61st edition christian lifestyles 7 17

A Biblical View of Patriotism

Christian Lifestyles

The Newsletter Celebrating Christian Life in Your Community

July, 2017 Volume 6, Issue 2

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What Does The Bible Say About Patriotism God has placed us, our first love is Jesus. We are to give him our entire lives—body and soul.

“So many people have great affection—even pride—for the place they live. Often, all other peoples and places are found lacking in comparison.

Others love their country, but have anxiety and fear about the direction they see their governments heading.

However, God has put us under our nation’s authority: ‘Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God’ (Romans 13:13). It is true that Christ has freed us, but our freedom is for ‘living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor’ (1 Peter 2:16-17).

Finally, some have never had a sense of belonging, a sense We are created by God, so we give ourselves to him beof home. They feel disconnected from the people and places fore and above anything else. This does not mean that we sit around them. But, what does Scripture say about how we idly by without any interaction with our government. It should feel and react to the land where God has put us? means that we work for God in our nation, with his will and law being our ultimate goal. John Piper summed up this prinAll nations are set up by God for the purposes of God. He makes nations great, and he destroys them; he enlarges ciple wonderfully on his blog: nations, and leads them away. (Job 12:23) While it can be a source of pride to live in a nation that ‘government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth,’ we must always remember that every country, nation, or government on earth is first and foremost by God and for God. He brings them into being, uses them for his divine plan, and then replaces them.

There are many examples of this in the Old Testament. God used Assyria to punish Israel for its disobedience; then God used Babylon to destroy Assyria for its sin. God had Babylon invade Judah as a punishment for Judah’s sin; then God raised up Persia to punish Babylon. It is God who orders these things. Nations only exist and act to further the sovereign will of God. All nations will bow before Christ.

When you know that all is God’s, then anything you render to Caesar you will render for God’s sake. Any authority you ascribe to Caesar you will ascribe to him for the sake of God’s greater authority. Any obedience you render to Caesar you will render for the sake of the obedience you owe first to God. Any claim Caesar makes on you, you test by the infinitely higher claim God has on you. Rendering to Caesar is limited and defined by rendering to God. As followers of Christ, we are not of this world.

And a scribe came up and said to him, ‘Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.’ And Jesus said to him, ’Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’ (Matthew 8:19-21). As followers of Christ, it is normal to feel disconnected from where we live. Jesus had no true home here on earth, and we should expect the same. We may have a desire to claim some kinship with the place we were born, but we are really ‘sojourners and exiles’ (1 Peter 2:11), living in a land no longer ours. Our responsibility now is to ‘keep [our] conduct… honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation’ (1 Peter 2:12).

Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11). Regardless of the level of power or influence of any nation or people, everyone will bow before Jesus Christ. All will be humbled, and ‘every tongue shall swear allegiance’ (Isaiah As followers of Christ, our home is with God. 45:23). Jesus is the King of all the earth; our allegiance should But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savbe to him. ior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him All nations will be terminated by God. Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heav- even to subject all things to himself (Philippians 3:20-21). en and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no When Christ became our Savior, we renounced our citizenmore (Revelation 21:1). At the end of days, everything we ship in any nation. All the world is now a foreign land; we know will die, and God will make a new heaven and a new cannot take pride in its triumphs, but we can take hope when earth. When this happens ‘the former things shall not be re- it falters. God works in the world for his purposes, and he has made us his own. We are a ‘chosen race, a royal priestmembered or come into mind’ (Isaiah 65:17). hood, a holy nation, a people for [God’s] own possession’ (1 We won’t give a thought to where we were born in this life, Peter 2:9). as the new earth will easily eclipse it in glory.

We are ambassadors for Christ here but a short time, and As followers of Christ, our first loyalty is always to God. then we will be in heaven with Jesus, our true and eternal ‘Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and home.” to God the things that are God’s’ (Matthew 22:21). Wherever http://unlockingthebible.org/biblical-view-of-patriotism/

Disciples of Christ—Not Today’s Religious Patriots

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and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’”

John 15:18-26 “Jesus concludes in John16:4 by saying, ‘I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you.’

