A Resounding "NO" to Harold Koh

When it comes to issues that affect Christians in our nation, I think it is necessary that those issues be presented on this blog. I am a political watcher. In other words, when I feel that our government is threatening Judeo/Christian values and traditions, taking steps to remove "religious" rights, or slyly attempting to seat within the current Administration someone who clearly goes against God's moral and ethical laws, I will speak out. What I would like to bring to everyone's attention is a recent report on another Obama appointee, Harold Koh.

Koh, the former Dean of Law at Yale Law School, is a Korean-American who was born in Boston. His education was extensive and he began teaching at Yale in 1985, becoming the University's Dean of Law in 2004. He served the Clinton Administration as the Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, receiving his confirmation in 1998. In March 2009, he resigned his position with Yale when President Obama nominated him to be Legal Advisor to the Department of State.

Koh's credentials are impressive to those who don't care about his personal beliefs and skewed interpretations of the U.S. Constitution. But if you dig deep and look under his skin, his appointment to this very important position should deeply disturb Americans. Koh has not kept his opinions to himself. Rather, he has blatantly and arrogantly voiced his opinions on issues that affect everything from the abortion issue (he supports abortion on demand) to how our Justice Department should examine specific legal cases. That is, until his recent nomination. When asked to clarify his stated positions, Koh has remained eerily silent.

Perhaps the most disturbing statement Koh has made is his endorsement of Sharia law within the United States court system. In 2007 before the Yale Club of Greenwich, "Koh claimed that in an appropriate case, he didn't see any reason why Sharia law would not be applied to govern a case in the United States." I would like to encourage everyone to watch this video clip from Fox News. If you aren't completely familiar with the brutality of Sharia law, you will be when you are finished.

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=12768202&ch=4226713&src=news

Koh believes that our nation's laws should also reflect international laws, or "global law", as he has put it. In other words, our Constitution is not "globally" fair and that we should re-write it to include the laws of other nations so that everyone is happy. Is he suggesting we remove the time-honored draft that adorns our Capital, that has been the envy of every nation since its inception, and toss it into the trash heap? From my perspective, that's exactly what he is saying.

I would like to encourage all of our readers to keep a wary eye on Mr. Koh. His ideals and interpretations are extremely dangerous to our nation. I believe our President's intent is to push through, hard and fast, the liberal agenda that has been slowly developing and gaining ground for the last four decades. America as we know it is rapidly eroding around us. Pray God will restore her.

Red Envelope Day

In a very profound way, today is a day that has been set aside to bring attention to the abortion issue. It is a day that represents the death of over 50,000,000 innocent babies that were never given the opportunity to see life, to play, to work, to love, or to offer their talents and gifts to this world. It is a reminder to our President that life is precious, that it begins at conception, and that each life is worthy to be counted as a valuable asset to our nation.

As the red envelopes travel across America, I pray that the hearts of those who handle them, those who see them, will rise up, and with one voice loudly proclaim that it is time to bring this deplorable practice to an end. I pray for conviction and repentance for our country's leaders and courts and that they would yield to our Almighty God and His will in this.

Join me.

In Christ,

Karen

"I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever. I will praise You forever for what You have done; in Your name I will hope, for Your name is good. I will praise You in the presence of your saints."

Psalm 52:8,9

The Two Covenants

“’This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put My laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, “Know the Lord,” because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.’

“By calling this covenant ‘new,’ He has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.” Hebrews 8:10-13 (NIV)

Two covenants given; each as distinctly apart from the other, yet each are binding the one to the other to create a divine plan of salvation for mankind. Because God is Truth and cannot lie, and because He is faithful to His Word, His Word is eternally binding and cannot be breached.

The first covenant was the covenant of the law and was given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai (Ex 19 - 23). Its purpose was designed to make us aware of God’s sovereignty and perfection, and to instill in our hearts His morality and ethics. But from the first man Adam who fell from grace and placed all men in the precarious position of being unable to keep it, men who walk today’s earth have also been in constant violation of the laws God established. No amount of works or deeds can erase the sins we bear. Like a cancer, they have permeated our souls and corrupted us. Where does that leave us in the great scheme of eternity, knowing that we continue to sin against a just God who demands that eternal penalties be paid for our disobedience?

