If you are sincerely seeking God and are troubled by the Christian claim that Christ is the only way to reach Him, I beg you to consider this picture for a moment, then read the rest of this post.  Please, it is very important.  You must understand this post before you can understand why there is only one way to God:

Continue reading “Before You Begin Your Search for Faith” →

Some of you have been telling me for a while that you’ve noticed a change in the tone of my posts. Those of you who have been following me since I started blogging on The Rio Norte Line have really noticed, and not all of you are happy with this change. Well, it’s true: the tone of my posts has changed. I’ve been aware of it for some time now, but there’s a good reason for it. It’s because I’ve changed. In fact, since I started The OYL, I have experienced a radical change in my heart, as well as how I see the world. I just haven’t mentioned it because I was worried about losing readers. Now, even that’s changed. I no longer worry about losing readers. In fact, I fully expect to lose many of you who follow The OYL, and I’m at peace with that. All I know is that I can no longer keep quiet about the changes in my life. The time has finally come to share my story with whoever will hear it, and that’s what I hope to do with this post. Continue reading “A NEW BEGINNING” →

I mean that — sincerely.  Please, I beg you: if you are Christian, pray for our President’s safety.  Not only is it commanded by Scripture, but it is also for the good of this nation.  So, even if you cannot bring yourself to pray for the man, if you love America, pray for Obama’s safety.  Here’s why I say this: Continue reading “TO ALL CHRISTIANS: Please, Pray for Obama’s Safety” →

The First Amendment is under attack by radical Leftists, and the Left is silent.  Where are you, ‘liberals?’  Where are all of you ‘liberals who claim to be principled, to believe in liberty and the separation of Church and State?  Where are you, ACLU?  Where is your defense of the Church against the growing attacks by government authorities?  You on the Left who are keeping silent in the face of these attacks are no different from the Muslims you decry for not speaking out against the ‘radical’ terrorists.  You and those silent Muslims are the same.  Your silence testifies against you.  You are silent because you are actually in favor of what is happening, either jihad or the attacks on the First Amendment.  But this is to be expected: from both the Left and Muslims.  The real question we should be asking is where are you, Christians?  And even more important than that, where are you, Pastors?  Why have you left the sheep to be scattered by the enemy? Continue reading “TRUTH: Your Liberty was Won by Pastors, from Their Pulpits!” →

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

. . .

Attest William Jackson Secretary

done in Convention by the Unanimous Consent of the States present the Seventeenth Day of September in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Eighty seven and of the Independance of the United States of America the Twelfth In witness whereof We have hereunto subscribed our Names, …”

Continue reading “United States of America, raison d’être ?” →

For many years, I was confused by the things our national leaders did.  I couldn’t understand how ‘rational’ people could make such horrible decisions, so I accepted the usual explanation: they were ‘incompetent.’  Well, that was then and this is now.  Now, I am here to tell you if anyone — and I mean anyone — tries to tell you that ‘incompetence’ is the answer, that person is part of the problem.  They are part of the problem because ‘incompetence’ is the explanation of the intellectually lazy.  That’s right: it is a cop-out.  There are explanations for the things our national leaders and elite institutions are doing, and it really isn’t all that hard to understand them.  All you have to do is change the way you look at things.  If you’ll give me a few minutes of your time, I think I can show you how to look at world events so you’ll see them in an entirely different way.  I manage to help you switch your perspective, the world will never look the same to you again. Continue reading “PIECES OF THE PUZZLE: It is NOT about ‘Incompetence,’ but Ideology” →

I went to Rudyard Elementary in Rudyard, Michigan.  Both the town and school were named after Rudyard Kipling.  I never paid any attention to their namesake — until recently.  I wish I had done so long ago.  In trying to explain why, I have cited the majority of the Wiki Page on Kipling’s poem, The Gods of the Copybook Heading.  I did this to preserve the links in the Wiki listing, as they may be useful — especially to those who do not know the poem.  But I am going to add my own twist to the text of the poem, and I hope you’ll take time to read it.  Even if you know the poem, I think what I have done here may drive Kipling’s point home in a way you had not seen or fully understood before (but I beg your forgiveness if you are ahead of me on this as I do not mean to condescend). Continue reading “TRUTH: ‘Tradition’ is ESSENTIAL to the Preservation of Society” →

