The Imagination of Creation

Being creative people by nature we are motivated from time to time to make our own creations. From the large array of raw materials in our natural world, we make things that make our lives easier and make us increase our productivity, and also things that are just wonderful nuggets for our eyes. We think, envision, design and craft. We cut and nail and glue and sand. We top off our creations with color and style. Then we display them proudly for the world to see. We feel that sense of accomplishment and joy of being a creator.

I’ve been wondering what that process was like for our eternal creator? Did he think about making us for ten million years (as if he has a calendar)? Did he make previous versions of us that weren’t quite right? Did he think the whole thing through before he started the design process? From one of the attributes about God (omniscience) I've learned, I believe that every step, every detail, every single aspect of his design and craft, were without flaw. The overriding influence of His every thought and action was based out of and driven by desire. He desired fellowship. He longed for the interaction we as human beings would give. The eternal genius behind it all was all about having an offspring. 

If you spend time, energy and enormous resources in building a project, you would be surprised and shocked to think that someone would take what you poured your very self into and basically rip up your design to shreds and throw it in the trash. If something I had labored on and sweated over became one day to be regarded as a piece of trash, I think the darkest deepest side of my own flawed humanity would make me horrifically angry mad and want retribution. 

Can you imagine with me, for one moment, what could possibly be going through God's mind each and every time an abortion is performed in our world? I shudder to think what his ultimate wrath might be one day for those who've taken his lovingly created human children and shredded them with no remorse?. This unspeakable evil will bring us ever closer to the end of time. I never want to be accused of not doing everything in my power to stop this horror.    

Justifiable Acts Against Wrong

   There are times when doing the right thing is against one’s principle of following the law  or morals. When considering the gravity or the emergency of an issue, the practice of defying authority to follow your own conscience for a higher priority becomes absolutely justifiable. 

Let’s say you arrive on the scene of a horrific car crash and see a car upside down and starting to catch on fire. Let’s say that car is immediately behind a fence with a sign that says “Posted – No Trespassing”. Do you say to yourself, “oh gosh I wish I could help this person escape certain death but I’d have to trespass to help”?

And let’s say your home is invaded one night by an intruder. You see that they are armed with a knife. They demand that you open your safe. In the process of the event your sleepy child comes out from their bedroom and the intruder immediately grabs your child and holds the knife to their throat. Are you thinking, the 10 commandments says that killing is wrong? Do you plead with the intruder or do you grab your weapon and kill the intruder?

A new movie is due out soon called Return to the Hiding Place. It is a follow up to the movie from 1975 based on the life and experience of a lady by the named Corrie ten Boom. The Nazi invaded Holland in 1940 and began rounding up and killing Jews. This new movie depicts how a group of youth fight to save  lives of countless innocent Jews, by hiding them from their certain deaths.    

Today we are faced with similar atrocities staining our world once again. Defying written law that is contrary to what we know to be true and against the scriptures that we trust can become a daily reality. We must defend the helpless, at all cost. This is especially needed when the will of the people is being ignored and thwarted. The higher principle of trusting what we are told by God over what we are told by men must not be viewed as sin or as wrong in any way.

The issue we face today in America is our own special holocaust. It is the killing of innocent babies inside, and even outside of the womb. 

Consider today what part you might be called to do to stop this modern atrocity. Speaking up is no longer enough. Taking action is required. First pray to our God that he would do our bidding for us. Pray that the depraved perpi”traitors” would come to their senses and stop. And pray for our elected leaders that they would do whatever is needed to stop the insanity. Secondly, follow the money trail and shut it off. Find out who supports these baby killing machines and stop doing business with them, and tell them why. 

Our God has apparently given our society over to having “reprobate minds”. We as individuals can repent and turn from our sin of inaction and ignorance by finally taking action against the taking of innocent lives. God have mercy on us all if we do not take up arms against this horrible stain.      

Hijacked!

Everything we were taught about morality, fairness, trust, loyalty and faith has been hijacked. Misfits, fools and tyrants do whatever they please and it’s the expected norm. They’re called “representatives”, yet they don’t represent us. We’ve been told that our views, our morals and our faith are of no value or substance. We are irrelevant. They rub it in - deeply. 

