Tag: Jesus Christ

Sunday Morning Thoughts From a Christian American Conservative….And When It’s All Been Said and When It’s All Been Done…

On By kingsjesterIn Christianity, Politics3 Comments

Christ on a park benchBlessed assurance, Jesus is mine!

Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!

Heir of salvation, purchase of God,

Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

This morning, as I am writing this, I am dictating into my android phone and thinking about my own mortality.

You see, I’m 55 years old. Nowadays, that is considered to be middle aged, I know. However, the fact of the matter is as I’m getting older I’m realizing that life is unpredictable. As I sit here, one of my family members by marriage is losing her battle with cancer.

She is a wonderful young woman, who will be leaving behind three teenagers, a boy and two girls, and a husband who worships the ground she walks on.  They are wonderful Christian people who, before we were married, asked my wife to come live with them, as she took in this young lady, her niece, to live with her years before.

This remarkable young lady was active in her church, sang on the praise team, home schooled her children, and kept the books for her husband’s business.

To say that the effect of her loss on her family will be hard, would be an understatement.

The thing is, just as sure as I’m sitting here, I know where she’s going.

Soon, she will be face to face with the Savior.

There will be no pain…no fear. She will be surrounded by Heavenly Glory, safe in His arms.

But, what about the family? It will be up to those of us left behind to comfort them and assure them that God loves them and we do too.

Of course, everyone has heard that God does not give us more than we can handle. Another member of my wife’s family, her 50 year old cousin said exactly that this week, after losing a leg to poor circulation.

She then proceeded to ask the poor young technician, who came to her room to tell her about her prosthetic leg that they were going to fit her with, if they were going to give her a “sexy” leg to match the other one.

God has gifted her with a indomitable spirit and a determination to go on living.

And, I guess that’s why I’m writing this blog this morning.

God gave us this life. He guides us through it. He presents with opportunities and gives us free will to make choices, right or wrong.

There are so many times I’ve seen Him move in my life .. so many times that he has made a way for me… so many times that He has shown His Gracious Love for me.

I know that I’m not the only person that feels this way. if you look back now and you’re around my age, you realize what I am trying to say this morning.

God wants us to be happy. God wants us to live and enjoy the life which is given to us

He wants the best for us. He also wants us to take advantage of the opportunities which He presents to us throughout our life, so that when we stand before Him, we can hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

But what does that mean? does it mean we have to live a life locked away in a monastery somewhere away from the temptations of the modern culture around us? Of course not.

However, we have to keep the main thing the main thing. We cannot sacrifice of Christianity for the sake of political expediency. Heaven is a far bigger tent than any political party could ever be.

I would rather find favor with God than favor with man.

Am I an extremist? You betcha.

God said it. I believe it. That settles it.

For in the end, like the popular Christian song from a few years ago, says,

And, when it’s all been said and when it’s all been done, He’ll ask me, ‘Did you find your way, child? Did you know my son?’ And, when it’s all been said and when it’s all been done, He’ll ask me, ‘Did you find your way within, my son’?

Perfect submission, all is at rest,

I in my Savior am happy and blest,

Watching and waiting, looking above,

Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

This is my story, this is my song,

Praising my Savior all the day long;

This is my story, this is my song,

Praising my Savior all the day long.

A Heritage of Love 2014

On By kingsjesterIn Christianity, PoliticsLeave a comment

I have had a lot on my mind today.   Yesterday, my bride and I spent 10 hours moving my stepson, my Daughter-in-Law, and my 6-year-old grandson, Robert “Bo”…(pictured when he was a baby, at our wedding reception, eating a strawberry off my groom’s cake) into their first rental house. As I watched my grandson lose his mind over his new room and huge backyard, I wondered what kind of future he has before him.

As I have been writing a lot about lately, our politicians seem to be of wont to sacrifice our Constitutional freedom and American Christian Heritage on the altar of Political Expediency and Electoral Victory.

They are intent on sacrificing our Christian American heritage to the whims of popular “libertarian/Liberal” (libertine) culture., pulling a Bill Clinton and sticking their finger up in the air to see which was the winds of popular culture are blowing today.

To be blunt, the only hope for our children and grandchildren’s future is if they return to their Christian American Heritage…and a Personal Relationship with Jesus Christ.

In 1912, Memphis Commercial Appeal Editor C.P.J. Mooney, wrote the following as a Christmas gift to his readers.  It remains immensely popular to this day.

Jesus, the Perfect Man

There is no other character in history like that of Jesus.

As a preacher, as a doer of things, and as a philosopher, no man ever had the sweep and the vision of Jesus.

A human analysis of the human actions of Jesus brings to view a rule of life that is amazing in its perfect detail.

The system of ethics Jesus taught during His earthly sojourn 2,000 years ago was true then, has been true in every century since and will be true forever.

Plato was a great thinker and learned in his age, but his teachings did not stand the test of time. In big things and in little things time and human experience have shown that he erred.

Marcus Aurelius touched the reflective mind of the world, but he was as cold and austere as brown marble. …

Thomas a Kempis’ ”Imitation of Christ” is a thing of rare beauty and sympathy, but it is, as its name indicates, only an imitation.

Sir Thomas More’s ”Utopia” is yet a dream that cannot be realized.

Lord Bacon writing on chemistry and medicine under the glasses of the man working in a 20th century laboratory is puerile.

The world’s most learned doctors until 150 years ago gave dragon’s blood and ground tails of lizards and shells of eggs for certain ailments. The great surgeons a hundred years ago bled a man if he were wounded.

Napoleon had the world at his feet for four years, and when he died the world was going on its way as if he had never lived.

JESUS TAUGHT little as to property because He knew there were things of more importance than property. He measured property and life, the body and soul, at their exact relative value. He taught much more as to character, because character is of more importance than dollars.

Other men taught us to develop systems of government. Jesus taught so as to perfect the minds of men. Jesus looked to the soul, while other men dwelled on material things.

After the experience of 2,000 years no man can find a flaw in the governmental system outlined by Jesus.

Czar and kaiser, president and Socialist, give to its complete merit their admiration.

