I spent Saturday with Chaplain, Captain John Martinez from the 116th at the Battle Buddy Run. Here’s the day in pictures from our team photographer, Silas Thompson.
This is what it’s like to spend the day with the chaplain. It was clear throughout the day that I was with a man who cares for the soldiers and he’s respected by the soldiers… but most of all he knows how to end the day better than any chaplain I know…
Over the weekend I participated with over 100 other citizens from the Magic Valley in a nation wide movement to defund Planned Parenthood. I’m not one to quickly join protest without much information on the organizers and the intentions of all the participants.
This was worth the risk for me.
I was pleased, it was largely a grassroots gathering, loosely organized and peacefully unified and respectful of all the participants. I did not participate with prayers to Mary and I didn’t require anyone to listen in on my Scripture reading and prayers. I was pleased to meet several people in the community with this common desire to see American tax payer funds stop going to Planned Parenthood, period.
My Letter to the Editor in the Twin Falls – Times News has generated mild traffic but heated emotion over the weekend. There is a lot of confusion over who’s statistics are accurate. Planned Parenthood argues that only 3% of their services includes abortions and the Susan B. Anthony foundation argues that it is really 94 – 97% of Planned Parenthood services include abortions. That’s quite a discrepancy and I don’t know which one is the more accurate. (My opinion is that it is indeed higher than 3%, but where is it factually? I have no idea.)
But this much I now know about the Twin Falls Planned Parenthood:
There is a better option for women’s health in the Magic Valley. Stanton Healthcare provides free healthcare for women regardless of income status. It is Christian based, but it is not required that you be a Christian to receive services. Help spread the word.
It takes work to get clear factual answers, but it can be done. Here is the truth about the state of Idaho and federal tax payer funding of murders (abortions) in Twin Falls, Idaho. This is money that is given directly to Twin Falls Health Center (Planned Parenthood). It is not a lot, but it is tax payer money (Idaho Medicaid) for the purpose of murder (abortion).
I do agree with the arguments being made that other tax payer money given to Planned Parenthood for “other services” frees other money to be spent for murdering (aborting) unborn babies. This is the reason for my opposition for any tax payer money being given to Planned Parenthood, period.
NOTE: post was edited for spelling, grammar and photos by Paul Thompson at 1:59pm, August 24, 2015
We’ve known this all along…
The murdering of babies is happening in our hometown.
There is a prayer vigil scheduled to happen: at 200 2nd Avenue N (Planned Parenthood), Twin Falls, Idaho Saturday, August 22 at 10:00AM.
Church, Planned Parenthood is murdering babies in your city.
Legally? Yes.
The selling of human organs and tissue may not be happening at 200 2nd Avenue North in Twin Falls, but babies are being murdered. It is unreasonable to think that an organization willing to make a business out of murdering unborn children is not also capable of other unethical practices. The Twin Falls Health Center (aka: Planned Parenthood) does receive state and federal tax money for services they provide. It is true that all funds given are for allowed women’s health services. And yes, this does free up other funds for abortions (over 200 in 2011)
The argument is that our tax dollars are not spent on abortions. This is not true. Yes, the argument is made that Planned Parenthood does not get direct money from tax payers to perform these abortions.
The truth is, that is not true.
The Twin Falls Health Center received both Idaho tax funds and federal tax funds money for two abortions over the past three years.
Two is two too many!
Grant it the funds were under $200.00 per abortion, but that’s $200.00 too much!
Now (take a deep breath), what must be done?
Church, repent of your laziness on this matter. Planned Parenthood is a monster and must be shut down completely. You and I can not make ourselves feel good about how good we are compared to the monsters we read about in the bible who participated in pagan, child sacrifices. We know this is happening today in our land.
If our elected officials will not aggressively put together a legal means to defund, and shut down all together, Planned Parenthood then we must call out, from among us, men and women who will allow us to elect them into public office.
Many say, “It can’t be done.”
It must be done. It must be done today.
By the grace of God, there have been faithful and courageous people and churches in the valley who have historically been active to speak out. We must continue.
NOTE: Planned Parenthood is scheduled to be open on Saturday from 10:00am – 2:00pm. It is important that you be respectful of the legal right that Planned Parenthood has to be open. It would be inappropriate to speak rudely, arrogantly, hateful to anyone. Our fight is not with flesh and blood. There is a devilish spirit behind the monster of Planned Parenthood whom we will humbly ask our God to deal with.
Dear Twin Falls and the Magic Valley,
The born-again, repenters of unspeakable sins, who gather at 204 Eastland Drive North in Twin Falls, Idaho cried out to Jesus who delivered us from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 1:10) and found a solid ground to stand upon.
By the grace of God we found a solid place to stand, a firm foundation that did not disappoint.
This was not a place filled with romance that never delivered on its false promises.
We, too, were once slipping down a slippery slope to certain disaster, accumulating false teachers and creating false doctrines to justify our fleshly cravings when a faithful soul, standing on a firm foundation, gave a clear warning; We didn’t even know we were sinners at the time. That faithful follower of the Lord Jesus spoke of a righteous God who would justly judge all sinners and find us guilty and already condemned.
This righteous, loving God invited us to respond to His holiness and repent. By His grace, we were rescued, in faith, by the satisfying requirement of the necessary death of a perfect life. Jesus Christ, this redeemer of sinners took our place, and appeased the wrath of God on our behalf. What a Savior.