“The way Jesus states this verse makes clear that future persecution is a certainty, not merely a possibility. Jesus spoke these words to prepare His disciples for inevitable persecution. Rather than destroy their faith, persecutions The World Hates the Disciples had the potential of deepening the disciples’ trust, if they “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If remembered Jesus’ prediction. you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of Over the course of His earthly ministry, persecution intenthe world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I sified. By the time Jesus died and raised, persecution was at told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they per- an all-time high. This type of persecution has continued in secuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my many parts of the world today. Undoubtedly, intense perseteaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way cution is coming to the United States, most likely in our lifebecause of my name, for they do not know the one who sent time, certainly within our children’s lifetime. me.

We always must remember the words of Jesus and guard If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be ourselves from growing spiritually soft. If we don’t strengthguilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoev- en ourselves, we will be swept under the tidal wave of perer hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among secution. So be bold, be strong, and trust Christ. It’s better them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of to be loved than liked!” excerpts from https://bible.org/ sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me

seriespage/9-how-handle-hate-john-1518-164

Overwhelmed With God’s Grace and Mercy Gives Us Hope “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.”

Ephesians 1:13-14 Heavenly Father, what a blessed morning this is--sitting beside a roaring fire pit, on a chilly morning, among the Redwoods of California, lingering under the waterfall of your grace--pouring down on my heart from the high cliffs of grace in the book of Ephesians. It’s hard to stand up to the yond our wildest dreams, imagining, and asking. rush of so much glory and grace, peace and love, encour- There’ll be no rejecting and disinheriting your chilagement and hope. It’s simply overwhelming. dren. Nothing will deter, distract, or sabotage you from Reading through this one little epistle, alone, we discover bringing to completion of the good work you’ve begun in that we've been loved before the foundation of the world; us, and in your entire cosmos. This floods our hearts with chosen in Christ and called in life; justified by faith and de- peace and joy, and worship and adoration of you. clared righteous in your sight; adopted by Abba, Father and betrothed to Jesus, our Savior; sealed, indwelt and gifted by the Holy Spirit; placed in your church and given a family.

What a generous God you are, alone worthy of all that we have and are.

Father, continue to "rip and grip" our hearts with the gospel of your grace. Let us be a people who live to the praise of your glory, and the fame of your name. What else is worthy of our affection and adoration, than the gospel? What else could we possibly want to do with the rest of our lives...

In Christ, you’ve given us a completely forgiven past, a and throughout eternity? present standing in grace, and a future of unimaginable So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ merciful and mighty wonder. But what really encourages me today is to realize, name.” yet again, that all of this heavenly goodness is guaranteed. excerpts from https://blogs.thegospelcoalition.org/ You’ve “sealed the deal” by the Holy Spirit. You’ve given us scottysmith/2017/05/21/overwhelmed-withthe down payment, first fruits, and promise of a future begods-mercy-grace-and-hope/

Giants Are Not What T

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“A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span. He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him.

him what they had been saying and told him, ‘This is what will be done for the man who kills him.’ When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, ‘Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.’

‘Now what have I done?’ said David. ‘Can’t I even speak?’ He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before. What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, and Saul sent for him. David said to Saul, ‘Let no one lose heart on account of this PhilisGoliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, ‘Why do you tine; your servant will go and fight him.’ Saul replied, ‘You are come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.’ down to me. If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become But David said to Saul, ‘Your servant has been keeping his your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will be- father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a come our subjects and serve us.’ Then the Philistine said, ‘This sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the day I defy the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its each other.’ On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the liIsraelites were dismayed and terrified. on and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one Now David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse, who of them, because he has defied the armies of the living was from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons, and in God. The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and Saul’s time he was very the paw of the bear will rescue old. Jesse’s three oldest sons me from the hand of this Philishad followed Saul to the war: tine.’

