Thoughts from Gary

It may be a big surprise to many Christians today to know that in some churches the topic of the Holy Spirit is not a popular one. In fact, too much talk or too much emphasis on the Holy Spirit may get you the right foot of fellowship-right out the door. That is not a joke! How can this be since the Holy Spirit is referenced all through the Bible starting in Genesis 1? We clearly see that He, the Holy Spirit, hovered over the waters and was instrumental in bringing forth creation. Jesus Himself said that it was expedient that He (Jesus) go away so that the Comforter (the Holy Spirit) could come. He explained that the Holy Spirit would lead and guide us into all truth, yet so many Christians have quenched and rejected Him! Many churches teach that the Holy Spirit’s gifts all ceased when the last apostle died or when the New Testament was canonized. This erroneous teaching is known as cessationism. Some have even denied Him by saying things like “I don’t want any...

Well, here we are celebrating the 50-year anniversary of Woodstock.  Wow, man, how groovy is that? Like far out! If you weren’t there digging the scene, man, you would think that it was like the most fab, really out of sight, man, happening ever. At least that is what all the specials and news write-ups are saying, but was it really? I didn’t make that scene man, but I watched it happen all around me so I have a far different perspective than many may have. What really happened at Woodstock? Well a half-million young people trucked on out to upstate New York and overwhelmed the promoters of a rock and roll concert that were only prepared to handle a fraction of that number!  There was not enough food or restrooms and on top of that it rained, but there was plenty of mud, R&R, drugs and “free sex”. Woodstock ushered in R& R concerts all over the western world. I sadly watched many of my schoolmates and friends leave school on Friday as a normal student to at...

Something of great virtue has been lost in America and we’ ve  hardly noticed. “What?” you might ask.  It is t he collective strength of the individual. Americans have always been known for their courage, and their independence, both individually and nationally.  This very trait is even celebrated in our national anthem: “O say, does that Star - Spangled Banner yet wave, O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.”    Sadly, we are losing that fortitude of mind and instead are rapidly becoming a land of victims. This happened to the French  in-between   WW1 and WW2 as intellectuals began to teach school children to focus on the victims of WW1 instead of celebrating their father’s courageous stand against the Germany’s invasion of their country for 6 long years. Due to the programming of their minds, the WW2 generation had lost their fortitude and instead they took on a victim mentality. As a result of this new kind of thinking of this gener...

Today we are in a very real conflict of ideas, especially in the area where science and Biblical faith seem to collide. Although most adult Christians have already made up their minds by embracing the Bible as their ultimate source of truth, they can easily make the colossal mistake of assuming their children or their students will just naturally believe the way they do. In the past parents could say to their children, “That’s what the Bible says.” And that would be enough to settle the question. And since the educational system and the culture still had a respect for the Bible, kids would accept that without too much question. Today is very different considering what is being taught in our schools, and a statement like that will at some time or another come across as narrow and dogmatic to children. With this in mind parents need to be aware that they must be far more diligent in teaching their children Biblical creationism. We need to educate ourselves too, for if we are not able...

So, what do Manners and The Golden Rule have to do with raising kids past and present? There really is a very important connection.  If we want to see children today grow into upstanding adults who do well in life, we really need to be diligent in teaching them manners and also The Golden Rule -- wouldn’t you agree?  Let’s first look at what is known as the Golden Rule. In Jesus’ teaching found in Matthew 7:12, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”  Wouldn’t the world be a better place if everyone was aware of and practiced this in everything?  Well, it is not something that comes automatically to people, especially children!  So you might be wondering, how do we put this into practice?   Glad you asked.  Here’s how we can start.  Begin by teaching your children good manners-- yes, I said GOOD MANNERS. Why good manners?  Because good manners are really the...