April/May 2004

Dear ones,
Spring is here, the time of new life, of new beginnings, of the Passover and the resurrection. As you enjoy the beauty of it all, remember the sinless Passover Lamb, whose sacrifice made possible our redemption, our hope. It is a good time to renew your relationship with Him, repent of your failings, and leave them behind. And, if you have yet to know Him, surrender your life to Him now; it is never too late.

STEVE AND PAM, RESCUED CHILDREN AND THE U.N.
Steve English of Marion, Ky., and his wife Pam are real heroes in my book. They gave up all else, and went to Guatemala as missionaries to minister to homeless and abused children. My family has known Steve all his life, and he is one of the very finest young men I have ever known; he and Pam are a matched pair. Their ministry to children is not the usual orphanage; they take the children into their home as part of their family. In addition to their 2 small natural children, they have 19 Guatemalan children in their home. In March, a precious little girl, Angelica, was taken from them and returned to her mother by the court. Her mother had routinely tied little Angelica and beaten her savagely, and has served time in prison for it. In the Christian nurture and love of Steve and Pam's home, she was healing and prospering; and being forced back into the nightmare of her mother's home is horribly traumatic. She considers Steve to be her father, and she cried out to him as "Daddy!" as she was forcibly taken away from him.

At this point, you may be hurting to think of the awful trauma to Angelica, and of Steve and Pam's heartbreak; but it is also important to know the force behind Angelica's being dragged back into a hellish existence. That insidious force is apparently the United Nations. Guatemala, like most poor nations, receives financial aid from the UN. Most of that money goes to enrich the political leaders, rarely if ever reaching the poor people. Because the UN sends the money, it makes the rules, influencing policies for government social services. It is an open secret in Guatemala that UN policy is that children should not be placed in Christian homes, especially of those who take the children to church; thus, a judge forced little Angelica to return to her horribly abusive mother's home. Now, Steve and Pam are concerned that the same policy could result in the loss of all their Guatemalan children, for they do take them to church, and do not conceal the fact that theirs is a Christian ministry. They are under ever-increasing government (and UN) scrutiny and control. Please pray for Angelica, for Steve and Pam, and for all their other children.

THE NAMES OF GOD: A SUMMARY
In the last three issues, I have presented a brief series of articles on the three primary names of God, as revealed in the Old Testament. Some of you have requested a summary article putting the three parts together. The following is my attempt to do so.

God has used various names for Himself in the Bible, and as is true of all Hebrew names, each has a meaning. There are three basic names of God in the Old Testament, and they can be recognized as follows.

(1) When "God" appears (as in the very first verse of the Bible, Gen 1:1) the Hebrew name is "Elohim." Thus it reads, "In the beginning, Elohim created the heaven and the earth." The meaning of Elohim is "the strong and faithful one Who keeps covenant." Since Hebrew words ending in "im" are plural, this word suggests the triune nature of God; and in verse 26 God says, "Let us make man in our image…," again providing a glimpse into the mystery of the holy Trinity. So, when you read "God" in the Old Testament, the actual name is "Elohim," the strong, faithful, covenant-keeper.

(2) When "Lord" appears, the actual Hebrew name is "Adonai," which means "Master" or "Lord," in the sense of one who owns a slave. The slave owes complete obedience to his master; at the same time, the master must provide for the slave's every need. Abram (later Abraham) understood this when he complained to the Lord (Adonai) in Gen. 15:1-3, saying in effect, "Adonai, I am yours, and you are my master. Since you are to provide me with everything, when are you going to give me a child?" God, of course, did provide him with a miracle son, Isaac.

