UPDATE ON LIZ

Dear Champion of the Lord and the Preborn,

The Lord richly bless you! We have heard from a few folks requesting an update on the progress of my lovely wife Liz. There is much to report. Before I get into the particulars, our heartfelt thanks once again goes out to each and every one of you who have prayed, wept, believed, and cared for Liz and our family during this difficult period. You were as springs of water in the midst of a desert.

This ordeal, though tough at times, did serve to help strengthen our faith, renew our love, and teach us more about true servant hood. Most of our marriage was based upon the typical give and take model. Each one tried to meet the needs of the other, hoping for a little something in return. Though that may not be overtly evil and perhaps a little selfish, it still was not the fullness of Jesus' example.

For the first time in my life, as a husband, God afforded me the opportunity to love, serve, and care for my wife without her having the ability to compensate. Most of our married life Liz attempted to be a faithful helpmate. Her life's commitment to me can easily be summed up in Ruth's vow to Naomi, "And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God." (Ruth 1:16)

After twenty years of pursuing this course, I now have had the opportunity to reciprocate. With Liz at death's door for three months, her reviving brought with it some different kinds of death to me personally. No longer could I go to where the battle was raging. Our ministry opportunities were all canceled. My love for preaching was set aside. Our whole world changed. It now revolved around Liz and the family and everything else had to take a back seat. In Liz's case, I had to sacrifice the sacrifice in order to be faithful in my duty to my wife and family. It has not been easy, but well worth it. We have all grown through this process and we are grateful.

Recently, Liz had a cat scan done. The results were mixed. All the infected areas that previously had the Lymphoma are all gone. Praise the Lord! However, there were some trouble spots that the doctors don't know for sure what they are. She had some nodules appear in her chest. This could be scarring or the last traces of the Lymphoma in her lungs. Overall they said her lungs have vastly improved since the last cat scan.

The cat scan also revealed some kidney stones. They are small and thus not painful, at least, not yet. We pray they will pass without much discomfort for Liz. She has endured so much. Their last note on the cat scan stated, "No CT evidence for progression of disease compared to the study of February 14, 2005." This is a good report!!!

Liz also had her 5th round of chemo. Quite possibly, she has one more round to go. After the 6th round, they will do another cat scan, plus a pet scan. This will determine conclusively what these nodules are and if any further chemo treatments will be necessary. We pray it will all end with the 6th round.

On a side note, God answered our prayers concerning the chemo treatments. We asked God to direct the chemo to show no mercy and give no quarter to the cancer and that's it, no side affects. Well, her last round did not have any negative affects. She didn't even drop in her blood counts and become susceptible to germs, bacteria, or disease. God answers prayer!

Much of Liz's recovery, especially as it relates to her eyes should speed up after chemo ceases to be a factor. Her eyes still trouble her, but the eye doctor seemed to think that once chemo ends, her eye lashes will grow back and this will help heal her eyes.

Physical therapy has been a big boost. Though Liz is not yet walking, there has been much improvement. She is getting stronger every day. Her range of motion in her lower leg, ankles, and feet are increasing. She is standing more. We pray soon she will be able to walk.

All in all, the report is good. We do have some months in this season still left that we have to walk out. God's grace is sufficient. We covet your prayers. They have kept us in the midst of this raging storm. God has promised to never to leave us or forsake us. He has promised to meet all our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. He has proven Himself faithful. We love and miss you all!

"But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death." (Proverbs 8:36)

America as of late has been inundated with a steady dose of death. Innocent blood is flowing unabated throughout our nation. It appears that the American dream of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness is hemorrhaging and becoming a nightmare right before our very eyes. The nightly news lists the litany of woe and murderous rampages that are savaging our land. "Four dead in Dallas," "Four dead in Atlanta," "Ten dead in Minnesota," "Nine year old girl strangled in Florida" and on and on the headlines churn out the grisly details of America’s illicit love affair with death.

Our churches, schools, streets, and workplaces are not exempt from the carnage and have become targets for homegrown terrorists. America, it seems, has sowed to the wind and we are now reaping the whirlwind. As the prophet Jeremiah lamented, "Death is come up into our windows, and is entered into our palaces, to cut off the children from without, and the young men from the streets." (Jeremiah 9:21)

The culture of death has been steadily marching in this nation since the infamous Roe vs. Wade Decision in 1973. It has become a juggernaut that slays the pre-born, seeks to euthanize the old, and kill off the disabled. In the case of Terri Schiavo, it sought yet another prey. For over thirty-two years we have taught an entire generation through the practice of abortion that if you can’t exercise personal responsibility, then kill the "problem." Now we stand in awkward amazement that our society has learned its lesson with a vengeance.

