A little more Al Steward, with some explanation from Steward as to the meaning of the song ...
July 30, 2016
July 29, 2016
In Memory of Jack Davis
Well, if you are like me, then you already know whom Jack Davis was. If not, well, read on.
Jack Davis was one of the founders of the Mad Magazine group, an incredible illustrator with a totally warped sense of humor. He was very much an idol in my American high school years (I also went to high school in Germany!). It was one of my greatest heartbreaks to be rejected by him and Dave Berg when they flew to Denver to interview me! Apparently, they never conceived of the idea that the submitter of so much warped material could be a young German kid still in in high school and completely drug free!
Sigh ...
But, I continued to enjoy their irreverent take on life and western culture! One of my favorites was always the lampooning of popular movies! Oh how I would laugh and laugh, then share them my friends Randy and Robbie over pizza and root beer at Shakey's on Friday nights. Someone always ended up blowing root beer out of their nose ..... Heh, heh, heh, heh!
And this was one of my favorite Jack Davis products:
This should expand to a full page so you can read its tongue in cheek content ....
I might be the product of my Danish great-uncle's upbringing, an American mining engineer and an impressive Christian man later in life - but my humor is all Jack Davis!
:^)
Jack Davis was one of the founders of the Mad Magazine group, an incredible illustrator with a totally warped sense of humor. He was very much an idol in my American high school years (I also went to high school in Germany!). It was one of my greatest heartbreaks to be rejected by him and Dave Berg when they flew to Denver to interview me! Apparently, they never conceived of the idea that the submitter of so much warped material could be a young German kid still in in high school and completely drug free!
Sigh ...
But, I continued to enjoy their irreverent take on life and western culture! One of my favorites was always the lampooning of popular movies! Oh how I would laugh and laugh, then share them my friends Randy and Robbie over pizza and root beer at Shakey's on Friday nights. Someone always ended up blowing root beer out of their nose ..... Heh, heh, heh, heh!
And this was one of my favorite Jack Davis products:
I might be the product of my Danish great-uncle's upbringing, an American mining engineer and an impressive Christian man later in life - but my humor is all Jack Davis!
:^)
July 28, 2016
Communion
Communion, also known as 'The Last Supper', 'The Lord's Supper', 'Eucharist', etc. A right of the Church, an observation, a memory, something meant to bring believers together - something which separates believers ...
Now, remember, Jesus is about to suffer a criminal's execution at the hands of the Roman Army and a corrupt Rabbinical system. He has been drenched with Nard, a perfume used to cover the smell of the dead human body in a hot climate - or more sparingly in use, to provide a rather pleasant gardenia scent to someone. He reeked!
Mark 14:12-25
Remember Jesus
He is to be an active memory!
Eat the elements and understand this is His memory for you!
Identify with Jesus, in humility.
Examine Yourself
Are you acting like Jesus?
Or is it Judas?
What have you not done for others (brethren)?
Who are you pushing away from you, and perhaps Jesus?
Jesus even washed Judas' feet, can you do less for your enemies?
Give Thanks
For the good in your life.
And, for the bad as well as for the challenges you face!
Remember: Rejoice in the Lord always!
Proclaim
Your faith.
Your forgiveness.
Your joy.
After all - He is ALIVE!
Communion is meant to bring all believers together, not to be used to separate over!
Some believe only ordained priests may administer communion, but that is not Biblical.
Some believe only a man man may administer communion, but again, not Biblical.
Some believe that you have to use unleavened bread, not Biblical.
Some believe that you must use wine, but not necessarily so.
Some believe that Jesus never drank wine, so only grape juice may be used.
Some believe that you must only use one cup for all partaking of the communion.
Some believe that one cup is unsanitary and you must use tiny glasses.
Some believe that communion is done annually or monthly or weekly!
Some believe that only members of your church may participate.
Some believe that only members of your denomination may participate.
Some believe that only Christians may participate.
Some believe that only non-Catholics may participate.
Some believe that anyone may participate.
Really!?!?!?!?
This is an activity we are told to do and it would seem reasonable that any Christian should be welcomed to participate with you!
But, man being what man is, we exclude, we judge, we condemn, we separate when others do not agree with us!
Something to think about ...
Even if it is only water and a crumb or bread, it is your heart in self introspection, with others - remembering your Savior. It is not the elements which make Communion, it is your heart.
Now, remember, Jesus is about to suffer a criminal's execution at the hands of the Roman Army and a corrupt Rabbinical system. He has been drenched with Nard, a perfume used to cover the smell of the dead human body in a hot climate - or more sparingly in use, to provide a rather pleasant gardenia scent to someone. He reeked!
Mark 14:12-25
Remember Jesus
He is to be an active memory!
Eat the elements and understand this is His memory for you!
Identify with Jesus, in humility.
Examine Yourself
Are you acting like Jesus?
Or is it Judas?
What have you not done for others (brethren)?
Who are you pushing away from you, and perhaps Jesus?
Jesus even washed Judas' feet, can you do less for your enemies?
Give Thanks
For the good in your life.
And, for the bad as well as for the challenges you face!
Remember: Rejoice in the Lord always!
Proclaim
Your faith.
Your forgiveness.
Your joy.
After all - He is ALIVE!
Communion is meant to bring all believers together, not to be used to separate over!
Some believe only ordained priests may administer communion, but that is not Biblical.
Some believe only a man man may administer communion, but again, not Biblical.
Some believe that you have to use unleavened bread, not Biblical.
Some believe that you must use wine, but not necessarily so.
Some believe that Jesus never drank wine, so only grape juice may be used.
Some believe that you must only use one cup for all partaking of the communion.
Some believe that one cup is unsanitary and you must use tiny glasses.
Some believe that communion is done annually or monthly or weekly!
Some believe that only members of your church may participate.
Some believe that only members of your denomination may participate.
Some believe that only Christians may participate.
Some believe that only non-Catholics may participate.
Some believe that anyone may participate.
Really!?!?!?!?
This is an activity we are told to do and it would seem reasonable that any Christian should be welcomed to participate with you!
But, man being what man is, we exclude, we judge, we condemn, we separate when others do not agree with us!
Something to think about ...
Even if it is only water and a crumb or bread, it is your heart in self introspection, with others - remembering your Savior. It is not the elements which make Communion, it is your heart.
July 27, 2016
Dealing With The Disabiled
Yeah, now there is a post title that will guarantee no readers! But, maybe someone will read this anyway. It is interesting, that the post which I think are of value, will dredge up perhaps 3 reads in a month. Write something of not much value, with a good title, and it will score into the hundreds that month! My continually most popular post, on Thoughts From The Little Apple, still draws about 35 views per month (with just as many downloads!) ... and it was just meant as a light-hearted romp! We are talking reads well into the tens of thousands here! Yeah, this post will not be quite so popular - but it needs to be said.
I grew up the eras of post-World War II and the Cold War. I lived all of my youth in-on-around NATO bases. I went to NATO schools (US and Canadian) in France, Germany and the US - up until 10th grade when I then went to a civilian high school, through graduation. And it never dawned on me that I had never seen a disabled person the entire time!
I was in 11th grade, in a conversation about WWII when it struck me; in all of those battles, there must have been massive casualties, and if so, then where were they? I tried the library index at Lowry Air Force Base - but nothing to be found there. Fitzsimmons Army Medical Post library index also did not have much to share either. I was in a special program so had to have weekly reviews with the doctors at Fitzsimmons, so since my quest was being frustrated, I asked one. His answer left me rather cold.
It seems, at the start of the war, the German's executed those in the rehabilitation centers, those permanently in long term care, and those whom had been identified as not being able to work. But, what about the Germans after the war? Because, there sure were never any seen by me! And they mostly lived in hospital environments it seems. I have no concept of what kind of a German would turn their back on their war disabled ... and yet, it smacked of truth. In my village of 750, there were NO injured or maimed war veterans, and yet, they must have existed.
And in America? The doctor laughed and waved his hand towards the ceiling - towards the wards above. "Right now I have over 700 from Vietnam, a building of Korean War vets and then we have the WWII permanently disabled ....." They housed thousands, forgotten, just waiting to die ... Some had visitors, but not many - nor often. That made an impact on me.
In high school I had a friend, his name was either Steve or Kirby, it has been so long I can not remember which brother was the older - so, let us say his name was Kirby. Kirby had contracted bone cancer and lost a leg. I had no ability to relate to his disability, but I could be his friend and help him around school and include him in my tiny social life (Boy Scouts). And, in 12th grade he died a lingering death - and I was a good friend during that time as well.
So, although my exposure to the disabled was small, I had a little - just enough to be uncomfortable with how they are treated, but then again, I was not human back then either. But, God saw to it that I would be made human, and then I would lose the same leg as Kirby had. So, learning, adjusting, fighting ... And, now I have a much stronger affinity to Kirby and his struggles. Now I understand why I never see the disabled out and about as well. But, I refuse to make that choice!
Sunday, I read on the Yahoo News about a Japanese guy whom killed 19 with a knife and wounded another 24. Well, that was intriguing, so I read up on the incident.
A Japanese man whom worked at a garden supply store, went next door and started slicing and dicing at two in the morning ... But, why?
It seems he was tired of the patients at the next door hospital for the disabled!
So, he decided to kill as many as he could.
And suddenly Adolf Hitler's cleansing of Germany was remembered by this worthless brain I now have. The society norm as to put them out of sight, out of mind. Then the purge became easy, even convenient, once madness had taken over the land.
Surprisingly, the man had worked at the hospital in the past, had been training to be a teacher for the disabled - and something, somewhere went awry. He turned himself in to the police afterwards.
We live in a broken world, where perspectives are easily squede - the result always being the cheapening of human life. God says it is important, it is man whom disagrees when society allows for life - in this case: disabled human life, to be regarded as valueless.
... Sigh ...
Human life is precious.
That is why inequality, murder, war, slavery and pornography are so appalling!
You devalue life so all of these may become possible.
But, then, it is not your life which is being devalued!
Yet ...
I grew up the eras of post-World War II and the Cold War. I lived all of my youth in-on-around NATO bases. I went to NATO schools (US and Canadian) in France, Germany and the US - up until 10th grade when I then went to a civilian high school, through graduation. And it never dawned on me that I had never seen a disabled person the entire time!
I was in 11th grade, in a conversation about WWII when it struck me; in all of those battles, there must have been massive casualties, and if so, then where were they? I tried the library index at Lowry Air Force Base - but nothing to be found there. Fitzsimmons Army Medical Post library index also did not have much to share either. I was in a special program so had to have weekly reviews with the doctors at Fitzsimmons, so since my quest was being frustrated, I asked one. His answer left me rather cold.
It seems, at the start of the war, the German's executed those in the rehabilitation centers, those permanently in long term care, and those whom had been identified as not being able to work. But, what about the Germans after the war? Because, there sure were never any seen by me! And they mostly lived in hospital environments it seems. I have no concept of what kind of a German would turn their back on their war disabled ... and yet, it smacked of truth. In my village of 750, there were NO injured or maimed war veterans, and yet, they must have existed.
And in America? The doctor laughed and waved his hand towards the ceiling - towards the wards above. "Right now I have over 700 from Vietnam, a building of Korean War vets and then we have the WWII permanently disabled ....." They housed thousands, forgotten, just waiting to die ... Some had visitors, but not many - nor often. That made an impact on me.
In high school I had a friend, his name was either Steve or Kirby, it has been so long I can not remember which brother was the older - so, let us say his name was Kirby. Kirby had contracted bone cancer and lost a leg. I had no ability to relate to his disability, but I could be his friend and help him around school and include him in my tiny social life (Boy Scouts). And, in 12th grade he died a lingering death - and I was a good friend during that time as well.
So, although my exposure to the disabled was small, I had a little - just enough to be uncomfortable with how they are treated, but then again, I was not human back then either. But, God saw to it that I would be made human, and then I would lose the same leg as Kirby had. So, learning, adjusting, fighting ... And, now I have a much stronger affinity to Kirby and his struggles. Now I understand why I never see the disabled out and about as well. But, I refuse to make that choice!
Sunday, I read on the Yahoo News about a Japanese guy whom killed 19 with a knife and wounded another 24. Well, that was intriguing, so I read up on the incident.
A Japanese man whom worked at a garden supply store, went next door and started slicing and dicing at two in the morning ... But, why?
It seems he was tired of the patients at the next door hospital for the disabled!
So, he decided to kill as many as he could.
And suddenly Adolf Hitler's cleansing of Germany was remembered by this worthless brain I now have. The society norm as to put them out of sight, out of mind. Then the purge became easy, even convenient, once madness had taken over the land.
Surprisingly, the man had worked at the hospital in the past, had been training to be a teacher for the disabled - and something, somewhere went awry. He turned himself in to the police afterwards.