No man today, no matter whether he follows the doctrine of Mill, Marx or George as to property, can find a false principle in Jesus’ theory of property.

In the duty of a man to his fellow no sociologist has ever approximated the perfection of the doctrine laid down by Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount.

Not all the investigations of chemists, not all the discoveries of explorers, not all the experiences of rulers, not all the historical facts that go to make up the sum of human knowledge on this day in 1912 are in contradiction to one word uttered or one principle laid down by Jesus.

The human experiences of 2,000 years show that Jesus never made a mistake. Jesus never uttered a doctrine that was true at that time and then became obsolete.

Jesus spoke the truth, and the truth is eternal.

History has no record of any other man leading a perfect life or doing everything in logical order. Jesus is the only person whose every action and whose every utterance strike a true note in the heart and mind of every man born of woman. He never said a foolish thing, never did a foolish act and never dissembled.

No poet, no dreamer, no philosopher loved humanity with all the love that Jesus bore toward all men.

WHO, THEN, was Jesus?

He could not have been merely a man, for there never was a man who had two consecutive thoughts absolute in truthful perfection.

Jesus must have been what Christendom proclaims Him to be — a divine being — or He could not have been what He was. No mind but an infinite mind could have left behind those things which Jesus gave the world as a heritage.

Please allow me to leave you today with an early song from a group that got started at Heartland Church in Southaven, MS, when they were kids. They are now all college age young Americans who tour throughout the South.  Here’s Dave’s Highway.

Until He Comes,

KJ

America and the Son of God

On By kingsjesterIn Christianity, Politics3 Comments

American FreedomI have been writing a lot lately about the Culture War going on in our nation and the war between Christianity and those who would rather our nation ignore the “Faith of Our Fathers”, because if we do, we are a more subservient to the will of those who stride the Halls of Power.

Unfortunately for “The New Pharisees”, us darn American Christians are still alive and well, by the Grace of God.

According to The Hollywood Reporter,

Church groups are seeking to take over entire theaters for opening night screenings of Son of God, the upcoming movie about the life of Jesus Christ.

Various religious organizations throughout the country have been buying out screens and distributing tickets to groups of thousands of people for “Theater Take-Overs” on Thursday, Feb. 27, the night before the film’s officially released, according to production company Lightworkers Media.

Crossroads Church in Cincinnati is bringing thousands of people to a Cinemark theater, where Son of God will be showing on 13 screens at the same time.

“Our church bought out every screen in the theater,” Crossroads’ Brian Wells said in a statement. If anyone comes to the theater to see another movie that night, they’ll be out of luck, unless we have a few extra tickets to give them!”

There are a few other theater buyouts for Son of God scheduled at Cinemark locations throughout the country, according to the theater chain’s marketing and communications head James Meredith.

“It’s very interesting to see this level of excitement around the movie,” Meredith said in a statement. “The interest level for meetings, events, screenings and buyouts seems to be on par with that of major blockbuster, tentpole or franchise movies.”

Mega-church pastor Rick Warren is buying out screens in eight different theaters throughout Orange County.

“I’ve seen most of the films about Jesus produced in the past 50 years, and Son of God is the best,“ Warren said in a statement. “We’re excited Jesus is back on the big screen, and we’re going to fill the theaters. I want every other faith leader in America to do the same. Whether you can buy out a whole theater, or just one screen, now is the time to show up. This is a rare opportunity to bring the story of Christ into our mainstream culture. We want to see Jesus in movie theaters where sight and sound can open up our senses and let grace come in. The message of the Gospel deserves to be on the big screen – and this is our chance to see it there.”

Other churches and organizations, ranging in size from 10,000 to 4 million, are distributing tickets for a “Theater Take-Over.” Some pastors will also buy out screens showing the film in Spanish and Korean. There’s even a Catholic “Theater Take-Over” planned for Miami.

Various business leaders throughout the country are also donating tickets to churches and non-profits.

Son of God is a version of the hit Bible miniseries, featuring new and used footage, focused just on the story of Jesus Christ. The Bible averaged 11.4 million viewers during its five-week run on the History channel and became the top-selling miniseries on DVD of all time.

What a concept.  A movie about the life of Jesus Christ, aimed at attracting the 75%  majority of Americans who proclaim Christ as their Savior.

Why, next thing you’ll be telling me is that a well-known Hollywood actor will also produce a movie about the Life, Crucifixion, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, with English sub-titles, which will stay in release for 156 days, and bring in a worldwide gross of $611, 899,420.

Oh, wait…

I am a Christian American Conservative. I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and I will not apologize for the greatest country on Earth.

There has been a lot of conversation during the reign of Barack Hussein Obama The First, within the ranks of American Conservatives. In-fighting about what political philosophy and attitude to take. Should Conservatism be abandoned for the same kind of pseudo-intellectual arrogance and snarkiness that the Liberals practice with regularity and glee?

Or should Americans embrace Conservatism? Which kind of Conservatism? Fiscal? Social? Beltway/Moderate/Independent (a.k.a. Squishy)?

The Republican Party has been practicing “Squishy” Conservatism since the Clinton Administration. We are currently living with the consequences of that. Practicing this political philosophy of relative ethics and relative morality is akin to building a house on shifting sand.

Americans do not tolerate vacillating leaders for very long. Look at the problems besetting The Magnificent One, Barack “Scooter” Obama. Few Americans, except for his Far Left sycophantic base, are still buying the “Hope and Change” he is selling. And, they are upset with him because all of his promises of a “Socialist Paradise” have proven to be empty ones,

He even tried to reach out to the rank and file of his party and the Independents (one or two) who still might support him by attending church a few times over the years, such as on Easter Sunday when, once again, he held a photo op at Allen Chapel, a historic African Methodist Episcopal Church, founded shortly after the Civil War. These actions came from the man who once said, “Whatever we once were, we’re no longer just a Christian nation…” and who regularly worships at the Sanctuary of the Holy Basketball Court and kneels at the Sacred Putting Green. But I digress…

Conservatives have a great opportunity ahead of us this November. But we will blow it if we do not present a united front. Our country is under siege from enemies, internal and external, that want to turn the “shining city on a hill” into a third-world barrio. We don’t have time for Internet Flame Wars, questioning the legitimacy of each other’s Conservatism. Nor do we have the luxury of wasting time ridiculing another Conservative for being old-fashioned or Christian. It’s time to man up. The barbarians have knocked down the gate and they are ransacking our homes. They have burdened future generations with a tax burden that may be insurmountable.

