving into “the old fallen nature” and allowing your words to attack and destroy those you don’t agree with? If you are it is important for you to know that this not pleasing to God. What is pleasing to Him is that we pray for those in authority. This means even the president and all of our government. (1 Timothy 2:1-4). Yes, Mr. Trump’s flaws are quite obvious....but ALL our presidents have had flaws. Some were able to hide them better than others. Considering that we have very dangerous issues to face in this nation, from within and from without, we have a greater need for the power of prayer than we do accusations. We are not to hide our heads in the sand and become Trump (or previously Obama) Pollyannas, but we should also not allow the media and others to brainwash or ...

Are we in the “Last Days?” That is a question that has been around for a long, long time. Typically, this question receives a plethora of responses, many laced with ridicule or flat out mockery. (See 2 Peter 3:4). If you talk to some of the older generation they will tell you people believed that WW1, and then WW2, were bringing about the end, which is understandable. Over the centuries there have been many different signs that led people to believe that “The End” was upon them, but in fact, it wasn’t. Yet, with over 2400 Bible verses speaking of Christ’s return, we can know that it will happen. Scripture urges us to be prepared and to watch for the signs of His coming. For me to say that Christ is coming soon may seem an invitation for criticism, but in our day the circumstances are different and here is why: There has been a major fulfillment of an extremely significant Bible prophecy! After nearly two centuries of dispersion, the Jews are back in their land and are rec...

Some of my fondest memories of Christmas as a kid were not only Christmas mornings, but the evenings...and all through New Year’s Day! Why was that you might ask? Well because it was the custom for people to go Christmas Calling. Never heard of Christmas calling or “calling” as it was often called? You are not alone - many haven’t, since it seems to have faded away with time. So what is Christmas Calling you are wondering? It was simply stopping over at your neighbors and friends’ homes to wish them a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and having a short visit. There were ALWAYS food and drinks offered…immediately after “taking” their coats and hats and asking them to have a seat. My “job” was often answering the doorbell, inviting them in and hanging up their coats. Sometimes folks (as they were called then) would phone first, and sometimes they just saw the porch light on and stopped in. Kids didn’t usually accompany their parents, but the ones in the home were allowed ...

Last week I saw a FB post that stated that a study now shows that people who use vulgar and profane language were very intelligent. You can be assured that everyone who commented on that post made sure to use foul expletives to impress everyone with their high “IQ”! Later I read that a geneticist named Dean Hamer who works for the National Cancer Institute, claimed he has found a “God gene” in people. He has published his hypotheses as the God Gene: How Faith is Hardwired Into Our Genes. Roughly stated, Hamer, a materialistic evolutionist claims a gene is the reason we believe in God. Previous to the “God gene finding” Hamer, in 1993 said he found there was a “male homosexual gene” which also received great fanfare. For many people these sorts of claims are believed and passed on as fact – after all, Hamer is a scientist and, most believe that FB is a very reliable source of information! Besides, the word “study” strongly implies that there has been thorough research on the topi...

I was up early to catch a plane back to Alpena on the 10th of November - the 2nd day after the election, so I turned on the TV to see what the latest post-election news was. As I surfed through the channels, I chanced upon some old footage from WW 2. It had been awhile since I had seen any of these, though growing up in the post WW2 era, I remember seeing many of these “news reels” being shown, but it had been years ago.Unfolding in front of me were some very disturbing scenes with Japanese Kamikaze (suicide pilots) attempting to crash their planes into US ships! Thousands of rounds of ammo were being fired by the men behind the guns on ship as they desperately attempted to shoot these fanatics out of the air. They were fighting for their very lives…and often losing. The noise of the guns, the explosions and the roar of the Zero engines drowned out the voices of the men. Some planes exploded in the air and others made it through the firing, hitting the ships and exploding. Suddenly...

Today, being trendy seems to be the coolest thing a person can do! Trends, fashions and styles have been around forever, but they do change quickly. You only have to watch an old movie or view artwork of the past to be reminded of that. Certainly these things aren’t necessarily wrong, but as Christians, we must keep them in balance. For instance, the styles of the Amish were frozen a century or more ago so that they wouldn’t stick out as being trendy or worldly! We have to ask ourselves, just how far do we go following the trends? “Fitting in” is a powerful pressure that many people feel. The need to be “cool” can be overwhelming and can quickly lead us away from truth. Social belief trends are particularly dangerous in that they are seldom scrutinized or even questioned, at least until afterwards. For example, the Politically Correct movement has been a major trend which has caused many to be conformed to its demands. Though there may be some good things, overall, it has brainwa...

(Repost from 7.29.13) I have been planning to write this article for several weeks now. I even have a note on my computer reminding me to get at it! Not that I have been too lazy to start, just that there are always so many things pressing in on my time. This morning I planned that today would be the day, so as I was driving I turned the radio on and just happened to hear a man teaching on the Seven Deadly Sins and he just happened to be speaking on Slothfulness. I was delighted! Not because I love to write about indolence but because that was my topic for today. Surely no one likes being called lazy or indolent or even worse, a sloth. In general Christian people in America are hardworking people who take serious the charge that the Apostle Paul, the writer of Thessalonians, gave in 3:10, “For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.” And Ephesians 4:28, “Anyone who has been stealing must steal ...

“Hey! Stop judging me!” How many times have you heard someone…or perhaps you have said this yourself? After all they are taken from Jesus’ words and we need to obey our Lord, but are we really not to judge? Actually we are to judge and we do judge on a daily basis. “Is that person telling the truth? “ “Should I trust them with a confidence?” “Do I want my daughter dating that guy?” “Should I walk through that area after dark?” These are only a few samples of the many decisions we make on a daily basis, but the whole truth is that we must and do judge others….not to condemn them, but to be discerning. For example, Jesus Himself tells us to “beware of false prophets” (Matthew 24). How will we beware if we don’t judge? And Paul says that we should judge those in the church and will be judging angels! Yes, we are to judge and must judge, but with humility and wisdom. Luke 6:37, 1 Corinthians 5:3, 6:1-6 (Repost from 8.9.16)