The news of this croc is amazing enough, but what makes this story truly great is the fact that they kept this croc alive!  That’s right, alive!  They plan to take this killer croc who terrorized their area and make it an attraction for all to see, turning fear into excitement.  The Mayor of the town, Edwin Cox Elorde, says that they plan on turning this ”from a threat into an asset!”  And indeed he will! 

This raises another question… are dinosaurs really extinct?  I mean there are not T-Rexs roaming around everywhere (thank God) and certainly there are no longer Brontosaurus’ in zoos for viewing.  Would one not agree that there are dinosaurs still living?  Of course alligators and crocodiles immediately come to mind when reading this article.  But what about the Komodo Dragon, or even our modern-day Rhinos (who although is not a reptile could be compared to that of a Triceratops).  There are others such as the Snapping Turtles and the Galapagos Giant Tortoise.  Nonetheless, being true to the definition of the term dinosaur (“giant lizard”) I will concede apart from the handful of illustrations I just gave, my case is a weak one.  However, it would give some validity to the fact that the earth is not as old as many think it is!

To view this video please click here =>  http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7379477n&tag=strip

Amazon has it for $11.25

Ligonier has it for $12/Hardback & $9/eBook download

Enjoy!

• If both husband and wife are not in agreement that home education is right for their children, it is best not to proceed. Keep praying!
• If the parent who will do most of the teaching must have a regular full-time job outside the home, it will be extremely difficult to devote the time necessary to home education and general supervision.
• If the parent has difficulty maintaining discipline, it may be difficult to have an effective home education program.
• If you are not committed to the task of teaching, you will not reap the rewards of home education. Unlike a hobby, the education of your children demands a steady “day-in-day-out” commitment. Avoid the “experiment” mentality.
• Consider your motivation. You want to remove your child from a bad situation, but if you are not answering the call of the Lord to teach your children, you will find it difficult to be successful. Running away from ordinary challenges might teach your child the wrong lesson.

*This was from a Christian Home Education Fellowship (CHEF) that can be viewed here.

http://www.willisms.com/archives/2011/07/since_2006_texa.html

 This speech is nothing less than hypocritical and at best, a double standard .  Either way, no one can escape the irony!

