LINK TO ISSUES - 2003

Pat Robertson..by Bill Johns

7-17-03 Pat Robertson urged his nationwide audience to pray for God to remove three justices from the Supreme Court so they could be replaced by conservatives. "We ask for miracles in regard to the Supreme Court," Robertson said on the Christian Broadcasting Network's "The 700 Club." Robertson has launched a 21-day "prayer offensive" directed at the Supreme Court in the wake of its 6-3 June vote that decriminalized sodomy. Robertson said in a letter on the CBN Web site that the ruling "has opened the door to homosexual marriage, bigamy, legalized prostitution and even incest." Would it not be possible for God to put it in the minds of these three judges that the time has come to retire?"

Just last week, Robertson got on the soapbox on another issue: the Bush administration's demand that Liberian President Charles Taylor resign from office. "It's one thing to say, we will give you money if you step down and we will give you troops if you step down, but just to order him to step down? He doesn't work for us," the evangelist said last Monday, speaking on "The 700 Club." Robertson said he believes the State Department has "mismanaged the situation in nation after nation after nation" in Africa. "We're undermining a Christian, Baptist president to bring in Muslim rebels to take over the country," said an outraged Robertson. "How dare the president of the United States say to the duly elected president of another country, 'You've got to step down.'"

And now for the rest of the story:
1) One justice is 83-years-old, another has cancer and another has a heart condition.
2) Judging from the descriptions, Robertson was referring to Justice John Paul Stevens, who was born in 1920, and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who had colon cancer surgery in 1999. The identity of the third justice was unclear, however: "and another has a heart condition"
3) ...said an outraged Robertson, a Bush supporter who has financial interests in Liberia...
4) On Sunday, Taylor accepted an offer of asylum from Nigeria... A U.N.-backed tribunal indicted Taylor--a Christian, Baptist president--on June 4 for war crimes in neighboring Sierra Leone.

The following are excerpts from a sermon delivered by Dr. R. M. Payne, PhD for the 4th of July observance at the First Baptist Church of Sebring (A member of the Southern Baptist Convention), July 2000. This church's early history is a proud one; one that all other churches would do well to emulate.

1) I like stories. When I went to the Florida Folk Festival this past May, not only did I enjoy the music, including our own Jim and Melonie Roberts, I enjoyed hearing stories told and I told a few myself. My stories are about members of my family. They are stories that are repeated over and over when we have a family get-together. I have come to realize that such stories are important for they are part of the glue that holds families together. In addition, they remind new generations of the heritage that they should carry on in their own families.

2) John Locke, whose politics was so influential on our American founders, said, "The Baptist were the propounders of absolute liberty, just and true liberty, equal and impartial liberty." Let's look back and see where we come from as Baptist and especially look at our role in the establishment of religious liberty.

3) Another early Baptist, Leonard Busher, wrote in capital letters, "IT IS NOT ONLY UNMERCIFUL, BUT UNNATURAL AND ABOMINABLE, YEA, MONSTROUS FOR ONE CHRISTIAN TO VEX AND DESTROY ANOTHER FOR DIFFERENCE AND QUESTION OF RELIGION."

4) In New England Roger Williams, daring to speak out against the established church begun by Puritans, was banished from Massachusetts Bay Colony. He went to Rhode Island where he founded the town of Province. There he began what he described as the "livlie experiment" of religious liberty, advocating a "hedge or wall of separation between the garden of the Church and the wilderness of the World." Jews, Moslems, Hindus, and even atheists were welcome in Province. (...to bring in Muslim rebels to take over the country," said an outraged Robertson...)

5) Leyland and other Baptists... supported Madison's election. In June 1789, Madison proposed his promised amendments to the Constitution. The first amendment begins: "Congress shall make no laws respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."

In short, how should we play this one? Religious freedom as guaranteed by the constitution? Keep government out of religion? Keep religion out of government? Can we really expect to have it both ways? Essentially, they--the government--leave us alone and we--organized religion--just ain't gonna leave them--the government--alone.

Government of the people, by the people, and for the people? Which people? All of the people? Only the conservatives? The religious right? The religious left? For the Jews? For the Moslems? For the Hindus? For the atheists? ("even atheists were welcome in Province") For the war criminals provided they're...what? What about those who want freedom from religion? Is that also a constitutional guarantee, or should it be? (Jews, Moslems, Hindus, and even atheists were welcome in Province.)

