“If you believe what you like in the Gospel, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the Gospel you believe, but yourself.”

St. Augustine of Hippo

It appears that my church does not learn a thing. Not content with appointing me Assistant Rectors Warden in 2007, they have now compounded the mistake by asking me to serve as Senior Rectors Warden.

Near as I can work out, this seems to involve signing pieces of paper vaguely insinuating that it doesn’t matter who broke it, it’s my fault.

Since it happened in my local neighborhood, I thought the story below, presented in chronological order, may be of some interest.

University of Calgary Once Again Attempting to Censor Campus Pro-Life Club
University of Calgary Pro-Life Students Defy Threats of Arrest over Pro-Life Display
High-ranking Political Science Profs Say U of C “Overreacted” To Pro-Life Demonstrators
University of Calgary Pro-Life Students Victorious (for now – ed) – Administration Backs Down from Arrest Threats

Such stories are only really a surprise if you subscribe to the old canard that universities are all about ‘free speech’, ‘open enquiry’, ‘thoughtful discourse’ etc. Simply put, that is a fiction and fallacy. I have two degrees, and I never saw universities like this. Usually they are hotbeds of ‘rightthink’, ideology of which swallowed by many (not all – but many) immature people who really don’t have much of a clue, or interest in finding one. Full of people required to jump through lecturers hoops to get the grades needed and hardly able, interested or encouraged to study further.

Sorry for the rant (not one of my better days, alas). Everything is broken, universities included, and only Jesus Christ can redeem us.

UPDATE: So apparently the U of C is now charging their own students with trespassing (here and here). This would be the University of free and open enquiry, debate, exchange of ideas etc (you can see my viewpoint on that above), now helpfully moderated by the University administration, courts and police?!

UPDATE2: And the SU joins in the persecution. Pathetic.

UPDATE3: There’s an online petition here – please add your support. Thanks!

“Our age is without passion. Everyone knows a great deal, we all know which way we ought to go and all the different ways we can go, but nobody is really willing to move.” – Soren Kierkegaard

A sobering look at why certain forms of contraception are really abortion by any other name….

BRAZIL, December 17, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In the early days of the human race, Cain killed Abel and buried him, and the Bible says that Abel’s blood cried out from the ground. The murder of Abel did not go unpunished or forgotten.

In the end times, the Bible tells us that rivers, seas and the fountains of water will “become blood as of a dead man” (Revelation 16:3-4), explaining that because of the shedding of innocent blood (see Revelation 16:5-6), judgment shall come.

From the beginning to the end, the Bible makes it clear that no murder of innocents goes unpunished, because their blood cries out for justice.

Today, perhaps in fulfillment of these prophesies, rivers have become deposits of annihilated lives. Hundreds of millions of women use pills and other birth-control devices that provoke micro-abortions that end flushed in toilets, and then into rivers.

The current generation was conditioned not to know or care that one of the functions of contraception is to provoke imperceptible micro-abortions. (To understand the way IUD and hormonal methods annihilate recently-conceived lives in the womb, see here).

How many users of “the pill” know that hormonal contraception not only prevents conception, but also prevents a newly-conceived embryo from implanting in the mother’s uterus? A new human being, too tiny to see, dies of hunger, and is flushed out of his mother’s body with her next menstrual cycle. The contraceptive pill not only represents the refusal of God’s gift of new life, but it actively destroys it.

The current generation lives a planned and conditioned life, where the priority is material comfort and pleasure. With that mentality, children become burdens and hindrances. With contraception, they become options and disposable items, where governments and individuals impose controls and limitations.

In an age of planning, it is easy to discard human life. Even those who are called Christians use the same worldly means, spilling innocent blood into rivers.

…

The rest of the article can be found here. From my perspective, it tends to ramble a bit into other areas of concern to the writer and may not add much to the main point. I.e., that as this EPM report outlines, many forms of the pill can work as a chemical abortificant.

This should be of grave concern to all those who are pro-life, lest we also unwittingly partake in the culture of death that regards life as disposable when it becomes an inconvenience.

I know I have not written much on the Anglican world recently on this blog, in many ways because I get my ‘fix’ on the AEC blog!

So, I had planned on saying something about the recent Primates communique, here. However, I see that this has been dissected with clarity in many places, such as here and here. A pithy summary of this document would be that it contains paragraphs of turgid Anglican prose with promises to talk lots more. And a seeming backing away from ACNA from the orthodox primates, as MCJ elaborates on here.

On the other hand, from here and other sources, we hear that the orthodox primates went away very pleased with the outcome.

So, the point of this post comes in the form of a question from one most puzzled. There appears to be a reality disconnect between what the primates are saying, and the actual document that they signed up to. Could somebody clarify?

