I have often wondered how our founding fathers would react if they came back to life and saw how America had evolved.  The vast majority of them were men of Christian faith, and a lot of their political beliefs fell in line with the Word of God.  What would be their reaction to the way the Word of God has been expunged from our public schools and the public square?

Benjamin Rush was one of our devout Christian founders.  He is not only a founding father, but he is also known as the “Father of Public Schools Under the Constitution” because he was the first to advance the idea of free public schools, and was also a pioneer in the opportunity for women’s education.

He helped Abigal Adam’s (John Adam’s wife) dream become a reality by establishing the Young Ladies Academy of Philadelphia, one of America’s first educational institutions for women.  He wrote textbooks, formed curriculum plans, crafted educational policies, and helped establish five universities and colleges.

As the founder of public education in America, listen to his definition of what education should contain:
“The only foundation for a useful education in a republic is to be laid in religion. Without this there can be no virtue, and without virtue there can be no liberty- – -”

Can you imagine what the reaction would be today if one of our politicians got up and made such a statement?  It takes courage to stand up for the true virtues of life.  You have to care more about the truth than you do your political appointment or whatever job you have.

On March 28, 1787 when Dr. Benjamin Rush proposed his plan for public education in America he wrote:
“Let the children who are sent to those schools be taught to read and write – – – (and ) above all, let both sexes be carefully instructed in the principles and obligations of the Christian religion. This is the most essential part of education – -”

It was true then and it is still true today.
In another educational proposal he wrote:  “It will be necessary to connect all these (academic) branches of education with regular instruction in the Christian religion.”

Benjamin Rush was a founder of the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery and served as its president.
His activities in the Christian faith included being the founder and vice-president of the Philadelphia Bible Society,
which was America’s first Bible Society.

He also helped found “The First Day Society” which was the beginning of Sunday Schools across America.  A movement which has all be disappeared in our country, especially with adults.  Somehow learning the ethics and values of the True Faith is no longer in vogue.  Francis Scott Key, the author of The Star Spangled Banner later became the Vice-President for the American Sunday School Union.

In 1791 Dr. Rush wrote a lengthy pamplet entitled ‘A Defense of the Use of the Bible as a Schoolbook’.  Here is how that writing began:
“It is now several months since I promised to give you my reasons for preferring the Bible as a schoolbook to all other compositions.  Before I state my arguments, I shall assume the five following propositions:
I . That Christianity is the only true and perfect religion; and that in proportion as mankind adopts its principles and obeys its precepts they will be wise and happy.
2. That a better knowledge of this religion is to be acquired by reading the Bible than in any other way.
3. That the Bible contains more knowledge necessary to man in his present state than any other book in the world.
4. That knowledge is most durable, and religious instruction most useful, when imparted in early life.
5. That the Bible, when not read in schools, is seldom read in any subsequent period of life.”

Benjamin Rush was just one of the majority of the Founding Fathers who placed their faith in “Our Father who art in Heaven”.  And on that foundation they forged the freedom we enjoy.  His dreams for public education came true in part by the McGuffey Readers.  These were a series of graded primers integrated with Scripture.  They were widely used as the best textbooks in America from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century, and are still used today in some private schools and in homeschooling.  It is estimated that at least 120 million copies of McGuffey’s Readers were sold between 1836 and 1960, placing its sales in a category with the Holy Bible and Webster’s Dictionary. Since 1961 they have continued to sell at a rate of some 30,000 copies a year. No other textbook bearing a single person’s name has come close to that mark.

This is a nation that was built on the Faith of our Fathers.
So may it continue to be.

Veritas vos Liberabit! Pastor Mike

There is a lot of debate today on whether or not America should be fighting wars in the mid-east.  But 69 years ago today, (June 6, 1944) the invasion of Normandy on the French coast was the beginning of a war for America that was truly worth all the blood and sacrifice. Most people who know the history of the Nazi aggression would agree with this.  The world would be a much different place today had America not intervened to turn the tide against Hitler’s aggression. 

Today our hindsight is clearer, but it still behooves us to think about this great struggle and what we as Christians can learn from it, so that the achievement of American victory in WWII will not be lost on our generation or the generations that follow us.  Just as the Revolutionary war was influenced by God’s intercession, allowing a small group of colonies to defeat the most powerful Armada the world had ever known.  England was the world power and no one could defeat them, save by the power of God.

So now, by the early 1940’s.  Germany and Japan were the two great powerhouses of the world.  If the world was going to survive, it would need another miracle at the hand of a nation founded on miracles, America. 

