Thomas Massie writing at Red State on Red Flag Laws and Unintended Consequences.

But red flag laws remove all these due process protections. Based only on a written complaint, which could come from a relative, friend, neighbor, or police officer, a judge decides whether to take away a person’s guns. There is no ability to challenge claims or to offer testimony from a mental health care expert. Gun control advocates argue that the person should not even know that the judge may be deciding to take his or her guns. When a hearing finally takes place up to a month later, if the person in question cannot afford an attorney, they will not be provided with one.

When faced with the costs for a hearing, which may be up to $10,000, few people find that fighting red flag laws to keep their guns makes sense. Few defendants obtain legal representation, but the courts still overturn a third of the initial orders. The actual error rate is undoubtedly much higher, because many of those wrongly prosecuted don’t have a lawyer.

Oh, I don’t think these are “unintended consequences” at all.  I think it’s all by design.

“I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.” – John 17:9

John 17 is the prayer by Christ for His disciples, but not for them only. Jesus said to pray for your enemies and those that despitefully use you (Matthew 5:44), but here we see a truth that many are hard put to face; the first-century “world” had been condemned already. There was no need to pray for them; those chosen were prepared, trained, and soon to receive the commission to take global the Gospel, even to the uttermost part of the earth; only that Father God would keep them from evil. We don’t think that verse 15 below means to keep from doing evil; we rightly proclaim that they had works foreordained to walk in and should be kept from harm until the appointed time in which to die for the name of Jesus Christ.

“14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.”  (See 1 John 3:1)  “15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.” – John 17:14-15.

The birth of the Church of Jesus Christ was a most interesting, spectacular time and the singular event of import in the history of man, more so than any other. Even many Christians don’t grasp the significance of what happened. A new covenant in the pure and sinless blood of the Son of God is made available to all who would hear and believe. There’s no going back; there’s no returning to the old way, no blood of bulls and goats; it’s Christ alone, death and hell are defeated, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” – 1 Corinthians 15:55.

“Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word” – John 17:20

What an unimagined thing that the Christ of God would pray for you. Yes, the salvation of grace the prophets of the ancients spoke to and longed to see; that day of Christ as they testified beforehand of the suffering your saviour would endure for you and the glory that should follow. Salvation, a miracle so extraordinary the holy angel’s desire to look into, who could understand such a thing as this; if you heard the word of God and believed of the salvation sent to you, the very Son of God Almighty had already prayed for you two thousand years ago.

The Father heard Christ’s prayer and answered. Stop what you’re doing and thank Him for praying for you, for His holy word, and that He opened the dullness of your mind, that the word of God would penetrate right down to your very soul, bringing faith for converting you unto life, and life everlasting in Him.

“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” – John 17:3

Two above borrowed

I’ll let you watch the video to see what Tim says, and I agree with them all.

But I’ll also tell you very quickly what I think.

Tim Kennedy’s remarks were stupid.  These remarks were stupid.  Dakota Meyer’s remarks were stupid.  And by the way, when I pass by a fat guy in the gym, I don’t think a single bad thought about him.  I give him an approving nod, and under my breath I’ll say, “You keep it up, you’ll get there if you persist.”  If he looks like he wants to talk, I’ll say something encouraging.  For all the overweight men in the gym, I take the position that “At least you’re there and trying.”

No one is experienced with warfare until warfare happens, and besides, a man may have body armor because his plan to defend his home includes sending his wife into a closet wearing body armor with the children and a shotgun, while he goes to confront the intruder.

So for all you detractors, shut up about LARP’ing.  It’s none of your business.

I’ve seen a lot on the 6mm ARC lately, all of it good.

All my buddies have to get fed too.

In the post, which has so far had 57.7k likes and generated almost 1700 comments, “Bennett the Hound” can be seen carrying his stuffed animal toys to his feeding and drinking bowls, and a caption that says: “Anybody else’s dog make sure their toys are fed and watered or is it just mine…?”

Who’s the good boy?

Hey, can I get a hand here?

Guard Donkey.  And guard donkeys were sent to protect a Northern Colorado herd from wolves.  I predict the wolves won’t be a problem as long as the donkeys are around.

Sometimes animals are violent.

Yellowstone National Park tourists witnessed a heart-breaking scene Sunday involving a subadult male grizzly bear that was savagely attacked by an adult male bear that was courting his mother.

Moments beforehand, the mother bear also attacked the subadult, perhaps in an attempt to scare him away from the boar.

During the subsequent attack by the male grizzly, estimated to weigh more than 500 pounds, the 148-pound, 3-year-old subadult sustained severe injuries and was later euthanized by park staff.

