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Two thousand years ago, a man lived on earth illegally and with no cause He was executed by Jews and Romans. They put Him on a cross, which was the common form of execution for criminals, but three days later He rose from the dead. And over 500 different people saw Him alive after His death and resurrection. Some people talked with Him. Some people even ate with Him. And 40 days later while they were on the mountains of the east of Jerusalem, He was talking with them and all of a sudden He ascended in their full view straight back into the clouds. And they saw Him physically, literally ascend from the earth.
Immediately, two angels stood by them in white apparel. And said, "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing into heaven. This same Jesus who is taken up from you shall so come in like manner as you have seen Him go into heaven." The promise of the angels was that Jesus would return. Now that's not a new promise, Jesus Himself said He was coming back over and over again.
And we who know and love the Lord Jesus Christ, we who are what the world has called Christians for it is a name that was given us by the pagans in the city of Antioch originally, but we who are called Christians believe Jesus is coming and we are waiting for Him to return. We have always been waiting for Him. We don't know when He's coming. It's in an hour that we really have no way to know, but we believe He's coming back.
This is what Christians call the blessed hope. Now some people think we're fools. Some people think it's all pie in the sky and the idea that Jesus would return visibly to earth is kind of scoffed at. But that's predictable. In 2 Peter 3:3, Peter says, "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers walking after their own lusts and saying where is the promise of His coming for sense the Father's fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation."
Peter says, there will always be scoffers and there will be a whole lot of them in the end times and they will be saying oh come on, everything's always gone along smoothly. Where is the promise of His coming, nothing's ever changed since the very beginning of creation. Such mockers have always been around, but their hay day says the Bible will be at the time of the coming of Jesus Christ.
Now I want to show you a parable if I may to begin with tonight. Turn in your Bibles to Luke Chapter 12, this will form our introduction. By the time our series is completed, we will have gone from the why Jesus must return to earth, through the how He will return, to the final consummation in the eternal state. But as we come to Luke 12:41-48, we find a parable that speaks to this issue of scoffing at the second coming of Christ.
Luke 12 beginning verse 41, "Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speaskest thou this parable unto us, or even to all? And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his Lord shall make ruler over his household to give him his portion of food in due season?"
And here we find a house owner. And he has a steward as so many did in those days. A steward was one who didn't own anything, but he managed the affairs for the house owner. And he was to manage them with care, that was his duty. Verse 43 then says, "Blessed is that servant whom his Lord when He comes shall find so doing." The picture here is of an owner of a house going away. And when he goes away he puts the servant in charge. "And blessed is the servant who does what he should and is found doing it when his lord returns to the house. Of a truth," verse 44 says, "I say unto you, he will make ruler over all that he has." The promise then is of the house owner who goes away, puts the servant in charge and when he comes back if the man's been faithful, he is fully rewarded.
And there you have the promise in a parable form that Jesus is coming back to reward those who have served Him faithfully. What a promise that is. In 2 Timothy 4:8 we read this, "Hence forth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord shall...the Lord the righteous judge shall give me that day and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing." In other words, those who live as if Jesus was coming in the next moment will be rewarded with a crown of righteousness.
Now contrast with the faithful servant, verse 45 of Luke 12. "But and if that servant say in his heart, my lord delayeth his coming," he's not going to be here for a long time, maybe he'll never come back. "And to begin to beat them menservants and maidservants and eat and drink and be drunk, the Lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him and at an hour when he is not aware and will cut him in sunder and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers."
Now Jesus said then there are some people who when the Lord goes away are going to be unfaithful with the obligation of the trust committed to them. This is the one who doesn't live in the light of the return. Who scoffs and said oh my Lord delays His coming. Maybe He'll never come. Unfaithful, he throws off the robe of stewardship and he begins to misuse everything. He badly treats the fellow servants. He pushes them around according to his own whims and wishes. He indulges himself in the food and drink of the master and even gets drunk wastefully taking that which is not his. Despising the others, not supplying as he should.
And notice in verse 46 that the Lord comes back at a time and a day when he's not looking and an hour when he's not aware and cuts him in half. Interesting note there, that was not an uncommon kind of death in that day for someone who was deserving of death. If you read in Hebrews 11, I think it's verse 37, you'll find that one of the Old Testament prophets was also saw and a sunder.
And so he would be cut in half and will appoint his portion with the unbelievers. Now you'll notice that there's a suddenness to the return of the Lord here. And here our Lord Jesus Christ is beginning to talk about the fact that He is going to be coming back and He's going to evaluate what men have done in His absence.
Verse 47, "And that servant who knew his lord's will and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given of him shall much be required and to whom men have committed much of him, they will ask the more."
What's that saying? That's saying that even in judgment there are degrees. Even in hell, there are degrees. "But for an individual," look at it, in verse 47, "that knows the lord's will and doesn't prepare and doesn't take care of it, he gets the severe judgment." Now you may scoff my friend at the second coming of Jesus and you may think it's pie in the sky that Jesus is said to come physically, literally to this earth, but may I say tonight that from this hour on, you have been warned. You have heard the truth. You no longer find yourself in the category of 48 who doesn't know, but you are in the category of 47 who knows what the Lord has promised to do, it's up to you whether or not you obey.
From this night on, you stand responsible before God and your conscience. Now Jesus said in that parable that He was going to come back. He is obviously the house owner. And men are obviously those to whom the stewardship is committed. This present age will end with the return of Jesus Christ. We've used a little overhead just to give you a kind of an overall picture and this follows the little chart that you have. Although it's somewhat different. The chart includes all of the varying Scriptures that you can refer to through the series.
But you will notice as we look at it that the church age, just a brief look, the church age concludes with the rapture. The rapture concludes the church age. From that point on, all of this period here is involved in the second coming of Christ. It includes all of this period. The Tribulation for seven years and the thousand year kingdom before the great white throne is set up. This age, the church age, as we know it ends then with the rapture and then begins on earth the horrible Tribulation and we'll get into that in detail. Now how do we know that Jesus is really going to return? What is the evidence to indicate that He is going to return? How do we know this isn't just pie in the sky? What causes us to be sure of a literal, physical return of the Lord Jesus Christ?
Well, I believe there are at least nine reasons. And last week, I gave you the first three and this week we'll endeavor to give you the last six and see how far we get. First of all, and just by way of brief review, we stated last week that the first reason Jesus must return is the promise of God demands it. We saw that throughout the Old Testament, God continually promised a deliverer, didn't He?
He continuously promised a redeemer, a Messiah, a Savior, a king who would deliver me, who would forgive their sin, who would bring justice out of injustice, who would make right out of wrong, who would reverse the curse, who would change everything. God repeatedly made this promise. According to one writer we saw there are at least 333 prophecies in the Old Testament telling about this deliverer. Now Jesus is that deliverer, but the first time He came, He only fulfilled 109 of those prophecies. Which means there are yet 224 prophecies of what the deliverer would do when He came and those 224 prophecies have never been fulfilled.
Now, if they have yet to be fulfilled then He must return, do you see? God promised this is what Messiah would do. He only did one-third of what God said He would do on earth, so He has to come back and do the rest on earth or God comes out a liar, right? Or God's word is suspect. If Jesus doesn't return, God's word is unfulfilled. God's predictions don't happen. God is a liar.
And so I say the first reason that Jesus must return is the promise of God demands it. And listen, the first time Jesus came, He came physically and literally to earth and believe me, the second time He will also come physically and literally to earth. That is the promise of God. And Numbers 23:19 says, "God is not a man that He should lie." If God said Jesus is coming, believe it. Jesus is coming.
And if He only fulfilled a third of the prophecies the first time and God said He'll be back, He'll be back. God cannot lie. Now listen to this little thought. If God, this is for your brain to mull over, if God gave out the information that wasn't true, then God would be destroying the very thing He was trying to establish, His own trustworthiness, right?
God wants man to believe in Him, true? Now if God rattled off 224 prophecies that didn't come to pass, the God is foolishly undermining just exactly what He's trying to accomplish. Why do you think God gave prophecies in the Old Testament? To vindicate Himself. God said such and such would happen, we see it happen. We say oh you can trust God. God said Israel be scattered and they'd be gathered and placed in the land. You say yeah, and I see it in my day. Boy that makes me believe God.
God said the Messiah would come and they would cast lots for His garment and the Messiah would come and He would be crucified and the Messiah would come and not a bone of His body would be broken and He would rise from the dead and it all came to pass. And when know that we say God is true. God is right. What God says happens? God says in the end times there will be certain features coming to pass prophetically and we look around and we see them and we say wow, you can trust God. But if God rattled off 224 prophecies that never happened, then God's word is suspect, right? And He can't be trusted. In Genesis 18, there's an interesting little encounter between Abraham and God that maybe points this up for us. Abraham was God's friend incidentally. And Abraham walked with God by faith. Paul even makes that point clearly in the New Testament. And God was always revealing to Abraham what He was going to do. God would say now Abraham, I'm going to do this, I'm going to do that and then Abraham would see it happen and say Oh God you did do it. Your word is valid.
Now God was about to wipe out Sodom and Gomorrah, right? I mean wipe them out totally. And now He didn't want Abraham's faith shattered. So He said to Abraham, "Abraham, I am going to wipe out Sodom and Gomorrah." And God was in effect saying "Now Abraham if I do it you'll learn to trust my word won't you? So God told him, in verse 17, let's look at it. God gives the rationale for telling Abraham. "And the Lord shall I hide from Abraham the thing which I do? Should I hide it from him?" No, I want to tell him what I'm going to do.
God didn't want a confused Abraham. God wanted him solid in faith and one of the greatest...and I think this in my own personal life, one of the greatest things that establishes my faith in God is fulfilled prophecy, isn't it yours? It's powerful, and so he used this even with Abraham telling him what He was going to do. He then did it. And Abraham's faith would grow instead of Abraham being confused by strange circumstances. He knew they were going to happen and he was trusting God all the more.