(3) The third name is the primary, most-important name of God; the Hebrew name is "YHWH," (or "JHVH") called by scholars "the tetragrammaton." In our English Bible, this name is recognized by being always in all-capital letters, as GOD or LORD. In this case, the Hebrew name involves a problem: no one really knows how to spell it, for no one but God knows the sound of it. This vexing problem occurred because the rabbis, some time before the Christian era, became so afraid of breaking the 3rd Commandment (taking the name of God in vain) that they decided the only way to be certain of never taking His name "in vain" was never again to speak it at all. About 120 years later, when the very last person on Earth who had heard the name spoken died, the knowledge of its pronunciation, thus its spelling, was forever lost. Now, the Hebrew language was originally written only in consonants; there were no vowel sounds (as in our "a,e,i,o,u"), referred to in Hebrew as "pointings." When these were added to Hebrew in the early Middle Ages, the scribes had a problem: no one knew what vowels (pointings) to place in this name, for no one knew what it sounded like. Today, there are two basic opinions concerning the actual name: some add "A" and "E," and get "Yahweh"; others prefer to add "E", "O" and "A" and get "Yehowah," or "Jehova." Modern linguistic studies point to "Yahweh" as probably correct. (For whatever it may be worth, I prefer "Yahweh.")

Now, how ever we spell the name, the most important thing about it is its meaning! "Elohim" and "Adonai" can be used to designate other beings, heavenly creatures, or even pagan gods; but not this third name. Never! This is the unique name of the unique GOD of the Universe. The name means, "the self-existent one, the effect without a cause, the One who exists simply because He exists. Synonymous with YHWH is "I AM" (note the all-caps), of Moses' encounter with the burning bush (Ex 3:14). Moses is told to say to Pharaoh that "I AM" had sent him; this identification means, "I exist simply because I exist."

This last and most important name of God is often combined with a second, descriptive word to express a specific aspect of His nature. Examples are YHWH Shalom, ("LORD our Peace"); YHWH Rohi ("LORD our Shepherd"); and YHWH Jireh ("LORD who sees our need").

Now, knowing this, passages of Scripture will take on added, richer meaning for you as you read. Since most modern versions do not differentiate among these names, and don't capitalize YHWH as LORD or GOD, the distinctions are lost and the meaning of such passages diluted. I recommend that you use the King James Version (or the New KJV) for clarification and full meaning.*

MEL GIBSON'S MOVIE AND THE HYSTERICAL LEFT
It is amusing to see the hysterical reaction of the anti-God left to Mel Gibson's powerful movie "The Passion of the Christ." The usual suspects (Anti-Defamation League, the Hollywood elite, and the liberal establishment media) continue to rail about the movie's dangers, preaching mostly to one another and empty pews. Now Newsweek is suddenly concerned for the health and welfare of children, calling "Passion" an R-rated film "that no child…should see." Interesting, this concern for the children's mental and moral health; the very same critic, David Anson, writing recently in Newsweek, heaped praise on the "The Dreamers," a film about incest. Meanwhile, as the hysterical left trembles at the prospect of a powerful film that might draw people closer to Jesus, the film, which opened Ash Wednesday, is breaking all the box office records, taking in more than $125 million in the first week. (ANS/NW, et al)

A POINT TO PONDER
Did a supernatural rabbit, who knows how to lay chocolate eggs, and even hard-boiled ones, live a sinless life, submit itself to unthinkable, near-fatal beating and scourging, and die, nailed to a bloody cross, to redeem you from the hopelessness of sin? If you don't know the origins of traditional Easter customs, ask for our little book, "Holidays and Holy Days."

JOHN KERRY AND HOMOSEXUAL MARRIAGE
John Kerry, the apparent Democrat candidate in the coming presidential election, has announced that if elected he will support marriage benefits, now available to married couples, to homosexual "married" couples. He made this announcement at a homosexual fund-raising event in (where else?) San Francisco. Kerry opposes the Federal Marriage Amendment which Pres. Bush supports, and he was one of only 14 senators to vote against the Defense of marriage Act in 1996. (WP/BP News)

THE DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE AMENDMENT
President Bush recently went on record in support of an amendment to the Constitution, which would define as the union of a man and woman. Once passed by Congress, such an amendment would have to be ratified by 38 states; at this time 38 states already have Defense of laws on the books, and similar legislation is in process in several others. Presidential Press Secretary, Scott McClellan, has announced that the president will soon call for a second amendment specifically barring homosexual . (ANS)

