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Blame Game – Sunday Thought For The Day by Mychal Massie

The following was written for May 31, 2015, "Our Daily Bread" by Julie Ackerman Link:

I've been blamed for a lot of things, and rightly so. My sin, failure, and incompetence have caused grief, anxiety, and inconvenience for friends and family (and probably even for strangers). I've also been blamed for things that were not my fault, things I was powerless to change.

But I have stood on the other side of the fence hurling accusations at others. If they had just done something different, I tell myself, I would not be in the mess I'm in. Blame hurts. So whether guilty or not, we waste lots of time and mental energy trying to find someone else to carry it for us.

Jesus offers us a better way to deal with blame. Even though He was blameless, He took upon Himself the sin of the world and carried it away (John 1:29). We often refer to Jesus as the sacrificial lamb, but He was also the final scapegoat for everything that is wrong with the world (Lev. 16:10).

Once we acknowledge our sin and accept Christ's offer to take it away, we no longer have to carry the weight of our guilt. We can stop looking for someone to blame for what's wrong with us, and we can stop accepting blame from others trying to do the same.

Thanks to Jesus, we can stop playing the blame game.

Help me, Lord, to be honest when I am at fault and to confess that to You—instead of looking for someone else to blame. Thank You for taking my blame on Yourself.

Honesty about our sin brings forgiveness.

READ: Leviticus 16:5-22
5 And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.

6 And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house.

7 And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat.

9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the Lord's lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.

10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.

11 And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself:

12 And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the Lord, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail:

13 And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not:

14 And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.

15 Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:

16 And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness.

17 And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel.

18 And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the Lord, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about.

19 And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.

20 And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat:

21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:

22 And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness. http://mychal-massie.com/premium/blame-game-sunday-thought-for-the-day/

The Greatest Thing – Sunday Thought For The Day by Mychal Massie

The following was written for June 7, 2015, "Our Daily Bread" by Jennifer Benson Schuldt.

During a church service I spotted an infant several rows ahead. As the baby peeked over his father's shoulder, his eyes were wide with wonder as he looked at the members of the congregation. He grinned at some people, drooled, and chewed his chunky fingers, but never quite found his thumb. The pastor's words grew distant as my eyes kept sliding back to that sweet baby.

Distractions come in all shapes and sizes. For Martha, distraction took the form of cooking and cleaning—trying to serve Christ instead of listening to Him and talking with Him. Mary refused to be sidetracked. "Mary . . . sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word" (Luke 10:39). When Martha grumbled because Mary wasn't helping her, Jesus said, "Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her" (v. 42 niv).

Jesus' words remind us that our relationship with Him is more important than any of the good things that might temporarily capture our attention. It has been said that good things are the enemies of great things. For followers of Jesus, the greatest thing in this life is to know Him and to walk with Him.

What do you think Martha's distractions were? Was she wanting to be seen as a good host? Or was she jealous of her sister? What attitudes cause you not to make Jesus your top priority?

Teach me, Lord, to get to know You, for that's when I'll learn to love You more than anything.

INSIGHT:
The "certain village" mentioned in Luke 10:38 is Bethany, a small village on the eastern slopes of the Mount of Olives (Mark 11:1), about 2 miles from Jerusalem (John 11:18). It was home to three siblings, Martha, Mary, and Lazarus (Luke 10:38; John 11), and Jesus probably stayed at their home when He was in Jerusalem (Matt. 21:17; 26:6; Mark 11:11; 14:3; John 11:1; 12:1). Bethany was where Lazarus was raised from the dead (John 11) and where Simon the leper held a feast to honor Jesus (Mark 14:3). It is also where Mary anointed Jesus with an expensive perfume to prepare Him for His death (vv. 3-8). Jesus' ascension, it is believed, also took place in Bethany (Luke 24:50-52).

READ: Luke 10:38-42
38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.

39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.

40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.

