September 30 Magnificent Grace

Scripture Reading: Luke 15:17–24

Key Verses: Romans 6:1–2

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?

Family-oriented movies often end by showing a reunion of loved ones. We see family members with arms around each other in an expression of love and support. Through the parable of the prodigal son, Jesus gave us this same picture of our heavenly Father’s attitude toward us (Luke 15:20–24). There, Jesus revealed the magnificence of grace. We see that the one sinned against runs out to eagerly welcome back the one who sinned. The one who was wronged takes the initiative, because of love, to restore the broken relationship; the one mistreated shows compassion to the one at fault.

And there is even more. The prodigal did not know his full rights as a son would be restored. As believers, however, we know in advance what awaits us when we humbly return. Because of grace, we can count on acceptance no matter how long we have been absent from the Father or how far we have wandered. Grace guarantees that the Lord will greet us with compassion and forgiveness and lovingly restore us to full rights as His children.

It is not our performance—not good deeds or even the correct apology—that matters; it is our position in Christ. When God sees that we belong to His Son, He forgives us. The parable of the prodigal points us to the truth that, because of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven even before we return. While this does not give us license to sin (Romans 6:1–2), it does give us reason to celebrate. Our Father waits to welcome us home.

You wait to welcome me home, Father. I am assured of Your magnificent grace. Thank You!^[1]

 

^[1] Stanley, C. F. (2006). Pathways to his presence (p. 285). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

September 30 The Risk of Obeying God

Scripture Reading: Luke 5:1–11

Key Verse: Luke 5:4

When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

Once Jesus finished speaking to the crowd from the bow of Peter’s boat, He turned to the brawny fisherman and said, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for the catch of a lifetime.”

The idea seemed intriguing to Peter, but was it plausible? He was a leader, a man others turned to for wisdom concerning the sea. Jesus’ request appeared preposterous, if not crazy. No one fished in the Sea of Galilee during the daytime. Fishing was done at night and in shallow water.

Yet Peter obediently responded, “Master … at Your bidding I will let down the nets” (Luke 5:5 nasb). Disregarding the questionable looks of his peers, Peter raised the ship’s sails and headed out into deep water. The result of his obedience was a great abundance of fish, so many that the nets began to break and the boat began to sink.

What has God placed His finger on in your life that requires you to launch out into the deep? Is it a new job, a relationship that needs healing, an unmet goal?

Peter wasn’t alone in the boat, and neither are you. Jesus sailed out there with him. So raise the sails of your life, put out into the deep, and prepare for a huge catch!

Dear heavenly Father, I know there are risks, but I am ready. I am willing to leave my comfort zone. I am raising the sails of my life, launching out into the deep, and preparing for a huge catch.^[1]

 

^[1] Stanley, C. F. (1999). On holy ground (p. 285). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

If we disregard the voice of conscience, allowing sin to remain unconfessed and unforsaken, our faith will not long survive. —John Stott

September 30 Unity of the Spirit

Scripture reading: Ephesians 4:1–16

Key verse: Ephesians 4:15

But, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ.

The structure and function of the human body are complex and endlessly fascinating. Even with all of the advances in modern biotechnology, scientists and doctors do not know everything about it. What they do understand, however, is that all of the body’s organs and fluids work together in an intricate harmony.

When something goes wrong with one part, the entire body is affected in some way. All processes must be in good working order for the body to be healthy and growing. That is the way the body of Christ functions as well. We all work together and operate as one organic unit when we recognize our connectedness with Jesus as the Head.

Ephesians 4:15–16 explains this relationship: “But, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”

If one part of the body is diseased or hurting, the entire body suffers. Trying to ignore the problems of one person is as futile and ultimately harmful as ignoring cancer and hoping it will just go away. Jesus wants us to come to Him to resolve difficulties and restore wounded members.

Dear heavenly Father, join me in vital union to Your spiritual body. Connect me by the Spirit to Your church.^[1]

 

^[1] Stanley, C. F. (2000). Into His presence (p. 285). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Democrats are ‘panicking’ as illegal spying is set to be revealed, says Dan Bongino | FOX news

As Democrats ramp up their impeachment efforts against President Trump, Fox News contributor Dan Bongino said the party is starting to panic at the possibility of being linked to illegal spying, as the Department of Justice inspector general prepares to release his report on the matter.

“It’s never going to stop. I mean, the republic is dying a slow death,” he said Monday on “Fox & Friends.” “We’re on life support here… They’re panicking because the IG report’s about to come out, which is about to expose a massive government spying operation against Donald Trump.

“Here’s the key takeaway — in collusion with foreign governments,” Bongino continued. “That’s why they’re panicking. And they’re panicking because… what the Obama administration did is 1,000 times worse than what they’re alleging Donald Trump did.”

