If the Cross is not foundational to what you’re selling, I ain’t buying!
“and through that Cross every member of the human race can be reinstated in God’s favor and enter into a conscious inheritance of the atonement.” ~ Oswald Chambers, The Reorganizing of Humanity
It hurts worse than any pain I’ve ever experienced to watch people you love walk away from the One who came into this world to save them. Good people, loving people, intelligent people, embracing the world and all it has to offer, missing Him again, lunging head-first towards the more tangible lure of man’s own self-enlightenment…even as the world we knew is crumbling all around us. Same as it ever was…
From the weeping prophet…
Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people! Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfaring men; that I might leave my people, and go from them! for they be all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men. And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me saith the LORD. ~ Jeremiah 9:1-3
We flail away year after year in stubborn fleshy fields of failure, up against the powerful strongholds of spiritual wickedness in high places (Eph. 6:12). Why? Oswald answers: The things that are obscure to the natural man become clear to the mind that sets itself on the things above.
We may consume all the libraries of the world and what will we have to show but a puffed-up future dust pile? An entire lifetime of learning how to escape an illusion, while building the walls of our eternal prison. He warned us, Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth (Col. 3:2). Did we listen? No, which is why the Devil’s not afraid of a dust-covered Bible. Ruckman’s commentary on Proverbs 27:7 The verse is comparing a man who has all he wants in this life, having no use for the words of God (Psa. 119:103), and a man hungering and thirsting for the words of God so much that he’ll even take them when they are bitter (Matt. 5:6). It seems clear to me that we are nowhere near hungry or thirsty enough…yet.
What made the difference between the bloodbath disaster of the French Revolution, and a rag-tag band of colonial farmers defeating the mightiest army on earth at the time, during the American Revolution? God. I put up a Psalm (heart) and Proverb (wisdom) a Day because it helps us to feel what God feels, and know what God thinks, and I recently listened to a man who claims to have read all the books on all the religions who could not name the four Gospel writers! How in the world can we expect mercy from a God we have so little knowledge of, and have so clearly turned away from? A wonderful Catholic patriot I know sent out a mass email last week demanding the arrests we’ve all been waiting for. I get it, we are all feeling it. BUT, from God’s perspective, do we deserve justice??? If we don’t know His Word, then we can’t hope to know God. But, if we know the 2 Chronicles 19 story of King Jehoshaphat, then we are more able to understand what it takes to obtain God’s mercy and blessings. The same is true of the Judges 7 story of Gideon’s 300, the Joshua 6 walls of Jericho, and the book of Esther, for such a time as this. …oh, I could go on. Pride goeth before destruction (Proverbs 16:18). God’s Word, not mine.
They say people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. No one on this earth is smart, clever, convincing, or charming enough to separate me from the fact that NO ONE has or ever will care more for and about me than the One who gave Himself for me (Gal. 2:20). Choose wisely and consciously my friend. YOUR inheritance is at stake!
NOTE:This morning’s Tune-up is dedicated to my dear friend and brother Richard Orlandi who is facing a very serious health challenge, in fact, the greatest battle of his life. But he is the greatest fighter I know, and with God, and our prayers, ALL things are possible! Amen?
See then ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. ~ Ephesians 5:15-17
Many if not most of my readers will recall the movie, The Manchurian Candidate, about a U.S. soldier who was set up in a battlefield psyop organized by corporate/globalists who manufactured the illusion of him heroically saving his men on the battlefield. In reality they were all completely brainwashed, with him being sent home as the Trojan Horse (Manchurian Candidate) groomed to occupy the White House as President with his own mother, a co-conspirator in the treacherous plot to overthrow our Constitutional Republic, as his handler.
That would be the extreme example of the handler, as a shepherd for the dark side. There are many shades from light to dark. Jesus would be the extreme example of the mentor, shepherding those in His care into the Light of Truth and eternal life. Generally speaking, the primary difference between mentor and handler is that the mentor serves the best interest of the one he mentors, while the handler serves interests other than those of the one he handles.
