Brothers, today I am giving thanks for our Classical Conversations homeschool community and for the demonstration of service and hospitality. There are many prayers needed. There have been lost loved ones and illnesses. If you know a family in need of prayer reach out, pray, and show love and hospitality.
“True community is something that develops as the result of interwoven relationships, and that requires an ethos of hospitality… In order to have a flourishing Christian community, it is necessary for the children of that community to have a shared experience of godly education… Education is one of the central instruments given to us by God for the establishment and perpetuation of a culture.” Gashmu Saith It: How to build Christian communities that save the world, by Douglas Wilson https://canonpress.com/products/gashmu-saith-it/
Dominion: “we are to watch over and keep safe all that the Lord has put under our care… our basic mandate as Christian men is to cultivate, build, and grow (both things and people), but also to stand guard so that people and things are kept safe-so that the fruit of past cultivating and nurturing is preserved…” More here: https://ministry.family.blog/2022/01/14/household-prayer-courage/
HouseHold: “We have the fulcrum of the world in our possession, and that gives us leverage. I am talking about our households… So fight the good fight. Go home, build a house, and if you do it in the right way, you will give the world a glimpse of things to come. There is nothing more terrifying to the principalities than this.” https://ministry.family.blog/2022/01/22/household-prayer-cosmic-battle-plans/
“There is a direct connection between ignorance of God and rampant societal lawlessness. We can no longer assume that the people in America understand even the basic truths about the true God. Those of us who do know Him, must teach them.”https://founders.org/2020/10/03/the-forgotten-god/
Work and Keep “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” Genesis 2:15 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/gen.2.15.ESV
Forward Observer: Death threats for Congressional members spike: The Daily SA for 25 JAN 2022https://youtu.be/c3JEi-zLB4A
At minute 7:30 they discuss LEO staffing shortages and the threat of far left activists planning to move to smaller cities, they specifically call out the move from Chicago to Rockford, to easily overwhelm law enforcement.
“How can you safely create distance between yourself and an attacker? In this short instructional video from Concealed Carry Magazine, U.S. Concealed Carry Association Director of Content Kevin Michalowski demonstrates what you should — and shouldn’t — do to give yourself more space to fight or flee.”
“The NYPD have begun ARRESTING THE VACCINE FREE. The NYPD are now just vaccine enforcers for Big Pharma. All while real criminals are released with little to no bail right back on the streets to commit more crimes.” https://twitter.com/rickyle80284150/status/1476344739200786433?s=21
“WARNING: Contains graphic sexual material which is taught to students! Yes, students at New Trier HS and other government schools are teaching sexual deviancy, compliments of your high property taxes… Dan and Amy read directly from books found in New Trier High School classes, one of which is required reading for an Honors English class. The next time you look at your property tax bill, know that it is helping to pay for pornography in your local government schools.”
“Paul Dorr is the founder of Copperhead Consulting, organizing over 80 campaigns to defund public education and roll back excessive local government. Taxpayer savings to date $4 Billion. Paul has been married to his wife for 45 years. He is the father of 11 children and 34 grandchildren, all whom are being homeschooled.”
“Illinois Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford (D.) and her husband escaped with their lives from the harrowing ordeal thanks in part to his legally-concealed firearm. The senator, who represents suburban Chicago, previously voted against the bill that created the state’s concealed-carry permitting system. She now credits the practice with saving her life.”
“As of early December, there were 1,971 carjacking victims in Chicago — 27% more than the same period of 2020 and more than one-and-a-half times the number in 2019, according to city crime data.”
Support #projecthood if you can. “Our center is very different. We have literally nothing for kids in this community- we want to expose them to all possible career paths: construction, electrical, culinary, you name it.”https://www.projecthood.org/
“When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he assembled his 318 trained men, born in his household, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.”Genesis 14:14 CSB
“The right to life is a good example of what legal historians refer to as an objective right: it is objective in the sense that it exists outside ourselves and is unalienable… The right to life imposes obligations: you must do everything in your power to preserve it.” #SlayingLeviathan https://canonpress.com/products/slaying-leviathan/
“All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations.” Psalm 22:27-28 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.22.27-28.ESV
Brothers I’m praying today that we understand the cosmic battle that we are in against “the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:12)
There is a video circulating again of Mellisa Harris-Perry from MSNBC claiming we need “a collectivist view” and “to break the idea that kids belong to parents.”
Brothers, since the beginning Satan attacked the relationship between the man and woman. Our marriages and households are God’s battle formation. I pray we are aware and engaged.