41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:

42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.             http://mychal-massie.com/premium/the-greatest-thing-sunday-thought-for-the-day/

Army Hero Spoke Out About Obama Admin’s Bergdahl Blunder, Then THIS Happened To Him : Elizabeth Dickerson

Army war hero Lt. Col. Jason Amerine was set to retire soon from a long and fulfilling career.        http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/green-beret-faced-retaliation-after-talking-to-congress-about-bergdahl-swap/article/2566049

The Army suddenly cancelled his retirement orders, and briefly stopped his pay, after he became a whistleblower in the Bowe Bergdahl case.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Army Regulation 600-20 states: "No person will restrict a member of the Armed Services from making a protected communication with a Member of Congress; an IG; a member of a DOD audit, inspection, investigation, or law enforcement organization; or any other person or organization (including any person in the chain of command) designated under this regulation or other administrative procedures to receive such communication... Soldiers will be free from reprisal for making or preparing a protected communication"        http://www.apd.army.mil/pdffiles/r600_20.pdf

Amerine testified Thursday in front of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. While under oath, he told the committee that he had been working on a plan that would facilitate the release of at least six Americans as well as Canadians. Amerine was specifically working to have Bowe Bergdahl, Caitlin Coleman, and her husband, Josh Boyle, released.                                                                                                                                                                                 Amerine continues to argue that he has done nothing wrong and that he was exercising his constitutional right to be a whistleblower.                     http://www.westernjournalism.com/shocking-army-hero-spoke-out-about-obama-admins-bergdahl-handling-then-this-happened-to-him/?utm_source=MailChimp&utm_medium=email&utm_content=top-story&utm_campaign=DailyEmail06.13.15

House Republican: Tax Refund Money Illegally Funding Obamacare Program : BY MICHAEL WARREN

The Obama administration is funding a provision of the Affordable Care Act unconstitutionally and against the decision of Congress, a Republican House member says. Peter Roskam of Illinois joined Fox News's Greta van Susteren Thursday to talk about the details of his findings in an oversight investigation by the House Ways and Means committee.

"We've just learned that the administration is paying out of a tax refund account, not appropriated money, into something called the Basic Health Program, which was authorized by Obamacare to subsidize various health insurance programs, but Congress never authorized any money for it," Roskam said. "And we've just learned over the last couple of weeks that the administration has paid out $60 million to the state of Minnesota, and that's just for one month."                      https://youtu.be/hwn-3oDdabA                                                                                                                                                                he Washington Examiner has more:

Minnesota is the only state that has set up the basic health program, although New York is taking steps in that direction. If states opt in, the federal government would cover 95 percent of the subsidies that enrollees would have otherwise collected in the marketplaces, although it's not allowed to cover administrative costs.

Aides said they only recently discovered how the administration was funding Minnesota's program, through looking at the state's first-quarter payment this year.

Prodded by Roskam at a hearing Wednesday, Burwell acknowledged the basic health program payments are coming out of the IRS fund but said "tax credits for programs" aren't part of the discretionary funding that must be approved by Congress.      http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/republicans-launch-new-attack-on-obamacare-funding/article/2566073

Obama says He Doesn’t Care What America Wants – He’ll Veto a Ban on Late-Term Abortions : by Onan Coca

President Obama is again showing his callousness to the will of the American public. Both Houses of Congress seem prepared to support and pass legislation that would ban late-term abortions, protecting the poor children who quite obviously feel pain in the womb, but President Obama plans to veto any such bill.
On Friday the House voted on the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (H.R. 36), which would ban all abortions after 20 weeks. Most of the world seems to understand the barbarity of allowing elective late-term abortions on demand because only 7 nations, including the USA, currently allow them.      http://dailycaller.com/2014/02/25/report-us-1-of-only-7-countries-that-allow-elective-abortions-after-20-weeks/
The six other nations that allow elective abortion after 20 weeks include China, North Korea, Singapore, Vietnam, Netherland, and Canada. The report notes that Singapore and the Netherlands prohibit abortion at 24 weeks and the United States prohibits abortion at the point of viability. The rest have no restrictions in law.
Fortunately, the VAST majority of Americans favor a ban on elective late term abortions.     http://www.lifenews.com/2015/05/13/americans-want-late-term-abortions-banned-back-bill-to-stop-them-after-20-weeks/

 http://godfatherpolitics.com/23005/obama-says-he-doesnt-care-what-america-wants-hell-veto-a-ban-on-late-term-abortions/#6PEG0ozOySUtQGm6.99

Psychics and Enchanters: Looking for Help in all the Wrong Places : by Jerry Newcombe

