__________Attached is a recent story about a preacher in England who was arrested for preaching that homosexuality is a sin. On the day that he was taken to jail, one of the people listening to him was the “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender liason officer” for the local police department.
Some of you may be aware that I tried to contact every pastor in Garland County attempting to get them involved in signing a petition to get ACT 1 on the ballot of 2008. Only 1 in 3 chose to get involved. The Arkansas Family Council had done extensive work making sure that it was legal for churches to be involved in the petition drive. The churches were informed of this fact.
The reason I spent so much of my time trying to get churches to sign petitions was because of my concern for the children being placed in foster and adoptive homes with homosexual couples. I imagine the negative impact such an environment has on a young mind.
Of 100,000+ residents in Garland County, my guess is that 50,000 are old enough to vote and that 40,000 would call themselves Christian. Sadly, only a little over 4,000 signatures were gathered in Garland County. Many religious leaders, including elders and deacons in Garland County churches, turned down the opportunity to help protect young children. IF THE CHURCHES WILL NOT PROTECT OUR KIDS, WHO WILL?
In spite of the poor showing in many counties in Arkansas by the churches, enough signatures were gathered to get ACT 1 on the ballot. The people of Arkansas voted to approve the law 57% to 43%.
Just recently, ONE Arkansas judge ruled that the law is UNCONSTITUTIONAL. It remains to be seen if this one judge is going to overrule the will of the entire state.
I will admit that I was SHOCKED at the lack of participation by churches in ACT 1 petitioning. I was SHOCKED at the lackadaisical attitude about the issue. I am sure that many church goers would gladly have signed the petition if their church leaders had given them an opportunity.
Unfortunately, many church leaders were AFRAID OF OFFENDING THOSE SITTING IN THEIR PEWS. Why bother going to church if the Bible is not the guidepost?
The good thing that came from the 2008 petition drive was that it became obvious where the men of God were.
I would be the first to say that we are to love all sinners. I am a sinner, a truth that becomes more evident with age.
Fortunately, there is a way to have our sins forgiven. We must tell God we are sorry by changing our behaviors. The Bible is clear that repentance is necessary for forgiveness. Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery, “Go and sin no more.” This is true repentance.
Thus, we should love homosexuals, but not deny that their behavior is a sin. Would we be loving them if we told them something other than the truth?
Chris Reimers
The story about the English preacher:
https://albertmohler.com/2010/05/04/its-getting-dangerous-out-there-a-preacher-is-arrested-in-britain
Posted by Chris 
Wings of the Wind 
AMERICA IS BROKE
May 18, 2010As I made my way down Grand Avenue a few weeks ago, another sign was up. It read, “Retirement Sale.” Tommy’s, a furniture and appliance store, is another local business that is calling it quits.
Yesterday, the destination was Sears. The brakes had to be fixed. Surprisingly, several businesses had closed on the “happenin” side of town since the last time I’d been there. In fairness there were a few new ones.
Why mention these observations?
It doesn’t take a financial guru to know that we’re in trouble after reading this line from an online article yesterday:
The United States’ national debt will soon reach 100 percent of gross domestic product, the International Monetary Fund predicts in a new report.
(A more recent report says that Debt held by the public is projected to rise in relation to the size of the economy each year, reaching 118 percent of GDP by 2033.)
We are not that far away from facing numbers similar to Greece, a tiny country whose financial situation caused the New York Stock Exchange to plunge 1000 points recently.
Many baby-boomers are expecting soon (and for a long time) to collect social security benefits from a system that they have paid into for years. One can reasonably question how the money will appear.
It looks like Bible prophecy, as I understand it, may soon be fulfilled. The scriptures tell of a time when all buying and selling are monitored. They speak of a time of travail.
“Do not worry about your life.” These are the words of Jesus. The words are mentioned here because the above information could easily cause anxiety. The Bible also says that if you don’t work you won’t eat. Many Americans are hard working people. There is a growing number, however, that expect others to do their work for them. There is another group that is willing to go deep into debt to have what their friends have.
Some schools are now providing more than breakfast and lunch to hungry youngsters. Dinner is also a part of the school day in some school districts.
Admittedly, many parents have lost jobs and can’t provide food for their children. A majority of Americans used to feel unwarranted shame if their hard work wasn’t enough to put food on the table. Today, a large portion of the culture has come to expect “help.” Many buy things they can’t afford before thinking of paying for the “free” meals their children are getting at school.
The cost of today’s cultural attitudes is our freedom. Nothing comes without a price. The government will feed our kids in exchange for the ability to shut the possibility of the existence of a supreme being out of our classrooms.
Why are we broke?
We have decided, in a slow and methodical manner, to remove God from the process. If you want to see where we’ve come from, check out the following story. It is found within another “Wings” post.
https://chrisreimersblog.wordpress.com/2010/04/18/is-the-census-bureau-encouraging-people-to-lie-is-the-national-day-of-prayer-unconstitutional
Christian principles, practiced by those who came before us, took this nation to great heights. Over the past 120 years or so, a growing segment of our society has decided that Christian principles are intolerant. This view has accelerated in the last few decades.
The God who blessed this nation is someone that many don’t want to hear from anymore.
Why should anyone be surprised that we are in our situation? We are not only broke financially. It is much worse than that. We are also broke spiritually, something that can only be fixed by turning back to the God that made this country great.
Chris Reimers
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