Into the Fire

"You were anointed as a guardian cherub,

for so I ordained you.

You were on the holy mount of God;

you walked among the fiery stones.

You were blameless in your ways

from the day you were created

till wickedness was found in you.

. . .

So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God,

and I expelled you, O guardian cherub,

from among the fiery stones.

Your heart became proud

on account of your beauty,

and you corrupted your wisdom

because of your splendor.

So I threw you to the earth;

. . .

By your many sins and dishonest trade

you have desecrated your sanctuaries.

So I made a fire come out from you,

and it consumed you,

and I reduced you to ashes on the ground

in the sight of all who were watching.

All the nations who knew you

are appalled at you;

you have come to a horrible end

and will be no more."

Ezekiel 28:14-19 (NIV)

In just the last three weeks, the ACLJ has:

In [our] timely resources, we expose the threat of radical Islam in the Middle East and right here at home. In "The Export" we bring you in-depth analysis on radical Islam from experts like former Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton and former US Attorney General John Ashcroft. 

 In our booklet on Sharia law, ACLJ attorneys show how Sharia law is wholly incompatible with the Constitution. For example, did you know that under Sharia law, a "woman's testimony is equal to half that of a man['s]" in court? If U.S. courts were to apply Sharia law, as we have recently seen in Florida, imagine the impact this would have on our judicial system. This is the challenge that the ACLJ is facing and will continue to fight with your support and generosity.

We're moving forward with our lawsuit against Planned Parenthood in California, a massive fraud suit alleging that Planned Parenthood over-billed federal and state governments (i.e., American taxpayers) by more than $180 million. A victory in this case could devastate America's largest abortion business.

We are backing several critical pieces of pro-life legislation in Congress which would cut funding for Planned Parenthood, and ultimately save lives.

After our recent arguments in court in New York City, we are progressing with our lawsuit challenging construction of an Islamic victory mosque at Ground Zero, the site where wreckage of one of the planes used in the 9/11 terrorist attacks landed.

We continue battling ObamaCare, the massive government encroachment on personal liberties and record-shattering taxpayer funding for abortions. We're directly suing the government in federal court in our case, "Mead v. Holder," which has now been fast-tracked in the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C. And, we've filed amicus briefs in related cases in Virginia, Michigan, and Florida, with more to come.

Perhaps of most critical immediate importance: we're pushing back against the intrusion of brutal Islamic Sharia law in the U.S. judicial system.

Jay Sekulow
ACLJ Chief Counsel

Father, we're desperate for you. Help us to do what you would have us do in all areas of this life. We're so grateful for our country, Lord, but we need your forgiveness. And restoration. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Today I’m blessed to attend the Northwest Ministry Conference where I’ll be manning the display table for thriller author Steven James, author of The Pawn, The Rook, The Knight, and The Bishop. So cool.

So if I don’t reply to comments on previous posts, I’ll catch up to them this evening.

I’m a bit surprised so few of you wanted to weigh in on your favorite genre(s). Thought it might be fun.

I also suggest you jog over to Tim George’s Unveiled blog to try to win a copy of Mark Mynheir’s The Corruptible.

That’s it for now.

Father, thank you for this opportunity. May I somehow bless those with whom I come in contact. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

For those of you who enjoyed the salty detectives of Randy Alcorn’s Deception, J. Mark Bertrand’s Back on Murder, and for any of you who’ve ever watched “The Rockford Files” or its reruns, you will love former Detective-now-Private Investigator Ray Quinn in Mark Mynheir’s second book in his Ray Quinn Mystery Series: The Corruptible published by Multnomah Books. If you haven’t read his first book in this series, The Night Watchman, I give it equal high marks with The Corruptible and highly recommend both novels, preferably read in order to savor the experience of getting to know Ray and his assistant, cop-wannabe Crevis Creighton.

Private Investigator Ray Quinn, basically crippled physically and emotionally from losing his partner/fiancée in a shoot-out a year and a half before this story begins, spends a lot of time numbing his pain from his hip replacement and useless leg leaning on his cane and soaking in his pal Jim Beam. The pain killers make him unable to focus and “loopy”, but the whiskey takes some of the sting away from the ever present pain and simply dulls his senses, leaving him with a hangover. He counts on his young socially-challenged friend, Crevis, who’s survived a difficult upbringing and wants more than anything to be a cop—or so he thinks as he studies with Pam, Ray’s client from The Night Watchman. Crevis is dyslexic but determined, and Pam is dedicated to seeing him triumph over his inadequacies, but the young man’s devotion to protecting Ray and being his partner surpass everything else to him. 

