Freedom is NOT Free

Freedom Is Not Free
Author Kelly Strong

I watched the flag pass by one day,
It fluttered in the breeze;
A young Marine saluted it,
And then he stood at ease.

I looked at him in uniform,
So young, so tall, so proud;
With hair cut square and eyes alert,
He'd stand out in any crowd.

I thought ... how many men like him
Had fallen through the years?
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers' tears?

How many pilot's planes shot down
Over foreign land or sea?
How many foxholes were soldiers graves?
No ... Freedom is not Free.

I heard the sound of Taps one night,
When everything was still;
I listened to the bugler play,
And felt a sudden chill;

I wondered just how many times
That Taps had meant "Amen,"
When a flag had draped a coffin
Of a brother or a friend;

I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands ...
With interrupted lives.

I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea,
Of unmarked graves in Arlington ...
No ... Freedom is not Free!

Land Of The Free
Author Unknown
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I had a dream the other night, I didn't understand.
A figure walking through the mist, with flintlock in his hand.

His clothes were torn and dirty, as he stood there by the bed,
He took off his three-cornered hat, and speaking low, he said:

"We fought a revolution, to secure our liberty.
We wrote the Constitution, as a shield from tyranny,

For future generations, this legacy we gave,
In this, the land of the free and the home of the brave."

"The freedom we secured for you, we hoped you'd always keep.
But tyrants labored endlessly, while your parents were asleep.

Your freedom gone, your courage lost, you're no more than a slave,
In this, the land of the free and the home of the brave."

"You buy permits to travel, and permits to own a gun,
Permits to start a business, or to build a place for one.

On land that you believe your own, you pay a yearly rent,
Although you have no voice in choosing how the money's spent."

"Your children must attend a school that doesn't educate.
Your Christian values can't be taught, according to the state.

You read about the current news, in a regulated press.
You pay a tax you do not owe, to please the IRS"

"Your money is no longer made of silver or of gold.
You trade your wealth for paper, so your life can be controlled.

You pay for crimes that make our nation turn from God in shame,
You've taken Satan's number, as you've traded in your name."

"You've given government control to those who do you harm,
So they can padlock churches, and steal the family farm,

And keep the country deep in debt, put men of God in jail,
Harass your fellow countrymen, while corrupted courts prevail."

"Your public servants don't uphold the solemn oath they've sworn.
Your daughters visit doctors so their children won't be born.

Your leaders ship artillery and guns to foreign shores,
And send your sons to slaughter, fighting other people's wars."

"Can you regain freedom for which we fought and died?
Or don't you have the courage or the faith to stand with pride.

Are there no more values for which you'll fight to save?
Or do you wish your children to live in fear and be a slave?"

"Sons of the Republic, arise and take a stand!
Defend the Constitution, the Supreme Law of the Land!

Preserve our great republic and each God-given right,
And pray to God to keep the torch of freedom burning bright!"

As I awoke he vanished, in the mist from which he came.
His words were true, we are not free. We have ourselves to blame.

For even now as tyrants trample each God-given right,
We only watch and tremble, too afraid to stand and fight.

If he stood by your bedside, in a dream while you're asleep,
And wondered what remains of our rights he fought to keep,

What would be your answer, if he called out from the grave?
Is this still the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave??????

Here I am Lord

1Samuel 3:4 Then the LORD called Samuel, and he said, "Here I am!"

This song came in as a request and I was really glad. It is a question I had to ask of myself. "If God were to call me, would I be able to hear him or is my life so full of the noise of every day life and my own selfishness that I don't even get the 'God Channel'?"

If that be the case, then I need to turn off the noise of this world and start paying attention to the "Spirit Station" and give God my time and attention. I need to take time out to pray and thank him, read his Word and then sit and just spend some quite time with Him so that when he does call I will be able to recognize his voice...and have a heart ready to say, "Here I am Lord!"

HERE I AM LORD

I, the Lord of sea and sky,
I have heard my people cry.
All who dwell in dark and sin,
My hand will save.

Chorus

Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.

I, who made the stars of night,
I will make their darkness bright.
Who will bear my light to them?
Whom shall I send?

Chorus

Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.

I, the Lord of snow and rain,
I have borne my people’s pain.
I have wept for love of them.
They turn away.

Chorus

Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.

I will break their hearts of stone,
Give them hearts for love alone.
I will speak my words to them.
Whom shall I send?

Chorus

Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.

I, the Lord of wind and flame,
I will send the poor and lame.
I will set a feast for them.
My hand will save.

Chorus

Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.

Finest bread I will provide,
'Til their hearts be satisfied.
I will give my life to them.
Whom shall I send?

Chorus

Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.