The Associated Press recently reported that "[a] New York man who sought help from a fortuneteller to fix a romantic relationship says she scammed him out of more than $700,000."  http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/06/06/us/ap-us-fortuneteller-alleged-scam.html?_r=0
How could someone spend that kind of money to try to get "help" from a psychic? The psychic storefronts I see claim you can get readings for $10.00 -- to me, that's $10.00 too much. But $700,000? According to the story, the psychic and an accomplice are now in prison.
It's easy to poke fun at psychics. The wry comedian Steven Wright said: "I almost had a psychic girlfriend but she left me before we met." I've seen a memo circulating the Internet with a potpourri of funny questions, one of which reads, "Why don't you ever see the headline 'Psychic Wins Lottery'?"
I remember my long-time pastor, Dr. D. James Kennedy, joked that he wanted to call the psychic hotline and when they asked him for his credit card, he would respond: "You're a psychic; you're supposed to know my credit card number already."

But on a serious note, people seeking answers from psychics should know something: There is a God who knows the beginning from the end, and He has spoken. And these truths are demonstrable. You risk turning to the dark side of supernatural forces by dealing with psychics, tarot cards, fortune tellers, and the like -- or even more likely just dealing with scammers.
As America gets more secular, I've noticed the rise of psychics. Churches are out; fortune tellers are in. The Bible is out; crystals are in. That's a sad state of affairs, especially because what people are seeking through the psychics, they can find in truth through the Bible.
This does not contradict the fact that some people may have special perceptions others do not. There are stories of supernatural encounters that abound, which comport with the biblical worldview. I know at least a handful of people who have their own stories of God's supernatural intervention. Some people perhaps are more spiritually sensitive than others.
But what is it people seek when they go to a psychic? They want guidance. They want advice. All of these and more are found in the Bible, the Word of God.

 http://godfatherpolitics.com/22961/psychics-and-enchanters-looking-for-help-in-all-the-wrong-places/#04jRhZdBewce30fK.99

America at the Edge, But We Can Still Save It : by John Tutten

Are you feeling joyous today? Did you get up this morning filled with optimism and a sense that things are getting better for you? If you have children, are you confident that they will have a more meaningful and opportunity filled life than you have had? I don't think so either.

I'm not paranoid or unreasonably pessimistic and neither are you. We have very good reasons to be concerned with what we see happening to our country, our culture, and indeed our lives. A country once firmly rooted in the idea of individual sovereignty with a government operating solely based on our consent is being commandeered. Now sovereign citizens are viewed as threats that need to be controlled and silenced.

And it starts at the top. We have a president that simply does not share our view of America. He clearly prefers totalitarian Marxism to constitutional republicanism. I believe his Christian image is a sham too and if not a practicing Muslim he is certainly very sympathetic and supportive of the goals of Islam. Marxism and Islam are the antithesis of our American way of life and this country elected him twice. Do we have a death wish?

The Democratic Party in Washington has been purged of anyone who would adhere to or defend the Constitution. It has veered so far to the left that Democratic icons like Truman and Kennedy would be drummed out of the party today.                        http://clashdaily.com/2015/06/losing-the-culture-america-at-the-edge-but-we-can-still-save-it/

‘ONE DEAD,THREE KILLED’?? Headlines in Politically Correct Texas : Written by ++++Allen

"Obama's children" (not all blacks) are out kill'n night after night here in H Town and plenty more are hanging out to see what's up. So just when I'm wondering what I'm going to write about for my weekly article, my local media here in Houston supplies me with plenty of journalistic fodder.

By looking at this story-line picture it looks as though Obama's brats have taken over the news channel too! Anyone who has applied at a news station for employment within their media department knows that only the college edja–makated degree-holding graduate need apply. Well Channel 11, how are all those graduates working out for ya...just ax'n.

I was born and raised in Yankee state Cali and I grew up free of slave-state guilt. I have observed plenty of guilt here in the city of Houston. Texas is a former Confederate slave state. People here fall all over themselves bending over backwards to show Obama's children and the world how rehabilitated and politically correct they now are.

