The RECORD

By Rev. Dallas E. Henry

A story is told about a famous preacher long ago who pastored a church that was filled every Sunday by people who traveled miles on foot just to hear his messages. One day, as the church was emptying, a passerby asked one of the people in the church why this preacher's messages were so compelling. The person responded without hesitation, "This preacher will take you up to the mountain and down to the valley, he will bring you to laughter and to tears, he will have you jumping with joy and then falling to your knees - - - but - - - by the time he is finished, he will always have you at the foot of the cross."

This week is such a week, where the mixture of emotions range from the exuberance of Palm Sunday with the crowds that must have followed not only Sunday, but Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday, through the streets of Jerusalem, to the intimacy of the Last Supper on Thursday and the anger of the announcement that one of His closest friends would betray Him, to the desperate prayers in Gethsemane's garden late Thursday night --- the final week of Jesus life on the earth with a full range of emotions and circumstances. All of it led to the foot of the cross on Friday --- to witness the sacrifice of a Savior for the sins of the whole world --- even your sins and mine.

There were probably more people shouting for Jesus and praising Him on Palm Sunday than there were any other day of His life. Yet Jesus knows that He will be dead before the week is over. It is true that when we are on the top, it's easy to get caught up in the praises of others and forget that this is not what life is all about. Praise can blind us to God's call upon our lives. A big head can make us think that life is all about us instead of God's will for our lives.

It is our human tendency to want to be liked and admired. What happens though when maintaining the praise of others forces us to wander away from the will of God for our lives? Being popular can lead to our persecution.

Jesus never let fame and popularity go to His head. The next day He comes back to Jerusalem to cleanse the temple and to teach the people. No matter how high we rise, like Jesus, our primary calling is to do the will of God which includes speaking unpopular things, at times.

As leaders in the Kingdom of God, each of us has been placed where we are in order to be a spokesperson or mouthpiece for God. We must be careful not to allow our popularity ratings cause us to be silent when God wants us to speak.

Jesus life is a warning to us that when God uses us to make a difference, the enemy is likely to attack. The Bible tells us, "all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." There is no way to be faithful to Christ without encountering some form of persecution in our lives. Sometimes it's the actual act of being faithful that causes us the problem.

Jesus expected trouble to erupt around Him. Before He made it to Jerusalem, Jesus told the disciples that the chief priests will arrest Him, and have Him killed. The disciples brushed it off by saying, "We will never let anything like this happen to you."

We often think, when things go wrong, while trying to do right, we have missed the will of God for our lives. The truth is; we may be more in the will of God than ever before.

Just a few days after Palm Sunday. Jesus washes the disciples feet. They eat the Last Supper together in the upper room. They cry together because Jesus says that one of them is going to betray Him. To make matters even worse, Jesus tells them, "All of you will deny me tonight." They all declare that He's mistaken and that they will stand by His side to the end. Peter even states that he's ready to die for Jesus. [We all know what happened.]

Then Jesus leads them out to the Mount of Olives. This is a garden area with trees. The disciples are encouraged to spend some time in prayer. Jesus goes a little further from them and has the greatest battle in prayer that He's known to date, while the disciples are sleeping. His mission is so great that angels come to minister to Him. He's under such stress as He prepares to die for us that, in praying, the sweat on his forehead falls like drops of blood to the ground.

Here is a question to ponder: Is there something in your life that needs to be disturbed? In other words, is there a long-accepted value of yours, or habit, or practice -- something in your life that Jesus would be displeased with if He were to walk through the gates of your existence today?

Not a pleasant thought, is it? Perhaps you woke up, today, remembering that it was Good Friday - - and now you're being asked to consider what thing in your life the Lord detests. It was for those very things that Jesus suffered and died. It really is Good Friday. 2,000 years ago, He did that for us. And since He did this for us, are we willing follow Him? Are we willing to take up our cross? Our walk of faith isn't just about having a bubbly feeling for Jesus¦ It's also about facing the harsh realities of our humanness.

Here is another question¦..Is there something in your life that is troubling to which Jesus can bring peace? In other words, if Jesus can bring calm to a colt never-ridden and its mother, then would He not have the power to bring peace to the chaotic parts of our lives?

A story is told of a pastor who made his monthly trip to an assisted living center to sing for the residents there. They enjoyed having him come because he sang songs that they grew up with. He began by singing a couple of "cross songs," being sensitive to the time of the year that it was.