And so it began a few moments after 1 a.m. on June 6, the boots of American and British paratroopers thudded upon the soil of France.  So begins U.S. News’s detailed description of one of the largest invasions by land, sea and air in the history of the world. In this day and age, detailed information flies around the world within minutes of news breaking. But 69 years ago, things were a little different. It took several weeks for U.S. News & World Report (known at the time as The United States News) to get a detailed description of what happened on five beaches in Northwest France on Tuesday, June 6, 1944.

In an article that ran 24 days after the invasion, U.S. News paints a picture reminiscent of the opening scenes of Steven Spielberg’s 1998 film “Saving Private Ryan,” with troops descending “in misty darkness on the narrowest part of Normandy, where the shore swings north” and a “death trap” of machine guns and cannons encountered by the American invaders.

“On this beach, losses were high. Even men who got through that fire were able to advance only 100 yards inland in several hours of fighting.”

U.S. News’s account ends on an optimistic note, stating that Germany’s defeat would possibly come within months. Sure enough, less than a year later (May of 1945), the Germans unconditionally surrendered, ending the war in Europe. War did rage on in the Pacific, however, for several more months. This article originally ran in the June 30, 1944, issue of The United States News.

Looking back with what we know now, if Germany had not had to split its forces to fight not only on the Russian front, but now in France, Africa, & Italy, it would have certainly defeated Russia and taken control of all of Europe, Asia Minor, and down through the gulf states, capturing the rich oil fields.  Obviously the world would look much different today and America would not be the most powerful nation in the world.  A force that has been used over and over again to provide freedom and aid to the world on unprecedented levels is a miracle in itself.  No one nation has ever in the history of the world done so much to help other people around the globe.

When something bad happens, America a nation under God, always shows up to help whenever allowed. 

    Those who fought WW2 are called the greatest generation because they fought for a country that was still under God.  It was the prayers of millions of American’s to God Almighty that changed the course of history, defeating evil and establishing peace.  Of course wherever the godless communists went, there was no peace.  There never has been and never will be peace under godless leadership.

         2 Chronicles 7:14

“(If) My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and  

  seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from

  heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

This is the formula to receive the blessings of God.  This is what the greatest generation had.  This is what our country needs today. 

Semper Fi a Dio –  Pastor Mike

May 30, 2013

Neuro-biologists tell us our anger response is hardwiredinto our bodies. Actual physiological changes occur within our bodies when we are angry.

Anger is a common and basic human emotion,

Anger in and of itself is not bad; God created us to get angry sometimes.

It is what we do with our anger that is most important. How do we win the war in our obsession/battle with anger? 

That is where our Anger Management class is going will focus, gaining the victory over anger.  It starts this Sunday evening at 6pm at Pathway Fellowship.    Here are a few quick tips about defusing our anger.

We must first admit we are angry.

Christian psychologist Norm Wright says, “One reason anger is so difficult for most of us to deal with is that we are not comfortable admitting that we are angry. This is especially true for many Christians who believe that anger is a sign of spiritual immaturity or weakness.” If we don’t admit our anger, we internalize it in destructive ways. Internalized anger can become depression or physical sickness.

Second we Seek forgiveness for our own role in the situation.

In Psalm 79, the psalmist alternates between blaming the Babylonians for his problems and admitting his own wrongdoing. As he takes inventory of his actions, he realizes his sins have played a role in what he’s experiencing.   We want to blame others when we’re angry.

Pr. 11:17, “Your kindness will reward you, but your cruelty will destroy you” (Some Bible passages need explanation; others, speak for themselves.) Prov. 15:1, , “A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare” (NLT).

We’ve all tried it both ways, haven’t we?  We’ve learned the hard way about harsh words stirring up anger. 

Third, understand why we are angry.

Now that might sound a little trite, but you would be amazed to discover how many of us who get angry, don’t even know the real reason we are upset.  We have the supposed answer – it is always what someone else has done or said.  But to find the answer to this question, we must look inside of ourselves.  No one can make us angry, we choose to be angry.  Why?

And fourthly, stop and think before reacting:

Here are seven things to think about before you open your mouth: 

1. You may not know all the facts.

2. You may speak too quickly. 

3. You may say too much.

4. You may use the truth as a club to hurt others.

5. You may say something you regret later.

6. You may hurt innocent bystanders.

7. You may reveal your own weakness.

Then we need to Learn to Relax(temper and tension always go together)

Deadlines seem to bring out the worst in us.  Don’t take yourself too seriously. Learn to laugh at yourself.  That can help more than you would ever imagine.

