A Reason why bad things happen

I was out doing some street witnessing a couple of weeks ago. We had a "Trust Jesus" sign. A young couple wanted to take a picture of the sign. The young guy took the picture of his girlfriend standing with the sign with her thumb pointed down. This alarmed me and I immediately engaged them in a conversation. During the conversation, the girl asked me that if there was a God, why would He let bad things happen?

God is giving this country what most people want. A life without God. A life without being accountable. With that comes God's withdrawn hand of blessings and protection. As our country rejects God more and more, more evil will happen to our nation. In my book, we are living in a nation that rejects God and there are only a small fraction who truly serve God. The small number of true followers of Christ are guests in this God forsaken world.

God is giving this country it's last chance to turn to Him. The signs of God's judgment are evident; yet people explain it away to chance and coincidence. The bad things that God lets happen should be a warning sign to all; but unfortunately people like to blame God for the bad and deny Him for His goodness.

An Amputee Healed

A few weeks ago, an atheist sarcastically asked me if I've ever seen an amputee be healed.

Before I could answer me, he asked another sarcastic question.

Now, for an atheist, when they say healed, they mean a limb re-growing. While I know that God is more than capable of causing a limb to re-grow, I believe that healing can come in the form of mentally and spiritually. God not only allowing the person to deal with losing a limb, but helping and inspiring others, and giving glory to God, despite the loss of a limb. What a testimony it is when a person who is an amputee or has some disability and gives praise to God for their life.

A pessimist might argue that an amputee is not healed unless the limb grows back. But if an amputee is perfectly content and thankful to God for their life, what is the difference if they were an amputee or not?

Let me put it this way: An amputee who is an amputee, but is content and thankful to God may still prefer to have all their limbs. In this life, every person may prefer to have something more. For example, even though I have all my limbs and am very thankful to God, I would prefer to have the physical attributes of Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps and the looks of Brad Pitt.

Every person in this world has something about them that they wish was better. Some may be short a limb or two, and others might be just short. But those who understand that God has given them life and are thankful no matter what their circumstance is does not let their short comings affect them.

Please watch this inspiring video of an amputee who is thankful for his life:

I get the feeling that people who have all their limbs are more worried about amputees than amputees themselves.

"Why doesn't God just stop all evil?"

There are hundreds, probably thousands of people who have tried to answer this question. I had a talk with 2 atheists the other day. One of them asked me,

"If there really is a God, why doesn't He just stop all evil from happening?"

If the girl had read the Bible, she would know that God has judged nations and even the world and has stopped evil from happening.

In Genesis, the world had gotten so evil, that God did stop evil. He destroyed the world and all the evil people in it by flood. He saved only the righteous:

"And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." - Genesis 6:5

"And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD." - Genesis 6: 7-8

God gave mankind another chance to live righteously, but in our own strength, we have chosen to fail. Although God's final judgment has not yet come to pass, He does see the evil things going on today and has passed judgment against sin:

" And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;" - Genesis 18:21

" Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;"- Genesis 19:24

God is a God who is very much aware of what is going on in the world. It is only a matter of time before He will intervene again. It is out of His grace that He has not already judged this world. He is giving mankind a chance to repent and accept His grace; to accept Christ as Lord and be cleansed of sin through Christ's sacrifice.

Be assured that all sinners who appear before God will be punished. There will be a time when all evil is completely eradicated; thank God that He's given you a chance to be on His side.

God Hates Sin

This sign here got a lot of attention. A lot of times when I go out evangelizing, people outwardly ignore our signs. I say outwardly because I don't know how they feel inwardly. But the sign, "God Hates Sin" really got some emotion out of people. Some people gave us encouragement, while others were offended at it. A good number of people took pictures of it, or even wanted to be in the picture.

The reason why I think the sign got so much attention is for a number of reasons:
- Many people don't know the character of God. A lot of people only see God as gentle and soft spoken. They think God is love means God cannot hate anything. They only see one dimension ( which makes for a flawed image) of God. These are the people who believe God would never send a soul to hell, because God is just too kind. I believe many people do not understand that God can also be a God of wrath. Think of Sodom and Gomorra. Think of Jesus overturning the merchants' tables in the temple of God. Remember that Christ spoke about Hell and eternal fire more than anyone else. God is certainly capable of wrath.

