Monday, January 12, 2009

Be Nice-- and forgive one another.

Tom's Journal.
http://tomschuckmanjournal.blogspot.com/
tschuckman@aol.com

As happened before, I stroked the wrong key and erased my original post-- so now to start over...
I was talking about 'perspectives', cowards and snipers and how they relate to some comments or nasty emails. It's so fine and great to have our own opinions in a FREE society, especially after you have been around the world, physically, as I have been. But to just sit silent without a peep not showing your color and then attack a blogger/ journalist, NOT for the substance of his posts-- but for his colorful personality-- is cowardly, IMHO. I have the ability to write, fuzzy, wuzzy, warm, candy coated stuff that all but guarantee a large band of 'followers'/ readers, who want their ears tickled. But I have chosen something different that is much bigger than me! There IS NO GREATER AUTHORITY IN THE UNIVERSE THAN GOD'S WORD--THE BIBLE. Even if I was an "expert" in some field, like science, look what happened lately in that we really don't know about our own solar system..and the planets that orbit.. Ha! I worship the Creator-- not the creation. And the more educated and more we learn should serve to humble us-- not make us so darned full of ourselves!

'Sales' is just a fast tracked, advanced means of communication, and can be used to bad or good. A farmer might look for a middle man to help sell his wheat, corn and cattle, and that is called marketing. But most countries lie to their people and hide the truth from them. That is a "sales job" too. Now days we have 'TMI'-- too much information, but not the true information to make an educated move/ or judgement call. The so-called 'news media' cannot be trusted and is more of an 'entertainment vehicle' that anything else. I remember in Vietnam how the home town papers said somethings that were actually incorrect about us! The Army didn't lose that war-- we were winning when the Gov't pulled us out!! We were back stabbed by the "news media."

I certainly enjoy all the love and respect of most of my friends and readers, but please don't put me on a pedestal as some lofty wise sage or god. I am just a man made of flesh, bones and spirit. Sometimes I use the wrong or too strong a word-- because I err and get too excited about some subject or issue. I have been know to mess up and then apologize. I get angry and wrathful too at mealy mouthed cowards who refuse to comment without giving their email addresses and at least their first names. They strike and run like a troupe of monkeys.

Pray for the many homeless combat Veterans who have fallen thru the cracks of the VA system and society who are living on the streets of Milwaukee and the frozen North as the bitter cold comes this week. Let them find warmth in the Lord and come back to the living. Many each year are frozen to death.

Tom

Some Western churches are going against Israel.

Tom's Journal.
http://tomschuckmanjournal.blogspot.com/
tschuckman@aol.com

If I belonged to an Org. or church that did something that was UN-scriptural-- I would leave that entity ASAP! I promise. What ever Israel does, good or bad will be, and should be judged by God alone. There is a curse against people and nations who mess with "God's chosen people- Israel." God will chastise them and make them kneel to His Son, when the time is right. It is not our part to go against the 'apple of God's eye !' But here some so-called 'Christian' churches in the West ARE indeed going against Israel. They are either crazy or stupid, IMHO.

Tom


News and Commentary From a Biblical Perspective

Monday, January 12, 2009

A Spreading Sickness

By Jan Markell

I have learned through many years in ministry that Americans tend to yawn about troubling events that are thousands of miles away. The busyness of life causes many to have a limited focus on the world and its troubles. And so it is with the conflict in Gaza. Yes, this war is part of the everlasting hatred that began thousands of years ago. These wars will go on until the Lord returns. But let me bring the issue closer to home.

The New York Sun reports that contrary to the long held belief that Hamas "only" seeks the destruction of Israel, America is anything but safe from the terror group's wrath. Hamas leader Ismail Elbarasse was arrested a year ago after authorities witnessed his wife videotaping Maryland's Chesapeake Bay Bridge from the SUV. The images captured by Elbarasse's wife included close-ups of cables and other features "integral to the structural integrity of the bridge."

The response in America to this is almost casual indifference! Hamas has talked of expanding its operations to include American targets, and they continue their close association with Iran and Syria.

FBI agents in America have expressed serious concern stating Hamas has the capacity to carry out attacks on American soil. Hamas sees America as an accomplice to the Israeli enemy.

Many also forget the attack on the Marine barracks in Lebanon in 1983 perpetrated by Hezbollah and Hamas.

Nonetheless, many in the Western world side with the brutal terrorist regime of Hamas and call Israel the "new Nazis." By now most on the Internet have seen the clips of demonstrators telling the Jews to go back to the ovens. While Muslims are clearly participating, they are joined by many non-Muslims including liberal clergy. You can view one of these demonstrations in a short 90-second clip here.

It seems ironic that much of the "oven" outcry is coming from Muslims in the Western world. But they are the ones who deny a Holocaust ever happened! Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas earned his PhD with his paper that the Holocaust was a myth.

Still the world and the media have sympathy for the devil and once again we have evil being called good; that is, the Hamas terrorists are "good" because they have small weapons and Israel is bad because they have nukes. When Russia invaded Georgia, did you see world demonstrations? After the Mumbai attacks in India, did you see any outcry? No, they are reserved for all things Jewish. Few bat an eye over signs saying "Hitler did a good job."

Sadly, a wing of the church is weighing in with nasty protests as well. Joining the condemnation of Israel is the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Their early January fact-finding trip compared Israel to the Nazis. President of the Lutheran World Federation, Mark Hanson, also pushed for a propaganda campaign against Christians who stand by Israel. In partnership with other liberal churches, Hanson is leading the effort to demonize Christian friends of Israel.

Hanson calls Christian Zionism "a dangerous and radical political movement." Apparently Israel is not entitled to have a small group of friends who pray for her and stand with her. It should be noted that Hanson conveniently looks the other way when it comes to the persecution of Palestinian Christians by their corrupt leaders.

As Mark Steyn says, this is a spreading sickness. It is also a fulfillment of Bible prophecy as the Bible stresses the last days' persecution of both Christians and Jews. And it is the precursor to Zechariah's prophecy that some day, probably sooner rather than later, all nations will abandon Israel.

That is what makes the ELCA's little temper tantrum a travesty as they even object to a sliver of Christianity who, through thick or thin, stand by God's land and people.