The incident has been discussed widely via social media. Park aficionados have expressed sorrow and struggled to grasp why this occurred. Some blamed tourists for crowding the roadside bears, perhaps altering their behavior.

Anger also stemmed from an incident the previous week, during which tourists illegally tossed food to the subadult bear.

But the presence of tourists does not appear to have been a factor in causing the attack. Adult male grizzly bears hoping to mate with female bears will attack and sometimes kill nearby cubs or young bears, even in the deepest wilderness.

“The subadult is confirmed to be a male, which is not going to be tolerated by another male in the territory,” Trent Sizemore, a veteran wildlife photographer from West Yellowstone, Montana, told FTW Outdoors. “No humans pushed any of these bears to cause this specific incident.”

What sort of dummy has to be told this?  What sort of dummy thinks this is somehow not representative of how wild animals behave?

This lady has Sandhill Cranes knocking at her door all day every day.  Hey, if there’s food there, they’ll come.

Raccoon visits.  WiscoDave, you out there?

This dog went for a very long swim.

This goat walks again.

This dog can perform tricks.

Lifelong cowboy gets his final wish of being with a horse again.  I miss riding myself.

I WILL NOT leave my friend.

News.

A blue-ribbon commission has recommended new names for nine Army bases named after Confederate leaders, including Fort Bragg, which will be recommended to be renamed Fort Liberty, the panel disclosed Tuesday.

The panel has recommended that another eight Army bases be renamed for a diverse group of individuals with ties to the Army.

ABC News was first to report the full list of recommended names by the Congressional Naming Commission created by Congress to suggest name changes by 2023 for U.S. military installations named after Confederate generals and leaders.

While Fort Bragg is the only base suggested as being renamed after a concept the other suggestions for the other eight Army bases include a diverse group of individuals with ties to Army history.

If approved, the nine bases will include the first to be ever named for women or African Americans, a National Guard facility in Puerto Rico already had the distinction of being the first ever named for a Latino.

The other bases to be renamed are Fort Hood in Texas, Fort Rucker in Alabama, Fort Polk in Louisiana, Fort Benning and Fort Gordon in Georgia and Fort A.P. Hill, Fort Lee and Fort Pickett in Virginia.

The panel has recommended that Fort Hood, Texas, be renamed after Richard E. Cavazos, the first Latino to reach the rank of a four-star general in the Army.

Fort Gordon, Georgia, will be renamed after Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Army general who led all allied forces in Europe during World War II and later became president.

Fort Lee, Virginia, will be named after two individuals: Arthur Gregg, a former three-star general involved in logistics — the only living individual for whom a base will be named — and Charity Adams, the first African-American woman to be an officer in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps.

Good Lord.

I ask again, if you’re still in the U.S. military, why?

Via Ken, news on what rising prices mean to logistics.

It’s a problem many have been hearing about for months now: the high price of gas. But what many who aren’t in the industry might not realize is how the skyrocketing cost of diesel fuel, in particular, is hurting truckers.

While the Energy Information Administration said gas prices are down by one penny in the last week, that’s not giving any relief to drivers, who say some companies are being forced to lay off employees.

That’s the case for Omar Edwards of North Carolina, a truck driver who owns and operates his own company. He’s had to let some employees go, and is looking for other ways to maximize profit.

“I’m heading over to Atlanta to actually pick up one of my drivers,” Edwards said. “We’re going to be team driving right now.”

Speaking to NewsNation local affiliate WJZY, Edwards said this could lead to less trucks on the road.

“A lot of these trucks you see now are not going to be here anymore. A lot of these trucks are a small company like myself that just can’t afford to pay these high prices,” Edwards said.

AAA on Tuesday recorded a record national average of $5.57 for a gallon of diesel fuel.

Preventing pipelines and refusal to issue drilling permits has consequences.  In this case fewer trucks on the road, less goods delivered to market, and empty grocery shelves.

In related news North of the border, Canadian farmers will continue to suffer under the yoke of tyranny.

CALGARY, AB: The Western Canadian Wheat Growers are shocked by the depth of the impact of the federal government’s proposed 30% reduction in fertilizer emissions. Fertilizer Canada has had an independent analysis of the effects of the proposed emissions reduction.

The analysis by Meyers Norris Penny (MNP) calculates that “If Canada adopt(s) the EU model, the potential economic impact of reduced fertilizer use would be devastating to Canadian farmers”. The calculations show that by 2030, the prairie provinces will have the following losses:

• Alberta – $2.95B loss in their Canola and Spring Wheat crops
• Saskatchewan – $4.61B loss in their Canola and Spring Wheat crops
• Manitoba – $1.58B loss in their Canola, Corn and Spring Wheat crops

Droughts are natural.  Famines are man-made.

