MOVED!

Hey All!

I've officially moved on over to a Wordpress blog (I'm still learning, but it has some great features to utilize!)-- so come visit me:

NEW blog-- gracefilledsaltseasoned.wordpress.com

Jewish Teaching Doesn't Command a Welfare State

Letters to the Editor in today's Wall Street Journal. I agree...and it frustrates me when Judeo-Christian values are distorted to prop up welfare state initiatives.

I am a proud Jewish conservative who took part in the Sept. 12 march on Washington. I take exception to your Sept. 14 letter writers, responding to Norman Podhoretz's "Why Are Jews Liberals?" (op-ed, Sept. 11), who use the Jewish religion to explain their extreme liberalism.

My religion teaches that the highest form of charity is giving a person independence (work) so that he or she will not have to depend on charity. Creating a government that makes people dependent on a nanny state from cradle to grave is far from what my ancestors had in mind.

Rita Lilie, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.

It is true that social justice and compassion are deeply rooted in Judaism, but not in the way modern liberal thinking would have you believe. Giving charity is a Jewish tradition, part of a large body of commandments in the Torah called mitzvahs. What the secular Jewish world seems to misunderstand is that mitzvahs are responsibilities incumbent upon each and every Jew, and are personal ones. They are not responsibilities that can be delegated to an agency, like the government. One cannot perform a mitzvah by having the government take one person's property and give it to another. That is not charity or a mitzvah, even though it may make a liberal person feel good.

And there is no argument in the Torah that requires that all people be made materially equal. On the contrary, the Torah recognizes and promotes the value of individual excellence and achievement and requires that those who achieve make provision for those unable to achieve, but the requirement of equality of result is not found in the Torah. The Torah demands personal responsibility from all Jews at whatever station they hold in life. Thus, socialist and statist arguments, while often espoused by secular liberal Jews, represent a misunderstanding of the Torah and Jewish values.

Paul C. Ross, Rydal, Pa.

All of the letters essentially state that Jews are liberal because the religion teaches concern for the poor and disadvantaged. I agree but strongly contend that the policies suggested and currently being enacted by the government will in the long run do just the opposite.

Over the past 150 years classical liberalism and free-market capitalism revolutionized economies and did more to improve the conditions of the poor than any other competing system. Many of the current proposals are undermining the economy and will adversely affect all segments of society.

A basic religious teaching is that we should learn to control our appetite for immediate gratification in order to gain extended benefits.

Abraham Irwin, Passaic, N.J.

Nowhere does the Bible instruct us to tax others and rely on government to feed the hungry and clothe the naked. In fact, the able-bodied are required to work for the aid they receive. The Book of Ruth says the poor are to gather the after-gleanings left in the field, not wait idly for someone else to do it for them.

If the modern welfare state operated this way, the result would be less poverty and a lower cost to society.

Ken Powell, Munster, Ind.

My Enemy, My Brother

Isaiah 49:5-6
And now the LORD says— He who formed me in the womb to be His servant to bring Jacob back to Him and gather Israel to Himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD and my God has been my strength-
He says: "It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth."

I've mentioned Joel Rosenberg before, but he's doing amazing things for the LORD so he's totally worth mentioning again :)

Check out the foreword he wrote for My Enemy, My Brother. In Joel's mass email today, he wrote:

We all know how dangerous it is when a Palestinian boy becomes a Radical Muslim and a devout follower of jihad. But have you ever stopped to consider just how beautiful -- indeed, miraculous -- it is when a Palestinian boy becomes a Revivalist and a devout follower of Jesus instead?

A fascinating new book, My Enemy, My Brother, has just been published that was written by a Palestinian man who was born and raised in Jerusalem. You're not likely to hear about it on the Today show or Good Morning America. But I commend to your attention. I have known the author, Hanna Shahin, for nearly two decades, and I can tell you first hand that his is an extraordinary and must-read story.