Enter the second covenant, Jesus Christ; wholly perfect, wholly divine, wholly God, Who replaced the first covenant. Man was lost. Heaven’s gates had been closed to him. God had turned His face from that which He had created. But, through the work of Jesus Christ on the Cross at Calvary, the only One able to perform a work of salvation, came forgiveness and salvation. To those who would believe on Him and the punishment He bore for their sins, acceptance by God and life eternal would be restored.

Jesus did the will of His Father. In Him was all perfection and holiness. God’s grace was poured out upon the world and made available to all who would accept His Son. Forgiveness is just a breath away from those who have tired of their own feeble attempts to secure salvation, who have come to know they are sinners in need of a Savior. Sweet, divine, and unconditional forgiveness is available through the Second Covenant, Jesus Christ.

All it takes is one breath and it’s yours for eternity.

1. God is faithful to His promise. Read Exodus 20.
2. In verse 20, what is the purpose of the law that was given?
3. Read chapter 32. Man quickly forgets what God expects from him. Are we able to keep the entire law and not break one of its articles?
4. Because God is just and requires that penalties be paid for our disobedience, where does that leave us?
   

Just a quick note!

Hi everyone - we are glad you are back! And a very hearty "welcome" to the newcomers from the United Kingdom and the Philipines that have visited our blog. We hope you return often!

I just wanted to write a quick note and let you know we are feverishly working on new posts and to not give up on us. Some of us are Moms with kids on Spring Break, others work or have other pressing things keeping them busy. We're trying hard not to disappoint you and promise fresh reading in the days to come.

In the meantime, please feel free to leave comments, suggestions, or just a thought. We would absolutely love to hear from you.

May the Lord's blessings be on all of you!

Karen

The Blurred Line Of Distinction

“And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.” Malachi 3:18 (NIV)


To the person looking in, America’s Christian churches are bulging at the seams. Mega-churches are springing up across the nation, churches with an attendance of 30,000-plus in their congregations. On any given day one can find on his television set masses filling the pews, all appearing eager to hear the Word of God from finely dressed and groomed Pastors with gleaming white teeth and winning smiles. But what one sees on the outside is not necessarily what resides on the inside.

The line of “distinction” has become blurred. It is often cited in our media that approximately 80 percent of Americans are professing Christians. If one believed the number to be accurate, crime in the United States would be almost non-existent. There would be little hunger, poverty, or homelessness. Abortion would not be tolerated, divorce would be rare, and our nation’s laws would remain established upon the foundation God laid before us. Recently, I read a study that dramatically decreased this number to below 5 percent. Astounding as this seems, when the questions of what it meant to truly claim this title were asked, the number of Christians narrowed tragically. In other words, when our feet are put to the fire, we miserably fail the test.

There is a vast difference between being a mere “hearer” of the Word of God and putting it into practice. Application is a required factor (James 1:22-27). Anyone can claim a title and not genuinely own it. For example, if I said I was an accomplished pianist worthy of notoriety, yet never sat down and practiced the scales and etudes and studied the Masters necessary to meet this claim, the proof would be glaringly obvious the first time I performed. What I perceived myself to be would crumble around my feet and all I would be left with would be humiliation and shame. I would be forced into re-examining myself and taking another hard and long look at the image in the mirror and the label I am attempting to wear.

As a child learning to play the piano, I was often told “practice makes perfect.” This should also be applied to our Christian walk. God sees into our hearts and knows what lies there. He Who created us intimately knows what lurks in the dark corners and often spills into our lives. What others perceive us to be is not necessarily what we are for our talk is rarely our walk. We stand in unison in our churches, hands raised, faces posed in piety, our voices raised in praise and worship, then listen with apparent intensity to the message that is given. But, unfortunately the majority walks out the door and leave behind what they pretended to absorb. We abandon God on the altar of our worship. We push Him back where we think He belongs and rush back into the world, only willing to give to Him a couple hours of our time and consideration until the next Sunday comes along and we sadly repeat the pattern we’ve created.