THE KERRY CAMPAIGN ATTACKS EX-HOMOSEXUALS
Greg Quinlan, a former homosexual liberated by Jesus, operates Pro-Family Network of Ohio, a ministry that reaches out to homosexuals with the message that they can be forgiven and set free by a relationship with Jesus. Greg receives an ongoing barrage of hate-filled e-mail from the homosexual camp (those who continue to shout about "tolerance" are viciously intolerant of those who disagree with them). One such nasty letter came from an interesting source: the John Kerry campaign. The Kerry diatribe declared that Greg is mentally ill, that he is still a homosexual (born that way of course), and denied that he could now be heterosexual. (ANS)

BIG BROTHERS/BIG SISTERS, HOMOSEXUALS AND REALITY
Two years ago the Big Brothers/Big Sisters (BB/BS) organization adopted a policy requiring local chapters to accept open homosexuals as child mentors. To compare this with assigning foxes to guard the henhouse would be understated. Now, insurance is a problem. Insurance companies are realists if nothing else; that's why auto insurance premiums are so much higher for high-risk groups such as teen-age drivers. Each BB/BS chapter must purchase liability insurance. Because of the vastly increased liability risk involved with homosexuals working closely with children, insurance costs have skyrocketed, and some chapters are forced to close down because they can't afford to buy the millions of dollars worth of insurance required. (ANS)

BAPTIST CAMPUS PAPER BACKS "GAY"
The Lariat, official campus newspaper at Baylor, the largest Baptist university in the world, has endorsed homosexual . The paper's editorial board approved the editorial by a vote of 5-2, this in spite of the fact that University policy forbids advocacy of sexuality contrary to biblical teaching. (ANS)

HOMOSEXUAL FILM FESTIVAL AT NOTRE DAME
Notre Dame University, mecca of American Catholicism, is sponsoring a "gay" film festival at the South Bend campus's Hesburgh Library. This is being advertised as the first annual "ND Queer Film Festival." Shocking? Yes, but probably inevitable, as more and more church-related schools are embracing the "gay" agenda in the name of "tolerance." Boston College, a prominent Jesuit school, extended official recognition to a homosexual student group last year, opening the door for others. DePaul and Loyola, Catholic universities in Chicago, sponsor homosexual student groups, including university funding. (ANS)

CONNECTICUT, THE SUPREME COURT AND THE BOY SCOUTS
Meanwhile in Connecticut, the state government has removed the Boy Scouts from its list of charities to which state employees may give. The 900 other groups to which state employees may give include homosexual activist groups such as Lamda Legal Defense Fund. Last year the Boy Scouts of America filed a legal complaint of discrimination by Connecticut. State courts upheld the discriminatory practice. In March, the US Supreme Court agreed with the pro-homosexual state courts. (ANS)

MORE ON THE HOMOSEXUAL EPISCOPAL BISHOP
Openly homosexual Episcopal Bishop Vicki (that really is his name) Robinson continues to fan the flames of division. Robinson, who abandoned his wife and daughters to live openly with his male "partner," has been declared "Person of the Year" by The Advocate, leading homosexual magazine, and by Planet Out, a homosexual Web site. While traditional, Bible-believing Episcopalians groan, Robinson happily calls the awards "quite humbling." (ANS et al)

NAACP HONORS CHILD PORN OFFENDER
The National Association of Colored People (NAACP) has descended to new lows in its national policies. We really shouldn't be surprised: its national President, Kweisi Mfume, has 5 children, and he is proud of the fact that each was born to a different woman, and that he never married any of them. Mfume is awarding the NAACP's "Image Award" for this year to controversial musician R. Kelly. Kelly is currently under indictment on child pornography charges. (ANS/FoxNews)

CHILD RAPE, COMPUTER PORN & THE A.L.A.
In Philadelphia recently, Brian McCutcheon watched pornography on a public library computer, then followed an 8-year-old girl into the restroom, raped her, beat her savagely, and left her for dead. He has confessed to all this. As of this writing, the little girl is still in critical condition in a Philadelphia hospital. McCutcheon had no other access to the internet except the computers in the public library. Meanwhile, the American Library Association, which has become a very radical left-wing pressure group, continues to fight every effort to have pornography filters on public library computers. They maintain that even the smallest of children should be exposed to any and all pornography, and animals like McCutcheon should be allowed to feed on the porn poison, in the midst of the little children. (ANS)

