To Lindsay Lohan, if she ever thinks about such things, it may seem she has wandered into this life by mistake. It must appear to her to be a cubist existence. I realize most of her outrageous behavior is standard Hollywood fare done solely for publicity. But beneath it all is a young woman without direction; completely in the dark about who she is and why she exists; flitting from one unsatisfying experience to another; desperately in need of, and searching for, what only Jesus can provide: "the Peace that passes understanding."
So, what's in store for Miss Lohan? I pray for a Spirit-filled Christian man or woman to counsel with her and lead her into a relationship with Christ. Otherwise, if she continues in her current lifestyle it will likely lead to an emotional and physical breakdown. Suicide? Possible. Especially as she ages, her beauty fades and her career winds down. Currently, she has managed to avoid jail time for her latest escapade which only reinforces her sense of entitlement. A series of judges have been exceptionally lenient with her which has not changed her behavior.
Why should I care about Lindsay Lohan? If someone were to ask that question they wouldn't understand the answer.

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Following is a quotation of Theodore Roosevelt, President of the United States from 1901-1907

"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against such man because of creed, or birthplace,or origin. But this is predicated on the the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American. There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all . We have room for one flag, the American flag.

We have room for one language here and that is the English language. And we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is the loyalty to the American people."

I'm indebted to my brother, Dick, for alerting me to this quotation. He and I are fervent on the subject of allegiance to our country. If that makes us old-school and out of fashion we readily plead guilty. Our father emigrated to the U.S. from Greece and served in the U.S. army in the Mexican Border Campaign and WWl. He never referred to himself as Greek-American; only as an American. My brother and I do the same. The hyphenating of Americans is divisive. Either we are Americans or we are not. Will there ever come a time when we will all refer to ourselves simply as Americans? Probably not. Politicians like it as it is; they can pit one hyphenated group against another and the groups use their hyphenated identification to push for political power.

To those acquainted with the history of our country it seems President Obama has fashioned his presidency in the mold of Franklin D. Roosevelt. I think he chose a damaged model. Teddy Roosevelt would have been a better choice.

Mr. Obama appears to believe if he talks nice to Islamists and treats terrorists softly that somehow that will appease them and they will quit their horrific activities. NOT. "Get ready for all Muslims to join the holy war against you," the jihad leader Abd el-Kader warned his western enemies. In 2010? No; the year was 1859. This is the firm mindset of radical Islamists and it will not change. The avowed purpose of Islam is to overcome the U.S. from the inside and convert it into a Muslim country. Far-fetched, you say? It couldn't possibly happen? Sleep on. They are already preparing to use our Constitutional freedom of religion and separation of church and state to further their ends. And they're in no big hurry. As one jihadist said in Afghanistan, "You have the watches; we have the time." By the way, has anyone heard anything about Major Husan lately? You may remember he slaughtered a group of Americans at Fort Hood. His mentor, an Islamist preacher in Yemeni, proudly claimed Husan as one of his students and praised him for killing Americans. He urged "all Muslims to kill Americans." Husan is still living and having all his needs provided for by---you guessed it; Americans!

The only one I hate is the Devil. I do not hate Muslims. Hate corrodes the spirit of the hater and is a road that has no end. But I do not have respect for anyone who comes to this country and has no intention of assimilating into what it means to be an American. I am no fear-monger nor alarmist. The evidence for what I have said has been relayed on tv and in the newspapers and-----in the history books. It is in plain sight for those who are paying attention.

"You don't want penance; if you did, how gladly I would do it. You aren't interested in offerings burnt before you on the altar. It is a broken spirit you want--remorse and penitence. A broken and a contrite heart, O God, you will not ignore." Ps 51:16, 17 LB

"The high and lofty one who inhabits eternity, the Holy One, says this: I live in that high and holy place where those with contrite, humble spirits dwell; and I refresh the humble and give new courage to those with repentant hearts." Isa. 57:15 LB


Contrite: having or showing deep sorrow for having done something wrong; repentant.


Humble: having or showing a consciousness of one's shortcomings; modest; unpretentious.


Many people want to know that they have significance and that they are noticed by others but, for whatever reason, they find themselves on the fringe of society. These are the kind of people who flocked to Jesus. They were the poor, mostly with a minimum of education, without hope, utterly despised by the rich, the Pharisees and the rulers. Some of the despisers eventually accepted Jesus as savior but because of their sense of self-sufficiency and worldliness they had a more difficult time becoming humble and contrite, to be broken in spirit before God. The same kinds of obstacles that today some allow to block their way to Jesus.