During the 1967 war, as the fighting between Jordanians and Israelis was at its most intense in the battle for the Holy City, Hanna begged God to save all the members of his family from death, and if God did that, he promised to serve the Lord in full-time ministry for the rest of his life. In a series of gripping events that Hanna shares in the book, the Lord heard that prayer and answered it in an amazing way. In time, Hanna went on not only to become a minister of the gospel, but one of the most influential Revivalists in the region, using the power of radio broadcasting to beam the good news of Jesus' love and mercy to untold Muslims and nominal Christians throughout the epicenter.

It was my honor to write the foreword to this book at Hanna's request, and I have posted it on my weblog to give you a sense of the man and his message. I hope you will take a look at it, and pick up a copy of Hanna's book from Amazon or your favorite Christian bookstore, as well as consider sharing one with a friend.

Excerpt from Joel's foreword....

The book you hold in your hands is, at its core, a love story – one of the most beautiful and powerful I have ever read.

It is the story of God’s extraordinary love for a Palestinian boy in Jerusalem, a boy who grew up lonely and sad and afraid until one day Jesus Christ personally reached out and took this little boy into His arms and told him, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have drawn you with lovingkindness.”

It is the story of a young man who becomes transformed by Christ’s love, a young man both called and compelled to share the good news of that powerful love and amazing grace with his fellow Palestinians, and eventually with the entire Arabic speaking world.

I'll certainly read this...let me know if you pick it up, too!

Sovereign LORD

Over the last few months, I have become much more aware of the sovereignty of the Lord. I want to share some of the stories that stand out as a testimony in my life to the absolute and supreme power of God.

“In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” Proverbs 16:9

I love planning. I hate surprises. I like to think out the consequences of any decision, create alternative plans and think a few steps ahead. When I was younger, my mother would praise this attribute in me—being a planner is not a bad quality.

But this often manifests itself as a desire to “be in control” of my life. I am not in control though— the Lord is the only one actually “in control”. Proverbs 19: 21—I can make plans all day, decide my steps—but ultimately the Lord's will prevails.

Some might throw up their hands in distress and frustration—but this gives me great comfort. My own heart is deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9) but the Lord is holy and perfect. Psalm 119 speaks a lot to burying our hearts in the will of the Lord—

Verse 2: “Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.”

Verse 7: “I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws.”

Verse 10: “I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.”

Verse 11: “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

Verse 30: “I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws.”

Verse 32: “I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.”

Verse 34: Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart.”

Verse 36: “Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain.”

Verse 58: “I have sought your face with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise.”

Verse 69: “Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies, I keep your precepts with all my heart.”

Verses 70, 111, 112, 145 and 161 also pray for the condition of our heart. Over 15 times in ONE Psalm, man’s heart is mentioned—must be pretty important.

This truth—that my heart is deceitful against the Lord-- was shoved in my face while in London. Anxiety and a fearful heart grip me. I have become an expert at orchestrating my situation so as to avoid fear. I purposely live in a “safe” neighborhood with the police station literally around the corner. I carry pepper spray and have it prepared in my hand when I have to walk a block from the metro to my place at night. When both my roommates are out of town at the same time, I either ask a girl friend to come over and stay or I leave and stay with someone else. The first thing I do when I go home is check my shower to make sure there is no one in it. I have become an expert at creating a superficial safety net.

But in London, I was stretched and pushed to the limit. While ministering one day on the street, I felt threatened, I felt vulnerable….and that night I didn’t sleep at all. I was paralyzed in fear. All I could think about was getting on a plane and going home. And this was only day four of our trip.

Through prayer and submission of my heart to the Lord, I had to start the process of learning to let go of my very superficial control. I am learning to pray about my deceitful, fearful heart—and to bury it in Word of the Lord. When I have those moments of ugliness—when I feel that fear coming on—I go straight to praying the name of Jesus and opening my Bible—usually to a Psalm.

Trusting in the Lord's sovereignty means bending my fearful heart to Him because we are sanctified by Jesus-- John 17: 15-19,

"My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified."

You are called BELOVED

A few months ago, I bought this necklace for myself with this verse (in Hebrew), " Ani L'Dodi Ve-Dodi Li," from Song of Songs 6:3 which translates, "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine."

I wear it almost everyday as a reminder of just how infinite the Lord's love is for all His children (Romans 9:25-26), including me, that He would look past all my sins, mistakes, disobedience and He would lovingly choose to call me BELOVED (Romans 5:8).

