Flowers in Israel - Part Two

Every where we went on our trip, there were some kind of flowers. Even in the desert, there were flowers.

Patriotic Sermon from Sunday

This past Sunday I preached a sermon entitled, "Lord, Have Mercy On Us," at our church's annual patriotic service.  Take a listen, if you dare...

http://cpmassets.com/audio-player.php?audio=http://s3.amazonaws.com/churchplantmedia-cms/holy_cross_anglican/20130630_rtrevdrfoleybeach_lordhavemercyonus.mp3

Praying

for the people of Egypt!!!

July 4th: How Can God Ignore What We are Doing?

The following is my newspaper column for July. May God have mercy upon us!

July 4^th:  How Can God Ignore What We are Doing?

            Wow!  What a few months it has been in the United States of America for the fabric and firmness of our collective society!!  The foundations on which this country was established continue to be systematically removed not just from the public arena, but from the established norms of right and wrong.  

* Expressions of faith removed from a soldier’s private prerogative (this has since been reinstated). 

* The Boys Scouts changing their value system. 

* The discovery that the NSA has copies of our phone and email conversations in some huge data storing facility.  

* The recent Supreme Court rulings gutting the concept of traditional marriage and family life.  

* The church in New Jersey which had its tax-exempt status taken away because it wouldn’t allow a gay marriage in its building.

            The follower of Jesus who understands and believes the teachings of the Bible and the person who understands the history of the nations and the civilizations of world should be quaking in their boots.  We have not only missed our wake-up call, we have slept through the alarm!  If we are not careful, we will not have any freedom left to celebrate.

For us who are believers, these recent events are not about loving people and the granting of rights (which we all want to do).  This is about the honor of God and knowing that God is a faithful God who enters and withdraws from the affairs of nations.  When we thumb our nose at Him and at His Commandments, He gives us just what we want.  He just simply withdraws His Presence and turns us over to our desires and wants (Roman 1:26f).  

Without His Presence we give up His protection.  

Without His Presence we give up His Blessings.  

Without His Presence we give up His Wisdom.  

Without His Presence we give up His Aid.  

Without His Presence we give up His Grace.

Yes, His Presence is with the believer who is indwelt by His Holy Spirit.  But there is a covering God puts over a nation that honors Him.  Although we have not been perfect or sinless, God has blessed our nation in ways which no other country can claim. However, one must wonder how long God’s patience will stand?  How can God ignore the taking of over 55 million unborn babies?  How can God ignore our nation publically violating every one of the Ten Commandments? How can God ignore our publically divorcing Him?

Not one civilization has lasted which has done what we have done.  What makes us think we are any different?  Ancient Greece was a beautiful place.  Rome was a sight to behold.  In Israel there were many places (including Solomon’s and Herod’s Temples) which were incredible architectural feats.  Yet, there is nothing but ruins in those places now.  They rejected God and His standards for life and morality and suffered the consequences.

Brothers and Sisters of the Faith:  It is time to throw ourselves on the mercy of God.  We need to plead with him that He doesn’t give us what we deserve as a nation and civilized society.  Like the Old Testament faithful who humbled themselves with sackcloth and ashes, we need to humble ourselves before God and plead with Him for spiritual awakening (2 Chronicles 7:14).  

LORD, have mercy upon us.  CHRIST, have mercy upon us.  LORD, have mercy upon us.

Flowers in Israel - Part One

On my recent trip to Israel, I could not help but to notice all the different types of flowers.  Most of these have been imported since the nation was reformed in 1948.

Visit to The Advent

I visited The Advent on the eastern edge of downtown Atlanta and dedicated their newly renovated worship space.  We had a good evening of worship and fellowship.

Fr. Dale Brown outside of Manuel's Tavern

Me with Jullian Linnell, Executive Director of Anglican Frontier Missions

Advent's New Worship Space

John Newton on God's Judgment of Nations

John Newton, an Anglican pastor who wrote the hymn, Amazing Grace, said the following in a sermon preached in England of a day of prayer and fasting for the nation (Feb. 21, 1781).

Communities, as such, in their collective capacity, are visited and judged in the present life. And, in this respect, the Scripture considers nations as individuals; each having an infancy, growth, maturity, and declension. Every succeeding generation accumulates the stock of national sin, and there is a measure of iniquity which determines the period of kingdoms. Till this measure is filled up, the patience of God waits for them, but then patience gives way to vengeance . . . When God is exceedingly displeased with a people, it is not necessary, in order to their punishment, that he should bury them alive by an earthquake, or destroy them by lightning. If he only leave them to themselves, withdraw his blessing from their counsels, and his restraint from their passions, their ruin follows of course, according to the necessary order and connection of causes and effects.