“Our way or war was described by Paul in Ephesians… We have the fulcrum of the world in our possession, and that gives us leverage. I am talking about our households. But the principalities know this, and that is why they are obsessively working to break them down… So fight the good fight. Go home, build a house, and if you do it in the right way, you will give the world a glimpse of things to come. There is nothing more terrifying to the principalities than this. Because in the end, the principalities will bow and confess the Lordship of Christ, and if your house is ordered well, it is a reminder of that glorious day (Phil. 2:10–11).” The Household and the War for the Cosmos: Recovering a Christian Vision for the Family by C.R. Wiley
“Christians have been given suits of armor and they are duty-bound to fight for the household of God… The principalities continue to rage against the Lord of the Cosmos. Their inhuman machinery menaces us, particularly in the West… In spite of all of these things, Christ has already won. He is our Lord and we are engaged in a long obedience. We wrestle with His enemies…”
“Our way or war was described by Paul in Ephesians… Paul outlines a two-pronged strategy to follow.”
“STRATAGEM 1: THE HOUSEHOLD OF GOD… The churches Paul planted throughout the Roman world… in those houses of God, the house stewards worked to make sure that these communities put the benefits of Christ’s rule on display for the principalities and powers…”
“STRATAGEM 2: THE HOUSEHOLD, FULCRUM OF THE COSMOS… We have the fulcrum of the world in our possession, and that gives us leverage. I am talking about our households. But the principalities know this, and that is why they are obsessively working to break them down… remember, a household ordered by the household code in Ephesians reflects the rule of Christ… Households have been the basis of human culture from the start… So fight the good fight. Go home, build a house, and if you do it in the right way, you will give the world a glimpse of things to come. There is nothing more terrifying to the principalities than this. Because in the end, the principalities will bow and confess the Lordship of Christ, and if your house is ordered well, it is a reminder of that glorious day (Phil. 2:10–11). And, as hard as it is to imagine, when, at the end of the war for the cosmos, the tribunal for war-crimes is impaneled, you and I will have our seats behind the bench (1 Cor. 6:3).”
The Household and the War for the Cosmos: Recovering a Christian Vision for the Family by C.R. Wiley https://a.co/aImq1cu
In 1984, President Ronald Reagan called on Americans to “give thanks for the gift of life, and to reaffirm our commitment to the dignity of every human being and the sanctity of each human life.” Many churches will do just that this Sunday.
National Religious Freedom Day is celebrated on January 16th to mark the anniversary of the adoption of the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom written by Thomas Jefferson in 1786.
Jefferson’s statute served as the model for our First Amendment guarantee of religious freedom, which states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. . .”
This Sunday, I hope you and your church will join me in praying for the protection of innocent life and for the protection of religious liberty in America.
“Nothing is more terrifying than a man who, with the look of a lion in his eyes, refuses to surrender, who charges when everyone else around him is in full retreat. And best of all? Courage is contagious.” Slaying the Feminist Leviathan by Eric Conn, Fight Laugh Feast issue 2.3 Fall 2021 https://flfnetwork.com/product/fight-laugh-feast-magazine/
Brothers, our households, churches, and communities need us. I pray we understand and walk in the masculine mandate God has given us “to cultivate, build, and grow (both things and people), but also to stand guard so that people and things are kept safe – so that the fruit of past cultivating and nurturing is preserved… In our families… At church… In society.” I’m praying God would give us courage and move us to action, even small daily disciplines, for His glory.