- Many people are convicted of their sin. We were often accused of being judgmental for holding up the sign. Could it be that our accusers were judging us as being judgmental? The fact that people are offended is a sign in itself. If people did not seriously believe that their sin is bad or had convictions of their own sin, why would there be any reaction at all?

The Bible makes is clear that God hates sin. I will also say that God is angry at the sinner. Does your loved one ever get angry at you? I know my wife gets angry at me at times. But God certainly does not hate the sinner. He loves the sinner and hopes we change. He desires that none should go to Hell:

"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."- II Peter 3:9

But God hates Sin. He cannot stand it so much that no sin is to be in His presence. He hates Sin so much, that He sent Jesus to die for our sins so that we may appear before Him one day without sin. All who appear before God on judgment day with sin will be sent to eternal damnation. God hates sin, but through His love, he did a wonderful thing:

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son (Jesus), and whosoever believes on Him shall not perish (go to hell), but have eternal life (life in God's Kingdom). - John 3:16

Read about how God dealt with Moses, as Moses was a sinful man:

And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: Exodus 33: 19-22

Sin cannot appear before a Holy and Just God.

A mutating virus... is still a virus

I had a conversation with an atheist the other day. We were talking about evolution and I asked him for proof. He asked if I've ever gone to the doctor and taken the antibiotics prescribed to me. I answered that I have, of course. God has graciously imparted his knowledge to doctors.

The atheist then said that the antibiotics I took is the basis of evolution; meaning that a virus is constantly mutating and new antibiotics are needed to help cure the person. His proof of evolution was the evolving virus.

Maybe it was me, but when a virus mutates, what does it mutate into? I see different breeds of dogs who have mated to form different breeds. But have two dogs ever mated to form anything else but a dog? A dog is a dog.

A virus is reproduces rather quickly and mutates quickly as well. At this rate, one would think that if it were to evolve into anything more complex, it would have by know. Yet, after all this time, the virus today is still a virus just as when the first virus appeared on the Earth.

The antibiotics are created by the scientist. Thank God for scientists.

Reminded of the old days.

Last night, I awoke to hear the couple on the floor above us in a very heated argument. It was really bad. The husband and wife screaming at each other and the child screaming at the situation. It appeared to get violent as I could hear pretty much everything that was going on. I'm not sure how long the argument went on, but I was up for an hour listening to it. I'm not sure how long this was going on prior to when I woke up. It got to the point where I seriously thought about calling the police.

My wife was really terrified by the situation as she's never experienced a couple in such a heated argument. It brought her to tears to hear them. For me, it was an old memory. I used to go to bed when I was little and awaken in the middle of the night to hear my parents argue just as this poor couple; not on occasion, but on a consistent basis. What kept me from calling the police last night was remembering as a young boy how I wished that the police would never come and break up an argument my parents were having. The shame would be more than I could bare.

Last night, almost felt like when I was little. I would lie there and cringe with every raised voice, wondering why this was happening and hoping for it to stop. For my wife, she was very disturbed. For me, it was something that I had already witnessed and wasn't that shocked.

But at the same time, as I listened to this poor couple fight, I know that it was God and God alone who brought my parents from a life of verbal abuse towards each other to a restored marriage of love and trust.

I had a conversation with an atheist yesterday who said ( and I paraphrase) that healing is only a result of positive feelings that people have; prayer is just a placebo. Healed marriages and recovering alcoholics are just a result from people having a positive attitude and willing to help themselves.

While that sounds rational to a rational person, I just shake my head. My parents tried everything else in the world to overcome their problems and it wasn't until they submitted to Jesus that their marriage began to heal. How is it that two people who were in such disharmony, are now united in peace, serving the Lord? I have witnessed first hand the power of God and nobody can belittle it or take that from me. The world suggested a divorce, but God brought something better; a healed marriage. It wasn't counselors or books or tapes that saved them. It was God.

