Dr. Robert Owens Chronicles the History of the Future

Is America Under Judgement? April 24, 2024

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The essay was read as a part of Season Three Episode Nine of the podcast: I Took A Right Turn

All that follows I will preface with, “I believe.” I am not attempting to establish theology for anyone or to declare that anyone who does not agree with me is a heretic. I am merely sharing my beliefs, grounded in study and prayer, since my opinion has been solicited on this topic more than once.

Many Christians today bring every conversation back to, “Do you think these are the last days?”

This may be based on a personal reading of the Book of Revelation in the Bible. It could be based on the broadcast sermons and teachings of any number of professional End Times preachers who have built their careers pointing to an apocalypse around the corner.

The signs of the times are always easy to read, they just aren’t so easy to interpret. Nero was the Antichrist as was Diocletian, King James II, Napoleon, Hitler, Stalin, and Mao. False Prophets have equally abounded from the Pope to Martin Luther, from Henry VIII to Rasputin to Jim Jones.

Is the End coming? Most certainly. Can we know when it is coming? Most certainly not. Since it is impossible to know when the end is coming, I cannot believe that God would want us wasting any of the precious time He gives us speculating as to when it will arrive instead of being His witnesses to the world.

Since it is anti-biblical to believe we can know the date of the End, it is obviously not a Godly use of our time to try and figure it out anyway. What can we know? Just as we can look at the clouds and know when a storm is coming or smell the wind and know when a rain is on the way, so too we can look at the present state of our nation and know the time of the season. If we use the analogy of a year’s cycle it is obviously fall headed for the winter. It has been fall headed for the winter since the crucifixion of Christ: the fulcrum of History.

Some may ask, “Why has fall lasted so long?” The problem is we really don’t know how long the previous winter and spring were.

The belief that the Bible tells us that there were approximately X number of thousand years before Christ and there will be X number of years after Christ equaling 7,000 years as a week in God’s time as taught by some popular TV preachers is based on a tissue of strung together scriptures and cherry-picked verses. Equally, the belief that the time from Adam and Christ is discernible from the Biblical text is based on the erroneous belief that the Bible is presented as a linear historical document.

While I believe that the Bible contains real History and that it is literally true, I do not believe that it presents a year for year time-line type of presentation. The Old Testament is above all a spiritual History of how God chose one people and eventually one person to bring forth the Chosen One: Jesus Christ, the Messiah of the Jews and the Savior of man. I do not believe that by counting the lives of everyone mentioned in Old Testament genealogies it’s possible to know how many years elapsed between “Let there be light” and the birth, death, or resurrection of Christ.

Most of the names mentioned in the many Old Testament genealogies have no age associated with them so the would-be Biblical time liner has to make a guess. Also, when you compare the genealogies there are obvious overlaps, repetitions, and omissions. Compare the New Testament genealogies of Christ found in Luke and in Matthew and you will see the problem with genealogies as linear History.[1] Now multiply that by all the genealogies in the Old Testament and you will begin to see the problem with this method of calculating time.

The people who tell us that the Old Testament gives us an accurate count of the years between the beginning and the beginning of the end are the same ones who tell us that they can figure out from the book of Revelation when the end of time will come. They do this in spite of the fact that Christ Himself tells us in Matthew, “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”[2] Then to make the point again it was one of the last things He told us before ascending to Heaven in Acts, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.”[3]

Since we cannot know the day or the hour, the times or the seasons how godly can it be to spend so much time trying to figure it out? So much for trying to figure out when THE end is since it can’t be done. However, I felt I had to deal with that before I moved on to the real subject of this column: whether or not America is under judgment.

I believe that is a topic that can be discerned by anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear. I am not talking about the end of the United States. It is and will be called by the same name, waving the same flag. I will let you judge if it is the same country we grew up in.

Looking at the spiritual History of the Old Testament as a guide we see that Judah the southern kingdom of the Jews, the believing remnant that carried on the covenant after the apostatized Kingdom of Israel had been carried off into exile was finally delivered into the hands of its enemies because they had sacrificed their children to pagan gods and walked in the ways of the world.[4] Since 1972 when a case based on a lie was used by an activist Supreme Court[5] to invent a constitutional right to abort babies over 60 million Americans have been deprived of the most fundamental right of all: Life.[6]

And even though this abomination has been overturned nationally it is still going on all over the country and the abortion pill is available everywhere without a prescription. 

God does not condemn societies because of the sin within them because the same sins are in all peoples at all times. Rather God condemns societies for the sins they condone. Sodom, Gomorrah, and the cities of the plains were not destroyed because they were filled with more evil than the Canaanites that God eventually sent the Israelites to destroy. No, these cities were consumed by fire and brimstone because they gloried in what others did in shame.