Charles H. Spurgeon, the renowned 19th century British Pastor, wrote: “The tendency in these days is to break down the holy barrier and to make the distinction between the church and the world merely nominal. Christians no longer keep a strict watch over their attitudes and actions, questionable literature is read everywhere, frivolous pastimes are commonly indulged, and a general laxity threatens to deprive the Lord’s own people of the sacred singularity that separates them from sinners.” (Evening By Evening, pg. 241)

God deserves so much more from us. He is Creator, Sustainer, Provider, Redeemer and Saviour. His love for His children extends beyond all boundaries. And in spite of our continued unfaithfulness to Him, He never forsakes us. Rather, God continues to pursue us with an intensity that belies our own halfhearted and feeble devotion, for His desire is that we accept and embrace the greatest gift He could give us - His Son, Jesus Christ. He also desires that when we do, we seek after His righteousness and submit not just part of our hearts, but all we are humanly capable of giving to Him.

It is time the “distinction between the righteous and the wicked” is made evident. If we are going to profess our devotion to God and assume the title “Christian,” then we must also live it. “Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourself. Do what it says.” Become “doers”, serving our Lord in the manner He deserves and let it be known to all men that our God is worthy to be exalted above all things. We must proclaim His Truth to a dying world and re-draw the line of “distinction”. God's honor and His glory is on that line.

So, to the bulging churches, I encourage them to return to their First Love, our Almighty and Holy God. May His Truth ring from the rafters and pierce our hearts. May we leave each Sunday with His Word embedded there and pray it will carry us through the week to the following Sunday. May we all stand boldly in the face of persecution and hatred and convey His love for all sinners. And may we demonstrate that we have drawn a line of “distinction”, separating us from the world and all that is in it.

“Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD Almighty…“Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” Malachi 3:7(b), 10 (NIV)


Copyright 2007 Karen L. Brahs

There are some new additions to the blog that might interest you. Because of the fascination a couple of us have with end times prophecy and the final re-establishment of the Jewish people in their homeland in 1948, I have added links to a few of the most prominent prophecy experts we know of. You can find them in the side-bar under the title "End Times Prophecy". I also would like to highly recommend watching "The Hal Lindsey Report", which you can view on his website. Also, for those who closely watch the events transpiring in Israel over the so-called "Peace" agreement and the attempt to divide Jerusalem, there are several Israeli newspapers for your perusal. You can find them under "Up-To-Date News From Israel and the Middle East", which is also in the side-bar. Posts and comments to both new additions can be found under the Label, "Israel and the Middle East".

I have also added the Label, "Christian Social Issues", and a few websites that specifically address them. If you have one to recommend, let us know!

As we await the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, let us all continue to pray for our nation, the nation and people of Israel, and for God's will in all that is being played out before us.

In Christ,

Karen

Rest

“Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Have you ever heard one or two, or perhaps a flock of geese flying overhead, their voices calling back and forth to each other, offering direction, instruction, or perhaps encouragement? As the seasons pass, they take to the currents above the earth, soaring high above the clouds, for their instinct knows when it is time to move on, either from the approaching cold of winter, or back to their nesting grounds and the bounties of summer. Their courses rarely change, their flight pattern wonderfully engrained in their very being. When I hear their voices, I, too, am encouraged and given direction, for I know their arrival or departure means that a season is not far behind them.

One cold spring day, I heard the distant approach of these heralds of the seasons and decided to make a closer inspection of them. Driving down to the lake bed where they were congregating, I was at first awestruck by their vast numbers. The geese seemed to cover the ground in an ever-moving ocean of gray, their heads bobbing and their voices filling the air with constant honking. I watched with amazement as they stepped aside to make room for the other geese that seemed to pour from the sky in an endless wave, sounding their calls of encouragement until the last goose fell gracefully among them. I marveled at how far they must have traveled and how grateful they must have been to at last be where their weary wings had carried them.