We live in a broken world, where perspectives are easily squede - the result always being the cheapening of human life. God says it is important, it is man whom disagrees when society allows for life - in this case: disabled human life, to be regarded as valueless.
... Sigh ...
Human life is precious.
That is why inequality, murder, war, slavery and pornography are so appalling!
You devalue life so all of these may become possible.
But, then, it is not your life which is being devalued!
Yet ...
July 26, 2016
Can You Love Too Much?
Love was a rare commodity in the Roman world. Sex, in its many perversions, was the only real prevailing understanding of anything to do with 'love' - "what can I get from you?", yeah, that is about it. Actually, it is not far from where the world is returning to in this day and age - with just faint flickering of an older understanding of love still popping up - just enough to confuse a world sold out to itself.
And along comes Jesus and He is talking about a different kind of love, love where "what can I do for you" is the driving force. What does it take for me to prove to you, that you are first in my life? A revolutionary thought that was to change the world Rome understood!
Mark 14:1-11
Love Does Not Count The Cost
There is nothing convenient about love.
The woman intruded into a man's domain.
She brought nard, an expensive fragrance.
She did not have to do this.
She was not asked to do this.
She did not have to use so much!
Love Appears Wasteful
To those whom do not understand, whom do not love the same!
She was scolded by Judas (according to John).
The selflessness of the woman vs the selfishness of Judas.
She gave of her heart to Jesus.
Judas gave his worse to Jesus.
One Act of Love
Can make an enormous difference.
You may never know in this life the impact of your act of love is.
She is remembered for her act of love.
Prayer and touch to meet their needs, with what we have.
The personal lesson here is that we each should give to meet the needs of our brethren and God, no matter the personal cost.
Jesus was coming upon His death, He understood this, for whatever reason.
She scented him for the grave.
And that scent remained with Him through the course of His journey to the cross!
You and I have the ability to confuse the world with our witness of love, His love, for each and every human being.
And yeah, you are going to be misunderstood and condemned by those whom do not understand real Love ...
Expect it.
Then, expect God's quiet blessings ...
Yeah, no one will ever understand.
And along comes Jesus and He is talking about a different kind of love, love where "what can I do for you" is the driving force. What does it take for me to prove to you, that you are first in my life? A revolutionary thought that was to change the world Rome understood!
Mark 14:1-11
Love Does Not Count The Cost
There is nothing convenient about love.
The woman intruded into a man's domain.
She brought nard, an expensive fragrance.
She did not have to do this.
She was not asked to do this.
She did not have to use so much!
Love Appears Wasteful
To those whom do not understand, whom do not love the same!
She was scolded by Judas (according to John).
The selflessness of the woman vs the selfishness of Judas.
She gave of her heart to Jesus.
Judas gave his worse to Jesus.
One Act of Love
Can make an enormous difference.
You may never know in this life the impact of your act of love is.
She is remembered for her act of love.
Prayer and touch to meet their needs, with what we have.
The personal lesson here is that we each should give to meet the needs of our brethren and God, no matter the personal cost.
Jesus was coming upon His death, He understood this, for whatever reason.
She scented him for the grave.
And that scent remained with Him through the course of His journey to the cross!
You and I have the ability to confuse the world with our witness of love, His love, for each and every human being.
And yeah, you are going to be misunderstood and condemned by those whom do not understand real Love ...
Expect it.
Then, expect God's quiet blessings ...
Yeah, no one will ever understand.
July 25, 2016
Pronunciation?
"Oasis, they (kilt, killed) a man and really helped me out!"
I have no idea what this ad is trying to say, unless Oasis is offering to end your misery with others!
I am sure they meant some word associated with a refinance, but now that I have listened to this ad over a dozen times and there is just no way to come up with a word that might mean this!
Axe
This is so common in the Seattle area I almost no longer notice it!
You would think Seattle is filled with serial killers based on how many people are axed daily!
They want to ask you something, they axe you instead!
Whew, I was worried given the last lady I met at the hospital, wanted to axe me something!
Wound
I was sitting the hospital on Friday and the lady sitting next to me turned and asked (axed me) how to spell 'wound'. So, I spelled it for her. She input this on her phone, stopped and said, "No, that is not right."
I spelled it again for her and she confirmed that is what she had entered. So, I asked her to describe the item or action she was wanting spelled ...
Ah, embarrassingly pantomime: she could not pronounce 'Womb' !
And she was a local American even!
And a nurse's assistant on break ...
Yup, that one surprised me!
Gasnortemfrazzlegasnor
I simply had no idea.
The imaging tech running the ultrasound on me on Thursday, let loose with, "Gasnortemfrazzlegassnor!".
I asked her what she meant and she just looked at me like I was from Mars since I had not idea what she meant!
Based on her displayed lack of personality, I will go with an underwear pinch!
Baby Sister
I was watching the latest Star Trek movie and my cell phone starts vibrating. Well, everyone knew I was at the movies - so it must be important! I scootered out at fast as could and answered.
It was my oldest grand-daughter, "Hi, Papa, I miss you!", and my heart melted - the heck with the movie!
So we talked for a few minutes and I asked what she had been doing.
"Well, I went to Bellevue with my baby sister yesterday ..."
"Baby sister, baby sister, what baby sist ..... Wait a minute, you are not dressing your brother up in girl clothes again are you?!?!?!?!"
She squealed with laughter and it took her a few attempts to get out, "babysitter"! Oh, how we laughed!
Pronunciation, is important, especially when we are talking your own native language!
Otherwise, it is just humorous ... okay, it is always humorous!
I have no idea what this ad is trying to say, unless Oasis is offering to end your misery with others!
I am sure they meant some word associated with a refinance, but now that I have listened to this ad over a dozen times and there is just no way to come up with a word that might mean this!
Axe
This is so common in the Seattle area I almost no longer notice it!
You would think Seattle is filled with serial killers based on how many people are axed daily!
They want to ask you something, they axe you instead!
Whew, I was worried given the last lady I met at the hospital, wanted to axe me something!
Wound
I was sitting the hospital on Friday and the lady sitting next to me turned and asked (axed me) how to spell 'wound'. So, I spelled it for her. She input this on her phone, stopped and said, "No, that is not right."
I spelled it again for her and she confirmed that is what she had entered. So, I asked her to describe the item or action she was wanting spelled ...
Ah, embarrassingly pantomime: she could not pronounce 'Womb' !
And she was a local American even!
And a nurse's assistant on break ...
Yup, that one surprised me!
Gasnortemfrazzlegasnor
I simply had no idea.
The imaging tech running the ultrasound on me on Thursday, let loose with, "Gasnortemfrazzlegassnor!".
I asked her what she meant and she just looked at me like I was from Mars since I had not idea what she meant!
Based on her displayed lack of personality, I will go with an underwear pinch!
Baby Sister
I was watching the latest Star Trek movie and my cell phone starts vibrating. Well, everyone knew I was at the movies - so it must be important! I scootered out at fast as could and answered.
It was my oldest grand-daughter, "Hi, Papa, I miss you!", and my heart melted - the heck with the movie!
So we talked for a few minutes and I asked what she had been doing.
"Well, I went to Bellevue with my baby sister yesterday ..."
"Baby sister, baby sister, what baby sist ..... Wait a minute, you are not dressing your brother up in girl clothes again are you?!?!?!?!"
She squealed with laughter and it took her a few attempts to get out, "babysitter"! Oh, how we laughed!
Pronunciation, is important, especially when we are talking your own native language!
Otherwise, it is just humorous ... okay, it is always humorous!
July 23, 2016
July 22, 2016
Fever
I am sorry, I am overcome by fever from this infection and unable to post today, I hope I will be better by Monday ...
thank you,
kjp
thank you,
kjp
July 21, 2016
A Boeing Century
The Boeing Company turned 100 years old. My son got a nice plaque from them, since he works as a machinist for them ... don't ask me, I have no idea how someone so math challenged can machine anything!
So, they threw a big wing-ding over the weekend - and rolled out one of everything they have ever built! (- almost, their flying boat continues to be a wreck search in process!) And I love the concept of flight! Whether it be motorized kites or rockets - they all draw my attention and thought!
But, the highlight for me was the World War II fighting aircraft. Why? Because they are so stinking SMALL! I can not even imagine sitting in something so small, so slow, so un-manueverable, such an each target! It is amazing anyone survived the war in things like this! (I should note that the pictured P-51 was about as good as old technology aircraft got!)
And then think of flying one of these windup toys, dropping an atomic bomb and then trying to outrun the blast zone! I shudder to think. I know I am not that brave, I know that when the chips are down - I have stepped up to the plate, but ... I am awed by the quality of the men whom came before me in the prior generation!
And Boeing is one hundred years old ... given the quality of their product, I suspect they will last another 100 - but only if bean counters can be stifled, otherwise like most once great companies it will fade into the past, a victim of its management's greed.
So, they threw a big wing-ding over the weekend - and rolled out one of everything they have ever built! (- almost, their flying boat continues to be a wreck search in process!) And I love the concept of flight! Whether it be motorized kites or rockets - they all draw my attention and thought!
And then think of flying one of these windup toys, dropping an atomic bomb and then trying to outrun the blast zone! I shudder to think. I know I am not that brave, I know that when the chips are down - I have stepped up to the plate, but ... I am awed by the quality of the men whom came before me in the prior generation!
And Boeing is one hundred years old ... given the quality of their product, I suspect they will last another 100 - but only if bean counters can be stifled, otherwise like most once great companies it will fade into the past, a victim of its management's greed.
July 20, 2016
Going Ons
I write posts when I get the whim. Usually, that may mean several days worth at a time, or perhaps a special post days or weeks, even months ahead of time. When I got back from Colorado, I went on a writing spree which carried me all of the way into last week! But, now it has been harder to post, my stash of written material consumed and little has happened in my life other than utter collapse from illness.
Shortly after my return from Colorado, I got a tiny, insignificant scratch on my partial leg. I kept it completely clean, sprayed with Bactine, slathered in Neosporin, bandaged ... and it got infected almost instantly! So, I switched to Polysporin and that was the last of me, I was turned back into Infectious Disease. Darn Staph infection had gotten me - yet again! Weeks of antibiotics, burning up with fever - still am, and my leg ballooned up massively - still is! Five weeks of my life now wasted. If I could concentrate, I could read, but I might be able to do five pages and then I am drifting off yet again. Yesterday and today I am doing much better but nowhere near healed at all. So back to the hospital for more tests later this week! Sigh ...
I think I wrote about the disaster in Tucson earlier - but if I stop to reread to find out, well there will be no post for today! As all of the dust has been settling, it appears I get to drive down in August or September to work on settling the estate. What a trip that will get to be - I hate heat and driving! But, it needs to be done and perhaps I can catch some metal detecting going to and from? Not a trip I look forward to, the loss of so close a friend. How I loved that man! How I mourn my loss. His widow sent me his Navajo silver belt buckle I had made for him several decades ago. To see the buckle is to know he wore it daily! And I guess this fall I will make myself a belt to wear it with, in his memory. Not really my style of dress but ...
As I am back to having to roam around without my leg for the first time, I have been having an interesting time watching people's reactions.
There are three kinds of people:
Those whom are offended by my zooming around a store on my scooter, sans leg.
Those whom totally ignore me, even go out of their way to avoid me!
Those whom ask if they can help you reach something on a shelf, assistance to the car, etc.
Amongst the last group are:
Extremely few men!
Those men whom ask to help, are in their twenties or younger!
Females whom offer assistance, are mostly aged and whom I would have offered to help!
Those females whom are not aged ... have posed a bit of problem.
So, perhaps 15% of females whom offer to help me, do something, are in the under 30 year old crowd.
These females, a small percentage, are by and large oddly friendly.
Originally I thought it was my imagination.
But, then I thought it was perhaps a motherly instinct.
And then, due to some aggression on the part of a few, I began to see this as a problem of theirs.
Or is it just that an amputee has some weird mystic draw?
Too weird.
But, even if I was interested, as I have sworn long ago, I will never ever trust an unknown female ever again ...
So, I found that by going to the store during the morning, I can avoid this under 30 crowd!
Of course, by going in the morning - then I must contend with all of the small children out shopping with their mothers and they are drawn to my condition like moths! And, they love to ask questions and comment! It really is quite funny - almost as good as their appalled mothers' reactions.
And by going in the morning, I also find myself encountering numerous other amputees!
Yesterday was a woman whom also had lost her leg and wanted to talk.
So, I did.
Nice lady, still in shock and denial at one year.
With a customized Seahawk's leg shell ... bleech! Whatever.
But, it was nice to see others going through the same things.
She was an exception.
Most are very unpleasant people - hurting and having no answers.
Not wanting to find any either ...
And, it is driven home to me - that in the hopelessness of this condition, I still have hope.
And I do not understand it.
I suppose this is the hope in the justice-forgiveness-equity of God.