Now in verse 20, "And the Lord said because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great and because their sin is very grievous, I'll go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it." I'm going to go down and look and see if it's as bad as it sounds. And if not I'll know. So He's going to go down and judge them.
Well, if you read on down from 21, 22, clear on down you'll find out what happened. God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. And you know what happened? Abraham's faith became stronger. Now if Abraham hadn't have known Abraham could have been a little bit shaken, because that was the town where Lot was. And maybe Abraham wouldn't have understood so God gave him the plan and then brought it to pass and instead of Abraham being confused, he was strong in faith.
He said God has done it again, kept His word. You see for God to promise to do that and then not to do it, would have been to destroy the very thing He was trying to accomplish by promising it in the beginning. Do you see? You and I don't need to know what He's going to do. Other than the fact that when He tells us and then does it, it secures our faith. You got that point?
And so for God to tell us and then not do it is to destroy what He sets out to do in the first place. Say, if somebody comes to me and says MacArthur, I don't trust you. I doubt your word. You can't keep a promise. And I say all right, I promise such and such and such. And the guy says well I'll meet you Tuesday at three o'clock on such and such a corner. All right, I will be there, you can believe my word and I'll prove to you once and for all that I'm worthy of your trust. Tuesday at three o'clock the guy waits there. Wednesday at three o'clock he's still there and I haven't come yet.
You think he's going to trust me? The very thing that I wanted to use to get his trust, destroyed his trust, right? God would never make prophecies that couldn't come true. He'd be undermining the very thing the prophecies were given to do in the first place. You got it? And so God has made predictions and God brings them to pass. And strengthening faith is the result.
All right, point number two, we said that Jesus must return to earth because God's promise demands it. Number two the statements of Jesus demand it. Jesus kept saying He was coming in direct statements in John 14, He said He was coming. "To receive us unto himself." In parables in Matthew 24, Matthew 25, and we just read one in Luke 19 didn't we? We Jesus says, "I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm coming." And in Revelation six times He shouted pass the clouds "Behold I come quickly." He's coming believe me. He kept saying it. And He is the same one who said I am the way, the truth, and the life and if He is the truth, He cannot lie, right? You know, Jesus went further than just saying it. Jesus...did you know that Jesus gave a demonstration of the second coming? I want to show it to you. It's Luke 9. And this was very vivid. In fact, it just...it stayed in Peter's mind all his life.
Luke 9, just to show you that Jesus really meant what He said about coming again, verse 22. Jesus is talking with His disciples and He's going to tell them that He's going to have to die. In verse 22 He says, "The Son of man must suffer many things and be rejected by elders and chief priests and scribes and be slain and be raised the third day."
Now, this is like a bomb that's unloaded on the disciples. Just fantastically shocking. And it's at this point, of course, that the little interlude of Peter occurs where Peter says "Not so Lord," and he has to say "get thee behind me Satan." But anyway, He announces His death. And then in verse 26, but He says something I want to tell you. "Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and my words of Him shall the Son of man be ashamed when He shall come in His own glory and in the Father's and the holy angels."
Now there Jesus says, yes, I'm going to die. Yes, I'm going to rise again, and then I'm going to what? Come back. He says he's going to come right in verse 26, "when He shall come in His own glory." Jesus says I'm coming. Now Jesus then gives them a fantastic illustration of the second coming. Absolutely mind shattering.
Verse 28, "It came to pass about eight days after these sayings that he took Peter, John, and James and went into a mountain to pray. And as He prayed, His appearance...the appearance of His countenance or His face was altered. And His raiment was white and glistening." He just like somebody had turned on a light bulb, a fantastic light bulb inside of Him, he became translucent. Right in front of their eyes. What it was was the glory of God just beaming through Him.
"And behold there talked with him two men, Moses and Elijah," all of a sudden landed there. And of course, Peter was just completely flipped out by this point. And we'll see what happens, literally he was. "Who appeared in glory and spoke of His deceased, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem." There's Moses, Elijah, and Jesus up there talking about His death.
"But Peter and they that were with Him were heavy with sleep and when they were awake, they saw His glory and the two men that stood with Him." These guys slept through almost every prayer meeting and they finally woke up...you've done it. They finally woke up and they saw this fantastic thing. And of course, it came to pass as they departed from Him that Peter said unto Him "Master it is good for us to be here, this is terrific." Let's make three booths, that's houses, one for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah. And typically of Peter not knowing what He said.
"While He thus spoke there became a cloud and overshadowed them and they feared as they entered into the cloud and there came a voice out of the cloud saying this is my beloved Son, hear Him. And when the voice was passed, Jesus was found alone and they kept it close and told no man in those days any of the things which they had seen."
You say well, what's all that. Jesus appeared, what? He appeared in His second coming glory. When Jesus comes, He is going to appear on earth with His saints, Old Testament and New Testament and they were weren't they. Moses and Elijah representing the Old Testament saints glorified. Peter, James, and John representing the New Testament saints glorified and Jesus in His second coming glory all gathered on the mount just to give a glimpse, a fantastic illustration of the final glory of Jesus when He comes in His second coming.
This was a little preview. Now when Jesus comes, He's going to bring the kingdom, isn't He? He's going to bring the kingdom. Go back to verse 27. People have really gotten messed up with this verse. Let me give you a simple explanation. "I tell you a truth, Jesus said, there are some standing here who shall not taste death until they see the kingdom of God." You say that was 2000 years ago. There's no 2000 years...2000 year old Peter, James and Johns. They're gone. What does He mean that there's some standing there who want die until they see the kingdom?
What He meant was they would see the full glory of Jesus Christ as it would be revealed in the kingdom in a preview and they saw bang in the next verse. As they took off in verse 28, they went to the mountain and there it was.
Verse 27 doesn't refer to the kingdom that came that comes at the end of this age. It refers to the glimpse of second coming glory that they saw right there on the mount of transfiguration. They saw Jesus as the flesh was pulled back and His glory as the God of the universe was unveiled through the flesh. And there was Moses and Elijah representing the Old Testament saints that'll reign with Christ in the kingdom and there was the church represented by Peter, James, and John also who will reign with Him in the kingdom.
All gathered with Jesus on the mount. It was a little preview of the kingdom. And so Jesus not only said I'm coming, but He gave a fantastically dramatic illustration. And believe me it stuck in Peter's mind like it was nailed there. In 2 Peter 1:16, listen to what Peter said. He says, "We have not followed cunningly devised fables." Oh you know what Peter had been preaching, second comings, second comings, Jesus is coming, Jesus is coming, kept preaching that all the time. Some of you say oh Peter you've got all those old wives tales. All that Jesus is coming stuff. Where is the promise of His coming? Why do you believe all that?
He says, "We haven't followed any...any strange humanly divine...designed fairytales when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus." Watch. "We were eyewitnesses of His Majesty." What do you mean Peter? He says, hey when I'm talking about Jesus coming, I'm not talking about something I don't know anything about. I saw Him in His second coming glory.
Next verse, 17 "For he received from God the Father honor and glory." When was that Peter? When did you see that? "When there came a voice to Him from the excellent glory, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard when were with Him," where, "upon in that holy mount." Peter says, I'm not just shooting off my mount, pie in the sky, I was there I saw a glimpse of second coming glory. Believe Jesus is coming. It's no fairytale. So you see Jesus embedded in the mind of Peter and for all time in the pages of Scripture the visible illustration of the fact that He's coming again in glory, right?
And so I say to you Jesus must return to earth because the statements of the Father demand it and the statements of Jesus Himself demand it as well as His living illustration. And Peter says don't take it lightly, "it's no cunningly devised fable. We saw His glory like it'll be when He returns."
The third thing that we said last week, we know that Jesus must come because the guarantee of the Holy Spirit demands it. The Spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit continuously states Jesus is coming, Jesus is coming through all the New Testament writers. And the Spirit incidentally is the one wrote the New Testament as well as the Old Testament.
When New Testament writers wrote it was the mind of the Spirit guiding the pen. The New Testament is the testimony of the Holy Spirit to the person of Christ and to His second coming. Look at verse 19, same place, 2 Peter 1. Peter days hey, you know, how I know Jesus is coming, are you ready for this? You know how I know? "I saw His glory right there in that mount, I saw it." Second coming glory, but I love this. You say well, that's good Peter, that's your experience. For He says, "We have also a more sure word of prophecy that He's coming." What is it? It's the Scripture. "We have a more sure word of prophecy under which you do well to take heed." Listen, if experience isn't your bag, how about the statement of Scripture?
Take heed in your hearts, skip to the end of the verse. The parenthesis should be in there. There should be a parenthesis beginning at the word as and ending with the arise. Let me read it without the parenthesis. "We have also a more sure word of prophecy unto which you do well to take heed in your hearts knowing this, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private origin. For the prophecy came not at any time by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit."
Peter says that I not only Jesus is coming because I experienced his glory, but I know he's coming because the Holy Spirit gives testimony to it in the pages of Scripture, right? And the Scripture didn't come from any private origination. The Spirit gave it.
"And it's going to be like a light, verse 19, that shines in a dark place until the day dawn and the day star arise." You know before the dawn comes the day star. And before the dawn of the kingdom will come the morning star. And who does the write of Revelation say is the Bright and Morning Star? Jesus. Before the dawn of the kingdom must come the day star, Jesus.
And so Peter says if you don't believe my experience, believe the testimony of the Holy Spirit in Scripture. So you see the first three things we saw last week are these. Jesus must return to earth, the word of God, the promise of God demands it, the statements of Jesus and the visible illustration He gave demand it, and the guarantee of the Holy Spirit demands. We call all those three the person of God. Jesus must return because the person of God demands it.
