Praise God!

I spoke to a man yesterday evening that related a positive story. He claimed to have visited a very strange Catholic Church. It seems that the Priest (against the will of his parishioners) had all the statues of Mary removed. He also had all the "icons" removed as well. Finally after his Homily (after Mass the priest gets a chance to speak to the congregation on whatever topic is on his heart), which was typically on the need to have the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal savior, he actually holds altar calls!

Praise God, it seems there is at least one True Christian Catholic priest out there!

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Sadness

It's sad to see so many people sucked into honoring man's traditions above God's Word. It's sad to see so many people fooled into worshiping a false god in the name of Jesus. It heartbreaking to see children being taught a false gospel of bondage to tradition, as opposed to the simple freedom of the Gospel presented in God's Word.

I'm working the World Youth Day in St. Augustine, FL. This is a local youth event tied into the worldwide Roman Catholic World Youth Day. There is a lot of very good contemporary Christian music being played, but it is being mixed with the un-Scriptural Roman Catholic message. It is especially sad to see Holy Communion turned into a pagan religious activity, where people are expected to bow down and "adore" (worship) the "presence" of Christ in a piece of bread. How sad! Christ is present in the heart of believers, we have no need for a priest to conjure Him for us. We can adore the Lord Jesus Christ at any time and any where. They are led to believe that they should "venerate" (worship) Mary the mother of Jesus. As if He must lean on her for support. How sad! The Jesus Christ of God's Word is the one upon which we all lean, including his blessed mother!

The religious leaders of Jesus time placed their traditions ahead of God's Word, just like the leaders of so many "Denominations" (including Roman Catholicism) do today. Jesus never broke a Levitical Law (the laws published in the first five books of the Bible), but He threw the traditions of man (the ones that ran counter to God's Word) back into the faces of the religious leaders seemingly at every chance he got.

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Tithing Again

I have heard from various sources that only about half of all “Christians” say that they regularly tithe, and that only approximately two percent actually do tithe. The only thing I can figure is that the majority of “Christians” don’t know God’s Word. It’s pretty plain that God’s people should give back to God some of what He has blessed us with; and ten percent is only the beginning.
I recently talked with a co-worker, and when some events came about in his life, that really pointed out the many blessings God has given him, he became convicted in the area of tithes. He pledged to begin right away, even though there was no room in his budget. He didn’t starve (nor did his family), his house didn’t fall into foreclosure, his lights and water didn’t get turned off. Somehow the bills still got paid, but he also now understands even better that all of means are actually the gift of God.

The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
(2 Corinthians 9:6-7)

If you don’t believe that your local Church will use the funds wisely, then consider speaking to the people responsible for the spending, “earmark” the funds for specific uses, or consider changing Churches. If you Church doesn’t teach God’s Word, then you should convince the pastor to change or leave immediately. But there is no excuse for not giving some of your blessings back to God.

In the early days of Israel, while they were wandering in the wilderness, they were required to bring any animal they were going to eat to the tabernacle to be blessed before they eat it. (Leviticus 17:1-7) The early Church brought all their income together and it was distributed as need arose. (Acts 4:34-35) Later, as Israel entered into the Promised Land, this requirement was lifted. Likewise, the Church no longer lives a communal life. It is interesting to note, that each started out with a way that re-enforced the idea that their well-being, even survival depended on God. It’s all God’s… not just money, but “the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.” (Psalm 24:1 and 1 Corinthians 10:26)

This doesn’t just apply to money, either. God grants you seven days a week, and twenty four hours in a day. What’s wrong with giving one day back? Here’s a challenge I often fail; give a “tithe” of your time each of the other six days!

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Well, that was fast!

My previous post was simply the letter from the ACLJ concerning the blatently false ad by a pro-death hate group. This morning I read that that advertisment has been pulled (story). I wonder if the replacement will be any more accurate? Lies and mis-representations are the only way that their pro-death position can be "logically" (much more so morally) defended (IMNSHO).

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Fwd: NARAL ad is untrue!

"Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel" <jsekulow@aclj.org> wrote:

From: "Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel" <jsekulow@aclj.org>
To: "Bryan Shouse"
Subject: NARAL ad is untrue!
Date: Thu, 11 Aug 2005 18:36:20 -0400 (EDT)

THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2005

Dear Bryan, Should activist groups be allowed to fabricate complete deceptions - and broadcast them across America - in order to try to derail the nomination of John G. Roberts, Jr., to the Supreme Court of the United States? NO! And yet, that is exactly what is happening. In another misguided attempt to ''smear'' this worthy candidate, NARAL: Pro-Choice America is running a national ad campaign on television and radio that claims Judge Roberts advocates violent abortion protests because of his involvement in a certain abortion-related case (Bray v. Alexandria Women's Health Clinic). Nothing could be farther from the truth. The very case in question is one that I argued twice before the Supreme Court on behalf of the pro-life demonstrators, and John Roberts argued on behalf of the United States in support of our legal position. I know what happened. I know what didn't. And today, I am writing to SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT! Please read and then forward this message to your entire address book ... America needs to know the TRUTH. The NARAL: Pro-Choice America ad is an outrageous distortion of the facts. The claim: In the Bray case, John Roberts argued in defense of a violent protester who bombed a clinic ''seven years ago.'' The truth: The protests that were the subject of the Bray case were nonviolent sit-ins, reminiscent of the sit-ins of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. The activities that led up to the case were not violent activities at all. In fact, the protests took place in the late 1980s and early 1990s, almost ten years before a clinic bombing in Birmingham, Alabama. Eric Rudolph was recently convicted of that offense, which had absolutely NOTHING to do with the demonstrators involved in the Bray case. We had nothing to do with any acts of violence on any abortion clinics. John Roberts and I argued before the Supreme Court (not once, but twice) that the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 did not apply to nonviolent protestors because opposition to abortion did not constitute discrimination against women. We won our case both times with a 6-3 vote. In fact, the Court went out of its way to say that to put a pro-life protestor in the same category as a racist was, in Justice Scalia's own words, ''ridiculous.'' NARAL: Pro-Choice America's ad is a complete fabrication ... a compilation of random facts that have been cleverly edited but have nothing to do with Judge Roberts or me. They should be called on the carpet for this. Their ad should be banned! Instead, CNN and others are continuing to run it. CNN, or any respectable news organization, should not run this ad. Integrity has been tossed out the window with this ad. This is why I wanted you to know the truth. It is why you must share this truth with everyone in your address book. The ACLJ is committed to doing all we can to fight for John Roberts. As I have said before, he is a man of great character. He will rightly interpret the Constitution. He will return the rule of law to our country. We will continue to alert you to the deception and propaganda being spewed over the airwaves against John G. Roberts, Jr. Thank you for your continued support as a member of the ACLJ.

American Center for Law and Justice P.O. Box 90555, Washington, D.C. 20090-0555 Phone: (800) 296-4529 Copyright©2005, ACLJ Privacy & Security Policy Unsubscribe Forward to a Friend American Center for Law and Justice is a tax-exempt, not-for-profit, religious corporation as defined under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, specifically dedicated to the ideal that religious freedom and freedom of speech are inalienable, God-given rights. The Center's purpose is to educate, promulgate, conciliate, and where necessary, litigate to ensure that those rights are protected under the law. The organization has participated in numerous cases before the Supreme Court, Federal Court of Appeals, Federal District Courts, and various state courts regarding freedom of religion and freedom of speech. As always, let us know of threats to freedom in your area by calling (757) 226-2489. And tune in to our daily radio program, "Jay Sekulow Live!" For technical problems of any type, contact the tech support staff by visiting http://tracking.technomania.com/cgi-bin/track.cgi?11-1942-1416979-8689-http://www.aclj.org/help. Please provide all the information requested. Please do not use this for general correspondence as it goes to a technical support area. How do I discontinue my membership/subscription to this e-mail list? Do not respond to this e-mail for any reason. To discontinue your membership automatically please, follow the link below. You joined this list as Bryan Shouse at the following e-mail address: You must use the correct e-mail address to discontinue your membership. If you experience any technical problems and/or do not receive confirmation that your request has been completed online, please postal mail, phone, or fax your request using the contact information listed above. Your request will be processed within 10 days of the receipt of your request. HOW CAN I SUPPORT THE AMERICAN CENTER FOR LAW AND JUSTICE? Make a secure online credit card donation.

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Narrow-minded and Bigotted

You are standing in a huge crowded room with many doors. Someone hands you a map, which shows you the only safe exit. You've seen these maps before, and they invariably don't match the layout of the room. But this map, as you begin to read it, proves to be true. It points you to one small narrow door. Most people are headed through big wide doors, but this maps says that those doors lead to certain destruction.

You begin to call out to the people on those wide paths. Some few listen, most ignore you, and a few stop to call you names and even worse. There are even a few others, with false maps leading people through those wide doors. These false guides, claim that you are narrow-minded and bigotted for claiming your path is the only safe path. "All paths lead to safety", they say. Yet you know that their beliefs are based on maps that have proven false, time after time; while your map has proven true despite the best efforts of many, many people over thousands of years. Worse, there are others who hold up a copy of the same map you are following and brazenly point at the other doors, saying "There are many ways to safety." despite what is plainly written on the map.

What will you do? I suggest that you get a copy of the map and read it for yourself. Here is one link where you can read it and listen to it on-line. KJV MP3 Bible for FREE Download

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