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Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation

By the President of the United States of America.A Proclamation.The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.By the President: Abraham LincolnWilliam H. Seward,Secretary of State
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Thanksgiving

Well, it's time for my yearly blog entry. John here, Janet in spirit, as always. If you've ever listened to the band "Orleans" they have a lyric in a song that reminds me of the relationship we have, husband and wife - "sometimes I forget where I leave off, and you begin, anymore..."It speaks to the closeness that comes over years and years of sharing life together. Separate, yet together. Joined, but independent. Two, and one. God never ceases to amaze in the diverse complexity of life that He's formed and made in this creation we enjoy. Not always understanding but never ceasing to appreciate.Tomorrow's Turkey Day and our kids and family will be together. As a parent I can feel the warmth gathering now and I look forward to our time together. Dinner will be a fine time, but really - it's all about the day and then the leftovers.Good leftovers - can't beat 'em. Our preparations figure on that - packing up the kidlings with some of this, a lot of that. No, take more, it'll just sit in the fridge here.I was thinking looking through all of you fine folks gathering on the pages here of all those years ago when we were kids. Those years we were forming, developing, literally learning who we were and what we were to become. What else can you do when you're 20? With more years ahead than you have behind, life is all about learning, going, starting, giving, getting, building. There's no need for any "do-overs" when you're doin' it. You do it like there's no tomorrow and then you get up the next morning and do it again. And again.Each of you forms a wonderful piece of the landscape we see when we look back over our lives together. We've done a lot of things, been places, done stuff. The years have past and we've gone our own ways but joined in our heart's memory and under God's watchful eye, not so far apart as it might seem I think now. The real currency in our lives is made up of the people we've known and the love we've shared with one another. In that regard you've made us rich and we're very thankful for that.Now - here we be. I sense in the community of Way Corps here depth, success, wisdom from both our victories as well as our failures. I'm sure some thing have worked out better than we could have ever expected. Others not so, on the betterness. But all in all - like they say and at the least, any day we wake up and have a pulse - is a good day. Present, accounted for, moving forward. Upward and onward. What else can we do? Persist till we succeed. And once we do, start persisting again.Anyhoo - we have much to be thankful for. Our best to all of you for a safe and happy holiday.
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What follows is excerpt from a forthcoming book to be entitled GOOD MEDICINE: PRESCRIPTIONS FOR OVERCOMING TOXIC EMOTIONS OF LIFE. This particular chapter has special significance in light of the present Thanksgiving season, but as you will see, the subject of "thanksgiving" is applicable at all times. This may be a somewhat lengthy "blog", but let me know what you think.Lonnell JohnsonIn critical situations where a person may have accidentally ingested a poisonous substance, the Poison Control Center, if contacted, can suggest a specific antidote to counteract that poison. In some cases a “universal antidote” is recommended. Activated Charcoal has the well-earned reputation of being such a “universal antidote” since it can facilitate the removal countless poisonous substances before they can cause harm. In the case of toxic emotions, such as “the Deadly Dozen” previously discussed, I recommend another “universal antidote” to counteract any and all of these negative issues of life. A heavy dose of “thanksgiving” will counter the potentially crippling negative effects of fear, anger, disappointment, discouragement, despair and any other toxic emotions of life.When most people hear the term “thanksgiving,” there is an almost automatic association with turkey and dressing, cranberries, and pumpkin pie (or sweet potato pie, depending upon your ethnic tastes). Many associate the word with pageants of Pilgrims and Native Americans, with parades and football games—the prelude to the final holiday season of the year. For many people around the world, however, thanksgiving is more than a holiday observed the fourth Thursday in November. Actually, “Thanksgiving” is always appropriate. “Thanksgiving” is the reason, not only for the current season, but “thanksgiving” should be the reason for every season.Let me first of all explain exactly what I mean by “thanksgiving.” I am not referring to the so-called holiday occurring the fourth Thursday in November. “Thanksgiving” involves more than turkey and dressing and all the trimmings; the term connotes more than parades and football games and the prelude to holiday shopping.In its most basic sense, “thanksgiving” is the application of an essential principle of life: giving and receiving. When one gives, one receives, and always in greater proportion than one gives. Although many people think of giving and receiving in terms of tithes and offerings or of giving of material abundance within a church or religious context, the universal principle works in all aspects of life—particularly in “thanksgiving.”When I use the term “thanksgiving,” I am looking at the word in its most literal sense, meaning “to give thanks” or “to show oneself grateful.” It is an expression of gratitude, a form of prayer specified in I Timothy 2:1 “. . . requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving. . . .”As Christian believers, giving thanks to God for His grace and goodness is a positive expression that reverses the negative thinking pattern generated by “the Deadly Dozen.” We cannot truly be thankful and feel fearful or disappointed at the same time, nor can we be angry or discouraged when we see all that God has done for us and express our gratitude to Him at the same time. Certainly we cannot simultaneously sink to the depths of despair when we recognize how blessed we have been thus far, as we anticipate even greater blessings on the horizon, for the best is always yet to come with God, our beneficent Father.God desires that we show ourselves grateful at all times. The Word of God reminds us of this truth in a number of places:Colossians 3:17And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.A similar reminder is found in Ephesians 5:20:Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.The Word of God reveals that the giving of thanks is to be more than an occasional act of gratitude; it is to be an ongoing part of our lives.Philippians 4:6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.Hebrews 13:15 offers this reminder:By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. KJVPerhaps the most dramatic reminder to live in continuous thanksgiving is found in I Thessalonians 5:18:Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ.The King James Version renders the verse this way:In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.To facilitate memorizing this particular verse, I composed a Scripture Memory Song “In Everything Give Thanks”:In everything give thanks,In everything give thanks,For this is the will of GodIn Christ Jesus concerning you.RepeatWhen things in life don’t seem to turn outJust as we think they should,We know that God still has a grand planAnd works all things together—He works all things together for our good.In everything give thanks,In everything give thanks,For this is the will of GodIn Christ Jesus concerning you.The sun shines bright or the darkest night,No matter what the mood,We still give thanks always for all things.In the name of Jesus Christ,We keep an attitude of gratitude.In everything give thanks,In everything give thanks,For this is the will of GodIn Christ Jesus concerning you.Every situation offers an opportunity to be thankful, no matter how bright or bleak life may be. We can always find something to be thankful for, if for nothing more than that we are alive or that our situation could be worse. We can begin with thanking God that we are alive and then adding to the long list of blessings we are enjoying at that moment. Each time we set our minds to be thankful, we are doing the will of God, which is the innermost desire of every believer. To give thanks is to do the will of God.Feeling disappointed, discouraged, and in despair or having other negative feelings is sometimes described as “stinkin’ thinkin’” which can directly affect how we act. One of the critical factors in our physical and emotional well-being is attitude. Chuck Swindoll offers excellent insight regarding this subject:The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company...a church... a home.The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude...I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you...we are in charge of our Attitudes.The discussion of attitude comes full circle with this reminder that “attitude begins with gratitude.” J. Rufus Moseley speaks of “an attitude of gratitude and boundless good will.” For believers thanksgiving is a magnificent and joyful “response-ability”; that is, our ability to respond to God’s love and grace. We endeavor to demonstrate our gratitude to God from the fullness of our hearts, overflowing with thanks. More than merely occasionally expressing how grateful we are, we desire to maintain a continual “attitude of gratitude,” a lifestyle that some havecalled “thanksliving.” The essence of our attitude of endless gratitude is expressed in this poem:Thanksliving*What shall we render to the Lord for allHis grace? What can we say to offer praiseWorthy of His glory? How can we callWith all our being upon His name and raiseA new song from the depths of our heart?We must do more than mouth a platitude--To express our soul in words is an art;Yet words cannot express our gratitude.Mere words are empty and without merit.“Thank you” too soon becomes a hollow phrase.So we must worship God with our spiritAnd must give thanks well for all of our days.To live is give thanks with tongue and limb;With each breath, each move, let us live thanks to Him.More than merely saying “thank you” to God, more than simply tithing or sharing of our abundance or giving of our time or material goods, thanksliving is a way of life, expressing gratitude to God in everything we say and do. This time of the year, as we approach the final holiday season of the year, our lives should especially abound with thanksgiving to God for “His unspeakable gift.” Without question, “thanksgiving” is the reason for every season.From this brief examination of the term, we find that “thanksgiving” is more than “turkey time,” an annual holiday we celebrate; it is more than the arrival of Friday (TGIF), for which the workaday world thanks God. For believers, every day should be a day of living in thanks. We show with all our being, “Thank God it’s Sunday through Saturday.” As we do so, we counteract the negative effects of disappointment, discouragement, despair and any other toxic emotions that keep us from being all that God designed us to be.It is always an appropriate time to give thanks to God. One of the songs I recall from years ago declares, “Now is the right time to praise the Lord!” No matter the circumstances, no matter the conditions, weather-wise or otherwise, weare to follow this exhortation:In happy moments, praise God.In difficult moments, seek God.In quiet moments, worship God.In painful moments, trust God.In every moment, thank God.At All TimesI will bless the Lord at all times,His praise shall continually be in my mouth.Psalm 34:1When God’s goodness and mercy follow closely,And we savor the ecstasy of victory,When joy overflows and floods our souls, we will praise God.When gripped by the devices of this transient lifeAnd caught in the straits of rising conflict and strife,During these difficult moments, we will seek God.When we long to abide within a tranquil moodAnd linger in moments of sweetest quietude,From the depths of our souls, we will worship God.Despite raging seas, stormy winds and blinding rain,When protracted pain strikes like a knife and numbs the brainSo that we can scarcely scream your name, we will trust God.All along life’s journey, no matter the season,Through every why and wherefore, for every reasonEvery moment we draw breath, we will thank God.We seek the Lord and ask ourselves, “What shall we do?”Give thanks: it is God’s will in Christ concerning you.”“Give thanks: it is God’s will in Christ concerning you.”*Published in Stone upon Stone: Psalms of Remembrance (Ambassador Press, 2005)
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Starting Over

Sometimes we need to molt, like a lobster, because our old "skin" can no longer contain our new selves.A friend once shared a theory about that great record of when Jesus had a little talk with Nicodemus. When Jesus tells him, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God," old Nic goes into the "can a man enter in again into his mother's womb....?" thingy.... you know the story. John 3Was Nicodemus as dumb as we thought? Perhaps he was a wise rabbi, only not wise enough. He was speaking to the rabbi, Jesus, and it just may be that his reply to Jesus was with understanding of what Jesus was requiring of him -- to go back to "scratch." His reply, then, cleverly, really, rabbi-to-rabbi, would be, "how can I?" How can I become like a little child again, knowing what I know? Read it again if you like. It's a marvelous theory.The Christian life, I assert, is dynamic, not static. The Christian in connected with, in union with -- God -- with the Fountain, the Source, with Life. Old wineskins cannot contain this Life. If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation -- old things are passed away. Behold! All things are new, and all these new things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ.“Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” (Ro 6:4 AV)“But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not [in] the oldness of the letter.” (Ro 7:6 AV)The self-help books speak of "reinventing yourself," but the Christian is the handiwork, some might say a masterpiece of -- God. He can take us where we'd never think to go -- exceeding abundantly above whatever we might ask or think. If we would see the Kingdom of God, we must be born again.“Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.” (Lu 18:17 AV)You might find out you only THOUGHT you were a lobster. You might find out that you can fly.“And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:” (Col 3:10 AV)
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"Great Adventure Blog"--Qualities of Manhood

