Apart From God, All Life is in Vain

The whole book of Ecclesiastes deals with the futility of life apart from God. Man has a place within himself that can only be filled by God. However, the “godless” man will seek to fill that void with anything and everything under the sun only to discover that all his work was in vain. We have seen humanity search to fill that void with wealth, intellectualism, work, sex, and a myriad of other avenues to try to bring meaning into their lives. Ultimately these efforts will be seen as unsatisfactory for the mere reason that everything under the sun will vanish like the wind. It is only with God as the center of our lives that we can truly see a purpose in our lives that has eternal value. Why is this?

God is the creator of all things, and it is His will that provides purpose that is real and lasting rather than temporal and corruptible. His ways are higher than ours, and His thoughts surpass any of our understanding. This explains why humans are always at a loss when they trust in their own limited wisdom and understanding rather than trusting in the Lord and His Word to show us God’s ways and will for our lives. A man’s ways are right in his own eyes and will therefore change with every wind that comes along. This is what leads to such ideas as women’s “choice” when it comes to abortion. Oh the folly of even assuming that our bodies are our own, and therefore we should have the right to “choose” death rather than life, whether it be for ourselves or for the unborn child. But again I say that this is the pitfall that man will fall into every time we try to live a life that is separate from God, His Word, and His ways.

It is not in the nature of man to be able to reach perfection in this world. Jesus, the Son of God, was the only one to ever accomplish that. However, He has given believers the gift of the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us into all truth. His Word is our “owner’s manual” by which we are to live our lives as we put our trust in Him to take us through this journey of life on Earth to prepare us for our real home in eternity with Him.

It makes me so very sad to think that some look upon His Word as just a nice little book of mythology written by mere men. They have not received the God knowledge of the power of His Holy Spirit who is able to inspire men to write His Word. As believers in Christ, it is not possible for us to live a life that is daily being transformed into the image of God, unless we have a full relationship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. That is why Jesus told His followers to go tarry in the upper room and wait for His Spirit to come and dwell within them. Read the book of Acts and ask the Lord to help you see the transforming power that was brought about within each of them as they received the power of the indwelling Spirit to live within them. Evidence is plainly given as we see Peter changed from the coward that denied his Christ, not once but three times, into the man that would go into the world and spread the Word of God without fear of what any man could do to his earthly body.

It is easy to have an intellectual, or head knowledge of who God is. Satan believes and knows who God is. He even knows the scriptures as any one can see who reads of how he tried to tempt even Jesus in the wilderness. But he will never know what it is to have the power of the Holy Spirit within him because he refuses to obey God. It is the Holy Spirit that opens our eyes, ears, and hearts that we may yield ourselves to the true knowledge of God that we may not be deceived by ourselves, others, or Satan. That is why His Word tells us to be being filled by the Holy Spirit daily that He may perfect us and mold us more into His image, changing us from the corruptible “old man” that we were into the new creation that we are to become.

Imagine if you were just about to eat a beautiful looking piece of apple pie. From the outside, the piecrust seems absolutely scrumptious looking. However, as you cut into it you may see some of the residual juices but the apples, the most important part, is missing from the pie. As Christians, that is exactly how we are if we do not have His Holy Spirit within us. God tells us that this is what many of us, who think we are believers, look like. We may show all the outward signs of the customs and traditions of a Christian; however, that is mere religiousity, and we lack the power (of the Holy Spirit) within. No wonder He says in His Word, that He is going to say He knew us not and spew us out of His mouth. If we deny the power of the Holy Spirit, we cannot enter His Kingdom. Blaspheming the Holy Spirit, which is denying Him and His power, is the unforgivable sin for which there is NO FOREGIVENESS. It is His Spirit that enables us to understand God’s Word. He tells us to study the Word that we may become a workman that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing (understanding) the Word of God. Why would He tell us to study His Word if it was only a bunch of man made stories and myths? Why would He tell us that men, through the inspiration of His Holy Spirit, gave us His Word for our instruction and correction that we might know His purpose for our lives?


Why would He tell us to hide His Word in our Hearts and keep them ever before us?I once heard someone say that we are either walk with the Lord daily, or we are walking away from Him. There is no such thing as just retaining the status queue with the Lord. I can truly relate to that statement. Sometimes I have behaved as though Jesus is someone that I put on a shelf to sit there until the next time I want to call on Him. Do you know what I mean? It’s kind of like this. “Jesus, I think I can do this part without you, so you just stay there, let me do my own thing, and I’ll come to you when and IF I think I might need you to handle something in my life.” How ignorant and foolish of me. If I neglected to eat and/or drink daily, I would wind up being a very sick and malnourished person. Well, the same thing happens to my inward man, that is my spirit, when I don’t feed upon His Word and allow His Holy Spirit to keep me from becoming spiritually stagnant or sickly. Without His Word applied to our lives we are as a ship without a rudder, tossed every which way by the winds that are forever changing. Without His Word to instruct and guide us, we are led only by the power of our own fluctuating opinions. Man’s ways, without God, no matter how “good” we may try to be by our own efforts, are all in vain and are always going to lead to destruction.

That is why God tells us, if we continually deny the Holy Spirit, there will come a point when we will choose to trust only ourselves and will therefore no longer be able to receive the true knowledge and understanding of the one true living God. Instead, even though we may go to church or say that we read the Bible, we will pick and choose what is pleasing to our own ears and cast the rest of the body of His complete Word aside as we see fit. We will choose to incorporate only those things that please us or “tickle our ears.” As humans there is always going to exist some hypocrisy in our lives until we see the Lord face to face and His work within us is completed. We are to yield ourselves to Him daily, and trust in Him to continue to perfect us until that day. The purpose for our lives here on Earth is to glorify the Lord in thought, word, and deed. We are to love the Lord and serve Him with all our being. We are not saved by good works; however, we are saved to do good works. It is my daily prayer that I may do those things which are pleasing in His sight that I may be transformed more and more into His image by the power of His Holy Spirit. Growing in the Lord is not something that just happens automatically, but only as we really choose to spend time with the Lord. That is what makes Christianity different from all other religions.