But as I sat and watched this amazing display of God’s creation, I soon tired of the incessant repetition of their honking voices that filled the air. Closing my eyes and letting my imagination run, I laughed at how the geese sounded like a huge crowd of people, each trying to talk over the top of another and none able to make out a distinguishable word. It was as if they were trying to make their voices heard over the tumult and confusion they found themselves in. Perhaps they had stories to tell; tales of the storms they passed through in their flight, of narrowly escaping the predator’s jaws or a hunter’s gun. Maybe they had been separated from their mates and were calling to each other with words only they understood. Whatever the case, their excitement was solely their own and I couldn’t be a participant in it, only an observer sitting at a safe distance.

Then, as sudden as was their raucous approach, their voices receded to murmurs and faint chirps as each bird settled their bodies onto the warm sandy lake bed. Opening my eyes, I looked out over the sea of geese, noticing an occasional head popping up above the blanket of gray; a sentry with a wary eye keeping watch over the vast gaggle of birds. Their sudden stillness was almost as deafening as was their overwhelming chatter and excitement, as if a voice, unheard by my human ears, had soothed and calmed them into a well-deserved rest. The same voice that led them away from one season had called them home to another; a voice they were intimately familiar with, a voice they could trust and had faith in to watch over them as they briefly closed their eyes under the warmth of the sun overhead and took their well-earned respite.

I slowly drove away from the lake bed, hoping my departure didn’t disturb the geese. But as I drove the short distance home, I began to contemplate the wonder I had just seen and heard. Thinking upon the sound of that many geese in one place and the droning roar of it reminded me of the cacophony and tumultuous rush of the world and how it overwhelms us. Our nerves are exposed and made raw by the pace that’s demanded of us, the world’s offending noise chasing us even in our sleep. To the majority of humankind, one season blends into another with harsh growls, making one indistinguishable from another. We work, toil, and play, idling through the seasons, making our own sets of rules, and establishing our own boundaries of life. We pile one burden upon another, “yoking” ourselves with debt, dismay, and despair, choosing to ignore the voice that gently calls out promising rest and release from the things our hands have made.

Unlike the geese that follow their Master’s voice, man allows the voices of the world to lead him away into an unfamiliar wilderness where no rest can be found. At first glimpse, the grass may seem greener on the other side; but disappointment and heartbreak are sure to be found there. However, within that wilderness a voice is heard calling you to come and rest on His “lake bed”, to release your burdens of “flight” onto Him, and to close your eyes for a much-needed rest while He stands sentry over you. Jesus Christ’s rest is perfection, a promise of not only present rest, but also rest from our past mistakes as He frees us from the burden of sin. And when our “flight” is over, when we rest our weary wings that the breath of His Word has carried us through our lives, He promises future rest, eternal joy, and peace forevermore.

“Come unto Me…and I will give you rest.” The geese and I heard His voice that day.

Copyright 2006 Karen L. Brahs

A Farmer and His Tractor

Today has been emotional and tiring, and I welcomed the cool evening breeze and a quiet moment to stand alone in the dark and gather my thoughts. I snuggled in my oversized bathrobe, poured myself a cup of coffee, and walked out to the back porch. Only a few stars seemed to be out tonight and due to the darkness, I couldn’t tell if that was because of the clouds or not. The backyard is shallow and just beyond the hot wire that lines our boundaries is a farmer's field. Throughout the winter it has laid there dormant and lifeless; but apparently today has become the new beginning for this vast stretch of ground.

I remember last year meeting the farmer who worked this field for the first time. I'm guessing him to be in his mid to late 60's who owned the most beautiful and well trained black lab I had ever seen. In looking back, it was probably his dog that inspired my family to finally get one of our own. Every day we would watch this farmer tirelessly, day in and day out, work, prepare, work, and cultivate his crop. Not having ever farmed myself, it became an obsession for me to watch him. I had so many questions that even surprised myself. Why am I so interested in what this man is doing? But each time I had the opportunity, I would ask him my "city girl" questions. Why do you work the field back and forth and then diagonally, before you plant it? Why don't you water the entire crop at the same time? Is there anything I can do to help you? Would you like some water? He was always ever so patient with me, but I often wondered if he just wanted to be left alone. I tried to keep my distance as the season went on. I would be pulling weeds, or cleaning ditches, and would try to leave this poor man alone, but then would feel I was being rude.