The firstborn was Eliab; the secSaul said to David, ‘Go, and ond, Abinadab; and the third, the Lord be with you.’ Then Shammah. David was the Saul dressed David in his youngest. The three oldest folown tunic. He put a coat of lowed Saul, but David went armor on him and a bronze back and forth from Saul to helmet on his head. David fastend his father’s sheep at Bethtened on his sword over the lehem. For forty days the Philistunic and tried walking tine came forward every mornaround, because he was not ing and evening and took his used to them. ‘I cannot go in stand. these,’ he said to Saul, ‘because I am not used to them.’ So he Now Jesse said to his son David, ‘Take this ephah of roasted took them off. Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his to their camp … They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.’

Philistine.

Early in the morning David left the flock in the care of a shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed. He reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry. Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other. David left his things with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle lines and asked his brothers how they were. As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it. Whenever the Israelites saw the man, they all fled from him in great fear.

Now the Israelites had been saying, ‘Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his family from taxes in Israel.’

Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him. He said to David, ‘Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks’ And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. ‘Come here,’ he said, ‘and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!’

David said to the Philistine, ‘You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands’

David asked the men standing near him, ‘What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran should defy the armies of the living God?’ They repeated to quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his

They Appear To Be bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground. So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him. David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the sheath. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword.

When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran. Then the men of Israel and Judah surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath and to the gates of Ekron. Their dead were strewn along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron. When the Israelites returned from chasing the Philistines, they plundered their camp. 1 Samuel 17:4-17; 19-5

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army fled in fear when Goliath was defeated (I Samuel 17:1-58), and it does not appear that the other giants challenged David at this time. They were defeated by David's men later.

So why did David use 'smooth stones'? Many believe that these smooth stones would have been the swiftest, most aerodynamic, most accurate, and most easily flung from the sling; versus other type of rough or misshapen stones. Others believe that the stone were for Goliath’s brothers.

As mentioned earlier in this article, as David grew older, the hatred for him among Goliath’s siblings grew stronger.

“So, how tall was Goliath in reality? Normally, we equate The Bible tells of further wars between David and the Philishim with a giant, as most Bible translations state that he was tines: over nine feet tall (1 Samuel 17:4). The Masoretic Text, the “Once again there was a battle between the Philistines and Hebrew text that has long been accepted by the Jewish peo- Israel. David went down with his men to fight against the Philisple, states that Goliath’s height was ‘six cubits and one tines, and he became exhausted. And Ishbi-Benob, one of the span.’ Taking a cubit to be approximately eighteen inches descendants of Rapha, whose bronze spearhead weighed and a span to equal six, this figures to a height of approxi- three hundred shekels and who was armed with a new sword, mately nine feet, six inches. It seems Goliath may have had said he would kill David. But some Anakim blood in him (see Abishai son of Zeruiah came to 1 Deuteronomy 9:2).”

David’s rescue; he struck the “David and Goliath is the classic challenge plot. Rushing toward Goliath, David took a stone and launched it with his sling. The stone pierced the slight gap in Goliath's helmet.

Struck on the forehead, Goliath fell face down, dead on the ground. David then raced forward, grabbed Goliath's sword, and cut off his head.

In the story, it is only after David has slung the stone do we appreciate that the boy's experience with a shepherd's sling is a strength, as is his agility and speed. Then we appreciate that David has discarded wearing armor because it would have slowed him down. Finally, when the stone hits Goliath's forehead, we discover Goliath's critical weakness.

Philistine down and killed him.

Then David’s men swore to him, saying, “Never again will you go out with us to battle, so that the lamp of Israel will not be extinguished.”

In the course of time, there was another battle with the Philistines, at Gob. At that time Sibbekai the Hushathite killed Saph, one of the descendants of Rapha. In another battle with the Philistines at Gob, Elhanan son of Jair the Bethlehemite killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite, who had a spear with a shaft like a weaver’s rod.

In still another battle, which took place at Gath, there was a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four in all. He also was descended from Rapha.

The insight is that ‘giants are not what they appear to be.’ When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of Shimeah, David’s brothThe same factors that make them strong can be their sources er, killed him. These four were descendants of Rapha in Gath, of greatest weakness.” 2 and they fell at the hands of David and his men.”

