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American Christian Voice Volume 12 No. 3 Contents ABOUT US 4.Yak Bak 16.Would you like to join the ministry of the American Christian Voice? 27.Puzzle Page!! 36.Where you can buy a copy of the American Christian Voice... 36.Subscription Info FROM THE COVER 8.“Enough of All The “God Hate Talk!”... Stop Playing God 20.What? Me? Play God? Never! CENTERFOLD 24.Brammy Award Winners: Join 2017 Board RELEVANT ECCLESIA 12.Networking is Ubiquitous . . . Who is Your Networker? 14.Gary Sanford Paxton Goodbye 16.Actively Serving Christ in Older Age 28.How to Experience the Outpouring of God’s Love

31.Only One Faith, One Lord, One Baptism 41.Carolyn’s Corner Summertime 47.God had Abandoned Me! CULTURAL LIFE 6.Socialism for the Uninformed 13.Valedictorian Defies Controversy, Leads Class in Lord's Prayer 13.Social Security News Rubs Salt in Wounds of Seniors Suffering Market Losses! 19.If Muslims think ISIS is doing wrong, then why do they not oppose it openly? 23.Texas says, ‘Come and take it,’ to feds over transgender directive 30.Woman Claims She Was in Ross Dressing Room When She ‘Heard a Man’s Voice’ 37.Oklahoma adopts law designed to create ‘an abortion-free society’ 37.Missouri appeals court considers the rights of frozen human embryos 38.California lawmaker: Christian colleges must drop view of gender, sexuality

SAYING GOODBYE 7.Televangelist Jan Crouch Dies HISTORY LESSONS 11.Killing Babies RELATIONSHIPS 30.Leaders Don’t Always Carry Guns 46.Mascots and Manipulators GUIDES 40.Dr. Hill’s Health Tip: Secret to Improving Brain Function!! 26.How Can You Declare Your Financial Independence? 32.A Prescription for Hurry Sickness 33.3 Truths to Speak To Your Temptation 44.Business Spotlight: Grandma’s Ruth’s Cinnamon Rolls HE is the 45.What is AllConsuming “Mikvah”? Fire!

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. yak bak

Feed Back From Our Readers

We were in Branson Missouri to celebrate our 46th wedding anniversary on Memorial Day weekend along with family and friends. We are the distributors of the American Christian Voice in the Warrensburg area of Missouri. My wife and I wanted to go see a show while in Branson, but we also wanted our eleven guests to go to the show as well.

surrounded by great people when I worked for Chick-Fil-A and even though I am proud of their gesture, I am not surprised that they helped in a time of need.. Even if it was on Sunday. I take a lot of pride in my first job, even if it was fast food, they taught me to care about the people on the other side of the counter.

We chose the Haygood's Show. The show was amazing!!! We had people there from New Orleans, Fort Walton Beach Florida, Independence Missouri, and us from Warrensburg Missouri.

Corina Nicole Gonzales, (Facebook), Tampa, FL ________________________________ Loved the “Broken Crayons” issue. How can Christians be so judgemental on the lost when they expect them to remodel a house with an empty tool box? Until someone is filled with the Holy Spirit they are at a disadvantage for reform, are they not? Humility, not superiority, wins souls to Christ.

Everyone of us enjoyed the show. We had two of our grandsons, Damian, 13 and Issac 6 with us who were very excited about the show. They really liked Banjo man, the tap dancing and of course the robot. We all were well please and excited to be able to see the Haygood’s. My wife and I have seen the Haygood's Show 5 times already and every time there is something new added. We are really proud of the Haygood's family and what they represent as a family. May God continue to bless them and all of their endeavors. Willie & Inell Shields, Warrensburg, MO ________________________________________ I worked for Chick-Fil-A for 3 years and not once had they shown any hate towards the LGBT community. In fact, I had homosexual coworkers who were never concerned with the company's view on them. I was

Charles Haver, Omaha, NE ________________________________ The ACV maintains an impressive balance of faith and nationalism. Christians who do not participate in politics by not voting are complicit in the results of the cultural melt down that we are now experiencing. Even a greater offense are Christians that think they can be progressive liberals in the name of Christ that is so devastating to world events. Christians have a responsibility to transform society both in social mores and ultimately presenting the Grand Commission of the Glorious Gospel to exact eternal change. Barbara Bardino, Kansas City, KS ________________________________

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Thank you for reminding us that historical American politics has always been messy and derisive. Ironically, most folks just weigh all their opinions on the last news cycle and so quickly forget the last decade much less the last century. Gunther Goebling, Morovia, CA ______________________________ I always feel more joy in my life after reading the ACV. The humor is my favorite part. Christians should be more winsome and less judgmental if we wish to make a difference in our evangelism. Shawn Spangler, El Paso, TX _________________________________ I found your magazine in my doctor’s waiting room. I was actually disappointed when after 45 minutes I was called for my appointment! LOL. After I was convicted not to remove the copy from the waiting room (since there was a sticker asking me not to) I called in a subscription. Great publication. Can’t wait for the next issue. Catherine Brennan, Springfield, MO __________________________________ Send your “letters to the editor” to: editor@americanchristianvoice.com or mail to:

ACV • P.O. Box 336 Rockaway Beach, MO 657400336 Letters may be edited for space consideration. Please indicate if your whole name may be used. Also, where did you find us?

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ACV Mission Statement Holy Spirit, thus allowing an open mindedness to differing opinions on complex matters. We strive not to be the fire alarm, but the fire extinguisher Please be advised that the contents of this publication often do not represent the positions held by many of the sponsors of the American Christian Voice (or for that matter, the publishers). Would you remember to favor the advertisers here in the ACV? They pay for the free issues that we distribute so that the ACV can be found by folks who will eventually become subscribers. John & Lorri Sacoulas

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The American Christian Voice is published with the primary purpose is to edify the body of Christ through inspirational articles of Christian faith and courage, educate the body of Christ through informative articles and by promoting the message that disciples of Christ are not under the penalty of sin or condemnation of it. It is because of what Christ has done... not what we do. Our obedience to the law, and our good works, now is out of our gratitude for that precious gift of grace and salvation; not as a motivation to be in right standing with God. We are dedicated to be Kingdom builders as we realize that our unity can only represent God in our diversity as we love the lost through Christ. Our focus is on, and to, the invisible church which Jesus said, “The gates of hell would not prevail against.” We report the good as well as the bad within our church family as a testament for the necessity of a Savior. Our observations are made from a fairly moderate to conservative viewpoint.

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cultural commentary

Socialism for the Uninformed

BY DR. THOMAS SOWELL

Socialism sounds great. It has always sounded great. And it will probably always continue to sound great. It is only when you go beyond rhetoric, and start looking at hard facts, that socialism turns out to be a big disappointment, if not a disaster. While throngs of young people are cheering loudly for avowed socialist Bernie Sanders, socialism has turned oil-rich Venezuela into a place where there are shortages of everything from toilet paper to beer, where electricity keeps shutting down, and where there are long lines of people hoping to get food, people complaining that they cannot feed their families. With national income going down, and prices going up under tripledigit inflation in Venezuela, these complaints are by no means frivolous. But it is doubtful if the young people cheering for Bernie Sanders have even heard of such things, whether in Venezuela or in other countries around the world that have turned their economies over to politicians and bureaucrats to run. The anti-capitalist policies in Venezuela have worked so well that the number of companies in Venezuela is now a fraction of what it once was. That should certainly reduce capitalist "exploitation," shouldn't it? But people who attribute income inequality to capitalists exploiting workers, as Karl Marx claimed, never seem to get around to testing that belief against facts — such as the fact that none of the Marxist regimes around the world has ever had as high a standard of living for working people as there is in many capitalist countries. Facts are seldom allowed to contaminate the beautiful vision of the left. What

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matters to the true believers are the ringing slogans, endlessly repeated. When Senator Sanders cries, "The system is rigged!" no one asks, "Just what specifically does that mean?" or "What facts do you have to back that up?" In 2015, the 400 richest people in the world had net losses of $19 billion. If they had rigged the system, surely they could have rigged it better than that. But the very idea of subjecting their pet notions to the test of hard facts will probably not even occur to those who are

that age exceeded 40 percent and, for a couple of years, it exceeded 50 percent. The damage is even greater than these statistics might suggest. Most low-wage jobs are entry-level jobs that young people move up out of, after acquiring work experience and a track record that makes them eligible for better jobs. But you can't move up the ladder if you don't get on the ladder. The great promise of socialism is something for nothing. It is one of the signs of today's dumbed-down education that so many college students seem to think that the cost of their education should — and will — be paid by raising taxes on "the rich." Here again, just a little check of the facts would reveal that higher tax rates on upper-income earners do not automatically translate into more tax revenue coming in to the government. Often high tax rates have led to less revenue than lower tax rates.

cheering for socialism and for other bright ideas of the political left. How many of the people who are demanding an increase in the minimum wage have ever bothered to check what actually happens when higher minimum wages are imposed? More often they just assume what is assumed by like-minded peers — sometimes known as "everybody," with their assumptions being what "everybody knows." Back in 1948, when inflation had rendered meaningless the minimum wage established a decade earlier, the unemployment rate among 16-17-year-old black males was under 10 percent. But after the minimum wage was raised repeatedly to keep up with inflation, the unemployment rate for black males that age was never under 30 percent for more than 20 consecutive years, from 1971 through 1994. In many of those years, the unemployment rate for black youngsters

In a globalized economy, high tax rates may just lead investors to invest in other countries with lower tax rates. That means that jobs created by those investments will be overseas. None of this is rocket science. But you do have to stop and think — and that is what too many of our schools and colleges are failing to teach their students to do. Thomas Sowell (born 1930) is noted for his conservative views on social and economic issues. An African American author and economist, Sowell opposes such programs as affirmative action, busing, racial quotas, minimum wage, and welfare. He is currently Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. Sowell was born in North Carolina, but grew up in Harlem, New York.

JewishWorldReview.com

God prefers peculiar people

Televangelist Jan Crouch Dies

In a post on their website, her son Matt and his wife Laurie wrote that they saw “her step into the presence of Jesus and into her heavenly reward. Jan Crouch, known around the world as Momma Jan, has gone home.” Crouch and her late husband Paul co-founded Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) in the 1970s, growing it into the largest Christian cable network in the nation. Its 24-hour, commercial-free programming featured Praise the Lord, a nightly talk show hosted by the Crouch duo. TBN, which now boasts 78 satellites and is the third largest television broadcaster in the United States, was Paul Crouch’s vision to replace secular media. It has hosted game shows, fitness programs, and biblical cartoons; broadcast inspirational speakers such as Joel Osteen and Joyce Meyers; and has produced movies such as The Emissary (1997), The Omega Code (1999), and Time Changer (2002). Jan Crouch played a role in starting TBN’s program Smile of a Child, which runs children’s shows throughout the day. She also managed The Holy Land Experience, a Bible-times theme park in Orlando, Fla., where visitors can view recreations of the Garden of Gethsemane, the Qumran Caves, Bethlehem, and a Jerusalem street market. Near the park, Crouch lived in a large, company-owned home, one of many luxurious residences that earned the family sharp

criticism. [Several family legal battles and controversy details were taken out of article in respect of Mrs. Crouch and family, and honoring to God’s kids.] Despite the ongoing legal battles, TBN continues to bill itself as a purveyor of “traditional values” around the world. “In a world that seems hostile to family values, TBN is a safe, friendly place,” its website states. The family tributes to Crouch make no mention of the controversy surrounding her. To her family, Crouch was “not a television figure, but was sister, wife, Mom, or Grandma—an integral part of a family,” her son and daughter-in-law wrote. “Jan Crouch loved many things, but most of all she loved Jesus, and now has seen Him face to face.”

BY SAMANTHA GOBBA

(WNS)--Janice Crouch, known for billowy, pink-tinged wigs, ample eye makeup, and prosperity gospel televangelism, died May 31 [2016] after suffering a stroke the previous week. She was 78.

Jan Crouch

editor’s note: Throughout history God has chosen very peculiar people to communicate His message with the masses.

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what if God was love? Oh yeah, He is

BY CARLYLE STEWART

“Enough of All The “God Hate Talk!”...

here is a basic difference between humbly seeking, serving and following God and selfrighteously playing God!

Many religious people appear to be the latter, where they use their religion to punish, condemn, ostracize and ultimately destroy others for being different or having views divergent from their own. When the so-called heretics do not live up to their view of scriptures or their images of God, they often become God in their categorical condemnation of persons. The condemnation of which I am referring is not manifested simply in the form of harsh religious judgments about those persons, but culminate in their delegitimation which leads to the ultimate alienation and even the annihilation of the judged. In our practice of a religious faith are we called to play God or are we called to exemplify the attributes of God which are love, compassionate, patience, kindness, mercy, and justice? Is God the brutal, sadistic, vengeful bloodthirsty despot who "sits high and looks low," ready to zap people for every mistake they make? If we learn from our mistakes and grow spiritually from them why is God so intolerant of those human shortcomings? Is God really the vehement, vicious people hater that some religionists have made God out to be? If God is the creator of all people, and part of God's handicraft is to fashion creation where there is so much diversity, why would God condemn people for those very same traits that God creatively engrafted into them to make them different or other in the first place?

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And what's with all the "God hates this and God hates that?" Why do we primarily define God on the basis of what God hates rather than what God loves; what God condemns rather than what God appreciates? Why do we depict God so negatively, so punitively, as so vengefully intolerant of such things as skin color, class, race, gender, ethnicity, religion, no religion, nationality, sexual orientation and other things? Why must the negative become a false positive in our assessment and practice of the socalled religious faith and life? If God "hates" and I prefer to say "opposes or abhors" anything let it be injustice, oppression, unjust wars, lack of humility, apathy and a lack of compassion and sympathy to the suffering and pain of people. If God frowns on anything perhaps it is racial supremacy and idolatry, the wholesale confiscation of bread from the poor by those having more than enough bread and who waste it, or the pathological gluttony and greed that crushes people to earth, steals their livelihood and persecutes their personhood to satisfy an insatiable urge which can never be gratified except by more greed and conquest. If God is perplexed by anything it is the way

we are destroying our ecosystems, and the world God created while denying our role in creating the current climate problems we now face.

