HybridTalk's Thought provoking Blog

Before the mainstream media joined the Obama for President Campaign, they used to report from Iraq while the situation in Iraq was in turmoil. This allowed them to give support for Liberals in Congress who wanted to surrender Iraq to “al Qaeda in Iraq”.

But once the surge began to work under General Petraeus, the media stopped reporting from Iraq. Why they didn’t want to report the success and many military and political victories appears now to be their bias against the Bush administration. With their election to throw off all pretense to the notion of being unbiased and joining Senator Obama’s campaign we can see why good news from Iraq wasn’t being reported to the people back home. 

Sadly, as they tour Iraq with their candidate, they try to fool the American people by assigning US victories resulting from the surge to Obama. It is like they have no conscience anymore in the media. I heard that NBC has now chosen to rename their station to MBC, the Messiah Barak Channel. Have they gone too far? Will American’s notice what they are doing to get their candidate elected? We will know in November. 

At least our Troops are getting some credit for the great job they have done, even if Obama trys to either steal their success for his own or give credit to the locals (knowing full well that without our Military creating an environmnet for success the locals would all be wearing “al Qaeda in Iraq freedom fighters for Obama” T-shirts. )

Article 29: The Marks of the True Church.

THE oldest of the doctrinal standards of the Christian Reformed Church is the Confession of Faith, popularly known as the Belgic Confession. 

During the sixteenth century the churches in this country were exposed to the most terrible persecution by the Roman Catholic government. To protest against this cruel oppression, and to prove to the persecutors that the adherents of the Reformed faith were not rebels, as was laid to their charge, but law-abiding citizens who professed the true Christian doctrine according to the Holy Scriptures, de Bräs prepared this confession in the year 1561. 

Although the immediate purpose of securing freedom from persecution was not attained, and de Bräs himself fell as one of the many thousands who sealed their faith with their lives, his work has endured and will continue to endure. 

One Article that should be revisited these days is the 29th Article which contains: 

Article 29: The Marks of the True Church. [excerpts] 

The true church can be recognized if it has the following marks: The church engages in the pure preaching of the gospel; it makes use of the pure administration of the sacraments as Christ instituted them; it practices church discipline for correcting faults. In short, it governs itself according to the pure Word of God, rejecting all things contrary to it and holding Jesus Christ as the only Head. By these marks one can be assured of recognizing the true church-- and no one ought to be separated from it. 

As for those who can belong to the church, we can recognize them by the distinguishing marks of Christians: namely by faith, and by their fleeing from sin and pursuing righteousness, once they have received the one and only Savior, Jesus Christ. They love the true God and their neighbors, without turning to the right or left, and they crucify the flesh and its works. 

As for the false church, it assigns more authority to itself and its ordinances than to the Word of God; it does not want to subject itself to the yoke of Christ; it does not administer the sacraments as Christ commanded in his Word; it rather adds to them or subtracts from them as it pleases; it bases itself on men, more than on Jesus Christ; it persecutes those who live holy lives according to the Word of God and who rebuke it for its faults, greed, and idolatry. 

These two churches are easy to recognize and thus to distinguish from each other. 

I have been a Christian for only twenty-some years and have seen the demise of a number of congregations because the leadership chose to assign more authority to itself than the Word of God. They saught to give more authority to the sinful behaviors of men than they did to the pursuit of righteousness. Church leaders and congregants these days are embracing and justifying sin and not “fleeing from sin”, which in the end leads to their spiritual death. Imagine where the church in America would be today, if it wasn’t so compromised with sin. 

It brings me back to Christ’s own words in  Luke 18:8b. “However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"  

Baghdad (IRAQ) – The newly formed Obama campaign team (formerly known as the CBS, NBC and ABC NEWS agencies) made their trip to the Middle East over the weekend giving Senator Obama a chance to be bolstered in the eyes of the dolt electorate known as the American voters. 

One of the Co- Campaign heads, Katie Couric , reported, “Does a meeting with Iraqi leaders give Senator Obama credibility as a foreign policy expert? You bet it does, unless you are one of those global warming deniers. And just look how handsome he looks being almost presidential. I can’t wait for when he gives his oath of office!”