Stroll down the streets of San Francisco. Flip the dial from the Modern Family to Two and a Half Men from The Jersey Shore to Glee and it seems Jerry Springer has defined the new America. On cable and satellite hard core porn fills the overnight hours while state after state legalizes pot on their way to legalizing everything. God was thrown out of school.  Then He was banned from every public space and activity.  The government has taken over the numbers racket, calling it a lottery as they plunder the poorest amongst us by selling them false hope where winning is less likely than being struck with lightning.

What is the judgment of God on nations that have moved out from under His blessing by rejecting His guidance? He casts them down from the heights their former obedience had achieved. In the near future we may become the tail instead of the head as our leaders continue to wag the dog.

Alexis de Tocqueville one of the most astute observers of America said in the early 1800’s “America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.” Now survey the current state of America for yourself. Don’t accept the opinion of someone else.  Make up your own mind.

Is America good? The answer to that will provide the answer to the question posed in this essay “Is America under Judgment?” For if we are not good what are we? And what is the result of that? 

If you decide for yourself that America is under judgment does that mean you should run for the nearest exit or hide in a fallout shelter?

Remember God has told those who follow Him, “A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you.” 

Don’t run and hide.  Instead run to the nearest rooftop and proclaim Jesus as Lord.  Share your witness everywhere and every way with everyone you can for it will only be through a renewal of the heart that we will come to the heart of the problem.

Keep the Faith. Keep the peace. We shall overcome.

The essay is a part of the book Faith by Dr. Robert Owens

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[1] ThoughtCo https://www.thoughtco.com/genealogy-of-jesus-700161 1-25-19

[2] Bible Hub https://biblehub.com/niv/matthew/24-36.htm 1-25-19

[3] Bible Gateway https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=acts%201:7&version=NKJV 1-25-19

[4] Bible Gateway https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Kings%2021:5-13&version=NKJV 1-25-19

[5] @4 Years http://www.pregnantpause.org/abort/lies.htm 1-25-19

[6] Life News https://www.lifenews.com/2018/01/18/60069971-abortions-in-america-since-roe-v-wade-in-1973/ 1-25-19

Season Three Episode Nine April 23, 2024

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In Episode Nine / Season Three of I Took a Right Turn: We share an old Civil War song that expresses the truth of the Gospel and a call to action, The Battle Hymn of the Republic, two old revival songs: I Went to the Enemy’s Camp and I Know it Was the Blood.  The homegrown song we share this week is entitled, Come on People. Our Bible study this week delves into Matthew 24:26; Acts 1:7-8; and II Kings 21:10-12 looking at how God deals with nations.  Robert reads another essay from the first in a series of books on Christian living, (Faith, Hope, and Love) Robert reads Essay # 13Is America Under Judgement.  The text of this essay will be posted the day after the release of this episode at www.itookarighturn.com  All of Robert’s more than thirty books are available through Amazon.  We also invite everyone to visit our online art store, The Pair a Docs Shop where we offer our original paintings, prints and merchandise.

Season Three Episode Eight April 16, 2024

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In Episode Eight / Season Three of I Took a Right Turn: We share two old revival songs: Look What the Lord Has Done and an old song from the Ozarks I’m Blessed.  We also shareone of our homegrown songs: There’s a Reason. In our Bible study this week we look into Luke 6:21-23, looking at the many ways we are blessed by the Lord.  Robert reads another essay from the first in a series of books on Christian living, (Faith, Hope, and Love) Robert reads Essay # 12 I’m Blessed.  The text of this essay will be posted the day after the release of this episode at www.itookarighturn.com  All of Robert’s more than thirty books are available through Amazon.  We also invite everyone to visit our online art store, The Pair a Docs Shop where we offer our original paintings, prints and merchandise.

Season Three Episode Seven April 9, 2024

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In Episode Seven / Season Three of I Took a Right Turn: We share two old revival song: There’s Power in the Blood and Put Your Hand in the Hand of the Man From Galilee, and one of our homegrown songs: I Am. In our Bible study this week we speak about Psalm 37:4; Matthew 17:19-20; and James 4:3, looking at the faith we need to stand for what God has promised.  Robert reads another essay from the first in a series of books on Christian living, (Faith, Hope, and Love) Robert reads Essay # 11 I Got Faith You Got Faith All God’s Children got Faith.  The text of this essay will be posted the day after the release of this episode at www.itookarighturn.com  All of Robert’s more than thirty books are available through Amazon.  We also invite everyone to visit our online art store, The Pair a Docs Shop where we offer our original paintings, prints and merchandise.

