Yet Again

So, there is skin again over the wound!
This time, rather than rush into thr surgeon's and show it off - I will wait.
This will allow more skin to form and thicken over what remains of the wound.
I did my first physical therapy session and had the leg covered in tape to restart the lymph system.
And the tape worked.
I can now see the actual wound!
And now there is some form of growth in the wound channel ....

So this is short because rest of today will be on the phone arranging further doctors visits.
If more surgery is needed, then it must be now - so that wound heals before casting!
So, trying to coordinate doctor, surgeon, dermatologist and insurance .

What a day this will be!

Life Goes On

So, I decided over the weekend to go and see what is new with those friends whom FaceBook has not deleted for me.  I can now finally read more than a few lines without falling asleep - though typing is still a problem for me!  I realized that being introspective is just fine - but it leads to negativity.  And, my goal in this new life is optimism.

But, life continues - even if mine has been stalled for almost three years now.

On the happy side:
ex-International Banker Woman, widow of my late friend James, got engaged!
I am very happy for her and Dan.
Each of them has a grown daughter and they have been around each other for the past two years.
So, I pray it goes well for them.
And I pray God will be the center of their marriage ...

On the sad side:
The death of Marie, the mother of the young lady my father had decided I must marry.
She was a gentle woman, whom unfortunately hated men.
She passed her hatred on to her daughter.
You can guess how well all went for me decades later and trying to honor my father ....
My refusal to marry was the end of my having a family - except for Somer, my sister.
Until they needed me.

On the same-old, same-old side:
The death of Marie inadvertently only confirmed the depth of lies father was willing to go to.
Had I of known Marie's real tale, even in my naivety back then, life might have been very different.
I remain stunned at his arrogance in believing he was smarter than me.

So, how do I know?
The brain doc put me on a med which kicks starts the brain - as long as it is in your system.
And oh was mine ever kick started!
On day three, it all came roaring back.
Then Thursday brought on twin heart attacks.
So, off of those pills instantly!
And it is now it is Saturday and I am once again dumber than a stump - sigh ...

But, little pieces stayed with me.
Just enough to write about Marie.
Enough to remember why I walked away from her daughter:
She called me a liar.
Equating me with her father.
Equating me with my father.
And why I do not lie ...
I will never be my father.
I swore that as a youth - I maintain that decision.
Often to my own detriment.

Memorial Day

Yes, it is National BBQ Day!  Well, that is what you would think .... anything to do with War or Veterans - nope.

 Mine mind is drawn to the thought of those left still alive.
Virtually no one is left from WWI, except I hear in Russia.
So few are left from WWII that they are the exception in any crowd!

Still plenty of Korean War, Vietnam and all of the gulf wars!

If you can, invite a vet to your BBQ.
Better yet make the decision to honor these men and women with friendship and a meal ...

Musical Sturday Morning

Reset

So, I was put on a new memory enhancing drug this week.
And it seems it performs as advertised.
Memories flooded back.
And the anger arose within me:
At all of the betrayals
All of the broken promises
Of having my new heart ripped out
Piece by piece.
Yesterday was horrible!

Rounded out with twin minor heart attacks.

Yeah, something in that chemical mix is not good for me.
Nor are the memories.
So, stopping the meds and pray I can quickly forget ....
Again.
Permanently .....

and I really do need your prayers for recovery from this ...

No More

Facebook has done it to me again!
Yes, it is annual purge of my friends list day ... sigh ...
59 friends, a third of them ... POOF!

In years past when Facebook has held this celebration, I have endured continued comments and ire from said "friends".
No More.

I have been already slowly deleting all of my history off of FB - goal is to just have a series of things I think are funny.  By the end of next year it will all be done.  No online presence left of me.

This time, if said "friend" has not visited, IM'ed, texted or called me in over a year - they will not know the difference.
Which is a shame, many of them are held dearly in my heart - but as it seems, not bi-directional affection.

