Faith of a Child

(A short observation from a few years back. :-)) The sermon at church yesterday was about Jesus welcoming and blessing the children. :-) (Matthew 19:13-15, Mark 10:13-16, Luke 18:15-17) It was a good message but also one of those that seems hard to apply for a single dude. As a librarian who works with children though, I really appreciated it. The pastor talked about how kids grow up so fast. One of his comments gave me a great one-liner- It's like one day you're changing their diapers and the next day they're changing yours! ;-) Seriously though, this is one of my favorite Jesus encounters in The Bible because Jesus makes time for children, values and loves them and tells us to become like them if we want to enter the kingdom of God. (Jesus also has very harsh words for those who would lead children astray from faith in Christ- Matthew 18:1-14. It'd be better to have a millstone around your neck and get thrown into the sea than to do that.) And you have to receive Jesus' love with the faith of a little child. We must jump into Jesus' arms with no hesitation trusting that when He says He'll catch and save us- He'll do it. And so we hurtle down the slide of life that leads to physical death knowing that Jesus has saved us from spiritual death and when we get off the slide, our Father will be there to catch us and carry us Home. :-)

Prayer Power

(A short observation from a few years ago :-)) I just read 2 Kings 19 today and had a great lesson about prayer. See, Sennacherib was all talking smack about Israel and The LORD. He boasted about how he'd beaten all these other places and their gods didn't save them. (Of course, as Hezekiah pointed out, that's 'cause those gods are wood and stone and not real.) And in 2 Kings 19:1 and 19:15- what was Hezekiah's first response? P..p...p...Prayer Power! Let God at 'em! He'll splat them! :-) So I was thinking (as guided by my devotional book and of course, God's Book and Spirit), why is prayer our last resort and not our first? I mean, if I'm going to a resort, I'd want that to be the first thing I'm doing! :-) It's like on Power Rangers when they fight against all those enemies just with their individual powers when they've got a Megazord they can bust out on the side of evil. Why don't they just pull out that giant robot first and the battle would be done in like two seconds? (I guess then the show would be really short-lol. Not that I really watch it.) Why don't we bust out The MegaLord first? He's got all the power! So let's pray and let Him work- because we're nothing without Him!

Immaterial War (song)

 Maybe Madonna or maybe The Beatles...

(I'm pulling an old favourite out of the archives here. Included here is the original introduction I wrote for it about 18 years back. :-)) Hey there- this is just something quick that I wanted Kevin to see and anyone else that cares to check it out. I just now finished yet another song parody I've been working on- and despite this note's title - it's not a Beatles song (though I've done some of their songs before)- but instead, it's kind of a first for me- doing a parody of a Madonna song. (And believe, there's pretty much only 2 songs by Madonna I really know fairly well- and I've got parodies in the works for both. ;-))
But I just finished with one, so I thought I'd share it here for those interested.
This one deals with the invisible battle that we all fight between the angel on your right shoulder and the devil on your left shoulder. (as seen so many times in the cartoons- and believe it or not, that really is a pretty Biblical scene.) The Bible tells us that for Christians there's always a war going on between the new nature and the old nature and we have to decide who's going to win out.
God tells us that in those times of temptations He won't let us have more than we can handle and He'll provide us the way out so we can stand up under it. So we have to keep fighting that battle every day- and keep looking to Jesus for the victory that He's already won over sin, the devil and Hell. When we accept Jesus as Savior, He makes us into new creatures and the old has gone and the new has come. Behold, He makes all things new! :-)

"Immaterial War"
(parody of "Material Girl" by Madonna
parody by Nathan Ludwick 1/23/2008)
2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 6:10-20, Romans 7:15-25, John 17:14-17, 1 John 4:4, James 4:7-8, 1 Corinthians 10:12-13

Verse 1
Some ploys miss me, some ploys tug me
'Til I give my OK
But they don't get the proper credit
I just want to say

Satan's brigands, plots and schemes
Put latently in flight (that's right)
Cause us to toy with our own hard conscience
It's always just a fight ('cause we are)

Chorus:
Living in a material world
And fighting an immaterial war
You know that we are living in the material world
But fighting an immaterial war!

