Oct. 29, 2017

I grew up fairly privileged.

Not monetarily. Mom and Dad always scrimped on things to provide for the needs.

My dad got my first baseball glove with points he made from his job as a cookie salesman.

But, I never wondered whether my parents loved me.

There was something intransitive. They weren’t physically demonstrative. We weren’t huggers.

But I always had the sense when I was with them, they were glad I was there.

I felt like I was their favorite.

Apparently, my brothers and sister felt the same way.

When I was born again at the age of 26, I began a relationship with the God of the universe. As my Father.

I began to believe that He really did like me, that He liked me to spend time with Him, that He still loved me, even when I did stupid, selfish things.

He had great plans for me.

I can see in my mind possibilities for greater and greater involvement with my Father, growing closer all the time.

A friend told me this week that, because his dad had always maintained a distant relationship with him, that it is not easy for him to think of God in this way, to see himself as a “favored son.”

My wife tells me that my perception that people generally like me is not her perception for herself. That that also makes it difficult for her to feel worthy of God’s favor. She knows in her head that He loves her, but the feelings of being loved don’t come naturally for her.

My eyes are always being opened a little wider by listening to others.

What is your perception of God?

How do you think your childhood may have affected this?

WHAT IF….?

Recent CDC report says that the Corona virus thrives on protein, particularly the protein found in human and animal hair.
CDC guidelines for stemming the tide of COVID19 is to shave all heads, and the bodies of animals that live indoors.

What would you do?

I know you keep telling yourself that you can change the world.

Or, maybe a little more teamwork, we can change the world.

Are you sure that you will like it once it is changed?

Sometimes, it feels like your life just needs a little more excitement, a good cause, a purpose to get up every morning.

Adrenalin is great, isn’t it?

Being a part of something, doing something, taking action, seeing results, all make the heart beat a little faster. The cheers of the crowd make you feel like you are really making a difference.

Like you are changing the world.

Suppose you win.

You get up the next morning, the sun is shining, you turn on the tv, and you see the crowds cheering, and it feels so good.

In a little while, though, the euphoria disappears, and the same old restless boredom rises inside you.

The world around you is changing fast, but you are the same as you were before.

Suppose you lose.

Disappointment becomes like bile rising in your throat.

After all that work, energy expended, meetings, planning sessions, protests…was it all for nothing?

You turn on the tv, and you see the crowds cheering. How can they be happy? Everything is the same as it was!

Your heart sinks, and you realize that you are the same as you were before.

You haven’t changed at all.

DO YOU THINK, “ THERE MUST BE SOMETHING MORE?”

You have to start to wonder, what am I here for, where am I going, is there anyone who cares?

So, start to think about it. If the world you are seeing seems to be divided in half, one side raging against the other, who is behind this turmoil?

Imagine for a moment that maybe there was a mind behind this whole creation. The workings of the seasons, reproductive properties of the plants and animals, even the processes that you know are working in your own body are too complex to have just happened. Randomly.

It’s actually pretty amazing if you think about it.

But, when things start to go wrong, you wonder why.

And that is when you are close to seeing the truth.

The Creator must have an enemy, one who is intent on breaking down the Creator’s work, and rising to the highest pinnacle of rule himself.

And he needs subjects.

And, there you have it. Division and turmoil and disorder and confusion.

You don’t have to choose him as your king, you only have to reject the Creator.

Then, you belong to the anti-creator, the destroyer, the accuser, the father of lies.

If that is the side you are on, you are trapped in a life that ultimately will not satisfy.

Now, here is the good news. You can switch sides, if you are trapped in the enemy’s camp.

And, if you want to switch (and not everyone will, but if you do), you can return to the One who made you.

Call out to Him, tell Him that you want His rule over you, and that you want to return to the Life He planned for you. He has already paid your way back in.

He sent His son, Jesus, to pay the price of your rebellion. He died, so that you can live.

He is offering you forgiveness for your rebellion.

Forever.

All because He loves you.

You get to choose.

He will change you.

He will put His life in you.

Then, you can begin to change the world, because, His power begins to live in you.

It happened to me.

“You can’t be serious. Why would he tell you you can’t eat from the best tree of them all? He’s afraid you will be smarter than him.”

“What is wrong with this guy, building a big boat? Is he crazy? There has never been a flood before. He is a total nutcase.”