Say, Hey, Dan, My Man,Thanks for inviting me to join you and your family on your “Great Adventure.” I very much enjoyed the ride. A number of things came to mind as I embarked upon this "Great Adventure." Recently I have been thinking about John Eldredge's Wild at Heart which I indicated as one of my favorite books, one of those "life-changing" works that ministered to the core of who I am and who I aspire to be. In the book, Eldredge indicates three motivations that express the essence of what it means to be a man: a man is seeking to find “a battle to fight”, “an adventure to live” and “a beauty to rescue.” Oddly enough I had recently started a file on “Qualities of Manhood” which form the core of this blog.The question of what it means to be a man I raised in the first “occasional” poem I ever wrote. At the time I really didn’t think of myself as a poet, but I decided that I would commemorate my 21st birthday, supposedly a milestone of manhood.Upon Turning Twenty-oneThe day came and went,but felt no different—a day like any other,yet why so much significance.This special date:June 17, 1963Should mean so much to me,But I felt as I did at seventeen.Was I then a man or am I yet to be?In the midst of these most turbulent times of crisis and seemingly overwhelming circumstances, I anchor myself in the truth of God’s Word, as I continue to strive to understand more fully the meaning of manhood:Though storms may overwhelm and friends may abandonWhen diseases surface to assault flesh and bone.These scenes will reveal the man I thought I could be,As words of the Psalmist comfort and remind me,When this life is over and all is said and done:Be still and know that I am God.I look into the Word of God, as a man looks into the mirror to find the core of who he really is:My True IdentityBut we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord,are changed into the same image from glory to glory,even as by the Spirit of the Lord.II Corinthians 3:18I look in the mirror of God’s Word and I see,Not the man I am but the man I shall become,Reflected in my eyes, my true identity.Released from shackles of a slave mentality,The bondage of Egypt I have now overcome.I look in the mirror of God’s Word and I see.I smile as I keep singing of “A Brand New Me.”In my heart I have prepared for God a new home,Reflected in my eyes, my true identity.“I am what I am” is my new reality:A first-born son, model of the Father’s Kingdom.I look in the mirror of God’s Word and I see.God’s blessings in double measure overtake me,Flowing by the spirit in knowledge and wisdom,Reflected in my eyes, my true identity.I live to fulfill my prophetic destiny,As joys unfold with even greater joys to come.I look in the mirror of God’s Word and I seeReflected in my eyes, my true identity.Here is a brief discussion of those three primary drives within men that Eldredge writes about:• A battle to fight“Life is a battlefield, and the battlefield is the mind.” I have been aware of the truths of that statement most of my adult life, but I really came to grips with the intensity of “a battle to fight” when I was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2000. In 2005 I published my testimony of my approach in combating the dreaded disease in Watch, Fight and Pray: My Personal Strategy to Combat Prostate Cancer. The book opens with a blues poem originally written after my father was diagnosed with cancer, and it has become even more meaningful during my own ongoing battle with “Old Man Crab”, the name I give to the potentially deadly disease which takes its name from the constellation Cancer which is designated as “the crab.”Final VictoryI Corinthians 15:53-57 & Romans 8:37-39Old Man Crab is mighty sneaky,always creepin and up to no good,Old Man Crab, is mighty sneaky,always creepin and up to no good,That low-down dirty rascal,Messin with folk all round the neighborhood.One dark day Old Man Crab came callin,Crawlin in like some uninvited mouse,One dark day Old Man Crab came callin,Crawlin in like some uninvited mouse,That nasty dirty devil,Sneakin in the back door of my sister’s house.First you first attacked my mama, Old Man Crab,You tried to pinch her with your greatest fears,First you first attacked my mama, Old Man Crab,You tried to pinch her with your greatest fears,But she didn’t want no she-crab soup,You tried to served with pain and bitter tears.You may have come to our house, Old Man Crab,But I’m sorry, you can’t stay.You may have come to our house, Old Man Crab,But I’m sorry, you can’t stay.Whatsonever in the world you may do,Everyday we still gonna watch, fight, and pray.Nothin’ low down on earth, Old Man Crab,Or nothin high up in heaven above,Nothin’ low down on earth, Old Man Crab,Or nothin high up in heaven above,Not even death, your creepin pardner,Can ever separate us from God’s love.So git out my face, Old Man Crab,I got your number, don’t you see.So git out my face, Old Man Crab,I got your number, don't you see.You may win this li’l biddy battle,But we show-nuff got the final victory.Some say our Savior’s comin in the mornin;Some say in the midnight hour or high noonSome say our Savior’s comin in the mornin;Some say in the midnight hour or high noonI got a feelin He’s comin backTo gather us together soon . . . and very soon.• An adventure to liveI thought of this particular attribute of a man after viewing Dan Haas’ video entitled “The Great Adventure.” In fact, initially I started to dash off a brief comment related to my thinking of Eldredge’s second point when I decided to expand comments into this blog on “Qualities of Manhood.” I connected Dan’s video to my poem “Man-child: Giddy-up Goin’ on the Great Adventure.” As it turned out, the piece reveals my continual striving to be the man of God that I’m called to be. I use the oxymoronic term “man-child”, the significance of which was confirmed to me when I read the insert in a fortune cookie when I dined at a Thai restaurant not long ago: “A great man never ignores the simplicity of a child.”Manchild. . . Giddy-up, going on the great adventure“Here they beheld the manto someday reign as king. . . .”The Wise MenI leaped out of bed just after the sun came up;I could not stay cause I had to be on my way.Life overflowed like a fountain and filled my cup.“Be back in a minute” was all I had to say. . . .Giddy-up, giddy-up, giddy-up, going on the great adventure.I was laughing and loving every good news day,Running with abandon into the blazing sun,With my heart wide-open and tender, pure for sure,All that really mattered to me was having fun.Giddy-up, giddy-up, giddy-up, going on the great adventure.One day a white-haired man spoke as he looked at me.“Say, little man, when you grow up to be a man,Tell me, little fella, what do you want to be?”His question made me think, just for a little whileThen I nodded my head, and I began to smile,“That’s a real long time away, far as I can see,But when I grow up to be a real grown up man,“A man-child, man-child, is what I still want to be,Man-child, a man-child, is what I still want to be.”Giddy-up, giddy-up, giddy-up, going on the great adventure.• A beauty to rescueLong before I met my wife, I would from time to time think about “the girl of my dreams.” Often I wondered if she thought about me as I thought about her and tried to imagine what she might be like. I met my “beauty to rescue” after we each simultaneously prayed fervently that we might met the love of our lives. We were married 35 years ago, and I shared this special poem with my wife on one of our anniversary celebrations.Before I Knew Youfor my beloved BrendaI thought of you long before I ever knew you.When through the mist I beheld your lovely face.Before our two lives touched, my heart reached out to you.I could not speak your name, yet somehow I knew youWould be all I could desire in style and grace.I thought of you long before I ever knew you.Alone, I saw the sunset, told myself you tooNeeded a dearest friend to share this special place.Before our two lives touched, my heart reached out to you.Alone, I passed the time and asked myself who youWere dreaming of, yet still longing to embraceI thought of you long before I ever knew you.I yearned to give my life, to share my soul with youWho would make me feel whole and fill my empty space.Before our two lives touched, my heart reached out to you.God stretched out his hand, and then He gently drew youTo me with a true love that time cannot erase.I thought of you long before I ever knew you.Before our two lives touched, my heart reached out to you.• A “real” manFor about 10 years I taught a composition and literature course at Otterbein College on relationships of men and women in the context of love and marriage. Among the topics we discussed and wrote about was “What is a real man?” and “What is a real woman?” One of the authors who offered his definition of manhood was Ernest Hemingway, who spoke of “a real man” as one who shows “grace under pressure.” Beyond Hemingway’s definition and those of others, is this designation of the measure of the man of God who follows after Christ. To the degree that we model the qualities of Jesus Christ and stand in his stead, is the degree to which we show the world what it means to be “a real man” of God or “a “real woman” of God. I am ever striving to mature to the point of arriving at the place of becoming the “perfect man,” so described in Ephesians 4:13:[That it might develop] until we all attain oneness in the faith and in the comprehension of the [full and accurate] knowledge of the Son of God, that [we might arrive] at really mature manhood (the completeness of personality which is nothing less than the standard height of Christ's own perfection), the measure of the stature of the fullness of the Christ and the completeness found in Him. I continue to press on toward that mark of true manhood. Amplified BibleAn appropriate way to conclude my discussion of “qualities of manhood” is with a poem, not one of my own, but one of my favorite works that captures the essence of this subject—“If” by Rudyard Kipling:IfIf you can keep your head when all about youAre losing theirs and blaming it on you;If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,But make allowance for their doubting too;If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;If you can meet with triumph and disasterAnd treat those two imposters just the same;If you can bear to hear the truth you've spokenTwisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;If you can make one heap of all your winningsAnd risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,And lose, and start again at your beginningsAnd never breath a word about your loss;If you can force your heart and nerve and sinewTo serve your turn long after they are gone,And so hold on when there is nothing in youExcept the Will which says to them: "Hold on";If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;If all men count with you, but none too much;If you can fill the unforgiving minuteWith sixty seconds' worth of distance run -Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!Dan, thanks so much for sharing your video which proved to be remarkably stimulating. Thanks for indulging me as I waxed reflective and poetic. “You’re the man, Dan, my main man, Dan, the show-nuff Music Man.”Lonnell
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A Way, some ways, and The Way