A reader on The Rio Norte Line asked me what the answer is to our national woes.  I suppose it is a fair question, and one that I need to answer — especially if I presume to keep telling people what our problems are.  Fortunately, I have discovered that history affords us an answer to this readers question.  Unfortunately, I hold strong reservations as to our society’s willingness — let alone ability — to accept the Truth of that answer.  Still, I was asked, and I have the answer, so, if you will allow me some of your time, I will explain it to you.  But understand, this is not  a post for the ‘twitter’ crowed.  If you cannot stay with it long enough to finish and then carefully consider my argument — on its merits — then you are actually one of the many reasons for my reservations.  So, with all that being said, let’s start with Texas95’s latest post, “Where is the Virtue” by Anthony Esolen. Continue reading “TRUTH: There IS an Answer to Our Woes” →

Continually I realize how ignorant I am!  Every person requires foundations built with knowledge of eternal principles.  Basic requirements for understanding and wisdom.  Can one contextualize the myriad of choices and results in our world without the basic tools that allow one the ability to “see” reality, truth and consequences?  Virtue.  What is virtue?  Why is virtue important?   Look up Virtue’s definition.  Professor Esolen eloquently illuminates how ridiculous the current “popular” view of sexuality is, with his essay hosted at “The Public Discourse.” Continue reading ““Where is the Virtue” by Anthony Esolen” →

I have been following the story of Ebola in the United States, and I keep hearing pundits argue that our government is incompetent in its handling of this virus.  I regret to have to say that I disagree with these commentators.  I happen to believe that our leaders know exactly what they are doing.  As difficult as it is for most of us to accept, many of our ‘leaders’ actually want something like an Ebola outbreak in America.  Unfortunately, the prevalence of conspiracy theories in our society  provides a convenient and effective cover for these people. Worse, the majority of the mid-level administrators in our various bureaucracies suffer from political correctness, which gives a great deal of credibility to the claim of incompetence — mostly because they are, because they are politically correct.  Unfortunately, before you can see through all this smoke, you have to have something far too few of us possess: a firm knowledge and understanding of the history of the early 20th Century.  If you’ll give me a few minutes, I’ll try to help you see some of the pieces to this giant puzzle. Continue reading “PIECES OF THE PUZZLE: The Handling of Ebola in the U.S. is not Incompetence” →

There are really only two reasons for a politician to commit air power alone to a ground war.  The first is cowardice.  Ground troops in contact with a hostile force — no matter how well — means high casualty rates.  Iraq and Afghanistan are perfect examples.  During the 2008 Presidential campaign, Senator Obama made a big deal over the casualties suffered under President Bush.  The lesson — at least for politicians — is simple: high casualty rates = political liability.  However, we know that Obama does not care about high casualty rates.  We know this because, since taking office, the casualty rates under Obama have more than doubled, yet Obama has done little to reduce them.  In fact, it could legitimately be argued that Obama’s policies in the Middle East have directly lead to the increase in American casualties.  And this leads us to the second reason for committing air power alone to a ground conflict.

Continue reading “CONNECTING THE DOTS: Political Implications of Air Power in a Ground Conflict” →

NOTE: This is the first of two posts.  Neither of them will be easy posts to read or understand.  You will have to stay with them, think about them — yes — pray on them.  You also need to understand that I am not claiming that this is the definitive meaning of the prophecies in Zechariah.  All I am trying to do is share something with you that was revealed to me and which may make sense out of one of the most mysterious prophetic books in the Bible: the Book of Zechariah.

With that said, let me show you the first of several passages in Zechariah that I believe point to a coming nuclear event in the Middle East. Continue reading “PROPHECY: The Nuclear War in Zechariah?” →

If you have not read UNDERSTANDING SCRIPTURE: the Man of Lawlessness, please do so before reading this post.

