The Tower of Babbling and Blunt Frippers 8-8-15

1^st Corinthians 1:17 “… not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.”

1^st Timothy 6:20 “… avoiding profane and vain babblings and oppositions of knowledge so called.”

2^nd Timothy 2:16 “But shun profane and vain babblings, for they will increase unto more ungodliness.”

It seems my clarity is lacking most of the time and I have true empathy for those of you trying to read this confusing blog. Abba knows it’s been confusing to me to try and order it in some coherent train of thought that might make sense to someone. Seems this would make me a perfect candidate for Congress and maybe I should seriously consider adding my confusing voice to the clamor coming out of Washington, DC.

CS Lewis has a great passage regarding the clarity of speech from That Hideous Strength which seems perfectly appropriate in describing the difficulties we have in communication. If it hadn’t been written in 1946, you would think it’s a direct quote from an American politician’s speech. In a prepared speech, the Deputy Director of N.I.C.E. states:

“Tidies and fuglemen – I sheel foor that we all – er – most steeply rebut the defensible, though, I trust, lavatory, Aphasia which gleams to have selected our redeemed inspector this deceiving. It would  - ah - be shark, very shark, from anyone’s debenture ….”

One of the leaders, sensing a need for calm in the following uproar, sent a note to the Directory of Security. The note clearly stated:

“ Blunt frippers intantly to pointed bdeluroid. Pugent. Cost.”

Now this communication was caused by a babbling spell which Merlin had placed on the august gathering – but we can’t use that as an excuse for the failure of clarity in our times.

I was associated for a time with an individual who could talk for 45 minutes and give a presentation like no one I’d ever met before. We were hired into a company at the same time and went through orientation the same day. After spending that day with this person, I went to the guy who hired me and said you’ve made a terrible mistake. If this is the kind of expertise you expect then I am sorely lacking. He smiled and asked me to hang for a while. After attending several of his presentations, I realized I was no better off leaving than when I arrived. It was all empty speech.

I have great respect for writers. Dickens can bring tears to my eyes, I wish I better understood CS Lewis, I like Stephen King (especially since he’s moved beyond the macabre to writings such as The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile), Grisham, Archer, Follet (especially The Pillars of the Earth), and numerous others. Movie and TV writers have great talent as well and I think they’re often not appreciated as much as they should be. People can tell when the writing drops off in a TV series for example.

Some of my favorite movie lines are from:

Absence of Malice: Wilford Brimley is a no nonsense, special prosecutor who clears up a revenge scam perpetrated by Paul Newman’s character. In one of the final scenes he tells Bob Balaban’s character, “Eliot, you ain’t no presidential a-point-tee, you got 30 days.”

The Verdict James Mason is a defense attorney objecting to some testimony and tells the judge is should be “disallowed”. The way he delivers the word is one of my favorite parts of the movie. I’ve mimicked his delivery a hundred times with my kids.

Unforgiven One of Gene Hackman’s deputies is saying Gene isn’t scared but that he doesn’t have a straight line anywhere in the house he’s building. “He’s not scared boys, he just ain’t no carpenter.” I used to work for a guy named Carpenter. You can guess what I said when someone asked me about his replacement.

Wondrous Spirit

Who inspired the Holy Scripture.

Bless our communication

In written word and speech.

Allow us clarity and truth

As we submit to Thee.

Deliver us from vain babblings

That do not edify others.

May our work be as yours,

To point people to Christ.

The author and finisher of our faith.

In His name we pray.

Homo II 7-11-15

Leviticus 18:22 “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.”

Leviticus 20:13 “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed a an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.”

And just in case you think this is just Old Testament stuff:

1^st Corinthians 6:9 “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind.”

The standard of our Lord is perfection. Not only in avoiding those things forbidden by the Commandments, but also in always doing what is correct. Anyone who feels themself to be a moral person has obviously decided to overlook their own life experiences. We need a Savior who is perfect to be the repatriation for our failures and have found him in Christ Jesus. Any failure in any point of Law finds us guilty of all. I am a sinner.

Anyone who recognizes their obvious inclination to imperfection (sinful nature), is the person who can struggle against the desires of the flesh, and we do. Failing day by day, going to Abba for cleansing and taking up the struggle again tomorrow.

It can be stated unequivocally that homosexuality is a sin. So is idolatry, pride, disrespect of parents, murder, theft, perjury, adultery, fornication, anger without cause, gluttony, greed, envy, failure to love, failure to serve, etc.

