The Dinner Roll

Richard Gleaves

This was emailed to me, but credit must go to Richard Gleaves as amended. You can reach his blog here; "Uncommon Sense"

Once upon a time I was invited to the White House for a private dinner with
the President.

I am a respected businessman, with a factory that produces memory chips for
computers and portable electronics.

There was some talk that my industry was being scrutinized by the
administration, but I paid it no mind.  I live in a FREE country.  There's
nothing that the government can do to me if I've broken no laws.  My wealth
was EARNED honestly, and an invitation to dinner with an American President
is an honor.

I checked my coat, was greeted by the Chief of Staff, and joined the
President in a yellow dining room.

We sat across from each other at a table draped in white linen.  The Great
Seal was embossed on the china.  Uniformed staff served our dinner.

The meal was served, and I was startled when my waiter suddenly reached out,
plucked a dinner roll off my plate and began nibbling it as he walked back
to the kitchen..

"Sorry 'bout that," said the President. "Andrew is very hungry."

"I don't appreciate..." I began, but as I looked into the calm brown eyes
across from me, I felt immediately guilty and petty.  It was just a dinner
roll. "Of course," I concluded, and reached for my glass.

Before I could, however, another waiter reached forward, took the glass away
and swallowed the wine in a single gulp.  "And his brother, Eric, is very
thirsty," said the President.

I didn't say anything.  The President is testing my compassion, I thought.
I withheld my comments and decided to play along.  I don't want to seem
unkind..

My plate was whisked away before I had tasted a bite.

"Eric's children are also quite hungry."

With a lurch, I crashed to the floor.  My chair had been pulled out from
under me.

I stood, brushing myself off angrily, and watched as it was carried from the
room.
And their grandmother can't stand for long."

I excused myself, smiling outwardly, but inside feeling like a fool.
Obviously I had been invited to the White House to be sport for some game.
I reached for my coat, to find that it had been taken.

I turned back to the President.

"Their grandfather doesn't like the cold."

I wanted to shout, "that was my coat!"  But again, I looked at the placid
smiling face of my host and decided I was being a poor sport.  I spread my
hands helplessly and chuckled.

Then I felt my hip pocket and realized my wallet was gone.  I excused myself
and walked to a phone on an elegant side table.

I learned shortly that my credit cards had been maxed out, my bank accounts
emptied, my retirement and equity portfolios had vanished, and my wife had
been thrown out of our home.

Apparently, the waiters and their families were moving in.  The President
hadn't moved or spoken as I learned all this, but finally I lowered the
phone into its cradle and turned to face him.

"Andrew's whole family has made bad financial decisions.  They haven't
planned for retirement and they need a house.  They recently defaulted on a
sub-prime mortgage.  I told them they could have your home.  They need it
more than you do."

My hands were shaking.  I felt faint I stumbled back to the table and knelt
on the floor.

The President cheerfully cut his meat, ate his steak, and drank his wine.  I
lowered my eyes and stared at the small grey circles on the tablecloth that
were water drops.

"By the way," he added, "I have just signed an Executive Order nationalizing
your factories.

I'm firing you as head of your business.  I'll be operating the firm now for
the benefit of all mankind.

There's a whole bunch of Erics and Andrews out there and they can't come to
you for jobs groveling like beggars...we need to spread YOUR wealth
around..."

I looked up.  The President dropped his spoon into the empty ramekin which
had been his crme Brule.

He drained the last drops of his wine.  As the table was cleared, he lit a
cigarette and leaned back in his chair.

He stared at me.  I clung to the edge of the table as if it were a ledge and
I were a man hanging over an abyss.

I thought of the years behind me, of the life I had lived.  The life I had
earned with a lifetime of work, risk and struggle.

Why was I punished?  How had I allowed it to be taken?  What game had I
played and lost?  I looked across the table and noticed with some surprise
that there was no game board between us.

What had I done wrong?

As if answering the unspoken thought, President Obama suddenly cocked his
head, locked his empty eyes to mine, and bared a million teeth, chuckling
wryly as he folded his hands.

"You should have stopped me at the dinner roll," he said.

WAKE UP AMERICA !!!

Russian Roulette

Just released home video of an incident that took place last December in Astrakhan, Southern Russia  of a 38-year-old Chechen man who was a guest at a wedding who claims he had an unloaded gun playing Russian Roulette.  With a gun in hand he puts it to his head, when another man with a microphone attempts to stop him. The man is standing around some other gusts who are taking the whole scene in without realizing what is about to happen. Well, the Chechen man again puts the gun to his head and pulls the trigger. Click, it does not fires. He then cocks the gun to give someone else a chance at the game, when a younger looking man takes the gun from him. Then, with look that tells me he thinks this is all a joke and that the gun is not loaded, he places the muzzle against his head and pulls the trigger.

Warning Extremely disturbing.

Flying My Flag at Half Mast

By Chuck

On the morning of March 22, I raised my flag to the top of the 25 foot pole In my front yard. I must have forgotten to tie it off, because when I returned later in the afternoon from presenting my Sunday message I noticed that the flag had been lowered to half mast. That evening I watched the the House of Representatives vote on the Senate's version of the Healthcare legislation. As the remaining votes needed to pass the legislation were cast, I began to thinking about the damage this legislation would do to America. It was then that I was struck by how prophetic my flag being lowered to half mast really was. I decided at that moment to leave my flag at half mast where I believe God had lowered it to.