Verse 2
Homeboys entrance as envoys of Satan
Resist him- (and) he will flee!
If they can't raise my interest then they
Have to let me be

Some coy tries and some voice lies but
I don't let them stay (No way!)
I need The Lord to save me from temptings
Make my way of escape ('cause we are)

(Repeat Chorus twice)

Living in a material world (corporeal)
Fighting an immaterial war
Fighting an immaterial war (ethereal)
Living in a material world

Verse 3
Ploys may come- in The Lord I'll hold
And stand and fight, you see
Ephesians has chapter six
And now God's armored me ('cause everybody's)

(Repeat chorus twice)

Immaterial (Repeat 3 times)
- Immaterial war

Living in a material world (material)
Fighting an immaterial war
Fighting an immaterial war (ethereal)
Living in a material world
Living in a material world (corporeal)
Fighting an immaterial war
Living in a material world (material)
Fighting an immaterial war!
(Fade and close)
..........................................................


Hope everyone has a great week and may God bless us all richly!
Don't give up in the fight! Like a prayer, it's something we have to keep doing daily! And always remember, Jesus is crazy for you and can make you feel- and be- all shiny and new! :-)
(and that's about all the Madonna references that'll fit that I can think of, so I'm stopping there....)
:-)

Rose Above Suffering

 For those struggling in suffering and hard times now, I just wanted to offer this reminder for you to encourage you to hold on. Remember that negative things and hard times and challenges are not indicators of God's love or lack thereof. Ultimately, the cross of Christ and the empty tomb are the indicators of God's love for us all.

(And sometimes, even hard circumstances can be indicators of God's love for us because God uses such things to grow us to who we need to be.)

There's a song that has a line that says, "I beg your pardon- I never promised you a rose garden." God hasn't promised that everything is always going to be rosy for us. He has promised us that the Rose of Sharon will always be with us though. He has suffered too and He knows what it's like. And He holds the future (and the present and past) all in His hands. He has a good plan in mind for us that the suffering will bring in the end- and as Romans 8 tells us, though we may have some scratches from the thorn in the side- in the end as we hold to Him everything will be coming up roses.

Psalms 138:7-8

-I love what Jesus said about how He didn't come to destroy men's lives but to save them. Luke 9:55-56

Also see Lamentations 3:19-41 - especially v. 33 He doesn't afflict from the heart. He will have compassion- He is good to those who wait for Him. It is good that we wait silently for the salvation of The Lord. And we can wait knowing that The Lord's salvation will come in His time and He will never let us go. (Hebrew 13:6-8)

Name It, Claim It - Tame It

 The "Name it and claim it" theology is the hallmark of the prosperity Gospel, which is of course erroneous and heretical. However, the true spiritual prosperity God desires to give us (2 Corinthians 8:9) is the only real "Name it and claim it" promise in the Gospel. He wants us restored in relationship to Him- that's why Christ came, died and rose- to pay for our sins and give us the Way to be reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:16-21) As Joel 2:32, Acts 2:21, Romans 10:13 all say, name it ("Anyone who calls upon the Name of The Lord will be saved.") and claim it- 1 John 2:4-6 (The Message). ("If someone claims, 'I know Him well!' but doesn't keep His commandments, he's obviously a liar. His life doesn't match his words. But the one who keeps God's word is the person in whom we see God's mature love. This is the only way to be sure we're in God. Anyone who claims to be intimate with God ought to live the same kind of life Jesus lived.")

You Do Truth

 You do Truth. When you do you, you forget that you are the owner of an unholy heart and thus you naturally do evil. All of us have an inherent sin nature; thus, we can't trust our own understanding. There is a way that seems right to us but in the end, it leads to destruction. We need to put our faith in The Way, The Truth and The Life- Lord Jesus Christ. Trust His death and Resurrection to pay for all our sins and confess Him as Lord. And then walk in Truth. Jesus is full of Grace and Truth and the cross is where both qualities meet perfectly like a kiss. Following Jesus means living not by lies but by Truth. Even if the world tells us that you can have your own truth and that you should do whatever makes you happy, we need to remember that there is one Truth and He wants us to be holy like Him. (Leviticus 11:45, Matthew 5:48) We must deny ourselves of all this sinful world tries to sell us on- the sinful lifestyles that lead to death- eternally. Instead, let us take up our cross daily and follow Jesus. (See John 14:6, Proverbs 3:5-6, Jeremiah 17:9, Proverbs 16:25, John 1:14-17, Ephesians 4:15, and 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 [particularly v. 6], 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 [especially v. 12 and v. 19-20], 1 Corinthians 10:31, Colossians 3:1-7 and 3:23-24 [just read the whole chapter, really] and Luke 9:23-25)

"And you will know The Truth and The Truth will set you free." (John 8:32) "I was very glad to find some of your children walking in Truth, just as we have received commandment to do from The Father." (2 John 1:4) "I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in The Truth." (3 John 1:4)

To Everything There Is a Season

 A few observations from my daily Bible readings in 2023. They seemed fitting for the start of a new year.