Tenth Avenue North has a song, Beloved, that connects Biblical truth in a powerful way with how much the Lord loves us.  I encourage you to listen to it and reflect on the words of the song...

Real Liberty: Freedom in Christ

Listening to the continued debate over health care reform, I came across an article on HotAir featuring Bishop Harry Jackson warning Christians that universal, government run health care is immoral. See Bishop Jackson's interview below:



This interview reminds me of a note on a friends Facebook, "I am free in Christ. I don't owe a single natural liberty to any military or politician." I think this is the heart of what Bishop Jackson is referring to in his interview comments...our freedom in Christ.

Romans 8:1 explains we are set free because of Christ Jesus-- He freed us from the law of sin and death. Because of Jesus, we do not live under the condemnation of the Old Testament law-- instead we live with Christ as co-heirs (Romans 8:17-17).

But in this freedom, we are not to squander it away. Galatians 5:1, "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery."

What is the yoke of slavery that we are to avoid? Anything that works to separate us from our relationship with Jesus. Romans 8:38-39 explains that nothing, absolutely nothing, "neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in ALL creation," can "separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

It is a form of bondage against our relationship with Jesus to be beholden to anyone other than Christ.

As Galatians 5:1 explains we are to use our freedom in Christ not to indulge our flesh, but "through love serve one another." It is not men or a government that we are working for, but the Lord (Colossians 3:23-24).


John 10:10, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." Life is lived to the full with Jesus Christ.

Come... and DIE

Now that I’ve been home for almost two weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to process and talk through some of the things that the Lord taught me. I want to share the praises, the prayers and the work that the Lord is doing in the South Asian communities of London. I am sure that this entry will be one a few about what happened while on mission.

First, I want to start with something that happened in one of our morning sessions.

We had the opportunity to ask the long term missionaries serving in London questions about their life, how the Lord called them to London, etc.

One of the women on our team asked an older, married mission couple: “What are your hopes and prayers for our generation?”

Her answer was simple and direct.

COME and DIE.

I thought about this the rest of our time there, and it’s been on my mind as I’ve walked back into life in D.C.

I’ve come to Jesus, but am I ready to die to Him? And what does it mean to die?

So far, I’ve been able to break about this idea of dying in two parts:

1) Jesus calls us to die and become a new creation in Him

2) Jesus calls us to literally be ready to lay down our lives for His glory.

1.) Dying and becoming a new creation in Him.

In Romans 12: 1-2, Paul writes for us to no longer conform to the pattern of this world, but to be transformed by renewing of our minds so that we can test and approve God’s will—and to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to God.

In 2 Corinthians 5: 16-21, Paul writes to the church of Corinth, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” We are NEW creations with Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit actively lives within us.

Lastly, 2 Corinthians 5: 15, “And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.” It stands out to me that we no longer live for ourselves but for HIM. Oswald Chambers writes, “God’s friendship is with people who know their poverty. He can accomplish nothing with the person who thinks that he is of use to God. As Christians we are not here for our own purpose at all— we are here for the purpose of God, and the two are not the same.”

2) Lay down your life and glorify God.

“Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.” (1 John 2:6) Jesus suffered and died—walking with Him involves being obedient.

And Jesus tells us in John 15:20, “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.”

Jesus calls us in Mark 8: 34, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Deny yourself. Take up your cross. Follow Jesus. Three steps. Are you trying to follow Jesus without denying yourself? Are you trying to follow Jesus without taking up your cross?

Christy Nockels “Life Light Up” song sums it up….

I may live and I may die
Either way you’re glorified
Bless the day I give my life away

Jesus denied Himself by going to the cross and dying for us. Has anyone ever said, “I wouldn’t ask you to do anything that I haven’t already done myself?” That’s what Jesus tells us. Are you ready to follow Him even if it hurts?

Romans 8:16-17 tells us that the reward is GREAT..."if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory."

God GIVES. God TAKES.

Job 1:21,

"Naked I came from my mother's womb,
and naked I will depart.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised."

Philippians 4: 4,

"Rejoice in the LORD always. I will say it again: REJOICE!"