Maine Legislation LD1196 & Homosexual Agenda

It is not the healthy people who need a doctor, but the sick...I did not come to invite good people but to invite sinners. Mt. 9:12-13

Below is a portion of an article I discovered while surfing the web. As I am a professing Christian and live in the United States, this article disturbed me beyond belief. This has not been on my local media stations nor the radio and it concerns me that this type of legislation is being discussed and voted on without our knowledge. We may not live in that state, but remember, that what one state allows can affect us all!

I have included the link to the entire article as it is quite lengthy and in several parts.

May 14, 2005
THE RADICAL HOMOSEXUAL AGENDA

By: Larry Austin, Norway, Maine
http://www.christian-news-in-maine.com/larry_austin.htm

Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you. I Peter 4: 1-4.

Under LD1196 is will continue to be permissible for all churchs to believe, teach and preach that homosexuality is wrong but, as an individual Christian, you will be in violation of Maine law if you openly express that belief in public. LD1196 is designed to drive the individual into the closet as another means to undercut Bible believing, Christ loving faith in this state. LD1196 isn't simply legislation to give homosexuals what they already enjoy but a blatant attempt to undercut the morals and traditions of our community as a whole to say nothing of our Christian faith. LD1196 is an out and out attempt to enforce an anything goes sexual permissive lifestyle on all Maine citizens of high moral values. By its very wording LD1196 seeks to normalize not only homosexual behavior but to foster adult/youth relationships as well as multi-union and human/animal sexual relationships.

Stockholm, Sweden -- May 5, 2005. In 1944 homosexuality and bestiality became legal in Sweden. Known for its decent into sexual immorality, Sweden continues to sink deeper in its moral descent by increasing reports of sexual abuse of animals by Swedish males and females. According to the Swedish Animal Welfare Agency bestiality has risen more than one thousand percent since the l970's. Animal welfare agents are not concerned about the morality of the sexual acts between humans and animals but by the fact that these animals may be physically hurt during this sexual rape and may suffer psychological harm by being the subjects of Swedish male lust and sexual activity.

With the legalization of homosexuality and bestiality in Sweden marriage between one man and one woman began to plummet. In "The End of Marriage in Scandinavia" by Stanley Kurtz, Mr. Kurtz writes "Sweden is probably the most secular country in the world. Secular scientists (most of them quite liberal radicals ) have largely replaced clerics as arbiters of public morality." We all know that ministers in Christian churches in Sweden who preach against homosexuality are jailed for a month for hate crimes.

LD1196 is an insult to religious people because religious faith is not merely an institutional or organizational expression. Religious faith and practice are personal. Christians realize they, as individuals, are not saved by church membership or by any of the rites or rituals imposed upon them by such membership. They are saved and live a life acceptable to Our Father by their faith in and continual leaning on Jesus Christ as not only the author and finisher of their faith but as the source of how they feel and act when confronted by all manner of problems and opportunities throughout their individual walk.

LD 1196 is legislation that forces Christians to either hide their faith walk or face penalties if they choose to honestly and publicly express the demands their Lord Jesus Christ places on them, if they choose to remain within His family. One does remain a member of the family given to Jesus Christ by Our Father by remaining a part of an organization but by keeping, as individuals, God's Laws as Christ writes them upon their hearts through the power and authority of the Holy Spirit. If LD1196 is acceptable and if discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and behavior is wrong and illegal, then it is clearly wrong and illegal for religious organizations as well.

The reason, or one of many reasons, the Roman Catholic Church in Maine is officially neutral in regard to LD1196 is because the Roman Catholic church is exempt from its provisions. This, of course, was considered when the bill was written and voted and signed into law. If the religious establishment, as a whole, is exempt then that establishment may be counted on to support questionable legislation because the establishment may hide behind their exemption while a debased society perceive the establishment is reaching out in support of a debased lifestyle without itself becoming affected.

But the Christian community is not composed of establishments in Our Father's eyes. The Christian community is composed by individuals who are directly affected by this horrible piece of legislation. In other words, this religious exemption is a farce. The Roman Catholic church is protected but the Bride of Christ, which is composed of individuals are not. Thus the establishment may hide behind this exemption and act and speak accordingly but those who make this establishment a reality fall under the curse of this pro-homosexual legislation. This is a secular liberal's dream. Out of your compassion appear to accommodate those whose earthly walk is different than yours while destroying that earthly walk on an individual basis. For Christians LD1196 is a Catch-22. It allows the Roman Catholic church to remain neutral, thus allowing them to project an image of inclusion while destroying the church from within by tossing those who compose the church into the lions den. And make no excuses. LD1196 is designed to throw the Maine Christian into the lions den. One of the side issues of LD1196 is to further weaken the resolve of Maine Christians to continue in the walk demanded by Our Lord.