Ecclesiastes 1

One of my favourite Bible books that reminds so often that everything is meaningless without God. Verse 8 hit home today- "All things are wearisome; man is not able to tell it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor is the ear filled with hearing." Whatever pleasure we may get apart from The Lord is fleeting- it never fully satisfies and it all gets so tiring.... Key verses in chapter 2 here for me- Ecclesiastes 2:11 - After stating that he refused himself nothing that his eyes desired or any pleasure his heart wanted- Solomon looked at all he had done and worked for- and he saw it was all vanity and striving after the wind. As I like to say- you can complete every bucket list in the world and it's still just a drop in the bucket before you kick the bucket. As Ecc. 2:24-25 say- there's nothing better than to eat, drink and be merry- and those pleasures are from God- for who can eat and who can have enjoyment without Him? Ecclesiastes 3

....To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under Heaven....

And God has placed eternity in our hearts so that we all long for something more than the temporary pleasures of sin, which is only satisfied in Christ, provided through faith in His death and Resurrection that pays for all sins and gives us escape from the Hell we deserve and entry into the Heaven we don't deserve. What must we do? Turn, turn, turn...

A Christmas Carol Contemplation

       In the eighth grade through the month of December, I first read a classic novella that has seen numerous adaptations in movies and on TV shows. This book is of course, "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. If you've only seen movie or TV special versions (like the 1938 or 1984 movies of "A Christmas Carol", "Mickey's Christmas Carol", "The Muppets Christmas Carol", Disney's 2009 "A Christmas Carol", the 1999 TV movie "A Christmas Carol" with Patrick Stewart, etc.)- you should definitely read the book. The book is always better than the movie.
       This story has resonated with so many over the 182 years since it was first published. It is a great story that is told well, certainly. It's theme of redemption gets to a spiritual point that I think also sticks with many. We seem to have an instinct in our fallen human nature to want to repay others when we wrong them. This is in itself is not a bad thing, of course. We should definitely make amends when we have done wrong and ask others' forgiveness. However, if I insult my brother, then I should not need to do anything further to prove my sincerity when I humbly ask for his forgiveness. As Luke 17:4 says, even if I were to sin against my brother seven times a day and I were to return to him seven times saying, "I repent", he is obligated to forgive me, as Lord Jesus commanded. And I am obligated to forgive him the same as well. 
And as Christians, we know that we have been forgiven of all our sins- past, present and future- and thus, we can do no less than to forgive others as The Lord has forgiven us. (See Colossians 3:13)
        And it's interesting to consider that Scrooge was taken to his past, present and future- and he saw how where his choices led and how his sins affected both himself and others. And as Romans 2:4 tells us, God's kindness leads us to repentance, much as it happened for Scrooge. Even with the hardships that Bob Cratchit and his family endured as a result of Ebenezer Scrooge's cruelty in overworking him and paying him little, Bob had kind words for him on Christmas, with Bob calling him the "Founder of the Feast". Scrooge was also shown kindness by his nephew Fred, who invites him to Christmas dinner and wishes him a "Merry Christmas", reminding him of some of the good Christmas brings. 
        Of course, the ultimate good Christmas brought us was Christ Himself, Who is the Founder of the feast for us! And I am moved to tears to read Tiny Tim's thoughts in church, when he says to his father that he "hoped the people saw him in the church, because he was a cripple, and it might be pleasant to them to remember upon Christmas Day, Who made lame beggars walk, and blind men see.” And perhaps it was hearing this, along with Tiny Tim's famous request, "God bless us, everyone!" that drew Scrooge to feeling concern for Tiny Tim's life. He pleaded with the Ghost of Christmas Present for Tim's life to be spared.
“If these shadows remain unaltered by the Future, none other of my race,” returned the Ghost, “will find him here. What then? If he be like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.” Scrooge hung his head to hear his own words quoted by the Spirit, and was overcome with penitence and grief. “Man,” said the Ghost, “if man you be in heart, not adamant, forbear that wicked cant until you have discovered What the surplus is, and Where it is. Will you decide what men shall live, what men shall die? It may be, that in the sight of Heaven, you are more worthless and less fit to live than millions like this poor man’s child. Oh God! to hear the Insect on the leaf pronouncing on the too much life among his hungry brothers in the dust!” Scrooge bent before the Ghost’s rebuke, and trembling cast his eyes upon the ground." (from Stave III of "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens)