It is beyond my limited understanding, since I am still with no memory.
So, I accept that it is true and God will do something ...
Shortly after my return from Colorado, I got a tiny, insignificant scratch on my partial leg. I kept it completely clean, sprayed with Bactine, slathered in Neosporin, bandaged ... and it got infected almost instantly! So, I switched to Polysporin and that was the last of me, I was turned back into Infectious Disease. Darn Staph infection had gotten me - yet again! Weeks of antibiotics, burning up with fever - still am, and my leg ballooned up massively - still is! Five weeks of my life now wasted. If I could concentrate, I could read, but I might be able to do five pages and then I am drifting off yet again. Yesterday and today I am doing much better but nowhere near healed at all. So back to the hospital for more tests later this week! Sigh ...
I think I wrote about the disaster in Tucson earlier - but if I stop to reread to find out, well there will be no post for today! As all of the dust has been settling, it appears I get to drive down in August or September to work on settling the estate. What a trip that will get to be - I hate heat and driving! But, it needs to be done and perhaps I can catch some metal detecting going to and from? Not a trip I look forward to, the loss of so close a friend. How I loved that man! How I mourn my loss. His widow sent me his Navajo silver belt buckle I had made for him several decades ago. To see the buckle is to know he wore it daily! And I guess this fall I will make myself a belt to wear it with, in his memory. Not really my style of dress but ...
As I am back to having to roam around without my leg for the first time, I have been having an interesting time watching people's reactions.
There are three kinds of people:
Those whom are offended by my zooming around a store on my scooter, sans leg.
Those whom totally ignore me, even go out of their way to avoid me!
Those whom ask if they can help you reach something on a shelf, assistance to the car, etc.
Amongst the last group are:
Extremely few men!
Those men whom ask to help, are in their twenties or younger!
Females whom offer assistance, are mostly aged and whom I would have offered to help!
Those females whom are not aged ... have posed a bit of problem.
So, perhaps 15% of females whom offer to help me, do something, are in the under 30 year old crowd.
These females, a small percentage, are by and large oddly friendly.
Originally I thought it was my imagination.
But, then I thought it was perhaps a motherly instinct.
And then, due to some aggression on the part of a few, I began to see this as a problem of theirs.
Or is it just that an amputee has some weird mystic draw?
Too weird.
But, even if I was interested, as I have sworn long ago, I will never ever trust an unknown female ever again ...
So, I found that by going to the store during the morning, I can avoid this under 30 crowd!
Of course, by going in the morning - then I must contend with all of the small children out shopping with their mothers and they are drawn to my condition like moths! And, they love to ask questions and comment! It really is quite funny - almost as good as their appalled mothers' reactions.
And by going in the morning, I also find myself encountering numerous other amputees!
Yesterday was a woman whom also had lost her leg and wanted to talk.
So, I did.
Nice lady, still in shock and denial at one year.
With a customized Seahawk's leg shell ... bleech! Whatever.
But, it was nice to see others going through the same things.
She was an exception.
Most are very unpleasant people - hurting and having no answers.
Not wanting to find any either ...
And, it is driven home to me - that in the hopelessness of this condition, I still have hope.
And I do not understand it.
I suppose this is the hope in the justice-forgiveness-equity of God.
It is beyond my limited understanding, since I am still with no memory.
So, I accept that it is true and God will do something ...
July 19, 2016
You Didn't Really Say ...
eMails, oh you better believe I get eMails!, especially when I stomp on dearly cherished beliefs of this Pagan Western Culture! So, if you like the culture you live in, sold out to God-less-ness, no worries - you will write me off as a whack-o. But, if you have read your Bible and wondered at some of those odd passages - and my comments as of late ... read on! I have summarized those questions to reply to below - there is no hope I could answer each and every eMail on this subject! And the subject is the tension between God and His desire, and your life - failures and successes. It is my desire we all live as close to God as we can, but the more sin you shovel under the carpet, the greater you distance will be from God ...
You believe in capital punishment?
Easy question to answer, God believed in it.
You have to use man's logic to say He no longer does, because he asked that those involved in sexual sin be executed, those involved in paganism be executed, murder, etc, etc, etc!
It becomes easier to understand when your loved ones suffer rape, victimized by murder, kidnapped and used by the porn industry, or just plain driven crazy by those dedicated to sin and making your life miserable - yeah it is real easy to understand that capital punish is too light of a sentence!
But, you need to experience victimization to understand the price of justice in this life.
No, I believe that God's grace extends to everyone - and only when someone has demonstrated beyond all possible doubt that they can not live in a civilized society - well, they have sadly made their choice.
The excesses of this society killing anyone and everyone, under the pretext of "justice", has led to a situation where no one is actually held accountable - outside of incarceration these days! Sorry, but that is not justice, nor was it ever God's will that we live in an amoral society occupied by criminals allowed to victimize over and over again!
Many Should Be Executed?
There are lots of excuses for killing people. As I said just earlier, there are many deserving of death, I do not KNOW that they should be killed. I am a pacifist, I believe that all men are redeemable before God and should be allowed that opportunity for redemption! Whether you are Adolf Hitler or Ted Bundy, you must get your best shot at understanding what you have done - and the price you need to pay for the blood you have shed. The choice to die was made when you murdered, the choice for eternal life needs to be made before you go to face God.
I can remember back about the time of Ted Bundy's rampage in the USA and the body count is ticking away, I was asked for my feelings in a random on the street interview about capital punishment, this unknown killer and justice for the victim's families. I needless to say really put my foot in it! I commented that I had been counseling at the local prison and the more I learned about these men and their lives, the more I became aware that the real problems began with their grandparents whom were not caught and executed for their crimes! Yeah, that one really opened a can of worms, but was a true enough observation. Just a generalization, not 100% true since evil can appear in a child of even God-ly parents, but something in that environment did trigger that child to make the wrong choices! And whomever that trigger was, probably would not have had an impact - if they had paid for their problems earlier on.
Luckily, I am not God, because only He can identify the root causes of evil and act accordingly, when we let Him.
Abandonment is exactly what?
You abandon your marriage vow and sink into the cesspool of porn.
You play house with someone else.
You decide your spouse needs punished and cease marital relations.
You co-habit, for the sake of the children only or dogs or whatever.
You put yourself before your spouse in the relationship.
Lots of ways to abandon someone in this day and age!
God's remedy has always been, abandonment = divorce because of the hardness of someone's heart.
And before that hardness of heart, came sin, which is the underlying problem throughout this discussion.
Marriage is not what we know marriage to be?
Until the Roman Catholic Church came along and corrupted marriage, it had been something setup between families and generally there was a purpose for the marriage (business related, political, whatever). We think ourselves more civilized since we now base marriage on hormones or the fickleness of "love". I think history shows this culture is mislead.
In the class I mentioned on Friday, where we took on this idea of what is marriage? One of the guys realized that the woman he had lived with for a decade before marrying someone else and "settling down", probably was his wife in God's eyes. He was devastated. It seems that all was not well in his marriage, it had been based on drug usage and pleasure and both were wearing thin - hence, he was remembering the one whom drop kicked his butt out the door for the drugs. Now he understood that he had it coming and his position was none to stable before God.
This whole idea of a playing house - "spiritual unions" - common law marriage - whatever you want to call it, is viewed as marriage before God. That is why He is so adamant on the subject of - you stick with it until either abandoned by your spouse, death or divorce!
But, if you believe going to the government for permission to marry, then either to another government agency or church to marry you - is the definition of marriage, okay - but it is your commitment to your spouse and to God that is the real basis of your marriage. And, when that marriage has been broken, what are you to do? Probably try again and start off a great deal smarter!
***
In thinking through these answers, I thought of so much more I could say, but to what avail?
In the end, what must stand out in your mind is that we are to live a life trapped between the culture we are born into and Heaven or Hell. Little we can do is going to be "right", but by God's grace He sees His Son and not our sin. He knows our heart and forgives us our stumbles when we are His.
Life can be utter frustration outside of our control or desire but God will see us through to His end, for His goals and for His desire. If your life does not spell His witness, through you - reaching out and healing those around you with His Love - well, the problem is not going to be God's. Because that is the entire goal in this life.
As Corrie Ten Boom told me over forty years ago:
"When there is less of you and more of Him, then He can move in your life ..."
... and, move He will, when we allow Him to.
Just so we understand that His desires may well not be our own.
And, He will allow us the choice to do His will or not.
Corrie was a smart woman and I never forgot those words, which is impressive, since if you are a long time reader you know that I lost virtually all of my memories in October 2015. Yeah, they have not returned, but it seems that if they were important - or God would restore them ...
You believe in capital punishment?
Easy question to answer, God believed in it.
You have to use man's logic to say He no longer does, because he asked that those involved in sexual sin be executed, those involved in paganism be executed, murder, etc, etc, etc!
It becomes easier to understand when your loved ones suffer rape, victimized by murder, kidnapped and used by the porn industry, or just plain driven crazy by those dedicated to sin and making your life miserable - yeah it is real easy to understand that capital punish is too light of a sentence!
But, you need to experience victimization to understand the price of justice in this life.
No, I believe that God's grace extends to everyone - and only when someone has demonstrated beyond all possible doubt that they can not live in a civilized society - well, they have sadly made their choice.
The excesses of this society killing anyone and everyone, under the pretext of "justice", has led to a situation where no one is actually held accountable - outside of incarceration these days! Sorry, but that is not justice, nor was it ever God's will that we live in an amoral society occupied by criminals allowed to victimize over and over again!
Many Should Be Executed?
There are lots of excuses for killing people. As I said just earlier, there are many deserving of death, I do not KNOW that they should be killed. I am a pacifist, I believe that all men are redeemable before God and should be allowed that opportunity for redemption! Whether you are Adolf Hitler or Ted Bundy, you must get your best shot at understanding what you have done - and the price you need to pay for the blood you have shed. The choice to die was made when you murdered, the choice for eternal life needs to be made before you go to face God.
I can remember back about the time of Ted Bundy's rampage in the USA and the body count is ticking away, I was asked for my feelings in a random on the street interview about capital punishment, this unknown killer and justice for the victim's families. I needless to say really put my foot in it! I commented that I had been counseling at the local prison and the more I learned about these men and their lives, the more I became aware that the real problems began with their grandparents whom were not caught and executed for their crimes! Yeah, that one really opened a can of worms, but was a true enough observation. Just a generalization, not 100% true since evil can appear in a child of even God-ly parents, but something in that environment did trigger that child to make the wrong choices! And whomever that trigger was, probably would not have had an impact - if they had paid for their problems earlier on.
Luckily, I am not God, because only He can identify the root causes of evil and act accordingly, when we let Him.
Abandonment is exactly what?
You abandon your marriage vow and sink into the cesspool of porn.
You play house with someone else.
You decide your spouse needs punished and cease marital relations.
You co-habit, for the sake of the children only or dogs or whatever.
You put yourself before your spouse in the relationship.
Lots of ways to abandon someone in this day and age!
God's remedy has always been, abandonment = divorce because of the hardness of someone's heart.
And before that hardness of heart, came sin, which is the underlying problem throughout this discussion.
Marriage is not what we know marriage to be?
Until the Roman Catholic Church came along and corrupted marriage, it had been something setup between families and generally there was a purpose for the marriage (business related, political, whatever). We think ourselves more civilized since we now base marriage on hormones or the fickleness of "love". I think history shows this culture is mislead.
In the class I mentioned on Friday, where we took on this idea of what is marriage? One of the guys realized that the woman he had lived with for a decade before marrying someone else and "settling down", probably was his wife in God's eyes. He was devastated. It seems that all was not well in his marriage, it had been based on drug usage and pleasure and both were wearing thin - hence, he was remembering the one whom drop kicked his butt out the door for the drugs. Now he understood that he had it coming and his position was none to stable before God.
This whole idea of a playing house - "spiritual unions" - common law marriage - whatever you want to call it, is viewed as marriage before God. That is why He is so adamant on the subject of - you stick with it until either abandoned by your spouse, death or divorce!
But, if you believe going to the government for permission to marry, then either to another government agency or church to marry you - is the definition of marriage, okay - but it is your commitment to your spouse and to God that is the real basis of your marriage. And, when that marriage has been broken, what are you to do? Probably try again and start off a great deal smarter!
***
In thinking through these answers, I thought of so much more I could say, but to what avail?
In the end, what must stand out in your mind is that we are to live a life trapped between the culture we are born into and Heaven or Hell. Little we can do is going to be "right", but by God's grace He sees His Son and not our sin. He knows our heart and forgives us our stumbles when we are His.
Life can be utter frustration outside of our control or desire but God will see us through to His end, for His goals and for His desire. If your life does not spell His witness, through you - reaching out and healing those around you with His Love - well, the problem is not going to be God's. Because that is the entire goal in this life.