Christianity is not a bunch of do’s and don’ts. It is a “personal” relationship with Him. Otherwise laws handed down to us would have been sufficient. There would not have been a need for Jesus to give His life that you and I might be saved through faith in Him. He paid the price, not Buddha or any other god. That is why there is no other foundation by which one may have eternal life. There is only one path to God and that is through faith in Jesus, the Son of God. God does not send condemn anyone to Hell. We condemn ourselves when we reject His provision and plan for our salvation. I could send you an airplane ticket to my home, but if you threw it away you wouldn’t get here. People are always trying to blame God, by saying they can’t believe a loving God would send anyone to Hell. How ridiculous! He sent the Ark (Jesus). It’s not His fault when someone refuses to get on board.

There was a point in my life when I was a believer, but my husband was not. Yet God showed me the truth of His Word. I knew that the Lord said He would change my life if I would yield to Him and make Him Lord of ALL of my life. I had to make a choice. Was I going to really commit my life to Him or not? Satan, the liar, tried to tell me, “Sure go ahead, and just remember that He just might take your husband away from you. You know just how much you love Rick. Are you really sure that you want to do that?” Thank God, I did not listen to his lies. I chose the path to and with the Lord. He has kept His promise to never leave me or forsake me. God is so faithful. My husband not only received the Lord, but God has given us the kind of love for Him and one another that has seen us through the many storms of life. (I Peter 3 tells about how the believer may be used as an instrument to help bring the unbelieving husband/wife to the Lord. So if you Find yourself unequally yoked with an unbeliever I urge you to stand strong in your faith and do not compromise your faith. Remember that the Lord has said that if you are ashamed of Him before man, He will not recognize you before His Father in Heaven.)

I have not attained this knowledge by my own powers, but because of the Holy Spirit within me that continues to lead me and guide me into His truth. I can not boast in my faith as being from me, for even that is a gift from God. It is up to each one of us to make the decision to ask Jesus to be our Lord and Savior. To receive Him as Lord means that we then choose to obey Him and serve Him. How are we going to obey Him, if we live our lives based on our own opinions instead of His Word? Don’t take my word for it. It is not the gospel according to Ginger of which I am speaking. Rather, go before the Lord in prayer; ask Him to come into your heart. Ask Him to open the eyes of your understanding by the power of His Holy Spirit. “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” Our salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ. May His Spirit empower us daily to do those things which are pleasing in His sight. May we each one seek His purpose for our lives through instruction and correction from His Word, renewing our minds daily by the “washing of the water of His Word.”

Isaiah 28:16
All flesh is like grass,
And all its glory like a flower of the grass.
The grass withers, and the flower drops off,
But the Word of the Lord endures forever.
(Only God can give purpose and anything of lasting value to man’s life. Life without God is all in vain.)

II Peter:20-21
First of all, you should know this; no prophecy of scripture comes from one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by the will of man; instead, moved by the Holy Spirit, men spoke from God.

II Timothy 3:13- 17
Evil people and imposters will become worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing those from whom you learned, and that from childhood you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, and so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Ginger Rahn

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Voting

 

          I believe in the New World Order.  Not the one being designed by those pushing for it today, but rather, the one to be set up by the Lord after the great tribulation. 

          Those who are bent on the destruction of the American system as we know it don’t have to worry because there may not be enough Americans left to run the country after the Rapture.  I believe this is why the Bible doesn’t mention the United States as having any significant role in the end times.  Our government may be distancing itself from Israel at present but at least we won’t be one of the nations attacking it at the battle of Armageddon.  The decision we have to make now is how we want to live until the rapture.

          A country like ours and Israel that have been established by the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Christians have been grafted into the line of the Hebrews[1]), cannot be defeated by Satan’s minions who at present are trying to remove God from the everyday discourse in our nation. What we have to keep in mind are examples like the Hebrew slavery in Egypt and the almost 2000 years that the Hebrew’s were out of the land God had promised to them.  God will not be mocked.  Remember the old saying that ‘the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away’.  We all suffer in a nation that has angered the Lord. 

          Vote for what you believe in.  Hopefully there are enough of us to thwart the efforts of those who are knowingly or unknowingly working for Satan and trying their best to destroy our nation.  Everyone should vote; those of us who believe in the real foundations of our nation, as set up by God through our founding fathers, as well as those who are against us.  If you believe in something; you need to do your duty and vote for what you believe in.  If you believe in the Marxist’s that are trying to take over the government; you also need to vote.  You could possibly, by voting for these people, at least hasten the return of the Lord. 

          I have often said that there are only two forces at work in the world.  I was wrong because there is a third force that is perhaps more pernicious than those who work for evil.   This third force is that of apathy.  “Not to speak, is to speak.  Not to act, is to act.”[2]  Your inaction is the action that the opposition needs.

          Ridicule is the first and last argument of a fool.  When you follow your own thinking, you follow a fool.  “A fool says in his heart, there is no

God”[3].  To argue with a fool is useless as they don’t know how to use information and therefore use emotion and ridicule to pursue their point.  One of the problems with our system is that we let fools vote.  Is it foolish or not foolish to let people vote that can’t read or write or speak English?  If you can’t understand what you are voting for how can you make intelligent choices?

          There are really only two choices in the upcoming election.  Either you vote to continue the Socialist slide the country is currently on or you vote to return to the constitutional form of government under which the country was founded and prospered.  Whichever choice you make; be sure that you have the courage of you convictions.  “Have convictions. Be friendly. Stick to your beliefs as ... Do what you feel in your heart to be right- for you'll be criticized anyway.”[4]  There will be a cost to either choice because our freedoms, as granted by God in our founding documents, are not free and Socialism will cost you your freedoms. 