Family I will be needing to keep, even though most of them do not talk to me.  You never know when there is a funeral to attend or injury to pray over.
But, no more, this weird junior high mentality game is over!

My blogs I will keep - using my time to consolidate them and improve them.  My goal is that there be one entrance into my world - I think it will be much easier for me to maintain.

But it saddens me.  For I cherish friends, even ones whom have apparently passed me by.  Maybe I just need to let go and stop being optimistic about life.

Jawv Drop

You have no concept of how vexing life is when your mind has been wiped!
Over the weekend, I remembered two online forums I used to participate in.
Both I stopped accessing right after father's death ... not sure why.

So, I hopped onto the history site and it is still interesting.
Guess I will get to do some reading and seeing what is on their minds.
The other is a Christian site and it left me to think ...

Someone posted a question about one of the parables of Jesus.
It was not a hard parable to understand.
The following questions and discussion left me uncertain ...

So I dug out my tome on the parables of Jesus for the sake of letting me know if I had lost it too.
The Words And Works Of Jesus Christ
Dwight Pentecost  *
1981
Zondervan

And as I read the standard understanding of the parable, I had to go back and read the post and all of the comments.  Okay, so I am not being obtuse here - easily understood text, no word pictures to misunderstand - and yet 100% of the comments were completely off-base, seeking something hidden meaning in plain text.

Today Christians seem to have forgotten that people are people.  The same today, as yesterday.  If you think mankind is smarter today than in Jesus' day - you would be wrong.  They might even have been a mite wiser than we are today!  So, if Jesus was talking - then the audience had the ability to understand, but they often did not because He was not saying what was expected, nor was He acting as expected!  The learned could not get beyond their hard set expectations and so His message was not understood by the common man.  Naturally that is not a blanket statement.

Matthew 25:14-30

The entire question revolving around why are some punished and others rewarded?
Huh?
You do nothing and you expect reward?
You do little and you expect the same reward as those whom apply themselves?
What the heck  is wrong with people these days?

So the odd comments flowed, so totally "off" from what Jesus had said!
I have to admit, I do not get this illogical flow of thought .....

Perhaps we are reaching the point where truth can no longer be found.
The point where people rush around to find truth.
But, it is not to be found.
Perhaps because hearts and minds are hardening?
Clouding understanding ...

But, if something so basic, as this parable, can no longer be understood by the common man - the question becomes one of why?
What has clouded minds hearts, eyes?

I really do wonder ......

*I do not recommend anything written by Dwight Pentecost and strongly question his entire "ministry"!  However this work seemed to be problem free when I was a Bible student.  Remember: always question, no matter how highly esteemed in man's eyes someone is!

Sigh

So, the meet5ing with the surgeon did not quite go as expected.
The nurses had all trhought the wound had closed.
Nope, according to the surgeon.
So, come back in a month ...

And the mold makers wants two months for the scar toughen ....
Now I am back at 90 days of more waiting.
Sigh.

Kiss the summer good-bye.
No metal detecting.
No escaping this solitude.

Sigh ...

Now what to do ...  to keep my mind occupied?

God'a Plan

One of my God-children came by, having graduated from college!  Now shooting to become a pastor, and yes, I am very proud of him!  He also just got engaged last week - so I got to meet her for the first time!  Very fun evening.

He has a real burden concerning the concept of family.  I am not surprised, he lost his mother when he was young and his father's personality was a bit bombastic. Unfortunately, I was stressed beyond my ability at the same time, so I was a bit abrasive as well.  But, we did have fun when we got together sigh ......

But, he is part of my family, as are all of my God-children.  So, always welcome in my home or in his need.  As are the other 13 God-children :)

So, in his burden, we talked about God's plan and in particular the idea of family ......  Basically, there are three points:

God's plan has been and will always be the family - Genesis 2:18

God's plan is to transform the family through and alongside the church - Deuteronomy 6:4-9

God's plan is to raise up the church as a family.

