Discerning the Times with Pastor Rusty

My Daughter Identified as Transgender. I Was Powerless to Stop Doctors From Harming Her

4/3/2019

As you probably noticed, a number of my recent posts contain information related to the issue of transgenderism. I hope the general population actually gets caught up on what is going on. Unfortunately, various sectors of our professional community is pushing this confusion with little real concern about the children involved. At least that is my opinion based on what I'm reading.

The headline above is the latest case in point. Here are the opening paragraphs to this article written by a broken hearted parent:

"I am a mother whose daughter has identified as transgender since the age of 14. I love her, and I care deeply about her and other kids who identify as transgender.
There are young people, like my daughter, who are in turmoil, and who are not getting the compassionate care that they need and deserve.
I’m going to explain to you what happens when parents seek out expert advice to help their transgender-identifying children explore their feelings and discomfort with their sex.
The current standard of treatment promoted by medical and psychological associations is called “affirmative care.” While this sounds nice, affirmative care leads directly to putting children on the path to medical transition with little chance of turning back."

What this mother goes on to explain is cause for deep concern. Professionals are not focused on guiding a child away from confusion, rather they are bent on promoting transgenderism to the detriment of both the child and the family involved.

This article really helps the average person understand what is going on. I highly recommend you read it and perhaps bookmark it for future reference. Also, please be diligent with your children and grandchildren. The indiscriminate consumption of today's culture is devastating many young lives. Fill the life of your family with the Spirit of the Lord and instruction in the Word of God. Separate unto the Lord and focus on living as a family dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the path to producing well-adjusted youth who are established in righteous living.

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Farmworker vs Robot

3/24/2019

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I suspect you are seeing an increasing number of articles concerning the growth of robotics in the work place. This is a very interesting reality and it is changing things already. At this point it is hard to say how much robots will change the work place, but the impact is growing.

This interesting article spotlights the development of a robot named Harv capable of picking strawberries with a growing efficiency. You will find this quite interesting and in light of the difficulty finding workers to get the harvest out of the fields before they perish, this technology is solving a problem.

With that said, the day is quickly approaching however when these robots do eliminate the jobs of those willing to work. If the Lord tarries, robotics has the potential to touch just about every area of life, including how we fight our wars! This subject is interesting because it ultimately is going to touch us all. Check out this amazing strawberry picker!

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In Their Own Words: Moms of 5 Kids Who Think They Are Transgender Speak Out

3/17/2019

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Here is an article every parent and grandparent should read. Great harm is now perpetrated upon a growing number of children in our country by the ungodly in this country.

And yes, I said ungodly. Any professional adult guilty of complicity with the transgender movement in America is ungodly. How can any rational adult enable this moral confusion and help perpetrate it upon confused young people who need compassion and clear guidance from those in positions to help them?

Our society continues its slid into debauchery because adults who know better are determined to push God out of the consciousness of the nation. Many simple do not fear God and are willing to rebel against the natural order He established in the beginning.

I believe we need to hold politicians, doctors, psychiatrists, school counselors, and other professionals accountable for complicity with an evil now perpetrated on vulnerable youth who need stable adults guiding them away from this destructive confusion.

This article will certainly open your eyes to the realities surrounding this heart breaking situation. Be informed and I certainly trust you can discern the evil surrounding this issue. Shall we be salt and light, or shall we "go with the flow" as so many seem willing to do?

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California Parents Object to New Sex Ed Program in Public Schools

3/2/2019

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Just a few weeks ago fed-up California parents participated in a “Sexxx Ed Sit Out” to protest the state’s sex education curriculum, calling it “pornographic,” “age-inappropriate,” “highly biased and medically inaccurate instruction.”

I think you should read this article and weep. Somehow we think such things only go on in California. Whether parents in our immediate communities want to come to grips with it or not, children in the public system are immersed in a school culture devoid of godliness when it comes to sexuality. There is no appropriate correction in the system guiding students away from immorality, gender confusion, or unnatural behaviors.