Those involved in the homosexuality recognize their sin. Please bear with me a moment. I am an American and can do as I please within the bounds of the law, or external to it if I believe the law to be unjust. So if I want to be homosexual, I have the ability to do so. Then what was the big push to legalize homosexual marriage? It is obviously the desire of the homosexual community to have society tell them their behavior is moral. Sorry, it ain’t.

Every person has immoral desires. There is no better proof of the concept of original sin than our own flesh. These desires take the form of any or all of the sins or lack of perfection noted above. Are people born with homosexual tendencies or does it result from life experiences? I consider it a moot point. If you struggle against homosexual sin, you are no better or worse than any other sinner struggling against the weak point that the Evil One has found in your life. Each and every time we fail, we must go to Abba and admit our sin and ask for his cleansing and help in overcoming our flesh.

So, the Supreme Court has ruled that homosexual marriage is legal and leaves Christians in a quandary as to what to do. First, this should come as no surprise and gives us hope that Christ’s return is closer than it was yesterday.

2 Timothy 3: 1-4 “¹ This know, also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. ² For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, ³ Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, ⁴ Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God ,”

Second, if you’re in a church that claims Christ yet accepts sin in conflict with Scripture – flee – today. The Bible, God’s inspired word as delivered by the Holy Spirit cannot be changed by man. To reject scripture inspired by the Holy Spirit is to sin against Him. Don’t fall into the trap of trusting your own sense of righteousness. Third, work to change the system.

         To SCOTUS I say. How dare you assume to make law in violation of the Constitution you have sworn to uphold. Your ruling on homosexual marriage is void and of no effect. You did not create marriage and have no right to declare it legal in contrast to God’s word. You are like the rulers God’s prophets have spoken against, and distort justice for the sake of the filthy lucre that stains your robes.

 Mighty Father,

Wonderful Counselor,

Forgive our Country

For their acts against your Word.

Have mercy on the little ones

That belong to You.

Those that trust in Christ

And honor your Word.

Abba, we pray for SCOTUS,

That you will bless and protect those that honor You,

And that you will change the hearts of those

That deceive themselves.

Lord, we also pray for those

With besetting sin,

That they might be freed

By the love of Christ and the truth of your Word.

We also pray for the little ones

Who are abused by mankind,

That they might be protected

And not led into sin.

Racism and the Flag 6-28-15

         I wrote this over five years ago when black leaders were calling for a boycott of South Carolina due to the presence of the Confederate flag at the State capital. Seems like everybody is piling on due to the crazy, Nazi demon's acts in Charleston, so I guess I’ll toss in a couple of cents.

My wife and I went to a 40^th reunion of her high school class last weekend and I was asked to bless the food. There was several Black folk there and during the prayer I asked Abba to make the Charleston situation a uniting rather than a dividing factor. One of the men came up later and thanked me for mentioning the issue. This was after I had driven by an AME Zion church that morning with a marquee that said “This Means War”.  So back to the future:

I live in the great state of South Carolina. Whenever people ask where I’m from I say “South Carolina – the last free state in the Union”. I love this state and I’m proud of being a resident. I also take pride in my southern heritage and like the song Dixie. Personally, I like the confederate flag and don’t associate it with racism. Oops, better check with Abba.

OK, OK - I know that racism exists. I’ve heard white people say “If (people of a certain race) are in Heaven, I don’t want to go”. Don’t worry, you won’t. There is not a true Christian in the known universe who believes this. Tony Evans is one of my favorite Christian teachers and one of the things I look forward to in Heaven is spending time with him.

The worm has tuned somewhat and my experience is that just as much, if not more, racism exists in the black community as the white (see Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton). This is becomes obvious when a black politician publically complains racism is the source when someone disagrees with some asinine comment on their part. As the old saying goes, “The guilty dog barks first”. I do believe this to be a minor anomaly in today’s society and feel, as addressed above, that a majority of the people of any race see people as people.

In the 1999, my oldest son and I attended a Promise Keepers conference in Charlotte. Many of my favorite Christian leaders were there: Greg Laurie, Chuck Colson, Joe Gibbs, etc. A black pastor was there who made a statement that some people didn’t like him because of his race. He said “I didn’t do it – God did”. If you are black by the glory of God, or white by the glory of God, it is the glory of God. Take delight in your race as well as the race of others: “For there is no respect of persons with God”.

The NAACP has sponsored a boycott of South Carolina due to the confederate flag being on the capital grounds. The impact of the boycott doesn’t seem to have been of much effect and that’s not really the point. What does the scripture say we should do in situations like where we may offend Christian brothers, of our own or other ethnicities?