If there is anything God disdains perhaps it is how religion is used as a tool of hatred, division and destruction and how God's name is often taken in vain to represent feelings, thoughts and actions having nothing to do with the God of love, justice, reconciliation, compassion, forgiveness, redemption, salvation, liberation, equality, truth, and grace. If there is anything that troubles God maybe it is the way that we use God and invoke the name of God to justify our crimes, excuse our abuses and prejudices and rationalize those injustices which hurt, maim, repudiate and destroy God's creation and life. In our efforts to play God, we often portray God as unmerciful and intolerant of the slightest diversions from our religious texts and scripts. Moreover, is God so insecure that God cannot tolerate people questioning and clarifying God as we struggle for answers about who God is and what God expects of us? If God is about love and peace why then is the ecoriating language of hatred so prominent and pervasive in some religious teachings? Why do some religionists promulgate the "Jesus as bastard or bigot" approach to religious interpretation and use such hermeneutics to disqualify others who do not sanction or endorse those images of Jesus? For sure, Jesus had a kingdom of God ministry via the Jewish prophets which healed people, restored their persons, renewed their faith, lifted their spirits, put bread into their hands, gave them a listening ear and hope amid their day to day fight for survival. As a

Stop Playing God kingdom messenger, he not only announced the coming Kingdom of God but gave the people a taste of what that kingdom would feel and look like when he healed and renewed their minds, bodies, hearts and souls in the world that had beaten them down and nearly extracted the last vestiges of life from them. To the contrary, his ascendancy to Lordship of Heaven and Earth does not cancel out his prophetic claims for peace and justice on earth. His was not a theology of solipsistic, selfabsorption where he praised God on "Sunday" but did nothing to positively transform the living hells of people's daily lives on "Monday." He did not preach the trilogy of condemnation, alienation, and degradation, masking itself in nebulous and nefarious forms of religious prevarication.

insidious forms social categorization, personal repudiation and political manipulation. Enough of all this God hate talk. We should be building a world where everybody can live and breathe and have some sanity and sacred space and happiness in this life and possess the hope of a new life "on earth as it is in heaven." This is a true message of God, the real face of God, the bonafide spirit of God, and not the personal, hellfire destructive creeds we are now hearing from various soothsayers and doomsayers who want to control every iota of people's lives because they are different or "other" and then put them on the rack out of their own vainglorious assessments and misreading of God.

And what’s with all the “God hates this and God hates that?” Why do we primarily define God on the basis of what God hates rather than what God loves; what God condemns rather than what God appreciates?

His was a ministry of hope and healing; one that helped people see God in the midst of their daily trials and pain; a ministry that included outsiders and insiders and the inbetweeners, the somebodies, the nobodies and the wanna be bodies. His was a ministry that accepted people where they were and loved them into what God wanted them to be which was to be healed and whole and accepted and redeemed and to live good, wholesome lives. His was a ministry that restored them as persons of God in the eyes of God and their fellow persons in a world that had deprived them of their personhood through Carlyle Stewart

So much of religion is nothing more than personal venom and hatred injected through confirmation biases into religious belief systems and then corroborated and codified into religious practices as inviolate and sacrosanct when in reality they are as destructive as they are anomalous to the true intentions of scripture and God's ultimate desires for the good health and well-being of all people. Enough of this God hates certain people talk! We've have had too much of it! How about more talk about what God truly loves and needs and how God often grieves for the world that God created which is still beleaguered and beset by so much alienation, despair and deep-seated pain. How about talk and actions which will finally heal the world and eradicate its sorrow and pain so that every living soul can have life, health, freedom, prosperity and be at peace with oneself and live peace with others in ways that reflect God's

ultimate intentions for the world and the people that God have so wonderfully made! Perhaps we stop playing God and start serving God by following some simple basic rules: "Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can."

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1,000,000 americans killed each year

Definitions Matter BY JUDGE ANDREW P. NAPOLITANO

n one week during January 1973, Presi necessary to make this dreadful declaration Since the fetus has human parents and all dent Richard M. Nixon was inaugurated because the Constitution guarantees due the needed human genome to develop to his second term, former President Lyn process (a fair jury trial, and its attendant postnatally, of course the fetus is a person. don B. Johnson died, the United States and constitutional protections) whenever the North Vietnam entered into the Paris Peace government wants to interfere with the life, A simple one-line statute could have been Accords, and the Supreme Court legalized liberty or property of any person; and it enacted when Ronald Reagan or George abortion. Only the last of these events con- prohibits the states from permitting some W. Bush were in the White House and Retinues to affect and haunt the moral and persons to violate the basic human rights publicans and anti-abortion Democrats constitutional order every of others, as was the case (the handful that have made it to Congress) Their failure to minute of every day. under slavery. As the Supreme controlled the Congress. They could have Court sometimes does, it ended the slaughter by legislatively definattempt to seri The Court's decision in Roe vs. ruled on an issue and came to ing the fetus in the womb to be a person. ously define the Wade is arguably its most con- fetus in the womb a conclusion that none of the They did not. Are the self-proclaimed antitroversial in the post-World as a person ... has litigants before it had sought. abortion folks in Congress sincere, or do War II era. Its effect has been they march under the anti-abortion banner resulted in 44 as pernicious to human life as Roe candidly recognizes that just to win votes? was its 19th century intellec- million abortions if the fetus in the womb is a in 43 years. tual progenitor, Dred Scott vs. person, then all laws permit- Their failure to attempt to seriously define Sanford, in which the ting abortion are unconstitu- the fetus in the womb as a person , and the Supreme Court ruled that African-Ameri- tional. The Court understood that abortion Supreme Court's unprecedented dance cans are not persons. and fetal personhood would constitute the around the requirement of due process and states permitting private persons to mur- the prohibition of slavery has resulted in 44 Roe declares that the states may not ban der other persons. So, in order to accom- million abortions in 43 years. That's an abortions during the first trimester of a modate the killing, it simply redefined the abortion every minute. Abortion is today woman's pregnancy because the states meaning of "person," lest it permit a state one of the most frequent medical procehave no interest in or right to protect the of affairs that due process and the prohibi- dures performed in America; and the Debaby during that time period. This made- tion of slavery could never tolerate. George mocrats have become its champion. up rule was a radical and unconstitutional Orwell predicted this horrific and totalitardeparture from nearly 200 years of ju- ian use of words in 1949 in his unnerving They, and their few Republican allies, have risprudence, during which the states them- description of tyranny, "1984." become the champions of totalitarianism as selves decided what interests to protect, well. The removal of legal personhood from guided since the end of the Civil War by the Is the fetus in the womb a person? No court human offspring in order to destroy the offprohibition on slavery, and the require- has contradicted the Supreme Court on spring is only the work of tyrants. How long ments of due process and equal protection. this, and the Roe supporters argue that can a society last that violates universal non-personhood is necessary for sexual norms and kills its babies in the name of During the second trimester of pregnancy, freedom. Think about that: The pro-abor- "sexual freedom"? the Court declared in Roe, states may regu- tion rights crowd, rejecting the natural and late abortions but only to protect the health probable consequences of ordinary, healthy Whose personhood will the government of the mother, not the life or health of the sexual intercourse, wants to continue to kill define away next? baby, in which, the Court found, the states babies in the name of sexual freedom. have no interest. This, too, was a radical deAndrew P. Napolitano, a former judge of the parture from well-settled law. I take a back seat to no one when it comes Superior Court of New Jersey, is the senior ju to personal freedom. But the freedom to kill dicial analyst at Fox News Channel. Judge Under Roe, during the third trimester of innocents violates all norms of civilized so- Napolitano has written seven books on the pregnancy, the states may ban abortions or ciety. It violates the natural law. It wasn't U.S. Constitution. they may permit them; they may protect even condoned in the state of nature, before www.JewishWorldReview.com the life of the baby or they may not protect governments existed. It violates the 13th it. This diabolic rule, the product of judicial and 14th Amendcompromise and an embarrassing and de- ments. Yet, the structive rejection of the Civil War era con- Supreme Court and stitutional amendments, permits the states numerous Conto allow abortions up to the moment before gresses have refused birth, as is the law in New Jersey, where the to interfere with it. It state even pays for abortions for those who is a grave and proVisit our gift shop cannot afford them. found evil. It is legal179 Expressway Lane • Branson, MO ized murder. The linchpin of Roe vs. Wade is the judicial Mon Sat • 9 am 5 pm • Sunday hours vary determination that the baby in the womb is Is the fetus in the 417.337.7888 not a person. The Court felt it was legally womb a person?

The Shrine of the Holy Spirit

www.ShrineOfTheHolySpirit.com

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Kindom Xperience

Networking is Ubiquitous . . . Who is Your Networker?

BY DR. MARLA WOODMANSEE

u·biq·ui·tous yo͞oˈbikwədəs/ adjective being everywhere at the same time Whether you realize it or not, you network every day, exchanging information from you to somebody else: a family member, drivers on the road, the cashier at the grocery store, and the list goes on. Many individuals choose to network regularly by using their smart phones, laptops, and tablets. Since Facebook, social and professional networking has increased. Friends use it to keep up with one another and professionals use it to promote their business. Networking is ubiquitous.

needed a way to be led by God, a networker, who would communicate with us, leading, guiding, counseling, and providing a way for us to be empowered. God provided this by sending the Holy Spirit. Jesus told his disciples that when he leaves them, his father will send everyone who loves him a counselor that will live with

Networking is defined as “an exchange of information or services among individuals, groups, or institutions. It is the cultivation of productive relationships for employment or business. It is also from one person You think telephones are ubiquitous now? I hear in to another.” It is not new the future everyone will have their very own and has been around since telephones and carry them everywhere they go! the beginning of time. In the Garden of Eden, networking began them forever. This is the Holy Spirit (see when the enemy disguised himself as a Acts 2; 1 Cor. 3:16). When the Holy Spirit serpent to deceive the first man and came, he came loudly and sounded like the woman: Adam and Eve. The serpent was blowing of a violent wind. He came from the enemy, Satan. He networked with Adam heaven and is a gift to you. and Eve about the Tree of Knowledge leading them to believe that if they ate the The purpose of the Holy Spirit is to bring fruit from the tree they would be like God you in union with the spirit of truth: the and gain his knowledge. Although God had mind of Christ, and to empower you (1 Cor. warned them to never eat fruit from that 2:16; Luke 24:46-49). As you get the mind tree, Adam and Eve fell for the temptation, of Christ, your spirit is renewed and you are empowered to gain victory over sin. Instead ate the fruit, and sinned. of yielding to your sinful nature, you will be Adam and Eve’s disobedience caused sin to led by a spiritual nature. The Holy Spirit enter mankind. After that, everyone needed will strengthen you allowing you to a way to be forgiven. So, God sent his son, produce fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, Jesus, to earth to die on a cross to provide a kindness, way for forgiveness. His death assured a gentleness, and self-control. way for our forgiveness. Since then, anyone who asks Jesus to forgive their sins, are The Holy Spirit is your networker and forgiven. Scripture says that when you are helper who intercedes for you and helps forgiven, God removes your sin away as far you overcome weaknesses. “We do not as the east is from the west. That means know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that your sin is gone forever! that words cannot express. And He who But, although sins are forgiven, mankind searches our hearts knows the mind of the

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Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will (Rom. 8:26-27).” The Holy Spirit networks with your spirit giving you an inner knowing: nudges, urges, or promptings. As you yield to these, your life will change, taking you from glory to glory, and transforming you into the likeness of Christ. You have a choice between two networkers: the one who Adam and Eve encountered in the garden; or, the one God provided for you after Jesus died on the cross. Who do you choose? Dr. Marla is a Radio Host, Women's Conference Speaker, and a Writer. She is available to speak at your events!

Contact her: marla@marlawoodmansee.org Weekly Podcasts (podbean.com): "Monday's with Marla!" www.KingdomXperience.org

Branson News & Weather now available on your IPhone as an app! • Look in the Apple app store and search “KLFC”

Contemporary Christian Music

Listen online anywhere in the world at: www.klfcradio.com

4173345532 Marla Woodmansee can be heard on KLFC at 6:45 am CST. Listen in anywhere in the world at: www.klfcradio.com

faith under fire

Social Security News Rubs Salt in Wounds of Seniors Suffering Market Losses! Over 70 million Americans who depend on Social Security to pay the bills have been dealt a double whammy recently as they learned there would be no cost of living increase next year. This news coupled with what they saw as they opened their latest retirement account statements recently is devastating. As of September 30, 2015 the S&P 500 index was down 6.7% year to date. When you factor in the expenses and fees charged for many of these accounts some seniors have seen a decrease in their retirement accounts this year of as much as 15%.

According to Professor Rodney Ballance, Jr., Founder of the non-profit financial advocacy group IFLA (International Financial Leadership Association), there is some good newsthough. There is a little known Federal law that could entitle

There are two ways to get justice from this law. First, you can hire a lawyer who specializes in Securities fraud. Fees often begin around $20,000, but if they take your case, they all but guarantee success. The second way to recover your money is the only non-profit advocacy group that focuses on using this law. IFLA (International Financial Leadership Association) works closely with Government agencies to help these unsuspecting victims recover all their money typically within 30 days, and they do not accept any money for helping you. Market losses and surrender fees can be reimbursed to those who qualify. This law allows people who feel they were not told everything about various investments, to be made financially whole once again. This second chance opportunity is designed to protect consumers from unscrupulous sales people, and from being victimized by financial products they just did not understand.

icontrolmymoney.org or call toll free

8887798972 Rodney Ballance has been a licensed financial professional for over two decades. Throughout his career he’s worked with people from all walks of life helping them build wealth and expand fortunes. He often says that he has learned more from his wealthy clients about how money really works than in any classroom. He’s served as a regular contributor to the CBN television network, and the American Family radio network as a financial expert for many years, and has been written about in a subsidiary of the Wall Street Journal. He recently filmed a segment for a television program titled “Consumer Advocacy” to be aired on all four of the major television networks.

If you were sold a financial product, and lost money or feel it isn’t what you understood it to be, contact an attorney or IFLA, the non-profit advocacy organization created to assist consumers better understand and benefit from financial products. Visit:

BY PROF. RODNEY BALLANCE, JR.

With retirement account values diminishing at an alarming rate, the last thing retired people wanted to hear was that Social Security has once again hung them out to dry. For the third year since 2010, and only the third time in the past 40 years, Social Security recipients have been denied a cost of living increase. Millions of people are searching for some bit of good news that could help them get back on their desired financial track.

seniors to recover every penny of their original money from certain retirement accounts, giving them a second chance to have the future they originally desired.