On another note, someone might wonder why God is allowing the little boy to suffer so much and see his parents fight. I would say that the parents, whether they admit it or not, know they are hurting their child with their fighting. It is not until someone suffers that people see how much their sin hurts.

The Mathematical Impossibility of Evolution

This is a really interesting and simple to read article on the mathematical impossibility of evolution.

Evolution has become the standard theology in public schools and in the media. However, there is very little evidence to support it. People have been fed the doctrine of evolution without examining the evidence.

Ask yourself if life is really just an accident. Can life form out of nothing?

http://docs.google.com/View?id=ddmhkrtc_0fmtpzddb

Examine both points of view.

To see what creationism is all about, check out www.creationism.org

Trouble in Amish Paradise

I found this on Ray Comfort's blog...

It's a documentary feature on the Amish community...

Summary

"The Amish arrived in America 300 years ago and settled in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, today home to around 30 000 hardworking Amish whose lives revolve around their church, families and land. As well as a strictly plain dress code, they don’t use cars, electricity and eschew modern technology. This program follows two men who let us into their private world because although their Christian faith is strong they begin questioning the all-powerful bishops’ authority and rules. They are ultimately excommunicated for not following strict Amish law, but that’s not the end of the story."

It's like watching a time-warp. People becoming enlightened by reading their Bibles and daring to question the authority.

It's very interesting to watch.

http://www.abc.net.au/compass/s2606271.htm

The Blasphemy Challenge is Foolish

If you haven't seen "The Blasphemy Challenge", read up on what it is here.

I won't go into detail about what it is, but in a nutshell it's a challenge by a group called the "Rational Response Squad" and targets young people to deny and blaspheme the Holy Spirit, according to Mark 3:29. " ²⁹But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation."

Basically, they are making a mockery of the Bible as they show no fear of hell or God's Judgment. In their thinking, there is nothing to fear because nothing's there.

At first glance, this challenge seemed pretty alarming. Young people blatantly denying the power of the Holy Spirit and mocking the Bible. And in reality, yes it is alarming. There is a new spirit of rebellion against God that is arising... not only denying God's existence, but mocking Him as well. 

However, to put it simply, the challenge is pure foolishness. These people obviously do not have God's spirit with them. Therefore, how are they able to reject it? It is like rejecting a 1,000,000 dollar check when one doesn't even have it in the first place. You can't reject what you don't have. 

The Bible makes it very clear that the Holy Spirit must be received and is not some random force that everyone professing Christian has:

John 20:22 -- "receive ye the Holy Ghost."

Acts 8:17 "receive the Holy Ghost"

Acts 1:4 "receive the promise of the Father"

Acts 1:5 "Baptized with the Holy Ghost"

Acts 2:4 "Filled with the Holy Ghost"

Acts 1:8 "Receive power" of the Holy Ghost

Acts 8:16 Having the Holy Ghost "fall upon" one.

A person must openly receive the Holy Spirit... He never forces His way upon a person.

All that the Blasphemy Challenge does is confirm what current person's state is already at... without the Holy Spirit. There is no knowledge in that person of the Holy Spirit or what the Holy Spirit does. The challenge is very ignorant and naive of the things of God. 

So is blaspheming the Holy Spirit an unpunishable sin? Yes, of course. The Bible is true to its word. If a person has the Holy Spirit and speaks falsely or curses the Holy Spirit, that is denying God's power and the Holy Spirit will depart from that person. 

To those who took part in the challenge, I feel sorry for them. They are denying Christ and avoiding the power of God's spirit. This attitude will not allow them to understand the things of God and will keep them from repentance of sins and receiving Christ as Lord and Savior.

The Rational Response Squad has no knowledge of the scriptures and are obviously not led by God's Spirit. They cherry pick from the Bible and mock it, rather than reading it with an open heart and understanding the true meanings of them. It takes people years to get a good knowing of the scriptures and yet the RRS quotes the Bible when they don't even know Christ.