Season Three Episode Six April 2, 2024

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In Episode Six / Season Three of I Took a Right Turn: We share two old revival songs: I’ve Been Redeemed and I Saw The Light, and one of our homegrown songs: He Will Save You Too. In our Bible study this week we look at John 1:12, 3:16; Romans 5:1; and I John 3:2, looking into the free gift of salvation available to all.  Robert reads another essay from the first in a series of books on Christian living, (Faith, Hope, and Love) Robert reads Essay # 8 Here’s a Free Gift.  The text of this essay will be posted the day after the release of this episode at www.itookarighturn.com  All of Robert’s more than thirty books are available through Amazon.  We also invite everyone to visit our online art store, The Pair a Docs Shop where we offer our original paintings, prints and merchandise.

Season Three Episode Five March 27, 2024

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In Episode Five / Season Three of I Took a Right Turn: We share three old revival songs: Jesus on the Mainline, We Bring the Sacrifice of Praise, and Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus. We look at James 1:5-8, I John 5:14-15, and Philippians 4:6 and talk about how these passages relate to prayer.  Robert reads another essay from the first in a series of books on Christian living, (Faith, Hope, and Love) Robert reads Essay # 7 Faith is the Answer and Prayer is the Key.  The text of this essay will be posted the day after the release of this episode at www.itookarighturn.com  All of Robert’s more than thirty books are available through Amazon.  We also invite everyone to visit our online art store, The Pair a Docs Shop where we offer our original paintings, prints and merchandise.

Season Three Episode Three March 12, 2024

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In Episode Three / Season Three of I Took a Right Turn: Rosalie and Robert share another of their homegrown songs; He Woke Me Up This Morning.  They also share their arrangements of two old-time revival songs; It’s Different Now and Listen to Me Devil.  There is time devoted to delving into Romans 6:19-23.  And from the first in a series of books Robert has written on Christian living, (Faith, Hope, and Love) Robert reads Essay # 5 Do You Want to be Free from Faith.  All of Robert’s more than thirty books are available through Amazon.  We also invite everyone to visit our online art store, The Pair a Docs Shop where we offer our original paintings, prints and merchandise.

A Soap Opera That Never Ends Will Finally Ends, Then What? March 7, 2024

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All my life I’ve been in love with History.  I learned at an early age that if you love reading you can live a thousand lifetimes and if you’re wise you have the opportunity to learn from the mistakes of others.  I’ve certainly experienced the former while unfortunately not doing much of the latter.

My love of History metastasized into a love of Political Science.  These two intellectual “Loves of my Life” have given me countless hours of joy lost in reading, mired in thinking, and entertained by speculation.

Now as I enter what are called the golden years, though I believe they might be made of brass, having spent several decades teaching both subjects I feel a need to share some insights not on particulars but instead on something that is usually disparaged and often dismissed, generalities.

Though most have never heard of him many can misquote the writer and philosopher George Santayana who is reported to have said, “Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.”  What he actually said was, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”  There is a subtle difference there for learning and remembering are two different things.  This sounds so wise.  It even appears self-evident.  And it apparently, at least to my observation, it’s an oxymoron.  After a daily study of History for sixty years the only lesson I’ve learned is that humanity never learns the lessons of History.

In my classes I tell my students that History is nothing more than the stories of people just like us who lived at different times in what were essentially different worlds.  They had the same bodies and minds that we do.  They felt the same emotions.  They lived, they died, and now it is our turn.  I also tell them that if we don’t learn anything from History that helps us in our everyday life we might as well read fiction.

I know that most people study History because they have to.  I know most people find it boring.  As an exercise in memorizing dates, names, and facts to be later regurgitated on a test and forgotten I can well understand the boring part.  There are so few who can see through to the stories making History so exciting.  So few can lose themselves in the narrative, imagine themselves on the deck of that ship, in the palace with the king, or in the hut with that peasant.  They only see dates, and names, and facts. BORING!

And Political Science who cares about that?  I tell my students who don’t care about it at all that it’s the science of who gets what and if they don’t care about it someone else will and then they get to make the decisions.  So what do you want?  You decide.

Now after decades spent following politics through the lens of History attempting to share with others the insights gained I must tell you all that it’s essentially the equivalent of an ant studying a castle made of sand.  He spends his life telling other ants how wondrous the castle is, how imposing its turrets are, how deep its moat, and how formidable its defenses then the waves come in the castle is gone and the ants have disappeared.

I recently taught a class on American History from 1877 until the present to a class full of millennials.  We used a textbook that was more than a thousand pages long.  It wasn’t until the last few pages that we reached anything the students could remember as having happened since they became aware of the world around them.  That last twenty minutes of the semester really had an impact.

To most people History begins the day they’re born.  For all of us it ends the day we die.  And Political Science ends up being the science of rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. 

In the 4.5 billion years of this planets existence, in the fifteen billion years since the Big Bang the history of humanity doesn’t even take up the last few pages.  It would fill perhaps part of a sentence, a few words such as……………. All things will pass only those things done in Christ will last.

