https://x.com/swipewright/status/1894449393853763994?s=51&t=cLq01Oy84YkmYPZ-URIMYw
https://x.com/swipewright/status/1894536808371032213?s=51&t=cLq01Oy84YkmYPZ-URIMYw
I don't agree with Wright on many things, but on this one he is correct.
https://x.com/thisisfoster/status/1894354679640826346?s=51&t=cLq01Oy84YkmYPZ-URIMYw
"Jesus ends His sermon with warnings and commands. He speaks of false prophets—men who claim to bring truth but spread lies. He warns of false brethren—people who say they serve God but live in lawlessness. And then He gives the parable of the two builders, or the two foundations. These men share three things in common and differ in three ways. Let’s consider their similarities first. Both Builders Hear the Word Jesus preached to a crowd—disciples, curious onlookers, even Pharisees. Many heard Him speak that day. Some would later shout, “Crucify Him.” Some would slink away, clutching their righteous robes, disturbed but unwilling to change. Some would chew on His words like a tough piece of meat, never quite swallowing. Hearing truth is not rare. The world itself preaches God’s glory and wrath. Psalm 19 says: "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork." And Romans 1:18-20 tells us: "The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness… His eternal power and divine nature have been clearly perceived… So they are without excuse." God’s truth is like a siren, blaring across the earth: *A storm is coming. Take shelter.* Yet some dance in the streets, pretending the sound is just another melody in the background of their lives. Both Builders Build Every man is a builder. Some imagine a house as just a shelter, but in ancient times, a house meant more—it was a name, a family, a legacy. A dynasty or a hovel, depending on how the man built it. We still hear phrases like *House of Foster* or *Casa De Foster* to describe a family. The question isn’t whether you build, but what you build and for whom. The Sermon on the Mount is the King’s message to His kingdom. In Matthew 4:23, Jesus preaches the gospel of the kingdom. The sermon describes its citizens—their character, their influence, their priorities. It tells us where they store treasure, how they face trouble, how they pray, and how they forgive. It cuts deep, sharper than a plow through fallow ground. Everyone is building a kingdom. Judas built one. The Pharisees built one. So did everyone in that crowd. And some, with their good works and fine words, stacked bricks made of sand, fancy facades with nothing beneath them. Jesus says: "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father." One day, every kingdom will be tested. And many will be found to be nothing but a thin shell, ready to crumble. Both Builders Face the Storm Rain falls. Floods rise. Winds blow. No one escapes. No one is exempt, not the devout nor the defiant. Scripture often uses storms as a picture of trial. Proverbs 1:26-27 says: "I will mock when terror strikes you, when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind." Trials are part of life. There are storms of sickness, financial collapse, broken relationships. Wars. House fires. Cancer. A sudden phone call in the middle of the night. The knock on the door from someone with a somber face. The world is full of storms. I remember the sky the day we learned our daughter had died. It was blue, bright, peaceful. The kind of sky that makes you think the world is a good place. And then a storm of a different kind rolled in. That’s life in a fallen world. One moment the sun is shining, and the next, the wind takes your feet out from under you. But storms are not only trials. They also symbolize judgment. Jeremiah 23:19 says: "Behold, the storm of the Lord! Wrath has gone forth, a whirling tempest; it will burst upon the head of the wicked." Zephaniah 1:14-16 describes God’s final reckoning: "A day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom." And Revelation 1:7 says: "Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of Him." The storm comes for all. But not all will stand. The Three Differences First, though both hear, only one obeys. The foolish builder is a consumer of sermons, books, debates. He knows theology but does not live it. He is all head, no heart. Cheap talk. He gathers knowledge like someone hoards junk, piling it up, never using it. J.C. Ryle puts it plainly: "The wise builder… does not content himself with listening to exhortations to repent, believe, and live a holy life. He actually repents. He actually believes. He actually ceases to do evil and cleaves to what is good." True Christianity is practical. It changes a man. Ephesians 2:10 says: "We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." The wise builder follows the King’s commands. Second, their foundations are different. The fool builds on sand. He ignores God’s blueprint. His house may look strong. It may be grand. People may envy him. But the walls are hollow, the roof is paper-thin, and he doesn’t know it until the sky darkens and the wind picks up. The prophet Jeremiah asked: "Why does the way of the wicked prosper?" For a time, sand seems stable. The levees around New Orleans stood for years. Then Katrina came. All man-made blueprints fail in the storm. The wise builder follows God’s design. He builds on rock. Third, their fates are different. The storm tests them both. One stands. The other falls. The wise man’s house may be small, but trials strengthen him. Fire purifies gold. Hardship refines the faithful. He is prepared for the final judgment. And when he stands before the King, he will hear: "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your master." The fool collapses. His religion was easy, and what costs little is worth little. Ryle again: "A religion which costs us nothing, and consists in nothing but hearing sermons—will always prove at last to be a useless thing." Jesus finished speaking. The crowd was astonished. "He taught them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes." The Pharisees could not preach like this. They were corrupt. Jesus was pure. He was the wise builder. He builds His church on the rock of His holiness. And she will stand in the storm."
