So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
Genesis chapter 1, verse 27; from the New Living Translation (NLT)
Another state has made it a crime to assist with chemicals/drugs and/or surgery to reassign a child’s “born with gender”. Why do we even need additional laws criminalizing this horrendous form of child abuse? There are laws already in effect that make it a crime to abuse a child. Frequently we see in the news of some alleged adult abusing a child and they are arrested. But, a law to make it a crime for a physician and/or parent(s) to violate the laws of biology? Really??? Yet, here we are.
OK, do babies come into this world potty-trained? Do newborns come into this world with the ability to talk? Do babies learn to walk in just a few weeks after they are born? Are toddlers able to clothe themselves without any assistance? Are 3 year old’s able to tie their own shoes? Are 6 year old’s fully cognizant of science and its rules and laws? Of course not! And parents, families, and friends who encourage this kind of abusive thinking apparently do not know the laws of biological science. I wonder if they even know how to die their own shoes!
Then why are children allowed to determine their gender? A friend of mine once told me that his daughter, a kindergarten teacher, met with a parent at the beginning of the school year that their child might come to school one day as a girl and the next day decide to come to school as a boy. The parent expected this teacher to honor the child’s, call it, “feeling of the day”. She retired from teaching the next year. And who could blame her? Where in the world do children, adolescents, and even teenagers, get the idea that they “feel” like they are a gender for which they do not have the proper plumbing? And how in the name of all that is sane, do adolescents and teenagers determine they are “binary”?
Well, according to both science and The Bible, they (the children) didn’t just come up with it! Someone, an “alleged” adult, planted that idea into their little, not-yet-fully-developed mental thinking processes. A parent, a family member, a friend, a babysitter, a teacher, or maybe being placed in front of the boob tube watching the news–but someone planted that idea into their little heads that they can choose their own gender without regard to science–and without regard to God’s Word. Then it was nurtured and encouraged–either intentionally or unintentionally. Would a good parent let their toddler play with knives or cleaning products under the kitchen sink? If that child saw a skunk and wanted to play with it, would they let them? If that child wanted to reach out for a venomous snake would they say, “Oh, go ahead. It’s perfectly safe.”
Did you hear that? Right after I keyed that last sentence in, I let out a deep, woeful sigh. These alleged adults wouldn’t dare let that child play with a knife. Yet. . .they filled their minds with the swill they can choose their own gender. I guess it’s true. We need more laws to keep alleged adults from abusing children. The blame for more “laws” lie with those who permit and/or promote this horrendous abuse of children. And that, my friends, is why I just sighed!
“These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock.But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.”
Matthew chapter 7, verses 24 thru 27; from The Message (Msg)
Think about this: We Get To Choose Our Own Morality! This is important; very important. We get to determine what is right and what is wrong; what is good and what is bad; what is acceptable behavior and what is unacceptable behavior. Now, there are some who declare that you cannot legislate morality! But yes you can! In fact, it has been happening for eons and it will continue to happen until time ends. Legislation, or the term laws if you prefer, is by definition establishing morality. Someone may disagree with me here, but they would be wrong. Every law enacted is a declaration of what is right and what is wrong; what is good and what is bad; what is acceptable behavior and what is unacceptable behavior.
And now this question demands to be asked: Who or what determines morality? And this is where the problem began. Everyone has an opinion about this. And those opinions are as varied and different as the people who form them. Quite the conundrum, wouldn’t you say? Many want us to accept that everyone should be free and allowed to form their own morality. Yet society cannot exist unless there is a single source that is consistent throughout for determining what is right and what is wrong; what is good and what is bad; what is acceptable behavior and what is unacceptable behavior. Without that single source, the guaranteed result is chaos, hate, anger, and all of their cousins and in-laws. Look no further than the United Methodist Institution, or Washington D.C.