Of course we talked around the idea of us all being brothers and sisters.
God wanting our hearts more than our minds!

In all a joyous evening - I am very proud of the young man he has grown into .....  How I wish his mother was here to see this ...

Musical Saturday Morning

So, YouTube seems to have disabled the embed feature - hence, this might not work ... we shall see:

Surviving "Challenges"

Since 2011 I have had quite a series of health issues.
One of my friends chose suicide in 2015 rather than take on the challenge of charco ...
My injuries from 2011 were to morph in charco as well following my friends funeral.
And I faced a choice: years of surgeries to beat charco or death as James selected ...
Six surgeries, a massive infection which all but killed me.
And life returned to normal.
Then the deadly infection hit ...
Again a choice: do nothing and die or lose my lower leg.
I chose life again.
And lost all of my memories across the two part surgeries.
But this was but the set up, for far worse to come ...

Now, 15 surgeries later,I am considered a survivor by my team of doctors and nurses.  I am also told that I am actually a pleasure to work on - daily for the last five months!  Which pleases me - it means that my decision to never be  whom I was, is the right decision ...  But as I thought about this, I wondered what does the Bible have to say about life changing disasters, when they come upon us?

You do not have to look far to find those whom are facing surgeries, long recoveries, or even death ...  Not to mention things like job losses, divorce, spousal imprisonment and all other manner of unexpected life's occurrences.

Sure there are verses which show that God is sovereign - He will do as He wishes with  us - to us.  And that is about it, suck it up muffin!
Sorry I do not like the idea whereby God plays with us, as if toys, based on whim and we just have to live with it ...

But what if one of Jesus' parables could be applied here?

Remember the parable were Jesus talks about burying talents in the ground -- talents of course are money in that day. But, what if, we swap pain for the money?
 

Two of the  servants do one thing with the money, and the third servant does something very different, and with very different results.

That third servant takes what he is given and buries it, and by doing so, defines how many of us respond at one time or another.  Then when confronted by the master he says, “I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you do not sow and gathering where you do not winnow.”  And that is true of God. God is hard as well as merciful.  Life is hard as well as marvelous. 

Hard and terrible things can happen to any of us, and it is sorely tempting to dig a hole in the ground and bury all that is hard and terrible in our lives.

But what the parable is saying is that when we bury your pain -  life's challenges, we stop growing.  To bury your life is to have it wither in the ground and die.

The other two servants got it right. They took what life dished out and instead of "burying it", they lived it fully with the faith that one way or another all would work out.  Taking the various sums of money they were given, they “went and traded it”.  They gave of what they had in return for "gain".  The good and faithful servants chose to opened themselves up to risk.

Being the steward of your pain involves the same.  It involves you allowing yourself to live life.

No one knows the mind of God. Like you I search to find truth.  In my seasons of highs and lows, I’ve noticed something, pain causes the opportunity for growth in our lives.  Do not get me  wrong, I prefer pleasure.  Only an idiot wants pain. 

The highs keep us going, but the lows keep us growing — emotionally, intellectually and spiritually until the day finally comes when we are ready to live eternally, without pain, in the presence of our Creator. 

Celebrate!

Short post today
Beeeeeeecause
I am celebrating my leg healing!

Yeah, the wound suddenly shrank to a 4x4 mm opening!
So far from thew 14.4 cm canyon carved through my flesh!

Five months of sitting
Being good
Time to Celebrate!

(Thank you God ...
It took many healing hands
And an army of those willing to remember me in prayer ...)

Biblical Literalacy

Back at the beginning of the month, I spied and interesting title and read it: http://thefederalist.com/2017/05/01/dont-take-bible-literally-neither-anyone-else/ ....

Literalacy, is that even what the Bible was ever intended for?

The Bible is a collection of religious writings, written for the western oriental mind of millennia ago.  (I can already hear the howls!)