Recently, while working with a group of young folks, one of them revealed that he had been advised to steer clear of me by a certain rising star in the Republican Party because of my past association with Oath Keepers. This rising star would be a classic handler type. The fascinating irony of our culture war is that those of us committed to our oaths to the Constitution are shunned by those who are supposed to represent our interests in local, state, and national governments. When last I checked, violation of our state and federal Constitutions may benefit the hoards of illegal invaders the previous administration opened the floodgates to allow in, but the interests of law-abiding, tax-paying Americans are ill-served by representatives turned handlers. Handlers who, in many cases, are well-rewarded for serving interests other than ours…Big Pharma and AIPAC $$$ come to mind.
The photograph above was taken from a gift bag that contained the book, EVIDENCE That Demands a Verdict, Life-changing Truth For a Skeptical World, by Josh McDowell & Sean McDowell, PhD. It was a birthday gift from a pastor, friend, and classic mentor in that he has committed his life to lead me, and others like me to salvation. This was in May, and only yesterday I looked at it along with the expressed sentiment, and Lewis and Clark came to mind. I think its fair to say, and most of my readers would agree, that their contemporaries who served in government, as a breed, were godly men more concerned with salvation and posterity than their own self-interest, power, and control. They, with exceptions of course, actually viewed themselves as public servants. My readers would also agree that this has changed drastically and tragically…which is why so few of them were willing to sign our NY Public Servants Pledge in the last election. Here’s where the Wall of Jericho Relationship Triangle helps to shed light on the motives of the handlers versus mentors:
Remember the three things in life the tyrant needs to effectively neutralize, in order to seize absolute control over a population; God, family, and property. The WJRT deals with the first. The handler’s objective is to keep his subject’s time, energy, vision and goals focused on the horizontal plane, and OFF the vertical, other than a very shallow understanding that the vertical exists…whereas, the mentor’s objective is nearly the exact opposite. The primary focus of time, energy, vision, and goals is on the vertical while expressing the love of Christ on the horizontal. YUGE! Tyranny requires a divided population and rules by fear. The old world is crumbling around us, and there is nothing new under the sun my friends. Ditch the handlers, seek the mentors and good shepherds, and look up…I promise you strength and courage will follow!
For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. ~ Isaiah 66:22
And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. ~ Acts 19:14-16
I was blessed and encouraged to meet with a group of Orange County Teen Republicans Friday night. We discussed a wide variety of topics ranging from the 2020 election, the COVID-Con, Thomas Sowell, Communism/Islam, the NYC mayoral race, our Christian roots as a nation, and the Constitution as our guiding light. And I realized, these young men and women are wide awake, hungry for truth, and ready to take the torch that will be passed to them!
I was blessed this morning by a friend who shared that his father had passed away when my friend was only seven years old…leaving him to blame God, until a good shepherd resuscitated him years later with the John 10:10 Word of God. Only a few days ago I saw a powerful clip of a first responder who found 4 abandoned and lifeless puppies, and miraculously resuscitated them…
It’s about to get REAL friends. Contrast the Acts 19 pretenders with what Chambers has to say about Spiritual Evolution: The natural view and the Bible’s view of man are different; the natural point of view is that man is a great being in the making, his achievements are a wonderful promise of what he is going to be; the Bible’s point of view is that man is a magnificent ruin of what God designed him to be.
The enemy who is able to tell the pretenders from the contenders has a very loud roar, but he is no match for the Resuscitator! This is why God tells us not to worry about the tares: Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. ~ Matthew 13:30
We cannot pretend our way out of the magnificent ruin we have made of ourselves, though many are the fools who will join with the tares. One of the teen Republicans shared the fact that many of his high school friends are fearful of identifying as Conservatives and/or Republicans in this culture, which led me to share the story of how Moses sent the twelve spies to spy out the promised land, but only Joshua and Caleb demonstrated the courage, faith, and trust in God to see them though (Numbers 13:1-33).
The hour is late and the times are treacherous and full of deception and betrayal. Friends will turn against friends, and brother against brother. Know this; the fog of war is lifting as the shadows that hid them are fading. Ours is to endure knowing that we battle not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:10-20). And there is no power on this earth that can snatch the Wide Awake from the hand of their Creator. We will be One (John 17:21). Amen?