Progressive (or as I call them: Pro-Aggressive) theologians and thinkers want to dismantle the tried and proven true morality of The Bible. Just flush it all down the toilet. Well, all except that part about love. They see love as God giving us permission and the empowerment to determine our own morality and call it good–as long as you love. They tell us that Jesus came to show us how to love. Well, I can’t dispute that. But that’s not all He came to show. Case in point: this parable about house builders.
This particular lesson is best presented in the rawness and bluntness of The Message translation. The very idea, and then acting upon it, that God has given us limited in thinking human beings the power and authority to determine what’s right and what’s not right in The Bible is. . .is. . .is. . . like building a house of cards. Listen again to what Jesus said: “These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on.“ And at this point I must add this thought: Those of you who can quote and throw Bible verses out like throwing rocks, you haven’t reached the standard that Jesus set. We have to work these words into our thoughts, attitudes, words, AND actions. Listen again to the rest of His words: But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach.
And for those who have flushed down the toilet the Morality of the Bible for a more pleasing-to-you form of Morality, you are building that proverbial house of cards. All it takes is a good sneeze to blow it down. And the problems of life are much more than a sneeze. But we, the followers of Jesus, cannot change others view about Morality by our words. They must see it in our day-in-day-out life. Denominations that have adapted to the world’s Morality continue to be in decline. The solution to this morass we are in will not be found by hanging the 10 Commandments in government buildings, putting Bibles back into classrooms, and opening each school day with prayer, and having prayers to Jesus in public events. This is akin to using watered-down paint to cover over graffiti. No–we need to build the Morality of the Bible into our day-to-day life. After all, that’s what Jesus did!
“You have minds like a snake pit! How do you suppose what you say is worth anything when you are so foul-minded? It’s your heart, not the dictionary, that gives meaning to your words. A good person produces good deeds and words season after season. An evil person is a blight on the orchard. Let me tell you something: Every one of these careless words is going to come back to haunt you. There will be a time of Reckoning. Words are powerful; take them seriously. Words can be your salvation. Words can also be your damnation.”
Matthew chapter 12, verses 34 thru 37; from The Message (Msg)
Cupcakes! We are living in a world of cupcakes! No, not the kind one sees at parties! It’s people I’m talking about. When I was young, I often wondered why “old people” were always so. . .so blunt. They didn’t mince or sugar-coat their words. And now that I’m old, I understand. As I get older I know that my time here is getting shorter and shorter. Thus, my opportunities to speak the truth are becoming fewer and fewer. I realize that I just don’t have the time to draw pictures to explain the things that are really important. It seems my ability and talent to be snarky has come into full bloom. I define snarky as a mixture of satire with a heavy dose of sarcasm. But here’s the thing–I don’t use it very often. Some may say otherwise, but they’re wrong. I refrain from using my snarky more times than Carter has little pills. (You have to be from the south to know what that phrase means!)
My previous post brought out my snarkiness. And as snarky tends to do, I offended at least one person. (click here to see the post) Someone thought my insights worthy of passing along to several people via email. And I am humbled they thought so. Apparently one of the recipients did not like my blunt honesty. And had this to say about my post: “It’s insulting and immature to speak to grown people who can think and decide for them self. To point I think it’s low class to say suck it up buttercup.”
Allow me the kindness to pull out one part of that comment for further reflection: “It’s insulting and immature to speak to grown people who can think and decide for them self.” Yes, people can think and decide for themselves. Got no problem with that premise. Our problem as a church, culture, and society is HOW people think. I.E.–people are all to quick and easy to be offended–especially with The Truth. It goes beyond the insane concept of political correctness. It’s rooted in how people respond. And the United Methodist Institution is an excellent case study.
People are so afraid of hurting someone’s feelings that it has become more important to be nice than it is to be truthful. Somehow it has become mean and ugly and hateful to be truthful; that somehow if we disagree with someone that we can’t and don’t love them. Where did this idea come from? I KNOW! I KNOW! From the heart and mind of Satan! Yes, Virginia, there is a Satan even if you think there isn’t. Nowadays the only way you can love someone is to approve, bless, and sanctify how they think. And if you can’t–well you are just plain ol’ mean and insulting.