FORMER NYPD COMMISSIONER CALLS TRUMP WHISTLEBLOWER A ‘COVERT OPERATIVE’ WHO PARTICIPATED IN ‘ATTEMPTED COUP’

Bongino also said it’s Trump’s job to protect the office of the president by standing firm against congressional lawmakers, specifically Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., by asserting his privilege as commander in chief.

More from Media

“The first job of the president right now is to protect the presidency,” he said. “The White House counsel and others have to draw the line. This is one of the sleaziest members of Congress, Adam Schiff. He went in front of the American people in a public hearing where people could look at a public transcript and literally lied about it, and then tried to cover his tracks.”

“This is a nationally televised, important hearing and he lied. He’s a liar, this guy,” Bongino added. “Don’t disclose anything to this guy.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The report from Inspector General Michael Horowitz, which focuses on government corruption and political overreach, is still being processed and a final release date has not yet been disclosed.

Source: Democrats are ‘panicking’ as illegal spying is set to be revealed, says Dan Bongino

Southern Baptist Convention Ministry Partner, George Soros, Behind Trump Whistleblower Report — Pulpit & Pen

As many might already know, Russell Moore and Jim Wallis run the Evangelical Immigration Table for George Soros, who founded and funded their open borders ministry organization. Russell Moore is president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) of the SBC. What you might not know is that the recent “whistleblower report” against Donald Trump was provoked by the evangelical Left’s best friend, George Soros.

According to One News Now…

An investigative journalism group funded by leftist billionaire George Soros is reportedly responsible for sections of the whistleblower complaint against President Donald Trump that allege he put pressure on Ukraine’s president to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden’s son for political gain.

In fact, Breitbart first tied the whistleblower report to Soros. According to Aaron Klein of Breitbart, “Even though the statement was written in first person – ‘multiple U.S. officials told me’ – it contains a footnote referencing a report by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).”

The OCCRP, according to World Net Daily, had Soros’ Open Societies Foundation as its second-largest donor (in some years OSF has been its largest donor). In other words, it has the same financial backing as the SBC’s and ERLC’s Evangelical Immigration Table.

World Net Daily has pointed out that the “OCCRP is cited in a key section of the complaint that claims Ukrainian officials followed up on Trump’s request for Ukraine to investigate allegations of corruption by then-Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter, who was receiving $50,000 monthly from a natural gas company despite having no experience in the industry.”

The SBC has been weaponized against Donald Trump for the upcoming 2020 election. Lifeway recently released a poll sponsored by the ERLC that alleged (laughably) that evangelical voters care more about “racial justice” than abortion and that they want their politicians to be nicer (an obvious “dig” on the POTUS). ERLC research fellows like Thomas Kidd are daily attacking Trump in social media. The SBC president, JD Greear, recently commended Christians who vote Democrat. Many SBC leaders have been begging evangelicals to stop being loyal to the Republican Party.

It should come as no surprise that the SBC’s closet ministry partner, George Soros, is behind the whistleblower conspiracy against President Trump.

[Editor’s Note: HT OneNewsNow]

via Southern Baptist Convention Ministry Partner, George Soros, Behind Trump Whistleblower Report — Pulpit & Pen

Schweizer: Joe Biden ‘Was Steering Billions of Dollars of Western Money to Ukraine’ for Access, Influence | Breitbart News

Breitbart News senior contributor and Secret Empires author Peter Schweizer joined Life, Liberty & Levin Sunday on Fox News Channel to explain Joe and Hunter Biden’s Ukraine connections.

Schweizer told host Mark Levin that the former vice president’s son was being paid by Ukraine despite not having expertise in the energy sector while Joe Biden was the “point-person” on former President Barack Obama’s administration in dealing with Ukraine.

“The key question here that nobody seems to want to ask in the media is: What was he being paid for? He wasn’t being paid for his expertise. What was he being paid for? And what were the Ukrainians expecting to get in return?” Schweizer stated. “I think when you overlay the financial payments with the fact that Joe Biden as point person on Obama administration policy to Ukraine was steering billions of dollars of Western money to Ukraine it becomes crystal clear exactly why they were paying him money. They wanted access and they wanted to influence Joe Biden. And Joe Biden has been around a long time here, and he had to know exactly why his son was being paid.”

Source: Schweizer: Joe Biden ‘Was Steering Billions of Dollars of Western Money to Ukraine’ for Access, Influence

Rapper’s Anticipated New Album, Movie, & Merchandise Prompt Questions: Is Kanye West Promoting Jesus or Exploiting Jesus? — Julie Roys

Rapper Kanye West is releasing an album that’s all about Jesus. And social media, blogs, and fan sites are on fire with people praising West—and sharply criticizing him.