I curse the darkness knowin’ daylight has a way of goin’ , freedom shines when I’m Wide Awake.
And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. ~ Matthew 19:16-22
From Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel this week: He will shake the ground beneath you to get your attention. He will break you to make you.
Are we experiencing the shaking yet? The weather-engineered Texas flood disaster..J6 and Gold Star grandmothers imprisoned as child rapists/black-mailing extortionists are exonerated to standing ovations…while we pay homage to the mass genocide of women and children in Gaza in exchange for a Noble Peace prize nomination and an engraved invitation to WW lll! The question remains, “Are we broken yet?” Please allow me to share the week of insight that preceded Friday mornings dream of revelation…
Larry Cordle’s Jesus and Bartenders is a great backdrop to this crazy week that covered every base from lost Libertarians to Victor Davis Hanson’s American Virtues 2025 to Chambers’ Vision and Reality, and the inner life of Christ in one Madame Jeanne Guyon!
They both know a man in trouble when they see one, and they’re both willing to listen when he talks. Anger and depression…tearful confessions; Jesus and Bartenders hear it all!
Well, if you’re at the end of your rope, either man will serve you, but just one offers hope. ~ Jesus and Bartenders
From my Libertarian (Christian?) friend…
“Ultimately, she broke a world record by servicing 1,057 men in just 12 hours…she is earning enough money to secure her future,” ~ Downloaded Vice to Uploaded Virtue, a Libertarian Perspective… which BEGS the question, how can one call oneself both Christian and Libertarian? And we wonder why so many of our children have turned everywhere but the Christian Church to satisfy their spiritual hunger. Fortunately for America, not all children follow bartender preachers and Libertarian pied pipers…
You students of the Class of 2025 have been instructed in, have absorbed fully, and will pass on a code of honorable conduct that has become a natural part of who you are. And it will remain with you on the long road ahead. Hillsdale has taught you not to worry if you are not one with the current majority of youth, because you are certainly one with most of the past—and future—generations. Your confidence in your code of ethical comportment and personal standards will be your legacy to help guide future cohorts to come. Because your values are real, permanent, and ancient, you will not be won over by those who justify their lapses of behavior by situational ethics or feelings of victimization. Without such individual vows of honesty and compassion for others, civilization in aggregate cannot be sustained. It instead descends into the age-old banes of tribalism, disunity, and chaos. ~ American Virtues 2025 ~ Victor Davis Hanson, Hillsdale College Commencement Address
The ”Reality” of true followers of Christ…
God gives us the vision, then He takes us down to the valley (Psalm 23:4) to batter us into the shape of the vision, and it is in the valley that so many of us faint and give way. ~ Oswald Chambers, Vision and Reality…Paul lays it out beautifully in 1 Corinthians 3:1-23
And the testimony of SO many others…
“Someone once said that only two people had ever truly manifested the inner life of Christ—one was the Apostle Paul, and the other was Madame Jeanne Guyon.” ~ Foxe’s Book of Martyrs
But here we are in the exact mess the prophet Isaiah foresaw some 2,700 years ago…
But this is a people robbed and spoiled; they are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison houses: they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore. ~ Isaiah 42:22
Which brings us to an amazing dream I had in the wee hours of Friday morning. I dreamed that I was preparing a stage for a young man who was being honored by his classmates, for whom he was preparing to give a speech. He was autistic, and at one point before he was to take the stage, I saw a discomfort in him and pulled him aside. He didn’t have to explain what I could clearly see…the pain of being different…the pain of feeling a separation from the very ones honoring him. I asked him if he knew what was significant about the town of Bethlehem before the birth of Jesus. He did not. I told him that Bethlehem was the place where most if not all the lambs without blemish were born in mangers for the Passover sacrifice in Jerusalem each year. The very place where Jesus, who without blemish, was born to exchange His righteousness for our sin. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto the death (Rev. 12:11)…and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Gal. 2:20). True story son…in all the world there is truly no one like you. God is speaking to us here. The God who loves us beyond measure, and has written us into the greatest story ever told, has a special purpose for your life. His eyes widened with tears of understanding, and I saw him accept the light of Christ in that very moment.
