Welcome to Christian Impact Ministries' SaltBlog ...

 
For over 26+ years of Kingdom ministry with Christian Impact Ministries (CIM), we have seen many changes occur within this God-birthed evangelistic ministry. From January 1996 to May 2010, CIM produced, printed and mailed out our monthly ministry newsletter, "Savior's Seasonings," to over 1200 families, churches and Christian businesses free of any charge. We did so as a primary means to help keep Christians informed on today's issues through the spiritual prism of a Biblical worldview and Biblically equip them for Christ-led action and engagement in the public square. Ironically, watchman-type ministries such as CIM need to be able to expeditiously alert today's families to current events and issues that today often change multiple times within the span of a few hours. Understanding the growing impact of the digital age of news and social media, we began to see an expanding time lag / delay in the status of current issues from the time we produced the newsletter stories until the moment it reached the hands of our ministry constituents - often taking no shorter than four weeks in turn around times. That amount of time delay is simply not unacceptable with the technologies available today and the ever-increasing pace of news events in the 21st Century. So in the context of our trying to utilize every means available to us to deliver our ministry resources in a timely, efficient and most cost-effective manner, we decided to launch this website (SaltBlog) which replaced our longstanding print edition of Savior's Seasonings newsletter in early 2011.

The purpose of this SaltBlog assists us in our God-given role "to help evangelistically equip believers to be informed on the spiritual and moral issues of our day and to be equipped with the Biblical tools and opportunities for responding in faith by Christ-centered action." (1 Chronicles 12:32) In this God-assigned role, we understand that the Lord has uniquely called this timely ministry to serve as His Spiritual "Watchman on the Wall" just as Isaiah 21:6-7 declares, "Put a watchman on the city wall. Let him shout out what he sees ... let the watchman be fully alert!" Due to a technical glitch with the host of this Blog page, we lost most of the site's history / resource data which we had posted and accumulated over several years of ministry. In this interim period, we created a FaceBook page for this ministry whereby we post timely articles using the similar at form of social media for the purposes of expanding our ministry 'footprint' and perhaps reaching a wider audience. For the present time, we will utilize our FaceBook page as our primary posting site until this SaltBlog is either re-designed and re-populated with new, more current articles or we are able to secure a new web hosting service with a completely new webpage format which we are currently researching. We know - through credible news sites and various Christian ministries - that FaceBook has sadly been caught censoring many Christian ministries and conservative news outlets who we at CIM use as news sources for many of our articles. That stated, our CIM FaceBook page may be subject to have those same restrictions / limitations placed on us as well at some point in the coming future. Hence, we are actively seeking a web page format whereby such limitations and/or restrictions will not impede the kingdom work of honoring our mission and vision of this ministry. Thank you for your patience and gracious understanding.

We would humbly covet your prayers for us as we continue the journey of this challenging, timely and prophetic ministry work of CIM "for such a time as this." (Esther 4:14) Thank you so kindly for praying for our family and for helping us continue this ministry by financially supporting the critical mission work of CIM for today's family and God's church which on January 1, 2021 began our 25th year of Kingdom service. Please know that we are a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization and your gifts are fully deductible as allowed by law. Your obedience to God's leading in financially supporting this ministry endeavor will help sustain the operational expenses associated with continuing this timely prophetic ministry work for today's family and will serve as a valuable means of God's provision for our family in this full-time calling / kingdom service! Thank you so kindly!

    Please direct all correspondences, to include scheduling inquiries for revivals / guest preaching / speaking engagements / teaching opportunities (e.g. special weekend Bible studies and Home Bible Study Fellowships) to the address listed below ...

Christian Impact Ministries

Post Office Box 416

Hudson, North Carolina 28638-0416

e-mail: impactforchrist.cim@gmail.com

We are deeply honored to share the wonderful news that NewSong Church in Lenoir, NC followed the Lord’s leading and extended a call to Evangelist David Haltom to serve as their Lead Pastor in early July 2020 - he officially began his pastorate ministry on August 10, 2021. Serving with dual ministry callings is indeed challenging, however, the Lord has uniquely blessed both of his ministry callings with many hearts and souls being touched and transformed through the divine work of the Lord in each ministry field!

 Both ministry callings have always uniquely served to compliment one another as well! 