For our children’s children’s sake, we must politically repel these invaders who wish to make us subservient to their failed ideology.

It is time for America to reclaim Our Heritage and, there is only one way in which we will be able to succeed: and that, is through the Power and Grace of the One Who Made Us and Bestowed Upon Us this Sacred Land.

I wish to leave you with the words of the greatest American President in my lifetime. There are those who say he wasn’t a believer. I beg to differ.

“Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged.“

“If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under.”

“We are never defeated unless we give up on God.”

“We have the duty to protect the life of an unborn child.”

“Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face.”

“Without God, democracy will not and cannot long endure.” – President Ronald Reagan 2/6/11-6/5/04

Until He Comes,

KJ

The Celebration of the Greatest Gift of All: Christmas 2013

On By kingsjesterIn Christianity1 Comment

Luke 2: 8-14 (ASV)

8 And there were shepherds in the same country abiding in the field, and keeping watch by night over their flock.

9 And an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all the people:

11 for there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.

12 And this is the sign unto you: Ye shall find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men in whom he is well pleased.

In 1912, C.P.J. Mooney worked as  the editor for the Commercial Appeal in Memphis, TN.  He wrote an editorial that has become a yearly tradition, not only in Memphis, but around the world.  Here it is, as my Christmas Gift to you, my much appreciated readers.

Jesus, The Perfect Man

There is no other character in history like that of Jesus.

As a preacher, as a doer of things, and as a philosopher, no man ever had the sweep and the vision of Jesus.

A human analysis of the human actions of Jesus brings to view a rule of life that is amazing in its perfect detail.

The system of ethics Jesus taught during His earthly sojourn 2,000 years ago was true then, has been true in every century since and will be true forever.

Plato was a great thinker and learned in his age, but his teachings did not stand the test of time. In big things and in little things time and human experience have shown that he erred.

Marcus Aurelius touched the reflective mind of the world, but he was as cold and austere as brown marble. …

Thomas a Kempis’ ”Imitation of Christ” is a thing of rare beauty and sympathy, but it is, as its name indicates, only an imitation.

Sir Thomas More’s ”Utopia” is yet a dream that cannot be realized.

Lord Bacon writing on chemistry and medicine under the glasses of the man working in a 20th century laboratory is puerile.

The world’s most learned doctors until 150 years ago gave dragon’s blood and ground tails of lizards and shells of eggs for certain ailments. The great surgeons a hundred years ago bled a man if he were wounded.

Napoleon had the world at his feet for four years, and when he died the world was going on its way as if he had never lived.

JESUS TAUGHT little as to property because He knew there were things of more importance than property. He measured property and life, the body and soul, at their exact relative value. He taught much more as to character, because character is of more importance than dollars.

Other men taught us to develop systems of government. Jesus taught so as to perfect the minds of men. Jesus looked to the soul, while other men dwelled on material things.

After the experience of 2,000 years no man can find a flaw in the governmental system outlined by Jesus.

Czar and kaiser, president and Socialist, give to its complete merit their admiration.

No man today, no matter whether he follows the doctrine of Mill, Marx or George as to property, can find a false principle in Jesus’ theory of property.

In the duty of a man to his fellow no sociologist has ever approximated the perfection of the doctrine laid down by Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount.

Not all the investigations of chemists, not all the discoveries of explorers, not all the experiences of rulers, not all the historical facts that go to make up the sum of human knowledge on this day in 1912 are in contradiction to one word uttered or one principle laid down by Jesus.

The human experiences of 2,000 years show that Jesus never made a mistake. Jesus never uttered a doctrine that was true at that time and then became obsolete.

Jesus spoke the truth, and the truth is eternal.

History has no record of any other man leading a perfect life or doing everything in logical order. Jesus is the only person whose every action and whose every utterance strike a true note in the heart and mind of every man born of woman. He never said a foolish thing, never did a foolish act and never dissembled.

No poet, no dreamer, no philosopher loved humanity with all the love that Jesus bore toward all men.

WHO, THEN, was Jesus?

He could not have been merely a man, for there never was a man who had two consecutive thoughts absolute in truthful perfection.

Jesus must have been what Christendom proclaims Him to be — a divine being — or He could not have been what He was. No mind but an infinite mind could have left behind those things which Jesus gave the world as a heritage.

So, on this Christmas Day, as you spend time with family and friends, remember that we have an Advocate in Jesus Christ the Righteous…and Rejoice!  For unto us a child is born…unto us a Son is given.  Hallelujah!

I know I posted this one yesterday, but, hey…I like it! God Bless you all…and Merry Christmas!

From the Innkeeper’s Point of View

On By kingsjesterIn Christianity2 Comments

Luke 2:  1-7 (ASV):

 1 Now it came to pass in those days, there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be enrolled.

2 This was the first enrolment made when Quirinius was governor of Syria.

3 And all went to enrol themselves, every one to his own city.

4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David;

5 to enrol himself with Mary, who was betrothed to him, being great with child.

6 And it came to pass, while they were there, the days were fulfilled that she should be delivered.

7 And she brought forth her firstborn son; and she wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

I remember it like it was yesterday.  Caesar Augustus had come up with the bright idea that a census should be taken of the whole Roman Empire, in order to more effectively tax the stew out of all of us.

It especially hurt small businessmen like me.  You see, I’m nothing but a lowly innkeeper, barely keeping my head above water, working 16 hour days.  Oy!  I could continue to gripe, but who would listen?

Anyway, like I said, Caesar decreed that everyone should get themselves registered for the Census.  In terms of business, that actually turned out to be a good thing.