“I can add my hearty “Amen!” to the idea that Christian men should reject a feminized idea of manhood…
the point of Genesis 2:8 is that God has put the man into the garden, into the world of covenantal relationships and duties, in order to gain and act out his God-given identity there… Adam was put in the garden to be its lord and servant. Adam was to bring glory to God by devoting himself to bearing God’s fruit, starting in the garden and extending outward to all of creation. For this reason, Adam was God’s assistant lord, exercising authority over creation: “Subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Gen. 1:28)… he was to be lord and keeper of God’s created realm, bringing glory to the Creator as he sought to bear the image of God in servant faithfulness…
In “Genesis 2:15, we learn how man is to fulfill his calling: ‘The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.’ … Work. To work is to labor to make things grow… Keep. To keep is to protect and to sustain progress already achieved…
“God calls us to bear His image in the real world, in this garden that has become corrupted by sin but is being redeemed by the power of God’s grace in Christ. He calls us to do this by being leaders and servants in the ultimate cause of displaying God’s glory and bearing the fruit of God’s love in real relationships… Our calling in life really is this simple (although not therefore easy): We are to devote ourselves to working/building and keeping/protecting everything placed into our charge…
WORK: TO CULTIVATE AS A GARDENER
“avad, the Hebrew term translated in Genesis 2:15 as “work” … Adam was called by God to till and cultivate the garden so it would grow and bear an abundance of fruit. Thus, the command to “work” links up with the earlier mandate to “be fruitful … and fill the earth” (Gen. 1:28)… we are called to “work” whatever “field” God has given us. Men are to be planters, builders, and growers. A man’s working life is to be spent accomplishing things, usually as part of a company or other grouping of people. We are to invest our time, our energies, our ideas, and our passions in bringing good things into being. A faithful man, then, is one who has devoted himself to cultivating, building, and growing…
KEEP: TO PROTECT AS A SWORD-BEARER
“shamar, which is translated by such English terms as “watch,” “guard,” “protect,” “take under custody,” or “exercise care” … His calling to Christian men is similar: we are to watch over and keep safe all that the Lord has put under our care… our basic mandate as Christian men is to cultivate, build, and grow (both things and people), but also to stand guard so that people and things are kept safe – so that the fruit of past cultivating and nurturing is preserved… In our families, our presence is to make our wives and children feel secure and at ease. At church, we are to stand for truth and godliness against the encroachment of worldliness and error. In society, we are to take our places as men who stand up against evil and who defend the nation from threat of danger.”
The Masculine Mandate: God’s Calling to Men by Richard D. Phillips https://a.co/hPkBUjb
Brothers, I’m praying we would be filled with the Holy Spirit and trusting in Him as we prepare our children, as we lead our households, and as we witness to the Kingdom of Heaven in this world. Praying for good health through cold, flu, and covid season.
“Prepare your children to stand up in the battlefield. Prepare your children to stand upon the Word of God. Prepare your children to have confidence in the Word of God. The greatest legacy we leave our children and grandchildren is not a great education, good and important as that may be… the greatest legacy, the best legacy, the most enduring legacy, is to teach them to appreciate, revere, and obey the Word of God.” A message from Dr. @MichaelAYoussef to Christian parents https://twitter.com/leadingtheway/status/1476346087296413698?s=21
“God loves to work through small bands of hard men… a local gang of hard men who can train together – theologically, physically, spiritually – and start to multiply through discipleship and household building. A psalm-singing, worship gang of holy troublemakers… a few good men dedicated to worship-centered culture building and defending the perimeter… The nuclear center of God’s plan for establishing order in the cosmos starts with one man and one woman coming together to produce offspring and live out God’s creational, sexual, hierarchical order (Ephesians 5)” Slaying the Feminist Leviathan by Eric Conn, Fight Laugh Feast issue 2.3 Fall 2021
Wrong End Times theology keeps Christians “out of the fight” – they don’t continue the “good and faithful servanthood” – they don’t think multi-generational, instead abandoning the “be fruitful and multiply”, “work and keep”, and “make disciples of all nations” aspects of the dominion mandate.
Jesus Christ the King of Kings, “ruler of kings on earth”
“and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” Revelation 1:5-6 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/rev.1.5-6.ESV
“To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Timothy 1:17 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1ti.1.17.ESV
“Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe,” Hebrews 12:28 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/heb.12.28.ESV
“If you love your children… remove them from the public school system.”
“Education has come front and center in the United States, where parents are allegedly being targeted through counterterrorism technologies through a request from the school boards. At the same time, the Chinese regime is promoting critical race theory through its state-run media, right here in the United States—raising big questions on why this is happening. To learn more about how parents have gradually gotten less say in what their children are being taught, and how education can be weaponized as a political tool, we’ve invited investigative journalist and Epoch Times contributor Alex Newman to speak with us.”
“They discuss the impact of growing up in a christian home and the importance of the nuclear family. They discuss the war that is being waged by Black Lives Matter, Radical Feminists and others on the nuclear family in the black community. How do we fight back with Gospel truth? How do we have these conversations as Christians?”
Before any governments or churches, God ordained the family!
“Haven’t you read,” [Jesus] replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” Matthew 19:4-6 (Jesus quotes from Genesis 1:27 and 2:24)
“The natural family, creation of God, is the fundamental human community, based on the life-long marriage between a man and a woman, in which new individuals are conceived, born and raised.” – World Congress of Families. The Warsaw Declaration, 2007. (www.worldcongress.org)
Godly families are central in Scripture. Families are God’s design and purpose, and it is our belief that families are the key social unit to any nation or culture. Unfortunately, we live in a time that the culture is hostile to the traditional family as designed by God.