Spiritual Warfare

This skit depicts for me the struggle between God and Satan. Luke 11: 24-26 explains,

"When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first."

This passage from Luke reminds me of just how persistent Satan (1 Peter 5:8) is to bring us down—when he see’s us chasing after the things of the Lord, he will aggressively wage warfare (Ephesians 6:12) on us.

But our God is all powerful. The victory has already been won with Jesus going to the cross for all our sins—past, present and future. We see this in the skit as it comes to a close—the girl is thrown out of the struggle and the man steps in to deal with the situation. Jesus dying and rising again ultimately throws us out of the struggle and into eternal life with the Father in heaven (Romans 5:8).

When we hand our lives over to Jesus, we are called to lives that shine for Him (Philippians 2:15), lives that are changed because we are ALIVE in Him and DEAD to sin.

Romans 6: 11-14,

“In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.”

Lastly, God gave us weapons and protection to combat the warfare that Satan wages—refer to Ephesians 6: 14-18 and put on the full armor of God!

Clip on Generosity

A friend posted this video on his blog and I felt moved to share it with all of you. I encourage you to watch it-- and become a follower his blog!

Sally from Dorian Belz on Vimeo.

Rooftop shouting in Iran: GOD IS GOOD

On Drudge, I saw a report pop up that protesters are shouting from their rooftops "God is good!" in response to the recent election. I found this video on YouTube:

I don't know if they are Muslim or Christians...they are saying Allah, so I am guessing Muslim? What a demonstration of faith though-- and it made me think of just HOW good God really is that He would convict these Iranians to take their roof tops to shout (considering that there have been reports of protesters being killed for speaking out).

Last night, I just started reading Inside the Revolution by Joel Rosenberg. I encourage you to pick it up if you want to understand geopolitical events, especially Iran. The introduction sets up the book as such:

"Iran's senior leaders have taught in recent years that the Revolution is now reaching its climax. They have stated publicly that the end of the world is "imminent". They have taught that the way to hasten the arrival or appearance on earth of the Islamic messiah known as the "Twelfth Imam," or the "Mahdi," is to destroy Israel, which they call the "Little Satan," and the United States, which they call the "Great Satan." They have vowed to annihilate the United States and Israel and have urged Muslims to envision a world without American and Zionism. They have come to believe that Allah has chosen them to create chaos and carnage on the plant.

Put simply, the leaders of Iran believe that Allah is on their side, the wind is at their back, and the end of Judeo-Christian civilization as we know it is near.

I believe just the opposite. As an evangelical Christian with a Jewish father and a Gentile mother, I worship the God of the Bible-- the God of Abraham, Issac, Jacob, who is also the God of the New Testament. I do not believe that God is on the side of the zealots that run Iran. Rather, I believe that the end of their reign of terror is increasingly close at hand. Every day I pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Every day I pray for peace throughout the Middle East. What's more, I pray for the salvation of the leaders of Iran and the salvation of their terrorist allies, and I encourage others to do the same. And because I serve a prayer-hearing and prayer-answering God, a wonder-working God of miracles, I firmly believe that God in His grace can change the leadership in Iran."

Look for more to come-- and pray for the people in Iran.

CHALLENGE: What does your routine look like?

A friend sent this to me a few weeks ago and I've been sitting on it. I've probably watched this clip over a dozen times.

It really made me think...What DOES my routine look like? Am I clinging to the beam? Am I so focused on not falling that I compromise my routine?

CHALLENGE: I hope this clip from Francis Chan makes you think about your routine, too...

There's a barn raising and I need YOU!

Friends, family, and blog readers...

Time for a barn raising! Taken from trusty Wikipedia,

"In earlier American rural life, communities raised barns because many hands were required. Barn raisings occurred in a social framework with a good deal of interdependence. Members of rural communities often shared family bonds going back generations. They traded with each other, buying and selling land, labor, seed, cattle, and the like. They worshiped together. They celebrated together, because cities were too far away to visit with any frequency on horseback. Despite traditions of independence, self-sufficiency, and refusal to incur debt to one another, community barn raisings were a part one's life."