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves..." A good sermon, like a good joke, needs a punch. A point. A landing that sticks. The Sermon on the Mount builds to its conclusion in Matthew 7:12. Jesus says, “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” The Golden Rule. The whole law in one line. It is not about looking good. Not about proving yourself. It’s a mirror, and when you look into it, you see your sin plain as day. That’s why the sermon begins with, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Blessed are the ones who know they’re bankrupt. Blessed are the ones who mourn, not just for dead relatives but for their own soul, for the rottenness inside. Those are the ones who cry out for mercy. And they receive it. When Jesus says, “I have not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets but to fulfill them,” He is cutting down every easy way out. The law is not tossed aside. It is good. It was always good. But men—especially religious men—twist it, mold it into something they can manage. The Pharisees took a holy fire and shrank it down to something they could hold in their hands without getting burned. They thought they were strict. In truth, they were soft. Jesus didn’t relax the law. He fulfilled it. Every word, every thought, every deed required—He did it. He is the perfect law-keeper, the only man who ever truly lived a righteous life. And then He laid it down for the unrighteous. Because of that, the righteousness of His people is not like the Pharisees’. Theirs was a mask. Theirs could be put on and taken off. True righteousness starts in the heart. And the heart is where sin begins. Murder doesn’t start with a knife—it starts with hate. Adultery isn’t in the bed first—it’s in the eyes. The Pharisees limited the law to the obvious, the external. But Jesus sees deeper. He doesn’t deal in surface-level sins. He cuts at the root. That is why He says, *“Enter by the narrow gate.”* The way to destruction is wide, easy. No one has to try to get there. You just drift. You follow the crowd, follow your heart, follow whatever feels good in the moment. The way to life is narrow, and few find it. And then comes the warning. The most dangerous men are not the ones who openly oppose Christ. They are the ones who use His name. “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” False teachers are not ugly. They are not obvious. They are smooth. They are reasonable. They have big smiles, warm voices. They sound safe. They sound wise. And they lie. They tell people what they want to hear. They say, “Your sins are not so bad.” They say, *“God just wants you to be happy.” They say, “Who are we to judge?”* They tell the man in adultery that he is misunderstood, the greedy man that he is just ambitious, the drunk that he is merely wounded. They hold the Bible, quote it even, but always with a small adjustment, a little twist. People love it. Paul warned Timothy that a time would come when men would not endure sound teaching but would gather for themselves teachers who suit their own passions. That time has come and gone and come again. It never really left. A good sermon should sting. If it never makes you uncomfortable, never convicts, then it’s not the Word of God you’re hearing—it’s flattery. Some churches specialize in this. They smile too much. They tell too many stories where everything turns out just right. They make Jesus sound like a life coach. And then there are the others, the ones who latch onto a single doctrine like a tick and won’t let go. Everything is about the end times, or election, or one particular sin. They pretend they are rigorous, but they are just as narrow as the feel-good preachers—just in a different way. The only way to know the truth is to read it yourself. Not a verse here or there. Not a devotional with a happy little thought for the day. Read the whole thing. A chapter at a time, every day. No rush. No rules. Just the Word. Because false teachers thrive where the Bible is neglected. They also thrive in the church. Paul warned that they would rise from within, wolves among the flock. The church has always had them. Sometimes they start well but drift. They get a taste for applause, for acceptance. They soften. The world creeps in. And some are worse. Some are hiding their own sin. A preacher who always makes excuses for adultery? Look closer. A preacher who softens the commands of Scripture? Look at his life. It will all come out eventually. Because fruit doesn’t lie. Jesus said, “You will recognize them by their fruits.” Bad teaching produces bad lives. Sin always bears rotten fruit. It just takes time. False teachers have common traits. They grumble. They flatter. They manipulate. They want control. Some play the victim. They say the whole church is corrupt except for them. They offer a special knowledge, an insider’s take. Others tell people exactly what they want to hear. They build churches on positive thinking, on self-improvement, on the idea that God just wants you to be comfortable. Some even seem humble. They sound thoughtful, always “wondering” about the text, always finding some new angle. They never declare. They never stand firm. They plant doubt and call it nuance. They raise questions but never answer them. And the people love it, because it lets them keep their sin and their religion at the same time. False teachers are hard to remove. A church can tolerate them for years, letting them stay because they were once solid, once helpful. But fruit doesn’t lie. And bad fruit doesn’t turn good. The worst kind of false teacher is the one who deceives himself. Jesus said that many will come to Him saying, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name?” And He will say, “Depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness.” They thought they were righteous. They were not. It is not enough to know the truth. It must be lived. Some Christians spend their whole lives exposing false teachers but never examine themselves. They are vigilant, but not holy. They have the form of godliness, but not its power. So the real question is this: Are you walking the narrow road? Are you bearing good fruit? Do you love truth, not just in your head but in your life? False teachers lead people to hell. They make the way to destruction look easy. And it is. But the way to life is narrow. And it is worth it.
