“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints”, according to Psalm 116:15. That is a view of death from heaven’s perspective. Now for a view from down here on planet earth: death sucks!
For about 10 days now I have been adjusting to the death of a friend, just five years older than me, who died suddenly of a heart attack. Ted had had heart trouble for about 15 years. In fact, just over two months ago he was talking with me about the fact that the doctors originally told him that he MIGHT live another 10 years with his serious heart condition. In March, it seemed he would live several more years. It has been hard to believe that he is gone for good.
Now, I believe that my friend is in a better place, an incredibly better place. But I am not. I am still in THIS place, and now with one less friend.
I’m glad to know that my friend, Ted Self, lived to honor Jesus with his life. I just wish he could have stayed here honoring Him with us much longer.
I’m really glad he didn’t have to suffer long in his parting. I just wish he could have parted without much suffering in 2014 or so.
We can try to see things from God’s perspective. We should try to see things from God’s perspective. It is the most healthy perspective. Still, it is not our only perspective, nor even our most impressive perspective. As I honestly attempt to view my friends passing as a “precious” occasion, I must honestly admit that his death on May 16th, 2009 sucked to me. I know that heaven gained; but we certainly lost. And I know that heaven’s gain is more important than our loss. But our loss is not, therefore, unimportant. I lost a real friend. And that sucks!
Someday, perhaps sooner than I hope and sooner than my friends and family expect, I will experience what God views as precious. I will come home – home to the Land of Friends. You see, I am a friend of God. So was Ted. I hope to see you there someday.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
It's not About Your Paygrade!
Our President dodged questions about abortion craftily during his campaign. I don't get paid even as much as Senator Obama did at the time he made that statement. At a recent press conference, a reporter asked him if he had an opinion on the beginning of life in the womb now that his pay had increased. He craftily dodged that question, too. I have written an article on abortion that I think is worth reading for every American with the slightest concern over the practice of abortion in our land, and the fact that Obama's administration is determined to expand the practice.
Don't be deceived by the double-talk. "We want to reduce the need for abortions." If there is nothing wrong with abortion, why worry about how many are performed? Conversely, if there is something wrong with the practice, why do we sanction it? I hope you take time to read my article at http://searchwarp.com/swa481510-Its-No-Fairytale.htm
It's really not about your paygrade; it's about facing the truth.
Don't be deceived by the double-talk. "We want to reduce the need for abortions." If there is nothing wrong with abortion, why worry about how many are performed? Conversely, if there is something wrong with the practice, why do we sanction it? I hope you take time to read my article at http://searchwarp.com/swa481510-Its-No-Fairytale.htm
It's really not about your paygrade; it's about facing the truth.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Consider the Birds
We feed birds at our house. Have for years. Lately, I have been thinking about these birds as well as feeding them and watching them.
First, they are marvelous little creatures. What I have found somewhat perplexing is that these birds have no awareness of the fact that I am feeding them. I go to the feed store and buy the 50# bags of seed. I go to the garage and get one of the five gallon buckets I store the seed in, carry it to the feeders, and refill them when needed. The birds are apparently clueless that they have someone looking out for them - me.
I know that I can’t expect these birds to thank me. If I could make one request, however, it would be this: "After you have eaten the nice food I put out for you, please don’t go sit on the branches of that tree over my car and relieve yourself." Seems like the least they could do.
As long as I have been feeding the birds in our neighborhood, I do wish they would recognize me as a friend, not a threat. Every time I walk around the corner of the house where the feeders are, they fly off. Sometimes I talk to them as they fly away. I say, “Don’t you know that I am the one who put the feeder there, the one who puts those delicious seeds in it? You don’t need to fly away!” They, of course, never get it.
God has been speaking to me lately in these experiences. It goes something like this: “You don’t get it, either, son. I take care of you and the birds. Are you not as oblivious to my provision at times as they are of yours?”
The Spirit brought to my mind these words of Jesus recently, too: “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? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” (MT 6:25-27 emphasis mine).
In this day of economic uncertainty, I am choosing to “look at the birds”, remember that they are not sweating where their next meal is coming from or how they will make it through their remaining years. I am choosing to believe that I am “much more valuable” than those birds are to my heavenly Father. Want to join me?
First, they are marvelous little creatures. What I have found somewhat perplexing is that these birds have no awareness of the fact that I am feeding them. I go to the feed store and buy the 50# bags of seed. I go to the garage and get one of the five gallon buckets I store the seed in, carry it to the feeders, and refill them when needed. The birds are apparently clueless that they have someone looking out for them - me.
I know that I can’t expect these birds to thank me. If I could make one request, however, it would be this: "After you have eaten the nice food I put out for you, please don’t go sit on the branches of that tree over my car and relieve yourself." Seems like the least they could do.
As long as I have been feeding the birds in our neighborhood, I do wish they would recognize me as a friend, not a threat. Every time I walk around the corner of the house where the feeders are, they fly off. Sometimes I talk to them as they fly away. I say, “Don’t you know that I am the one who put the feeder there, the one who puts those delicious seeds in it? You don’t need to fly away!” They, of course, never get it.
God has been speaking to me lately in these experiences. It goes something like this: “You don’t get it, either, son. I take care of you and the birds. Are you not as oblivious to my provision at times as they are of yours?”
The Spirit brought to my mind these words of Jesus recently, too: “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? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” (MT 6:25-27 emphasis mine).
In this day of economic uncertainty, I am choosing to “look at the birds”, remember that they are not sweating where their next meal is coming from or how they will make it through their remaining years. I am choosing to believe that I am “much more valuable” than those birds are to my heavenly Father. Want to join me?
Thursday, May 14, 2009
From a PRINCE to a FROG
I was changed from a PRINCE to a FROG, and this by a kiss. It may sound like a fairytale run backwards, but it’s not. It describes a real-life transformation I experienced over 35 years ago through Jesus Christ.
At 26 years old I was a PRINCE, a Pompous, Rebellious, Ignoramus, Not Considering Eternity. That year, however, I met (and more than met) Jesus, the Son of God. I became a FROG, one who Fully Relies On God.
As a PRINCE, I was not an especially evil person. I had never committed any crime worthy of even the threat of prison. I had a reputation as a good worker, a pleasant neighbor, and generally a pretty nice guy. No one, including myself, knew how pride-filled I was.
Though I battled low self-esteem, I hid the battle with various masks. It’s a mistake to think that, because we think lowly of ourselves, we do not think too much of ourselves. Indeed, one can think too much of himself quantitatively as well as qualitatively. And I did. As an example, I typically treated others with kindness and deference, not because I viewed them especially worthy of honor, but rather that I hoped they would think well of me.