This was written to me in response to my question, so....what do you think of our next President? It was a sobering reply, and anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear should...I know what to think of him and it isn't encouraging at all. People in our Nation are blinded. Having said that, I believe roughly 57,000,000 voted for the other guy. So, nothing is over yet. Here's an example of how some are looking at this:Fellow Patriots,Tuesday, 4 November 2008, is a date which will live in infamy. While most presidential elections are followed with calls for unity by both candidates, Barack Obama issued no such call in his speech last night, with the possible exception of his observation, "I may not have won your vote tonight, but ... I will be your president, too."Of course, none was expected -- liberals have elected a Socialist with deep ties to cultural and ethnocentric radicalism, and his executive and legislative agenda poses a greater threat to American liberty than that of any president in the history of our great republic.Obama has twice taken an oath to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic" and to "bear true faith and allegiance to the same." He has never honored that oath, and, based on his policy proposals and objectives, he has no intention to honor it after again reciting that oath on 20 January 2009. Obama seeks to, in his own words, "break free from the essential constraints that were placed by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution."For that reason, this morning, the symbol of our national heritage of liberty, the American flag atop the 35-foot mast at our editorial offices, was respectfully lowered, inverted, and raised to full mast as a sign of national distress. It will remain inverted until next Tuesday, when we right it in honor of Veterans Day.Today, at least 55,805,197 Americans are concerned for the future of our nation's great tradition of liberty. Some 63,007,791 Americans have been lulled, under the aegis of "hope and change," into a state of what is best described as "cult worship" and all its attendant deception.One of our editors, a Marine now working in the private sector, summed up our circumstances with this situation report. It aptly captured the sentiments around our office: "It's been tough, fellow Patriots; tough to stomach the idea that more than half of my fellow citizens who vote, have booted a genuine American hero to the curb for a rudderless charlatan. What a sad indictment on our citizenry that some are so eager to overlook his myriad flaws -- his radical roots, his extreme liberalism, his utter lack of experience or achievement. Barack Obama is the antithesis of King's dream: He's a man judged by the color of his skin rather than the content of his character. If it's God's will that Barack Obama is our next president, then so be it. We Patriots will pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and wade back to the war front, intent on liberty or death."This battle is lost, but the war is not. Let's roll.Mark Alexander,Publisher of The Patriot PostAnywho, we serve the Lord Jesus Christ not some Earth bound dude overcome with ambitious rivalry. And even if the other guy had won, we still serve the Master and look to him and our God for guidance. It is from the Lord that we receive, make that received, our marching orders. We know who we are, why we are here, and where we are going."I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty." (1Ti 2:1-2 AV)We need to do this for all our Nation's leaders.Amen.
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On Alcohol - Part II

Dear Way Corps,Let me start this by pointing out some things that should be self-evident. We are all born with a different genetic foundation. Our genes give us our skin, eye and hair color. They give us our frame and our build. They have something to do with our intelligence and emotional balance and character. There is in fact very little they do not give us. Sometimes what we inherit seems to be unfair. Included in the list of “unfair” is a predisposition to different types of addictions. Geneticists have been looking for years now for markers that show we are prone to becoming alcoholic. Several years ago I spoke to a researcher at Yale University working on just such a project. She said they had found well over 20 such markers in human DNA. That my friend is a lot!Where did all of the genetic baggage we carry come from? Did it come when “sin entered in”? Did it have something to do with the drunkenness of Noah? Was it a simple mutation or was it somehow picked up or spliced in from another species? I have no idea; I leave that to the X-Files.Now, what is the difference between an alcoholic and a non-alcoholic? The difference is that one can stop while the other can’t, but why? Well, first you have to realize that alcohol is both a stimulant and a depressant. When you take a drink or two you get stimulated. You may feel a lift and your mind may suddenly break through the day’s lethargy and begin buzzing with a sense of well being, ablaze with profound thoughts. As you keep drinking and the liver begins breaking down the alcohol into sugar, you may begin to feel a little down, a little tired. If you are a “normal” drinker you do the natural thing, and that is you stop drinking. Yet there are those who have never had a “normal” drink in their lives. They drink to get high, and then they drink to pass out or black out. And when you ask them the next morning how much they drank the honest reply should be “all of it.”Let me describe this in a way I have heard medical experts describe it. But let me qualify this by saying I am not a Doctor, nor a medical expert. The information I am sharing though is not hard to find if you want to delve into it further. Here goes…We all have what some refer to as a “lizard brain,” or a limbic system. That is the where all the basic motives and emotions of survival are transposed into thoughts, feelings and actions like fight or flight and sexual urges. It is the pleasure center of the brain. The brain uses dopamine to regulate our sense of wellbeing. It is a natural compound that God created to help us get through the day without savaging each other. Now there should be in your brain a base line or level of naturally secreted dopamine. What happens with drugs and alcohol is that they create a chemical surge that nothing natural can. They spike up your dopamine level unnaturally and then when you come down lizard brain tries to reestablish the dopamine base line. Usually it does. However, when you keep repeating this behavior you will force havoc upon your limbic system. You are tampering with your dopamine base line, your ability to feel good about life and self. Like a trampoline, up you go and down you come, up you go and down you come, up you go and down you come, up you go and down, huh… oops… the springs give out, you drop through your base line, your floor of wellbeing, your dopamine level has given way. Ever wonder why people feel so bad when they are coming down off of a high? It is not just the poison they have ingested; it is the lack of dopamine. Your brain now must work overtime to restore the base line. THIS IS WHERE ADDICTION STARTS. Yes, did you hear me? THIS IS WHERE ADDICTION STARTS. Now you know.I have explained it to my children like this, "The greater your genetic predisposition is to alcoholism the less likely it is you will ever have a normal drink”. Again, the “normal” drink is the one drink you take and then you take no more. You voluntarily stop.If you drink or use, you may find yourself having a compulsion towards doing it again and again. When compulsion turns into a craving you have crossed the line into addiction. And hey stupid, good luck coming back!!!Say you do come back and you quit. It will now take your brain anywhere from two months to three years to feel normal. Most people think this is depression. It is not depression, it is dysphoria. Dysphoria has several meanings, but in this context is an adjustment disorder that feels like depression brought on by a chemical imbalance to the brain.Now your mind will tell you to DO SOMETHING about this terrible state of being. And that is why people frequently relapse. They are overwhelmed because the limbic system is stronger than the rational mind. It is saying “feed me, feed lizard brain, feed your head, feed me and feel good!” So now what do you do? Well, you can exercise. Exercise releases dopamine naturally. Or you can realize that the craving, like a storm, will pass and you can white knuckle it. Another thing you can do it talk to somebody about it. Hey, doesn’t the Bible say something about confessing our faults one to another? Isn’t that like talking about our problems? The funny thing is when we do that, when we verbalize what is eating away at us, it loses its power over us. Really.If addiction runs in your family, stay away from the drugs, the pills and the booze. The only sure fired remedy is abstinence. You heard me, abstinence!“You mean… I… can never… drink again?!?”Well, I might simply say “Yes,” but I am apt to add, “if you want to live, or live without destroying yourself or someone else you should never drink again.”“Uh, that is so unfair, so unimaginable!”“Is it now? What a deep handicap, what a great deprivation, what traumatic loss. Could it be that alcohol in your life is a god, an idol, something you put between you and others, something you put between you and your Lord? Could it be you spend an unusually large amount of time thinking about getting it, thinking about using it, thinking about hiding it?” Now, we are talking!See, part of the problem is that some people in The Way taught that true deliverance would come when the alcoholic would able to drink again. I think that is probably one of the most destructive lines of spiritualized drool I have ever heard. If your daughter was deathly allergic to peanut butter, would you keep sending her to school with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? Is that how you would “cure” her? “Just woof that down dear one with a little milk and be sure to believe.” Tell that to the ER Doctor when she has suffocated on a bloated tongue and throat!Alcohol is an allergy too. By allergy, I mean that one’s body cannot process it the way most people’s bodies do. So why shame someone over their problem when they are trapped unwittingly? But that is what we have done. We have shamed people into thinking they are defective, broken, damaged, less-than-zero. Shame says “I am a bad person,” which is very different from guilt which says, “I have done something bad.” There is no shame in being an alcoholic or addict. There may be guilt, but no shame. And God forgives all, so hopefully everyone can get past the guilt as well.So next time someone tells you legalizing pot is a good idea because after all, “What is wrong with something that lifts you out of depression?” Just remind him or her that, “in the long run it puts you deeper into a depression that becomes a living hell to get out of.” It is another one of Satan’s unending lies of happiness. As long as you're not hurting anybody, right? Remember, drinking or using is all about loss and we will look at the cost of it in real measurable terms later. But for now may I would like to leave you with this:“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”(Philippians 4:8)Respectfully Yours,Steven C. BudlongRidgefield, CT 06877Copyright 2008 Sojourner Media, LLC
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Tidbits of Truth - 5

Hey all you wonderful people!Jesus nicknamed the apostles James and John "the sons of thunder" not because they were the result of a cloud seeding experiment gone awry, but because they were loud, boisterous, wild and crazy guys whose presence was usually known before they entered the room. They were called "sons of thunder" because they were LIKE thunder in their behavior. That's the idiom. It's a figure of speech. Thunder is loud, startling, and attention getting. That's how these guys were. I'm sure you've known people like this. (By the way, this proves Jesus had a sense of humor.)You'll find this figure all through the Bible, Old and New Testaments.The simplicity of it is that the parent leads the way, sets the example, or initiates and inspires, while the child or son follows in the footsteps, imitates the example, or is like the parent.You're familiar with Abraham being "the father of all who believe" (Romans 4:11). Obviously he didn't father all who believe literally, but we are like Abraham because we believe as he did.Ephesians 5:1 tells us to be "followers [imitators] of God as dear children." The children imitate the father. The exhortation is to behave like God, our Father - to be like Him..Christ said "wisdom is justified of all her children" (Luke 7:35). Wisdom here, as in Proverbs, is being described as a "she." This is not literal, but figurative. People who are wise are like their mother, wisdom. In real life they show the preeminence of wisdom.He said in Matthew 5:44 & 45 "Love your enemies...That you may be the children of your Father who is in heaven." Was Jesus introducing yet another way to get saved? No, he was simply saying to behave like our Father who loves all."Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God." - Matthew 5:9. The verse is in reference to behavior, not birth. God is a peacemaker, and when we are peacemakers, we are like God.I John 3:9 & 10 says, "Whoever is born of God does not commit [practice] sin, because His [God's] seed [children] remain [abide] in Him [God]...In this the children of God are manifest and the children of the devil, whoever does not righteousness, is not of God...." The children are thus manifest by their behavior, They are called "the children of God" because they behave LIKE God and they are called "the children of the Devil" because they behave LIKE the Devil. And there is no literal seed involved in either becoming children.In John 8:41 - 44, Jesus said, "You do the deeds of your father...You are of your father, the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do." He was speaking to the scribes and Pharisees. Notice that the relationship of the Devil as their father was dependant on their behavior - "You do...you will do." They were children of the Devil figuratively because they were like him in behavior, not because they were somehow literally born of him.In Genesis 6:2 "the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair, and they took them wives...." The figure determines the interpretation of the "sons of God" here. Since the "sons of God" are those who are like God, and follow and imitate Him, they are the Old Testament believers. The term could never be in reference to fallen angels who are opposed to God. Besides, Jesus said angels "neither marry nor are given in marriage" (Matthew 22:30). And though the apocryphal books of the O.T. are not accepted as Scripture, they still give us useful information, such as the many times O.T. believers are commonly referred to as "sons of God." Of course, they were not sons by a new spiritual birth, but sons because they believed and followed God."Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him: for we shall see Him as He is." - I John 3:2. We are like Him now. We will be more like Him then!I believe we are sons of God by a literal, spiritual regeneration as it says in Titus 3:5. But as we read through the Bible, we should be aware of what is a literal and what is a figurative reference to being children and sons. It'll make the difference between error and truth.
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The Way. It Was.