Prov. 24:23 – “These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.”

Rom. 2:11 – “For there is no respect of persons with God.”

Eph. 6:9 – “…. knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with Him.”

Rom. 14:13 – “Let us not, therefore, …. put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in (our) brother’s way.”

Rom. 14:14 – “I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself ….”

Rom. 14:21 – “It is good neither to eat meat, nor to drink wine, nor anything by which thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.”

So, where am I left in service to my Lord who died for me? It is clear; I take no offense to the confederate flag, but I have many black brothers to whom it is an offense and a reminder of their heritage of slavery. Therefore I will not display it and will take no delight in its display in public.

My Father

Blessed be your name for ever and ever.

Have mercy on us Holy Father,

And forgive our sin of respect of persons.

Cleanse us Father of the sin

Of our thoughts

And toungues

In this regard.

Have mercy upon us

And let your grace rain down on this land.

Cleanse our toungues

With an ember of righteousness.

That we might glorify

The Savior who died for us

Even Christ Jesus

Lord and King forever.

 

 

 

Horses versus Men 6-5-15

1^st Broverbs 1:1 “Take heed my son, and pursue not the woman who loves the steed; lest thy life be full of feed and fencing and all thy resources vanish in the pursuit of pasture, barns and the need for the farrier and the veterinarian” (FNT)

            Time for another acronym – FNT means funny (at least in my own warped sense of humor), but not true. All my Navigator friends know there’s no book in scripture named “Broverbs” so please don’t take this literally. “Broverbs” did seem appropriate for a discussion between us guys and my ADD is pushing toward some others …. stay tuned. Well, let’s do one more:

1^st Broverbs 1:2 “Deliver not thyself into the hands of the dermatologist. Surely, embarrassment shall come upon thee and thy face shall gross out thy friend.” (FNT)

OK, back to the hosses. I suppose it’s just my lot in life to be in love with a woman who loves her horses more than me. In fact it seems I fall in rank behind not only the horses - but the kids, the dog, the cats, the house, the yard, the garden, etc., etc. She’s kinda like the Knights of Nee in The Holy Grail: “Bring me a shrubbery”.

My standard line is if Maxwell’s Silver Hammer came down upon my wife’s head and it split open; a horse would jump out. I thought about it a long time and decided I needed to communicate with her on a level she could understand. I sat her down for a serious talk and said “Sweetheart, you know how I get depressed sometimes thinking I don’t get enough of your attention. Well, I’ve thought long and hard about this and I’ve decided that I want you to treat me like one of the horses.” “What, huh – what do you mean by that”, she rejoined. (I knew I’d get her attention if I mentioned horses). “Well, just like the horses, everyday I need to be fed, groomed and ridden” I said.

Understanding brightened her entire appearance. “She got it” I thought. I was able to communicate in a way she could understand. Not that her understanding made a lot of difference in my lifestyle. Oh well, Abba didn’t say the life of a servant would be easy.

So anyway, my sister found a tee shirt one time that describes why a woman likes a horse better than a man. On it was listed the “Ten Reasons I’d Rather Dream About Horses” and they are:

1.      They’re tall and strong.

2.      They have lots of hair.
3.      They’re always there when you need them.
4.      They never watch cable.
5.      They’re well groomed.
6.      They know what “Whoa” means.
7.      They look good in leather.
8.      They smell good when they sweat.
9.      You’re always on top.
10.  The ride lasts longer than 5 minutes.

The truth is I kinda like horses (I do like golf better, but that’s a different subject). The movie Secretariat was great. I went back to YouTube and watched all the Triple Crown videos of Secretariat’s wins; it brings a tear to your eyes. The entire Country was pulling for Big Red and he had a unifying effect at a time when it was needed. If you watch closely, his jockey, Ron Turcotte, didn’t even use a whip; seems he was just hanging on for dear life. It was during his autopsy they found his heart to be twice the size of a normal horse. The movie had a great biblical quote at the end that came from Job. The entire passage is:

Job 39: 19-25 “¹⁹ Hast thou given the horse strength? Hast thou clothed his neck with thunder? ²⁰ Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper? The glory of his nostrils is terrible. ²¹ He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength; he goeth on to meet the armed men. ²² He mocketh at fear, and is not dismayed; neither turneth he back from the sword. ²³ The quiver rattleth against him, the glittering spear and the shield. ²⁴ He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage; neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet. ²⁵ He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha; and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains and the shouting.”