I am sure the problem of STDs is addressed, but it is done so in a moral vacuum. Again I appeal to the Christian community (including Pastors, elders, and other spiritual leaders) to take the steps necessary to separate your children from a godless system where appropriate training in moral virtue simply does not exist.

Concerning this subject, here is what you can create for your children by way of homeschooling or the private, Christian school:

- Class rooms with teachers required to maintain appropriate examples before the student body avoiding fornication, adultery, and any form of unnatural sexual behavior.

- An educational setting where parents remain in strict control of the content of any specialized curriculum dealing with sexual behavior

- Daily Bible instruction to instruct, guide, and correct students. The authoritative source on sexuality is God's Word and just normal interaction with the ten commandments and the rest of the Bible serves sufficiently to prepare students to avoid sin and pursue godly behavior.

- A school culture that supports the God given gender identities of male and female. While some students may well struggle with various temptations, the school culture aims at clear moral guidance and loving support as needed to overcome misguided thinking and ungodliness.

A lot more could be said, but the question remains: in the current climate with the culture of the public system spiraling ever downward, will you leave your children at risk?

The Scripture says, "And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep." Indeed, while we delay generations of young people from our own Christian homes are assimilating the ungodly culture around them.

When I write articles like this I am guilty of an assumption. I am assuming other Christians share these priorities with me:

First priority: win my children to Christ
Next: train them in a thorough knowledge of the Christian faith ( a 13 year project minimum)
Next: prepare them to participate in the cause of Christ
Next: establish the pursuit of Christ first in one's private life (CAREERS ARE SECOND. PERIOD)
Next: prepare them to pursue a godly home and marriage as the Holy Spirit may lead
Next: prepare them to honor Christ in faithful stewardship
Next: pursue the career the Holy Spirit inevitably opens to a young person as they seek first the kingdom of God.

Well, maybe this philosophy will come to dominate the Christian community again one day. Perhaps the time will come when Christians once again are just plain "Christian enough" concerning education to say good-bye to the world.

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What's Happening in Schools

2/7/2019

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Here are a few excerpts from an article written by the Liberty Counsel:

"There is a disastrous epidemic eating away at America's families that stems from heightened cultural, legal and legislative attacks on the family structure itself. Radical groups want to redefine marriage and the family . . .

. . . Right now, there is an unprecedented onslaught targeting our families through cultural immersion, government mandates and extreme propaganda taught in our public schools.

Christian principles are being systematically rooted out of our schools and culture. The minds of children are being barraged as never before with revisionist history, immoral behaviors and abhorrent lifestyles." (For more information on the Liberty Counsel visit www.lc.org)

The Liberty Counsel is one of the leading legal groups in America fighting for religious freedom in our courts. They fight many battles connected to our public school system. Since they are in the trenches they see first hand what is going on. If a group like the Liberty Counsel says there is "extreme propaganda taught in our public schools" as "Christian principles are being systematically rooted out of our schools," then Christian parents need to make a change.

I strongly advise Christian parents to avoid the use of the public school system. Why? Here are two of my concerns:

1. The entire education experience is built upon the sandy foundation of humanism. Said another way: our public school system does not build education upon a knowledge of God, Christ, and His word.

While this may not be a concern for the world, I would remind the Christian community (including Pastors, elders, and spiritual leaders in the church) WE ARE NOT THE WORLD. How did it every become acceptable to the greater Christian community to engage in so-called education while leaving out God, Christ, and the source of all truth--the Holy Scriptures?

2. Next, we are disobeying the Lord's command to avoid an "uneven yoke" (Please read and apply 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 to this situation). It is obvious the educational priorities of the Christian community is NOT in line with that of the world. Today our public school system has degenerated into moral chaos and spiritual darkness. Today there is no Christian philosophy of education permitted in the public system. On the contrary, the system is dominated by the ungodly.

My advice to parents who have a fervent desire their children serve the Lord is very straight forward: remove them from a system devoid of Christianity and build upon the solid rock of godly instruction based upon the Lordship of Christ and the unchanging Word of God.