Now for the real howls! : No part of the Bible was written for Americans nor Europeans for that matter.  There is no evidence any part was even intended for the Greeks (at large)!  There uis stronger evidence that the New Testament was Aramaic, ot Hebrew, not Greek, not English, not German or any other claims.

We live in the results of a Greek culture - highly touted by philosophers and those happy with godless lives ...  Literalism is a product of this culture and its infestion into our educational systems!

So, the above link arguing that the Bible can not be taken literal - and it must be true - the examples used are laughable to our Greek poisoned minds ......  The Bible is not literal, so by extension we can be comfortable knowing it is not reliable either.  Comfortably discredited, we can now talk philosophically about the Bible and feel no compulsion to listen to its words.

But the Bible was written to the oriental mind, not a western one.  The language is pictorial not literal!  And this knowledge has already been know, just not popular to publish.  It took World War II to decimate the remaining Aramaic world to remind the world of what many "troubling" passages meant.  And no one listened..... the argument just recycles endlessly.

As for the article, it too flounders on the rocks of foolishness.
Of course God literally is not telling you to cut you hand off if you a thief.
God is not establishing a threat of hand losing.
God is not establishing hand loss as a purification act.
God does want you to not be a thief however.

Point by point the Aramaic would understand that the picture language of their culture - did not raise questions, as to the meaning, but rather as to truth to be followed.

The New Testament is filled with such examples.
The Old Testament is filled with such examples!
The language is picoral - symbolic - but it does have meaning for truth.

This means there were no dachshunds on Noah's ark, but dogs were.
There were no nails driven through Jesus' hands, the forearm is part of the "hand" to them.
Snakes do not talk, but Satan does.

How literal do you want?  Is the Holy Spirit a bird?  What kind of bird?  Do peoples tongues erpt in fire?  etc, etc, etc!

I am a literalist from the extent that I understand:
God is smarter than me
Aramaic languages are pictorial and truth must be discerened
And all truth is subject to all scripture

And I have tried to follow what I understand.
And I mess up quit literally.
Yup.

The Bible, remains before me, a tome of truth I have problems reading and connecting the dots.  The brain damage rules the day.  Yet, I continue to read, to study - two pages at a time! looking to apply literally what truths I find ...

Collecting

I collect Jefferson nickels. 

Now there is a statement which makes any coin collector's eyes glaze!  No one likes Jefferson nickels,the local coin shops do not even stock them!  My interest I blame on Lewis and Clark, I think it was in second grade and the was some sort of a celebration remembering them and their trek across North America in 1802 - 1804.  A traveling exhibit came to the local NATO base, films abounded in the school system and my imagination was fired ....  I started collecting nickels.  I was such a fiend that my father would put out a dime and a nickel and tell my sister and I take the one we wanted.  Somer, always went for the dime, I took the nickel because I did not care about the money - it was Thomas Jefferson and my fascination with his Corps of Discovery ....  Did not matter how many times father hit me or how many names he called me, my will was far stronger than his and I liked Jefferson - not him ...

Father was always infuriated that I would not take the more valuable coin.  Sigh.  His way or the highway always.

So, my mind is now empty.  I shall retire and continue my nickel inventory effort - at one month and continuing ...

Mothers Day

Intro:  okay, when I write too much about my faith - people complain.  Apparently my dull as wallpaper paste life is of interest to many someones.  And when I write too much about my life - people complain as well!

I still can not drive, which is to say it is just too painful currently.  Well, that and I have no perceivable attention span!  So, Gaelic Girl drove me the 45 miles down to my mother's.  I am stressed, an internal stress generated by memories I have no access to - but some part of the mind does!  "Danger Will Robinson!"

Mother, as mentioned numerous times in the past js bi-polar and any change brings on manic mood swings!  Of  course seeing me after  four months in recovery is as change, so she was way over the top! Which is to say, she wanted to dredge up 50 years worth of old news, like her divorce, in public and she is so skewed on reality that it makes my head swim on that issue!   So, I have always flat refused any discussion of him!  Of course, this and her dead dog was all she wanted to talk about!