          Blindly pulling the lever for the Democrat or the Republican is a senseless act.  This is what is done buy those who don’t make the effort to find out what a candidate really believes in.  What you were used to thinking about the different political parties has vastly changed over the years.  Power and wealth have corrupted the system to the point that the system is no longer trustworthy.

          Whichever decision on the direction you would like the country to go doesn’t really matter to me if you are making an educated choice.  I know this is a real burden because you have to know what you believe in before you make a decision on whom to place your trust in.  Voting by emotion is not a real choice and may realistically be a form of treason. 

          At least show up at the polling place.  Go in, fill out the form and turn it in.  If there is no one that you like in a particular category skip that one: that makes a statement of its own. It would really be nice if there were a ‘none of the above’ choice for each category.  A lot of times there are write-in candidate spaces for some offices.  If you don’t bother to vote, you disserve whatever you get.   If you don’t bother to vote, don’t you dare complain about anything that happens! 

 

          What we must remember is that the politicians work for us; not the other way around.  Think of voting the same way you would when you are hiring an employee.  We must abolish the political class who have forgotten and ignore those to whom they are responsible.

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[1] Romans 11:17-20

[2] Dietrich Bonhoffer

[3] Psalm 53:1

[4] Eleanor Roosevelt

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God In My Life

Throughout my younger years, although I didn’t know to whom I was speaking, I was able to converse with a greater entity than myself. There were many instances when I had conversations with this personage and felt that I had received guidance. This was not an audible experience, but rather more of an in my head thing. At those times, I didn’t realize that it was the Lord as I didn’t know who He was.

Several years before I was married I had a recurring vision of living in a white house with a lightly sloping back yard, and my wife and three children were in that yard with me. This vision came to be true in every aspect in 1977.

In 1967, when I was in the army, stationed in Germany, I had begun attending church with my wife. Pastor Bob Ferguson a Baptist missionary from Texas, conducted services in another town and then flew to our town for our services. I really didn’t relate to what was going on. I had not spent much time in church to that point in my life. My mother’s attitude was that when I reached eighteen I could go to church and make up my own mind. I stopped going and my wife was beside herself. She talked to the pastor about it and he told her that I was a good man and to stop confronting me and turn over her concerns to the Lord. Long story short, there was a visiting preacher that had come to do a revival for the church. Since I had never been to one, I wanted to go and see what it was like. I honestly don’t know what he was preaching about; however, during his sermon I came to the realization of who Jesus was. The sky didn’t open up and there were no shouting angels. I simply and quietly came to the realization of whom I had been conversing with all those years. Either that or He filled me with this realization by His sweet gentle Spirit. I didn’t say or do anything but a quiet, gentle, peaceful feeling came over me. As we were leaving I asked Pastor Bob if I could talk to him some time. That was all that I said and his reaction was that they would come to our apartment in twenty minutes. Both he and the evangelist showed up and, as I related what had happened, they did what they called leading me to the Lord. I guess it was just that I needed to say the right words in front of witnesses. That is what I later came to know as being born again. Shortly thereafter I was baptized. This baptism took place in a German Baptist church baptismal in Neu Ulm, Germany in 1967. At this point I think I should point out that my great, great, grandfather, Johann Rahn, a German Evangelical Reformed minister, brought the family here from Germany, in 1870, to keep the boys from being drafted into the Franco-Prussian war. Apparently I had to go back to within fifty miles of where they came from to find the Lord.

My wife, Ginger and I settled into raising a family and fairly consistently attended services at Baptist churches. We began hearing rumors about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Ginger went, with friends, to a meeting at Saint Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Baltimore. Before the teaching started, a message in tongues was given. Father Phil Zampino refused to continue the service until the interpretation was revealed. An African couple in the front row stood up and explained that the message was in Swahili and was instructing them to stay in the United States rather than return to Africa. Gin came home and related the story to me. Perhaps this stuff is real but how would we know? We decided that with our limited knowledge of the gifts, we would continue attending the Baptist church until the Lord led us otherwise. We also decided a sure sign that we should leave that church and look elsewhere would be if the pastor would ever preach against the gifts of the spirit. You’ll never guess what he preached on the very next Sunday. Yep, the power petered out when Peter petered out. The gifts of the Spirit were for the early church only and not for today. That is except for the ones he liked such as the gifts of preaching, service and teaching. We thanked the Lord and started our search.

We heard of a good Bible teacher at the local Presbyterian Church who held a service on Friday nights. The Reverend Jim Mulholland and his wife Jean, who was a high school teacher, ministered there. Needless to say, we went. The fellowship and the music were great; however, when the music stopped the entire crowd stood up speaking in tongues. I looked for the exit, never intending to darken their door again. One problem, we were seated in the middle. We were trapped. The Lord does work in mysterious ways because if I could have left, I would have. Jean taught on the different forms of tongues and that one of the forms was worship. That’s what they had been doing, but it sure shook me up at the time.

We started attending the Presbyterian Church regularly and grew in our knowledge of the Lord and His Word. The church family was wonderful; however, we then got sucked into church service. Since Ginger and I both sang we were used in the different services in that capacity. Keep in mind that Ginger was a true coloratura soprano and could really sing. I, on the other hand, was just s story teller with a guitar. Then, after the fun parts, came the dreaded work part. I was elected superintendent of the Sunday school department. Several of the men there were members of the Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship International. We attended a couple of meetings, and I joined the chapter in Woodlawn, Maryland. I served as a member, vice president and then president. This was a wonderful time in our lives. In addition to the above, we each ministered in music different places under the name of “The Spirits Nest Ministries”, I was co founder of the “Son’s of Thunder Ministries” along with my friend Harvey Cohen, who was a born again orthodox Jewish rabbi. I ran a cassette tape function for our groups. Now let’s see – Sunday school duties, attending church classes, church, Full Gospel meetings, music ministries, Son’s of Thunder, Spirits Nest, cassette ministry, various Christian educational classes when available and believe it or not, I was even the temporary pastor of a church for a few months (details later). OK, time for a reality check. Our kids came to us one day with the complaint that we never had time for them. They were right and since your first duty is to take care of the family God gives you we had to change. We had to temper our enthusiasm with what the Bible describes as moderation in all things.

