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For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

Thirteen Things about Sola Gratia

1….What makes me smarter (better, more faithful, etc.) than my neighbor?

2.... Why did faith arise in me, but not the one next to me?

3.... Was I truly dead in my sin (or just a little sick)? How fallen is mankind?

4....Is it the grace of God (alone) that saves me? Or do I think that I am able (in some small way) to save myself?

5....Grace is God's unmerited favor toward undeserving sinners like us.

6.... Being unmerited, people can do nothing to obtain it. In other words, grace is not conditioned upon anything God sees in us, like our merit or even our good will.

7.... If God left men to their boasted will we would all perish, for no poison-filled well, like us, would freely use their polluted will to choose God, for the Scriptures affirm that the natural man hates the light and will not come into it (John 3:19, 20).

8.... Therefore, in His great mercy and, in spite of ourselves, God regenerates His people through the work of Christ's grace wrought in us.

9.... Exercising faith is our responsibility so, of course, we affirm that all men have a will and make voluntary choices, but since our will is broken and spiritually bankrupt, if we are ever to exercise faith in Jesus Christ it will mean that God must do a supernatural work of grace in our heart to disarm our natural hostility and restore our brokenness lest our hearts remain like stone, and we as a stiff necked people will refuse to come to Jesus Christ.

10.... We do not repair ourselves and then believe.

11.... Rather, we believe because God has repaired us, has illumined our mind that we might see and believe.

12.... God commands men to come but, of themselves, none of themselves, want to. "It is not Him who wills or runs but of Him who shows mercy (Rom 9:16).

13....Why is this important? - Because it gives God all the glory for our salvation. Grace cannot be separated from our election in Christ. Romans 11:5,6 says, "at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace."

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Tolerance: The capacity for or the practice of recognizing and respecting the beliefs or practices of others.

Diversity: The fact or quality of being diverse; difference; A point or respect in which things differ.

For two decades, America’s schools and colleges have made a signal virtue of “tolerance” and the “celebration” of diversity. When skeptics have voiced concerns that these bumper-sticker sentiments pose a threat to free speech and intellectual freedom, or threaten to substitute the habits of therapy for those of disciplined inquiry, they have been dismissed as retrograde curmudgeons. (read the article)

Here's the short scoop: In a food coop at the University of Maryland (where the “human rights code” prohibits discrimination on the basis of political beliefs, along with sex, race, and so on), a worker refused to serve and ring up a client because she was "offended" by the client's t-shirt.

The clerk at this grocery and sandwich shop in the student union read her t-shirt’s “Baltimore Zionist District” and “I Stand for Israel” slogans and then declared, “Your shirt offends me. I won’t ring you up.”

Instead of explaining tolerance and diversity (respecting the rights of others to voice their political opinion), a deal was reached where a worker can refuse service to people they disapprove of, so long as they can get another worker to serve that client.

I do have to wonder what the backlash would be if a Christian refused service to a person wearing a gay pride shirt. (for the record, I'd ring the client up and be very polite and kind doing it)

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Two (sort of) related articles

Michigan city could become first in U.S. under Muslim control. No - this does not mean that civil rights or the US Constitution has been suspended in Hamtramck. It means that there are four Muslims on the primary ballot for city council. IF these four end up on the ballot and IF they ALL win seats on the board, it would mean that all four would join the current (one) Muslim (out of six seats) on the city council of Hamtramck, meaning that 5/6 of the city council seats would be filled by Muslims.

If 3 of the runners win, the council will have a 4/6 majority of Muslims and if 2 win, there will be a 3-3 split.

Remember - this is only a primary. At least 3 of the 4 would have to win both the primary AND the general election in order to gain that majority.

Hamtramck was also in the news in 2004, when the city council passed a noise ordnance amendment that allowed mosques to put the Muslim Call to Prayer (below) over loud speakers that would saturate the town with Islam noise - 5 times every day.

Question:- What is the Muslim Call to Prayer?

Answer:- Text of the call in Arabic with English translation:

Arabic: “Allaahu akbar, Allaah akbar, Allaahu akbar, Allaah akbar; ash-hadu an laa ilaah ill-Allaah, ash-hadu an laa ilaah ill-Allaah; ash-hadu anna Muhammadan rasool-Allaah, ash-hadu anna Muhammadan rasool-Allaah; hayya ala al-salaah, hayya ala’ al-salaah; hayya ala’ l-falaah, hayya ala’ l-falaah; Allaahu akbar, Allaahu akbar; Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah”

Translation:- “Allah is most Great, Allah is most Great, Allah is most Great, Allah is most Great. I bear witness that there is no god except Allah, I bear witness that there is no god except Allah. I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. Come to prayer, come to prayer; come to success, come to success. Allah is most Great, Allah is most Great, there is no god except Allah).