In the midst of this highly publicized and virulent case of Terri Schiavo, certain vital issues have emerged that may well mark a paradigm shift that will impact our future. Through the suffering and intentional starvation of this precious woman, America’s soul that has been deceived and enticed by the culture of death, may be showing signs of an "awakening." The spell that has been cast over us for decades may be in the midst of going the way of all tyrannies that reject God, abandon His law, and devalue human life. Eventually, it will collapse under the weight of its own sins and crimes.

As hearts break, tempers flare, tears flow, prayers are uttered, and pundits speak, the battle lines over life and death, truth and lies, and good and evil are being drawn. A vivid picture and a living parable is being displayed before the world’s stage. Terri’s plight is exposing the competing philosophies, worldviews, and politics that vie for the souls of men, the lives of our children, and the future of our beleaguered nation.

On one side you have those who hold to a secular worldview. Typically, they are the ones that demand, like Michael Schiavo, the death of Terri. The philosophy that underpins this godless worldview is called "quality of life." In the abortion industry, it would translate "every child a wanted child." The value of human life, according to this system of belief, is based upon one’s usefulness, productivity, or being wanted in this self-indulgent world of ours.

It was this worldview that ran rampant in Nazi Germany and is a fixed tenant in the philosophy of Eugenics to this very day. It is this philosophy that advocates the "Master Race" mentality. It views the world as a place with limited resources that are to be reserved for the elite, the strong, and the beautiful people of the world. Therefore, the less fortunate, the "unfit," the downtrodden, certain minorities, and other outcasts need not apply. They have an obligation to make themselves scarce. They should not be allowed to take up much space or use up precious resources. If these classes of "sub-humans" persist, however, to proliferate and prove a nuisance to our selfishness, greed, and lust, there are ways to handle these unnecessary burdens. Sometimes it is called the "Final Solution, " and other times, its called abortion or euthanasia.

Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood, was greatly influenced by this particular philosophy. The following are just a sample of quotes that inspire her infamous organization to this day. "The most merciful thing that a family does to one of its infant members is to kill it." "Eugenics is … the most adequate and thorough avenue to the solution of racial, political and social problems." "The unbalance between the birth rate of the 'unfit' and the 'fit,' [is] the greatest present menace to civilization… the most urgent problem today is how to limit and discourage the over-fertility of the mentally and physically defective." "Our failure to segregate morons who are increasing and multiplying… a dead weight of human waste… an ever-increasing, unceasingly spawning class of human beings who never should have been born at all." "[Our objective is] unlimited sexual gratification without the burden of unwanted children..."

In Nazi Germany, terms like "useless eaters" carried the culture of death to a horrible new low in the bloody history of man. Hitler started with abortion and then swiftly moved to eliminate disabled persons. About 150,000 Germans who were crippled or mentally ill were murdered. They were considered "life not worthy of life." Sounds strangely familiar, Terri Schiavo anyone? The madness continued to a full blown racial genocide that systematically murdered six million Jews, three million Poles, four hundred thousand Gypsies, etc. It took an entire world at war to end Hitler’s reign of terror. What will be the rising costs today as segments of America are becoming more and more infected with this same deadly philosophy?

Ideas have consequences and a belief system will lead us somewhere. The belief that the pre-born, the elderly, and handicapped have only value and worth based upon their utility or usefulness is producing a fire in the minds of men hell bent on killing innocent people. Thus what has been Biblically and historically considered unlawful magically becomes "legal" in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Over against these vain, yet deadly philosophies of men, stands the time-honored worldview, which is called the "sacredness of life." It is this view that enshrined for Americans our first and most fundamental right, the Right To Life and all the subsequent blessings of liberty. Every human being has intrinsic value for we are made in the image of God. Beyond this common grace, the Savior of the world (Jesus Christ) shed His precious blood to conquer death, hell, and the grave on the behalf of the crown of His creation, mankind. Thus man has worth not based upon what he does or how he performs, but based upon who we are in relationship to our Creator. It is this understanding of life that inspired this portion of the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson wrote, "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." It is this understanding of the nature of life that also compelled President Bush to declare that pre-born children should be "welcomed in life and protected by law."

By quoting from one of our founding documents and founding father, Thomas Jefferson, it naturally raises the next crucial issue surrounding the plight of Terri Schiavo. And that is, what is the role of government as this woman deteriorated and died right before our very eyes? There are many from all political persuasions that believe government has no role whatsoever in Terri’s case. It is a "private" affair that government need not meddle with. Isn’t it strange how much the culture of death has grown under the banner of "privacy?" Abortion is a "private" decision. Sodomy is a "private" decision between consenting adults, and now starving a vulnerable woman to death based on the hearsay of one man is a "private" decision. Well, it may start out "private," but it ends up public with horrific consequences. Jesus would call those who use "privacy" to legitimize its evil as blind guides who strain at gnats and swallow camels (Matthew 23:24)."

