No New Program This Week

There will be no new program this week due to our host’s very busy schedule.  Next week there will be a program – I promise!!

The Lord’s Supper and Church Discipline

I suppose with all of our different denominations, Christians will always debate about the significance of the Lord’s Supper.  Some see this ordinance as a means of grace, while others view it as merely a memorial and symbolic ceremony.  But, have you ever considered that this ordinance could be used of God to purify His church?  Tune in to this week’s program and listen to our host, Kevin Thompson, as he delivers this interesting message on the Lord’s Supper.

Broadcast – Understanding Our Times

Website - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/understandingourtimes

Time – Saturday, January 31, at 6:00 pm EST/5:00pm CST

Length – 30 Minutes  

Call-in Number - (347) 945-7171

You can join us live Saturday evening at 6:00 pm EST, or download the broadcast in mp3 format at a time more convenient for you.

“Understanding Our Times” is an interactive, live Internet talk-radio show that focuses on current events from a distinctly Biblical worldview. Host Kevin Thompson offers listeners timely discussion of meaningful issues with a variety of different guests each week. Callers are encouraged to call (347) 945-7171 to listen or ask questions. The stream and archives are available at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/understandingourtimes. The show is live every Saturday evening at 6:00 p.m. Eastern/ 3:00 p.m. PT. The show is hosted on BlogTalkRadio.

Shocked by the Bible with Joe Kovacs

Many people claim to be familiar with Scripture, but only prove to know popular misconceptions and erroneous traditions passed down through time. This week’s broadcast features World Net Daily (www.wnd.com) editor Joe Kovacs who has recently authored a new book entitled “Shocked by the Bible.” How much do you really know God’s Word?

Broadcast – Understanding Our Times

Website - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/understandingourtimes

Time – Saturday, January 17, at 6:00 pm EST/5:00pm CST

Length – 30 Minutes  

Call-in Number - (347) 945-7171

You can join us live Saturday evening at 6:00 pm EST, or download the broadcast in mp3 format at a time more convenient for you.

“Understanding Our Times” is an interactive, live Internet talk-radio show that focuses on current events from a distinctly Biblical worldview. Host Kevin Thompson offers listeners timely discussion of meaningful issues with a variety of different guests each week. Callers are encouraged to call (347) 945-7171 to listen or ask questions. The stream and archives are available at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/understandingourtimes. The show is live every Saturday evening at 6:00 p.m. Eastern/ 3:00 p.m. PT. The show is hosted on BlogTalkRadio.

CONFIRMED: Homosexual Pig-Sex Orgy during Obama Inauguration‏

CONCERNED CHRISTIAN CITIZENS PLEASE CALL THE HILTON CORPORATE COMPLAINT LINE AT 310-278-4321, RIGHT NOW.   

Upon hearing the internet rumors of a homosexual pig-sex orgy scheduled in the large public conference rooms at the Double Tree Hotel in Washington DC during the inauguration [HERE for our full story], I called their hotel manager Mr. Jim Wasser at 202-232-7000 to verify the facts.  Mr. Wasser repeatedly denied the rumors, denied his hotel is hosting any homosexual groups, and said no conference or sleeping rooms were reserved for any such group, or any such activity. 

But when I called the same hotel’s “Sales and Catering” department, two of their employees confirmed that the “Mid-Atlantic Leather Maneuvers” group has indeed reserved the entire second floor of conference rooms (including the “Congressional, Directors, and Cabinet” rooms) for three nights 17-19 Jan 09 for a group function, but they couldn’t reveal the secretly planned orgy activities happening inside those rooms.  HOTEL EMPLOYEES ADMIT MR. WASSER IS LYING. 

I also called the hotel reservation center at 1-800-492-5195, and asked if the Doubletree hotel was still taking sleeping room reservations for the “Mid-Atlantic Leather Group” (advertised as one of three hotels at www.leatherweekend.com/hotel), the Doubletree reservations operator replied:  “Yes, we have a block of rooms reserved for the Mid-Atlantic Leather Group at discount pricing, but the event is oversold, and we can no longer offer the discount rate.  But if you wish to join that group, we can still sell you rooms at the premium rate.”  MORE HOTEL EMPLOYEES ADMIT MR. WASSER IS LYING. 

Now two different sets of Doubletree hotel employees confirmed to me that their own hotel manager Mr. Jim Wasser is a boldface liar. 