I sigh a deep sigh when I think that it’s more important to make people feel good than it is to be truthful. Did you notice how Jesus responded in the passage I opened with this morning? You have minds like a snake pit! Did I miss something here? If Jesus said that today, people would demand an apology from Jesus! And IF Jesus was present like He was then, then by their views, Jesus should have said afterwards: “Oh, I’m so very sorry I offended you. And so that you can feel better about yourself, I renounce those words and I agree with you. Feel better now? Good! Here’s you a cupcake.
Blame doesn’t care if it’s Monday or Saturday, for it robs us of the opportunities to be both responsible for our choices and to spiritually grow. When negative and/or painful things happen to us, the immediate response is almost always to find someone to blame! It’s our corrupted DNA. Eve did it in the garden, “The devil made me do it!” And Adam piped right in, “That woman YOU gave me, it’s HER fault!” Finding some “thing” or some “one” to blame relieves and releases us from any personal responsibility; or so we think.
Blame puts blinders on us in order to keep our focus on the blame and the ending results are disasterous! If someone truly is to blame for our pain, it creates anger and bitterness. Anger and bitterness causes us to become self-absorded. And on the outside chance that the blame is our own fault, it prevents us from learning from our mistakes. Failure to learn from those mistakes sends us into a deadly spiral of repeating those mistakes. But there is an alternative to this Monday Morning Attitude Of Self-Destruction.
If the blame lies with another person, then forgive them! What? Forgive them after what they did to me? Sure! When you are hurt and angry (the typical and usual results of blame) you’re not affecting that person at all. But you are infecting yourself with a Pandora’s Box of more and deeper problems. The person you are blaming isn’t losing a single moment of sleep over you. But I bet a dollar to a donut that YOU are losing sleep!
And if the blame lies with your choices, then learn from them! Don’t wallow like a hog in mud if you are to blame–it only results in self-pity. And this is never, ever a good thing. Take the time and effort to learn from your mistake. Figure out what you did wrong. Think about how you could have done right. Accepting responsibility for and learning from our bad choices serves to help us grow and mature–both mentally and spiritually.
In both scenarios make sure you invite God into your heart and especially your thinking. He will always help us sort through the debris and give us wisdom–whether the blame lies with someone else, or yourself! Wisdom rarely come through reading. But wisdom is always to be found in our daily “life as it happens”, be it a Monday or any other day of the week.
When we seek wisdom in the messes and pains of life from God, then we can say: Good! Lord, it’s Monday! What shall we do together?
Not a misprint–I said SIGHS of the time. I hear of lot of sighs around me. And for some time now–I’ve been SIGHING a lot.
I sigh when I hear people say we don’t need to talk about racism–though nearly every day I hear a racist statement or two or three or four…
I sigh when I hear people say that anyone younger than them “ain’t got a clue” about life–though they never try to teach…
I sigh when I hear people whine and complain that they are not getting their fair share of life–though they are unwilling to apply themselves to the challenges of life…
I sigh…when I hear employers complain they can’t find decent employees–though they regularly reject applications of people they think won’t fit in…
I sigh when I hear church folks wonder why people don’t come to their church, after all, they are a friendly church–though they take neither the time nor the effort to get to know others…
I sigh when I hear people complaining about the government–though they keep putting career politicians back in office…
I sigh when I hear people say that Democrats are the answer to our problems–though they have helped create those problems…
I sigh when I hear people say that Republicans are the answer to our problems–though they have helped create those problems…
I sigh when I hear people complain about the culture–and that’s all they do: COMPLAIN…
I sigh when I hear people speak hate about other people today because of what other people did 175 years ago–as it they were the cause of poor decisions…
I sigh when I hear when folks point out the sins of others–why they ignore their own sin…
I sigh when I hear the researchers throwing out their fake science that is ruining so many lives–and vainly believe they are helping…
I sigh when I hear self-identified Christians say they want Jesus to come back right how–not thinking about all those who will not be ready for His Appearing…
