New Author

Hey, guys. I just wanted to introduce my younger brother, Will.

He will now be posting on my blog as well. Here are a few words from him:

I decided that Charlie couldn't have all the fun blogging, so I want to make some posts too. So when I have something on my mind I'll make a post.

Obama's Federal Budget

Well, I'm just tired of waiting for readers, so I'm gonna keep on blogging anyway.


I was thinking today about the federal budget plan in place. The amount is currently a three trillion dollars, and for anyone who can't tell the difference between millions, billions and trillions, here's what a trillion dollars looks like:


$1,000,000,000,000.00


That's a million times a million. Multiply that by three, and you get the budget plan. So, speaking of multiplication, I decided to do a little math concerning the tax burden that it will put on us.


I looked up the population of America on the U.S. Census Bureau website. It said that the population was estimated at 304,059,724 on July 1st of 2008. So, based on the previous numbers, I estimated that by now, the population will have grown to about 307 million, but because of the deadly swine flu pandemic, and the devastating effects of global warming, we'll round it down to 306,999,998.


Now if you take the budget plan, and divide it by the total population, you should get the amount that every one has to pay in order to pay for Obama's budget. Let's try it:


3,000,000,000,000 / 306,999,998 = 9771.9870343451924061576052518411


or about $9771.99


That's how much more you'd have to pay over the span of four years in order to make up for Obama's spending plan, and that not even counting how many people who don't pay many taxes, how many people aren't even old enough to pay taxes, the interest that will accumulate on that debt, or the number of people that will die from global warming before they can pay their taxes.

And by the way, that means that you evil business owners and rich people will have to make up for those who can't pay.

I wish I could say that I have confidence in what Obama's spending it on.

Legalism (part 4)

My friends, abstain from Illegalism!  Can you not see how the devil uses God’s good things and distorts them?  He loves to take good things that God has made (like the law), and warp them to the utmost degree.  Let me take an example from giving to the needy.  All in all, this is a perfectly wonderful act, but the devil has taken this, and twisted both sides.  While some people would be tempted to be lazy or greedy, and not give any money, others would be tempted to give extravagantly in order to show off in front of others.  The same goes for the law.  Satan has taken God’s law—his perfect way of living, that is—and twisted it to both extremes.  With those who wish to follow the law, he tempts them to boast, and to adopt a legalistic dependency on it rather than God.  And, for those who wish to break free from the law’s chains, he gives them laziness and selfish thoughts of “freedom.”

Some of you may say:  “Well, I guess were darned if we do, and darned if we don’t.”  That’s where I believe you’re wrong.  Through the glorious liberty in Christ, he has enabled us to be do-gooders free from the curse of the law.  I think it is possible to get to a place (with God’s help) where you can follow the law perfectly, and not slip into either side of temptation.  That should be our goal as Christians.

And to those who are lazy and selfish (like me), I will say this, even though it seems like it is overused.  The Christian walk is not about you; it is about the giving up of yourself, in order to do what God wants.  There may be some things that you have to give up, things that your sin nature clings to fiercely, and your body fights against every step of the way.  You may have to let your pride, which can be found in almost every part of our lives, be crushed under humble service and pursuit of righteousness.

Now I realize that many of you may never follow the law completely, and that’s fine!

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”  (Ro. 8:1-2)

Now, shouldn’t you at least try?  I’ve said enough:

“‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared.  ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.’”  (Jn. 8:11)

Legalism (part 3)

Here is another question you may ask: Are we expected to follow the whole law?

As I said before, the law (all of it) is a good and righteous thing, and I believe that as you follow and study the law, you will begin to see why God wrote it, and it will bring you closer to Him. And as you strive to have a clean heart, you may discover elements of the law that you wish to attempt to follow. But God, when he sent his son, did not intend for Christians to still have to follow all the law, nor does he expect us to. If any man could follow the law completely, he would not need salvation through Christ, and that would nullify the scriptures, for they say:

“…There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” (Ro. 3:22-24)

“Everyone has turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one good, not even one.” (Ps. 53:3)

One must consider why the law was made.

“What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, ‘Do not covet.’” (Ro. 7:7)

The law was created to show us that we cannot earn salvation, and to show God’s love through His son’s death. It is only through faith in Him that we can escape the law’s demands.

“Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.” (Ro. 3:31)
In the same way, God’s desire is that we follow the law flawlessly, but we have already concluded that this is impossible. Does that mean that we should go one without even trying? Of course not!

“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” (Php. 2:12)

God never said it would be easy, much less effortless. You are eventually going to have to work through your salvation.

Hopefully, you will begin to see the two extremes, both being far from the truth. Legalism would tell you that you have to follow the whole law in order to ensure your salvation. Instead, we have been freed from bondage to the law. The opposite would tell you that this freedom allows you to live a sinful life without restrictions, all the time still being under God’s saving grace. This is obviously wrong as well.

So then, should we rely on our works? Absolutely not!

“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.” (Isa. 64:6)
Our deeds alone are worthless, but at the same time:

“As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” (Jas. 2:26)

Allow me to coin a new term, here. There is a lazy, selfish attitude that says: “Sinning will not matter to God; he has already saved you. Do whatever you want, even if the Bible speaks against it. You are now completely above the law.” I’m going to call this heretical idea ILLEGALISM, for it is the opposite of legalism.