Some are mad because of repeated delays to the album’s release. Initially, West had promised that his new album, Jesus is King, would release on Friday. But late Friday, West’s wife, Kim Kardashian West, wrote on Instagram that the album would drop Sunday after a “few final tweaks to the mixes.”

Now Sunday has come and gone—and there’s still no album. And fans like Maurice Schoonbroodt are ticked.

But much of the hullabaloo over West’s album has to do with its content. West, a rapper known for both raunchy and sacrilegious lyrics, now says he’s born again. And over the weekend, West reportedly announced that he will no longer produce secular music.

Some, like Chance the Rapper, who last year declared his faith in God to his more than seven million fans, clearly endorses West and his new direction. West made a surprise appearance at Chance’s concert on Saturday night where they declared in voice and gesture that “Jesus is King!” (See video in tweet below.)

However, Noah C., a writer at HNHH (Hot New Hip-Hop), expressed skepticism about West. “It appears that indulging in secular music would go against Kanye’s newfound mission as a newfound Christian,” Noah C. wrote. “We wish Ye the best on his mission, but it wouldn’t be the first time he publicly expressed a thought on a whim that never ended up manifesting. Kanye also claimed The Life Of Pablo was a gospel album – which featured hip hop production and wildly raunchy lyrics – so his understanding of religious music might be quite broad.”

Read more: Rapper’s Anticipated New Album, Movie, & Merchandise Prompt Questions: Is Kanye West Promoting Jesus or Exploiting Jesus? — Julie Roys

President Trump Delivers Remarks During Joint Chiefs Ceremony – Video and Transcript… — The Last Refuge

Earlier today President Trump delivered remarks to honor the 20th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley. [Video and Transcript Below]

.

[Transcript, POTUS remarks @5:32]

via President Trump Delivers Remarks During Joint Chiefs Ceremony – Video and Transcript… — The Last Refuge

LISTEN: GOP Lawmaker Trolls Schiff With Tape Of Him Fishing For Ukraine Dirt On Trump — The Gateway Pundit

Florida GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz has uncovered an old prank phone call in which House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff tells two Russian radio hosts posing as a Ukranian politician that he’d gladly accept anti-Trump dirt from them.

“So, you have recordings of both [Russian journalist Ksenia] Sobchak and [Russian model and singer Olga] Buzova where they’re discussing the compromising material on Mr. Trump?” Schiff asked the callers, who were pretending to be Andriy Parubiy, the former speaker of Ukraine’s parliament.

“Absolutely,” one of the pranksters says.

“Well, obviously we would welcome a chance to get copies of those recordings,” Schiff said later in the call after he and the fake “Parubiy” go on to discuss more details of the bogus allegations.

In the call, which took place two years ago, Schiff has no idea he’s talking to pranksters.

.@RepAdamSchiff is a hypocrite. pic.twitter.com/LFbGFBUG6r

— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) September 29, 2019

The radio hosts, Vladimir “Vovan” Kuznetzov and Alexey “Lexus” Stolyarov, told Schiff  the Kremlin had naked photos of Trump, Fox News reported.  They also told the California Democrat that former Trump national security advisor Michael Flynn “had met with another Russian to talk about how to prevent the photos from going public.”

Gaetz accused Schiff of hypocrisy for appearing willing to accept information from the Ukranian government as his committee investigates Trump for advocating that Ukraine pursue an investigation that would have likely been politically beneficial to the president’s reelection campaign.

This comes as Schiff and the House Intelligence Committee take center stage in the impeachment fight as the committee is set to question intelligence community Inspector General Mike Atkinson on Friday. The committee also reached a deal for testimony from the whistleblower whose complaint set off scrutiny on Trump’s call with Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky, shortly before which he put a hold on $400 million in military aid to Ukraine. Democrats have said the combination of the withheld aid and the requests for an investigation into the Biden family amounted to a proposed quid-pro-quo by Trump. …

While Schiff does not appear to question the veracity of the prank callers’ assumed identity on the January 2018 call, his office said they did not simply take the pranksters at their word.

“Before agreeing to take the call, and immediately following it, the committee informed appropriate law enforcement and security personnel of the conversation, and of our belief that it was probably bogus,” a Schiff spokesman told The Atlantic.

In the tweet posted by Gaetz, he shows a clip of Schiff saying this: “It is illegal, improper, a violation of oath, a violation of his duty to defend our elections and our Constitution for the president to merely ask for foreign interefence.”

via LISTEN: GOP Lawmaker Trolls Schiff With Tape Of Him Fishing For Ukraine Dirt On Trump — The Gateway Pundit

Report: L.A. Taxpayers Spend $1.3 Billion on Illegal Immigrant Welfare in Two Years | CNS News

(Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images)

Over a two-year period, California’s Los Angeles County spent nearly $1.3 billion of taxpayer money on welfare for illegal aliens, the latest government data show.