Though compliant by nature, I had become an accomplished rebel by age 26. I was like the son Jesus spoke of in a parable whose father asked him to go work in the field. This son said, “sure, Dad”, but he never went(MT 21:28). Social scientists call this “passive-aggressive behavior”. It is the behavior of choice for nice rebels.
For years I have been discovering what an ignoramus I was. At 26 I thought I knew plenty, but discovered that I was mistaken about so much and ignorant about much more. I had no clue that my personal struggles were as common as they are. I didn’t know who God was or even who I was. I knew hardly anything about world history, philosophy, theology, psychology and sociology. I had never read more than a few verses of the Bible. I had heard my country’s experience referred to as a “democratic experiment.” I didn’t know then that the Soviet Union, which most Americans feared in that day, was an even younger experiment, an experiment in atheistic communism. I couldn’t even imagine we would all see it collapse within two decades.
I still don’t know much, but I believe a few things with a deep and abiding conviction; and these faith-tenets have profoundly altered the course of my life over the past three decades and offer a remarkable hope for eternity.
Where at 26 I had lived NOT CONSIDERING ETERNITY, I have since lived with eternity on my mind. I discovered that “God has put eternity in our hearts” (Eccl 3:11), and have come to believe that the devil works diligently to keep it out of our minds. There in my mid-twenties, I adopted a radically new and thoroughly biblical orientation to life; I began to “submit to God and resist the devil” (Jas 4:7). I became a FROG – Fully Relying On God.
I choose to rely on God, not myself, not a job, not a nest-egg, neither church nor state, neither professor nor politician. I rely on God to save me, heal me, teach me, lead me, provide for me, and protect me.
Let me tell you about the kiss that wrought this transformation. Psalm 2:12 says, “Kiss the Son lest he be angry with you and you be destroyed in your way . . . blessed are all who take refuge in him” [emphasis mine]. One of the clear claims of Christ was that He was and is the Son of God. He was the Word of God that “became flesh and lived among us” (JN 1). He was the Son who said, “If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father” (JN 14:9). This Son was the “radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being” (HEB 1). He is the One in whom “[dwelt] all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Col 2:9).
The kiss in the second Psalm is metaphorical rather than literal. It is a kiss of the heart, not of the lips. Thus, it is a kiss of devotion and affection. Judas, the betrayer of Jesus, kissed him, but his was a deceptive kiss. Judas kissed with his lips but not with his heart. The kiss which transforms is not deceptive. Though it may be done publicly it is not done essentially for others to see; it is a pure act of devotion between the one who kisses and the Kissed One.
I first kissed Jesus in public. I attended a revival meeting where my heart had been touched by the evangelist’s words and I responded to his plea. It was a very emotional time, for me and for many others. The next day, however, driving to work in a very non-emotional contemplation of my revival-night decision, I kissed the Son again. I told Him that I really wanted to be fully His – not half, not even mostly, but fully His.
My life in Christ has not been blissful, but it has been blessed. The truth is, some of my most painful life experiences have happened in the past three decades. Following Jesus has not been easy. I have endured trials that formed such dark oppressive clouds over my life that the Son’s Light was blocked from me, yet I have lived to see His Light overcome that darkness and shine on me again. I have been despised, rejected, and abandoned. I have been misunderstood, maligned, and marginalized. None of that, however, matters as much as this: I have been accepted, embraced, and found useful to the Master.
If you have not understood my point, let me make it clear. I am glad to be a Christian. And when I suffer as a Christian, I’m grateful to bear His name (1 Pet 4:16). Here in the 21st Century, Jesus is still calling people. His call is simple: “Come, follow Me.” I encourage you to get acquainted with the Son and kiss Him with your heart.
At 26 years old I was a PRINCE, a Pompous, Rebellious, Ignoramus, Not Considering Eternity. That year, however, I met (and more than met) Jesus, the Son of God. I became a FROG, one who Fully Relies On God.
As a PRINCE, I was not an especially evil person. I had never committed any crime worthy of even the threat of prison. I had a reputation as a good worker, a pleasant neighbor, and generally a pretty nice guy. No one, including myself, knew how pride-filled I was.
Though I battled low self-esteem, I hid the battle with various masks. It’s a mistake to think that, because we think lowly of ourselves, we do not think too much of ourselves. Indeed, one can think too much of himself quantitatively as well as qualitatively. And I did. As an example, I typically treated others with kindness and deference, not because I viewed them especially worthy of honor, but rather that I hoped they would think well of me.
Though compliant by nature, I had become an accomplished rebel by age 26. I was like the son Jesus spoke of in a parable whose father asked him to go work in the field. This son said, “sure, Dad”, but he never went(MT 21:28). Social scientists call this “passive-aggressive behavior”. It is the behavior of choice for nice rebels.
For years I have been discovering what an ignoramus I was. At 26 I thought I knew plenty, but discovered that I was mistaken about so much and ignorant about much more. I had no clue that my personal struggles were as common as they are. I didn’t know who God was or even who I was. I knew hardly anything about world history, philosophy, theology, psychology and sociology. I had never read more than a few verses of the Bible. I had heard my country’s experience referred to as a “democratic experiment.” I didn’t know then that the Soviet Union, which most Americans feared in that day, was an even younger experiment, an experiment in atheistic communism. I couldn’t even imagine we would all see it collapse within two decades.
I still don’t know much, but I believe a few things with a deep and abiding conviction; and these faith-tenets have profoundly altered the course of my life over the past three decades and offer a remarkable hope for eternity.
Where at 26 I had lived NOT CONSIDERING ETERNITY, I have since lived with eternity on my mind. I discovered that “God has put eternity in our hearts” (Eccl 3:11), and have come to believe that the devil works diligently to keep it out of our minds. There in my mid-twenties, I adopted a radically new and thoroughly biblical orientation to life; I began to “submit to God and resist the devil” (Jas 4:7). I became a FROG – Fully Relying On God.
I choose to rely on God, not myself, not a job, not a nest-egg, neither church nor state, neither professor nor politician. I rely on God to save me, heal me, teach me, lead me, provide for me, and protect me.
Let me tell you about the kiss that wrought this transformation. Psalm 2:12 says, “Kiss the Son lest he be angry with you and you be destroyed in your way . . . blessed are all who take refuge in him” [emphasis mine]. One of the clear claims of Christ was that He was and is the Son of God. He was the Word of God that “became flesh and lived among us” (JN 1). He was the Son who said, “If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father” (JN 14:9). This Son was the “radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being” (HEB 1). He is the One in whom “[dwelt] all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Col 2:9).