PLANNED PARENTHOOD HAS A CHAPLAIN
The world's leading organization for the killing of helpless, unborn babies, Planned Parenthood, has hired a chaplain. Planned Parenthood Federation of America has hired the Rev. Mr. Ignacio Castuera as its chaplain. His stated function will be "communicating the theological justification for contraception and abortion." Castuera, who is the very-liberal pastor of Saint John's United Methodist church in Los Angeles, is a long-time, pro-abortion activist who claims that Jesus would be pro-death. He has served on Planned Parenthood's advisory board for the past 10 years. Pro-life analysts see the move as a transparent effort to assure women that "it's OK with God if you kill your babies." (ANS/PWB)

THE WORLD'S LEADING PERSECUTORS OF CHRISTIANS
Open Doors, the long-time, respected ministry founded by the pioneer Bible-smuggler Brother Andrew, keeps watch on persecution of Christians world-wide. On this year's World Watch List, the leading persecutor nation is North Korea, topping the list for the 3rd straight year. Second in the Hall of Shame's top 5 is our "friend" Saudi Arabia, followed by Laos, Vietnam, and Iran. (ANS)

THE DEATH OF REASON
Illegal aliens are flowing into this country like a flood tide, and the madness of official response seems to increase with their growing numbers. In many states (including California, of course), they qualify for welfare, including medical care; they are becoming almost as untouchable politically as Social Security, for politicians fear losing Hispanic votes. In Connecticut, illegal aliens are given preference in admission to state universities, causing some qualified Connecticut citizens to be rejected. The illegals also receive in-state tuition breaks. The question that leaps to my mind is: what is it that our officials don't understand about the word, "illegal"?(ANS)

IN CASE YOU DIDN'T KNOW
The Executive Director of the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union), Anthony Romero, is an open homosexual, the first such to head the anti-family, anti-religion, left-wing pressure group. (ANS)

THE WAY WE WERE-MORE ON OUR CHRISTIAN HERITAGE
Alexis de Toqueville (1805-1859) was a French statesman and political philosopher. Fascinated with America's experiment in self-rule, he visited our country in the early 19th Century and recorded his observations; one provides a vivid glimpse of our Christian beginnings. He wrote, "While I was in America, a witness, who happened to be called to the assizes of the County of Chester (State of New York), declared that he did not believe in the existence of God or in the immortality of the soul. The Judge refused to admit his evidence, on the grounds that the witness had destroyed beforehand all confidence of the court in what he was about to say. The newspapers related the fact without any further comment." ("Democracy in America" 1831) We've come a long way baby... downhill.

SALLY'S CORNER (Standing in for Marty)
I remember, when growing up, a frustrating and consistent feeling at Easter that was difficult to shake or explain. I knew that my sins were forgiven through the atonement, and that I was supposed to feel glad about that; but I couldn't FEEL much of anything. I vaguely wondered why God didn't just forgive us, without Jesus's having to die on the cross. If He were disposed to forgive us anyway, why wouldn't He just do it? I knew intellectually, that sin had to be atoned for by a sinless sacrifice; but if God was the one making the rules, why couldn't He just change this one? Similarly, I knew I was supposed to be excited about the resurrection, but I just didn't get it. I knew His rising was proof that He was God, but I already knew that. I just didn't get it on an emotional level, and not even on a very clear intellectual level.

One day it occurred to me to wonder what things would be like if Jesus hadn't died on the cross, if there had been no atonement. I would suffer in hell, no doubt, but then what? What would my punishment do? Would it fix things? My punishment would be just, but would it change anything? Could it make things right? Would it clean up the ugliness or damage of even one sin? Every time I sin, it changes me. I become in a small or large way messed up, distorted and damaged, and I usually mess up those around me as well.

I finally came to see - once I thought about what sin actually does - that sin has to be atoned for, not just because God wanted it that way, but also because sin changes things for the worse, and in a way only God could fix. When we consider how much one sin on the part of Adam and Eve changed things, it's shocking. One sin transformed our world from one of perfect paradise to one where death and destruction prevail. Eden became a place where tigers rip apart lambs, where fish eat their own young, where people plant car bombs and rape children. This transformation did not occur because God demanded it; it is simply what sin does. It is the way sin changes things. I saw that my punishment would be deserved, but couldn't accomplish anything. Sin is far too enormous for my punishment to change anything. Only HIS sacrifice could change things. His sacrifice is the only one that could cleanse us from our sins in a way that we are truly forgiven - not just because He was perfect, but also because He was God, and it would take an action on a cosmic level to undo sin and its results. He was the only one that could undo the wrongs we have done, the pains and distortions we have caused by our every sin.