It has seemed to me over the past few months that the prophetic pulse has changed from one of warning, to one of encouragement. What need is there of warning when it is clear that the storms are upon us? When it is clear that the wisdom, thoughts, and hope of men is proven insufficient. I see the hysterically tinged worship-fest of the incoming American messiah, and consider it symptomatic of the desperate desire to avoid the pain of our own making. How long will it be before this emissary of the culture of death disappoints us, failing to bring us our earthly salvation?

But I digress. Encouragement is the name of the game, now. To encourage us to shine in these current times.

But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort. 1 Cor 14 v3

Truth is, things are not going to get “better”, at least not in the natural. Here is something I received back in 2005:

I had a prophetic dream. As is usual with dreams, upon wakening I could not quite grasp the essence of what I had dreamt.

Considering the reality of what I had been given, the Lord gave me a reference point to be able to anchor the dream and understand it.

I saw the Holy Spirit, brooding over the earth and the seas covering it. I perceived His plans for us. I saw Him dry up all the seas, and as this was done, what was hidden under the seas was revealed – mountains, valleys, plains and trenches.

My understanding was that the seas represented the Lord’s grace in the natural – that is, his physical provision for us. I saw that He will dry up this provision, and in doing so reveal the hidden natures of our hearts – both the highest heights, and the lowest depths.

I saw that this water – the Lord’s grace in the supernatural – would still be available as a source to be drawn upon by those who are based and grounded in the Lord.

What will this mean, and how extensive will it be? I do not know. Only that a time of natural adversity with supernatural blessing will occur, with the intent of revealing what has been hidden under the Seas of Plenty for many years. Both the best and the worst will be laid bare for all to see.

This therefore is my counsel – to seek from the Lord the grace in the supernatural, to provide all needs during this time. Yes, and not just what is needed, but an abundance, that you too may become ’sons of encouragement’ – Barnabas’s for this time. Consider this story from Mark Mallett (copied below), and understand that you are being prepared – however small and insignificant you perceive yourself to be – to be that salt, that light, that beacon of hope and encouragement, to hook that one soul out from these tumultuous seas. May God bless you richly and abundantly,

Peter

IT was the end of a string of six concerts in several small towns on the Canadian prairies. The turnouts were poor, usually less than fifty people. By the sixth concert, I was beginning to feel sorry for myself. As I began to sing that night several years ago, I looked out at the audience. I could’ve sworn that everyone there was over ninety! I thought to myself, “They probably can’t even hear my music! Moreover, are these really the people you want me to evangelize, Lord? What about the youth? And how am I going to feed my family….?” And on and on the whining went, as all the while I kept playing and smiling at the quiet audience.

Afterward, I was supposed to stay the night in the empty rectory. But I was so upset that I packed everything up and started the five hour drive home through the night. I wasn’t two miles out of town when suddenly I felt the Lord’s presence in the seat beside me. I could “see” Him leaning over and looking squarely at me. He spoke with an intensity that to this very day shakes my soul.

Mark—Don’t underestimate the value of ONE soul.

The words were so powerful, so full of love, so intense that I burst into tears. Because suddenly I remembered… there was one younger lady who came up and spoke to me after the concert. She was visibly moved. I spoke with her and tried to answer her questions, but kept packing my gear, sulking, feeling sorry for myself instead of realizing that the one soul Jesus would have descended to earth to die for alone, was standing before me.

So that I would never forget what He said—what He died for—He repeated those words again, in a love which still leaves me in tears, even as I write this:

Don’t underestimate the value of ONE soul.

I repented, and from that day on began to realize that Jesus was no longer fishing with nets, but with hooks… looking now for one soul here, one soul there, before the coming of the Great Storm.

Something from Andrew Strom that provides food for thought. I particularly liked point 4, as an antidote to our me-dominated culture.

FIVE KEYS to SURVIVING the CRISIS
-by Andrew Strom.

Since I believe (like others) that 2009 is going to be a year that “All hell breaks loose” (-Yes – you can quote me on that), I believe it is very important that God’s people come to grips with the key things that will help us survive – and even thrive – through this dark period of great Shaking. The following keys are taken from my book, “SURVIVE the DEPRESSION”-

(1) SPIRITUAL PREPARATION. As has been intimated all the way through the book, the most important keys to surviving and thriving in this present crisis are ‘SPIRITUAL’ in nature. The root causes of this mess are things like greed, apathy and the “Love of money” – which are all SPIRITUAL diseases. And thus the answers are mostly spiritual also. Those who merely prepare in physical or practical ways will find this out to their great cost. If you want to survive and thrive, prepare yourself “spiritually” above all else.
Spend time seeking God, get rid of all sin, obey Him implicitly, help the poor, leave behind the shallow “junk” of our culture and become a radical disciple of Jesus. If you have a family to care for, put the same principles into practice. Become a RADICAL FAMILY for Christ! Don’t delay. We are out of time. Such “spiritual” preparations are by far the most important answer to surviving and thriving in these dark times. But don’t just selfishly seek God so you can “survive”. Seek Him for His own sake. Become a true disciple who lives for Christ – not for what you can “get out of it” – but because your deepest desire is to utterly glorify Him.

