Bio

Dr. Mike Halsey is the chancellor of Grace Biblical Seminary, a Bible teacher at the Hangar Bible Fellowship, the author of Truthspeak and his new book, The Gospel of Grace and Truth: A Theology of Grace from the Gospel of John," both available on Amazon.com. A copy of his book, Microbes in the Bloodstream of the Church, is also available as an E-book on Amazon.com. If you would like to a receive a copy of his weekly Bible studies and other articles of biblical teaching and application, you can do so by writing to Dr. Halsey at michaeldhalsey@bellsouth.net and requesting, "The Hangar Bible Fellowship Journal."

Comments may be addressed to michaeldhalsey@bellsouth.net.

If you would like to contribute to his ministry according to the principle of II Corinthians 9:7, you may do so by making your check out to Hangar Bible Fellowship and mailing it to 65 Teal Ct., Locust Grove, GA 30248. All donations are tax deductible.

Come visit the Hangar some Sunday at 10 AM at the above address. You'll be glad you did.

Other recommended grace-oriented websites are:

notbyworks.org
literaltruth.org
gracebiblicalseminary.org
duluthbible.org
clarityministries.org

Also:

Biblical Ministries, Inc.
C/O Dr. Richard Grubbs
P. O. Box 64582
Lubbock, TX 79464-4582

Friday, July 25, 2014

DAVID TYREE, DAVID TYREE, WHEREFORE ART THOU, DAVID TYREE?

I remember David Tyree for his famous "Helmet Catch" which enabled the New York Giants to win a Super Bowl. The Giants were trailing; it was 3rd down and 5 yards to go late in the 4th quarter when Giants quarterback Eli Manning, playing the part of Houdini, escaped a gang of would-be tacklers to sling the ball way, way down field, a ball which Tyree caught by pinning the pigskin to his helmet as he fell to the ground. It was now 1st down with 59 seconds left in Super Bowl XLII. The Giants won, 17-14.

David Tyree was the toast of the Big Apple and loved by Giants' fans everywhere.

But that was then, this is now.

David Tyree is not so admired today. He's the center of a storm, as is the team for which he played. The owner, the General Manager, and the coach find themselves in a mushrooming maelstrom of controversy, a public relations nightmare as they read their names in "The New York Times,"in hositle name-calling articles on the Internet, and hear themselves vilified by commentators on ESPN, MSNBC, "The View," and in "The New York Post," as well as other newspapers around the country. All this because of hiring the hero of Giantdom, David Tyree.

What did Tyree do? Molest children? Sell secrets to the Chinese? Spy for the Russians? No, not at all. David Tyree had the gall to say, "Marriage is between a man and woman." And in spite of that statement, the NY Giants have hired the retired player to take the job of Director of Players Management in their organization. Various groups are demanding that Tyree be fired. It's like pressure washing a house--all the blasts of the water are now laser focused on Tyree and the Giants and it won't let up until they drown him. The mortar fire against this hiring includes saying and writing that Tyree is "misinformed," "ignorant," and, (get this) "dangerous."

Over the past three years, Tyree has stated his beliefs with the following statements:

"This [same sex marriage]will be the beginning of our country sliding toward, it's a strong word, but anarchy.  How can marriage be marriage for thousands of years and now all the sudden because a minority, an influential minority, has a push or agenda ... and totally reshapes something that was not founded in our country.”

In 2011, Tyree said the unforgivable:

“Nothing means more to me than that my God would be honored. Being the fact that I firmly believe that God created and ordained marriage between a man and a woman, I believe that that’s something that should be fought for at all costs. So I’ll lay down everything I am to preserve the honor and integrity of the God that I serve.”

 In 2013, he said:

"I don't agree with [gay marriage] because God doesn't agree with it. As a Christian, I don't agree. Society may be changing but God is not, This is not personal. I can be tolerant, but the problem is people aren't tolerant of the views people like me have. If you don't agree with that lifestyle, you're a bigot. I'm not a bigot. I have different viewpoints."