Thomas Jefferson also made this statement about the role of civil government. Pay close attention to his words. He stated, "The care of human life and not its destruction is the one and only object of good government." Hubert Humphrey, in recent years, echoed the same mentality concerning the role of civil government. On November 1^st, 1977 he stated, "The moral test of a government is how that government treats those who are at the dawn of life -- the children; the twilight of life -- the elderly; the shadows of life -- the sick, the needy, the handicapped." Currently, the sitting President, George W. Bush declared, "We will defend the rights of the aged. We will defend the rights of the infirm. We will defend the rights of the unborn." (The right declaration indeed, but we still wait, Mr. President, for its enactment).

What do these quotes from civil leaders that cover the spectrum of history and politics in America have in common? They all had a Biblical worldview concerning the role of civil government. Biblically, the main function of civil government is to protect life and to stop the shedding of innocent blood. Civil government is to carry a "sword" to punish evildoers (as God Almighty defines evil) and protect those who are good in God’s sight (as God defines good.) With the advancement of abortion, sodomy, and now the execution through starvation of Terri Schiavo, the civil government of America continues to betray its sacred trust and deny the very purpose of their existence.

Because our civil government rejects their Biblical and historical role, Americans are being taxed to death to support a civil government that is out of control. They have their laws, rules, regulations, and influences in places they have no business or jurisdiction. They are supposed to carry a sword to defend the weak, vulnerable, oppressed, and victims of crimes. They are not to carry a teacher’s ruler nor a spoon to feed the poor. These aspects of life are to be left to the public sector, families, and churches. Thus, the one area where they are supposed to be, they are missing in action. On the other hand, they intrude where they need not be and have become a bureaucratic blob that is suffocating the life’s support system of liberty that is to sustain the United States of America.

The culture of death has flourished for two primary reasons. The silent consent of the church and the misuse of our courts. Perhaps, the plight of Terri Schiavo will finally build some backbone into our Executive and Legislative branches of government once again. They need to arise and place the "Constitutional Chains" back on the tyrannical courts of our day. For decades, judges in black robes have ignored the Constitution, thwarted the will of the people, and pretended the other branches could not curtail their judicial activism and legislation from the bench. They have made a mockery of our Representative Republic. They have become an Oligarchy that has unleashed a torrent of bloodshed and perversion that is drowning us in a sea of perdition. Their reign of terror must end or America will continue down the primrose path to ruin!

Perhaps, also through this travesty, the Church will once again reassert herself in the market place of ideas. We can no longer afford to be ashamed of God’s word nor the Christian worldview that has served us so well in our country’s history. It was this godly legacy that gave us the freest, most prosperous, and blessed nation upon the face of the earth. Church, we must find our voice once again and return to provide the moral guidance our nation desperately needs. We must come out of the caves of our church buildings and reawaken the conscience of a nation that has been taken captive by the culture of death. This stranglehold must be broken if we are to pass on the blessing of life and liberty to future generations. Terri Schiavo’s death must not be in vain, but let the culture of death die with her.

I’ll end this article with a quote from the great theologian A. A. Hodge. He stated, "The Kingdom of Christ is one, and cannot be divided in life or death. If the Church languishes, the State cannot be in health; and if the State rebels against its Lord and King, the Church cannot enjoy His favour. If the Holy Ghost is withdrawn from the Church, He is not present in the State; and if He, the only "Lord, the Giver of Life," be absent, then all order is impossible, and the elements of society lapse backward to primeval night and chaos...I charge you, citizens of the United States, afloat on your wide sea of politics, THERE IS ANOTHER KING, ONE JESUS: THE SAFETY OF THE STATE CAN BE SECURED ONLY IN THE WAY OF HUMBLE AND WHOLE-SOULED LOYALTY TO HIS PERSON AND OF OBEDIENCE TO HIS LAW (Evangelical Theology pp.246-248).

IN KING JESUS’ SERVICE,

Rev. Rusty Lee Thomas

Time is swiftly coming upon us. Soon OR/OSA’s national event will be here. It is time to prayerfully prepare and set our face towards this date with destiny. Now, more than ever, it should be obvious that if America is going to survive and turn back from its deadly collision course with Almighty God, the Church of Jesus Christ must find its voice, turn from our wicked ways, reassert ourselves in the market place of ideas, provide the moral guidance our nation lacks, and be what Jesus called us to be, the salt and light in this poor-fallen world.