As Corrie Ten Boom told me over forty years ago:
"When there is less of you and more of Him, then He can move in your life ..."
... and, move He will, when we allow Him to.
Just so we understand that His desires may well not be our own.
And, He will allow us the choice to do His will or not.
Corrie was a smart woman and I never forgot those words, which is impressive, since if you are a long time reader you know that I lost virtually all of my memories in October 2015. Yeah, they have not returned, but it seems that if they were important - or God would restore them ...
July 18, 2016
In Memory of Hiroshima
Friday marked an anniversary where I would have published this then, but Friday's post was important to someone, so I aim to please ....
What was Friday?
The anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan - the birth of atomic warfare and the uneasy detente of the Cold War era which so thoroughly messed up my life ...
I can not fathom how God feels about war. If you believe that human life is precious and a gift of God, then how does one truly deal with the concept of humans destroying human life on so vast a scale? How does God feel about President Truman making the decision to end the war through the utter destruction of two cities of mostly civilians? (Admittedly, Hiroshima was a military city of about 40,000 military and a prisoner of war encampment for 700 captured Americans at ground zero!) Was this wisdom or further human folly?
Certainly, scientists spoke out quite strongly against the usage of the Atom as a bomb. All of the high brows were removed from any military projects because they were German, suspect and considered a threat against the success of the bomb. I grew up with most of them as a child, so I heard the arguments long after the war was over. However, I never knew Einstein, he had died before I came along. And, political "scientists" stepped in to do the job with no actual understanding of what they were doing. My personal dislike for men such as Oppenheimer so great it is hard for me to be objective - I was only a child and the man a creep, so yeah my opinion might just be jaded a little. But, a few of the politicos were men I liked as a child, no one knows their names, they were just grunts doing the jobs and follow up.
My own father justified his involvement because of the NAZI fear of the Soviet army and its need for utter destruction. He greatest complaint was of how, "those meddling Americans" had completely ruined Germany's race for the atom and supremacy in the war!
Thank God!
Once the Americans had grabbed father, his work on the nuclear bomb was still driven by prejudicial hatred for all things Russian! He held those cherished viewpoints even after my trips to Soviet Russia and adoption of four children. Then, he started to figure it out.
I also knew Tibbets, the pilot of the bombing run and a few others of the Enola Gay flight crew. So, it was informative to hear their side of the argument. And it was with sadness when last I met with Tibbets, whom knew his time was short, and wanted to see me one more time and talk about my father, the bomb and the big question. A man left bitter believing that he was judged and passed over for recognition for what he had done for America. A man torn. A man understanding something more than others.
Back in Japan, a pastor by the name of Kyimoto (? I can't find him on the internet but I remember well the role he played in post war Japan from the books I read as a child) became involved in reaching out to the untouchables of Japan - the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And with the love of God he reached out to those dying from radiation and cancer, those disfigured and scarred, those whom could never be married. He made a difference. And yeah, no one has ever heard of him.
If there is a lesson to be learned from this horrific piece of history:
Truman made a judgment call - kill civilians and force surrender, or lose more men in an invasion
Men such as Tibbets did what they felt needed to be done to end the war, at the risk of their own lives
The average Japanese was ignorant of what was happening and desired things all men desire
Scientists foresaw what would happen and revolted
Politicos ran with the ball
And in the end, it was men and women wanting to show God's love whom changed lives
I am glad that I was not any part of this.
I am glad that I have never been forced to make a choice which could cost someone their life.
I am glad that God pulled my butt onto a different path than that of my father.
I am sorry for those broken by actions such as this, victims come in all styles.
I am thankful for men, like Kyimoto, unknown and yet serving God in the hardest of times.
What was Friday?
 |
| At the moment of the Hiroshima blast. |
I can not fathom how God feels about war. If you believe that human life is precious and a gift of God, then how does one truly deal with the concept of humans destroying human life on so vast a scale? How does God feel about President Truman making the decision to end the war through the utter destruction of two cities of mostly civilians? (Admittedly, Hiroshima was a military city of about 40,000 military and a prisoner of war encampment for 700 captured Americans at ground zero!) Was this wisdom or further human folly?
Certainly, scientists spoke out quite strongly against the usage of the Atom as a bomb. All of the high brows were removed from any military projects because they were German, suspect and considered a threat against the success of the bomb. I grew up with most of them as a child, so I heard the arguments long after the war was over. However, I never knew Einstein, he had died before I came along. And, political "scientists" stepped in to do the job with no actual understanding of what they were doing. My personal dislike for men such as Oppenheimer so great it is hard for me to be objective - I was only a child and the man a creep, so yeah my opinion might just be jaded a little. But, a few of the politicos were men I liked as a child, no one knows their names, they were just grunts doing the jobs and follow up.
My own father justified his involvement because of the NAZI fear of the Soviet army and its need for utter destruction. He greatest complaint was of how, "those meddling Americans" had completely ruined Germany's race for the atom and supremacy in the war!
Thank God!
Once the Americans had grabbed father, his work on the nuclear bomb was still driven by prejudicial hatred for all things Russian! He held those cherished viewpoints even after my trips to Soviet Russia and adoption of four children. Then, he started to figure it out.
I also knew Tibbets, the pilot of the bombing run and a few others of the Enola Gay flight crew. So, it was informative to hear their side of the argument. And it was with sadness when last I met with Tibbets, whom knew his time was short, and wanted to see me one more time and talk about my father, the bomb and the big question. A man left bitter believing that he was judged and passed over for recognition for what he had done for America. A man torn. A man understanding something more than others.
Back in Japan, a pastor by the name of Kyimoto (? I can't find him on the internet but I remember well the role he played in post war Japan from the books I read as a child) became involved in reaching out to the untouchables of Japan - the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And with the love of God he reached out to those dying from radiation and cancer, those disfigured and scarred, those whom could never be married. He made a difference. And yeah, no one has ever heard of him.
If there is a lesson to be learned from this horrific piece of history:
Truman made a judgment call - kill civilians and force surrender, or lose more men in an invasion
Men such as Tibbets did what they felt needed to be done to end the war, at the risk of their own lives
The average Japanese was ignorant of what was happening and desired things all men desire
Scientists foresaw what would happen and revolted
Politicos ran with the ball
And in the end, it was men and women wanting to show God's love whom changed lives
I am glad that I was not any part of this.
I am glad that I have never been forced to make a choice which could cost someone their life.
I am glad that God pulled my butt onto a different path than that of my father.
I am sorry for those broken by actions such as this, victims come in all styles.
I am thankful for men, like Kyimoto, unknown and yet serving God in the hardest of times.
July 16, 2016
July 15, 2016
Marriage
Many long decades ago, a Sunday School class I attended, decided to tackle the question as to: What is Marriage?
Yes, those with their Catholic perversions to their faith were well represented in the argument which spanned about a month's worth of classes! Perversions? Yes, one of the popes in the middle ages decided that there was good money in selling the rights to marry, to the feudal kings. Along with the right to the "first night" - with the pope's blessing. So, now instead of the church having sole right to marry, the State was given the "right" to do so at its discretion and oh by the way blushing bride, the local feudal lord gets you for the first night! Yeah ..... no corruption there!
Nothing angers me more than the State believing that they have any say in the area of marriage, but if you want to play the State's game (taxes, inheritance, birth certificate names as well as death benefits) - they got you! All because of one corrupt pope!
So, what is marriage?
The class came to the conclusion that it is the "joining together of the resources of a man and a woman, in support of a common goal". The church has nothing to say about it, the State has nothing to say about it, and actually families have nothing to say about it either! Problem is - it is a lifetime commitment and we live in an age where everyone believes they have a "right" to have a say in your marriage.
Unfortunately, we live in a God-less age. "Christian" teachings from groups such as Bill Gothard's Basic Youth Conflicts, to name names, supposedly teach the youth how to live "Godly" lives but in reality just create an environment where control freaks thrive in! When I first slammed into his teachings, newly arrived upon America's shores, I was appalled that this was being taught, much less was considered to be God-ly teaching - and I was not even a Christian at the time, but I had already read the Bible cover to cover three times by then! So, I could at least smell a problem. (and as time was to show, I was not far off the mark in my opinion!)
Today, in Western Culture, divorce is rampant, I fear because sin is not dealt with as sin, as it once was. The world would be a far less populated place if sin was dealt with by death - just as in the olden days. Pornography problem? Death. Promiscuous? Death. Rapist? Death. Abandon your spouse? You must divorce them! Very black and white.
And because of this God-less age, sin never will be dealt with.
So, you as the victim in a destroyed marriage have no recourse today except divorce! Because society today will no longer execute the spouse whom has abandoned the marriage (for sin). Certainly, there are abandonments which are not sin based and for that God allowed divorce "for the hardness of their hearts".
Yeah, when you skinny down what exactly the Bible does say about marriage ... it does not fit with today's model at all. And people wonder why divorce is rampant ...
Yes, those with their Catholic perversions to their faith were well represented in the argument which spanned about a month's worth of classes! Perversions? Yes, one of the popes in the middle ages decided that there was good money in selling the rights to marry, to the feudal kings. Along with the right to the "first night" - with the pope's blessing. So, now instead of the church having sole right to marry, the State was given the "right" to do so at its discretion and oh by the way blushing bride, the local feudal lord gets you for the first night! Yeah ..... no corruption there!
Nothing angers me more than the State believing that they have any say in the area of marriage, but if you want to play the State's game (taxes, inheritance, birth certificate names as well as death benefits) - they got you! All because of one corrupt pope!
So, what is marriage?
The class came to the conclusion that it is the "joining together of the resources of a man and a woman, in support of a common goal". The church has nothing to say about it, the State has nothing to say about it, and actually families have nothing to say about it either! Problem is - it is a lifetime commitment and we live in an age where everyone believes they have a "right" to have a say in your marriage.
Unfortunately, we live in a God-less age. "Christian" teachings from groups such as Bill Gothard's Basic Youth Conflicts, to name names, supposedly teach the youth how to live "Godly" lives but in reality just create an environment where control freaks thrive in! When I first slammed into his teachings, newly arrived upon America's shores, I was appalled that this was being taught, much less was considered to be God-ly teaching - and I was not even a Christian at the time, but I had already read the Bible cover to cover three times by then! So, I could at least smell a problem. (and as time was to show, I was not far off the mark in my opinion!)
Today, in Western Culture, divorce is rampant, I fear because sin is not dealt with as sin, as it once was. The world would be a far less populated place if sin was dealt with by death - just as in the olden days. Pornography problem? Death. Promiscuous? Death. Rapist? Death. Abandon your spouse? You must divorce them! Very black and white.
And because of this God-less age, sin never will be dealt with.
So, you as the victim in a destroyed marriage have no recourse today except divorce! Because society today will no longer execute the spouse whom has abandoned the marriage (for sin). Certainly, there are abandonments which are not sin based and for that God allowed divorce "for the hardness of their hearts".
Yeah, when you skinny down what exactly the Bible does say about marriage ... it does not fit with today's model at all. And people wonder why divorce is rampant ...
July 14, 2016
Honoring Marriage
Reading in Hebrews, a book which perplexes me, amazes me, makes me wonder ... And I have had two years to do almost nothing but read and think. Seeing my life in all of its many disasters, seeing things in the Bible I never understood before the complete change which overcame me. And though I may now understand somethings better, it comes decades too late for me actually benefit from this knowledge. So, seeing missed opportunities, understanding how things should have been - could have been - better. Could-a, Would-a, Should-a - as my lawyer used to say ...
Every Christian is called to honor marriage as being highly valuable. And, yes, this includes singles - you are called to honor marriage as well!
Hebrews 13:4
Honor Your Child's Marriage
How I wish that parents could understand that their children do become adults and they are no longer under their parents' control! It is almost a disease in this culture that parents believe they have some say in their children's' marriages and lives - long after the child has left the home!
As a parent, your child marries - with or without your input - they are adult, married and their business is theirs alone! Butt out tiny minded control freaks! You support that marriage! You do all you can do to encourage the two of them! Your feelings have no place in someone else's marriage!
Honor Your Adult Child's Marriage
Yes, adults - those over 25 these days - get married too.
Parents are to separate relationally.
Parents are to separate emotionally.
Parents are to separate financially.
Life is to be fully shared with, and only with, their spouse.
Honor Newlyweds.
They need time together.
They need to create their identity.
Your being there too much will only cause unnecessary strife.
Honor Seasoned Couples.
They are in danger of drifting apart!
Encourage quality time together for them.
Time spent face to face, talking.
Daily, personal thoughts expressed, lovingly.
Weekly, fun time together - think a date night.
Annually, fun time together - think vacation.
Honor Couples In Crisis.
Do not take sides, be neutral!
Advocate for both spouses!
Try to not be drawn in ... good luck!
Pray!
Honor Senior Couples.
Recognize their commitment together.
Follow their example.
