win_them

IODIZED or RADICALIZED
You are the salt of the earth: but
if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted?
#thirdgreatawakening
#thesoulwinnersfire
#winthem

BIBLES

BULLETS, BELIEFS & BIGOTRY
"when man becomes god"

Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

Some gun-owners believe they have the right to participate in law-enforcement by 'avenging' wrongs. Others believe that their weapons are necessary for military style protection against tyrants.

The Gun lobby and the Gay lobby have this in common, they want freedom to pursue rights. Bullets and beliefs without oversight however, are usually a bad mix. It seems that the mass murderer in the Orlando shooting acted on his beliefs about gays, god and guns.

We can legislate gay rights and gun rights but can we legislate beliefs ?

"the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness . . . when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened" - Romans 1

IMHO the issue is always about beliefs. It is clear that the rule of law is what preserves order in our civilized society and the use of force is a necessary element in keeping that order. The availability of 'fire-power' is critical to maintaining the peace.

Religious bigotry takes the law in its own hand - in the name of god. The man and his gun becomes the god.

Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law . . . knowing the time, that it is high time to awake out of sleep: now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. - Romans 13

unreal

CHURCH & STATE
Secular Humanism: the belief that humanity is capable of morality and self-fulfillment without belief in God. - "good without God".

He is a Christian
What does this mean?

X not equal Y
Not X not equal Y
Not Y not equal X

The current election cycle is bringing into focus the need to identity different "belief systems".

In a so-called pluralist society it can be difficult to separate the underlying beliefs that inform government social policy.

It has become clear to some observers that as our government struggles to manage the claims of competing cultures it may "gain the whole world" and "lose it's own soul".

In this 'new' environment of cultural confusion, some Christian leaders are afraid to talk about the exclusivity of the gospel of Jesus Christ and His message of "the kingdom".

As a belief system REAL CHRISTIANITY is INTOLERANT to the point of being extremely offensive to many.

The average Christian today is content to be a christian 'sympathizer'. So that we may speak about our elected leaders as 'being christian'. The fact of the matter is the 'path' of REAL CHRISTIANITY has become extremely dangerous. In the face of the many militant movements that abound in our culture the voice of REAL CHRISTIANITY is not just being drowned out but is being actively silenced ! The passive 'quietism' demonstrated in some 'Christian' circles makes mockery of the teaching of the biblical Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

Secular humanists believe that man can be good without God. Muslims believe that man must be ruled by strict laws or face the penalties; to which REAL CHRISTIANITY says what?

Choices of individuals in the upcoming election will reflect their
beliefs. What do you believe ?

wives

As mother to two sons and grandmother to six grandsons, Mary Colbert has thought a lot about the types of women she would want them to wed. Filled with humor and insight, Colbert reveals 13 types of women men should avoid. At the same time she holds a mirror up for women to search themselves to see if they might be: Blinded Brenda, Holy Holly, Prideful Peggy, Addicted Debbie, Married Mindy, Lazy Lucille, Nervous Nellie, Dominating Donna, Trophy Tina, Chatty Cathy, Broke-as-a-Joke Julie, Lying Linda, Sad Sally.

http://amzn.to/1UMC8vv

incomplete

CONTINUE
Am I an unfinished product?
If example is the pattern for the product, how close to completion am I ?

"he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold." - Job 23:10

Some would argue that if you are not a perfect example you then you are a hypocrite and should "shut up" about the things of God.

This kind of thinking has kept many struggling Christians "sitting on the sidelines".

THIS I DONT WANT TO BE A HYPOCRITE line is an old trick of the devil that has worked very well to SILENCE the believer.

I may not be a perfect example of the "finished product" but I am example of a "work in progress"
ALWAYS IMPROVING.

Yesterday after NINE MONTHS I completed my thirteen week discipleship training.

Am I any better off now than I was last September? God has all kinds of ways of getting through to us. I said to my patient mentor brother Bill.

"NINE MONTHS ? hhhhmmmm
That's the typical length of a
PREGNANCY !!!

So completing this course is only the beginning of something new that God is working on that will "grow up" to full maturity.