The second large category is this, God's person demands that He return, so does God's program. God's program and under that one there are three, and then there's one other major point and other that one there are three and that'll give us the nine.
You know God has a program for this world, and God's program demands that Jesus return to earth. First of all, this is number four in the list of nine. The program for the church demands the return of Jesus. The program for the church demands the return of Jesus. Did you know that the church age can't end until Jesus gets here? Did you know that?
And if He's not coming, we're not going and nothing resolves. Now to understand this, I take you to a fantastically important passage Acts 15. This is the Jerusalem council, it's a key dispensational passage. Now what has happened is this, the church in Jerusalem has exploded around the world and Peter comes back and he starts telling all the Jews in Jerusalem that the Gentiles are getting saved, see? Well, verse 14, "Simeon," that's Peter, "hath declared how God first did visit the nations to take out of them a people for His name." Now Peter just gave the report that God has visited the Gentiles. And do you remember that Peter's first contact was Cornelius wasn't it? Acts 10. And Peter came back and say hey you guys, you know what God's doing? He's calling out a people of the Gentiles. First before anything else. And Peter had just given his report in verses 6 to 12. And then let's go on with it. Then James, the Lord's half brother, who was also the head of the church of Jerusalem, quotes a passage from Amos 9:11 and 12.
Let's look at verse 15. "And to this agree the words of the prophets." James is doing the talking. He says Peter just told us the first thing, now watch, verse 14, "the first thing God did is visit the Gentiles and take out a people." What's that? That's the gathering of the church, isn't it? The first thing that happened at Pentecost, God began to gather. Now Israel rejected, right? So God turned to whom? To the Gentile.
The first thing in God's economy, and we might look at our little...well, we can't look at it now, but anyway, the first thing in the chart...the first little area of the church age on your little paper in that age, God is calling out Gentile people isn't He?
All right, now watch, verse 15. And James says, this goes along with prophecy. "And to this agree the words of the prophets as it is written." Watch, here's Amos 9:11 and 12. "After this, I will return and we'll build again the tabernacle of David which has fallen down and I'll build again it's ruins and set it up. That the residue of men might seek after the Lord and all the nations upon whom my name is called saith the Lord who doeth all these things."
Now watch, I'll give it to you simply. Here is the order of events in God's plan. This is one of the most critical, dispensational passages in the Scripture. Watch the order of events. First, verse 14, "God visits the Gentiles and calls out a people for His name." That's the gathering of the church, right? The called out. Notice that, to take out. The church is the ecclesia, eckoleto. To call out. Then the second thing that happens, verse 16, "After this I will," what, "return." The church is taken out before the return of Christ. First the rapture, seven years later, He returns. When He returns, what does He do? "I will build again the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down and set up again it's ruins," so forth. Jesus calls the church out, and then He comes back and rebuilds the house of David. What does that mean? That means He sets up the kingdom and reigns as king in David's throne, right?
Now watch the plan, it's very simple. The third thing that happens. First thing, calling out of the church. Second thing, after this I will return. He takes the church, then he returns. Third thing, sets up the kingdom of David. Fourth thing, verse 17, "The rest of the men and all the nations shall come and seek the Lord." You know what happens during the kingdom when Christ finally sets it up? All the nations come before the Lord don't they?
There is this four-fold pattern. First the church is called out, then Jesus Christ returns, then He rebuilds the kingdom for Israel, then the Gentile nations come to His throne. There it is. Now watch beloved, "Nothing," now watch it, "nothing further can happen for Israel until the church is consummated." Did you get it?
Look at verse 14. He first calls out a people. Then verse 16, "after this," what, "I will return and set up the house of David." Do you know that God can't finish His plan with Israel until He finishes His plan with the church? Jesus must return beloved because the church age can't end if He doesn't return. And if the church age doesn't end, then there's no after this. And if there's no after this there's no kingdom either. You see?
Now the after this, those words do not appear in Amos 9. They're added by the Holy Spirit for clarification and accuracy right here. This is the plan of God. I can't see how you can understand that plan any other way than to be pre-tribulation, pre-millennial. And we'll get into what that means. That's not a disease. We'll find out about it later.
So we find then that God's pattern is very simple. He takes out a church, when He's done with that, He comes back and works with Israel, and then He sets up His kingdom and the Gentile nations come to the throne. Now presently beloved, we're still in verse 14 aren't we? Has He rebuilt the ruins of the house of David, not on your life. That's a spiritual revival. It hasn't happened. He hasn't set up a king in Israel Himself? No, He's still visiting the Gentiles and taking out a people for His name. And maybe before tonight's over some of you who are gathered right here will be taken out of the system, out of the world, added to the fold of Christians. He is still doing that all over the world, isn't He?
Still gathering the church. But you know, it's going to end. One of these days the last...I always think about this, where in the world is going to be the last one saved and then we go? And here's how the whole church age ends. 1 Thessalonians 4:13 and we'll study this in detail in weeks to come. "I would not have you to be ignorant brethren concerning them who are asleep that you sorrow not as others who have no hope." Those people who are dead, don't worry about them. "If we believe Jesus died and rose again, even so them who sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not precede them who are asleep."
Now, here's how the church age ends. Are you ready? "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout." He doesn't come to the earth. He just descends into heaven with a shout. "The voice of archangel, the trump of God, the dead in Christ rise first, and we are alive and remain caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord not on the earth, in the air. And so shall we ever be with the Lord."
The church age ends when Christ comes down into the sky, makes a sound and all the saints, God just turns off gravity for Christians, whish, and away they go. Collected in the sky with Christ, and away they go. Now that is not His return to earth in the fullest sense. That's just the beginning of His return. He'll be back seven years later and His feet will hit the Mount of Olives and split it wide open. But that's the beginning of His return.
And that's the end of the church and people until that happens nothing else can happen, because in James' words, "first He's going to call out a people and He's going to take them out. And after this He will return to deal with Israel." It's like a wedding, you know. The church is called a virgin waiting for her husband in 2 Corinthians 11:2. Under the New Testament symbolism custom to the oriental word world, a marriage had three aspects. Marriages were interesting. The first aspect was the legal contract. You know how it works, you young people will appreciate this, families got together and decided that they would marry their kids off to each other. Kids may never have seen each other. In other words, your father would sign a contract with some other father over here for his daughter for you. And guys that was it. Binding. And if you didn't happen to like what you got, it wasn't a whole lot you could do about it.
Now the father would also pay a dowry, and we've mentioned from time to time that the dowry would vary depending upon the virtues of the wife, anywhere from a couple of dozen sheep to a lame chicken. But anyway, it's depending on how desperate the father was to get rid of his daughter I guess.
But anyway, the dowry would be paid and it was contract that was phase one. There had to be payment made. Now the marriage was then legal, although there was no consummation of the marriage. Want to know something wonderful? When Jesus Christ died on the cross, He made legal payment for our marriage. And though the marriage has not yet been consummated it's binding, because He made a legal contract. And He paid the dowry with His own precious blood.
The second thing was what was called the betrothal. And this was a little ceremony where the bride and the bridegroom got together in the presence of witnesses and got a lot of presents. History says all kinds of gifts were given, still the marriage wasn't consummated. This was just a preliminary situation where gifts were given. And again, this is a beautiful parallel to the fact that you and I when we come to Jesus Christ the dowry is paid, the legal contract is settled forever, and not only that the betrothal takes place and God gives through Jesus Christ the gifts of the Spirit, right? The consummation has not yet happened, but we have all the gifts. Finally, the third phase of the wedding occurs when the bridegroom and his friends go to the bride's house. They have the actual ceremony and the feast takes place. Beloved, we've already had the legal...we've already had the betrothal. We're just waiting for the marriage feast. And unless Jesus comes, there is no feast. There is no bride and bridegroom coming together. He must come as the bridegroom must come for his bride to consummate the marriage.
That's the plan of the church. God would never use a beautiful metaphor of a marriage and then leave us hanging forever with no consummation. Those of us who put our trust in Christ we are legally married to Him. We are secured by the engagement ring, the arrabon, the Holy Spirit. Christ has paid the dowry dying for us on the cross. Legally we are joined to Christ. We have been betrothed to Him in the sense the Spirit of God is given to us and all the gifts of the Spirit that belong to us and all we're waiting for now is the final moment when we enter His presence and the marriage feast begins.
And so I say beloved, Jesus must return for us because the program of the church demands it. There's got to be a marriage. Ephesians 5:25, listen to this, "Husbands love your wives." You say, Oh I love her. Listen to this one. "Even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it." That's a pretty great love.
That's what the...that's the past tense. That's the legal contract. Verse 26, "That he might sanctify it and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word." That's the present tense. The Lord took as a bride, He keeps us clean. Continually cleanses us. You say what for? What is He doing? Verse 27, "That He might present us to Himself a glorious church not have a spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish."
Sure He bought us and He keeps us in order that He might present us to Himself. There's got to be a rapture. We've got to enter into His presence to consummate the marriage. I really believe people that God's purpose for the church demands the return of Jesus Christ or the marriage doesn't come into consummation.
Now let me add a footnote. I think that the present state of the church leads me to believe that the marriage feast is coming pretty fast. You say what do you mean? Well, 1 Timothy Chapter 4, the apostle Paul said...don't try to turn to this, I'll just mention it. He said "in the last days there will be people who will depart from the faith, apostasy, giving he the seducing spirits and doctrines of demons." He said in the last days watch out. The church will be characterized by apostasy and demonism.