I can only offer advice, but surely Christian parents can discern the spiritual well-being of their children is more important than anything else in this world. Surely Christian parents have the ability to open their eyes and heed the advice of godly pastors and others who have been sounding the alarm for decades.

Be wise. Separate your children unto the Lord. Don't allow the ungodly to have direct influence upon their hearts and minds. Yes, we are in the world and your children will come of age soon enough. However, as they do so it should be under the godly tutorage of Christian education manifested in the home, the church, AND the school.

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Most Transgender Kids Will Change Back When Older, Studies Show

1/26/2019

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On christianheadlines.com Michael Foust reports:

"Experts in the field are. . .citing studies that show minors often change their minds about transitioning when they're adults. . .

Studies show that anywhere from 63 to 94 percent of self-identified transgender children and teens change their minds, KQED reported. . .

[Dr. Jack] Descher [a Columbia University professor] urges caution on the use of surgery, which can be difficult to "undo." Surgery isn't available until age 18 for transgender teens.

In 2013, Amsterdam researcher Thomas Steensma released a study showing that 63 percent of transgender teens he studied had desisted by the ages of 15-16."

This information reveals the obvious. Young people need clear guidance when confused about their sexual identity. Of course, such guidance must come from godly adults who refuse to accept the misguided idea that a man is trapped in a woman's body, or a woman is trapped in a man's body.

Those who are experiencing such confusion need to be affirmed as males if they are men, or females if they are women. No one should encourage the confusion by suggesting otherwise.

Of course, the ungodly have no real moral ground to build upon once Scripture is rejected and God is pushed out of the equation. While we certainly need to show patience and compassion toward any young man or young lady going through a tough time in their teen years, we should NOT show patience with the adults who are unwilling to embrace the natural order created by God.

The bigger problem in the nation related to these issues as I discern it, is the problem of ungodly elites who dominate our schools from their perches of power in government, on university campuses, and as administrators and/or teachers in the public school system. What can be said about any adult who argues for transgender confusion??

Pray for the nation. It is later than we think.

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Pray for a Spiritual Revival in America

12/19/2018

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Do you think revival is possible in America today? Of course, the word revival has to do with the church, not the world. Our churches need a deep work of God in which a new obedience to the Word of God is birthed in the lives of every genuine believer. Without revival in the authentic church no standard against wickedness will be raised by the Spirit of the Lord.

Here are some thoughts from the American Family Association that certainly can help us focus on the need for revival:

"The LGBTQ socio-political agenda seeks to replace God’s truth about human sexuality with perversion as the societal norm. It has overtaken virtually every major American institution. The entertainment world, corporate America, education, and government have all been infiltrated by this rebellion against God. While they have been wildly successful in these institutions, they will not be satisfied until they have conquered the last one, the church.

Though they have penetrated many mainline churches, their objective is not yet complete. In many churches we have seen church discipline become a thing of the past. We have watched churches — though some with good intentions to evangelize — totally ignore the biblical mandate to equip the saints for ministry and God's unchanging call to holiness for Christ followers. The love of God has been twisted to manipulate the church into embracing all manner of wickedness. Yet, the Scripture tells us that God's love does not delight in evil, but He rejoices in the Truth.

Along with other groups, AFA is working to restrain the perversion of sexuality pushed by the LGBTQ agenda. We are grateful for the remnant of churches that have maintained biblical fidelity concerning human sexuality with courage and compassion. We applaud those which have resisted the assault of ungodly values on biblical truths. But we can only play defense for so long.

We desperately need a miracle, a Holy Spirit revival in America.

As the body of Christ, let's be transparent. Let's take time to examine the log in our own eye so we can effectively help our brother remove the spec from his eye. To restore biblical morality in sexuality in the entertainment world, education, government, and society at large, we must begin with the church repenting for its rejection of God’s Word and returning to the proclamation of the whole counsel of God with both grace and truth.