That’s it.  The sum total of all I have learned, all I have discovered, and all I will ever know.  No Christ no peace.  Know Crist know peace.  For those who seek to gain their life will lose it and those who lose their life for Christ will find it.  He is the truth, the light, and the life and without Him there is no truth, or light, or life.

Stop fighting a war that’s already been won.  Stop spinning your wheels running in a race that goes in a circle.  Step out of the darkness and into the light and let this be the first day of the rest of your life.

The stories of those who have gone before teach us nothing if they don’t lead us to Christ.  The politics of this world are an endless loop, a tempest in a teacup, a soap opera that never ends.  It may be engaging to watch like a slow motion train wreck.  It may be exciting, exhilarating, even entertaining but for most of us in a hundred years no one will even know we were here.  In a thousand years no one will remember the compelling arguments of today, the all-important bitter debates about whether we place the deck chair here or there.  Yet in an eternity from now heaven will know whether or not we acknowledged Christ as our Savior, for if we confess with our lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead we shall be saved.

Season Three Episode Two March 5, 2024

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In Episode Two / Season Three of I Took a Right Turn: Along with sharing our homegrown song Come On People we also share two old-time revival songs He Set me Free and Gone at Last.  We spend time looking into Romans 6:15-18.  And from the first in a series of books on Christian living, (Faith, Hope, and Love) Robert reads Essay # 3 A Soap Opera That Never Ends Will Finally End – Then What from Faith.  All of Robert’s more than thirty books are available through Amazon.  We also invite everyone to visit our online art store, The Pair a Docs Shop where we offer our original paintings, prints and merchandise.

Season Three Episode One February 29, 2024

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In Episode One / Season Three, of I Took a Right Turn:We switch up the format a little: Along with sharing our homegrown songs we will also share some old-time revival songs.  In this episode we’ll share Jesus Got Aholda My Life.  Our home-grown song for this episode, performed for the first time anywhere, is I was a Dreamer.  We take a deep dive into Romans 6:1-14.  And this season we’re going to read from a series of books on Christian living, Faith, Hope, and Love.  In this first episode Robert Reads the Introduction to Faith.  All of Robert’s more than thirty books are available through Amazon.  We also invite everyone to visit our online art store, The Pair a Docs Shop where we offer our original paintings, prints and merchandise.

Season Two Episode Thirty-three February 20, 2024

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In the final episode of Season Two, Episode Thirty-three,  of I Took a Right Turn: And now for something completely different: We share four of our homegrown songs, It’s a Battlefield Brother, There’s a Reason, All things in God’s Time, and Don’t Give Up.  We look into James 1:2-4 and II Peter 1:5-11.  All of Robert’s more than thirty books are available through Amazon.  We also invite everyone to visit our new online art store, The Pair a Docs Shop where we offer our original paintings, prints and merchandise.

Season Two Episode Thirty-two February 13, 2024

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In Season Two Episode Thirty-two of I Took a Right Turn Rosalie shares from Ephesians 4:17-19, 25, 5:1-2.  We another one of our homegrown songs, Be Ready.  Robert continues reading in America’s Trojan War moving on to chapter Thirty-two  This is the first book in a five dystopian book series about a civil war in modern America between 2016 and 2024.  All of Robert’s more than thirty books are available through Amazon.  We also invite everyone to visit our new online art store, The Pair a Docs Shop where we offer our original paintings, prints and merchandise.

Dr. Owens Announces his latest book February 8, 2024

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Ephesians Chapters Five & Six:

This concludes my effort to share what I believe the Lord has given me through a study of Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians.  This has taken over thirty years to complete, and I pray that it will be a blessing to someone, somewhere, somehow.

Thank you, Lord, for allowing me the grace to complete four volumes of this work and for the opportunity to make it available to all who might be interested.

Season Two Episode Thrity-one February 7, 2024

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In Season Two Episode Thirty-one of I Took a Right Turn We look at I Corinthians 13:1-7.  This is the famous LOVE chapter used in so many weddings.  We share one of our homegrown songs, I Want to Love the Lord in You.  Robert continues reading in America’s Trojan War moving on to chapter Thirty-one.  This is the first book in a five dystopian book series about a civil war in modern America between 2016 and 2024.  All of Robert’s more than thirty books are available through Amazon.  We also invite everyone to visit our new online art store, The Pair a Docs Shop where we offer our original paintings, prints and merchandise.

Season Two Episode Thirty January 30, 2024

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In Season Two Episode Thirty of I Took a Right Turn We turn our attention to Colossians 2:8-12, 16-17.  In this chapter Paul teaches us that Jesus is all we need and that we don’t have to add rituals, ceremonies, or traditions. We share another of our homegrown songs, The Book, the Blood, and the Blessed Hope.  Robert continues reading in America’s Trojan War moving on to chapter Thirty.  This is the first book in a five dystopian book series about a civil war in modern America between 2016 and 2024.  All of Robert’s more than thirty books are available through Amazon.  We also invite everyone to visit our new online art store, The Pair a Docs Shop where we offer our original paintings, prints and merchandise.