There was a new man and his wife there¦ and the man spoke up after the first several songs and said, "I want to sing ˜Silent Night."

The visiting pastor kind of chuckled and said in a quick-witted playful voice, "I love that song but my guitar isn't able to play it between January 1 and December 1." and everyone laughed. He sang a couple more songs.

Then the man's wife spoke, this time a little louder and quite a bit more insistent, "WE WANT TO SING ˜SILENT NIGHT."

The pastor could see that neither of them was kidding and neither cared that it was in the middle of Lent and on the threshold of Holy Week, where Jesus wasn't just born but was over 30 years old by now! There was no getting around it¦they sang Silent Night.

There was another woman, there for the first time, who began to weep openly as they sang a song that obviously pulled her heart strings and brought tears of comfort to her troubled soul. It's great the Lord, whose birth brought peace to the chaos of Bethlehem, can do that all year round for every generation in every time and every place.

And the last question is this: What price are we really willing to pay to further the cause of Christ? Are we at all moved to action when people attack Jesus and His teachings? Do we desire to speak up for what's right or do we look into the darkness to run and hide with our silence?

I regret how often I betray Jesus with my silence only later to say to myself, "I should have said something." Do you know why we remain silent? I believe it has to do with the possibility that we prefer the approval of others over the persecution of standing with and for Christ.

If we are going to walk with Christ, then there is a certain amount of persecution and rejection we must be willing to endure. We should expect it. We should even consider it joy to be able to face it. Not everybody is going to like us if we are faithful to Him. Not everybody is going to like our message because it's truth. We must be willing to stand alone at times. We must recognize that there will be times when it is going to hurt to be a Christian. We all know that persecution never feels good.

Palm Sunday began with praises, but the week ended in persecution. Jesus died on the cross at Calvary for sins He did not commit. If Jesus had been content with the praises, we would still be lost today. Christ paid an unimaginable price because of His love for us. Are we willing to pay a price to love Him back?

The Christian Civic League of Maine has been fully engaged in this war of the clashing of worldviews for over a century now and has some experience at the battle. Churches, ministries and individuals who partner with the League are also engaging in this battle and helping to win it. Please consider supporting the League with regular contributions if you haven't already. Another very important blessing to the ministry of the League is prayer. Pray for Executive Director Michael Heath, the staff and Board of Directors. The League has a prayer partnership network that receives regular prayer updates. You can contact the League office to become part of the network.

I want to extend my sincere thanks to those churches and ministries that are joining the 500-50-5 project. Support of the League has never been more important with daily attacks on marriage and family being introduced in our legislature. We could do so much more if the resources were there. If you haven't become a partner, I urge you to do so today. Maine's future depends on it.

May we be found faithful and fully committed to the cause of Christ here in Maine. May we be willing to endure persecution as we stand unashamed for the truth of the Gospel of Jesus.

The League is committed to proclaim the truths of Jesus Christ. It is bringing its influence to the State House. We won on LD 779. After the response through the Citizen Action Center, one of the Judiciary committee members said "With the hundereds of emails we have received, the will of the people is abundantly clear."

Also keep your eyes open for a report in the RECORD of the hearing having to do with granting homosexual couples even more benefits. It is LD 375. You can express your opinion on this one too. It is even more important than LD 779. A church denominational representative lobbied at the hearing IN FAVOR of LD 375.

If you haven't checked out our Citizen Action Center on the internet, you need to do it. Go here. This is a very easy and quick way to communicate with your legislators and others who you select. It can be done from the comfort of your home or office. To further help you, a message has been prepared for you to use or, even better, you can write your own. An initial registration is required and then you can use it on a regular basis. You will see a list of issues the League is interested in bringing a Christian/Biblical influence to. Please pass on this information to others you regularly communicate with.

And finally, if you are not aware of it, Mike Heath regularly speaks on current issues of today, from a biblical perspective. He speaks at regional conferences and radio programs, and also speaks in churches across Maine bringing an update of the work of the League.

Please consider having Mike Heath speak at your church for a "League Sunday". He teaches adult/teen Sunday School classes, using multimedia and leading a discussion. Mike also preaches on the subject of Christian Citizenship, bringing a biblical sermon in morning and evening worship services. He is glad to provide pulpit supply for pastors.

You may contact Paulie Heath to schedule an event with Mike.
Email: paulie@paulieheath.com

Thank you for your support.