Ever hear the voice of the Lord? I mean a real voice, not just a voice in your head? I was a traveling salesman and was just told that we would no longer be using our own cars but would be getting company cars. While driving through the mountains of North Carolina between sales calls, I was wondering (half asking the Lord) what I should do with my present car. A voice came from the back seat saying, “Give it to Heidi” (My cousin). I said, I rebuke you in the name of Jesus. The voice said again “give it to Heidi”. I said OK, I’ll go home and tell Little Miss Tightwad (Ginger) what you said; and if she says alright, I’ll know it’s really you and I’ll do it. Gin said OK, and we called Heidi.

My first encounter with divine healing came about when I slipped a disc in my lower back. After explaining the condition of my back, the doctor told me to go home and lay flat on my back on the floor. A couple of the Full Gospel men came to the house with Pastor Mulholland. Jim laid hands on me while they all prayed. Against their advice, I stood right up after the prayers because the pain was instantly and completely gone. The second encounter came when I was visiting family and my cousin said she had been having back trouble for some time, probably connected with her horse activities. Since she was a fairly new Christian (recently saved at a Billy Graham crusade), I was some what hesitant. I suggested that we ask the Lord for healing and she agreed. We went to another room and I had her lay down on her stomach. With expectant anticipation, I laid hands on her back and prayed that the Lord would heal her. She said that it worked and that the pain was gone. Although her father was dubious and wanted to know what else I did to her, the healing was complete. I have not had many encounters of this type, but it is truly amazing when it happens.

As I said previously, I was for a time the temporary pastor of a church from which the pastor walked out, due to church politics. Because of my position in the Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship, I was asked to supply people to conduct Sunday services and also to do so myself. After my second sermon, I was asked to fulfill the duties of pastor. I agreed to as long as they actively sought their permanent replacement. I had to be ordained by the church I was attending so that I would be able to perform legal functions if they occurred. This was a very special time with the Lord. As I was still a full time on the road medical equipment salesman, I only had limited time to prepare for the Sunday service. I had to carry a recorder on the seat next to me as the Lord would give me my sermons as I traveled. This was a wonderful time in my life as it was like the Lord and I were really working partners. It seemed as if He was in the car with me (and the motel rooms and at home). I never have felt more in his will than during those months. Even as wonderful as it was, the Lord and I knew that I was called to the pastorate only for a season. When the church once again got a full time pastor, I was able to go back to my regular life. Never again though, have I felt that closely involved with the Lord. It was like He was with me every minute.

The older I get, the more I realize how much I don’t know, therefore, I have to rely on what I know to be true. The Bible and the founding documents of our country are what I have found to be the most trustworthy. I don’t care what religion you are involved in or not involved in; the difference between a relationship with Christ and any religion is as different as night and day. As a Presbyterian minister’s wife once told me, “a denomination is simply a monument to a dead saint”. Jean Mulholland was her name and she was a great Bible teacher. She described the steps in building a church congregation as the following: First you build up attendance until you have a decent sized congregation. Then you tell them that they must be born again. Subsequently you loose half of them and you must rebuild. Then you tell them that they must be baptized and you rebuild again. Next you introduce them to the Holy Spirit and you rebuild again. Then you teach about demons and I’m not sure if she knew the final outcome. The ability to turn over your concerns to the Lord is a wonderful advantage in life.

Just to show you how close some people are to being open to the Lords Word, I will relate this short story. After selling a medical laser to a doctor in Winber, Pennsylvania, I was required to make repeat visits for instruction (I hold a certificate for completing a course in Gynecological Laser Surgery by The Gynecological Laser Society) and checking function on the laser. I became friendly with the doctor and nurses who were Christians. One of the nurses asked me to talk to a nurse friend of hers about salvation as she and the doctor had been unsuccessful in their attempts. I had her set up a lunch date for herself, the other nurse and myself. After brief conversation I noticed some uneasiness on her part. It turned out that she was Catholic and knew all about the Lord. This caused a wall between us and her. During lunch I asked her who Jesus was. She said he was God. I asked if he was alive or dead. She said he was alive. I asked why he had died. She said so that we could be forgiven. I said do you know him and she said she loved him. I showed her Romans 10:9. I explained that she had just qualified as a Born Again Christian since she had told us the answers that she did. She responded that she simply didn’t understand what they had been talking about for so long. All she had needed was a simple explanation that all she had to do was confess before others what she really already believed.

There are many more things that I could tell you about my walk with the Lord, but I didn’t want to make this so long that people wouldn’t read it. It is my prayer that this might encourage someone to investigate what the Lord has available for them. All I know at this point is that I don’t know how my life would have been different without the Lord in it, and I really don’t care. Keep in mind that if I am right and I die, I go to my reward. If I’m wrong, it won’t matter. I can truthfully say that I have felt no loss, but only gain, from this relationship with God.

I have written this, not to pass judgment in any way or on any one, but rather as an invitation to those of family and friendly acquaintance to join me in the Kingdom of God. A personal relationship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit has proved, in my lifetime, to be an abundant source of both inspiration and solace. It is my hope that I will be judged not as having run a perfect race, but rather that I did the best that I was able. I can’t think of a better way to state it than as my great grandfather, the Reverend Frederick Rahn, put it as when the end of this life is near, “He gladly did what he was able to do and he unreservedly submits to the Masters call”.