The Way. It was.By John A. LynnIn the interest of truth, both small “t” (the facts about The Way International) and capital “T” (the Word of God it taught), I am compelled to propose why I think The Way International was (past tense), from a certain perspective, one of the most significant movements in the history of the Christian Church. I do so for the benefit of any graduate of the “Power For Abundant Living” class who still wants to live for the Lord and who may have been unduly discouraged, either by his/her own experience in The Way or by the ensuing barrage of negatives from other ex-Way saints about what was wrong with The Way.Given that I was one of the top ministry leaders from 1967-1987, I speak with experiential knowledge. Furthermore, I have spent the past 21 years continuing to dig into the Word of God along with knowledgeable Christians, and, in the process, re-evaluating everything we were taught. I speak with great thankfulness for the truth I heard in The Way (hereinafter TWI), with no doubt that God led me to it, and then away from it. And though I left with some wounds, I also took with me the resources I had been given that enabled me to be healed from those wounds and help others do likewise.I speak so that you can know “the rest of the story,” as opposed to all the disparaging things that have been said about The Way through the years by the media (much of that false), other Christians (much of that false), and disgruntled former followers (much of that true, some of it false). My purpose is to set forth a much more redemptive view of The Way than what I have thus far read from others with “ex-Way vision.” In some ways, this is a sequel to my March, 1988 letter in which I blew the whistle about what was then going on in TWI. (http://www.swiftlynx.com/beyondTheWayInternational/)Yes, there was more doctrinal error than I ever realized while I was in TWI, and there was corresponding practical error that became more evil than most of us involved ever imagined. Yes, many precious people were terribly abused. Yes, there was dishonesty about Scripture, there was plagiarism, and there was rampant sexual sin, all of which contributed to many people choosing to turn away from God and His Word. And as I realized these things, I did speak out about them, both publicly and privately, from 1987 until about 2000, after which TWI had marginalized itself in Christendom.Perhaps worst of all, a golden opportunity to make known the Word of God, as it had not been known since the first century, was squandered. I will elaborate upon why that is true from a doctrinal standpoint, but when else in the history of the Christian Church has there ever been such a cadre of thousands of young, energetic, enthused, biblically knowledgeable, logistically equipped, organizationally backed, diverse, multi-lingual, mobile, available, and committed-to-“It-is-written” men and women with leadership qualities who were willing to go anywhere and spread the Word? Certainly not often in the past 2000 years. Thank God that many of these students of the Word became teachers themselves, and were thus able to recognize the errors that crept into TWI.The Way. It was. What was it? First and foremost, it was, from about 1955-1987, the only place I know of where anyone could hear the amount of truth of the Word of God that we heard. Why? In large part because God led Victor Paul Wierwille to the work of E.W. Bullinger, whose approach to Scripture was virtually unique. That is what allowed Wierwille, and thus TWI to an even greater degree, thanks to the quality men and women with research ability whom it attracted, to put the Word together like it had not been known since the first century Church.The sad thing was that I, and many others, became too proud of our knowledge, and failed to couple it with enough of a humble, heartfelt desire to obey God and become like Jesus Christ. We became too arrogant toward other Christians, thinking that our study of truth somehow made us more “approved before God” than they. To a degree, we became more like hearers of the Word than doers, and often deceived our selves. BUT, the antidote to that is not to throw out the baby with the bathwater, because without knowledge of truth there can be little practice of it.Why did God have a need for The Way International? Actually, He didn’t. But He did have a need for any group of people who would make known what, or close to what, the Apostle Paul taught once the whole of what we now read in the Church Epistles had been unfolded to him. Why was there such a need? Because true Christian doctrine had all but disappeared from the spectrum of Church history by the 4th century. It was then that the Roman Catholic Church began based upon a bunch of fables mixed with Christian verbiage, established a monolithic ecclesiastical hierarchy, and for more than a thousand years dominated the European religious landscape, killing countless dissenters and for the most part silencing the rest.When Martin Luther came along (1517 was when he nailed his 95 Theses on the church door at Wittenburg), thank God he did recognize justification by faith rather than by works, but what we today refer to as the “Reformation” of the Roman Catholic Church was very limited in scope. Much of the Roman Catholic doctrine was assimilated into Protestantism and is still being passed along as Christian groups continue to split off from one another. In a nutshell, that is why even the independent church in your neighborhood today most probably believes that there is a Trinity, dead people are alive, God is in control of everything that happens, the Four Gospels are written to Christians, water baptism is relevant, and maybe even that the Bible is not absolute truth.I don’t know where else we could have heard the “package” of biblical truth we heard in TWI. Admittedly, most of the major doctrinal components of that package were being taught by some Christians, with varying degrees of accuracy, but none that I know of put together as many into a package as TWI did. Let’s begin with what I mentioned about E.W. Bullinger’s contribution to TWI, which was HUGE, because his basic approach to Scripture is what facilitates one being able to discover its inherent keys and utilize them to derive the Author’s originally intended meaning.TWI taught us to approach the Word with the “It is written” conviction that it is what it says it is, and that it cannot contradict itself. That alone is enough to at least identify error about the Bible, and the keys to the Word’s interpretation we were taught enabled us to understand it, take its truth into our hearts, and apply it on a daily basis.Given that the identity of Jesus Christ is the world’s biggest deal, I would have to say that chief among the wonderful biblical truths we heard in TWI was that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (not God), the Man who mediates between God and men, and that the Trinity is a pagan fable. Some ex-Way saints now say this distinction is not that important, but I assert that God thinks differently, given what He says in His Word (e.g., 2 Cor. 4:3 and 4). Yes, TWI failed to teach us that we can have an intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus, but there were not too many other places where we could have heard that Jesus is not the “eternally begotten” Second Person of the Trinity.I’d have to say that the next most important biblical truth we heard in TWI was what we then called the “Mystery,” and, correspondingly, what parts of Scripture are written to Jews, to Gentiles, or to Christians regarding either the past, the present, or the future. For the record, we have since learned that “Sacred Secret” is a more accurate way of rendering the Greek, musterion.Ephesians is the apex of the Church Epistles (the primary curriculum for Christian living), and it clearly shows that the Body of Christ (the “one new man” of Chapter 2, verse 15) is the most unique group of people who have ever lived, chiefly because of the permanence of our salvation and our holy spirit equipping. 1 Corinthians 2:8 chimes in with the monumental (and generally overlooked) truth that had Satan known the Sacred Secret, he would not have crucified Jesus!In terms of biblical error that is practically debilitating to one’s quality of life, I see nothing more important than knowing what Scripture is written to whom, when, and in particular what is written to us as Christians today. The Church’s failure to understand this central truth has led to its trying to live in accordance with directives pertaining to other people at other times. It is only in the Church Epistles that a Christian finds his true identity “in Christ,” as well as his true Hope. Simply put, the Word of God will never fit together without contradiction if one does not understand the “administrations” therein, and in particular this current “administration of the Sacred Secret” (Eph. 3:9).Yes, there are quite a few Christians who have a “Dispensational” view of Scripture, but the vast majority of them fail to grasp that Jesus is not God and that he did not know the Sacred Secret. Most think that parts of the Four Gospels and the book of Revelation speak of the Christian Church, but that is not the case. The Gospels record the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies about Christ’s first coming to the earth to Israel (his suffering), and Revelation records the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies about his second coming to the earth to Israel (his glory).Another major truth we learned in TWI, which is unknown to most Christians, is that of the Giver and the gift, and, correspondingly, that speaking in tongues is available to all Christians because it is a manifestation of holy spirit, not a gift. We also learned the indispensable truth that speaking in tongues is the only absolute proof that one is saved. How many tens of thousands of people did those truths alone set free?TWI also taught us that death is, in fact, the end of life, and that our true Hope for new life in the coming age is to be raised from the dead and meet the Lord Jesus in the air prior to the Tribulation (the “time of Jacob’s trouble” – Jer.30:7). What percentage of Christians do you think know this? Although TWI failed to teach us that Paradise (the new earth), not heaven, will be our everlasting home, thank God we learned that resurrection is much more than an incorporeal “soul” once again getting a body.And TWI pointed us toward an understanding of the figures of speech in the Bible (thanks to Bullinger), of which little is known in theological circles. This included the figurative language in the Old Testament that helped us see that God is not responsible for evil or suffering, nor is He in control of everything that happens.Like I, you may know of some ministries that do teach some of these truths, but I submit that until 1987 there was nowhere other than TWI to find all of them taught as accurately as they were there. That is why The Way International stands out on the spectrum of Church history as an amazingly significant Christian movement.As far as I can see, TWI was also about the most disparate dichotomy of good and evil in the history of Christianity. Like the wheat and the tares growing up together, tremendous truth and egregious evil shared the ministry platform. Many people look back on their TWI experience with nothing but thankfulness, while others rue their free will choice to stay involved as long as they did because of the abuse they suffered. Some have been stymied by self-condemnation due to the abuses they themselves committed. No doubt there are also many who recognize that they heard the Word like they never had, who have allowed the Lord Jesus to heal any wounds they suffered in TWI, and who have since experienced spiritual growth far beyond what they ever imagined back in “the good old days.”I hope you are in that last category, and if you’re not, you can be. Even if people badly abused and disappointed you, you can turn to the Lord Jesus, he who is The Way to wholeness in all categories of heart and life. His love and truth will heal your heart and help you forgive and move forward with him toward the same goal you once had. You have a ministry in the Body of Christ, and he who is the Head longs to help you fulfill that calling. It was neither your heavenly Father nor your Lord who hurt you, nor does whatever happened to you change anything the Word says. God’s promises are still true, and they are yours for the believing.The Way, we were. If you once sat through PFAL, you heard the Word of God taught more accurately than the vast majority of Christians who have ever drawn breath. As a fellow PFAL grad, I identify with you, and have an affinity for you and a desire to encourage you to take advantage of the truth you once heard, if you are not already doing so. Along with me, you will one day stand before our precious Lord Jesus Christ, who will reward you according to how you have lived your life as a Christian. In essence, he will ask each of us something like this: “What did you do with what you knew?”[For a detailed list of biblical subjects I think TWI mishandled, see the following link: http://www.christianeducational.org/25diffTWI.htmIf you would like to discuss with me about what I have written, please contact me at jalces@aol.com]
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Those Little D’s and R’s