Season Two Episode Twenty-nine January 23, 2024

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In Season Two Episode Twenty-nine of I Took a Right Turn We look into Luke 6:27-30, 46-49.  Jesus speaks to those who are ready for the truth, and He tells us that we need to do more than just hear what He says.  We share one of our homegrown songs, Do What He Said.  Robert continues reading in America’s Trojan War moving on to chapter Twenty-nine.  This is the first book in a five dystopian book series about a civil war in modern America between 2016 and 2024.  All of Robert’s more than thirty books are available through Amazon.  We also invite everyone to visit our new online art store, The Pair a Docs Shop where we offer our original paintings, prints and merchandise.

Season Two Episode Twenty-eight January 16, 2024

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In Season Two Episode Twenty-eight of I Took a Right Turn We turn our attention to Revelation3:20-21 and I Thessalonians 5:19-22.  Jesus stands at the door and knocks.  Will we let Him in?  Will we allow His Holy Spirit to have free reign in our lives or will we stifle His Spirit within us or in the Church?  We share one of our homegrown songs, Keep Your Eye on the Prize.  Robert continues reading in America’s Trojan War moving on to chapter Twenty-eight.  This is the first book in a five dystopian book series about a civil war in modern America between 2016 and 2024.  All of Robert’s more than thirty books are available through Amazon.  We also invite everyone to visit our new online art store, The Pair a Docs Shop where we offer our original paintings, prints and merchandise.

An excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens January 15, 2024

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Silence can be a tool that accomplishes much.

This is an excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens. This and all his books are available from Amazon in paperback or kindle at Amazon 

Announcing The Pair a Docs Shop January 12, 2024

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Robert + Rosalie Owens have opened The Pair a Docs Shop. This is an online store where you can learn about their journeys from inspiration through motivation to creation. This interactive site allows you to view their original paintings and use a tool where you can see how the art will look on the walls of your own home. And with just one click you can purchase originals, limited editions, prints, and printed merchandise such as coffee mugs, tote bags, puzzles, and much more.

https://www.thepairadocsshop.com/

Follow the adventures of the Pair a Docs

as they make the world a more colorful place.

Facebook @ the Pairadocs Shop

and Instagram @ Thepairadocsshop

Here’s a taste of what you’ll find there:

Season Two Episode Twenty-seven January 9, 2024

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In Season Two Episode Twenty-seven of I Took a Right Turn Robert + Rosalie dive into Romans 2:28-29; I Corinthians 5:6-8; and Galatians 6:14-16 and speak about how there is a direct connection between the Passover of the Jews in the Old Testament and the sacrifice of Christ.  They also talk about how the born-again believers have been grafted into the Israel of God.  We share one of our homegrown songs, Come On People.  Robert continues reading in America’s Trojan War moving on to chapter Twenty-seven.  This is the first book in a five dystopian book series about a civil war in modern America between 2016 and 2024.  All of Robert’s more than thirty books are available through Amazon.

An excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens January 7, 2024

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We’ll never see our own faults if we search for the faults of others.

This is an excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens. This and all his books are available from Amazon in paperback or kindle at Amazon 

An excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens January 6, 2024

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If we only hear one side, we’ve only heard half the story.

This is an excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens. This and all his books are available from Amazon in paperback or kindle at Amazon 

Season Two Episode Twenty-six January 3, 2024

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In Season Two Episode Twenty-six of I Took a Right Turn We look into Matthew 14:22-303 and compare that to Matthew 12:38 looking at how miracles impact people’s faith.  We share one of our homegrown songs, Be Ready, featuring Phil Flor on Lead guitar.  Robert continues reading in America’s Trojan War moving on to chapter Twenty-six.  This is the first book in a five dystopian book series about a civil war in modern America between 2016 and 2024.  All of Robert’s more than thirty books are available through Amazon.

A New You for a New Year January 1, 2024

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Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired?  Have you reached the end of your rope only to find out that it’s much shorter than you imagined?  Was last year as good as you hoped it would be?  Was it as bad as you feared it would be?  Does the uncertainty of the future leave you anxious?  Has your own mortality entered like a crack in the ice in your youthful belief in personal indestructability?

But wait there’s more…

Does the randomness of good happening to bad people and bad happening to good people leave you wondering if there’s any rhyme or reason to reality?  Is looking for answers to these and many other questions like looking for needles in haystacks?  Is the quest to find meaning in life like trying to nail fog to the wall?

If you’ve rejected Christ because of Christians don’t mistake the messengers for the message.  Christ told his followers to lake His light to the world and most have spent the last 2018 years trying to build a lamp and pretending it was the light.