“You are a mighty people. You don’t need God giving you orders. You should build a tower up to heaven. You can do it!”

“You need to be careful. You don’t want to anger the gods. You should sacrifice your oldest kid to gain their favor.”

“You know, all the problems are because of those Jews. You should lock them all up in camps. Actually, kill them . They are the only thing keeping you from becoming the most powerful leader on earth.”

“ You should make the government more powerful, religious people are holding you back, believing in a god. You should make the government GOD.”

“Who says men can’t marry men, or women marry women. You love who you love, what’s the difference?”

“You are not ready to be a mom. Don’t you see how that will destroy your life? You haven’t really lived yet. You should get an abortion. It’s only a clump of cells.”

“You don’t need no paper from the city hall, keeping you tied and true. Love will keep you together.”

“You can make more on welfare than you make on that crummy job you have.”

“You don’t have to get married. Just go ahead and live together. If it doesn’t work out, you are free to leave.”

“You should have the right to choose what you do with your own body.”

“This virus is really, really deadly. You have to protect the people. You should shut everything down, tell people to remain in their houses to stop the spread. Churches. Those are really a bad place for spreading germs. Be sure to shut them down, right away.”

“Do you see what the police are doing. You need to let them know you won’t put up with that anymore. Riot, protest, cause some damage to get their attention.”

“If you tell that enough times, they will come to believe it is true.”

“You can’t compromise. You must resist everything they try. Otherwise, they will gain all the power.”

“If they are trying to argue against you, just shut them down. Get louder than they are. Don’t let them speak to the young people.”

“Don’t compromise. Your reelection is the most important thing. Just tell them what they want to hear. you can back off of it later.”

“You just need to change the subject, change the focus, when they start to question you.”

“There is no God! Churches just want your money, they just want to control you.”

“You will be happy if you just do what you want.”

Please allow me to introduce myself
I’m a man of wealth and taste
I’ve been around for a long, long year
Stole many a man’s soul to waste
And I was ’round when Jesus Christ
Had his moment of doubt and pain
Made damn sure that Pilate
Washed his hands and sealed his fate
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name
But what’s puzzling you
Is the nature of my game
I stuck around St. Petersburg
When I saw it was a time for a change
Killed the czar and his ministers
Anastasia screamed in vain
I rode a tank
Held a general’s rank
When the blitzkrieg raged
And the bodies stank
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name, oh yeah
Ah, what’s puzzling you
Is the nature of my game, oh yeah
I watched with glee
While your kings and queens
Fought for ten decades
For the gods they made
I shouted out
Who killed the Kennedys?
When after all
It was you and me
Let me please introduce myself
I’m a man of wealth and taste
And I laid traps for troubadours
Who get killed before they reached Bombay
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah
But what’s puzzling you
Is the nature of my game, oh yeah, get down, baby
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah
But what’s confusing you
Is just the nature of my game, mm yeah
Just as every cop is a criminal
And all the sinners saints
As heads is tails
Just call me Lucifer
‘Cause I’m in need of some restraint
So if you meet me
Have some courtesy
Have some sympathy, and some taste
Use all your well-learned politesse
Or I’ll lay your soul to waste, mm yeah
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name, mm yeah
But what’s puzzling you
Is the nature of my game, mm mean it, get down
Oh yeah, get on down
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Tell me baby, what’s my name
Tell me honey, can ya guess my name
Tell me baby, what’s my name
I tell you one time, you’re to blame
Oh, right
What’s my name
Tell me, baby, what’s my name
Tell me, sweetie, what’s my name
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Keith Richards / Mick Jagger
Sympathy For The Devil (Mono) lyrics © Abkco Music, Inc

A masked friend told me the other day, to my unmasked face, that we all have to know what we believe, and why, and live by our convictions. And accept, when others live by theirs.

He was talking about masks.

But, you know, he was right in so many ways.

Covid19 has made us all think about things we didn’t use to think about.

I have thought a lot about the idea of fear.

When we first learned about this horrible new disease, we were quickly convinced that it was going to spread so fast, that the hospitals would be overwhelmed, and people would be dropping like flies.

“We have to lockdown for two weeks to slow the curve of infections.”

Toilet paper, paper towels, disinfectant, and many other common items began to disappear from the grocery shelves.