Next article:

Iran's Thug-In-Chief: "There is no way for salvation of mankind but rule of Islam over mankind" (HT: Jihad Watch)

Make no mistake: this is not just an expression of piety. It is a political statement, a statement of Islamic supremacism, and of the will to wage war until Islamic Sharia is imposed over the whole world. "President: Rule of Islam only way for salvation of mankind," from the Islamic Republic News Agency (thanks to the Constantinopolitan Irredentist): (emphasis mine)

What is the connection? The connection is that Islam may not take over the United States by sword - we may simply be outvoted.

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Thanks to Angela.

The men formed a circle in the middle of the floor and few of them began playing musical instruments in a rhythmical beat. Then, they sang and recited prayers. Their prayers were different from the traditional Sunni prayers. But of course women were excluded from the prayers, as it is with Sunni Muslims as well. The singing and music went on for about an hour when finally the men began to spin around the room. If you’ve ever seen pictures of “whirling dervishes”, this is exactly what they were doing. As a part of their worship, they whirl around, arms outstretched until they reach a trance like state. In this state, they can twirl for hours on end. And this is exactly what they did! By the end of the service, I had a pounding headache. And I couldn’t wait to get out of there! The feeling of oppression was thick in the air and all of us in the group knew that these poor men were under the control of Satan. Our hearts broke for those men.

Here is a youtube video (embedding it messed with my template...)

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I don't watch TV, so all I know is what others have told me...

How much has the United States mainstream media covered the story on the Korean Christians that the Taliban are holding? I've heard - not much.

What I did not know before this is that Korea is second only to the United States in the number of Christian missionaries that are sent out of the county. 16,000 of them. Seven South Korean missionies have been captured in Iraq since 2003 - and the Christians keep going out, even under threat of death.

They are willing to die in order to spread the Gospel - and some have died.

One article I read pointed out that both the Koreans and the Taliban are convinced that they are on a mission from God. The difference is that Christians' mission is to spread the Gospel (although in times past it appears that was secondary to wealth), the Taliban's mission is to convert people - or kill them.

All over the world, there are Christians who are in danger of death, torture, loss of loved ones or property, loss of jobs and health. Yes, we are mocked once in a while - I've been hated and falsely accused of hatred. But I am not in the same league as the truly persecuted.

The persecution in other countries is growing. More and more stories are coming out. To put myself in the same category of "persecuted" trivializes the truly persecuted.

The Koreans, the Taliban is threatening to kill more of them.

These are the truly persecuted.

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I'm not a breastfeeding mom and (at this point) will not likely ever be. I could not breast feed either of my children so I've had the experience of trying, but not an extended period.

But I'm a full supporter. So this doesn't make sense.

A breastfeeding resource kit that includes...baby formula, from the makers and sellers of...baby formula.

As one commenter put it, would you take seriously a "stop smoking" kit from the people you buy cigarettes from?

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It can irritate me sometimes when a person sitting in front of his/her own personal computer, in his/her safe little house, and who will attend his/her church without fear, claims "persecution".

Ahem.

there are real people in other parts of the world who are suffering real persecution.

In our safe little PC world (political correctness) where the largest "sin" around is the lack of tolerance, "persecute" has come to mean "

  1. To oppress or harass with ill-treatment, especially because of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or beliefs.
  2. To annoy persistently; bother. (from answers.com)

It used to describe the torture and torments inflicted on the early Christians martyrs. And it still does.

GOKAK, INDIA (ANS) -- “I was cast out from my society for accepting Christ,” says Muthyappa, a helper fabricator who attends a church at Gokak in Karnataka state, India.

Muthyappa accepted Christ as his personal Savior, along with his family, some six years ago. The news of his acceptance of Christ spread throughout in their community and the elders called all the people in the society for a meeting to drive him out for accepting Jesus. The elders claimed that he had accepted a “foreign religion,” and also that he had dishonored the Hindu faith “and hence he is not fit to be a part of our religion and he needs to be kicked out from the company of his family and community.”

Muthyappa with his wife and 3 children

Muthyappa made his way out along with his wife and his three children, with only a few pairs of clothing. Seeing his commitment to Christ, his sister left the family and followed Muthyappa.

He told me that he was “holding on” to the verse from Psalm 27:10, “When the father and mother forsake me, Then the lord will take care of me.”

Not knowing where to go, he searched for some labor to try and support his family and got work as a helper to a fabricator where he earns only Rs 60 a day($1.5USD).