So, insane mother and GG, whom is stressed from being nice of me and does not approve of - much less like me, yeah very interesting wading through the minefields!  But, I managed to not lose my temper with the situations - after all it is all my problem, not theirs!  Or so, I am told continually.  Sigh ...

As it turned out, it was the local prom night out there in toulee-land.

So many young couples ... I tried to remember my 12th grade prom, the ONLY dance I have ever gone to, but just flickers is all amnesia has left me.

It was fun watching the couples - fish out of water.  The guys so busy playing games on their smart phones that the girls had to amuse themselves - because nothing was coming between the males and their games!  Really?

The females did the obligatory en-mass bathroom trip.  They never returned ...  I was to see them later walking around a nearby shopping mall! I was so proud of them to have standards!  The guys were still back at the Olive Garden .... happy in their pursuit of sloth, not even aware yet they had just been dumped for the evening!  Yup, no photos of them with females not even in their class ...

So mom had a good time, still running on her manic high, judging from all of the calls this morning.  All else remains the same - old, same - old ...

Musical Sturday Morning

Guardians Of The Galaxy, Vol 2

I have not seen a movie in quite a while, so when Swedfe showed up yesterday, we headed off to the movies!

Of course, the original was a demented little movie.  It was not an owner in the least - but it had been fun.

The original cast is back.
Storyline is so boring, Swede fell asleep three times in the movie!
Very obviously different writers!

The good: it did finally end.

The bad: anyone older than 20 is not part of the demographic.
Kurt Russell is pathetic in his inability to act.
The writers tried to make psychopaths seem more normal.
Murder is normal.

Mostly cartoon-ish CGI.
It hasd real possibilities, a couple of times, to put itself free of the disaster and become a real movie.  But, once again Hollywood demonstrates it long ago forgot how to make a film .....

Not recommend,

In the previews a summer full of coming attractions only drives home the point of this!  Nothing but losers!  There is one exception: Wonder Woman is finally out and the  previews were beyond hilarious!  Not so sure this was by design or just bad luck on their part!  But I was not the only one in the theater crying they were laughing so hard ...

Save your entertainment funds for fall - or ride a train somewhere.

Jesus Only

As a youth, growing up in a Catholic country, I found this whole God-thing intriguing but it was hard to get straight answers.  Both of my parents were atheists.  People I knew, could not answer my questions and would defer any answer to their priests.  I did try to get answers from them but their reply was always that I either must just accept as "truth" what is said or understand that tradition must be accepted - unquestioned!  No questioning of Church authority allowed!

When I was relocated to a Lutheran country, I tried again to figure this "god-thing" out.  But, as I have related in the past - questions were not allowed here either, you were supposed to just magically "know".  To this day I have never been more disappointed in a church than the one of Miesau ... God-less shepherds refusing to lead ... condemning their youth to find their own way ... is it any wonder Germany has rotted the way it has?

It was when I left home and moved to Kent, Washington that I ran into someone whom could answer my questions - a woman named Debby Kramer.  Lutheran but also heavily active in the local youth groups.  But the unaffiliated church I was attending, kept pointing back to all of the answers were to be found through Jesus' torture and the cross.  "its the blood" ... they would chant.  But this just could not be true!  Anyone can bleed!

Through my Hutterite family I was to learn the idea of Jesus only.  And although the cross was a horrible thing - it was Jesus' lone resurrection from the grave which set him apart in the stream of mankind.

So, Jesus was alone in this, it validates that his death truly was a sacrifice, it means I needed to believe - if I had the brain everyone had told me of in my youth.

Were there others whom claimed to be the Jewish Messiah before Jesus?
I studied to find out - Yup.
Were there others whom claimed to be the Messiah after Jesus?
Again reading histories - Yup! 
Oh, yeah, even to this day!

If Jesus was not the truth, then there would be no need to have so many rise up to claim his special status ... but none of them ever came back from the grave.....