People, if there are two things that dominate the church today in 1973, they are apostates and people who are really being run around by demons. A preoccupation with demons. Apostasy, liberalism, all the garbage that's pumped out in the name of Christ. Signs of the end. 2 Peter Chapter 2, Peter said in verse 1, "There were false prophets, so in the last days watch out. False teachers bringing in damnable heresy's denying the Lord."
You know what the liberals always do, deny the deity of Jesus Christ, don't they? They always do it. In 2 Peter 3, they deny a second coming. You've got that going on every where. And so there are reasons to believe that church age is fast coming to an end and I say God's program for the church demands a return of Jesus.
Second, in this section, fifthly on the total list, the program for the nations demands the return of Jesus. The program for the nations. We talked about God's person demanding it, now we're talking about God's program demands it and God's program for the nations demands the return of Jesus. You say what do you mean, John? Just this, now get it. God promises in the Bible that He will not tolerate sin, right? Now in the Old Testament there were certain sinning nations which God destroyed, the Canaanite nation. He judged them.
You say well do you believe God's going to come in judgment? Absolutely, and I believe if I read my Bible in the very simplest terms, the Bible says that all judgment is committed to whom? The Son Jesus Christ, that's John Chapter 5. "All judgment is given unto Him." Now if God is going to judge the nations and Jesus is the judge, then Jesus has to return to judge those nations. So God's program for the nations demands a return of Jesus Christ.
Yes, God is a God of love, but He's also a God of judgment. Now I want to take you to a prophecy to prove this. Joel 3, Joel is right there. Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, just a little book in the middle of the minor prophets. Joel 3, verse 1, now this very fascinating prophecy. It's very instructive.
Listen to verse 1 of Joel 3. If you can't find it, look in your index. If you can't find still, listen. "For behold in those days and at that time," or in that time, "when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem." Now He's talking about those days and that time. Now He's talking about the time when he regathers Israel. He's talking about the future times. And He is talking in the context of Joel about the period when He will regather Israel.
Now at the time that he is going to regather Israel, something's going to happen. At the time of the end, you know, you back up to verse 30, "there will be wonders in the heavens and blood and fire and smoke and the sun turn to darkness, the moon and the blood before the great and terrible day of the Lord." So he's talking about the second coming. In the great day of judgment. In that day, at that time, when I bring back Judah and Jerusalem. You know, when I gather them from captivity.
What's going to happen? Verse 9, look at it. "Proclaim this among the nations, prepare war." Now listen to me, "Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near, let them come up. Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say I am strong, assemble yourselves and come all ye nations and gather yourselves round about." Now watch, in this prophecy there is to be a gathering of all the nations for war at the time of the end.
Now you and I know this as a battle of Armageddon. Wars are going to continue to escalate until Jesus comes. Trust it, the word of God promises it. Now watch verse 13. "Put in the sickle for the harvest is ripe. Come get down for the press is full, the vats overflow, their wickedness is great." Here are all these nations, all of them gathered together ready for a big war. Watch verse 14, "multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision, for the day of the Lord is near, the valley of decision. The sun and the moon shall be dark, the stars shall withdraw their shining and the Lord shall roar out of Zion and utter His voice from Jerusalem and the heavens and the earth shall shake."
Stop right there. Now I hope you got that. What that said was this. God is going to gather nations and He's going to gather them into the valley of Jehoshaphat, verse 12. He calls it the valley of decision. And verse 16 says, the Lord is going to roar out of Zion.
Now, I want you to take another passage and explain what this is saying. Look in your Bibles at Matthew 25. All right, verse 31. Now remember Joel's prophecy was that nations would be gathered to be judged and God would roar at them. Now we come to Matthew 25 and just going to briefly look at this. "When the Son of man shall come," verse 31, "in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory. And before Him shall gathered all the nations." Now here Jesus is talking and Jesus verifies the prophecy of Joel by saying Joel said the nations would be gathered, I'm saying the same thing. And I'm going to separate them one from the other as a shepherd divides his sheep from his goats.
He's going to take the sheep nations, put them on one hand and say enter the kingdom which is prepared for you, verse 34. Now look down at verse 40. Pardon me, verse 41. "The others on the left depart from e you cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels." And verse 46 sums it up, and we'll study this in detail in the future. "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous and the life eternal."
Now watch, Joel said the nations will be judged, they'll gather for war. It's an interesting thing, you know what really happens? All these nations gather for war and as they converge on Jerusalem to fight war, they find out that they have been brought to the tribunal, to the judgment bar of God. They think they're coming to attack the Lord and Israel. They really wind up at the judgment seat of God. It's like going to war in a courtroom. The tables are turned on them.
And the nations are all going to be judged. And the nations that have responded to Messiah will enter the kingdom. The nations that have not will be sent out into everlasting punishment. This is the judgment God promises for the nations. Now in Revelation 14, this confirmed. In Revelation 14, the judgment is repeated again. And I just want to mention it to you, because it needs to be mentioned.
Revelation 14:14 the Son of man is the one who does it. Now watch, verse 14, "I behold a white cloud and upon the cloud one sat like the Son of man. Having on His head a golden crown, in His hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple crying with a loud voice to Him that sat on the cloud. Thrust in the sickle and reap for the time has come for thee to reap for the harvest of the earth is ripe." And here comes Christ and He just reaps and the devastation is unbelievable, verse 20. "The winepress was trodden outside the city. Blood came out of the winepress six feet deep over two hundred miles." Jesus is going to judge the nations. And Revelation 11:15 says "The kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of Lord and of His Christ." Now listen beloved, God's program is this, on the earth, on the earth it says so in Joel, it says so in Matthew, it says so in Revelation. "On the earth the nations are going to be judged."
Who is the judge? Jesus. John 5, verses 22 to 29, Jesus has been given all judgment. Now if the nations are to be judged on the earth, and Jesus is the judge, then Jesus must what, must return to earth. The program of the church demands it. The program of the nations demands it.
And you know something, as I look at the world around us, and I look at the picture of the nations, it seems to me that the coming of Jesus must be very soon. I see all of the terrors of war escalating, population explosion, ecology, the rise of Russia, the rise of the kings of the south predicted in Daniel 11, the rise of the east, in Revelation, the army of 200 million, the rise of the revived Roman empire which Daniel saw. I see the rise of the United Nations, the world government so obviously seen by Daniel and the book of Revelation. I see the apostates...I see all these features indicating that soon Jesus must come to judge the nations.
And so Jesus must return then because God's program for the church demands it, His program for the nations demands it. Sixth on our list of nine, the program for Israel demands it. And we'll take this one and stop.
This is tied in with the former point very closely. Look at Romans 11, 11:25. Romans 11:25 says, "For I would not brethren that ye should be ignorant of this mystery. Lest you should be wise in your own conceits." Now watch, "Blindness in part is happen to Israel." You know that Israel is blind today? "Until the fullness of the Gentiles become in." Now watch, "Israel is blind until the fullness of the Gentiles become in and then all Israel shall be saved. As it is written there shall come out of Zion and deliver and turn away ungodliness from Jacob. For this is my covenant unto them when I shall take away their sins."
Has that happened? Has it happened? Of course not. What is the fullness of the Gentiles in verse 25, that's the church. That just means the fullness of the body that God is taking out of the Gentiles. "When the church is done," watch, "and the fullness of the Gentiles is complete, the church is removed then all Israel shall be," what, "saved."
The church is taken out and then God deals with Israel and they're saved in that seven year Tribulation aren't they? Now this is God's promise to Israel. The fullness of the Gentiles refers to the church age. It began at Pentecost, it ends at the rapture. As soon as the rapture occurs, the blindness is taken away from Israel.
Zechariah says, "they'll look on him whom they have pierced, mourneth for His only Son." Israel's going to be saved. But you see Israel can't be saved until Jesus comes for the church. Do you see? He must come. The program of Israel demands it. People always say to me, John, does that mean that every single Jew in the world, at that time, alive is going to be saved? No, not every single one. Look at Ezekiel 20, verse 33, "As I love saith the Lord, God surely with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, with fury poured out while I rule over you, over Israel. I'll bring you out from the people and gather you out of the countries in which you're scattered with a mighty hand of an outstretched arm and with fury poured out, I'll bring you into the wilderness of the peoples and there will I enter into judgment with you face to face."
He's going to gather them in the tribulation, but He's going to be for judgment. And I'll cause you to pass verse 37, "under the rod, and I'll bring you into the bond of the covenant, but" verse 38, "I will purge out from among you the rebels and them that transgress against me." Let me stop right there. No, not all the Jews are going to be saved, but the great nation is going to be freed from persecution.
When it says "So all Israel shall be saved," it implies that all the persecution will stop. It also means that as a nation they will be saved, but there will be some rebels who will be purged out according to Ezekiel 20. This is the hope of every Jew my friend. You know that after He purges out the rebels it says in Ezekiel 35, and all through that whole passage, He sets up His kingdom. Every Jew waits for that. The return of Jesus is essential. It ends the church age. It deals with the judgment of the nations and it allows Him to set up the kingdom for Israel. He must return. The fullness of the Gentiles ends and then He comes and Israel is saved, delivered. And so we see that the return of Jesus is essential in every way to God's program. The climax and fulfillment of His church depend on it. The climax and fulfillment of the nations depend on it. The climax and fulfillment of Israel depends on it. So Jesus is coming. God's person demands it. God's program demands it.
Beloved, I believe He's coming soon. All I have to do is look at Israel. God has gathered them into the land, planted them there, and Ezekiel said when you see that happen, the next thing is Israel's salvation. And that can't happen until Jesus takes the church out and comes again to set up His kingdom. Jesus is coming. I trust you're ready.