I called Mr. Jim Wasser back to call him a liar, and he transferred me to his supervisor Thomas Toliver (the hotel manager), who did not return my detailed message.  So I left another detailed message with the very top hotel General Manager Rodney Bernard, who also did not return my call. 

Now, concerned citizens should call the Hilton Corporate Complaint line, at 310-278-4321 and ask why the Doubletree’s hotel managers are boldly lying to the public while openly selling “group rate” sleeping rooms and “private orgy conference rooms” to the homosexual community, who is not-so-secretly emailing advertisements about their own secret “pig-sex orgy” event at the Doubletree, detailed (very graphically) in their own group’s emails, here:

http://americansfortruth.com/news/breaking-newsdoubletree-hotel-in-dc-plays-host-to-homosexual-pig-sex-orgy.html.

PLEASE MAKE THE CALL TO THE HILTON COMPLAINT LINE. 

And let us pray for our nation’s safety and repentance, during these days when Sodom and Gomorrah have been unleashed upon Washington DC, without apology by the Doubletree Hotel staff, who openly protects them while deceiving the public.

Chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt

Caution

Folks,

Here’s a little story.

I recently attempted to refinance my home loan because of all the promotions saying, “Rates have never been lower!” The truth of this claim is up for grabs, but that’s another matter entirely.

The point of mentioning the re-fi attempt is to say that the mortgage specialist did a credit check and, in the process, we found out that my credit report includes a fraud incident. Someone attempted to use my name and address to fraudulently obtain a line of credit, either a credit card or a bank loan.

So here’s a word of caution: Get yourself a shredder. Shred all of your envelopes, credit slips, receipts you’re not using for tax purposes and anything that has any personal information on it. Be diligent about it and don’t think, “I’ll just throw this away. This one time won’t hurt.”

The internet is a wonderful thing. E-commerce is a growing business area. Yet, please be careful and never include your home address on any communication you send via email. You really never know who’s reading it.

Michael Carl

Top 10 Downloaded Programs of 2008

In case you were wondering, the follwing is a list of the top ten programs of 2008 that you downloaded.

1 – Bible Truth Music
2 – Dr. Chuck Baldwin – The rEVOLution Lives on!
3 – Dr. Alan Keyes and the Fair Tax Plan
4 – Will Casino Gambling Solve Our Economic Woes?
5 – The Work of an Evangelist
6 – Summer Camping: An Interview with Wil Rice
7 – State Representative Candidate William Bunker
8 – Let’s Draft Chuck Baldwin
9 – Is There Any Hope for America?  and The Ron Paul Revolution Continues – Dr. Murray Sabrin
10 – Guest Host Pastor Tony Romo

The Best of 2008

Tune in this week for a best of program you won’t want to miss!  What are the best top ten moments from 2008?  Tune in and find out.  Perhaps your favorite clip will be played.  You’ll be able to hear interviews with people such as Chuck Balwdin, Alan Keyes and Bob Barr.  If you are new to our program, this would be a great opportunity to get caught up on an entire year in only 30 minutes!

Broadcast – Understanding Our Times

Website - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/understandingourtimes

Time – Saturday, January 3, at 6:00 pm EST/5:00pm CST

Length – 30 Minutes  

You can join us live Saturday evening at 6:00 pm EST, or download the broadcast in mp3 format at a time more convenient for you.

“Understanding Our Times” is an interactive, live Internet talk-radio show that focuses on current events from a distinctly Biblical worldview. Host Kevin Thompson offers listeners timely discussion of meaningful issues with a variety of different guests each week. Callers are encouraged to call (347) 945-7171 to listen or ask questions. The stream and archives are available at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/understandingourtimes. The show is live every Saturday evening at 6:00 p.m. Eastern/ 3:00 p.m. PT. The show is hosted on BlogTalkRadio.

The War on Christmas

For most people, when we discuss a “war on Christmas” we are referring to the debate over saying Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays. Should we allow Christmas trees and carols in public places? Yet, the war on Christmas is much deeper than these trivial matters. Even Christians fall prey to loosing the true meaning of Christmas. Tune in to hear a special Christmas message preached by our host, Kevin Thompson.

Broadcast – Understanding Our Times

Website - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/understandingourtimes

Time – Saturday, December 20, at 6:00 pm EST/5:00pm CST

Length – 30 Minutes  

You can join us live Saturday evening at 6:00 pm EST, or download the broadcast in mp3 format at a time more convenient for you.

