A Time Such As This...

Francis Schaeffer wrote a book in the 1970's entitled, "How Shall We Then Live? The Rise and Fall of the Western Thought and Culture." He walks the reader through the ages from Rome to the time of the 1970's. His careful warning was that we were following the same path the previous generations took, which led to their downfall. Here we are 40 years later and a lot of what he warned about has occurred.

But not to worry, panic or run to the hills! No fretting and saying to the Lord, "Do you not know? Can't you see? Where are you when I need you most?" The Lord God is the everlasting God, maker of heaven and earth. There is nothing that worries him or catches him by surprise. He does not grow weary and his strength never fails. He even calls the stars by name and not one of them is missing.

He tells us to be sober and vigilent. He says understand the times and know what to do. He calls us to be salt and light in this dark world. He tells us to stand strong and have our spiritual armour on. He said that we should live such godly lives that those around us will turn and praise God in heaven.

So don't be discouraged or be afraid. He knows and cares. He will never leave us nor forsake us. He will help us and guide us. He tells us to cast all our cares on him, for he cares for us. Go read Psalm 23 again and then Matthew 6:32-33.

Rise up oh people of God, have done with lessor things. Give heart and soul and mind and strength to serve the King of Kings! Let you joy be evident, the Lord is near.

Cruelest Kind of Discrimination

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention proposed giving World Vision a $1.5 million grant to create an anti-gang initiative in New York and Washington, DC. World Vision has such an excellent track record of actually helping people - the kind of help that Jesus calls us to do.

"As soon as the memo was published, the usual suspects cried "foul." Barry Lynn of Americans
United for Separation of Church and State called it "subverting congressional and constitutional
intent in pursuit of a forbidden goal: discrimination in hiring." The senior legislative counsel of
the ACLU breathlessly called it "the church-state equivalent of the torture memos."

Well, these and other critics are putting their vision of church and state ahead of actually helping
people or serving the common good.

World Vision feeds, clothes, shelters, and provides medical care to poor people all around the
world. They are among the first on the ground whenever disaster strikes. Why? Because of
their faith. Likewise, their faith is why other groups build homes, minister to prisoners, and feed
the hungry, regardless of race, color or creed." (www.breakpoint.org/listingarticle.asp?ID=6017)

In the end, the biggest loser will be the common good, as people who need help don’t get it, which is the cruelest kind of discrimination of all.

Jesus would stand up and condemn the elites who wagle their fingers and tongues in self righteousness. He did this before and would do so now.

A Breath of Fresh Air

Nancy and I took a quick trip west about 30 miles to see the Shenandoah Mountains. Yep, we live by mountains. There is something so amazing about God and his creation. Through his creation we find that the world stops, the cares subside, the pressure dissapates and the worries melt away.
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?
So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD...

Upcoming Storm

Three things in this blog.

"What's in it for me?" I have heard this phrase spoken often the past few weeks. $85 Billion for one company. $700 Billion for many others. Markets down 15%. Main Street, Market Street. The list goes on. Big storm! The question however, reveals a whole other storm directly related and contributing to the first. You know what happens when two major storms converge? Major catastrophe. In most generations the underlying storm and issue is "me". What's in it for me? Humans do a lot of what they do built off this platform. It's about me and for me. There is the loss of the greater cause for which God put us here. Even Adam and Eve asked the question, gambled the greater cause for immediate gratification. Cain asked the question and ended up murdering his brother. Most people are pointing to an inept government as the cause for the storm we are battling. They are to blame BUT others are MORE to blame: greed and materialism, from the individual all the way to the corporate CEO, are more at fault. It's time for change and that change has to start in our hearts. You cannot serve two masters, you will love the one and hate the other, you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money (anything else). You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself images and worship them. Idolatry to the full is the storm.

Part II: Right to Life and Pro Choice? Many use these terms as equals, on the same playing field, but on opposite sides of the field. I disagree vehemently. Words and phrases or concepts are built from what is known, how it is known, what do we know and how do we know what we know. Life is built on the axiom of God. God is Life. Life is therefore an absolute. Absolutes stand or sit on their own and exist because God exists. Right to Life speaks of God and of God's design. Pro Choice does not stand or sit on this playing field. The statement contradicts and cancels itself. You cannot choose (pro) "other." One cannot stand on the platform and choose both life and death. The only way for these to do so will be to say God is also dead.

Part III: Don't make the mistake of putting into office leadership who will put liberal judges on the bench who legislate from that bench. The right to freedom will be ripped away. Christians and Christian ministry will become unlawful. Everything God designed will be capped and sealed off. Religious freedom and free speech will be snuffed out like a candle being extinguished. The slide from moral to immoral to anti-moral is almost complete. Our children and grandchildren will pay dearly for this. Don't make the mistake that there isn't anything or anyone who can stem this tide. Didn't Jesus say not even the gates of hell could hold back the advancing of his church? Christians must rise up, live the life we are called to live - by living out righteousness and justice. Aren't we called light and salt? We can't focus on only one of these two things. We can't just be about healing, preserving, cleansing, restoring. We also have to be light, which is as the Psalms describes it, the blazing noonday brightness and heat. Righteousness! These are the two words inscribed on the thigh of Jesus when he returns. These are the words spoken about Solomon's kingdom when he was leading correctly. They should be inscribed on the church's heart.

Conclusion: The call echos clearly to live for the greater cause. The cause is Life - Spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical life. Stem the tide and live for this end - God and His glory!