Then leave room for God to work. 

Ask for God’s help in whatever circumstance or situation you find troublesome.  Don’t focus so much on God fixing the situation.  Spend more time on praying that God would help mold and shape you for whatever circumstance or person you are struggling with. 

The final key is learning how to express anger without it being destructive.

A good way to express your anger is to do it in a way that is constructive.

We will cover these things and much more in our class beginning this Sunday night at 6 pm. 

Sola Fide, Pastor Mike

There are certain days in each of our lives that we don’t want to forget.

Wedding anniversaries, birthdays, Valentine’s Day, and others are important to keep on your calendar.  We remember these days out of love and concern for others.  We use these days to celebrate life.

 God likes us to remember certain days as well.  One important day was the Passover.  Israel’s history is wrought with commands to remember.

God told the Israelite s that they would remember the night of Passover. 

Exodus 12:14 “This is a day to remember. Each year, from generation to generation, you must celebrate it as a special festival to the LORD. This is a law for all time.”   From that day onward, celebrating the Passover was nonnegotiable, and with good reason. God had spared his people by the blood of a lamb. From that day onward, the command was passed down from generation to generation. 

 Centuries later, the disciples sat around the table celebrating the Passover meal with Jesus, an observance that began some 1500 years before they were born.  Soon they were to discover that Jesus Himself was the Passover Lamb who by His death and Resurrection would defeat the evil one.  From that time on they remembered each Passover with a deeper and more profound meaning.  They remembered that their salvation came at an unimaginable price.   

 There are times in our lives when we need to stop and remember what has happened before us, maybe even years before we were ever born.  There are significant times that were turning points in history that came at a great price.  Certainly the death of the Son of God is the greatest sacrifice that has ever been made.  He did it so that we might have life that would be free from sin and death.  He died so that we might enjoy the good things that He has provided for us.

 In the history of our nation there are times worth remembering.  There are times when we need to stop everything else and remember the sacrifice that was made in order for us to enjoy the life of freedom.  On the 4^th of July, we stop and celebrate the sacrifices of our founders whom God inspired to form a nation that would be under God, where there would be freedom and justice for all.  On Memorial Day, we stop and remember the ones who fought our wars and sacrificed everything in order that we might enjoy the good life. 

 I fear we take our freedom too lightly.  We must not forget the cost.  We must always remember those who fought their way into the jaws of death in order to provide this precious thing called freedom.  What Jesus did for our salvation, they did for our country.  They gave their all.

Veritas pro Christo et Ecclesia, Pastor Mike 

 Eye halve always had a difficult thyme with spelling.  Sew, while going to school,                                                                            eye always needed to halve a dictionary.  Two day, it is not necessary.  Eye halve a spelling chequer.  It came with my pea sea.

It plainly marques four my revue miss steaks eye kin knot sea.

Eye strike a key and type a word and weight four it two say weather eye am wrong oar write.  It shows me strait a weigh.  As soon as a mist ache is maid, it nose bee fore two long and eye can put the error rite. Its rarely ever wrong.  Eye ran this poem threw it, I’m shore your pleased two no that its letter perfect in its weigh. My chequer tolled me sew.

 Whew!  I don’t know if that was harder to reed oar two right.  OK, I’ll stop.

It seems that the more we advance technologically, the less we have to depend upon our own knowledge of truth and abilities.  Pretty soon cars will be driving themselves and even parallel parking.  You don’t need to know your simple math tables because every cell phone has a calculator in it.  And on top of all of the “truth” becomes more and more obscure.  Everyone can have their own truth, and they are all equally valid.  

 I don’t know what kind of philosopher came up with this idea of all truths being equal but I’m sure they most all have the “coexist” pumper sticker on their care with all the religious symbols morphed into the letters of “coexist”.  I’m also certain that they all come from the little town, a town so small that they didn’t even have a village idiot, so they all have had to take turns.    

In summing up Christianity many students say,

“We like his stories, but that’s just his truth. I have a different truth.”

America has adopted the view that “all truth is relative to the individual

and his/her circumstances.”  Recent studies reveal that the majority of our young people would agree.

“What is Truth?”  Pilate asks that question as he was standing right in front of the ultimate truth.  Why couldn’t he see it?  He didn’t want to see it.

It would shake up his world view too much and require him to change his life, which no all-powerful king likes to do. And so for the all-powerful American, awash in the freedom paid for at such a heavy price. 

