Rare Jewel Insight: May 25, 2005
Table of Contents:
1. COMMENTARY
- “It is Written”
2. THE BIRTH OF RARE JEWEL MAGAZINE
- A Story of God’s Faithfulness
3. BECOME A SIGNER!
- The Declaration of Dependence
4. NEW BOOK: “BACKFIRED”
- By William J Federer
1. COMMENTARY
- “It is Written”
(by Tim Ewing, Founder, Rare Jewel Magazine)
On a recent airplane flight I had an interesting conversation with the gentleman who was seated next to me.
I was asked what I do for a living and as soon as I mentioned that I publish a magazine, the follow-up questions quickly revealed the gist of my work: we publish Rare Jewel Magazine with a mission to educate, equip, and encourage citizens who are concerned about America’s immoral slide and wish to get involved in culture and politics to make a difference.
Now you can imagine that this is not fodder for a surface-level conversation with a stranger. As often is the case, my response to the simple question, “What do you do?,” will plunge me into a deep philosophical discussion about the merits of RJM. In short order I discover whether my new found friend is really a friend, or a foe, to our efforts.
On this occasion, my temporary traveling companion quickly revealed himself as a foe given his line of questioning and dogmatic assertions. Our conversation remained courteous yet I could sense the adrenaline kick-in for both of us as we passionately debated for the next 60 minutes.
My new acquaintance fired a salvo, “So you think the Founding Fathers intended that the US Constitution should never change?” I answered, “What I think doesn’t matter, but what does matter is the fact that the Founders built into the Constitution itself the means for its change, in Article V…a Constitutional Amendment process that requires at least two-thirds vote from both houses of Congress and then approval from the legislatures of three-fourths of the states.”
I quickly added, “But -- they did not intend for the judicial branch to apply modern interpretations to the original intent and the specific language of our Constitution. After all [paraphrasing as best as I could recall], Thomas Jefferson himself suggested by letter to Supreme Court Justice William Johnson in 1823 that ‘On every question of construction, carry ourselves back to the time when the Constitution was adopted, recollect the spirit manifested in the debates, and instead of trying what meaning may be squeezed out of the txt, or invented against it, conform to the probable one in which it was passed.’”
I continued, “For example, in 1947 the Supreme Court pulled this myth of separation between church and state out of thin air and made it the law of the land.” To this, I received the response, “Well I think that America was founded upon the principle of religious freedom so that our government should have no opinion about, or influence by, any religion...the Supreme Court made the right decision.”
I countered, “Then why does the Declaration of Independence state that all men are ‘endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights’ and that the last sentence of the Declaration again acknowledges God by stating, ‘with firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence’?”
Without really answering my question, the gentleman stated, “Well I think that was just a generic reference, a catch-all phrase for people of all faiths.” I disagreed by pointing out that fifteen times during the Revolutionary War the United States Congress issued national days of prayer, fasting, and thanksgiving…and that the written record of history reveals all of these proclamations contained specific Christian language to the effect that our nation was entirely dependent upon the Christian God to secure independence for America -- and included such phrases as, “to continue to us the light of the blessed Gospel,” and “to cause the knowledge of Christianity to spread over all the earth.”
The conversation continued in like manner until our flight concluded. Later, I contemplated the entire conversation as I awaited a connecting flight, realizing a pattern to our debate: the gentleman would say “I think…,” to which I would respond, “It is written….”
It occurred to me the importance of the written record. God himself wrote the original Ten Commandments on tablets of stone, with his finger. Scripture tells us that God commanded both Moses and Joshua to write down His laws and their experiences. Where would we be had not Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John written their testimonies of Christ, and the epistles of Paul, Peter, James, John, and others?
In America we have a written Constitution with ample written documentation to clarify the original intent for our One Nation under God, its form of government, and the basis of our public policy.
Our best defense, and our best offense, is to know the Word -- the Word of the Biblical record AND the word of the historical record as we labor in this culture war for America’s soul.
Following Jesus’ example, the next time an adversary tries to derail you with, “I think…,” diffuse their arguments with a simple, “It is written….”
2. THE BIRTH OF RARE JEWEL MAGAZINE
- A Story of God’s Faithfulness
[Jeremy Reynalds, Special Correspondent for ASSIST News Service recently wrote the following story about the birth of Rare Jewel Magazine. Original article can be viewed at: http://www.assistnews.net]
Outwardly successful but emotionally and spiritually bankrupt, Tim Ewing put everything on the line to launch a vision that he believed came directly from the heart of God.
The result was a new Christian publication called Rare Jewel Magazine.
In a recent e-mail interview, Ewing said, “The Bible teaches that God's people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. We must seek to know God and to know His role for America, our government, our churches, our families and us as individuals.”