I'm not real excited about knocking doors, trying to convince people to vote for more government or less, or what the difference between socialism and capitalism is and why nations normally prosper on the latter, long term, while paying far too much for marginally better healthcare.Instead I'd like to write about "D's and R's", you know, those little letters identifying political party after the names of politicians? I believe that owners of television networks and movie studios, as well as political writers, talk show hosts, actors and other famous people, anyone who influences the votes of the masses, in any venue, should also bear a "D", an "R", etc., after their names when on the air or in print. So that when one is listening to a savvy man speak, such as the winsome George Stephanopoulos, "D", one knew there just may be "spin" there (ya think?). So that trusting viewers at least have a chance to consider - there just might be an agenda at play, rather than unbiased truths. Or, so people realize, that although the red and blue allegiants are divided about 50/50 in our country, about one Democrat to one Republican, that on "The View", it's a 4 to 1 designation. A Disney (D) owned station is entitled to balance a cast as it likes...all I'm asking for is a little "D" with the name. Same goes for famed republicans: just a little "R". Everyone knows what letter Rush gets because he is not trying to appear as an unbiased analyst and people pretty much know he couldn’t if he tried.Broadcasters, commentators and actors (famous, rich people, who influence votes, like sales, easily, due to their positions) tend to be liberal and most of what is broadcast in our society is done so, or driven, by the "D"'s. My friends and both my parents hold different political affiliations than do I. People have a right to believe and speak as they wish in America. It's not that.It's this: no matter who the person is, when they evaluate a debate or speak on an issue, no matter how well-spoken or confident sounding, one tends to filter information through one's own beliefs. It's human nature, at best. I won't say that there is a plan to sway votes via the media, but there is, by nature.I will say there should be a little "D" or a little "R" after the names of famous speakers, whether on talk shows, political forums or acclaimed newsprint columns, where candidates, et al, are alluded to. No one with a memory listens to Jane Fonda talk politics, so she is exempt. Tina Fay is just plain funny and can have whatever letter she wants.Debra Kline
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On ALCOHOL - Part I

Dear Way Corps,In 1982, my wife and I were living at The Way International, in New Knoxville, Ohio. It was our interim year in The Way Corps and I had the privilege of producing the 40th Anniversary Film. It was supposed to be a 20-minute documentary but it spun out of control and into a 64 minute mini-feature entitled “The Teacher.” It is not my best work but it was an amazing experience and I was honored to do it. It is also an important record of the event.During that time I became acquainted with a man from Van Wert, Ohio, who had been part of Dr. Wierwille’s ministry at the beginning. That beginning was the first “The Youth Caravan Hour” radio broadcast in 1942. I heard a number of those broadcasts from The Way’s archives. The program was a blend of inspired teaching, praise and worship and for its time and means it was remarkably well done. As my new friend told me story after story of his days with V.P. (as in “V”ictor “P”aul Wierwille) I wondered about the obvious disconnect. I wondered why he left the ministry “oh so many years ago”. Clearly it was not over doctrine.One evening I asked Dorothy Owens about his departure and without hesitation she shot me a look I will never forget. I swear I was looking right into the crazed eyes of Carrie Nation; head of the pre-prohibition temperance movement Out of her mouth came one word, a thunderclap loud and crisp, “Alcohol!” That is all she said and she said it all. You may well remember Dr. Wierwille telling us, “alcohol has ruined more men’s ministries than anything I know.” And with that I agree.I have been working on a film for Caron Treatment Centers, which is one of the most progressive organizations on addiction in the country. The man who founded it was Richard Caron, an alcoholic, who found his way to Hazelton, got sober through the principles of AA, nutrition and good therapy and started what were known then as the Chit Chat Farms in Pennsylvania. He was an amazing Christian and I visited his grave out of respect for his work. His tombstone says:Richard J. CaronFounder of Chit Chat FarmsSeptember 23, 1914 – January 8, 1975Who Reached Out His Hand“The glory of life is to love, not to be loved.To give, not to get. To serve, not to be served.To be a strong hand in the dark to another in the time of need.To be a cup of strength to any soul in a crisis of weakness.This is to know the glory of life.This is how he lived.”His is one of the most profound burial markers I have ever seen. It led me to weep when I first read it. What it said to me is that life, love and freedom are all about service. I thank Father God for giving us Richard Caron.In my life, my work and my ministry I have come to know a great deal about addiction. I thought this would be a good place to share what I know, because in The Way we often overlooked drunkenness as harmless fun. And in excusing it we let a lot of our brethren slip into addiction. Let me explain.By the time I was in tenth grade I was on a pretty steep slope of self-destruction. I was living and chasing the false illusions of the sixties’ counter-culture that espoused dubious philosophies like “turn on, tune in and drop out.” For some it was a time of searching and for others it was an excuse to party, act up and act out. I was genuinely on a quest. I looked for meaning in just about everything, including sex, drugs and rock and roll. Through a maze of rather remarkable events I finally accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. But, at the age of 16, I wasn’t quite ready to retire from the party scene. In fact, I took my whole Christian fellowship partying with me each and every weekend until one day I was spiritually and scripturally confronted by someone I highly regarded. He called me one morning, a Sunday morning about seven, when I had just gone to bed, and he challenged my behavior and put my nose in the Book. I realized that “pharmakia” (Greek for drug use and translated as sorcery) was not God’s intent for man, and was in fact, sin!I stopped the drug use and didn’t look back. I really loved being born again. I loved the ministry, the people, the natural high of the fellowship and my freedom in Christ. And you know what? We drank! We drank a lot. Sometimes we drank a lot, a lot. We went to bars to "witness". Well, what do you really do in bars? We drank and smoked and engaged in foolish conversation. I do not remember ever winning anyone to the Lord Jesus Christ in a bar. Isn’t that strange???See, nobody told me there was anything wrong with alcohol. In fact, from what I could see, alcohol was good! Why??? Because Paul had encouraged Timothy to "take a little wine for thy stomach’s sake", right? Yup, you see “its in the Bible”. So, as logic goes, we should all take heed to this great spiritual lesson, actualizing and harnessing the truth of it, so that if a little is good, a lot must be great, right?Well, there are other things in the Bible too, but most of us glossed over those word studies. For instance:"Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise." Proverbs 20:1"Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness..." Romans 13:13"And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.” Ephesians 5:18I also recommend reading Proverbs 23:29-33.Now, many Christians perceive alcoholics to be nothing more than morally weak people who choose to drink to excess, to get high, to get wasted, to pass out or black out. They are weak willed, selfish people, caring only about themselves. They endanger themselves, their families and complete strangers. They are drunks who could stop it if they wanted to, if they really wanted to, but they don't. They don't because they are weak, weak, weak. I use to think that, did you?After all, why do we (mankind) get high? Because WE WANT TO, that is why. We chase things, we lust, we desire to have and then we kill to have even more (“yes, its to die for, darling!”). We bounce from one emotion to another, from one state of consciousness to another, from one feeling to another and we do it for a lot of really good reasons. You know them. They have to do with f e e l I n g s. We (mankind) drink to have a good time. We yuck it up and f e e l better about ourselves. We blot out emotional pain, stress and those really uncomfortable thoughts. We drink our courage to erase our memories and inhibitions. We drink and we f e e l comfortable in our own skins, we f e e l like somebody. Sometimes we drink to mask pain or to become (in the words of Pink Floyd) comfortably numb. Sometimes we drink to hide. We hide from ourselves, from others and from our responsibilities. Like the ostrich with its head in the sand we are not here, not now, not tomorrow. “Tommy Can You Hear Me?”My definition of the alcoholic came from the culture of The Way, not the Bible or Science. I picked up my beliefs from the attitudes, words and actions of others. And I believed that alcoholics were simply sinners who could not control their own lusts."Well", you say, “there might be something to that?” And I will answer you and say “there is, but there is really a whole lot more.” And if you don’t try and understand the “more” you will never understand the process of addiction that turns your child, your partner, your friend or yourself into the addict.I can go on and on, but I think I will spread this out over the next four or five blogs. If there is a question you would like me to answer please e-mail me at stevenbudlong@earthlink.net and I will try and work it in. And I will end this particular blog with the end of the Bible... some good thoughts for this dark, dark day!“He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” Revelation 22:20, 21Respectfully Yours,Steven C. BudlongRidgefield, CT 06877Copyright 2008 Sojourner Media, LLC
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Two Natures? Part One

