Issues Never In Doubt

Psalm 46:  "God is our refuge & strength an ever-present help in trouble.
              Therefore we will not fear."

Life on this planet has its moments of uncertainty, and one of those times in my life was in December 2008, just a few days before Christmas.  I was heading to work when my cell phone rang.  I answered it and a barely audible voice said, "Something's wrong with me."  It was my wife Christy, calling from the empty locker room of a nearby gym.  Now, Christy isn't a complainer, so I knew she must be very, very ill. I raced to the gym to find her suffering from a major heart attack.

Those days were so stressful, her life apparently so in doubt, that even as I write this, feelings of anxiety creep into my gut.  Thanks be to God, she recovered fully, and in looking back, I realized her survival was never really in doubt; it was part of God's will.  After she recovered, she told me that Psalm 46 was the scripture she held on to while alone in that room.

Calamities and reversals are a part of life, and outcomes aren't always what we want.  But nothing escapes God's eyes, ever.  Even when bad things happen, God  turns the results to fulfill his unshakable will.  He asks only for us to trust in Him.

To live is to have problems. No one gets a pass. Circumstances and reversals can derail the strongest believers with pain and discouragement and leave many unanswered questions--ask Job.  But in those times, reach out to God, and claim the promises He's put there for us in His Word. Call on your strong brothers and sisters for support.  We are promised refuge and strength, and an ever-present help in trouble.  With God, no issue is ever in doubt.

That Day of Days: 6/6/1944

Seventy-three years ago on June 6th, 2017, some of your fellow citizens--mostly young men--boarded landing craft and sailed across the English Channel to a place on the French coast called Normandy.  It was a stormy, bitter day.  Many of those young men are and will forever remain unknown to you because that day was their last day.  They fought and died there at the beginning of the Great Crusade which a year later crushed the Nazi death machine in Europe.  In many of those photos, a young face  is turned towards the camera. They gaze at us through the mists of time and it seems as though they look to us as if to say, "What will you do with this?"

Every year when the 6th of June comes up on the calendar I think about those men.  They weren't all brave.  They had their fears; many were plain afraid.  They understood--as only soldiers can--there might be no tomorrow; but they had their duty, and they did it.

Every one who can read this is a beneficiary of those men who that day and in the days that followed bought and preserved our freedom.  That's what makes it all so precious. That's what makes every crumb of our freedom worth fighting for.

June 6th, 1944 was a horrible day.  It was also a wonderful day.

The Most Famous Prostitute In History

Recently I wrote an article that had to do with sex, and since it received so many hits, I’ve decided to continue in that vein with a short article about the most famous prostitute in history, and one who by her actions helped save a nation.  

Her name was Rahab, and she lived in the city of Jericho, about 40 miles northeast of Jerusalem.  Jericho was a walled city-state, and Rahab’s house was located on the city wall.  The Israelites, who at the time were looking to establish themselves in that land that had been promised them, were looking at how they might enter and defeat the armed forces of Jericho.  

Joshua, the leader of the Israelites, sent two spies into Jericho, and they found lodging in the house of Rahab the prostitute.  It wasn’t long before the King of Jericho got wind of the spies, and that they were staying in Rahab’s house, so he sent some of his men to threaten Rahab, and capture the spies.  But Rahab had taken the men and hidden them, and when the King’s men came, she misled them by telling them that yes, the men had been here but they had left just as the city gate was being closed for the night.  

Now, Rahab did this on her own; at this point she had merely protected the spies that had come into her city.  But now she asks something of the men:  “I know that the Lord has given you this land...for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below...

“Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family...that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them--and that you will save us from death.”  

The men assured her, “Our lives for your lives...if you don’t tell what we are doing, we will treat you kindly and faithfully, when the Lord gives us the land.”  And as the story unfolds, Rahab and her family were taken out of the city when it fell and were taken to the camp of the Israelites--a promise honored.  You can read the account for yourself in the book of Joshua, chapters 1through 6. 

