The Man of Perdition

Okay, so I haven't been keeping up on this blog, like I planned. Well, I'm busy. Have you been reading up on this guy Javier Solana? Go to www.fulfilledprophecy.com or www.cumbey.blogspot.com for more (and better) information. All I have to say this guy is pretty scary and sure walks and talks the part of the Antichrist. He might not be, but there are so many coincidences. He has some big long title in the EU that begins as High Representative... Sounds like something out of Star Wars. Whether he is or isn't the Antichrist, this sure is a great time to accept Jesus Christ into your life and repent. Jesus is our only hope and our only life preserver. I hope I spelled that the right way.

This is a must read about Playhouse Disney!!!

I have a pressing concern that must be expressed here and now. I’m a parent of two young children who both enjoy shows on Playhouse Disney. The best children shows are the ones that parents can watch alongside their children and not have to groan. Playhouse Disney has some shows that are just horrible to watch for us parents. These shows totally focus more on entertaining rather than being factual. They say they are educational because they expand children’s imagination. I’ve composed a list of shows from worst to best. There are two lists. One is a list of regular shows and then there’s a list for mini-shows.

Regular shows:
1. HigglyTown Heroes
2. Doodlebops
3. Jo-Jo’s Circus
4. The Wiggles
5. Little Einsteins
6. Rolie Polie Olie
7. Stanley
8. Koala Brothers
9. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
10. Bear in the Big Blue House
11. Charlie and Lola

Mini-shows:
1. Go Baby
2. Johnny and the Sprites
3. Feeling Good with Jo-Jo
4. That stupid one with Carlos and his sister Maria
5. Manners with Max
6. Lou and Lou Safety Patrol
7. Shanna’s show/Shane’s Kindergarten Show
8. Dan Zane’s House party (this one is creepy!)
9. Radio Disney
10. Felix and the Flying Machine
11. Project Play time
12. This is Daniel Cook
13. Choo-Choo Soul

Where had the New Age Movement gone?

Back when I first learned about the NAM about 20 years ago, it seemed like it was ready to launch its antichrist and New World Order in the 1980’s. However, once the cover was blown off the NAM, I think it triggered a response from Christians and met with a great deal of resistance. The plans of the NAM I think have been slower in coming in the U.S. because in many ways we are still a Christian nation. Europe was a lot more prone to adopting the NAM way of thinking. What the people in the NAM have been successful in doing is saturating our society with their buzzwords including in our churches. Now what was jargon is now part of every day language here in the U.S. Most Americans may use the word “interdependence” and not realize how that word became common place. New Agers have infiltrated nearly every Christian denomination and non-denominational churches. They have done so very quietly and almost discreetly without most Christians aware of what has been happening. In my church visualization and guide imagery techniques have been used in a “Christian” way. This only furthers the conditioning of people to accept this as an alternative to prayer. However, what church out there doesn’t have some New Age influence. Some denominations have been hit very hard by NAM infiltration and have created riffs within churches. Hit very hard has been the Episcopal Church. My denomination is United Methodist which is also heavily under attack, but there does seem to be a strong, conservative element that has so far kept us from splintering as far as the Episcopal Church.

I’ll write more later. I need to go to bed and get ready for the time change tomorrow.

Therapeutic approaches for autism

My four year old son, Kaleb, was diagnosed with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) on March 17, 2005. His official medical diagnosis is PDD-NOS, which mean Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified. This is the diagnosis people get when they don’t quite fit the full criteria for Autism or Asperger’s Disorder. Asperger’s is considered the mildest form of autism. Individuals with Asperger’s have normal language development. Kaleb’s language is behind his peers, so he doesn’t have normal development. However, his language is not quite as severe as someone with autism proper. He does have repetitive behaviors and most of the criteria for autism. He probably will also be diagnosed with ADHD. He has sensory integration problems and difficulty interacting socially.