People, having somebody disagree with your denomination is not the persecution in the Bible. Losing your job, your family, your home, your life is.

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- RECIPE ROUNDUP

This is a WeightWatcher's friendly recipe (5 points per seving) and is also "Core"

uses 2 pounds of Salmon, fresh side, boned but skin on (I used regular store bought salmon, no skin)

for the marinade

  • 2 Tbs Dijon mustard
  • 3 Tbs soy sauce
  • 2 tsp ollive oil
  • 1/2 tsp minced garlic

Light charcoal briquettes in a grill and brush the grilling rac with oil to keep the salmon from sticking

NOTE: I discovered grilling planks. Instead of oiling the grill and and/or cooking in a basket, you lightly oil this piece of wood (we used cedar) and cook the meat right on the wood, giving it a smoky flavor. That's the way I cooked this recipe and it was very nicely received!

While the grill is heating, lay the salmon on a cutting board skin side down and cut it crosswise into 4 equal pieces (I fudged here - I put it on the soaked grilling plank and left it whole). Whisk together the mustard, soy sauce, olive oil, and garlic in a small bowl. Drizzle half of the marinade onto the salmon and allow it ti sit for 10 minutes.

Place the salmon skin side down on the hot grill (or put the plank on the grill). Discard the marinade the fish was sittin in. Grill for 4 -5 minutes, depending on the thicknes sof the fish. Turn carefully with a wide spatula and grill for another 4-5 minutes. The salmon will be slighty raw in the center, but don't worry, it will keep cooking as it sits. (because my fish was on the plank, I didn't have to mess with turning it - the side toward the grill cooked more slowly because of the wood so it cooked very evenly.)

Transfer the fish to a flat plate, skin side down and spoon the reserved marinade on top. Allow the fish to rest for 10 minutes. Remove the skin and serve warm, at room temperature or chilled.

NOTE: I saw an ad for a more expensive, very reusable plank. Instead of transfering the meat to a plate, drop the plank into the metal server and you're done! I served this with couscous (also Core) and made extra marinade and added it to the couscous - it went over quite well. There is enough left over that I can enjoy the salmon cold with the last of the couscous, along with a green salad)

For more plank recipes, take a peek here.

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not daddies fighting daddies.

This is about a war against fathers. The daddies that want to be involved and can't be.

My [Glenn Sacks] new co-authored column, Choosing Foster Parents over Fathers (San Diego Union-Tribune, 7/11/07), discusses perhaps the worst verified child custody/family law injustice against a father and a daughter which I have ever seen--the outrageous Melinda Smith foster care case.

It's horrifying. Imagine a world where an unwed couple fathers a child, a little girl. The father (like so many) is involved in his daughter's life, loves her and pays child support faithfully.

Then, imagine the mother moves away, taking the child with her -leaving no forwarding address. He can no longer see her on a regular basis, but still faithfully pays the mother child support to take care of his daughter (this can happen if the father pays through "friend of the court".

It happened that the girl was removed from her mother's home because of abuse and she was placed in the foster care system.

The father was never notified.

Thomas--whose fitness as a father was never impugned nor legally questioned--continued to receive and pay his child support bills. Authorities refused to disclose his daughter’s whereabouts, and didn’t even inform him that his daughter had been taken by the County. Smith employed private investigators and attorneys to try to find Melinda and secure visitation rights, but he eventually ran out of money.

Rather than allowing Smith to raise his own daughter, the system shuttled Melinda through seven different foster care placements. An understandably angry child, her outbursts led authorities to house her in a residential treatment center alongside older children convicted of criminal activity—when she was only seven years old.

Melinda says that during this period she was told that her father was a “deadbeat dad” who had abandoned her. When Melinda was 16, she told an investigating social worker that the “most important thing” for her was to find her dad. Moved by her story, the social worker began searching for Melinda’s father--and found him in one day. In 2005, Thomas and Melinda were finally reunited.

Surely this must be an aberration, right?

Unfortunately, the Smith case is no aberration. When a mother and father are divorced or separated, and a child welfare agency removes the children from the mother’s home for abuse or neglect, an offer of placement to the father, barring unfitness, should be automatic. Yet in the report What About the Dads? Child Welfare Agencies’ Efforts to Identify, Locate, and Involve Nonresident Fathers, the Urban Institute presents a shocking finding: when fathers inform child welfare officials that they would like their children to live with them, the agencies seek to place the children with their fathers only 15% of the time.

We need to be more vocal about fathers' rights. Take a look around Glenn Sacks' site, read some of his columns and be appalled by the "system"