It is my opinion that we are experiencing what could very well be the last decades of what has been called the greatest civilization the world has ever seen. Yes, I believe that the America I once knew is forever gone. I say so because I cannot foresee the Republicans ever reversing the Health Care bill. I do pray that if and when a challenge to the law gets to the the Supreme Court, that it will ruling it unconstitutional. Unfortunately, as much as many will disagree with me, I believe a vast majority of Americans have turned their backs on God. In doing so, He has turned His back on us as a nation. We cannot continue to condone the many evil things we do in America as if God has changed His mind about what says is evil.

As a Christian, I guess I should be thankful that the current events are turning out the way they are. After all the many conditions I feel are needed to be in place for the various "End Times" scenarios to be fulfilled are now falling into place. I have stated before, and do so again, that I tend to look at certain aspects of the end times prophecies a bit different then many of my colleagues who hold to dispensationalism. Without getting into the specifics, I will just say that my understanding of history and politics, tend to lead me towards a different understanding of how the world will be ruled just before Christ returns. Mankind has become selfish and lazy, a fact that has led the majority of nations to be dominated by governments which lean towards some type of Socialism. Whether it be under democratic socialism or democratic capitalism, it is still a system ruled by the people who allow some sort of redistribution of wealth to pay for services they demand while expecting to do less work for those services.

This egalitarian type of political rule allows for many absurd and dangerous aspects of society to flourish that could not survive in a totalitarian system. Now while totalitarian regimes are some of the worse types of governments, mainly due to the complete control they exercise over its citizens, they do tend to protect the state at all costs. A cursory look at the way Castro dealt with those afflicted with AIDS in the 1980's compared to how democracies around the world has, will make my point. Any Cubans who contracted AIDS were locked away in institutions to keep them from infecting the general population. (Even today there still exists in Cuba AID's death camps in Cuba) While in America and Western Europe we champion the very act, homosexuality, that spreads the sickness in the name of freedom and choice. We also allow the dreaded disease to promulgate through out our society by teaching our children in school that homosexuality is a lifestyle that is equal to heterosexuality.

I use the example of the way the AID's problem was handled because of the reason behind Christ's return. It's important to understand that Christ will not return to usher in a new heaven and new earth because governments have made men evil. Christ will return because mankind has willingly refused to turn away from evil and follow His teachings. I realize that there are many people, of all political and religious persuasions who do not wish to accept this truth. However, those who are willing to actually look at the evil in this world that is perpetrated by men and women all over the world against others, will understand my point.

I also believe that not only will the left increase it's attack on Christianity, but our very government which was based upon Judeo-Christian values will lead the charge. We are already seeing different groups demanding that the government force Christians to stop preaching the truths of the Bible. Eventually, like Canada and some European countries, we too will see conservative evangelicals charged with hate crimes against homosexuals that will set the state against the church. What will make this coming attack easier, is the way we are now seeing denomination after denomination allowing practicing Homosexuals to be ordained ministers by claiming God does not condemn the lifestyle so why should we. I will actually address this problem in my Sunday message tomorrow.

I have seen many disturbing things take place all around the world in the last few decades, but as long as America stood against the destructive ways of other socialist countries I still felt the end was a long ways off. However, the day the Democrats illegally passed the Health Care legislation and Obama then signed it into law, the America I knew died. We can fight on and try to overturn this law, but the fact remains that no social program ever started, has ever been reversed.

This is why I fly my flag now at half mast, and I shall do so until God moves me to raise. The end is near, it is now just a matter of time before the skubalon hits the fan.

Gone Fishing

It has been a very long and hectic year for me, and I find myself a bit burned out and and not very creative. Oh I realize it is only March 8th, but the past 12 months of my life have been very strenuous. I have tried time and time again to actually step back and slow down, just to find my self being pulled back to do even more then I was before. Well, I truly believe that now is the time for me to take a hiatus from my writing. I have been blessed in that the Lord has led some who have volunteered to write some articles and thus step up to assist me in keeping my blogs somewhat up to date. These guest writers will write articles and Sunday messages as the Lord moves them.

I have also been blessed that my local hometown newspaper the "Enterprise Record", has offered me my own blog with their paper. It is an opportunity I cannot pass up, and so I have agreed to take the opportunity to widen my reach for the Lord's word, and for my political opinions. I have written for the Post Script blog, but just as a guest writer, this will be something I have complete control over. Considering the troubles I have had with the editor at PS the last few months, this is a blessing from God, since I will now unencumbered to state my opinions from now on. I have yet to come up with a name for it and if anyone has an idea of a name I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on it. Being an official newspaper, I will automatically have the advantage of their reputation behind me, that is what reputation any paper has left in today's world. However it is still better then a normal blogspot that many are limited to, and it is the same newspaper that Anthony Watts writes his blog, "Watts Up With That" for.

Well I will not begin my blogging for the ER until May 1st, so until then I would like to say thanks and God bless to you all. This blog, "Gate of the City Ministry", my political blog, "The Way One Vike Sees It" and my video blog, "Interesting, Weird, & Educational Videos " will all cease to exist as of may 1st when I combine them all into the ER blog I am being given.

I guess it's time to pack up the cooler, the ramps and the fishing gear for a trip to the Feather river. Maybe I can finally catch that California brown trout that got away from me last spring. Please keep my wife and I both in your prayers, as we both pray for God's abundant grace for you all. As I fade away down the river, please enjoy this psalm I wrote a few years ago.