Are there two “natures” alive and well in each child of God, an old sin “nature” and a new Godly “nature”, each actively pulling the believer one direction or the other? E. W. Bullinger (1837-1913) thought so, though the other great “E. W.,” E. W. Kenyon (1867-1948) disagreed. (See pages 153 and following of The Father and His Family.) The opening paragraph of the preface of Dr. Bullinger’s book, The Two Natures in the Child of God, cites Galatians 5:17.Galatians 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.Dr. Bullinger offers this verse as a Biblical description of the conflict that he says always abides in every true child of God. Throughout his book, he attributes the opposing sides of this conflict to the two “natures” living in each of us who are born again of God’s Spirit. Proponents of this doctrine have typically coupled Galatians 5:17 with Romans 7:15-21 where the apostle Paul says:Romans 7: 15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.These scriptures (Galatians 5:17 and Romans 7:15-21) are the primary ones used to show the two “natures.” There are a few others that I will address in another posting.One of the first things a Bible student might notice about these two references being given as proof of the two “natures” is that neither of them mentions anything about anything called a “nature.” The word “nature” doesn’t appear here. Let’s look at the contexts to see what these passages are about;first, a little of the context of Galatians 5:17.Galatians 5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.So is Paul telling the Galatian believers that they will not be able to walk in the spirit like they would like to because they have a sin nature that is always warring against the spirit? Of course not. First, the words “cannot do” are a mistranslation. “Cannot” doesn’t appear in any of the other eight versions I checked. The Greek word is, “poieo,” meaning to make, produce, construct, form, fashion, etc. It isn’t “cannot do”, but walk in the spirit so that you do not do, or do not produce, the things that you would. The point is to tell the Galatians to walk in the spirit so that they do not do the lusts of the flesh, NOT to tell them they cannot walk in the spirit because of the lusts the flesh within them! And there is nothing in this record about a “nature” of any kind.Before moving on to the context of the passage in Romans 7, lets just think about this concept for a moment. If there were some sin “nature” inherited from Adam, something from which we cannot escape until the return, something that continually draws us toward sin, wouldn’t that sin “nature” draw us toward ALL sin and not just SOME sins? Why is it then that in some areas you are not the least bit tempted, but in some other areas perhaps you are? Is this due to how the sin “nature” works within you, or is it simply because in some areas you have absolutely committed yourself to doing what God’s Word says while in other areas perhaps you just haven’t come quite that far? A passage in James chapter one would seem to indicate the latter.James 1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.Verse 14 does not say every man is tempted when he is drawn away by his sin “nature.” It says every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. And that is why believers sin, not because they have some irreconcilable “nature” to do so.Now let’s go to the classic argument adapted from Romans 7:15-21. Here we see the apostle Paul describing a truly sorry condition, but is it the condition of the born-again believer, redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ? In this section Paul says, “For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I…. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me…. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.”We can all relate at least on some level. But just because we can relate to these feelings of inadequacy, doesn’t mean Paul is talking about.… Whoa! What was it I just said, “Feelings of inadequacy”??? If that is what Paul is describing here, it is certainly inconsistent with his other self-pronouncements. Nowhere else in all the seven Church Epistles does he ascribe to himself any such weakness. In fact, he is almost unimaginably confident. Take a look at the following examples of what he said about himself. There are more such references, of course, but these should be enough to paint the picture.Romans 1: 5 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.Romans 15: 19 Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.29 And I am sure that, when I come unto you, I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.1 Corinthians 2: 4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:1 Corinthians 4: 4 For I am not conscious of any wrong in myself; but this does not make me clear, for it is the Lord who is my judge. [Bible in Basic English]1 Corinthians 11:1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.1 Corinthians 14: 18 I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all:37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.1 Corinthians 15: 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.2 Corinthians 12: 11 I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing.12 Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.Galatians 6: 17 From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.Philippians 3: 4 Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.Philippians 4: 13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.Colossians 1: 29 Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.1 Thessalonians 2: 10 Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe:2 Thessalonians 3: 7 For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you;But in Romans 7 Paul says he just can’t do the things he really wants to because of all this sin that dwells in him? Let’s take a look at the context to see exactly what is being expressed in Romans 7:15-21. For the pertinent context, we must back up at least to Romans 6:1.Romans 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?Romans 6:1 asks a question, a very reasonable question if one understands the magnitude of the grace of God explained in the preceding chapters. Paul, by revelation, has already informed us in those chapters that the believer has been given the righteousness of God by the faith of Jesus Christ, has been freely justified by God’s grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, has been justified by faith without the deeds of the law, has been saved from wrath, has peace with God and access into this grace by Jesus Christ etc etc etc. So what is to be our response? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Verse 2 gives the short answer to the question, “God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” Verses 3 through 14 expand on the answer given in verse 2. We ARE dead to sin. This is not just a state of mind, not just how we should think even though it isn’t really true. Our old man has been crucified. We have been made free from sin. So don’t let your body act like it isn’t true. The section concludes with verse 14: “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” This introduces the next question:Romans 6: 15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.This question is answered in Romans 6:16-7:6. In this section we read that we were the servants of sin, but have been made free from sin and have become servants of righteousness. We are told to yield our members, our body parts, servants to righteousness i.e. we ARE servants of righteousness, so act like it. We read that we are dead to the law and freed from it. This brings up question #3 (of 4 in chapters 6 & 7): Was the law a bad thing?Romans 7: 7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.8 But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.Here we have the question, “Is the law sin?” and the short answer. The answer is expanded on in verses 9-12. Verse 9 states:Romans 7: 9 For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.Really? Paul was alive without the law and then he saw when the commandment came? The law was given nearly 1,500 years before the time of the Apostle Paul! I quote from PFAL: “Whenever a word or words fails to be true to fact, it must be a figure of speech.” Paul wasn’t alive when the law was initiated. Can you imagine any statement that would be a more obvious big sign to alert the reader that we are entering in to figurative language? The Darby version appropriately puts the “I” in quotation marks, pointing out that Paul is not talking about himself personally. But whom is he talking about? This is a metonymy. Paul is putting himself for the Children of Israel as a whole, those who were alive without the law and then saw the coming of the commandment. The Paul-for-Israel metonymy continues until the end of the chapter. In this section we read that the law was holy, just, and good, but “I” (the Children of Israel) found it to be unto death. This very logically brings up the fourth (and final) question:Romans 7: 13 Was then that which is good [the law] made death unto me [Israel]? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me [Israel] by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.This is the question and the short answer. The expanded answer is given in verses 14-25. Is it not apparent that verse 13 is talking about the effect the law had on those who were under it, not about the condition of the born-again believer? Verses 14 and following are a continuation of the same discussion.Romans 7: 14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.Was Paul as a born-again believer sold under sin? Compare the following:1 Corinthians 6: 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.1 Corinthians 7: 23 Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.2 Peter 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.Romans 7:14 is not talking about believers in the age of grace, who have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. It is talking about the condition of Israel under the law. Paul’s use of the first person is simply a continuation of the Paul-for-Israel metonymy he began in verse 9.God’s Word also brings in another rhetorical device in verse 14. Use of the present tense to describe the past is called, “historical present.” Modern novelists use it frequently. The effect of this device is that it brings the reader closer to the action, causing him to more readily experience the emotion of the narrative. The verses following verse 14 express Israel’s dilemma and do so with feeling, climaxing with verse 24: O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?Romans 7: 15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?In this section, Paul refers to, “sin that dwelleth in me” (twice), “sin which is in my members,” and “evil … present with me.” This was true of Israel under the law, but it is not true of those described only a chapter earlier as “dead to sin” (6:2) and “freed from sin” (6:7). Romans 6:14 says, “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” The section above illustrates sin’s dominion over the Israelites under the law, not the condition of the believer under grace. Verse 23 speaks of “captivity to the law of sin.” Is this the condition of the believer under grace? A mere four verses later (Romans 8:2) Gods Word states, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”O wretched man that I am! Is that supposed to be the cry of we who have been paid for by the blood of God’s only begotten son that we might be made the righteousness of God in him? Of course not! This is a personification of Israel’s condition under the law. Who shall deliver me? The answer is Jesus Christ our lord as referenced in the next verse.Romans 7:25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.Forget the chapter division between chapters 7 and 8. Romans 8:1ff follows through with the deliverance cried out for, the deliverance brought to us by Jesus Christ. “There is therefore now no condemnation [There WAS condemnation to Israel under the law but NOW there is no condemnation to…] to them which are in Christ Jesus,” The following verses continue to show the contrast between what we have now as opposed to what Israel had under the law.Romans 8: 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.So is Romans 7:15-21 about the workings of the sin nature in the child of God? No, this section is not even about sons of God, let alone about a “nature” of any kind within them. Those who want to promote the “two natures” doctrine are going to have to do better than their interpretations of Galatians 5:17 and Romans 7:15-21.My next posting will deal with the other argument for the “two natures.” This argument depends on a misapplication of the Greek word translated “nature” in God’s Word.
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Tidbits of Truth - 4

Hey all you wonderful people!If we become children of God because our Father put His seed in us, and that seed is His Spirit, then what was the egg and who was the mother?Whenever the word "seed" is used in the Bible in conjunction with a "father," it either refers to his offspring or sperm. So if we are born again of an "incorruptible seed" from the Father, and that seed results in a new birth, that seed must be some kind of spiritual sperm. And if you've got a father and his "seed," you've got to have an egg and a mother to have a birth!I didn't dig the hole, but I'll help us get out of it.In I Peter 1:23 it says, "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible [seed], by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever." You'll notice that the word "spirit" doesn't occur in that verse. (The word "spirit" in verse 22 is not in some manuscripts.) So if the term "incorruptible [seed]" refers to the Spirit of God, one would have to bring that concept in from somewhere else and introduce it into that verse. But if you look up every occurrence of the word "seed" in the Bible, you'll find that the Spirit of God is never referred to as seed anywhere.The term "incorruptible [seed]" is interpreted right in the verse where it is written, and it couldn't be more simple. The "incorruptible [seed]" is the word of God. Well, think about it. What does "incorruptible" mean. Our Lord said that moths and rust corrupt things. Something that corrupts deteriorates. It goes by the board. It doesn't last. So something "incorruptible" doesn't corrupt. It lasts. It goes on and on. Is there anything mentioned in that verse that is referred to as going on and on? Well of course! It's the word of God that lives and abides forever! Then the following verses confirm and establish this truth. Then Peter nails it down by saying in verse 25: "And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you."But wait a minute, does the Bible refer to the word of God as "seed"? Try Luke 8:11: "The seed is the word of God."And how about the parable of the sower? But what does the word of God have to do with the new birth? "So then faith comes by hearing...the word of God" - Romans 10:17.And so the new birth and the spiritual life that ensues is as solid and everlasting as the word of God that brought it about.And since the Devil can only counterfeit something God created, and since there is no spiritual seed entity by which we are born of God, then there can be no such thing as "being born of the wrong seed" or "the Devil's seed." And I don't care how many classes you create about the subject. I had a Corps leader in the field once who told us not to witness to a group of people because they were born of the wrong seed. But that's par for the course because doctrinal error usually ends up in practical error of some sort. Even Jesus witnessed to the Pharisees whom he considered children of the Devil (Matthew 23).But what does it mean then when Jesus Christ said things like in John 8:44, "You are of your father, the Devil"? This is a tremendous and enlightening figure of speech used throughout the Bible, but it will have to be a topic for another tidbit, because I don't want you to take my word for it. I want to show you.
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Le Questionnaire de Proust: My answers

Okay, mostly

  • Your most marked characteristic?

Resilience, I think

I used to have a birthmark in the shape of the number 14 but it disappeared. Does that count?

  • The quality you most like in a man?

Loyalty (or is it that they can shave their heads to hide baldness and still persuade women that it’s cool.)

  • The quality you most like in a woman?

Intelligence (or the fact that knowing men as they do they still tolerate us.)

  • What do you most value in your friends?

What friends? The ability to look and see the real you even when you are a jerk.

  • What is your principle defect?

The dwindling savings account, Oh, wait, the ability to delude myself.

  • What is your favorite occupation?

Enjoying boat drinks on someone else yacht. Ok, hum, writing, thinking.

  • What is your dream of happiness?

A time machine or sunrise with great cup of coffee and knowing I have done all I can do to be at peace with my world.

  • What to your mind would be the greatest of misfortunes?

You mean other than the leisure suit? I guess then I would have to say, the inability to learn and change.

  • What would you like to be?

A pampered cat, a grass rolling dog or may be me, only better.

  • In what country would you like to live?

One that has free food! But then again, perhaps one that does not have a government that acts as nanny to the citizens. “May I have some trans-fat with that Marlboro?”

  • What is your favorite color?

Ecru, really it is the new brown.

  • What is your favorite flower?

Martha White, ok, coneflower.

  • Who are your favorite prose writers?

What’s a prose? Would “Peanuts count?”

  • Who are your favorite poets?

John Donne, Baudelaire, (I copied that from Proust, hehehe)

  • Who is your favorite hero of fiction?

Albus Dumbledore or maybe W (I mean he can’t be real)

  • Who are your favorite heroines of fiction?

Hermione Granger or that chick in all the Romance novels

  • Who are your favorite composers?

