Thursday, November 7, 2013

Judah's Glory in 2013


Except for this blog and a temporary site, at judahsglory.webs.com,  judahsglory.com has been down for a couple of years.  This is not a move that was entirely in my will,  as I have built this little ministry over the years in order to provide a resource for free bible study materials for churches and homeschools as well as the general public who cannot afford the more expensive packages,  in the interest of fulfilling the commission of Christ of 'freely given, freely give'.

When I began Judah's Glory in my home in 1987,  it was originally called "Hope to Heaven" and was directed toward mourning families in providing a few small bible resources and coloring books and story books on heaven for dying and/or mourning children and their families, based upon my many years as a university professor and intervention person with families experiencing stillbirth, as well as other types of losses.  Upon becoming a Christian,  I sought to adapt my ministry to my former work, but God led in a different direction.  After an early altercation I was made to see the need for materials for Christians of all ages on Christian duties, biblical responsibilities and correct doctrine regarding the chosen people of God. By 1989 the name was changed to "O Israel" and by the early 90s to "Judah's Glory".  The materials are the same under all the names,  and included music, coloring books, adult and children's bible studies, helps, audio tapes and artwork.   To date,  several hundred bible studies are now available for free downloads online or upon request, though most of the work has gone out by downloads.

The work went on up to 1992 with only occasional interruption of some less than scrupulous persons which too often abound in the church, who even back then tried to take over some of my material, and falsely copyright it in their name to bluntly, flip it for a buck.   These folks are destroying the house of God in this country and the problem has become so great as to lead to serious and occasionally even violent consequences to my family as well as interference with business online and off, physical injury, injury to property, illegal entries, burglaries and has even spread into our private lives with slander, constant innuendo, and attempting to waylay funds, opportunities etc.   I know we are not the only ones who have experienced the dire consequences to home and family life and finances,  but at the point of physical injuries by persons we do not even know, and faced with constant attempts of plagiarism and copyright fraud,  I have finally decided to bring forward some of what has happened.

I am not going to give up on Judah's Glory ever.  It is not only some christian groups which have tried to waylay the site and others, but also JWs, Mormons, Catholics, Islamics and unbelievers, as many disagree with the Lord's admonition of keeping the work for free, and basically see us as an 'easy mark'.  I am emphatically stating with the Lord Jesus as my witness, that nothing has gone out under my name, that I did not write, though several so-called ministries which have acted more like theft rings have ruined the writing, timbre and quality of many of the studies, though through God's grace and the good will of blogging services and others, the originals have often been restored.  The site came down when the hacking became so great, and the ruin to equipment, heart , house and home that I felt until we moved out of Wisconsin it was better to keep a lower profile.

No ministry, small or large in a free country should ever have experienced what we have been put through over the past 16 years, particularly.  False accusations, ID fraud, false sales by unauthorized people, physical assaults, interference with the workplace, career ruin, slander, and even ghosting of my drives, frying of my drives, and some things that if I wrote of, one might not believe.   The police often shrug or even smirk and act like it is a 'computer problem' but it is much more.

While I cannot correct all of the issues on my own,  my ability to write in my own home has grown so hindered that the work while not gone has grown to a snail's pace.  There are a few points that are critical though:

1. I have never worked with any other ministry on my materials, except for one time only for a few months, when I tried to work with IBJM in Chattanooga in 1997 on one coloring book: Jesus was Jewish,  but they would not meet my terms of no changes in the text,  and after 8 or 9 months, the offer was rescinded.  We left the independent fundamental Baptist Church in 1997,  and except for a rare visit or two have never gone back.  Part of the problem has been from persons at that time embittered by our leaving who tried to take over what was and still is entirely my work.  We have to be free to make choices.

2. I do not work nor have ever worked for or with Jews for Jesus:  they are not the only Messianic endeavor in the world,  they do not have any moral, biblical or legal authority in my work, and I do not agree with their 'covenants' for their employees.

3. I have also not worked ever for the following as I am sure they will agree:  Billy Graham Association, Bob Jones U., Moody Press, Copeland ministries,Ron Philip's , World Harvest,  or for more than cleaning and welcome center work at Tennessee Temple.  I have never worked with anyone from these places or been paid by them for anything.  In short, I have worked entirely ALONE and with a doctorate and 32 years of experience at the university level, I am fully capable of producing my own work.