The message is as simple as receiving it: Confess Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead and you will be saved.

That’s it. 

It’s not about joining the right club or following the right rules.  We don’t need a seminary degree or someone with one to walk us through learning the secret handshake or the Abra Kadabra password.  And there is no magic decoder ring.  We don’t have to read the Bible from cover to cover.  We don’t have to wear the right clothes, beard, or haircut.  We don’t have to vote for the right candidates.  We don’t have to take an oath to believe the same things that everyone else who confesses Christ as Lord does.

It isn’t about being good enough.  That’s one of the great miracles of God’s economy.  While we were yet sinners Jesus came and died so that we could live.

It isn’t about becoming a religious robot who says the right things at the right time to the right people in the right place.  God is the One who created us with free choice, so we’re free to choose.  It isn’t about conformity.  God is the One who created us to be an individual and He doesn’t make junk.  We are who He created us to be.  He has placed us in a certain time and place so that we can become all He designed us to be and do all that He has called us to do.  And that means what He created, placed, and called you to be, will be different than what He created, placed, and called me to be.  You see it isn’t about cookie-cutter, repeat a formula, and follow the rule book club membership. 

It’s about each of us individually confessing Jesus as Lord and each of us individually believing God raised Jesus from the dead and then learning to commune with God, to hear Him speak to us as individuals and then doing what He tells us to do.

If the questions at the beginning of this article float through our minds like storm clouds in a cloudless sky obscuring what should be clear.  Let’s give up the battle to do it on our own.  Let’s surrender and find victory in allowing God to count the victory of Jesus over sin and death to our account.

It’s so easy we can do it right here right now.  We don’t need to be in a meeting, at an altar, or in a special building.  We don’t need anyone to hold our hand or even know what we’ve done.  We will know.  God will know.  And once we’re in his hand no one can snatch us out.

I confess Jesus as Lord and I believe in my heart that God raised Him from the Dead.  That’s it.  All done.  The battle is over.  The war between us and God is over, and we are one with Him.  Welcome to a new you for a new year.

Dr. Owens teaches History, Political Science, and Religion.  He is the Historian of the Future @ http://drrobertowens.com  Contact Dr. Owens drrobertowens@hotmail.com   Follow Dr. Robert Owens on Facebook or Twitter @ Drrobertowens or visit Dr. Owens Amazon Page / Edited by Dr. Rosalie Owens

An excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens December 31, 2023

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Some people are so poor that all they have is money.

This is an excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens. This and all his books are available from Amazon in paperback or kindle at Amazon 

Dr. Robert Owens announces the publication of his latest book: December 28, 2023

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New Old Sayings Volume Four

This book offers another one thousand glimmers gleaned from more than sixty years of my songs, poems, essays, novels, books, lectures, speeches, personal conversations, contemplation, meditation, and education.

Please receive these works in the spirit in which they are given, my attempt to share what God has given me reflected through the time and talent He has provided.

An excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens December 27, 2023

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The wise will change their mind, fools never will.

This is an excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens. This and all his books are available from Amazon in paperback or kindle at

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Merry Christmas or Mary’s Christmas?   December 24, 2023

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In December of 1914 in the first bitter winter of a long bitter war the solders of the German Empire and the soldiers of the British Empire defied the orders of their officers.  They abandoned their hastily dug entrenchments, that would soon grow into an elaborate maze of trenches stretching from Switzerland to the English Channel, to meet each other in no man’s land. They sang hymns and exchanged gifts in a spontaneous outpouring of the feelings of peace, fellowship, and forgiveness which were then the staples of a Christ centered Christmas season. 

If you drench yourself in the torrent of Christmas movies that bombard us from Thanksgiving till December 25^th you see that the spirit of Christmas in emotional America isn’t about the Christ child who came into a lost world to die as a payment for sin and to rise again to bring new life in harmony with God.  It is instead about the sentimental ideal of love and the boy gets the girl or is it the girl gets the boy?  Who knows, sometimes they throw in a curve that really builds the suspense.  There are movies about Santa Clause, his sons, his daughters, his elves, and wingless angels all of whom help people learn the true meaning of Christmas, which is never about Christ and always about family and friends and being nice people. 

In commercial America, Christmas is about Black Friday and discounts so deep they remind me of the street vendor in Mexico who follows you shouting, “I’ll give you 110% off if you buy two!”  The Chia Pets come out along with snuggies, pet rocks, and every other doodad imaginable to buy for people who already have too much. 

The mountains of presents which obscenely bury Christmas trees in so many American homes are ripped apart by sugar-high children. Children who get into a frenzy of getting so intense they never have time to appreciate what they get. All they want is to get something else.  The beautiful wrapping paper, the miles of ribbon, and the forests of bows are stuffed unceremoniously into big green garbage bags soon on their way to landfills.   