The kiss in the second Psalm is metaphorical rather than literal. It is a kiss of the heart, not of the lips. Thus, it is a kiss of devotion and affection. Judas, the betrayer of Jesus, kissed him, but his was a deceptive kiss. Judas kissed with his lips but not with his heart. The kiss which transforms is not deceptive. Though it may be done publicly it is not done essentially for others to see; it is a pure act of devotion between the one who kisses and the Kissed One.
I first kissed Jesus in public. I attended a revival meeting where my heart had been touched by the evangelist’s words and I responded to his plea. It was a very emotional time, for me and for many others. The next day, however, driving to work in a very non-emotional contemplation of my revival-night decision, I kissed the Son again. I told Him that I really wanted to be fully His – not half, not even mostly, but fully His.
My life in Christ has not been blissful, but it has been blessed. The truth is, some of my most painful life experiences have happened in the past three decades. Following Jesus has not been easy. I have endured trials that formed such dark oppressive clouds over my life that the Son’s Light was blocked from me, yet I have lived to see His Light overcome that darkness and shine on me again. I have been despised, rejected, and abandoned. I have been misunderstood, maligned, and marginalized. None of that, however, matters as much as this: I have been accepted, embraced, and found useful to the Master.
If you have not understood my point, let me make it clear. I am glad to be a Christian. And when I suffer as a Christian, I’m grateful to bear His name (1 Pet 4:16). Here in the 21st Century, Jesus is still calling people. His call is simple: “Come, follow Me.” I encourage you to get acquainted with the Son and kiss Him with your heart.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Calling on Jesus
On its landing approach to the airport in Buffalo on February 12th, Continental Connection Flight 3407 stalled and crashed into a residence. All 49 on the plane and one person on the ground died that day. The National Transportation Safety Board released the transcript of the cockpit voice recorder today. An Associated Press report on that transcript says that the pilot’s last words were “Jesus Christ!”.
As I read this, I could not help but wonder about the meaning of that utterance from a man who knew he was about to die. Understand this: I am making no judgment of the man or his faith. I do not know anything about him beyond what was reported.
I see two possible meanings to this utterance with a world of difference between them. The first meaning would be that of a believer crying out to his Lord in a moment of crisis. I have contemplated a crash of a plane upon which I was a passenger. I imagined that, if I had a few seconds before I would die, I would passionately cry out to my Lord Jesus. The second meaning is terribly unfortunate and terribly common. That “Jesus Christ” is an expletive. If that was the pilot’s meaning, he might as well have shouted, “holy sh_ _!”.
Proverbs 18:10 says, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” For the name of the Lord to be a strong tower, a place of spiritual safety, that name must be properly used. It cannot be used in just any manner. If I don’t like what is on my TV, I can pick up the remote control and change the channel (well, I’m a man, so I probably don’t have to pick it up; I’m already holding it). I could also eliminate the objectionable content on the TV screen by throwing that remote through the screen. Just as how I use the remote can make great difference, how I use the name of the Lord makes an even greater difference.
Jesus Christ is not a curse word; He is Lord of all. The Bible tells of a day when “every knee shall bow” at that Wonderful Name (Phil 2:10). If you have not yet done so, I encourage you to get to know this Lord Jesus and call on His Name in the way that saves. By all means, don’t wait until your final few seconds to cry out to Him. Desperation is now! The Savior awaits the earnest cry of your heart.
As I read this, I could not help but wonder about the meaning of that utterance from a man who knew he was about to die. Understand this: I am making no judgment of the man or his faith. I do not know anything about him beyond what was reported.
I see two possible meanings to this utterance with a world of difference between them. The first meaning would be that of a believer crying out to his Lord in a moment of crisis. I have contemplated a crash of a plane upon which I was a passenger. I imagined that, if I had a few seconds before I would die, I would passionately cry out to my Lord Jesus. The second meaning is terribly unfortunate and terribly common. That “Jesus Christ” is an expletive. If that was the pilot’s meaning, he might as well have shouted, “holy sh_ _!”.
Proverbs 18:10 says, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” For the name of the Lord to be a strong tower, a place of spiritual safety, that name must be properly used. It cannot be used in just any manner. If I don’t like what is on my TV, I can pick up the remote control and change the channel (well, I’m a man, so I probably don’t have to pick it up; I’m already holding it). I could also eliminate the objectionable content on the TV screen by throwing that remote through the screen. Just as how I use the remote can make great difference, how I use the name of the Lord makes an even greater difference.
Jesus Christ is not a curse word; He is Lord of all. The Bible tells of a day when “every knee shall bow” at that Wonderful Name (Phil 2:10). If you have not yet done so, I encourage you to get to know this Lord Jesus and call on His Name in the way that saves. By all means, don’t wait until your final few seconds to cry out to Him. Desperation is now! The Savior awaits the earnest cry of your heart.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Fix the Family
One day I was listening to the Glen Beck radio program. Here is what I heard Glen say that day, “Fix the family and you fix almost everything that is wrong with America.” Glen often jokes about having A.D.D., and it may not be a joke. At any rate, within a sentence or two, he was off to a different subject. My mind, however, was fixed on that insightful comment.
My oldest son turned 40 this past week. Yes, that makes me feel my age. Through Steve’s whole life, the institution of the family has been under assault in America. First, divorce has broken most marriages in his lifetime. And most of these broken marriages involved children. Many, if not most, of the people from the broken marriages with children eventually remarried. Thus, blended families (made up of children that are yours and mine, or yours, mine, and ours) have become commonplace over this 40 years.
Add to this social change the massive move of women into the workplace. When I grew up, it was common that moms were at home when the children were there. For the past decade or more, that situation has reversed. Now it is the exception rather than the rule that there is a stay-at-home parent. Don’t get me wrong here: I intend no assault on women who choose a career and children. Some parents juggle the responsibilities of two careers and family life pretty well. I personally know some who do. Still, it is no small challenge; and frankly, a high percentage of parents in these situations fail to adequately address the needs of their children. As a result, these children muddle their way through childhood and carry the damage of emotional malnutrition into their adult lives.
Thus, woefully ill-prepared for the challenges of marriage and parenting responsibilities, these young adults try to build their own families nonetheless. The adults from my son’s age down are generally skeptical about marriage. They have seen too many marriage vows broken, if not by their own parents, by aunts and uncles, cousins, grandparents, and others. The state of family in America is worse than even divorce statistics suggest. We speak of the awful 50% divorce rate that has remained pretty steady for the past two or three decades. These divorce statistics do not factor in this fact: more and more people have chosen to just cohabit through these recent decades and the rate of demise of these relationships is not factored in (when there is no marriage, there is no divorce).