Realize that commitment has nothing to do with compatibility, being "soul mates" or "in love".
Commitment is a product of character.
In reading back through this it strikes me that churches would do well to encourage and build up marriages within the church. Yet, I have never seen an example of this as a ministry area in any church on four continents I have attended ... outside of a young marrieds Sunday School class once! Something to consider ...
Every Christian is called to honor marriage as being highly valuable. And, yes, this includes singles - you are called to honor marriage as well!
Hebrews 13:4
Honor Your Child's Marriage
How I wish that parents could understand that their children do become adults and they are no longer under their parents' control! It is almost a disease in this culture that parents believe they have some say in their children's' marriages and lives - long after the child has left the home!
As a parent, your child marries - with or without your input - they are adult, married and their business is theirs alone! Butt out tiny minded control freaks! You support that marriage! You do all you can do to encourage the two of them! Your feelings have no place in someone else's marriage!
Honor Your Adult Child's Marriage
Yes, adults - those over 25 these days - get married too.
Parents are to separate relationally.
Parents are to separate emotionally.
Parents are to separate financially.
Life is to be fully shared with, and only with, their spouse.
Honor Newlyweds.
They need time together.
They need to create their identity.
Your being there too much will only cause unnecessary strife.
Honor Seasoned Couples.
They are in danger of drifting apart!
Encourage quality time together for them.
Time spent face to face, talking.
Daily, personal thoughts expressed, lovingly.
Weekly, fun time together - think a date night.
Annually, fun time together - think vacation.
Honor Couples In Crisis.
Do not take sides, be neutral!
Advocate for both spouses!
Try to not be drawn in ... good luck!
Pray!
Honor Senior Couples.
Recognize their commitment together.
Follow their example.
Realize that commitment has nothing to do with compatibility, being "soul mates" or "in love".
Commitment is a product of character.
In reading back through this it strikes me that churches would do well to encourage and build up marriages within the church. Yet, I have never seen an example of this as a ministry area in any church on four continents I have attended ... outside of a young marrieds Sunday School class once! Something to consider ...
July 13, 2016
Implementing Preparedness
In life it is one thing to be warned of tragedy, to know tragedy is coming - and yet - quite another to implement what is needed to survive that pending tragedy.
So, you know you are not going to live forever, you may even have some harsh words from your doctor of warning of impending doom, but not many actually plan for the end, much less make needed changes in their lifestyles. Almost forty years ago Swedish Rocket Scientist's father had a heart attack. I traveled with Swede back to his family home to visit his father. He pulled through it, heeded his doctor's warnings ... except, he was not going to give up his fat laden Swedish sausages ...
In like reasoning, Jesus had some uncomfortable words for the group of disciples ...
Mark 13
Be watchful so you will not be lead astray.
Wars and rumors of wars (local conflict?) are ahead for the world.
Earthquakes.
Famines.
You will be handed over for torture and death.
You will be betrayed by your families.
Religion will be corrupted.
The earth will be under tribulation.
The Saints will be gathered.
And all will come to pass without warning ...
So, this was written 2,000 years ago ... a warning of what was to come ...
So, what does this mean to us today?
Some argue that all of this was a warning against the Roman destruction of Jerusalem. And, certainly, Rome did utterly destroy the region across two campaigns seventy years apart! As for the Christians in the area at the time - they scattered like the wind and the Roman army chased them all of the way to the Sea of Galilee!
The larger body of works on this passage go with the thought that this is still to come, it is a warning of the future. The one hitch is the reference to "this generation" will see this come to pass. Well, that does seem to limit this to those sitting with Jesus during this conversation. But, let us assume that this warning is still valid in this day and age ...
Don't Panic
God is in charge of everything.
Nothing can happen to you, what will not happen to everyone else.
God has promised to provide for your needs, even in times of trial.
Watch Out
Many will try to deceive you.
Many will try to teach you incorrectly.
The reasonable teaching is to your humanistic mind, the more it is false.
Remember God's wisdom is foolishness to natural man.
Get out of the Western Pagan churches!
You are warned!
Think Straight
Read your Bible while you can.
Understand how God works.
Be able to discern what is of God - or not!
Focus on God's calling for you.
Be faithful.
Stay Prepared
Pray.
Study.
Live your witness (life).
Be as innocent as a dove and as smart as a fox in your dealing with the world in troubled times!
If you hold to Western thought, try to see truth beyond "feel goodism"!
*****
Five years after Swede's father's heart attack, the second one hit. And, all of those additional sausages were too much for his arteries to overcome and he passed away.
At the funeral, his wife stood up and began to read from his diary, Swede and I looked at each other, we never would have guessed that he kept a diary, much less had become a Christian! Yeah, we had been gone for those five years. Swede was working on what was to become Kevlar and I learning about mining from my friend in Tucson. We looked at each other again, Craig had become a Christian! OMG! That was so awesome! And his diary left no doubt he was very serious about his faith.
He might not have want to change his life and give up fat laden sausages, but he had seen the difference Christianity had made in Swede's life, my life, then his other two children and even his wife!
In the following years, Sweden was to implement tight requirements as to the maximum amount and kinds of fat to be allowed in their sausages. It was not a popular decision, but the life expectancy of males was mighty low back in the day ....
So, you know you are not going to live forever, you may even have some harsh words from your doctor of warning of impending doom, but not many actually plan for the end, much less make needed changes in their lifestyles. Almost forty years ago Swedish Rocket Scientist's father had a heart attack. I traveled with Swede back to his family home to visit his father. He pulled through it, heeded his doctor's warnings ... except, he was not going to give up his fat laden Swedish sausages ...
In like reasoning, Jesus had some uncomfortable words for the group of disciples ...
Mark 13
Be watchful so you will not be lead astray.
Wars and rumors of wars (local conflict?) are ahead for the world.
Earthquakes.
Famines.
You will be handed over for torture and death.
You will be betrayed by your families.
Religion will be corrupted.
The earth will be under tribulation.
The Saints will be gathered.
And all will come to pass without warning ...
So, this was written 2,000 years ago ... a warning of what was to come ...
So, what does this mean to us today?
Some argue that all of this was a warning against the Roman destruction of Jerusalem. And, certainly, Rome did utterly destroy the region across two campaigns seventy years apart! As for the Christians in the area at the time - they scattered like the wind and the Roman army chased them all of the way to the Sea of Galilee!
The larger body of works on this passage go with the thought that this is still to come, it is a warning of the future. The one hitch is the reference to "this generation" will see this come to pass. Well, that does seem to limit this to those sitting with Jesus during this conversation. But, let us assume that this warning is still valid in this day and age ...
Don't Panic
God is in charge of everything.
Nothing can happen to you, what will not happen to everyone else.
God has promised to provide for your needs, even in times of trial.
Watch Out
Many will try to deceive you.
Many will try to teach you incorrectly.
The reasonable teaching is to your humanistic mind, the more it is false.
Remember God's wisdom is foolishness to natural man.
Get out of the Western Pagan churches!
You are warned!
Think Straight
Read your Bible while you can.
Understand how God works.
Be able to discern what is of God - or not!
Focus on God's calling for you.
Be faithful.
Stay Prepared
Pray.
Study.
Live your witness (life).
Be as innocent as a dove and as smart as a fox in your dealing with the world in troubled times!
If you hold to Western thought, try to see truth beyond "feel goodism"!
*****
Five years after Swede's father's heart attack, the second one hit. And, all of those additional sausages were too much for his arteries to overcome and he passed away.
At the funeral, his wife stood up and began to read from his diary, Swede and I looked at each other, we never would have guessed that he kept a diary, much less had become a Christian! Yeah, we had been gone for those five years. Swede was working on what was to become Kevlar and I learning about mining from my friend in Tucson. We looked at each other again, Craig had become a Christian! OMG! That was so awesome! And his diary left no doubt he was very serious about his faith.
He might not have want to change his life and give up fat laden sausages, but he had seen the difference Christianity had made in Swede's life, my life, then his other two children and even his wife!
In the following years, Sweden was to implement tight requirements as to the maximum amount and kinds of fat to be allowed in their sausages. It was not a popular decision, but the life expectancy of males was mighty low back in the day ....
July 12, 2016
Death of a Sermon
In spite of the fact that I do enjoy a good train wreck - I shudder when I witness one from the pulpit! And as I paw through my notes from my Colorado trip, I am again reminded of the first such I have had the discomfort to sit through in very many years!
Aaaaaargh!
The pastor is hardly to blame, he paced, he stuttered, he threw in dramatic pauses - he just was not Adrian Rogers, whom he was desperately trying to mimic ... as if success in ministry is approach and not the content. (one of my real issues with seminaries anymore!) The best part was that as he reached the point where a wrap up might have occurred - he said, "Oh man! I am ten minutes over ... Guess that is it. Your dismissed." I felt so very sorry for him. It was so apparent that he was called by his parents to the ministry, well educated and apparently several years in the pulpit. Yet ... he knew the problem ... God needs to call you, not your parents checkbook.
But, I am not here to bash him, I kind of liked him and would love to help him find a solid career test! Actually, with his energy, youth ministry screams to have him! But, there are no youth ministry rock stars, everyone wants to be the senior pastor rock star - sigh .
So, what was he going for?
2 Samuel 4:4
2 Samuel 9
Two obscure references and an equally obscure man named Mephibosheth.
People looked confused, who the heck was this guy and what the heck did the pastor have to say about him?!?!?!!?
And believe it, or not, I knew exactly whom he was! Remember those pills I was taking in May and early June that was supposed to trigger memory? Well, it did and as I had been driving to this random church (I always go to church on Sunday no matter where in the world I am, not because I have to, but because I enjoy searching for that real church ... the one that wants me.) - I had been thinking about Mephibosheth and how oh so very similar he is to me!
He was born handicapped, I would guess some sort of foot, ankle or knee issue. He was further handicapped when a nurse dropped him. He could not stand, he could not walk, and in his culture he had no basis for hope ... I was born club footed as are most of the Spencer family, it was surgically corrected. I lost my knees at 16 in a horrible skiing accident, surgically corrected. And then, lost a leg ... Like Mephibosheth, life seems to have few options now and be over. Yeah, stark reality there.
Now, Mephibosheth had one thing going for him, he was the son of Israel's future King David's best friend, who was the son of the current King of Israel. So, King of Israel marches off to an ill conceived war, takes his son Nathan along with him and both are butchered in the ensuing blood bath. And what is to become of Mephibosheth? Their is no one to protect him, no one to provide for him and the royal line is always cleansed to take care of any future embarrassments like usurping the throne.
King David remembers his best friend's death and wonders how he can honor his memory ... ? And has the crippled son brought to him and vows his care of the man for life ...
Well, if you have read your history of Israel, you know that David's Kingdom was an absolute zoo as far as peace or stability were concerned. Everyone betrayed everyone, even David betrayed God on multiple occasions. And in his last appearance in history, Mephibosheth, is in a plot, turns on David - whom had saved him!
So, what is there to learn from this?
David did the right thing by honoring his friend's memory.
But it would appear that Mephibosheth was not cut of the same cloth as David and Nathan had been.
David's failure with God, led to failure of his kingdom and rule.
It cost him his family, the lives of his children.
It cost him his home for many years.
It cost him losing God's Spirit.
And suddenly he realized what he had done and not done!
If you are a Mephibosheth, learn, remember and cherish gratitude.
For anything, everything you have is because the generosity of others ... and God.
For me it means placing myself below all others, with or without my leg attached.
I cherish each day, no matter how empty it is.
If you are a Nathan, cherish your friendships, they are only good for life - yours!
Build up and not tear down others around you.
Trust others as they trust in you.
And if you are a David ...
You did well to remember your friend from troubled times.
You will well to offer life to someone all others would executed.
You kept your promises.
Now earnestly remember your God .... when times are easy ...
With the recent death of the man whom has been a role model in making whatever I am today, I am forced to think how can I honor him?
God will provide that answer in due time I imagine ...
Aaaaaargh!
The pastor is hardly to blame, he paced, he stuttered, he threw in dramatic pauses - he just was not Adrian Rogers, whom he was desperately trying to mimic ... as if success in ministry is approach and not the content. (one of my real issues with seminaries anymore!) The best part was that as he reached the point where a wrap up might have occurred - he said, "Oh man! I am ten minutes over ... Guess that is it. Your dismissed." I felt so very sorry for him. It was so apparent that he was called by his parents to the ministry, well educated and apparently several years in the pulpit. Yet ... he knew the problem ... God needs to call you, not your parents checkbook.
But, I am not here to bash him, I kind of liked him and would love to help him find a solid career test! Actually, with his energy, youth ministry screams to have him! But, there are no youth ministry rock stars, everyone wants to be the senior pastor rock star - sigh .
So, what was he going for?
2 Samuel 4:4
2 Samuel 9
Two obscure references and an equally obscure man named Mephibosheth.