The problem with being a Historian is that you are constantly looking for the context, the background, the circumstances in the past that created the circumstances you face in the here and now.  Sometimes when you discover the story behind the story it isn’t what you thought it would be.  Sometimes it is the opposite of what you thought you would find.  Take Christmas for instance. 

The early Church never celebrated Christmas.  Why didn’t the early Christians celebrate the festival honoring the birth of Jesus Christ?  For the same reason they didn’t honor either birthdays or anniversaries. It was known that the celebrating of any day or date was a custom of the pagans.  By the word ‘pagans’ they meant people who still lived in the darkness of superstition. In an effort to divest themselves of all pagan practices, they did not even set aside or note down the date of their Savior’s birth. 

In the Fourth Century, Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire.  Controversy, heresy, and false teaching began to plague a church now swollen from small groups of dedicated disciples ready to suffer persecution with and for Christ to a massive bureaucratic organization crammed with those who wanted to be part of the religion mandated by the government.  Naturally the Church began to lose its fervor and fire: the zealous faith that exploded out of Israel and spread through the Roman world.  Unfortunately, just like today, the Christian leaders of that time not knowing the true secret of the Church’s growth, looked to outward sources to bolster their flagging faith. Celebrations and entertainment began to surface within the church.   

In 354 AD – Bishop Liberius of Rome declared that Christians everywhere should celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25.  Since the early Christians didn’t record the actual date of Jesus’ birth how was December 25^th decided upon?   Most scholars agree that the birth of the Redeemer did not take place in the month of December at all. In fact, the 25th of December was not even chosen by the Christians, but by the pagan Romans. 

When the Romans of that age noticed that the days grew shorter each year during the months of November and December, they began to fear that the earth might be dying. Therefore, with the ‘return of the sun’ at the end of December resulting in longer days, the Romans began to celebrate the “Feast of the Sol Invictus” (the Unconquerable Sun) on December 25. Soon many Christians began to join in this pagan festival and the various celebrations that went with it. Their faith wasn’t vibrant enough (or real enough) to stand against the strong pull of the festivity and celebration around them. They drifted with the crowd. 

Thus, in order to keep the Christians away from all the pagan rituals that were part of this worship of the sun, Bishop Liberius of Rome declared, in 354 A.D., that all Christians everywhere should celebrate the birth of our Lord on December 25. 

Did this celebration continue unbroken? No. During the rule of Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of Britain and the Commonwealth, the celebration of Christmas was banned because of “the heathen traditions surrounding this sacred event.” From 1649 to 1658 no celebration was allowed except for special church services on Christmas Eve. Cromwell was a dedicated Christian who lived by the commands and principles of Scripture. 

We must recognize a parallel in what took place in church history and what is taking place in this day and age. The pagan festivities of the fourth century and Cromwell’s day are much like the commercial celebration of Christmas today. 

Christians no longer participate in the worship of the sun or the sun god as in the fourth century. The centerpiece of Christmas is now no longer the sun but the unconquerable Santa Claus. This white bearded, chubby benefactor typifies the god of this age – materialism. It was Coca Cola who first gave the white bearded individual his red suit to go with the advertising color of the popular drink. What this plump, rosy cheeked individual has to do with the advent of the precious Lamb of God, I cannot even begin to understand! Writer Jonathan Skinner puts it this way: “A white-bearded old man has thrown the baby out of the cradle, and his trinket-filled grotto has replaced a rustic stable…The spiritual has been swallowed by the secular, the sacred obliterated by sentiment. Christmas has been gutted of its meaning.” 

These humanistic and unscriptural traditions have quietly crept into the church when true faith and real worship were fading. All this is reflected in the entertainment aspect of much of the Christian worship of today. If we claim to be Christians and disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, let us distance ourselves from the commercial (and pagan) celebration of the so-called Christmas season. Holy celebration is Scriptural but must begin from within in the hearts of those who claim to follow Jesus. The crazy rushing whirl that typifies the celebration of Christmas today has nothing to do with our servant Lord who had no place to lay His head. 

Instead of obsessing over the war on Christmas waged by Progressives who desire to erase all that made America great, and instead of campaigning to get Christ back into Christmas perhaps we should pray for a revival that will get Christ back into Christians.  Instead of worrying about whether we are allowed to say Merry Christmas, we should be concerned that so many have lost sight of Mary’s Christmas. 

Dr. Owens teaches History, Political Science, and Religion.  He is the Historian of the Future @ http://drrobertowens.com Contact Dr. Owens drrobertowens@hotmail.com  Follow Dr. Robert Owens on Facebook or Twitter @ Drrobertowens. All of Dr. Owens’ more than thirty books are available at Amazon

An excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens December 22, 2023

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It’s better to suffer for truth than to be rewarded for lies.