Consider another dynamic of the breakdown of families over these recent decades. The children from these broken homes were often given “stuff” by parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles to compensate for the fact that they weren’t given what they really needed – a secure, loving home. Many of these young people have been conditioned to be materialistic in this process. Contrary to the words of Jesus, these people actually believe that life does consist in the abundance of things.
All of these circumstances have become so common that a high percentage of young people are directly affected. Because of that high percentage that are directly affected by family breakdown, most young people are indirectly affected. That is, even in solid families where divorce will not likely ever occur, children may experience fear that their parents might divorce. If Mom & Dad had an argument and are still not happy with each other a day or two later, divorce is not a bizarre thought for their child. So, I assure you that the security of what are in fact secure homes has been shaken by the fact that most of us have seen people divorce that we never thought would.
We have also witnessed an alarming rise of youth gangs. Though we don’t often hear it mentioned, this is a result of family breakdown. Many kids don’t feel like they belong at home, so gang membership seems to offer what they need but can’t find at home. Many of these kids have little or no relationship with their dad. They live with an exhausted and frustrated single mom. These kids may feel unloved and unwanted at home. Sometimes, they feel like a burden to the people who have to provide for them. They easily resent the adults who seem only to have demands of them, but are prepared to give very little of what matters most to the kid. Many kids from broken homes feel like nothing more than a poker chip in a hostile game between the parents.
The woes of public education are related to the breakdown of families, too. Politicians and educators like to tell us that the educational system needs to be fixed and that with more funds, but I tell you that it is the family that most needs to be fixed.
It is true that some students from strongly dysfunctional families actually flourish in the world of academia. These are some of the intellectually gifted kids who find in the school environment a place to shine and gain affirmation via performance. It is not unusual to find some of these kids named valedictorian or salutatorian of their classes. In contrast to these high-performing kids, however, are many other kids from these chaotic and painful families who struggle in the school environment. They struggle in both performance and motivation. I can tell you from personal experience that it is difficult to care about and apply oneself to the work required at school when you are stressed by stuff happening at home. Trust me, our schools are heavily populated with kids whose home-lives are so drama-filled that they have little motivation to do what, for them, naturally requires extra effort. We can keep throwing money at our schools, but we shouldn’t expect to see much positive change until we get as serious about fixing the family as we are about fixing the schools.
To “fix the family” in America is a huge task, in fact, too huge for you and me. It seems sufficiently challenging for me to “fix” my family. The task is beyond the role of government, too; although government certainly has a role in fixing the family. They could start by ceasing doing stuff that messes up families and perpetuates messed up families. For instance, they could stop siding with the people who want to make our public schools religion-free zones (except for secular humanism). They could allow students to be exposed to ideas like creationism and intelligent design. They could actively oppose the idea that men are only needed for their seed and their funds.
Fixing the family in America is a God-sized problem. What really is needed is a great revival among young people, a serious turning to the Lord and His ways. I keep hoping to see a host of young people who are ready to say “enough” with the social experiments of secularists. These would be young people who renounce the lie that all sex between “consenting adults” is acceptable. They would take courting very seriously, and marital vows even more seriously. They would seek godly wisdom for making a marriage and family work. And they would depend on God for strength to implement wisdom as they attempt to build a wholesome family. Fixing the family in America is really done one family at a time. I pray that you will invite God to help you build or rebuild a strong family. If America does not fix the family institution, at least you can participate in fixing of yours. And, if America does not fix the family, things will get worse in our land; but you will engage those worse things better in a better family. And therein lies real hope.
My oldest son turned 40 this past week. Yes, that makes me feel my age. Through Steve’s whole life, the institution of the family has been under assault in America. First, divorce has broken most marriages in his lifetime. And most of these broken marriages involved children. Many, if not most, of the people from the broken marriages with children eventually remarried. Thus, blended families (made up of children that are yours and mine, or yours, mine, and ours) have become commonplace over this 40 years.
Add to this social change the massive move of women into the workplace. When I grew up, it was common that moms were at home when the children were there. For the past decade or more, that situation has reversed. Now it is the exception rather than the rule that there is a stay-at-home parent. Don’t get me wrong here: I intend no assault on women who choose a career and children. Some parents juggle the responsibilities of two careers and family life pretty well. I personally know some who do. Still, it is no small challenge; and frankly, a high percentage of parents in these situations fail to adequately address the needs of their children. As a result, these children muddle their way through childhood and carry the damage of emotional malnutrition into their adult lives.
Thus, woefully ill-prepared for the challenges of marriage and parenting responsibilities, these young adults try to build their own families nonetheless. The adults from my son’s age down are generally skeptical about marriage. They have seen too many marriage vows broken, if not by their own parents, by aunts and uncles, cousins, grandparents, and others. The state of family in America is worse than even divorce statistics suggest. We speak of the awful 50% divorce rate that has remained pretty steady for the past two or three decades. These divorce statistics do not factor in this fact: more and more people have chosen to just cohabit through these recent decades and the rate of demise of these relationships is not factored in (when there is no marriage, there is no divorce).
Consider another dynamic of the breakdown of families over these recent decades. The children from these broken homes were often given “stuff” by parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles to compensate for the fact that they weren’t given what they really needed – a secure, loving home. Many of these young people have been conditioned to be materialistic in this process. Contrary to the words of Jesus, these people actually believe that life does consist in the abundance of things.
All of these circumstances have become so common that a high percentage of young people are directly affected. Because of that high percentage that are directly affected by family breakdown, most young people are indirectly affected. That is, even in solid families where divorce will not likely ever occur, children may experience fear that their parents might divorce. If Mom & Dad had an argument and are still not happy with each other a day or two later, divorce is not a bizarre thought for their child. So, I assure you that the security of what are in fact secure homes has been shaken by the fact that most of us have seen people divorce that we never thought would.
We have also witnessed an alarming rise of youth gangs. Though we don’t often hear it mentioned, this is a result of family breakdown. Many kids don’t feel like they belong at home, so gang membership seems to offer what they need but can’t find at home. Many of these kids have little or no relationship with their dad. They live with an exhausted and frustrated single mom. These kids may feel unloved and unwanted at home. Sometimes, they feel like a burden to the people who have to provide for them. They easily resent the adults who seem only to have demands of them, but are prepared to give very little of what matters most to the kid. Many kids from broken homes feel like nothing more than a poker chip in a hostile game between the parents.
The woes of public education are related to the breakdown of families, too. Politicians and educators like to tell us that the educational system needs to be fixed and that with more funds, but I tell you that it is the family that most needs to be fixed.