I sigh when I hear me confess my sin–knowing I had the power of The Holy Spirit to successfully resist…
I sigh when I hear hate and anger catapulted at those who wear the badge–and don’t seem to care they are human beings who want nothing but to help others and keep us all safe…
I sigh when I hear nothing but silence–when it comes to the Truth of God and His Word…
What makes YOU sigh today? I could go on and on and on; and on some more about what makes me SIGH. But I am hit–and hit hard–by the Holy Spirit this morning. He asked me: “Randy, can you kindly tell me what all your SIGHING has accomplished? I mean other than made you feel sad, even an unhealthy bit of despair? After all, any amount of despair ain’t heathy for you.” So, I let that thought sink in a little bit. I refrained from that knee jerk reaction of: “I’m justified in this because that’s the way it is!” As His question marinated in my heart and mind, I finally answered Him: “It would be better for me, and my world, if I prayed instead of SIGHING!” And I could swear that I heard The Spirit say, “Mm-hmm.” Instead of SIGHING today, I’ll pray today, tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day, and the next, and the next… Will you join me in giving up SIGHING and replace it with PRAYING?
This is the first in the most recent series of messages I have been sharing
1 This is the message that the prophet Habakkuk received in a vision. 2 How long, O Lord, must I call for help? But you do not listen! “Violence is everywhere!” I cry, but you do not come to save.3 Must I forever see these evil deeds? Why must I watch all this misery? Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence. I am surrounded by people who love to argue and fight. 4 The law has become paralyzed, and there is no justice in the courts. The wicked far outnumber the righteous, so that justice has become perverted.
I have said at other times that no message or series has been more difficult for me than the one I am sharing. And this new series is proving itself to me, to be the most difficult one ever. I’m calling it Why, God? Notice the use of the comma. It would be much easier for me to talk about Why God?Why God speaks about our need for God. But that pesky comma, Why, God? speaks into the season we are in today.
We are living in a season like none other before. We have this Pandemic of Covid-19 and we are seeing a lot of racial unrest. I also see that the core of this season of racial unrest is a symptom of something else that has been going on for some time now— and that is Social And Political Unrest. The fabric that is meant to hold us together in a common society is being cut and ripped apart.
I am compelled to speak into this chaos. I would rather not and tackle an easier word. But I Firmly Believe This Mess We Are In Has A Message. Unfortunately, it may not be the message that people inside and outside of church want to hear.
We are going to begin this series with an honest discussion around the question that many are asking out loud, and many more that are wondering about inside their hearts and minds but are afraid to ask. Why, God? Why Are Things Like They Are Right Now? Why This Covid-19, This Racial, Social, And Political Unrest?
I believe this is a question that needs to be asked and explored. So be prepared for some hard or difficult things I will share with you. And at the risk of losing some of you—I will honestly say upfront that I may not have a neat answer to the question—I may not even have a good answer for the question.
And let me be upfront and honest with this disclaimer: I Am Not An Expert On The Ways That God Thinks. My answers may not be your answers as to the Why Question. Know that I am not expecting you to agree with anything I say. I won’t be disappointed with anyone who disagrees with me.
My personal goal, and the goal of this Series, is that you will not be afraid to ask God questions, and that you think through your own answers—without using the standard issue replies that are dressed in a Polly Anna or The Born Loser view of life. I am convinced that oversimplified answers to the Why Question are only adding to the frustrations and fears.
Posting things on Social Media with the line “Repost if you believe in Jesus” aren’t helping. Reality Check folks: Reposting And Quoting Scriptures Isn’t Going To Help! So What Will Help? I believe raw honesty helps more than posting and quoting Scriptures.
Look, it’s not that life Could Be difficult and hard. If you can handle the truth, then here it is—The Truth Is That Many Times Life IS Difficult And Hard. None of us are exempt from the troubles and pressures of life. And if anyone tells you that you can live a happy and pain-free life as a Christian—they are lying to you and they should be ashamed of themselves for deceiving you.