Rick Rahn

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Adversity Builds Character

          “The notion that adults should do all they possibly can do to advance the self-esteem of children is dying a slow but hopefully unavoidable death.

          Research done by a number of objective folks, most notably Roy Baumeister at Florida State University, has clearly shown that high self-esteem is closely associated with anti-social inclinations.  Unfortunately, it’s taken more than a decade for the research in question to bridge the gap between academia and popular culture.  At this writing, two generations of parents were persuaded to devote themselves to creating child-rearing environments that were rich in praise and reward but lacking in reality, elevating their children to idol status in the process.

          Thankfully, I am a member of the last generation of American kids who were not allowed to possess high self-esteem.  My mother and later her second husband did all they could to repress my Inner Brat, for which I am most grateful.  (I did not, however, appreciate their efforts at the time.)  When I had an outburst of high self-esteem, one of them would tell me I was ‘acting too big for my britches’ and needed to size myself to the psychic garment in question before they were forced to lend a literal hand.

 

          Then there were those occasions when, without reprimand, one or the other of them would say, ‘It would be good for you to always remember that no matter what you accomplish in this world, you are really just a little fish in a big pond.’  It’s very helpful for me to remind myself of this on a regular basis.

          Everyone in my generation heard these very healthy things from their parents.  I estimate that there are fewer than 10 parents in America who say these psychologically incorrect things today.  Today’s typical parent seems to think his/her child is the only fish in the pond worth noticing, which is

really too bad for his/her child.  It’s bad for all of us, actually, because the research also finds that the higher a person’s self-regard, the lower his regard for others.  (It is also noteworthy that high self-esteem puts the individual at high risk for bouts of severe depression.)  People with high self esteem want to be paid attention to and served.  They believe in their entitlement.  On the other hand, folks with high regard for others pay attention to others and look for opportunities to serve them. 

          It is unarguable that culture is best served, preserved, and advanced by folks who fit the latter category.  Entitlements weaken, and a culture-wide entitlement mentality weakens the entire culture.  Along these lines, every single manager, employer, and supervisor with whom I have talked in the last decade or so has told me that today’s young college graduates, by and large, are not looking for work; rather, they are looking for benefit packages

(i.e. entitlements).  They can’t handle criticism, I’m told.  They are loathe to do more than ‘the minimum,’ yet they expect promotions.  The list of high self-esteem symptoms goes on and on.  This is corrosion.  It threatens America’s future.

          Raising a child who possesses high other-regard simply requires that parents do what our great-grandparents did.  They put their Marriages first, not their kids.  They gave their kids all that they truly needed and very little of what they simply wanted.  They assigned daily chores from age 3 on.  They expected their children to always do their best, in whatever setting.  Their beds were for adults only.  They rarely helped their kids with their homework.  They did not serve them individualized dinners.  Family came first, not after-school activities, and so on.  This parenting paradigm is as workable today as it was when I was a child.

          In fact, a small number (but I sense it is slowly growing) of parents have made the conscious decision to create this retro-revolution in their families.  Surely, they are the salt of the earth.”[1]

          I was directed to the above article by a very special family member.  Since I can’t agree with it more and couldn’t state things better, I copied it here.   Expound though I might, the basics are all stated in it.

          I have always heard, and know it to be true, that adversity builds character.  Those who are sheltered from the constantly occurring consequences of life will always be at a disadvantage.  The lack of building coping mechanisms in childhood renders one incapable of appropriate responses and reactions in adult life. 

          I am not advocating that beating the ‘holy bajesus’ out of your children is the answer, but rather the firm yet gentle admonition of a loving parent.  Corporal punishment is not however out of the question (with restraint) in those situations where deemed necessary and all else has failed.   I have lived long enough and seen enough to have seen the differences in the work ethic of recent generations as compared to mine.  This same lack of personal responsibility in the work place bleeds over into personal and community relationships.

          Personal responsibility is absolutely necessary in a free and just society.  That is why our founding fathers wrote the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution with the wording that they used.  I am absolutely convinced that they would be astounded by the society in which we live.  When they referred to Providence, God, the natural laws of man, and others, they were in reference to the established thought patterns of the day which were based on the recognized basis of Judeo/Christian principles.  In the same way that Jesus used “hinting” (a Jewish method of referring back to Old Testament passages that in those days almost everybody knew) and parables that could be universally understood, the founding fathers knew what each was referring to in the vernacular of the day.  Far be it from our current society to recognize the Bible, and our founding documents, as the basis for our everyday lives.  Ridicule and condemnation are the by product of this type of behavior.

          "I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. ‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death."[2]  As I said, adversity builds character.  It takes a good character to benefit society. Those self absorbed, self-delusional and high self-esteemers just don’t qualify for true leadership.  To be a true leader one has to know and understand the value of serving others rather than being self-serving. Being self-serving only leads to further aggrandizement and power seeking of the individual.  Thus, they are the ones who think they know better what you need than you do, and therefore try to legislate your freedoms.  Your freedoms come from God, not from man or any government.  “Life’s tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late.”[3] 

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[1] Family psychologist John Rosemond, The Lakeland Ledger – 9-29-2010.  re:www.rosemond.com.

[2] Thomas Paine, The Crisis, No. 1, 1776

[3] Benjamin Franklin

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Political Rape

Anyone who accuses some person or group of being racist, without complete documentation, is a political rapist. Since rape is possibly the most personally damaging crime and racist is possibly the most personally damaging thing you could be labeled, the correlation seems right. The following shows the difference between date rape and political rape:

1. a. The date partner presents himself as someone whom you can trust.
b. The politician presents himself as someone you can trust.

2. a. Regardless of your protestations he does to you what you don’t want.
b. Regardless of your protestations he votes for what you don’t want.

In both cases the perpetrator has decided that you are of no significance in determining your own fate and that your desires are of no importance. Also, in both cases, the victim is left frustrated, injured, unable to trust and victimized.

