Friday September 11, 2009

I awoke at 5:25 when my alarm sang its song to open my sleepy eyes. Shortly thereafter I dressed, and ate breakfast with the others. The we said goodbye to cousin Janice and Aunt Mary before leaving on our journey. We were on the road by 6:30 am, a record for me!

The skies above New Mexico

We made great time, reaching Wichita Falls by 9:30 – our first stop of the day. We stopped about every 2 hours to stretch our legs and use the toilet, or see interesting sights along our route.

Interesting rock formation in New Mexico

One interesting place we stopped at was outside of Clayton, NM by 30 minutes or so. At the Dino-track site there, you can view the fossilized tracks of 9 kinds of dinos. Pretty neat! A large lake and dam added to the scenery, especially since you have to cross over the top of the dam to reach the dino tracks. I had great fun hiking up to the site, and enjoyed taking pictures of various things along the way. I even saw a flamboyant grass-hopper, it was black but when it took off flying, its wings revealed a reddish hue.

The state park with the dinosaur tracks

Your “average” tourist

A  cute little lizard which we saw near the trail

Information about the dino tracks

A relic of a by-gone era

The assorted tracks ~ quite interesting really

We stopped for the night in Raton, NM, a quaint little spot perched on the mountainside. We took an early meal (5:30) at the Ice House, a famous restaurant near downtown. I order the following: Cod fillets (2), fried Okra, salad, rolls and sweet potato fries. Delicious!!!

Eating at the Ice House ~ What a meal!

Yours truly waiting for the “main course”

What a beautiful meal!  And it was SOOOOOO delicious

Amazingly, we got to bed by 8:20 local time (9:30 central time). Glorious. I slept soundly and awoke refreshed.

The one and only movie theater in town, cute!

I don’t generally share with you in the blog-o-sphere what I am reading, or hope to read, but there are times when I can’t help sharing what’s on my bookshelf. 

A couple of years ago, I purchased John Piper’s fabulous  little book 50 Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die, but instead of reading the book, I left it to languish in the world of the forgotten.  Recently however, I have longed for a deeper understanding of the reasons behind Christ’s death on the cross and how they are applicable to my life. 

So, I have written a short review of this book.  Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Why Jesus Came to Die : A Review of John Piper’s book Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die

© 2006, Desiring God Foundation

Published by Crossway Books

$6.49 at Desiring God bookstore

Are you seeking a deeper relationship with Jesus? A greater understanding of Christ’s death? Do you want to grow your love for our Saviour? How about a true sense of gratitude for His death?

Recently I have taken the time to read and study through John Piper’s marvelous book 50 Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die. An overview of the theological reasons why Jesus was sacrificed for the sins of mankind. As I work my way through this book I am seeing more clearly my sinfulness and His sinlessness. The picture is becoming clearer to me as to the reasons (or as Piper explains so wonderfully, the purposes) behind Christ’s great love for me.

Supported by many scripture references, Dr. Piper draws a dramatic picture of the vast ramifications of Christ’s death. He points it back to the reason why behind the Cross.  A predetermined agreement between God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit to conquer death and Satan.   A holy agreement.

From the forward of this wonderful book Piper says the following: “When all is said and done, the most crucial question is: Why? Why did Jesus come to die? Not why in the sense of cause, but why in the sense of purpose. What did Christ achieve by His death? Why did He have to suffer so much? What great thing was happening on Calvary for the world?” “… I have gathered fifty reasons why Jesus came to die. Not fifty causes, but fifty purposes. Infinitely more important than who killed Jesus is the question: What did God achieve for sinners like us in sending His Son to die?” (p. 17)

As I began to work my way through this dear little book (it is actually rather small, only 122 pages long), my whole frame of reference changed as to the purpose for Christ’s death. This became very apparent in the sixth entry: To Show His Own Love For Us. “He loved me and gave Himself for me.” Or as Piper puts it: “The early witnesses who suffered most for being Christians were captured by this fact: Christ “loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). They took the self-giving act of Christ’s sacrifice very personally. They said, “He loved me. He gave himself for me.” (p. 30) His death was for me, for my sins. Very personal.