Perhaps the Church would be wise to take note of the Minutemen in Arizona. Our nation knows we have a real threat and problem with our nation’s borders. We are susceptible to attack, one that may be far more devastating than 9/11. For years, the citizens have petitioned the government to do more on the war against terrorism especially as it relates to our own borders. For the most part, our concerns have gone unheeded. So what did some Americans do, throw up their hands and say, ‘Oh well, the government will not help, so lets eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow will be blown up by a dirty bomb." No, some Americans have done what traditionally Americans have always done when the rubber meets the road. They rolled up their sleeves, faced the problem, and are guarding our borders themselves.

Because our government has repeatedly violated their sacred trust (abortion, sodomy etc), taxed us to death to acquiesce more power, and is involved in areas of life not enumerated in the Constitution, they are missing in action where they are needed most. Finally, the Minutemen said enough is enough. If you are not going to do your duty, we will. This has set off a fire storm of controversy. They have been called every name in the book including "vigilantes" by President Bush.

Do you see what is happening here and what is required of us today? Are we willing to stand, do the work that is necessary to save our nation and its future, and bear the reproach? If the Republicans and the Democrats won’t guard our babies from being butchered and protect our families from the onslaught of homosexual, sodomy then what should be the response from God’s people? I would pray that it would be similar to the example of the Minutemen in Arizona. If you won’t do your duty, we will. If you won’t do what is right, we must! This is the call that Flip Benham our National Director is giving. I pray you weigh this call prayerfully and consider coming to this date with destiny in Denver.

"In Denver, this summer, a battle plan will be placed before you. If indeed OSA is the "wheels that bring the Church of Jesus Christ to the gates of hell" if we are the instrument that God has chosen to allow the theology of the Church house to become biography in the streets; then we must fulfill our part in the grand scheme of the battle between two seeds. This is our duty and our privilege!

The cross of Christ is our modus operandi. Though looked upon as foolishness in the eyes of the world, the cross of Christ is, nevertheless, God's way of bringing life into a culture of death. Don't miss the fact that it is not just the "imperial courts" of this land that are responsible for ushering us into the culture of death. Long before the courts were used by the devil to pull the feeding and hydration tubes from Terri Schiavo, the lies that bolstered these murderous decisions were allowed through the gates of the Church of Jesus Christ. "The kings of the earth did not believe, nor did any of the world's people, that enemies and foes could enter the gates of Jerusalem. But it happened because of the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests, who shed within her the blood of the righteous." (Lamentations 4:12-13.)

Abortion came to us long before January 22, 1973, because the men of God (the keepers of the gates), who could have fought and should have fought this lie from the pit of hell, did nothing. Oh, they mouthed their dissent, and they were vexed in their spirits over the horrible state of affairs in America , but that was the extent of their disagreement – vexation. Like righteous Lot before them (2 Peter 2:7-8), the men of God in America were vexed, but that was it. It was because of Lot's pathetic witness of whom God truly was, that all of Sodom and Gomorrah – men, women, and children - were totally destroyed.

It is because of our pathetic "Christian" witness in our own nation, that Terri Schiavo has been starved and dehydrated to death today! God forgive us for what we have allowed America to become. Notice, the finger is being pointed at me before anyone else. We, in the Church, have a log in our own eye and we see it not. We are doing a great job seeing the specks in everyone else's eye (the "imperial judiciary"), but we don't see the log in our own.

That's right! There are other men that wear long black robes, who are far more responsible for what is happening in Pinellas Park, Florida, than the judges who have sentenced her to death by starvation and dehydration. These are the men, of course, that appear behind our pulpits every Sunday morning wrongly dividing the Word of God. They assuage our consciences, and their own, by saying that what is happening to Terri is an unconscionable wrong, but "What more can we do than we have already done?" They are vexed, perplexed, and afraid to act courageously. That tired old mantra of "our hands are tied" is wearing very thin these days.

They preach "seeker friendly," positive, send a letter to your congressman, gobbledygook that was the bane of the preaching in Jeremiah's day, "They dress the wound of My people as though it were not serious. 'Peace, peace,' they say, when there is no peace." Jeremiah 6:14. This kind of preaching may fill pews, build large churches, and tickle itching ears, but is of absolutely no consequence in overcoming the culture of death that is savaging our nation. The Bible tells us that judgment begins in the house of God (1 Peter 4:17). Let it begin with me and let it begin today! We have no solution but Jesus Christ and Him crucified!" -Rev. Flip Benham

IN KING JESUS' SERVICE,

Rusty, Liz, and the Thomas Nation
P.O. Box 3126, Waco, TX 76707