By Rev. Dallas E. Henry

Col 2:6-8

Mel Gibson has been quoted as saying, "America is Bible illiterate," meaning that people don't have a clue what the Bible says concerning today's issues, and therefore do not live what the Bible says. It's really because of ignorance. Apparently in the ministry of many churches, the truth has not been taught nor communicated to people. They have not been told Jesus is the answer for our lives, and for the crisis the world finds itself in.

Perhaps you are already aware of the surprising statistics concerning Pastors and certain Faith groups: Half the Christian leadership in America don't have a Biblical worldview.*

A Biblical worldview means that we make our decisions and live our lives according to the Word of God and not the world's philosophies. Therefore, if 50% of church leaders don't have a Biblical worldview, what do our congregations think? What do they believe in?

A church will never take a stand on issues if they don't believe something to be true. Christians must understand the core values of the Bible and be able to explain them to unsaved people. We can't explain something or tell someone about something if we don't know what we are talking about.

According to God's Word, we need to give an answer when the reason for our faith comes into question. We need to know why certain issues are wrong, so we can be a witness and give an answer to our community.

Below are six core beliefs that I would like to offer for consideration for the Church to live by. They should be taught to our children and families, our friends and community. These core beliefs are what shaped our nation before, and they need to be taught again and lived by in our generation.

Core Value 1: Understanding Salvation

Our world says there are many ways to God. Many people have differing views about getting to Heaven.

The Bible is clear concerning salvation:

1. Salvation is available to all - Isaiah 45:22 says, "Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other."

2. Salvation is based On Faith - Romans 4:3 says, "What does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." Romans 10:9-10 says, "That if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."

3. Salvation is conditional - Ezekiel 18:24 says, "But if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits sin and does the same detestable things the wicked man does, will he live? None of the righteous things he has done will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness he is guilty of and because of the sins he has committed, he will die."

4. Salvation involves freedom from sin - John 8:36 says, "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." I John 3:10 says, "This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother."

5. Salvation is by grace - Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast."

Core Value 2: To Live In Holiness (Obedience)

Anyone can say a prayer, but the truth of that prayer needs to be lived out. When a sincere heart confesses with his mouth that Jesus is Lord and gives his life to Him, a change takes place. Some people view holiness as a threat, a loss of fun. People think living a Holy life can be boring. But, Bible Christians know that is not the case. This misconception is a trick of the enemy so that we will not live holy lives unto the Lord. When we receive Christ into our life, we are forgiven, and God takes residence in our lives. Now we must live for Him, but how? We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit - "It's for power to be a witness and to live out the Christian life." Acts 1:8.

We need to seek Him and commit ourselves to learning. I Peter 1:2 says, "Who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by His Blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance." So a person must willing strive to live a holy life before the Lord, but understanding Jesus is the one who makes us clean before God.

Core Value 3: The Second Coming Of Jesus

The Bible says in I Thes 4:16-17 says, "For the Lord Himself will come down from Heaven with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever."

II Tim 4:8 says, "Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."

We must be a people who are longing for His return. We need to encourage people with these words because our world is in a terrible mess. Many people think that God is slow in His promise and will not return and that God has forgotten us and abandoned us. I Peter 3:3 says, "First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, 'Where is the promise of His coming? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.'"

Core Value 4: The Existence Of The devil (Isaiah 14:12-15)

Some people believe that these verses not only refer to the King of Babylon (vs 16) but also refer to Satan because of what Jesus says in Luke 10:18, He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lighting from heaven." Satan is real and his whole objective is to destroy Christians and non Christians. Satan is deceptive and exists to deceive. John 10:10 says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

One of the greatest tricks of the devil is to convince people that he doesn't exist. His goal is to deceive the Christian in walking away from God. The Bible says in II Cor 11:13-15, "For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve."

Through deception, Satan and his servants have made playing around with occult games like the Ouija board, Dungeons and Dragons, etc. appear as harmless and fun. Also astrology, fortune telling, and psychic readings are portrayed as harmless. And anyone who says they are wrong is labeled a religious fanatic. Satan is also out to get our children. The intoduction of Harry Potter who goes to a school to learn wizardry, to cast spells, and to invite demonic spirits etc. has captivated even children who live in Christian homes. The devil always tries to prove that He doesn't exist, trying to work his way into every life to destroy it. On the other hand, God's plan is to give full life and not to trick anyone. [John 10:10]

Core Value 5: Prayer

Did you ever consider the fact that Jesus didn't teach His disciples to preach, but He did teach them to pray? In Matthew 6 we see the prayer of our Lord that He taught His disciples. Prayer is communication with God. Failing to pray one for another is sin. I Sam 12:23 says, "As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you." We need to pray to develop our relationship with God. When we fail to pray our relationship with God, weakens, the presence of the Lord is not as strong, and we fail to hear the voice of the Lord.