In the rat-race world of news journalism it is ever so apparent that an attempt to demonstrate their changed ways by hiring more-than-token amounts of the under qualified, anointing them with highly sought after positions, is NOT working out. Evidenced by the still shot of my TV screen. I am betting this story-line subject was written by a child of Obama (and where is the proofreader? Or was this ok'd by another child of Obama?)                                                                               http://clashdaily.com/2015/06/one-deadthree-killed-headlines-in-politically-correct-texas/

ANTI-GUN NUT: Shannon Watts Use #DallasPDShooting to Call Out Gov. Abbott for Open Carry Support

Anytime gun grabbers can use a tragedy involving a shootout to promote restricting 2nd Amendment rights, they jump right on it. Shannon Watts, of "Moms Demand Action", used the Dallas Police Department Shooting today to call out Texas Governor Greg Abbott on his support for open carry in Texas. Here are the Tweets below:                                                                         Reply Retweet Favorite
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karen durlingA Silly PonyKMolinarPaul AllanTina IssaDan CieslakIndependent TexanMiMi
5:37 AM - 13 Jun 2015
Apple Bunny ‏@Wash_Fire 6h6 hours ago
So, u're saying terrorists with illegal weapons r worried about making their illegal attack on the police legally? #gunsense @shannonrwatts
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J Alex King ‏@IllConsiglieri 3h3 hours ago
@Wash_Fire @KandiRider @shannonrwatts Sorry, but I have to report all of you to the Net Czar for discussing G*NS on the internets!

/sarc
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Apple Bunny ‏@Wash_Fire 2h2 hours ago
Oh, we're safe. #gunsense never says anything new. All straight from the 90s. ;-> @IllConsiglieri @KandiRider @shannonrwatts
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Jeremy Howard ‏@JeremyHoward11 6h                                                                                                               http://clashdaily.com/2015/06/anti-gun-nut-shannon-watts-use-dallaspdshooting-to-call-out-gov-abbott-for-open-carry-support/  

THROWN UNDER THE BUS IN McKINNEY: With a Boss Like This Who Needs Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton ? : by Chuck Gruenwald

About twenty-five years ago, I had taken a police supervision class that had been taught by a local former police chief. Yes, one class every night for sixteen weeks is no substitute for actual experience as a supervisor, or even as a subordinate. However, the situations and scenarios that were covered in that class, as well as those that I had learned in the supervision classes that followed, have helped me realize what is expected of me as either a subordinate or leader in my time in the Armed Forces, and in the private sector.

I have either met or worked under just about every type of manager: task master, country club manager, wishy-washy, and the rare diamond cutter. And, I have also been fortunate enough to have met many police officers and police supervisors.

From thirty-plus year veterans who lived every day with the enthusiasm that they probably felt their first day on the job, to new officers who were burnt-out and bitter – this being a result of learning under burnt-out and bitter field training officers – the personality spectrum is just as varied in law enforcement as it is in every other line of work.

It was my time with those officers that I had learned the politics that contaminate the act of promoting patrolmen up the chain of command.

Once a former patrolman is promoted above the rank of sergeant, it becomes easy for some to abandon the police officer mentality for that of a bureaucrat, since the higher ranks are heavily influenced by politics. Supervisors who were willing to exercise discretion, despite political opposition to their decisions, had earned the respect of their subordinates. Unfortunately, those who were promoted as a result of politics tend to treat hypocrisy as part of the job, not a character flaw.

It is the transition from law enforcement officer to bureaucrat that is a threat to law enforcement. If a high ranking boss within a police department's chain of command is willing to sacrifice his or her power of discretion in the name of keeping their job by pleasing a mayor or city/village manager, or in the name of future promotions, then one important link that all members of the chain of command must share, is broken.

One of the most important assets that an officer has is discretion. No two situations that an officer may be involved in are identical. The biggest priority for a police officer is his or her safety, since a dead officer cannot protect others.

Hearing McKinney, Texas Police Chief Greg Conley openly discuss his opinion regarding the actions of former police Corporal Eric Casebolt during the disturbance at a local swimming pool, it was clear that Chief Conley had made the transition from being a police officer to becoming a bureaucrat.

First of all, and most important, everything that the chief had stated in public regarding his interpretation of the actions of former Corporal Casebolt should have been confined within the walls of his police department. By making such statements in public, Chief Conley appears as though he is seeking public approval for a decision that was made in the hope of winning public approval.

Second, with such a public criticism of a former subordinate, the chief sounds as if he is an outsider, not the top of the chain of command.                                        http://clashdaily.com/2015/06/thrown-under-the-bus-in-mckinney-with-a-boss-like-this-who-needs-jesse-jackson-or-al-sharpton/