Though lengthy, a few more points are critical:

4. I hold a real doctorate which I have never lost in any fashion, from UF, and it is a disgrace to have church people with little or no education constantly harp on or spread slander about my education or professional career:  we go to church to worship God not for career ruin.  I left my career to obey Christ, even in this late point in history.   Still happens.  I did not have to leave for any reason,  and I could go back tomorrow if I wanted to betray the Lord.

5. I was raised Catholic and even taught in a Catholic Seminary after becoming a born again Christian, but I have not , save for about 6months attended a Catholic church in 28 years, and have even sought to have my name removed from their records,  but it is a lengthy process.  I have taught a correct view of the Catholic church for the whole 28 years I have been a believer, that it is 'another Gospel' with the inventions of man made doctrine and even ancient mystery religions mixed in.  I have had to deal also with their disdain and that of family members because I left not only the Church but also teaching at one of their Vatican sponsored seminaries in 1987 after being hired as an Associate Professor.  I did not leave because of any mental breakdown but because of doctrinal differences in how to teach a course, and over an unwillingness to attend daily mass for faculty at the seminary.  My problem is with the church, not with the people.

6. The materials are all of a Gospel believing stance.  I hold a doctorate in Personality Psychology, not Theology, and I only attended a Methodist Seminary in 1987 for a few months, hoping for an MDiv in Hospital Chaplaincy but God directed in another path.  I did not obtain the degree, which would not have prepared me in any case for what I write now:  28 years of daily Bible study and intensive independent study plus a few short courses in Hebrew , Holocaust poetry, and Early Christianity and Judaism have been more influential, but the studies were started in '87.

7. My church background I will send upon request to scrupulous persons, but not to have all on the list called to start up conflict.   It looks a bit inconsistent because of many moves and a learning process, but I was in church from birth till 16 in the Catholic Church, was not a believer at all from 16 till 29, and became a believer in 1985.  From 85-88 I was Methodist,  then for a short while in a '43c' church which is basically a gospel believing but works oriented church, for a short time in Grace Brethren, then for 12 years in either Southern or Independent Fundamental Baptist churches,  though even then we believed in the gifts of God, contrary to their teaching.  I was also involved with a two Messianic fellowships, and continued a messianic bent in doctrine and teaching though we have not been active in a congregation for some time, but I have planned to begin one.  For now,  the ministry has turned to mostly a publications ministry.

8. The site(s) have been online since 1997,  with free downloads which followed after.  The sites emanating out of Judah's Glory ministry have been Shoah Education Project Web, Shoah Rose, Wars of Israel, House that Will Not Die, The Healing of Christ Series, Propheteuo (on gift of Prophecy), Mystery of the Jews, Promise of Messiah and others.   We also had on for a time a series of teaching tapes at sermon.net, as well as gabcast and other servers, and a number of the tapes are available through internet archives.

9. I am a single parent, dedicated to the Lord and the Word,  and I have lived a very disciplined life for 28 years.  I am not of ANY alternative lifestyle,  and I am fed up a bit with insinuations because I live alone or with a family member.   I have been an outspoken critic of sexual sin in the pulpit and church,  though careful not to throw people out with the criticism.   I have cussed on occasion in a totally unchristlike manner, repented for it, and prayed for victory over it.  I also once in a while leave my dishes in the sink till morning.  It is all wrong. (James 5:16)  There have been some massive slander campaigns emanating from 3 christian universities who have tried to take over my work illegally,  and the judgment of it I leave to the Lord.

10.  I write my own music: it is me on the tape, I know it is not of a professional quality.

11.  No sales of my material have been legal or with my permission.

That should hold for now.   I recognize that most people just let even such things as mentioned above go by, but the rumor mill has become so great, threatening almost 30 years of work,  that at some point, I had to make available these responses to protect other ministries as well as mine.  We should all have this foremost thought in mind: that if we hear rumors about a person or ministry we are required in love to first confront the person, before broadcasting what even dozens of people say, because too many fine people with hearts of gold are being ruined in addition to myself.   If only the ones who went state to state with rumors and thefts and even court fraud are left, what kind of church is it that we have?  Are we about sales or the Lord?
Pride, or Perserverence?

We all have a choice to make.

Many blessings in the love of the Lord, Christ Jesus
Elizabeth (Libbie) Kirkley Best

P.s. Please attend to my name and photo online as many persons have used my name falsely,  some so young they were not even born when Judah's Glory was begun.

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