There are many things we need to pray for, some are:

1. Praying against evil - Psalm 35:1-38;
2. Praying against anxiety - Psalm 142:1-7;
3. Praying for Forgiveness - Psalm 38:1-22;
4. Praying for God's Will to be done.

Core Value 6: Tithing and Giving

In Malachi 3:6-12, we have the account of the people robbing God by failing to bring Him their tithes. When believers don't tithe, the potential of a curse is placed on the individual. But for those that do, a blessing is promised. (Malachi 3:10) If the people would repent, return to God, and as a sign of their repentance, begin to support God's work and ministers with their tithes and offerings, God would abundantly bless them. We express our love and devotion to God when we tithe and give offerings to support God's work and extend the Kingdom. The tithe goes to the local church to support its ministry.

This is a very brief overview of some of the core values of the Christian today. It would be helpful if everyone had this information. They could provide it to their church members to help them live by and apply it to their lives. The world needs to see that the Church has the answer to life's problems. These basic core values will bring hope, peace and security from God to our world.

The Christian Civic League of Maine has been fully engaged in this war of the clashing of worldviews for over a century now and has some experience at the battle. Churches, ministries and individuals who partner with the League are also engaging in this battle and helping to win it. Please consider supporting the League with regular contributions if you haven't already. Another very important blessing to the ministry of the League is prayer. Pray for Executive Director Michael Heath, the staff and Board of Directors. The League has a prayer partnership network that receives regular prayer updates. You can contact the League office to become part of the network. Thank you for your support and may God richly bless you and your ministry.

May we be found faithful and fully committed to the cause of Christ here in Maine. May we be willing to endure persecution as we stand unashamed for the truth of the Gospel of Jesus.

The League is committed to proclaim the truths of Jesus Christ. It is bringing its influence to the State House. You can log on to the Record website here and read about the proposal to ban ministers from "Approving" marriages in Maine. By the way, we won on that one. After the response through the Citizen Action Center, one of the Judiciary committee members said "With the hundereds of emails we have received, the will of the people is abundantly clear."

Also keep your eyes open for a report in the RECORD of the hearing having to do with granting homosexual couples even more benefits. It is LD 375. You can express your opinion on this one too. It is even more important than LD 779. A church denominational representative lobbied at the hearing IN FAVOR of the bill.

If you haven't checked out our Citizen Action Center on the internet you need to do it. This is a very easy and quick way to communicate with your legislators and others who you select. It can be done from the comfort of your home or office. To further help you, a message has been prepared for you to use or, even better, you can write your own. An initial registration is required and then you can use it on a regular basis. You will see a list of issues the League is interested in bringing a Christian/Biblical influence to. Please pass on this information to others you regularly communicate with.

And finally, if you are not aware of it, Mike Heath regularly speaks on current issues of today, from a biblical perspective. He speaks at regional conferences and radio programs, and also speaks in churches across Maine bringing an update of the work of the League.

Please consider having Mike Heath speak at your church for a "League Sunday". He teaches adult/teen Sunday School classes, using multimedia and leading a discussion. Mike also preaches on the subject of Christian Citizenship, bringing a biblical sermon in morning and evening worship services. He is glad to provide pulpit supply for pastors.

You may contact Paulie Heath to schedule an event with Mike.
Phone: 207.215.6886
Email: paulie@paulieheath.com

By Col. Myrl Allinder

Sometimes when I see a fish or a lamb or a dove on a business sign, I want to turn and run the other way. Pastor Reggie Scarborough in his Sunday sermon, 18 March 07, Lakeland, FL

In 1966 IBM was pitching computers to the Services. I was assigned to Headquarters Marine Corps and was astonished to learn that some staff officers had been treated to $50 lunches by IBM salesmen and programmers, seeking to influence government contracts. The sales promise was that computers would reduce paper work, speed up data/information transmission, reduce work hours (for staffers not unaccustomed to 10-12 hour days, sometimes weekends in DC), and help lead the way to a business and military utopia. In 2007 we can only grin as digitalized laptops, cell phones and gps turn evenings, weekends and vacations into 70 and 80+ hour work weeks.