Meanwhile back in the States, Senator McCain not wanting to be outdone sheared up his positions on the economy by visiting three of his local banks and talking to the loan managers about the cost of borrowing money in today’s economy. He also let reporters record him balancing his checkbook for the months of May and June. Concern was expressed as June’s balance was off by thirty seven cents. Monday Senator McCain plans to travel to the New York Stock Exchange and talk with leaders in the business and economy field.

I went to the candidate’s websites and looked at their stores. It is amazing what you can buy at their online stores (lots of junk). So since I am undecided  voter I thought it would be fun to buy a T-shirt and a hat from each candidate. 

McCain had all types and themes to choose from, but I settled on a hat that read “Hispanics for McCain” and a shirt that said “Dad for McCain”.

At Obama’s online store I purchased a hat that said “Muslims for Obama” (I almost bought the one that read "Osama for Obama" ) and a shirt that read “Aborted Babies for Obama”. 

Let the electioneering continue.

Reports from the Yellow Truck.

In an effort to get closer to the heart of the American people, I have taken off in my big Yellow Truck to chitchat with other American’s and find out what they are thinking. 

My next stop is out of Ohio across state lines to New York City where I have chosen Yankee Stadium and the MLB All-Star game to ask your typical American their views on America. I am stationed in the parking lot and asked Mike from Atlanta to join me in my Yellow Truck Tour interview. 

HT: Hi Mike, who did you come to cheer for tonight?

Mike: Chipper Jones, that boy can hit, and he deserves to be in tonight’s game.

HT: How many tickets do you have?

Mike: [holds his tickets close to his heart guardedly] I could only afford two, one for me and one for my son. With the cost of flying these days we had to leave my wife home to be here. I feel bad for her, being left at home, but she understands. [flashes a sympathetic look me.]

HT: Ouch! Sounds like you have hit some hard times in the Bush economy. Would you mind sharing with me what each ticket cost?

Mike: These here tickets were a steal for four hundred and fifty dollars. [shows me the tickets and the original price of $250]

HT: For the two of them?

Mike: No, no, that was a piece. That’s $450 each.

HT: In the Bush economy, how do you afford such luxuries? 

Mike: Heck, it has been a good year for me and I worked hard to earn these tickets. It is the American dream to works hard and reap the rewards. Too many American’s are sittin’ around waiting for handouts. That isn’t how I was raised though. Work hard, play hard. That’s my way! [Slaps me on the shoulder]

HT: Looks like you are not alone Mike. Tonight’s game is a sellout. Thanks for chatting with me.

Mike: No problem, enjoy the game.

HT: [queue exit banjo music] There you have it. Hard work pays off. That’s it for now from the Yellow Truck Interviews. See ya!

I have an example of how different the philosophies are between Liberals and Conservatives. Over the last few weeks, Barak Obama and President Bush have articulated  their different parties view of the American people. Read on.

OBAMA (Liberal view): We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on, you know, 72 degrees at all times and -- whether we're living in the desert or we're living in the tundra, and then just expect that every other country is going to say, okay, you know you guys go ahead and keep on using 25% of the world's energy, even though you only account for 3% of the population, and we'll -- we'll be fine, don't worry about us. That's not leadership.

[Interpretation: The American people have had too much freedom and it is time the people in charge reel them in. We need to force them to reduce their American lifestyles so that Europeans are not offended. Our people are too stupid to know this on their own, so we will force it upon them. Yes, we can.]

When asked by Liberal media guy Mark Smith at AP Radio "Why have you [Mr. President] not called on Americans to drive less and turn down the thermostat?"

THE PRESIDENT (Conservative view):  They're smart enough to figure out whether they're going to drive less or not.  The consumer is plenty bright, Mark.  The marketplace works.  People can figure out whether they need to drive more or less.  They can balance their own checkbooks.  I think people ought to conserve and be wise about how they use gasoline and energy, absolutely.  But my point to you, Mark, is that, you know, it's a little presumptuous on my part to dictate to consumers how they live their lives.  The American people are plenty capable and plenty smart people and they'll make adjustments to their own pocketbooks.  That's why I was so much in favor of letting them keep more of their own money, you know? It's a philosophical difference:  Should the government spend their money or should they spend their own money?  And I've got faith in the American people.