Rahab the prostitute and her family was saved from destruction because she recognized the one true God, she acted on that belief, and she asked for mercy, which she received.  She looked forward in faith to the redemption that comes through Jesus Christ.  That’s the same grace and forgiveness that can you can have, if you want it.  

But that’s not quite all of the story.  Rahab is mentioned not just in this story in the Bible, but also in the first chapter of Matthew which lists her as one of the ancestors of Jesus Christ himself, in the book of Hebrews, and again in the book of James.  I don’t know how you count famous, but that’s about as good as it gets. 

I don’t know who reads this, but no matter who you are, or what you are doing or have done, there’s a place for you at the cross of Jesus Christ.  As the Old Book says, there’s no one who is righteous, but through the forgiveness of Jesus, who by his death washed your slate clean, you can also be forgiven, and enter into God’s eternal kingdom.  Read in the Bible John 3:16, and then the whole book of John. If you decide to accept this free gift, you too will get to hang out with the the most famous prostitute of all time in heaven.  See you there.  

On The Death of Friends and You

We recently lost two people whom we knew well.  One was my cousin Julie, the other my friend Eric.  It seems we have entered into that era of life I will call the "Era of Memorial".

The most shocking thing about both Julie and Eric was that both deaths happened without warning.  There was no lingering or debilitating illness; they were just gone.

Julie and her husband Jim were in Europe on their long-awaited 'dream vacation.'  While in Vienna, she missed a step and fell, breaking her nose and shattering her elbow.  A trip to the hospital and a precautionary MRI revealed a hidden danger:  She had a brain aneurism.  After some considerations, they decided to forego the rest of the vacation and return to the U.S.

She underwent a surgery where a stent was placed--I'm no doctor, so forgive me--to allow the aneurism to wither away.  All was well, and then--seizure and death.

Eric was my off-roading buddy, and we took a number of trips together here in Arizona.  He always chastised me for my Toyota pickup, and I reciprocated in telling him the woes of his Jeep.  No matter, we always enjoyed one another's company.

About a year ago Eric and his wife Marjorie moved to Colorado to pursue a job interest.  They had a new house built, and had a growing circle of friends.  Then about two weeks ago, Marjorie came home after work and found Eric dead, apparently of a heart attack.  Terrible.

We've been here before.  My wife's father died suddenly.  He was healthy, then he was gone.

Just like that.  Eric was only fifty, Julie 73 or so.  Too young to go, at least in the eyes of those of us who are left.

It is not unwise to prepare for your end.  All of us die, you know.  What happens afterwards?  You have few choices.  Maybe there's nothing beyond the grave.  Maybe there's something, and you are insecure about what it might be.  Maybe there's something and you've been told how to approach it.

I am sure there is "something" beyond the grave.  Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No man comes to the (God) Father, except through me." (John 14:6)  He also said "He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die..." (John 11:25-26)

I used to know this guy who had an incurable disease, and so I went with a friend of his to tell him about Jesus Christ,  because he was checking out a whole bunch of different religions and thought on dying and death.  We told him about Jesus, used the verses referenced above as well as others.  We told him about forgiveness of sins, eternal life, the many promises made in the Bible, but he wasn't convinced. Finally I said to him, "Steve, do you really thing you're going to get a better offer?"

I don't know what Steve decided, and I don't know that he chose to follow Jesus.  I hope he did.

One thing about Jesus Christ, it doesn't matter what you've done, who you've wronged, nothing.  "Come as you are."  Have you stolen from people?  Cheated on your spouse?  Murdered someone?  Fill in your own blank.

You--are--welcome.

America's Eleventh Hour

I lived near San Francisco in 1989 when the Loma Prieta Earthquake occurred, and believe me, when something like that happens, you want to be somewhere else.

We were in our home in Santa Cruz that evening when everything started shaking.  It was  like being inside a piggy bank with someone shaking it for the pennies.  Our street rolled like an ocean wave.  Dishes were vomited out of the cupboards.  The electricity went off and the phones went dead.  When I finally got to my feet, I went out and turned on my car radio, and from one end of the dial to the other--nothing. All stations off the air.  It was frightening.