Favorite Quotes & Such

Sit back and relax, enjoy some of my favorites...

There are no words to express
the abyss between isolation and
having one ally.
It may be conceded to the mathematician
that four is twice two.
But two is not twice one;
two is two thousand times one.

--JK Chesterton

---

The Christian way is different:
harder, and easier. Christ says, "Give me All.
I don't want so much of your time and so much of
your money and so much of your work: I want You...
No half-measures are any good. I don't want to cut
off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have
the whole tree down...Hand over the whole natural self,
all the desires which you think innocent as well as
the ones you think wicked-- the whole outfit.
I will give you Myself: my own will shall become yours."

--C.S. Lewis, The Joyful Christian

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A man sees in the world what he carries in his heart.
-- Opening scene of "Faust"

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"Man will occasionally stumble over the truth,
but most of the time he will pick himself up and continue on."

--Churchill

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A good question for an atheist is to serve him a
fine dinner, & then ask if he believes there is a cook.

"for the Benefit of Clergy." as seen in The Anglican Digest

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You can tell more about a person by what he says about others than you can by what others say about him.
-- unknown

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Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee...

--Isaiah 26:3

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Quietude, which some men cannot abide because it reveals
their inward poverty, is as a palace of cedar to the wise,
for along its hallowed courts the King in his beauty deigns to walk.

--Charles Haddon Spurgeon (C.H.S.), 1834-1892

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There are some things that can be learned by the head,
but ...Christ crucified can only be learned by the heart.

--C.H.S.

---

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 success, than what other people think, say or do. It is more important than appearance, gift, or skill. It will make or break a company... 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... The
only thing we can do is play on the 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.

-- Charles Swindoll

---

If you read history you will find that the Christians who did
most for the present world were those who thought most of the
next. The apostles themselves, who set out on foot to convert
the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages,
the English evangelicials who abolished the slave trade, all
left their mark on earth, preceisely because their minds were
occupied with Heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased
to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective
in this one. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth "thrown in." Aim
at earth and you will get neither.

--C.S. Lewis

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Why should we worry about what others think of us,
do we have more confidence in their opinions than
we do in our own?
--Brigham Young

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Help me this day to live a simple, sincere and serene life,
repelling promptly every thought of discontent, anxiety,
descouragement, impurity, and self-seeking; cutlivating
cheerfulness, magnanimity, charity, and the habit of holy
silence; exercising economy in expenditure, generosity in
giving, carefulness in conversation, diligence in appointed
service, fidelity in every trust, and a childlike faith in God.

In particular I will try to be faithful in those habits of prayer,
work, study, physical exercise, eating and sleep, which I believe
the Holy Spirit has shown me to be right.

And as I cannot on my own strength do this, nor even with a
hope of success attempt it, I look to thee, O Lord God my
Father, in Jesus my Savior, and ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit.

--from: Forward Day by Day

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When one door closes, another opens. But we often look so regretfully
upon the closed door that we don't see the one that has opened for us.

-- Alexander Graham Bell

Reflections

it seems as time itself stopped
and hurt and pain remain
reminders of the past
what was and what was lost

will it never end
will the current take me
will the water engulf me
oh, will the answers ever come

yes, yes, when the dawn crests above the ridge
you will have the answers
when the light pierces through the night
you will know you've been heard

there will be peace in your heart
the revelation of wholeness
brokeness replaced with beauty
colors of a future yet unknown

the rains that come will be like balm
bringing growth and life
an end to the listlessness inside
joyousness will become reality

hold on, hold on,
wait 'til God opens the heavens
to reveal his glorious plans for you
hold on, hold on, for soon you will begin your dawn

~by cl 2005~

Today's Music: Hotel California

Monday Comedy

"A merry heart doeth good like a medicine" (Proverbs 17:22).
"The One whose throne is in heaven sits laughing. . ." (Psalms 2:4)

A man: God, how much is a million dollars to you?
God: It is but a penny.
A man: God, how long is a million years to you?
God: It is but a second.
A man: God, could you please give me a penny?
God: Sure, just a second.

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What are the three similarities between praying and kissing?
. . . whether you do it with eyes open or closed
. . . whether you moan and groan in agreement
. . . whether you do it with tongues or not

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Today's Music: Peanuts

Church Bulletion Bloopers - Enjoy!!!

* Don't let worry kill you--let the church help.

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* Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our church and community.

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* The rosebud on the altar this morning is to announce the birth of David Alan Belzer, the sin of Rev. and Mrs. Julius Belzer.

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* Tuesday at 4:00 P.M. there will be an ice cream social. All ladies giving milk will please come early.