          Ebenezer Scrooge is fully brought to repentance when he sees his own tombstone and hears how much joy his own passing brings so many others. Before that last scene in the presence of the Ghost of Christmas Future though, he also witnesses the faith of the Cratchits as they mourn Tiny Tim. Dickens quotes Matthew 18:2 which he has Peter reading from The Bible, where Jesus takes a young child and sets him in front of the disciples, telling them they must have the faith of a child to enter the kingdom of Heaven. As Dickens later notes in relation to this reference, "Spirit of Tiny Tim, they childish essence was from God!" Scrooge later pleads with the last Ghost to have another chance, as he sees his own doom in the end. I think his plea here belies a crucial point to remember in the way we think about salvation.
“Spirit!” he cried, tight clutching at its robe, “hear me! I am not the man I was. I will not be the man I must have been but for this intercourse. Why show me this, if I am past all hope!” For the first time the hand appeared to shake. “Good Spirit,” he pursued, as down upon the ground he fell before it: “Your nature intercedes for me, and pities me. Assure me that I yet may change these shadows you have shown me, by an altered life!” The kind hand trembled. “I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach. Oh, tell me I may sponge away the writing on this stone!” In his agony, he caught the spectral hand. It sought to free itself, but he was strong in his entreaty, and detained it. The Spirit, stronger yet, repulsed him. Holding up his hands in a last prayer to have his fate reversed, he saw an alteration in the Phantom’s hood and dress. It shrunk, collapsed, and dwindled down into a bedpost." (from Stave IV of "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens)
          Note that Scrooge wants to change the shadows of what will be by an "altered life". We know clearly from Ephesians 2:8-9 that we are not saved by good works. It's important to understand that we can do absolutely nothing to save ourselves. The standard for entry into Heaven is perfection and none of us meet that standard. We are all "old covetous sinners" like Scrooge. We are all condemned to Hell because of our rebellion against God. No matter how many good deeds we may do, we can never appease God with such acts. Rather, we must collapse all our self-efforts and acknowledge before God that we are wretched sinners who deserve His wrath and we can do nothing to earn His forgiveness. We also can do nothing to earn God's love because He's already given that to us for free! That's why Jesus died in our place and rose again- so that we could be saved from the wrath we deserve and be given the Heaven we don't deserve instead! And that's available for free by God's grace through faith!
What did Scrooge say he would do? "I will honour Christmas in my heart". That sounds a lot like what 1 Peter 3:15 tells us to do. "In your hearts, honour Christ The Lord as holy." We put faith in Him alone, acknowledging Him as Lord and honouring Him as holy. We believe Him for forgiveness of our sins. And through our faith in His grace, we are saved. 
         Where do we go from there? The picture of Scrooge's redemption is a great model of what repentance should look like in our lives. Because we have been saved by Christ, we are then motivated by love and gratitude to Him to keep His commands, just as His Spirit strives within us to help us do. We don't shut out His lessons but rather trust Him and obey Him. And when Scrooge awakes again in his own bedroom, he praises Heaven for salvation! The sheer joy and exhilaration he feels is evident in his abandon as he cheerfully greets everyone with a "Merry Christmas" and dives right away into making changes. He buys a huge turkey for the Cratchits' Christmas dinner and he gives generously to the poor. He enjoys dinner with his nephew Fred and family and he raises Bob's salary and offers to assist his struggling family. Everyone in town can see the evident change in Scrooge to the point that some laughed at the spectacle he no doubt made of himself, though he doesn't care. This kind of change is reminiscent of the total change Jesus makes in Zacchaeus' life, when he pledges to give half his possessions to the poor and repay anyone he's cheated four times the amount. Zacchaeus first welcomed Jesus into his house and heart with gladness and then he was moved to change his ways- and Jesus declared that salvation had come to his house that day. (See Luke 19:1-10)
          And this change that Christ brings lasts for eternity! We can see that Scrooge's repentance is real, as we are told at the end of the book that it continued throughout his life. "Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, he was a second father. He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough, in the good old world." (from Stave V of "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens) When we know the love of Jesus, it should overflow from our hearts to affect all those around us. We should do the good works God made for us to do all along. (Ephesians 2:10) This is the picture of true repentance. It's not a fearful striving to do enough good works to appease God. It's a joyful desire to show God's love to everyone because we have experienced the goodness of God and we can't help but show it to others! As Acts 4:20 says, "we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard." May that always truly be said of us! God loves us and Jesus has died and risen to save us from Hell and take us to Heaven instead if we will put faith in Him and follow Him. May His Name and His praise ever be seen in us. Merry Christmas! Happy Easter! Hallelujah! :-) 
 "His own heart laughed: and that was quite enough for him. He had no further intercourse with Spirits, but lived upon the Total Abstinence Principle, ever afterwards; and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One!" (from Stave V of "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens)
        