THE REFORMED PASTOR

THE OVERSIGHT OF OURSELVES – By: Richard Baxter

It is a fearful thing to be an unsanctified professor, hut much more to be an unsanctified preacher. Doth it not make you tremble when you open the Bible, lest you should there re d the sentence of your own condemnation? When you pen your sermons, little do you think that you are drawing up indictments against your own souls! When you are arguing against sin, that you are aggravating your own! When you proclaim to your hearers the unsearchable riches of Christ and his grace, that you are publishing your own iniquity in rejecting them, and your unhappiness in being destitute of them! What can you do in persuading men to Christ, in drawing them from the world, in urging them to a life of faith and holiness, but conscience, if it were awake, would tell you, that you speak all this to your own confusion? If you speak of hell, you speak of your own inheritance: if you describe the joys of heaven, you describe your own misery, seeing you have no right to ‘the inheritance of the saints in light.’ What can you say, for the most part, but it will be against your own souls O miserable life! that a man should study and preach against himself, and spend his days in a course of self-condemnation! A graceless, inexperienced preacher is one of the most unhappy creatures upon earth and yet he is ordinarily very insensible of his unhappiness; for he hath so many counters that seem like the gold of saving grace, and so many splendid stones that resemble Christian jewels, that he is seldom troubled with the thoughts of his poverty; but thinks he is ‘rich, and increased in goods, and stands in need of nothing, when he is poor, and miserable, and blind, and naked.’ He is acquainted with the Holy Scriptures, he is exercised in holy duties, he liveth not in open disgraceful sin, he serveth at God’s altar, he reproveth other men’s faults, and preacheth up holiness both of heart and life; and how can this man choose but be holy? Oh what aggravated misery is this, to perish in the midst of plenty! – to famish with the bread of life in our hands, while we offer it to others, and urge it on them! That those ordinances of God should be the occasion of our delusion, which are instituted to be the means of our conviction and salvation! and that while we hold the looking-glass of the gospel to others, to show them the face and aspect of their souls, we should either look on the back part of it ourselves, where we can see nothing, or turn it aside, that it may misrepresent us to ourselves! If such a wretched man would take my counsel, he would make a stand, and call his heart and life to an account, and fall a preaching a while to himself, before he preach any more to others. He would consider, whether food in the mouth, that goeth not into the stomach, will nourish; whether he that ‘nameth the name of Christ should not depart from iniquity,” whether God will hear his prayers, if ‘he regard iniquity in his heart,” whether it will serve the turn at the day of reckoning to say, ‘Lord, Lord, we have prophesied in thy name,’ when he shall hear these awful words, ‘Depart from me, I know you not,” and what comfort it will be to Judas, when he has gone to his own place, to remember that he preached with the other apostles, or that he sat with Christ, and was called by him, ‘Friend.’ When such thoughts as these have entered into their souls, and kindly worked a while upon their consciences, I would advise them to go to their congregation, and preach over Origen’s sermon on Psalm 50. 16,17. ‘But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant into thy mouth seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee.’ And when they have read this text, to sit down, and expound and apply it by their tears; and then to make a full and free confession of their sin, and lament their case before the whole assembly, and desire their earnest prayers to God for pardoning and renewing grace; that hereafter they may preach a Savior whom they know, and may feel what they speak, and may commend the riches of the gospel from their own experience. Alas! it is the common danger and calamity of the Church, to have unregenerate and inexperienced pastors, and to have so many men become preachers before they are Christians; who are sanctified by dedication to the altar as the priests of God, before they are sanctified by hearty dedication as the disciples of Christ; and so to worship an unknown God, and to preach an unknown Christ, to pray through an unknown Spirit, to recommend a state of holiness and communion with God, and a glory and a happiness which are all unknown, and like to be unknown to them for ever. He is like to be but a heartless preacher, that hath not the Christ and grace that he preacheth, in his heart. O that all our students in our universities would well consider this! What a poor business is it to themselves, to spend their time in acquiring some little knowledge of the works of God, and of some of those names which the divided tongues of the nations have imposed on them, and not to know God himself, nor exalt him in their hearts, nor to be acquainted with that one renewing work that should make them happy! They do but ‘walk in a vain show,’ and spend their lives like dreaming men, while they busy their wits and tongue about abundance of names and notions, and are strangers to God and the life of saints. If ever God awaken them by his saving grace, they will have cogitations and employments so much more serious than their unsanctified studies and disputations, that they will confess they did but dream before. A world of business they make themselves about nothing, while they are wilful strangers to the primitive, independent, necessary Being, who is all in all. Nothing can be rightly known, if God be not known; nor is any study well managed, nor to any great purpose, if God is not studied. We know little of the creature, till we know it as it stands related to the Creator: single letters, and syllables uncomposed, are no better than nonsense. He who overlooketh him who is the ‘Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending,’ and seeth not him in all who is the All of all, doth see nothing at all. All creatures, as such, are broken syllables; they signify nothing as separated from God. Were they separated actually, they would cease to be, and the separation would be an annihilation; and when we separate them in our fancies, we make nothing of them to ourselves. It is one thing to know the creatures as Aristotle, and another thing to know them as a Christian. None but a Christian can read one line of his Physics so as to understand it rightly. It is a high and excellent study, and of greater use than many apprehend; but it is the smallest part of it that Aristotle can teach us.

**From Chapter 1, section 1, point 1 – (Taking heed to ourselves).

 The Bible does speaks against judging others, but only when our judging is self-righteous and hypocritical.  This is the case in the famous passage of Matthew 7:1-2 “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.”  This does not exclude making sound judgments, using discernment, or common sense.  It is simply to admonish us not to be pompous in our judgments.  In fact, there are many passages that command us to make judgments such as with John 7:24 “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment” (also see 1Cor 11:14; 1Thess 5:21; Phil.3:2; 1Jn 4:1; to name a few).   So we are commanded to judge others with a righteous judgment concerning Gospel issues as well as life issues.  This is the case with the entire book of Proverbs.  We are admonished to make judgments about what is foolish vs. what is wise.   We are told to discern between harlots vs. a women of godliness.  So we are to not be hypercritical but to indeed make discerning choices.  This is one difference between being judgmental and making a sound judgment, primarily the use of discernment. 

 Not only are we commanded to be discerning Biblically, practically we make judgments all the time!  In fact, to say to another, “You are judging me!”  The accuser has himself made a judgment upon another.  Everyone makes sound judgments.  Rather it is in Law, Business, Medicine, Academics, or Entertainment we all exercise discernment in all areas of life.  From raising our kids to managing our relationships we make sound judgments all day long.  In reality, our world would be indecisive statements of uncertainty, with no standard, and no security whatsoever if we did not exercise sound judgment/discernment! 