Is it Christian, or even becoming as a human being to wish for the death (okay, "removal") of those with divergent points of view? Pat Robertson urged his nationwide audience to pray for God to "remove" three justices from the Supreme Court so they could be replaced by conservatives. Is it really okay, as a Christian / human being, to wish / hope / pray for the death (removal) of a fellow human being? Wasn't this essentially Adolph Hitler's approach, only on a much larger scale? Is sin-by-degree okay if it only involves 3 instead of 8,000,000+?
The entire text of Robertson's and also Dr. R. M. Payne, PhD's speech upon request.

Subject: I thought Jesus was white by Reatha J Albury

Responding to, "I thought Jesus was white." I thought Jesus was a Lamb. In John 1: 29, upon seeing Jesus, John said, "Behold the Lamb of God." The description of Jesus given in Revelation 1: 13 - 16 is awesome. His eyes were as a flame of fire, his voice as the sound of many waters, Refer to Ezekiel 1: 24 & Ezekiel 10: 5, for some understanding of the sound of many waters. His countenance was as the sun shinning in it's strength. See Revelation 21: 23. There is a sharp two edged sword which proceeds out of Jesus' mouth. Refer to Hebrews 4: 12. The Word. In John 1: 1, it says in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. Who is this Word? In Verse 14 of John 1, it says, And the Word was made flesh. This is Jesus.

In Revelation, John was given a revelation of Jesus Christ (Rev. 1: 1), and he saw things in the future. He was trying to describe the indescribable. Like a beautiful multifaceted diamond, it takes many descriptive words to get a true picture of who Jesus is, but we can never comprehend him fully. He is called the Lion and the Lamb, the Word of God, Son of man, Son of God, living bread, living water, the good shepherd, the door, the vine, King of the Jews, among others. Each one describes a certain aspect of him, as does the description in Revelation 1: 13 - 15, and what he was about.

There are many words and phrases used in Revelation that take searching other scriptures to understand their meaning. In Revelation 5: 6 & 12, it speaks of a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes. This is speaking of Jesus Christ. Compare with John 1: 29. He was called the Lamb of God because he offered himself for our sins. Hebrews 2: 9 & Hebrews 10: 12 & 14. There is the woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars. To discover who this woman is we need to look in Genesis 37: 9 -10 to understand it is talking about Israel. The great red dragon. Is there any doubt who this is? The great whore of Babylon. Revelation 17: 1, and mystery Babylon. There are different views of who this is, but some hold to the idea that it is America. In Revelation 17: 1,it says she sits on many waters. In the description of the city in Rev. 18: 2 - 19, one can see why some would hold this view. Revelation is a fascinating book and for those who will search out the meaning therein, it can be either frightening or comforting. In the end we see Jesus in his rightful position as KING.

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence? Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died.
Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.
Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.
Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.
They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.
What kind of men were they?

Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners: men of means, well educated. But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured. Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton. At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr. noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months. John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying! . Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a broken heart. Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates.

Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more. Standing tall and straight, and unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of the declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor."

They gave you and me a free and independent America. The history books told you a lot of what happened in the Revolutionary War. We didn't fight just the British. We were British subjects at that time and we fought our own government!

Some of us take these liberties so much for granted, but we shouldn't. So take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid.

Remember: Freedom is never free! I hope you show your support by sharing this with as many people as you can. It's time we get the word out that Patriotism is NOT a sin, and the Fourth of July has more to it than beer, picnics, and baseball games.

Forwarded by Barb Burdett Slaughterbeck, Author Unknown

Dear Uncle Bill,
As far as your comment about others' views on the subject of Jesus' appearance, I'd like to put my 2 cents in. I think our God is so marvelous we don't have the ability to even imagine how Magnificent He is! Aren't you glad? If we had a God we could truly understand
He wouldn't be much of a God.

We have been very busy this summer. I've been listing and selling things on Ebay. (Fun and a little extra income-if I can keep from buying with my profits). We visited Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University this past week. Great school! Directly in the
backyard of the Daytona Speedway, airport on campus, etc. It is MIchael's school of choice. It appears to have all he is wanting. We are praying the Lord provides the way for him to get accepted.