I was about to lock up for the night, when a young man and  woman came to the door.  He was a strong, rugged-looking young man.  I think he was a carpenter.  She was a beautiful, pregnant little thing.  Bless her heart, she looked like she would deliver at any moment.  Their names were Joseph and Mary.

My inn was packed, for once, and I had no rooms available.  But, some part of my heart told me that I just couldn’t send them away, so I offered them my stable, which would at least offer some protection from the elements.

What happened that night was wondrous.  Men are still talking about it to this day.  A precious little baby boy was born that night and the most miraculous things happened.  People said that animals actually spoke!  And the local shepherds said that angels came to them and told them about this baby.  They sang His praises and told the shepherds that they needed to come to my stable to see and worship that little baby.

Three wise men, sent by Herod, showed up later, bearing gifts for that special infant.  They were overcome by that little one and decided that they would not report back to Herod, but, instead, would return to their homes.

It was quite a remarkable time.  As the years went by, I heard stories about that child.  They named Him Jesus.  He grew in knowledge and stature.  At 12, his parents lost Him.  They found Him in the synagogue, teaching the old men that should have been teaching Him!  Can you imagine?

He grew up working beside His father in his carpentry business and when He was 30, I heard that He was baptized by that wild man, John The Baptist.  According to witnesses the heavens parted, and they heard the voice of God saying:

This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.

For three years, He traveled with a group of twelve disciples, performing miracles, preaching and teaching about God’s love and His plan for mankind.

And, now I’ve heard that just yesterday, they nailed Him to a cross, executing Him as they would a common criminal.

So sad.  But, you know, there is a still, small voice inside of me that’s telling me that His story is not over, yet.

I truly hope that you enjoyed this post today.  I originally wrote the preceding story 4 years ago today in honor of this special night.

Tonight, we celebrate the birth of Our Savior Jesus Christ.  In closing, I want to share two videos with you.  The first is a video entitled, “That’s my King!”, as read by Dr. S.M. Lockridge.  The second video is a song that I’ve had the privilege of performing many times, “The Hallelujah Chorus”, which has become a favorite of Believers everywhere.

Merry Christmas to you and yours!  And may God bless us, everyone!

Duck Dynasty, Pajama Boy, and America’s Self-Righteous Liberal Elite: The New Pharisees

On By kingsjesterIn Christianity, Politics3 Comments

PhilandpajamaboyYesterday, America’s Cultural War, which the Liberals walking the Halls of Power in DC, have been insisting does not exist, burst forth in brilliant Technicolor and stark reality as the Arts & Entertainment Channel “indefinitely suspended” Commander Phil Robertson, the Patriarch of their biggest program, Duck Dynasty, a favorite of 14 million American viewers.

To say that something hit the rotary oscillator would be putting it mildly. Facebook literally exploded, with pages in support of Commander receiving hundreds of thousands of likes.

Radio and Television News Talk Shows led with the story, with Liberal Pundits feverishly trying to come up with ways to demean and insult Commander Phil, who dared to disagree with their Cult of Ambivalent Morality and Situational Ethics, standing up instead for his Christian Faith.

The Liberals appeared positively apoplectic because he paraphrased the Holy Bible, recalling scripture from 1 Corinthians 6: 9-10.

If A &E was pompous enough to believe that they could keep the rest of the Robertson Clan in line and under their thumb, after “suspending” Commander Phil, they received a reality check, as Thursday was drawing to a close.

Last night, the Robertson Family released the following statement:

We want to thank all of you for your prayers and support. The family has spent much time in prayer since learning of A&E’s decision. We want you to know that first and foremost we are a family rooted in our faith in God and our belief that the Bible is His word. While some of Phil’s unfiltered comments to the reporter were coarse, his beliefs are grounded in the teachings of the Bible. Phil is a Godly man who follows what the Bible says are the greatest commandments: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Phil would never incite or encourage hate.We are disappointed that Phil has been placed on hiatus for expressing his faith, which is his constitutionally protected right.We have had a successful working relationship with A&E but, as a family, we cannot imagine the show going forward without our patriarch at the helm. We are in discussions with A&E to see what that means for the future of Duck Dynasty. Again, thank you for your continued support of our family.

A & E now faces a choice: realize that they jumped the shark and plead with the Robertsons to stay, or lose their highest-rated program because they were too pompous to think beyond their own narrow Liberal Belief System and recognize their over-estimation of their own piousness and intelligence.

For example…

By now, everyone in America has heard of “Pajama Boy”, an apparent 20-something Liberal wuss, clad in his pajama “onesies”, cradling what can only be a cup of Hot Cocoa his Mommy made for him, in an ad, created by Organizing For America, designed to convince the young and dumb to purchase overpriced Health Insurance through the Obamacare Exchanges.

Well, we found out yesterday that this metrosexual is named Ethan Krupp, and, of course, he is a member of Obama’s Propaganda Arm, the before-mentioned Organizing For America.

The Ad, which the Liberal Brain Trust thought was so “cool” and “with it” has turned out to be a laughingstock…water cooler fodder…and the object of unprecedented Twitter ridicule, by the same target audience Obama and his supporters were trying to reach.

During his program yesterday, Rush Limbaugh made the following observation, regarding “Pajama Boy” and Liberal thought processes in general. What he said, applies to the Duck Dynasty Story as well:

This ad, the Julia cartoon ad, and the Pajama Boy ad, you have to understand, that is who the Regime is. This administration is filled with guys who used to be Pajama Boy. They think they are America. Snerdley, not one of them has worked in the private sector, not one of them. They’re all academicians, theorists, professors. They’re all people that congregated at the academy. They sit around and theorize, and they’re filled with resentment for everybody that actually does something.

They’re smarter than everybody else. If only they had a chance to run it, they would show everybody. They could do health care better than the people doing it. They can run the car companies better than the people doing it, run energy better than the people in the oil business. They could run drugs better. They could do everything better! They’re smarter than everybody, but nobody would ever hire ’em ’cause they’ve never done anything.

So they congregate in universities and the faculty lounge and they end up getting to know each other, and they have all these networks where they congregate and become like-minded people. I guarantee you they run that ad, and they think they are mass marketing. They are arrogant enough to believe that they are America. I mean, there should be no question about it. When somebody in the media goes to Texas or anywhere in flyover country, they look out of place. They don’t understand.