“Yet is was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief.” Isa. 53:10

Ultimately, Christ came to die for the sins of mankind, to fulfill the will of the Father, and to bring glory to God.

I am so thankful that I purchased this book, but regretful that I have not read it before now. This is a book that I highly recommend to everyone, so that you will have a clearer idea of the greatest sacrifice… ever!

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.” Ephesians 1:7

Dear Readers,

The month of October is drawing to a close, but there is good news.

If you live in the Dallas / Fort Worth area (specifically McKinney, TX) or know of someone who does, I would like to extend a personal invitation to attend a special conference put on at my church.

Evolution Trick or Treat conference will be happening at North West Christian Church the weekend of October 31, through November 1, 2009. Speakers include Dr. John Morris (son of the late Henry Morris, and current president of the Institute for Creation Research), Dr. Jobe Martin (director of Biblical Discipleship Ministries) and Joel Kautt (director of Creation Evangelism Tools Ministries). All speaking venues are live, and in person!

If you want more information about dates, times and speakers, Please visit CET’s blog at: www.creationevangelismtools.org

Invite your family and friends to join us for a wonderful weekend of truth in an age of deception! Please join us, we would love to have you attend!

Grace & Peace
Abby – editor of imprimis

An amazing life lived wholeheartedly for… CHRIST!!

Item #1

Do Something Worthy of Persecution
By Dave Welch
At the risk of offending all the sensitive pastors and young evangelicals who are so anxious not to be the “Religious Right,” I would like to propose that it is time they do something worthy of persecution. I had the privilege of being in a meeting with Open Doors USA President Carl Moeller last week and heard about the incredible work they are doing to support our persecuted brethren in countries where it really means something.

To read these stories look under our national and international news section at:
http://www.worldviewtimes.com/news

• Geithner aides made millions on Wall Street
• Tentative Inspection Program Would Allow Russia to Visit U.S. Nuclear Sites
• You Will Get Health Insurance at DMV—Literally (It’s in the Bill)
• Elites and Tyrants – by Walter Williams
• Montana judges smack down parental rights
• Pentagon Refutes Report That Obama Dispatched 13,000 Additional Troops to Afghanistan
• Obama Criticizes People with “Old Attitudes” in Keynote Speech at Homosexualist Dinner
• Obama Picks 1st Openly Gay U.S. Marshal

Item #2

“Globally-Acceptable Truth” and the Crime of Thinking (Part I)
By Tom DeWeese
Do you feel it? It’s everywhere. On television. In the newspaper. At any public gathering. In any discussion – even among friends. It’s a feeling of mistrust. Nervousness. Suspicion. Even rage. Mostly, it’s just under the surface. But more and more it’s bubbling to the top. Political debate is breaking into outright war. Just say the words, “I don’t believe government should do that…” and the war is on. Take a side. Feel the heat. Tolerance is a thing of the past.

Item #3

Worldview Matters with Brannon Howse
Brannon’s guest is Carla Roberts. Carla is the founder and executive director of the Yahweh Center Children’s Village in Wilmington, NC. This is a very encouraging and moving testimony of how God is working in and through the lives of those that seek to serve Him. You must hear this incredible story of how one person can make a huge difference in the lives of thousands. Christians can impact lives with a Biblical worldview even as the days become more and more evil. What is God calling you to do?