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* Thursday at 5:00 PM there will be a meeting of the Little Mother's Club. All ladies wishing to become "Little Mothers" will meet with the Pastor in his study.

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* The ladies of the church have cast off clothing of every kind. They can be seen in the church basement Saturday.

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* Thursday night--Potluck supper. Prayer and medication to follow.

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* The senior choir invites any member of the congregation who enjoys sinning to join the choir.

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* At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What is Hell?" Come early and listen to our choir practice.

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* The preacher will preach his farewell message, after which the choir will sing, "Break Forth With Joy."

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* Today... Christian Youth Fellowship Sexuality Course, 8 p.m. Please park in the rear parking lot for this activity.

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* During the absence of our pastor, we enjoyed the rare privilege of hearing a good sermon when A.B. Doe supplied our pulpit.

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* The Rev. Adams spoke briefly, much to the delight of his audience.

~Lost Man~
A man had been
lost and walking in the desert for about five
days. One hot day, he comes to the home of a
preacher. Tired and weak, he crawls up to the
house and collapses on the doorstep. The preacher
takes him in and nurses him back to health.

Feeling
better, the man asks the preacher for directions
to the nearest town. The preacher tells him the
directions, and offers to lend him his horse to
make it. The preacher says, "However, there
is a special thing about this horse. You have to
say 'Thank God' to make it go and 'Amen' to make
it stop."

Anxious
to get to town, the man says, "Sure, okay,"
and gets on the horse. He says, "Thank God"
and sure enough, the horse starts walking. A bit
later he says louder, "Thank God, Thank God,"
and the horse starts trotting. Feeling really
brave, the man says, "Thank God! Thank God!
THANK GOD!" and the horse is soon up to a
full run!

About
then he realizes he's heading for a huge cliff
and yells, "Whoa!" But the horse
doesn't even slow! It's coming up REAL QUICK and
he's doing everything he can to make the horse
stop. "Whoa, stop, hold on!" Finally he
remembers, "AMEN!!!"

The
horse stops a mere two inches from the cliff's
edge, almost throwing him over its head. The man,
panting and heart racing, wipes the sweat from
his face and leans back in the saddle. "Oh!"
he said, gasping for air, "Thank God."

- AUTHOR UNKNOWN -

Ephesians 4:32...Forgiveness

Eph 4:32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. (NASB)

This topic just can't have enough said about it - especially in the world we live in today. We MUST be kind one to another. It is trully the only way to exhibit the teachings of Christ. His mercy, grace and forgiveness of even "a wretch like me". Let us all do our part to show the kindness Christ showed the world as He hung on the cross for each and every one of our sins, whether we accept Him and what he did or not - He still died one for all...

Today's Music: The Old Rugged Cross.



The following is a "to the point" article from Don Fortner on this very topic:

Perhaps there is no verse in the Bible that is sweeter, more gentle, or more universally beneficial than Ephesians 4:32. It contains the essence and the fulness of both practical christianity and gospel doctrine.

HERE IS A THREEFOLD ADMONITION – In the preceding verses Paul has told us many things which should never be done by us, lest we grieve the Spirit of God (vv. 25-31). Here he tells us three things we must do if we would "keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" in the body of Christ. "Be kind to one another."

Kindness is one of those things that need little explanation. We all know when we are being kind, and when we are not. And we all know when we are receiving kindness and when we are not. To be kind is "to be disposed to do good to others and make them happy." Kindness is good-will, benevolence, and thoughtfulness. To be kind is to be thoughtful of one another's needs and feelings and take care to meet them. Kindness is the warmth of love, kinship and friendship. God, give me grace to be kind to all people, but especially to your people.

We cannot be kind without also being "tenderhearted". Tenderness is not weakness. Tenderness is the strength of love. To be tenderhearted is to have a heart that is quickly moved to pity, compassion, sympathy and kindness. It is the opposite of hardness, harshness and cruelty. The tenderhearted believer is not critical but compassionate, not quick to take offense but quick to understand, not revengeful but overlooking. Spirit of God, give me a tender heart for my brethren. More than in anything else, kindness and tenderheartedness is demonstrated by "forgiving one another."

Forgiveness is the free, unsolicited response of a kind, tender heart to the offensive behavior of one who is dearly loved. Forgiveness is never conditional. It is free. It does not look for retalliation, but for reconciliation. Forgiveness is never deserved. It is an act of mercy, kindness and tenderness. Forgiveness is the stretching out of the kind, tender heart to one who has alienated himself. Lord, teach me to freely forgive those who do things to annoy, offend and hurt me.

HERE IS A GRACIOUS MOTIVE – I give it to you without comment or explanation. For every believer this will be both sufficient and effectual to enforce the preceding admonition – "...just as God also in Christ forgave you."