All's Quiet On The Western Front

Saturday: 11:45 a.m.
Preparing to go to lunch. The cooks grilled out today and the smell infiltrated the camp. Guys came pouring out of the dorms to simply go and stand around the grill talking and laughing with the cooks hoping for a "freebie" of lunch to sample. I think the ability to BBQ is a gender, in-born, ability. Each man seems to be an expert on how to grill and what to grill. Each man thinks their sauce and the way they cook is better than everyone else. Maybe we need to have a BBQ cook off out here.

I have been parked in the book of Isaiah for the last week, currently reading in Chapter 7.
One of the commentaries I'm using said that the state of Judah ,as we read in Isaiah, is pretty much the state of our country today. Funny part was this commentator died in 1988 and did not live to see the moral mess we have sunk to here in 2009. The focus of the passage was that God extends his mercy and forgiveness for long periods of time, wishing that the people would repent and return to Him. God does tire of their attitude and at some point will send forth His judgment on the people and the nation. The commentator says that this is where America stands. The call to repent has been sounded and yet our country continues to run after the false idols of society.

He gave 3 steps to a nations downfall:
1.) Religious Apostasy
2.) Moral Awfulness
3.) Political anarchy. this is where the people begin to cry out for a change in the government. Lo and behold we are seeing this in the form of the United States moving from a Democracy to a Socialistic nation. This change being the answer to all our questions.

The commentator I'm reading states that we have a kind of backwards belief in where we think the problems of our nation begin. We believe that our problems begin with the political system and spread to our churches and teachings. No!
5 things that spiral downward in a nations downfall.
1.) The undermining of the sanctity of the home.
2.) Higher taxes
3.) an higher focus on pleasure
4.) Building of great armaments when our greatest enemy is found within ourselves.
5.) Decay of religion, denying the power and fading into a mere form.

I have spent a great deal of time this week praying for the church and its leaders.
We are in need of a revival that will shake us to the very core to wake us up.
Let it rain!
God on you......
mb