The doctor who diagnosed Kaleb was Dr. Richard Solomon based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He has developed a therapeutic approach based on Dr. Stanley Greenspan’s floortime method. Throughout most of Michigan this floortime model can be accessed through something called P.L.A.Y. Project. A trained professional comes into the home to help build goals and strategies for parents. The parents actually do the therapy. The professional video tapes and reviews with parents play therapy sessions. Parents can see how they are doing and the progress that’s being made. Before this new approach most people with ASD, relied on Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) for the bulk of the therapy. This is a behavioral approach that requires lengthy evaluations and charting that is very cumbersome, but has been proven to be a reliable method for building skills. However, what the floortime method does that ABA doesn’t is build relationships that help the child with ASD begin to interact with the outside world. One year ago our son Kaleb could not tell us if he was hurt or sick. He would just cry, whine, or just be lethargic. We would have to guess based on his non-verbal behavior and by scanning his body up and down. It was just like an infant. Floortime also is much easier for parents to use, although it requires some physical and emotional stamina. Generally, it’s a fun approach and does not require much charting or graphing. There are opportunities to build skills, but the main focus is increasing the child’s ability to interact and relate emotionally with first his or her family, and eventually the world outside the family. It’s great to have a child be able to dress himself, but it’s more important for parents to know how their child is feeling. We want to know if the child needs comforting, a trip to the doctor’s, or a drink of water.

There are some parents who are following the research on certain foods and nutritional supplements as an additional form of therapy. As soon as I can I’ll post the different web sites with some of this information. The problem with this special diet approach for our son is that it is very difficult to get him to eat anything. He eats rather well compared to other autistic children. Getting a meal down him is the main focus. If we placed him on a special diet, he wouldn’t eat. Kaleb will starve himself before eating something he absolutely detests. He’s almost worse than a cat. I do think there is some validity to this diet information, but I want Kaleb to eat. It’s difficult keeping him at a reasonable weight level. He isn’t underweight, but he certainly is at the low end of the curve for where he should be weight wise, based on his age and height.
Well, this is my post for this week. I don’t know what next week’s posting will be about. Whatever is on my mind at the time

Some background on the New Age Movement

My background on the new age movement began while I was in high school. I was 15 or 16 years old and I think it was 1985 or 1986. The high school I attended was in Portage, Michigan, a suburb of Kalamazoo. Portage Northern High School was my school and it is located 15 minutes away from two malls, at least on foot. My friend and I often stayed after school, walked to the malls and took the city bus home. City buses often have “regulars” who ride these buses every day. One day my friend was discussing a book an older, visually-impaired man was avidly reading. This man passed on his book to my friend who in turn shared it with me. The book was called The Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow written by Constance Cumbey. This really was the first book that blew the cover off the new age movement (NAM) and how it truly is a world wide movement determined to bring about a new world order and a new world messiah. New agers believe this messiah will fulfill all the major religions that wait for a central figure to come and bring peace and harmony in the world. For us Christians this messiah would be advertised as the second coming of Christ, although he won’t be Jesus. They believe Jesus was only one person who achieved something called the Christ consciousness. Their new age “Christ” has also gained this Christ consciousness, but even more than Jesus.

Through her book I learned about one of the major sources of “theology” of the NAM, a series of books written by Alice A. Bailey. Although, supposedly it wasn’t written by her, but the Tibetan master that somehow lived and spoke through her. A local bookstore carried most of her books and I had some opportunities to browse and even buy some of these books. I searched for more new age books cited in Ms. Cumbey’s book to really see how big this thing was. I found The Aquarian Conspiracy by Marilyn Ferguson and bought it. Although over the years I have since lost it. I digested the major buzzwords of the NAM, so that I was ready in case I came across any new agers.