Finally, yesterday morning, God moves the final piece of this week’s message into place with the husband and wife pictured in the photo above in a FB ad for Christian marriage counseling…
Become the leader she can’t help but be drawn to again… This isn’t about becoming someone you’re not. It’s about becoming exactly who you were created to be – the king who leads his queen with both strength and love. The Warrior Husband Jumpstart will show you how…
The same enemy who targeted the Christian camp in Texas has a plan for us, but God has a much better plan. My Libertarian friend knows this. The young autistic boy now knows, and the man with his head in his hands will know because, as Chambers concludes in Vision and Reality, Don’t lose heart in the process. If you have ever had the vision of God, you may try as you like to be satisfied on a lower level, but God will never let you. (Utmost)
Another Chambers I know whose friends call him either Pete or “Doc” had his head in his hands not so long ago, as most of us have experienced at one time or another if we’re being honest. Now this brother, who I am willing to bet will be the next governor of Texas, is rescuing children and planting seeds wherever he goes…looking for work. This story will warm your heart. A glimpse of our future, Fathered by God. Four young men from Texas who have found their special purpose! Introducing The Centurian Show
If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works? ~ Proverbs 24:12
The battle is lost or won in the secret places of the will before God, never first in the external world. The Spirit of God apprehends me and I am obliged to get alone with God and fight the battle out before Him. Until this is done, I lose every time…That is the Great Divide in the life; from that point we either go toward a more and more dilatory and useless type of Christian life, or we become more and more ablaze for the glory of God—My Utmost for His Highest. (Utmost) ~ Oswald Chambers, Where the Battle Is Won
I’ve just returned from a train adventure from Poughkeepsie to Sacramento and back. I’ve always wanted to do the old sleeper-car cross-country train. The “roomette” cost me $3,300 round-trip and included all meals with complimentary adult beverage at dinner. Four days and three nights each way on Amtrak. I totally recommend the experience EXCEPT if you have to be at your destination by a certain time. Now, please allow me to attempt to tie this into Proverbs 24:12, Chambers’ Where the Battle Is Won, and this Proverbs 28:4 gem: They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law contend with them (Jude’s 1:3 exhortation).
The beauty of the roomette train experience is that you are dining with a different group of people at every meal, where there is a wonderful opportunity to engage in meaningful conversation with folks from all walks of life and all parts of the world. My focus on this Tune-up are the two people I believe the Lord put me on this train to meet for His purpose in today’s message. The first is Aisha (pictured above) traveling to Philadelphia from San Jose, where she had just laid her daughter to rest. And the other, an Irishman whose name I did not care to learn for reasons I will share. Before I get to that I need to explain the purpose of this trip, the second annual Orange Strong Bible Study Road Trip, was to attend the Church of Glad Tidings Rev17 Conference in Yuba City, California, a fundraiser for Peace of Heaven, the FIRST “Safe Home” for the children rescued from child-sex-trafficking, AND who need protection from our own CPS!