I have been a pastor for nearly 46 years, and in those 46 years I have read and studied the Bible extensively. In that same 46 years I have had a lot of personal experiences and I’ve been a part of other people’s experiences. I have seen joy—and I’ve seen the doubt and deep pain brought on by life as it really is—the fear and hurt that comes with those difficult experiences.
I am going to try, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to be totally Honest with you. And sometimes coming face to face with Honesty is not very easy. And know ahead of time that my Honesty may not fit in with The Truth.
If anything, the writers of the Bible are Honest—more than Honest, they are Painfully Honest. There is page after page, story after story, which speaks Honestly—but not always be The Truth. Think about Job—not everything in there is The Truth—but everything there is Painful Honesty. In Ecclesiastes Solomon writes Honestly about His Feelings—though some of his conclusions about God are not true. But His Conclusions About The Pain And Difficulties Of Life—They Are Most DefinitelyTrue.
There’s the book of Lamentations—where Jeremiah blames God for everything that happened to Jerusalem. And there’s this passage we begin with from Habakkuk. Habakkuk, this prophet of God, Honestly believes that God isn’t listening and that He has forgotten all about him. And true to human nature, it’s easier to blame God than accept responsibilities for our choices.
That’s exactly what Adam did—he blamed God. And here’s the truth that many will disagree with me—God Didn’t Destroy Jerusalem. God didn’t point His finger at Babylon and manipulate them into doing what He wanted to be done. The blame for the destruction of Jerusalem lies squarely at the feet of those who rejected God by choosing another way. God didn’t have to punish them—they punished themselves by rejecting the ageless truth of God—and that rejection reaped them a whirlwind and a hurricane of consequences.
And all of this that’s going on all around us? I am about to say something that many may disagree with—and remember I warned you. I want you to think deeply. This is it: God Is Not Causing Any Of This To Happen. Covid-19 Is NOT God Punishing Our Nation And World.God Is Not Pointing His Finger To Manipulate People To Create This Hate And Chaos.
What I see happening here in the U.S. with the unrest, what I see happen in the U.S. and around the world with Covid-19 is The Consequences Of Generations Of People Abandoning God’s Principles For Another Way. We are reaping the same whirlwind and hurricane that Habakkuk and Jeremiah were seeing in their day.
One of the blogs I read is Walking With A Limp. Here’s what the writer, Joe Misek, had to say about his title: “The reason why I title my blog Walking With a Limp is because I believe our faith and our humanity is meant to be lived out not hiding our brokenness. In fact, the Bible even has an entire genre of literature dedicated to expressing pain, grief, anger, and brokenness: Lament.”
In a recent blog he wrote: “We don’t do Lament well in the modern American church. In fact, we often arrange our entire experience of corporate worship to be happy. Lament sounds dark and depressing; it is uncomfortable if you hear it and you are in a ‘happy place’ in your life. But the Lament is not in the entertainment business and doesn’t appeal to consumers. It is reality. It is healing.”
Joe is right—unlike Job, Solomon, Jeremiah, and Habakkuk we don’t handle Lamenting very well. We either hold all our pain, doubts and questions in—or we adopt a lifestyle of being happy all the time while masking what’s really going on inside us. Many often chastise others and themselves for even thinking about that question of Why, God?
I don’t really know all the whys about why we aren’t truthful with ourselves and with God in this time. Maybe it’s because we’ve had long years of comfort here in the United States. We have forgotten or never really learned how to Lament. It seems we would rather find someone or something To Blame than to become broken over our own lives and the world.
The Ability To Lament Comes Out Of 2 Things:
The Pain Of Realizing Something Isn’t Right. It’s being broken over what’s wrong to the point that makes us restless and deeply hurting. And here is another hard truth: We Don’t Like To Hurt—we avoid pain as if it were some sin. But it’s not. Many today are trying to make their hidden pain go away by not admitting something isn’t right and then justifying themselves. In the LBGTQ community, they blame their pain on those who will not agree with their justification. Racial Unrest is the result of blaming history for their pain and the reality that some still hold on to racist views. Political Unrest is the result of blaming those who don’t see things their way. And the Social Unrest is the result of blaming others rather than accepting responsibility for our own choices.