By now, you are probably wondering why I would call America’s Liberal Elite “Pharisees”. 

Any American who attended Sunday School or Vacation Bible School as a child, knows who the Pharisees were. During the days when Jesus Christ walked the Earth as one of us, the Pharisees, a party of self-proclaimed, pious “religious leaders”, showed themselves to be bitter and persistent enemies of Christ. They could not bear his doctrines, and they sought by every means to destroy his influence among the people.

Their belief in themselves as “the smartest people in the room” and the belief in their own infallible righteousness, blinded them to the Son of God’s message of Perfect Peace and Unconditional Love through personal repentance of sin  and individual salvation, received through the Grace of God.

Sound familiar?

Until He Comes,

KJ

The War Against Christianity: The National Christmas Tree Lighting 2013…Diffusing the Message of Jesus Christ

On By kingsjesterIn Christianity, Politics4 Comments

charliebrownchristmasLast night, was the annual lighting of the National Christmas Tree. Michelle Obama read “”Twas the Night Before Christmas…and the 44th President of the United States of America came up with his own definition of Christmas, in which he spoke of Our Savior Jesus Christ, as if he was just a nice boy from Nazareth who went into his Father’s Business.

Here is a White House transcript of the president’s remarks courtesy of Todd Starnes column at FoxNews.com:

“For 91 years, the National Christmas Tree has stood as a beacon of light and a promise during the holiday season.  During times of peace and prosperity, challenge and change, Americans have gathered around our national tree to kick off the holiday season and give thanks for everything that makes this time of year so magical — spending time with friends and family, and spreading tidings of peace and goodwill here at home and around the world.

And this year, we give a special measure of gratitude for Nelson Mandela, a man who championed that generosity of spirit.  (Applause.)  In his life, he blessed us with tremendous grace and unbelievable courage.  And we are all privileged to live in a world touched by his goodness.

Each Christmas, we celebrate the birth of a child who came into the world with only a stable’s roof to shelter Him.  But through a life of humility and the ultimate sacrifice, a life guided by faith and kindness towards others, Christ assumed a mighty voice, teaching us lessons of compassion and charity that have lasted more than two millennia.  He ministered to the poor. He embraced the outcast.  He healed the sick.  And in Him we see a living example of scripture that we ought to love others not only through our words, but also through our deeds.

It’s a message both timeless and universal — no matter what God you pray to, or if you pray to none at all — we all have a responsibility to ourselves and to each other to make a difference that is real and lasting.  We are our brother’s keeper.  We are our sister’s keeper.

And so in this season of generosity, let’s reach out to those who need help the most.  In this season of reflection, let’s make sure that our incredibly brave servicemembers and their families know how much we appreciate their sacrifice.  And there are several military families and servicemen and women here tonight.  We are so grateful to you for all that you do.  (Applause.)

In this season of hope, let us come together as one people, one family to ensure that we’re doing everything we can to keep America the land of endless opportunity and boundless optimism for which we’re so thankful.

So on behalf of Malia, Sasha, Marian, the First Lady Michelle, plus Bo and Sunny, I want to wish everybody a Merry Christmas and a joyful holiday season.  God bless you.  God bless our troops.  God bless the United States of America.”

Did you notice?

Nowhere did President Barack Hussein Obama mention that Jesus Christ was THE SON OF GOD. Not only that, but he  not-so-subtly compared Nelson Mandela, who was, at least in his youth, a Communist-inspired Revolutionary Leader, who used to have his enemies killed with a flaming tire around their necks…to Jesus Christ.

You know, Muslims believe that Jesus Christ was just another prophet. And, Black Liiberation Theologists, such as Obama’s “Former” Pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, himself a former America Muslim, teaches, that Jesus was a Revolutionary, like Che…or Mandela.

Yes. The message which Christ brought to us, is one of unconditional love. However, he allow preached repentance, in order that each individual person might be saved.

He did not preach Collective Salvation, nor did he preach State-Run Charity based on Marxist Principles.

So, who was Jesus of Nazareth?

In 1912, C.P.J. Mooney worked as  the editor for the Commercial Appeal in Memphis, TN.  He wrote an editorial that has become a yearly tradition, not only in Memphis, but around the world.   

Jesus, The Perfect Man

There is no other character in history like that of Jesus.

As a preacher, as a doer of things, and as a philosopher, no man ever had the sweep and the vision of Jesus.

A human analysis of the human actions of Jesus brings to view a rule of life that is amazing in its perfect detail.

The system of ethics Jesus taught during His earthly sojourn 2,000 years ago was true then, has been true in every century since and will be true forever.

Plato was a great thinker and learned in his age, but his teachings did not stand the test of time. In big things and in little things time and human experience have shown that he erred.

Marcus Aurelius touched the reflective mind of the world, but he was as cold and austere as brown marble. …

Thomas a Kempis’ ”Imitation of Christ” is a thing of rare beauty and sympathy, but it is, as its name indicates, only an imitation.

Sir Thomas More’s ”Utopia” is yet a dream that cannot be realized.

Lord Bacon writing on chemistry and medicine under the glasses of the man working in a 20th century laboratory is puerile.

The world’s most learned doctors until 150 years ago gave dragon’s blood and ground tails of lizards and shells of eggs for certain ailments. The great surgeons a hundred years ago bled a man if he were wounded.

Napoleon had the world at his feet for four years, and when he died the world was going on its way as if he had never lived.

JESUS TAUGHT little as to property because He knew there were things of more importance than property. He measured property and life, the body and soul, at their exact relative value. He taught much more as to character, because character is of more importance than dollars.

Other men taught us to develop systems of government. Jesus taught so as to perfect the minds of men. Jesus looked to the soul, while other men dwelled on material things.

After the experience of 2,000 years no man can find a flaw in the governmental system outlined by Jesus.

Czar and kaiser, president and Socialist, give to its complete merit their admiration.

No man today, no matter whether he follows the doctrine of Mill, Marx or George as to property, can find a false principle in Jesus’ theory of property.