We are looking forward to this year-it is Michael's senior year in high school. It's exciting to get ready for! This year my mom is likely to have 3 grandchildren graduate from high school [Michael, Ricky (Wanda's son), and Leah (Leon's daughter)].

Continued great job on the website! I haven't visited it in a week or so and was very pleased to hear about the happenings around the family. Sure are praying for Aunt Dorothy!
Love, Camille Rodgers
P.S. Uncle Bill, no spider I come in contact with has a chance to argue with me! Although, sometimes I wonder if they laugh when they hear me scream! 6-30-2003

GETTING INTO HEAVEN from Barb Burdett S

Someone sent it to me. I thought it warranted sending to you. Print it. lol BBS

"If I sold my house and my car, had a big garage sale and gave all my money to the church, would that get me into Heaven?" I asked the children in my Sunday School class.

"NO!" the children all answered.

"If I cleaned the church every day, mowed the yard, and kept everything neat and tidy, would that get me into Heaven?"

Again, the answer was, "NO!"

"Well, then, if I was kind to animals and gave candy to all the children, and loved my wife, would that get me into Heaven?" I asked them again.

Again, they all answered, "NO!"

"Well," I continued, "then how can I get into Heaven?"

A five-year-old boy shouted out, "YOU GOTTA BE DEAD!"

A QUESTION

Clarify my thinking here. All this time, I thought Christ was white. What does this sound like to you?

Revelation 1:12--14.........Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden girdle round his breast; his head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze refined as in a furnace and his voice was like the sound of many waters; .......

..........Wouldn't "white as snow" have sufficed? And what about "feet were like burnished bronze refined as in a furnace" and what about that voice--"his voice was like the sound of many waters" And is "white as white wool" merely descriptive and not comparative?

Anyone out there with some thoughts on this?
Bill 6/25/03

HOW DID YOU SLEEP LAST NIGHT?

..................................

When in England at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of empire building by George Bush. He answered by saying that, "Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return." It became very quiet in the room.
Submitted by Barb Burdett Slaughterbeck 3/25/03

Prayer Wheel
"Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands.
Protect them as they protect us. Bless them
and their families for the selfless acts they
perform for us in our time of need. I ask this
in the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.
Amen."

When you receive this, please stop for a moment
and say a prayer for our troops throughout
the world. This can be very powerful.... Please pass this on to others who pray. Of all the gifts you could give a US Soldier, Prayer is the very best one.....
Forwarded by Lois Smith Miller

Subject: Adopt Our Troops Campaign - Copy & Paste address:
http://www.presidentialprayerteam.org/troopsadopt.htm

Whatever one's religious conviction notwithstanding, I was in the military during the Vietnam era and remember the treatment our returning troops received from the homefront. If one is so inclined, this is much more preferable than getting spit on. Love you all, Bill

WHAT A GREAT PICTURE..... GOD BLESS THEM. Lavida Arnold 3/21/03

Cartoon drawn by American GI - Forwarded by Barb Burdett Slaughterbeck

Dear Family,

Please pardon me for being so tardy about getting this written and sent. Aunt Virginia called and asked me to write about Christmases after my parents were divorced and my mother remarried.

During this time of wishing good wishes to friends, family and the stranger on the street we think about how important our family is to each of us. After my parents divorced my dad was very bitter. His heart was broken and his world in shambles. Please understand it is not my intention to sugar-coat the situation. The divorce was a direct result of living with my father's extreme volatility for 2 decades. Some would say my mother was a saint, other's would be less understanding. I say, my stepdad would be a candidate for saint-hood. My stepdad's name is Chuck. He is one of the jollyest people I know. Even when he is very disappointed in you he is still able to find a bright side.

After my mom and Chuck got married my real father (John Mart Johns) was invited to spend the holidays, birthdays, and special occasions with us. Chuck kept his opinions to himself, he opened HIS home and heart to my father, who sometimes repaid him with snide remarks. They (Mom and Chuck) always told us, "He is your father and you have to love him." Some would ask, "How was he able to do this?", open his home without feeling jealous or threatened. I know it has to do with LOVE.