Like us, when you discover that helpless estate of pride, selfishness, and unbelief, cry out to God in the name of Jesus the Christ, described by the bible, repent and be saved.
May He plant your feet on a firm foundation, on Christ the Solid Rock. Where “all other ground is sinking sand, may you in Him be found, dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne.”
We stood ready to preach this gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ when it was popular; and now, when it’s not, with great patience and instruction, we ask God for strength to endure. We will not, by the grace of God, abandon our post in the city. We will steadfastly engage in the advancement of the gospel.
We strive to speak with compassion, as those before us, so as to call all sinners unto repentance.
To compromise our message is to compromise our duty. To abandon our duty is of unimaginable hatred.
We remain steadfast as ever, willing to endure hardship for payment. Come, all who deserve God’s wrath, come, come, to Jesus. He stands able and ready to redeem all repenting sinners.
Paul Thompson
Eastside Baptist Church
Twin Falls, Idaho
It is past time for an update on the ministry of Eastside Baptist Church in Port-au-Prince, Haiti at our girls home. A lot of things have been happening. Let me give a brief update with short testimony and a few pictures.
The faithful at Eastside Baptist Church continue steadfastly praying for all the needs to be met. We don’t put out pleas for help from others (we don’t oppose those who do). We take all of our request to God and trust Him to provide as He moves His people. We never turn down an opportunity to share about the work with those who ask and we don’t shy away from informing organization offering support upon requests nor from sharing with our church family how God answers our plea.
Here are some recent ways God answers those prayers:
construction (funds for the beds are provided by The Church at Quail Creek in Amarillo, TX), general care to the home, ministry in a local hospital, English school, and local Baptist Church. Work on our own water well has been going on since my last visit back in January. Until now we did not have our own water source. By the grace of God, we are nearing completion of our water well at New Horizon Home. Alex, our director at the home, is very careful with all money and understands that we can only buy and pay the workers with what God gives us. New Horizon Home continues to receive high inspection marks and Alex is told by officials that New Horizon Home is unlike most homes in the city; clean, efficient, happy. We count this a blessing from God.Yesterday, I received a phone call from Jim, an elder at Bear River Valley Baptist Church, asking if they could bring me the supplies they have for our upcoming trip. Of course I said “sure, thank you.”
Here is a picture of Jim, his wife Annette, and a deacon Jerry today (June 25, 2015). Jim called me at about 11:30am this morning asking if we could meet them at the airport for lunch. I picked Renee up for lunch and to get the supplies. May the Lord bless His kind people at Bear River Valley Baptist Church.
There may be a plague in the land. Consider this…
thus showing us at least two problems…
It is my observation that both may be part of the problem. Christian, you have before you an opportunity to gather with the Lord’s people for perhaps the most uniquely compelling reason you could imagine. Can you imagine a worship service where the presence of the Lord God Almighty is so obviously present? Can you imagine a prayer meeting where those present experienced a pouring out of the Holy Spirit that all present were radically changed?
Our casual approach to worship, prayer, bible study exposes a serious issue. And pastor (I’m preaching to me again) your casual approach to preparing shows you have little knowledge as to who you are representing.
There is no celebrity guest appearance showing up at 204 Eastland Drive North in Twin Falls, Idaho, tonight. There is no celebrity interesting enough to take the stage as the opener. We will humbly ask for the Lord’s manifest presence to be present. May He visit us tonight.
If you’ve never driven on an interstate highway in the west you don’t know about this, but if you miss an exit it could be half an hour or forty-five minutes later before you are able to get to the next exit to turn around. Just one simple miss and now you are far off the mark of where you were wanting to be.
This can happen before you know what has happened. This is how it is with sin too. You have a plan of where you want to go, you even know where you are going and then… all of the sudden you’ve missed your exit and too far down the road to quickly fix the matter. It can still be corrected, the right path can be reclaimed, but for now, the consequences of not giving attention to where you are may have a longer effect than desired.
This is the story of the book of Kings.
We will take First Kings this coming Sunday and begin examining where Israel became derailed and why. While doing so it will be of greatest interest to learn as much as can be learned about the God of Israel.
Join me this Sunday as we begin the examination of First Kings
Last Sunday I finished the last sermon in a 46-sermon series in the book of 1 Corinthians by reading the entirety of the letter from the Apostle Paul to the church in Corinth.
Here are all 46 sermons from the 1 Corinthians Series. (A few sermons did not make it to the audio version due to technical complications.)
I am thankful to the Lord to have just received confirmation that the keynote speaker at the October (Oct. 18-20) Pastors’ Conference at Eastside Baptist Church (in Twin Falls) will be Richard Owen Roberts.
Behold Your God – Sunday night, March 1, 2015 at 6:30 p.m.
Join me and others at Eastside Baptist Church in Twin Falls (204 Eastland Drive North) for a 12 week study on the God of the Bible. In “Behold Your God” we will learn of historical figures in church history and hear from modern day preachers, evangelist and missionaries as they reveal the God of the bible from Scripture.
Introduction: Welcome to “Behold Your God” from Media Gratiae on Vimeo.
Our God, Our Help In Ages Past by Jon Yerby (Behold Your God Original Soundtrack) from Media Gratiae on Vimeo.