What does the fulfillment of prophecy look like in the material world?  How do you recognize it when you see it?  Well, you start by actually reading Scripture for yourself.  God cannot open His word to you unless you first read it.  Then you have to read it with the right heart: the right frame of mind and intentions.  Even then, if you do not accept what God tells you, He may still keep His word closed to you.  If we try to impose our own agenda onto God’s word, we should not expect God to open His word to us.  It is only when we humble ourselves and sincerely seek Him and His understanding that God will open His word to us, but once He does, we will see things in an entirely different light.  For example: if God has shown you what Scripture means by ‘the man of lawlessness,’ then you are probably seeing that man everywhere today. Continue reading “CONNECTING THE DOTS: Man of Lawlessness Revealed?” →

I have been studying prophecy a great deal these past few weeks and I have learned a great deal about things I had no idea I would end up studying.  One of the things I’ve learned is that, if we want to understand the deeper meaning behind a prophet’s writings, we need to view his words through the lens of Scripture.  In other words, we have to set aside our material eyes and look through our spiritual eyes so we can see the spiritual meg or lesson that is being addressed.  When we do this, we may find that a certain prophecy we once thought predicted one thing is actually warning us of another.  This is one of the reasons the Jews missed seeing who Christ was: they had misunderstood prophecy.  And today, I believe many Christians may have done the same thing where ‘the man of lawlessness’ is concerned.  We have assumed that we are looking for a single figure we call ‘The Antichrist’ when we should be looking at ourselves — each of us, individually. Continue reading “UNDERSTANDING SCRIPTURE: The Man of Lawlessness” →

On September 18, 2014, Glenn Beck ran a special show on his internet TV network, and followed it the next day with a summary of the same material on his radio program.  The TV show and summary both covered what Beck believes to be the origin of the current Arab-Israeli conflict: a 100-year-old agreement between the victors of WW I that effectively divided up the Ottoman Empire and created what would eventually become the borders of the Middle East as we know them today.  If all you care to or can see is the material world, then Beck did a decent job of making his case.  However, if you can see past the material manifestations of this world to the spiritual battle behind them, then you may know what Beck appears to have missed, and why it is much more important in its ramifications than the story Beck told last week. Continue reading “PROPHECY IN THE HEADLINES: The TRUE Origins of the Arab-Israeli Conflict” →

Look, I understand that we live in a cynical world filled with skeptics, conspiracy theorists and people who are clinically unstable. I am even aware that many people would place me in one of these three groups. That’s why I am unsure how you will take this post. In fact, I fear you may not even read it. But I don’t care anymore. I feel such a pressing urgency to warn those who will listen and hear that I have to write this post. For those who need more reason to trust what I have to say, I will leave an editorial note at the end of this post. But, for now, I beg you: please, read this post and give it some serious consideration. Try to see the connections between the stories I will link you to and the narrative I am trying to explain. We are in trouble. That trouble is real. I do not want anyone to be able to accuse me of seeing that threat and not trying to warn others. So, if only for me and my sake, read this entire post to the end. Continue reading “URGENT WARNING: Prepare for Nuclear Attack!” →

I don’t know if you believe in God or not, but let’s assume you either don’t believe in Him, or you have serious doubts.  Do me a favor and — just for a moment — assume that God is real.  Just pretend that He exists and that He is omnipotent.  This means that God is ‘perfect.’  At the same time, we know that no human is perfect, so we are going to break God’s laws — we’re going to sin.  Now, if God is perfect, and we are all sinners, then God cannot allow us into His presence.  If He did, He would not be perfect.  This is why those who believe in God say you and I need a Savior: someone to redeem our sins.  Now, assume God loves you.  In fact, assume God is love.  Why would you need a savior if God is love and omnipotent? Couldn’t He just forgive everything you do simply because He loves you?  No, He can’t!  If He did, then He would not be love.  Let me explain (this is important). Continue reading “TRUTH: Why We ALL need a Personal Savior” →

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

Continue reading ““Rights” defined and described by our Declaration of Independence” →

Many of my most recent posts have contained some harsh words for Glenn Beck.  There was a time, on a different blog site, when many of those who considered themselves my allies would have accused me of being a Glenn Beck sycophant — and they would have had more than a little reason to consider such accusations justified.  I admit it: I used to be in almost total agreement with Beck.  But that was before I started reading my Bible.  Still, I need to thank Beck for that.  Had it not been for him, I may not have done so.  You see, as much as I liked and agreed with him, I couldn’t justify his religion with his words, so I turned to the Bible to find the answer.  What I found has caused me to step back a little from him, and to pray for him even more than I already had. Continue reading “My ‘Problem’ with Glenn Beck” →

I want you to do more than just look at the surface of this political cartoon.  I want you to seriously reflect upon it and ask yourself whether or not you truly understand the implications in its message:

Continue reading “The Difference between ISIS and ISIL is Spiritual Blindness” →