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colorful passion for Jesus ary Sanford Paxton was actually born Larry Wayne Stevens on 18th May 1939 in Coffeyville, Kansas, the child of an unwed teenage couple. He told Cross Rhythms, "My mother was 14 and my dad was 15. I was nine pounds when I was born, and when I was one I was seven pounds, because they didn't have anything apart from ketchup and water to feed me with. I had rickets and had lost about four pounds. Then this old couple who had lost two children heard I was available, so they adopted me. We lived on a farm in Coffeyville, Kansas. We had no electricity, no water, no heating. It was an old school house they were re-modelling, and for the first eight years my bed was a pile of sheep

BY DAVID E. PRINCE

years old was music, music, music. I was always baffled because none of my family could whistle, sing, tap their feet or clap. I felt like Steve Martin in The Jerk. When I was seven years old, I was sexually molested by a neighbour for two years, and when I was 11 I was misdiagnosed as having polio, until they found out it was spinal meningitis. I lived, though for about three years I was crippled and very withdrawn, and the physical problems caused me to turn even more to music and songwriting. When I was in the second grade at school, I went on a field trip to the local zoo and as we rode along in my teacher's 1935 green Plymouth - she had the radio turned to KGGF Coffeyville - I told her, 'Mrs Harris, one of these days you're going to hear me on there with hit records of my own.'"

while my father was half Jewish and half ultra-white Irish. Because I had been raised strictly, and church-taught, I was suddenly confused to discover my whole existence was a lie, and that set me off on a mental search to find out who I really was, and where I really came from. It did answer a

Gary & Vicki Sue Paxton The subject matter of "Betty Jean" was Paxton's recent bride, Betty Jean Brown. Said Gary, "I think Betty Jean was 12 years old when we met - she was 14 and I was 17 when we got married. By the way, we didn't have to get married! And she would sing in the band. We lived in a trailer park and during the day I had many jobs - janitor, irrigation worker and countless farm jobs. We kept working as the Pledges in Tucson, and we went up to Phoenix and recorded some more, but nothing happened."

rock in the front room." Gary's adopted parents not only gave him a new name but a Christian home, though one with a strict, some would say legalistic, regime. He told researcher Alec Palao with his usual effervescent wit, "Oh, us kids had drug problems. . .we were drug off to church every Sunday morning, every Sunday night, every Wednesday night, every time the church door was open. But all I cared about from the time I was three

When the Pledges broke up in the spring on 1959 Battin became a deejay for local country station KMOP. Then something happened in a Tucson restaurant on the day that he registered for the draft which was to have a profound effect on the rock'n'roll star wannabe Gary. He said, "I was sitting in a restaurant when a young woman walked up to me and said, 'I am your mother! I've been looking for you for a long time and if you don't believe me, go call your parents.' When I confronted my parents on the phone, there was a long silence. . . then I heard both of them crying. They had forgotten to tell me that I was adopted. Fern [my biological mother] told me she was half Kickapoo Indian and half Scottish,

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lot of questions about my musical abilities - Fern told me all about all of my relatives that played in bands and sang and wrote songs. But I was very confused and upset, so I left Betty Jean and went up to Washington, where Fern lived. She was married to a wonderful Filipino man, and his six brothers, his daughter and Fern's adopted daughter all lived together in this three-storey house in Seattle - what a zoo! Instead, I decided to go to nearby Tacoma, to the strip where there were about 30 clubs, and start begging for a job singing rock'n'roll."

My mother told me she was half Native American — Kickapoo Indian — and half Scotch. She said my father was half Jewish, half redheaded Irishman. So, that makes me an “Inju.” I did a lot of social work with the Yaki Indians in the Piute mountains. I moved to Bakersfield, California, had a lake marina, hotel and cabins in the mountains. Also, a radio show and a music store. Unfortunately, I wound up in mental institutions twice — once for alcoholism and once for drugs. I had several recording studios in Hollywood and Bakersfield from 1959 to 1970 where I produced over a thousand artists. However, due to drugs and alcohol, I lost it all in 1970. I decided to move to Nashville that year. While there I wrote and produced many hit songs. In all, I produced about 700 artists during the 29

in transition years I was in Nashville. I was very strung out, in all ways, and in 1971 my business partner committed suicide. It stopped me in my tracks. I walked into a church — stoned on drugs — and got saved! I continued to have many country and gospel hits as an artist, writer, publisher and producer. I was also involved in some big TV shows — 700 Club, PTL, etc. In 1980, two men were hired to murder me over a contract dispute. They beat my head in with a pipe, broke both of my shoulders and shot me three times with a .38. All the while during the attack I continued

to yell, “In the name of Jesus, you can’t kill me!” While I was down sick, my studio partner embezzled me out of half-amillion dollars. The FDIC forced me into involuntary bankruptcy and took all of my royalties for ten years. Then the IRS billed me for $432,000 for the money the FDIC took!

n the nursing home, her father was in and out of consciousness when she brought a group of friends in to visit him and they sat down and began to sing gospel favorites. He had not been very responsive over the last few days but as the singing began, he opened his eyes and smiled. They sang a song that he was familiar with titled, “He Was There All the Time.” As the last strains of the song began to fade away, one of them leaned forward and asked him if he Kim and remembered that song. Gary He opened his eyes and said, “Yes, I wrote Koreiba it!” His name is Gary S. Paxton and he is a famous song writer. His daughter, Debra Paxton was asked to join a new show in Branson called, “Oh Happy Day with Kim Boyce, Gary Koreiba and Allen Asbury. It was this amazing group of people that gathered in the room to serenade him. The new show is called “Oh Happy Day” and is subtitled, Goin’ Back to Gospel.” Kim Boyce, had eight successful albums and eleven number one Gospel

In 1999 my soon-to-be wife, Vicki Sue Roberts, helped me move to Branson, Missouri. We were married on Valentines Day of 2002. Throughout my career, I have written more than 2000 songs and had over 600 recorded. About 150 of them have become “hits” in one way or another. “He Was There All The Time” has been recorded over 100 times in 5 languages. I’ve been privileged to write many songs with Bill and Gloria Gaither. If I am asked what is my favorite song of all time, I will answer: “I'd Rather Have Jesus.” I’m not a performer. I’m a writer.

At this point I developed bleeding ulcers, lost 80% of my blood, started having a stroke and was rushed to Baptist Hospital. I was given 8 blood transfusions over time,

Oh Happy Day!!! by Kathy Caruso, staff writer

which resulted in my acquiring hepatitis C.

article courtesy of Cross Rhythms

hits a few years ago but gave up her music career on a national stage to move to Branson and raise her family with her husband, Gary Koreiba, whose career included singing background vocals for Christian music legend, Russ Taff. Gary was offered an opportunity to sing with a popular Branson group and he was with them for thirteen seasons. Kim eventually joined him there as well. Leaving Nashville behind was not a sacrifice for them. Allen Asbury is the other member of this group. His number one hit, “Somebody’s Praying Me Through,” propelled him to the national stage and he since has been involved in many successful projects. He played Simon Peter in The Promise stage show. Debra Paxton has sung background vocals for artists of every musical genre. Her father is rock ‘n roll and gospel music legend, Gary S. Paxton. She was raised in a recording studio. Gathering this talented group of people, who grew up singing Gospel music with their families, has resulted in an unforgettable show. They love being able to choose the Gospel songs they grew up singing with no restrictions. Kim says “The whole point is to praise God and enjoy Him forever!” They are joined in this endeavor by a group of guys all 22 and under that Gary lovingly calls, “The Young Guns of Gospel.” This group consists of Gary and Kim’s sons, Gary II and Alexander and four of their lifelong friends who, along with a couple of veteran musicians, comprise the live music and comedy team. These “Young Guns” grew up together and bring a sense of joy to the overall atmosphere of the show. Personally, it is my favorite Branson Gospel Show and touches my heart each time I see it. You can see “Oh Happy Day: Goin’ Back to Gospel” at the Hughes Brothers’ Theatre in Branson on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 10:00 AM. For tickets and information call 8005040115 or go to: hughesbrothers.com.

VOL.12 #3 | WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM

Christians do not retire

BY VANCE CHRISTIE

Actively Serving Christ in Older Age One of the characteristics that has always impressed me about highly committed servants of Jesus Christ is that they continue to actively serve Him to the very end of their lives. Long after others have retired from their vocations and various forms of Christian service, these deeply dedicated Christian servants continue right on actively ministering for the Lord in whatever ways they are able. For them there is no such concept as retiring from the Lord’s work. They may not be able to serve Christ as actively or in all the ways they did in younger years. But they continue to serve Him to the full extent of their physical strength and other capacities (even as those are diminishing) to the end of life.

a Congo roadside after suffering three heart seizures in one day. For two hours he lay quietly, completely helpless. But gradually his strength revived and he returned to Nyankunde. After a good night of rest, he appeared at the hospital early the next morning and insisted on resuming his normal medical routines.

Dr. Carl Becker (1894-1990), who some say was the most outstanding medical missionary ever to serve in Africa, was a definite example of ongoing active service of Christ in the latter years of life. (See my May 2, 2016 blog, “Dr. Carl K. Becker – Africa’s Greatest Medical Missionary,” for a summary of his remarkable ministry career.) In 1964, after serving in Belgian Congo (modern Democratic Republic of the Congo) for thirty-five years, Becker was forced to flee his medical missionary compound at Oicha and the country in order to escape Simba rebels who were intent on capturing and executing him. Though seventy years of age at the time, he did not entertain thoughts of returning to the United States to retire. Instead he spent fifteen months serving at two medical missionary stations in neighboring Uganda, while awaiting the opportunity to return to Congo.

By the end of that year the Inter-Mission Evangelical Medical Training Center was opened at Nyankunde, with four mission boards cooperating in the shared venture. The center soon had six doctors and thirty African students receiving advanced medical training. As many as 1,500 people per day came to the Nyankunde hospital for treatment. The Nyankunde Center supervised and assisted hospitals at Oicha, Rethy and Aba as well as many smaller dispensaries. The doctors made monthly visits to those three remote hospitals, performing twenty to twenty-five operations per visit.

Dr. Carl K. BeckerAt the end of 1965 Becker was the first doctor to return to the vast area of northeast Congo. Following the recent violent uprising, the spiritual and medical needs throughout the entire region were enormous. In addition to rebuilding the work at Oicha, Becker desired to fulfill a longtime dream of founding an inter-mission medical training center at Nyankunde. While taking the lead in establishing that training center, Becker also regularly returned to Oicha and other mission stations to help promote their medical mission endeavors.

“Why, Dr. Becker, you should be ashamed of yourself,” a nurse reprimanded him. “You shouldn’t be working like this after suffering three heart attacks yesterday. You should be resting in bed!” To which Becker responded softly, “If this is to be my last day on earth, I certainly don’t want to spend it in bed.” After which he promptly returned to his medical duties.

Another Hand on MineBecker’s responsibilities included supervising the Nyankunde Center, maintaining oversight of the Oicha hospital and visiting three other outlying dispensaries each month. He continued his active medical missionary work until he was eighty-three years of age. He then returned to the United States, having served as a medical missionary for forty-seven years. Like Dr. Carl Becker, may each of us who follow Jesus Christ, faithfully and actively serve Him through all the years of life He entrusts to us. Much more inspiration may be gained from Becker’s outstanding example of lifelong Christian service by reading William Petersen’s excellent biography, Another Hand on Mine, The Story of Dr. Carl K. Becker of Africa Inland Mission.

Then in the middle of 1966, Becker fell by

WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM | VOL.12 #3

Would you like to join the ministry of the American Christian Voice? The American Christian Voice Ministry Team is looking for retired persons who would like to join us in promoting this magazine in your area. We would send you approximately 75 copies of each issue that we publish. You can then distribute them to hospital waiting rooms, nursing homes, Christian Book stores and any place magazines are displayed. You have the option to cover the cost that we charge ($25.00 or approximately 33 cents per copy) and just paper your travels with them or you are permitted to sell each copy to book and gift stores. An example: Sell each copy for $1.50 and the retailer would sell it for $3.95. You would receive $112.50 less your $25.00 and have $87.50 for gas and lunch expenses. As your ministry grows you can order as many issues as you would like at 33 cents. If you have been blessed by the ACV just think how rewarding it will be to bless others that would never have come acrooss it otherwise! Just drop us a note with your first $25.00 check or call us with a credit card at: (417) 336-3636. Obviously you would not need to pay for a personal subscription anymore.

visit our sponsors The UN Declares Abortion a Human Right Warns Ireland THANK YOU SPONSORS!

by DANIEL J. FLYNN he U.N. demands Ireland amend its constitution accordingly. In the name of human rights, the United Nations orders Ireland to repeal the right to life embedded in the Catholic country’s Constitution. Will they next command governments to supply muzzles to silence nonconformists in the name of freedom of speech? The UN report neither explains how a right nowhere found in the Irish Constitution trumps one clearly enumerated nor where foreigners possess the right to dictate the laws of nations in which they do not hold citizenship — let alone elected office. Where is the legal authority here? Foreseeing such a heavy-handed assault on democracy from its Supreme Court, but not, perhaps, the UN, Irish voters, by a vote of 67 percent to 33 percent, passed a Constitutional amendment in 1983. It now reads: “The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.” The UN presumptuously orders Ireland to pay reparations to the woman for denying her an abortion and “bereavement counselling.” It further demands that Ireland change its Constitution. The report dictates that Ireland “should amend its law on voluntary termination of pregnancy, including if necessary its Constitution, to ensure compliance with the Covenant, including ensuring effective, timely and accessible procedures for pregnancy termination in Ireland.” But most of Ireland’s people respect another covenant, which includes the laws given to Moses by God, more.

People who can’t conceive of life as a basic human right unsurprisingly reject the right to vote. Ireland, a sovereign state, voted. The UN dislikes the choice it made. Why do a handful of unelected UN bureaucrats believe that their policy preferences supersede the decision of a nation now totaling 4.5 million people? Even one ardently pro-choice can see the folly in denying Ireland choice over its laws. The very basic concept that citizens should hold sway over the laws of their nations transcends prolife/pro-choice arguments. Though advocates of legalized abortion likely support the ends here, the means grate anyone who believes in the principle of democratic governance. Alas, abortion uber alles, a phrase rarely lost in translation, guides fanatics everywhere. Around the globe signs of rebellion against globalist intrusions upon national sovereignty abound. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump dubbing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization “obsolete” and judging it guilty of “ripping off the United States” and the Brexit vote later this month calling for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union represent two of many instances in which substantial numbers of people resent foreign entities holding up the decisions of their democracies for veto or rewrite. Rather than understand such palpable displeasure as a message to back off, the UN Human Rights Committee further interferes with matters beyond its purview. Their arrogance will cause either their undoing — or ours. There’s a name for people who cavalierly decree the laws of a country without ever stepping foot there. It’s the same name that fits a grown adult using deadly force against a threepound baby. The history of Ireland, if nothing else, reads as a history of fighting back against bullies.

WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM | VOL.12 #3

Good souls many will one day be horrified at the things they now believe of God. Gordon MacDonald

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non Christian perspective

If Muslims think ISIS is doing Wrong, then Why do they not Oppose it Openly?

They do. At least, when they're not too busy trying to escape being killed and blackmailed by local ISIS members in their own countries. From Humans of New York : “ISIS needs educated people to support them. None of them finished school. They cannot manage the cities they capture because they have no skills. When they took me to prison, at first they were very aggressive. They kept putting a gun to my head and taking it away. But after a few minutes of this, one of the men began speaking to me in a very nice way. He said: ‘You are an Islamic man. Please, be a good Muslim and help us. We want your wife to open a hospital for us. And we want you to manage it.’ I agreed to everything they asked. I told them I would help. Then the moment they let me go home, we packed our bags and left.” From Moderate Muslims Speak Out against Terrorism: ISIS has killed more Muslims than West erners. Even though the Western media has not covered them extensively, there are Mus lims speaking out and fighting against ISIS. The West should do more to support them in their struggle. ISIS slaughtered three Sunni Muslim women for refusing to provide medical care to members of ISIS; a Sunni imam was murdered for refusing to swear allegiance to ISIS; a Muslim was abducted and beheaded for refusing to swear allegiance to ISIS; a Muslim female doctor was murdered for organizing a protest against the ISIS law that Muslim female doctors must wear face veils; Sunni mosques have been blown up be cause their Imams refuse to support ISIS;

and the list goes on. So many in the West ponder, why don’t more Muslims do more to speak out against these atrocities? As I recall from a couple months ago, when the West suddenly noticed "good, noble Christians" like the Yazidis and other Middle Eastern Christians were being hunted down by the self-proclaimed ISIS and expelled when they were lucky (murdered when they were not), many Muslims there began denouncing and protesting such abominable treatment of not only their fellow countrymen but fellow believers. The ISIS murdered their fellow Muslims for daring to oppose and condemn them, especially publicly (the numbers I'd read at the time put it at around a couple hundred). I don't recall reading any news about that at all. I do recall a lot of expressions of solidarity with Iraqi Christians (and implicitly with no one else besides): But despite this, there has been plenty of criticism and condemnation from Muslims both the world over and from the Islamic world. It doesn't make news here. That is, it doesn't make news here in a very high-profile way--unless you're Muslim yourself, you probably have to go out of your way to find it and dig it up. Why not? Well, here are my guesses: 1. Cowboys and Indians: Much of the West, especially here in the US, has longstanding animosity towards Islam (or at least, it perceives a longstanding animosity, ever since 9/11 anyway). So they are this century's "Indians". 2. #MuslimLivesDon'tMatter. There's a general ethno-religious-centrism to the gold-nun-on-black meme, and particularly to that variant of the meme above. 3. Outrage Sells: Media organizations are in the business of making money. They do that when you read more of their publications. You read more when you're outraged. Not when you're informed. 4. Feedback Loop: Even with a media organization like Fox News, they can unintentionally misrepresent reality by simple self-selection bias that already affirms what they perceive to be true. If they broadcast

something deeply contrary to what their primary demographic fervently believes, that demographic will watch them less until they stop altogether. When it comes down to it, many people desire simple narratives to complex realities. We're familiar with the former. We've been hearing them all our lives, which serves as a sort of "training and conditioning" for how we want to perceive the world when we're finally adults, simple dramas where there are simple roles: a good guy (us, Christians), and a bad guy (since 9/11, Muslims), and maybe some supporting character roles whose purpose is to motivate our "good" to triumph over their "evil".

BY GERALD LEUNG

Since they have publically sup ported Gaza against Israel, they should speak against the ISIS. ...

Complex realities are bad. They tell us the world, and its people, and all the problems in it because of those are hard. The solutions, if they even exist, are likewise necessarily complex (because simple solutions to simple problems have already been applied--low-hanging fruit principle). By contrast, simple narratives are great. They allow us to recognize the solution was simple and has been staring us in the face the whole time: just kill the stupid bad guys so they know what's what, while mocking self-styled intellectuals and academics for being overanalyzing eggheads. Honestly, the real question should be: Why are so many of us trapped in our own bubble of Western world perceptions and beliefs? Put it this way though, if: • Christian fundamentalists banded together here, and formed the United Kingdom of Jesus in North America across the US, Canada, and Mexico, and gave nonChristians an ultimatum to convert or be physically kicked out or executed, and executed hundreds or thousands of even fellow Christians who dared to publicly denounce and condemn the UKJNA, I'd probably be extremely vocal and oppositional against them too.. right up until that last part which would make me think twice about my and my family's safety.. Gerald Leung, Atheist who was sent to church a lot as a kid by his own atheist par ents

VOL.12 #3 | WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM

give it up already

A short version of the history of Christianity:

BY KATHLEEN CARUSO

What? Me? Play God? Never! have been a good church going Christian for many years. I would never think that I could play God.

Oh, wait! There was that time with a friend that I led to the Lord. I continually told her that she “needed” to do this and “needed” to do that until she told me that I needed a “you need-ectomy!” In other words, she was telling me to shut up! She could hear from God without my help.

Some people enable their children and the kids look to them instead of God to meet their needs. Some church leaders take on the burden of doing the work of the ministry instead of leading the people to step up and do the work including scrubbing the toilets, vacuuming the carpets, visiting the sick and taking care of the nursery. The leader gets burned out and thinks that he missed God’s call on his life. There are many more examples of ways each of us play God. We mean well and there is a pay-off in our actions. We may feel superior to those around us. We may want love and think that meeting the needs of others will win that for us.

Then there was the time that my husband had disciplined my son and I wanted to be the good guy and took him to the movie even though I was being convicted and knew it was wrong. There have been times when I wanted people to think I had it all together and gave advice that was strictly something that seemed right to me at the time. Later I would see the results of that. I had a dear friend and I had gotten involved with a group of ‘christians’ that I later found out had all the ear marks of a cult. I worked to get her involved and when they showed their true colors, she was wounded and blamed me. Our relationship is strained even to this day.

We may think that if we don’t do it, it won’t get done! For a period of time, I heard that phrase a lot from the pulpit. But when we do what we think needs to be done, we show our own impatience with our Father, the Almighty, Allknowing God. We think we are smarter than He is and step in the way. In Genesis, we are told to rule over the birds of the air, the creatures of the sea and the animals that creep upon the earth. At no time are we told to ‘rule’ over people. But there is something delightfully enticing about telling others what to do and meeting their needs. In our arrogance, we take the place of God in their lives and many of them are so misdirected that finding their way to Him becomes a cruel journey. Today, I invite you and me to open our hearts and communicate with God. As He reveals our directions, gives us the words, and teaches us to release those around us into His care and not take them back.

WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM | VOL.12 #3

Christianity started in Palestine as a fellowship; it moved to Greece and became a philosophy; it moved to Italy and became an institution; it moved to Europe and became a culture; it came to America and became an enterprise.

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grace filled fellowships PEACE LUTHERAN CHURCH (ELCA) WORSHIP SERVICES: Praise & Worship Sun. @ 8:30 a.m. Education Hour - 9:15 a.m. Liturgy &Traditional Service - 10:30 a.m.

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Join us for weekly services: Erev Shabbat (Friday) 7:30 pm Shabbat (Saturday) 11 am (417) 3347373 www.TheTabernacleinBranson.com

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Healthy Habits, LLC CINDY FOX State Fair Shopping Center 1500 So. Limit Ave. Sedalia, MO 65301 (660) 8264377

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The phrase “last days” or “end of the age” is really about a first-century transition to the New Covenant order. It is the end of what was and the beginning of something new! Be careful not to apply these verses to the second coming of Jesus!

Gateway Austin, TX Northwest Austin: McNeil Campus South Austin: South Campus Internet Campus: internetcampus@gatewaychurch.com www.GatewayChurch.com Gateway Branson, MO Located in the Vista Plaza Shopping Center on the backside 2005 West Highway 76 • Suite 106 Branson, MO • (417) 335-9915

His life is your life, His death is your death, His righteousness is your righteousness Springfield Church of God (7th Day) "Sharing Freedom in Christ" Pastor: Andy Hassen • 1521 E. 24th Street N. Springfield, MO 65803

(417) 8316721 Sabbath School: 9:45 am • Worship: 11:00 am Wednesday night: 6:30 pm

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A week without a Sabbath is perpetual bondage. 22

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S t i l l Wa t e r s International Ministries

Waking the World to their Loving Creator Okay, so we are not a typical church but we are a training ground to make disciples for Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit! Come visit OUR FAMILY Sunday morning at 9:45 am and you will see what we mean.

124 Deer Mountain Road Walnut Shade, MO

(417) 5981231 7 miles north of Branson on Hwy 160. One quarter mile west of 65. First property on left.

FRUSTRATED WITH RELIGION?? This fellowship offers no judgments (not our job). Ready for a mind blowing perspective on how to really find Joy in this life, right now! Your horrible past experiences will be broken off leaving a new opportunity to experience God on a level you did not think possible! -MEMBER

The basis for loving our neighbors, and for unity in Christ, is not proximity, understanding or commonality. We are one in Christ not because we are one in the same, but because Christ is the same. It is an impoverished theology that mistakes unity in Christ for sameness in Christ. - Leslie Leylands VISIT ONCE AND YOU ARE HOOKED ! ! ! 42 years of Healing Hurts and Building Dreams. FAITH ASSEMBLY 2 miles South of Beautiful Harrison, MO (2 blocks West of Hwy. 7) 9:30 A,M. Sunday School: 10.30 A.M. Worship; 6 PM. Praise; Wed. 7 PM. Training for all ages. Pastor Arlis Thrasher. (870) 7412635

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stop it!

egalism is the pursuit of good works abstracted from faith in an effort to garner God’s favor and blessing. Moralism is the attempt to obey or impose the ethical commands of the Bible abstracted from the gospel of Jesus Christ. Much preaching in Christian churches is simply a collection of legalistic moralisms. Graeme Goldsworthy suggests that the reason this approach to preaching is prevalent and popular is because “we are all legalists at heart” (Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture, 118). Both liberal and conservative preachers often embrace the same moralistic methodology, albeit from opposing directions and opposing moral visions. The goal of much preaching in both liberal and conservative churches is to make good people a bit better, but it never works.

at least assumes the gospel, but it implies that gospel blessings must be earned. Thus, legalistic preaching leaves hearers constantly maimed by the law, but not in a way that leads to utter hopelessness in fulfilling the laws commands. It always asks for a bit more. No matter how obedient or disobedient, the sermon listener is always

Climbing the legalistic ladder of Christian pseudo growth is dependent on your own successes being measured against the failures of others.

Legalistic, moralistic preaching exacerbates sin rather than killing it. Consider some of the reasons why.

1. Legalistic preaching feeds the flesh No truth of Scripture is meant to be understood in isolation. It is possible to preach only true assertions from the Scripture and yet mislead hearers. When ethical and moral imperatives are proclaimed as sufficient, even abstracted from Jesus, the result is a crossless Christianity in which the central message becomes an exhortation to live according to God’s rules. Thus, even if the hearer adopts the correct behavior in response to the sermon, the response is grounded in his or her performance and feeds his fleshly confidence in self-righteousness. The gospel provides the only possible context for genuine obedience—faith. Legalistic preaching starves faith but feeds the flesh, which when well-nourished always overpowers the repression of sin. Legalistic preaching gives the appearance of being a fierce opponent of sin while creating a context where sin is nourished, and its spread and growth is inevitable.

2. Legalistic preaching maims but asks for more. Legalistic preaching from Christian pulpits is cruel because it mentions the gospel, or

reminded they are striving but never quite arriving. Legalistic sermons function like a performance treadmill with a flashing sign in place of an off-button that reads, “Just a few more feet and you can get off,” but it never changes and always asks for a few more feet. In legalistic sermons, the law does not function as a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ (Gal 3:24), but as a sadistic captor who does not plan on killing his prisoner but keeping him alive for the purpose of torture. The legalistic preacher makes the hearer a prisoner who lives in constant pain and torment but who always believes that freedom might be just around the corner. Legalistic, moralistic sermons function like the mirage of water in a desert; they provide hope but always prove empty.

3. Legalistic preaching renders love selfdestructive. Legalistic, moralistic sermons encourage comparisons with others. One’s identity is cultivated by his or her perception of how obedience measures up in comparison with others. The Pharisee’s prayer, “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortionists, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector” (Luke 18:11) is implicitly endorsed as a necessary worldview, rather than repudiated as antigospel. Legalistic preaching creates a malformed church community in which, hearing a positive accomplishment by

someone else often deflates and depresses others because they feel the need to keep up their spiritual resume. Hearers are trained to seek identity in performance— not Christ, and the result is a graceless community. When someone gains identity by judging themselves superior to others, they will not love, serve, and help people they consider beneath them; to do so would be a form of identity self-sabotage. Climbing the legalistic ladder of Christian pseudo-growth is dependent on your own successes being measured against the failures of others.