Let's pray. Father, we're thankful tonight that promise is clear, that Jesus is coming. Our Lord, we do praise you that we do not need to wonder about this, but that everything cries out Jesus is coming. Father may nobody leave this place tonight who isn't ready for His return. And Lord as we close our service tonight we pray that you'll speak to the hearts of those who have not yet committed their lives to Jesus Christ. Cause them to know that if He came tonight they would be left to suffer the horrors of the tribulation time. Draw them to the Son. They might put their faith in Him and go when He comes. We thank you that Jesus is coming that He's coming for us. We thank you that very nature of the Trinity demands it and the very program of God for the church, for the nations, and for Israel demands that Jesus return to take His church, to judge the nations and to redeem His people Israel and reign as their king. We pray in His blessed name. Amen.
This article is also available and sold as a booklet.
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subset: commoncrawl


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To the surprise of historians themselves, history–or at least its public presentation–has become big business. The Freedom Trail, a walking tour of monuments, buildings and historical markers, is Boston's leading tourist attraction. The History Channel is among the most successful enterprises on cable television, and attendance at historical museums and other sites is at a record high.
What account of the past does our public history convey? This is the question James Loewen sets out to answer. A former professor at the University of Vermont, Loewen is a one-man historical truth squad, best known as the author of Lies My Teacher Told Me, which argued that high school history texts are laced with misconceptions, omissions and outright lies [see Jon Wiener, "Don't Know Much 'Bout History," April 3, 1995]. In Lies Across America, based on visits to historic markers, houses and monuments in all fifty states, Loewen comes to essentially the same conclusion about the public presentation of American history.
Friedrich Nietzsche once identified three approaches to history: monumental, antiquarian and critical (the last defined as "the history that judges and condemns"). Nearly all historical monuments, of course, are meant to be flattering to their subjects; it is probably asking too much to expect them to be critical in Nietzsche's sense. But one can expect basic accuracy and honesty, and this test, as Loewen demonstrates, much of our public history fails.
Problems begin with the language commonly used to describe early American history, which suggests that the continent was uninhabited before white settlement and that only people of English origin qualify as "civilized." Now excised from most historians' accounts of Columbus's voyages, the much-abused word "discovery" remains alive and well on historical markers, even where self-evidently inappropriate. A marker in Iowa declares that the French explorer Jean Nicolet "discovered" Okamanpadu Lake, although Indians had clearly named it well before Nicolet's arrival. A Minnesota marker credits Henry Schoolcraft with the "discovery" of Lake Itasca, the source of the Mississippi River, even while acknowledging that the lake was "known to Indians and traders" well before Schoolcraft's arrival in 1832. In Gardner, Kansas, where the Oregon and Santa Fe trails diverge, a marker honors the "pioneers who brought civilization to the western half of the United States"–thus expelling from history not only Indian populations but the Spanish, who planted their civilizations in the West centuries before the advent of overland settlers.
But what really concerns Loewen is not so much misrepresentations such as these but lies of omission. Nietzsche spoke of "creative forgetfulness" as essential to historical memory; what is not memorialized tells us as much about a society's sense of the past as what is. For Loewen, the great scandal of our public history is the treatment of slavery, the Civil War and the country's long history of racial injustice.


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StratforLeaks: Google Ideas Director Involved in 'Regime Change'
Al-Akhbar Management
By: Yazan al-Saadi
Published Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Top Google execs, including the company's CEO and one of Barack Obama's major presidential campaign donors Eric Schmidt, informed the intelligence agency Stratfor about Google's activities and internal communication regarding "regime change" in the Middle East, according to Stratfor emails released by WikiLeaks and obtained by Al-Akhbar. The other source cited was Google's director for security and safety Marty Lev.
The briefings mainly focused on the movements of Jared Cohen, currently the director of Google Ideas, a "think/do-tank" billed as a vehicle for spreading American-style liberal democracy. Cohen was also a former member of US Secretary of State's Policy Planning Staff and former advisor to Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton.
Email exchanges, starting February 2011, suggest that Google execs were suspicious that Cohen was coordinating his moves with the White House and cut Cohen's mission short at times for fear he was taking too many risks. Stratfor's vice-president of counter-terrorism Fred Burton, who seemed opposed to Google's alleged covert role in "foaming" uprisings, describes Cohen as a "loose Cannon" whose killing or kidnapping "might be the best thing to happen" to expose Google.
The Cohen Conspiracy
Stratfor's spotlight on Cohen began on 9 February 2012 after Burton forwarded to the secure email list a Foreign Policy article discussing Cohen's move from the State Department to Google Ideas. With this article, Burton noted that Cohen had dinner in Cairo with Wael Ghonim on January 27, 2011 just hours before the Egyptian Google Executive was famously picked up by Egypt's State Security. (doc-id 1122191)
On the same day, Stratfor's staff make reference to a Huffington Post article which highlighted Cohen's role in "delaying the scheduled maintenance on Twitter so the Iranian revolution could keep going" and a Foreign Policy article that noted that Cohen "was a Rhodes scholar, spent time in Iran, [and] hung out in Iraq during the war…". These casual discovers further perked Stratfor's curiosity about Cohen. (doc-id 1629270)
The following day, Burton forwarded a message to the secure email list from "a very good Google source" who claimed that Cohen "[was] off to Gaza next week". Burton added, "Cohen, a Jew, is bound to get himself whacked….Google is not clear if Cohen is operating [with a] State Dept [or] WH [White House] license, or [is] a hippie activist."
Korena Zucha, another senior analyst on the list, queried, "Why hasn't Google cut ties to Cohen yet? Or is Cohen's activity being endorsed by those higher up in the [company] than your contact?"
In turn, Burton replied, "Cohen's rabbi is Eric Schmidt and Obama lackey. My source is trying to find out if the billionaire owners are backing Cohen's efforts for regime change." (doc-id 1111729)
Later on, Burton forwarded information from the "Google source" of Cohen's links in establishing Movements.org. The source added, "A site created to help online organization of groups and individuals to move democracy in stubborn nations. Funded through public-private partnerships." Burton pointed out that the US State Department is the organization's public sponsor." (doc-id 1118344)
Indeed, the State Department, partnering with a number of corporations, was the main sponsor for the 2008 inaugural Alliance of Youth Movements summit in New York City that subsequently established Movements.org. Hillary Clinton endorsed the organization and presented a video message during the second summit held in Mexico City a year later.
On 11 February, Burton wrote to the secure email list that Cohen was still planning to head to Gaza. He added, "The dude is a loose can[n]on. GOOGLE is trying to stop his entry into Gaza now because the dude is like scorched earth. It's unclear to GOOGLE if he's driving without a license, but GOOGLE believes he's on a specific mission of "regime change" on the part of leftist fools inside the WH who are using him for their agendas." (doc-id 1113596)
Throughout this day, the idea proposed by Burton, and seemingly felt by his Google contacts as well, of Cohen and the White House's involvement in the uprisings was actively discussed among the analysts, especially in regards to who would be targeted next. (doc-id 1113965)
By Monday, 14 February 2011, Burton shared intelligence with George Friedman, Stratfor's founder, and Scott Stewart, vice-president of Stratfor's tactical department, from his source in Google that Cohen was ordered not to go to Gaza. Burton's Google source further stated, "Also, thinking I [the unnamed source] may be on the right track about him despite his denials [in reference to Cohen working for the White House/State Department]."
When asked to clarify his sources on Cohen, Burton claimed that they were Marty Lev, Google's director for security and safety, and Eric Schmidt, the current CEO of Google. (doc-id 398679)
A week later, Burton forwarded an internal Google email obtained from a 'senior Google executive'. This email was seemingly sent by Cohen to the senior Google executive to discuss Cohen's planned trip in March.
In it, Cohen wrote, "I wanted to follow-up and get a sense of your latest thinking on the proposed March trip to UAE, Azerbaijan, and Turkey. The purpose of this trip is to exclusively engage the Iranian community to better understand the challenges faced by Iranians as part of one of our Google Ideas groups on repressive societies. Here is what we are thinking: Drive to Azerbaijan/Iranian border and engage the Iranian communities closer to the border (this is important because we need the Azeri Iranian perspective)."
After reading Cohen's email, Stewart remarked, "Cohen might end up having an accident if he is not careful. This is not child's play."
Burton responded, "GOOGLE is getting WH [White House] and State Dept. support and air cover. In reality, they are doing things the CIA cannot do. But, I agree with you. He's going to get himself kidnapped or killed. Might be the best thing to happen to expose GOOGLE's covert role in foaming up-risings, to be blunt. The US Gov't can then disavow knowledge and GOOGLE is left holding the shit bag." (doc-id 1121800)
On 10 March 2011, Burton forwarded another message from his 'senior Google executive' source detailing how Cohen was requested not to travel on his proposed trip. The source explained that Google had concerns over Cohen's "baggage" as a "US State Dept. policy maker, his research and publications on Muslim extremists and youth movements and his presence in Egypt just as the uprising started."The source also stated that Cohen was recommended to "take a lower profile on this specific trip and let time pass before being visible and associated with people known by their states to be active in challenging repressive societies." (doc-id 1164190)
A subsequent message from Burton's source on 22 March 2011 affirmed that Cohen "heeded the advice not to go to Turkey or UAE for those meetings." (doc-id 1133861)
The final email dealing with Cohen was on 30 March 2011.
Here, Burton forwarded to the alpha (secure) email list a response by his source to Burton's question of whether Cohen was playing any role in Libya at the time. The source stated, "Not that I'm aware of. He heeded the advice to avoid Turkey and UAE and didn't go on that trip." (doc-id 1160182)
Google Ideas: Politicizing Technology
Certainly, there is more than meets the eye to Cohen and his actions; even his superiors in Google seem to think so.
The belief, chiefly by Burton, that Cohen had seemingly played a role in fermenting the uprisings that toppled Zine el Abidine Ben Ali and Hosni Mubarak underplays, and at times entirely disregards, the ability and agency by local movements in Tunisia and Egypt.