It does not “take a village” to raise a child! It takes one man and one woman committed to each other and to God’s purpose and plan for their marriage. In other words – a natural family. God has provided and families need support communities of extended family and church groups. These support communities and civil governments, i.e. “villages,” should support the natural family’s role in raising their children, but should not subvert the parents God given rights. Unfortunately two current philosophies endorse the “village” subversion of parental rights and duties in our culture today: communism and humanism.
The communists see all lives as economic property of the state, and therefore, for example, “‘The worker-mother must learn not to differentiate between yours and mine; she must remember that there are only our children, the children of Russia’s communist workers.’” (“The Natural Family: Bulwark of Liberty” by Carlson and Mero, page 36)
Humanists (Atheistic or Secularist) see the family as a man made system that can be altered by those in power to their own needs, and therefore, “The day care center, . . . not the disintegrating home, represented the new human order. In the former, small children could be rescued from the shallow views of their parents, and reprogrammed for life in an androgynous, cooperative socialist order.” (“The Natural Family: Bulwark of Liberty” by Carlson and Mero, page 48)
So, just to be clear, we believe that God created the man and the woman and that God has ordained marriage and the family by His plan and for His purpose!
We, therefore, declare our family sovereign and ordained by God!
“The level of anxiety in America has gone through the roof, stoked by our own government that appears to have a vested interest in America living in constant fear and panic…The Omicron variant… seems to only affect the nose and upper respiratory tract, just like a cold, and not the lungs”https://www.cwfpac.com/monday-december-20-2021-bbb-doa-panic-pandemic-losing-our-freedom
“Many Chinese citizens periodically receive messages on their phones from the government to go take a covid test otherwise their QR code status will go yellow.”
“Many people believe communist China is preparing for war with Taiwan. But I believe there are disturbing signs that Beijing is preparing for a major war with the United States… Beijing seems particularly intent on getting their youth ready for something big. Communist authorities banned Chinese children from playing video games more than a few hours a week. They issued an edict to all media outlets banning certain men from the radio and TV… they don’t want effeminate men seen in social media or entertainment because they want Chinese boys to be manly. Almost overnight, the Chinese built a major missile field in the middle of a desert capable of accommodating ICBMS with nuclear warheads. They are testing highly sophisticated first-strike weapons. A top Pentagon commander conceded recently that communist China has been trying to disable our military satellites “every single day.” That sounds like an act of war to me… Any one of these issues is cause for concern. But taken together, they paint a very disturbing picture of a regime on war footing.”
“‘I am deeply troubled by reports of a Saudi national apprehended at the southwest border with potential ties to terrorism and found wearing a jacket emblazoned with a Central Oneida County Volunteer Ambulance Corps emblem,’ Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.), ranking member on the House Homeland Security Committee, told The Epoch Times in an email.”
“The scene at the Illinois State Capitol where the Satanic Temple of Illinois is installing the “satanic deity” Baphomet as the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property recite the Rosary.” https://twitter.com/justinlfowler/status/1473019636493033475?s=21
“When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he assembled his 318 trained men, born in his household, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.”Genesis 14:14 CSB
“The right to life is a good example of what legal historians refer to as an objective right: it is objective in the sense that it exists outside ourselves and is unalienable… The right to life imposes obligations: you must do everything in your power to preserve it.” #SlayingLeviathan https://canonpress.com/products/slaying-leviathan/
“You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” Deuteronomy 6:7 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/deu.6.7.ESV
Brothers, I pray you had a blessed Christmas, and as we come to celebrating the start of a new year, I pray that you will find rhythm and consistency in family worship, devotions, and instruction. I listened to two young fathers give their testimony on growing up in Christian homes and what they experienced from their new fathers perspective. Rhythm and consistency were two keys mentioned.
“They discuss the impact of growing up in a christian home and the importance of the nuclear family. They discuss the war that is being waged by Black Lives Matter, Radical Feminists and others on the nuclear family in the black community. How do we fight back with Gospel truth? How do we have these conversations as Christians?”
“If you love your children… remove them from the public school system.”
“Education has come front and center in the United States, where parents are allegedly being targeted through counterterrorism technologies through a request from the school boards. At the same time, the Chinese regime is promoting critical race theory through its state-run media, right here in the United States—raising big questions on why this is happening. To learn more about how parents have gradually gotten less say in what their children are being taught, and how education can be weaponized as a political tool, we’ve invited investigative journalist and Epoch Times contributor Alex Newman to speak with us.”