Now before I address Aisha and the Irishman, I need you to visualize and understand the unbreakable power and authority of God’s Remnant Warriors who gathered in Yuba City from June 20th to the 22nd to support Pastor Dave’s “Peace of Heaven” mission. As I shared with friends this past week, it is very humbling to spend time in the company of those who make you feel as though you are standing still. And at the same time, it is very healthy and essential for spiritual growth. This spiritual war is real, and nobody knows this better than Dr. Frank, Texan Pastor Troy Brewer who has created 54 safe homes around the world for the 11,000 children his ministry has rescued from the evil of child-sex-trafficking, Chris Burgard, Mary Flynn O’Neill, Leigh Dundas, Dr. Christine Northrup, and survivors Cathy O’Brien, Hope Beryl Green, and llonka Deaton. Every single soul, more and more ablaze for the glory of God, refined in their crucible of circumstance, forged by God in the fiery furnace of faith for the battle ahead. Now I can tell you why God wanted me to meet Aisha and the Irishman…
First and foremost, there is nothing that weighs on God’s heart, absolutely nothing that grieves Him more than what is happening to his Luke 17:2 “little ones” on our watch! Every name I’ve mentioned above has been targeted, deplatformed, marginalized, ostracized, and far, far worse by a world gone mad, drunk on the blood of children. So, on the train ride home from Sacramento, God tees up Aisha, a remarkable, well-spoken woman who is a retired federal employee who has worked for both the IRS and the Social Security Administration. God introduced me to this grandmother headed to Philadelphia to help raise and oversee the education of her grandchildren. By the time we got to Chicago, I was able to share the work of Orange Strong and CLOTH with her and offered to assist her in her mission. Now for the Irishman. This is where Proverbs 24:12 comes in. I picked up his brogue in the first few words and experienced a premature delight…short-lived to be sure. When I asked him what he did, he replied, “I’m in healthcare,” which should have been the first red flag. After I shared my story of my first trip to Ireland in 1984 which was greatly enhanced by the hospitality of the Murphy’s and O’Driscolls, I recited my poem, A Land Called Ireland (at the end of today’s Tune-up) to he, his wife, and the young lady seated with us. His response to the poem was my first actual red flag. I saw in his eyes that he knew the Ireland I experienced in 1984 no longer exists, and that he knew why as well. Then I asked him what he thought about what was happening in the UK. He asked, “What do you mean?” To which I responded, “Do you know who Tommy Robinson is?” This elicited an eye-roll followed by, “You can’t believe everything you hear.” NOW, I knew I had your man dead to rights! And he knew it too when I looked him in the eye and said, “Not all ears are afraid to hear.” I could not wait for the meal to end and prayed this would be the last we would see of each other. For those of you who don’t know Tommy, listen to his recent interview with Patrick Bet-David, and you be the judge:
Moving to a This could be heaven, or…close with the revelation which occurred with Aisha as we were waiting for the 48 train together in Union Station on Tuesday. It turns out that this remarkable well-spoken grandmother with a heart for children God introduced me to the day before is on the polar opposite end of the political spectrum of yours truly! The very encouraging thing is that we were somehow able to weave our way through the mine field which included differences on Trump, waste and corruption uncovered by DOGE, the definition of bureaucracy, and how a country founded by slave-owners could have been great to begin with, and STILL remain friends until we parted in Poughkeepsie. She sent me a video on Thursday of Noam Chomsky condemning America as anti-black at its core which seems to have been an influence. I told her how I had experienced racism in my life, but preferred the MLK Jr character over color remedy, and that I would love to see an honest debate between Thomas Sowell and Noam Chomsky. Now the closing ties to Aisha believing there’s a God but rejecting the Bible because “it is written by men.” This sets the stage for Voddie Bachman’s warning to all who have ears to hear:
As Tommy Robinson pointed out to Patrick Bet-David, the power ofpolitical correctness has essentially paralyzed our Western World. We need to start being painfully honest with one another. We do no one any favors by praising mediocrity. In fact, we cripple and retard true spiritual growth in so doing. We have become so pitifully enslaved to feelings over fact, and emotion over reason. Do you want to know the absolute most valuable form of love in this culture today? Help that person who has set themselves on the road to failure accelerate their pace! The next time someone seeks your validation for their missing the mark, simply pray quietly for their eventual success at properly identifying and answering God’s calling on their life. The difference between Aisha and the Irishman? God sees the heart (1 Sam. 16:7). Aisha is the Luke 15:11-32 Prodigal Daughter God longs to see returning home. On the other hand, God showed me the 2 Corinthians 11:14 angel of light in the Irishman…and it chilled me to the bone.
Please keep my friend Aisha and her grandchildren in your prayers…and the Irish too!
A Land Called Ireland
If your soul is tired & weary,
then my friend give a listen to me.
Go to a land called Ireland,
not so far across the sea.
And if in fact you’re good of heart,
which reflects in all you do,
then the Angel of the Heather shall appear,
and she’ll sing her songs for you.
She’ll sing away your emptiness,
and smile away your fears…
and give you the gift of happiness,
which will last you through the years.
Now if you go, have a jar with the Murphy’s,
and some crack with the Driscoll’s too…
…and tell ‘em I love and miss ‘em,
and they’ll take good care of you.