It was also the late 60s or early 70s that the first Shepherd's Guides appeared in the DC area... directories to local Christian businessmen, the pitch being that a business displaying a cross or dove or lamb in its logo or signage would provide honest, professional, expert service at a reasonable price. As with IBM, the hype exceeded the expectation/performance. The first 3 businesses I patronized which used crosses/doves/lambs in their logos ripped me off.

When churches began discussing church book stores in 1970, the pitch was that church books stores would make Bibles more available for parishoners. Pastors were reminded that the word profane simply means outside the temple, that the book store industry was honorable outside the house of worship, but Christ insisted that buying and selling in the Father's House of Prayer was profane. John 2:15-16 A survey of many church book stores today will reveal that Bibles constitute less than 10% of the inventory of bingles, baubles, bangles, cd's, photos, statuary, inspirational this and uplifting that.

One church began to show advertising slides for parishoners' businesses before the morning worship began. Another mega-congregation has an electronic billboard out front, advertising appearance times for the next brilliant speaker, award winning singer/music group. Ninety pages of a 120-page christian magazine contain at least one item for sale. A famous christian speaker grosses over $100Million per year in fees and sales.

The Hebrew word for mixed is arab. Arab. Is it a coincidence that many of America's and Israel's problems have to do with Arabs? Do not sow your vineyard with various mixed seeds--Deut 22: 9 Do not plow with an ox and an ass together. Do not wear a garment of wool and linen [mixed] together. vv 10-11 Ephraim [doubly blessed] has mixed himself among the people--Hosea 7:8 Israel separated out the mixed multitude--Neh 13:3

Make no mistake: GOD loves the Arabs. GOD loves the World. John 3:16 forever. Thank GOD for the Arab Christian brothers who are fearlessly preaching the pure Gospel of Christ in regions where American or European missionaries stay away in droves.

It's just that American christian businesses and churches have more arabs... men who are mixing Christ into commercial ventures, and pastors who are mixing the world into spiritual ventures... than Arabia.

Buying and selling of doves and lambs and Bibles and books and insurance and truck tires are all honorable businesses.... outside the House of Prayer. But American businessmen .... and churches....are mixing it up: using the symbols and logo's of the Spirit of Christ as a worldly come-on or advertisement to entice christian customers to buy stuff; while churches use worldly advertising and PR and come-on's to draw customers into the House of Prayer.

The first sermon of John Baptist was: Repent! The Kingdom of GOD is at hand! Matt 3:2 The first sermon of Jesus Christ was: Repent! The Kingdom of GOD is at hand. Matt 4:17 Christ sent the Holy Spirit for 3 purposes: to convince the world of sin, of righteous, and of judgment. John 16:8

Businessmen and churchmen in America have attempted to turn Christ and the Christian faith into commercial enterprises, both in the market place and in the House of Prayer for all Nations. Render to Ceasar what is Ceasar's, and to God what is God's. Mt 22:21

Is GOD using islam as a rod of correction against America? It is not without cause and sufficient wicked evidence that some Arab nations call America the great satan.

Myrl Allinder is married to the former Martha E. Smith of Augusta, GA since 1956. They rejoice in 4 children, and in 5 grandchildren. Myrl retired as a Colonel of Marines in 1986 after 29 years, 375 combat missions, and command of 3 squadrons. He served on the staff of the Secretary of Defense for 3 years, and as a Strategic Planner for the Department of the Navy at the Naval War College, Newport, RI for 4 years. His final job was Chief of Plans, Joint Deployment Agency, Joint Chiefs of Staff, developing Logistics War Plans for all Theaters, including the Middle East.

Upon retirement he served as a missionary in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America from 1987-2000. Today he volunteers in the Pinellas County Jail (4,000 prisoners, 1000 arrests per week), in the Suncoast Haven of Rest rescue mission (7,000 homeless); and as a Gideon distributes thousands of Bibles each year to students and foreigners in the Tampa Bay area. He is an usher at Bayside Church of God in Safety Harbor, FL, serving on the Missions Committee.

On March 28, 2005 he offered a sermon in defense of gay rights from the floor of the Senate. In 2007 he is championing another sexual disorientation measure. Republican Senator Dana Dow, representing Lincoln County, has introduced a bill that will recognize transgenderism, the latest "popular" cause of the gay left.

Cony High School featured a trangendered teenager as a workshop leader at a diversity conference once week ago. High schools throughout the state are being encouraged to highlight transgendering by the Attorney General. He created the model for diversity conferences in 2004 at the Augusta Civic Center when he included transgendering in a conference that included elementary school aged students.