But why did David chose ’five smooth stones’ from the 2 Samuel 21:16-22 stream? Some theologians believe that the five stones David “The new era Goliath, in the likes of Donald Trump, has gathered were meant for other giants. “David possibly took come. He is big. Very, very, big. He aims to fight us (the Dathe five stones because Goliath was not the only giant vids of the world) and win. He always wins. We need to be around. Four are mentioned, at least one of which was Goli- afraid. Very, very, afraid. The odds are mightily in his faath's brother, in II Samuel 21:16-22. All five of these died by vor. As he continues to win, he takes everything of any real either David's hand or those under his command. The giants value for himself and his loyal minions. His elite corporate had been wiped out by Joshua from Israel, but some re- associates have been set free to exploit the world’s remained in Gaza, Gath (where Goliath was from), and Ashdod sources. People who are different or unable to follow the (Joshua 11:21-22) biddings of the oligarchs in charge will pay a dear price.” 3 While David was only to face Goliath on the battlefield, there was no guarantee that the Philistines would honor the 1 https://www.gotquestions.org/how-tall-was-Goliath.html 2 https://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2017/32313/howoutcome of this ‘Victory by Championship’ battle. Also, even to-supercharge-sales-four-storytelling-plots-to-eliminateif the philistines left, there was no guarantee that Goliath's buyer-skepticism-and-mistrust?adref=nlt062217 3 revisions and excerpts from http://readersupportednews.org/pm-section/78family would not take revenge. Fortunately, the philistine 78/39217-david-and-goliath-story-with-a-powerful-message-for-2016-electionsre

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Poverty, Patriotism, and Immigration: A Biblical Reflection had become, and how he had adorned the mask of pride to hide his multitudes of sins. Inside, he was rotten and stinking, but outside, there was an apparent calmness and how he longed that this outward calmness would be real and true even in the inside. How he longed that his soul would find rest from the constant hankerings of sinful passions.

“Human dignity is a God-given privilege of man. He is made in the very image of God. He has the honor of being called a friend of God! When that image and friendship was marred, Jesus abandoned everything pertaining to his glory and came down to earth to rescue this man who had lost that privilege and honor to the schemes of the Devil.

But one day he saw Jesus extending his arms of love and heard him say ‘come to me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest,’ (Matthew 11:28) eyes opened by God’s grace, the man plunges into that divine embrace, still stinking though. The loving eyes of Jesus look into the misty eyes of this sinner as he wipes out the tears of remorse and sorrow; the love of God is poured into this broken heart by the Holy Spirit because without the Spirit pouring God’s love into this parched soul, he cannot accept the fact that Jesus accepts him in spite of his stinking past.

Finally, with his past behind him and eternity ahead, the image of God begins to appear and the dignity restored and What a price Jesus paid to deliver his friend! What a won- fellowship with God re-established; man is once again a digdrous work he accomplished to bring back that image in nified jewel among all of God’s creation. man. Restore that friendship and fellowship with this fallen creature who does not know how low he had gone!

The story of the prodigal son captures the indignity and shame of this man. However, he refuses to recognize his condition unless the God above, in his divine grace and mercy, would send his Holy Spirit to open the eyes of this blind man to see his indignity and shame, wooing him to come back into that glories companionship.

When the eyes of this blind man are opened by grace, he sees the filth he was living in, he realizes how rebellious he

http://nepalchurch.com/1404/poverty-patriotism-andimmigration-a-biblical-reflection/

Rescued, Redeemed, and Revived “… and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you[f] to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Colossians 1:12-14

1:11, where, however, the sense is slightly different). The ‘lot’ (like the Old Testament type of the share in the land of Canaan, ‘the lot of their inheritance’) is the place assigned to the saints primarily by the grace of God. It may have, as in the case of the type, to be fought for; but it is won not by our own arm, but by ‘God’s hand and His arm, and the light of His countenance, because He has a favor unto us’ (Psalm 44:3).