And for every Irish smile you get,
be sure to give one back,
for that means more to them than gold,
and that’s a simple fact.
So when at last you leave her shores,
and her rolling hills embrace,
Just turn, tip your hat and pray….
and thank God for the Irish Race!
~ Chip Murray -‘84
And PLEASE pray for our brothers and sisters in Texas!!
Standupnsing will be back in the Tune-up saddle July 6…with much to share! Praise God the Father for His hand of mercy and grace on ALL things. Meanwhile…
A canary had escaped from its cage and was flying over the roofs of the houses opposite mine. It was being chased by about twenty sparrows, along with other rough birds. Then I thought of this verse: “Mine heritage is unto me as a speckled bird, the birds round about are against her” (Jer. 12:9). ~ Spurgeon on Prayer & Spiritual Warfare
The greatest threats to man are those things he cannot see. To coal miners, death comes in the shapeless form of methane and carbon monoxide. That’s why coal miners would use canaries to warn them of the danger. They would die before the gas levels became dangerous to the men in the mine. To all men, and churchmen in particular, there is an even deadlier threat he has lost the ability to detect, posed by an enemy that seeks the eternal damnation and enslavement of all mankind.
“When a person becomes a Christian, he immediately becomes different from the people around him.” Hence Spurgeon’s canary/speckled bird analogy above. Faith is the Christian’s canary. Faith is that powerful force of His nature in us that protects us from all threats, natural and supernatural, seen and unseen.
“When the Church does not feel pain with those that are part of them, the Church’s nerves…become dead.” ~ Sabina Wurmbrand, Co-founder of The Voice of the Martyrs
But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead (James 2:20)?
“Hey ChatGPT, if you were the devil, how would you destroy men in the 21st century?” I’d remove sense of purpose, distort masculinity itself, make strength seem toxic, and make them ashamed of being men. I’d make them comfortable with mediocrity and strip them of their natural role as protectors and providers. Listen to the entire response at the 47:30min mark. Are They Already Gone?
“If you are not prepared to use force to defend civilization, then be prepared to accept barbarism.” ~ Thomas Sowell
Up until this very moment we have allowed ourselves to become the men ChatGPT described above; canaries seeking the acceptance and approval of the sparrows…blinded to the snares of the enemy…in the deepest trouble of our 250 years as freest nation the world has ever known.
Come, poor soul, you who are in the deepest of trouble—God means to glorify Himself by you! The day will come when you will comfort other mourners by telling your happy experience. The day will come when you who were outcasts will preach the Gospel to outcasts. The day will yet come, poor fallen woman, when you will lead other sinners to the Savior’s feet where you now stand weeping! You who have been abandoned by the Devil, whom even Satan is tired of, whom the world rejects because you are worn-out and stale—the day will yet come when, renewed in heart and washed in the blood of the Lamb, you will shine like a star in the sky, to the praise of the glory of the grace of God, who has made you to be accepted in the Beloved(Eph. 1:6)! ~ Poem and following passage from Spurgeon on Prayer & Spiritual Warfare (Real Prayer)
But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. ~ Isaiah 64:8
Yesterday, I was blessed to spend a Holy Spirit-filled day in the company of artists, healers, and wellness professionals at an “Open House” event hosted by Tony Gines of Breath of Life, a true believer in our Potter. In Friday’s devotional, Choose Achievement Over Affirmation, Maxwell likened those who choose the reverse to crabs in numbers greater than one that will pull one another down so none can escape the basket. In today’s In the Hands of the Artist, “People under the influence of an empowering person are like paper in the hands of a great artist. No matter what they’re are made of, they can become treasures.”
In this morning’s Chamber’s devotional, Disasters of Fellowship, he writes, “If you are experiencing disasters in fellowship, don’t get into despair, remain unswervingly and unhesitatingly faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ and refuse to compromise for one second. Don’t say ‘it can’t be done’ because you see a thing is going to crush your physical life. Calculate on the disaster of fellowship, because through it God is going to bring you into fellowship with His Son.”