Ok, so I am not literally raising a barn...I don't think that would go over well in Arlington County. But I am going on a mission trip THIS July for two weeks to spread the Gospel in England... and I need many hands to help do this work!

How can you help?

1.) Prayer support.
Pray for me to seek the Lord in my preparation.
Pray for the team to be a light to all that we encounter.
Pray the softening of the hearts of those that do not yet know Christ.

2.) Financial support.

You can make your tax-deductible donation at www.frontlinedc.com/global. Click on “Global Impact Support” and follow the instructions. You may be asked to log in with a username and password but you will not be added to any mailing lists or promotional materials. Select the England team and type my name (Kim Cotterman) when it asks for team member. If you choose to make an anonymous donation to the team just type ‘General-anonymous’. If the team is successful in reaching our financial goal, all excess funds will be applied to either the needs directly related to the ministry of this trip or to fund additional mission needs within the Global Impact ministry. You can learn more at www.frontlinedc.com.

Thank you advance. Both prayer and financial support are critical to this "barn raising". Spiritual warfare on our team can only be combated with prayer support. Paying for the work we will do in England is possible with your financial support.

Romans 10: 14-15
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

Joel Rosenberg: Liberate Iran

I encourage you if you do not read him already, check out Joel Rosenberg's website and subscribe to his blog. Here is the most recent update Mr. Rosenberg wrote on the geopolitical movements in Iran...

A NEW REVOLUTION IN IRAN? Reformers are on the streets

Hundreds of thousands of pro-democracy Reformers are flooding the streets of Iran, taking their stand against the Radicals.

A cry for freedom in Iran is rising. Why is the White House silent?

"I’ve been tracking events in Iran closely over the past few days. Not since the Islamic Revolution of ‘79 have we seen such ideological ferment and such passion in the streets of Iran. What fascinates me is how hungry the Iranian people are to overthrow their current regime. They want change. They want democracy. It’s not Mir Hossein Mousavi they want (after all, 70% of Iranians are under the age of 30 and don’t remember how bloody, despicable and tyrannical he was in office during the 1980s). They just want someone — anyone — to lead them out of the darkness Khomeini, Khamenei, and Ahmadinejad have dragged them into. They want someone who will lead the fight for their God-given right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Will is the White House silent? Why won’t President Obama endorse and support the Reformers in Iran, rather than engage the Radicals who run the regime?

As I describe in Inside The Revolution, tens of millions of Iranians have abandoned Islam. Most are Reformers at heart, looking for political liberation. Millions are Revivalists, experiencing spiritual liberation. Both groups deeply oppose the Radicals that are strangling their country and destroying the lives of their children. Let’s keep praying for the full liberation of Iran, spiritual and political. And let’s be clear: the Ayatollah Khamenei is not really the Supreme Leader of Iran. Jesus Christ is — the King of kings and the Lord of lords. May His name be lifted up in Iran today."

Check out Joel's previous post-- "War is likely outcome of Iranian elections."

Being Bold

As I prepare for the mission in July (less than a month away!), I have become acutely aware of how important it is to be bold for HIM.  He demands it of me-- and really, how can I declare my love for Him and then shrink away from men?  How can I deny Him first place?

It is a struggle.  It's nice to be liked among men, it's tempting to just be a people pleaser.  It's hard to hold your closest friends accountable for the Lord and easier to just go along with their choices even though you know they aren't in line with what God desires for them.  It's hard to speak truth to your family even though you know they need to hear it.

It brings me to a Philippians 3:8 and reminds me that for Christ's sake I am to lose myself.

Does this mean abandon others and just focus on me and God?  No.  We are commanded to love each other as Christ loved us (John 15:9-12)-- to serve them and put them before ourselves (Philippians 2: 2-4).

We are challenged to be uncomfortable and sometimes that means making others uncomfortable.  In getting out of our comfort zone, we become completely dependent on God to work in and through us.  2 Corinthians 12: 10, "That is why for Christ's sake, I delight in my weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Pastor Francis Chan sums it up with Luke 6: 22-23:

As Pastor Chan asks-- are you really saying everything that God wants you to say-- because if so-- there will be plenty of people who will be against you (John 15:18).