Then It Takes An Honest Vulnerability To Express That Pain Of Being Broken And Living In A Broken World. I’m talking about raw emotions—like the raw emotions we see in the lives of Job, Solomon, Jeremiah and Habakkuk. I’m not talking about finding out who or what is to blame. Blaming isn’t the same thing as Lamenting.
I’m not talking about moaning and groaning, whining and complaining—God knows we are good at that. Many have taken this to an art form or made it a science. Whining and complaining, moaning and groaning are cheap substitutes that help us avoid confronting the real issues—issues that are eroding our culture, our own hearts, and are hurting others. It takes little effort and even less thoughtful reflection to moan and groan or whine and complain. It just gushes out of us without any effort.
And here is the one thing you need to remember from today’s message: The Only Way To Find Our Way Forward And Navigate This Broken Culture Will Only Begin When We Recover The Ability To Lament.Lamenting requires a different focus for us.
This week I came to a most unusual, perhaps unorthodox view about Lamenting. Lamenting is another learned Spiritual Discipline. Spiritual Disciplines never happen automatically. They require both intentions and diligence. I can’t remember ever studying about Lamenting as a Spiritual Discipline or reading a book that taught Lamenting as a Spiritual Discipline.
I’m not saying I haven’t—maybe I have and it these times that are bringing it up in my spirit and heart. Quoting Scriptures and motivational phrases will not change our culture. The Key is to become broken, and then Lamenting—about ourselves and our world. Do you need an example? Good, because there is the best example ever.
It’s Jesus! In Luke 19:41-44 we see: But as He came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep. “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes. Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side. They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not recognize it when God visited you.
It was too late for Jerusalem, but it’s not too late for us and the world. And because WE can’t follow Jesus and stay where we are, we need the Next Step.
In Our Hearts And Minds, Replace The Idea Of Blame With The Truth That We And Our World Are Broken And Hurting.
Are you really broken over our world? Or are you frustrated? Are you angry? And are you wanting to escape by desiring the return of Jesus more than the return of people back to Jesus?
For the next few weeks, I want us to look at how we can reclaim the Art And Discipline Of Lamenting. Admit it, nothing we are doing now is making a difference. Maybe, just maybe, a good old fashioned Lament will make a difference.
As of last night the CDC reports there are 122,653 of confirmed and presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 reported to CDC or tested at CDC since January 21, 2020 in the United States. This number is up from Saturday evening’s number of 103,321. People in the U.S. are panic buying. It started with toilet paper and hand sanitizer and now it’s milk, bread, eggs and God knows what else. People are scooping up self-rising flour who have never made a biscuit in their life! And the jury has reached a verdict.
Most people in the United States are found GUILTY of Having No Common Sense And Are Acting Stupid! It took the jury only 3 seconds to reach this verdict. When you consider the evidence it is no surprise at all. Just look at the evidence:
You ask a student “You have 3 apples and give 1 apple to your friend, how many are left?” and rather than the student imagine 3 apples, take away 1 and count what’s left, which is 1 then 2, 2 apples left, they have replaced it with common core math. To find the answer you take the circumference of Saturn, divide that by the number of species of ducks, multiply that answer by the temperature on the surface of Mercury, then subtract the number of Wal-Marts in the world, divided by 7.68345690 and subtract the number of people who will buy eggs today and Voila! The answer is 2!
Participation Trophies! You have achieved greatness by simply being present. Forget effort. Forget skill and ability. Besides, it’s plain meanness to reward success!
Entitlement has become the norm. Who needs perseverance? What’s the value in trying and learning from failure? You exist therefore you deserve!