The loud objections of constituents to his 2005 "sermon" didn't slow Senator Dow when it comes to "gay" rights. This session, only his second as a legislator, he is the lead sponsor on a bill that will force Maine's Secretary of State to recognize "gender reassignment" on a Maine drivers license.

In 2005 the RECORD reported that the Senate welcomed Dow's "Christianity." In a public place that is normally sensitive to the separation of church and state, Dow's evangelical credentials were welcomed by most in the chamber. The RECORD reported, " For once, there were no protests that the sacred principle of the separation of church and state was being violated. There were no condescending remarks, no mention of the 'Scopes Monkey Trial.'"

Outside the poisoned air of the State House, transgenderism is extremely controversial. A leading psychiatrist from Johns Hopkins University has lamented the institutions practice of sexual reassignment surgery. In 2004 Dr. Paul McHugh concluded, " that to provide a surgical alteration to the body of these unfortunate people was to collaborate with a mental disorder rather than to treat it."

Senator Dow's efforts, however well intentioned, can only result in more unfortunate Mainers collaborating with our government to encourage their "mental disorder." Everyone knows that transgendering is very sad. There is no reason to create laws that recognize it in any way, other than as the mental disorder that it is.

Dow's bill is yet to be scheduled for a public hearing. It will then receive a vote in committee and proceed to both the House and Senate for two votes. If it passes that gauntlet then it will arrive on the Governor's desk. The Governor can sign the bill, allow it to become law without his signature, or veto it.

By Michael Heath

I suspect Mr. Harnett did not have a very good weekend. Mr. Harnett is the Assistant Attorney General who is in charge of the so-called "civil rights teams." He emailed me Friday morning. I published his email in the RECORD. Within hours of us publishing the RECORD he called and left a voicemail.

He sounded emotional on the phone and claimed that I am a weak man. He said that I fight my battles through you, our RECORD readers. He expected me to pick up the telephone and call him after receiving the morning email. He didn't want you to know what he wrote to me. There was no indication on the email that it was confidential. In his email he pointed out an error in my previous day's email regarding funding. We included his criticism of me, unedited.

Oh yes, he also mentioned that HIS voicemail box and incoming email was quite full. We've been getting our share of emails and calls. Please forgive me if I am not able to get back to every email, or respond to all the phone calls. Hopefully this publication will provide some answers.

I need to make a few observations about this developing story:

1. The League believes that the civil rights team project should be immediately defunded and shut down at the state level. We have believed this since the beginning. We have never supported this program.

2. I have met with Mr. Harnett and his boss, the Attorney General. I was informed of the fact that the civil rights team project "has nothing to do with sexual morality" and that "sexual orientation" is now the law, so I better get used to homosexuality being discussed by the children.

3. I am not afraid of Mr. Harnett, Mr. Rowe or anyone over at the State House.

4. I am afraid of a Holy God who isn't happy about adults providing "safe zones" for kids to discuss and affirm sex outside of marriage.

5. I reject Mr. Harnett's views regarding the value of celebrating "multi-culturalism" in the name of civil rights. Maine has a culture that is being undermined and devalued by people intent on redefining that traditional culture. Mr. Harnett seems to be among that group.

6. I did not contact Mr. Harnett last week and invite comment. His published email to me was unsolicited, apparently in reaction to the Cony story on "transgendering" that we published on Monday of last week.

7. The last time the civil rights team issue attracted public attention our ministry was viciously attacked. The sign in front of our building was destroyed, and our internet forum was hacked and ruined. We lost six months of work.

8. We don't hate people, and we don't create the problem. The problem started this time when a troubled 19 year old who needs counseling and spiritual help was included in a "civil rights team" event last Monday. School officials pretended she was a hero for choosing to become a man. She was there as a workshop leader to teach about "Transgendering." Last time the problem started when Mr. Harnett wouldn't allow me inside his statewide "diversity" conference where he was putting kids in touch with "transgendering." We asked to tape those sessions. We were denied.

9. We are posting the emails we receive on this, and other, matters.

10. I have asked Mr. Harnett repeatedly in the past few years for detail regarding the $250,000 that is spent annually. I have never received any detail beyond the overall totals. I have stopped asking. He is trying to deceive good people. Civil rights have nothing to do with holding workshops with Maine school children on Pakistani dance, yoga, withcraft and islam.

I feel bad, I really do.