So, it seems appropriate to understand that there is a basis for correcting our ruined relationship with our Creator and that is Jesus, Jesus alone. 

Some might argue that baptism is also required for salvation.  But we are commanded to be baptized, so it is a matter of obedience not salvation.  And baptism is just a matter of witnessing to your community as well.

Well I am exhausted.  My typing still takes forever!  (3 hours!)

Ashes

Saturday I had lots of time to listen.  Well I don't have much to say anymore in a crowd of strangers, much less to myself.  So I listen.

What unterests people?
What fills their time?
I have no life, so I watch and listen ..

Stock
Donald Trump
Immigration
Crime
Real Estate
Sports
Cars
etc

Lots of cares and concerns of this world.  No one asked another how they are doing - much less, if they had prayer needs.  Even more remote the possibilities - that no, I do not want to sue anyone over my leg loss!  grrrrrrrr!!!!!

And I thought on all of these blatant display of Sunday Christianity in my little burg ....

If you are normal, you have already dismissed my last statement ...  We do not worry about Christian "stuff" on a Saturday night, at a Mexican celebration, in a room full of strangers!  No, Sundays are good enough - and after, it is not like anything "un-christian" was going on.

Yet, in contrast, we are supposed to be living our Christian faith ...
Why?
Because all - everything we do, will be and think is to be "tried by fire".  What is left is what you will be rewarded for.  What is burned up, well that was your wasted effort ... just ashes is what are left.  Of hope, dreams, desires, foolishness - poof!  Up in smoke ...  Bonfire of our failures.

And I thought about this szitting there - trying to view each person as a pile ashes ...

There ius little I can do anymore: pray for my failures, write my thought in this little blog, and try to be a witness - for I am slow of mind and tongue now.

I bowed my head and quietly gave thanks for the meal.  Not much but hoped that others might see, think and follow by example ...  Nope.  Not even the pastors in the room made any sign of interrupting their celebration and chowing down on carne asada ....

My town needs to experience Jesus, face to face.  What Christians whom are here need to experience revival!  I  just pray God does move and will not use the "smack down" precursor to His moving ...

Burden

There are no re-do's in life, no reset, no restart - life is a continual progression.

But seemingly, I was given a restart - having my brain erased really does take everything.  But, memories, however hazy may trickle back.  And my brain was to be wiped three more times this year!  Were I a disk drive, I would be unrecoverable ...  Were it not for my writings, I would know nothing about me at all!

So, a mind filled with only stories and I can "fake" it in daily life - yeah it is still irritating to those whom expect something of me ... sigh ...

But, for about two weeks my spirit has been troubled - it is as much troubling to have a weird idea as to the source!  And I am not one to abruptly approach someone, I no longer know, and blindly go for the "what have you done" discussion!  At least, I don't think I am that kind of a person!

I have no idea.

So, I was reading in Colossians 3 last night and thinking on this burden - and it struck me, what is it that you do really know Kris?

I Am A Child of God
Discipleship begins with me.
Be dead to sin.
I have a new identity in Jesus.
Jesus is to become my life.
Transform my mind/life.
Put to death that which is worldly.

The Holy Spirit Dwells In Me
Discipleship requires my meeting in community with the local chyurch.
The local  church, warts and all.
The local church, mature or immature.
Fellowship is one form of witness to the world around us.
"Love" is the key to community, fellowship and witness.

I live In God's Unshakable Kingdom
Discipleship is to be lived out in the everyday relationships events.
Husband and wife.
Parent and child.
Work for God, not man.

And like all of us, I need to be darn careful whom I disciple under!  There are way too many wolves out there ...

Full Circle

Saturday, I went to a gathering here in town - okay, it was Cinqo de Mayo - lots of yummy Mexican style food, decorations, 200 people I had no clue whom most of them were and I was the only one in a Hawaiian shirt! LOL!