To accuse some one of being racist without presenting accurate evidence should be punishable by law. It probably is, under the slander laws. Recently, Ben Jealous, president of the NAACP, accused the Tea Party movement of condoning racism. He presented accusations that were devoid of proof. This is a typical ploy of progressives as they believe that the end justifies the means. Attack and destroy the enemy is their call to action.

Rape when done to a man or woman is despicable and hideous. Political rape is on the other hand insidious. Any new limitation of our freedoms forced on our people, when the people are clearly against it, is political rape. Just as our forefathers were being politically raped by England, our government has been politically raping the American people for many years. Some recent examples of this would be health care legislation, cap and trade, federal funding of abortion, hate speech laws, the food police, separation of church and state and other usurpations of power by the government.

Every new law passed by the government diminishes our lives. As far as I am concerned, attempts to enforce these unconstitutional laws are tantamount to assault. Law enforcement officials should keep in mind that ‘I was only obeying orders’ was not found to be a sufficient defense. Any law passed by state and local governments that infringes on federal guarantees is not legal. A state for instance cannot pass laws limiting our constitutional rights or other federal guarantees. Our constitution clearly spells out the duties of the federal government. What is not spelled out as a federal duty is up to the individual states to handle. The separation of powers was designed as a balancing system to keep one branch from gaining too much power. If you haven’t read our country’s founding documents; you can’t know how bad our government is screwing you. If you read them you will realize you are being screwed without your permission. Where I come from, that’s called rape.

The duties of the Supreme Court system are to make sure that the laws, brought up to be in question, are in sink with the constitution, not to legislate from the bench. The Court system has no law making powers. Legislation is the job of congress. The executive branch is to handle the safety and security of the country in addition to other well spelled out duties. Any deviation of these assigned tasks is not in the interest of the people, is unconstitutional and against the law.

Rick Rahn

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The Voice Of The Lord In My Life

Learning to hear from the Lord is an ongoing process that I pray will grow stronger within me throughout my allotted time on Earth. For the most part, I believe that He speaks to me through his Word. Given to those who believe in Him. His Word is as He is, the same yesterday, today, and forever. It is never old fashioned or out of date. Not merely a work of mere men as some may profess; it is given to us by the inspiration of His Holy Spirit. To proclaim that the Bible is simply a group of nice myths and symbolic stories produced by men is to place it in the same category as the works of Shakespeare. Furthermore, that assumption completely denies the power of the Holy Spirit as that part of the triune God and His ability to lead and guide us into all truth. The disciples of the Lord were told to go to the Upper Room and to tarry there until they had been empowered by the Holy Spirit. Remember how Peter swore to the Lord that He would always defend Him, and yet, due to fear, he denied the Lord three times before the cock crowed just as Jesus had foreseen. However, this same Peter, after receiving the Holy Spirit, was so changed and strengthened, he went on to spread the gospel even to his death without fear or intimidation. It is the Holy Spirit that draws us to the Lord and unfolds the truth of His Word to enlighten our understanding of God that we will not be left to depend upon our own infinite and limited abilities to think and reason.

There have been several times in my life that I have been given the privilege of recognizing that my thoughts were not of my own, but rather the voice of the Lord speaking to me. I’m sure that He has spoken to me more often than I realized, but I just didn’t recognize the difference between my own thoughts and His voice speaking and revealing truths and knowledge to me. I share the following moments to give the glory to God for His ever loving care and influence in my life, and to hopefully give impetus to the belief that He does and will do the same for others, as we learn to listen and yield ourselves to His will in our lives.

One of the first times that I remember hearing His voice telling me something that I had no way of knowing in the natural, may seem trivial and meaningless at first glance. Upon returning from college for the summer, I had decided not to let any of my friends know that I was home. Rick, who is now my husband of forty-five years, and I had broken up and I had no idea that we would ever see each other, much less reunite. I had also broken up with the boy that I had bee seeing at college after realizing that life with him was not what I wanted. That in itself was a gift from God. I have said many times that one of the greatest gifts I received through the experience of dating others was to gain a greater appreciation for my wonderful and loving husband. At any rate, that morning I chose to go to the pool with my brother, Dave. While there, this voice within said, “You need to go home and fix your hair. Someone is coming to see you today.” The first few times I just ignored it. Then this ‘conversation’ took place within me. “You better go home and get yourself ready. Someone is coming to see you today. I replied, “That can’t be as none of my friends even know that I am home.” Finally, I decided to take the advise of the voice within and went home to fix my hair and get dressed. I then decided to call Betty, one of my girlfriends. She asked me if I had seen or heard from Rick as he had been calling her to inquire if she knew when I was coming back home. I had no idea that he was still even interested in me. About that time, my Daddy’s voice announced that someone was there to see me. I asked Betty to hold on while I went to see who in the world it could be. I peaked out my bedroom door and asked, “Who is it Daddy?” He replied, “It’s Rick.” My heart jumped with unbelief as I said, “Tell him I’ll be down in a little bit.” I went back to the phone and told Betty the incredulous news that Rick was down stairs in my living room that very minute.” I quickly hung up the phone, finished “fixing my hair,” as the Lord had instructed, and went down to see the love of my life. From that moment on we never parted. A little over a year later, we were married. Lord, thank you for preparing me to be presentable to my future husband.

Now you may be asking, just as I did, why would the Lord bother to get involved in what appeared to be a trivial matter such as telling me to go home and get my hair fixed in preparation for a visit from someone? I knew without a doubt that it was the Lord, but the why was not revealed to me until years later. The Lord knew I was going to have to learn to listen and trust in Him for even the seemingly small things before I could learn to listen, obey, trust, and depend upon Him for the greater moments of my life. It wasn’t the fixing of my hair that was important, but rather learning to listen to Him and obey. It is not sufficient in our lives to just “know” the Lord, we must believe in Him and obey. Satan and his demons know who the Lord is, but they will never yield and obey Him.