Sometimes my father was downright unloveable. Many times he didn't make an effort to be nice and kind. There were times when he'd come into this man's home and pull his gun out from under his lap and show it off. Yet through it all Chuck felt it was so important for me and my sister to continue a relationship with our father, he was willing to lay aside his own feelings and emotions to welcome this man into his home.

I ask again, "How was he able to do this?" The answer is still, LOVE. During this time of year we often think of God and the gift he gave to this world. The baby Jesus lying in a manger. James 1:17 says, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." Did you get the perfect gift this Christmas? Did you give the perfect gift this year? Over 2000 years ago God did indeed give the ultimate perfect gift to people who have repeatedly been mean and hateful to Him. He didn't base the value of His gift on how worthy the recipients are or how many great things they have done for Him. Why, why would he bother? Why wouldn't he just say, "I brought you into this world, I can take you out?" God wanted us to have a relationship with him so bad he was willing to give up something very precious to him so we could have a way to have a relationship with him. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16.

Chuck loved us so much that he was willing to put himself at risk and lay aside the things that would make him comfortable. Why? Because of "LOVE!" "And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. .... We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also." I John 4:16, 19-21. This is why Chuck was able and willing to love my dad because he (Chuck) dwells in love and after all "God is love", so he (Chuck) dwells in God.

I have tremendous love and respect for both my mother and Chuck for making a way for me to have a relationship with both of them as well as my father. But I also have love and respect for my father who was also willing to lay aside his grief and sorrow to come into the home of the man who had married his ex-wife. I know it was very difficult for my father to come into a man's home, whom he felt had stolen his wife and children, and be cordial and even bring gifts for him. How would you like to go to a store and buy a gift for your ex-wife's new husband? I know these things were difficult on my dad and he cannot know how much I appreciate him doing this so I wouldn't have to choose between him and my mom. I believe, with all of my heart, God empowered both my dad and Chuck to do this because of the love he has for me, my siblings and my parents (all of them). "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." I John 4:4. Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. My fathers were empowered with the greater power, are you?

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Love, Camille

(Nellie/Wm>Alta Ruth>John Mart>Alta Camille)

Was the night before Christmas but no one was aware,
til' the star shined from heaven , saying Jesus was there.
The omni patient present from the father above;
sent with a message, of an undying love.
He taught where he went, of his father who cares.
Of an unquenchable fire in hell, that we'd better be aware.
He healed the sick, the lame, and cast out devils,
yet they doubted he was lord.
He was beaten and bruised, and hung on the cross,
for our sins that through him we have a reward.
He rose on a cloud to the father above,
as he watches over us, he tends to weep.
That so many though the word has been heard,
his commandments they refuse to keep.
...Bob Miller

When I was a very young child, Christmas was a time filled with wonder and anticipation. It was magical. Filled with elves, Santa, and flying reindeer. And for every question that I had, my father had an answer for it.
"How does Santa deliver all of those toys to children all over the world in just one night?", I would ask. "On that one special night of the year, time stands still to allow Santa to complete his work." daddy would say. "What if I cannot sleep, and am still awake when he comes?" I would query. "His magic fairy dust proceeds him and puts all little boys and girls to sleep before he ever comes down the chimney." daddy would answer. "What about the children who have no chimneys?" I would prod. "That same fairy dust allows him to shrink real small, so that he can fit through even the tiniest holes in the screen." daddy would respond. As I grew older, and "wiser" Christmas lost that innocent magic. And slowly, year by year, it also lost the joy. Traffic and store crowds made going out a chore. Being short on funds made me feel inadequate, and unworthy to share in the celebration of this time of the year. Cynicism took the place of blind faith. I began to feel a strange camaraderie with Mr. Scrooge. (pre Christmas Eve visitation) But then something truly remarkable happened. I had grandchildren. And as I saw the joy and wonder in their tiny faces, the magic began to return. Not in the same way, but in a new and more meaningful way. You see, children believe in Santa Claus with blind faith. The season is not so much about trees, tinsel, lights, and presents. It is about the birth of our Lord and Savior. And even though we have never set eyes on him, we believe. And he has brought us a gift. He has given us faith. And he has given us hope. And my hope is that I will never again lose the wonder of this special time of year. God bless us, everyone.
Lavida 12-12-01