David Tyree isn't killing, rampaging, destroying property or even advocating such. He's not demanding that anyone believing in same sex marriage be fired. All he's doing is telling others what he believes. 

It's come to this?--someone in America is in danger of losing his job for saying that marriage is between a man and a woman? As the little boy pleaded with Shoeless Joe Jackson of the Chicago White Sox in 1919, "Say it ain't so, Joe." How did it come to this? (That's a question for another time.)

If we're going to fire people for stating a belief that offends, then tomorrow what's next? Unemployment would skyrocket and breadlines and soup kitchens would materialize overnight if people were fired for saying something that offended somebody else.

This is like saying, "You have freedom of speech, as long as you say things that we approve of." It's strange that Thomas Jefferson didn't understand that the right not to be offended was "unalienable," since he only listed "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" in that category when he wrote our Declaration of Independence.

A reddish sky around sunrise means a lot of water vapor already present in the atmosphere. That's why those in the nautical game have the saying, "Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning." Rain is on the way. (Cf. Matt. 16:3) What is our "red sky" saying to us? It's going to get rough out there as witness the following: "Police in Fayetteville are on the lookout for a man who allegedly said something racist in the middle of the night through an open window on the University of Arkansas campus." Something said in the middle of the night through an open window is a crime?


If Tyree can be fired for his belief and his use of freedom of speech to express his view, then who's next? Will they nail a church door shut or levy a fine with sensitivity training because that church won't allow a same sex marriage ceremony in its building? Will someone overhear your remark in the elevator at work and you find yourself sentenced to sensitivity training or, worse yet, be told to turn in your I. D. and leave? If one person can lose his employment, his property, or his means of earning a living for stating his belief, then you and I can too. [By the way, has anyone ever heard of a person's being sentenced to sensitivity training for offending Christians? I nominate Bill Maher.]

Tom Brokaw wrote "The Greatest Generation," which, in his opinion was the generation of Americans who were raised in the Great Depression and went on to fight and win WWII. They were great, all right, but were they the greatest? I don't think so and neither does historian David McCullough. He believes that the greatest generation of Americans was the Revolutionary War generation. (That would make for a good discussion, wouldn't it?)

One thing the Revolutionary generation and our Founding Fathers realized was that if the government could do just one thing to violate the Constitution, it could do anything. For example, if the government could impose an unconstitutional tax on the people, no matter how small the amount of tax was, the same government could just as easily line people up and executre them without due process of law.

it's an interesting study of hypocrisy--in the 1960's many colleges saw their students marching, disrupting classes, demonstrating, yelling, and getting violent in order to exercise their right of free speech to say anything anywhere anytime. Now those same people are demanding that David Tyree shut up and be fired.












Friday, July 18, 2014

HILLARY, HILLARY, WHEREFORE ART THOU, HILLARY?

The title is a simple question to answer, but let's look at some background first.

When Hillary Clinton speaks, most listeners don't know that she's earning $3,750 a minute. This is easily calculated because her contract demands that her speaking and the question/
It’s simple: It is all about Him, end of story. Ephesians 1 illustrates how Father (1:6), Son (1:12), and Holy Spirit (1:14) each work together for the glory of God. His activities serve His own purpose of expressing His character, demonstrating His glory. If we will understand this simple, central Biblical truth, our lives will be more fruitful, and we will have a much better grasp of what He is doing in and around us. - See more at: http://www.drcone.com/2013/12/02/7-core-values-for-effective-life-and-ministry/#sthash.s7njGmgo.dpuf
answer time will not, under any circumstances exceed one hour, thus bringing her the sum of $225,000 per speech. (Hard work, but somebody has to do it.)

However, there are other contractual conditions before she comes to speak and these conditions must be met by the host shelling out such happy cabbage. Hillary will have final approval of who introduces her to the audience. You'll also find in the contract that, while Hillary is speaking, no one else is on the stage.