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Why Legalistic Preaching Doesn’t Work L

Christ-centered expository preaching does not excise a passage from the biblical metaplot to stage it for application. Instead, it takes the hearer to the text in its natural habitat, so to speak; the task is not to fit the text to the world of the reader as much as it is to fit the reader to the world of the text. Faithful preaching pulls hearers into the amazingly diverse but unified biblical storyline so they can find themselves in Jesus and the story of his kingdom. Any biblical truth abstracted from the gospel is corrupted. When we ignore the relationship of any biblical truth to the gospel of Jesus Christ we lose biblical perspective and corrupt God’s good gift. The meta-genre of Scripture is gospel story and we must read the entire Bible with that genre awareness. Christ-centered, Gospelfocused expository preaching will not mute the call to obey the moral and ethical imperatives of Scripture (1 Cor 10:11). To the contrary, such an approach will strengthen the call to obey because it provides the only possible context for obedience—faith. Sanctification, just as justification, is by faith alone. Genuine spiritual motivation in preaching must be presented in terms of the gospel; people must be set free before they can walk in freedom. We are all constantly tempted to drift back toward legalistic, moralistic attitudes, so we never outgrow our need to hear the gospel. Dr. David E. Prince, a Regular Contributor to For The Church, is Pastor of Preaching and Vision at Ashland Avenue Baptist Church in Lexington, KY and Assistant Professor of Christian Preaching at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

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see the shows that the Entertainers love Missed the Brammy’s?? Check out the Clip on Facebook Brammy Awards page: Jim Barber bombs the Clay Cooper show with Brammy Awards! Male Vocalist of the Year

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Would you like to help organize the 2017 Brammy Awards? It will benefit a great local charity and it promises to be another fantastic night at the Chateau on the Lake! Call John at (417) 336-3636 Supporting Performer of the Year

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♪money money money♪

FROM EDWARD JONES FINANCIAL ADVISOR

How Can You Declare Your Financial Independence? Soon, we observe the 4th of July with sparklers, picnics and parades. And living in a country that offers so much freedom, we have a lot to celebrate. But on a more personal level, you may still be working toward another type of independence – financial independence. What can you do to speed your progress toward this goal? Here are some ideas to think about: • Free yourself from ex cessive fear. As an investor, it’s not hard to find something to fear. Oil prices, interest rates, political squabbles, even natural disasters – at any given time, each of these factors (and many more) might be blamed for volatility in the financial markets. In response, many people take a “time out” from investing. Don’t let fear hold you back. It takes discipline and some mental toughness to stay invested in all economic environments, but if you’re constantly jumping in and out of the market, you’re almost guaranteed to miss out on the kind of continuity and opportunities you need to move toward your financial freedom. • Liberate your investments’ growth po tential. Many investors avoid investing too aggressively, wishing to lower their risk level. And that’s certainly not a bad idea. On the other hand, you can easily slip into in-

Southern Baptists named to Trump advisory team NEWS- BOB ALLEN | The Donald Trump campaign tapped two former Southern Baptist Convention presidents, a former agency head and a Dallas pastor who has prayed at several of his campaign events for a new executive board to advise the presumptive Republican nominee on issues important to evangelicals and people of faith. The group, which was not asked to endorse Trump for president, will convene on a regular basis. Some of the members were responsible for organizing Trump’s meeting with hundreds of Christian leaders June 21 in New York City. “I have such tremendous respect and admiration for this group and I look forward to continuing to talk about the

vesting too “safely” by keeping the bulk of your portfolio in investments that protect your principal but offer so little in the way of return that they may not even keep up with inflation. So, try to always maintain a reasonable percentage of growth-oriented vehicles in your portfolio. The exact amount may depend on your age and tolerance for risk, but at virtually every stage of your life, you need some growth potential. • Avoid the tyranny of debt. It’s not easy to stay out of debt. But carrying a heavy debt load is truly a burden – you’re not only concerned about making the payments, but you’re also depriving yourself of dollars that could be used to invest for your future. Try to do everything you can to live within your means and avoid racking up more debt than is necessary. And when you do whittle down your debts, put that “found” money to work. The more you put in your investment portfolio, the more opportunities you have to reach your objectives. • Free your thinking about the future.

Here’s another roadblock on your journey toward financial independence: short-term thinking. Instead of seeking quick gains (which are notoriously hard to achieve), strive for steady growth. Instead of reacting to the news of the day by making impulsive moves, chart a long-term strategy that’s appropriate for your needs, and stick to it. Instead of focusing on the losses you might see on one month’s investment statement, look back over the progress you’ve made over the last five or 10 years. In short, worry less about today – and plan for tomorrow.

issues important to vangelicals, and all Americans, and the common sense solutions I will implement when I am president,” Trump said. Members of the group include Ronnie Floyd, senior pastor of Cross Church in Northwest Arkansas, who just finished his second one-year term as SBC president at the 2016 SBC annual meeting in St. Louis, joins former SBC President Jack Graham, pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church on Plano, Texas, who led the convention in 2003-2004. Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas and a Fox News contributor who has spoken favorably for Trump amid criticism from evangelical leaders including SBC Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission President Russell Moore, is a member of the advisory group. So is Moore’s predecessor, former ERLC

head Richard Land, now president of Southern Evangelical Seminary in Charlotte, N.C. Other Southern Baptists in the group include Jay Strack, president of Student Leadership University, and David Jeremiah, senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church. Others named to the group include prosperity gospel preacher Paula White, Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr., Focus on the Family founder James Dobson and James Robison, founder of Life Outreach International. Ralph Reed of the Faith and Freedom Coalition is a member, along with Former Congresswoman Michele Bachmann. Trump said the executive board will lead a larger Faith and Cultural Advisory Committee to be announced later this month.

It will take a lot of time, effort and patience to ultimately achieve your own Financial Independence Day. But once you do, you’ll have reason to rejoice – and you won’t even need the fireworks. This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Ad visor.

puzzle page

ACROSS 1 Border 4 Account (abbr.) 8 Father of King David 13 U.S. Air Force 15 Father of Ham 16 Screamer's throat dangler 17 Hotel cleaner 18 Former magistrate of Venice 19 Biblical weeds 20 Fair 22 Yea 24 Moist 25 Genius 26 Spider's net 28 Adam and __ 30 American state 31 Mixed 35 Will 38 Machine tool 40 Flurry 41 Place for the wicked 42 Title of respect 43 Tel __ 44 Time period 45 Hip 47 Greek island 48 Father of Isaac 50 Particle

52 Foreign Agricultural Service 53 Bad (prefix) 54 June (abbr.) 57 King and father of Jonathan 60 Chicken 63 Strange and secret doctrines 65 Fable writer 67 Pedestal part 69 Book after Gospels 70 Impressive 71 Father of Cain 72 Civil wrong 73 Artery 74 Tropical bird 75 Small gulf DOWN 1 Ballroom dance 2 Father of Jacob 3 Indian corn 4 One of the apostles 5 Speak lovingly 6 Sharp 7 KJV pronoun 8 Protrusion 9 Dodger 10 Positive 11 Killed 12 Effortless 14 Food and drug administration

(abbr.) 21 Truant 23 Adam's son 27 Ointment 29 Compete 30 Unwell 31 Tiny river 32 Rant 33 Modify 34 Bird Noah sent out 35 Popular stadium 36 Seasoning 37 Like a wing 39 Sky 43 Extremity 45 Expression of surprise 46 Launder 47 Pop 49 Adrift 51 Washington city 54 Father of Reuben and Joseph 55 Extreme 56 Awful 57 Heroic tale 58 Air (prefix) 59 Consumer 61 Swiss-like cheese 62 Zilch 64 Baseball stick 66 School group 68 Part of a week

Answers to Sudoku Puzzle on Page 23

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there is always more

BY JOHN PIPER

How to Experience the Outpouring of God’s Love Message by John Piper Scripture: Romans 5:1–8 Topic: The Holy Spirit Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person — though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die — but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. What I want to focus on with you in the text is verse 5b: “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” God’s love poured into your heart is not the same as God’s love proven to your mind. God’s love poured into your heart is a real heart-experience of being loved by God. God’s love proven to your mind is the conclusion of an argument, with or without the sweetness of feeling loved by God in the heart. I want you to know this sweetness. I want you to enjoy this gift: the outpouring of the love of God in your hearts. You can know in your head some things from argument that you don’t experience in your heart from God’s Spirit. For example, you might argue 1) The Bible says, “For God so loved the world” (John 3:16); 2) I am part of the world; 3) therefore, God loves me. That’s one way of knowing you are loved by God.

something poured out. It is something felt in the heart. Known in the way the heart knows. And notice the magnitude of the role that this experience of the love of God is to have in your life. It the foundation for how you can be sure that your hope will not be put to shame. Do you see that word “because” in verse 5? “Hope does not put us to shame, because . . .” To see how this “because” works we need to ask, how might hope put you to shame? Two ways 1) Your experience of hope might be a sham. You say your hope is in God, but it’s really not. Maybe it’s in comfort and health and prosperity. 2) Our experience of hope might be real but then it proves in the end to be built on sand. God really didn’t love you. Or there is not God after all. Paul showed how God helps us with the first threat to our hope in verse 3. He puts us through the fires of suffering to refine our hope — to wean us off the comforts or health or prosperity of the world and prove to our own conscience that we really do hope in God and not this world. Verse 3: Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope. You come through the trial and you say, “I’m real. My faith did not fail. My hope survived the fire. It’s real.” That’s the first way God saves us from our hope being put to shame. The second threat to our hope is not that the experience of hope might be fake, but that the object of the hope itself might be fake. Maybe God really doesn’t love us. Maybe there is no God. And we Christians will look absolutely foolish because our hope is going to turn out to be a mirage.

Or you might go further and say, 1) Christ told his disciples, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13); 2) I am one of his friends because I follow him and keep his commandments (John 15:14); 3) therefore Christ loves me with the greatest love.

That is what Paul addresses in verse 5b. He says, That is not going to happen! Hope does not put us to shame!” Why. Then he gives the reason. The foundation. And to our amazement, perhaps, he describes an experience of the heart, not mainly an argument for the head. “Because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

That is a way of knowing in your head that you are loved. But that is not what Romans 5:5 is talking about. Romans 5:5 says, “Hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” This is a Spirit-given experience of God’s love, not a logical inference from an argument. It is

Christian, you are not going to come to the end and find out: your hope has all be a sham. You are not going to be put to shame! How do you know? “Because God’s love has been poured into our hearts.” Something happens in the heart. And you know — you really know — the kind of knowing you can die for: “My hope is not in vain!”

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Four Things About This Experience So I want to say four things about this experience from this text. 1. THIS EXPERIENCE OF THE LOVE OF GOD IS POURED OUT THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT. “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” Whatever else we say about this experience, let this be said: it is not decisively the work of man, but the work of God. It is supernatural. It is not finally in our power. It is not the product of mere circumstances. It is not owing to a good family of origin. It is owing to the Holy Spirit. You don’t make it happen. The Holy Spirit makes it happen. It’s his work. There is something deeply wrong when we have become so naturalistic and so psychologized that we think a person with a traumatic, abusive background cannot know the love of God experientially. We give the impression that knowing the love of God is really a matter of good upbringing — a healthy family of origin. A loving rather than an abusive father. As if something so merely human was the source of the supernatural experience of the Spirit’s outpouring of the love of God. No. No. The authentic experience of feeling loved by God is a work of God, not a work of being well adjusted in solid families. In fact, is it not also likely that many healthy, well adjusted, productive adults from self-assured families mistake their own natural sense of well-being for the love of God, and are therefore worse off spiritually than the struggler from the broken family who, beyond all expectation, has tasted the love of God by the power of the Holy Spirit. That’s the first thing to notice about this experience: it is given to us supernaturally by the Holy Spirit, not by man and not by ourselves or any pedigree, as if a happy family of origin were the same as the work of the Holy Spirit.. 2. THIS EXPERIENCE OF GOD’S LOVE HAS FACTUAL, OBJECTIVE CONTENT. Another way to say it is that this Spiritworked experience — and it is an experience! — is given to us by the Spirit through historical facts. There is a knowledge component to this experience and there are real facts behind the knowledge. Notice the connection between verse 5 and

verses 6-8. Verse 5 says that the experience of the God’s love is poured out through the Holy Spirit. Then verse 6 is connected to this statement with the word “for.” “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” And then in verses 7-8 Paul unfolds for us the historical, objective fact that that Christ died for helpless, ungodly sinners. “For one will scarcely die for a righteous person — though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die — 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” And notice in verse 8 how he makes crystal clear what he is saying in relation to the experience of verse 5: “God shows his love for us.” Remember, in verse 5 God’s love is poured out in our hearts. And in verse 8 it is shown to us. Now think about this. Is the love of God shown to us historically in the death of Christ for us to study and think about and know as objective fact? Or is the love of God poured out in our hearts experientially by the Holy Spirit? And, of course, the answer is that Paul will not let us choose between these. He will not let us break these things in two. We dare not choose between them or make them antagonistic to each other. The love of God is experienced in the heart. And the love of God is demonstrated in history. There is fact, and there is feeling. There is knowledge in the head and there is affection in the heart. There is truth and there is Spirit. And the key question is, How are they related? On the basis of the relation between verse 5 and verses 6-8 I say, the Holy Spirit takes the historical facts of the Christ’s death and opens the eyes of our heart to see the allsatisfying divine beauty of the love of God in it. And thus by the spiritual sight of God’s love in the work of Christ, he pours that love into our hearts. It is not an experience like electricity. It is a mediated experience. It has factual content. And therefore when it comes, it isn’t like some vague, New Age out-of-body experience, or some hypnotic state, or some ecstatic condition produced by emptying your head. It is being filled with the glory of the love of God shown in the God-man Christ Jesus who died because of our sins and rose because of our justification. 3. IT IS EXPERIENCED BY ALL CHRISTIANS IN SOME MEASURE. Why do I say this? The reason I say that all Christians have this experience in some

measure is because that is what Paul says in verse 5: “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. ” Notice the “our” and the “us” are the same group. The same group of people who received the Holy Spirit also have the love of God poured out into their hearts. But to whom was the Holy Spirit given? Let Paul answer from Romans 8:9, “You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” Here he uses three terms: Spirit, Spirit of God, and Spirit of Christ. It is the same Spirit, not different Spirits. Then notice what he says in verse 9b: “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” That means that all Christians have the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit. So I conclude that all true Christians have at least tasted the outpouring of God’s love in our hearts. Every true Christian knows the love of God not just as an argument, but as an experience. That is what it means to become a Christian. 4. THE EXPERIENCE VARIES FROM TIME TO TIME AND PERSON TO PERSON, AND CAN BE (AND SHOULD BE) PURSUED IN EVER FULLER MEASURES. Verse 5b: “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” I wish you could see it in English, but there is a difference in tense between “has been poured into” and “has been given to us.” The second one means the Spirit is given to us once for all, but the first one means it can keep on happening. So we receive the Spirit at conversion once for all, but the outpourings of God’s love can come again and again. But since you can’t see that, here is what you can see — to make the same point.

something now for the Thessalonians. What does he want God to do now? He wants God to “direct their hearts.” This is a remarkable phrase! The heart has directions. It moves toward one thing or another. When the heart moves toward something it moves toward what it regards as attractive and satisfying and valuable. So Paul is praying that God would give the heart a sight of the love of God as more attractive and satisfying and valuable than ordinary earthly things. “May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God.” What would this be other than an experience of God’s love. Paul prays for it to happen. Which means this experience can rise and fall. It can be greater or lesser. And the great desire is, O let it be greater! SUMMARY: Verse 5: “Hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. God will not let you down. He will not let your hope prove empty. He won’t let you be put to shame. To that end he pours his love into your hearts by the Holy Spirit. He gives you a real, authentic experience of his love, not just an argument for his love, but an experience! And he tells us four things about this experience. This experience of the love of God is poured out through the Holy Spirit. It is not your doing. It is supernatural. This experience is given by the Spirit through opening the eyes of our heart to the selfauthenticating glory — beauty, worth — of his love in the historical death of his Son for us. Verse 8: but God shows [present tense] his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. This experience comes to every Christian in some measure. There are no Christians who merely believe by argument and not by experience. This is what it means to be born again. You have tasted and seen the glory of God in Christ crucified. This experience varies from time to time and person to person, and can be (and should be) pursued in ever fuller measures.