To anyone who has taken the "Blasphemy Challenge" there is still hope for you and don't believe the lie of selling your soul. Please take the time and ask God to reveal Himself through the scriptures and for Jesus to forgive all your sins and accept Him as Lord and Savior of your life.

Abort or not to abort?

I went to a pro-life rally yesterday in downtown SD. Pretty simple, but a good message for people to start being more vocal and active about the abortion issue:

I made some postings on my Facebook and got some comments. 

Here is my post:

Neil Gregoryk If you kill a pregnant woman, it's charged as a double murder...how is abortion not murder?

9:47pm · Comment · Like

Here are the comments: 

Kyle Armour at 10:01pm May 17

seriously? you don't see the difference?

Tara Konitshek at 10:47pm May 17

hey KYLE. would you like to see a really graphic picture of a little boy that was aborted at 30 wks? He was born alive at a clinic in Houston, Texas. They chopped off his penis and carved off his buttocks to ensure bleeding. how is THAT not murder? there are over 4000 babies aborted daily in sick ways JUST LIKE THIS ONE

Lorie Tambalo Gavina at 11:12pm May 17

What I don't understand are those stupid girls who actually go through with carrying a child far enough to give birth to them yet dump him/her somewhere to either die or be discovered by someone eles. I am not sure, but aren't the safe surrender laws federal or statewide? WHoever wants to let a child be born yet not want him or her should be aware of those laws or those couples out there who are so willing to take a child into their home because they are either infertile or would like to rescue someone to call their own. Sigh, baby dumpers are one of my biggest pet peeves, and so are those people who are supposedly pro-life yet choose to shoot dead a doctor who performs abortions. Pro-life people who murder are one of the worst hypocrites.

Neil Gregoryk at 3:34pm May 18

Kyle, I really don't see the difference...Care to enlighten me?

Kyle Armour at 5:59pm May 18

Neil, I suspect the main issue is that we have differing opinions on who we have a moral obligation to. I would argue that while a fetus is certainly a human through all stages of development, we have no particular moral obligation to it until the point at which it can feel pain or perceive the world subjectively. Killing a fetus at an early stage of pregnancy, before these transitions occurs, is not at all wrong or unethical. We do however have a moral obligation to a mother who has hopes and dreams for what her child will become. We should punish a person who kills an unborn baby against the mother's will not for the sake of the child, but for the sake of the mother. However, mothers who choose to have an abortion in an early stage of pregnancy have only a moral obligation to themselves, so it is not our place to decide what they should be allowed to do.

Does this make sense? Do you disagree with this viewpoint?

 Kyle Armour at 6:01pm May 18

Tara, that certainly is a disturbing story. I think all reasonable people would agree that, in general, abortion is wrong when it involves stabbing to death a baby at such a late stage of development. However, the vast majority of abortions occur well before this point in much less disgusting ways, so perhaps those are what should be considered if the goal is to learn something about why people disagree on the subject.

Neil Gregoryk at 8:00pm May 18

Kyle, Thanks for the response. You did give a clear explanation. As you mentioned, you said a fetus is human through all the stages of development and that there is no moral obligation to it until it feels pain or perceive the world subjectively. 
I just think that moral obligation comes at the point of conception. The mother is carrying a human within her and that is her moral obligation. 
The point I make about double murder when a pregnant woman is murdered is that there is a sense of acknowledgment that a human life has been taken.

Please take the time to comment on this issue...

A Time of Warning and Preparation

"And so find favor and high esteem

In the sight of God and man.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct your paths." - Proverbs 3:4-6

I think this is a passage that we all not only need to be familiar with, but take to heart.

The Bible tells us that tough times will come for all.

" He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." Revelation 13:16-17

I think what America is experiencing right now with its current recession is only a glimpse of what is to come. This isn't me prophesying anything, but just saying what the Bible says. The worst is yet to come.

