Quote On Reformation and Revival by Francis A. Schaeffer

"The Church in our generation needs reformation, revival, and constructive revolution. At times men think of the two words, reformation and revival, as standing in contrast one to the other, but this is a mistake. Both words are related to the word restore.
Reformation refers to a restoration to pure doctrine; revival refers to a restoration in the Christian life. Reformation speaks of a return to the teachings of scripture; revival speaks of a life brought into its proper relationship to the Holy Spirit.
The great moments of Church history have come when these two restorations have simultaneously come into action so that the Church has returned to pure doctrine and the lives of the Christian in the Church have known the power of the Holy Spirit. There cannot be true revival unless there has been reformation; and reformation is not complete without revival.
Such a combination of reformation and revival would be revolutionary in our day-revolutionary in our individual lives as Christians, revolutionary not only in reference to liberal Church but constructively revolutionary in the evangelical, orthodox church as well.
May we be those who know the reality of both reformation and revival so that this poor dark world may have an exhibition of a portion of the Church returned to both pure doctrine and Spirit-filled life."
Death in the City by Francis A. Schaeffer, InterVarsity Press, 1969-1976, Page 12

Epistle of Temp #43

The new job is going well. I am Temp #43. As mentioned before I am employed with a temp agency and assigned to a snack foods production plant were we make snack foods of peanuts, almonds and cashews. Forget the peanut scare. That was across the Al-Ga. border.
I have a one hour lunch which I am not used to, were I can read. I'm in the process of reading "100 Days in the Arena by David Winter. I is divided in to 100 days of reading using quotes and writings from the early church fathers. (example: Polycarp...etc.)
Here is one that is good,"When I put off the old, that I had longed to lose, then I put on the new, the Lord Christ, whom I had longed to find..." Day 43 Augustine of Hippo (The readings are longer centered around the quotes)
I printed a copy of the letter of Polycarp to the Philippians. It is mostly quotes from other scriptures, but it is a valuable link to the early teachings of the Disciples.
We are studying in Church the Holy Spirit and how to be Baptized, Filled and lead-by Him.
I hope to write soon on these issues as used in the workplace. Your comments are needed.

Employed Again

I started work last monday at Bremner Food Group here in Dothan. I am working through Personal Resources.
I would like to thank all those who prayed for me and offered encouragement.
I realize in our present economy this job could be gone. But one thing I have learned and that is not to put our trust in Companies, people, or government. Unless the Lord is using such in His grand work in our lives.
I have heard many say things like," If we give God our best, He will give us His best" and when commenting on volunteering at church that,"we will get paid in the end". Well I am here to say that the Lord has already given His best. And yes the Bible has a lot to say about sowing and reeping. And that is good. But we must grow in our faith to the point where our giving is because we love the Lord and He has already given our best. When we come to this point we can truly trust in God to take care of us. My children do not have to do anything for us to take care of them. So why do we think we must give in order to get from our heavenly Father.

Unemployed Again: Update

Still have not found any "Paying" work. Had some problem with my unemployment claim, but it is now resovled.I have been volunteering at the "Ark Ministry Center" where I ateend Church. And my Brother-n-law and wife have been teaching me furniture uphostery.I have been reading a book intitled "Shattered Vocations", it has sparked in me an old calling.I am at the point where the job-for-pay is not that emprtant. To find a job that will provide for my family and help me to keep in miostry without support from the Church. A "tentmaking ministry".So I am open to anything as long as it keeps me in my calling. I interviewed with Cook's Pest Control last Wedensday. It went good. I did not know that Cook's was a christian based company. They let me know that right off-the-bat. That was refreshing.Anyway, thanks for the prayers and support. Wayne

Unemployed Again

Once again I find myself unemployed. Dunbarton Corp in Dothan layed about 32 of us off because of lack of work. (So order some Slimfold doors and Redi-frame door frames) I left this time with my head high and trying to please the Lord. They informed us well in advance that they were going to do it. By seniority. When they called me in to give me the bad news, I told them that they were just doing their jobs and that I understood how hard it was. I have had to hire and fire many in my life. I asked them if I could pray with them and they consented. Afterwards I went to each Manager and supervisor that I had had and told them I appreciated the chance to work for them.
When asked what I would do from my co-workers , I replied that I would do what I had did when I took the job. Trust God. The company could knock God off His throne.
So here I am unemployed and trying to be lead by the Holy Spirit in my job hunt.
I know this sounds really weird to you unbelievers, but if you have a better way, let me know. I've tried it all on my own and it did not work.
That is the lesson that we as a nation will learn. No man or group can heal our land. Until we admit that we need God to pull us out of the mess we got ourselves into.
I pray for you Mr. President, but
You can not bring real change,
You can not bring real hope,
Only the Lord Jesus can.
Yes you made History, but it is not as big as the history Jesus Christ will make when He returns.