Nevertheless, Google Ideas, which Cohen directs, is a new animal. According to a report by the Financial Times published last July, Google Ideas seems to bond idealistic activist sensibilities with Google's pursuit for continued global expansion - blurring the lines between business and political action. Schmidt and Cohen dub Google Ideas as a "think/do-tank" that aims to tackle political and diplomatic matters through the use of technology.
The first public event for the think/do-tank, in partnership with the Council on Foreign Relations and the Tribeca Film Festival, was held last June in Dublin. It gathered around 80 'former' extremists, including former Muslim radicals, neo-Nazis, US gang members, and others, in a "Summit Against Violent Extremism". The announcement by Google declared that the summit's aim is "to initiate a global conversation on how best to prevent young people from becoming radicalised and how to de-radicalise others" and that "the ideas generated at the Dublin summit will be included in a study to be published later in the year."
One spin off was the creation of the Against Violent Extremism group, apparently a network for those who attended the Dublin Summit. Beyond merely networking, the group also advertises certain projects that are in need of funding. Notably, much of the projects pertain to the Middle East, including an "Al-Awlaki Counter-Campaign" - Anwar al-Awlaki, an American citizen of Yemeni origin, was assassinated in September of last year by the US for his alleged al-Qaeda connections.
But the Against Violent Extremism site does not seem to be presently active. The last update for projects in need of funding was made in September and the last announcement regarding the workings of the site was made in October.
More recently, Foreign Policy reported in January that the Brookings Institute, one of the oldest and most influential think-tanks in Washington, DC, named Google Ideas as "the best new think tank established in the last 18 months." Such accolades arguably suggests that Google Ideas is expected to be a major player in the near future.
Yazan - Do you see how these Jewish Social Elite dilute themselves and their ideology, that it is a fitting cause to structurally change society to meet their vision....to them bring about the perfect world. So what Cohen planned to do, was to go interview unsuspecting common Irainian families. And in that interview, He was there specifically to gauge when to execute his resources to start genocide. Oh....so why should i use the word genocide? It matters not to the Cohen's of the world, how hard the foot is on the accelerator. The means to reach an end is all that matters. So what if a couple hundred thousand have to be culled, or blown away like chaff. Question....Do they poccess a gene called the God Particle? After all genocide is part of their historical heritage - right ?. It's interlocked with their identity. The end game is all that matters. If you worked them into a corner, in a social townhall meeting in front of hundreds of common people, eventually he would likely bring up the holocaust that was exceuted against the Jewish Nation. To me Wikileaks, is a looking glass into the soul of the Jewish Elite mindset. The adage..."Well it happened to us, what's the big deal". Even though they are Rhode Scholars, Even though they live in the lap of luxury, the screaming women and children that lie in pieces, strewn across the street. Blood running down the curbs, These people would looked down their noses at you and me, with their chin slightly raised, they would say....."Someone has to make these choices, and it matters not that you think I'm a monster" Well Hilter and the Nazis diluted themselves, and now we see that Jewish Intellect has no problem thriving in the same environment. Yazan - You now see what us "non-liberal" Americans are dealing with in the U.S. Liberals live in an "alternate reality". Rules that led to democracy and strong nations do not apply. To a liberal your not a human. You can see how killing 6 million people de-humanized a culture, to think in those terms for generations to come. How many centuries you might ask, till this "conditions" is washed from the human psyche. Your not a human Yazan, To them you are a CopperTop Battery - hooked up to the grid.
"delude" - not "dilute".
And delusional you are. There isn't such a thing as "the Jewish Elite." There ARE individual idiots like Jared Cohen - and plenty of them. But your conspiracy theories and blank generalizations are just that: nonsense.
I've been writing about Cohen's involvement in regime change since March 2011.
site:thepassionateattachment.com Jared Cohen
Wael Ghonim was not available for comment?


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My wine purchases fall into three categories: Monday wines, Friday wines and Sunday wines.
I refer to Monday wines as our house wine or daily wine. When my wife is cooking and needs a cup, this is the wine I open. My wife loves to cook with wine and sometimes she even puts it in the food. Monday wines are not expensive and are under $10.
T.G.I.F. wines are in the $10 to $20 range. Everyone deserves to have a wine upgrade for surviving the week. However, if you're having a really bad week, you can always uncork a Friday wine a bit sooner.
Sunday wines, $20 and up, are for those special occasions like birthdays or anniversaries or when the Giants win another World Series. The 2014 S.F. Chronicle Wine Competition awards medals within certain price categories. Here are some of the Best of Class red wine winners that should fit neatly into my three-tiered wine cellar.
If you are a pinot noir fan, look for the 2012 Seaglass Santa Barbara County ($12) and the 2012 Redwood Vineyards ($8.99). Both were winners in the under $20 category. In a step up, the 2011 CRU Wine Company Santa Lucia Highlands Montage ($24) is one to track down. The 2012 Twisted Zinfandel ($7.99) and the Fiddletown Cellars Old Vines ($19.99) were the best zins under $20.
The best syrah deal is the 2011 Cycles Gladiator Syrah ($12) and the 2012 Cline Cellars Mourvedre Contra Costa County ($15). If Rhone blends interest you, look for the 2012 Hahn Central Coast GSM ($14). I've had this and it's a steal at that price. The Fog Head 2012 Merlot ($9.99) was the best merlot under $10, followed by the 2011 Kenwood Vineyards Sonoma County ($14) and the 2011 Central Coast Liberty School ($16) in their price categories.
Three cabernet sauvignons to look for are the 2012 Monogamy North Coast ($12.99), the 2012 Spellbound California ($14.99) and the Napa Valley 2011 Aquinas ($18.99). The wines listed here are just a small portion of the Best of Class winners of the tasting. If you'd like more tasting results,go to www.winejudging.com.
Beatles and burgundy
Fifty years ago the Beatles arrived and raised the bar on pop music in the U.S. Fifty years ago Ernest and Julio Gallo introduced a robust red blend called Hearty Burgundy and raised the quality of U.S. table wine. The wine appeared on the cover of Time magazine and was called the best wine value in the country. A limited edition Hearty Burgundy will be available in the original style with a special 50th anniversary seal.


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People in Gloucester will be able to see the effect drinking has on their driving by donning "beer goggles" to drive a go-kart.
The specially-designed goggles recreate the visual distortion, loss of perception and lack of control that impair drink-drivers.
Safer Gloucester has organised the event to coincide with BRAKE Road Safety week and Alcohol Awareness Week.
Anyone aged over 12 can have a go if they can reach the pedals.
Ch Insp Richard Burge, of Gloucestershire Police, said: "Over the festive season, many people will be enjoying a night out socialising and celebrating and most will plan to get home safely by taking a bus or taxi.
"Sadly some will take the risk of driving whilst thinking they are under the limit, but putting themselves and others at risk. Some people could still be over the limit the next morning.
"The only safe way is to adopt a personal zero limit and avoid drinking any alcohol at all if you are driving."
Safer Gloucester chairman Jennie Dallimore said: "This event will enable everyone to see for themselves just how their driving skills are affected.
"This should be a great evening, with a serious message and I would encourage everyone, young and old, to come along."
The event, organised with Concession Cirkitz International, takes place on Friday.


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Review | Author Bio | Read an Excerpt | Interview
CBP: What inspired you to write the Imagination Station series?
Marianne: Paul (McCusker) had always wanted to write stories about the Imagination Station. When looking to do a kids series about it, we chose early elementary to introduce new readers to the Adventures in Odyssey world. We also wanted to touch on a group of kids that didnt have many Christian books written for their level. There seemed to be a gap from picture books to later elementary readers.
CBP: The Imagination Station device is well-known to fans of the radio drama Adventures in Odyssey. Why did you and Paul decide to use it in a book series?
Marianne: It lends itself to stand-alone adventures. Its a fascinating device. Why wouldnt he want to write about it? It allowed us to write about settings outside of Odyssey. Wed like some of the books to augment the history kids learn from public school textbooks or TV. The Imagination Station radio dramas are also among the most popular. We thought that kids would like them, thats all!
CBP: The first two books focus on the Vikings and ancient Rome. The next two books focus on Kublai Khan and the War of the Roses. How did you and Paul decide which historical events to write about?
Marianne: They just seemed interesting and we thought theyd be popular with boys. I also looked through the Bennett books on core knowledge to make sure the things we write about would be taught in schools. Also, the Rome book is based on an actual Adventures in Odyssey radio drama. It is one of our favorites, and so we wanted to retell the story. The Kublai Khan book started out to be more about Marco Polo, but Kublai took the stage. He was a fascinating character. We dont always decide with concrete objectives. Most times the story just sounds plain old fun.
CBP: How true to history are the books?
Marianne: Now, this is a spoiler. Mr. Whittaker isnt real. Neither are Patrick and Beth. Though they are named after Pauls children. Patrick and Beth are his childrens middle names. Most of the events are based on sagas, legends, or some sort of historical baseexcept for book 4. All the characters in the War of the Roses story are fictional. For plot purposes, I sped up the storytelling. For example, the events in the Kublai Khan story took place over months, not hours. Same with the Viking book. I wanted Leif to leave for the New World shortly after he brought back the gospel from Norway. In reality, a lot of time passed between the events.
I did make some vocabulary exceptions. For example, Marco Polo was Venetian, but I called him Italiana more familiar term for the readership. But the basic events of books 1 to 3 are true, and the War of the Roses did occur in England with Lords fighting their neighbors, etc. We really just wanted to write about the jousting. Paul did a lot great research for the jousting scene. I had to cut a lot of it, and that made me sad.
On the website The ImaginationStation.com, Ive listed whats true and whats exaggerated for each book. There are also nonfiction pages for the kids to read about Leif Ericsson and the other Christian heroes.
