Spiritual Lessons from one of the Worlds Greatest Mountain Climber "We cannot lower the mountain - We can only elevate ourselves" - Todd Skinner

With the return of Christ getting closer I believe that spiritual battles are being magnified because Satan knows his time is short. I thought I would share some lessons I learned from the Worlds Greatest Mountain Climber. My mother gave me a DVD a couple months ago about a mountain climber from Wyoming named Todd Skinner.

Todd was considered by many to be the worlds greatest free style mountain climber. Meaning he did not use rope ladders to climb the mountain, only a rope to catch him if he fell.

“If we use rope-ladders to get to a summit, we climb the ladders, but not the mountain itself."


He accomplished more than 300 first ascents in 26 countries around the world and established new climbs at the highest level of difficulty. When he was 16 years old he was told about an impossible mountain to climb called, Trango Tower in the Himalayans. It was then that he decided that he would only climb mountains that would help him to be able to climb Trango Tower.

This is Trango Tower in the Himalayans in Pakistan. It is 20,500 feet above sea level. .


He had this to say about dreams of doing the impossible.

”Whenever you can, you should base your goals on dreams, because the feel of a goal tied to a dream is entirely different from a goal without a dream–you are pulled instead of pushed. A dream is a motivational force that makes your destination worth going to.. “

4 Things about Todd that helped him to even consider trying to climb Trango Tower.
1. He was patient. He was involved in a number of free style speed climbs in Europe and the US and he usually was in the back of the pack.

Colossians 1 :11-12
being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully
giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

2. He was fearless. Or better stated he loved mountain climbing so much that it made him fearless.

1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
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3. Problems in the climb, storms, stress, etc made him stronger to be able to climb harder and harder mountains.

James 1:2-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

4. It never entered his mind that a mountain was impossible to climb. The spiritual lesson I thought of from this is nothing is impossible with God.

Luke 1:37
For nothing is impossible with God."

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The longest sheer cliff mountain climb before Todd attempted Trango Towers was 9 straight days.

On day 37 it took Todd and his 4 man crew 9 days just to climb 10 feet up this mountain.

On day 46, one of the team members brought bad news, that at about 20,300 feet the mountain appeared to have un-climbable rock. Meaning there were no cracks in the rocks to put their hands and feet into. They were very discouraged an almost thought about quitting.


On day 47, a Himalayan ice, snow, lightning storm broke out with 70 mile an hour winds. They strapped their tents down on the side of the mountain and stayed there until the storm ended on day 56. While up on the side of the mountain the base camp told them that all the other climbers in the area, climbing other Himalayan mountains, were killed by this storm. 13 in all. It was after this storm that they decided they would get to the top no matter what.

Day 56 the sun came out and melted the ice and snow. Prior to that, the ice made it impossible to climb up or down the mountain.

Note. The dead zone is anything above 18,000 feet. So no cuts heal after this point because of lack of oxygen

On day 59, the climber Bobby Model got to one of the highest points and half his finger was torn off. They super glued it back on. Bobby could not see any way to get up any higher, but thought he would give it one last try. With no safety gear weighing him down, he leaped out and jumped(blind faith), and was able to find a rock to hold onto. The others made it to where he was. On day 60 they all made it to the top of Trango Tower

The Greatest Thing To DO

The Greatest Thing

I have been around a number of men and women close to death. Not one of them asked how their stocks were doing, or if they were going to die with the most toys. Before my Dad died he wanted to speak separately to my mother, sister and me. He wanted to tell each one of us that he loved us and he loved God.

Henry Drummond once gave a sermon about love titled "The Greatest Thing In the World". D. L. Moody stated of this sermon "It seemed to me that I had never heard anything so beautiful." Moody had Drummond come from Scotland to Chicago to deliver this sermon to all the schools that Moody was associated with. Moody then requested the principals of his schools to have it read to the students every year. Moody thought so highly of this sermon that he thought it should be delivered once a month in every Christian Church in the world.

This sermon was later turned into a book and is considered a Christian Classic. Drummond describes the greatest thing in the world as being Love and that God is Love. Drummond describes love as active and breaks down ICorinthians 13, like someone who has lived a live of love.