No Real Change and No Real Hope

I got this email the other day and wanted to commit. I see a lot of truth here. It is a shame that we really have not come far at all. Yes we have a black president, but wouldn't it be great to be such a nation that race did not even make a difference. Did not MLK dream mean that there would not be a difference. I beg to say that there will not be any real change until Jesus Christ rules in our leader's hearts and HOPE is only found in Him (Jesus).
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"WHITE" Pride"
This is great. I have been wondering about why Whites are racists, and no other race is.....
Proud to be White Michael Richards makes his point..............
Michael Richards better known as Kramer from TVs Seinfeld does make a good point.
This was his defense speech in court after making racial comments in his comedy act.
He makes some very interesting points... Someone finally said it.
How many are actually paying attention to this?
There are African Americans, Mexican Americans, Asian Americans, Arab Americans, etc.
And then there are just Americans.
You pass me on the street and sneer in my direction.
You call me 'White boy,' 'Cracker,' 'Honkey,' 'Whitey,' 'Caveman'... and that's OK.
But when I call you, Nigger, Kike, Towel head, Sand-nigger, Camel Jockey, Beaner, Gook, or Chink ..
You call me a racist.
You say that whites commit a lot of violence against you... so why are the ghettos the most dangerous places to live?
You have the United Negro College Fund.
You have Martin Luther King Day.
You have Black History Month.
You have Cesar Chavez Day.
You have Yom Hashoah.
You have Ma'uled Al-Nabi.
You have the NAACP.
You have BET...
If we had WET (White Entertainment Television), we'd be racists.
If we had a White Pride Day, you would call us racists.
If we had White History Month, we'd be racists.
If we had any organization for only whites to 'advance' OUR lives, we'd be racists.
You have a Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, a Black Chamber of Commerce, and then we just have the plain Chamber of Commerce.
Wonder who pays for that??
A white woman could not be in the Miss Black American pageant, but any color can be in the Miss America pageant.
If we had a college fund that only gave white students scholarships...
You know we'd be racists.
There are over 60 openly proclaimed Black Colleges in the US .
Yet if there were 'White colleges', that would be a racist college.
In the Million Man March, you believed that you were marching for your race and rights.
If we marched for our race and rights, you would call us racists.
You are proud to be black, brown, yellow and orange, and you're not afraid to announce it.
But when we announce our white pride, you call us racists.
You rob us, carjack us, and shoot at us.
But, when a white police officer shoots a black gang member or beats up a black drug dealer running from the law and posing a threat to society, you call him a racist.
I am proud... But you call me a racist.
Why is it that only whites can be racists??
There is nothing improper about this e-mail.
Let's see which of you are proud enough to send it on.
I sadly don't think many will.
That's why we have LOST most of OUR RIGHTS in this country.
We won't stand up for ourselves!
BE PROUD TO BE WHITE!
It's not a crime YET... but getting very close!

Welcome to Obamastan

Here is a fine example to what we have coming. We as a nation (although I did not vote for him) have choosen what he says he will put in our pockets in stead of moral conduct. God will give us what we want, but in the end we will see it isn't what will help us. We will all have to make a dicission on who or what we will trust. Obama, our jobs, our government, ourselves or The Lord. I choose God/Jesus.
Those who voted for Obama and put him in office will give account to God for every unborn murdered in his administration. I will answer for the war, I can deal with that. Can you deal with millions of death babies.
There is no HOPE outside of Jesus!!!
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Obama reverses Bush abortion-funds policy
By LIZ SIDOTI and MATTHEW LEE, Associated Press Writers Liz Sidoti And Matthew Lee, Associated Press Writers 23 mins ago
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama on Friday struck down the Bush administration's ban on giving federal money to international groups that perform abortions or provide abortion information — an inflammatory policy that has bounced in and out of law for the past quarter-century. Obama's executive order, the latest in an aggressive first week reversing contentious Bush policies, was warmly welcomed by liberal groups and denounced by abortion rights foes.
The ban has been a political football between Democratic and Republican administrations since GOP President Ronald Reagan first adopted it 1984. Democrat Bill Clinton ended the ban in 1993, but Republican George W. Bush re-instituted it in 2001 as one of his first acts in office.
A White House spokesman, Bill Burton, said Obama signed the executive order, without coverage by the media, late on Friday afternoon. The abortion measure is a highly emotional one for many people, and the quiet signing was in contrast to the televised coverage of Obama's Wednesday announcement on ethics rules and Thursday signing of orders on closing the Guantanamo Bay prison camp and banning torture in the questioning of terror suspects.
His action came one day after the 36th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion.
The Bush policy had banned U.S. taxpayer money, usually in the form of Agency for International Development funds, from going to international family planning groups that either offer abortions or provide information, counseling or referrals about abortion as a family planning method.
Critics have long held that the rule unfairly discriminates against the world's poor by denying U.S. aid to groups that may be involved in abortion but also work on other aspects of reproductive health care and HIV/AIDS, leading to the closure of free and low-cost rural clinics.
Supporters of the ban say that the United States still provides millions of dollars in family planning assistance around the world and that the rule prevents anti-abortion taxpayers from backing something they believe is morally wrong.
The ban has been known as the "Mexico City policy" for the city a U.S. delegation first announced it at a U.N. International Conference on Population.
Both Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who will oversee foreign aid, had promised to do away with the rule during the presidential campaign. Clinton visited the U.S. Agency for International Development earlier Friday but made no mention of the step, which had not yet been announced.
In a move related to the lifting of the abortion rule, Obama is also expected to restore funding to the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA), probably in the next federal budget. Both he and Clinton had pledged to reverse a Bush administration determination that assistance to the organization violated U.S. law known as the Kemp-Kasten amendment.
The Bush administration had barred U.S. money from the fund, to contending that its work in China supported a Chinese family planning policy of coercive abortion and involuntary sterilization. UNFPA has vehemently denied that it does.
Congress had appropriated $40 million to the UNFPA in the past budget year but the administration had withheld the money as it had done every year since 2002.
Organizations and lawmakers that had pressed Obama to rescind the Mexico City policy were jubilant.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the move "will help save lives and empower the poorest women and families to improve their quality of life and their future."
"Today's announcement is a very powerful signal to our neighbors around the world that the United States is once again back in the business of good public policy and ideology no longer blunts our ability to save lives around the globe," said Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Population Action International, an advocacy group, said that the policy had "severely impacted" women's health and that the step "will help reduce the number of unintended pregnancies, abortions and women dying from high-risk pregnancies because they don't have access to family planning."
Anti-abortion groups and lawmakers condemned Obama's decision.
"I have long supported the Mexico City Policy and believe this administration's decision to be counter to our nation's interests," said Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
"Coming just one day after the 36th anniversary of the tragic Roe v. Wade decision, this presidential directive forces taxpayers to subsidize abortions overseas — something no American should be required by government to do," said House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio.
Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., called it "morally wrong to take the taxpayer dollars of millions of pro-life Americans to promote abortion around the world."
"President Obama not long ago told the American people that he would support policies to reduce abortions, but today he is effectively guaranteeing more abortions by funding groups that promote abortion as a method of population control," said Douglas Johnson, legislative director of the National Right to Life Committee.
___
AP White House Correspondent Jennifer Loven contributed to this report.
ocia http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090123/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_abortion_ban