People looked confused, who the heck was this guy and what the heck did the pastor have to say about him?!?!?!!?
And believe it, or not, I knew exactly whom he was! Remember those pills I was taking in May and early June that was supposed to trigger memory? Well, it did and as I had been driving to this random church (I always go to church on Sunday no matter where in the world I am, not because I have to, but because I enjoy searching for that real church ... the one that wants me.) - I had been thinking about Mephibosheth and how oh so very similar he is to me!
He was born handicapped, I would guess some sort of foot, ankle or knee issue. He was further handicapped when a nurse dropped him. He could not stand, he could not walk, and in his culture he had no basis for hope ... I was born club footed as are most of the Spencer family, it was surgically corrected. I lost my knees at 16 in a horrible skiing accident, surgically corrected. And then, lost a leg ... Like Mephibosheth, life seems to have few options now and be over. Yeah, stark reality there.
Now, Mephibosheth had one thing going for him, he was the son of Israel's future King David's best friend, who was the son of the current King of Israel. So, King of Israel marches off to an ill conceived war, takes his son Nathan along with him and both are butchered in the ensuing blood bath. And what is to become of Mephibosheth? Their is no one to protect him, no one to provide for him and the royal line is always cleansed to take care of any future embarrassments like usurping the throne.
King David remembers his best friend's death and wonders how he can honor his memory ... ? And has the crippled son brought to him and vows his care of the man for life ...
Well, if you have read your history of Israel, you know that David's Kingdom was an absolute zoo as far as peace or stability were concerned. Everyone betrayed everyone, even David betrayed God on multiple occasions. And in his last appearance in history, Mephibosheth, is in a plot, turns on David - whom had saved him!
So, what is there to learn from this?
David did the right thing by honoring his friend's memory.
But it would appear that Mephibosheth was not cut of the same cloth as David and Nathan had been.
David's failure with God, led to failure of his kingdom and rule.
It cost him his family, the lives of his children.
It cost him his home for many years.
It cost him losing God's Spirit.
And suddenly he realized what he had done and not done!
If you are a Mephibosheth, learn, remember and cherish gratitude.
For anything, everything you have is because the generosity of others ... and God.
For me it means placing myself below all others, with or without my leg attached.
I cherish each day, no matter how empty it is.
If you are a Nathan, cherish your friendships, they are only good for life - yours!
Build up and not tear down others around you.
Trust others as they trust in you.
And if you are a David ...
You did well to remember your friend from troubled times.
You will well to offer life to someone all others would executed.
You kept your promises.
Now earnestly remember your God .... when times are easy ...
With the recent death of the man whom has been a role model in making whatever I am today, I am forced to think how can I honor him?
God will provide that answer in due time I imagine ...
July 11, 2016
Standing Firm
It was a hard Thursday night. The garbage cans had to moved to the street for collection, but I was the only one home ... So, I went out and struggled on one leg to move three cans to the road, in the rain. In all it took me just over one hour to accomplish this. Rabbits would have died of laughter watching me hopping around!
Back inside, trying to warm up with some tea, my stump up in the air to try to continue to reduce the swelling, and I switched on the news ... just in time to catch a live feed from Dallas and the tragedy unfolding.
A culture, a society, a country set upon self destruction by sowing hatred and greed - suddenly stunned by the whirlwind it has reaped. No, not a first harvest, the warnings have long been there - but no one listens, prejudice and envy, contrasting to show both sides of the same problem. And I feel trapped. I could be in Switzerland where this behavior is at least decades still away at best. But no, I now live in the heart of humanism ...
There was this church in Turkey, a town called Smyrna. A part of the Roman Empire, in a culture dedicated to immorality and violence, where the thought of anyone believing in just one God was to ridiculed, if not the basis for execution. The scene had been set for a whirlwind of violence to descend upon an entire empire ...
Revelation 2:8-11
Remain Faithful In The Good
Good times are easy to survive.
No real cost for living your faith.
No one really cares what you do.
It is no sweat to call your easy life a "witness".
But, you have to not let your guard down!
Consider 1 Peter 5:8.
Remain Faithful In The Bad
Bad times come for us individually, collectively and culturally.
Now it costs something to live your faith.
Others will assail you with claims of there being no God.
People will be watching to see what your witness really is.
You will be tempted to focus on the hardships!
Consider James 1:2-4.
Remain Faithful In The Ugly
And though we life in a time where most have not seen the ugly of life:
Warfare comes
Civil unrest comes
Families explode or implode
Cultures rise and fall
Change is inevitable and usually perceived as evil.
Remember to not blame God for all of the bad news!
Consider 2 Corinthians 1:3-4.
Though of little human comfort is the idea that God is indeed in control.
If He is, why then ...
The answer is unfortunate:
When you throw God out of your culture/society, well what do you expect?
When your politics spew hate and class unrest, well what do you expect?
When you raise up God-less generation after generation, well what do you expect?
And one could go on without end as to why God will not be there for a people whom have rejected Him!
But, for me, I have to hold course with God at the center.
For my children, I have to teach them where they should be.
For those around me, I have to show them who God is.
I have to be vulnerable and transparent in times when no one else is.
I have to show love when no one else will.
And if all is against me, I have to remember that all were against Him long ago, and I get to share in His witness of what real LOVE is.
Back inside, trying to warm up with some tea, my stump up in the air to try to continue to reduce the swelling, and I switched on the news ... just in time to catch a live feed from Dallas and the tragedy unfolding.
A culture, a society, a country set upon self destruction by sowing hatred and greed - suddenly stunned by the whirlwind it has reaped. No, not a first harvest, the warnings have long been there - but no one listens, prejudice and envy, contrasting to show both sides of the same problem. And I feel trapped. I could be in Switzerland where this behavior is at least decades still away at best. But no, I now live in the heart of humanism ...
There was this church in Turkey, a town called Smyrna. A part of the Roman Empire, in a culture dedicated to immorality and violence, where the thought of anyone believing in just one God was to ridiculed, if not the basis for execution. The scene had been set for a whirlwind of violence to descend upon an entire empire ...
Revelation 2:8-11
Remain Faithful In The Good
Good times are easy to survive.
No real cost for living your faith.
No one really cares what you do.
It is no sweat to call your easy life a "witness".
But, you have to not let your guard down!
Consider 1 Peter 5:8.
Remain Faithful In The Bad
Bad times come for us individually, collectively and culturally.
Now it costs something to live your faith.
Others will assail you with claims of there being no God.
People will be watching to see what your witness really is.
You will be tempted to focus on the hardships!
Consider James 1:2-4.
Remain Faithful In The Ugly
And though we life in a time where most have not seen the ugly of life:
Warfare comes
Civil unrest comes
Families explode or implode
Cultures rise and fall
Change is inevitable and usually perceived as evil.
Remember to not blame God for all of the bad news!
Consider 2 Corinthians 1:3-4.
Though of little human comfort is the idea that God is indeed in control.
If He is, why then ...
The answer is unfortunate:
When you throw God out of your culture/society, well what do you expect?
When your politics spew hate and class unrest, well what do you expect?
When you raise up God-less generation after generation, well what do you expect?
And one could go on without end as to why God will not be there for a people whom have rejected Him!
But, for me, I have to hold course with God at the center.
For my children, I have to teach them where they should be.
For those around me, I have to show them who God is.
I have to be vulnerable and transparent in times when no one else is.
I have to show love when no one else will.
And if all is against me, I have to remember that all were against Him long ago, and I get to share in His witness of what real LOVE is.
July 9, 2016
Musical Saturday Morning
I worked quite a bit out of Cork, Ireland - a town and people I loved but it was an utter disaster. Their definition and mine of a work ethic did not even come close! If I pay 8 hours, I expect more than 1.75 hours of work! Sigh ....
Every evening I would go to this little pub. No one went there and it confused me. The food was better than usual for Cork, prices low and the staff exceptionally friendly! They threw me a party when I left for good and many tears were shared. Yeah real people ... but trapped by the bigotry within the Irish system ... sigh
The music? At a time when America was flooded with river dance everything (and no one in Ireland had heard of a river dance!) - The Gypsy Kings ruled the airways and the sound system of the little pub. This song was playing all of the time! Just to hear it is to smell lamb with garlic roasting, the taste of a stout on your tongue and the easy laughter of people not trying to impress anyone.
Real days ...
Every evening I would go to this little pub. No one went there and it confused me. The food was better than usual for Cork, prices low and the staff exceptionally friendly! They threw me a party when I left for good and many tears were shared. Yeah real people ... but trapped by the bigotry within the Irish system ... sigh
The music? At a time when America was flooded with river dance everything (and no one in Ireland had heard of a river dance!) - The Gypsy Kings ruled the airways and the sound system of the little pub. This song was playing all of the time! Just to hear it is to smell lamb with garlic roasting, the taste of a stout on your tongue and the easy laughter of people not trying to impress anyone.
Real days ...
July 8, 2016
Rip Tide
Dutchman's oldest brother does quite well financially. Early on in life he developed some sort of small electrical generator now quite popular with third world nations. And success brings money and what are you going to spend your money on when you are a graduate student? Yup, a boat.
Now Dutchman and I love to fish, so when brother headed back home, we hitched up the boat and hauled it out to Westpost, on the Washington coast. It was salmon season, we had an available boat, so why not????? :)
We drove forever to get to the coast and the boat launched! Loaded up the boat, stored everything and motored out of the harbor. The flat calmness of the harbor was replaced by the rhythmical rise and fall of the boast crossing the rollers as we headed out to sea. Once free of the traffic around the breakwater and harbor entrance, Dutchman opened that little engine up! We were screaming across the rollers! I was guessing we were doing about 60!
And suddenly, we were airborne! The engine wound up! You could hear the propeller singing as it self destructed! Dutchman slammed the throttle all of the way back, shifted into neutral. Everything right, there was just no time to accomplish the task before this brand new boat had destroyed itself!
We hit the water and took a heck of a jolt! While Dutchman was trying to figure out where we were, I popped open the engine compartment and the engine was seized. Luckily there were no leaks! When I popped my head back up, a heavy fog had appeared from nowhere and there was utter silence.
Between Dutchman and I, we figured our run time at 23 minutes out of the harbor. Using the fishing pole, I had us in 180 feet of water and west by northwest of Westport. Dutchman called us in to the Coastguard.
And for the next five hours we drifted. I fashioned a sea anchor and this snapped our bow into the waves, so a little more stable. But, we had no idea where we were drifting to ... spun as we were in a rip-tide.
In the same way as Dutchman and I found ourselves at the mercy of a rip tide current of the sea, we are all in Western Culture at the mercy of the currents which surround us, bouncing us from side to side, at times tossing us up or threatening to drown us, pulling and dragging us to where we oft least times wish to go. And those currents are rather easy to identify ...
Immorality
Is rampant in this culture!
Sexuality - of any description, anytime, anywhere, by any means!
Sex is just a physical act, it has no meaning!
Marriage has no meaning!
Family has no meaning!
Life is about me and my pleasure alone!
Financial
We are under slavery to credit institutions.
We are bound by corrupt laws they rule us by.
When is that last time you got a credit application?
If not ten in the same day!
How many years are you in debt for?
Political
In the midst of the most appalling presidental cycle in US history -
do I really need to spell this one out?!?!?!
We have gone so far astray that we are now faced with candidate with NO character!
No standards or behavior exist.
The more outrageous, the better!
Liberalism
Most do not believe there is an absolute.
Most do not preach the truth.
Most do not want to listen.
We are not safe.
Our children are not safe.
Our families are not safe.
What has happened!?!
There is a standard, God's Way.
There is a path to failure the, World's Way.
Only through repentance can God's Way be found.
Only through repentance can the World's Way be avoided.
Only through repentance can any of us have any hope ...
As it turned out, a sheer pin had failed in the outdrive of the boat's drive train. And someone confessed to having taken the boat out the day before us and hitting a log at high speed. So, the pin failed on us, which flipped the boat up in the air, the engine over rev'ed and then seized! Whew! At least we did not do it! There was no way Dutchman and I could have afforded the $10,000 repair costs back in 1974!
Now Dutchman and I love to fish, so when brother headed back home, we hitched up the boat and hauled it out to Westpost, on the Washington coast. It was salmon season, we had an available boat, so why not????? :)
We drove forever to get to the coast and the boat launched! Loaded up the boat, stored everything and motored out of the harbor. The flat calmness of the harbor was replaced by the rhythmical rise and fall of the boast crossing the rollers as we headed out to sea. Once free of the traffic around the breakwater and harbor entrance, Dutchman opened that little engine up! We were screaming across the rollers! I was guessing we were doing about 60!
And suddenly, we were airborne! The engine wound up! You could hear the propeller singing as it self destructed! Dutchman slammed the throttle all of the way back, shifted into neutral. Everything right, there was just no time to accomplish the task before this brand new boat had destroyed itself!