[Interpretation: Americans are smart enough to make their country and economic system work without Government forcing them. It is better for them to use their freedom to make these decisions.]

Consider: Remember this on Election Day. One party respects you and your freedom. The other party thinks you have too much freedom and has no respect for you or your freedoms.

Reports from the Yellow Truck.

 [Intro: Banjo music sets background mood. Narrator: (HybridTalk) introduces the program,]  

In an effort to get closer to the heart of the American people, I have taken off in my big Yellow Truck to chitchat with other American’s and find out what they are thinking. 

My first stop will be at the Starbucks inside the Target in Solon. I make my way to a woman who is holding a number of Target bags filled with goods. She has just ordered a medium Chocolate/Banana Vivanno drink and said I was free to ask her a few questions. Her name is Jen.

HT: Hello Jen, my name is HybridTalk and I was wondering what you thought of the Bush economy?

Jen: It is killing me (rolls eyes) to where I have to cut back on my coffee size [holds out the newly purchased Vivanno]. Gas prices, food prices, they are all out of control.

HT: I see you have some packages from Target. Were you buying necessities for the home?

Jen: Oh yes. Let’s see, I have the new Ipod for my son James. For my daughter I found this great Sony Digital camera, so when she goes to college this year she can take pictures and send them to me. 

HT: So your daughter has a computer?

Jen: Yes, we bought her a Mac Book last month as a ‘going to college’ gift.

HT: And what college is she attending?

Jen: Ohio State. 

HT: Why not send her to a local school and save some money?

Jen: Well the local schools are not as good as OS and the cost is negligible. In the end it will be worth the investment.

HT: So you have hope for your daughter’s future?

Jen: Heavens yes. This IS the greatest country in the world and he hope all our children will do better than their parents did. 

[Sudden interview interruption by Local law enforcement]

Police: Hey buddy, is that your big yellow truck parked in the handicap zone? Move it now or I tow it. 

HT: Um, ok, [queue exit banjo music] that’s it for now from the Yellow Truck Interviews. See ya!

Democrat Senator Charles Schumer responsible for the run on the IndyMac Bank.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/laland/2008/07/fe
ds-cite-schum.html

An important angle in the IndyMac failure that may get lost in ominous headlines tonight and tomorrow: federal regulators pointedly cited U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., in explaining the bank's failure. In simple language, federal regulators blamed Schumer for a run on the bank.

Here's from the press release issued by IndyMac's regulator, the Office of Thrift Supervision: "The OTS has determined that the current institution, IndyMac Bank, is unlikely to be able to meet continued depositors’ demands in the normal course of business and is therefore in an unsafe and unsound condition. The immediate cause of the closing was a deposit run that began and continued after the public release of a June 26 letter to the OTS and the FDIC from Senator Charles Schumer of New York. The letter expressed concerns about IndyMac’s viability. In the following 11 business days, depositors withdrew more than $1.3 billion from their accounts.

============================================== >

How is this possible? I thought Bush was responsible for all the failures in our country. The LA Times reports (as do others) that the blame is on Democrat Chuck Schumer.

Can we expect more of this from the Democrat run congress with the approval rating of 9 when they take the White House?

IS IT IN YOU?  

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.   

Ephesians 1:13-14 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory.  

2 Corinthians 5:16-19 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.  

I love Scripture passages like those I have introducing this blog. They are confirmations from the Apostle Paul to the believers of his day that they were genuinely in Christ. If his readers could not associate the Apostles words with their own experience, they knew something was wrong that needed righted. This is true of today’s Christians also. 

If I were a confessing Christian, and read about how God set his seal of ownership of the promised Holy Spirit, but I didn’t have that Spirit, I would want to rectify that situation immediately. If I read about a deposit I was supposed to have received that made me a new creation, but I still felt like the same old me, I would wonder why. 