There was a special speaker, one of my students (for seven years of Sunday Schools!) from decades ago!  A slight shudder ran through me - him opening his mouth means it could go one of many different ways ...

Think: the memory of a battle that forced the French out of Mexico, memorials, celebrating other's successes, etc ...

His choice was to walk through Ephesians 5!

Yeah, nothing like smacking a group of modern females with the whole "subjected to" series of argument!  And oh yes I was getting comments from many ...  But, he did manage to talk through what Paul's message really was - not the poor under4standing some choose to take today.

I was proud of him but could not find him on Face Book", so I emailed his father to pass on my congratulations.  Not that he will care ...  But building him up for his courage needed to be done by someone ... and in this culture I bet I was the only one ...

Musical Saturday Morning

Reformation

This is actually a post I was thinking on back in January.  I made some notes and ended up having surgery before I could finish my thoughts.
As my brain slowly restored and I fought my way back from a reality stuck in 2014, without smothering my friends with questions this time, my mind roamed back to this question about reformation.
Only twice more this was to be shortly repeated!  What a year!

I have often talked on the need for revival within what remains of the Christian Church and it has been a long held prayer of mine that God's Spirit would move to make this happen - but, there just are no signs of a return to God inside the Western Church ...  But, at least He is busy reaching out in other areas of the world!

As the years have passed, I have wondered if the Church has gone beyond the point of revival and now another reformation is required.  But how does one call a Church dedicated to self serving and pleasure, back to the real GOD, when it is so willingly blind?  This question has really vexed me!  But I really do not have the knowledge of what to do - other than to pray in earnest.  (here i am Lord, send Aaron ...  LOL)

And, this the 500th anniversary of Luther's decision to take action and post his concerrns on the Church door ...   I was 11 years old when I stood before that door.  I asked ate elderly priest there aboutr the importance of what had happened.   I learned about indulgences, the questions on the authority of the Bible and the growing idolatry within the church ...

Well, I was not a Christian back then and  the concerns of revolt within the Catholic church truly was meaningless to me.

But now I see a "christianity" sold out to all forms of entertainment, self serving, superstitious!  God is something given lip serve to, not heart felt dedication.

And my mind now wanders back to a meeting in 1973 of college students in Seattle, Washington.  I had only been there for a few months, knew very few people and was only there by chance - aj guy I had met invited me to go with him - bribed by pizza!  At one point, to drive home the speaker's argument, he asked all those willing to die on the spot to stand up.  Dutchman and I were the lone two to stand.  We were both new Christians, burned out already on life - wouldn't being in the presence of God be so much better?

The speaker made of joke of us and we were finally forced to leave early due to the increased abuses from this speaker.  It made no sense - unless there were "christians" and Christians, the majority being in name only.

Yeah, the need for revival - if not a full blown reformation - have languished in plain sight for generations.  Will God's Spirit raise up one to respond?  To take on the heresies of this age which blind people to whom God really is?

I do continue to pray so ...

Baptism

My little story on humiliation last week brought some interesting comments - it seems lots of people whom consider themselves Christian, have not been baptized ...

One argument presented is that our salvation is bought at the price of Jesus' blood, not blood plus anything!  And there is a point there.

So where does blood plus anything come in?  Think of Acts 2, we are told, commanded, to baptize once converted.  We are obviously not anything by the act of baptism, other than being obedient.  And obedience is one thing God does demand from us.  And we are shown that the Holy Spirit comes with our faith and obedience ...

And then there are the arguments as to what form baptism must take!  Don't worry, I sincerely doubt you were baptized in the "correct" manner!  What we have are the traditions of the Catholic Church - sprinkle, dunk, semi-dunk, etc.  In reality, Jesus more than likely squatted in the water and had more water poured more over him.

The problem is that the Greek word used is related to the dyeing of materiel (luckily not tie-dying!).  So, by what ever manner you transfer dye to cloth, yup, that is the method!  Argue if you want, but you have nothing in history or Greek to support your argument.