We hit the water and took a heck of a jolt! While Dutchman was trying to figure out where we were, I popped open the engine compartment and the engine was seized. Luckily there were no leaks! When I popped my head back up, a heavy fog had appeared from nowhere and there was utter silence.
Between Dutchman and I, we figured our run time at 23 minutes out of the harbor. Using the fishing pole, I had us in 180 feet of water and west by northwest of Westport. Dutchman called us in to the Coastguard.
And for the next five hours we drifted. I fashioned a sea anchor and this snapped our bow into the waves, so a little more stable. But, we had no idea where we were drifting to ... spun as we were in a rip-tide.
In the same way as Dutchman and I found ourselves at the mercy of a rip tide current of the sea, we are all in Western Culture at the mercy of the currents which surround us, bouncing us from side to side, at times tossing us up or threatening to drown us, pulling and dragging us to where we oft least times wish to go. And those currents are rather easy to identify ...
Immorality
Is rampant in this culture!
Sexuality - of any description, anytime, anywhere, by any means!
Sex is just a physical act, it has no meaning!
Marriage has no meaning!
Family has no meaning!
Life is about me and my pleasure alone!
Financial
We are under slavery to credit institutions.
We are bound by corrupt laws they rule us by.
When is that last time you got a credit application?
If not ten in the same day!
How many years are you in debt for?
Political
In the midst of the most appalling presidental cycle in US history -
do I really need to spell this one out?!?!?!
We have gone so far astray that we are now faced with candidate with NO character!
No standards or behavior exist.
The more outrageous, the better!
Liberalism
Most do not believe there is an absolute.
Most do not preach the truth.
Most do not want to listen.
We are not safe.
Our children are not safe.
Our families are not safe.
What has happened!?!
There is a standard, God's Way.
There is a path to failure the, World's Way.
Only through repentance can God's Way be found.
Only through repentance can the World's Way be avoided.
Only through repentance can any of us have any hope ...
As it turned out, a sheer pin had failed in the outdrive of the boat's drive train. And someone confessed to having taken the boat out the day before us and hitting a log at high speed. So, the pin failed on us, which flipped the boat up in the air, the engine over rev'ed and then seized! Whew! At least we did not do it! There was no way Dutchman and I could have afforded the $10,000 repair costs back in 1974!
July 7, 2016
I Hate Funerals
I do not do well with funerals.
I realize that the dead are no longer with us, so it must be for the living.
But the living generally need slapped down with a brick ...
Dick's funeral was no different.
Except that I was not there, I was stuck due to a massive infection.
So, no peace keeper present, between multiple warring children.
You have to understand that the only reason anyone talked to Dick, in his family, was because I played neutral negotiator between him and his children. Over a beer one night in Denver, he told me about his life - the successes, the failures, no man had ever been so open with me before! And since there are no coincidences ... then God was showing me an injustice and I did have the ability to help ...
So, I took on his family!
The oldest daughter got it figured out real fast - that her mother had lied to her for years and been stealing their gifts and money from their father.
The oldest son, was wary but he when got a college scholarship to University of Arizona ;) - lived with his father (unwillingly at first) and figured out this monster of a man, was not - his mother was. Youngest daughter actually never knew her father as she was very young when he left the family and can not forgive him for that.
And youngest son, could not have cared less. He was into drugs young and spent his youth stoned. In his adult years, stoned on harder stuff all the while filing lawsuits against his father for various abuses which never occurred - using the supporting testimonies of crystal readers and other "psychics" which are not valid - thank goodness! So, he never won a case against his father but sure made that man's life miserable! And then there was a step-son whom dearly loved Dick.
So, whom are the problems in Tucson right now? Yup, youngest daughter whom is enraged that her father died without allowing her to tell him exactly what she thought! and at her youngest brother. Why? Well, it seems that when you show up at a funeral demanding money, well it is not taken well! He did the same thing at his youngest sister husband's funeral, as well as, his own mother's! Yeah, totally hung up on his own needs (drugs) and how to finance the next high. Sigh. It really sickens me - so perhaps it is good I could not travel. Sigh.
There were various readings Biblical and traditional, plus stories from the family. Since I could not be there, I had asked the step son to read my statement - he could not, he collapsed. I understand well. So, the oldest daughter read my statement. Yeah, I was sitting here watching Youtube and I was crying, as she did so. And she could not finish it.
So, everything is wrapping up and I am recovering emotionally here ... and someone in the crowd asked to say a few words. It was not planned and a little old man walked onto stage. No one knew whom he was in the audience, other than family. And he talked of his 60 year association with Dick, both as a friend, a co-worker and eventually boss - across numerous projects around the world.
And he kept his name out of it, so I will respect his privacy. But, there stood one of the richest men in the world - a billionaire so elusive that few know his name, much less that he even exists. His holdings are all hidden behind layers of multi-national corporations. I only had met him once in New York City about 1985 - he was a real person, I liked him.
And a real person, shows up at "his best friend"s funeral.
They say the measure of a man, is the measure of his friends. You would not have believed the varied crowd there - poor and super rich, old and young, Christians and Buddhists, representatives of numerous foreign governments.
Dick had an impact on many:
an award winning author
numerous books on genealogy, WWI, mining history, Colorado and environmental issues
created a mineral collection only eclipsed by the Smithsonian
discoverer of 6 new minerals
discoverer of the most ancient iron forge in the world
and 21 descendants
So bummer of a day, glad it is over, I wish I was there - I need a hug .....
I realize that the dead are no longer with us, so it must be for the living.
But the living generally need slapped down with a brick ...
Dick's funeral was no different.
Except that I was not there, I was stuck due to a massive infection.
So, no peace keeper present, between multiple warring children.
You have to understand that the only reason anyone talked to Dick, in his family, was because I played neutral negotiator between him and his children. Over a beer one night in Denver, he told me about his life - the successes, the failures, no man had ever been so open with me before! And since there are no coincidences ... then God was showing me an injustice and I did have the ability to help ...
So, I took on his family!
The oldest daughter got it figured out real fast - that her mother had lied to her for years and been stealing their gifts and money from their father.
The oldest son, was wary but he when got a college scholarship to University of Arizona ;) - lived with his father (unwillingly at first) and figured out this monster of a man, was not - his mother was. Youngest daughter actually never knew her father as she was very young when he left the family and can not forgive him for that.
And youngest son, could not have cared less. He was into drugs young and spent his youth stoned. In his adult years, stoned on harder stuff all the while filing lawsuits against his father for various abuses which never occurred - using the supporting testimonies of crystal readers and other "psychics" which are not valid - thank goodness! So, he never won a case against his father but sure made that man's life miserable! And then there was a step-son whom dearly loved Dick.
So, whom are the problems in Tucson right now? Yup, youngest daughter whom is enraged that her father died without allowing her to tell him exactly what she thought! and at her youngest brother. Why? Well, it seems that when you show up at a funeral demanding money, well it is not taken well! He did the same thing at his youngest sister husband's funeral, as well as, his own mother's! Yeah, totally hung up on his own needs (drugs) and how to finance the next high. Sigh. It really sickens me - so perhaps it is good I could not travel. Sigh.
There were various readings Biblical and traditional, plus stories from the family. Since I could not be there, I had asked the step son to read my statement - he could not, he collapsed. I understand well. So, the oldest daughter read my statement. Yeah, I was sitting here watching Youtube and I was crying, as she did so. And she could not finish it.
So, everything is wrapping up and I am recovering emotionally here ... and someone in the crowd asked to say a few words. It was not planned and a little old man walked onto stage. No one knew whom he was in the audience, other than family. And he talked of his 60 year association with Dick, both as a friend, a co-worker and eventually boss - across numerous projects around the world.
And he kept his name out of it, so I will respect his privacy. But, there stood one of the richest men in the world - a billionaire so elusive that few know his name, much less that he even exists. His holdings are all hidden behind layers of multi-national corporations. I only had met him once in New York City about 1985 - he was a real person, I liked him.
And a real person, shows up at "his best friend"s funeral.
They say the measure of a man, is the measure of his friends. You would not have believed the varied crowd there - poor and super rich, old and young, Christians and Buddhists, representatives of numerous foreign governments.
Dick had an impact on many:
an award winning author
numerous books on genealogy, WWI, mining history, Colorado and environmental issues
created a mineral collection only eclipsed by the Smithsonian
discoverer of 6 new minerals
discoverer of the most ancient iron forge in the world
and 21 descendants
So bummer of a day, glad it is over, I wish I was there - I need a hug .....
July 6, 2016
Staph Take IV
Staph, it seems to be the bain of my existence!
In April 2015 - my original foot rebuild was complicated by a staph infection.
Eight weeks of IV antibiotics and I was in the clear.
In June 2015 - leg rebuild brought another staph infection.
Another ten weeks on an IV and I was free again to be off antibiotics.
October 2015 - a "pop" in my big toe brought a sudden onset of incurable staph.
Two amputations and no further sign of staph.
That is, until last Monday, when my body failed yet again.
High fever, massive swelling, pumped full of drugs - and it did not work.
Yesterday, I was in Infectious Disease, again.
Leg was so swollen it was at the rupture point (think meat bomb if hit!).
Put back on antibiotics.
Leg milked like I was a cow of a "viscous fluid" of unknown origin.
So tomorrow, it seems we will know if I have a lymph failure, joint failure, or???/?
yeah down for another week - now three in a row!
and the pain from the exploratory surgery is unimaginable ...
In April 2015 - my original foot rebuild was complicated by a staph infection.
Eight weeks of IV antibiotics and I was in the clear.
In June 2015 - leg rebuild brought another staph infection.
Another ten weeks on an IV and I was free again to be off antibiotics.
October 2015 - a "pop" in my big toe brought a sudden onset of incurable staph.
Two amputations and no further sign of staph.
That is, until last Monday, when my body failed yet again.
High fever, massive swelling, pumped full of drugs - and it did not work.
Yesterday, I was in Infectious Disease, again.
Leg was so swollen it was at the rupture point (think meat bomb if hit!).
Put back on antibiotics.
Leg milked like I was a cow of a "viscous fluid" of unknown origin.
So tomorrow, it seems we will know if I have a lymph failure, joint failure, or???/?
yeah down for another week - now three in a row!
and the pain from the exploratory surgery is unimaginable ...
July 5, 2016
Finding Significance
I had a dream long ago, so weird, I had to remember it. I was seated at a table and everyone was bragging upon their heritage/ancestry. It bored me beyond belief! If you want to impress me, tell me what you have done - not what your family did in history! And heraldry holds no weight with me, I know my linage, I know my title ...
I ask the lady seated next to me to pass something. She turns and stuffily asks, "Who do you think you are?"
Through my mind quickly flitted across the proper answer options. Do I brag about my title or the lineage to five royal houses? I was really irritated by this woman and completely unsure which was the more impressive to shut her up.
Then it all jelled in my mind and I understood that I had to be no one other than a son of the King!
Yeah, I gave up on my ancestry research other than to just produce a book for grandmother's family members. But, that is another story!
In Jesus day, status and position before others was important - just as it is with some today. The clothing, the jewels, being at the right place at the right time to be seen. Speaking in lofty terms so as to appear close to God. And God does not respect any of that ...
Mark 12:38-44
No One May Notice You Except God
Consider 2 Chronicles 16:9 and Proverbs 15:3
God watches, He sees, He knows.
God will support you and you needs
If you live your life for God, if anyone notices, it will usually be to criticize you!
It Is About Your Heart
Jesus points to the small coins given by the widow, and praises her.
Widows were to be supported by the Temple, not the other way around!
Our giving today is diseased!
We do not give in Love nor Joy! (I hope you are the exception!)
God is looking at your heart, not your checkbook balance!
Expect Nothing Here
This was a teaching moment for the Disciples
- There is no fanfare here for the faithful
- No one may encourage you
- God however remembers and will reward!
And that last point is the real point! God will reward you - good or bad, your choice, your life, outside of having an eternal security eternity - you will get what you got coming to you! Are you willing to be quietly used by God, even in your foul ups? Are you willing to receive no credit for anything? Are you willing to be attacked for your faith? To lose family and friends?
Doing God's will does not come without a price - but you have to know really well God's quiet voice in order to discover that will.
Please close your ears to the pagan church of the world today! Read your Bible, pray, and if you must talk to others, listen to those whom disagree with the pagan church ... You live in an apostate age, which will do its best to hamper your discovery of the real God, to stop you from doing what you are supposed to do. After-all, God's wisdom is foolishness to man. So, if it makes sense to you, you are probably listening to a lie ....
I ask the lady seated next to me to pass something. She turns and stuffily asks, "Who do you think you are?"
Through my mind quickly flitted across the proper answer options. Do I brag about my title or the lineage to five royal houses? I was really irritated by this woman and completely unsure which was the more impressive to shut her up.
