Rush Limbaugh: RIP

 The news of Rush Limbaugh's passing yesterday was the end of an incredible era that greatly shaped my view of politics and place in the conservative movement. I was saddened to hear of Rush's passing because of how much I appreciated his steadfast dedication to the greatness of the American experiment and liberties endowed by God. Admittedly, there were seasons I would listen more than others, especially during Obama's two terms, because conservative radio is always better during liberal tenures than GOP. HA! Yet I digress, Rush was not a perfect man by any stretch of the imagination. Due to chronic back issues he became addicted to oxycodone and ended up in rehab. He was married four times, pushed boundaries, and rarely apologized; yet his reputation as a generous, kind human being was unquestionable, especially in private. Rush introduced me to the great minds of conservatism William F. Buckley Jr., Milton Friedman, Thomas Sowell, and Walter Williams just to name a few, and fellow conservative radio voices like Mark Levin and Mark Steyn. He was an entertainer, a provocateur, and a master of the conservative mind. His talent, "on loan from God" as he loved to say at the beginning of every broadcast,  was undeniable by even his greatest antagonists. He essentially started the modern alternative media model all by himself, while keeping the radio industry going seemingly all alone as well. He was the Great Maha Rushie and I was a proud Dittohead for many years. I pray that Rush's confessed faith in Jesus Christ was genuine and true, and that his talent was humbly returned to his Maker yesterday morning. I am incredibly thankful for Rush being a Happy Warrior, who could laugh at himself as well as others. Rush's death is a loss to all, even to those who despised his thoughts and opinions. Rest in peace, Rush. 

My Cup Overflows (Psalm 23 part 3)

 

From the Pastor:

Psalm 23:5-6

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil;

My cup runs over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house of the LORD

Forever.

 

So far in this Psalm David has taken us from green pastures with still waters to deep, dark, and deadly valleys to now a banquet table overflowing with goodness and mercy from the Lord. This Psalm truly does a remarkable job of taking the believer through the experience of coming to our Great Shepherd in saving faith, navigating the realities and difficulties of a fallen world, to worship and joy in the presence of our Savior. Nothing from the believer’s experience seems to be left out, and this is important for us to see and understand especially as we arrive at the end of Psalm 23.

David himself had gone through many dark valleys, and with the Lord’s guidance, come out the other side worshipping God for His care and protection. Whether it was an encounter with a lion or bear, his inspiring acceptance of Goliath of Gath’s challenge, his struggles with King Saul, his fights with the Philistines, or even his own personal and family struggles; David was all too familiar with dangers that lurked in dark valleys. However, through these experiences David also knew very well the exhilaration and joy that came after these times that drew him closer to the Lord and led him to worship Him with overflowing joy and gratefulness. David knew in every circumstance that it was God who had delivered him. He knew that it was only by the Lord that he had any success, and Jesse’s baby boy was sure to give God all the credit for His faithfulness to this simple shepherd boy.

We do not know with any full certainty which of the many events in David’s life might have led him to pen this particular Psalm. Whether it was the encounter with the giant of the Philistines or one of the many others, but undoubtedly, he has come through and is enjoying a celebration even in the presence of those who had doubted, despised, and rejected David. In this last section of the Psalm David is seated at a banquet table, where it appears, he is the guest of honor. Seated there among all the other guests, it is David to whom the host comes and anoints him with oil, a sign of blessing and honor in eastern cultures. Much like Jesus would be anointed with oil, not by the host of a feast mind you, but instead by a woman who had experienced the saving grace of the Lord as was glad to not only anoint his head with expensive oil, but his entire body all the way to his feet. Likewise, David paints a picture of being so greatly honored and reminds fellow believers that they have been anointed with God’s Holy Spirit, poured out by the Master on us, as a sign of His love and grace. This anointing also covers us from head to toe, and the sweet-smelling aroma of God’s Spirit will never fade from His children.

There in front of David is set a cup which he describes as overflowing. Picture the host now pouring wine into a fine goblet. He is displaying his extravagance to his honored guest. He wants his guest to know that all that he has is his and even more. No matter how expensive the wine might be, it is nothing for the host to lavish it upon his guests. Their cups overflow in abundance as a sign of the overflowing love and care the Master has for each and every one us. There is no limit to the love of our great Heavenly Father. What he pours out upon His children He does so in great abundance. There is no vessel that can hold his mercy and grace. There is no limit to His love.