Legalism (part 2)

Sorry for the wait, guys, I've been on vacation for a while now. Allow me to continue...

This brings us to another question: What laws are we to follow?

I think we can all agree that we no longer need to make animal sacrifices for our sins, because Christ has become the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. But there are a few laws concerning the way that Hebrews were to dress, eat, and behave, that are fairly unclear in the New Testament as to whether or not to follow them. And Paul shares a good motto in Romans 14:22 to make things easier.

“So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves.” (Ro. 14:22)

So you must follow your own personal convictions, and not condemn others for not following your convictions. You must be careful, though, to let your heart be soft, and allow another person’s convictions to affect your thoughts. God may plan to change your heart on the subject.

I would also like to state another scripture that may help. Though I don’t think it’s talking about the law, I give this as an effective parallel.

“If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.” (Mt. 5:29-30)

My Bible’s notes on this verse say that it means to deal drastically with sin, but I would like to suggest you imagine that it is talking about following the law. The verse is not talking about giving up sins as if you were losing a part of your body, for eyes and hands can be very good and useful things. But sometimes things that can be used for good seem to have sinful tendencies connected to them, and you may have to give them up before you can conquer the sin. Eating only clean meat is a good thing, but if it causes you to become prideful about what you eat, then do away with it. It is better for you to have an unhealthy body and live at peace with your brothers than for your healthy body to go into hell. I think that following the whole law should be a Christian’s goal, only giving up parts of it when they distance you from God.

Legalism (part 1)

I’ve been thinking and reading about this subject, and I feel like it is a conflict that needs to be resolved. I’ve heard both sides of the argument. There are some people who think that even considering the law is legalistic, while others think that we should be following it all. I’m going to say from my own opinion, that following the law is not wrong, as many people may believe. God never intended us to forsake the law completely, for He said so through His son.

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” (Mt. 5:17-18)

Many would argue that we are now under a new law, which is true. God’s previous law of firm justice has succumbed to His higher law of love and mercy.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (Jn. 3:16-17)

Please note that the scriptures did not say that God sent his Son into the world to save the world through him and to give the world license to break the law.

Let me give an example of when the new law of love and mercy must prevail, starting with love. Say that you believe you should not eat any unclean meats. Yet during a time of financial difficulty, your friends provide you with a gift of roast pork. Would you, then, refuse to accept their gift? No! Because you love them, you will eat the unclean meat that has been provided.

Also, there is mercy. Say that your brother in Christ commits adultery. He is truly repentant, but by the Old Testament law, he must be executed. Surely you would spare his life, in order to accept his repentance and help him grow in the Lord. By law, he is guilty, but Christ has shown him mercy.

In the same way, we are not excused from the law, only given a scapegoat which we must choose. And if we have not chosen the scapegoat, then we are still subject to the law and its punishment, which is, by the way, death.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Ro. 6:23)

The only reason we are saved is because Christ has blotted out our unrighteousness with His righteousness. You might argue that, because of this, it will not matter if you break the law, as long as you have accepted Christ. This statement is true, but the mindset behind it is completely flawed.

“What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (Ro. 6:1-2)

The ultimate meaning behind Christ saving us is not that we are free to sin, but that we are free from sin, and from the curse of death it produces. Therefore, let us not strive to find what we are now allowed to do, but strive to find newer (and older) ways of pleasing the Lord.

Who am I?

My mother's family has be passing this email around, and I wanted to share it. This is a synopsis of Obama's life. Make sure you read it all before you see the bottom.


Who Am I?

I was raised in one country but my father was born in another. I was not his only child. He fathered several children with a number of women.

I became very close to my mother because my father showed little interest in me. Then my mother died at an early age from cancer. Later in life, questions arose over my real name.
My birth records were sketchy and no one was able to produce a reliable birth certificate.

I grew up practicing one faith, but converted to Christianity because this was widely accepted in my country. But I practiced non-traditional beliefs and did not follow mainstream Christianity.

I worked and lived among lower-class people as a young adult before I decided it was time to get serious about my life and I embarked on a new career.

I wrote a book about my struggles growing up. It was clear to those who read my memoirs that I had difficulties accepting that my father abandoned me as a child.

I became active in local politics when I was in my 30s and then burst onto the scene as a candidate for national office when I was in my 40s.

I had a virtually non-existent resume, very little work history, and no experience in leading a single organization. Yet I was a powerful speaker who managed to draw incredibly large crowds during my public appearances.

At first, my political campaign focused on my country's foreign policy. I was critical of my country in the last war. But what launched my rise to national prominence were my views on the country's economy. I had a plan on> how we could do better.

I knew which group was responsible for getting us into this mess. Mine was a people's campaign.
I was the surprise candidate because I emerged from outside the traditional path of politics and was able to gain widespread popular support.

I offered the people the hope that together we could change our country and the world.
I spoke on behalf of the downtrodden including persecuted minorities such as Jews, but my actual views were not widely known until after I became my nation's leader.
However, anyone could have easily learned what I really believed if they had simply read my writings and examined those people I associated with. But they did not.

Then I became the most powerful man in the world. And the world learned the truth.


Who am I?










Adolf Hitler

Oops! Wrong person. Sorry guys, my bad!