First, consider 2 Thessalonians 3:5, “May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ.” Here we have Paul praying that God would do

Therefore, May the Lord direct your hearts into the experience of love of God.

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opposing worldviews

Woman Claims She Was in Ross Dressing Room When She ‘Heard a Man’s Voice’ She Couldn’t Believe Manager’s Response A woman is outraged after she says a man was permitted to use the women’s dressing room at a Mesquite, Texas, Ross department store on Monday. Lisa Sickles said she was using the women’s dressing room when she suddenly “heard a man’s voice.” She said she immediately told the store’s manager. “She went inside the dressing room, came right back out and called me to the side and told me… he was representing himself as a woman today,” Sickles told CBS DFW. However, Sickles said the man “was in no way dressed as a woman.” “He had on jeans, a t-shirt, 5 o’clock shadow, very deep voice. He was a man,” she recalled.

Leaders Don’t Always Carry Guns

BY DR. STEVE GREENE

You know what Barney Fife would do. He would "nip it--right in the bud." I think I've seen every episode of the Andy Griffith Show. "I miss Mayberry, sitting on the porch, drinking ice cold cherry coke." (Thanks, Rascal Flatts.)

A Ross spokesperson reportedly said the company does not discriminate against transgender individuals, but refused to comment on this particular case. Sickles said the incident left her feeling as if her feelings didn’t matter. “What about me? Or my feelings?” she said. Sickles claimed the manager told her if she “felt uncomfortable in the dressing room with him there,” she should “wait until he’s finished.” Ross isn’t alone in its

point to his freshly polished badge for authority. Barney was eaten-up with his quest for power. And the writers of the show frequently placed Barney in a position to lead when Andy was away. Of course, a challenge was always thrown at poor Barney and he was sadly ill-equipped to handle anything. His badge didn't solve problems.

Andy's show was wholesome and packed with life lessons. I also believe we could isolate many of the 249 episodes and use the footage in leadership training classes. We watch as Andy leads men and his town through life. He was probably the first TV sheriff who didn't carry a gun. He didn't need "nary a one." Sheriff Andy Taylor's leadership style was contrasted by his deputy's blundering attempts to lead. Deputy Barney Fife provides excellent seminar material for how NOT to lead. Barney's primary leadership authority came from the badge he wore with such pride. John Maxwell points to this type of leadership as positional. Barney was mocked by townspeople as he could only

bathroom policy. Target, TJ Maxx and Marshalls all reportedly allow customers to use restrooms and dressing rooms based on their gender identity.

literature. Servant leaders do not require titles, trumpets or guns. Their power is ascribed from those who choose to follow. I'll never forget Barney's response to a time when Andy's son Opie (Ron Howard) got into a little fight. "Today's 8-year-olds are tomorrow's teenagers. Nip it in the bud. First sign of a youngster goin' wrong, you got it nip it in the bud. Nip it, nip it, nip it." Bud nippin' rarely produces more than rebellion. A servant leader doesn't need a badge.

Leaders who boast of their positional authority have very few true followers. A mandate to follow me "because I'm in charge" is met with vocal mocking. Today, millennial staff members don't even try to hide their guffaws as reluctant soldiers ... they simply point, laugh and find an Andy to lead them. Andy modeled servant leadership long before the concept entered leadership

WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM | VOL.12 #3

"Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands and that He came from God and was going to God, rose from supper, laid aside His garments, and took a towel and wrapped Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was wrapped" (John 13:3-5). Dr. Steve Greene is the executive vice president—Media Group, Charisma Media. Look to this website where you can sign up for Dr. Greene's leadership enewsletter: StrangMail.com/newsletters/signup/ ?bld=0_teachings

ask Goff how going green just got easier

Only One Faith, One Lord, One Baptism (Eph. 4: 5)

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BY H.L. FORD

Never Mind, Lord. It's not true that wisdom comes with years. I know some elderly people who are not exactly wise. Seniors have accumulated a such a "vast store of wisdom." The temptation is to show it off. To say something on every subject and straighten out everyone's misinformation.

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It seems a pity and wasteful not to use such great revelations to benefit others. However, I never argue with my guy anymore. I just let him be wrong. Actually, I do not remember the last time he was wrong. But then I don't remember what I had for dinner last night either. Oh I can win an argument, but I never want to win at the cost of losing a friend. Wait a minute. Shouldn't I warn that careless driver that the bridge is out and he's going over a cliff? Even if it makes him mad? Of course. But should I tell him that he's on the highway to hell without Jesus, even though he says he believes there is a God? He wouldn't speak to me again. Could I stand before Jesus and say, "Lord, I was afraid of offending him," without regrets? There is boldness that supersedes fear of offending others. It comes from the Lord. After I've offered the eternally important "offending" information, what next? Then it's up to the driver to change his direction or not. I've done all I can. That's when I leave him in God's hands. Shake the dust off my feet and go on to another who is hungering and thirsting for the words of eternal life. And do I keep praying for the one You sent Your only Son to die for? Or do I say, Never mind Lord? What would you do? H. L. Ford is an award winning journalist and Stonecroft inspirational speaker. Contact her at 417Â587Â9919.

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called to rest in Jesus!

A Prescription for Hurry Sickness erhaps you’re symptomatic. Impatient in the checkout line. Irritated in traffic. Hitting the “door close” button the second you step onto the elevator. Chronically short of time, rushing from one thing to the next.

BY JAYNE HUGO DAVIS

Musa had to drive “over the mountain” to collect the many folks who wanted to be in worship that morning. As he introduced us to his congregation, he reminded us that, in Africa, no one looks at a watch. Worship ended around 12:30 and, as the

You may be coming down with a bad case of hurry sickness, “a behavior pattern characterized by continual rushing and anxiousness; an overwhelming and continual sense of urgency.” Sounds exhausting, doesn’t it? I’m no doctor but my guess is you’ve been suffering with this malady for longer than you’d like to admit. It tends to be a chronic condition that, without treatment, contributes to a variety of stress-related illnesses, from high blood pressure and chest pains to immune disorders and sleep disruption. The spiritual consequences are even greater. I know. I’ve been battling hurry sickness for years. Hurry has become so normative in our society that it’s easy to forget we are sick. We are carried along by the momentum of the masses that casts a suspicious glance at folks who possess what ancient civilizations once referred to as “spare time.” Last week I returned from a mission trip to South Africa. We attended Sunday worship in Emmaus, a rural Zulu village, where my friend Musa is the pastor. Musa is a soft spoken, humble man with a powerful, Pauland-Silas-prison-walls-shaking testimony and a deep sense of calling to this place and these people in the foothills of the Drakensberg Mountains. I feel the presence of Jesus when I am with Musa, which is why his words so crushed my spirit. Our team of 18 had 7 p.m. reservations for an excursion on the coast, a five-and-a-half hour drive from Emmaus. We’d just completed a week of work with ministry partners in nearby Winterton and were looking forward to a bit of fun and adventure before traveling home. Musa and I agreed that the team would come for worship at 10 a.m. and leave Emmaus by noon. If you’re a chronic sufferer of hurry sickness, you wouldn’t do well with Africa time. Worship began around 10:45 because

It was what writer Kathleen Norris refers to as a “monk moment“ — a quick slap where your spirit tries to warn you to pay attention. We had come half way around the world, in part, to see Musa. To hear what Jesus had to say to us through him. And we were rushing. Sometimes a monk moment gives rushing a face, the face of who and what we are leaving behind as we hurry. A child. A spouse. A friend. Jesus. Hurry sickness is not a new phenomenon. The phrase was actually coined in the 1950s before the digital revolution and modern household appliances made our lives so much easier and more efficient. And still we miss Mayberry. But we’re afraid of missing out on other things even more. Trading porch swings for experiences, gadgets, opportunities, even excursions on the African coast. None of them bad. Some of them great. But still we feel a bit empty and even farther behind.

team headed for the vans, Musa invited us for lunch. We hadn’t talked about it when I called, but I knew that the strong sense of hospitality in that culture allowed him to do no less, despite the significant cost of feeding 18 people a meal of chicken and Zulu bread. Of course we would stay. By 1 we were gathered around the plastic preschool tables that had been pulled into the middle of the one-room building with a dusty floor, washing our hands in the common bowl, dipping our Zulu bread in the delicious gravy and enjoying fellowship with one another, telling the stories that bind us together — family, faith, hopes for the future. This is where my heart goes when it thinks of South Africa. By 1:30 we began our goodbyes. As I approached the van, already fully loaded with the team, Musa leaned over and whispered that his wife, Zabwa, had baskets for the team to look at. We often purchased baskets when we were in Emmaus. “Two minutes,” he said. I knew I had to decline; we had no margin left if we were going to get to the coast in time. Musa looked at me for a moment, then smiled. “I understand,” he said. “You are rushing.”

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The good news is this malady of our age is treatable if we are willing to acknowledge that we are sick with hurry. The following prescriptions may be helpful to you: • Know your purpose. Jesus was never in a hurry. He didn’t grasp at experiences to feel alive or to find meaning or value. He knew who he was and it shaped what he did and didn’t do every day. • Reflect each day. Hurry demands full speed ahead. Its power is broken when we take time to look back — to give thanks, to learn, to worship. Take five minutes to reflect at the end of each day. What was good? What would you do differently tomorrow? Where was God at work? • Slow down. Practice being intentionally present. Whether you are eating a meal, in conversation with a friend, or out in nature. Fully live in the moment that you are in — even if it’s in traffic or in the longest line at the grocery store. It’s the only moment you truly have. Discover what you are missing when you skim past your life.

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who i am! s a true son of Adam, a person born with a natural affection for sin, I have no shortage of opportunities to consider sin and to consider the desire to commit it in its infinite varieties. As a husband and father, a pastor, and a church member I have no shortage of opportunities to speak to other people

but Christ’s, not sinner but saint. Be who you are!

The second thing to say to temptation is this: You have no power over me! There was a time when sin and temptation had complete power over you.

delivered to them (Genesis 3:7 - Revelation 22:21). Think of what sin promised to Abraham, to Samson, to David, to Judas, to Peter, to Ananias and Sapphira, and compare that to what it cost them. Even more, think of Jesus and what sin cost him (though the sin was his by imputation, not commission)! If you read your Bible with

BY TIM CHALLES

3 Truths to Speak To Your Temptation about their sin and their temptations. And time and time again I find myself returning to the simplest truths, to words that can and must be spoken to temptation.

The first thing to say to the sin that is tempting you is this: That is not who I am! That temptation, that sin, does not fit your deepest identity. Those who have put their faith in Christ Jesus are in Christ Jesus—“For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22). There is now a union in Christ that provides an entirely new identity. “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). If Christ is a vine, you are a branch that has been grafted into the vine and made inseparable from it (John 15:5). You are no longer who you were. You are a new creation, remade in the image of Christ. You are justified, you are adopted, you are holy. In your salvation you have been transformed so that your deepest identity, your eternal identity, is not Satan’s

You were under the dominion of Satan, a slave to sin and unrighteousness (Romans 6:20). But no longer. By putting your faith in Christ you have been liberated from sin’s authority. “We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin” (Romans 6:6-7). Not only that, but you have been indwelled by the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 4:8) who gives you the power to not sin, to instead joyfully choose righteousness. The only power sin has is the power you give it when you refuse to take hold of the sin-crushing strength of the Holy Spirit. Never fail to remind your sin that it has no authority over you.

The third thing to speak to your temptation is this: You over-promise and under-deliver! Sin always promises so much and always delivers so little. Just think of what sin promised Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:4-5) and what it actually

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even half an eye open you cannot miss the vast chasm between what sin offers and what it delivers. If you read your life The only power with even a hint of sin has is the honesty you will see power you give that same vast it when you chasm. Sin promises joy but brings pain, refuse to take sin promises hold of the happiness but sincrushing brings shame, sin strength of the promises life but brings death, sin Holy Spirit. promises freedom but brings guilt, sin promises heaven but brings hell. It is always, always a lie. The temptation to sin is inevitable when you are a sinful person living in a sinful world. But the actual committing of sin is by no means inevitable when you are made a saint through Christ Jesus. Learn to speak truth, his truth, to every temptation.

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because Christians never give up Oklahoma adopts law designed to create ‘an abortionfree society’

(WNS)--This November, Oklahoma residents will start seeing state-sponsored, pro-life messages. Gov. Mary Fallin signed The Humanity of the Unborn Child Act on June 6, with the goal of moving the state toward “an abortion-free society,” according to the bill. The new law requires the State Department of Health to develop and distribute educational material about babies developing in the womb and maintain on its website “a comprehensive list” of agencies and services that help women through pregnancy and childbirth. The material must be geared toward helping women through pregnancy and promoting adoption instead of abortion. The health department website also will include this statement: “There are many public and private agencies willing and able to help you carry your child to term and assist you and your child after your child is born, whether you choose to keep your child or to place him or her for adoption. The State of Oklahoma strongly urges you to contact them if you are pregnant.” The health department must also create “materials designed to provide accurate, scientifically verifiable information concerning the child at two-week gestational intervals.” The material will show pictures of developing babies inside the womb, and public service announcements will “clearly and consistently teach that abortion kills a living human being.” In addition, the new law requires the State Department of Education to cooperate. Oklahoma’s high schoolers will soon learn about the stages of a baby’s development under a program the Department of Education must create. Tony Lauinger, director of Oklahomans for Life, said the education program is a key part of the law. “When young people have a good understanding—in advance—of the

The law forbids any program or state employee from referring pregnant students to abortion providers. The law takes effect Nov. 1. editor’s note: Interesting... Hillary wants to make America a FREE abortions society where no one should have to pay for such a terrible inconvienance.

Missouri appeals court considers the rights of frozen human embryos by Kiley Crossland (WNS)--Another divorced couple went to court last week to fight over the remains of their shattered marriage, but their disagreement involves more than the typical tug-of-war over furniture and houses. The Missouri Court of Appeals must determine whether the couple’s frozen embryos are property or human beings with rights. A lower court declared the embryos the couple’s joint property, and ruled both the mother and father must agree to any action involving them. But the appeal, filed by the mother who wants to implant the embryos against the father’s will, has rallied support from pro-life organizations that argue the embryos are human beings with rights. They contend any decision relating to the embryos, like all decisions relating to children in divorce proceedings, should be based on what is in their best interest. The couple, Jalesia McQueen, 44, and Justin Gadberry, 34, created four embryos through in vitro fertilization while they were married. They had two embryos implanted immediately and McQueen gave birth to twin boys, now 8. The other two embryos remained frozen. In 2010, McQueen and Gadberry signed an agreement stating that if they divorced, the embryos would go to McQueen. But Gadberry now says he does not want more children, and his attorney is arguing that “forced procreation” is unconstitutional.