Ewing said the magazine’s philosophy is not to “save America for America's sake, or even for the sake of our posterity. Our guiding premise is to acknowledge that our nation has fallen into disobedience from the purpose for which God established the United States of America, that is, to be ‘as a City on a Hill’ ... Our overriding purpose is to have America return to this God-given national calling.”
Ewing said, “God birthed not only the name of a magazine, but the mission for our ministry: To equip and empower citizens with knowledge about the important cultural issues of our day in light of our nation's Christian heritage, and also, to provide a call to action for all Christian patriots to restore our nation's Christian foundation.”
Ewing called his position at Rare Jewel Magazine, “ ... not a job, but a full-time ministry effort, a service to the Body of Christ and the citizenry of our nation; for God's glory alone.” Marlene Bagnull, director of the upcoming Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference, and where Ewing will be the keynote speaker (www.writehisanswer.com/Philadelphia) said in an e-mail interview, “Rare Jewel Magazine is a must-read for all Christians who are concerned about our nation and long to impact our culture. It addresses critical issues intelligently, responsibly, and most importantly from a Biblical world view. Rare Jewel Magazine is equipping readers to make a difference.”
In an e-mail interview, Rare Jewel Magazine’s Managing Editor Rick Marschall said he feels his life’s experiences up until now have prepared him for his present position.
Marschall, who among other jobs, has been a political cartoonist and columnist, an editor with three newspaper syndicates, editor of Marvel Comics and a writer for Disney Comics as well as writing 59 books and hundreds of magazine articles, called his job the privilege of a lifetime.”
Marschall said, “Rare Jewel Magazine addresses the vital issues of the day -- in nation, fireside, and church -- and God has graced us with resources, circumstances, and talent (I mean our writers and partners) to have an impact to serve Him and redeem the culture. I feel a particular burden to encourage Christian patriots to develop and exercise a Biblical world view. Every issue, every article, deals with our Christian heritage, crises that currently threaten us, how we can be better informed, and what practical measures we can take to reclaim the culture.”
BEFORE RARE JEWEL
Ewing talked about the series of events that led up to the magazine’s birth. He said that while the vision for Rare Jewel Magazine “was conceived in an instant, God had been laying the groundwork for the several years preceding.”
Reflecting back to his self-described spiritually bankrupt days of mid-2001, Ewing said that while he was a Christian who was confident of his salvation, something was still missing.
“On the outside I was enjoying success at work. I was living the American dream: I had a wife, kids, a house, a dog, two cars and a 401k,” he said. “But inwardly I had become discouraged and anxious. I was ‘weary and heavy laden,’ to say the least; I had been running on empty for a long time. The abundant life promised to me in Scripture was never more than a mirage. I was desperately seeking answers to questions that I couldn't even consciously form-I needed God, I hungered only for Him, and had no desire even to eat food. I didn't purposely choose to fast, I wasn't trying to prove anything to God; I simply quit eating because I had no desire for anything except God because something (the Holy Spirit) prodded me that He was my only hope.”
Ewing continued what he called his “accidental fast,” finding some comfort in the Book of Job.
“I prayed and I read the Bible, specifically finding some solace in the Book of Job,” Ewing said. “I was numb to my family and the rest of the world. I had a thirst that could only be quenched by a Word from my Lord.”
On day three, Ewing said he sensed a glimmer of hope as he began to sense the Lord speaking to him in a still small voice.
Ewing said he felt God say that His desire was for Ewing to have a relationship with Him.
“If there was ever a meaning to life, this was it,” Ewing said. “The Christian ‘way’ meant nothing if God and I did not have a vibrant personal relationship with each other ... This was a concept that I had heard in sermons and read in books, but what had only been ‘head knowledge’ before had now become a reality deep within my heart ... It literally changed my life.”
There was more. Ewing said that God convicted him of an area of his life that he had not yielded to the Lord.
“Though I had accepted Christ as my Savior and Lord I had not entrusted to Him ALL of my life,” Ewing said ... “I devoted first place in my life to my job and the pursuit of a larger paycheck. To me, a giant 401k account and other accumulated assets some twenty to thirty years in the future would be my ultimate security and reward for a life of diligence and success; a point I thought where I would finally find ‘rest.’”
Ewing said when he realized this, he recommitted his life to the Lord.
Ewing said, “For the next year I pursued God like never before ... Inwardly I was growing and maturing in Christ, but outwardly I was frustrated with my job. I was still enjoying a measure of favor and success, but the satisfaction that I used to receive was gone ... I didn't understand why God would allow such unrest. Here I was seeking Him more than ever yet I now began to loathe my job. Certainly God did not want me to work for the rest of my life at something I disliked.”
How to get out of his job and the “rat race,” Ewing said, became
his ongoing cry to God. But it wasn’t that easy.