From 2015-16, the sanctuary county allocated nearly a quarter of its total welfare spending to illegal aliens, according to county records, Fox News reports:

“Illegal immigrant families received nearly $1.3 billion in Los Angeles County welfare money during 2015 and 2016, nearly one-​quarter of the amount spent on the county’s entire needy population, according to data obtained by Fox News.”

The costs are merely “the tip of the iceberg,” Heritage Foundation Senior Fellow Robert Rector warns, adding that illegal aliens receive three dollars of benefits for every one dollar they spend.

Source: Report: L.A. Taxpayers Spend $1.3 Billion on Illegal Immigrant Welfare in Two Years

Nearly Half Of America’s Homeless People Live In California | ZeroHedge News

Authored by Mac Slavo via SHTFplan.com,

Not only do nearly half of America’s homeless people live in California, but four of the five American cities with the greatest incidences of unsheltered homelessness are in the Golden State.

As California becomes a mecca for socialism, their quality of life diminishes along with it in a characteristic dystopian decline.

San Francisco, Los Angeles, Santa Rosa, and San Jose are four of the five cities with the highest amount of homelessness. Seattle joins the California municipalities in the top five. According to Market Watch, the rates of homelessness are the highest in Washington D.C. The District of Columbia’s homeless rate is at 5.8 times the United States rate. New York is next, followed by Hawaii, Oregon, and California. These five states together comprise 20% of the overall U.S. population but 45% of the country’s homeless population.

All of these states are incredibly liberal with several already having instituted tight socialist policies.

A White House report teased out certain trends in homelessness across the country. Communities along both coasts have much larger homeless populations than those in the middle of the country. One driver of this trend is likely the more notable rise in housing prices along the coasts than in much of the Midwest.

The White House report identified local laws and policing practices as a potential differentiator. “Some [states] more than others engage in more stringent enforcement of quality of life issues like restrictions on the use of tents and encampments, loitering, and other related activities,” the report noted. –Market Watch

The Trump administration has floated plans to fix the homeless crisis in liberal areas by deregulation. Many states and municipalities have zoning rules regarding the construction of both single-family and multi-family homes. These laws have impeded the builders’ ability to meet the demand for housing resulting in scarcity which has driven up prices. Experts and politicians across the political spectrum have suggested that relaxing such regulations could provide a boost to building activity.

While that could work, the heavy tax burden on everything from property to income makes it difficult to afford anything even if more housing is built.

Source: Nearly Half Of America’s Homeless People Live In California

BREAKING: Author Peter Schweizer Drops Biden Corruption Documents – Shows Hunter Involved in Sale of US Company to China with Potential Military Applications — The Gateway Pundit

Author Peter Schweizer from the Government Accountability Institute joined FOX and Friends on Monday morning to discuss the Biden Family’s massive pay-for-play scandal.

Schweizer is author of the book Secret Empires detailing the vast corruption of the Washington DC elites. Schweizer is an expert on the Biden family billion dollar pay for play scandals with Ukraine and China.

Peter Schweizer told the FOX and Friends hosts he is releasing new documents today on Joe Biden’s pay-for-play scandal with China.

Peter Schweizer dropped these documents today at 10:50 AM.

Here is a copy of the document–

Media Advisory: Peter Schweizer on Hunter Biden and reporting in Secret Empires

A year and a half after Peter Schweizer’s book Secret Empires: How the American Political Class Hides Corruption and Enriches Family and Friends (Harper Collins, 2018) hit #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, some of the book’s findings have been misrepresented by political partisans and by some in the media. The Biden campaign, for example, has tried to create the impression that Hunter Biden was only “passively involved” in a controversial billion-dollar business venture with China when his father was Vice President of the U.S.
Our research shows otherwise.

1. The narrative suggesting that Hunter Biden and his partner played only a passive role at the Chinese firm is simply false. This document shows Hunter Biden was on the board of directors of the investment firm directly managing a $1.5 billion fund. His business partner, Devon Archer, was Vice Chairman and sat on the company’s Investment Committee. These are not merely “advisory” roles.

2. Biden defenders say Hunter did not receive a stake in the BHR until after his father left office. In fact, Rosemont Seneca, Hunter’s firm, held a 30% stake in BHR alongside its other
American partner, the Thornton Group. This is demonstrated by BHR’s Chinese registration records [English] as well as their own description.

Biden’s attorney claims Hunter’s interest in BHR amounted to “only” a $420,000 initial investment. This argument relies on a flimsy distinction between Bohai Harvest RST, the investment management company, and the investment fund it oversees. While records currently available do not disclose the precise level of compensation Hunter Biden received as part of this deal, his $420,000 investment in the management company bought him influence over $1.5 billion in capital backed by the authority of the Chinese government.