Michael Foster
Foster's focus on the parts of TSOTM which many progressive christians tend to ignore is refreshing.
https://x.com/libsoftiktok/status/1893480709697712243
https://x.com/wallstreetapes/status/1893450663083888900?s=51&t=cLq01Oy84YkmYPZ-URIMYw
USAID’s Haiti scandal is staggering. The U.S. sent $4.4B after the 2010 earthquake—yet less than 2% reached Haitians, while 56% lined the pockets of D.C. firms. The Red Cross claimed to shelter 130,000 people—but built just SIX homes. No transparency. No accountability. USAID and NGOs refuse to answer where the money went—while Haitians were left with nothing.
A few years ago, I wrote expensively on the scandal surrounding US aid and the Clinton foundation after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. The fact that this hasn't been investigated and people haven't been held accountable is an absolute disgrace.
https://x.com/michaelrapaport/status/1893406871991566487?s=51&t=cLq01Oy84YkmYPZ-URIMYw
https://x.com/wil_da_beast630/status/1891860276481323047?s=51&t=cLq01Oy84YkmYPZ-URIMYw
Hamas is a vile, evil, disgusting, group of people. To bring hostages (which they took and hold in violation of international law) to watch other hostages/bodies be sent home is beyond evil. To film this as a propaganda video is worse.
https://x.com/basedmikelee/status/1893369726543462507?s=51&t=cLq01Oy84YkmYPZ-URIMYw
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/connecticut-asks-congress-to-rethink-the-jones-act-maritime-roads-prices-1aa2dff6
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/to-help-puerto-rico-repeal-the-jones-act-fdca6af2
https://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/jones-act-burden-america-can-no-longer-bear#
That this century old bit of protectionist legislation is still law and so harmful to the US is beyond comprehension. Trump should devote resources to repealing this law as opposed to shilling for a bunch of rich longshoremen and preventing US ports from becoming more efficient.
https://x.com/mrandyngo/status/1893340929068507562
This is what blue states use taxpayer dollars to support. I'm guessing Dan would approve.
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8 comments:
Just checked in and this is one long post...not so much "bits" of tid as a basket of them (mostly because of the first Biblical thing). Just to touch on a few...
The Haiti situation seems evidence enough of the fraud the lefties insist hasn't been uncovered. Too bad it's not part of the nice list they demand, as if they have any say in how these crimes will be presented.
As scummy as Hamas is, worse are the many Gazans who assembled to witness Jews being humiliated. I've no sympathy for these people. If there's any actual decent people among them, they'll need to raise their hands and risk the consequences, or walk out and appeal to the Israelis that they'll do whatever is asked of them to prove they want no part of what Hamas and the Jew haters demand of them.
Thanks for the bit about the longshoremen union. I forgot about that and it's something I can add to a post I'm putting together about Trump actions I oppose. This is one of them.
If Dan doesn't support that, it's only because it's more obviously perverse and harder (no pun intended) for him to pretend is supportable as the other perversions he favors which are just as obviously so to honest people.
The John Albilar piece is golden!
Sorry, I though that adding the Foster text around TSOTM was worthwhile. He's got some good insight about a section of that sermon that doesn't get as much attention as the rest.
The Haiti/Clinton situation is simply a ridiculous example of leftists screwing over thousands.millions of people in order to embezzle money.
Yeah, this love/sympathy for Hamas as they trade 4 corpses (and screw around with the exchange, plus torturing other hostages) for hundreds of terrorists astounds me. That we have US college students protesting in favor of these scum, and useful idiots like Dan making excuses for them is completely unjustified.
The port situation goes against so much of what Trump ran on and says he's committed to (efficiency) and that it's all about enriching a bunch of already rich union slime just makes it worse. Hopefully the rest of the country will not give in to this blackmail and push ahead with modernizing our ports and making them more efficient.
I think Dan supports taxpayer funding for all sorts of gay stuff.