Prohibition on Homosexuality Was Not Repealed By Christ

Today there are many false Christian teachers who are are leading many poor souls straight to hell by claiming that Jesus never spoke against the union of two men or two women, so homosexuality is now condoned by God. Let me say right from the start, except for the ceremonials ones (which Jesus repealed), all of the Mosaic laws are still in force. That is because there were three categories of laws given to Israel: civil, ceremonial, and moral. The civil laws were ONLY given to the Israel. The ceremonial laws were filled and abolished in Christ. The moral laws, such as the Ten Commandments and other Mosaic moral laws are universal. They are part of Natural and Divine Law. Homosexuality is clearly contrary to moral and natural laws. All forms of homosexuality are condemned, past, present, and future.

What Jesus did was fulfill the laws handed down by God. Matthew 5:17 If you look at the teachings of Jesus, you will see that he reiterated all the OT laws. What He did do away with however, was the ceremonials laws that were needed to gain forgiveness and be pure before God, but now we look to Christ for our salvation instead of through the works that God required the Israelites to do. So I can say without hesitation that Jesus also did not repeal the prohibition against homosexuality.

There will be many who will now automatically accuse me of claiming that those who commit adultery and other such immoral crimes should be stoned as the law of Moses commanded. However, what they fail to understand is that even under the Mosaic law, the death penalty was not the only requirement for the penalty of breaking the laws of murder, adultery, and other such crimes.

In 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12, we learn about King David's sin of adultery with Bathsheba, and we also learn about him having Bathsheba's husband Uriah killed because he refused to sleep with his wife. However, what they fail to understand is that, under Mosaic law, the penalty for murder, adultery, and other such crimes was not merely death, but death by stoning. So, both David and Bathsheba should have been stoned to death, but they were not. We can say that because David was the King is the reason he was not stoned, but we would be wrong. Fact is, God forgave David because of his broken and contrite heart. David wrote about this in Psalm 51, where it says;

"For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart These, O God, You will not despise." Psalm 51:16-17

Think about that, David was admitting that a sacrifice would not do, nor would any burnt offering be enough to hold back God's anger at him for his sin. What we can learn from this is that David knew he needed a change of heart to be forgiven. He understood that if God wanted him dead him and Bathsheba both would be dead, but in his heart he was truly remorseful and God, who can discern the heart knew it. So God forgave him of his sin.

Now let us jump forward to the day the Pharisees brought forward the woman caught in adultery, Jesus was supposedly caught in a dilemma. He could either agree to have the woman stoned and then suffer the consequences of those who were following Him to turn away from Him because they know that they too are guilty of similar sins that require as harsh or harsher a punishment. Or He could let her go and thus be in violation of the Mosaic law and thus prove He was not whom He claimed to be.

Well from the story of David, we know that God Jesus looks at the heart and not the actions and Christ is God, so what He did was use the Mosaic law to forgive her. So, knowing the heart of men, Jesus knew that the men who had surrounded her with stones in hand and ready to put her to death, also deserved such punishment. So He did what the law called for. He called for a witness who was innocent to cast the first stone. What what happened was one by one, starting from the eldest on down to the youngest, they all dropped their weapons of punishment and went away. Jesus looked at the woman and asked where her accusers were and she said she had none. Jesus told her, that he did not accuse her either. He did tell her however to, "go and sin no more" John 8:10-11

So, in the case of adultery that called for death by stoning, Jesus was strict to the letter of the law. However by telling her to not sin anymore He was letting her know that forgiveness comes with a change of lifestyle and this is what false teachers false to understand about the Scriptures. Any person who claims to be a Christian, but continues to willfully sin, is not a Christian. We are told by John;

"Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God." 1John 3:7-9

However we are also told by John earlier in the same epistle;

"My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our, and not for ours only but also for the whole world." 1John 2:1-2

So, we do sin as Christians, but not willfully and when we do sin we ask for forgiveness so that we can again get back into fellowship with our Christian brethren. What the false teachers are doing is leading many poor souls down the path of destruction by telling people to sin, and not to ask for forgiveness because Christ does not look at their actions as sin. All Christians come to Christ with a realization that they have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, but we also learn that through the blood of Christ we are washed clean. However it takes courage to admit that the things we do which we enjoy are wrong, and that we must do our utmost to stop doing them as Jesus tells us. We can and do stumble and fall, but if we arrogantly continue to sin without remorse or guilt then we are condemned under the same law that God gave Moses, it is just that we are dead to the brotherhood of Christ until we repent just as the man who was sleeping with his fathers wife and Paul said to expel him from the church until he asked and gained forgiveness. 1Corinthians 5:1-6

Just like this man, the false teachers of our day needs to be expelled from the circle of Christianity and rebuked for their false teaching. We should not associate with them unless they repent, as Paul said. It is not the same as a person who never accepted Christ and we are attempting to reach them we are talking about those who have accepted the teachings of Christ but now are unrepentant sinning Christians who are actually twisting the truth of what the Scriptures teach. Until good decent Christians publicly rebuke those who hold Christ and His teachings up to ridicule the world will continue to look to the church with jaundiced eyes.

This is one of the reasons why Islam is growing so fast in America. Man's spirit wants and desires absolutes, and if they are not going to find them in Christianity, then they will gravitate to where the line of demarcation between right and wrong exists. Islam has a clear defined line of what they say is right and wrong. They also do not allow any secular government to define what their religion should teach. Unfortunately too many people, who are looking for absolutes, do not always find that kind of defined line in the sand in the Christian community. This is why so many innocent people gravitate to false religions that do have absolutes.

