The purpose and message of Isaiah

The purpose and message of Isaiah the prophet is arranged in such as way as for the reader to understand the trustworthiness of Yahweh; the covenant God. It is clearly seen in the contrast between two national leaders of Isaiah's day. Ahaz and Hezekiah. Many know the last name more than the former name. That is because Hezekiah won big time. Ahaz did not. Why? Ahaz refused to get his orders from God. Ahaz did not trust God but sent for the Assyrians to aid him in time of political crisis against the advise of the prophet Isaiah. I see the same thing happening today, our national leader is turning to 20 nations for advise and aid to bring peace. He may just succeed at bringing peace. The scriptures foretell of a man who brings peace. The people will shout peace and safety, peace and safety. Then SUDDEN DESTRUCTION will come.

The only thing that came under Ahaz's leadership style of not trusting God was one crisis after another. In fact we in America have been having one crisis after another. Why? That is what happens when you don't make God as the source.

Hezekiah, although he initially counted on Egyptian help, eventually came to fully depend on Yahweh and was delivered in a mighty way. Hezekiah is now know for how God can bring deliverance.

The purpose of a prophet is to say what God says to say. The words that are given are largely words of indictment and judgement (Chapters 1-39) In Chapters 40-60 they are more concerned with God's mercy, forgiveness, deliverance and restoration of Israel.

O God, give this nation the heart of Hezekiah and not the stiff necked heart of Ahaz.

IF I were to be PRESIDENT!

No one asked me to run for Public Office within the United States. My heritage is over 400 years in the United States going far enough back to 1775 when my fore-fathers, came over on the Mayflower AND fought alongside Gen George Washington himself. I have the right to run and I have finally reached the age to run.

However! In my opinion, the call of God upon your life is so much higher and important than the call to serve a Nation.

BUT, if I were elected to be President, here is what I think would work well to FIX the country. Our country does not need "change", it needs fixed.

At home within the United States I would gradually decrease Federal Income Taxes by a small percentage each year. I would reduce Federal Government Departments in size and help those who held jobs get new ones by educating government workers on "how NOT to become dependant but rather INDEPENDENT. It would be celebrated every INDEPENDENCE DAY. There would be an elimination of all public assistance for able-bodied recipients. Cut off all public assistance for illegal immigrants for five years. I would lose my popularity if I had any by now by immediately imposing taxes or tariffs on cars and trucks owned by foreign entities, even if they’re manufactured in America. I would build a technologically smart wall between the United States and Mexico. Active duty combat troops would be paid better and any adulterous military person who becomes pregnant while on active duty would receive a dishonorable discharge.

All homosexuals who choose the freedom to live together as same sex couples would be taxed 70% as a de-generate fee to our American Society. Anyone who refuses would be considered a 'dead-beat degenerate' and go to jail. Encourage child bearing among tax paying citizens. Create a marriage incentive, through lower taxes for married heterosexual couples. And a government subsidy for each child conceived and carried to birth. Increase the subsidies for each year the couple remains married. All persons committing murder upon the unborn would receive the death penalty. Abortion would be illegal, except when the physical survival of the mother is threatened, to be determined by three medical doctors.

Close all houses of sex and give more funding to increase the DEA.

Empty our jails and deport all mass murders to North Korea, Iran or Cuba.

Illegal immigrants caught working in the US would pay double taxes until they become Legal Citizens and impose stiff fines on employers of illegal immigrants.

What about overseas?

You don't even want to know now do you?

Lost Heritage=Lost Future!

We need to reclaim our heritage


By Walton H. Walker II
Fayetteville

Two score and 10 years ago, I began as a young boy to learn about two of the greatest men in all history, American Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. I learned and memorized the dates of their birth — Feb. 22 and Feb. 12.

These were two honorable men whose boyhood characters were taught as examples for all young American boys and girls to remember and emulate. Their life stories were learned as part and parcel of the character development of several generations of young Americans. That has all changed now — and not for the better. Our nation is losing its American heritage because we have not been good stewards of it. It’s time for us to reclaim our heritage and rebuild important traditions like these.

Back then, since I lived in Alexandria, Va., my parents and teachers took me to visit the magnificent memorials to Washington and Lincoln on The Mall in Washington. They taught me about the honesty of young George. As I remember it, they taught me how George answered his father when asked, “Who cut down the cherry tree?” with “Father, I cannot tell a lie. I cut down the cherry tree.”

They told me the story of young “honest Abe” — one day young Abraham walked several miles to purchase some goods from a merchant. Abe discovered, after he returned home, that the merchant had given him a very small amount of incorrect change. So Abe trudged back that same day that long distance to return the change and then trudged back home again — his conscience clear.

Back then, every year during February, American schools focused on teaching about Washington and Lincoln and their times, about their upright characters and how their faith helped them in their struggles through major hardships. And we learned about their leadership in those times of great national crisis. We learned why George Washington is called “The Father of His Country.” We learned why Abraham Lincoln is considered the savior of the nation. Washington’s birthday was then honored as a national holiday regardless of the day of the week on which it fell.

It is vital to our American nation that we the people cherish and maintain those common characteristics that cement our national identity. America is only a true nation as long as the vast majority of our people identify themselves with a common knowledge, understanding, belief and following of truth; and for Americans to be a true nation, a vast majority should also claim a common heritage, language, culture, morality and vision for what we should be as a nation.

Our American traditions are one way that we maintain those commonalities and sustain our nation. Once lost, a tradition is very hard to rebuild, and that part of our identity which it helped sustain is in danger of dying.

Those contemplating change in tradition are well advised to tread carefully. In 1968, Congress decided, in large part for economic reasons, to change Washington’s birthday holiday to the third Monday in February. During the debate beforehand, one representative, Dan Heflin Kuykendall, R-Tenn., warned, “If we do this, 10 years from now our schoolchildren will not know or care when George Washington was born. They will know that in the middle of February they will have a three-day weekend for some reason. This will come.”

And so it has come. Our American children not only don’t know George Washington’s birthday, they also don’t know what they should know about George Washington and our nation’s birth. Nor do they know what they should know about Abraham Lincoln and how he gave the nation a new birth.

How many of our schoolchildren know who said and why he said, “It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion, that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people by the people for the people shall not perish from the earth.”

Do you know? Do your children?

Walton H. Walker II is a consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., a retired Special Forces officer, a former strategic planner for Army Special Forces, and a former member of the Observer’s Community Advisory Board. He lives in Fayetteville.

If you deny Jesus as your Lord, publicly, He will deny you before the Father

McCain is asked: Is Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior?
McCain said his faith "is something between me and God."
GREER, South Carolina (CNN) — John McCain rarely speaks about his faith on the campaign trail.
So when an audience member here asked the Arizona senator on Saturday if he had "accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior," most of the voters gathered at Pete's Drive-In straightened up in their booths to pay attention.
"I am a man of faith," McCain quickly responded. "I have deep religious beliefs and values. I had experiences in my life where I had to rely on God not to get me through another day or another hour, but another minute."
McCain said he was proud to be "motivated by Judeo-Christian values" in his private and public life.
The same man asked McCain to clarify if that meant he had indeed welcomed Christ into his life.
"Sir, I attend North Phoenix Baptist Church which is my church of choice, and I also believe that talking too much about one's faith and religion in my view is something between me and God," said McCain, to audience applause.
– CNN South Carolina Producer Peter Hamby
Filed under John McCain, South Carolina
Posted 12/15/2007 11:00:48 PM Permalink