3. BHR is very explicit about the value of its American partners:

“BHR, with its unique mixed ownership, combines the resources and platforms of China’s largest financial institutions…and the networks and know-how of our U.S.-based investment fund and advisory firm shareholders.”

The Chinese investment entity with which Hunter Biden had teamed explicitly states the value – “the networks and know-how” – that came with partnering with the Vice President’s son and his partner, Devon Archer.

Hunter Biden’s involvement with BHR is troubling since the firm posesa significant security threat to America.
The Washington Times reported:

One of the companies in the 2015 deal was Bohai Harvest RST (BHR), a billion-dollar investment fund backed by China that was formed by Hunter Biden and Chris Heinz, the stepson of then-Secretary of State John Kerry.

The state government’s Aviation Industry Corporation of China teamed with BHR to buy Henniges Automotive, a producer of high-tech, anti-vibration components for automobiles.

“The direct involvement of Mr. Hunter Biden and Mr. Heinz in the acquisition of Henniges by the Chinese government creates a potential conflict of interest,” Mr. Grassley wrote in an Aug. 15 letter to Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin…

…The $600 million acquisition of Henniges gave the Chinese aviation firm a 51% stake in the business and direct control of the anti-vibration technology. BHR got a 49% share of the business.

“The appearance of potential conflicts in this case is particularly troubling given Mr. Biden’s and Mr. Heinz’s history of investing in and collaborating with Chinese companies, including at least one posing significant national security concerns,” Mr. Grassley wrote.

Note: This transaction between China and Hunter Biden and John Kerry’s stepson Chris Heinz occurred when Joe Biden was vice president and John Kerry was Secretary of State.

via BREAKING: Author Peter Schweizer Drops Biden Corruption Documents – Shows Hunter Involved in Sale of US Company to China with Potential Military Applications — The Gateway Pundit

ABC’s Abrams Claims ‘Anything in Theory Can Be Impeachable’ | NewsBusters

Appearing on Monday’s Good Morning America, ABC News chief legal analyst Dan Abrams adopted a remarkably flexible standard for what can justify removing a duly elected President of the United States from office, arguing that “anything” could be deemed an impeachable offense. That’s certainly much looser than the “high crimes and misdemeanors” standard laid out in the Constitution.

Asking about “the White House defense strategy,” co-host George Stephanopoulos observed that it “seems like they’re moving back towards this idea that their strongest defense would be that there was no explicit quid pro quo in the phone call.” Abrams agreed, but tried to dismiss that defense of President Trump’s July phone call with the president of Ukraine:

The problem with that is twofold. Number one, as a legal matter, you don’t need a quid pro quo. To have a campaign finance violation, all you need is the solicitation. The asking, the request. That in and of itself could be determined to be a crime. And number two, for impeachment you don’t even need to have a technical violation of a statute. I mean we talk, for example, about abuse of power. That’s not a specific violation of a crime, but that has been determined in the past to be an impeachable offense.

First off, he seemed to forget that the Justice Department already investigated the possibility of a campaign finance violation in the call and determined that there was no evidence of a crime. Secondly, while impeachment is a political process and not a legal one, some proof of “high crimes and misdemeanors” should be presented to the American people before overturning presidential election results.

Stephanopoulos admitted that “we’re really just at the beginning of this process” and “We have no idea what we don’t know as this begins.” Abrams seemed to take that as a challenge to come up with other potential impeachable offenses:

So all we can start with today is we’ve got the Ukraine issue. You gotta see if they bring up any of the Mueller issues. But with all these witnesses that are gonna come forward, there’s always the potential to get more. More information, more questions. When you look at The Washington Post story that clearly emerged from what we learned today about this notion that in a 2017 conversation with the Russians, the President may have minimized significantly Election interference. And, remember, Robert Mueller indicted two dozen Russians for that crime. So imagine the idea of the President basically saying criminal conduct doesn’t matter. I mean, could that be deemed to be impeachable?

He then proclaimed: “Look, anything in theory can be impeachable. The question becomes, does the Congress want to move forward with an impeachment proceeding on that?”

It’s hard to imagine the media accepting such a lax standard during a Democratic presidential administration. In fact, one doesn’t have to imagine. Leading up to Bill Clinton’s impeachment, the press constantly trashed Special Counsel Ken Starr and rushed to excuse Clinton’s scandalous behavior, including perjury.

After claiming that Trump could be impeached for “anything,” Stephanopoulos and Abrams fretted over the possibility that Republicans would not go along with the radical action being undertaken by Democrats. “And even if the House does move forward with impeachment, even if there’s a majority for impeachment, no guarantee that there will be a Senate trial,” Stephanopoulos worried. Abrams lamented that the GOP “could end it”:

The other thing is, they could just delay. I mean, remember what happened in 2016 with President Obama’s selection for a Supreme Court nominee. It had always been the case that the Senate would at least take it up. And they decided, “No, we’re just not going to even vote on it.” Is it possible they could delay long enough not to vote? It depends when it comes forward.