“The implantation of the embryo in the uterus of a woman—that’s procreation,” said Tim Schlesinger, Gadberry’s attorney, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “My client does not want to be forced to have additional children with his ex-wife. They have two children. He does not want to go through the emotional, financial, psychological, and irrevocable consequences of having more children. He shouldn’t be forced to do that.” Gadberry said he is willing to donate the embryos for research, put them up for adoption, or have them destroyed.

WORLD NEWS SERVICE

by Samantha Gobba

development and humanity of the unborn child, they are much less likely to view abortion as an acceptable ‘solution’ to an unwanted pregnancy,” Lauinger said.

A lower family court judge agreed with Gadberry in 2015. St. Louis County Family Court Commissioner Victoria McKee decided the embryos are “marital property” and gave the couple joint custody, requiring them to agree on any action. She said their previously signed agreement is not legally binding, and that giving them to McQueen against Gadberry’s will would violate his right not to reproduce, placing an emotional burden on the parents and the twins. Under McKee’s ruling, as long as Gadberry refuses, McQueen cannot implant the embryos. But McQueen, who has named the embryos Noah and Genesis, believes they have a right to life. She reached out to several prolife advocacy groups for assistance in her appeal. A few of them, including Missouri Right to Life and the Thomas More Society, filed an amicus brief on her behalf, arguing the embryos’ most basic right is the right to be born: “No other right is of any avail if a human being is not around to invoke it.” “Husbands and wives can divide up their property however they want,” Thomas Olp of the Thomas More Society told The New York Times. “But embryos are living beings, so the legal standard has to be what’s in their best interest.” This case is one of many involving the custody of frozen embryos. A public battle for frozen embryos between TV-star Sofia Vergara and her ex-fiancé Nick Loeb is still pending. Courts have previously sided most often with the party who does not want to have the embryos implanted. The Missouri Court of Appeals is not expected to issue its ruling for several months.

VOL.12 #3 | WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM

unthinkable

WORLD NEWS SERVICE

California Lawmaker: Christian Colleges Must Drop View of Gender, Sexuality New state bill would force faithbased schools to drop biblical definitions or face discrimination lawsuits

Independent California Colleges and Universities, supports transparency but continues to press for the exemption. Thirty-four of the 78 schools AICCU represents would be affected by the bill should it become law.

federal funding. The term “sex,” according to the Obama administration, now includes gender identity. Unable to affirm that interpretation, Christian schools across the nation that had not requested a Title IX waiver in decades sought new relief.

SB 1146 passed the state Senate on May 26. The state Assembly postponed its vote until next week—an encouraging sign, Soares said. She met with Lara on June 10 in an ongoing effort to convince the senator to amend the bill to keep the exemption in place for all faith-based schools. She said convincing Lara, who is gay, of the significant role religious freedom plays in the operation and mission of faith-based schools has been her main talking point.

Eighteen months after applying for its first exemption in 31 years, Biola University is still waiting on a response from the U.S. Department of Education. Wilhite said Biola wants the freedom to care for all students as the Bible, not the U.S. Department of Education, dictates.

by Bonnie Pritchett (WNS)--A bill pending in the California legislature seeks to strip faith-based colleges and universities of the centuriesold tradition of interweaving academics with religious doctrine. SB 1146 would force Christian schools to relinquish their fidelity to Scripture as a distinguishing characteristic of their institutions or risk lawsuits for religious and sexual discrimination. The state’s Equity in Higher Education Act (EHEA) prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and religion. The new bill removes its exemption for faith-based schools. State Sen. Ricardo Lara, a Democrat, authored the bill and called the exemption a “loophole” and a “license to discriminate.” If passed, only seminaries would be eligible for the exemption. Opponents argue the impetus for drafting SB 1146 is a baseless presumption of widespread and systemic discrimination against LGBT students on Christian campuses. The emotionally charged allegation stands in contrast to the bill’s threat to constitutionally protected religious liberty and indicates an ignorance of the role faithbased schools play in a pluralistic society. “We are not willing to forego our biblical and covenantal convictions regardless of what laws are passed,” William Jessup University President John Jackson told me. “Jessup continues to believe we are to submit to Scripture and operate in accordance with the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights that includes the First Amendment providing for freedom of press, association, and religion.” Another provision of the California bill would require schools receiving a Title IX waiver to disclose that information to the California Student Aid Commission, students, and staff. Kristen Soares, president of the Association of

“[Religion] is infused in the entire institution. You can’t parse it out,” Soares said. “You can’t draw a line down the middle and say this part is religious and this is not.” According to Soares, Lara said he does not want his legislation to penalize students who want to attend faith-based schools. But SB 1146 does just that by denying schools their constitutionally afforded right to inextricably link academics and doctrine, she said. The bill also conflicts with the guaranteed free exercise of religion afforded by the California and U.S. constitutions. “There’s a disconnect,” said Lee Wilhite, a Biola University spokesman. “To deny students the opportunity to come to a distinctly faith-based school—that’s not right.” According to a five-page statement drafted by Biola, SB 1146 “would change the face of Christian higher education in California as we know it today.” The bill is a solution in search of a problem, Wilhite said. But Lara cites as evidence to the contrary an increase in the number of universities and colleges requesting exemption from Title IX compliance in the past three years. In 2014, President Barack Obama drastically altered the meaning of the 1972 federal legislation prohibiting sex-based discrimination by any school receiving

WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM | VOL.12 #3

Biola students who are same-sex attracted and committed to living by the school’s biblical position on human sexuality meet with designated staff members who support students in those efforts, Wilhite said. About 420 miles to the north, WJU students are similarly exhorted to live according to the biblical covenant they voluntarily sign at admittance. “When we have students who struggle with any issue, including human sexuality, we humbly and with great grace encourage our students to live in submission to the word of God under the power of the Holy Spirit,” Jackson said.

buy the house below By His Grace n this day and age, many people are filled with worry about their future. They live stressed out, wondering, “What’s going to happen if I get laid off?” “How am I going to handle it if my loved one doesn’t make it?” Or, “My parents are getting older. How can I take care of them and my own family at the same time?” Here is the answer: God’s grace is going to be there at every stage of your life to help you do whatever you need to do. God’s grace is what saves us, but that’s not all. His grace is His enabling power. His grace will give you the strength, wisdom and favor to accomplish what you could not normally accomplish on your own. His grace is sufficient for whatever you need in your future.

If you’re in a difficult marriage, if you’re raising a child that’s hard,

if you’re facing a sickness, one thing you can count on is that the grace of God will be there. Receive it today by faith, and let Him empower you to walk through the difficulty into a place of victory in Jesus’ name!

A Prayer for Today “Father, thank You for Your grace and mercy upon my life. Thank You for empowering me to rise above every obstacle. I trust that You are moving me forward into the victory You have for me in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

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DR. HILL’S Secret to Improving Brain Function!! Most chiropractors don’t even know this information!! I believe every person should have an understanding of this 2007 study from the “Journal of Neurophysiology”(3). In this study Drs. Heidi Haavik and Bernadette Murphy clearly show that a cervical spinal adjustment (ON PATIENTS WITH NO PAIN) influences the cortical brain and can create neuroplastic changes in the brain tissue. THIS IS HUGE! There are counselors and emotional modification programs that cannot create neuroplastic changes in the brain over months and months of therapy like one single chiropractic adjustment can. I believe the best part of this study is that the subjects receiving adjustments DID NOT have neck pain but had confirmed vertebral subluxation. (In other words....subluxation is not about pain!) How many of the people in our community need to know that subluxation (interference in the nervous system from a malfunctioning portion of the spine) creates abnormal brain physiology without causing any known symptoms? The adjustment they received had a direct influence on sensory input and resulted in attenuated brain cortical evoked responses. This means it changed their brain for the better! It was noted that “enhanced active inhibition” of the sympathetic nervous system tone occurred in ALL post-adjustment measurements! The other cool thing it proved was that it clearly wasn’t a placebo effect or just “laying on of hands”. One group was set up for an adjustment but the high velocity low amplitude thrust was not made and this group had NO cortical neuroplastic change. The bottom line here is that the vertebral subluxation leads to a bombardment to the Central Nervous System with afferent signals from joints and surrounding muscles. A chiropractic adjustment reduces excessive signals and improves altered input into the CNS, resulting in better adaptation to any internal or external input the brain perceives. Know this.... How to improve brain adaptability is one of the most important areas of study today in all of healthcare. And NOBODY EFFECTS IT LIKE THE POWER OF A CHIROPRACTIC ADJUSTMENT! It has been proven that abnormal posture has a destructive impact on your health! This was a study published in the reputable Medical Journal of SPINE in 2005 and was done by a team of all Medical Doctors headed up by Dr. Steven Glassman. They measured posture in 752 subjects from the sagittal

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HEALTH TIP plane using full-spine x-rays. Their findings were ASTONISHING!! Even minor forward head posture was shown to be detrimental. From breathing and heart rate, to pain and disability, all health markers that were measured worsened as the posture deviations increased. Chiropractic adjustments help to restore posture by improving motion and spinal integrity which improves afferent input into the spinal cord and brain, thus, allowing the body to comprehend and balance itself better in relation to gravity. A chiropractic adjustment removes interference to the nerve system and improves brain function. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ALL ABOUT THE NERVOUS SYSTEM and Chiropractors are one of the only DOCTORS addressing this! Also noted in these studies is that chiropractic adjustments improve the CNS function while producing brain changes and better overall health with patients that had confirmed subluxation but NO PAIN! This shows us why every human should be checked and adjusted if necessary throughout life by a chiropractor regardless of symptoms. This is why myself, my family, my team, and 1,000â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s of chiropractic patients get their spine and nervous system checked regularly whether they have pain or symptoms.

Here are the Take-Aways from the scientific research studies: 1) There is no way to be healthy without a healthy spine. 2) There is no way to know if you

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have a healthy spine unless you have it checked, regardless of pain or symptoms. 3) The health of your body is dependent on the health of your spine. 4) These are reasons (backed by science) that you and everyone in your family should have a Chiropractor from birth to death. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t miss out on one of the most important pieces of your health puzzle! You deserve to know what is

It's the "Good ol' Summertime!" It's a great season to get inspired to do fun and active things with our family and friends. Our family loves to create a "Bucket List" of activities to accomplish during the summer. Examples are: Doing a Family Hike and Pic Nic, Swimming, Running a 5K Color Run, Taking a Bike Ride Adventure, Having a Neighborhood Cook Out and Kickball Tournament, and Making Pottery! Our "Bucket List" helps us to stay active while making memories that

necessary for you to be healthy! Most people are aware of the many things that can improve health (diet, exercise etc.) But what most are unaware of is this: you can have no pain, spend your whole life eating well and being physically fit and STILL not be healthy! So, how do you know if you have a health problem with your spine or nervous system? We want to give you the opportunity now through July 31 st to come into our office and have your spine and nervous system evaluated at 50% off! We have NASA certified technology to measure the health and function of your nerves. And our advanced postural equipment will determine the chiropractic care necessary to improve your health and quality of life. When you are ready to see how we can help you function better and reach your full GodÂ given potential, give us a call at 417Â339Â3978. We have the technology and the team ready to serve you!

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truly last a lifetime! Exercising and having fun relieves stress too, so you just can't beat this winning combination! In John 10:10 Jesus says, "The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." So what would make your "Bucket List?" I encourage you to create one and live your life to the full! This summer is a great time to start!! Carolyn Hill is passionate about worshiping Jesus and serving with her husband, Dr. Jerod Hill. Together they encourage and equip people to reach their full potential in đ&#x;&#x2019;&#x2014; Christ. Carolyn is also passionate about being a wife and a mother to two boys â?¤

VOL.12 #3 | WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM

By Susan Stamper Brown

as the Spirit leads

CENSORSHIP IS MORE DANGEROUS THAN HATE SPEECH Hajo de Reijger / Cagle Cartoons

ual wire was guesswork. It was even conceivable that they watched everybody all the time. But any rate, they could plug in your wire whenever they wanted to. You had to live — did live, from habit that became instinct — in the assumption that

omeone needs to tell Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft, YouTube and the European Union that the only way to stop a bad guy’s speech is to counter it with a good guy’s speech, not censor it. Recently, the internet giants took on the role of internet speech police when they agreed to monitor and combat so called “hate speech” for the EU. No word on how they define hate speech.

I suspect the whole EU hate speech argument is less about preventing terrorist attacks, as they propose, and more about culling criticism of their immigration and refugee policies. Oh, the hypocrisy of those who brag about their “open-mindedness” in one breath and cry about censorship in the next. The only acceptable speech is that which is pleasing to their ears or palatable to their particular ideology, while supporting the prosecution of people for their personal opinions or religious beliefs, especially if those opinions and beliefs do not fall in line with theirs. It sure sounds an awful lot like totalitarianism to me. It takes you back to a quote from George Orwell’s novel, “Nineteen Eighty-Four.” “There was of course no way of knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment. How often, or on what system, the Thought Police plugged in on any individ-

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every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every movement scrutinized.” Here in the U.S., the First Amendment covers all speech. Yes, folks, even hate speech. Speakers shouldn’t be banned from universities unless a university’s intention is to ban free thought. The same goes for talking about climate change, Californians. And what the Bible says about marriage, liberals. It’s pretty telling that you rarely find conservatives, known for their deep respect for free speech, charging liberals with “Constitutionphobia” or “Christianphobia” or “babyphobia” or whatever phobia might be applied to those with whom they disagree.

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WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM | VOL.12 #3

The way I see it, the dangers of censorship far outweigh the dangers of hate speech. Even still, we march closer to it every time we bend a knee to political correctness. You don’t have to live in a totalitarian state to be controlled by totalitarianism. We’re not there yet, but we’re sure headed in that direction. If we believe in the right to free speech, we also must believe in the right to offend. That means that building a wall isn’t xenophobia. Believing in traditional marriage is not homophobia. And fundamentally disagreeing with President Obama’s policies is by no means racism. By the way, the Bible is pro-free speech too. But, it’s also about accountability. Jesus said in Matthew 12:36 that “every careless word” we speak we will “give an accounting for it in the day of judgment.” So maybe we should occupy our time considering our own words rather than censoring others’. ——©2016 Susan Stamper Brown Susan lives in Alaska and writes about culture, politics and current events. She was selected as one of America’s 50 Best Conservative writers for 2015. Her columns are syndicated by Cagle Cartoons.com. Contact her by Facebook or at writestamper@gmail.com.

