Happy Wednesday!

Yesterdays post: My Passionate Argument Against Socialism was the most read blog in 4 months! Since debating politics is not the primary nature of this blog site, I will be changing subjects today. Hopefully, everyone appreciated both of my candid messages on this hot topic! I aimed to explain the differences between capitalism and socialism… and the very imminent threat to freedom we are now facing in America. I wanted to explain this in a way that non-political people could really understand it.

Thank you all for making this discussion a perfect success!

• Socialism, Phase One Rammed Into Our Throats
• My Passionate Argument Against Socialism

Todays inspirational message: I believe I can fly!

Yesterday, I received an energizing phone call from one of the young men of our church. I led this guy to Christ about 6 years ago… he was single when we met, dealing and using drugs… a very dangerous fellow, just like I was when God found me!

Today, he’s happily married with two beautiful children… his family comes to church every time the doors are open. They’ve grown so much over the past 6 years… it’s really hard for any rational minded person to believe!

Whenever a person climbs up out of an oppressive mode of survival, it usually takes a very long time before they overcome the slave mentality. Because their paths are paved with failure, their minds are programmed to expect more of the same. Do any of you guys identify with this message so far? I write from plenty of personal experience!

We are taught to think: Once a drug addict, always a drug addict… and if that, then once a failure, always a failure.

We reason: “Maybe this is just the way life is supposed to be for me… maybe some people are born to live like this… maybe I was made to struggle and I’m supposed to live from paycheck to paycheck… and I’m supposed to blow my temper every few weeks… and I’m supposed to be tossed back and forth between failure and the slight possibility of success… and mainly live at the bottom for the rest of my life!”

I believe EVERYONE can fly! This is not an unsubstantiated theory… its been tested and proven time and time again! I have seen too many people go from the very bottom to the very top! And if ANYONE can do this, then EVERYONE can do it!

This young man that called me yesterday… he said, “I’ve been doing allot of thinking lately! I might want to go to college… and try to do something bigger with my life. Because I can’t believe that God created me to stay at the bottom for all of my life!”

He asked me if I felt like he was thinking correctly… and he asked about my own rags to riches story… and I told him my story! And by the end of that call… I could feel a ONCE IN A LIFETIME twinkle in this young mans spirit… like he had SEEN THE LIGHT and there was no turning back from here!

Whether he goes to college, or he moves into some kind of sales position, or he enrolls in some kind of management program… this young man now believes he can FLY, and SO DO I! Wait until he tells the rest of the story ten years from today!

I’m writing about this beloved spiritual son to provoke a similar “AH-HAH” in other tribe members! People live their whole lives as a tiny fraction of their divine potential… until one day when they wake up and say, “WAIT A MINUTE… I’M NOT GOING TO LIVE LIKE THIS ANYMORE… starting NOW, I’m aiming HIGHER IN LIFE… because, I BELIEVE I CAN FLY!”

Here are three VERY GOOD blogs on this topic… read each one, if you can!

• 12:12:2008: A Message From Jail
• 04:29:2009: Behavioral Transformation
• 10:06:2009: My Bizarre Desire for Learning

Maybe today is your day to start aiming higher… it all begins with a new belief about your potential! I just finished praying for you all… have a most triumphant day!

Oh, and here’s the perfect video for this moment! Something Beautiful by Need to Breathe

Happy Tuesday!

Emily and I spent the night in Moorefield, West Virginia… attended Victory in the Valley, hosted by my dear friends, Pastor Chris & Sarah Whetzel of Believers Victory Center. There is only one more night left: TONIGHT @ 7pm. My friend Evangelist Gerald Mayhan will be speaking… last night was UNBELIEVABLE! If you’re close, you should plan to be here! Eighteen people have come to Christ in the first two nights, tonight should be the best night yet!

My Passionate Argument Against Socialism

In yesterdays blog: Socialism, Phase One Rammed Into Our Throats, I wrote of my concern about the growing American  political ignorance, and about how fast we seem to be moving toward a socialistic belief system. After interacting with several guest commenters, primarily on my facebook wall… I’m left in shock today, over how much worse this is than I initially thought it to be.

Before anyone gives me a hard time for writing two consecutive political blogs, please consider the long-term anti-Christian implications of a socialistic society. Already, we have felt the gradual encroachment of government over our faith. Even with a LIMITED government, Christians have suffered tremendous oppression in recent years… through the anti-Christian liberal movement.

So, to me… the debate between capitalism and socialism is more than an ECONOMIC debate. So much more! Anything that calls for more government control is a huge threat to the enduring beauty of this nation… and is a violation to our constitution.