So, because man was created by God, he desires to know his Father and his Fathers ways. However, if God's precepts are not properly followed by those who teach His ways, then men will follow the false gods of man made religions like Islam, Hinduism, or even the false charismatic Christian cult leaders like David Koresh of the Branch Davidians, or Jim Jones of the Peoples Temple.

So, I would suggest that anyone who considers themselves to be a Christian, to think long and hard when they are told, by a person claiming to be a teacher of Christ's precepts, that homosexuality is OK because Jesus did not speak against it.

I pray that those who have ears to hear will hear His voice and call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen

Gone Fishing

by Chuck Ness

It has been a very long and hectic year for me, and I find myself a bit burned out and and not very creative. Oh I realize it is only March 8th, but the past 12 months of my life have been very strenuous. I have tried time and time again to actually step back and slow down, just to find my self being pulled back to do even more then I was before. Well, I truly believe that now is the time for me to take a hiatus from my writing. I have been blessed in that the Lord has led some who have volunteered to write some articles and thus step up to assist me in keeping my blogs somewhat up to date. These guest writers will write articles and Sunday messages as the Lord moves them.

Last year at this time I was confronted by the director of the retirement center where I am a pastor. This is something I have not shared with anyone but my close friends and relatives. As I was giving the message on Good Friday I was told to tame down my description of the suffering Christ went through for our sins. Well, I refused and instead was asked to leave the premises by the director himself. At the time I guessed that I would no longer be the pastor because I refused to give in to the secular thought about one of Christianities most sacred days. Well, about a month later I was told that a mistake had been made and that they had fired the director of the retirement center. I was asked by the new director if I would consider returning as the pastor of the residents. I obviously accepted and have been going strong since. 

 

I share that with you all now, so that you know I am a man of my convictions, and as such my opinions are so rooted in my soul that it will take God and God alone to change the way think. However, I must admit that being a mere sinner like all humans, I too error in the way I go about things from time to time. The difference is I look to Christ to forgive me and I am guaranteed He does, each and every time I stumble. I guess I would like to say to anyone I may have offended in the past, that my intentions are well meaning even if the tone and words I use do not exactly reflect the person I try to be.

As you know I have been toying with the idea of stepping back from my busy schedule. I seemed to have loaded way too much on my plate and in the process my personal life has begun to be ignored because of it. Sometimes we need to step back and slow down and that time has come for me. I plan on taking this time to attend to my affairs and listen to what it is the good Lord wants me to hear. I truly do feel as though God is telling me that he wants me listen and not talk so much for awhile. Well at least not to write, because I will still be attending to my responsibilities of presenting sermons on Sunday afternoons, and leading the Monday night Bible studies at Windchime Retirement Center. As of now I don't have a replacement and with out my presence they will have no one to share the word with them on Sundays, so that aspect of my schedule will continue as usual.

I really will be doing some fishing as my title alludes to, something I was only able to do a few times last year. I truly missed trouncing up and down the rivers with a fly rod in my hand and the Lords great outdoors all around me. The times when I can get out and go fishing have been some of my best moments spent in solitude with our Lord. My wife is doing better now and she too enjoys fishing, and misses it like me. Usually I take our 4WD and find a nice secluded spot. I then dig the river bank out a bit for a ramp I made for her so she can fish from her wheelchair on the shoreline. This picture was taken two years ago on the Feather River. We arrived at 6:00 in the morning that day and by 8:30 or 9:00 I was finished with the ramp and platform and we were both fishing. The rivers in Northern California should be flowing with plenty of water this year, and that should make for some great fishing this year.

Along with my wife's healing process from the surgery last October, she is also dealing with some new complications that arose because of her medical troubles that led to the surgery. It's my prayers that as the weather gets warmer she will begin to feel better, but her current troubles is another reason that I am taking some time off. My bride needs me to help her get beyond this current phase of her life, and quite frankly with out her by my side nothing else seems right, nor worthwhile at times. The Lord always gives us the strength we need to deal with the problems we all face in life, but He also lets us know when it's time to step back, slow down and take care of our loved ones.

I wrote most of this message before I was informed by my local hometown newspaper the "Enterprise Record", that they want me to write a blog for them. Well, it is an opportunity I cannot pass up, and so I have agreed to take the opportunity to widen my reach for the Lord's word, and for my political opinions. I have written for the Post Script blog, but just as a guest writer, this will be something I have complete control over. Considering the troubles I have had with the editor at PS the last few months, this is a blessing from God, since I will now unencumbered to state my opinions from now on. I have yet to come up with a name for it and if anyone has an idea of a name I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on it. Being an official newspaper, I will automatically have the advantage of their reputation behind me, that is what reputation any paper has left in today's world. However it is still better then a normal blogspot that many are limited to, and it is the same newspaper that Anthony Watts writes his blog, "Watts Up With That" for.

Well I will not begin my blogging for the ER until May 1st, so until then I would like to say thanks and God bless to you all. This blog, "Gate of the City Ministry", my political blog, "The Way One Vike Sees It" and my video blog, "Interesting, Weird, & Educational Videos " will all cease to exist as of may 1st when I combine them all into the ER blog I am being given.

I guess it's time to pack up the cooler, the ramps and the fishing gear for a trip to the Feather river. Maybe I can finally catch that California brown trout that got away from me last spring. Please keep my wife and I both in your prayers, as we both pray for God's abundant grace for you all. As I fade away down the river, please enjoy this psalm I wrote a few years ago.