Our nation is undergoing a similar dramatic change. Institutions and ideals which have been standards for centuries aren't merely being questioned, they're being ridiculed and rejected. Things which have always been known to be wrong--even immoral--are now considered as normal.  Our nation's constitution, written to safeguard us against the excesses of government and the failings of human nature, is now considered by many to be obsolete and in need of gross revision, or trashed altogether.

 The United States, for all of its influence, power and wealth, is a nation in decline.  There will always be a United States, but it may well be an unrecognizable U.S. within a generation or two. The seeds of our deconstruction were planted long ago, but now those seeds have begun to germinate.  We have gradually and systematically  thrown away many of the traditions and institutions which have made our nation not just a great nation, but the greatest the world has ever known.

Many are the reasons, more than I have room here to discuss, but these listed are essential for our survival as a nation, none of which can be restored in a day, a year, or even a generation.  It's taken decades to destroy what has made America a great nation.  Likewise it will take decades to reverse the downward spiral,  and then only if we even have the will to do at all.

A nation is the embodiment of the uniqueness, identities, and institutions of the individuals that live there.  Borders are necessary to retain and protect those things.  Without an effective border, with unrestricted illegal entry, a nation will gradually lose its identity and take on much of the character of those coming in. They may indeed take on some of our identity, but we will take on much of theirs, simply because of the numbers coming in.  Assimilation is not a part of the plan of those coming in illegally today--they're here for jobs and/or benefits, but their allegiance remains with their homeland.  If assimilation was the goal, they would assimilate.

Worse, an open border is an invitation  to undesirables, criminals, even our sworn enemies.

A borderless nation is no nation at all, but because of politics, permissive attitudes, and greed, we no longer have an effective southern border.  And frankly, both of our majority political parties are to blame.

Marriage and family are important to a nation's survival.   Marital commitment to each other and to the children produced by those unions is necessary for the health of the family unit and the health of a nation.  Families propagated by unmarried partners are by definition unstable.  The partnership is weak, no commitment made, and everything within it is at risk.  It's not difficult to imagine scenarios where a child or children of such flimsy relationships could end up in a home in which they are not related to any adult under the same roof,  both parents having moved into new relationships.  There is much talk about "love" today, very little about commitment.  But love and commitment should be one and the same--and in fact, they are the same.  Anything else is a cheap knockoff.  I submit that those who are not committed enough to make a vow to each other, are not likely to make commitments in other areas, including commitment to a nation.  Commitment demands "skin in the game."  No one reading this would dream of buying or selling a house or a car without a contract spelling out what is expected of both parties.  Yet, we enter into the most intimate of relationships without any commitment.

The government of the United States has spent itself into servitude to China, a nation that is not our ally or friend, giving to them, because of our financial dependence upon them, the power to influence our political decisions. This is national suicide.  If, at any time, China should decide to no longer lend us money, our economy would immediately shut down.  Our national debt is close to twenty trillion dollars. You want to know where we are headed with that?  Look at Greece, who must go to nations around the world with a tin cup, begging for loans to prop it up.

Finally, and this is paramount, we no longer have a spiritual dimension of any consequence in America.  We as a people no longer look to God as a supreme, authoritative being, an entity to whom we are responsible--if we even believe He exists at all. The individual is now the final authority over his/her morality, which is to say, there is no final moral authority; everyone is free to do what is right in his/her own eyes.  The correct standard is your standard, which might be said to be any standard, which means there is no standard.  When your morality and the next person's morality conflicts, then there is moral anarchy.  To not be responsible to a final authority--God--is moral anarchy.

Nations succeed when most of its citizens are pointed in the same direction.  In today's United States, we are no longer aligned. Yes, I know that the United States has had its share of failings in the past, as have all countries.  But until now we have been structured and united so as to be able to recognize and right those wrongs.  The future will see us as unable to make corrections.  This isn't merely our 11th hour, it's more like our last minute to midnight.  When nations start down these paths, rejecting the very things that have held them together--they fail.  I believe this is where we are today.  I wonder:  Is it too late for us?