 

Wondrous Abba,

Help us appreciate

the wonder of Your creation

and the beauty of animal life.

Grant Father

That our task of gardening

Be fruitful and that our

animals be properly cared for.

We desire this

to honor You

And the creation which

You have made.

And grant us Holy Father

That we may delight in service

Beginning in our own house

In Jesus name.

Adrian Peterson and The Abused Child 5-30-15

Proverbs 13:24 “He that spareth his rod hateth his son; but he that loveth him chasteneth him early.”

 

First things first: I detest the term “black man”, “white people” and any other term that clarifies people according to the color of their skin. Maybe some day we’ll get over it and be able to look at people as people. Cam Newton has great athletic ability, but one of the things I admire most about him is his refusal to get into the black / white issue regardless of the media’s pressure.  

Well of course all white people are racist. That’s exactly why all white people have hated Bill Cosby for his entire career and why he’s been so unsuccessful. Same with Oprah – she ain’t got a dime to her name. Richard Pryor too – except when he was in his red light comedy mode. (I’m getting to a point here so please be patient.) The truth is that the vast majority of white people delight in a successful black man (or woman).

I’m supporting Ben Carson for President and not because he’s black, but because of his faith, honesty and correct diagnosis of what needs to be fixed in America after the Obama fiasco.

OK – back to the point. Bill Cosby did a routine many years ago that talked about his Dad’s discipline. “Son, I brought you into this world and I can sure take you back out”. He was a tough guy. Richard’s Pryor’s skit was that his Dad would give him one whack of the belt for every word he spoke: “I (whack) told (whack) you (whack) never (whack) to (whack) … well, you get the idea. Hmmm, wonder if there’s a connection between discipline and success?

(ADD Alert 1 – I have to mention Bill Cosby’s recent troubles. Men are pretty bad sexually as we’ll all admit, but there’s one thing I don’t understand. One of his supposed victims <sic> said he’d drugged her 6 or 7 times. Hmmm, wonder if there’s any shared responsibility here?)

(ADD Alert 2 – In Which Way is Up, one of Richard’s roles was Rev. Lenox Thomas. After the church realizes he’s been messing with the choir they chase him out of the church and he runs into a steam roller. The next scene is his funeral and he’s in a casket about 12 inches tall; appropriate since he’d been flattened by the steam roller; hilarious.)

Children are a gift from the Lord and should be cared for and protected. In the US there are about 46 million kids under the age of 12 (http://www.childstats.gov/). Over 122,000 were determined to be victims of physical abuse (https://www.firststar.org/); about 2.7 percent. While one case of abuse is too many, the statistics are that the vast majority of fathers are not abusive; not what the liberal media would have you believe. Please remember that Good Will Hunting was a movie, not reality.

Someone has told me that John and Charles Wesley’s mother said that if you didn’t discipline your children before the age of two, you were probably too late. These men went on to serve God and establish the Methodist denomination. Each of my sons has experienced my wrath after acting up in church. They each developed a sense of respect for God’s house. My sister got tired of me whining about not being a good father and finally said “at least you’re there”.

 So, what do we say about Adrian Peterson? I’ve seen the photos of his son but don’t really know all the details. At least he’s there with the desire of a father to correct his child. Maybe he needs some help in learning to control his temper (like most of us). The NFL and the Vikings should have minded their own business on this one.

The word for “rod” in scripture is “shebet” which can also mean club. I’m glad my Dad didn’t read Hebrew. The Commandment to honor your Father and Mother has a promise …. “that you may live long in the land”. A death sentence was called upon those dishonoring Father or Mother; a certain way to reduce your lifespan.

Dr. Mark Lee is one of my heroes. He did pre-marital counseling for 40 years and developed a program titled “50 Questions on Marriage”. One of the questions was to determine how you were going to discipline your kids. He said his kids might get away with sassing him, but if they sassed heir mother, they wouldn’t even see it coming.

Mighty Father,

We have felt thy discipline and are thankful

For thy mercy and grace

And love for us.

Help us Abba,

to accept thy diving correction,

And in love

To correct our children as well.

Blessed Lord

Restrain the hand of those who would

Abuse their children

In any way.

Protect these little ones Blessed Father.

Strengthen their angels

And deliver them from

The abusive man.

We pray also Father

For the abusive man;

That he might not visit the abusive experience he has had

Upon his own offspring.

Heaven versus Hell – Generally Speaking 5-23-15

Genesis 5:3 “And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth.”