Thanks.
Goodness! No apology needed! I'm just noting how long it was. Didn't (and at present still don't) have the time to get through it. I just hit that which was easier. I will be perusing it when time allows.
There's been enough said about the Clinton/Haiti story to justify a deeper dive than has taken place thus far. The left is still insisting that Trump stole money from dying child cancer victims with far less evidence for it.
If I recall correctly, Trump was supporting the dockworker union position when he was still campaigning and I could understand why. If it was to pander to unions, I don't see how it was necessary since the Teamsters membership was already supporting Trump and the union leader spoke at the campaign rally as a result. In the port case, he definitely needs to reverse course for the sake of the economy.
I agree about the likelihood of Dan supporting all things perv.
It was a bit long, but I didn't want to do multiple posts.
There was actually a pretty deep dive done years ago, I posted extensively on it at the time. Should the Clintons and their cronies be officially investigated, absolutely. Will it happen, probably not.
Unfortunately the port union won and got to keep almost all modernization/ automation out of the East Coast ports.
I'd love to see a port of two in the Gulf or West Coast up their game by automating and becoming so efficient that shipping companies would travel further to be off loaded faster and actually causing the neanderthal ports to lose business.
That is a likely outcome.
Just read the Foster piece. Very well done and one would do well to take it to heart. I like the part about preachers not making the congregation uncomfortable. Made me think a good practice would be ending a sermon with a "Sin of the Week"...a brief examination and see how many such makes me uncomfortable. As we are all sinners, should our reflection in the mirror not remind us of that? If I can't breeze through the narrow gate, I'd like to be able to squeeze myself through it at worst.
Are the Gulf and West Coast ports not of the same union as the East Coast? That could interfere with your suggestion if that's how it is. I think all unions should be opposed to a point where they get back to protecting against unfair practices. Automation, even if it results in fewer jobs such that some are laid off, is not an unfair practice. No company should be forced to deny themselves expansion and increased profits just to protect jobs which might be better replaced with more efficient methods. That's absurd.
I think that the Foster piece is part of a book or a larger work that I will probably keep an eye out for going forward. Giving as much attention to the end of the SOTM as to the beginning seems like a valuable thing to do. Especially as the beginning gets eisegeted into all sorts of things by progressive christians. Preaching to cause discomfort can be a healthy practice. The thing about the narrow gate is that entrance isn't determined by what we do, but by YHWH's choosing. Everyone that goes through will walk right down the middle covered by the finished work of Christ. Likewise, the wide road will be an easy slide into something unpleasant. Peer pressure, inertia, laziness, whatever, it all ends up in the same place.
No, they aren't. I'm not sure where the line is along the Gulf, but I know that the West Coast is not covered by this. I think public employees unions should be abolished immediately. Other unions should have to demonstrate how they benefit the mission and/or the company. If they make things less efficient or benefit the union leaders more than the company, then they should be out. The time for unions is largely past, and the only reason they still exist is that their leaders make crap loads of money and that they donate millions to DFL politicians.
I'll do so as well (if I remember to keep an eye out for it). What you posted is truly edifying, and I thank you for it.
If you're right about the West Coast, I hope they take advantage as you suggest. I wonder why they haven't done so already if not obstructed a the East Coast is. I agree that public sector unions should be done away with, leaving only the slightest of remnants necessary to fight off abuses, if there is no other recourse of which they can avail themselves.
The private sector is another thing. Rather than outlawing them, simply have government expose THEIR abuses and make sure that, by law, all states are "right to work" states and let them compete on the open market nation wide. They're already on the outs, if I'm not mistaken. This would be great to see in Chicago, where unions can force their will in ways unique to them and most destructive to business. I don't know how true it is, but I've heard that in McCormick Place, you can't plug in a fax machine without some rep from the electrical union local making a federal case of it. (I know. Few use fax machines anymore.)
Based on conversations with my son (ex USDA export and currently in charge of import/export compliance at a private firm), they've been watching this closely and are open to redirecting ships if a better option shows up. If I was one of the Gulf States, I'd give serious thought to cutting a deal with a port operator to build/renovate one of their ports into something as fully automated as possible. Just to compete with the union controlled ports.
I agree that unions shouldn't be outlawed. I'd much prefer to see companies try to partner with their employees in order to come up with something better for both sides than a union. As we're seeing, unions are killing small businesses because employees are too stupid to understand basic math and I thin that there is room for different approaches to balancing employee compensation with corporate profit.
I just say something about how elevator unions have things set up so that it is impossible to build modular apartment buildings, and how they require work to be done on site that could more effectively be done in a manufacturing plant. Essentially, at this point, unions are the equivalent of a monopoly.
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