Joseph and Mary (Song)

 There have been lots of famous lovers throughout literature and history. Romeo and Juliet, Marc Antony and Cleopatra, Boaz and Ruth and for the '80s kids out there- Zack and Kelly, Steve and Laura, and Cory and Topanga. There's one famous couple that has the most unique love story of them all- Joseph and Mary. When we read Luke 1-2 and Matthew 1-2 each Christmas, we can see how God worked throughout the events of that first Christmas so that everything turned out as it should in the end. It's like we're sitting in the bleachers watching the game, but Mary and Joseph were in the game themselves as key players. It's quite a different matter to consider how both Mary and Joseph would have taken the news that had been given to them by angels, when they didn't know how things would turn out in the end. They just had to take it on faith and trust that God would do what He said He would do and they just needed to be faithful and obey. Mary was going to have a baby Boy while she was still a virgin by a miraculous work of The Holy Spirit. Joseph finds out she's pregnant and is left wondering what to do. He plans to just send her away quietly so as not to disgrace her, but then he has a dream where an angel tells him that this is part of God's plan and he should go ahead and take Mary as his wife. Both Mary and Joseph obey and trust God and through their faithfulness, we see the birth of Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord, born of the virgin Mary, who is the wife of Joseph. Joseph takes on the role of playing step-father to the Son of God Himself! And through their faithfulness, the little baby Jesus grows in stature and wisdom and when He's a man, He does just as the angel said in Matthew 1:21 and saves His people from their sins. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for the salvation You have brought through Your death and Resurrection that pays for all our sins! And because Joseph told Mary, "Let's get married!" and did his part to ensure Jesus and His mother would be cared for, God's plan moved forward through them. And now The Bridegroom says to His church the bride- "Let's get married!" Merry Christmas! God is with us!

"Joseph and Mary"
(Parody of "Let's Get Married" by The Bleachers; parody copyright by Nathan Ludwick 7/27/2025)
(Isaiah 53, Isaiah 7:14-16, Jeremiah 19:4-5, Luke 1, Matthew 1)

The dude's been engaged to be her only
Can he take this babe after her story?
Joseph (and) Mary!

Sit down, breathe and just listen
God gave me baby
He's from God, trust in God- this is Son of God in me
And I know it's bad where you look out
But bad and evil don't enter God's thoughts- no!
Come on and look up in Luke 1- read
This angel from Heaven went to call on Ms. Mary- yeah!
And I know it's hard enough to trust me
But the throne of father Dave's house given
Son of virgin Mary!
You're gonna balk, I know
How can virgins conceive?
I know and I balked also
God's Spirit's on me
God's power works, you know
Elizabeth's conceived
So we won't have to walk alone
Her son's in late age

"Get out! Leave!
I think I know what I'm gonna do- folks won't know nothing
And you know in Matthew 1- look up
His plan's hatched- read on- don't give up your spouse- no!
I'm gonna do right by you, honey
An angel by my bed dropped in- when log sawing's on me- yeah
Says, "Hey Joseph- hearten up- take Mary"
Then I woke up full of faith now thinking
Honey, let's get married!
Don't have to walk alone
Joseph and Mary!
I won't go and walk, you know
You're Virgin Mary
(I) Won't change the status quo
You're pregnant, Mary
Holy Ghost's power worked with no
Intimacy- Hey!