            The quote I heard was “All generalities are false”. Hmmm, well let’s see; that’s a generality as well. So, if all generalities are false, then it must be that that generality is false as well and that some generalities therefore must be true. For example, I heard the below from a friend sometime ago as a description of how we look at various cultures:

Heaven                                                                       Hell

German Mechanics                                                     German Police
Swiss Bankers                                                             Swiss lovers
English Police                                                             English Cooks
French Cooks                                                              French Mechanics
Italian Lovers                                                              Italian Bankers

            Has a ring of truth doesn’t it? But does that have to do with our preconceptions or with the actual abilities of a given culture? I’m sure there are bad German mechanics and good French ones. (ADD Alert – I was on an Airbus into Denver recently that started having smoke in the cabin just after we landed. We had to jump off the plane – not something on my Bucket List. So the thought that the Airbus is French built did cross my mind. I was thankful it didn’t happen at 35,000 feet.)

             When I was a youth, products from Japan were regularly dissed. Then Deming (see https://www.deming.org/) went to Japan and taught them quality and process improvement. Sony bought the transistor from (I think it was Motorola) and in a generation the Japanese went from radios to producing world class cars. My current prejudice is products from China – Hey, it’ll be half price just be sure and buy two – one will have problems.

            The truth is amazing: Abba in His wonderful creative nature has created and continues to create individuals. Not a single soul on this planet is exactly like anyone else. Regardless of our preconceptions regarding cultures, each person is unique.

My OCD requires I read the Bible from front to back. I was struggling through the “begats” one time and paused and asked Abba what was important about naming all these people. It came to me that He knew each one of them, as He knows each one of us today. Don’t despair; God knows you, He knows your name and He knows the problems you face each day. He loves you as an individual; an individual that He created.

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith The Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

Creative Father, Mighty God

Help us to rejoice

In the Wonder of Your creative power

And see others as individuals.

Without prejudice,

Without preconception.

Delighting in our differences,

And rejoicing in our common bond as Your creation.

Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire No. 1 (Revised) 5-17-15

         Well, well – I had to withdraw the original version of this post. I’ve stated one of my RRs (Radio Rabbis) is Steve Brown of KeyLife (http://www.keylife.org/). Steve sends out a newsletter each month which is great teaching. The Newsletter I received after the post said that it might be a good idea not to expose all your faults – even to your best friends – because it can destroy relationships and hurt your witness. BTW – it’s OK with Jesus because he knows everything anyway.

Maybe I’ll just quit blogging all together. My purpose was to speak to other Christians about struggles I’ve faced in an attempt to encourage them and give them hope. In other words, if Jesus can save someone with as terrible a past as I’ve had then he can save you too. I guess I’ll keep going and try to remember to pray before I write, as well as try to be more generic about my sin.

It’s been said that Dietrich Banhoeffer, the brilliant theologian who resisted the Nazis until they hung him just before the end of WW II, visited America and was asked what was the most important thing he had learned in his distinguished career. He replied, “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” Maybe if we keep that in mind, we can all be a little more effective. As Rick Warren said “it’s not about you” (or me).

So here is the revised “Liar, Liar …”

Eighth grade, junior high: I saw a friend who arrived late to class with an excuse slip. He let me read the excuse; it said” Unexcused Absence”, the reason he wrote was “I overslept”. Wow – couldn’t he think of anything better than the truth? I remember that to this day and hope he continues in truth.

            So Tom Brady’s taking the hit for “Deflategate” and maybe he should. The thing that struck me was Belichick’s original interview about the issue. It seemed it could be summed up as: Ball? The game is played with a ball? Kinda like Roy Williams and the North Carolina basketball players not going to classes: Classes? You mean players have to go to class? Why can’t people take some responsibility?

Harry Reid recently admitted he lied about Mitt Romney never paying taxes. His justification: “Well, who won the election”. I suppose in his mind the end justifies the means.

            Hear America, the inspired voice of the Apostle of Love, the gentle, the kind, the encouraging John; the one whom Jesus loved:

Revelation 21:8 “But the fearful, and unbelievers, and the abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

Merciful Father forgive me

And cleanse me from the sin of false speech;

 when I’ve taken the easy way out,

and failed in truthfulness.

Also Mighty Abba, I pray

For all Your servants,

That they may see the light of Your Truth

And be reconciled to You.

My Lord, My King

I also pray for all leaders of our country,

That they may speak truth

And let the light shine on all their activities.

Abide with us Lord Jesus,

May your Spirit convict and overwhelm us

That your Grace may be shed on America

And that our country may be healed.