 It seems that many Christians have adopted an inclusive post-modern mentality.  Many have good intentions but have imposed an attitude that no longer tolerates anyone disagreeing with them without being condemned as judgmental.  I know many comments that I have read concerning the Casey Anthony trial came from well-meaning people who want Christians to demonstrate Gospel love instead using ‘lynch mob’ remarks.  I concede that many have been very hateful with their comments.  I do not join them or approve of their rhetoric.  Make no mistake, folks who use such language will one day give an account for every word at the Day of Judgment (Matthew 12:36).  I hope my comments have set me apart from them. 

 But what if one feels that Miss Anthony is a murder and should have been found guilty?  I believe this.  Am I now in this lynch mob category?  Or am I able to discern facts and make a clear decision/judgment?  I believe that she is guilty of murdering her daughter.  I have arrived at this judgment by discerning the facts.  I did not conclude this because she is white, wears clothes I don’t like, or b/c the AP has painted her in some bad light.  I conclude this based on the creditable evidence against her provided by the prosecution…

 1) Chloroform found in Miss Anthony’s Car (with a container of Chloroform found in on the premises as well) and the search for chloroform on computer.

2) Hairs from her car, similar to that which was found at place of recovery

3) Miss Anthony never calling about her daughter missing, after 31 days

4) Miss Anthony lied about her daughter’s whereabouts to her Mother

5) Miss Anthony lied about her daughter being kidnapped/nanny

6) Miss Anthony lied to investigators who were trying to locate her daughter’s whereabouts, instead of being helpful

7) Miss Anthony lied about fictitious, wealthy boyfriend

8 ) She partied hard and got a tattoo while lying about her daughter missing

9) Rotting flesh smell and shape of child’s body in trunk of Miss Anthony’s car

10) Borrowing duct tape and gas can from parents and returning

11) Location of body, and duct tape found on skull (no accident)

 Based on these facts, I believe that she is guilty.  These are not myths, stories, or hearsay but facts.  And even though I heard the defense’s rebuttal to some of these, I was not convinced.  I was able to make a sound judgment using logic and deductive reasoning, not being swayed by empty rhetoric.  

 Furthermore, it is not as if there is not available information to make a sound judgment.  It was all presented and televised for the public to hear, read, and have an opinion!  I watched the trial and kept up with most, if not all the arguments (which were not always good from the prosecution).  And many have seen the evidence provided and agree.  Many people feel that she is guilty because of the credible evidence provided by credible prosecutors.  In addition, there are a significant number of credible attorneys, judges, and journalists who all agree that she should have been found guilty.  Not to mention the countless educated, experienced, God-fearing Christians who all believe that she should have been found guilty based on this same evidence.  They have concluded this judgment not because they are judgmental, but because they were able to discern the facts.

 Many may think I am wrong or have poor judgment (no pun intend) in having such opinions.  I know that only God and Miss Anthony truly know.  But I hope that I have convinced you that it is not a matter of being judgmental.  Now, although I believe that Miss Anthony is guilty murder, I also believe that without Christ we are no better.  Scripture tell us that “all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God” (Rom. 3:23), that means “everyone!”   The Bible clearly states that there is only one Way to the Father and that is through Christ Jesus (John 14:6).  This means all persons – good, bad, and ugly – must repent and receive Christ Jesus as Lord.  This means Miss Anthony as well as Yogi Taylor!  Furthermore, Heaven is filled with murders!  By contrast, Hell is filled with sweet, loving, well-meaning Church-goers as well.  If you believe, as I do, that Miss Anthony is guilty of murder, then you should be moved to pray for her.  Pray not with a heart of hate but with one of compassion.

 Thank you for allowing me to share.

Old Glory

Five practical questions parents should consider when it comes to media, by Kurt Gebhards.

1. Honestly assess you media consumption.  List the TV shows you watch regularly.  Do you need to make some changes?  Are you exposing yourself to corrupting influences?
2. Understand your responsibility to redeem the time and use it wisely for God’s glory.  Are you spending too much time watching television, surfing the Web, or participating in other media-driven activities (such as video games)?
3. Consider what you want to make of your life in light of Christ’s call for faithfulness to Him (Matt. 25:23).  Are you abusing your freedom in Christ for your own leisure and pleasure (Gal. 5:23).  Or are you exerting yourself in service to the Lord?
4. Compare your media intake with your intake of God’s Word.  Are you more devoted to your own entertainment and amusement than you are to God’s precious Word?  What plan of action will you take to address this?
5. Honestly assess the example you offer to your kids.  Do you need to make any changes or improvements?  Will you sit down with your family, admit your failure in this area, and set up a new plan of action?  Remember that your responsibility as a parent is to provide spiritual leadership and guidance for your children in the home.

Right Thinking in a World Gone Wrong (Harvest House Publishers, 2009, Eugene OR) p.61