What kind of sick nation are we becoming?

Proverbs 16:29 "A violent man entices his neighbor and leads him down a path that is not good."

Teens Allegedly Beat Homeless Men
Aug 18 12:53 PM US/Eastern

Two homeless men were attacked with baseball bats and one of them critically injured, allegedly by teens inspired by videos of homeless people brawling that have sold hundreds of thousands of copies over the Internet.

The alleged attackers told officers they had recently seen the DVD "Bumfights" and wanted to do some "bum bashing" of their own, police Officer Jason Lee said.

The first victim told authorities he was attacked early Tuesday while sleeping on a sidewalk. About 90 minutes later, a private security guard saw two men beating another homeless man with a bat, police said.

William Orantes and Justin Brumfield, both 19, were arrested for investigation of attempted murder. Bail was set at $500,000 for each man.

One homeless man was treated and released after the attack, but the other, Ernest Adams, suffered severe head trauma and was in critical condition at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, Lee said.

More than 300,000 copies of the "Bumfights" DVDs were sold over the Internet, authorities said earlier this year. But its producers were charged with crimes related to the filmed fights, which the participants said they joined in exchange for money and alcohol.

Four men pleaded guilty in 2003 to misdemeanor conspiracy to stage illegal fights. Two later were jailed for six months because authorities said they did not perform their community service.

Adams was a well-known sight in downtown Los Angeles, acquaintances said. Leo Tolano, an outreach worker with the Downtown Center Business Improvement District, said transitional housing had been arranged for him but he refused to go because he feared the bad people he had spent time with in the past.

Robert Mallano, an associate justice on the U.S. Court of Appeals, said he saw Adams regularly while walking to work and would occasionally give him money even though Adams never asked for it.

"He would talk to people and smile. He was always polite and smiling," Mallano said. "I never saw him in a black mood or anything. He was always groomed. He had dignity."

"I read what happened to him in the paper, and I was just sick about it," Mallano said.

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/08/18/D8C2BQ2G1.html

2 Timothy 3:1-5 "There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them."

Dangerous Waters

Remember when the storm came along and scared the snot out of the apostles (Mark 4:35-41) even though they were experienced sailors? Remember how Jesus was just sleeping through it like it was nothing? Why were they freaked out and Jesus could close his eyes and sleep with his head on a pillow?

Perhaps it was because Jesus had already spent time in prayer. Mark 1:35 says, "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." And the morning was not the only time Jesus prayed. He prayed in the evening. Matthew 14:23 "After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone." And He prayed all night sometimes. Luke 6:12 says, "One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God." Maybe if we prayed like Jesus we would have the faith to trust in God more.

Perhaps it was because Jesus was going to church each week to read God's word. Luke 4:16 says "He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom." Perhaps if we were regularly spending time in worship and the study of God's word like Jesus did we wouldn't be so faithless in the face of fear. Romans 10:17 says, "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." What messages have you been listening to?

Jesus was constently encouraging the disciples to remember all the amazing things he did in the past to they can trust him in the future. In Matthew 16:9 Jesus says, "Do you still not understand? Don't you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?" They didn't believe nor understand because they were not remembering all he had done in the past. In Mark 8:18 Jesus rebukes their fear of not having food by saying, "Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don't you remember?" Jesus wants us to remember. That is why he created the greatest memorial of all time. In Luke 22:19 it says, "And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." We should take time regularly to meditate on all that God has done for us so we can remember to trust him for our future. We should be around the Lord's table each Sunday taking the bread and juice in remembrance of him. Perhaps if we obeyed this, we would trust him more.

We all face many dangers each day. We are constantly tempted. Ephesians 6:12 says, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." We are surrounded by a heavenly realm of dark spiritual forces and powers. We are swimming with sharks. "Therefore put on the full armor of God" Paul says in Ephesians 6:13, "so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand."

When a person walks by faith in the Word of God which they constantly read, rests in the peace of a relationship they experience regularly in prayer, and remember all God has done in the past, they can rest through the storms of life rather than freak out.

Ink & Blood

Last weekend I attended Ink & Blood.

This is an exhibit that traces the history of the Bible. For those of you who would like to know where the Bible came from and why it is a reliable source of historical fact, you should check out the Ink & Blood museum exhibit. It's in Lexington, Kentucky right now.

For more info go here: http://www.inkandblood.com/

The Scripturist Is Back

Did you miss us? The staff (infection) of the scripturist has been temporarily indisposed due to many other projects but is pleased to announce that we will now be back with regular postings for your viewing pleasure. Please stay tuned for more Scripturists fun for the whole family!