Arlington: THE RAP

This made my Friday morning...thank you A for emailing this! :)

Grab HIS hand

Last Sunday, I ran my first road race. Just a 5K, 3.2 miles, but for someone who hates running, this was a moment. I finished.

And I plan to run again. [shocked? me too. but I want to run again for THIS]
I was on the last turn of the race when I felt like giving up. The course was rolling, big change from the comfortable treadmill back at the gym. I had my music going, and it was about the time that Chris Tomlin's, "Holy is the Lord," came on-- and for the first time I really heard the opening verse,

We stand and lift up our hands
For the joy of the Lord is our strength
We bow down, worship Him now
How great, how awesome is He

At about the same time, up on my left came an older man with his teenage daughter. He was holding her hand as they ran-- and by her run, you could tell that she tired and like me, ready to stop. They didn't even realize it, but seeing them was exactly the inspiration I needed.

I could see him talking to her, not sure what he said, but I am sure they were words of encouragement. He didn't let her hand go. She kept going.

What a great imagery of how our God takes OUR hand at times. He holds our hand when we get tired and whispers encouraging words. He see's us through to the END of the race. Isaiah 40:29-31.

Don't elevate gifts above the Giver

"What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ[.]" (Philippians 3:8)

Blackbelt: Spiritual Judo

On the ride up to NYC, I listened to sermon by the senior pastor at MBC, Lon Solomon, on Esther and the story about Mordecai, Xerxes and Haman.

As I finished the sermon, I felt incredibly blessed that I downloaded and listened to this on the ride, mostly because of things that have been going on in my life. Here's a short synopsis of the story in the Book of Esther.

The characters:

Queen Esther, a Jewish woman, is the wife of King Xerxes (he doesn't know she is Jewish).

King Xerxes, ruler of Persia.

Mordecai, uncle of Esther (raised her), saves King Xerxes from an assassination plot. Refuses to bow down to Haman.

Haman, noble to King Xerxes, hates the Jewish people, plots to kill Haman and all the Jews living in Persia.

Mordecai refuses to bow down to Haman because of the commandment to have no gods before the Almighty God. Haman, angered by this, decides that he will not only kill Mordecai but ALL the Jews in Persia, and he has a gallows built just to hang Mordecai. Haman is a noble in the land and a friend of King Xerxes, it looks like the cards are stacked in his favor. How do Esther and Mordecai respond?

Well, Esther, goes to her husband, King Xerxes and asks to have a banquet with him and Haman, which he grants. Esther 5: 6, "As they were drinking wine, the king again asked Esther, "Now what is your petition? It will be given you. And what is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be granted."

Then, Esther 5:7,8: "Esther replied, "My petition and my request is this: ⁸ If the king regards me with favor and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come tomorrow to the banquet I will prepare for them. Then I will answer the king's question."

After this, Haman goes home to brag about his dinner party-- yet in spite of all that is going well in his life, he cannot forget his hate for Mordecai, Esther 5:13. This is when he decides to commission building the gallows for Mordecai.

That very night, King Xerxes cannot sleep and he asks for the book of chronicles to be brought and read to him (Esther 6:1). In this reading, the account of Mordecai saving the King is read and Xerxes asks what was done to reward Mordecai for this-- to which the answer-- nothing (Esther 6: 2-4).

Just then, Haman comes to talk to King Xerxes about hanging Mordecai-- but before he can ask-- Xerxes asks Haman, "What should be done for the man the king delights to honor?" (Esther 6:6)

Haman replies with every imaginable honor he can think of because he thinks King Xerxes plans to honor HIM! Boy, is he surprised when the king reveals that he wants Haman to go and carry out all these honors for the very man that he just built gallows to hang-- Mordecai!

So how does the story end of Haman? King Xerxes finds out about the gallows and has Haman hung on them! I don't think that worked out the way Haman planned.

Lon connected this story very well to our lives as Christians living in the 21st century. As Christ followers, we will encounter Haman's through out our lives-- 2 Timothy 3:12 promises that if we are living Godly lives, we will be persecuted.

How are we to fight these Haman's? With GOD as our DEFENDER. Lon gave a great quote from A.W. Tozer, "Whoever defends himself will have himself for his defense, and he will have no other; but let him come defenseless before the Lord and he will have for his defender no less than God Himself."