In the duty of a man to his fellow no sociologist has ever approximated the perfection of the doctrine laid down by Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount.

Not all the investigations of chemists, not all the discoveries of explorers, not all the experiences of rulers, not all the historical facts that go to make up the sum of human knowledge on this day in 1912 are in contradiction to one word uttered or one principle laid down by Jesus.

The human experiences of 2,000 years show that Jesus never made a mistake. Jesus never uttered a doctrine that was true at that time and then became obsolete.

Jesus spoke the truth, and the truth is eternal.

History has no record of any other man leading a perfect life or doing everything in logical order. Jesus is the only person whose every action and whose every utterance strike a true note in the heart and mind of every man born of woman. He never said a foolish thing, never did a foolish act and never dissembled.

No poet, no dreamer, no philosopher loved humanity with all the love that Jesus bore toward all men.

WHO, THEN, was Jesus?

He could not have been merely a man, for there never was a man who had two consecutive thoughts absolute in truthful perfection.

Jesus must have been what Christendom proclaims Him to be — a divine being — or He could not have been what He was. No mind but an infinite mind could have left behind those things which Jesus gave the world as a heritage.

If you have doubts as to what Christians believe, please read the Gospel of John, found in the New Testament of the Holy Bible.

If you still have questions…read it again. 

And then…Have a Conversation with the One Who Created You.

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7

Until He Comes,

KJ

 

A Matter of Faith: The Story of the Angelic Priest

On By kingsjesterIn Christianity5 Comments

angel1Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. – Hebrews 13:2 (ESV)

Did you know that the word “angel” comes from the Greek word aggelos, which means “messenger”? The matching Hebrew word mal’ak has the same meaning.

Sometimes, the Bible uses these words for human beings:

ordinary people who carry messages (Job 1:14; Luke 7:24; 9:52)

prophets (Isaiah 42:19; Malachi 3:1)

priests (Malachi 2:7)

church leaders (Rev 1:20)

Sometimes, the Bible speaks figuratively of things or events as “messengers”…

the pillar of cloud (Exodus 14:19)

pestilence or plagues (2 Samuel 24:16-17)

Usually, though, the word describes the whole range of spirits whom God has created, including both good and evil angels, and special categories such as cherubim, seraphim, and the archangel.

Angels are mentioned at least 108 times in the Old Testament and 165 times in the New Testament.

When human beings see angels, they generally appear in the form of men. In Genesis 18, Abraham welcomed three angelic guests who appeared at first to be nothing more than some travellers. In the following chapter, two angels went to Sodom where they were assumed to be simply a pair of human visitors.

With the possible exception of one passage in Zechariah 5:9, angels always appear as males rather than females (Mark 16:5).

Of course, those of us raised in Christian Homes, have been told of God’s angels all of our lives. Our parents and grandparents have told us that we have a Guardian Angel, assigned by the Lord, to watch over us.

The unchurched among us, learned of Angels through the television series “Touched By an Angel” featuring Della Reese and Roma Downey, who recently produced a series on the Bible for The History Channel.

That televison series about angels started a countrywide fascination with them, leading to all sorts of angel-themed merchandise sales, and what seemed like a nationwide fit of idolatry of them, in which Americans seemed to lose sight of the fact that angels are our servants, assigned to watch over us by their…and our…Master.

A story out of Center, Missouri exploded over all of the Internet yesterday, which has set tongues wagging, as Americans discuss their faith…or lack thereof.

TheBlaze.com has the story…

KHQA-TV is reporting a story that seems virtually unbelievable. After Aaron Smith, 26, struck Katie Lentz, 19, in a head-on car crash on Sunday morning, authorities claim they began a long rescue process. After 60 minutes of trying to get Lentz out of the vehicle (she was pinned between the steering wheel and the seat), rescue crews, at Lentz’s request, prayed out loud for the trapped woman.

And that’s when a mystery priest allegedly appeared. According to accounts, he came out of nowhere and brought intense calm upon the situation.

“He came up and approached the patient, and offered a prayer,” New London Fire Chief Raymond Reed told KHQA-TV. “It was a Catholic priest who had anointing oil with him. A sense of calmness came over her, and it did us as well.”

Considering how many people were at the scene and interacting with the mystery faith leader, the story is a fascinating one.

“I can’t be for certain how it was said, but myself and another firefighter, we very plainly heard that we should remain calm, that our tools would now work and that we would get her out of that vehicle,” the firefighter added.

Now here’s where things get weird. After another fire department showed up, the rescue proceeded easily and the tools worked, as promised. But when nearly a dozen firefighters turned around to thank the priest, he was gone; the road was empty. Considering that the road was blocked off for a quarter of a mile during the rescue and that no cars were around, the scenario, on the surface, seems a bit bizarre.

Lentz’s friends and family want to thank the priest, but, so far, he’s nowhere to be found.

“Where did this guy come from?” Travis Wiseman said, speaking rhetorically about the faith leader . “We’re looking for the priest and so far, no one has seen him. Whether it was a priest as an angel or an actual angel, he was an angel to all those and to Katie.”

Smith has been charged with a DWI, second degree assault and failure to drive on the right side of the road. And the search for the priest forges on.

As I was hanging out at my favorite Conservative website, hotair.com, the inestimable…and atheistiic…AllahPundit, posted the story of the Angelic Priest. It was fascinating to read all the comments of the posters there.

Even though 78% of us Americans proclaim Jesus Christ as our Personal Savior, and 92% of us believe in God, there are still those among us, both believers and non-believers, who have trouble accepting a supernatural event may have occurred Sunday Morning.

I can understand why. The idea of an omnipotent God, filled with love and concern for each one of us, is difficult for our tiny human minds to comprehend at times.

People have a hard time grasping the fact that, as ol’ Billy Shakespeare wrote,

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy. – Hamlet (1.5.166-7)

Man has struggled with the reality of God, ever since Adam said to Eve,

I’ll Bite.

And, nowadays, our Christianity is being challenged like never before in this nation, given to us by God, by a dark, libertine culture, where man is his own god, morality is relative and ethics are situational.