“Understanding Our Times” is an interactive, live Internet talk-radio show that focuses on current events from a distinctly Biblical worldview. Host Kevin Thompson offers listeners timely discussion of meaningful issues with a variety of different guests each week. Callers are encouraged to call (347) 945-7171 to listen or ask questions. The stream and archives are available at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/understandingourtimes. The show is live every Saturday evening at 6:00 p.m. Eastern/ 3:00 p.m. PT. The show is hosted on BlogTalkRadio.

Of Comics and Christmas‏

Rev. Michael Carl

When I was a kid, I looked forward to Sundays. 

Yes, that means I looked forward to going to church, but it also means I looked forward to going home after church and opening up the Sunday comics.

Since my parents subscribed to both of Houston, Texas’ daily newspapers, that means I had two comic sections, eight pages each, and full of complete, four-colour drawings.  I remember liking the Houston Chronicle the best because it’s the paper that carried Peanuts.   

Once we arrived home, I would dive into the paper, reading, poring over and digesting the chuckles, laughs and the subtle messages.

In the sixties and seventies, comics had messages, but they were based upon our human nature.  They were larger than life caricatures of people’s behaviour, with all its faults and foibles.

These were still golden days for the comics.  There were the classics:  the original Blondie, Snuffy Smith, Li’l Abner, the old Beetle Bailey, Hi and Lois, Nancy, and of course, Peanuts.  The Sunday papers even ran Prince Valiant, Mary Worth, Ferdinand, and Superman.

Comics back then didn’t have too many overtly political messages and the jokes didn’t depend on savage brutality, anger, revenge, bitterness or our baser natures.

The drawings were beautiful.  The Sunday comics were genuinely works of art.  They were, or so we thought, permanent mainstays of Americana.  The larger, readable panels were almost like Monet paintings on newsprint. 

Those days are unfortunately gone.  Today’s Sunday comic sections been reduced to barely four pages and in most cases, the panels have been so reduced in size that they’re barely legible.

The quality of the material has gone down too.  The humour is base and crude.  Sometimes the punch lines are so coarse and offensive that I hesitate to try to explain them to anyone.

Such is the case of American culture.  We’ve stamped out the best and embraced minimalism as a way of life.

So what does all of this have to do with Christmas?  I admit that the connection here is tenuous at best.  Yet, we’ve allowed the media moguls and the power brokers to do with Christmas what they’ve done to the Sunday funnies.  They’ve squeezed, trivialized and reduced the birth of our Saviour to a mere marketing gimmick.

Everywhere you go, we hear Christmas music, but sometimes it’s “White Christmas”, “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire”, and “Winter Wonderland”.  Admittedly a few of the traditional carols have made it back on the rotation, but only because Christians have been willing to push back against the tide of minimalism.

Yes, times change.  Financial concerns, space requirements, the demands for profits, and a shrinking readership have forced newspaper companies to push the most artistic part of the paper into a corner.

Yet, sometimes change isn’t for the better, especially if a great American art form is the casualty.

Still, be of good cheer.  While art may be temporary, Jesus is forever.  The celebration of His birth is not a consumer commodity.  The public holiday is an observance of a holy day.  The real celebration of His birthday doesn’t depend on consumer demand, space requirements and ad revenues. 

Jesus came into our world to give us a bigger perspective.  He came to give us a peek into the eternal.  He came to remedy human faults and our ever-shifting whims.

Jesus can give us eternal life and a renewed perspective because He Himself is eternal.

Remember that while creativity may be divinely inspired, our public displays through the arts may be temporary. 

Jesus is forever!  The new life He gives is also forever!

So, Merry Christmas everyone!

Modern Bible Translation Links

Listed below are the links I spoke of during our last program.  These contain the full context of the KJV defenders responses to my questions.

Wittenburg Wednesday: Is it Time for A New Translation?
Wittenburg Wednesday Response: David Sorenson
Wittenburg Wednesday Response: Dr. D.A. Waite
Wittenberg Wednesday Response: Chuck Surrett
Wittenburg Wednesday Response: Dr. Jack Moorman
Wittenburg Wednesday Response: Gail Riplinger
Wittenburg Wednesday Response: Michael Maynard
Wittenburg Wednesday Response: Mark Langley
Wittenburg Wednesday Response: Gail Riplinger, part 2
Wittenburg Wednesday Response: Lloyd Streeter
Wittenburg Wednesday Respoonse:  William Grady