I Corinthians 13:3 And if I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.


Drummond describes how we can do many things that appear good, know all prophecy, have faith to remove mountains, bestow all our gifts to the poor, give our bodies to martyrdom, but this is worthless unless we have love.

The type of love later described in this book is called Agape love. There are two types of love, agape and phileo. "The essence or basic nature of the two kinds of love is that agape is self-sacrificing love that benefits someone other than the person expressing the love, and phileo is self-satisfying love that benefits the person expressing the love. Agape does not consider the worthiness or unworthiness of the one it is benefiting, while phileo considers both. Agape cannot be expressed with words alone, it must contain actions.

John 21:15 Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.

Harold Chadwick, who has helped compile Henry Drummonds book into modern english said that it was even hard for the disciples to grasp agape love. He stated that three times Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him. The first two times he used the verb agapao. By using the verb He was undoubtedly asking Peter if he loved Him in a willful, dynamic, and self-sacrificing way. But Peter replied by using the word phileo, meaning that he had strong affection for the Lord--loved Him in a social, moralway. The last time Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him, He used the same word that Peter had used, phileo. In so doing, He dropped His love requirement down to the best that Peter could do at that stage of his spiritual development. In John 21 verse 18, Jesus told Peter what true love for Christ (agape) would cost him once he learned to walk in it. --"Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands,and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish. This He spoke, signifying by what death Peter would glorify God. "

Chadwick goes on to describe agape love in greater detail. He also states: "It is a blemish upon the Body of Christ that the divorce rate within the Church is as high as it is within the world. The problem lies in that the vast majority of Christian couples marry for phileo love and not for agape love. Like those in the world, they marry because they are emotionally and physically attracted to the other person, and because they believe that the other person will make them happy-- in other words, they marry for self gratification. Rarely does a Christian couple marry for agape, because they believe they can make the other person happy. Just as rarely is there sufficient agape in a phileo marriage to make it the kind of Christian marriage that God intends it to be. Yet agape is the solution to all the difficulties in Christian marriages, the solution to the problem of the divorce rate within the church." The greatest thing is agape love.

The Order is Set The Pieces Are Moving: We Come to It At Last

The Pieces Are Moving: We Come to It at Last

Wars and related upheavals must have causes. Often times an event happens that triggers pent up rage of the masses. We are currently watching that in Lebanon. This pent up rage is often overlooked by intelligence services and can catch many people by surprise. Most people do not know history so they do not understand many of the causes of this pent up rage.

The Current Rages To Look Out For

The Russians
The Russians are an extremely complex tribe of people. They are very introspective and sometimes Celtic in nature. They love their soil and they love poetry, just like the Celts. Whether they are male or female they can recite the Great Russian Poet’s by name(Pushkin, Lermontov, and Tyutchev) and some of their verses. Also like the Celtic people they can be given to long periods of drinking and depression. The Russian people generally do not want to go back to Communism; however they have a keen desire to be a powerful world player, just like they were in the past. This is a very non Celtic feature and is usually the reason for the misreading of their intentions by the West. Their current leader has been misread about these Russian desires by the majority of Europe and North America. The world is about to find out the rage that burns in the Russian hearts and their desire to be a power broker. The Russians know now that they can not compete with the work ethic of the Chinese. They believe that if they can control the source of energy that China and the United States needs they will be able to get back the power they so desire. They also know that this can lead them to many problems, but it is the major reason they are backing the Iranians and their Nuclear option. Russia wants the potential control of Oil and the money from it. Iran wants the Nuclear option for other very devious reasons. This rage will soon become visible to all the world players.

The Iranians and Radical Islam
The Iranian leadership is closely tied in with Radical Islam. Their fingers are throughout the Middle East and Northern Africa. The average Iranian is getting sick of their totalitarian control, but they currently do not have the power to over through the leadership. Radical Islam believes that soon a miraculous event will occur that will deliver Jerusalem and unite the Islamic world. They have been saying that it is coming for 20 years. They know that eventually they will have to act or they will have no followers. Before the Ayatollah Khomeini died, he prophesied that Russia would help Islam to destroy Israel and deliver Jerusalem. It makes for very strange partners, but it is the reason Iran is paying Russia for their Nuclear Power Plants/Bombs It is a partnership that will eventually collapse on the Mountains of Israel. The rage of Islam grows and will soon become more visible than 9-11.