Seeking answers, non-believers and those who have wandered away from their American Christian Heritage, turn to whatever they feel will work for them; including, but not limited to, their Horoscope, Buddhism, EST, Self-realization, or substance abuse.

Eventually though, they find that those finite things, cannot fill the gaping hole in their heart. Only the infinite love of the One who became the expiation for their sins can make them complete, and wash them white as snow.

The story of the Angelic Priest causes us all to reflect on our own faith or, as I said before, our lack thereof.

What do you believe? Do you have the faith of a mustard seed?

I firmly believe “Greater is He who is in me, than he who is in the world.”

I don’t know how people, nowadays especially, live without Him.

I also believe, that, Angel or Priest, that ministering messenger was sent by God.

What do you believe?

Until He Comes,

KJ

The War Against Christianity: “Zealot”

On By kingsjesterIn Christianity, Politics2 Comments

American FreedomAmerica is still a Christian Nation. We comprise 78% of our country’s population. One might not believe that, given the disparagement of Christians by “the smartest people in the room”, i.e., Liberals, including the President of the United States, Barack Hussein Obama (mm mmm mmmm).

Recently, a new book titled “Zealot” hit the book stands, and its author, Dr. Reza Aslan, started making the rounds, promoting his book. The Liberal Media has been praising his  “ground-breaking work of Literature” and coming to his defense, when his scholarship and motives are questioned.  For example, here is an excerpt from the Washington Post…

Reza Aslan, “an internationally acclaimed writer and scholar of religions,” according to his online biography, has gotten a boost in sales and popularity from his “embarrassing” interview with a Fox News anchor about his new book, Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth. But those familiar with the Harvard graduate and former Christian’s work say Zealot is re-hashed scholarship that ignores much of what the New Testament actually says about Jesus.

Aslan has written an account of how he “found” Jesus as a teen at an evangelical youth camp but years later returned to Islam after his studies led him to doubt the veracity of the Christian Scriptures, which he says are “replete with the most blatant and obvious errors and contradictions.”

“The more I probed the Bible to arm myself against the doubts of unbelievers, the more distance I discovered between the Jesus of the Gospels and the Jesus of history – between Jesus the Christ and Jesus of Nazareth,” Aslan wrote. “In college, where I began my formal study of the history of religions, that initial discomfort soon ballooned into full-blown doubts. …

“And so, like many people in my situation, I angrily discarded my faith as if it were a costly forgery I had been duped into buying.”

…Charged in his Fox New interview that his personal faith journey somehow overshadowed his academic objectivity, Aslan insisted: “Well, to be clear, I am a scholar of religions with four degrees, including one in the New Testament, and fluency in biblical Greek, who has been studying the origins of Christianity for two decades, who also just happens to be a Muslim.”

“It’s not as if I’m just some Muslim writing about Jesus. I am an expert with a Ph.D. in the history of religions,” he added.

While his claims to being a “scholar of religions” and an “expert with a Ph.D. in the history of religions” have been challenged, those familiar with the contents and claims of Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth say Aslan has presented nothing new, although his meticulous research is evident.

Among some of the claims in Zealot, a biography in the top five of The New York Times Best Seller list and the leading book in a few Amazon categories, is that: Jesus was a revolutionary and a zealot who advocated the use of violence; as a devout Jew Jesus would have rejected the idea of an incarnate God; Jesus was crucified for sedition against the Roman Empire and not for the world’s sins.

The Fox interview that The Christian Post refers to, was conducted by Fox News’ Faith Editor, Lauren Greene, herself a Christian. Ms. Greene asked the Muslim “religious scholar” the questions that needed to be asked. Now, all of the Liberal Media is aghast that she actually dared to call Aslan out on his inaccurate book, which was, of course, slanted due to his own Mohammedanism.  Here are some excerpts…

Green: My question, yeah, I wanted to ask — actually there’s another chat coming, and I wanted to get this on before we end this interview. [A critic] just says so your book is written with clear bias and you’re trying to say it’s academic. That’s like having a Democrat writing a book about why Reagan wasn’t a good Republican. It just doesn’t work. What do you say to that?

Aslan: It would be like a Democrat with a PhD in Reagan who has been studying his life and history for two decades writing a book about Reagan. Again, I think that it’s unfair.

Green: Why would a Democrat want to promote democracy by writing about a Republican?

Aslan: Ma’am, may I just finish my sentence for a moment, please? I think that the fundamental problem here is that you’re assuming that I have some sort of faith-based bias in this work that I write. I write about Judaism, I write about Hinduism, I write about Christianity, I write about Islam. My job as a scholar of religions with a PhD in the subject is to write about religions and one of the religions and one of the religions I’ve written about is the one that was launched by Jesus.

Green: You’re not just writing about a religion from a point of view of an observer. I mean, the thing about it is that…

Aslan: Why would you say that?

Green: …you’re promoting yourself as a scholar and I’ve interviewed scholars who have written books on the resurrection, on the real Jesus and who are looking at the same information that you’re saying. To say that your information is somehow different from theirs is really not being honest here.

Ms. Greene was right to be suspicious. As Glenn Beck reported on his show last week…

He has, in 1995, he got a BA in religion, in religious studies, a BA. That’s not a PhD – Santa Clara University. In 1999, Masters in world religions from Harvard. Okay, good, not a PhD. In 2002, a Masters in fine arts in fiction, interesting – in the University of Iowa.

In 2009, a PhD in sociology. That is bizarre. So he’s studying us. He’s learning how to write fiction, and he learns how to speak the religious language. Wow, it’s a fascinating work here. But you know what I notice, there’s no history degree. There’s no history degree. He’s not a PhD in religions, and he’s not a historian. It’s possible that his Harvard theology degree included some history credits, but that’s not the same, not even on the same planet as an expert with a PhD in the history of religions.

…He’s not a PhD in the history of religions. He is not a historian. I tell you what, next time I’m on any channel, I’m going to insist that they put historian underneath my name. I spend a lot of time looking at history, a lot of time. Do you think they’d let me get away with historian? How about if I said I was a PhD in American history, and I don’t have that? Would anybody allow me to get away with it?