Paul clearly states that when we are regenerated, we will get a deposit as a first fruit of what we will get when Christ returns to claim His kingdom, the guaranteeing what is to come.  

Is that guarantee in you? 

  Great RAVENHILL QUOTES
  -Leonard Ravenhill.

    
  “The last words of Jesus to the church (in Revelation) were ‘Repent!’”
 
  “A true shepherd leads the way. He does not merely point the way.”
 
  “There are only two kinds of persons: those dead in sin and those dead to sin.”
 
  “Children can tell you what Channel 7 says, but not what Matthew 7 says.”
 
  “Some women will spend thirty minutes to an hour preparing for
  church externally (putting on special clothes and makeup, etc.).
  What would happen if we all spent the same amount of time
  preparing internally for church—with prayer and meditation?”
 
  “Maturity comes from obedience, not necessarily from age.”
 
  “The only time you can really say that ‘Christ is all I need,’ is when
  Christ is all you have.”
 
  “The Bible is either absolute, or it’s obsolete.”
 
  “Why do we expect to be better treated in this world than Jesus was?”
 
  “Today’s church wants to be raptured from responsibility.”
 
  “When there’s something in the Bible that churches don’t like,
  they call it ‘legalism.’”
 
  “Our seminaries today are turning out dead men.”
 
  “How can you pull down strongholds of Satan if you don’t even have
  the strength to turn off your TV?”
 
 “If a Christian is not having tribulation in the world, there’s
  something wrong!”
 
  “Many pastors criticize me for taking the Gospel so seriously. But
  do they really think that on Judgment Day, Christ will chastise me,
  saying, ‘Leonard, you took Me too seriously’?”
 
  “If Jesus had preached the same message that ministers preach
  today, He would never have been crucified.”

Did you hear about this? Obama is making statements that America is able to beat Iran in a war.

Obama: "Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, these countries are tiny compared to the Soviet Union. They don't pose a serious threat to us the way the Soviet Union posed a threat to us . . . . Iran, they spend 1/100th of what we spend on the military. If Iran ever tried to pose a serious threat to us, they wouldn't stand a chance."

http://www.townhall.com/blog/g/963dd811-d3c6-4840-a
c20-bc90587ac7c5

It is good to know that Obama recognizes America could take on Iran and beat them in a war. Now, if we could just convince Obama that the same is true with Iraq.

Considering Obama’s speeches lately, it looks like the Democrat platform will be:

In favor of limiting American’s freedom to drive the vehicle they choose.

In favor of limiting the food that American’s consume. 

In favor of controlling the temperature American’s choose to heat or cool their homes.

In favor of having no child left behind who can’t speak Spanish. 

In favor of controlled public financing for candidates to run their elections to keep “the money out of politics”, until they learn you can abuse the system with hundreds of millions of dollars for your side.

In favor of indentured service of Americans in the name of public service.

In favor of American Flag pins.

In favor of NAFTA (sort of).

Standing for post-racial transcendency, except for places of worship that have their foundation in anti-white racism, bigotry and liberal politics. (Or places of worship that are anti-American and speak Spanish.

No matter what polls you look at, the majority of the American public agree with the Republicans about drilling here, drilling now.

Reported on June 26, 2008, the InsiderAdvantage/Poll, asks "Do you favor or oppose increased exploration and production of oil and natural gas off the coasts of Florida?”

Favor (61%)
Oppose (32%)
No opinion (7%)

Rasmussen- June 17, 2008: "67% Support Offshore Drilling, 64% Expect it Will Lower Prices."

Zogby- June 26, 2008: "74 percent support offshore oil drilling in U.S." 

Also the Democrat run Congress has the lowest approval rating of all time at just 9%. American’s are wondering why they switched from those Liberal spending Republicans to Liberal core Democrats. Nancy Peolosi made promises to roll back gas prices, and eliminate all the “funny business” in Congress. Instead American’s find more funny business and higher gas prices.