"A Desire for the Lords Guidance"

My Father my Lord, show me the way to Your paradise, guide my steps so that I may not fall into the quagmire of sin. Show me my faults Lord, so that I may correct them and be restored into Your imperial court. Instruct me in the ways of Your will O' Lord, so that I may not be defiled or corrupted by my own selfishness. When I walked in the dark I found myself lost in the alley of despair, not realizing that my way was one of ruin and constant failure.

I now follow You, my Creator, my Savior, the Infinite One who breathes the life I inhale, My soul craves for the manna from Your plantation of plenty and my heart thirsts for the pure water from Your Rock of Salvation. I shall sit back in Your chariot of fire and accept Your tutelage while You chauffeur me on my way to paradise. Your way is straight O' Lord, and the guidance You give me is exceedingly perfect. I shall praise Your name daily as I thank You for keeping me safe and washing away the filth that I allowed myself to be corrupted with along the way.

Amen and Amen

God Bless,
Your Brother in Christ,

Chuck Ness (OneVike)

Gone Fishing

by Chuck Ness

It has been a very long and hectic year for me, and I find myself a bit burned out and and not very creative. Oh I realize it is only March 8th, but the past 12 months of my life have been very strenuous. I have tried time and time again to actually step back and slow down, just to find my self being pulled back to do even more then I was before. Well, I truly believe that now is the time for me to take a hiatus from my writing. I have been blessed in that the Lord has led some who have volunteered to write some articles and thus step up to assist me in keeping my blogs somewhat up to date. These guest writers will write articles and Sunday messages as the Lord moves them.

Last year at this time I was confronted by the director of the retirement center where I am a pastor. This is something I have not shared with anyone but my close friends and relatives. As I was giving the message on Good Friday I was told to tame down my description of the suffering Christ went through for our sins. Well, I refused and instead was asked to leave the premises by the director himself. At the time I guessed that I would no longer be the pastor because I refused to give in to the secular thought about one of Christianities most sacred days. Well, about a month later I was told that a mistake had been made and that they had fired the director of the retirement center. I was asked by the new director if I would consider returning as the pastor of the residents. I obviously accepted and have been going strong since.

I share that with you all now, so that you know I am a man of my convictions, and as such my opinions are so rooted in my soul that it will take God and God alone to change the way think. However, I must admit that being a mere sinner like all humans, I too error in the way I go about things from time to time. The difference is I look to Christ to forgive me and I am guaranteed He does, each and every time I stumble. I guess I would like to say to anyone I may have offended in the past, that my intentions are well meaning even if the tone and words I use do not exactly reflect the person I try to be.

As you know I have been toying with the idea of stepping back from my busy schedule. I seemed to have loaded way too much on my plate and in the process my personal life has begun to be ignored because of it. Sometimes we need to step back and slow down and that time has come for me. I plan on taking this time to attend to my affairs and listen to what it is the good Lord wants me to hear. I truly do feel as though God is telling me that he wants me listen and not talk so much for awhile. Well at least not to write, because I will still be attending to my responsibilities of presenting sermons on Sunday afternoons, and leading the Monday night Bible studies at Windchime Retirement Center. As of now I don't have a replacement and with out my presence they will have no one to share the word with them on Sundays, so that aspect of my schedule will continue as usual.

I really will be doing some fishing as my title alludes to, something I was only able to do a few times last year. I truly missed trouncing up and down the rivers with a fly rod in my hand and the Lords great outdoors all around me. The times when I can get out and go fishing have been some of my best moments spent in solitude with our Lord. My wife is doing better now and she too enjoys fishing, and misses it like me. Usually I take our 4WD and find a nice secluded spot. I then dig the river bank out a bit for a ramp I made for her so she can fish from her wheelchair on the shoreline. This picture was taken two years ago on the Feather River. We arrived at 6:00 in the morning that day and by 8:30 or 9:00 I was finished with the ramp and platform and we were both fishing. The rivers in Northern California should be flowing with plenty of water this year, and that should make for some great fishing this year.

Along with my wife's healing process from the surgery last October, she is also dealing with some new complications that arose because of her medical troubles that led to the surgery. It's my prayers that as the weather gets warmer she will begin to feel better, but her current troubles is another reason that I am taking some time off. My bride needs me to help her get beyond this current phase of her life, and quite frankly with out her by my side nothing else seems right, nor worthwhile at times. The Lord always gives us the strength we need to deal with the problems we all face in life, but He also lets us know when it's time to step back, slow down and take care of our loved ones.

I wrote most of this message before I was informed by my local hometown newspaper the "Enterprise Record", that they want me to write a blog for them. Well, it is an opportunity I cannot pass up, and so I have agreed to take the opportunity to widen my reach for the Lord's word, and for my political opinions. I have written for the Post Script blog, but just as a guest writer, this will be something I have complete control over. Considering the troubles I have had with the editor at PS the last few months, this is a blessing from God, since I will now unencumbered to state my opinions from now on. I have yet to come up with a name for it and if anyone has an idea of a name I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on it. Being an official newspaper, I will automatically have the advantage of their reputation behind me, that is what reputation any paper has left in today's world. However it is still better then a normal blogspot that many are limited to, and it is the same newspaper that Anthony Watts writes his blog, "Watts Up With That" for.

Well I will not begin my blogging for the ER until May 1st, so until then I would like to say thanks and God bless to you all. This blog, "Gate of the City Ministry", my political blog, "The Way One Vike Sees It" and my video blog, "Interesting, Weird, & Educational Videos " will all cease to exist as of may 1st when I combine them all into the ER blog I am being given.