Stephanopoulos added: “And what the public opinion is like at the time.”

It’s clear the media are eager to remove Trump from office whether there evidence of an impeachable offense or not.

In sharp contrast to Abrams, on CBS This Morning, constitutional law professor Jonathan Turley made it clear that Democrats had not justified impeachment: “You have to prove it. You got to get a quid to go with the pro quo….You really do, if you’re going to take down a president, you’re going to need to show that he made that linkage.”

Here is a full transcript of Abrams on the September 30 GMA:

7:09 AM ET

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: I want to bring in our chief legal analyst Dan Abrams for more on this right now. So we see elements of the White House defense strategy coming into play. A lot of lashing out at opponents, at Joe Biden. But it also seems like they’re moving back towards this idea that their strongest defense would be that there was no explicit quid pro quo in the phone call.

DAN ABRAMS: Right, I think you’re going to see two prongs here, one is going to be sort of led by the President, maybe led by Rudy Giuliani, which is attack, attack, attack, then number two I think is going to be a more legalistic defense, which is going to be to say that there was never an agreement in place. There was never a quid pro quo. There was never a demand specifically.

The problem with that is twofold. Number one, as a legal matter, you don’t need a quid pro quo. To have a campaign finance violation, all you need is the solicitation. The asking, the request. That in and of itself could be determined to be a crime. And number two, for impeachment you don’t even need to have a technical violation of a statute. I mean we talk, for example, about abuse of power. That’s not a specific violation of a crime, but that has been determined in the past to be an impeachable offense.

STEPHANOPOULOS: And as we see by that schedule I just outlined, we’re really just at the beginning of this process. We have no idea what we don’t know as this begins.

ABRAMS: Right. So all we can start with today is we’ve got the Ukraine issue. You gotta see if they bring up any of the Mueller issues. But with all these witnesses that are gonna come forward, there’s always the potential to get more. More information, more questions. When you look at The Washington Post story that clearly emerged from what we learned today about this notion that in a 2017 conversation with the Russians, the President may have minimized significantly…

STEPHANOPOULOS: “Don’t worry about election interference.”

ABRAMS: …election interference. And, remember, Robert Mueller indicted two dozen Russians for that crime. So imagine the idea of the President basically saying criminal conduct doesn’t matter. I mean, could that be deemed to be impeachable?

Look, anything in theory can be impeachable. The question becomes, does the Congress want to move forward with an impeachment proceeding on that?

STEPHANOPOULOS: And even if the House does move forward with impeachment, even if there’s a majority for impeachment, no guarantee that there will be a Senate trial.

ABRAMS: That’s right. There are two avenues here. Number one is they could make a motion to dismiss in the Senate, which requires a majority and that could just –

STEPHANOPOULOS: So if Republicans hold together, that’s it.

ABRAMS: They could end it. The other thing is, they could just delay. I mean, remember what happened in 2016 with President Obama’s selection for a Supreme Court nominee. It had always been the case that the Senate would at least take it up. And they decided, “No, we’re just not going to even vote on it.” Is it possible they could delay long enough not to vote? It depends when it comes forward.

STEPHANOPOULOS: And what the public opinion is like at the time.

ABRAMS: Exactly.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Dan Abrams, thanks very much.

Source: ABC’s Abrams Claims ‘Anything in Theory Can Be Impeachable’

Whistleblower complaint ‘reeks of deep state’ – Ben Swann | RT America

US President Donald Trump’s phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has led to his impeachment. He also called the whistleblower a spy and treasonous. But who qualifies as a whistleblower? Investigative journalist Ben Swann breaks it down. #QuestionMore #RTAmerica #InQuestionRT Find RT America in your area: http://rt.com/where-to-watch/ Or watch us online: http://rt.com/on-air/rt-america-air/ Like us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/RTAmerica Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/RT_America

The Gospel Coalition Says “Capitalism is Dangerous” in Latest Political Propaganda Video — Pulpit & Pen

The Gospel Coalition, a political organization funded by Socialist dark money that masquerades as a religious 501(c)3, is busy promoting the talking points of progressive faux-Christianity. In the latest video produced and published by TGC, entitled Thinking Christianity About the Economy, two speakers went through a bullet-point of Marxist talking points and alleged that it was the Christian view.

In a recorded talk between Justin Buzzard, a highlighted-haired, faux-hawked Silicon Valley pastor who seems to be desperately trying to hold on to stylistic coolness in a stereotypical “pastor is trying to be hip and relevant” sort of way and Eden Chen, a CEO of a tech firm.

Buzzard co-authored Why Cities Matter to God with Marxist provocateur and TGC co-founder, Tim Keller.