What does it mean to be broken in spirit? To me it means I had to humbly admit that I had reached the point of spiritual bankruptcy. At a time when I should have been comfortable with my life and when, externally, it appeared as though I had the world by the tail and was dragging it toward Utopia, I was miserable. I had a fine loving family, doing well in my profession, financially stable, personally healthy. What was not to like? What else could I possibly need or want to make my life complete? Yet, spiritually, my inner being was full of discontent and loneliness. Strangely, though surrounded by friends and family, I felt alone.
God knows our hearts. He arranged for situations and used willing Christians to bring me face to face, so to speak, with Jesus. God has proved to be everything, and more, that he claims to be.
My outlook on this life changed radically. In a very real sense responsibility shifted from me to Jesus; he has the perfect plan for my life. (Not a plan for a life that will be free of difficulties.)
Perhaps someone is reading this and is in a position of doubt and a sense of separation from God as I was. Maybe you are struggling with a deep sense of hopelessness, a serious medical problem or facing death or any problem you admit you can't handle. If you know in your heart you do not have the spiritual strength to overcome your difficulties; that your only hope is in God, then you have reached brokenness of spirit. God is not remote; he is as close to you as your own heart. He is the answer. Confess your need for God, confess that you have sinned and that you need Jesus to take away those sins. "All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved."

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Miscellaneous

In the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi there is a vending machine that dispenses gold bars.

Just in case you left home without enough gold bars?

Several years ago I took part in distributing a film about Jesus in our community. In the training before distribution we were told we should be able to give our testimony within 2 minutes in case the opportunity presented itself. We practiced and found we could deliver the salient points effectively within that time restraint.

Christians suddenly get tongue-tied when it comes to sharing their faith. We will blab about some of the most intimate things, and our inner feelings to others but we stoutly resist talking about "religion and politics." We don't want to come on as a fanatic, somehow spiritually superior or "interfering in someone else's life."
Here's the outline for a 2 minute testimony:

In your own words simply tell

What my life (I) was like before I met Jesus

How I met Jesus

How my life (I) changed after I accepted Christ

Some will protest that their testimony is "not very interesting or dramatic." Yes, Damascus Road type experiences are part of what has happened in some people's conversion but they are not requirements or what has happened in every Christian's life. The main point and emphasis is how JESUS works in YOUR life and how he made a difference. Here is a secret: People are hungering for what Jesus can supply and they are waiting for we Christians to point them in his direction so they can know the love, peace and certainty of eternal life they're seeking and that we already enjoy.

Besides, I can't think of anything more interesting and dramatic than entering into eternal life through Jesus Christ. Some also hesitate to share their witness because they fear rejection. Personally you will not be rejected; if rejection occurs it is Jesus who is being rejected. We're not talking about stopping people on the street and confronting them with the Good News nor making a formal, uptight presentation to a friend or neighbor. Opportunities come in the normal course of everyday life. We only have to be willing to share, pray earnestly that the Holy Spirit will put seekers in our path, be spiritually alert to recognize them and be certain in our own heart of our commitment to Christ.
"'When the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power to testify about me with great effect, to the people of Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth about my death and resurrection." Acts 1:8
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Winston Churchill was asked to speak at a boy's school in England. As he stood to begin, the audience waited in hushed anticipation for the great man's oration.
"Never; never; never give up," he said and sat back down.
Recently, a 100 years old college student got his degree. He died the next day.
In Mississippi a 74 years old woman received her nursing degree.
"Everyone shall hate you because because you belong to me. But all who endure to the end shall be saved." Matthew 10:22
Never; never; never give up.

Stephen Prothero, a professor of religion, Boston University, has weighed the world's religions in the balance and has pronounced Islam as the greatest. In his book, "God Is Not One", he makes this statement: "Islam is the greatest of the great religions. In terms of adherents, this tradition of justice and mercy and forgiveness and submission is growing far faster than Christianity."(1)
He goes on to assert: "To presume that the conversation about a great religion starts with Christianity is to show your parochialism and your age. The 19th and 20th centuries may have belonged to Christianity. The 21st century belongs to Islam." That's his opinion.
Parochial? If that means adhering to Christ as "the Way, the Truth and the Life," then I am parochial and will go on rejoicing. Mr. Prothero has made his choice and I have made mine.
To Muslims, the will of Allah is revealed in the Shariah, the Islamic law, which takes precedence over all other laws.(2) The avowed purpose of Islam is to bring all nations under Shariah. That includes the United States. Wishful thinking, political correctness and negotiation will not change that.
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Franklin D. Roosevelt made some decisions based on whim. One day the Treasury Secretary consulted with FDR to set the price of gold. FDR gave him a figure that mystified the Secretary.
"Why that price?" he asked. "Because it's a combination of 3's and 7's and those are lucky numbers," the President replied.
Numbers in the Bible do have significance. For example:
Three: Spiritual completeness, e.g.: Father, Son, Holy Spirit; Jesus rose on the third day.
Six: Man's number. Man was made on the sixth day.
Seven: Spiritual Perfection. e.g.: God created the world in seven days.
Eight: Regeneration. e.g.: Noah and his family, a total of eight persons, were saved on the ark and regenerated the earth.
Twelve: Governmental perfection: e.g.: 12 tribes, 12 Apostles
Forty: Time of testing: e.g.: It rained 40 days and 4o nights to cause the Flood; the Israelites were in the desert for 40 years, Jesus was tested in the desert for 40 days
There are no magic or mystic or secret messages attached to Bible numbers or text no matter what Dan Brown says.
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(1) Prothero book review in Lufkin Daily News 4/24/10
(2) From "The Facts On Islam" by John Ankerberg, John Weldon and Dillon Burroughss
available from amazon.com $6.00. I highly recommend it.