After Rick and I were married, he was drafted and sent to Germany. Thankfully, I was able to join him there. When it was time for me to return home, we were on the way to the airport when the tire blew out. At first I felt nothing but panic and fear that I would miss my flight. I certainly didn’t have the money for another ticket. Then just as suddenly as the panic and fear had gripped me, an all consuming sense of peace flooded into my inner most parts and the voice of the Lord assured me that I was not to fear or worry and He would provide. Within moments, a complete stranger pulled over to inquire if there was anything he could do to help.

Upon hearing of our problem, he immediately offered to take us the rest of the way to the airport. I was learning once more to listen to His voice. What a marvelous way to be assured that the Lord is always with us, and He is involved and cares about us at all times without ceasing. Yet I still had not learned to really trust enough to share those “truths” or words of knowledge with others.

Years later I was standing in front of the sink in our kitchen. The Lord told me that our 16 year old daughter was pregnant. I knew it was not just my own thoughts. There had not been anything to make such thoughts be from myself. I hoped that it was not true for her sake. Rick was out of town on a business trip. I decided that this time I would not keep the knowledge to myself. I called Rick and said, “Honey, the Lord has told me things before, but I didn’t share them with anyone else. I hope I am wrong, but I believe that he has told me that Lisa is pregnant. I wanted to tell you beforehand this time just as the Lord has told me.”

Of course he hoped it wasn’t so either, but still waited with me for the confirmation of the word from the Lord. You know Gods Word tells us that “to be forewarned is to be forearmed.” That was exactly what He was doing. Once again He was enabling us so we could be prepared to handle the trial to come. That night when Lisa got home, she sat down on the sofa. I didn’t mention anything about the message from the Lord. Her conversation was rather light and yet she acted fidgety and nervous as if there was something else really on her mind. I just looked at her and asked, “What is it that you really want to talk about with me?” She took a deep breath and finally just blurted out that she thought she might be pregnant. Very calmly I said, “I hope we are both wrong, but the Lord spoke to me today and told me that you were. In fact, I have already called your Daddy to let him know also what God had said. Having been forewarned had given me the ability to receive the news without completely losing it. I was able to remain calm and let Lisa know that we would get a pregnancy test and no matter what we would be there for her. She couldn’t believe how her Daddy and I were taking the news. She said, “I sure wish God had let me know that He had already told you so that I wouldn’t have felt so scared to tell you. I didn’t know what you might do.” Well, suffice it to say, the next day the pregnancy test confirmed the word from the Lord. Lisa was given all kinds of advice such as getting an abortion. She knew what we felt about that, but at the same time we knew that we had to leave the decision up to her. Rick and I prayed all that weekend.. Finally, she came to us and said the she believed that the baby was a part of her and she would not get an abortion. We breathed a sigh of relief and thanked the Lord for answered prayer. Now that little baby, Devin, is 19 years old.

Upon returning home from work one day, nothing of any real significance had happened that day. Yet as I reached for the doorknob, the Lord spoke these words to me so very clearly. I was meant to recall them several times over the coming years. It was as if the scene was recorded in my memory like a video tape that was to be rewound and revisited time and time again. He said, “If you were to loose this house and everything that is in it, still God is and will remain God no matter what.” At the time I remember acknowledging “Okay God, I don’t really understand what you mean or why you are saying this to me, but I do know that it is your voice.” No, we did not loose that house, but we were to face many a trial and tribulation. Eventually I would learn He was telling me that He, God, was not ever defined by or limited to or by my circumstances, experiences or situations. No matter what happens in life, God is always God. That one message from Him has helped me to learn that the important question is not “God, why me” or “Why did you let this happen to me,” but rather “Okay Lord, What is it that you want me to learn from this that I may glorify thee?” That question is always accompanied with His assurance that He will always be right there with me in and through what ever that trial may be. He will never leave me nor forsake me. He will help me to endure in the here and now, and promises to fulfill my eventual hope of eternity with Him in Heaven.

These are but a few of the times when I believe that the Lord has spoken directly to me. Lord I pray that you will always help each of us to listen and learn from your Word by the power of your Holy Spirit, and give us the wisdom and discernment to follow and obey thee and none other. Thank you for your written Word, and your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior who came to fulfill the promises of your Word.

Ginger Rahn

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Government Church

          The separation of church and state, if that is how you want to phrase it, is in actuality, a one way street.  The first amendment says that the government cannot interfere with our religious practices.  It also says that the federal government can’t set up a state church.  For some time now our government has been putting more and more restrictions on our churches.  To participate in a faith based program the church must follow government dictates.  To have the tax exemptions to which churches are entitled, you must limit what you say from the pulpit.  Apparently what the Word of God says can be determined by progressives, when they are in power, to be hate speech.  There is a simple answer to this – DON’T TAKE THE MONEY!  Render to Cesar’s what is Cesar’s and to God what is God’s.  The Church belongs to God, not Caesar.  Believers, you are the Church, and if also an American citizen, your rights are given by God, not the government.   Isn’t it about time you started standing up for your rights and freedoms?   Since we have the freedom of speech and free exercise of religion, the only way these rights can be limited is if we allow it to happen.  It doesn’t matter if you are a believer in God or are an atheist, if our first amendment rights are limited, we all loose. 

          I haven’t heard the expression ‘apostate church’ used in years but I am convinced that what is happening too many of our churches today qualifies under that heading.  We are told in the Bible that there will be many to come in the name of Christ, and if not for the Holy Spirit, even the ‘elect’ could be misled.  Since we know that there is only one Christ, we know to be vigilantly looking for these imposters.  Are we so lazy or frightened that we won’t confront what we know to be wrong?  If your church is not teaching Jesus as Savior, a personal relationship with the Christ and that the Bible is the inerrant word of God; it’s not a Christian church.  As I have said before, Jesus is an absolutist and so am I.  The current thinking, that everything is relative, is simply a lie of the Devil.