... G3! (Giving God all Glory!)

The Haltom Family 

Spring 2021

Bakers who refused same-sex ‘wedding’ cake in 2013 appeal to Supreme Court

The former owners of an Oregon bakery, ordered to pay $135,000 in damages for declining to make a cake for a same-sex wedding, are appealing their case to the Supreme Court.

Lawyers for Aaron and Melissa Klein filed a petition Monday asking the Supreme Court to reverse an earlier decision handed down by the state that forced them to shut down their family bakery.

"Freedom of speech has always included the freedom not to speak the government's message," said Kelly Shackelford, president and CEO of First Liberty, a nonprofit legal organization representing the Kleins. "This case can clarify whether speech is truly free if it is government mandated."

An administrative judge for the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries ruled in July 2015 that the Kleins had discriminated against a lesbian couple, Rachel and Laurel Bowman-Cryer, on the basis of their sexual orientation. The judge ordered the Kleins to pay the $135,000 for physical, emotional, and mental damages. The Kleins appealed that ruling to the Oregon Court of Appeals in April 2016, and that court upheld the state agency's decision.

Under Oregon law, it is illegal for businesses to refuse service based on a customer's sexual orientation, as well as race, gender, and other characteristics. The Kleins maintained that they did not discriminate, but only declined to make the cake because of their religious beliefs about marriage. Designing and baking a custom cake for a same-sex wedding, they said, would violate their Christian faith.

In June 2018, the Supreme Court ruled on a similar case in favor of Jack Phillips, owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop outside Denver, Colorado. In that case, Masterpiece Cakeshop Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, the court ruled that government officials cannot be hostile to the free exercise of religious beliefs. But the high court did not rule specifically on the underlying question of the case: whether government may compel citizens to create messages that violate their deeply held religious beliefs. The Kleins' petition asks the Supreme Court to address the unanswered question left over from the Masterpiece Cakeshop case.

Also in June 2018, the Kleins wrote a piece for The Daily Signal explaining what the Masterpiece Cakeshop ruling means for their case. They wrote that they were "thrilled for our friend," because like Phillips, "we know what it is like to be treated unfairly by a state agency and mocked, threatened, and abused by critics."

The couple added:

At the same time we wonder what the future holds for our case, our lost business, and our family. Ours may be, as Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote, the case that allows 'further elaboration in the courts.' And we are encouraged to know that seven justices of the Supreme Court agree that a state's hostility to the religious beliefs of its citizens will not be tolerated under the First Amendment.

Kennedy was known on the Supreme Court for being a crucial swing vote. Since the court's ruling on the Masterpiece case, Kennedy has retired and was just recently succeeded by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, a noted conservative. Kavanaugh's addition to the court has led some to theorize that if the court were to take the Kleins' case or a similar one, the decision could fall in their favor. 

The $135,000 the Kleins were ordered to pay sits in escrow pending the final outcome of the case. The couple's attorneys say they are hopeful the high court will respond to their petition within the next three months.

Article Source: LifeSiteNews.com, 10.24.2018

Be DOers of His Word (James 1:22) ...

001 DO ... Read His Word

Take a few moments to see what the Holy Word of God clearly and authoritatively says (i.e. not man's opinions or personal convictions) about the various types of sexual immorality!

• 1 Corinthians 6:9-11
• Romans 1:18
• Leviticus 18:22
• Leviticus 20:13
• Hebrews 13:8
• Romans 1:26-27
• Matthew 22:36-40
• Ephesians 4:15
• James 2:8
• Galatians 5:14

"Abortion supporters convert to pro-life after watching new Gosnell film"

Gosnell: The Trial of America's Biggest Serial Killer is a hit among pro-life and conservative media for many reasons, not the least of which are the testimonials of people who say the film has convinced them to abandon their former “pro-choice” stance.

Gosnell depicts notorious Philadelphia abortionist Dr. Kermit Gosnell’s arrest, trial, and conviction for the first-degree murder of three born-alive babies and the involuntary manslaughter of patient Karnamaya Mongar. It’s based “very heavily on actual court transcripts,” “dozens of hours of interviews” with Gosnell himself, and the grand jury report.