Already there is a lot of panic and worry with the poor economic state our country is in. Unfortunately for our country, money is our top priority. Almost everything revolves around money and we can never get enough of it. Now, we are paying for our greed and many people are suffering for the bad choices our country has made.

What I get the sense now is that people just want things back to "normal." Where people's jobs were secure, and we don't have to lower our standards of living. I have to ask, 'At what cost' do we want our economy to return to where it was "secure?" How far will America go to return to the economic super power that everyone is so used to?

For those who have lost their jobs, homes, bonds, savings, IRA's or other monetary investments and securities, when it seems like there is nowhere else to turn, now is the time to put your trust in the Lord.

Though easier said than done, I believe right now is a time of warning and preparation. Throughout the Bible, God warned His people before some catastrophic event took place. -Before the flood, God warned Noah and told him to prepare by building an arc.

Before God judged Egypt for their wickedness, God warned the Israelites and told them to prepare by painting lamb's blood over the door way.

Before judging the perverse Sodom and Gomorra, God warned Lot and his family and told them to prepare by fleeing to the mountains.

There are many more examples of God's warnings and instructions to prepare.

God has already warned of a global economic collapse that will occur before His final judgement (read Revelation 18:11-13). We are already seeing the signs of it. We all know what is happening now and cannot deny it.

According to the Bible, the world will be moving towards a global economy and government (Revelation 17). We see the signs with the devaluing of the American dollar. Europe has already succumbed to the European Union and the emergence of the Euro. It is not inconceivable that a new currency will replace the American dollar to "save America."

All the signs are now being put in place for world-wide control and also a collapse; and a leader to 'save' the world. As quoted above, the anti-Christ will require a mark to be imprinted in order to buy or sell. Some of you have already heard rumors about using micro-chips to scan at atm's and other banking kiosks. This is not a new concept and I suspect that this will be common in the near future.

I believe this time of economic fear that we're in is a warning to God's people to brace themselves for God's judgement and the coming trials and tribulations. While economically things may improve, I know our country's best days are behind us. I believe God is preparing us to lean on Him and not our jobs, the stock market or politics to save us. While the world has proven to fail over and over, God will forever be reliable and our rock.

When you are feeling down about your job or economic status, count your blessings and know that God is trying your heart and preparing you for the future. Can you imagine a person who has all their hope in their job, stocks, or other investments? What are they going to do when it all falls apart. It will be 1929 revisited. The more tied into this world you get, the more you will lose.

Although things may get tougher, know that God is faithful to those who love Him.

"Without Faith it's impossible to please God." Hebrews 11:6

I cannot think of a more encouraging quote than this:

'Fear not, for I am with you;

Be not dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you,

Yes, I will help you,

I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'

Hebrews 41:10

Putting to death the flesh.

Lately I've had this strong urge to go to the East coast. I think it started this past weekend. I noticed that I've racked up enough credit card miles to earn myself a free trip in the U.S/Canada. Funny to say that I "earned" my trip. I guess it's the American way to spend.

There are a number of reasons why I'd love to go out East. First, I've been wanting to check out this church in Times Square... Times Square Church. I've heard that God's spirit is really there and I've really been longing to be in a place where God is moving. 

I also have some family out there. My cousin is from Connecticut and I'd love to go see her and the rest of the family. She did an awesome job photographing my wedding and I've enjoyed getting to know her better. I'd really love to spend some time with them. 

I've never been to NYC. I've been to Boston, but not NYC. I want to see all the sights. The Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, Times Square, New Yankee Stadium, etc. etc. etc. I've been to a lot of places, but NYC is one place I really desire to go to.

However, right now it just feels like it's not a good time. For as many reasons I can think of to go, I can think of more not to go at this time. With my wife's and my job in jeopardy, we really don't know what to expect for next school year. Many people we know are struggling financially and it just seems awkward to be taking off across the country. We'd still be spending some significant cash.

I actually fasted for the first time in my life on Monday. I had no sub job for the day, so I had some time on my hands. No real burning reason to, other than to just devote some time to the Lord and trying it. I made it through the day and had a good time in prayer, reading the word and worshipping. I never get to devote an entire day to God.