I do not mean that we will escape the consequences of our sins in this life, nor will the people whom we injure. I mean that not only is the guilt of our sins washed away by Jesus (even while we are still here on earth) in a way that our own punishment could never accomplish, but also that one day we will see, as part of the consolation in heaven, the pain and injury sin has caused to be erased, undone, reversed, healed. It is because of His sacrifice that we are not only forgiven, but one day our world will be cleaned up and recreated as a "new earth," one in which there is no more disease or death, an earth where lambs and lions will sleep together, where sorrow and sighing will have fled away, and we will sing new songs. It is because of His death that He will be able to wipe away every tear. Our death, our eternal punishment, could never have accomplished this. His could accomplish it all. And He did it. (Sally McKenney Mahoney)

DAN AYKROYD ON SOCIALIZED MEDICINE
Actor Dan Aykroyd (one of the "Blues Brothers" in the classic comedy movie), in an interview with the New York Post, made a first-hand observation on the socialized medicine system in Canada. A Canadian himself, Aykroyd said, "One place you don't want to get sick is Quebec, it's all socialized. Believe me, you don't want to go to a hospital there." Strange talk from Hollywood, where socialism is praised; but, then, Dan isn't a typical Hollywood guy: he has been married to the same woman, actress Donna Dixon, for 21 years, and they have three daughters.

A LIFE LESSON: UNTIL WE ARE READY TO DIE, WE ARE NOT READY TO LIVE
Living brings one sure thing, and that one sure thing is death. The death of friends and acquaintances, almost always painful, naturally becomes more frequent in advanced years, like a rising crescendo of the symphony of eternity; in times of war, it happens to much younger people. One thing that life eventually teaches us, if we live long enough, is that we are not ready to live, until we are ready to die (read Hebrews 2:14,15). Yet, in a human sense, we generally have done most of our living while we were young; in my case, I had done most of my living before this thought even occurred to me.

Are you "young," with yet much living to do? If so, demand to know what this means, and prove to yourself whether it be true; then, with Jesus, the living reality, the Prince of Life who has conquered death forever, as the center of your existence, live your life to the fullest and become all that you can be. If you are no longer "young," do the same thing and face eternity with peace. Experience the truth of what St. Paul wrote in I Corinthians 15:54-57. For you the grave will truly have no victory, death will literally have no sting, and a new life of freedom will open before you.

WHO PAYS FOR THE UNITED NATIONS?
You and I (the U.S. federal government) pay for 25 percent of the operating budget of the U.N.; Russia (the former Soviet Union) pays for 1 percent. (AFRN)

A POINT TO PONDER
Have you ever wondered about the endless succession of wacky religious beliefs and practices among those who reject the Bible and its God? G.K. Chesterton put it this way: "When a man stops believing in God, it isn't that he'll then believe in nothing, but that he'll believe in anything."

MILESTONES
Died 24 Jan. - Jay Morris, 78, World War II veteran, longtime Christian friend and a quiet, courageous warrior for truth, in Southaven, Miss.

11 Feb. - Lynn (McAdoo) Williamson of Louisburg, NC. Lynn was the daughter of Bob McAdoo, longtime friend and Christian leader of Union City, Tenn.

4 Mar. - Marlin Maddoux, conservative Christian commentator, founder of USA Radio Network and host of "Point of View," in Dallas, Texas, at 70 of complications following bypass surgery. I will miss this very fine man.

12 Mar. - Peggy Jo Davis, wife of Sammy Davis, Medal of Honor recipient, of cancer in Flatrock, Ill. Peggy Jo was a gracious, tireless activist in patriotic, veteran and POW issues with Sammy.

A FINAL WORD
Treasure and use each day as if it were your last, and never give up hope; God has a limitless supply of new beginnings, and he makes beautiful things out of broken pieces.

You are precious,