There are rocks in plain view ahead of our large ship. Captain and crew say full steam ahead, with no regard for the lighthouse or cries of the passengers. There’s only one safe harbor ahead. Life jackets and provisions are found in a strange package called the gospel of Mark. It’s still available, for now.          

Light Bulb Moment today

I had one of those light bulb moments early this morning. 

It came to me as a single word - Mission. 

What does Mission mean?

Webster defines this as: an important goal or purpose that is accompanied by strong conviction; a calling or vocation, or an important task or duty that is assigned, allotted, or self-imposed: or sending or being sent for some duty or purpose.

For a number of years I felt like I had several missions in life. Among those were to be the provider for my family and to be the man God called me to be, for the protection and nurture of the wife  and brood he blessed me with. Another mission was to raise our kids in the "right" way. That mission was a joyous and rewarding endeavor.

A little later in my adult time I had a mission to be a leader among, and with, men of faith. That became a passion that was shared with other like minded guys who were in various stages of their lives. It was also a rewarding and fruitful experience and watch as God blessed and prospered that deepening faith experience. 

All the kids are gone now. They are pursuing their own missions now. So, for the most part my fathering mission is pretty much accomplished. My provider mission and role of provider has changed to being the provider for my wife and myself. The men’s ministry mission waned in recent years, as some of my closest allies and comrades left this place for a better land.

A discussion began last evening with my bride about the frustration we feel as believers in that the population at large are very much different than we are. Our society is very much "into themselves" and searching for happiness in things and events that we personally find no joy or purpose in. We sort of feel out of touch with the mainstream. We want to be and attempt to be relevant and “part of the crowd” yet we just can’t embrace many of the activities and attitudes that make the multitudes happy nowadays.

So, as often happens early in the morning, the Holy Spirit speaks. Not with great detail but with single words like MISSION. In the "mature age" of our lives I think we need a new mission. We need something that we are jazzed about. We need to throw ourselves into something that makes a difference in the lives of other people. And we need to be on the same page as a team for this mission. At this point I have not a clue what that might look like or be? But the same spirit that injected this new word into my thoughts, will also bring something to us that will energize our batteries and give us new meaning and purpose. As we allow our spiritual gifts to be employed openly in the mighty hand of God, there will be purpose and drive and success. There will also come with that the fulfillment of knowing that what we are about is something that makes our creator smile.

I’m ready to find my new calling, whatever that might be. Stay tuned for further mission news!   

I've been remiss in my writing and posting lately. Many different things jockey for our time. Most of them are worthy things that occupy my time. But there should always be a time to stop and think and reflect and record what's going on.

I've met a ton of people in my life. Growing up I was not as outgoing as you'd think I might have been if you know me now. I guess I had the complex of being the heavy kid. And heavy or fat kids don't get the greatest of respect at times. So the tendency is to take the back seat and stay in the background as the rest of the pack excels in relationships and life in general can be the norm. Yet even us fat kids were quietly building our lives, even if nobody even realized or cared.

Fast forward to now and I think I'm pretty self assured, even though I am still the "big" guy in pack. As I've aged I've decided that it doesn't matter what I look like or how fat I might be. I've decided to be a friend even those I might not know. Doesn't always work out, but I try and find things in others to talk to them about and find out details of their lives and the things that makes them tick. I've found that I find joy in learning of other's experiences. I try and encourage others on their journey. Life is fleeting and we don't have a ton of time to live our lives to the full.

I get reflective at times. For some reason the changing of the seasons has a tendency to fuel thoughts. As the natural order of the plant world changes from life to death to life again, so our lives take on the same form. Spring has not sprung and death has become alive again. Former living things that were brown and wilted and gone are now sprouting forth with tender and green vegetation. the air is full of fresh air as the plants take a poison gas and turn it into life giving air for the human kind.

Go and enjoy and soak up God's creation and be thankful for new life. It is all around us this time of year!  

The state of America...a sad social commentary

This is a social commentary. If you're not the type that weighs out information completely before passing judgment, then you should move on, as I will be straightforward and honest and truthful here. 

Up front I’m telling you I’m an old school thinker. I’m from a generation and time that still understands and adheres to absolute truth. By absolute I mean there are (were) truths in our society at one time that were either good or bad, right or wrong, black or white. Today those historically accepted truths and moral edicts are not only frowned upon as being outdated and arcane, but anyone who accepts, promotes or even condones such traditional truths are labeled as haters and looked upon as prejudiced fools. For new generation thinkers this is one of their absolute truths (go figure?)