The two blue-state ideologues discuss in the video how Christians should think about the economy. It is one of many daily articles designed to drive America’s evangelicals to the left.

Read more: The Gospel Coalition Says “Capitalism is Dangerous” in Latest Political Propaganda Video — Pulpit & Pen

Lou Dobbs: Investors Say “Democrats are Crazy as Hell, Acting Irresponsibly and Haven’t Got a Chance in Hell” (VIDEO) — The Gateway Pundit

Lou Dobbs joined Stuart Varney on Varney and Co. on Monday morning to discuss the sham Deep State-Democrat Party impeachment push.

Lou correctly called out Democrats and the Deep State for this “naked power grab” which is what it is.

Democrats and the Deep State don’t care about integrity, truth, or the country. They only care about power and how they will punish and ruin anyone in their way – including the American people.

Lou Dobbs, “I’m not particularly hurt, concerned or bleeding for the Democrats who have proved themselves to be abject liars, to be absolutely bereft of any sense of responsibility. Look at what they’ve done in the first 9 or 10 months of this year. Taking power of the House they have not passed one single constructive piece of legislation.”

Dobbs then pointed out that the market (up 50 points) is not worried about the Democrats chances with impeachment.

Lou Dobbs (pointing to the Dow Jones up 150 points): This is a referendum by the investors in this country on the prospects for that impeachment. They’re saying that the Democrats are crazy as hell, acting irresponsibly and haven’t got a chance in hell.

Via Varney and Co.

via Lou Dobbs: Investors Say “Democrats are Crazy as Hell, Acting Irresponsibly and Haven’t Got a Chance in Hell” (VIDEO) — The Gateway Pundit

World Vision’s Leftward Drift — Pulpit & Pen

In 2014 World Vision announced the reversal of the missions organization’s policy on same-sex relationships from prohibiting to affirming. A backlash from a number of evangelical institutions and leaders led to a reversal of the reversal, with World Vision returning to their original biblical position. The story was carried by most major news outlets, right, left and center. Very few major news outlets have carried any monumental stories about World Vision since 2014, though there may be scandal far more dramatic than anything related to World Vision’s policies on gay relationships.

The conservative news/opinion site The Daily Wire recently reported on a disturbing financial scandal involving World Vision. The report revealed that the international branch of the evangelical organization had funneled money to the Islamic Relief Agency (ISRA), an organization with ties to terror groups including al-Qaeda. Partnering churches, individuals, and organizations have remained quiet on this and related scandals involving World Vision over recent years.  This includes Hillsong United and Redeemer Presbyterian Church (Tim Keller) among others. While troubling, this really isn’t anything new for World Vision, as its Australian branch evidently directed funds to the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas prior to 2016 (when El-Halabi, a World Vision manager in Gaza was arrested by Israeli Authorities). As already a definitively non-evangelistic organization, the main mission and concern of World Vision isn’t spreading the gospel so much as spreading material aid to impoverished areas of the world, apparently, despite who ends up on the receiving end of that process.

Ironically, World Vision has seen a small bit of news coverage lately – but not for anything related to funding terrorist organizations. Even with numerous celebrity supporters and generous government funding from nations around the world, the organization has experienced scrutiny from social justice advocates. The non-profit has decided to flip their child sponsorship program, allowing children to select their sponsors rather than the traditional reverse. The move away from traditional sponsorship is likely connected to backlash against accusations of “paternalism” and “colonialism” in poverty relief mission organizations that are rapidly succumbing to the social justice movement. Taking actions such as vaguely endorsing “global efforts to reduce the impact of climate change on vulnerable communities,” and sending a letter to the Trump Administration encouraging a rescinding of the so-called “Muslim ban” in 2017, World Vision has also been steadily crafting a more politically correct social justice image.

Social Justice is being exported overseas by many traditionally evangelical organizations. Help us expose this movement, and the funding behind it at http://enemieswithinthechurch.com/.

This article originally appeared at Enemies Within the Church

via World Vision’s Leftward Drift — Pulpit & Pen

President Trump Demands to Know Who Changed Whistleblower Rules Shortly Before CIA Spy Filed Complaint — The Gateway Pundit

President Trump on Monday morning demanded to know who at the ODNI [Office of Director of National Intelligence] changed the whistleblower rules shortly before the Deep State CIA spy filed a complaint using second-hand information.

“WHO CHANGED THE LONG STANDING WHISTLEBLOWER RULES JUST BEFORE SUBMITTAL OF THE FAKE WHISTLEBLOWER REPORT? DRAIN THE SWAMP!” Trump tweeted in all caps Monday morning.

The whistleblower form was changed within the last year shortly before the CIA officer filed a complaint against President Trump in August using second-hand gossip and fake news media reports as his ‘sources.’