Item #4

Obama EEOC Appointee Chai Feldblum Would Turn Christians and Moral Foes of Homosexuality into Second-Class Citizens
By Peter LaBarbera
http://worldviewtimes.com/article.php/articleid-5483/Brannon-Howse/Peter-LaBarbera

Item #5

BOILED ALIVE
By Clyde F. Autio
Before I even start to write I can hear some of you saying, oh no, not him again? And with that, some of you will just send your cursor up to delete and that will be the end of it. I am sorry, because maybe you are shooting the messenger instead of the message. I know, most of us have heard about the process one must follow to successfully boil a frog. For those who have not heard I will repeat. You place the frog into a pan of room temperature water. Then, you very slowly increase the heat so that the water temperature very gradually increases until it reaches the boiling point. Presto, you have a boiled frog. But, if you make the poor choice of either trying to throw the frog into the boiling water or raise the temperature too quickly the frog will alertly sense the heat and jump out. Is God permitting the former process to be present in today’s United States? At this time I am more interested in the adage of the frog boiling than I am in proving the fact scientifically.

Item #6

Here He Comes: Mr. Universe
By Matt Barber
OK, this is just too easy. You have to ask: Did the Norwegian Nobel Committee devise a secret plot to completely marginalize President Obama in the international community (I mean, beyond that which he’s already managed on his own)? Seriously, by awarding him the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday – based solely on his first twelve days in office – they’ve teed-up the ball for every Obama critic, late-night comedian and 6th grade class clown across the fruited plain. It’s been a rhetorical homerun derby. Even the majority of his supporters – apart from his worshipful media sycophants and Daily Kos-types – are left scratching their heads.

Item #7

Show Me the Bill!
By Robert Knight
Do you think Congress should vote on bills without reading them? How about voting on bills that don’t even exist yet, except in fragments?

#8

Worldview Matters
Topic One: Brannon’s guest is Dr. Betsy McCaughey, a patient advocate and former Lt. Governor of NYS, who has founded the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths (RID), a national organization dedicated to stamping out hospital infections. Recently she launched an informational website on the health bills and their impact on you. Go to www.defendyourhealthcare.us to learn more about the bills. Topic Two: A portion of Brannon’s latest keynote presentation “Grave Influence” based on his new book.

Item #9

Understanding the Times With Jan Markell
Mike Gendron joins Jan to discuss the coming one-world religion and his new DVD teaching about this. Part of the discussion centers on the “False Prophet,” the Catholic Church in the last days, and rush for global government and a global religion. Who will the players be in this false religious system, and how can we see it shaping up today. And why are so many evangelicals aligning with Rome with its many false doctrines?

Item #10

Harvey Milk and Jim Jones Kool-Aid
By Chuck Missler
May 22 is now officially “Harvey Milk Day” in California. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill Sunday to give credit to the first openly gay man elected to office in the state by causing California school children to celebrate his birthday every year. Milk is only the 2nd man in The Golden State, after naturalist John Muir, to get a day dedicated to his honor.

Read more worldview news at: www.ChristianWorldviewNetwork.com

  Windy Point looking across at the vast array of mountains in all their majesty!  What a breathtaking view, like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. 

North Clear Creek Falls - Absolutely beautiful!  I love the sound of falling water. 

Lake San Cristobal, Lake City CO.  A stunningly beautiful lake, reminded me of a fjord in Finland.  We saw Elk in the marsh at the south end feeding. 

The mountains we saw each and every day of our visit.  This morning there was a new snow that graced its peaks. 

 One of the three lakes on the camps property.  It was like a mirror in its appearence. 

Some of the thousands of stunning yellow mountainsides that we were surrounded by.  I love aspens, they are so pretty!

Hyperinflation nation video part one.  If you want to see the other 2 parts, click here.

Item #1

RED-LETTER CHRISTIANS: NEO-MARXISM IN THE CHURCH?
By Jan Markell
In many Bibles, all the words of Jesus are in red. There is nothing wrong with that. But something is wrong when Leftist Christians or so-called Christians want to mute the words of Paul and other writers and only follow Jesus’ words. They call themselves “red-letter Christians.”