Rather than holding to the traditional definition of truth as correspondence to reality, young people seem to have adopted a pragmatic approach to truth. In other words, many young people see truth as what works in their lives, rather than a belief that accurately reflects the world. If it feels good, do it. Today Americans often pick and choose what works for them. 

This is a “designer god” mentality.  You can make up your own god. 

You can define god as to who he is and what is moral or not.  For all practical purposes you get to be god. 

This kind of teaching, so often drilled into our kids from secular “agenda driven” schools, leaves faith inundated in moral relativism.  Religion is not considered an objective truth to which we submit, but only a matter of personal taste which we choose.  It falls into the category of personal preference, leaving nothing right or nothing wrong.  After all, “Who am I to judge?” 

Well, at some point you do have to judge, you must draw the line.

But where then is the objective basis for such a line?  Without objective moral truth as revealed in scripture, we are headed for anarchy.  Christians it is time to do your homework about why you believe what you believe about objective truth & then ask God for the courage to speak up. 

Like it or not, you are the last line of defense for American as we knew it.

Veritas pro Christo et Ecclesia,  Pastor Mike

Continuing from my last post, let me share a few remarks about evil in this world that can help to make a little more sense of what seems to make no sense.

 One of the chief reasons that God allows evil has to do with freedom.

If we were not able to choose freely, we would be lacking in the character of God.  He created us in His image for a purpose, that we might be His children.  A chief component of Holiness, is the ability to choose. 

What we were unable to do, Christ accomplished.  He lived in this fallen world without sin, in order to take our punishment upon Himself.

In doing so, He set us free from sin.  We are no longer bound to sin,

but with the power and grace of God we can choose good over evil.

Truly if God did away with evil, He would do away with our freedom to choose Him. 

But there are many who do not want choose according to the Holiness of God.  They want to choose what they feel and think to be right, even though God would call it wrong or evil.  In a sense they become their own gods, or designer gods, in which they think they know more about the truth than God and so they make their own rules.  The 20^th century is filled with people who denied God, made their own rules and in the process millions upon millions were slaughtered.  Freedom is a dangerous thing indeed.

C. S. Lewis succinctly noted another purpose in The Problem of Pain: “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but [God] shouts in our pain: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world”

 Those who choose God, those who select His good over the world’s evil, they will spend eternity with their Father, because that was their desire, their aim in life.  Those who chose not to be a part of God’s family and His Holiness, will get their wish as well.  On Judgment day God will grant their request, and put them out of His presence for all eternity. 

  Another issue, is why do God’s good people suffer?  It seems that God would protect them.  Paul gives us some clues in Philippians and in Romans.

Romans 8:28

28      And we know that God causes all things to work together for good

to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Philippians 3:10

“To know Christ, the power of His resurrection, the fellowship of His suffering, and the conformity into His death.”   God never allows His children to suffer without a reason or purpose.  Sometimes we don’t get to see the purpose right away, but only after a period of time do we see what God was doing.  There are those times when we will never know until we see Him face to face.  The issue here is trust.  We are too finite to understand God’s reason for everything.  But in the midst of the fire, there is a Divine purpose, even though we cannot comprehend what it is.  We are not God.

Do you trust God when things really get bad? 

Job finally confessed, “I have uttered what I did not understand,

things too wonderful for me, which I did not know” (Job 42:3 ESV).

What about the earthquakes, meteors, hurricanes, floods, and tornados that destroy so much and take so many lives?  There are some truths that we cannot understand as of yet.  This is true in history.  There was a lot of sickness that we didn’t understand & people suffered greatly.  But in time, we began to understand more about science & the human body.  As a result we can defend ourselves against things like polio.    We live in a fallen world.  We are fallible people.  We have the tendency to do what is wrong.  At times nature is beyond our control.  We cannot explain everything that happens in this world or in our lives.  Just because we don’t understand, doesn’t mean that God doesn’t care.  You can be sure that God is working in whatever the circumstances.

 There is an old saying, “No pain, no gain”.  It is not just a popular slogan.  Joseph learned that this was a moral rule in a wicked world.  Genesis 50:20 “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.

 Hebrews 12:11 “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness”.

 James 1:2-3 “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness”

 Romans 5:3–4  “We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope”. 

It is easy to trust God when you see Him working in your life. 

It is much more difficult to Trust God midst of pain and the darkness.

How blessed are those who do!!!  Veritas vos Liberabit! Pastor Mike