It is true that some students from strongly dysfunctional families actually flourish in the world of academia. These are some of the intellectually gifted kids who find in the school environment a place to shine and gain affirmation via performance. It is not unusual to find some of these kids named valedictorian or salutatorian of their classes. In contrast to these high-performing kids, however, are many other kids from these chaotic and painful families who struggle in the school environment. They struggle in both performance and motivation. I can tell you from personal experience that it is difficult to care about and apply oneself to the work required at school when you are stressed by stuff happening at home. Trust me, our schools are heavily populated with kids whose home-lives are so drama-filled that they have little motivation to do what, for them, naturally requires extra effort. We can keep throwing money at our schools, but we shouldn’t expect to see much positive change until we get as serious about fixing the family as we are about fixing the schools.
To “fix the family” in America is a huge task, in fact, too huge for you and me. It seems sufficiently challenging for me to “fix” my family. The task is beyond the role of government, too; although government certainly has a role in fixing the family. They could start by ceasing doing stuff that messes up families and perpetuates messed up families. For instance, they could stop siding with the people who want to make our public schools religion-free zones (except for secular humanism). They could allow students to be exposed to ideas like creationism and intelligent design. They could actively oppose the idea that men are only needed for their seed and their funds.
Fixing the family in America is a God-sized problem. What really is needed is a great revival among young people, a serious turning to the Lord and His ways. I keep hoping to see a host of young people who are ready to say “enough” with the social experiments of secularists. These would be young people who renounce the lie that all sex between “consenting adults” is acceptable. They would take courting very seriously, and marital vows even more seriously. They would seek godly wisdom for making a marriage and family work. And they would depend on God for strength to implement wisdom as they attempt to build a wholesome family. Fixing the family in America is really done one family at a time. I pray that you will invite God to help you build or rebuild a strong family. If America does not fix the family institution, at least you can participate in fixing of yours. And, if America does not fix the family, things will get worse in our land; but you will engage those worse things better in a better family. And therein lies real hope.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Reflections on 30 Years of Kingdom Service
Thirty years ago today, at the age of 32, I was ordained into the Christian ministry. The elders of my church who had watched my life through three of the toughest years of it, affirmed that they saw the call of God on me. They laid hands on me, prayed for me, and officially set me apart as a servant to the Body of Christ.
Even at that point, I did not suspect that God would use me in the specific way He has over the past 25 years. The elders of that ordaining church called me on staff as a part time associate minister to Jim Garrett, our beloved pastor. Within a year, Jim and I had switched roles. He was part time and I full time. God was
re-assigning Jim to another church in the area. After several months, Jim was gone altogether and the congregation asked me to assume the role of pastor.
In that new role, I experienced something I did not expect. People came to talk to me privately about their personal problems. Frankly, it was surprising to me to see what was beneath the surface of people’s lives, some of whom I had “known” for a few years. I thought everyone was as fine on the inside as they appeared on the outside.
I was blessed to receive some training from Jon Eargle, a minister who specialized in inner healing. He provided a basic skeletal structure upon which I could add learning in this arena. An opportunity to go back to school and get some grad school training in counseling presented itself and I seized it. I eventually earned a masters degree in counseling psychology.
For my first 15 years, I served as pastor of that local church. I could preach adequately, but my strongest gifts were clearly in teaching and counseling. So, 15 years ago, my wife and I took a grand step of faith. I resigned my position with the church and we launched a Christian counseling ministry called Home Improvement Ministry. Our mission was to help churches in our area address the great needs of families more effectively.
My wife and I have had our membership in three different churches over the past 15 years. We have been actively involved members. I served as an elder in one of these churches. I taught classes and led small groups in each of them.
I caught the vision for small group ministry back in the early ‘70’s. The church where I was ordained had begun small group ministry while I was doing my college work. Though it was an innovative ministry style, actually held suspect by many at the time, it was a style that fit me perfectly. It still does.
It has been a delight to see many lives changed for the better over the past 30 years. At the same time, it has been a point of grief that so much has not changed at all, and much of what has changed is not for the better. The church structure has changed dramatically in these 30 years. In most churches where my wife and I have been involved, mere song leaders have been replaced by true worship leaders. New songs have replaced old songs. Small group ministry has become common. Specialty support groups have multiplied. Jesus has been exalted above denominational loyalties. Practical, relevant preaching and teaching has become typical in churches. Christian schools have flourished as has the home-school movement.
In spite of all the good changes that exist, our culture continues to spiral downward. The church in America has not grown in the past 30 years. In spite of the emergence of mega churches, there are no traffic jams on Sunday mornings where I live. Consider this heartbreaking reality: The parking lots of casinos in my city – seven days a week – reveal a sad reality when compared to the parking lots of churches. Only one day a week can we give them a run for their money, and this only if we put together a worthy performance.
Let us not be deceived. And let us not be content with the way things are. Jesus was not into crowd building or building “buildings”, but rather people building. He was absolutely committed to the truth and obviously content for truth to thin His crowds. At one point, because of some “hard teachings” Jesus had preached, “many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him” (JN 6). Jesus didn’t go running after them. In fact, He actually turned to the Twelve and asked if they planned to leave, too. Peter responded for the group, saying in effect, “We don’t have anywhere else to go. You’re the only one with the words of life for us.” I fear that sizable percentages of the membership of churches of which I have been a part lack such loyalty to Jesus. And, if true revival should come, as has been preached and prayed for repeatedly over the past 30 years, this would change.
It is my intent to continue to fight the fight of faith throughout my remaining years. I shall invest the resources of my life in God’s Kingdom in Christ. I invite you to join me. Though we are not responsible for the return on these investments, it is our responsibility to make them. You see, the return on Kingdom investments is never fully seen in this life, and sometimes hardly visible at all here and now.
Even at that point, I did not suspect that God would use me in the specific way He has over the past 25 years. The elders of that ordaining church called me on staff as a part time associate minister to Jim Garrett, our beloved pastor. Within a year, Jim and I had switched roles. He was part time and I full time. God was
re-assigning Jim to another church in the area. After several months, Jim was gone altogether and the congregation asked me to assume the role of pastor.
In that new role, I experienced something I did not expect. People came to talk to me privately about their personal problems. Frankly, it was surprising to me to see what was beneath the surface of people’s lives, some of whom I had “known” for a few years. I thought everyone was as fine on the inside as they appeared on the outside.
I was blessed to receive some training from Jon Eargle, a minister who specialized in inner healing. He provided a basic skeletal structure upon which I could add learning in this arena. An opportunity to go back to school and get some grad school training in counseling presented itself and I seized it. I eventually earned a masters degree in counseling psychology.