We, that is AFA and you, must be ready to overcome Satan's continued efforts to deceive by anticipating his tactics. We must study God's Word to show our selves approved, we become workmen who have no need to be ashamed but who correctly handle and share the Word of Truth. We need to be prepared to give a compassionate biblical response when we are verbally persecuted for using the Bible as our guide for life.

"But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander" (1 Peter 3:15-16).

In addition to this, we must pray, pray, pray! We urge you to examine yourself and pray about how you may be more involved in this critical crossroad in our culture."

Here is a word of encouragement on how we can be more involved in the spiritual battle facing our nation today: 1) get involved first and foremost with actual prayer--seek the Lord that great grace might be upon the authentic church in such a way He empowers us to hold back the onslaught of evil threatening to engulf our nation 2) PUT BIBLE READING AND PRAYER BACK IN YOUR FAMILY LIFE WITH AN AIM ON TEACHING CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN TO FEAR GOD AS THEY LEARN WHAT THE LORD SAYS ABOUT RIGHT AND WRONG 3) with grace, but firm conviction, engage the political debate where moral issues are at stake.

Unfortunately, our politicians have turned every moral issue into a political football to be tossed about as it might be advantageous to them while the church cowers away from the debate because they don't want to get involved in politics. Excuse me, but clarity concerning moral issues is the domain of the church. Pastors and Christians in general MUST be involved and take a clear stand on moral issues.

Our victory is in the Lord's hand, but don't expect Him to push back the tide of wickedness in our country if we don't get right and actually obey him to be light and salt in our culture. Indeed, judgment must begin at the house of God.

If you are a Christian, then obey Christ and live righteously. Perhaps it is high time for you to experience personal revival and stop being a Christian in name only. One thing is for sure, revival cannot come to America with the church in the low state she currently is in.

Pray this way: "Lord, please send revival and let it begin with me!"

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What Are Parents to do with Santa?

12/5/2018

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I was reading a news article today with the headline: "Teacher who told kids Santa isn't real let go." The article says a substitute teacher who recently told first-graders that Santa Claus is not real is no longer working for a New Jersey school district.

The problem is when the children came home telling parents what the teacher said it caused a social media outcry from the parental community.

My impression from the reaction of parents is they no doubt preferred to tell their children about Santa in their own time as compared to the teacher bursting the imaginary bubble of six and seven year old children.

Be that as it may, this brings up some things worth talking about--especially for the Christian community.

When my wife and I raised our two children we chose never to pretend Santa was real. As my children became old enough I simply told them Santa was a cartoon figure. While it was fun for them to use their imaginations as they might like at their young age, they nonetheless knew Santa was not real.

We proceeded to tell them the truth about the tradition of St. Nick and how the idea of Santa became associated with Christmas (here is a good article on a Biblical view of Santa).

One thing I never wanted to do was to sow any seed of doubt in the minds of my children concerning the real meaning of Christmas. I wanted them to know the modern idea of Santa was a myth while the history of the Bible concerning the birth of Christ was real.

One thing we must do as Christian parents is never grieve the Holy Spirit. If we are going to celebrate Christmas at all, then the only appropriate way to do so is to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ.

He must be front and center in our celebrations. Indeed, enjoy the season as you make much a do about the birth of the most important person in history. Carefully take the time to teach the history of his birth to your children. Guide them into the awe and wonder not of an imaginary fellow in a red suit, but of the miracle that is Christmas--God came to us at Christmas as a helpless little babe lying in a manger!

As J.I. Packard said it, "The Almighty appeared on earth as a helpless human baby, needing to be fed and changed and taught to talk like any other child. The more you think about it, the more staggering it gets. Nothing in fiction is so fantastic as this truth of the Incarnation."

You will never make a mistake teaching your children the truth and when it comes to Christmas they need to know the real reason for the season in all its purity and wonder.

Merry Christmas!

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Children Are a Heritage of the Lord

12/4/2018

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In Psalm 127 we read:

Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.

Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

Children are a blessing from the Lord. He gives them to parents entrusting them to their care. They are not a burden, but a blessing. Indeed, every parent should view children as such with a heart determined to raise them in the fear and admonition of the Lord (Eph. 6:4).