We were convinced that every person could be carrying the virus that could potentially take our life.

We separated, we masked, and we stayed home.

For way more than two weeks.

Churches followed the rules and closed down.

For way more than two weeks.

Every time I began to question why, I was told that the disease is very dangerous, and we all have to do our part to stop its spread. I may be a carrier, even if I have no symptoms.

There is a scripture I learned years ago.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

I had to figure out, what does “with all my heart” mean?

In 1978, I became a new person. I looked the same, but, on the inside, a brand new life was beginning to grow.

I began to see the world around me through the eyes of the One that was living inside me.

“Fear not,” He would say, “for I am with you.”

“Do not worry about what you would say if you were questioned, for I will give you the words when you need them.”

“Do not fear when men attack you. I am always here.”

“Do not fear the the deadly pestilence, or the terror at night, or the arrow that flies by day, nor the plague that follows at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.” Psalm 91 (paraphrase)

So, trusting with all my heart, does it mean believing what He says?

I believe this virus is real. I do not believe everything I am being told about it. How can we believe anything that comes from political positions or from the “news” media these days?

What is Truth?

So, if my God tells me not to fear, do I hide myself from every possibility of being exposed to this virus?

Is it possible that trusting Him is the best protection from everything that could possibly happen to me?

During Covid19, I was found to have colon cancer.

A peace that I could not explain rested in me.

I trusted God and went through the process of having it removed.

I was prepared to live, if He planned that for me, or not to live, if that was His plan.

Trusting means letting God order my paths, letting God take me directions I did not plan to go, letting the onset of fear be an indication that maybe I am not trusting Him with all my heart.

“Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?” Matthew 6:25

We were made to interact with each other, to talk, to share, to hold, to help.

“But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. ‘Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.’ But, in you heart, revere Christ as Lord.” 1Peter 3:14-15

When anyone tells me the safe thing to do is to separate from others, to cover my face (and my smile) and to wash my hands fifty times a day, because that shows that I care about the health and well-being of others,

Somehow, that doesn’t seem like trusting the Lord with all my heart.

Where He leads me, I will (try to) follow.

I did it! I watched the entire presidential debate!

Ouch!

Funny thing, though, The next morning, I woke up and had a normal day.

Here is what I am learning.

(He who has ears to hear, let him hear.)

As long as I believe the problems arising in this country are fixable by a man or a political party, I will continue to fall into deep disappointment.

Choices are made every day, and I had forgotten that every choice we have made as a country has some sort of consequence.

Every choice!

Once, we decided that It was wrong to allow prayer and Bible reading in government schools.
Consequence: Values of the Creator were not taught to the children, and a humanist philosophy of “please yourself” began to grow. Belief in God diminished.

Once, we decided that if a coming birth would be inconvenient, or a burden, that it should be legal to murder the unborn child before we could see it, and then we could pretend he/she never existed.
Consequence: Human life began to be viewed as having less intrinsic value.

Political theater became less about the good of the country and more about gaining power.
Consequence: Friendly debate, and compromise to pursue a greater good gave way to total resistance to anything the opposing side proposed.

Most of you can stop reading now, because you already perceive the direction I am headed.

When there really is a God (He Is), and a people who have turned away from Him decide that they can control the world, God will allow the consequences of removing His blessings from the people to play out. God removes His protection.

“We can do better,” we say.

Except, in our forgetting God, we also forget that there is one who is opposed to God, who wants to pervert every good and perfect creation of God.

Like it or not, natural humans tend towards natural, earthly, profane decisions, and quite easily lose focus on a greater good. Or a True Good. They begin to hear the voice of the enemy. They begin to believe a lie.

When a nation approves the murder of an innocent before he enters into his created purpose, God will punish the nation.

It may come as an attack from without.
It may come as an attack from within.
It may come as a plague, a pestilence, or as pandemic.

Man has two choices at this point.
Accept the warning and turn back to God….
Or, raise his fist and continue on his own path.

I lift up my eyes to the hills-where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2

I cry aloud to the LORD for mercy. I pour out before him my complaint; before Him I tell my trouble. Psalm 142:1-2

So, when I watch a debate between men and sense that we may be looking at solutions of a nation’s ills in the wrong way,

I find myself thinking, “The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” Psalm 118:6

Can you see the writing on the wall?

Can you see the warning?

Will you turn back?