“How could I walk away from my job,” Ewing said. “What
would I do? The only thing I was good at (working for a
computer magazine publishing company) I now loathed. Though
this was the most frustrating time of my life, unbeknownst to me, God had a plan that He would soon reveal.”
BIG CHANGES
God’s plan for Ewing and his family began to unfold in a way he would have never expected. In Aug. 2002, Ewing, his wife and children took their (almost) annual trip to Montana to visit Ewing’s in laws.
“However, on this particular trip my wife picked up a real estate guide and began to look at houses for sale in the area near her parents,” Ewing said. “She eventually persuaded me to look at a few properties she had circled. What I discovered stunned me. Housing was so inexpensive in Montana compared to Colorado that we had enough equity in our home to buy a place in Montana and be debt free! Within a few days the Lord had spoke to me that we were to move to Montana, that I was to quit my job, and then wait on Him for the next step. Meanwhile my wife would get her dream-come-true by living in the country with a few acres to support some farm animals (pets).”
In Nov. 2002 the Ewing family moved to Montana and Ewing drew his last corporate paycheck a month later. Ewing said he was prepared for an easy ride ahead. After all, he reminisced, he and his family were now right where they believed the Lord wanted them. But that was not to be.
“Instead of smooth waters.” Ewing said, “we were met with some of the most difficult life circumstances we had ever faced as a family. But through it all, God proved He was faithful; we grew and matured in our faith.”
Months went by, Ewing said, and he still had no idea what the Lord has in mind for his life.
“I was open for anything and had my mental and spiritual ‘antennas’ up full time just waiting for God to show me the next step,” Ewing said. “Four or five times I pursued one thing or another only to have the door close. I did not want to force God's hand. Likewise, I did not want to be guilty of missing God's answer for me.”
However, God has not forgotten the Ewing family. “Nine months after the move ... God revealed to us that next step. On Aug. 20 2003 while reading Proverbs 20:15, ‘Lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel,’ I received my marching orders to launch Rare Jewel Magazine.”
Although Ewing was not overtly aware of it, the Lord has been training him for what would be his new ministry in the years preceding his move to Montana. Ewing had been finding he had an ever increasing passion to educate himself about America’s true heritage – its Christian foundation, its original form of government, its public policies based on Biblical principles and the Christian faith and practice of the Founding Fathers.
God was also encouraging him, Ewing said, to be informed about “the big issues of our day” that include sanctity of life, homosexual activism, judicial tyranny; creation versus evolution, education, the culture war on Christian faith and family traditions.
Ewing said for a long time he had been very concerned about the “immoral direction” being taken by America. “I knew I should somehow enter the fray, to try and make a difference,” he said. “Nonetheless, I found myself hesitant to actively engage our culture or get involved in political processes because I lacked confidence. I didn’t understand enough about the issues to be an effective communicator of truth, and I was unsure about how and where to invest my efforts.”
As Ewing studied American history from original source documents, he discovered something important.
“I realized God has a divine purpose for the United States of America. The Founding Fathers acknowledged this and established our form of government and laws accordingly,” Ewing said. “However, recent generations have turned their backs on the God of the Bible-whom the Founders recognized as the source of all law and the giver of our freedom and prosperity-and our nation's historical record. Recent generations are instead using God's blessings upon America for selfish and licentious ends.”
Ewing added, “Our nation’s first president said, ‘It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the Providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor….’ It is to this end that we serve in the war for our nation's soul and to shine the light of Christ.”
As the Ewing family continue to obey the call of God, walking by faith and not by sight, Ewing said he discovered something remarkable.
“What used to cause me stress, this uncertainty about what the future holds for us, this adventure that God has us on, not knowing how or when our next paycheck will come; what used to cause me stress has now become the spice of life! I think I'm beginning to scratch the surface of what this ‘Abundant Life’ thing is all about!”
3. BECOME A SIGNER!
- The Declaration of Dependence
The Declaration of Dependence is a new kind of petition that also represents a movement to restore our nation’s Christian foundation. The Declaration of Independence not only declares independence from Great Britain but also declares our nation’s dependence on God. Our nation has neglected the latter, to which the DoD will bring recollection and renewed commitment.
We are also attracting ministry and business leaders who want us to list their organization name as a supporter of the Declaration.
Individuals: Read and Sign the Declaration of Dependence at:
www.DeclarationOfDependence.org.
Ministry and business leaders email
support@DeclarationOfDependence.org to get your organization listed as a supporter.
United, our voices will have greater impact in the effort to restore America’s foundations. The Declaration of Dependence is your tool for multiplying our strength unifying our efforts.
4. NEW BOOK: “BACKFIRED”
- By William J Federer
Rare Jewel Magazine author and prominent historian William Federer has just published a new book, called “BACKFIRED: A Nation Born for Religious Tolerance No Longer Tolerates Religion.”
For more information on this and other great resources on American history, go to:
http://www.amerisearch.net/shop