John Lennon or Brian Wilson, and of course Joe Green

  • Who are your favorite painters?

Monet and the guy who drew the pirates on the back of matchbook cover

  • Who are your heroes in real life?

Are you kidding, I have seen people up close and personal, there are no heroes.

  • Who are your favorite heroines of history?

See above.

  • What are your favorite names?

Earl, Ruby, Clyde and any name combined with the last name Hunkapillar or Smoot.

  • What is it you most dislike?

That question! The IRS! And them!

  • What historical figures do you most despise?

Too many people to little time.

  • What natural gift would you most like to possess?

Turning water into wine, It would be such a savings.

  • How would you like to die?

Failing off a high cliff while peaking on acid, then doing a Wyllie Coyote, stand up wipe off the dust and do something else stupid. Maybe without pain is another way.

  • What is your present state of mind?

This is my brain this is an egg, don’t put brain in a frying pan. :) :(

  • To what faults do you feel most indulgent?

Trusting that others are as smart as I am or as dumb as I am, whichever comes first.

  • What is your motto?

Motto, I don’t need no stinking motto!

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Recently I have been rather reflective as I have been looking back over my life, having reached that marvelous milestone of sixty-six this year. I happened to think of the first question asked of Adam, when he heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in cool of the day, as He asked Adam, "Where are you?" Since that time, humanity has been trying to figure out "Where am I?" What follows is a teaching which I prepared but did not have a chance to give, so I'm posting it as a blog that offers insight as to where I am at this time in my life. May you blessed as you read and perhaps have a better understanding of me and perhaps of yourselves, since we are probably not that different in so many ways.What’s in season in this season of life for Lonnell Johnson?I am continually looking to the Word of God to see how it applies to my life at this present time, as I endeavor to see more clearly who am I and ascertain where I am at this particular season of my life. The First Psalm is one of the “first words” of my life and verse three has particular significance at this time:Psalm 1:3: And he shall be like a tree, planted by the rivers of water. that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.In my attempts to full grasp the significance of this verse from the First Psalm, I have become more aware of the season of life in which I currently find myself and recognize what is the “fruit” of this season.Right now I am in the autumn of the years and apples are among the produce that are currently in season. The idea of harvesting produce in their season is to pick the fruit at the peak of their flavor—not too soon, when, in this case, the apples may be hard and not be sweet enough, and not too late when the fruit may be overripe and begin to spoil. I read this statement from an orchard that is known for its tasty apples: “One of the reasons that Ela Orchard apples are so good is that they often pick the apples later in their season than most orchards. This increases the flavor of the apple although it means that there is more risk of apples dropping off the trees.”Most remarkably, I also came across this endorsement from someone who had sampled the apples from, of all places, “Farmer Johnson Apple Orchards” in Washington State. The individual comment, “I have had the opportunity to try all the varieties of Farmer Johnson apples, they are the best apples I have ever tasted. Fresh, crisp.... the perfect apple.” I couldn’t help but smile, as I reflected upon my desire to be “neither barren nor unfruitful” but to be productive and highly fruitful in all my endeavors.Just as apples are now in season in the natural at “Farmer Johnson’s Apple Orchards”, so in the spirit patience is the fruit I am endeavoring to perfect of this my season. James reminds us in Chapter 1: “But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” He goes on to speak about patience in Chapter 5 which I find particularly applicable in my life at this time, in light of my personal identification with “Farmer Johnson.” Indeed, the poem “I Sing in My Garden” opens with these lines:I sing in my garden and reap the good,The bounty of living sixty-five years.Each note seems to evoke a stream of tearsThat fall, not because of some somber moodBut flow from a heart filled with gratitude.The folksong of the farmer thrills my earsEach time plowing, planting or harvest nears.In that light the passage from James 5:7-11 has taken on even deeper significance at this time:Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. 8You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.9Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! 10My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. 11Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.Since patience or perseverance is a fruit that seems to be an important part of my life at this time, I would like to briefly examine one of the words for “patience”--hupomone--a compound word derived from hupo, meaning under and meno, meaning “to stay, remain, abide”, literally abiding under. The verb hupomeno means to stay under (behind), i.e. remain; figuratively, to undergo, i.e. bear (trials), have fortitude, to persevere -- abide, endure, (take) patient(-ly), suffer, tarry behind.The root idea of the noun hupomone is that of remaining under some discipline, subjecting one’s self to something which demands the yielding of the will to something against which one naturally would rebel. It means cheerful (or hopeful) endurance, constancy -- enduring, patience, patient continuance (waiting). It is a bearing up in a way that honors and glorifies our heavenly Father, not merely to grin and bear it. Hupomone is used 32 times in the New Testament and is translated: endurance seven times; patient enduring once; perseverance twenty-one times; and steadfastness three times.James 5:11 provides an excellent example of both the verb hupomeno and the noun hupomone in a particular individual who embodies the character trait of patient endurance. The King James Version offers this rendering containing a familiar phrase that encompasses a character trait most often associated with Job:Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.The Book of Job is a classic example of the principle of first usage and first spiritual principle, but this is not apparent in the arrangement of the books of the Bible in most translations. It is believed by Bullinger and others that the first book written was the Book of Job, believed to be composed by Moses. Job, whom *Chuck Swindoll described as a “man of heroic endurance,” was, indeed, a real person, and his story is one of the first demonstrations of many spiritual principles. One of the spiritual principles that the Book of Job demonstrates is that God is “full of compassion and tender mercy” and that he rewards those who demonstrate “patience.” A number of years ago I composed a little song for the Ambassador Academy based on the character trait “perseverance”, another word for patience:Never give up! Keep your chin up!Never give up! And you will findThe strength you need to give it one more try.Never give up Keep your chin up!Never give up! But realizeYou’ve got to go “through” to get to the prize.So never give up! Keep your chin up!In the end perseverance always pays.In the end perseverance always pays.Although it is said that “Patience is its own reward,” God also rewards patience, as so clearly demonstrated atthe end the Book of Job. Recall Job 42:10:And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.In reality when we respond to God in faith, we find that “without faith it is impossible to please God. For hethat comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Indeedwe see that the Lord is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.” Verse 11 of Psalm 103also states, “For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him.”Not only must I know what season I am in but I must also know where I am in thatseason. Recently I heard a discussion that indicated that as fellow believers, we are in Gilgal on the way to Jericho, and I modified my location on my journey by saying that I’m on the way to from Gilgal to Jericho to Jerusalem, going all the way to Mount Zion, the highest elevation in that "Beautiful City of God." Implicit with the character trait patience or endurance or perseverance is the idea of “waiting”—steadfastly bearing up under and remaining faithfulwhile waiting. I would like to close with an original poem which captures the essence of where I am and what Iam doing at this season in my life.Waiting in GilgalIf a man die, shall he live again?all the days of my appointed timewill I wait, till my change come.Job 14:14Waiting in Gilgal. . .In the midnight harbor, place black as a raven,Yielded and still in this new place of transition,Seeking to do God’s will, in ready position,To be launched from here to my desired haven.Waiting in Gilgal. . .Groaning, travailing resounds from this place on earth,In the birthing room where thoughts rise to the sublime;Prolonged moments extend toward the fullness of timeWhere agony precedes ecstasy in childbirth.Waiting in Gilgal. . .To be raised from the tomb, released from the cocoon;Exhausted, I yearn to escape and touch the sky,To be freed from these quarters of the butterfly,Where to be transformed at last can come none too soon.Waiting in Gilgal. . .This place demands sacrifice and obedience:Not like Saul in Gilgal, foolish and immature,But like Caleb, who with age, had strength to endure,Fulfilled all God’s will and claimed his inheritance,Waiting in Gilgal. . .As I have been thinking about who I am and where I am at this present season, my thoughts have gone to the Book of James which has a great deal to say about “patience” or “endurance” which is translated from “hupomone”: meaning to bear up under. Chapter 1 opens with this exhortation:James 1:2-4My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.I have also expounded upon verses 7-11 from Chapter 5 which describes farmers who wait patiently for the harvest, and of course, we are all familiar with the patience of Job, which is rewarded. It has been estimated that all of Job’s trials and hardships lasted about nine months before he entered his new season. Not only is patience its own reward, but God also honors and rewards patience. Similarly God recognizes and rewards those who patiently wait on Him.Just as apples are in season on Farmer Johnson’s orchard in Washington State, so patience is the fruit of the spirit that is in season in this season of Pastor (Farmer) Dr. Lonnell Johnson’s life. The scriptures offer this reminder: “You have need of patience, that after that you have done the will of the Lord you might receive the promise.” Amen!
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Are U Ready 4 Some Gulag?

Yesterday, some top prosecutors and sheriffs in the the "Show Me State" put together what they deemed the "Truth Squad." They set themselves up as the true watchmen of "truth" in regard to the Obama campaign. The possibility of prosecution for spreading falsities about the Obama campaign has become a present day reality. They have become the standard bearers of truth regarding this campaign. Those who say things about the candidate are threatened with prosecution for libel if deemed that they spoke with the intent to promote falsehood. Their stated reason for this is that "They will be reminding voters that Barack Obama is a Christian who wants to cut taxes for anyone making less than $250,000 a year." Now that's what I'm talking about. Bring it on.Check out the link at http://www.kmov.com/video/index.html?nvid=285793&shu=1C'mon people, how stupid has this populace become? Have we forgotten the lessons of the past century? Remember, when those dynamic deceptive despots ruled the other parts of the world. How many died at their hands. Millions? Hundreds of Millions? You can look back and see that the tactics were the same back then. Hitler had his Brownshirts (Sturmabteilung), his truth squad, that terrorized anyone who spoke anything about der Fuhrer in a bad light. Many were not seen after their revealings. Their warnings were squelched by the machine. Stalin. Mao, Castro, Pol Pot ... all had their "truth squads" to protect their legacies. In the end though, the world saw them for what they were. Agents of change, loose change.Now I am not saying that Obama should be put in the same category as these others I have spoken about, but it is interesting that we are now seeing this here in the "land of the free." We could be headed for an Obama Nation should this policy continue after the election is over. Maybe we are just be "Biden" our time as the hands move us closer toward the end of all things. The hands off approach to politics is usually a result that the candidate has bad or nonexistent policies to begin with. I am not saying that Obama is the right or wrong choice for this land. But I do understand the sovereignty of God in His order and timing of all things bright and not so beautiful. The Book still has to be fulfilled, and it still looks as though it will be in our lifetime. There are of course other alternatives, none of which really are a turn on. One could go with the "Son of Cain", yes that sounds like a good choice doesn't it? The other candidates, "Palin" the glory of the majors. She is kinda cute in a cutesy sort of way. Does she wear red? We know she rides... I digress.The framers of our Constitution framed it in with the Bill of Rights. One of these was the right of free speech. Free speech allows us to question and bring to light motives of the heart. We may not always like it, but one little match still sets to flight darkness even in the darkest cave. What I do find interesting, is that the left are the ones attempting to enlist these "truth squads." Yet they are the same ones that get belligerent when those on the other side speaks freely about our convictions. Aren't they reminiscent of the "thought police" that we had while in residence. One of our Teachers, kept reiterating that "Truth Needs No Defense!" Hey, I believe that's TRUE!I can here the Monday Night DFootball warmup with ol' Hank ................. Wait for it.................. ARE U READY 4 SOME GULAG? ARE U READY 4 A PARTY?.........David
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Love is Brown