This is an excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens. This and all his books are available from Amazon in paperback or kindle at Amazon 

An excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens December 21, 2023

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It’s better to see something once than to hear about it a thousand times.

This is an excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens. This and all his books are available from Amazon in paperback or kindle at Amazon 

An excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens December 20, 2023

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If we cry because the sun has gone down, we may not be able to see the stars.

This is an excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens. This and all his books are available from Amazon in paperback or kindle at Amazon 

An excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens December 19, 2023

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Not reading books is like choosing to be blind.

This is an excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens. This and all his books are available from Amazon in paperback or kindle at Amazon 

An excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens December 18, 2023

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If we can’t row our boat most people blame the oars.

This is an excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens. This and all his books are available from Amazon in paperback or kindle at Amazon 

An excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens December 17, 2023

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Not taking care of your health is like not planting your field.

This is an excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens. This and all his books are available from Amazon in paperback or kindle at Amazon 

An excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens December 16, 2023

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When you’re old you feel the wounds of your youth. 

This is an excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens. This and all his books are available from Amazon in paperback or kindle at Amazon 

An excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens December 15, 2023

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The old know what the young only suspect.

This is an excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens. This and all his books are available from Amazon in paperback or kindle at Amazon 

An excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens December 11, 2023

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We shouldn’t let our tongue cut our throat. 

This is an excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens. This and all his books are available from Amazon in paperback or kindle at Amazon 

An excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens December 10, 2023

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Words are the best thing to have in short supply. 

This is an excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens. This and all his books are available from Amazon in paperback or kindle at Amazon 

An excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens December 9, 2023

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Everything we own in this life is only on loan for a short time.

This is an excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens. This and all his books are available from Amazon in paperback or kindle at Amazon 

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An excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens December 8, 2023

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Every flock has a black sheep.

This is an excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens. This and all his books are available from Amazon in paperback or kindle at Amazon 

Season Two Episode Twenty-five December 5, 2023

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In Season Two Episode Twenty-five of I Took a Right Turn We look into Matthew 13:24-30 and also at 36-43 exploring how the scriptures interpret themselves.  We share one of our homegrown songs, Who Writes the Review. Robert continues reading in America’s Trojan War moving on to chapter Twenty-five.  This is the first book in a five dystopian book series about a civil war in modern America between 2016 and 2024.  All of Robert’s more than thirty books are available through Amazon.

An excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens December 4, 2023

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Those who think deeply discuss ideas, shallow thinkers discuss events, those who don’t think much at all discuss people.

This is an excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens. This and all his books are available from Amazon in paperback or kindle at Amazon 

An excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens December 3, 2023

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Anger is contagious, the antidote is love.

This is an excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens. This and all his books are available from Amazon in paperback or kindle at Amazon 

An excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens November 30, 2023

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It’s easy to forget the good others do for us but hard to forget the bad.

This is an excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens. This and all his books are available from Amazon in paperback or kindle at Amazon 

An excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens November 29, 2023

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A complaint is the weapon of the weak.

This is an excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens. This and all his books are available from Amazon in paperback or kindle at Amazon 

Season Two Episode Twenty-four of I Took a Right Turn November 28, 2023

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In Season Two Episode Twenty-four of I Took a Right Turn Robert + Rosalie look at the parable of the seeds in Matthew 13:3-8, 18-23 and with what happens to us when we backslide in Matthew 12:43-45.  They share one of their homegrown songs, Keep Your Eye on the Prize of Praise.  Robert continues reading in America’s Trojan War moving on to chapter Twenty-four.  This is the first book in a five dystopian book series about a civil war in modern America between 2016 and 2024.  All of Robert’s more than thirty books are available through Amazon.

An excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens November 27, 2023

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When we look down, we see how great we are, when we look up, we see where we really fit in the grand scheme of things.

This is an excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens. This and all his books are available from Amazon in paperback or kindle at Amazon 

An excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens November 24, 2023

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Often what we find so hard to bear we find so sweet to remember.

This is an excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens. This and all his books are available from Amazon in paperback or kindle at

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An excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens November 6, 2023

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Thread follows a needle much as our actions should follow our desires.

This is an excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens. This and all his books are available from Amazon in paperback or kindle at Amazon 

An excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens November 5, 2023

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We shouldn’t waste our time pursuing that which captures our eyes, instead we should invest our time pursuing that which captures our heart.

This is an excerpt from the book New Old Sayings by Dr. Robert Owens. This and all his books are available from Amazon in paperback or kindle at Amazon