I guess it's time to pack up the cooler, the ramps and the fishing gear for a trip to the Feather river. Maybe I can finally catch that California brown trout that got away from me last spring. Please keep my wife and I both in your prayers, as we both pray for God's abundant grace for you all. As I fade away down the river, please enjoy this psalm I wrote a few years ago.

"A Desire for the Lords Guidance"

My Father my Lord, show me the way to Your paradise, guide my steps so that I may not fall into the quagmire of sin. Show me my faults Lord, so that I may correct them and be restored into Your imperial court. Instruct me in the ways of Your will O' Lord, so that I may not be defiled or corrupted by my own selfishness. When I walked in the dark I found myself lost in the alley of despair, not realizing that my way was one of ruin and constant failure.


I now follow You, my Creator, my Savior, the Infinite One who breathes the life I inhale, My soul craves for the manna from Your plantation of plenty and my heart thirsts for the pure water from Your Rock of Salvation. I shall sit back in Your chariot of fire and accept Your tutelage while You chauffeur me on my way to paradise. Your way is straight O' Lord, and the guidance You give me is exceedingly perfect. I shall praise Your name daily as I thank You for keeping me safe and washing away the filth that I allowed myself to be corrupted with along the way.

Amen and Amen

God Bless,
Your Brother in Christ,

Chuck Ness (OneVike)

Prohibition on Homosexuality Was Not Repealed By Christ

Today there are many false Christian teachers who are are leading many poor souls straight to hell by claiming that Jesus never spoke against the union of two men or two women, so homosexuality is now condoned by God. Let me say right from the start, except for the ceremonials ones (which Jesus repealed), all of the Mosaic laws are still in force. That is because there were three categories of laws given to Israel: civil, ceremonial, and moral. The civil laws were ONLY given to the Israel. The ceremonial laws were filled and abolished in Christ. The moral laws, such as the Ten Commandments and other Mosaic moral laws are universal. They are part of Natural and Divine Law. Homosexuality is clearly contrary to moral and natural laws. All forms of homosexuality are condemned, past, present, and future.

What Jesus did was fulfill the laws handed down by God. Matthew 5:17 If you look at the teachings of Jesus, you will see that he reiterated all the OT laws. What He did do away with however, was the ceremonials laws that were needed to gain forgiveness and be pure before God, but now we look to Christ for our salvation instead of through the works that God required the Israelites to do. So I can say without hesitation that Jesus also did not repeal the prohibition against homosexuality.



There will be many who will now automatically accuse me of claiming that those who commit adultery and other such immoral crimes should be stoned as the law of Moses commanded. However, what they fail to understand is that even under the Mosaic law, the death penalty was not the only requirement for the penalty of breaking the laws of murder, adultery, and other such crimes.


In 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12, we learn about King David's sin of adultery with Bathsheba, and we also learn about him having Bathsheba's husband Uriah killed because he refused to sleep with his wife. However, what they fail to understand is that, under Mosaic law, the penalty for murder, adultery, and other such crimes was not merely death, but death by stoning. So, both David and Bathsheba should have been stoned to death, but they were not. We can say that because David was the King is the reason he was not stoned, but we would be wrong. Fact is, God forgave David because of his broken and contrite heart. David wrote about this in Psalm 51, where it says;

"For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart These, O God, You will not despise." Psalm 51:16-17

Think about that, David was admitting that a sacrifice would not do, nor would any burnt offering be enough to hold back God's anger at him for his sin. What we can learn from this is that David knew he needed a change of heart to be forgiven. He understood that if God wanted him dead him and Bathsheba both would be dead, but in his heart he was truly remorseful and God, who can discern the heart knew it. So God forgave him of his sin.
Now let us jump forward to the day the Pharisees brought forward the woman caught in adultery, Jesus was supposedly caught in a dilemma. He could either agree to have the woman stoned and then suffer the consequences of those who were following Him to turn away from Him because they know that they too are guilty of similar sins that require as harsh or harsher a punishment. Or He could let her go and thus be in violation of the Mosaic law and thus prove He was not whom He claimed to be.
Well from the story of David, we know that God Jesus looks at the heart and not the actions and Christ is God, so what He did was use the Mosaic law to forgive her. So, knowing the heart of men, Jesus knew that the men who had surrounded her with stones in hand and ready to put her to death, also deserved such punishment. So He did what the law called for. He called for a witness who was innocent to cast the first stone. What what happened was one by one, starting from the eldest on down to the youngest, they all dropped their weapons of punishment and went away. Jesus looked at the woman and asked where her accusers were and she said she had none. Jesus told her, that he did not accuse her either. He did tell her however to, "go and sin no more" John 8:10-11
So, in the case of adultery that called for death by stoning, Jesus was strict to the letter of the law. However by telling her to not sin anymore He was letting her know that forgiveness comes with a change of lifestyle and this is what false teachers false to understand about the Scriptures. Any person who claims to be a Christian, but continues to willfully sin, is not a Christian. We are told by John;

"Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God." 1John 3:7-9

However we are also told by John earlier in the same epistle;

"My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our, and not for ours only but also for the whole world." 1John 2:1-2