In the “new age” we find people who no longer look for truth because they don’t even have a definition of truth. And even if they will discuss with you what truth really is, that can change from day to day.  Mainline thinkers nowadays are only looking for supposed happiness. And that quest for personal happiness requires no morays or absolutes. Personal happiness is now defined as anything someone wants or likes to do and brings personal satisfaction. And that satisfaction comes regardless of how absurd or strange an activity or thought might seem to the general population. Those new ideas and activities that promise happiness have no real limits whatsoever in the new society and new world order. To be held back from, or asked to refrain from, something that might seem odd, strange, immoral or wrong is considered wrong in itself (another new absolute?). 

“New” thinking REQUIRES (even by law) that our general population accept activities and lifestyles that are contrary to traditional truth, and even contrary to previously accepted religious belief(s). From my own childhood education about democracy, I had one overriding takeaway - We are free to do whatever we want to do UNLESS it impinges or overrides or infringes on someone else’s personal liberty or rights. As a so called “free people” I find it hard to believe that we’ve allowed ourselves to be backed into this corner accepting things (even by law) that override our own personal liberties and personal religious values. This is not what our founders had in mind when they gave us the framework for freedom. As reminder here, one of the things that the new America was attempting to escape was religious intolerance and even oppression from the church of England. 

So America has evolved into a new “demanded tolerance” by the our new national religion. It’s called “secular humanism”.  Theologically secular humanists are actually atheists. But they will deny that and at the same time tell you that the idea of a controlling all powerful deity is absurdity. Absence of a belief in God is “a”theist –  or no god. We can be told this, but with the reasoning mind that our creator gave us, we cannot be fooled.     

I heard a news story recently about a judge in one of the Carolina states who’d been on the bench for 24+ years. He was being required by a new state law to perform marriages for gay and lesbian couples. He refused to do that based on his moral religious values. He’s stepping down from his bench because he refuses to violate his own personal and religious conviction. He was told by a state legislator that all he had to do was simply “accept what the law had now deemed as normal and just do his job”. He scoffed at that admonition. He will undoubtedly be replaced with someone who has no moral conviction.

And now am elected Kentucky County Clerk refuses to issue marriage licences to same sex applicants based on her own Christian convictions . And what did a Federal judge do? He sent her to jail for contempt of court and will not release her until she relents.  

So the next time you hear someone say that America is treading on a slippery slope they are a little slow in their thinking. We’ve actually already slid all the way down into the muck and mire of darkness. But be careful. If you offer a hope of escape you will most likely be labeled, branded, scorned and ridiculed endlessly for being out of touch and lacking compassion and a hater.

I’ve known the words to the song below from my childhood and have it pretty much memorized all the way through.

Here goes….
My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name. On Christ the solid rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand.   – Edward Mote 1834

I take comfort, that one day truth WILL prevail as we see the hand of God righteously tear this house down and send us our righteous King Jesus to take His earthly throne.

All about Teachers...

Here’s a big shout out to all of my teachers when I was in school, WAY back when.

Thank you for teaching me to spell. As a result I can read and learn anything that my eyes can see.

Thank you also for teaching me the fundamentals of math and science, and even making me stay late after school some days to make up things I messed up. Because of your persistence I can do simple and even complex transactions involving money. Because of you I have the basic skills to solve problems effectively and completely. There were times I hated some of what I thought were senseless exercises in geometry and algebra. But that information gave me the basics to have sense enough to figure things out on my own.

Even teachers who taught art and music also set the stage for me to have fullness in my life, as I now enjoy color and form and the sweet sound of music of all kinds.

Then there were the teachers in my church that taught me the basics of faith in a God who is my creator and provider. Teaching me about God helped me have an understanding that the whole world didn’t revolve around me but revolved around a power much higher than I and that He never changes.

Finally to my parents who taught me how to take what I had learned and take flight and helped push me out of the nest and fly on my own. My folks also taught me about passion for life and compassion for people. As a result I have the ability love people and as a result hopefully make this world a better place to live.

Love your teachers, but also learn how to be one too. Then you’ll have the capacity to carry the torch of America pride and exceptionalism to the generations after you.