A cursory glance at his book reveals serious flaws in both fact and logic. But before I leave there, could you please put up where he’s teaching now, because he said I want you to know what I’m teaching here. This is what I do. I’m a professor of history specializing in the Gospels. No, actually he’s at UC Riverside, and he’s in the department of creative writing. Really? He also is…he’s at the University of Southern California in public diplomacy, which is an interesting place for him to be.

He’s also a contributor for The Daily Beast, but my favorite, my favorite is the last one. Can we put this up? He’s a sometimes professor, sometimes professor, and Tiffany, if you can please find that for me. He’s a sometimes professor, and what he’s doing is he’s teaching people something fantastic. He’s teaching people Middle Eastern revolution. That’s what he’s a professor of, revolution through – go ahead, here it is – revolution “on the art of protest in the Middle East, examining protest literature, film, art, and music. There it is, Drew University.

In other words, Professor Aslan is a Muslim Sociology Professor who decided to make money by writing an inaccurate book about Jesus Christ, while lying about his credentials, and not publicly acknowledging, (except when pressed about it and on page 2 of his book) that he is a Muslim, and therefore, does not believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. 

Every Liberal review that I have read, concerning the Fox Interview, has savaged Ms. Green, calling the interview and the way she handled it, “an embarrassment”.

Since when has it been an “embarrassment” for an American Christian to stand up for Jesus Christ?

Ms. Greene deserves accolades, not admonishment.

She exposed a phony “religious scholar” and burst the collective bubble of “the smartest people in the room”.

They are the ones who should be embarrassed for supporting a phony. But, they’re not.

They still support Obama, don’t they?

Until He Comes,

KJ

Suffer Not the Little Children….

On By kingsjesterIn Christianity, Politics13 Comments

trayvonI’m a tender-hearted guy. That revelation comes as no surprise to you faithful readers, or those of you who have read any of the over 1,200 Blogs that I have written.

I come by it naturally, I suppose. Growing up, I can remember that my sister’s (who is 9 years older than me) friends, or one of my older cousins, always seemed to be camped out on our living room couch. My Mother and Daddy always seemed to be running a counseling service for those teenagers who were having trouble with their parents, or coping with life in general.

My Daddy was everybody’s Father Confessor. As I’ve written before, he was the finest man I have ever known. A WWII veteran, who survived landing at Normandy and cleaning out the Concentration Camps, equally as strong in his love for Jesus Christ, as he was in combat. The love he showed to everyone, from newborns to octogenarians, was embedded in me, as a living example of my Savior’s love.

And. now that I’m 54, I find myself mimicking my earthly Father, while being led by my Heavenly One. Looking back, I was the guy in high school and college, that the girls would come to to talk about how badly their boyfriends were treating them. And then, as a young adult, working out 6 times a week, I would be the first one friends would ask to help move them. Of course, that also was due to the fact that I drove a Dodge Dakota long-bed pickup truck. During that time, as a member of a young adult singing group, I often found myself singing at nursing homes, to an audience of appreciative octogenarians.

I was also the guy, whom young couples would get to baby-sit their kids, so they could have a night out. Go figure.

Anyway, in 2010, I started writing as a way to vent my frustrations with the injustice I saw happening around me. A fellow patriot, who I became friends with at the Conservative website, hotair.com, then operated by the great Conservative, Michelle Malkin, boasting the pen name of  “Manly Rash” (I kid you not), offered me the opportunity to post on his Blog, which I did, for a while, until I started my own in April of 2010.

God has given me the opportunity to speak out for what is right and just, and I don’t intend to stop doing that any time soon.

All that being said, yesterday I saw a photograph of the Pro-Abortion Paid Protesters, still disrupting the Legislative Session in Austin, Texas. These worshipers of Molech are protesting for the right to murder any potential Child of God, growing in their womb, up to the third trimester.

The word “ghoulish” somehow does not even seem to begin to cover it.

Anyway, to describe this photograph would not do it justice. I am going to reprint it and show it to you here. Please forgive me, gentle readers, because if you are like me, this image will haunt you for a while.

JesusTexassign71313

What sort of sick and twisted “Mother” would raise their precious young girl to do something like this?

For that matter, look at the case of Trayvon Martin’s Mother. The second thing she did, after getting Barack Obama and the Justice Brothers involved in her 17 year old thug son’s death, is to copyright his name, and begin to make money off of  his image as an innocent 12 year old, which, of course, he was not.

I have never been able to stomach mistreatment of children. I know it is because of my upbringing, in a stable Christian home. Nowadays, that familial situation, which my generation was so familiar with, is becoming more and more scare. In fact, it’s on the Obama’ Administration’s Hit List. You see, Liberals, Progressives, socialists, Alinskyites, worshipers of Molech, or whatever you want to call these yahoos, , want the “gub’mit”, good ol’ Uncle Sugar, to raise , educate, and pay for (with OUR tax money) their “chirren”.

Oh…they also want US to pay for the killing of their “inconvenient” babies, as well.

These “parents”, if they are not “Pookies”, sitting around on the couch, drinking Purple drank and smoking Blunts all day, while waiting on their “benefits”, are middle-class, self-absorbed , materialistic heathens, who are 30 year old adolescents, caring more about their own careers and social lives, than they are about leading a child “in the way in which they should go”.

The children, in both instances, are left to fend for themselves, and grow up thinking that the behavior they see on television and at home, is the behavior of every adult in America.

And, that is how that young woman, a child basically, wound up holding that vulgar sign, in the Capitol Building in Austin, Texas.

In the church I grew up in, in one of the Sunday School classrooms, was a painting of Jesus, seated, with a child on his lap, surrounded by little children, smiling and talking to them.

As a child growing up, I thought to myself, how great that must have to been to have Him for a friend.

Then, as I became older, I realized that I already did.

It breaks my heart that this young girl, standing holding a vulgar sign in Austin, Texas, and Trayvon Martin, now being made a meal of by Race-Baiting Vultures, were not introduced to such a Friend.

He would have made all the difference in their young lives.

Until He Comes,

KJ