Speaking of the stage, Hillary's press agency will will have final approval of any “sets, backdrops, banners, scenery, logos, settings, etc which are in any way related to her speech or any other activities associated with the speaker’s appearance."

The organization sponsoring the event must furnish a stenographer whom they'll pay $1,250 for the time Mrs. Clinton is speaking.  The sponsor must agree that the transcript is the speaker's property, not the organization's.

There will be a question and answer time (that's part of the sixty minutes) and Hillary has the final approval of the moderator, since the questions will not be addressed directly to her, but will go through the moderator.

THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION OF THE TITLE

So, the answer to the question the title asks is, "All alone on center stage."

Many may shake their heads at Hillary's demands, but should we, since Paul writes, "Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things." (Rom. 2)

We may not have the contractual clout of Mrs. Clinton, but do we "practice the same things?" Any battle-fatigued veteran of countless church business meetings will testify in any court of law that he has witnessed people's demanding and taking center stage, bulldozing others to do things their way. 

He's seen people's taking center stage to manipulate the church to his way through angry words, name calling, and storming-out-the-door-tactics. Our battle-scarred veteran has seen the same people using secret meetings to take center stage, working behind the curtain. Satan has torn up many a church by using "the center stage" strategy.

This demand for center stage isn't limited to church meetings; marriages crumble because one partner is constantly manipulating the other to get their way through tears, yelling, threatening, or even physical abuse. 

Such is the way of the human being, the unsaved and, to our shame, the carnal saved. 

THE BETTER WAY

It’s simple: It is all about Him, end of story. Ephesians 1 illustrates how Father (1:6), Son (1:12), and Holy Spirit (1:14) each work together for the glory of God. His activities serve His own purpose of expressing His character, demonstrating His glory. If we will understand this simple, central Biblical truth, our lives will be more fruitful, and we will have a much better grasp of what He is doing in and around us. - See more at: http://www.drcone.com/2013/12/02/7-core-values-for-effective-life-and-ministry/#sthash.aOOYsXpB.dpuf
It’s simple: It is all about Him, end of story. Ephesians 1 illustrates how Father (1:6), Son (1:12), and Holy Spirit (1:14) each work together for the glory of God. His activities serve His own purpose of expressing His character, demonstrating His glory. If we will understand this simple, central Biblical truth, our lives will be more fruitful, and we will have a much better grasp of what He is doing in and around us. - See more at: http://www.drcone.com/2013/12/02/7-core-values-for-effective-life-and-ministry/#sthash.aOOYsXpB.dpuf
But there is a better way and we can sum it up by saying: It's simple. It's all about Him. End of story. We are far less important than we think we are. He must increase, but we must decrease. If we stand with that posture, then our lives will be fruitful, with less self-induced misery and the misery we cause others when we seize center stage.
It’s simple: It is all about Him, end of story. Ephesians 1 illustrates how Father (1:6), Son (1:12), and Holy Spirit (1:14) each work together for the glory of God. His activities serve His own purpose of expressing His character, demonstrating His glory. If we will understand this simple, central Biblical truth, our lives will be more fruitful, and we will have a much better grasp of what He is doing in and around us. - See more at: http://www.drcone.com/2013/12/02/7-core-values-for-effective-life-and-ministry/#sthash.s7njGmgo.dpuf