A Warning on the Dangers of Political Correctness

Gotta love political correctness (PC).  It's the means by which people censor themselves out of fear of being ostracized.  The correctness, the acceptability of what you say is somehow determined by some faceless others with the assumption they are correct.  Sounds like an excellent way to do away with original thinking.  Nothing to see here, move along.

In part, political correctness is a substitute for what used to be called good manners--manners generated not from a heartfelt, internal morality, but from an external, legalistic sense of right and wrong--an imposed system.  And it's flexible; it can change any time the arbiters of the system decide to change it.

Politically correctness in language is just the beginning. We're already seeing the extension of political correctness past just a self-imposed gag rule.  People are losing their jobs, even being jailed because what they say or believe doesn't fit the template.  Freedom of speech--though inconvenient at times--is at the forefront of all of our freedoms.  Lose it and you lose more.

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees, among other things, the right to free speech, that is, the government can't officially impose a ban on limiting free speech.  It's no surprise that, listed along with free speech is the freedom of the press and freedom of establishment of religion and the exercise thereof.  But the constitution is no help against being harassed by those outside of government.  And that will be the modus operandi until the First Amendment is taken away, a piece-by-piece chipping at our freedom.

It's not hard to understand that if we lose the freedom to speak our minds, the freedom of the press and freedom of religion and its free exercise would undoubtedly follow.

Nor is it difficult to extrapolate that those who are the greatest proponents of political correctness could also be those who could at some point argue for an official loss of our freedom of speech.  If that were to happen, we will have entered that hopeless place where we are governed by those over whom we have no control,  the very thing that caused our forefathers to break away from the despotic rulers over them.

It's all about losing our freedoms.  And in my opinion, it's a matter of time.

Interpreting The Bible

I read an article online the other day that had to do with some subject in the Bible, and one of the dissenting comments posted was, "Well, scripture is open to interpretation." Really? What verse says "All scripture is inspired by God and is open to interpretation"?

I've been reading and studying the Bible for over 40 years and I have yet to read anywhere in the Bible that it is "open to interpretation." Now, we may disagree with scripture, we may misunderstand it, we may bend it, we might even reject it. But before God, scripture is not open to anyone's "interpretation." It says what it says. Any misunderstanding of it, purposeful or not, falls upon us, so we had better be seeking the Holy Spirit to help us to not misunderstand it.

Another dodge is one I heard about the same time: "Well, Jesus didn't say such-and-such, so it's someone else's opinion or it's open to question."

No good. Jesus didn't say a lot of things. For instance, Jesus said nothing about using crystal meth, or texting while driving, but that doesn't mean such things are good ideas. The Bible does tell us that it is "inspired by God", and Jesus himself validated the Old Testament by quoting from it a number of times in the New Testament. Furthermore, he said that scripture "cannot be broken." Nowhere in the New Testament does Jesus disavow anything in the Old Testament, so we can conclude that he accepted it wholly.

The New Testament is essentially the story of Jesus (as is the Old Testament, for that matter), written largely by his close associates (the disciples) about him and their their personal interaction with him, or by those directly acquainted with those associates. The point of this is, the New Testament was written by people who knew him intimately. Direct and accurate interaction leading to direct and accurate reporting. Because of this, we can assume their writings portray Jesus accurately.

If that weren't enough, remember that some of Jesus' people were imprisoned (Paul, for one), and some were executed (Peter, for another) because of their faith in Jesus, yet none denied their relationship or belief in him. It makes no sense to believe that anyone facing death because of a belief in a false messiah who didn't deliver what he said he would, would not deny him simply to survive. None did. They knew him, believed what he said, witnessed his death and resurrection, and continued in that faith, even unto death.

So, if it's in the Bible, you can "take it to the bank" as reliable and true. If you want to parse or add on to scripture, that's fine. If you want to limit your belief only to direct quotes from Jesus, you are free to do so. But you do so at your own risk.

Frankly, I think most of the time people use things like "open to interpretation" or "Jesus didn't say this" to appear sincere when they're actually looking for a way to exempt themselves from scriptural authority. If so, they have succeeded.