Thank you Brother Bill for "bringing this to term". Thank you brother Steve for keeping this program going. Thank you brother Ken for being my "trial balloon". Thank you Pastor Cary for being faithful to the task of "making disciples". Thank you Brother Chappell for being the example of 'staying the course'.
My prayer and hope: TO CONTINUE.

sure

COVENANT - a formal agreement that caused (or implied) several things:

1. First, a covenant defined (or sometimes created) a relationship. This relationship might be between a king and his vassal states, between a deity and his nation, between two humans, etc.

2. Some covenants are conditional (if one party does A, then the other party will do B), just as with a present-day contract. But generally, ancient covenants are unconditional (each party commits to a certain action, regardless of whether the other party keeps the covenant).

3. Covenants often included the slaughter of animals as a symbol of their significance.

4. Unlike present-day contracts, covenants often carried no expiration date. Thus the parties were understood to be bound by the covenant until death (or forever, in the case of covenants with God).

5. A contract is enforced by the civil government; a covenant is regulated by God.

6. A contract involves the exchange of property or actions; a covenant binds two parties together personally.

------------------------

May The God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

theethicapp

DIVINE COMMAND (theory?)
Before knowledge there IS belief.

"the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."

In the context of human society, there is a need for order. All men though 'created equal' will not remain equals. Authority structures emerge and with them 'command chain'. The birth of human government.

'Authority structure' becomes "political machine". All modern societies have them. Parliamentary kinds of meetings and Congressional deliberation happen religiously - worldwide.

If Moral authority is the 'fuel' of these political machines; how is this authority derived? From the 'science' of statescraft?

They derive from ethic. Personal ethics are individual beliefs.
Laws of nature and natures God.
Nature observed, God revealed.

Revelation begins by a personal acceptance or "acknowledging"
an 'interacting' designer/creator.
Modern advances in robotics and computer engineering give a better "paradigm" for understanding human experience as an interactive-telecomunicating-hardware-software-data-storing-algorithmic-universal-God-man kind of situation.

If man begins as a scientist observing nature in a simple childlike manner; he must 'grow up'. He must become a believer.

"that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made". ROMANS 1

Knowledge as fact, is:
1. Mathematically provable
2. Empirically verifiable
3. Rationally defensible

BELEIF as truth is not fact.
It is either accepted or rejected.
It is faith. The Faith - a belief system.

John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

THE BIBLE IS A
BOOK OF BELIEFS
(analogy: software, computer instruction code)

"The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes." - PSALM 19

Kings and other potentates, have always kept a significant cadre of "wise men". This 'advisory' group included an assortment of magicians, sorcerers, stargazers and 'soothsaying' types as might be equivalent to modern day think tanks.

We became more adept at systematizing and recording our observation of physical universe, we began a slow and steady drift away from the idea of God as a creator and controller of universe.

We move beyond the realm of belief, we 'plant our feet' firmly in the realm of knowledge. Thus 'scientific' stage happens developmentally as socialization in modern community. Superstition, suspicion and conjecture give way to hard cold fact. We become as God.

"the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil."

A NEED FOR EXPLANATION
What are the claims of science?
We have better 'control', now we are predicting with increasing accuracy.
We need no more be at the mercy of 'the elements'. We can tell when the storms are coming. We no longer fear the dark or the wind and thunder bothers us less. We have our own lights. Who needs the sun?

"he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws."
BOOK OF DANIEL

Priests and prophets are now presidents of banks and nations and of institutions of 'higher learning'; and God? . . . irrelevant.
Man is god, we seek to change "times and laws".

Not really. It seems as if we have been "time-locked". We are all dying.
Death - scientifically unexplainable.

BELIEF IN DIVINE COMMAND:
Genesis 2:17 (TORAH) The tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

"And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever" . . . Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden.

FINDING GOD -
QUESTIONING GOD &
"WALKING BY FAITH"
who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? - ROMANS 9

OPERATING SYSTEM or
HUMAN INSTRUCTION MANUAL?
John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

PURPOSE
Micah 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

CONCLUSION
Ecclesiastes 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

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Oldest

FATHERING & FATHERHOOD
getting back to basics

Proverbs 23:10 Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless: For their redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee.

Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge. Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.


Psalms 11:3 If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?

SUBJECTION ?
Lawlessness
Rebellion
Disobedience

Foundation of family
failure is failure to teach.

IS CHURCH FOUNDED ON FAMILY?
A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; . . . 4One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)

IS FAMILY A MISSION
OF CHURCH?

LAW & ORDER - Why societies fail?
Societies fail when families fail
Families fail when fathers fail
Fathers fail when churches fail
Churches fail when bishops fail to teach biblical obedience in family life

What are we teaching children
about marriage? As we expect them to OBEY us as parents do we demonstrate bible spousal obedience as we teach them?

Sowing seed in "good ground"



HAVE THE FATHERS TAUGHT?
If you love me keep my commands
Gives us a clue. Love involves
INSTRUCTION !!!! Plus
Findeth a wife - must search
Obey - oops
Are the older women teaching?

Proverbs 18:22 Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the Lord.

Titus 2:3 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; 4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

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fatherly

"Lord, shew us the Father,
and it sufficeth us." - John 14:8

PATERNAL PATTERN ?
Does the father really matter?

John 8:38 I speak that which I have seen with my Father: 
and you do that which you have seen with
your father.

See, saith he, that thou make all things 
according to the pattern shewed to thee

I do nothing of myself; but
as my Father hath taught
me, I speak these things

in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, 
for a pattern to them which should hereafter 
believe on him to life everlasting.

In all things shewing thyself
a pattern of good works

I honour my Father, and
you do dishonour me.

the works that I do in my Father's name, 
they bear witness of me.


John 10:30 I and my Father are one

Father-like, he tends and spares us;
well our feeble frame he knows;
in his hand he gently bears us,
rescues us from all our foes.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Widely yet his mercy flows.
http://bit.ly/1VQEKvt

Why is it that some mothers
only celebrate Mother's Day
and some fathers only celebrate
Father's Day? Bias I suppose . . .

BTW I also noticed that some
fathers only celebrate Mother's Day.
THE MOTHERS WHO ONLY
CELEBRATE FATHERS DAY
. . . Are extremely rare !

HALF & HALF?
he made it home
on one lung (legend?)
and a half a kidney
(perhaps)
no eyes. Ears
were good.
Legs? Shaky
mind, foggy
. . . but, he
made It home !!!!

WILL YOU/ME
MAKE IT HOME?

Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this 
very thing, that he which hath begun a 
good work in you will perform it 
until the day of Jesus Christ

Hurt

THE PROBLEM WITH PAIN
it may be harmful if ignored
Leprosy affected feeling

Every two minutes someone is diagnosed with leprosy. It causes nerve damage and muscle weakness that can lead to deformities, crippling, blindness and isolation.

Many Americans think leprosy no longer exists. But, in 2014, 121 countries reported new cases of leprosy.
http://bit.ly/1YP0O7w

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text

THE TEXT IS GOOD

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. - Colossians 3:16

TEXT
We must read and memorize
scripture texts ~ all the time !

TEACHING
We must study and understand
the scripture texts - always

TESTED
beliefs that come from the text
are tested and proven by our action

TESTIFY
We must talk/ tell what we know
a witness is one who tells, testifies.

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me . . . - Acts 1:8

FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT EQUALS
FILLED WITH THE WORD; SAME RESULTS ARE PRODUCED !
be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; - Ephesians 5:18-19

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Notes

The Amos House
Self sufficiency

A FATHER'S BUSINESS
Unemployed & underemployed

Meet fathers where they are

Barriers to betterment
Relationship
care
transportation

Develop and launch

HARTBEAT
Sustainability
Commitment & Follow through

Market
Pricing structure
Implement strategy
Management
Finance
Evaluation

READY
WILLING
ABLE

The Harwood Report

A successful dad
A good-fit assessment
My next move - O*NET

HOUSING

Non custodial parents
Arrearages
Certified fatherhood programs

3 years running a fathers business

Educating the father
Becoming a man
Welcoming the male parent

The learning journey

Overcoming the challenges

Creating a climate and a culture
Of caring and helpfulness

Functional fathers
Symptoms of Father failure

Father failure is family failure

JAMES PERRY
Steve Perry

Promote collaboration among human services agencies, workforce agencies, and educational institutions to encourage service delivery that addresses outcomes for both parents and their children.
http://1.usa.gov/22mQ1E3

SUPPORTS CT STATEWIDE
Fatherhood Initiative.