Syria
The only question for Bashar Assad is will he strike at Israel on behalf of the Palestinians or will he wait for the Russian-Iranian strike. The Baathist of Syria are becoming very anxious about their weapons in the Becca valley . They have made one mistake after the other and know that if they do not do something soon they will lose control of Syria. The Lebanese are about to push the Syrian’s to the boiling point. The Syrians do not really want to harm Lebanon, because that will gain them nothing. If they could give a critical blow to Israel, they feel they could stay in the drivers seat of power and even potentially control Arabia and Islam. If they strike Israel with Chemical and biological weapons, look for Damascus to no longer be a city.

My next post will describe the anger of other groups that will play out in the near future.

War/Murder Totals for the Ages

I have been looking at the history of war and unnatural deaths over the past 200 years. Here are some startling numbers. I will then discuss some root causes later.

1800 hundreds to 1900 hundred (listing only wars and unnatural deaths that cost over 100,00 lives)

Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815) 3,500,000

Mfecane (1818-1840), and the reign of Shaka (1816-1828) 1,500,000

Taiping Rebellion (1850-64) 2,300,000

Russo-Turkish War (1806-12) 225,000

Crimean War (1853-56) 508,000

American Civil War (1861-65) 618,000

Paraguay, War of the Triple Alliance (1864-70) 424,000

Ten Years War, Cuba (1868-78) 200,000

Franco-Prussian War (1870-71) 774,000

Russo-Turkish War (1877-78) 285,000

Cuban Revolution (1895-98) 160,000

19th Century Slave Trade
Atlantic slave trade: ca. 2.5M deaths.
Islamic slave trade: ca. 3M died.

Congo Free State (1886-1908) 4,500,000
Adding all the events including many small wars a very tentative total of 40 Million unnatural deaths during the 19th Century. The actual totals may be higher but probably not lower.
Death totals from website:
http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/wars19c.htm

1914 to the present. 100 years of massive murder and death
Armenian Massacres (1915-23): 1,500,000
WWI: Battle Deaths and civilian Deaths would be 15 million (8.5 million battle)
See: http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWdeaths.htm
And: http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/warstat1.htm#Allies
China, Warlord Era (1917-28): 800,000
China, Nationalist Era (1928-37): 3,100,000
WW II Battle Deaths and Civilian death = 56.4 million see the following web page:
http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/index.asp?id=46251
Korean War (1950-53): 2,800,000
North Korea Concentration Camps (1948-1987) 1,663,000
Algeria (1954-62): 675 000
Rwanda and Burundi (1959-95): 1,200,000
Second Indochina War (1960-75): 3,500,000
Ethiopia (1962-92): 1,400,000
Nigeria (1966-70) : 1,000,000
Bangladesh (1971): 1 250 000
Cambodia, Khmer Rouge (1975-1978): 1,650,000
Mozambique (1975-1993): 1,000,000
Afghanistan – Soviets verses Mujahideen (1979-2001): 1,800,000
Iran-Iraq War (1980-88): 1,000,000
Sudan (1983 et seq.): 1,900,000 and rising
Kinshasa Congo (1998 et seq.): 3,300,000
Victims of Communism inside Russia and China 85,0000,000 (Stephane Courtois, The Black Book of Communism)
Estimated abortions worldwide: 527M to 836M (1920-2000)
http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/policy/abortion/wrjp333sd.html

Rough Estimate of total from 1914 to 2000, Not including smaller conflicts and murder totals would be around 1,022,000,000. These are individual people murdered. That is 1 Billion, 22 Million. The number is probably higher but not likely lower. Why the dramatic increase in death.

Since the beginning of World War One there has scarcely been a year of peace. This death toll will get much higher before it stops.

The Peace Club(Really the Death Club)
Every scheme of peace, The League of Nations, The Kellog Pact, The Locarno Treaty, Yalta, Potsdam, Oslo, and The United Nations, have self destructed or become meaningless. It could even be argued that through their efforts of just talking about peace they have actually brought more war and death. In fact these organizations seem to be a precursor to a vile man mentioned in Daniel 11:21-24. They speak peace and safety but there is nothing but war and more death.