"Love is Brown!"by Sam GrahamWhen I was a younger man, embarking on life's seaI ran into a wise old friend whose life was full and freeHis life had oft' inspired me, for in the Word he dwelledHis wisdom touched everything he did, and he ruled his household well.I asked him for some sound advice to help me on my wayAnd I saw the twinkle in his eye as I listened to him sayAh, you seek to understand love, I see, like most every other man.You sing and laugh and dream of it, so tell me if you canGive it just a little thought, then straightly answer meIf you could only see it, what color would love be?Oh, that's easy" said I, "Blue just like the sky.So big and all encompassing, so lofty and so high.But wait, it might be green like leaves upon a treeThat show the world there's life inside for everyone to see.Or gold that sets men's hearts afire, or white like new-fallen snow.Or red that courses through our veins, to make our bodies glow."My friend patiently listened, the twinkle still in his eye.He slowly raised his eyebrows, then said to me, "Nice try ...But lad I fear you've been misled, I hate to put you down.There could only be one color for love," and he smiled as he said, "Brown.""You're kidding me," I said laughingly, tipping back my hat."Dirt is brown and mud and muck--what's so beautiful 'bout that?""Exactly," said he, "It's easy to say you love someone when skies are blue or grass is greenOr the dawn is gold, cheeks are rosy and snow makes a fairyland of things.But do you love him enough to pull him out of the mud if he is caught right in the thick?To wade through the slime and cold for him; will you nurse him when he's sick?And though you may get muddy in the try, will you give your best till he makes it through?Well, if you're willing to do this for him, then surely you love him true."You see my friend, love is more than beauty; and if you want to wear its crown,Then you must be willing to wade the mire of life.You see. . . Love is brown."
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Help Wanted, No Experience Required?

There is an old quiz about, “Who do you think would make the best president?”It goes like this: Candidate one is a known womanizer, smokes and drinks at least five martinis a day. Candidate two is constantly in debt, drinks a pint of Brandy before he goes to bed at night and was expelled from school for cheating on exams. Oh yes, and he smokes cigars constantly. Candidate three is a military veteran, is very health conscious, does not smoke, exercises regularly, is very patriotic and is a one-woman man.Of the three who would be best suited to be president?In deciding on a president or any public servant character matters, personal responsibility matters, what one does in their private life does matter. When it comes to public service ability, experience and wisdom matter as well. I have heard it said that the American public wants a president that they would like to have a beer or dinner with. I find this laughable if not utterly absurd. I want a president who is too smart to have a beer or dinner with me, someone who, for lack of a better word, is better than me. Likeability is an overrated virtue. I don’t want to like the president, I want to respect their ability to think rationally, understand the situation of domestic and foreign affairs, execute the office with wisdom and to govern with all Americans in mind rather than one party or another.In other words, someone who is up for the job! We live in a time where learning on the job is a luxury we can ill afford!No one in their right mind goes to an auto mechanic for open heart surgery.No matter how affable, the mechanic’s ability with a torque wrench will not translate into a successful heart transplant.Presidents are people and as anyone who has a brain in their head knows, people are flawed. Any doubts look in the mirror. We tell our kids that anyone can grow up to be president. While that may be true in theory, out of the millions and millions who have lived and died in our republic only 43 of our citizens have held office of president. Of the 43 we have had good ones, bad ones, mean ones, lazy ones, imperialist, populist, crooks and more than a few liars, and all in all the country has survived.However, our nation’s current situation looks as dire as I can ever remember and yet there is always hope. Perhaps not in politicians but in the American people. It is said and perhaps true that all of us are smarter than any of us.In these turbulent times we need more than a drinking buddy or a dinner guest.So, when we hang out the help wanted sign at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave we need to focus on ability and not likeability, expertise and not single issues and pray we the people choose wisely.Oh, as for the three candidates above, the first was Franklin D. Roosevelt, the second was Winston Churchill and the third was Adolph Hitler. Who got your vote?
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We Won't Get Fooled Again?

Dear Way Corps,I remember Dr. Wierwille saying that the two most evil things in life are religion and politics. And in my life I have seen this statement play out over and over again. I have seen it play out in all sorts of places. One place where I did not expect to find it on first glance was in the workplace, right? Haven’t you heard that the workplace is not the place for religion and politics? I have, but its all there. See, religion and politics are strange bedfellows, and we would be fools to think they don’t travel together everywhere.There are only a handful of institutions that genuinely respect the right of the individual to exercise free will within the bounds of decency and with respect to others. Most institutions have an agenda. It may be subtle, but it is there and you pick up on it. Say you start a new job. You enter a new work environment and you immediately fall into the culture of the place; what’s okay, what’s not okay, who do you please and what are the rules. Hopefully by the end of the day you have a sense of what is going on and you may think, “Gee, I am so glad to be working here,” or “Hey, this is not what I signed up for!” If you find yourself thinking the latter you will need to do a quick analysis and decide if you should stay or leave. Often we stay because we need the money or we have no other options or we are too proud to admit a mistake or we rationalize something silly and say, “This will be great for my resume!” Resume, what resume? You’re kidding, right? This is your life we are talking about, not a piece of paper. A resume is a piece of paper that lists your talents, achievements, education and so on. At best it is bait for a job interview or a conversation starter when that time comes. I have read plenty of resumes in my lifetime and I have learned to read between the lines and see the spin, the lies and the false credit that is so often shamelessly swiped from others. And there the candidate sits with a smirk assuring himself and myself that all of these accomplishments were his and his alone. But I digress…So before you surrender your soul to an institution ask yourself if the personal cost to you is worth it. That is something only you can decide. Sometimes the adventure is worth a very steep cost and sometimes it is not.So how would God have us really run things in this land of the free and this home of the brave, in our schools, offices and shops? The question might be asked, “How does He govern?” And the answer might be found in The Word:But Jesus called them [unto him], and said; ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. (Matthew 20:25-28)So here we see two forms of government. The first is man’s, which exercises dominion and authority over others. It is not unlike what Adam had when God gave him dominion and authority over all the living creatures on planet earth. But Adam transferred his God given rights over to Satan, didn’t he? And what does Satan do with dominion and authority? Well, what does any really good Lord of Darkness do, he exercises them as it pleases him. And he uses them for his own gain, his own ends, his own pleasure and he keeps mankind bound to the whipping post flogging him and saying, “you really like that, don’t you?” And after a while he gets numb to the beatings and considers that the Looney Lord of Darkness really does have it right, he really is trying to help by beating some kind of sense into him, teaching him a lesson or two. And he identifies with his tormentor and not with Christ. That is called The Stockholm Syndrome, which quite simply describes the behavior of kidnap victims who, over time, become sympathetic to their captors. We get the name from a 1973, hostage incident in Stockholm, Sweden. At the end of six days of captivity in a bank, several kidnap victims actually resisted rescue attempts, and then refused to testify against their captors. Sound familiar?In religion you see this too. I call it the subtle abuse of spiritual power. It is when a leader begins to manipulate the follower. It is when there is an agenda other than Christ. It is when a good thing becomes a cult. But what is a cult you ask? Well, here are my observations. You have a cult…When research begins with the answersWhen an individual is elevated above the doctrineWhen the propagation of an organization is more important than the needs of its peopleWhen the sacrifice of one can be justified for the good of the manyWhen the student cannot question the teacherWhen the follower cannot question the leaderWhen individuals cannot challenge rulesWhen people are obstructed from seeking outside counsel or a second opinionWhen one person’s tastes are imposed on othersWhen fear has replaced loveAnd when you are violatedAnd the list goes on and on. We have seen it all, haven’t we?Since I am blogging and since I am on the subject of spiritual abuse, you have to watch this. This is a link my sister sent me. Funny, sad or frightening? You decide. Then come back and finish this with me, okay?http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/the_soup/b29938_more_soups_on_what_hath_god_wrought.htmlNow for the refreshing part. What is God’s take on governing? It is simply selfless service, preferring one another in love. It is dying to your self that you might live unto him. Throughout the gospels Jesus describes the Kingdom of God as nothing less than a government operating by freewill offerings, voluntary and loving participation and the perfect law of liberty. Jesus practiced and preached self-government. His was a powerful and non-violent movement of the people, by the people, and for the people. He changed history by changing the relationship of man over man to God over man, with himself as the mediator. Much of what our country was built upon comes from the scriptures; we know that, we were taught that. Rejoice in the liberty wherewith Christ has set us free and don’t be entangled again… don’t be deceived… get up, get out and do something for Him. Yeah, the one who is going to enhance your liberty, not subject it to the will of men. Remember, when you are serving men, you can’t always be sure whom or what they are servants to. You might want to be careful about that.Yours In Christ,Steven C. BudlongOops, one more thing! Lets end this with the words and lyrics of The Who, lets all power down our computers while singing “We Won’t Get Fooled Again!” You with me on this? Great song, no?We'll be fighting in the streetsWith our children at our feetAnd the morals that they worship will be goneAnd the men who spurred us onSit in judgment of all wrongThey decide and the shotgun sings the songI'll tip my hat to the new constitutionTake a bow for the new revolutionSmile and grin at the change all around mePick up my guitar and playJust like yesterdayThen I'll get on my knees and prayWe don't get fooled againThe change, it had to comeWe knew it all alongWe were liberated from the foe, that' allAnd the world looks just the sameAnd history ain't changed'Cause the banners, they all flown in the next warI'll tip my hat to the new constitutionTake a bow for the new revolutionSmile and grin at the change all around mePick up my guitar and playJust like yesterdayThen I'll get on my knees and prayWe don't get fooled againNo, no!I'll move myself and my family asideIf we happen to be left half aliveI'll get all my papers and smile at the skyFor I know that the hypnotized never lieDo ya?YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!There's nothing in the streetLooks any different to meAnd the slogans are replaced, by-the-byeAnd the parking on the leftIs now the parking on the rightAnd the beards have all grown longer overnightI'll tip my hat to the new constitutionTake a bow for the new revolutionSmile and grin at the change all around mePick up my guitar and playJust like yesterdayThen I'll get on my knees and prayWe don't get fooled againDon't get fooled againNo, no!YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!Meet the new bossSame as the old bossCopyright 2008 Sojourner Media, LLC
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