The Deep State Intelligence Community secretly gutted the whistleblower form and now allows the complaint to be filed with second-hand knowledge — previously, whistleblowers were required to be eyewitnesses or to have first-hand, direct knowledge of alleged misconduct.

Rumors are swirling that the Deep State whistleblower is a John Brennan protégé who was planted inside of the White House to spy on President Trump and thwart the Spygate investigation.

Former CIA Director John Brennan on Saturday called on an unlimited number of spies embedded in the Deep State to use the new whistleblower form to report President Trump following a hit from an anonymous CIA officer who snitched on Trump’s call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

And Brennan had a very close ally at the ODNI…

John Brennan’s ally at the ODNI Sue Gordon resigned (was forced out by Trump) on August 8th and the date of the whistleblower complaint is August 12th — perhaps Trump should look at Sue Gordon as the person who altered the whistleblower rules.

via President Trump Demands to Know Who Changed Whistleblower Rules Shortly Before CIA Spy Filed Complaint — The Gateway Pundit

Senators Demand Answers On DNC Efforts To Get Ukrainian Dirt On Trump In 2016 — The Federalist

The chairmen of two Senate committees are insisting that the Department of Justice come clean about Democratic Party efforts to solicit Ukrainian interference in the 2016 election. Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, first alerted the department about the meddling in July of 2017 so it could be investigated, but under Rod Rosenstein’s leadership and the direction of special counsel Robert Mueller, the inquiries of the then-Senate Judiciary chairman were ignored.

In a Sept. 27 letter, Grassley and Senate Homeland Security Chairman Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., demand the Justice Department look into the “brazen efforts by the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton campaign to use the government of Ukraine for the express purpose of finding negative information on then-candidate Trump in order to undermine his campaign.”

The senators also want to know why Alexandra Chalupa, the daughter of Ukrainian immigrants and longtime Democratic operative, has not been required to file paperwork as a registered foreign agent of Ukraine. “Aside from the apparent evidence of collusion between the DNC, Clinton campaign, and Ukrainian government, Chalupa’s actions implicate the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA),” Grassley wrote in 2017. “Chalupa’s actions appear to show that she was simultaneously working on behalf of a foreign government, Ukraine, and on behalf of the DNC and Clinton campaign, in an effort to influence not only the U.S voting population but U.S. government officials.”

In their letter sent this week, Grassley and Johnson ask why DOJ still has not required her to register as a foreign agent of Ukraine.

The attacks against Trump for a phone call with the Ukrainian president come on the heels of the implosion of the Russia collusion narrative, in which special counsel Robert Mueller declared there was no evidence of collusion. Insiders expect revelations about how that false narrative was spread by and to Democratic officials in the executive and legislative branches and the media. The Department of Justice inspector general is expected to release a wide-ranging report on his investigation of surveillance abuses perpetrated in the service of that false narrative in the coming weeks. Additionally, John Durham, a federal prosecutor, is spearheading his own investigation into the origins of the hoax that affected the 2016 campaign and the Trump administration.

Last week, the Justice Department confirmed that Durham is investigating the Ukrainian government’s involvement in attempts to meddle in the 2016 presidential election. In his call with the Ukrainian president, Trump asked for his cooperation with that probe.

Democrats and the media have falsely accused the president of tying military aide to investigation of Joe Biden and his son Hunter. However, a transcript of the phone call that was released last week showed there was no connection between the two matters. Under a 1990s mutual legal assistance treaty, the U.S. and Ukraine are obligated to cooperate in such investigations.

Johnson and Grassley list several specific ways Chalupa solicited Ukrainian officials’ help for the Democratic National Committee, including to spread dirt about Trump campaign official Paul Manafort, to find information to prop up the Russia collusion information operation, and to serve as sources for American media which were publishing the narrative. Congressional testimony confirms that the collusion with Ukrainian officials extended beyond Chalupa to Fusion GPS, the firm that was secretly funded by Clinton and the DNC to peddle the false narrative.

The senators suggest the recent attacks on Trump are a matter of projection by Democrats. “After two years, more than 2,800 subpoenas, approximately 500 search warrants and witness interviews, and $30 million in taxpayer money, Robert Mueller reported that then-candidate Trump did not collude with the Russians or any other foreign government to interfere with the 2016 presidential election. In contrast, however, the Clinton campaign and Democratic National Committee hired Fusion GPS to conduct opposition research against candidate Trump, which included, among other efforts, the hiring of former British Intelligence Officer Christopher Steele to compile the ‘Steele Dossier’ that reportedly used Russian government sources for information. These facts continue to raise concerns about foreign assistance in the 2016 election that have not been thoroughly addressed,” the two wrote.

Johnson and Grassley demand answers no later than Oct. 14, 2019.

via Senators Demand Answers On DNC Efforts To Get Ukrainian Dirt On Trump In 2016 — The Federalist