Note: This post is tagged Gospel Witness and Notes on John as it falls into both categories.

“7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.” – John 16:7-11

Dispensationalists have succumbed to a lazy wait for the rapture approach to the ordinances and commands of Christ. One bad thing happens in the news, and they declare that we’re out of here any minute now, so why bother telling people about salvation in Christ Jesus. Many of them are useless in God’s redemptive plan.

Calvinists suffer from the same problem, but the reasoning is different. They think that if a person is predestined to salvation, why should they bother to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. These are also useless in God’s redemptive plan.

Jesus is speaking (Above) to His disciples about the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. Verse 9 is significant. The Holy Spirit convicts the lost sinner of sin for not believing on Jesus. This brings the lost sinner to realize their need for forgiveness from sin, which can only come by God through faith in Jesus Christ.

When a soul gets saved: it is given by the Father to the Son (John 6:37), Jesus died for them (Revelation 13:8, many others), saved them (Acts 4:12), and the Holy Spirit convicts them (John 16:8-9 above) when you (Mark 16:15) relate the Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) bringing belief by faith through sharing scripture (Romans 10:17) with the hearer. I know that seems backward but hang in there.

“Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.” Luke 8:11

The Father isn’t suddenly surprised when you share the Gospel with a lost sinner, and neither is the Son. You don’t convince anybody of their need for salvation; the Holy Spirit does. Those being called already have the Holy Spirit bearing on their conscience (lay up earnest prayers for them about this); Jesus already died for them, and the Father has already given them; the witness, that’s you, comes along and tells them the truth.

Some are full of fear, having fallen into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31); others are just starting to hear from Him (John 3:9) while He makes them aware. They hear the Gospel from a witness; maybe they turn God-ward at that time, or perhaps you plant another good row laying down the seed that Holy God is using to build their initial faith, bringing conviction of their need for Christ. Then another perhaps sows more seed onto the good ground of their heart (Matthew 13:8), and another reaps.

Although there is no formula for salvation, it’s good to know God’s workings in the councils of heaven to understand the operation of God in salvation. We’re telling you this, not as an intellectual understanding, but that you might both pray in this knowledge and that you would be walking in the will of the Father as you share the good news of Christ Jesus. Don’t be discouraged by seed planting that is evidently (to you) without fruit. The Word of God does not return to Him void, but it prospers wherever He sends it (Isaiah 55:11). Folks have all kinds of testimonies, and myriad things may happen to bring awareness of God to a soul, but behind it all, the Almighty in three persons is doing as they will.

“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” – John 6:37

Here are a few verses that explain the same essential things. All those given by the Father shall come to Christ. The first thing in the salvation of a lost sinner is that Holy Father God gave him to the Son for an inheritance (Psalm 2:7-8). Then, Jesus saves his soul because the Son knows all things whatsoever the Father has given Him (John 3:35). See also Matthew 11:27.

Jesus continues in John 6:38-40:

“39 And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. 40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” – John 6:39-40

Jesus has ascended back to the right hand of Power and sent the Holy Spirit for several purposes, one of which is to reprove men of sin, which for the lost sinner means conviction of the heart and conscience for their sin. “Of sin, because they believe not on me” – John 16:9 from our text at the top. This conviction brings the lost sinner to his state of need for forgiveness.

Then, the lost sinner hears the Gospel, which is the good news of God’s way to be forgiven for sin, bringing salvation from the wrath of God, which, without Jesus, abides on all men (John 3:36). Further, He brings eternal life by the resurrection, “…I will raise him up at the last day.” The spiritual new birth is a type of the resurrection to come.

All disciples are witnesses for Jesus Christ. It’s not the only thing Christ’s disciples do. Still, we are commanded to do it under the Great Commission in Mark 16, Matthew 28. Right before Christ ascended, He told His disciples that the Holy Spirit’s arrival was imminent, and after that, they were to be witnesses of Him to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).

Maybe they’re saved, but when somebody claiming to be Christian will not witness for Jesus Christ, they declare before the throne of the Almighty and among men that they are, in fact, not Christ’s disciple. They may be a good Church member, or they may be a religionist of a type or even have some standing among a group of believers. But he also may have climbed up some other way (John 10:1) into the sheepfold. Those that belong to Christ Jesus hear His voice (John 10:27), and they know Him (John 10:14) that has commanded us to spread the good news of salvation unto all the people of every nation.

Without a growing body of Christ, the church is withering. Look around; there are more lost sinners than ever and fewer true converts. This situation is having a severely negative impact on your civilization. Your eschatology or teachings of your Church fathers have no bearing from which to derive an excuse for being a lazy or phony Christian. Go and make disciples.