My very first encounter with a New Ager was one of my teachers at my high school. The class was called “Family Issues” and the teacher had used many buzzwords in her lectures. She recommended that we all should learn how to do relaxation techniques and talked about how everything is interconnected and interdependent. When she recommended that we all read The Aquarian Conspiracy, I was certain I was dealing with someone who embraced the NAM. She wore crystal necklaces. I decided that from that moment on I would keep The Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow in my backpack the next time she recommended the other book again. The day came when she asked how many students ever heard of The Aquarian Conspiracy. I raised my hand and she sounded surprised. Then I pulled out Ms. Cumbey’s book and asked if she or the other students heard of this particular book. It was Constance Cumbey versus Marilyn Ferguson. The teacher said she never heard of the book and I explained the basic premise of The Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow. She didn’t have much to say in response. Unfortunately, she had the upper hand on me. I ended up failing her class (surprise, surprise!) and having to take study hall for the rest of the year.

One positive consequence with me reading The Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow was that I began going through the Bible and reading up on the “end time prophecies.” For some reason my friend and I were into listening to the musical Jesus Christ Superstar. Although this was not necessarily a work of faith, I began reading the four books of the Gospel to compare how accurate the musical was in its account of Jesus’ final entry into Jerusalem. I even decided one time to read the Bible from beginning to end. The only Bible I had at my home was the Revised Standard Version. After graduating from high school and when I began my college career at the local community college, all of this Bible reading and growing concerns over the NAM, I decided to ask Jesus to come into my life. I guess it was what being “born again” is all about. I wanted to quit college and my current job and follow Jesus to the ends of the Earth. Before I did anything rash, I talked with a pastor of some Pentecostal church about my decision, and he convinced me I could stay in college, keep my job, and still follow Jesus because this could be part of God’s will for my life. He invited me to visit his church, but my dad and my brother began attending a local United Methodist Church in Portage. That’s the church I eventually joined. Although there is a lot of New Age infiltration in the UMC, there is still a very strong conservative and traditional voice to help balance out the other. I thought of the parable of the weeds in Matthew 13: 24-30. Of course, now the New Age infiltration is starting to get larger than the conservative and tradition voices. The scales are tipping. Hopefully, we won’t go the way of the Episcopal Church.

Every now and then for the last twenty years I’ve kept tabs on the NAM, which is easier now with the Internet. I’ve found Benjamin Crème and his Share International web site, which even has a photo of Maitreya the Christ. Although I’m a bit skeptical of how accurate this picture is (it reminds me of the infamous out-of-focus video of Bigfoot that was proven a hoax), but it still highlights how very active the NAM truly is. I’m surprised how successful the NAM has been able to saturate our culture with their ideology and how their buzzwords are now a part of our every day language.

Well, this is some of my background. I’ll have more stuff later on.

Is this site based on research and fact? What's up with Star Wars?

A word of caution to readers of this blog. Most of what I write is not well researched. Once in a while there'll be some cited sources of information, but usually my words are based on anecdotes, conjecture, and speculation--a whole lot of speculation. I figure since I'm a Dave Barry fan and my name is also of the Dave persuasion, I can use some of the same research techniques. I just won't be as funny. This site is more serious, most of the time.

All right! I placed on my profile under my favorite movies the original Star Wars trilogy. This might seem to contradict my feelings about the new age movement (NAM). I do realize the NAM's belief about the Force is eerily similar to that of Star Wars. I'm not sure if George Lucas is a New Ager or not, but I grew up with Star Wars. I don't accept the notion of any Force as something to worship. Star Wars being one of my favorite movies is not an endorsement of any New Age belief. I certainly liked the original trilogy more than the prequels. However, I do think it's also very scary how the head of foreign policy of the European Union, Javier Solana, has manipulated his way into the position of power he is in. It is similar to the fictional account of Senator Palpatine in Star Wars and how he manipulated his way into becoming Emperor. That's just weird!

What is this blog about?

This blog is about mainly my own thoughts on issues that are important in my life and I think that other people might relate to. These are hot button issues for me. Sometimes I'll have comments regarding the new age movement and Biblical prophecy. I truly believe the new age movement is about bringing the antichrist into power. My other hot button is in regards to autism. Actually, autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), which my older son was diagnosed with one year ago today on St. Patrick's Day. I also will have some random comments about my perspective on life and how the world works. So, stay tuned. There definitely will be more in future days. Generally, I can really only post about once a week because I'm fairly busy throughout the week.