Anyhow, while there were no spiritual revelations or direct words from the Lord, I actually did feel some peace about going out east. I didn't feel anything alarming me to stop. But after giving it some more time and thought, I began to think about why am I doing this. Other than visiting family, the other reasons were mainly selfish. Going back to last year, I went to Hawaii for my Honeymoon; Ottawa, Canada for a hockey trip, and the east coast would be my 3rd trip in the year. 

Still, I found reasons to convince myself that it would be ok; I deserve it after a long school year. The traveling will be relatively inexpensive; with the way things are going, who knows when I'll be able to take a trip to the east again? For the last 2 days, I've had a battle within me whether to go or not.

Then tonight, I actually began to think about why I fasted on Monday. What purpose? To appease God? To bribe Him into doing whatever I ask? 

I realized that the purpose of fasting is to deny one's fleshly desires and rely on God for strength. To be in union with God's spirit. I realized that fasting doesn't just mean not eating. It means sacrificing what your flesh craves for the sake of strengthening the spirit. 

I believe God left the decision to go to the east totally up to me. It would be so easy if God said, "No, do not go." or "Yes, I support you in going." What I do believe is that by fasting on a trip to the east coast would be denying my strong fleshly desire. 

I had no previous calling from God to go, so my reasons for going would be strictly fleshly. While it would not be sinful to go on this trip, it would be training my spirit and putting my fleshly desires to death; to ultimately experience union with God's spirit.

Hopefully I will someday make it out to the east coast to see my family, NYC and Times Square Church. I don't even think I have to have a wedding, funeral or other major event for me to go. But I just feel that now is not the time.

Changes and Decisions

I'm hoping for some changes in the next few months. Right now, I don't know where I'm headed as far as teaching goes. I think I enjoy it and could be a good career for me, but I just don't see very many jobs opening up this summer. With the economy and all, there aren't very many people who are retiring. Everyone is holding on to their jobs.

I could get by on another year of subbing. And if that's where God has me, that's where He has me. I am thankful that this year He has provided steady work as a sub teacher. I do know that I am getting tired of subbing. It's a great little gig, though. While I feel I'm ready to move on, I'll have to see what the Lord has for me. While I'm hoping for a job that pays more and is more secure, I am thankful that sub teaching has allowed me to get by these last few years. It is impossible to tell what God has planned at this point.

I also don't know what I'm going to be doing with coaching. I really do love it, but I'm looking for a change. I've coached 12 and under for the last 6 years, so I'd love to work with a different age group or go a new direction. We'll see what happens with that.

I'm actually also thinking about moving. Not really far, but changing apartment complexes. Val and I think we're paying too much for our small apartment. I've seen some places that look pretty good for less. Actually one of the major reasons is because we really, really want to get a dog. Our current complex doesn't allow pets. My lease is up in May, so we're gonna think and pray about it. It's a shame our complex doesn't allow pets. We really do love the place we live now and don't want to go through the hassle of having to move. Just another thing to pray about.

2/1/09

It was my 26th birthday last Monday. I don't know why, but it was significant to me. For starters, it marks the birthday that I'm closer to 30 than 20. That is a terrifying thought to me. 30. I usually don't have a big deal for my birthday and it's usually pretty uneventful, but this one was nice. I had friends and family over at my parents house for pizza and cake. It was simple, but nice to be in good company. Then at school, the third grade teachers treated me to lunch, which was nice, considering I'm just a long term sub teacher at that school. Oh yeah, I also got a sweet LT Chargers jersey and an Ipod...so I cleaned up :)

The hockey season is winding down. I say that because we lost again today which pretty much eliminates my team from the playoffs. It is pretty disappointing, but considering how young our team was and the Bell Capital Cup tournament in Ottawa, it has been a fun season. The fun thing about peewee though, is that the kids are still excited to play every week. 

My Super Bowl prediction: Steelers 24, Cardinals 17.

I hope I'm wrong, because I'm rooting for the Cards...not my team, just want to see them beat the Steelers.