Facilitating Access to Justice
Timely conflict resolution
Fairness & the Perception of fairness

Professionalism • Integrity • Respect • Fairness • Mediation • Funding
http://1.usa.gov/1M8qquu

a meaningful program process that instills a high standard of accountability and an expectation of responsibility on the part of the offender. Privileges and awards are earned and any offender who fails to meet the set standards will engage in a process of corrective action.
http://1.usa.gov/1QYvyjV

Fatherhood Firewall
Michael Williams
Moving from awareness to action

https://m.facebook.com/Resource-Portal-Region-6-RAC-223173644686605/


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Depend

INDEPENDENCE ?
Psalms 103:13 Like as a
father pitieth his children,
so the Lord pitieth them
that fear him.

It was my turn to watch
the grand baby today.
I had forgotten how
helpless a ten
month old is.

PITY is the best word to
describe my attitude although
there were some pretty
self-destructive things that
he tried to do. (Pulling heavy
stuff off the table, eating dirty
stuff off the ground).

I don't think he knows the
meaning of the word DEPENDENT.

As far as earthly fathers are concerned we often forget that
we are 100% DEPENDENT.

"For he knoweth our frame;
he remembereth that
we are dust."

The recent passing of the
popular entertainer "Prince"
and the controversy surrounding
his death remind me of these
6 words at the end of first John :

"Little children, keep
yourselves from idols."


THE PRACTICE OF
DAILY CONSTANT
PRAYER KEEPS
US IN THE PLACE OF
TOTAL DEPENDENCE
ON OUR
HEAVENLY
FATHER.


1 Thessalonians 5:17
Pray without ceasing.

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Teach

AM I TEACHABLE ?

1. I will glady receive - Acts 2:40
2. I receive with meekness - James 1
3. I am "fruitful" - Matt. 3:8,10
4. I grow more/much - John 15:8

Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

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older

Journalist Michael Kinsley — the founder of Slate and former editor of Harper's and The New Republic — says he's a "scout for his generation." Kinsley was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease when he was in his 40s. Now in his 60s, he writes that he had the opportunity to experience old age before the rest of his fellow baby boomers.

"There are far worse medical conditions than Parkinson's, and there are far worse cases of Parkinson's than mine," he writes, "But what I have, at the level I have it, is an interesting foretaste of our shared future.

TWICE A CHILD

drunk

HOUSTON, we have a problem !
I just got off talking to mom
It's seems to be on both sides.
http://bit.ly/1Vwz4GV

Understanding the natural history of a disease or disorder provides information critical for assessment and intervention, and for the development of effective prevention strategies.

Alcohol use disorders represent a broad continuum, ranging from periodic problematic overuse to chronic, progressive alcohol dependence.

Clinicians categorize individuals based on standardized criteria (i.e., abuse vs. dependence). Alcohol use disorders in the general population and different clinical settings range in frequency, severity, and symptoms.

Developing an awareness of the natural history of alcohol use disorders helps social workers to identify persons at risk, why they are at risk, what might be done to alleviate risk, and what treatment strategies prove to be most effective.

Alcoholism is a complex disorder with many pathways leading to its development.

Genetic and other biological factors are likely involved in the emergence of alcohol dependence, along with cognitive, behavioral, temperament, psychological, and sociocultural factors.

Alcohol use patterns, including alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence, are 'familial' in nature.

Alcohol use and the presence of alcoholism are often found within the same family, running from parent to child and across multiple generations of biologically related individuals.

While genetic and other biological factors cannot fully explain the presence or absence of alcohol use disorders, their contribution to susceptibility for developing alcohol use problems appears to be significant.
http://1.usa.gov/1S1QSa9