(2) POSITION YOURSELF. Sometimes Christians can get away with being in the wrong place for quite some time. But not in a crisis like this. Every Christian needs to ask themselves right now, “Am I exactly where I am meant to be? Am I am with the people that God wants me with? Am I in the right group, the right city?” If you know that God has been whispering to you for quite some time that you are meant to be in a different place, then do not delay. Get yourself and your family into the place that you know is in the very center of His will – even if it means losing money, or leaving behind friends, a well-paid job, or whatever. This is no time to be caught anywhere but in the exact center of God’s will for your life. Pray about it and take action. Don’t put it off!

(3) FOOD STORAGE. This can be a difficult thing to talk about today because there have been so many “false alarms” such as Y2K, etc. However, there have been a number of prophecies about food shortages and famine in the days ahead – even in developed nations like America. I certainly believe this is possible. In fact, we are already beginning to see disruptions of international shipping and trade caused by the Credit Crunch. Even basic grains and foodstuffs may be affected – which could have terrible consequences for the Food Supply in the months and years ahead. So if God has been whispering to you to start a garden or to collect canned goods, then you need to heed that “still small voice” and begin to prepare in this way. Again, if this is something you feel God has been warning you about, PLEASE DO NOT DELAY – but act quickly to get yourself positioned for what lies ahead. It is relatively painless to gather canned goods – and they can always be used whether there is a crisis or not. And gardens likewise.

(4) SMALL GROUPS HELPING THE POOR. So far the pointers we have been discussing fall into the category of “Surviving”. But this one comes under the category of “Thriving”. If you want to thrive in this crisis, get involved in ministering to the poor and needy. (Sadly there will be a lot more of them as time goes on).
When I was down in Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina there was one Spirit-filled Fellowship that was “thriving” in the midst of the chaos. They had filled their sanctuary with food, clothes, and emergency supplies of all kinds – and they were ministering to hundreds. They also prayed with many of those they helped. In the midst of that crisis, when many churches had closed down and many pastors had left town, this Fellowship was thriving and becoming a Help and Ministry center for the entire community.
They were a light in the darkness – a “city set upon a hill” – ministering to many who ordinarily never go near a church. And if you look in Scripture you will see that this is exactly what the early Christians were like. Helping the poor was a big priority with them also.

In the first chapter of the book I mentioned how important it is to band together with perhaps 2 – 3 other families that we can link arms with when times get really tough. (We may even end up LIVING with some of these people. Do you have friends who are that close?) And in conjunction with this I urged people to use these small groups to begin to minister to the poor. I cannot tell you how important this is, if we want to “thrive” – not just ‘survive’ – through this current crisis. This is one of the absolute keys. In fact it is very doubtful if we can even have real New Testament Christianity without a strong emphasis on the poor and needy. It is that crucial. So will you be a “light shining in the darkness” during this present crisis, my friends?

(5) LISTEN FOR THE “STILL SMALL VOICE”. We already put “Spiritual Preparation” at the top of our List of priorities, but I just need to re-emphasize this aspect. To survive this crisis, we simply MUST be walking close to God and listening to His voice. We have to hear from Him. And we have to be ready to respond – even if it means “leaving all”. This is utterly crucial, and for many people may literally be the difference between life and death. Learn to listen to God’s voice and obey Him. Wherever he wants to send you, whatever He wants you to do – do it. And I pray that not only will you be one who “survives” this crisis, but one who ‘thrives’ – to the glory of God the Father. May the Lord be with every one of you in these dark days, my friends.

If you are looking for a word to begin this new year, 2009, I would offer you this one – hope.

Not the hope that the world offers, that proves to be a delusion, but real and lasting hope. The world offers enticing attractions – of wealth, of happiness, of pleasure. All to the good perhaps, while the delusion lasts. But sooner or later all these hopes fail, turn to ash, and are blown away. People fail us, the ones we most rely on fall short and we are left disillusioned. The heroes we create in our imagination or in popular fiction, to fill our need in our independence, are shown to be illusions.

What then are we left with? The pride of despair perhaps? Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die?

There is a better way, if we can but humble our pride and independence, and realise our true state. There is true hope, not based on immediate circumstances or in things, but on ancient promises.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Matthew 19 v19-21

Where is your heart? What really matters to you?

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
1 Corinthians 13 v13a

This is not the hope that promises a trouble-free blessed life, one of serene bliss and abundance of possession. Rather it is one that offers us, even in the midst of a pain-wracked, messed up and broken world, the hope of both a present and a future, the now and the not yet, with God, the author and perfecter of our faith, offering us true life, true peace and true abundance, if only we would turn away from ourselves and turn back to Him.

Hear the words of the Master Carpenter, Jesus Christ of Nazareth:

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
John 16 v33

Blessings to you all!