CBP: These books are geared towards young readers, ages 7 and up. What is the number one issue that children learning to read struggle with?
Marianne: Speed processing. The kids who are slower reading learners usually need more help with sight words and fluency. Thats just practice at an accessible reading level. These are just slower readers in generalIm not counting kids with true auditory processing issues or other learning disabilities, which represent between 3 and 10 percent. Most kids can learn to read better with one-on-one instruction and a loving atmosphere. Ive posted reading tips on the website for each book and lists of words to practice before tackling a chapter. See TheImaginationStation.com.
CBP: What kinds of books do you recommend children read?
Marianne: I dont only recommend books. There are fabulous magazines out there for this age group. Not all kids like fiction, so magazines draw them in with nonfiction and pictures. There are some good book series out thereI personally give my children the tried-and-true series written years ago, like Beverly Clearys Ramona books. My boys enjoyed the Horrible Harry books by Suzy Kline. My daughter was a Gertrude Chandler Warner/Boxcar Children fanatic. Parents can ask librarians to recommend books. One of my sons loves anything about animals in the nonfiction sectionI dont make him read fiction unless its for school. I do have to review their books first, and that can take a lot of time, but its worth it.
CBP: What are some ways that parents can help their children develop their reading skills?
Marianne: (Get their vision checked for not only vision but for tracking issues as well.) Turn off the electronics and make reading a fun time. You can read to them or they can read to you. Make reading an event. Your kids will complain for about two weeks while the electronic addiction wears off. Then they will be better able to engage in literary pursuits. For free reading, let your kids read easy books. Dont judge. If they want to read Hop on Pop twenty times, that means thats where they are comfortable. If you push your kids beyond what they perceive to be the right level, they will rebel. Better a lot of fluent reading at an easy level than choppy reading at a higher level. Reading with starts and stops is a bad habit to let them get into.
CBP: What encouragement can you offer parents who may have reluctant or struggling readers?
Marianne: I can encourage parents by letting them know that there are GREAT reading programs for kids. Most kids, 60 percent, need extra help at home to make it to the fourth grade reading level. That extra help can come from parents who gently and lovingly make reading a family hobby. There is no lack of teaching material, and your school districts should be able to help you find the right tools. The biggest factor in childrens success at school is a loving parent who takes the time to work with their children. One of my sons could not learn to sound out letters quickly enough to hear the word. I couldnt help him, and so I hired a reading specialist who was more of a cognitive trainer and we worked through his auditory glitch. There are some terms to search phonemic awareness and phonograms that will help parents read more about how to help emergent readers. When the kids know how to sound out words, speed training on sight words can jump start their reading fluency. On the website, TheImaginationStation.com, Ive prepared this long essay on how use a metronome to speed up your childs reaction time to sight words. Its under the book The Attack at the Arena. Dont give up. Virtually every kid can learn to read well enough to go to college if his or her parent(s) invest in them.
CBP: What do you hope kids will walk away with after reading Imagination Station?
Marianne: A smile and a desire to learn more about history and faith in Jesus Christ.
CBP: Can you give us any sneak peeks into what we can expect in future books?
Marianne: Book 5 is a Bible story, a familiar Bible story. The title is Showdown with the
Shepherd. I think thats a fairly strong clue.
Book 6 is about Miles Standish and William Bradford and Native American
relations. It centers on a certain holiday in November.
That will end the first story arc. As for the next set of 6, that may depend on sales
of the first set. (Thats a strong hint to readers to buy the books so we can keep
developing the series.)
Be sure to check out the click book for book 1 at TheImaginationStation.com. That way you can tell if these books will be at the right level for your kids.


text: I got a project kind of brewing around in the noodle for my mag. Thing is now I don't have a work space of my own currently, going stir crazy, and need some help to complete this. I have all the parts and a drawing almost finished, about ready to move to Phase 2 on it.


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SOURCE: TSheets.com
February 06, 2013 14:07 ET
Time Tracking Employees Love; Now Available in the Intuit App Center
Time Tracking Employees Love; Now Available in the Intuit App Center
BOISE, ID--(Marketwire - Feb 6, 2013) - TSheets, the leading-edge time tracking technology company developing flexible, real-world solutions for businesses worldwide, recently released an app developed exclusively for QuickBooks. This new app was designed to improve the speed and accuracy of tracking, managing, and reporting time for Intuit customers. Referred to as "TSheets Time Tracking for Employees," the app is now available in the Intuit App Center, and works with QuickBooks online, QuickBooks for PC, and hosted QuickBooks solutions.
"QuickBooks' customers desperately needed a better solution for timekeeping, especially after Intuit and QuickBooks discontinued their own time tracking apps last year," says Matt Rissell, the CEO of TSheets. "We've been developing ways to better integrate with QuickBooks for a long time and this new app offers the ultimate easy experience and the best time-tracking features on the market. It's time tracking that both businesses and employees actually love."
With the new app for Intuit, TSheets makes syncing with QuickBooks seamless. Service items, customers, employees, vendors and more sync to TSheets in just one click. Employees can then use that data to track time against and the manager-approved time then syncs back to QuickBooks in one easy click, making invoicing, payroll, and billing a snap.
TSheets allows end-user employees to track time in flexible ways, including on a desktop, laptop, any Internet-enabled device, or mobile phone -- including iPhone or Android app (with GPS), text message, or dial-in -- with real-time punch clock or manual time entry options. It's the only system built with the end user, the employee, in mind. Managers gain the ability to monitor billable hours, paid time off, GPS locations, and more.
When administrators make changes in QuickBooks, the new app's one-click syncing feature offers real-time updates, so all employees -- even mobile users in the field -- have up-to-date information to track their time against. Customized reports and settings, from overtime alerts to timesheet approval reminders, also improve accountability and time management for all involved.
A free, fully featured 14-day trial is available for the new TSheets Time Tracking for Employees app, and plans start at $5 a month.
With clients ranging from small businesses to large international organizations, TSheets improves time and labor management with a cutting-edge time tracking application that replaces paper timesheets with a more accurate, mobile, and flexible solution.
For more on the timekeeping functionality and features of TSheets, visit www.tsheets.com.
Contact: Jennifer HetheringtonVP firstname.lastname@example.com
Contact: Jennifer HetheringtonVP firstname.lastname@example.com
See all RSS Newsfeeds


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Fredericksburg Real Estate - Find Your Perfect Home For Sale!
Fredericksburg - Town vs. County Stats
Avg Price in Fredericksburg: $379,100 / County Avg $399,500
Avg Taxes in Fredericksburg: $1,900 / County Avg $2,100
Avg Sq. Ft. in Fredericksburg: 2,772 / County Avg 2,923
Avg Price per/ft2 in Fredericksburg: $137 / County Avg $137
Avg Walkscore in Fredericksburg: 23 / County Avg 14
Avg Year Built in Fredericksburg: 1990 / County Avg 1995
Avg Days on Website in Fredericksburg: 79 / County Avg 86
Fredericksburg Real Estate Market Health
Fredericksburg real estate has a significant amount of single-family homes. There are historic properties from the 18th and 19th centuries on generous lots of land. Fredericksburg has a great deal of colonial-style homes in particular. This style is very common for the area considering the history, so the town is filled with old-world charm. Modern homes and newer construction are also available most commonly in residential tracts. Both historic and modern homes come with their own unique features and extraordinary finds. One of the most marveled over Fredericksburg properties for sale on the market right now is an 1830's four-story brick mansion. It has six bedrooms, six-and-a-half bathrooms, an elevator to three stories, 9,000 square feet of space and elegance, and it is located right in the heart of historic Fredericksburg. This home is the epitome of too good to be true. It has 1800's crown molding and the interior detailing of the estate is bewitching. This home is out of reach for many, but its meticulous and enchanting nature is a great example of the unique properties that can be found in this town.
The history of Fredericksburg dates back to the early 1600's when John Smith arrived to initiate the Jamestown Settlement. The inhabitants at the time were the Siouan-speaking Manahoac Indians. The Virginia General Assembly established a fort on the Rappahannock River in 1676, just below present day Fredericksburg. In 1714, Germanna, a German settlement, was sponsored by Lieutenant Governor Alexander Spotswood on the Rapidan River. This led an expedition to go westward past the Blue Ridge Mountains two years later. A new county was formed in 1720 as interests grew, and it was named Spotsylvania after Alexander Spotswood. Fredericksburg was then established as the port for the county in 1728. Fredericksburg was named after Frederick, the Prince of Wales, who was the son of King George II. In 1781, Fredericksburg was incorporated as a town, and in 1879, it received its charter as a city. However, during that time, the town underwent the Battle of Fredericksburg in 1862. Then the Second Battle of Fredericksburg happened in 1863. This was all part of the American Civil War. Separating from Spotsylvania County, Fredericksburg adopted its own form of government in 1911. In the past and today, Fredericksburg serves and has served as a bedroom community for Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C.
Public schools in Fredericksburg run independent of the surrounding counties in their own district. The public schools include James Monroe High School, Walker Grant Middle School, Hugh Mercer Elementary School and Lafayette Upper Elementary School. Private Schools include Fredericksburg Academy, Fredericksburg Christian School, Saint Michael the Archangel High School and Lighthouse Academy. Last, but surely not least is the higher education. The University of Mary Washington, a four-year public university established in 1908, focuses on undergraduate education in the liberal arts and sciences.