Hence, in accordance with St. Paul’s usual teaching (especially emphatic in this and the Ephesian Epistle), the whole stress is laid on God’s grace, giving us our lot, and ‘making us meet’ to “Giving thanks unto the Father.—These words naturally accept it. follow the words ‘with joyfulness,’ with which, indeed, they In light.—Properly, in the light. See Ephesians 4:8-14—a may be grammatically connected. But the ‘thankfulness’ here passage dwelling on the idea of the kingdom of light, almost is, as the context shows, the thankfulness of humility, sensible as strongly and exhaustively as St. John himself (1John 1:5that from the Father’s love we have received all, and can but 7, et al.). ‘In the light” (opposed to ‘the power of darkness’ of receive. the next verse) is in the light of God’s countenance, revealed Which hath made us meet.—The same word is used in 2 in the face of Jesus Christ.”

Corinthians 3:6, ‘who hath made us able ministers of the new covenant,’ and corresponds to the word ‘sufficient’ in St. Paul’s previous question (2 Corinthians 2:16), ‘Who is sufficient for these things?’ The reference is clearly to God’s foreknowledge and call (as in Romans 8:29-30), in virtue of which ‘we are more than conquerors,’ and ‘cannot be separated from His love in Jesus Christ our Lord.’

To be partakers of the inheritance of the saints.—Literally, for the part (appointed to us) of the lot of the saints. ( E p he sia n s

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, http:// biblehub.com/commentaries/colossians/1-12.htm

In Memory of “Loving Freedom”

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On Loving Your Enemy (1957): “When the opportunity presents itself for you to defeat your enemy, that is the time which you must not do it.

There will come a time, in many instances, when the person who hates you most, the person who has misused you most, the person who has gossiped about you most, the person who has spread false rumors about you most, there will come a time when you will have an opportunity to defeat that person. It might be in terms of a recommendation for a job; it might be in terms of helping that person to make some move in life. That’s the time you must not do it.”

“That is the meaning of love. In the final analysis, love is not this sentimental something that we talk about. It’s not merely an emotional something. Love is creative, understanding goodwill for all men. It is the refusal to defeat any individual. When you rise to the level of love, of its great beauty and power, you seek only to defeat evil systems. Individuals who happen to be caught up in that system, you love, but you seek to defeat the system.”

On The Birth of a New Nation (1957): “Don’t go out this morning with any illusions. Don’t go back into your homes and around Montgomery thinking that the Montgomery City Commission and that all of the forces in the leadership of the South will eventually work out this thing for Negroes, it’s going to work out; it’s going to roll in on the wheels of inevitability. If we wait for it to work itself out, it will never be worked out. Freedom only comes through persistent revolt, through persistent agitation, through persistently rising up against the system of evil. The bus protest is just the beginning.”

another hundred years, and our children and our children’s children will suffer all of the bondage that we have lived under for years. It never comes voluntarily. We’ve got to keep on keeping on in order to gain freedom.

It never comes like that. It would be fortunate if the people in power had sense enough to go on and give up, but they don’t do it like that. It is not done voluntarily, but it is done through the pressure that comes about from people who are oppressed.”

On Gaining the Ballot (1957): “We must realize that we are grappling with the most weighty social problem of this nation, and in grappling with such a complex problem there is no place for misguided emotionalism. We must work passionately and unrelentingly for the goal of freedom, but we must be sure that our hands are clean in the struggle. We must never struggle with falsehood, hate, or malice. We must never become bitter.”

“I know how we feel sometime. There is the danger that those of us who have been forced so long to stand amid the tragic midnight of oppression - those of us who have been trampled over, those of us who have been kicked about there is the danger that we will become bitter. But if we will become bitter and indulge in hate campaigns, the old, the new order which is emerging will be nothing but a duplication of the old order.”

On Rediscovering Old Values (1954):

“I’m here to say to you this morning that some things are right and some things are wrong. Eternally so, absolutely so.