David knows that now, no matter what he may encounter, the goodness and mercy of the Lord will be with him always. Even if there are more dark valleys, the Lord will be with him. Even in his own errors and sins, the grace and kindness of the Lord are close at hand. “All the days” of his life David knows the outpouring of the Lord will be upon him, and that ultimately this will lead to David’s eternal dwelling in the presence of Lord forever. Oh believer, take heart that our worship here is but preparation for the eternal worship we will enjoy in the presence of the Lord forever. Yet, non-believer, realize that rejecting the Good Shepherd will leave you unprotected, uncovered, empty-handed on that last day. There will be no joy everlasting, but instead only pain and sorrow. Turn now to the Great Shepherd. Come to Christ and know the fullness of forgiveness. Know the greatness of His overflowing love and mercy. Know that one day we will dwell in houses not made by human hands, but in a place prepared by God the Father for the inheritance of His children. And there we will live forever and ever without end.

 

The Age of Sophistry

 According to Meriam-Webster's dictionary sophistry is "subtly deceptive reasoning or argumentation." In other words it when a person takes a truth but manipulates its claim to advance a falsehood. An example from our current history would be something like, "Thomas Jefferson was a slave owner, therefore he was an immoral man in all areas of life." The truth stated is that Jefferson was a slave owner, however the conclusion that "therefore he was an immoral man..." is deceptive reasoning based on that fact. Jefferson may have been immoral in other areas of his life, but one cannot make the claim that he was immoral all the way through on the basis of his view on slavery alone. Why not? Because the issue of slavery in his day was not viewed as the way it is in our day, first of all. But also because, it stands to reason that just because a person may have moral failures in one area of life does not mean that they have not contributed greatly to society or the common good in other areas. As a matter of fact, as I have written in other spaces, even the Bible is filled with stories of men who sinned greatly at times, but were still used of God in mighty ways for the good of His people and for the progressing of redemptive history. Yet the use of logical fallacies and the claims of moral superiority based on the manipulation of facts has only increased in our present age. 

We live in an age of relativism. Whether it is Truth that is described as relative or morality, the intelligentsia of our day want to keep the ability of "knowing" loose and vague. This is most obviously recognized with the idea of gender fluidity, fluctuating sexual preferences, and historical revisionism that is taking place all of the country. One story sums this up pretty well when you simply look at the actress Ellen Page who recently came out as transgender. Before she has come to that realization she had come out a few years earlier as lesbian, and now she was coming out as transgendered. Since coming out as a man, she has now divorced her "wife", but without an explanation so far as to what this might mean for her sexual identity. This story also relates to historical revisionism because as soon as Ellen decided she was now Elliott, all mentioning of her past changed to support that claim. No longer had it been Ellen Page, star of the movie Juno, now it was Elliott Page. However, logically and historically it was not Elliott Page who has stared in Juno, it had in fact been Ellen. Confused? Of course! 

Yet, when truth or events do not align with those who control the narrative, suddenly things become a little more concrete. You must wear a mask if you want to stop the spread of Covid-19. You must bow the knee to the LGBTQ agenda. You must recognize the privileges that your color, gender, or economic background have afforded you. And you certainly cannot think for one second that our past election may not have been completely up to snuff or you certainly deserve to be cancelled from polite society! It is all sophistry! Illogical thinking leads to illogical behavior leads to illogical realities. The only thing one can be sure of today is that if you dare speak out on the inconsistencies and the irrational nature of the messaging today you will be pushed to the margins of public square. 

Those that practice such sophistication do so for the purpose of painting certain groups with a broad brush so that their voices no longer carry weight among the public discourse. Take for instance the awful riots at the Capitol on January 6th, although it was only a handful of people relative to the size of those gathered storming the Capitol building, it was later described as essentially everyone there, all Trump supporters, or even all Republicans that had engaged in the terrible activities of that day. Now, compare that to the events of the previous summer when protests turned to mob violence and riots nation wide. How where those events covered by the same media (CNN, MSNBC, Washington Post, NY Times, and other leftward leaning outlets)? "Mostly peaceful protests..." Sophistry in action. 

From the pulling down of statues to the removal of names on buildings, all of the actions of the media (those mentioned above), mobs, and leftist have attempted to take one tiny shred of truth and turn it into something completely false. Take for instance the story that kicked off all of the summer riots, the death of George Floyd. No one defended the actions of the police officer that knelt on Floyd's neck till he died. No one pretending that his actions were acceptable, and yet even though everyone was agreed of what the truth presented lies, false information, and incomplete accounts of events flooded the airwaves and the internet. This could have been a moment of unity, and instead it was used as a weapon for divisiveness. This is what those that peddle in such behavior seek to do today. They want to appear wise, but in reality they are foolish. They may not see how wrongheaded and misguided they are because they are surrounded by voices, friends, and colleagues who serve only as a sounding board to reinforce such attitudes and behaviors, however the truth is much more objective than they even realize and pretty soon their folly will be made clear. 