Fredericksburg's prime location along the Rappahannock River provides residents with an assortment of lakeside amenities including trails, parks, nature programs and more to promote an active and healthy lifestyle. It's always a good idea to unplug and connect with nature especially in a place with such an abundance of natural beauty. You can also enjoy nature at the 800-acre Motts Run Reservoir Recreation Area, a common spot for hiking, picnics, fishing, kayaking and canoeing. More opportunities to stay active and healthy are at Fredericksburg's parks and recreation department which provides athletic, dance and fitness classes for all age ranges and skill levels to try out. There are also town events held throughout the year such as the annual Christmas parade, Heritage Festival, Antique Auto Show, Oktoberfest, and a soapbox derby.
This town's history has all but been left behind or forgotten. George Washington's childhood home resides in Fredericksburg as well as the Civil War battlefields and the James Monroe Museum, all being preserved and available for public viewing. Old Town Fredericksburg is the heart and soul of this town. The city's past joins forces with today's modernism and creates a wonderful atmosphere that has become a local and tourist favorite. There are over 100 boutiques, antique shops, art galleries and restaurants in the midst of this 40-block historic district. Over 350 original 18th and 19th century properties remain standing as well as the oldest continuously running soda fountain in the United States. There's nothing better than a small town with a historic downtown district. It's a great place to spend time on the weekends or afternoons with friends and family and to show out-of-town visitors.
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Select Realty has the complete inventory of Fredericksburg VA homes, luxury properties, townhomes, condos and foreclosures for sale, along with the most current pricing, photos and property information available.
|Areas in Fredericksburg VA
|200 - Spotsylvania


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Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk of Cincinnati did us all a favor in articulating the characteristics that make us Americans baffling to Rome (see "Domestic Manners of the American People," AM, 5/25). We all could recognize ourselves in his comments. Yet, within the Catholic Church in the United States, there are different age levels and ethnic and cultural backgrounds that provoke specific explanations for our behavior. Then there is the uniqueness of each individual. I want to be more restrictive here than Archbishop Pilarczyk and explain just myself to Rome and hope that in doing so I can also articulate the feelings of a few other Catholics my age (58 years completed), not only to Rome, but to a younger generation of Americans as well.
Two events marked my early life and my growing up, forming impressions that are still with me today: They were the Great Depression of the 1930's and the Second World War of the 1940's.
The Great Depression remains a vivid memory. The struggle out of poverty and economic insecurity has defined the word "success" for my generation. We have done many things unconsciously so as not to fall back into poverty. In our Catholic school upbringing we were taught that we were not second-class citizens because we came from immigrant families or because we were Catholic. We were urged to move ahead in our society, to get a good education, to take our place in politics and in the business world. Some may accuse us of falling into the American heresy of consumerism and acquisitiveness, seeking always bigger cars and more elaborate homes in the suburbs; but those externals are signs of the firm determination we had not to repeat history. It may have been an overreaction, but it was motivated, I am convinced, more by love than by greed. I mean that. My generation was characteristically American by its generosity. Note how many of my generation pampered their kids, saying, "I want them to have all the things I was deprived of, especially a good higher education," and "I don't want them to go through what I went through." I say this so that we not be judged too harshly as "consumeristic" or "materialistic."
Since I became an adult I have traveled the world over many times, and have had the opportunity of knowing countries that are indeed very, very poor. From these travels I learned that consumerism can be coupled with unselfish generosity, and deprivation can often mask self-centered stinginess. So I hope that my Roman colleagues come to see that underneath what seems like external affluence is often a very generous and detached spirit.
The Second World War marked my life. I feel I have outgrown the negative stereotypes of the "Hun" and the "Jap" that were so much a part of the propaganda foisted upon me as an adolescent, but I have to admit that it took and still takes an effort. You see, I grew up with just as great a fear of Fascism as I had of Communism. Hitler and Mussolini were diabolical figures to me, examples of how single individuals with uncontrolled power over other human beings could cruelly dehumanize people sacred in the eyes of God, and could justify such abuse for the sake of an ideology. I guess I grew up with a fear of absolute power, unfettered and uncontrolled, held by some people over others. It often surprises me to see that people I know do not share this fear to the same degree, but instead lend their support to dictatorships in Central and South America because such governments may seem anti-Communist.
I know this fear also affects my attitude toward church authorities and religious obedience. By its very nature and structure--hierarchical, that is--the church can easily tend toward such fascistic traits. History shows many examples of how the transcendent dimension and the good of the person were lost in the all-too-humanness of the church and because of the ambitions of even good superiors.
This fear also touched my attitudes toward religious life. It explains one of those unrationalized attractions I had toward St. Benedict's concept of the abbot and my comfort with the safeguards against tyrannical superiors in his Rule and in modern Benedictine tradition. It is also the reason my generation has so many committees and hearings and goes to so many meetings. I know these seem like the introduction of just so many more obstacles to good administration and like efforts to democratize the church. They really are not attempts to make the church an elected democracy; they are only safeguards so that we can explain our feelings clearly to those who make the ultimate decisions on our lives. We need channels for being heard, especially when we are fearful or hurting. Thus, we see the consultative processes in the church today as healthy contributions to balancing the more absolutist tendencies that are almost inherent in church structure, in addition to being valid soundings of the way the Spirit is working among our faithful. Moreover, a believer my age might even feel sad that we are not able as Americans to contribute these insights to the whole church, for we sense it would be a much more credible church if we could.
Finally, this fear also affects how we act as leaders and authority figures. We may at times disappoint our Roman colleagues because we seem to be more concerned about healing, and about not acting arbitrarily and in an authoritarian fashion, than we are in giving forceful, unequivocal leadership. Perhaps we have learned that people can be persuaded as much by gentle reasoning as by authoritative decrees.
I hope this "apologia" explains some of the special events that marked the life of one bishop, events that perhaps my Roman colleagues may have forgotten, or a younger generation did not experience. I must warn the reader, however, that the picture is still not complete; other events, such as Vatican Council II, the Vietnam War and the civil rights movement, would have to be added to complement the above. How rich all these happenings have been and how much they have affected me! I hope I can continue to learn from the experiences I know are yet to come.


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Residence: rural Fort Lupton
Affiliation: American Constitution Party
Website: www.dougaden.com
Age: 48
Family: Wife, Terri; son Matt (22); son Jesse (20); daughter Myra (deceased); son Everett (15); son Chauncey (11); son Josiah (9)
How long have you lived in Colorado? Native, 48 years
Professional background: Controller for small businesses to owner of manufacturing business
Political/community experience: Elected to county and state offices in political party, held officer positions in nonprofit organizations, member of community service organizations.
Education: Bachelor's degree in business administration with concentration in accounting
Name a person you admire and explain why: My grandfather. Not only was he my flight instructor when I was a teenager, but he used that as an opportunity to teach me about life and directed me away from following in his footsteps as an airline pilot.


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Welcome to L3 Crestview Aerospace (L3 CA), a division of L3 Aerospace Systems. As an industry leader in all areas of aircraft manufacture, aerostructures fabrication, and aircraft modification with facilities in Crestview Florida and Chihuahua Mexico, we pride ourselves in customer-centric relationships with our commercial, military, and original equipment manufacturers - (OEM) customers. L3 CA offers our customers great value, high quality, and superb schedule performance. L3 CA is a vertically integrated, one-stop shop for parts fabrication through end-item aerostructures, aircraft maintenance & modifications.
Our primary products and services include:
L3 Crestview uses lean manufacturing techniques and continuous improvement processes to ensure its products and services result in the best value for our customers.


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Seven-Time IRONMAN Launches First Annual Ride to Give
After a heavy spring racing schedule, an IRONMAN Texas competitor will ride 900 miles to help an injured boy he's never met.
By Jennifer Ward Barber
After knocking out an IRONMAN this Saturday in Texas and a 70.3 on June 23 in Syracuse, Dave Nazaroff will hop back on his bike and ride to Jefferson, Georgia. If the 900-mile ride isn't enough to keep what the Nyack, New York resident calls the "post-IRONMAN blues" at bay, what awaits him in Georgia certainly will.
Nazaroff is riding to raise money for a two-year-old boy he's never met, and there could be thousands of supporters ready to greet him when he arrives in the boy's hometown.
A heavy falling tree branch shattered Tripp Halstead's skull while the toddler was playing outside at daycare last fall, leaving him with a traumatic brain injury. Since then he has undergone 13 surgeries, while battling bacteria, flu, and meningitis. Nazaroff's wife learned about the Halstead family's situation through Tripp's mother Stacy's Facebook page, where she would post about her son's condition daily. (The page now has over 570,000 followers.)
As parents of two themselves (their son, George, is 2 and their daughter, Gertie, is 7), the Nazaroffs instantly connected to what the Halsteads were going through. Nazaroff's wife, Kate, thought that if her husband could do seven IRONMANs in four years, why not a bike ride to Atlanta? She asked him over dinner, and Ride to Give was born—which Nazaroff hopes to repeat every year for a different family in need.
"I want to do it for kids. The little people need a bit of help," he says.
Having finished IRONMAN Lake Placid, Coeur d'Alene, St. George, New York City, Kona, and soon Texas, Nazaroff says he wanted to try something new and difficult. ("You've got to do something challenging if you want people to donate," he says.) He has raised almost 80,000 in just eight weeks, and will be collecting donations along the way.
"Fifty cents, a dollar, we'll take anything," he says.
As the co-owner of two Toga Multisport bike shops in the area, as well as Gotham bikes in Tribeca, Nazaroff is doing the ride on his vacation time, planning to complete the straight-shot route in five days. (Togamultisport.com has the map of the ride.)
The money raised will be put toward helping Tripp's mother stay by her son's side during his recovery.
"I'm an IRONMAN and all, but that's a one-day thing and you're done," Nazaroff said. "This woman is at the hospital day and night, month after month. To me, that's a true IRONMAN."
Visit Toga Multisport's Ride to Give Facebook page for more information. For updates on Tripp Halstead's progress, visit the family's Facebook page.