To read these stories look under our national and international news section at:  http://www.worldviewtimes.com/news

At the UN, the Obama administration backs limits on free speech.
• US Treasury ‘overstated’ health of America’s biggest banks
• White House’s botched ‘op’
• In a graphic illustration of the new world order, Arab states have launched secret moves with China, Russia and France to stop using the US currency
• UN calls for new reserve currency
• Gold hits record high on ‘plan’ to ditch dollar
• Another Reason Why The World Laughs At America
• White House angry at General Stanley McChrystal speech on Afghanistan

Item #2

The Demise of the Dollar and What You Can Do To Protect Yourself
Brannon’s guest is David Bradshaw to discuss the news that Gulf Arabs along with China, Russia, Japan and France are planning to end dollar dealings for oil. This news caused gold to hit a historic high over $1,040.00. What does this mean for the American dollar and what does it mean for you personally? How can you protect your purchasing power? Is American headed toward hyperinflation? What does the Bible say about money and wealth? How should Christians view the continuing and deepening financial crisis?

Item #3

Singing Heil Obama in New Jersey
By Phyllis Schlafly
Red alert to parents: If you send your children to a public school, they may be secretly indoctrinated in the cult of Obama-worship. If that’s not your plan for your children, you had better act now, before it’s too late.

Item #4

WARNING: Israel in Danger of Being Blindsided by Two New Grave Threats
By Joel Rosenberg
On October 6, 1973, Israel was hit by a massive and devastating surprise attack on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism. The warning signs that Israel’s enemies were gearing up to deal the Jewish State a death blow were there. Her leaders simply didn’t properly assess, interpret and respond to them. By God’s grace, Israel was saved from the brink of utter ruination. But it was close, and painful.

Item #5

David Barton Live
Why are Christians leaving the Church? Guest: Tim Brooks, Christian Ministries Church

Item #6

Another Second Amendment Case Heads to the Supreme Court
By Larry Pratt
The Supreme Court agreed to hear a challenge to the City of Chicago’s ban on handguns, a case that will test the reach of the Second Amendment.

Item #7

Error Correction on Gap Theory
By Dr. David R. Reagan
Recently I started getting a flurry of calls and emails asking me why I had decided to endorse the Gap Theory of Creation. These messages caught me by surprise because I have never believed in that theory. In fact, almost every time I have ever spoken or written about Creation, I have made it a point to denounce that theory.

Item #8

Understanding the Times with Jan Markell
A Warning from One Who Knows Anita Dittman and her mother were Jewish believers during the Holocaust. Both survived only due to the sovereign Hand of God. Anita sounds a warning that what she saw happen in Nazi Germany is being replicated in America today. The conditions were ripe for Socialism in the 1930s due to a devastated economy as in America in the 21st century. A “messiah-type” personality came along then and now. Germany’s “messiah” devastated Europe. We ask, what will the 21st-century version of one do by way of destruction and what can we do about it?

Item #9

Is Social Justice Cool?
By Sam Guzman
I have been intending to write something on the problems with social justice as it’s often addressed, but I’ve needed something to coalesce by thoughts. This excellent post from the pastor of the Well, a community of house churches in Southern California, did just that. In his post, he discusses why addressing issues of injustice and meeting needs through programs misses the point. He says the poor and needy are not statistics, they are souls with needs that can only be met through personal interaction, love, and the Gospel. Money and food can’t help someone struggling with spiritual depression or lonliness. I agree completely.

Item #10

Senator Baucus Thinks You’re Too Dumb to Understand Legislation
By Larry Pratt
It didn’t seem like such an unreasonable request. Before the Senate Finance Committee passes one of the most important pieces of legislation in our lifetime, we (the American people) wanted to see two things:

Read more worldview news at: From ChristianWorldviewNetwork.com

Go forth, go forth and win the lost,

Evangelize, whate’er the cost;

The Gospel preach in ev’ry land,

Go forth, it is the Lord’s command.

Evangelize in ev’ry tribe,

The Gospel none must be denied;

Go forth and tell of how He died,

Go, tell of Christ the crucified.

Go forth and tell of how He rose

And lives triumphant o’er His foes;

Of how He’s coming back again

In pow’r and majesty to reign.