The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 1:22 "Professing to be wise, they became fools..." This is the fate of those who seek to use pieces of truth to perpetuate lies. Their folly is always evident to those who are truly committed to truth seeking. Nothing will be hidden from plain sight on that final day when all things are laid bare before the Almighty God of the universe. The very one to whom all truth is derived is from whom all falsehood flees. The fool will be found out, and how humiliating will it be for him when the God he has so vehemently denied proves to be real, but so does the truth he so desperately suppressed. On that day the age of Sophistry will come to a screeching halt. No more will people be deceived, the truth will out, and those who have denied its power and clarity will receive their just reward. 

The Valley of the Shadow of Death (23rd Psalm part 2)

From the Pastor:

Psalm 23:4

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil;

For You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

In the hill country of Judah there were deep valleys known as “wadis”. These valleys were dried out river beds that were difficult to navigate not only because of their topography, but also because they were dark areas that let in little light. Due to this fact they became a place where dangerous people would lurk, or sometimes they would be a place for dangerous animals to lay in wait for unsuspecting prey. At other times sudden rains may lead to them becoming flashflood areas filling quickly with rushing water. None of these scenarios present us with a pretty picture of the valley David begins this next section of the Psalm with. Yet, this is the very point the Psalmist is trying to make.

Last week we saw how the Good Shepherd goes to great lengths to care for His sheep. The LORD nourishes His sheep with exactly what they need when they need it. It’s a beautiful picture of God’s love and tenderness for His children. However, verse four takes a turn to another very important reality of life in a fallen world. It is not all rainbows and rose gardens. Life in a fallen world can lead to danger and loss at any time. Whether problems come from natural disasters, acts of violence, or simply the results of bad decision making; our lives can change moment to moment in all of the situations. That fact has hit many of us very hard in this last year. This pandemic has been another reminder of the frailty of human life in this fallen world. “For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23a) Perhaps, you did not need Covid-19 to remind you of that fact, yet for many it seems to have come for that very reason. We are not entitled to or guaranteed from God one more breath than what He has ordained for us. He has numbered our days from the end to the beginning, and all that He has ordained is right.

However, the purpose of the Psalmist in contrasting this hard reality to the joys of the previous scene are not to scare us, but to assure us that even in the dark times and in the dark valleys our LORD is with us. The Good Shepherd NEVER abandons His sheep. As a matter of fact, our Great Shepherd became the sacrificial lamb on behave of His sheep, suffered death, and defeated death through the resurrection so that they do not have to fear death. The Psalmist may not have had the fullness of the Gospel in view when he penned these words, but he trusted God enough to know that even in the hard times the Lord was with him. In David’s life he has faced bears, lions, and even a giant! Yet, he always trusted that the Lord was with him, shepherding him as David shepherded the sheep of his father’s flock. That is reality the Psalmist is pointing us towards.

No matter where we go in this world, if you are a child of God, the Good Shepherd is ALWAYS with you. In life and even in death the Lord is with you. You will not have to cross Jordan alone! You will not have to face any earthly tragedies alone. The Lord is always there to comfort and guide you every step of the way. His Word is there to nourish our souls and His Spirit is there to comfort us, just as the rod and staff of a shepherd guides and protects the sheep. Oh, believer, please be assured as you read this that God is with you. He will never leave or forsake you. He will never abandon you. He will walk with you through all of life’s valleys and He will bring you safely home in the end. I pray that you are comforted and strengthened by these words this week. God bless you and may His peace rest upon you. Amen.

Which side is really for Freedom?

The Mississippi Freedom Caucus has submitted a resolution to the Mississippi Legislature to make Mississippi a "Bill of Rights Sanctuary State." I've provided the link below so that you can read about the resolution and where the idea originated. I'm intrigued by the idea because of recent actions and the need for states to make clear where the federal governments over-reaching and impinging on these issues must stop. Of course, it seems the real culprits at infringing upon or downright violating the significance of the Bill of Rights is coming from the private sector from Big Business and Big Tech. For those typically on the right of center, the idea of forcing private businesses to welcome all voices and consumers may seem hypocritical given those on the right usually being in support of freedom of association for private actors. However, what do you do when private companies and businesses have become so large that their actions against conservative or right of center voices, basically silences those voices from the public square? Sure, in times past those feeling marginalized by one group would just start their own venture in getting their thoughts and opinions out to the market place, but what do you do when your not even allowed access to the market place? These concerns are becoming more and more relevant because this is becoming the reality for more and more right of center and conservative voices. That's why I think something like what the Mississippi Freedom Caucus is doing might be something more states should consider if they want to protect their states and citizens from the growing infringements these companies are pushing. 