Paul, the Pharisee of the Pharisees, experienced both the crushing and the disaster, and went on to achieve more in his life for the kingdom of God than all the others combined. That’s the kind of achievement that should interest every American, given the Potter’s hand in our founding. BUT, as I look around, brothers and sisters, I see political parties, sadly including my own, turning away from Christ AND Constitutions (state & federal) to focus their guns on one another. And the church, sadder still, the new age Pharisee of the Pharisees, in their self-imposed silos of irrelevance sealed off from the living water (John 7:39). All I see are those more clever than the Potter who made them…lining up to take the mark (Rev. 13:15-18)…save the Remnant I fellowshipped with in Newburgh yesterday. The Breath of Life…Truly a breath of fresh air!
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. ~ 1 Corinthians 12:1
I had a powerful dream last night, a dream in which I was with a group of men preparing for war. One of the men in our group with a very dark and menacing countenance was attempting to provoke me into a fight when the call came to move into battle. Just as we were on the verge of engaging the enemy, another man whose countenance was pure and saintly stood up and called off the attack. When I saw the group in full war-mode resisting his call, I bellowed at the top of my lungs, “I support you 100%!” Just then the dark spirited man came up from behind me with a knife and sliced me to death. That’s when I rose to my feet, grabbed him with supernatural strength and threw him to the ground so hard his head cracked open…and I awoke…into a 1 Cor. 13 world of peace and love.
Today’s Tune-up was originally to be entitled The Pollyanna Christian, until I watched Mario Murillo’s powerful message last night.
“A Pollyanna is a blindly or foolishly optimistic person. The term derives from Eleanor H. Porter’s 1913 novel, Pollyanna, about an orphan with an unjustifiably optimistic attitude. The word is primarily an Americanism. It is rare in British and Canadian English, but it appears relatively often in Australian and New Zealand English.”
But that all changed when I watched Mario see a move of the Holy Spirit this year that will be so profound it will claim its first two victims; First to fall will be the Atheists with no place left to hang their hats, and second to fall will be the non-supernatural churches, felled by their own 1 Cor. 12:1 ignorance. “The non-supernatural church will go out of business.” ~ Mario Murillo
AND, this coming on the heels of yesterday’s Psalm & Proverb a Day which just happened to have included the 1 Cor. 12:1 spiritual gifts the Cessationists would have us believe ended with the Apostles. AND right before my supernatural death and rebirth the following morning!
Let’s connect the supernatural dots, shall we? First, Catherine Austin Fitts who relied on the fruits of the Holy Spirit and the People’s Bank to survive and thrive after an 11-year attempt by the evil that has hijacked our government to destroy her. Her company motto: If We Can Face it, God Can Fix It…dovetailed into Church of Glad Tidings Pastor Dave Bryan’s, “People don’t want to know because knowing would morally bind them to act.” Pollyanna is the name Jamie Walden used for the church that doesn’t want to know…
“It ALL traces back to DC. It comes full circle to Mystery Babylon. It says, ‘And they trafficked in the souls of men (Rev. 18:13).’ It’s not the Vatican, which is wicked beyond imagination, it’s the United States of America. You just don’t want to know what’s going on (EXACTLY as Pastor Dave Bryan called it!). You don’t want to know why they call it District of Columbia. You don’t want to know why most of the presidents graduated from Columbia University. You don’t want to know what’s going on in the Freemasonic stuff, or with the Illuminati. You don’t want toknow what’s going on with the raising of Osirus, and all the ceremonies. You don’t want to know about Bohemian Grove. You don’t want to know why it’s called the City Of Angels, or which angels, nobody asks that. And you don’t want to know in what God they trust that’s written on the back of your talisman dollar bills in your pocket. You don’t want to know…and it’s founded on the souls of men…more importantly, on the souls of children.” ~ SHARE THIS WITH EVERYONE YOU KNOW
“The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.”–G K Chesterton
…while the Pollyannic Pretenders march to their own graves, taking those foolish enough to follow with them.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. ~ Psalm 23:4
While I highly value every word in the Leadership acronym, none of them are as important to my mind as Loyalty, Accountability, and Honor. Sadly, these happen to be the three qualities in short supply across most all of our cultural institutions. Leaders of generations past who were raised on Psalms and Proverbs, have been replaced by creeping shadows of men weaned on Das Kapital and Rules For Radicals. Choosing the fountain of death over the living waters, they settle for the darker powers, over the Proverbs 24:5-6 gifts of God, A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength. For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counselors there is safety.