He’s coming back “to take His bride”

From ev’ry kindred, tongue and tribe;

He’s coming back to usher in

The day of judgement for man’s sin.

Go forth, the message must be told,

Go, bring them to the Saviour’s fold;

The Masater calls, O then arise,

Evangelize!  Evangelize!

By Oswald Smith

Item #1

Apocalyptic Storm Forming in the Middle East
By Joel Rosenberg
Events are moving so quickly in the epicenter it can be difficult to keep track of, much less understand the big picture. So here it is in a sentence: An apocalyptic storm is forming over the Middle East.
To read these stories look under our national and international news section at:
http://www.worldviewtimes.com/news

 • Too late to stop Tehran, Obama aims to stifle an Israeli attack • Obama’s ‘Final Solution’ for Israel
• What I Saw at the (Muslim Prayer) Revolution • World Bank says don’t take dollar’s place for granted
• Neo-Marxist Obama Wants Longer School Year To Indoctrinate Students • penalty for failing to pay the up to $1,900 fee for not buying health insurance.

Item #2

Obama File 87 Obama’s Socialist Appointees-Where is the Spotlight?
By Trevor Loudon
President Obama has close personal and political ties to several DSA members including Quentin Young, Timuel Black, the late Rabbi Arnold Jacob Wolf, the late Saul Mendelson, Lou Pardo, Congressman Danny Davis and DSA honorees Jackie Grimshaw, Jackie Kendall and Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky.

Item #3

School kids taught to praise Obama

Item #4

Analysis of the last (and next) financial crisis
By Craig Smith
If you had been able to foresee the sub-prime mortgage crisis and what it would do to the economy, what would you have done differently? Would you have sold your real estate? Invested in different companies? Saved more? Spent less? Took a stronger position in cash? What steps would you have taken to protect your family and your savings
Item #5

Worldview Matters with Brannon Howse
Did Bill Ayers, the former Weather Underground member, “ghostwrite” Barack Obama’s books? Jack Cashill informed Crosstalk listeners that since September of 2008, he has been saying that Bill Ayers is the primary author of the 1995 Obama memoir, “Dreams of My Father”. From here, Jack detailed how this was proven through the efforts of another author’s admittance in an interview with Fox Network’s Sean Hannity. According to Brannon, this is important information because Bill Ayers, a past terrorist, is writing social justice curriculum, a curriculum that Brannon believes is a code for marxism, socialism and communism. Brannon also played audio of children being coached to sing the praises of President Barack Obama to the tune of the Battle Hymn of the Republic.

Item #6

Jan Markell
Pastor David Barnhart reports about the assault on Israel by Mainline Protestants, the recent ELCA convention in Minneapolis and the tragic results, how the Obama administration is chastising Israel, and much more.

Item #7

David Barton with Wallbuilders
The Influence of the Bible on America – Part 3 Guest: Presentation by David Barton

Item #8

What The American People Don’t Know Will Hurt Them
By Brannon Howse
Soft despotism is furthered through an incestuous and mutually beneficial relationship between judges and politicians to the detriment of freedom-loving people and their liberty and property. The welfare state in America has gone a long way toward encouraging people to vote themselves a raise by voting for politicians who promise the most government handouts.

Item #9

Love One Another- John 13:1-35
By Jon Langford
Has someone ever done something so mean and so hurtful that it absolutely crushed you? Maybe it affected you personally or even caused you great public distress but the most traumatic thing about it was that it was committed by someone very close to you. However the action impacted your life, we are instructed by the words and life of Christ to respond in a rather unconventional way.

Item #10

Chris Rosenbrough
ELCA Bishop Urges Clergy to Restrain Divisive Activities • ABC to Probe Ten Commandments • Chinese Officials Secretly Offer to Pay Destoyed Megachurch • On the Street Inteviews With Members of Westboro Baptist Church

Find more worldview stories at: www.ChristianWorldviewNetwork.com