So, we do sin as Christians, but not willfully and when we do sin we ask for forgiveness so that we can again get back into fellowship with our Christian brethren. What the false teachers are doing is leading many poor souls down the path of destruction by telling people to sin, and not to ask for forgiveness because Christ does not look at their actions as sin. All Christians come to Christ with a realization that they have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, but we also learn that through the blood of Christ we are washed clean. However it takes courage to admit that the things we do which we enjoy are wrong, and that we must do our utmost to stop doing them as Jesus tells us. We can and do stumble and fall, but if we arrogantly continue to sin without remorse or guilt then we are condemned under the same law that God gave Moses, it is just that we are dead to the brotherhood of Christ until we repent just as the man who was sleeping with his fathers wife and Paul said to expel him from the church until he asked and gained forgiveness. 1Corinthians 5:1-6
Just like this man, the false teachers of our day needs to be expelled from the circle of Christianity and rebuked for their false teaching. We should not associate with them unless they repent, as Paul said. It is not the same as a person who never accepted Christ and we are attempting to reach them we are talking about those who have accepted the teachings of Christ but now are unrepentant sinning Christians who are actually twisting the truth of what the Scriptures teach. Until good decent Christians publicly rebuke those who hold Christ and His teachings up to ridicule the world will continue to look to the church with jaundiced eyes.
This is one of the reasons why Islam is growing so fast in America. Man's spirit wants and desires absolutes, and if they are not going to find them in Christianity, then they will gravitate to where the line of demarcation between right and wrong exists. Islam has a clear defined line of what they say is right and wrong. They also do not allow any secular government to define what their religion should teach. Unfortunately too many people, who are looking for absolutes, do not always find that kind of defined line in the sand in the Christian community. This is why so many innocent people gravitate to false religions that do have absolutes.

So, because man was created by God, he desires to know his Father and his Fathers ways. However, if God's precepts are not properly followed by those who teach His ways, then men will follow the false gods of man made religions like Islam, Hinduism, or even the false charismatic Christian cult leaders like David Koresh of the Branch Davidians, or Jim Jones of the Peoples Temple.
So, I would suggest that anyone who considers themselves to be a Christian, to think long and hard when they are told, by a person claiming to be a teacher of Christ's precepts, that homosexuality is OK because Jesus did not speak against it.

I pray that those who have ears to hear will hear His voice and call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen

OK Go - This Too Shall Pass (Rube Goldberg Machine Video)

Ok, I am into country music, but this I would categorize under the heading if interesting.  I have always enjoyed watching the many domino setups that are put together for the Guinness book of world records and when I saw this it caught my eye.  I don't know how many will like it but even if you don't like the music I hope you at least enjoy video that was directed by James Frost and Syyn Labs for the alternative rock band OK Go. 
 
Well the band, who's low budget, award winning "treadmills" video which has has garnered almost 50 million hits on YouTube, wanted to feature a 4-minute long Rube Goldberg Machine in an upcoming video.  So they contacted Syyn Labs to help them build it.  The requirements for the machine was that it had to be interesting, but not overbuilt, nor too technologically heavy, and easy to follow. Like their "treadmills" video, it also had to be built on a shoestring budget.  They needed the machine to be synchronized to the beats and lyrics of the music the composed and it had to end precisely at the same time as their 3.5 minute song.  Oh yea, the machine needed to play a part of the song, and be filmed in one shot. To make the whole video even more challenging, the space chosen was divided into two floors and the machine would have to use both both.
 

"We had our work cut out for us; every facet of Syyn Labs

expertise was required to meet this tremendous challenge." 

   
As you can see in the video, their work payed off because the machine the shoot was accomplished in one take and fit the song.  Well thay say it fit.  However, every time I watch the video I fail to hear the lyrics or the music because I'm so caught up in the workings of the machine.  Well, I hope you enjoy this tremendous work of art that was put together for the video, I did.

Train Rides

Have you ever wondered how people get from point A to point B, I don't mean in a physical mileage way, but in an emotional way. We all take in our surroundings and make decisions based upon the way we see things happening. Then when we get to a certain point in our life we take an inventory of how we are doing. Sometimes we are relatively satisfied, and other times we are disappointed, but do we ever really reflect upon the decisions we made that ultimately got us to point B?

I guess we might if we realize we are dissatisfied with our lot in life, but do we ever revisit those moments and try to undo the damage we did by our wayward conclusions. Or do we instead attempt to revise our opinion of our place in society that has us where we are at any given moment? Often times I find myself looking at my surroundings and wondering what would be different had I not missed my stop at Mannheim Germany 26 years ago.


 It was a long way back to Mannheim and we had to be back before roll call, so we had no choice but to board the train and hope that we didn’t get turned into the authorities. I sat in silence looking out the window wondering why I allowed myself to get talked into such a risky deal. In the distance I could see small lights beyond the darkness, but they just seemed to highlight my reflection in the window. I felt like my head was frozen in the position, and I couldn’t turn away from the window. All I could think to say to Mike’s constant ranting and murmuring was the single phrase, “Uhuh.”


I don’t really know how long I looked out the window before I fell asleep, but I was surprised when the conductor nudged my shoulder and woke me up. It took a few moments before I realized what he was trying to tell me. My German wasn’t great but it was good enough to understand that the train had reached its final destination and we had to get off. As I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, I asked him where we were and what time it was. Unfortunately, his reply was not what I wanted to hear.


He told us we were in Speyer as he waved towards the doors. We grabbed our only possessions which was a small paper bag of dried bread with a half-empty bottle of soda water, and headed for the doors. I looked at Mike and saw the same sleepy look in his eyes, as he must have saw in mine. The conductor either failed to tell me what the time was or my brain never registered his answer. It didn’t much matter though, because the light of day told me we already missed roll call. 


As we got off the train, I saw a big clock above the train station entrance. It was 7:45, we had not only missed our stop by more than 20 kilometers, but we also missed roll call by over two hours. Walking out the station doors and looking at the quite town of Speyer, I felt Mike's hand grab my shoulder as he pulled me to his side. As my body tilted awkwardly towards him he hooked his arm around my neck,while stating in a matter of voice that was on the verge of laughter, “Clarence? I do believe we are AWOL”.