The shocking details of the original trial – like Gosnell cutting the spinal cords of hundreds of newborns; witnesses describing infants who survived initial abortion attempts as “swimming” in toilets “to get out”; and the feet of aborted babies stored in a freezer – changed the minds of co-producer Ann McElhinney, at least one reporter, and others, and there are signs the film is doing the same.

“Yesterday, I was pro-choice. I believed that women should have a say & the [government] shouldn’t be interfering w/ our lives," Kathy Zhu, a University of Central Florida student who garnered national attention in 2016 when she abandoned Hillary Clinton for Donald Trump, tweeted Sunday. "Today, I'm pro-life. After watching #Gosnell & doing in-depth research, I finally understand the horrors of loopholes in late term abortions. [Please] go watch Gosnell.”

Patrick Courrielche, a writer and cofounder of the marketing firm Inform Ventures, also says Gosnell “singlehandedly changed my mind on abortion.”

Last week, McElhinney told Family Research Council president Tony Perkins she could spend "all day reading the most beautiful letters from people who have changed their mind about abortion from watching the movie,” many of them explaining that they didn’t understand what was actually involved in abortion and were under the impression it was limited to much earlier in pregnancy.

“We showed a liberal friend an early cut of the film and he left the theater and started chain-smoking declaring: ‘I'll have to rethink everything,’” the producers added.

The case intensified the resolve of people who already opposed abortion, as well.

“Gosnell shattered my pro-life passivity,” Emily Rolla writes at LifeTeen. “When a story like this breaks, it's easy to feel passionate and motivated to change things, but Twitter activism is lazy activism at best. Don't get me wrong, it's great to retweet or share the details in the digital world, especially in this case when the media has been so silent.”

“The problem is when we shy away from the topic of abortion once the news blows over. We feel as though we have done enough,” she argued. “This recent trial sheds light on the truth of abortion, and it is time to stop being passive in our convictions. We have to be active, especially in prayer, to end abortion. We need to be unafraid to speak for those who can't speak for themselves.”

Testimonials like these shed light on the intense resistance the film has received since it was announced. Every major Hollywood distributor rejected Gosnell, forcing producers to rely on crowdfunding. Judge Jeffrey Minehart, the trial judge in the case, tried to block both the film and book with a defamation suit. National Public Radio (NPR) objected to advertising text that referred to Gosnell as an “abortionist.” Planned Parenthood successfully pressured at least one venue to cancel private screenings. Facebook has rejected numerous advertisements for the film. Most recently, co-producer Phelim McAleer and marketing director John Sullivan have raised concerns about almost 200 theaters dropping the film without explanation, reports of theater staffers actively discouraging and preventing customers from buying tickets, and the New York Times refusing to review or run ads for the film.

Gosnell earned rave reviews and grossed $1,235,800 over its opening weekend, during which it was the most successful independent release and 12th overall at the box office. It currently enjoys a 98% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

For more information on the film, please visit its official website, www.GosnellMovie.com. 

Article Source: LifeSiteNews.com, 10.25.2018

Be DOers of His Word (James 1:22) ...

001 DO ... Read His Word

Take a few moments to see what the Holy Word of God says about both protecting and choosing the Sanctity of Life!

"19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now CHOOSE LIFE, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him." Deuteronomy 30:19-20

"Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from Him." Psalms 127:3

"You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. 15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. 16  You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed." Psalms 139:13-16 (NLT)

“You shall not commit murder (unjustified, deliberate homicide)." Exodus 20:13 (Amplified)

" These six things the Lord hates, indeed, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look [the spirit that makes one overestimate himself and underestimate others], a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood..." Proverbs 6:16-17 (Amplified Classic)

002 DO ... Act in Love  - grounded in the truth and Love of God's Word which clearly teaches the Sanctity of ALL Life!Volunteer and financially support (as the Lord would lead) your local Crisis Pregnancy Care Center; only support political candidates (local, state & federal) who Champion and Protect Life (not just in word, but by their legislative & life ACTIONS);teach your children about God's design for the Sanctity of Life as His Word teaches us as His disciples; and pray for opportunities to share positive, Biblically-based conversation on Sanctity of Life issues (e.g. Abortion, Euthanasia, the innate worth / value of EVERY life lovingly created by God and endowed with His divine seed of life from the moment of conception over their life journey forward!