A tribute to friends

After contemplating the joys of friendship tonight, this song came to my mind. I haven't listened to it in about a year, but the content of the song is heavy in my heart. I may elaborate more on this at a later time, but for now think about those friends and family that you love deeply and thank God for them, for both the joys and the sorrows of friendship are a gift from Him.

Circle of Friends-Point of Grace
Words & music by douglas mckelvey & steve siler

We were made to love and be loved
But the price this world demands will cost you far too much
I spent so many lonely years just trying to fit in
Now I've found a place in this circle of friends

In a circle of friends we have one Father
In a circle of friends we share this prayer
That every orphaned soul will know
And all will enter in
To the shelter of this circle of friends

If you weep, I will weep with you
And if you sing for joy the rest of us will lift our voices too
But no matter what you feel inside there's no need to pretend
That's the way it is in this circle of friends

In a circle of friends we have one Father
In a circle of friends we share this prayer
That we'll gather together no matter how the highway bends
I will not lose this circle of friends

Among the nations, tribes and tongues we have sisters and brothers
And when we meet in heaven we will recognize each other
With joy so deep and love so sweet
Oh we'll celebrate these friends
And a life that never ends

In a circle of friends we have one Father
In a circle of friends we share one prayer
That it will not be long before
All will enter in to the shelter of this circle of friends
That it will not be long before all will enter in
To the shelter of this circle of friends

Sad news

I'm ashamed of my State. Well, not the entire State. But I am ashamed of those voted in office by the People, to be of service to the People, which seem to be doing a bad job of serving.

The NC Senate passed an "official apology" for slavery. In a Bill passed by the Senate, it afforded that the system of slavery that was LEGAL (an institution that grew thanks to the YANKEE slave trade, but that's another blog in itself) 150 years ago is the cause of the many dysfunctions of many Black communitites TODAY.

Well, I have a different theory. There are 2 major causes for the dysfunction of not only a large portion of the Black community, but for American society in general. The first is just down-right sin. That is the bottom line-a lack of godliness and a personal pursuit of Christ's holiness and righteousness. Because we've been inundated by the PC'ers, New Agers, Humanists, Evolutionists, Communists, Socialists, and other ungodly "ists", we have become a society that anything goes, if it feels good-do it!, super sexualized, immoral, immodest bunch of people whose critical thinking and common sense skills have been flushed down the toilet.

The second reason for the dysfunction of society is the government itself. When Abraham Lincoln destroyed America by making shredded wheat out of the Constitution, he set into motion the beast of federal tyranny that has grown larger than life and runs rampant amongst us today. When the federal government took away the Peoples' right to govern themselves, and exchanged it for the ability for IT to govern us, we started our downward spiral, slippery slope we are now on.

At the beginning of all of this, it left much of the Church in apathy. The job of the Church is social welfare; feeding the hungry, encouraging the poor in spirit, building and running hospitals, being a light to a dark world where those wandering around in the darkness would see the Light of Christ and come. But the federal government didn't say to the Church, "We'll help you do these things", it said "We'll do these things instead of you." And the Church instead of saying to the government, "No, you do your job and we'll do ours" said "OK, you can do whatever you want." That has left the Church in America floundering, and therefore is the basis for my first reason above.

Now, I realize there were some few courageous souls who have fought against this tyranny from the start. Today there are fewer still. And there dont seem to be any in the NC Senate.

Patrick Henry

Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are inevitably ruined.

The great object is, that every man be armed ... Every one who is able may have a gun.

Are we at last brought to such humiliating and debasing degradation, that we cannot be trusted with arms for our defense? Where is the difference between having our arms in possession and under our direction, and having them under the management of Congress? If our defense be the real object of having those arms, in whose hands can they be trusted with more propriety, or equal safety to us, as in our own hands?

Adversity toughens manhood, and the characteristic of the good and great man is not that he has been exempted from the evils of life, but that he has surmounted them.

The first thing I have at heart is American liberty, the second thing is American union.
Power is the great evil with which we are contending. We have divided power between three branches of government and erected checks and balances to prevent abuse of power. However, where is the check on the power of the judiciary? If we fail to check the power of the judiciary, I predict that we will eventually live under judicial tyranny.

The Constitution is not an instrument for government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government, lest it come to dominate our lives and interests.
If this be treason, make the most of it!

--Patrick Henry

Freedom to Fascism the film

HERE & HERE

Since seeing this film and knowing more and more everyday about the lies told to us by the federal government, I am beginning to wonder just how far I as an individual would be willing to go for my beliefs.

I am going to meet with my pastor this week to get some biblical counseling regarding civil disobedience and what the Bible says is and is not acceptable for a Christian. Honestly, I was so angry when I watched this and began seriously thinking about why would I still continue to file yearly tax returns when there is no law saying it is mandantory. Would I be willing to risk everything to stand up against this kind of tyranny.

Bush has already passed an executive order that he can and will suspend habeas corpus under certain circumstances regarding security, but will it end there? No, I'm sure he would find any number of reasons to do so as well if he felt the power of the federal gov't was being challenged.

So, like many others have done, if I refuse to file a tax return because there is not a specific law stating that American citizens are required to do so, then I would run the risk of being thrown into federal prison for life and having all my possessions, meager as they are, taken away, and never being allowed to a rebuttal and defense of myself.

So, what I am asking myself after all this rambling, could I? Would I? Should I? Can I defy tryanny knowing that they have bigger guns than I do and would love to torture, ruin, or kill anyone who dared to reproach them, even though they are the ones acting illegally and I would be doing nothing against the law. How dare the government put it's citizens in this type of prediciment!

I knew from my study of American history that there have been corrupt administrations and injustices throughout the life of America. I have been a lot of things; dismayed, saddened, disgusted, mad. But after watching this, I was enraged, livid, and felt such a deep hatred of how evil this government has become!

To make matters even worse than the lying and stealing they've done to us for decades, the feds are working on implementing a national ID card along with radio chip inplanted in us. So we can accept this and our every movement be monitored. And when we do something to displease them they can turn our chip off and not be able to go anywhere, buy, sell, or trade and virtually become non citizens. Or we can refuse this ID and chip outright and by doing this become non citizens. Either way we become a people without a country!

In a way like no other, these past few days I have been put in the shoes of our Colonial people and our Confederate people. In a way like no other, I have a much deeper regard for exactly what they fought against, and what they fought for. I think now I have an even better understanding of their fears, of their goals and dreams, their victories and their defeats.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"To compel a man to furnish funds for the propagation of ideas he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical."

"Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God."

"An elective despotism was not the government we fought for."

"The two enemies of the people are criminals and government, so let us tie the second down with the chains of the Constitution so the second will not become the legalized version of the first."

"Ignorance and despotism seem made for each other."

"A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor and bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government. "

"All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent."

"Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies. "

"Commerce with all nations, alliance with none, should be our motto."

"Conquest is not in our principles. It is inconsistent with our government. "

" believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. Already they have raised up a monied aristocracy that has set the government at defiance. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people to whom it properly belongs. "

" hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our monied corporations which dare already to challenge our government to a trial by strength, and bid defiance to the laws of our country."

"I sincerely believe that banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies, and that the principle of spending money to be paid by posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale."

"I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever. "

"My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government. "

"Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the law' because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual."

"The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions that I wish it to be always kept alive."

"When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty."

"Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government."

All quotes by Thomas Jefferson. He must have been a prophet. He warned us. And some didn't listen. Now we are all paying the price. We are no longer a free people. It's up to us to fight and regain our freedom. It's certain that Washington DC will not easily just hand it over.