The question(s) needed to be asked, however, is who or what is giving these industries the notion that cancelling or quieting voices is right? That's not how this American experiment is supposed to play out. From the beginning it was a belief in the classical liberal notions of free speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, and so on that drove our Founders to create the Bill of Rights in the first place. Sure, a constitution was important, but as equally important was a document that made sure the government knew what its limits were not what limits it could put on its citizenry. And while some may say this is why these businesses have every right to quell whatever voices they want, someone needs to ask "Was this what the Founders had in mind?" Now, that may to originalist for some, or even get to the heart of authorial intent too much for others, but that is exactly what needs to be asked right now. What if the government is not having to reign in the rights of its citizens because private business is doing it for them? Of course, in many ways the government is reigning in speech and other rights state by state during this pandemic by ignoring voices and information from one side of the aisle that it does not want their citizens to hear concerning Covid, its prevention, and its management. So it should not come as too much of a shock that these same party members now in control of two branches of the federal government would like to squelch dissenting voices through presidential order and legislative censures. Is this who we are? Is this what the USA has become? A place where those who disagree can no longer have their voices heard and their opinions expressed? Have we become a place that no longer thinks its citizens can hear differing opinions from particular sets of facts and form their own thoughts based upon the provided information? Can people not see that the reason why some have turned to conspiracy theories is not because of the freedom of opinions but because of the limiting of facts and voices to the discussion? 

It is time to stop the gaslighting (telling people that what they saw is not in fact what actually happened) and the marginalizing of any voice. Believe it or not, the Right does not believe that this should be the practice of Americans, nor its institutions, at least they certainly should not believe it. The Right should not have its own version cancel culture or method of getting rid of voices that do not go along with the party line. No, we leave that behavior to the Left because they know they are in the position of weakness. It is not those in the right who have to quiet dissenting voices, it is those who know their ideas and principles are lacking and insufficient. The Left loves cancel culture and encourages Social Media to stop the voice of opposition because their arguments against those voices are not based on science or fact, but instead are simply based on "feelings" and a desire to control the narrative. This should come as little to no surprise because that's what's been happening ALL YEAR LONG. From people being told that rioting and looting were "mostly peaceful protest" TO any opinion on Covid that did not align with their messaging being de-platformed TO the Hunter Biden story being immediately labeled disinformation for fear it may negatively impact the Biden campaign TO no willingness to even examine the potential for voter anomalies and irregular voting patterns in the last election. And we could go on and on... all of these actions have one thing in common. They been done for the expressed purpose of silencing voices from the Right so that they cannot interfere with the narrative and opinions coming from the Left. And truth be told this is what the new Left has become over the last decades. 

Once, the Left was committed to the Voltaire's idea of "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."  And it was the Right that had to constantly defends it seeming desire to silence those who objected to this notion, but something changed. Perhaps it was the hatred the each side grew to have for the other, or the very real concern in their mind from the Left that the Right was trying to force a morality or view that they found too oppressive, but somewhere along the way the Left started to forcibly quiet the Right. From college campuses to local restaurants, if you were on the Right you no longer had the right to be heard or listened to or even allowed to simply peacefully enjoy a meal without being shouted down or protested against. And this was seen and celebrated by those on the Left as some sort of new normalcy! Plus with the rise of the Black Lives Matter and Antifa (one of the most ironic names ever) organizations promoting violence and the disintegration of western society, it suddenly became "en vogue" for Leftist actors use any means necessary to stop whomever they believed to be the enemy. A cultic type mindset has now taken over, where any nonbelievers must be excommunicated from society because the threat they bring to the new orthodoxy must be stopped. So if you DO NOT believe boys can simply turn into girls overnight, or that female sports should be for whoever "feels" like a female, or that Covid is worth destroying the economy and stopping people from worshipping freely, or that masks will protect you from everything, or Joe Biden is just a nice man serving his country; then you must be silenced. You are the enemy of the state, a domestic terrorist. Now that is frightening! 