The Beginning of this Epoc of Death
It can be said that this present era or epoch of death started in 1914. WWI and WWII were very unique in the history of the world on 4 fronts. 1. This was the first time in recorded History that entire National male populations were compelled by law to participate in War. Until these two wars, that had never been the case. 2. Governments became much more proficient about killing large portions of their own population, along with that of enemy countries. 3. Many ancient boundaries were moved, countries that were lost to antiquity were recreated or reborn. 4. The ancient boundary of One Loving and Just God was replaced with the idea that man was god in many formally Christian countries(Russia, Germany, Romania, etc).

The Start of Nation Against Nation, Father Against Child, Child against Parents
The idea of evolution through stages from insignificance to humanity is called eugenics, based on Darwin's theories. Eugenics devalues humans by rating people on a sliding scale. There are different sliding scales, but they all dehumanize vulnerable people and justify various crimes against humanity. When you no longer believe in a Just and Loving God, you and the Government make the final decision on what is really a life and which life is worth living. The Germans had it down to a science in WWII, The Communist’s bought into this idea from the get go and still buy into it with reckless abandon(China abortion figures are staggering). The French, and most of Western Europe were sliding down this path, Darwin just gave them an excuse to practice it. This idea is really quite ancient, man is god. Islam preaches that only Allah is god and Mohammad is his prophet, but for all practical purposes they practice a form of man being god. I will discuss more of this in a later blog.

How To Reach The World With The Gospel

How To Reach The World With The Gospel

Matthew 28:19-20
19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.":

The Church Should Be Known for its Prayer, Faith, Preaching, Love, Praise & Hope

I have been looking at keys to reaching the world with the Good news of the Gospel. There seem to be 6 major themes that the church should focus on to accomplish reaching the world. These verses are what jump out to me.

Mark 11:17 (Prayer)
And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Romans 1:8 (Faith)
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.

Romans 10:14-18 (Preaching the Gospel)
14 How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? 15 How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!" 16 However, they did R514 not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, "LORD , WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?" 17 So faith comes from hearing, R516 and hearing by the word of Christ. 18 But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? Indeed they have; "THEIR VOICE HAS GONE OUT INTO ALL THE EARTH, AND THEIR WORDS TO THE ENDS OF THE WORLD”

John 3:16 (God’s Love For Us)
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

John 13:35(Our Love For God)
"By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

John 14:31 (The Son’s Love For the Father)
but so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me. Get up, let us go from here.

John 15:9-10 (How to Love)
9 "Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. 10 "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.

Psalms 57:7-11 (Praise)
7 My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise. 8 Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early. 9 I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations. 10 For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds. 11 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth.

Romans 15:13 (We Should Be Known for Our Hope)
13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

1 Peter 3:15 (We should have so much hope people should notice and ask us about it)
but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;

Colossians 1:5 (Hope)
because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel

2 Corinthians 3:12 (This Hope Should Make Us Speak Boldly the Gospel)
Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech,

Philippians 2:14-16 (We Should not be known for Grumbling or complaining)
14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing; 15 so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world,

Mark 13:10 (Publish the Gospel in every Language)
And the gospel must first be published among all nations.

John 17:20-23 (Unity Of Believers)
20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

James 2:5 (The Poor Are More Accepting of the Gospel)
5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?

Psalm 22:1, 18, 22, 22-28 (Remind the World of His Sacrifice)
1 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?

18 They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.

22 I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.

26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever. 27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. 28 For the kingdom is the LORD'S: and he is the governor among the nations.

Psalms 49:1-3 (Speak Forth the Word of God to The World)
1 Hear this, all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world: 2 Both low and high, rich and poor, together. 3 My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.

Genesis 18:18 (All Nations Blessed because of Faith of Abraham)
Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?

Galatians 3:6-8 (All Nations Blessed because of Faith of Abraham)
6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. 7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. 8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.

Psalms 70:4 (Magnify God not Yourself)
“Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; And let those who love Your salvation say continually, "Let God be magnified."

Matthew 5:13-16 (Let Your Light Shine. Let Your Good Works Shine, Not You)
13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. 14 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

1 Corinthians 13:13 ( Faith, Hope and Love Abide )
But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Mark 12:30-31 (No Greater commandment than to Love God & People)30 AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.' 31 "The second is this, `YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' There is no other commandment greater than these.

A Husband and Father's Special Responsibility
For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. .... Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the Word and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. Ephesians 5:23,25-27

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4

When Family Worship Led By the Husband/Father Disappeared In America

In America, during the 1700's and early 1800's the chief hobby of men was to study theology. Praying was a manly thing to do. Training children to be godly was considered one of the chief responsibilities of men.

In the early days, what we now term religious education was primarily a function of the home. Fathers were expected to train their children in a knowledge of the scriptures and also of the doctrines of faith as set forth particularly in the various catechisms, that often included 100's of Scripture. It was the pastor's responsibility to see that this duty was not neglected.

Prior to the industrial revolution, fathers taught their children; especially their sons how to farm or how to do a trade. The sons would hear their fathers teaching on scripture in the morning and at night. Then they would see their fathers live what they preach during the day. The children were either home schooled by Mom with help from Dad or they were sent to a school house where scripture was the main part of learning. Everything taught in school backed up what the father was teaching at home.

Fathers started to rely on Sunday School and the public school to teach their children the foundations of the Christian faith. By 1847, the author J.W. Alexander, had detected a decline in the practice of Christian men leading their families in worship. In a century, family worship would be only a distant memory among Christians.

In the early 1800's it was taught by Dad's to their son's that they should never be alone with a women unless it was their mother or sister. Fathers told their son's to never put yourself into a compromising situation because you have a nature inside of you that lusts and this sinful nature will do anything to get what it wants.

In the later 1800's, Darwin's theory of evolution started to take hold. The biblical ideas of men being sinful was removed and replaced with the idea that man just needed to be educated. The belief started that man's natural goodness would lead him to do the right thing. Self reliance replaced trust in God. The industrial revolution also brought about men chasing after money rather than just providing for their family's daily needs.

We all know that things got much worse as Prayer and the Ten Commandments were taken out of public schools in the early 1960's. During this time we saw rise to the Playboy Philosophy and all manner of decadence started to be accepted. Proverbs 22:28 was discarded. "Do not move the ancient boundary which your father's set." That boundary continues to be moved today with the talk of homosexual marriage. Something the founding fathers could never have imagined.

It is time for the heart's of the father's to turn back to their children and their duty of teaching them the foundation's of the Christian faith. Pray that God will raise up men that remember their duty to lead.

I have not blogged in a awhile because I have been busy putting together a Men's Ministry for my church. This is the initial Accountabily group worksheet I have been setting up. If you have suggestions please let me know. I believe that Christian men are the key to reaching the world for Christ in our generation.

Scripture and Question’s for Accountability Groups

Foundational Scriptures:

James 5:16 (NAS)
Therefore, confess your sins to one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

Proverbs 27:17
As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.

Galatians 6:2
Carry each others' burdens . . . and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."

2 Peter 1:3, 5-7 (NLT)
3 As we know Jesus better, his divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life. He has called us to receive his own glory and goodness! …
5 So make every effort to apply the benefits of these promises to your life. Then your faith will produce a life of moral excellence. A life of moral excellence leads to knowing God better. 6 Knowing God leads to self-control. Self-control leads to patient endurance, and patient endurance leads to godliness. 7 Godliness leads to love for other Christians, and finally you will grow to have genuine love for everyone

Hebrews 11:24-25
"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

The Abundant Life
The abundant life men so desperately seek, will often be determined by the depth of questions he is willing to wrestle with. Often the devil will temp men with the passing pleasures of sin, so men avoid the deeper heart questions of life. (what is the meaning of life, what can I do with my life that will truly last forever, why do I not love the way I should, what does it truly mean to be a man of God, a man after God’s own heart, etc.) Once we start asking these questions we can find the answers through the Word of God. The unsaved do not really care for you or what you really think, but God does. Jesus often asked questions of His followers so they would verbalize what was on their heart. Christ had a way of drawing out these Words from His followers because He cared for them and what they thought. As you ask your brothers and yourself some tough questions, remember it needs to be out of LOVE. The following questions are good to start with.

Questions to Ask Initially For Accountability Group
l. Who do you say that Jesus is?

2. What are the biggest barriers to your relationship with God? With your wife? With your children? With other men?

3. What are the most serious temptations you face? When you give into that temptation how does it affect your relationship to God? Your wife? Your children? Your friends? (remember the Devil wants to destroy all of your relationships starting with your relationship with God)

4. If Satan were to wage an all-out attack on your life, what area(s) would he focus on? (What are your greatest points of vulnerability? For example, sexual impurity, financial irresponsibility, dishonesty, greed, pride, etc.)

5. How can your brothers help you and pray for you? Questions to Ask Each Other as Your Walk with God and Your Friend’s Deepens. This is best determined by looking at the questions and picking a date in the future when you will start asking them, one of another.

If there's more than two or three men, not all of the following can be asked of each man each week. If there are 4 of you, you may want to break into 2 groups of 2 and ask the following questions. Don't let more than a few weeks go by without discussing any of these areas. (You may wish to add questions of your own.) The first question is so blunt because all indications are that the number one problem with Christian men in America today is lust and sexual immorality. (Barna indicates that 33% of all Evangelical Pastors are addicted to pornography, 88% of Christian men have seen a pornographic image in the last 30 days, over 95% of Evangelical Christian men indicate that lust and pornography are the number one reason they feel disconnected from God). It is evident from Scripture that the Devil often uses the female to lure men into sin. Men are so weak in the church today because they often worship a god in a mini-skirt. It is time for men to start leading and wearing the pants again and stop worshiping at the god of the skirt(lust). God is looking for some men like Joshua not men like Ahab.

Additional Foundational Scripture for the Next Group of Questions.

Joshua 1:7
7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.

2 Chronicles 16:7a(NKJ)
For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.

The Next 2 are tied together
Matthew 7:21
21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven

1 Thessalonians 4:3
3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality;


1. Were you free from any form of pornography since we last met? If yes are you lying? Were you free from masturbation this past week? If yes are you lying? Have you been free from any form of sexual immorality this past week(such as talking dirty to the opposite sex, inappropriate touching of someone other than your spouse) Overall did you consistently keep your thoughts and actions pure before God?

2. What kind of a ministry did you have this week? Whom did you share Christ with, either directly or indirectly? Or, how did you use your gifts and resources to help others?

3. Overall how is your relationship with God going(scripture that stands out or you have memorized) How is your relationship with your wife going? Your kids? Your friends ? What could we as your friend’s provide you to help you be a better man(do we need to encourage you more, confront you more).

4. Anything else you'd like to share? (questions or issues you're dealing with?)


5. How can we pray specifically for you this week that will further your relationship with God and your fellow man?
Remember, God wants us to live pure and in the truth; however never underestimate His Grace and Love. His Grace and Love are the greatest gift freely given to men. Give Him the Praise and thanks He deserves. Always begin and end with Thanks. Amen.

There is a huge revival going on in Uganda Africa. The following excerpts are taken from the current issue of Pray magazine . “At 8am in the State House, people pray. The Parliament doesn’t want to discuss things until they pray. The Police are faxing prayer request to the judges. The crime rate is dropping --- down by 70 percent in some communities. At one point, AIDS in Uganda was at 33.3 percent. Today, AIDS has dropped to 5 percent.”

This revival came through devastation such as seen in few places in the world. In the 1970’s Idi Amin had upwards of 2 million people killed and all the Christian Church’s closed. A remnant of believers went into the jungle. They gathered in underground caves. In desperation they prayed, “Lord, we don’t know what to do. But You know.” These people prayed continuously. They prayed desperate, deep, consistent, groaning prayers, they never took no for an answer. They prayed, not for one month, one year, or five years, but until they got breakthrough.

Pastor Jackson Senyonga is a prayer leader and Senior Pastor at a 22,000 member church in Kapala, Uganda. This church has also planted 150 other churches. He is encouraging Americans to pray from desperation rather than waiting till devastation like they went through in Uganda.

Many statistics indicate that overall the Church in America is not doing very well.
• In proportion to the U.S. population, there are less than half as many churches today as there were in 1900.
• Roughly 4,000 churches are started each year while 7,000 die and close their doors.
• In 1991, 21 percent of all adults were un-churched. In 2002, 34 percent fit that description.
• The United States is the fourth largest un-churched nation in the world(behind China, India, and Indonesia)
• The average number of adults attending a Protestant church is 90. This represents a 10 percent decline from 1997 and 12 percent decline since 1992.

And what about the more subjective question of the church’s impact on society? Does anyone really believe that our culture is more like Christ than it was 10 years ago? Many Christians in America believe that we are in a “moral free fall” and that society is to blame. However I would agree with Henry Blackaby, who said, “If society as a whole seems to be getting darker and darker, it is not the problem of the darkness: the darkness is just acting like its nature. But it is that the light no longer dispels the darkness, and the salt no longer preserves. It time for the light to say, if things are darker, the problem is with us. Notice how 2nd Chronicles 7:14 begins by saying “If my people” Not if the unbelievers. "If my people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. "

Final words from Pastor Jackson Senyonga of Uganda,

“In America, we seem to want things quick, big and cheap. It’s the drive through mentality: “Give it to me now and super size it for 99 cents.” So we close our eyes and repeat with the pastor, “Lord Jesus, send revival.” We want it without obedience, sacrifice, inconvenience, or discomfort. But the Bible says to seek Him earnestly. Seeking means praying until you get an answer, disciplining yourself to keep on until you find what you’re looking for.”

The greatest among you shall be your S E R V A N T.

This is the way the verse should be read, I have often read it with the Greatest part in bold and the servant part in the background.

"Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying thou reproachest us also. And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers." Luke 11:45-46

Just as it was 2000 years ago, it is today. Lawyers, Lawmakers and Supreme Court Justice's make laws that are burdensome to the masses, but often they are exempt from them. I would not want to be the Supreme Court Justices on Judgment day and try to explain why they sided with the Child Molesters in California, Sodomites in Texas and the Abortion Docters in Floridia.

Our founding Fathers were servant leaders. This is what is refreshing about George W. Bush, he is a servant leader. Bill Clinton claimed to be a servant, but his actions indicated he loved the position more than the people of America.

March, 23, 1775
It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace-- but there is no peace [Jer. 6:14]. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle [Matt. 20:6]? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death! Patrick Henry

It is interesting to note that the founders of the United States of America freely used scripture in their normal conversations. It was a part of their lives and it is the foundation on which this country was built.

"You have rights antecedent to all earthly governments: rights that cannot be repealed or restrained by human laws; rights derived from the Great Legislator of the universe." John Adams


"The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time." Thomas Jefferson

"As the Englishman Edward the Longshanks was oppressing Scotland in 1290 AD, the Great Hammer of the English, William Wallace stood up and yelled "Pro Liebertate"- "For Freedom"

Pray for freedom to worship in Iran and the rest of the Islamic Countries. May they take courage from former Freedom lovers who overcame all odds. Read about the Student Protests in Iran here.


Christian Resources for Iranian/Persian/Farsi Speaking People

I have been reading Rick Warrens, "The Purpose Driven Life". I highly recommend this book. Great Quote from Rick in the third chapter.

" From the Bible we can surmise that God will ask us two crucial questions:

First, “What did you do with my Son, Jesus Christ?” God won’t ask about your religious background or doctrinal views. The only thing that will matter is, did you accept what Jesus did for you and did you learn to love and trust him? Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Second , “What did you do with what I gave you?” What did you do with your life---all the gifts, talents, opportunities, energy, relationships, and resources God gave you? Did you spned them on yourself, or did you use them for the purposes God made you for?”

If you have put your faith in Jesus Christ, you are referred to as a Saint in the New Testament. Paul often addressed his letter to the church’s like this: To all the saints in Christ Jesus that are at Rome, Corinth, Ephesus, Philippi, etc. This is very important to recognize that the Holy Spirit working through Paul signified that when God looks upon us He see’s a saint. Not a sinful man or women, but a saint who is in Christ Jesus. We are the saints who are in the earth.

Now think about this. Heaven has streets made of gold, gates made of emeralds and pearls, the Seraphim and Cherubim declaring He is Holy. It is perfection. Think how beautiful this sinful earth is with it’s waterfalls, mountains, redwood forests and Canyons. Think about how much more beautiful heaven is. God has much to delight in His heaven, but look at where all His delight is.

Psalm 16:3 As for the Saints who are in the earth, They are the majestic ones in who is all my delight.

En Gedi Waterfall

" I urge, then, first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. I Timothy 2:1 & 2

Romans 11: 25-26 25. For I would not, brethren, have you ignorant of this mystery, lest ye be wise in your own conceits, that a hardening in part hath befallen Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in; 26. and so all Israel shall be saved: even as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer; He shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

Mt. Zion with Snow

Pray for the Leaders of Israel and the leaders of your country,

Israeli Government Leaders

1. Aiel Sharon – Prime Minister (Likud)
2. Ehud Olmert – Commerce and Industry, acting PM (Likud)
3. Shaul Mofaz – Defense (Likud)
4. Silvan Shalom – Foreign Affairs (Likud)
5. Benjamin Netanyahu – Finance (Likud)
6. Limor Livnat – Education, Culture, Sports (Likud)
7. Tzachy Hanegbi – Internal Security & Police (Likud)
8. Yosef (Tomy) Lapid – Justice (Shinui)
9. Efi Eitam – Housing and Construction(National Religious Party)
10.Avigdor Liberman – Transport (National Union)
11.Tzipi Livni – Immigration absorption (Likud)
12.Avraham Poraz – Interior and Communications (Shinui)
13.Danny Naveh – Health (Likud)
14.Yosef Paritzki – National Infrastructures (Shinui)
15.Zevulun Orlev – Welfare Services (NRP)
16.Israel Katz – Agriculture (Likud)
17.Benny Alon – Tourism (NU)
18.Yehudit Naot – Environment (Shinui)
19.Modi Zandberg – Science (Shinui)
20.Nathan Sharanski – Minister without portfolio (Likud)
21.Meir Sheetrit – Minister without portfolio (Likud)
22.Uzi Landau – Minister without portfolio (Likud)

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: Matthew 7:7

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Pray BIG !!!!! We serve an awesome God, one who is able to do more than we could ever think or imagine. Ask God to use you in a great way to further His will on Earth as it is in Heaven.

" Matthew 28:19 & 20
19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."


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If the original disciples had not obeyed this verse you would not be a Christian today. If you do not obey this verse, who will end up with a Christless eternity. Please pray that all Christians would catch the vision laid out in the above verse and obey it. Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ states the following:

How You Can Help Fulfill the Great Commission
A Global Strategy

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2. What is the Great Commission?
The Great Commission is our Lord's command take the gospel to every person throughout the world and to make disciples in all nations. It involves building and multiplying disciples in all nations so that they can, in turn, saturate their nations with the Good News and train other disciples to do the same generation after generation through the process of spiritual multiplication.

Christ did not commission us to Christianize all nations; He called us to disciple and evangelize them. Our responsibility is to preach and teach Christ's dynamic gospel; it is the Holy Spirit's responsibility to make our witness effective. With the responsibility, however, Christ also gave us everything necessary for success.

Go read the whole thing at “How You Can Help Fulfill the Great Commission”

"You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me, that you may have life. John 5:39 & 40

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This verse hit me a like a ton of bricks today. Many thoughts came to my mind about how sometimes I am not much different than the Pharisees searching the scriptures, trying to live Holy but being a sinful mess because I have not sought Jesus Christ. I need to be more like Mary and sit at His feet and listen and worship Him rather than like Martha busy with so many good things, but not the necessary thing. (Luke 10:38-42). Please understand me; I am saying we need to read the Word everyday; however we need to seek the One it is all about. We also need to pursue Holiness, just through the One that can make us Holy, not by our own methods.

Heads up to those using blogger, sometimes after you post and publish your blog it will disappear if you change a setting on the same day. If you then add it back in about 2 days you will end up with 2 exact same blogs. Weird. I had to delete the second one, which was here.

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