In yesterday’s Psalm & Proverb a Day, I included John Maxwell’s PREPARE YOUR PEOPLE FOR THE FUTURE ~ Ephesians 6:1-11. Interestingly, this same morning I wake up to an old high school buddy’s post about a NJ bar owner who canceled a Springsteen cover-band’s upcoming gig because of Springsteen trashing our President in front of European audiences this past week. In the comments, our other high school friend took exception. “Why punish these guys who had nothing to do with Springsteen’s recent actions.” I shared with him my exchange with an old Tea Party friend who posted a picture of himself and “the Boss” back in the day. I asked him to imagine my 4th great grandfather Andrew Murray, dishonorably discharged after being wounded at Lake George, proudly displaying a picture of himself smiling and chumming it up with Benedict Arnold. We are at war, and the tragic fact is that the vast majority of those around us expend their time and energy mired in the (horizontal) world of the flesh, are missing those Eph. 6:12 principalities and powers coming for their children! They are literally missing the war!
I have another friend who posted an invite to an upcoming event. “Connected Leaders Tour: Hudson Valley”. So, I asked her for more info, and this was her response, “Fresh insights from the church, actionable strategies, a focused discussion on integrated faith, and networking opportunities.” Anita is both friend and prayer warrior, in fact she has recently published a book, Armed for Prayer, but why in the world would I go to leaders who were proven disloyal to their King, who displayed zero accountability and honor when put to the test, for insights or strategies other than to possibly learn how to avoid the very Valley He has called us to?
Fortunately for all of us, Anita and others like her have turned out to fill the ranks men have failed to fill. This clip is extraordinary in its revelation of the energy gone missing in our culture, which Charlie Kirk explains brilliantly to a young man who has NO idea what it means to be a man. My favorite line, tailored perfectly for today’s Tune-up: “God will call you out of a place of comfort and into duty.”
And thank God for the old lions among us! Thomas Sowell on the Sean “P Diddy” Combs trial, “The first lesson of economics is scarcity. The first lesson of politics is to disregard the first lesson of economics. The true measure of society is not how it treats its celebrities, but how it treats its most vulnerable.” Our 94-year-old “National Treasure”!
This week I learned that Scott Kesterson and I share a very similar dream. In his dream he stood in the Valley all by himself against an entire army. I know that exact feeling…it’s unconditional commitment. Remember last week, God equips our subconscious in our dreams based on the truth we either accept or reject in the light of day. In Scott’s dream Jesus appeared at his side. In mine, His army of angels appeared behind me. Honor! “Somethin’ about the way he talked, make a bully run away.”
So, on this Memorial Day weekend, as we Honor those men and women who willingly entered into the Psalm 23:4 Valley to give their ALL, this from the Apostle Paul on Christian discipline, followed by Dr. Peter Ruckman’s note:
But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. ~ 1 Corinthians 9:27
(9:27) This is the Roman Catholic proof text that an apostle can lose his salvation (see note on John 13:13), because the Popes interpret “castaway” as “going to Hell.” The admonition has to do with God “putting a man on the shelf” as far as service is concerned because he is useless and not bearing fruit (see 1Cor. 10:12; John 15:6). ~ Dr. Peter Ruckman, Ruckman Reference Bible
Can we say, “OUCH”? The Solaris mantra: IF WE CAN FACE IT, WE CAN FIX IT begs the question, “How can those who refuse to face the present, prepare us for the future?”
With all love and respect, without Loyalty, Accountability, and Honor there is ZERO credibility. On the other hand, “if Jesus is credible,” then, my friends, you will surely find Him HERE! And, if God puts on your heart to help those who save children by donating to Peace of Heaven, you can donate directly, or mail your donation payable to Orange Strong (POH in memo) PO Box 843 Warwick, NY 10090 and I’ll be happy to hand deliver it to Pastor Dave at the conference next month! Remember our true heroes tomorrow! God Bless America!
Standupnsing 