It’s wrong to hate. It always has been wrong and it always will be wrong! It’s wrong in America, it’s wrong in Germany, it’s wrong in Russia, it’s wrong in China! It was wrong in “Buses are integrated in Montgomery, but that is just the 2,000 BC., and it’s wrong in 1954 AD. It always has been beginning. And don’t sit down and do nothing now because wrong, and it always will be wrong.” the buses are integrated, because, if you stop now, we will http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/martin-luther-king-day-the be in the dungeons of segregation and discrimination for -inspiring-speeches-you-might-not-know-9987009.html

Al’s Herbs For the summer, here are a few detoxifying recipes:  Beet Treat-50% spinach, 1 beet (cubed), 1 apple (seeds removed), 1 lemon (peeled) and spring water  Ginger Kale-50% kale , 1 apple 1 lemon (peeled), one 1" slice of ginger (peeled) and water  VEG OUT-50% spinach, 1 head of broccoli, 3 spears of asparagus, 1 apple cut in chunks, water  Tea Tox -50% handful of alfalfa sprouts or wheat grass, 1 orange (peeled), 1 1emon (peeled), chilled unsweetened green tea Toxin Tamer-50%beet green, 2 stalks celery, 1 1emon (peeled), pinch of cayenne pepper and water Green Machine-25% spinach, 25% arugula, 2 stalks cel-

Summer 2017  

ery, juice of 1 lemon, 1 chlorella or spirulina tablets chilled unsweetened green tea (spirulina also comes in powder) Additionally, there are many juicing recipes for other ailments such as: Inflammation: Best foods to reduce inflammation:  Spinach, blueberries cherries—These foods contain high levels of flavonoids-compounds known to reduce inflammation  Avocado, salmon, walnuts -all contain omega 3 fatty acids,-disrupt the cell signals that trigger inflammation  Papaya, pineapple-belong to the bromeliad family -reduce inflammation.

Whenever you take any kind of recommended foods or herbs, it wise to check with your health provider and make sure the foods or herbs are safe and have no adverse effect on any prescribed medicine you might be taking.

Health Consciousness—’ Teta’ Salad

Christian Lifestyles The Newsletter Celebrating Christian Life in Your Community

On the Edge

Our Human Condition On “Called Through God’s Grace ” “When someone comes along to challenge what we believe and what we do, we often respond by becoming more zealous for our views and ways.” from the Disciple Study Manual, 3rd Edition

Thank You Lord for Your Word “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage! The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man; from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds. The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.”

Psalm 33:12-15 “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,.. “ Philippians 3:20 “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad.

Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience” Romans 13:1-5

Did You Know?

INGREDIENTS 2 3/4 pounds baby Yukon Gold or baby red potatoes (about 2 inches each), scrubbed Kosher salt 1/2 cup mayonnaise 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard Freshly ground pepper 2 scallions, thinly sliced 2 tablespoons chopped flatleaf parsley 1 celery rib, cut into 1/4inch dice DIRECTIONS In a large saucepan, cover the potatoes with cold water and season the water with salt. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook the potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and let stand

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until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the mayonnaise with the vinegar and mustard and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the scallions, parsley and celery. Halve the potatoes crosswise and fold them into the dressing.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

The pastor of my church hates to plead for money. But when the coffers were running low, he had no choice.

"There’s good news and there’s bad news," he told the congregation. "The good news is that we have more than enough money for all the current and future needs of the church. The bad news is, it’s still in your pockets."

One Sunday morning my sister Liz was surprised to receive a phone call from her minister. He reported that he’d just been in a minor car accident and asked if she could inform the congregation he’d be unable to conduct services that day. Liz was flattered that out of the entire congregation, she was the one he had called—until the minister went on to say that since Liz was always the last to arrive at church, he knew she would be the only person he could still reach at home.

While volunteering in a soup kitchen, I hit it off with a very attractive single man. It was a relief, since my mother and I always laughed because the men to whom I was drawn were inevitably married. So, optimistic about my chances, I asked my new friend what he did for a living.

He replied, “I’m a priest.”

"If I sold my house and my car, had a big garage sale, and gave all my money to the church, would I get into heaven?" a teacher asked the children in her Sunday school class. "No!" the children all answered. "If I cleaned the church every day, mowed the yard, and kept everything neat and tidy, would I get into heaven?" Again the answer was, "No!" "Well," she continued, "then how can I get to heaven?" A five-year-old boy shouted out, "You gotta be dead!"

Watermelon Summer

An elderly couple, admitted by St. Peter through the Pearly Gates, found conditions there just heavenly. Said the man to his wife, "I could have been here two years ago if you hadn’t fed me all that oat bran."