Administrators tell teachers, “You have to teach for the state tests. Forget knowledge and wisdom–it’s the scores on those tests that matter most. NOT the students needs, but OUR need to score high on those tests!”
Many school systems have taken out vocational/technical schools because it’s more important for the students to go to college in order for them to ask “Would you like a fried apple pie with this order?” The number of high school students who receive a college degree looks great on the paperwork!
Speaking of college, OY VEY! Professors have concluded that they are the experts in their fields and are the sole depository of knowledge, and expect their students to be their little minions who perpetuate their jabber and twaddle. (if you don’t know the meaning of twaddle, look it up!) Cemetery Professors, excuse me, that should have been Seminary Professors, are the absolute worst!
And parents? OY VEY!OY VEY!OY VEY! They want to be their child’s friend! Great gobbledygook! This is enough evidence by itself to arrive at that Guilty Verdict!
Morality, what is right and wrong, good and bad, is determined by the individual rather than proven standards, such as the Bible. They even encourage their children to find their own gender rather than accept what nature gave them.
Consequences? What’s that? People are protected from the consequences of their choices and actions. There is always someone else, something else to blame. Oygevalt!Bupkes! That’s mishegas! It’s bupkes! Go ahead and kvetsh if it makes you feel better!(I love Yiddish!)
And finally, it’s more important to be kind than truthful–especially when truth hurts. A president once challenged this nation to be a kinder and gentler nation. Well, people accepted the challenge, and look at the mess we’re in!
Look at this nation now. More and more people are thinking more and more about themselves while thinking less and less about others. I heard one story of a shopper who was buying up milk. The business only allowed 2 gallons to be purchased. So she bought 2 gallons; then went back in a went through the self checkout with 2 more gallons. This continued until she had her minivan full of milk. Another shopper was doing the same with toilet paper until an astute associate saw what she was doing and cut her off!
There was a time when you didn’t need a declaration from the government to stay at home if you were sick. It was called Common Sense and Decency! There was a time when people cared more about others than themselves. There was a time when valor and restraint were considered virtues. There was a time when hard work was noble and the dream people held dear. And there was a time when it was appropriate to call out, in a kind way, stupidity in others. Well. . . what can I say? Too many people are null and void when it comes to common sense–and are stupid, I say, absolutely stupid! They make the 3 Stooges look like clones of Albert Einstein.
Who would deny that the current state of the church, politics and society as a whole is in a state of unabridged and unequivocal chaos. Even the most self-deluded would have to admit this is our current reality. And when it comes to placing the blame…its not any better. On any given day and all day long, the long finger of blame is pointing somewhere. It’s like the Wheel of Fortune or Price is Right–there are lots of options on where to place the blame.
Conservatives are to blame. Progressives are to blame. The Democrats are to blame. The Republicans are to blame. Guns are to blame. Wussy-minded folks are to blame. Millenials are to blame. Baby Boomers are to blame. Professors are to blame. Parents to blame. Spin the wheel and find who to blame. Oy, oy, oy! It’s giving me a headache and makes me want to puke. It’s all Mishigas and Shmegegge. (I love Yiddish!)
But what would happen if we would do what David tells us to do? What would happen if we stopped spinning the Wheel Of Blame and took a long, hard and serious look at our own life?
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
Psalm 139:23-24 (NLT)
Are you willing to allow God to Search, Know, Test, Point Out what’s wrong in your own life? The Wheel Of Blame isn’t helping; so why not give this a full-on try. If we want things to change, then remember President Harry Truman’s personal mantra–THE BUCK STOPS HERE! Start and end each day with this Psalm. Allow God to Search, Know, Test, Point Out what’s going on with you. Don’t just do it to fill your heart and mind with guilt–but do it so that the last line in this Psalm becomes true in you: And Lead Me Along The Paths Of Everlasting Life. Just in case you’re so dense you haven’t figured out the Monday Musing Theme, allow me to put it succinctly–Focus on what God wants for your life, then allow HIM to lead you along The Path!
Kingdom Pastor 