Here are a few basic things to remember as a parent:

The greatest gift you can give to your children is a stable home life. Husbands and wives need to love one another and honor the marriage covenant made before God.

In the book of Malachi we read:

And this have ye done again, covering the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth it with good will at your hand.

Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.

And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.

For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously. (Malachi 2:13-16)

In this passage the Lord says he hates putting away (divorce). Much could be said about this, but one of the reasons God hates divorce is the effect it has upon children.

The Lord's intention is for parents to raise godly children (v15). Often divorce is a great hindrance to accomplishing this goal. Certainly Scripture counsels couples to avoid adultery and other problems that destroy the home. With a focus on serving Christ and serving one another by love, couples can maintain stable homes that serve as the foundation for children to grow and flourish.

Next, please take seriously your responsibility to diligently teach your children the Word of God.

In Deuteronomy we find this important passage of scripture:

And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. (Deut. 6:6-9)

No parent is walking in the fear of the Lord when this responsibility is neglected or simply ignored. Training children to fear and obey the Lord is your top priority as a parent. This responsibility comes before the pursuit of anything else in the child's life.

Failure on this point is the reason so many children are never converted and won to Christ. While I am aware any family can have a Cain who choses rebellion against the Lord, the fact is we are not producing enough Abels.

What I mean is simple enough. Most children can be trained to fear God and their hearts won to Christ. However, faith doesn't come by accident. Children left to themselves will most certainly go the way of the world as they are by nature lost and in spirit already a part of the world!

Enter the godly parent. With focus on raising a child in the Word of God a knowledge of Christ is formed at an early age. Diligence is the key. And here is what diligence looks like:

Parents must maintain a walk with the Lord in the home life. Dad and Mom's walk with the Lord makes the Bible a daily part of home life in two ways. First, their children see them with an open Bible reading it themselves. Next, parents see to it the family reads the Bible together.

This is not hard. DO IT! No excuses please. Parents are either obeying the Lord in this matter or tragically sowing seeds of neglect that will bear an ugly fruit in the lives of their children in time.

Next, talk of the scriptures in the course of your day. Deliberately bring the Lord into your conversations through-out the day. No child should grow up in a home where the Lord is a stranger! Only parents can set the tone regarding this matter. As the passage in Deuteronomy instructs, TALK the word as you go through your day.

Such a home life constantly places the Lord front and center in the heart and mind of a child as they grow and come of age. This kind of diligence bears wonderful fruit.

Next, if you choose a tutor for your children (education outside the home), then you are required by the Lord to choose a godly one. Remember, the education of your children is your God given responsibility. Be very diligent in this matter.

The Lord must remain at the center of a child's education, otherwise the influence of an ungodly world will most certainly lead them astray. Failure to obey the Lord's command to separate from the ungodly (Psalm 1; 2 Cor. 6:14-18) is corrupting the youth from professed Christian homes at an alarming rate in our nation today.

Remember, obedience to the Lord in the matter of raising children to his glory is the pathway to winning them to Christ and training them in the faith. Such obedience flows out of the deep desire to give your children Christ above all else.

May the Lord stir passionate obedience in the life of every professed Christian parent is my prayer.

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Day of Silence

4/25/2018

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It is unfortunate that most of our children are growing up in schools that are increasingly secular in nature. While that is dangerous enough from a spiritual point of view couple with it the increasing use of state schools as vehicles for progressive politics!

The "day of silence" is a blatant example of this. Parents with children in a public school should check to see if their school is allowing this activity. Follow this link for more information.

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My Daughter Identified as Transgender. I Was Powerless to Stop Doctors From Harming Her

Farmworker vs Robot

In Their Own Words: Moms of 5 Kids Who Think They Are Transgender Speak Out

California Parents Object to New Sex Ed Program in Public Schools

What's Happening in Schools

Most Transgender Kids Will Change Back When Older, Studies Show

Pray for a Spiritual Revival in America

What Are Parents to do with Santa?

Children Are a Heritage of the Lord

Day of Silence

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