One night I had noticed just before the sun began to set, before he had begun to plant his crop, that he had spent a great deal of time working on his tractor. As the evening passed we paid little attention to him, until it became dark. Once the sun had set and the sky was black, he fired up that tractor, turned on his lights and went to work. First plowing the field from east to west, back and forth, for what seemed like hours. I'm sure it was. That night I had stayed up particularly late, and I noticed from my dining room windows that his lights appeared different. Again, like tonight, I went outside and watched him. He was now plowing diagonally. How long into the night was he going to do this? And why at night? Wasn't it incredibly hard to keep everything as straight as he was, in the dark? Finally I reached a point where I could no longer stay awake and I went to bed.

When I awoke again at 5:30, he was still working! My word, this man had not slept all night and a wave of guilt went over me as I thought about how he had toiled all night while I was just a few yards away sleeping like a baby. And what about his wife? She had spent the entire night without him. Did that make her uneasy to know he was out there alone, and working harder than most men half his age? Within an hour of the day's light beginning to lighten the darkness, he parked his tractor, walked wearily over to his pickup and went home. I fixed breakfast with an entirely different attitude. He had worked at least 9 hours in the cab of that tractor while the world around him slept. I wasn't going to complain about being tired today.

As the weeks wore on and spring and summer came and went, we watched him every day. Once the crops were planted he spent many long days watering his crops, cleaning irrigation ditches of debris and an occasional ball that my kids had kicked into it, and pulling weeds. Yes, pulling weeds. By hand. I had thought, in a field this size, that was something of the past. Apparently I was wrong. He, his wife, and another helper would walk the entire field throughout the season, pulling weeds by hand. One hot summer afternoon out of pure guilt, I offered to help them. He informed me that he couldn’t pay me for my help, and so I tried to explain that I wasn’t offering to help for the pay, I simply wanted to help. Still he refused to allow me to do so. Without paying me, he said, it just wouldn’t be right. There was something about the way he said it that made me realize if I pushed the issue, I would insult him. He had an accent, from where I’m not certain, but I had a pretty good feeling that wherever that accent came from was the same place he acquired his pride. And I respected that.

By the time the season was over, he had raised two separate and different crops out of that field. In a distant kind of way he became a part of our family. His dog was always playing with the kids, and he always welcomed fresh baked cookies and iced tea when I offered it. I felt a sense of sadness when his last crop was harvested and the field was plowed one final time before winter. I knew it would be a few months before we saw him again, for his house didn’t sit on this same piece of ground. And on that day of his final plowing of the year, I sat and watched him again. I wondered if the world knew or understood the long, tiring hours these men put in for us? I thought about his wife and the amount of time alone she spent during the season. I thought about the afternoons I had watched them working together under the blistering sun because they couldn’t pay, nor would they hire, the cheap and sometimes illegal help around here. I wondered if there was ever going to come a day when the farmer, the true old-fashioned farmer, became extinct. And I wondered why he did it. Was it handed down to him from generations before? Was he carrying on what his fathers before him had done all of their lives? He seemed to like the work he did and so I could only guess that whatever his reasons were, he was happy with them. And at that very moment I wanted the world to appreciate him and his work as much as I did. I sent up a prayer for him and his success. I hoped that the next season would be as fruitful and that people would show their appreciation for the food they have on their table.

Tonight, as I sipped my coffee on the back porch and let the spring breeze blow through my hair, I heard it again. That familiar sound of a good friend and his tractor.

Red Envelope Project

It is still not too late for everyone to become involved in the Red Envelope Project. The idea was created by a woman named Chris Otto whose aim is to send as many empty red envelopes addressed to President Obama with a clear message on the back regarding the importance of life. The deadline is March 31st, when all the envelopes will be mailed in unison and hopefully delivered enmasse to the White House. She is praying for 50,000,000 envelopes to be mailed, which represents the approximate number of lives lost to abortion since Roe v. Wade.

For more information, including what is to be written on the back of the envelope, go to :
http://www.redenvelopeproject.org

Join me and others in this worthy cause. The unborn can't speak for themselves. It is up to us to do it for them.

In Christ,

Karen