Sought out and hired by the germophobic Howard Hughes replica Armon Mayer, Ray is asked to locate some hijacked files of clients and transactions supposedly stolen by former undercover cop, Lance, who was disgraced by his conduct, forced out of police work, and employed by Armon. Immediately knocking heads with Armon’s security advisor, Ray accepts the job but is simultaneously thrust into solving Lance’s murder which takes place quickly after Ray’s hiring. With enough suspects to cause considerable suspicion and confusion, Ray is heckled by Armon to find those records under the threat of being fired with little regard for who murdered his employee.

There are obvious hints as to who’s involved in what Ray determines are more than just financial records of clients, but because of the number of people who might’ve wanted Lance dead, he misses some key points in solving both the murder and the missing hard drive. With police assistance suspects are brought in and dismissed, but the case continues to confuse, especially since Ray can’t squeeze out the real reason Armon is desperately concerned about acquiring his lost files.

Ray falls prey to a mild smokescreen but eventually brings the case to a close after a huge payday from Armon. When he finally puts it all together, Ray brings justice to all concerned.

Interlaced in the story is the persistence of Pam, who Ray believed and solved a case for in the previous book, a Christian woman who deeply cares for Ray and prays for him unashamedly. At the end of The Corruptible, Ray finally listens to what Pam has to say and discovers the value in what she proposes to him.

Realistically written from Ray’s POV, this is a quickly engaging, complex, and entertaining read. As crusty and sardonic as Ray Quinn can be, the depth of his pain is transparent and keeps us believing in him. He’s a great character who stays consistent, hiding the remnant of his tender heart until faced with the unconditional love of a lady who believes in him. There’s no real romance in this novel, only detailed investigation and a developing picture of the main characters in the series. Good book.

Thanks to Tim George who sent me the ARC for The Corruptible. Available April 5^th, 2011.

Father, you know Mark's heart and soul. You've given him stories to show diverse characters in the throes of real justice. Keep supplying him with those stories and characters and watch over him with your protective hand. Bless him for all of his efforts to honor you in his writing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

"In your anger do not sin." Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.

Ephesians 4:26-27 (NIV)

Excerpts from the ACLJ:

The ACLJ is filing an amicus brief on behalf of 49 Members of Congress – including pro-life leaders Rep. Joe Pitts, Rep. Michele Bachmann, and Rep. Mike Pence – backing Virginia's ObamaCare lawsuit now before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

We are asking the court to uphold the lower court's decision that the "individual mandate" of ObamaCare is unconstitutional. We are also urging the appeals court to go further – they should declare the entire ObamaCare law unconstitutional.

As the legal challenges to ObamaCare move forward, there's one central argument that we're confident will win the day: the mandate forcing individuals to purchase health care insurance is unconstitutional. Forcing someone to buy health insurance is not economic activity – Congress does not have that authority under the Commerce Clause.

At the same time, the ACLJ's lawsuit against ObamaCare is also quickly moving forward in Washington, D.C. A federal appeals court has cleared the way for our legal challenge to be put on the fast track, meaning an expedited appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

With this decision, the court is sending a strong signal that time is of the essence in determining the constitutionality of this law. The first round of briefs in our case will be filed in May, with oral arguments before a three-judge panel to be scheduled in September.

Our legal team is encouraged by the significant movement of this issue – and certain that it will ultimately end up at the Supreme Court of the United States.

Jay Sekulow
ACLJ Chief Counsel

From Congressman Dave Reichert (Wa.):

This week I released “Behind the Veil: The AARP America Doesn’t Know,” a new report exposing AARP’s questionable business practices.  The report, which is the culmination of more than a year-long investigation, concludes that AARP stands to make upwards of one billion dollars over the next ten years as a result of last year’s healthcare overhaul law through the sale of insurance products they are paid to endorse.

In fact, despite their non-profit tax exempt status they could be the 6th largest insurance company in America, and their profits are only expected to grow as the healthcare takeover law is implemented.  The facts I’ve uncovered point to  a direct conflict of interest between AARP’s advocacy for eliminating the Medicare Advantage program that millions of their members benefit from and the massive profits AARP receives from for-profit companies for sponsoring Medigap plans that seniors will be forced to buy in the absence of Medicare Advantage.  It’s apparent that AARP is putting its bottom line ahead of the best interests of the seniors it claims to represent.

God, we desperately need your mercy, your direction, and your forgiveness. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.