          As has been documented ad infinitum, we started out as a Christian nation.  Mostly because of this fact, we prospered and grew and the Lord blessed our efforts.  A creeping disease within our nation has been growing and today seems to be out of control.  Just recently our president announced that we were not a Christian nation.  How did we become this corrupt?  How did it come about that we accept Satan’s values over that of the Lord?  Did we forget that sin is anything that separates us from God?  Did we forget that our declaration of Independence declares our dependence on God (Providence) for our rights?

          “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man puts forth, that shall he also receive back.”[1] “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”[2]  This is our God and The God of our nation.  How long are we going to stand for the few who, knowing it or not, are working to remove His blessing from us.  If we keep going in the same direction the following is true - "The future ain't what it used to be"[3]. 

          Because of my relationship with Christ, I have a certain world view and outlook on life.  It is not my place to condemn you for your beliefs if they are different from mine, but rather to join with you to further our nation as our founding documents suggest.  This is one of the main tenants of our Christian nation.  I don’t care what your situation is; you could have a better and more fulfilling life if you had a relationship with the one true and living God.  It is not my duty however, to force you into that relationship.  Conversely, it is not our governments place to interfere with that relationship. 

          Recently, our leadership has started to distance our country from the state of Israel.  We as a nation, since Israel was restored as a nation, have been a supporter and protector of Israel.  God said He would bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse Israel.  Since God considers Jerusalem as being His city, I think at this point we are sitting on the precipice of destruction.

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[1] Galatians 6:7

[2] Chronicles II 7:14

[3] Yogi Berra

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Am I Angry?

          I have been told that there are people who can’t read my rantings because of the anger I express and that I present everything as absolutely true.  First of all, why would I present something I didn’t believe was true?  This rant is to let you know that my heart and mind are open to anything that is true.  From what I can determine, the Bible is absolutely true and has never been disproved.  The founding documents and writings of our founding fathers state that what they were doing was what they intended.  "I entirely concur in the propriety of resorting to the sense in which the Constitution was accepted and ratified by the nation. In that sense alone it is the legitimate Constitution."  This is the true foundation of our nation; however, as with the Bible, you have to go back to the founding papers to determine what the writer intended instead of what someone tells you they intended.  The best example I can give of this fact is the fictitious separation of church and state.  It appears in a letter by Thomas Jefferson to a Baptist congregation, assuring them that the government was not allowed to mess with their church.  What is really in the religion part of the first amendment?  It states that the government has no right to control religion, not that the Church shouldn’t be involved in government.  Most of the founders considered Christianity to be a vital part of our government and several of them stated that being a Christian should be a prerequisite to holding government office.  The majority of the problems in the world today could be solved by Christian leadership[1].  Yes, I know that is a strong and controversial statement, but I believe it to be true.

 

          Jesus is an absolutist and so am I.  There is nothing wrong in believing in absolutes as long as you are sure that the absolute you believe in is absolutely true.  Yes there are such things as absolutes and facts that cannot be disputed.  There absolutely is such a thing as right and wrong.  Misinterpretation would have you believe that killing is always wrong.  It depends on the circumstances.  Murder on the other hand is always wrong.  There is a difference between killing and murder.  The Bible for instance says that ‘thou shall not kill’; however, the original language used (which was given by God) said ‘thou shall not murder’.  Now which do you suppose is the absolute, killing or murder?  Killing can be the only recourse in war and protecting ones self and family.   The first commandment states “I am the Lord thy God!  You should have no other god’s but Me!” Jesus said; “I am the truth the way and the life, no one comes to the Father but by Me.”  This definitely exposes the fallacy of the statement that there are many paths the heaven. 

 

          There is a lot of distortion, misrepresentation, political correctness, misdirected information and revisionist history as well as blatant lying being heaped on us from all directions.  As far as I can tell this is all coming from those who want God out of our lives and to bring about fundamental changes to our country.  The door swings both directions.  We welcome those immigrants who come to us legally and wish to become Americans, and we welcome those to leave (as our ancestors did) who think that the grass is greener elsewhere. 

 

          Our government has provided more liberty and more freedoms than any other in the history of the world.  Our rights which are provided by Providence (God) are in jeopardy at present by those who would like to ruin what we have in order to consolidate their power and wealth.  I know you have heard that money is the root of all evil.  This phrase is supposed to have come from the Bible.  The truth is that the Bible says that the love of money is the root of all evil.  As Glenn Beck and others have said, in order to accomplish these goals they must discredit both God and our founders.  Just look at the record of Marxism (Socialism, Communism, Progressivism or whatever you want to label it), and you will find the history of death and destruction it has caused.  ”Government is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.”[2]  Our Marxist friends are trying to accomplish the task of changing our government from servant to master.  The United States and its Capitalist system may not be perfect, but it is undoubtedly superior to anything else devised by the mind of man.  One of the biggest lies being told is that we are a democracy.  We are a republic, not a democracy.  I won’t go into the details of the differences here.  Suffice it to say that democracy is no better than mob rule. "Remember democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide."[3] 

 

          I guess it could be said that I show anger in my rants.  I would rather refer to this condition as righteous indignation.  When I see that there are those who are out to steal, kill and destroy, it is a call to action and these rants are that action.  I am not saying that we are at the point where we need to use force of arms.  “The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government,”[4]  The vote is by far the best method of retaliation against those who would destroy the country.  “If we don’t use our freedoms to fight for our freedoms we will loose our freedoms.”[5]

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[1] Born again Christians – not CRINO (Christian religion in name only)

[2] George Washington

[3] John Adams 1814

[4] Thomas Jefferson

[5] John Hagee

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