 'A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.'  
- Thomas Jefferson 

Back on October 10, 732 the Battle of Tours took place. It was an epic battle between European Christian forces that were outnumbered by Muslim forces. It is said that the Battle of Tours was the decisive turning point in Europe’s battle against the encroaching of Islam. It is told that the forces of King Charles “The Hammer” Martel took a position at the top of a hill forming a square in a forest forcing the Muslim forces to battle up hill and through dense trees. 

King Martel’s forces held against the massive troops that outnumbered them (80K to 30K) until more forces came to their rescue. It was foot soldiers with shields against the Muslim cavalry, but the Franks held their ranks and won the battle. What if King Charles’ advisors told him he was in a war he could not win, and needed to surrender before he made the Muslims more angry, creating more and more Muslim terrorists? (Ok, King Charles would have had those men beheaded as cowards and traitors…)

But suppose the Franks had failed? What if the Muslim horsemen broke through the ranks and utterly destroyed King Charles’ men? Europe would have been subjected to the rule of Islam. How might that have changed history, and where would we be today?

Look around at some of the Islamic Nations to see what Europe and maybe even America would look like. Not much of the European Christian culture would have survived the Islamicization.

One thing we would not have is legislatures since Islam does not recognize the creation of new laws. Shari’a of the Quran is considered sufficient for all time. So there would be no Supreme Court appointees who could legislate from the bench. Since Shari’s doesn’t change, the culture would not change (see those Islamic nations as modern examples).

We wouldn’t have Presidents or Prime Ministers, but there would be an absolute ruler, like a caliph or emperor. Under his rule we could be slaves or slave owners. Much of the entertainment we as westerners enjoy would never have been created. Movies, books, music would not be allowed. Women would have no rights.

As I look around today at the political climate, it appears that many Liberals in power seek to over turn that battle of Tours, and give western freedoms back to Muslim invaders. They don’t want to fight for western freedoms, but choose to surrender to the Islamicization of our culture. It could happen in our generation, unless Americans and others in the western culture take a stand and fight for our freedoms. I for one am willing to fight for my freedoms.

Consider how the Liberal Supreme Court Judges seek to control the power in America and redirect the Nation by force.

The Liberal members of the Supreme Court have now "made it easier ... for some foreigners who overstay their visas to seek to remain in the United States legally."  The Supreme Court voted 5-4, to give a green-light to illegal immigration.

The Liberal members of the Supreme Court just told Congress, "You can't do what you did.  We're going to write the immigration laws, not you."  This is when Congress needs to begin to impeach those Supreme Court Judges who misuse their power.

Last week, the Liberal members of the Supreme Court of the United States bestowed constitutional rights to foreign-born terrorists.  The ruling last week is a chilling demonstration along with this ruling today of the American divide between conservatives and liberals. The Conservative Judges wanted to preserve the precedent set for the life of America, but the Liberal members of the Court want to overthrow America and make it some Socialist experiment where American's only "rights" is to support everyone else (illegals, enemy combatants, terror cells).

The founding fathers placed the prosecution of war squarely within the executive branch and the Liberal members of the Court want to change that.  Naturally, Democrats last week and this week are celebrating the ruling, celebrated amid warnings that it will cost American troops their lives.  (More support for their terror Troops)

Consider -- in just seven or eight days -- the Supreme Court of the United States and its liberal judges have turned American law upside down in a power grab unseen by any other generation.

In the last generation, Liberal Judges have stripped voters of free speech rights, limiting production and participation in political debate.  The Liberal members of the Supreme Court of the United States has stripped homeowners of rights to their own property should politicians decide to seize it for developers.  That's the Kelo decision. 

The Liberal members of the Supreme Court of the United States are in process to redefine the very definition of marriage.  They have ruled against legal immigration.  They've ruled illegal immigrants must be provided the same protection as citizens, and American taxpayers must support them financially.  They have pushed God from the public square and the Liberal members of the Supreme Court of the United States has stripped the most sacred protection, the right to life, from infants in the womb.  

Whatever power that liberals cannot achieve at the ballot box they seize through the courts.  Isn’t it time Congress took a stand to rein in these Judges?

This is the CHANGE that Barack Obama and his fellow liberals have been waiting for.  And the America they are creating and want to create is not the America we know, nor is it an America that most of you will even want to know.