How far are they willing to go? Time will only tell. Does this cause me to live in fear? NOPE! God is sovereign and He is still ruling and reigning from His throne. He will continue to accomplish His purposes for the good of His children and for the Glory of His name. Does this mean I should take all of this lying down? Not at all! God has providentially chosen for me to live in this country, therefore I should value and appreciate my citizenry here. I should not value it in the same way that I do my citizenship to my Heavenly City, but if my Earthly City needs protection and assistance then I should serve it joyfully to the Glory of God. Many of us believe that the reason this nation possesses any level of exceptionalism is because it has chosen in its founding to value those things that our Creator told us to value from the beginning. Some have chosen to focus on this nations shortcomings in always holding up those principles as a reason to attempt to overthrow it. I do not think that is the right mindset to have. All people have been created by God and in Him image. All people possess dignity, value, and worth and should be treated that way individually and under the law. That does not mean that every opinion is equally valid or should be equally valued, yet it should be heard. We must learn to respect each other for who we are, not for who others think we should be. If we do not start to live this way soon, American exceptionalism will not only be a thing of the past, so will America itself.

 https://www.wlbt.com/2021/01/26/resolution-would-make-mississippi-bill-rights-sanctuary-state-heres-what-that-means/

The 23rd Psalm Part 1

 

From the Pastor:

Psalm 23:1

The LORD is my shepherd;

I shall not want.

The 23^rd Psalm is one of the most well-known chapters in all of the Scriptures. It is often turned to in times of trouble and loss, and certainly is a Psalm that brings comfort amid those crises in life. However, the 23^rd Psalm is more than just a Psalm for those dealing with difficulties and sadness in life, it’s a chapter that recognizes God’s goodness and mercy towards His sheep every step of the way.

From the very first stanza, David assures us of God’s providential care by telling us that “Jehovah is my shepherd.” David uses the personal pronouns “I” and “me” and “my” in this Psalm, but David’s words are not for him alone. He is standing in the place of every believer as a model for how God cares for all of His sheep. And when he writes to tell us about this God who is the shepherd of his sheep, David uses the proper name for God, “Yahweh”, often translated in the Scriptures as “LORD”, with all of the letters being capitalized to show its uniqueness in identifying the proper name for God. In using “LORD” to begin his Psalm David is also displaying for the reader that it is the God who has made and rules over everything that cares for each and every one of his sheep. God knows all of His sheep by name, and in the New Testament Jesus would take this theme and say, “he calls his own sheep by name…” (John 10:3c). This is why David knows that with the Sovereign Lord as his shepherd he will never be without anything he could ever need. The God who gives life, and even better than that, who gives NEW life knows exactly what His sheep need and is constantly providing for them all that they need and more. None of the sheep of the LORD ever go without. To give understanding to this important point, David the reader with several examples of God’s shepherding care.

First, David writes, “He makes me to lie down in green pastures…” Notice David’s word usage, “He MAKES”. The Lord knows exactly when His sheep needs rest and He provides that for them. The Lord is not a heavy-handed shepherd driving His sheep to be over burdened or over worked. No! He is a gently and lowly shepherd that knows His sheep need rest, and when it is necessary, He makes sure they are able to rest in the choices of places. Second, He provides his sheep with restorative waters so they will never thirst. As you can probably already tell, Christ again, picks up on many of these themes in the New Testament as He teaches His followers about the life giving and sustaining of the Savior to grant His children bread that would make them never hunger and water that would make them never thirst. This is what the Father through the Son does for all His sheep. He provides them with the very elements they need to restored, His body and blood. Third, David states that God “leads… in the path of righteousness for His name’s sake.” Why does God provide such care and love to his sheep? Why does He go to such links to give us everything we need and so much more? Why does He lead us down the path of obedience, holiness, and faithfulness to Him? For the Glory and Praise of His name! All that God does is for the “His name’s sake.” It is God and His name alone that deserves all the adulation and praise that man can muster. No one else, no other institution, no other claimed deity can do what God does for His sheep. God is always for God. For Him to be for anything or anyone else would make Him an idolater, just as it would us. He is the greatest of all Beings. Therefore, all that He does is designed for Him to be worshipped and praised from every corner of the globe by His sheep. And when His sheep recognize all that their loving, gracious Shepherd has done for them, they will and should praise His name forever and ever. Amen.

Next week I will work through Psalm 23:4 and examine how the Lord walks us through even the darkest of times.

21 Reasons That the Handwriting is on the Wall for the Abortion Industry

 I highly recommend this article published by Ligonier this morning. I pray that the author's words prove prophetic, and that the murdering of unborn children would  quickly come to a crashing end. 

https://www.ligonier.org/blog/reasons-abortion-industry/?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiT1RNMk5qazNNemN3T0RCaSIsInQiOiJKZkxmejRSWUx6NExic0p6NXYrU0hMcFlYY1lDak9hRHlIQjNraEk2cnFONjBpcSszaTNlOGppd3NTc1psT2tFcVwvUWZuQzdLNEZMdlhxU1hTejRcL2tKWXREOWVGQmZBdlh6UkRwUklUd2thUnBuNHVGQ3BkYXFNUFUxRVFicXJZIn0%3D