With those words still echoing in my head, Mike and I began a journey that would take us all over Europe and eventually to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea before we would decide to turn our selves in. The weekend started off with a trip to Amsterdam to buy a kilo of hashish, it ended with us being “Absent With Out Leave” from the US Army.


Before we headed on our journey to anywhere but Mannheim, we decided aliases would be needed for our adventure. I chose the name Chuck that was originally given to me in school by a kid who could not pronounce Clarence. Mike chose the name Dave, but I really do not remember why he picked that name. When we eventually returned for our punishment a Month later, Dave became Mike again, I on the other hand liked my new name, and so now you know how I became Chuck.


That's a time in my life that many things changed, to start with, I turned 18 while we were AWOL. I eventually paid for my wayward act of taking an extended vacation from the Army, but in the end I wound up with an honorable discharge two years later when my enlistment, plus make up time was up. For better or for worse, I truly grew up while I was AWOL, as I feel it was then that I began to put aside many of the immature thoughts and actions which until then were only holding me back from the potential God gave me.

So as I look back at point A, I wonder what would be different had I not fallen asleep while I was on that train ride back to Mannheim? Well, to start with, I would probably still be going by the name of Clarence. The rest I will leave for another day of reflection.

Flying My Flag at Half Mast

By ChuckOn the morning of March 22, I raised my flag to the top of the 25 foot pole In my front yard. I must have forgotten to tie it off, because when I returned later in the afternoon from presenting my Sunday message I noticed that the flag had been lowered to half mast. That evening I watched the the House of Representatives vote on the Senate's version of the Healthcare legislation. As the remaining votes needed to pass the legislation were cast, I began to thinking about the damage this legislation would do to America. It was then that I was struck by how prophetic my flag being lowered to half mast really was. I decided at that moment to leave my flag at half mast where I believe God had lowered it to.
It is my opinion that we are experiencing what could very well be the last decades of what has been called the greatest civilization the world has ever seen. Yes, I believe that the America I once knew is forever gone. I say so because I cannot foresee the Republicans ever reversing the Health Care bill. I do pray that if and when a challenge to the law gets to the the Supreme Court, that it will ruling it unconstitutional. Unfortunately, as much as many will disagree with me, I believe a vast majority of Americans have turned their backs on God. In doing so, He has turned His back on us as a nation. We cannot continue to condone the many evil things we do in America as if God has changed His mind about what says is evil.

As a Christian, I guess I should be thankful that the current events are turning out the way they are. After all the many conditions I feel are needed to be in place for the various "End Times" scenarios to be fulfilled are now falling into place. I have stated before, and do so again, that I tend to look at certain aspects of the end times prophecies a bit different then many of my colleagues who hold to dispensationalism. Without getting into the specifics, I will just say that my understanding of history and politics, tend to lead me towards a different understanding of how the world will be ruled just before Christ returns. Mankind has become selfish and lazy, a fact that has led the majority of nations to be dominated by governments which lean towards some type of Socialism. Whether it be under democratic socialism or democratic capitalism, it is still a system ruled by the people who allow some sort of redistribution of wealth to pay for services they demand while expecting to do less work for those services.

This egalitarian type of political rule allows for many absurd and dangerous aspects of society to flourish that could not survive in a totalitarian system. Now while totalitarian regimes are some of the worse types of governments, mainly due to the complete control they exercise over its citizens, they do tend to protect the state at all costs. A cursory look at the way Castro dealt with those afflicted with AIDS in the 1980's compared to how democracies around the world has, will make my point. Any Cubans who contracted AIDS were locked away in institutions to keep them from infecting the general population. (Even today there still exists in Cuba AID's death camps in Cuba) While in America and Western Europe we champion the very act, homosexuality, that spreads the sickness in the name of freedom and choice. We also allow the dreaded disease to promulgate through out our society by teaching our children in school that homosexuality is a lifestyle that is equal to heterosexuality.

I use the example of the way the AID's problem was handled because of the reason behind Christ's return. It's important to understand that Christ will not return to usher in a new heaven and new earth because governments have made men evil. Christ will return because mankind has willingly refused to turn away from evil and follow His teachings. I realize that there are many people, of all political and religious persuasions who do not wish to accept this truth. However, those who are willing to actually look at the evil in this world that is perpetrated by men and women all over the world against others, will understand my point.

I also believe that not only will the left increase it's attack on Christianity, but our very government which was based upon Judeo-Christian values will lead the charge. We are already seeing different groups demanding that the government force Christians to stop preaching the truths of the Bible. Eventually, like Canada and some European countries, we too will see conservative evangelicals charged with hate crimes against homosexuals that will set the state against the church. What will make this coming attack easier, is the way we are now seeing denomination after denomination allowing practicing Homosexuals to be ordained ministers by claiming God does not condemn the lifestyle so why should we. I will actually address this problem in my Sunday message tomorrow.

I have seen many disturbing things take place all around the world in the last few decades, but as long as America stood against the destructive ways of other socialist countries I still felt the end was a long ways off. However, the day the Democrats illegally passed the Health Care legislation and Obama then signed it into law, the America I knew died. We can fight on and try to overturn this law, but the fact remains that no social program ever started, has ever been reversed.

This is why I fly my flag now at half mast, and I shall do so until God moves me to raise. The end is near, it is now just a matter of time before the skubalon hits the fan.