Oh, and obviously, from the Baptist camp came the argument that since a "pastor" did not do the dunking, I was still un-baptized!  And let us not forget the all important "magic" words of Christianity!  Really?  Exactly how superstitious as Christianity become!?!  There are magic words in Christianity, if you think there are, then in what language?  Yeah, that is the problem ...

What I did was done in faith to show obedience to Acts 2 ... and nothing was ever normal again for me ...

Good Samaritan

Even those whom have not read the Bible know the story of the Good Samaritan, we have laws in this country to protect those whom render assistance!

Refresh your memory at Luke 10:25-37

Now Jesus is asked who are our neighbors ... after-all We are Jews.  Whom could be the neighbor, save for another Jew?  I am a righteous Jew, who could be my neighbor except another righteous Jew (in my opinion after-all!)?  I am from Jerusalem, whom is my equal before God? Just typical arguments for anything which will make us feel better about ourselves, if not superior!

And Jesus brings up the Samaritans, those pagan, idol worshiping half-breeds!  Samaritans really were the scum of the Earth!, unless we are talking about Romans,Scythians - or anyone else whom is not a Jew!

Unfortunately for those listening that day, the Samaritan is the hero - the one doing God's work ...

Move Your Faith
From your head to  your heart.
Loving God leads to loving people.
Else we are hypocrites, deserving of being ignored by the world!
This is calle3d faith in action.
Live your faith, incur the wrath of the evil one...

Admit Your Desire
Is the walk on the opposite side of the street from whgre you need to be.
Getting involved exposes you to unwanted risk.
Remember, no good deed goes unpunished.

Put Love Into Action
Find practical ways.
To another's good.
At your cost.

See Your Neighbors Everywhere
Who can you be a neighbor to?
Who repulses you ?
Who offends you?

Yup, God does not make it easy to be His follower ....

Your Assumptions

Thinking on Luke 12:13-21

In our ego-centric culture, everything revolves around us.  We truly believe we are the god of our own existence!  We assume ... Catch that?  We ASSUME!, everything!

We assume life is based on the accumulation of stuff.
It is just greed.
And greed is idolatry.

We assume it is all our stuff!
It is all just on loan from God.
You choose how to use it - as a blessing to others or as a curse upon ourselves.

We assume we have time!
But only God knows the time we have been allowed.
We each forget that point.
Unless we take a smack across the foreheads!
That is why it is so important we do not waste our lives in hollow pursuits!

We forgrt we WILL answer to God!
And to quote my father, from a humanistic viewpoint, no He is not very nice ....
He is JUST ...

Harsh Lessons

Read Luke 16:19-31

Your Mission Field Is In Your Own Backyard
So many I have encountered are aimed straight overseas before they will witness!  Amazing the sheer numbers God calls to Paris or the French riviera!  Yes, they desperately need God, but not more so than where you more than likely live!  If you cannot witness successfully where you are - honestly, don't bother giving God-Christians-Americans yet another black eye overseas ... 

The Needy Have Names.
Jesus named names - so can you!
So, LEARN THEM!
And then minister to them.

There Is More Awaiting You
After you die, God has plans for you.
For "rich"man, not so pleasant.
For Lazarus, comfort.

You Have Nothing To Fear
From the curse of death.

We Are Who We Are
Sorry, nothing changes when wew die.
The rich man still ignores Lazarus.

God's Favor
Is not witnessed to through riches.
Wealth only witnesses to you greed.

Don't Ask Why
Instead ask "What Now?"

Eternity
Is ahead for all of us.
Is not your choice.
Your only choice begins with conession.
It ends with Submission.

Let God Handle It
This world is filled with pain.
All around you are people hurting.
They need God in order to get past the pain.
It is his job, not yours ...

You Are Not Responsible
You might to be, but everyone has to make their own choices.
Everyone has the same playing field.
Everyone has the same rules.
You are responsible for your choices.
And no else's.