Miracle on the Hudson

The news reports of "Good Morning America" did reports and interviews on the landing of the plane in the Hudson River yesterday. The title of the coverage was, "Miracle On The Hudson". After all the interviews and reports. The conclusion was that thanks to the pilot (an ex-fighter pilot), plane attendants and heroic passengers, no one was lost. Truly the training of the crew and experience of 9/11 played a valuable part in the success of the rescue.
To say it was a miracle would be a misuse of the word. A "miracle" is something that can not be explained in human terms. Amazing as the incident was and wonderful that no one was drowned. The whole success could be explained as the heroic actions of everyone involved. Down to the boats that were ready to respond as soon as the plane hit the water. Miracle, no. If the plane had burst into flames and flew into a building instead of an expert pilot steering it into the water and all survived, that would have been a miracle.
Now I'm not belittling the actions of the heroes that took charge and saved the day. They deserve their credit for a great job done. But it was not a miracle.
Only the Lord God, Jesus does real miracles. And the vain use of the word has belittled it's meaning. I have expereinced miracles first hand. They do exsist. And a lot of God's workings may not be called a miracle. The fact that the harbor boats were right there within close ranage could be crideted to God's working, but not a miracle.
I beleive in the next couple of years we will re-dicover the meaning of this overused misunderstood work. MIRACLE

Being The New Testament Church, Part 3 Being Added

“… and that same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.”
Acts 2:41b

After those that heard Peter and believed in the massage he spoke, the messege of Christ crucified and risen, there were about 3,000 souls added to their number. It is interesting to see that the 3 thousand were called souls and not persons or bodies.
In manufacturing when we need an unskilled person to perform small tasks in order to keep regular employees doing their production work, we call on a “temp” agency to provide these persons. These persons are referred to as “warm bodies”. Now not all temp laborers are in this category. Most go on to prove them-selves and gain employment with the company that has contracted them. I have worked as a temp and after being proven reliable, gained a full time job. But those who do not push for a steady job and are just content them-selves to a pay-per-day get by day-by-day attitude moving from job-to-job are the “warm bodies” of the industry. They work to get what they can and move on.
The industry is looking for those who apply themselves and work for the betterment of them-selves and the company. Seeing that they are both hand-n-hand.
They want those who commit their whole soul or mind, emotions and intellect to the enterprise.
The adding to the Church is that same way. The Lord wishes to add those who will commit their whole soul to the Church. He wants those who will give mind, emotions and intellect to the growth of the Church. Committed to the growth of themselves and others. Seeing that they are all the same in His eyes. One cannot grow with out the other.
Disturbingly the Church as a whole is full of “warm bodies” that only come to fill their own needs. And when the group stops providing the fulfillment, they move on to the next group doing as little as possible for the most they can get. They go for the preaching until they think they have heard it all before. They go to put their kids in the nursery until some other kid makes theirs mad or the attendant doesn’t do like they want. They attend so they can put their teens in a youth group so the youth pastor can straighten out the mess they have made with their youth. And when he or she cannot do the impossible, they move on.
We need those the Lord has added to our number, committed to the full success of the New Testament Church. They will be givers that can also take a gift and use it for the glory of the Lord.
This is all a part of being the New Testament Church.