Then it all jelled in my mind and I understood that I had to be no one other than a son of the King!
Yeah, I gave up on my ancestry research other than to just produce a book for grandmother's family members. But, that is another story!
In Jesus day, status and position before others was important - just as it is with some today. The clothing, the jewels, being at the right place at the right time to be seen. Speaking in lofty terms so as to appear close to God. And God does not respect any of that ...
Mark 12:38-44
No One May Notice You Except God
Consider 2 Chronicles 16:9 and Proverbs 15:3
God watches, He sees, He knows.
God will support you and you needs
If you live your life for God, if anyone notices, it will usually be to criticize you!
It Is About Your Heart
Jesus points to the small coins given by the widow, and praises her.
Widows were to be supported by the Temple, not the other way around!
Our giving today is diseased!
We do not give in Love nor Joy! (I hope you are the exception!)
God is looking at your heart, not your checkbook balance!
Expect Nothing Here
This was a teaching moment for the Disciples
- There is no fanfare here for the faithful
- No one may encourage you
- God however remembers and will reward!
And that last point is the real point! God will reward you - good or bad, your choice, your life, outside of having an eternal security eternity - you will get what you got coming to you! Are you willing to be quietly used by God, even in your foul ups? Are you willing to receive no credit for anything? Are you willing to be attacked for your faith? To lose family and friends?
Doing God's will does not come without a price - but you have to know really well God's quiet voice in order to discover that will.
Please close your ears to the pagan church of the world today! Read your Bible, pray, and if you must talk to others, listen to those whom disagree with the pagan church ... You live in an apostate age, which will do its best to hamper your discovery of the real God, to stop you from doing what you are supposed to do. After-all, God's wisdom is foolishness to man. So, if it makes sense to you, you are probably listening to a lie ....
July 4, 2016
Which Jesus?
Many decades ago, I read a very odd book. I realized at the time that God was behind my even having a copy of that book - it WAS NOT a book I would have picked up or voluntarily read. Yeah, a God thing, you can see them coming a mile away and have no idea what it means, but if it is of God - well you better read and figure it out.
The story revolved around a young nurse working in the medical field as a volunteer in Mexico. A story you would expect and then came the miracles. Lots of them, always giving glory to God, never not pointing away from Him. Seems to be all on the up and up. But, I was compelled to then re-read, re-read again and yet again! Each time critically searching - questioning - studying. I am nothing if not cautious.
The eventually I could understand the book's main question:
Which Jesus do you worship?
Everything on the mission field pointed to Jesus, yet the nurse could not shake the feeling that this was not the real Jesus being presented, being worshiped, doing the miracles. But, why? Why would someone question Jesus from the standpoint of a successful ministry in the process, of results being found, of a solid message?
One of my early thoughts as a Christian was the tendency American Christians to comfortably put God in a box. 'God can do this, but never that!' Really? And here I thought He was the Creator of the universe and you are defining what He can and can't do? More interestingly, I observed that God, the real one, gave them exactly what they demanded and within the size of their box constraints! It took me long to learn that God will only do what you will allow Him to do. He will only use what you allow Him to use. The size of the box you give God to work out of , is the size of the god you will end up with!
And most Christians today have no clue what God is capable of, thanks to our "box" theology!
Mark 12:35-37
Takes on the question of Psalms 110:11, how can David's son be David's Lord?
It made no sense to the Greek mind.
The Son of David is supposed to be the Messiah, the military conqueror they wanted!
Is Your God Too Small?
How small of a box do you keep your god in?
Can He act freely?
Do you think He is controlled by you?
We limit God all of the time, because He is far greater than we can conceive.
Is Your Jesus This Great?
Son of God.
God, yet in the flesh.
God of all, for all, dying for all!
Romans 1: and Hebrews 1 both point the Hebrew reader back to Psalms 110.
Is Your Faith This Firm?
Heresies abound about Jesus.
- God saw Jesus and liked what He saw, adopted him
- Jesus as flesh is less than God in Heaven
- Jesus is divine but not human
- Mean God in OT, nice God in NT!
- Three modes of God - father, then son, then Holy Spirit
- We can do it all ourselves without God
- Jesus is less than God
- Three separate Gods
You have to discover the real Jesus and you will only find Him through study of the Bible (not books about the Bible!) and the Holy Spirit helping you out big time!
So, take a moment and think about what you know about Jesus and God. How powerful do you allow Him to be in your life? How regularly do you talk to Him - not demanding anything of Him? We were created to worship Him, not hit Him with never ending shopping lists!
In the end, there is a God, He is your Creator, He desires your worship, love and service. He also will use you to the extent of your faith in Him. But, never assume that He has not already told you who you are, whom you are to be, or where you are to be. But if you ignored Him, redefined what He told you, listened to others - do not expect retakes in the real world. (in the make believe Western christian Religion, yes retakes are without number!).
And the nurse of the book I was reading? She figured it out. Her testimony badly damaged Satan's work in Mexico. Of course, when you cut off one snake head, another will grow. But, you got the one and that is what counts in our war against Satan's claim on mankind's souls.
She was serving God, but had allowed herself to be drawn into a cult where miracles where expected and occurred. Unfortunately, like all cults, it really was not serving God, it was serving man - receiving the worship of man - glorifying the creation, not the Creator.
Such a terribly fine line! I could see how she got drawn in and then stopped to question, when the answers came easily and were "right". But, it was the failure in the laying of the base for the mission, it was not God, it was on attracting people with spectacle. And people love spectacular shows of power!
But, God, the real one, works in the quiet, without much fan-fare at all! Counter-intuitive to the expectations of man and our desire for showmanship to draw the crowds in. Yes, God can and does spectacular things but if someone is on the roof top heralding them - you know is it not of God - and more than likely a show being put on by the god of this Earth - Satan.
The story revolved around a young nurse working in the medical field as a volunteer in Mexico. A story you would expect and then came the miracles. Lots of them, always giving glory to God, never not pointing away from Him. Seems to be all on the up and up. But, I was compelled to then re-read, re-read again and yet again! Each time critically searching - questioning - studying. I am nothing if not cautious.
The eventually I could understand the book's main question:
Which Jesus do you worship?
Everything on the mission field pointed to Jesus, yet the nurse could not shake the feeling that this was not the real Jesus being presented, being worshiped, doing the miracles. But, why? Why would someone question Jesus from the standpoint of a successful ministry in the process, of results being found, of a solid message?
One of my early thoughts as a Christian was the tendency American Christians to comfortably put God in a box. 'God can do this, but never that!' Really? And here I thought He was the Creator of the universe and you are defining what He can and can't do? More interestingly, I observed that God, the real one, gave them exactly what they demanded and within the size of their box constraints! It took me long to learn that God will only do what you will allow Him to do. He will only use what you allow Him to use. The size of the box you give God to work out of , is the size of the god you will end up with!
And most Christians today have no clue what God is capable of, thanks to our "box" theology!
Mark 12:35-37
Takes on the question of Psalms 110:11, how can David's son be David's Lord?
It made no sense to the Greek mind.
The Son of David is supposed to be the Messiah, the military conqueror they wanted!
Is Your God Too Small?
How small of a box do you keep your god in?
Can He act freely?
Do you think He is controlled by you?
We limit God all of the time, because He is far greater than we can conceive.
Is Your Jesus This Great?
Son of God.
God, yet in the flesh.
God of all, for all, dying for all!
Romans 1: and Hebrews 1 both point the Hebrew reader back to Psalms 110.
Is Your Faith This Firm?
Heresies abound about Jesus.
- God saw Jesus and liked what He saw, adopted him
- Jesus as flesh is less than God in Heaven
- Jesus is divine but not human
- Mean God in OT, nice God in NT!
- Three modes of God - father, then son, then Holy Spirit
- We can do it all ourselves without God
- Jesus is less than God
- Three separate Gods
You have to discover the real Jesus and you will only find Him through study of the Bible (not books about the Bible!) and the Holy Spirit helping you out big time!
So, take a moment and think about what you know about Jesus and God. How powerful do you allow Him to be in your life? How regularly do you talk to Him - not demanding anything of Him? We were created to worship Him, not hit Him with never ending shopping lists!
In the end, there is a God, He is your Creator, He desires your worship, love and service. He also will use you to the extent of your faith in Him. But, never assume that He has not already told you who you are, whom you are to be, or where you are to be. But if you ignored Him, redefined what He told you, listened to others - do not expect retakes in the real world. (in the make believe Western christian Religion, yes retakes are without number!).
And the nurse of the book I was reading? She figured it out. Her testimony badly damaged Satan's work in Mexico. Of course, when you cut off one snake head, another will grow. But, you got the one and that is what counts in our war against Satan's claim on mankind's souls.
She was serving God, but had allowed herself to be drawn into a cult where miracles where expected and occurred. Unfortunately, like all cults, it really was not serving God, it was serving man - receiving the worship of man - glorifying the creation, not the Creator.
Such a terribly fine line! I could see how she got drawn in and then stopped to question, when the answers came easily and were "right". But, it was the failure in the laying of the base for the mission, it was not God, it was on attracting people with spectacle. And people love spectacular shows of power!
But, God, the real one, works in the quiet, without much fan-fare at all! Counter-intuitive to the expectations of man and our desire for showmanship to draw the crowds in. Yes, God can and does spectacular things but if someone is on the roof top heralding them - you know is it not of God - and more than likely a show being put on by the god of this Earth - Satan.
July 2, 2016
Musical Saturday Morning
Life has become impossibility, if not improbable.
That which restrained now evaporated.
The future but a vapor.
Years wasted.
And I am:
That which restrained now evaporated.
The future but a vapor.
Years wasted.
And I am:
July 1, 2016
God Apart
While I was on vacation, I had little time to do much Bible study since I was driving the rental's wheels off - from one end of Colorado to the other! So, I read about King Josiah ...
2 Kings 22:11 and chapter 23
There was a King by the name of Manasseh, he was not a very Godly king.
Under his rule the Phoenician practice of sacrificing your children came into vogue.
After-all, it is an important part of appeasing the goddess of bounty and harvest, to assure wealth.
(Since this is a family blog, I will just avoid what really went one ...)
Now, Josiah was eight years old when he became King.
As he became a man, in other words old enough to know better, a scroll was found and brought to him.
It was a Torah, the first five books of the Bible, found in the Temple.
It was read to Josiah.
He understood what was read to him and went into mourning.
He cleansed the Temple of the pagan idol and practices.
Removed the Asherah poles from Jerusalem.
Josiah understood that God is who He says He is, not whom we want Him to be.
Israel's customs had evolved to leaving God and following false gods or the Phoenicians.
Under Manasseh, God was reduced to being the god of "have it your way".
But, God is who God is, not what you like to think you want.
Romans 1:22-32
Where have you redefined God into being you god?
Did you choose poorly and become a fool by listening to the wrong god?
A depraved mind, finding new ways of doing evil, approve of those whom do evil, wading in sin!
And God is love.
He seeks the objects of His love - you!
He is holy, opposed to what would destroy the objects of His love.
To love, is to hate what can destroy the object of your love.
Something not understood in this day and age.
How I wish real Christians would awake and stop trying to appease Satan.
Oppose the sin of this culture.
Oppose those whom lead away from God.
Support those whom do oppose, whom do lead, take a stand for Jesus!
2 Kings 22:11 and chapter 23
There was a King by the name of Manasseh, he was not a very Godly king.
Under his rule the Phoenician practice of sacrificing your children came into vogue.
After-all, it is an important part of appeasing the goddess of bounty and harvest, to assure wealth.
(Since this is a family blog, I will just avoid what really went one ...)
Now, Josiah was eight years old when he became King.
As he became a man, in other words old enough to know better, a scroll was found and brought to him.
It was a Torah, the first five books of the Bible, found in the Temple.
It was read to Josiah.
He understood what was read to him and went into mourning.
He cleansed the Temple of the pagan idol and practices.
Removed the Asherah poles from Jerusalem.
Josiah understood that God is who He says He is, not whom we want Him to be.
Israel's customs had evolved to leaving God and following false gods or the Phoenicians.
Under Manasseh, God was reduced to being the god of "have it your way".
But, God is who God is, not what you like to think you want.
Romans 1:22-32
Where have you redefined God into being you god?
Did you choose poorly and become a fool by listening to the wrong god?
A depraved mind, finding new ways of doing evil, approve of those whom do evil, wading in sin!
And God is love.
He seeks the objects of His love - you!
He is holy, opposed to what would destroy the objects of His love.
To love, is to hate what can destroy the object of your love.
Something not understood in this day and age.
How I wish real Christians would awake and stop trying to appease Satan.
Oppose the sin of this culture.
Oppose those whom lead away from God.
Support those whom do oppose, whom do lead, take a stand for Jesus!
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