For my first 15 years, I served as pastor of that local church. I could preach adequately, but my strongest gifts were clearly in teaching and counseling. So, 15 years ago, my wife and I took a grand step of faith. I resigned my position with the church and we launched a Christian counseling ministry called Home Improvement Ministry. Our mission was to help churches in our area address the great needs of families more effectively.
My wife and I have had our membership in three different churches over the past 15 years. We have been actively involved members. I served as an elder in one of these churches. I taught classes and led small groups in each of them.
I caught the vision for small group ministry back in the early ‘70’s. The church where I was ordained had begun small group ministry while I was doing my college work. Though it was an innovative ministry style, actually held suspect by many at the time, it was a style that fit me perfectly. It still does.
It has been a delight to see many lives changed for the better over the past 30 years. At the same time, it has been a point of grief that so much has not changed at all, and much of what has changed is not for the better. The church structure has changed dramatically in these 30 years. In most churches where my wife and I have been involved, mere song leaders have been replaced by true worship leaders. New songs have replaced old songs. Small group ministry has become common. Specialty support groups have multiplied. Jesus has been exalted above denominational loyalties. Practical, relevant preaching and teaching has become typical in churches. Christian schools have flourished as has the home-school movement.
In spite of all the good changes that exist, our culture continues to spiral downward. The church in America has not grown in the past 30 years. In spite of the emergence of mega churches, there are no traffic jams on Sunday mornings where I live. Consider this heartbreaking reality: The parking lots of casinos in my city – seven days a week – reveal a sad reality when compared to the parking lots of churches. Only one day a week can we give them a run for their money, and this only if we put together a worthy performance.
Let us not be deceived. And let us not be content with the way things are. Jesus was not into crowd building or building “buildings”, but rather people building. He was absolutely committed to the truth and obviously content for truth to thin His crowds. At one point, because of some “hard teachings” Jesus had preached, “many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him” (JN 6). Jesus didn’t go running after them. In fact, He actually turned to the Twelve and asked if they planned to leave, too. Peter responded for the group, saying in effect, “We don’t have anywhere else to go. You’re the only one with the words of life for us.” I fear that sizable percentages of the membership of churches of which I have been a part lack such loyalty to Jesus. And, if true revival should come, as has been preached and prayed for repeatedly over the past 30 years, this would change.
It is my intent to continue to fight the fight of faith throughout my remaining years. I shall invest the resources of my life in God’s Kingdom in Christ. I invite you to join me. Though we are not responsible for the return on these investments, it is our responsibility to make them. You see, the return on Kingdom investments is never fully seen in this life, and sometimes hardly visible at all here and now.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Call Me Homophobic
If you are not accepting of the modern gay agenda, you are diagnosed and labeled by the proponents of that agenda with a dreadful disorder. You are “homophobic”; and this disorder, in their mind, is far worse than actually being a homosexual ever was. They suppose that such a person is afraid of being homosexual or just afraid of homosexuals. Well, I am admittedly afraid of the “gay rights” movement.
I am afraid of the destructive consequences of that agenda for millions of people. They have already destroyed a perfectly good word – gay. Who can sing the verse in the popular Christmas song that says, “don we now our gay apparel” without thinking of someone dressed in drag? I wince before I get to the “fa-la-la-la-las”. Surely that is sufficient evidence to diagnose me as homophobic.
I do have plenty of biblical grounds to oppose the normalization of homosexuality. Sodom comes to mind. Honestly, I don’t need a Bible verse – not even one – to convince me that something is wrong when a man finds himself sexually attracted to another man or a woman finds herself sexually attracted to another woman. Likewise, I have never really needed a Bible verse to support my belief that it is wrong to murder someone.
I can feel sorry for someone who has a warped sexual orientation. I can hope that they will find help to repair this distortion. But I have zero tolerance for those who want me to accept that a homosexual orientation is just as wholesome and good as a heterosexual orientation. It is not!
If someone has – as many people do – a warp in their sexual orientation that leads them to find young children erotically stimulating, we wouldn’t submit to their plea, “God made me this way; accept my sexual orientation.” Again, I don’t need a Bible verse to prove that not only having sex with children is wrong, but even desiring to have sex with children is a sign of something warped in your sexuality. If someone wants to eat feces, do you need a Bible verse to tell you that something is wrong with that person’s “wanter”? I hope not, because I have never found one. And, if I say that the desire to eat feces or other disgusting things is a clear sign of a psychological disorder, don’t say, “So, have you ever tried it?” The answer is “NO.” And I don’t need to in order to know that dog poop is not legitimate food. The fact that 1-3% of our population find themselves sexually attracted to the same sex and have convinced themselves and each other that there is nothing wrong with their sexual orientation is hardly convincing evidence for me.
What does surprise me is how many rational, well-educated people buy into the propaganda of the gay activists. What totally blows my mind is that we are actually debating whether or not marriage between members of the same sex should be sanctioned by the state.
Under the influence of powerful gay activists, the scientific community has caved in. They have swallowed the politically correct story – hook, line, and sinker. You would probably be hard-pressed to find any scientist in the world today looking for a cure for homosexuality. Psychologists are now mostly dedicated to helping people adjust to their orientation and the challenges of living in a world with homophobes like me. So, instead of helping them with their disorder, they help them with my disorder.
Listen, if gays can have pride in their perverse sexual orientation, you and I can have pride in our sane and sober assessment of their sexual orientation. Call me a homophobe if that makes you feel better. But, if you are sexually attracted to members of your same gender, you have a problem; and I do you no service to engage in denial with you. Perhaps you will never be able to totally rid yourself of distorted desires, but you can repent of acting on those distorted desires. You can cease to claim that those desires are not distorted. Furthermore, I shall be so bold as to tell you that this is God’s will for you.
Thankfully, there are still people around who are willing and able to help you find your way out of a homosexual lifestyle. Jesus loves you. Yes! He does! And He died so that you could be free. The answer is not to rename your bondage “freedom.” And that is true for all of us. Whether we struggle with homosexual temptations, heterosexual temptations, or temptations that are not of a sexual nature at all, Jesus wants to help us overcome them rather than rationalize our submission to them.
I am afraid of the destructive consequences of that agenda for millions of people. They have already destroyed a perfectly good word – gay. Who can sing the verse in the popular Christmas song that says, “don we now our gay apparel” without thinking of someone dressed in drag? I wince before I get to the “fa-la-la-la-las”. Surely that is sufficient evidence to diagnose me as homophobic.
I do have plenty of biblical grounds to oppose the normalization of homosexuality. Sodom comes to mind. Honestly, I don’t need a Bible verse – not even one – to convince me that something is wrong when a man finds himself sexually attracted to another man or a woman finds herself sexually attracted to another woman. Likewise, I have never really needed a Bible verse to support my belief that it is wrong to murder someone.
I can feel sorry for someone who has a warped sexual orientation. I can hope that they will find help to repair this distortion. But I have zero tolerance for those who want me to accept that a homosexual orientation is just as wholesome and good as a heterosexual orientation. It is not!
If someone has – as many people do – a warp in their sexual orientation that leads them to find young children erotically stimulating, we wouldn’t submit to their plea, “God made me this way; accept my sexual orientation.” Again, I don’t need a Bible verse to prove that not only having sex with children is wrong, but even desiring to have sex with children is a sign of something warped in your sexuality. If someone wants to eat feces, do you need a Bible verse to tell you that something is wrong with that person’s “wanter”? I hope not, because I have never found one. And, if I say that the desire to eat feces or other disgusting things is a clear sign of a psychological disorder, don’t say, “So, have you ever tried it?” The answer is “NO.” And I don’t need to in order to know that dog poop is not legitimate food. The fact that 1-3% of our population find themselves sexually attracted to the same sex and have convinced themselves and each other that there is nothing wrong with their sexual orientation is hardly convincing evidence for me.
What does surprise me is how many rational, well-educated people buy into the propaganda of the gay activists. What totally blows my mind is that we are actually debating whether or not marriage between members of the same sex should be sanctioned by the state.
Under the influence of powerful gay activists, the scientific community has caved in. They have swallowed the politically correct story – hook, line, and sinker. You would probably be hard-pressed to find any scientist in the world today looking for a cure for homosexuality. Psychologists are now mostly dedicated to helping people adjust to their orientation and the challenges of living in a world with homophobes like me. So, instead of helping them with their disorder, they help them with my disorder.
Listen, if gays can have pride in their perverse sexual orientation, you and I can have pride in our sane and sober assessment of their sexual orientation. Call me a homophobe if that makes you feel better. But, if you are sexually attracted to members of your same gender, you have a problem; and I do you no service to engage in denial with you. Perhaps you will never be able to totally rid yourself of distorted desires, but you can repent of acting on those distorted desires. You can cease to claim that those desires are not distorted. Furthermore, I shall be so bold as to tell you that this is God’s will for you.
Thankfully, there are still people around who are willing and able to help you find your way out of a homosexual lifestyle. Jesus loves you. Yes! He does! And He died so that you could be free. The answer is not to rename your bondage “freedom.” And that is true for all of us. Whether we struggle with homosexual temptations, heterosexual temptations, or temptations that are not of a sexual nature at all, Jesus wants to help us overcome them rather than rationalize our submission to them.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Second Marriages
My wife and I are both in second marriages, not because either of us didn’t want our first marriage. Kathy was widowed while on the mission field in Brazil at the age of 26. Her husband was killed in a hit-and-run accident right before her eyes. She moved back to the states with their two children (Steve, age 4 and Kris, age 2). After a few months of initial grief recovery on her family’s Iowa farm, she and the children moved to Tulsa where Kathy would work for a national youth ministry called Christ in Youth.
My first marriage ended painfully, too. My wife of over eight years filed for divorce, and, of course, got it. We had a two year old son when she left. I was enrolled in college at the time, preparing for some kind of Christian service to which I felt God’s call. I really didn’t know how or where God intended to use me, but I felt confident of one thing – that He had called me to college.
Three years of university work lay ahead of me when I was spit back out into the world of singles. The first year was unquestionably the most difficult year of my life. Once served with divorce papers, I decided to drop out of college and return to secular employment. It seemed like the only reasonable thing to do. I didn’t see how I could make it through six more semesters; furthermore, I didn’t think that God would choose to use a divorced man. Thankfully, I worked for a devout Christian man who didn’t believe that our faith life is always reasonable. He encouraged me to persevere in my educational goals, to “walk by faith and not by sight.” So did my pastor.
The day I talked with my employer about my plans to drop out of school was a day of tremendous significance. With the influence of this outstanding Christian businessman and my pastor, I decided to stay in school one day at a time instead. And on May 6th, 1979, I did receive my B.A. degree.
Kathy and I were members of the same church in Tulsa. We became good friends through that last three years of my college work. For a long time, our relationship was purely platonic. Her two children and I had a great relationship, too. In my senior year, a romantic interest developed in both of us. This was scary for both of us. Neither of us wanted to be hurt again.
I was reluctant to consider a romantic interest in Kathy in part because I was divorced. No one blamed her for being single again. Unquestionably, she was free to remarry. In our biblically conservative communion, we both wondered if I were likewise free. After I wrestled with the issue for a few months, I asked Kathy to marry me. After she wrestled with the issue for a few months, she answered me. On November 23rd, 1979, we were married in our home church in Tulsa. We had discussed my relationship with Steve and Kris. Kathy knew that I loved her children, as I did her. So, even before we married, we set in motion the legal process for me to adopt the children. That was finalized in court about two weeks after we were married.
The Bible is clear about this: God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16). I am a living testimony that God does not hate divorcees. I am also a living testimony of God’s amazing grace. Not only has He seen fit to bless me with incredible family relationships, He has found me worthy of His service. For almost 30 years, I have had the great honor of being one of the equipping ministers in His church. As such, one of my great passions is to help people work out the relational challenges that threaten marriages and families.
My first marriage ended painfully, too. My wife of over eight years filed for divorce, and, of course, got it. We had a two year old son when she left. I was enrolled in college at the time, preparing for some kind of Christian service to which I felt God’s call. I really didn’t know how or where God intended to use me, but I felt confident of one thing – that He had called me to college.
Three years of university work lay ahead of me when I was spit back out into the world of singles. The first year was unquestionably the most difficult year of my life. Once served with divorce papers, I decided to drop out of college and return to secular employment. It seemed like the only reasonable thing to do. I didn’t see how I could make it through six more semesters; furthermore, I didn’t think that God would choose to use a divorced man. Thankfully, I worked for a devout Christian man who didn’t believe that our faith life is always reasonable. He encouraged me to persevere in my educational goals, to “walk by faith and not by sight.” So did my pastor.
The day I talked with my employer about my plans to drop out of school was a day of tremendous significance. With the influence of this outstanding Christian businessman and my pastor, I decided to stay in school one day at a time instead. And on May 6th, 1979, I did receive my B.A. degree.
Kathy and I were members of the same church in Tulsa. We became good friends through that last three years of my college work. For a long time, our relationship was purely platonic. Her two children and I had a great relationship, too. In my senior year, a romantic interest developed in both of us. This was scary for both of us. Neither of us wanted to be hurt again.
I was reluctant to consider a romantic interest in Kathy in part because I was divorced. No one blamed her for being single again. Unquestionably, she was free to remarry. In our biblically conservative communion, we both wondered if I were likewise free. After I wrestled with the issue for a few months, I asked Kathy to marry me. After she wrestled with the issue for a few months, she answered me. On November 23rd, 1979, we were married in our home church in Tulsa. We had discussed my relationship with Steve and Kris. Kathy knew that I loved her children, as I did her. So, even before we married, we set in motion the legal process for me to adopt the children. That was finalized in court about two weeks after we were married.
The Bible is clear about this: God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16). I am a living testimony that God does not hate divorcees. I am also a living testimony of God’s amazing grace. Not only has He seen fit to bless me with incredible family relationships, He has found me worthy of His service. For almost 30 years, I have had the great honor of being one of the equipping ministers in His church. As such, one of my great passions is to help people work out the relational challenges that threaten marriages and families.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Christian, Conservative, Republican
To describe my religious and political orientation I use these three words, in order of their importance: Christian, Conservative, and registered Republican. Since all of these terms are neither distinct in themselves nor in combination, I will elaborate on what they mean to me.
First, I am a Christian. To me, this means that I believe in Jesus and I seriously attempt to follow Him. And what I believe about Jesus is pretty traditional, biblical stuff - that He was the Son of God and Son of Man, that He lived a perfect life, and that on the Cross He paid the penalty for those – like me –
who have not lived a perfect life. I believe that Jesus will return to earth someday to do two things: First, He will come for all of us who are genuine followers to take us to heaven. Second, He will come to seriously kick butt and take names. The rebellion that started with Satan will end with and by the Lord Jesus! You may argue with everything I believe about Jesus; they are admittedly arguable. But I will tell you that believing that I was the lost sheep and He my Good Shepherd has brought me innumerable blessings already. Following Jesus has not been easy, but incredibly rewarding. And regarding rewards, I don’t think I have seen anything yet. So, I shall continue to be a devoted follower of Jesus.
I identify myself as a “conservative” both religiously and politically. That simply means that I am cautious about change, especially those that depart from old traditional ways and understandings. I am therefore more concerned with how the Apostles of Christ led the church than what some new church-growth guru thinks about leading the Body of Christ today. The early church was not concerned with the size of the crowds they could attract, but how well they could present Christ to their culture. In the area of politics, it means that I am more concerned about how the founders of our nation organized it than what some new educators, politicians and judges think the nation should be. Our founders, for instance, did not establish a federal government that was supposed to take care of everyone’s problems and force the individual states to march to the beat of its drum on all matters. I cannot imagine that even one member of the original supreme court would have thought that schools should be religion-free zones, that American children should not be exposed to creationist views in their public education, that abortion should be a legitimate birth control option for women, or that marriage between same-sex partners should be sanctioned by the state.
Finally, I am a registered Republican. I have affiliated with the Republican Party because their conservative platform, both fiscally and socially, has fit me. I do not have an “until death do us part” relationship with this party, however. And, I have not been happy with it in recent years. I love George Bush as a man and as a leader with great integrity. But I learned over his eight years as president that his “compassionate conservatism” meant a lot of big government spending. Where were the vetoes on pork-laden spending bills? It also meant a lack of concern regarding the stream of illegal immigrants crossing our southern border. Republicans are known for advocating lower taxes, but boast that lower tax rates mean higher government revenues – which means more for politicians (Democrat and Republican) to spend. I think our government does too much and spends too much. And I know that I am in the minority right now. Still, I have hope – at least a little – that Americans might wake up, stop thinking that government is supposed to take care of everything for them, and assume personal responsibility. Then, maybe one day at the ballot box we will throw off the repression of our government and insist not only on lower taxes but on lower government spending.
First, I am a Christian. To me, this means that I believe in Jesus and I seriously attempt to follow Him. And what I believe about Jesus is pretty traditional, biblical stuff - that He was the Son of God and Son of Man, that He lived a perfect life, and that on the Cross He paid the penalty for those – like me –
who have not lived a perfect life. I believe that Jesus will return to earth someday to do two things: First, He will come for all of us who are genuine followers to take us to heaven. Second, He will come to seriously kick butt and take names. The rebellion that started with Satan will end with and by the Lord Jesus! You may argue with everything I believe about Jesus; they are admittedly arguable. But I will tell you that believing that I was the lost sheep and He my Good Shepherd has brought me innumerable blessings already. Following Jesus has not been easy, but incredibly rewarding. And regarding rewards, I don’t think I have seen anything yet. So, I shall continue to be a devoted follower of Jesus.
I identify myself as a “conservative” both religiously and politically. That simply means that I am cautious about change, especially those that depart from old traditional ways and understandings. I am therefore more concerned with how the Apostles of Christ led the church than what some new church-growth guru thinks about leading the Body of Christ today. The early church was not concerned with the size of the crowds they could attract, but how well they could present Christ to their culture. In the area of politics, it means that I am more concerned about how the founders of our nation organized it than what some new educators, politicians and judges think the nation should be. Our founders, for instance, did not establish a federal government that was supposed to take care of everyone’s problems and force the individual states to march to the beat of its drum on all matters. I cannot imagine that even one member of the original supreme court would have thought that schools should be religion-free zones, that American children should not be exposed to creationist views in their public education, that abortion should be a legitimate birth control option for women, or that marriage between same-sex partners should be sanctioned by the state.
Finally, I am a registered Republican. I have affiliated with the Republican Party because their conservative platform, both fiscally and socially, has fit me. I do not have an “until death do us part” relationship with this party, however. And, I have not been happy with it in recent years. I love George Bush as a man and as a leader with great integrity. But I learned over his eight years as president that his “compassionate conservatism” meant a lot of big government spending. Where were the vetoes on pork-laden spending bills? It also meant a lack of concern regarding the stream of illegal immigrants crossing our southern border. Republicans are known for advocating lower taxes, but boast that lower tax rates mean higher government revenues – which means more for politicians (Democrat and Republican) to spend. I think our government does too much and spends too much. And I know that I am in the minority right now. Still, I have hope – at least a little – that Americans might wake up, stop thinking that government is supposed to take care of everything for them, and assume personal responsibility. Then, maybe one day at the ballot box we will throw off the repression of our government and insist not only on lower taxes but on lower government spending.
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