It’s simple: It is all about Him, end of story. Ephesians 1 illustrates how Father (1:6), Son (1:12), and Holy Spirit (1:14) each work together for the glory of God. His activities serve His own purpose of expressing His character, demonstrating His glory. If we will understand this simple, central Biblical truth, our lives will be more fruitful, and we will have a much better grasp of what He is doing in and around us. - See more at: http://www.drcone.com/2013/12/02/7-core-values-for-effective-life-and-ministry/#sthash.aOOYsXpB.dpuf
It’s simple: It is all about Him, end of story. Ephesians 1 illustrates how Father (1:6), Son (1:12), and Holy Spirit (1:14) each work together for the glory of God. His activities serve His own purpose of expressing His character, demonstrating His glory. If we will understand this simple, central Biblical truth, our lives will be more fruitful, and we will have a much better grasp of what He is doing in and around us. - See more at: http://www.drcone.com/2013/12/02/7-core-values-for-effective-life-and-ministry/#sthash.aOOYsXpB.dpuf
It’s simple: It is all about Him, end of story. Ephesians 1 illustrates how Father (1:6), Son (1:12), and Holy Spirit (1:14) each work together for the glory of God. His activities serve His own purpose of expressing His character, demonstrating His glory. If we will understand this simple, central Biblical truth, our lives will be more fruitful, and we will have a much better grasp of what He is doing in and around us. - See more at: http://www.drcone.com/2013/12/02/7-core-values-for-effective-life-and-ministry/#sthash.aOOYsXpB.dpuf
It’s simple: It is all about Him, end of story. Ephesians 1 illustrates how Father (1:6), Son (1:12), and Holy Spirit (1:14) each work together for the glory of God. His activities serve His own purpose of expressing His character, demonstrating His glory. If we will understand this simple, central Biblical truth, our lives will be more fruitful, and we will have a much better grasp of what He is doing in and around us. - See more at: http://www.drcone.com/2013/12/02/7-core-values-for-effective-life-and-ministry/#sthash.aOOYsXpB.dpuf



Friday, July 11, 2014

MILEY CYRUS, WHEREFORE ART THOU?

Let's play a word association game--what words come to your mind when I say, "Miley Cryus?" How about, "outrageous," "vexatious," "galling," or "insufferable?" She may be all of those things in your mind, but there's something that she's doing to our society, along with a lot of other people.
 
There's a age-old question, "Does life imitate art?" or, "Does art imitate life?" Let's think about that for a while.

Celebrities compose part of the artists-elites of our society. They shout at us from their movies and the grocery store magazine covers. Their words and deeds carry a message.

Their language consists of grade school grammar (if that advanced). Just listen to almost any interview with a college or professional athlete and you'll hear double negatives abounding along with multiples of "ain't." They have no clue as to how to construct a proper sentence in English.

What's amazing in all of this is that when they're quoted in newspapers and magazines such as "Sports Illustrated," the editors don't correct the horrendous grammar or vulgar language for publication so, if our heroes talk that way, why can't we?

In the summer of 1946, a group of Missouri school teachers complained to the Federal Trade Commission that Dizzy Dean's broadcasts were "replete with errors in grammar and syntax, and were having a bad effect o the pupils." ("He slud into second base!") We hear no such outcry today. Dizzy is a linguist compared to today's athletes.

When we look at the lives of the artists-elites of our society, we see lives that are a mess. They wreak havoc everywhere they go. It seems their mission is to shock us; at least it gets there names in the paper.

Our society likes to see what the celebrities are (almost) wearing as they hang on their every word. These celebrities, these serial monogamists who run through one marriage after another as often as they change their socks, their child custody cases, their scrapes with the law, their fights, their overdoses, and their DUIs, these elites have no problem appearing before us every four years to tell us for whom we should vote, as if we should listen to them.

But what they're doing to our society is far more dangerous; they are giving permission--they're giving us permission to use their language and to live as they do morally. After all, we hear their language on the big screen. We see their portrayal of an immoral life style on the small screens, right there every night in our dens.

On other shows, we hear the audiences applauding (on cue) the latest examples of their misbehavior or life styles. We take it for granted that a couple is living together with no marriage license, "That's just what people do," we hear on every hand.

Their language? "That's just the way people talk today." Their fractured marriages and remarriages? That's just what people do today.

But when the public hears and sees all of this, it presents a drip-drip-drip to the saturation point of permission--we talk and act this way; we imitate.We have their permission to do so. They make it acceptable.

We should expect nothing else of the unbeliever; he can do nothing else. It's for certain that he can't imitate Christ, that he's always under the control of his sin nature. Even his good works, as Augustine said, are "splendid sins."

But you and I? We can, as we submit to the Scriptures, imitate Christ, full of grace and truth.