If the Arabs layed down their arms today, there would be peace in the Middle East. If Israel layed down their arms today, there would be no more Israel. -Benjamin Netanyahu

CrossWord Answers to Page 27

Why I Am Insecure— and Want My Wife to Pay for It

The simple answer is “I learned it.” The more complex answer is that it continues to work for me. I learned it from my family of origin: recovering from my parents’ divorce without any emotional processing, we turned on each other—survival of the ost of us learned to develop fittest, or survival of the meanest. I defensive structures and strategies developed a sharp wit and a mean bite. It to protect ourselves from painful protected me, kept me safe from harm. It situations and relationships in our past. But also still works for me. If I can defend my what happens when those defenses emerge insecurity from my wife, then I won’t feel years later, in the midst of intimate exposed. One of the greatest fears for an relationships with close, trusted others? insecure man is exposure of what we most Here, Andrew Bauman writes about how want to hide and protect. We want to hide intimacy and vulnerability invite him into a our futility, our powerlessness, and our new way of being, one marked more by young tender places within our souls, courage and goodness than by insecurity unconsciously thinking that if these places and defensiveness. were exposed we So, I’m invisible to you would be less likely to When you come from a now? Cool. I always be loved. Rather the broken home, broken feels opposite is true: the like home. Chaos is the wanted a super power! more we expose our norm and normal feels like innermost chaos. How do we fight vulnerabilities in back? Those of us who trusting relationship, the more have made such home in others are drawn to our goodness. dysfunction? I know for me I have no idea, which is It happens most in our most why I write, to try and intimate relationships because we unwind ways of being that know that our partners see right no longer serve me. through us, they know our truest

by Andrew Bauman

One such way of being is my insecure defensive posture when I am confronted with any sort of critique or something that even smells a bit like it. My guard immediately goes up and I stop any form of impact from being made on me. This shows up most in my own marriage. The irony of marriage is that Christy (my wife) gets the very worst and the very best of who I am. The very heights of heaven and the depth of hell all bound within one relationship. There are times she will ask me, “Would you mind picking up your clothes?” or “Would you mind cleaning the kitchen?” and many times my default is to attack— not physically but, much worse, emotionally. “Well I did take out the trash, take the kids to school, make breakfast…” My justifications go on and on. I already have my guard up. I am already unconsciously looking for a fight. Why? Why do I do that? I actually don’t want to be mean to my wife, I like her (most days I really do), but why do I return to a young way of being?

self. My unconscious fear is being revealed by my wife who already comprehends my deepest insecurities. I choose to defend rather than have the courage to be scared in front of her. To be vulnerable with her about my fears of not being enough, or not having what it takes to love her or be a good father. The irony of this process is that I defend most where I need love most. These vulnerable places inside of me are the very places that need tenderness, love, and deep care. What I find when I lean into those raw places is that I am actually more terrified to be loved well. It is easier for me to push her away than receive her holy love for my tender places within. I defend most where I need love most. So back to the how question. How do I (and maybe we) stop reenacting this insecure defensive way of being? A few categories come to mind:

Awareness & Vulnerability A new awareness starts by asking yourself the tough questions and beginning to tell yourself the truth of who you have become in light of your own story. When I feel

myself beginning to defend, I must stop and ask, “What am I defending right now? What am I scared of? Do I trust who I am with right now enough to show my heart instead of my anger?” If I can center myself back into what is true, I can begin to create a new way of being that is rooted in courage and vulnerability.

Blessing As I learn to let my defenses go, I first must bless the way my defenses have saved me and served me. I must bless my story. “Thank you, sharp wit and defensive posture, you have kept me safe from harm and injustice. I am now safe, and an adult, and no longer need you to protect me, as I can now protect myself.” When we bless our insecurities and defense mechanisms, we can find the strength to release them.

Developing a New Way of Being A new way of being must take the old one’s place. You must practice this new centered, non-defensive posture with kindness and grace toward yourself. As Malcolm Gladwell says, it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become a professional at anything. It is no different with new ways of being; you spent your entire life living out of your old way, and it will take time for a new way of being to emerge. As I become more aware, choose vulnerability, bless, and step into a new way of being, I can love with deeper hope and a richer courage. I know I will still fall into old patterns. I actually responded defensively again to my wife last night as I was reading aloud this article on “overcoming my defensiveness.” Geez… Yet I am confident that as I have the bravery to name and bring my own sin to light, glory and goodness will soon follow.

Andrew Bauman is a licensed mental health counselor. He holds a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology from The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology and is currently working on his Doctorate degree from Northeastern University. Andrew is married to Christy Bauman, who is also a therapist, and they have three beautiful children, Brave, Wilder, and Selah. You can find his work at andrewjbauman.com and

collectivehopecounseling.com

ask the rabbi

What is "Mikvah"?

Besides these, there are other times when it is customary to be immersed in the mikveh such as the occasion before Yom Kippur as a sign of purity and repentance and before the Sabbath in order to sensitize oneself to the holiness of the day. To the ancient Jew, the mikveh was a process of spiritual purification and cleansing, especially in relation to the various types of Turmah or ritual defilement when the Temple was in use. Although God has not revealed all the meaning of the mikveh, it is obvious because of the amount

of space given to it in Scripture, and the effort of Yeshua (Jesus) to fulfill it, the command is of utmost importance. Whatever religious denomination, all believers should agree that immersion has its roots in the Jewish mikveh of Yeshua's day, and it is of utmost importance for each of us to fulfill this righteous deed.

To contact Jeremy for ministry in your congregation, for a radio or television interview or other special event, or for information on his albums or teachings, please call or email:

Reprinted from: Israel Today

1. Immersion is required for both men and

women when converting to Judaism. There were three prerequisites for a proselyte coming into Judaism: Circumcision, baptism, and sacrifice. 2. Immersion is required after a woman has her monthly period. 3. Immersion is required for pots and eating utensils manufactured by a nonJew.

WITH RABBI JEREMY STORCH

The term Mikveh in Hebrew literally means any gathering of waters, but is specifically used in Jewish law for the waters or bath for the ritual immersion. The building of the mikveh was so important in ancient times it was said to take precedence over the construction of a synagogue. Immersion was so important that it occurred before the high Priest conducted the service on the Day of Atonement, before the regular priests participated in the Temple service, before each person entered the Temple complex, before a scribe wrote the name of God, as well as several other occasions. According to Jewish law there are three basic areas where immersion in the mikveh is required.

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VOL.12 #3 | WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM

empathy without enabling

Mascots and Manipulators Responding to the transgender debate with truth and love ince the Obama administration directed public schools to allow students to use the bathroom of their choice; withholding of federal funds could be the prod for schools that don’t fall in line. How might Christians think through the transgender issue?

BY MARVIN OLASKY

A generation ago some conservatives sneered at “welfare queens” and some liberals made them all heroines. Both generalizations were wrong. A similar problem is evident today in discussion of the much smaller minority known as “transgendered.” To some conservatives they are perverts, and that’s the end of the discussion. To some liberals they are nature’s nobility. A Christian perspective is different from both. Genesis 1:27 states, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” In the next chapter Adam looks at Eve and says, “Bone of my bones, flesh of my flesh.” Chapter 2 ends, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.” That’s it. Everything’s great. That’s the end of the Bible, right? Not exactly. Chapter 3 describes the Fall and its terrible consequences: “Cursed is the ground … pain … sweat … you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Physical disease. Psychological disease. Things aren’t right. In looking at anyone, including ourselves, we need to keep in mind both Genesis 1-2 and Genesis 3: We are all made in God’s image. We are all sinners. For a small number of humans, one aftereffect of Genesis 3 is gender dysphoria, a profound state of depression about one’s God-given sex, either male or female. To grasp that particular effect of original sin, visit the “asktransgender” subreddit of Reddit[.com], which with 83 billion page views last year is one of the most visited U.S. websites. One afternoon’s comments

included this one: “I’ve been crying all morning. A friend posted a candid picture of me and all I see is the horrible man I can’t escape. … This is never ever going away even after years and years of hormones. I want to die … why can’t I just disappear?” And this comment: “I feel absolutely like I am a woman stuck in a man’s body, and I spend a lot of time thinking and reading about transitioning. I occasionally have these insidious doubts. … I’ve had anxiety since childhood and struggled with depression through my teen years … What if these thoughts of being trans are just me trying to escape from these problems? ... Maybe I just want a fresh start, and this is the most extreme way of getting that?” And this comment: “I want to look like a girl. I never could. My body’s an inverted triangle shape. … My feet are size 12. … People say ‘suicide is never the answer,’ but I need to know WHY it’s not the answer. Because as far as I can see, it is. That, or I get some bolt of inspiration from God. … I pray every night. I don’t even know who to or what for. Because I need something to change.” Should the rest of us who aren’t mixed up in this particular way (we’re all mixed up in some way) be trans-despising or trans-phobic? No: The joys God designed in making us male and female, and letting us unite in marriage, are so great that we should be sad regarding anyone who doesn’t have them. Our battle is not with depressed transgenders but with those who make them “mascots”—to use Thomas Sowell’s expression about liberal use of poor people—and put them on display. (Sowell: “The problem with being a mascot is that you are a symbol of someone else’s significance or virtue. The actual well-being of a mascot is not the point.”) Here’s one comment I ran across on Reddit last year: “I’m transgender. … Countless trans people tell me and others … the only reason we feel badly about ourselves is be-

WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM | VOL.12 #3

cause of how cis [non-transgender] people judge us. I knew my body was screwed up before I even knew what the term cis meant. … Whenever I go to support groups or LGBT events I’m always lumped in with people who hate non-trans people, want to break down all of the oppressive systems around them, and frankly just want to be seen. The thing is, I don’t want to be seen. I don’t want to be a femme genderqueer trans boi. I just wanna be a normal guy.” Since it’s now a legal requirement in New York City to address a person with the pronoun and title the person wants, here are two more relevant Reddit comments: “I’m trans … and I have never met anyone who says … ‘fight the cistem’ or insists upon flavour of the month makey-upey pronouns, or tells anyone else the only reason we feel bad about our bodies is cis people.” And, “I knew a genderqueer couple that required you use rotating pronouns for them. (xe, she, he, xis, his, her) I just said ‘they’ or didn’t talk to them. … Most trans people just want to live … and not turn everything into a battle.” When Christians enter into bathroom use debates, we should distinguish be tween those building careers as transgender activists by deliberately re belling against God’s order, and those who resent mascot treatment and merely want to find a way to minimize their soultearing misery. Strugglers should be shown the love of Christ. Agitators for whom “equality” is not an end-state but an industry—and, sadly, perhaps even a religion—also need compassion, in the form of truth delivered in love. All of them, like all of us, need God, and we reduce the possibility of their finding Him if we react to the “We win, you lose” demands of media-designated spokespeople merely by shouting back, “No—we win, you lose.” Wise policymakers will look for ways to make bathrooms safe for children and adults. We’ll report on their efforts. Dr. Marvin Olasky is a former atheist and Marxist. He is editorinchief of WORLD Mag azine, the author of more than 20 books, in cluding Fighting for Liberty and Virtue and The Tragedy of American Compassion, and is a distinguished chair in journalism and public policy at Patrick Henry College. He has been married since 1976 to writer Susan Olasky, and they have four sons and one granddaughter.

a horrifing discovery in my youth that was so powerful I actually referred to myself as “John the beloved”.

recently had a horrifying experience. I had been struck with the excruciating attack of a kidney stone about four weeks before a large charity event for which our team had been preparing for many months. The pain sidelined me to bed for a several weeks and I finally had to go to the emergency room in the middle of the night. I don’t do doctors. I know the Great Physician. At least I thought I did.

Even in my foolish times. I moved away from Him far too many times to mention but I had NEVER felt His deliberate withdrawing from me.

C.S. Lewis once said that pain is God’s megaphone. Well, He had my attention. The physical pain was unbearable (before the morphine kicked in) but not nearly as devastating as the very real presence of the Holy Spirit leaving me in my greatest need. I don’t mean that I just didn’t feel God’s presence but it was something on the human plane as “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” The Aramaic words Jesus said on the cross when the Holy Spirit departed from Him and He no longer felt his Heavenly Father’s presence. Since I was 10 years old I had always felt His presence. He delivered a miracle to me

The darkness and emptiness cannot be described in human communications. Tongues could have but that was absent and unavailable as well. It was so frightening that it completely overshadowed my physical pain. I had this all consuming belief that God was dead. My God had died! What about the scripture in Romans that God will never forsake or depart from me?

from the void that used to be occupied by His Spirit. I received no such blessing. For many days afterwars I was numb, hollow and vacant of spiritual connection. Then in the middle of the night He broke His silence. He finally spoke to me. “My son, you are my John the beloved one. You are right when you said your God died.

BY JOHN G. SACOULAS

God had abandoned me!

He had to die. You had to kill him off. You see, over the years you created Me in your image and eventually you worshipped a false God. You became a tyrant like someone foolishly summoning a Genie to do your bidding. I was so kind to you for so long that you presumed upon my Grace and then demanded it. You wanted me to do your bidding. That is not who I am.

It was an abyss.

Let’s start over. Let’s begin to date again and get to know each other with an honest and a true intimacy. I promise you, I will not disappoint.”

Some of my Job-like friends insisted I was mistaken. God will not leave us. They spouted the same scriptures that I was frantically reminding God He promised

I instantly was filled with the discovery that I indeed loved a God that I might have well fashioned out of wood. My vain and selfish attempt to mold Him into my own likeness.

My friends insisted that I was the one that moved away from God.

I apostolized to Him and am now building a relationship not an image of Him. God really abhors idol worship.

Really? I was begging God no longer for relief from physical pain but rather relief

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Infant Vision Your baby has a whole lifetime to see and learn. But did you know your baby also has to learn to see? As a parent, there are many things that you can do to help your baby’s vision develop. When your baby is about six months, you should take him to your doctor of optometry for his first thorough eye examination. Things that the optometrist will test for include excessive or unequal amounts of nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, lack of eye movement ability, as well as other eye health problems. These problems are not common, but it is important to identify children who have them at this stage. Vision development and eye health problems can be more easily corrected if treatment is begun early.

VOL.12 #3 | WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM