Doug's Blog: Press Release: Alamo City Tea Party: Phillips Calls Attendees to Honor our Fathers and Seek the Lord

“Message to Washington, D.C.: If you want our guns, our businesses, our constitutional freedoms, come and take it!” -- Doug Phillips of Vision Forum Ministries

Doug's Blog: Press Release: Alamo City Tea Party: Phillips Calls Attendees to Honor our Fathers and Seek the Lord

(photo of Doug Phillips and his eldest son, Joshua, at the Alamo TEA Party last week)

From the speech:

The Tenth Amendment reads:

“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution,nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.”

What does this mean in plain English?

Here is what that means:

The federal government...
is NOT our nanny.
It is NOT our mother.
It is NOT our doctor.
It is NOT the high priest of a new secular religion.

And despite the remarkably arrogant statements of politicians...the state is NOT our Savior.
That designation is reserved to one person only — The Lord Jesus Christ who is King of kings and Lord of lords and to Whom (the author of Psalm 2 declares that) the nations of the earth must bow.

(click on the link above to read and/or hear the entire speech delivered by Doug Phillips at the Alamo TEA Party last week.)

Here is a sample letter of thanks to Doug and Vision Forum Ministries posted on their web site:

"Just wanted to take a moment to thank you for you wonderful ministry. I just finished listening to Doug’s tea party speech and was warmed in my heart. What a tremendous blessing the Lord has bestowed upon us! I have been supporting your ministry for the last couple of years and I have been blessed beyond measure by the many resources your ministry provides. I have learned the importance of family worship, I have learned the importance of presuppositional apologetics. I have been given the bullets that were missing in the gun. I have learned that the sovereignty of God is not merely something religious people say, I have learned that God is sovereign and that His Word is the ultimate authority. Thank you for your hard work, thank you from revealing the inconsistency of autonomous man theology. May the Lord bless you all! May you know the warmth that I feel in my heart for you. May the Lord bless you and keep you, and make His face shine upon you.

Sincerely in Christ, WO1 Eric S. C. B Co. Unmanned Aircraft Systems Training Battalion"

THE TAX POEM

author unknown

Tax his land,

Tax his bed,

Tax the table

At which he's fed.

Tax his tractor,

Tax his mule,

Teach him taxes

Are the rule.

Tax his work,

Tax his pay,

He works for peanuts

Anyway!
Tax his cow,

Tax his goat ,

Tax his pants,

Tax his coat.

Tax his ties,

Tax his shirt,

Tax his work,

Tax his dirt.

Tax his tobacco,

Tax his drink,

Tax him if he

Tries to think.

Tax his cigars,

Tax his beers,

If he cries,

Tax his tears.

Tax his car,

Tax his gas,

Find other ways

To tax him fast!

Tax all he has

Then let him know

That you won't be done

Till he has no dough.

When he screams and hollers,

Then tax him some more,

Tax him till

He's good and sore.

Then tax his coffin,

Tax his grave,

Tax the sod in which he's laid.

Put these words

Upon his tomb,

'Taxes drove me to my doom...'

When he's gone,

Do not relax,

Its time to apply

The inheritance tax!

Taxes we pay, in alphabetical order:

Accounts Receivable Tax

Building Permit Tax

CDL license Tax

Cigarette Tax

Corporate Income Tax

Dog LicenseTax

Excise Taxes

Federal Income Tax

Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)

Fishing License Tax

Food License Tax

Fuel Permit Tax

Gasoline Tax (44.75 cents per gallon)

Gross Receipts Tax

Hunting License Tax

Inheritance Tax

Inventory Tax

IRS Interest Charges

IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)

Liquor Tax

Luxury Taxes

Marriage License Tax

Medicare Tax

Personal Property Tax

Property Tax

Real Estate Tax & lt; BRService Charge Tax

Social Security Tax

Road Usage Tax

Sales Tax

Recreational Vehicle Tax

School Tax

State Income Tax

State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)

Telephone Federal Excise Tax

Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax

Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes

Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax

Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax

Telephone State and Local Tax

Telephone Usage Charge Tax

Utility Taxes

Vehicle License Registration Tax

Vehicle Sales Tax

Watercraft Registration Tax

Well Permit Tax

Workers Compensation Tax

(Did we leave any out? There are probably new taxes added since this was written!)

"Death, be not proud..."

( photo taken in Hamilton, Scotland, at the graves of some of the first Covenanting martyrs)

Perhaps no story in the Bible touches me more than the account of Martha's broken heart when her dear brother, Lazarus, died. Jesus had delayed coming to Bethany, even after the sisters sent for Him, pleading for Him to come and heal their brother who was on the brink of death.

(Those who persevere to the end of this post can click on a link to hear Glad, the Acapella Project singing!)

So when Jesus came, he found that he had already been in the tomb four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off; and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother.

Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him; but Mary still sat in the house. Martha therefore said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. Even now, I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give you."

Jesus said to her, "Your brother shall rise again."

Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day."

Jesus said to her, " I AM the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" --John 11:17-26

Some would be aghast at Martha's apparent scolding of the Lord--"Why didn't You come?" she seems to cry out in agony. "You could have healed him and we wouldn't have felt our hearts break as we watched our brother, who we know You love, die as we stood by, helpless."

But I have a different take on this. When we look carefully at Martha's words, we see that first, she calls Him "Lord," bowing to His sovereignty in her life. Secondly, she implies that she believes, even now, that although her brother has been dead for four days, Christ can raise him from the dead. She states, "Even now, I know that God will give You whatever You ask Him..."

You know the rest of the story. Jesus affirms His own deep grief over sin and death, especially the death of His dear friend,Lazarus, and perhaps thoughts of His own death which will come very soon. The shortest verse in the Bible is perhaps the most profound: "Jesus wept." He Who set the planets in their places, wept. He in Whom we live and move and have our being, sorrowed over His friends' suffering. And then, Jesus did what He came to do: He taught about the heart and character of the Father.

And so they removed the stone. And Jesus raised His eyes and said, 'Father, I thank Thee that Thou heardest Me. And I knew that Thou hearest Me always; but because of the people standing around I said it, that they may believe that Thou didst send Me." And when He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice,

"Lazarus, come forth!"

He who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings; and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him and let him go."

Many therefore of the Jews, who had come to Mary and beheld what He had done, believed in Him. But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus had done.

Therefore, the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council and were saying, "What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs. If we let Him go on like this, ALL MEN will believe in Him and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation."

But a certain one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, that one man should die for the people and that the whole nation should not perish." Now this he did not say on his own initiative; but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation; and not for the nation only, but that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. So from that day on they planned together to kill Him. -- John 17:41-53

Someone has said that Jesus called Lazarus by name because if He had only said, "Come forth!", all the graves all over the world would have opened and those who had died in Christ would have been resurrected and borne testimony to the power of God over death! That glorious day will come--Jesus' resurrection guarantees it! Death, thou shalt die!

(Greyfriars' churchyard in Edinburgh where many Covenanters perished during the "killing times" in Scotland, during 1660-1688.)

I am reminded of one of my favorite poems, first read to me by my beloved grandfather, Elihu Hiram Anderson, school teacher, storyteller and Presbyterian pastor.

DEATH be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadfull, for, thou art not so,
For, those, whom thou think'st, thou dost overthrow,
Die not, poore death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures bee,

Much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee doe goe,
Rest of their bones, and soules deliverie.
Thou art slave to Fate, Chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poyson, warre, and sicknesse dwell,

And poppie, or charmes can make us sleepe as well,
And better then thy stroake; why swell'st thou then;
One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die.

--John Donne

[For those who are interested in poetry, a brief analysis of this poem follows--skip it if you just want to read it and leave the rest to someone else to digest!]

Title and Publication Information

The poem first appeared as “Holy Sonnet X” in a collection of 19 sonnets by John Donne (1572-1631). However, its title came to be known as “Death, Be Not Proud” (after the first four words of the poem) or simply as “Death.” It was written between 1601 and 1610–the exact year is uncertain–and published after Donne died.

Type of Work
"Death, Be Not Proud" is a sonnet (14-line poem) similar in format to that established in Italy by Petrarch (1304-1374), a Roman Catholic priest who popularized the sonnet form before it was adopted and modified in England. Petrarch's sonnets each consist of an eight-line stanza (octave) and a six-line stanza (sestet). The first stanza presents a theme, and the second stanza develops it.

Rhyme Scheme and Meter
The rhyme scheme of "Death, Be Not Proud" is as follows: ABBA, ABBA, CDDC, EE. The meter varies, although most lines are in iambic pentameter.

Theme
“Death Be Not Proud” is among the most famous and most beloved poems in English literature. Its popularity lies in its message of hope couched in eloquent, quotable language. Donne’s theme tells the reader that death has no right to be proud, since human beings do not die but live eternally after “one short sleep.” Although some people depict death as mighty and powerful, it is really a lowly slave that depends on luck, accidents, decrees, murder, disease, and war to put men to sleep. But a simple poppy (whose seeds provide a juice to make a narcotic) and various charms (incantations, amulets, spells, etc.) can also induce sleep–and do it better than death can. After a human being’s soul leaves the body and enters eternity, it lives on; only death dies.

Figures of Speech
To convey his message, Donne relies primarily on personification, a type of metaphor, that extends through the entire poem. (Such an extended metaphor is often called a conceit.) Thus, death becomes a person whom Donne addresses, using the second-person singular (implied or stated as thou, thee, and thy). Donne also uses alliteration, as the following lines illustrate:

Line 4: Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst though kill me Line 6: Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow Line 13: One short sleep past, we wake eternally (Note: One begins with a w sound; thus, it alliterates with we and wake.)Donne ends the poem with paradox and irony: Death, thou shalt die.

reference http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/

God's Principle of Sowing and Reaping Still Intact

Be not deceived, God is not mocked;

for whatever a man sows, that he shall also reap. -- Gal. 6:7

In early March, I impatiently await the appearance of the first brave daffodil that will push it's stubborn way up through the frozen dirt in my front yard and proclaim, "Christ is risen from the dead! Rejoice!" At least, that's how I look at daffodils and all similar ugly brown bulbs I poke into unlikely beds of rocky ground in the fall.

Surely nothing beautiful could emerge from this dead thing? But here is the daffodil, complete in all her blooming beauty to contradict apparent reasonable doubt.

The transforming power of God is evident in every part of His creation--He takes shriveled up bulbs and makes them bloom as delicate, fragrant epistles for our eyes--seeing is believing! The bulb that was 'dead' lives in beautiful testimony to its Creator and Sustainer. And so shall we when our faith rests in the One Who first thought up the daffodil and declared it "very good."

But daffodils are, after all, just plants. The flower withers and fades...mine are mostly finished blooming now. Only the green leaves will remain for a few weeks as a reminder of their past and future splendor, drinking in nourishment from the earth, rain and sun before they again shrivel, disappear into the ground and await God's warming touch, awaking them to new life next year. I will plant more, Lord willing, this fall and watch them take over the hillsides and borders of my lawn, every Spring renewing my faith in the transforming power of God.

Now I am praying for that transforming power to work a seeming miracle in the hearts of those family members and friends who are left to grieve for those they loved who were taken from this life in a flaming airplane crash in Montana earlier this week.

[Pictured above is the firey crash that claimed the lives of 14 people in Montana near a monument for the victims of abortion. ]
As I looked at photos of the victims published in local newspapers--strong, good-looking parents and beautiful little children--I wept. I cannot imagine losing even one child or grandchild; to lose many at the same time seems unbearable to my mother-heart. And yet, this is exactly what 'Bud' and Pam Feldkamp, as well as their extended surviving family members and close friends, are experiencing at this moment.

I want to take great care as I present this story not to appear to stand in arrogant or unfeeling judgment upon this grieving family. But this is one story that cannot be ignored when the whole tale is told. I tremble before the presence of a God Who preserves the faithful and fully recompenses the proud doer, Psalm 31:23 Below I have copied and pasted the testimony of a pro-life worker who testifies to personally pleading, week after week, with the Feldkamps to repent of their part in profiting from the killing of the unborn (details are spelled out in the letter below). Their pleas were scorned.

Pray that, though God's righteous indignation has been unleashed, He will in His wrath remember mercy. Pray that the Psalm of David, sung as he experienced the sweet forgiveness that filled his life with the fragrance of mercy and undeserved grace (remember, David was a murderer and adulterer?), would become the psalm of the Feldkamp family as they look to Christ to bind their wounds and bring beauty from ashes. God is in the business of defeating His enemies through conversion to the truth! Pray that this family may become a beacon for Christ and use their material blessings to save lives rather than destroy them!

How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity and in whose spirit there is no deceit! ...I acknowledged my sin to Thee and my iniquity I did not hide; I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,' and Thou didst forgive the guilt of my sin...Many are the sorrows of the wicked; but he who trusts in the LORD, lovingkindness shall surround him. -- Psalm 32:1,2,5,11

More questions? Why did God save the big plane that took off in New York from crashing into the Hudson last month and not save this little plane in Montana? There are bigger questions:

[An artist's depiction of 'God' setting the plane down last month in the Hudson River...]

Why has God allowed the murder of millions of unborn babies in our country since Roe vs. Wade? Why does He create life only to sometimes snuff it out Himself through miscarriage? Why do people suffer and die? Why He hasn't killed me for my sins is a question more pertinent perhaps.

We cannot claim to know the infinite mind and will of a God Who is bigger than time and space; but He has given us His infallible Word, allowing us to know enough of His Holy will and what motivates His actions to understand that He is never capricious nor reckless and that He can be trusted, even when life hurts. These are deep waters -- dive in at your own risk!

Search the Scriptures and see that God is always true and all that stand opposed to Him and His clear standards are undeniably false!! A day of reckoning will come for all workers of iniquity, i.e., all those who stand opposed, unrepentantly, to His perfect Law/Order set out in His Word. Indeed, although His ways are often past finding out, sometimes, there is little room left for doubt that He is the righteous Judge of all men and nations. Steven Curtis Chapman, his faith put to severe testing when his precious six-year daughter was killed last year, says it succinctly: God is God and man is not! Keep praying that the killing of the unborn would not go unnoticed by a righteous God Who speaks from heaven in a voice that cannot be ignored. Scripture is clear: Depart from evil and do good; so you will abide forever. --Psalm 37:27

The principle of sowing and reaping has a joyful aspect as well as a fearful one. Like a daffodil patiently awaiting the Lord's renewing touch, we must persevere in doing "good" in whatever soil He has planted us, for the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Sprit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary. --Galations 6:8, 9

[I have attempted to verify the contents of the information in the post below. To the best of my knowledge, the statements of fact are true. The opinions expressed by the author, a young pro-life activist from Hanford, CA, are Miss Edmonds' opinions--nowhere in Scripture are we given to know the 'secret' things of God in His dealings with men. However, I tend to agree with many of her conclusions. I leave it up to you, dear reader, to meditate on your beds and draw conclusions as to the Nature and Attributes of our awesome God Who is there and is not silent. -- RBM]

Mar. 24, 2009 - Breaking News: FPA Owner Irving 'Bud' Feldkamp Family Tragedy

Some of you may have seen the major news story of the private plane that crashed into a Montana cemetery, killing 7 children and 7 adults. But what the news sources fail to mention is that the Catholic Holy Cross Cemetery owned by Resurrection Cemetery Association in Butte - contains a memorial for local residents to pray the rosary, at the 'Tomb of the Unborn'. This memorial, located a short distance west of the church, was erected as a dedication to all babies who have died because of abortion.

What else is the mainstream news not telling you? The family who died in the crash near the location of the abortion victim's memorial, is the family of Irving 'Bud' Feldkamp, owner of the largest for-profit abortion chain in the nation. Family Planning Associates was purchased four years ago by Irving Moore "Bud" Feldkamp III, owner of Allcare and Hospitality Dental Associates and CEO of Glen Helen Raceway Park in San Bernardino. The 17 California Family Planning clinics perform more abortions in the state than any other abortion provider - Planned Parenthood included - and they perform abortions through the first five months of pregnancy.

Although Feldkamp is not an abortionist, he reaps profits of blood money from the tens of thousands of babies that are killed through abortions performed every year at the clinics he owns. His business in the abortion industry was what enabled him to afford the private plane that was carrying his family to their week-long vacation at The Yellowstone Club, a millionaires-only ski resort. The plane went down on Sunday, killing two of Feldkamp's daughters, two sons-in-law and five grandchildren along with the pilot and four family friends. The plane, a single-engine turboprop flown by Bud Summerfield of Highland, crashed into the Catholic cemetery and burst into flames, only 500 ft. from its landing destination. All aboard were killed. The cause of the crash is a mystery. The pilot, who was a former military flier who logged over 2,000 miles, gave no indication to air traffic controllers that the aircraft was experiencing difficulty when he asked to divert to an airport in Butte. Witnesses report that the plane suddenly nosedived toward the ground with no apparent signs of a struggle. There was neither a cockpit voice recorder nor a flight data recorder onboard, and no radar clues into the planes final moments because the Butte airport is not equipped with a radar facility. Some speculate that the crash was due to ice on the wings, but this particular plane model has been tested for icy weather and experts have stated that ice being the cause is unlikely.

In my time working for Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust, I helped organize and conduct a weekly campaign where youth activists stood outside of Feldkamp's mini-mansion in Redlands holding fetal development signs and raising community awareness regarding Feldkamp's dealings in child murder for profit. Every Thursday afternoon we called upon Bud and his wife Pam to repent, seek God's blessing and separate themselves from the practice of child killing. We warned him, for his children's sake, to wash his hands of the innocent blood he assisted in spilling because, as Scripture warns, if "you did not hate bloodshed, bloodshed will pursue you". (Ezekiel 35:6)

A news source states that Bud Feldkamp visited the site of the crash with his wife and their two surviving children on Monday. As they stood near the twisted and charred debris talking with investigators, light snow fell on the tarps that covered the remains of their children. I don't want to turn this tragic event into some creepy spiritual "I told you so" moment, but I think of the time spent outside of Feldkamp's - Pam Feldkamp laughing at the fetal development signs, Bud Feldkamp trying not to make eye contact as he got into his car with a small child in tow - and I think of the haunting words, "Think of your children." I wonder if those words were haunting Feldkamp as well as he stood in the snow among the remains of loved ones, just feet from the 'Tomb of the Unborn'? I only hope and pray that in the face of this tragedy, Feldkamp recognizes his need for repentance and reformation. I pray that God will use this unfortunate catastrophe to soften the hearts of Bud and Pam and that they will draw close to the Lord and wash their hands of the blood of thousands of innocent children, each as precious and irreplaceable as their own. "I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then." (Deut. 30:19) -- Gingi Edmonds

gingi@gingiedmonds.com