“Recently, after our family had completed its daily devotional time together, my oldest son asked me a very insightful question: How do the Ten Commandments apply to us today if they were given so long ago in the Old Testament? … In his venerable systematic theology, the Institutes of the Christian Religion, Calvin set forth three “uses” for the moral law of God. The Lord of history has given His law, Calvin wrote, to serve as…”
“A mirror. Calvin argued that the law functions to expose our sin and unrighteousness. When a sinner looks into the mirror of God’s law, he sees himself as he really is: depraved, sinful, wretched, undone, lost and in need of cleansing, in need of a savior…”
“A restrainer of evil. The law of God functions to keep evildoers from being as bad as they otherwise might be. Thus, to some degree it serves to protect God’s people from the sinful machinations of the ungodly, Calvin argued…”
“A revelation of the will of God. Believers, who have been transformed by the gospel, Calvin wrote, need the law as well, certainly not as a means of salvation, but as a guide to sanctification. The law reveals God’s perfect righteousness and reveals that which is pleasing to him. A believer can come to delight in God’s commands, however, only after his heart has been regenerated by God’s grace through the gospel. Wrote Calvin…”
Brothers, Are we sons of Issachar, understanding the times we are in and knowing what to do about them? And are we preparing and equipping our children as citizens and ambassadors of the Kingdom of God in these times? Brothers I’m praying we make our best effort. I’m praying God the Holy Spirit would dwell in our children keeping them firm in the faith and courageous to stand in the truth.
Just a note on the role of Ambassador. We are sent to a nation to represent our King and His Kingdom, but if we don’t understand the culture and other dynamics in the nations we are sent to we may not be effective.
“Of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, 200 chiefs, and all their kinsmen under their command.” 1 Chronicles 12:32 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1ch.12.32.ESV
“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.” Psalm 127:3-5 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.127.3-5.ESV
“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” Ephesians 6:4 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/eph.6.4.ESV
Why? What is going on? Our local and American culture is not what it was. It is post-Christian. We should consider this as we disciple our children.
“Of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, 200 chiefs, and all their kinsmen under their command.” 1 Chronicles 12:32 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1ch.12.32.ESV
“As of the date of this posting (11 Dec 2021 @ 18:30 Pacific) AmRRON is raising the communications readiness level to AmCON-3. Numerous intelligence analyses indicate a high probability that Russia will conduct open combat operations against Ukraine. Analysts are generally in agreement that war could break out within the next 30 days, and possibly much sooner.”
“WASHINGTON, Dec 12 (Reuters) – A video feed of a Taiwanese minister was cut during U.S. President Joe Biden’s Summit for Democracy last week after a map in her slide presentation showed Taiwan in a different color to China, which claims the island as its own. Sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that Friday’s slide show by Taiwanese Digital Minister Audrey Tang caused consternation among U.S. officials after the map appeared in her video feed for about a minute.”
“George Orwell’s final warning: ‘Imagine a boot stamping on a human face, forever. The moral to be drawn from this dangerous, nightmare situation is a simple one: Don’t let it happen. It depends on you.’ From BBC interview.” Click to watch this short clip https://twitter.com/conceptualjames/status/1471303602815868930?s=21
“Of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, 200 chiefs, and all their kinsmen under their command.” 1 Chronicles 12:32 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1ch.12.32.ESV
Are we sons of Issachar, understanding the times we are in and knowing what to do about them? And are we preparing and equipping our children as citizens and ambassadors of the Kingdom of God in their generation?
“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.” Psalm 127:3-5 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.127.3-5.ESV
If the church is not reenchanting this fallen world with God’s truth and grace, then it is being disenchanted with the lies of Satan! “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” Romans 10:14-15
“But Feucht’s boldness to stand up for the constitutional freedom of religion didn’t come without bitter attacks and threats of violence from people who claimed to care about saving lives. Opponents of his gatherings accused him of spreading COVID with his outdoor events, which forced him to hire security guards to protect him and his team after receiving death threats. Feucht has made it known that he plans to continue spreading God’s Word across the country, regardless of the pushback he may receive. In fact, he’s launching the “Awake America” revival tour this New Year’s Eve in Miami, Florida.” https://www.letusworship.us/
Q: “How do you defeat today’s [far left] revolutionary movement?”
“When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he assembled his 318 trained men, born in his household, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.”Genesis 14:14 CSB
“The right to life is a good example of what legal historians refer to as an objective right: it is objective in the sense that it exists outside ourselves and is unalienable… The right to life imposes obligations: you must do everything in your power to preserve it.” #SlayingLeviathan https://canonpress.com/products/slaying-leviathan/
Dobra Family Ministry 