"The flesh wars against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary the one to the other." The book of Galatians 5:17

"I know in what hours of darkness I sometimes wrestle. I know how often I suddenly lose the beams of the Gospel, and grace, as being shadowed from me with thick and dark clouds. I know in what a slippery place even such as I who am well taught do stand, although I should have a sure footing in matters of faith.
....
So we teach continually, that the knowledge of Christ and of faith is no work of man, but simply the gift of God, who as He creates faith, so He keeps us in it. Even as He first gives faith unto us through the Word, so afterwards He exercises, increases, strengthens, and makes perfect the same in us by the Word.

Therefore the greatest service that a man can do for God is to exercise himself in true godliness, diligently to hear and to read the Word. Contrariwise, there is nothing more dangerous than to be weary of the Word." -Martin Luther

"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Psalm 119:105

Number one discipline for the Christian is the Word of our Lord. We need to hear Him. Number 1.1 discipline is prayer, and this praying is done in response to the Word, and in faith. Then one can be a doer of the Word, which is also essential for the Christian. Amen and amen.

I thank the Lord for His Word. His Word is truth. And in a world with seas and oceans of lies and half truths, to have an anchor of truth to keep us from being swept away is a treasure indeed; which also brings much joy to a heart that is after Christ's heart; the heart which loves Jesus.

"Love ... Rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth." 1 Cor. 13:4,6

"Ratatouille"

My wife and I, and my grandson, Josh, all watched this movie last night. I must say it's a masterpiece in filming. The story was very interesting as well. The technical end of making a film like this must have taken tens of thousands of hours. It's truly an amazing feat. And it's quite entertaining, and faith friendly really.

The thing that hit me was that all these rats, especially Remy, the main rat, are kind of nice "people". They eat garbage, and they run around, but at the same time are more or less harmless. It's only a movie of course, but when the rats are in the kitchen fixing the delicious entreas, with there little rat hands and feet, it makes me raise my eyebrows a bit.
Especially since yesterday morning a rat ran under my feet in my back alley. I was able to run in the house, grab my trusty BB gun and shoot and kill the little varmint though.
Funny that I shoot and kill a rat in my back yard, and the same night we sit and watch a film that shows how humans hate and long to kill rats, and yet rats are for the most part, nice "people".

I was going to take a picture of the dead rat I shot and display it here, but I thought better not.

I do recommend this film however. It's superbly done. Pixar is really the "numero uno" "top-of-all-notches" animator, and truly have made a masterpiece here, IMHO.

Alpha and Omega Ministries, The Christian Apologetics Ministry of James R. White

Alpha and Omega Ministries, The Christian Apologetics Ministry of James R. White

If you haven't ever heard Richard Dawkins lecture, then here's a short snippet for you. Sorry i don't simply have the YouTube video available from the getgo, but I am so inept with computer skills. I need to have my grandson Joshua, who is 8 years old, come and explain some things to me, or maybe even Matthew, he's 5 years old. I'm not proud of being a computer geek, and I admit I'm quite lazy, and intimidated, when it comes to computers. There, I finally said it. Whew! Glad that's over.

"Christ died for men precisely because men are not worth dying for; to make them worth it." -CS Lewis

[Isaiah's Lips Anointed with Fire by Benjamin West]


"When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, 'Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord." Luke 5:8

"Then said I, 'Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts." Isaiah 6:5

"I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear: but now my eye sees You. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes." Job 42:5-6

"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acception, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief." 1 Tim. 1:15

The Bible teaches that we are not right with God; we are sinners, and evil in His sight, and worthy of God's judgment and wrath. His holy and perfect Being will not allow one sin to go unpunished. He hates sin, and will deal with every thing that is sinful, and as such has been cursed. And that's every man, woman, and child ever born into this sinful, evil, and dark age. Even the earth itself is cursed.

Jesus will say on the Last Day, the Day of judgment, "Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels". Matt. 25:41

We are worthy of God's wrath. We are cursed. Jesus is worthy of all praise. He is perfect holiness.

Jesus the holy Lamb of God became a curse on the Cross, and bore God's wrath. We, those who the Lord has chosen, those who are of the promise, those who have cried out to Christ for mercy, have been released of our curse, and are no longer under God's judgment and wrath.

Have you ever called out, or just felt in your heart the way Peter, Isaiah, and Job felt? If you have, and you understand that God's forgiveness is in Christ alone, then my friend, you are blessed indeed.

For on that Day, the Day of Judgment, Jesus will say to you, "Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundations of the world." Matt. 25:34