The terms, “Socialism” and “Capitalism” are economic terms. They describe two very opposite economic systems.

• Capitalism is… (Merriam Webster)
  • An economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods, by investments that are determined by private decision, and by prices, production, and the distribution of goods that are determined mainly by competition in a free market.
• Socialism is… (Merriam Webster)
  • 1. any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods
  • 2. a system of society or group living in which there is no private property b: a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state
  • 3. a stage of society in Marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism and distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and pay according to work done.

From an economic perspective: I would rather freedom be in the hands of EVERY person and ANY person… the freedom to become ANYTHING God has for our lives, without limits… than to yield this power into the hands of our GOVERNMENT.

In this capitalistic society, I have been at the bottom, and at the top… and everywhere in between. In the times of my suffering, I never once wished my government would take from the rich and give some of it to me. I’ve always LOVED knowing that I could fly as high as I could dream.

In a socialistic society, the hard worker’s riches are taken by force (stealing, defined)… and given as the lazy person’s REWARD.

Whereas, I do strongly believe in helping the handicapped and offering our money by FREE WILL to create opportunity for EVERY person to climb. I believe it is one of our primary Christian duties to take care of the unfortunate people in our society… this is supposed to be done by our own free will, and never under compulsion.

2 Corinthians 9:7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

And we are never supposed to reward the lazy person. Personally, I have been poor. I have struggled. And I would rather continue to struggle, than live on the monies my government takes from the rich to throw at me.

In 2 Thessalonians 3:10-15, The Apostle Paul said, “For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.” We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat. And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right. If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of him. Do not associate with him, in order that he may feel ashamed. ¹⁵Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.”

Happy Monday!

I suppose there is no better time than today, for posting my political blog of the month… A historical moment indeed: Socialism, phase 1 rammed into our throats!

I cannot explain how nauseous I felt waking to the sound of liberal politicians, arrogantly celebrating last nights passage of nationalized health care. In a vote 219-212, with every republican and 34 democrats voting NO… Nancy Pelosi claims, “This is an all-American act!”

To my opponents, please don’t get overly hostile with me today… for I am merely stating my personal position. If you strongly disagree with my paradigm and you feel like I am in biblical error, then please pray for me… that my eyes would be opened.

For anyone who will attempt to throw me under the bus for “not supporting America’s governing authorities,” I challenge you to accuse me only after you’re prayed for this administration as much as I have.

I woke up at 4am to praying like a woman in labor, for our nation & government. Please don’t accuse me of being racist for not applauding President Obama on this one. If Hillary Clinton was our President and she was leading like this… I would be far more vocal in my opposition. Those who know me well, know that there is NOT a racist bone in my body. As mentioned in previous blogs, I want this President to do the right thing… I want him to succeed and go down in history as a VERY GOOD President. This is my DAILY prayer for him!

I applaud Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., for hammering down the walls of racial segregation and racial discrimination… and I honor him as one of the greatest American leaders of all time! But I do not feel the same about this President and his political party… not by what I have seen so far, and not by what I see coming.

I’m very serious about this! We’re not just talking about providing health care for all the struggling people of our nation. NO WAY! This is about so much more than that. Dear God, help us!

I am fighting through so much anger right now. Trying to be compliant on the one hand, and on the other, wishing I could do anything to save America from what’s ahead! Feeling abused, oppressed, and helpless to stop what’s happening.

In an article written early this morning, Andrea Tantaros, a fox news reporter writes,

In President Obama’s first State of the Union address, only mere months ago, he pledged to focus on jobs and stressed that it would be priority number one. After last night’s contested, contentious and downright partisan vote on health care, one that took rule manipulation and arm-twisting to achieve, it is clear that perversion and power lust are paramount to all else. It is the biggest abuse of power and demonstration of arrogance ever shown by Washington, and it surely is the most gigantic and life-altering legislative move of my generation. In short, its impact can’t be underestimated.

She said: “the biggest abuse of power and demonstration of arrogance ever shown by Washington” and “the most gigantic and life-altering legislative move of my generation.”

Here’s a REPOST of the epic and highly educational 1961 audio clip from Ronald Reagan, explaining how socialized medicine leads to socialism… and the difference between socialism and free enterprise.

You can check out the entire blog where I originally posted this clip: National Heath Care: Socialism vs. Free Enterprise

Ronald Reagan opens his speech with the following words… “Back in 1927, an American Socialist Norman Thomas, 6 times candidate for president on the socialist ticket said the American people would never vote for socialism. But he said under the name of liberalism, the American people will adopt every fragment of the socialist program.”