Lon highlighted that God loves to use the scheme of the schemers against them. It's SPIRITUAL JUDO. Judo is the art of using the enemies momentum against him-- allow him to provide the inertia to flip himself. That's what God did with Haman-- Haman constructed the gallows to kill Mordecai, but it was Haman that hung.

And as Lon pointed out in the sermon, God does this throughout the Bible because He has the black belt in spiritual judo:

1)Genesis: Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery to keep them from ruling over them and God puts into motion a series of events so that Joseph does rule over them but he is able to help them during famine.

2) Exodus: Moses-- Pharoh traps the Israelites up against the Red Sea and God uses this to humble Pharoh and destroy his chariot force by closing the Red Sea in on them but allows Moses to cross safely with the Israelites.

3) Daniel: Daniel's political enemies try to use his prayer life against him, have him thrown into the lion's den but God flips the situation around so that the king hears about Daniel and has the enemies thrown into the lion's den and eaten.

Our human nature is to respond with vengeance-- we want to get down there and mud wrestle with the Haman's in our life. But God does not want that for us. We need to step aside and leave room for His wrath, revenge is His to repay-- see Romans 12: 17-20.

As God commands us in Romans 12:21, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

In conclusion-- give your Haman's up to the One that is our ultimate defender!

Afternoon in Central Park

I spent yesterday in New York City with Jess.  She indulged my desire to go to have a picnic in Central Park....these were the things we saw.  Enjoy!

{Hippy with guitar}

{Father and son playing catch}

{Mother blowing bubbles}

{Daughter chasing bubbles}

{Bench plate}

{Two guys reading on a bridge}

{Sunbathing turtles}

{Horse and carriage ride}

More Americans “Pro-Life” Than “Pro-Choice”

I think we have the current administration to thank for this shift-- check out Gallup's May 2009 poll that shows MORE Americans are Pro-Life. Just another reason that we need to leave this decision up to the people and put it to a vote in the STATES to decide and not leave it to the courts.

Definitely check it out-- here is a little slice of the report:

Bottom Line
"With the first pro-choice president in eight years already making changes to the nation's policies on funding abortion overseas, expressing his support for the Freedom of Choice Act, and moving toward rescinding federal job protections for medical workers who refuse to participate in abortion procedures, Americans -- and, in particular, Republicans -- seem to be taking a step back from the pro-choice position. However, the retreat is evident among political moderates as well as conservatives.

It is possible that, through his abortion policies, Obama has pushed the public's understanding of what it means to be "pro-choice" slightly to the left, politically. While Democrats may support that, as they generally support everything Obama is doing as president, it may be driving others in the opposite direction."

Happy Birthday Israel!

Today in 1948, Israel was re-born.  Check out Joel Rosenberg's post.

Isaiah 66:7-8,

"Before she goes into labor, 

       she gives birth; 

       before the pains come upon her, 

       she delivers a son.

 Who has ever heard of such a thing? 

       Who has ever seen such things? 

       Can a country be born in a day 

       or a nation be brought forth in a moment? 

       Yet no sooner is Zion in labor 

       than she gives birth to her children."

Bathe, Maine in May: City of Ships

I spent the last two days in Bath, Maine and had some time between meetings to snap pictures and capture a slice of the "City of Ships".  The locals: friendly, warm, real America.  My favorite place-- Bath Sweet Shoppe.

The owners, Joan and Paul Fraser, told me they worried that they may not be in business much longer if the state is successful in placing a tax on sugar.  They talked about how this would ultimately affect their bottom line and possibly drive them out of business along with the other 100 small confectioners in the state of Maine.  These are real Americans.

Check out their website, you can order a lobster dinner (made entirely of chocolate):

And for some of the snapshots I took in Bath....

{Bath City Hall}

{Hallet's Drug Store Clock}

{Merchant}

{Looking down the street}

{Merchant}

{Bridge since 1932}

{Other side of bridge: Sea Brewing Company}

{Looking up on the bridge}

{Does it get better than bubble makers on the street?!?!  I think not!}