The angels that called us
Outright both charged us
"Name The Son Jesus"
The Lord- He frees us
Child will soon save peeps at high cost
Lord Christ on our cross
Save peeps from Death's grip
Yeah, Rose up in Isaiah 53
Honey- 7 then read
Don't have to walk alone
He's God with us, see
He's Immanuel, you know
He forgives bad deeds
The Son prophets foretold
Joseph just married
Mary- both gonna walk this road
Lord's Son will save- yay!

What Ya Gonna Then Plead- Huh? (Song)

 Throughout history, in all parts of the world, there have always been various beliefs held about the world and how it works. We might classify these views under cultures or worldviews. Ultimately, every human being has to decide what he or she will believe about the big question of life, which is death and the hereafter. What does one believe about God? There are numerous religions in the world that all offer different takes on God and what He's like and ultimately how He relates with the world and us His creation. The major world religions are similar in some respects in that most all promote ideas like showing love to others and helping the poor- essentially, doing unto others as you would have done unto you. There is a stark difference between world religions and Christianity though. It's been said this way before. Religion says, "Do" and Christ says, "Done". This song is a quick comparison of some basic tenets of major world religions to the basic message of Christianity. It's not meant to put down anyone or their beliefs, but rather to contrast the works-based push often seen in religions with the grace found in Christ alone. There is no one righteous- no, not one. We all fall short of God's glory. And perfection is the standard for entry into Heaven. In the end, we all fall short because of our many sins and we all deserve Hell. God loves us so much that He gave us grace by sending Jesus to die for our sins and rise again from the dead. We can escape the punishment we deserve by trusting Jesus' payment for our sins and putting faith in Him and following Him. Ultimately, there is a broad way that leads to destruction and a narrow way that leads to life and to get to eternal life with God, we must go through Jesus. He is the Way, Truth, and Life- no man comes to the Father but by Him.

"What Ya Gonna Then Plead- Huh?" 
(Parody of "In A Gadda Da Vida" by Iron Butterfly; parody copyright by Nathan Ludwick 9/15/2022)
(Genesis 3, Romans 5:8, John 14:6, Acts 4:12, Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 8:1, Romans 5:1-2, Romans 5:9-21, Romans 3:10-25)

In the Bhagavad Gita bodies
Recycle souls- karma's up to you
In the path of the Buddha- suffering's
Gone when soul's in nirvana- greed's gone too
Torah, Talmud Jews read
Works-based faith plan
And in Islam you heed
What's taught in Qur'an
Deeds weighed- good or bad

When you go to Lord Jesus- done deal
Died and rose for sin- God loves you!
In the Garden of Eden- we fell
Lord saves souls through faith by grace- Thank You!

My hope in contrasting
Put faiths on stand
No one's enough holy
But Jesus, man!
By grace we stand

Water Moved (Song)

 Isn't it funny how it's so easy to trust our parents' every word when we're little kids? It seems we sometimes lose that as we grow older and slip into that stereotypical rebellious teenager phase. Of course, when we're older still, we realize how foolish we were then and recognize the wisdom of our parents. When Daddy says he'll catch us when we come down the slide, we can trust him to do just that. And when God our Father, Who says we can call Him Abba or Daddy, says He's got us, then we can trust Him fully even more so! Moses and the Israelites found that to be true in the midst of their exodus from Egypt when they encountered the Red Sea with Pharaoh and his crew fast on their heels in pursuit. It wasn't their defeat like Napoleon at Waterloo though. That was no problem for God. He just had Moses raise his rod over the sea and the water moved! And the Israelites walked through on dry land and then it turned back on Pharaoh and his soldiers and consumed them. When The Lord says He's going to do something, we can trust Him to do it!



"Water Moved"
(Parody of "Waterloo" by Abba; parody copyright by Nathan Ludwick 7/28/2021)
(Exodus 14-15, Romans 9)

14
In Exodus, Israelis in a dilemma
Oh yeah!
And they're on edge of the Red Sea in flight after being slaves
God's history speaks for itself
With all His mighty deeds, Israel!

(Chorus 1)
What to do?
Moses, we're fearing we're done- forlorn
What'd you do?
Egypt would (of) have been far better, Moe
Pharaoh's view-
Shouldn't free slaves- Hey, now- what'd we do?
We'll pursue
Romans 9 states how God did use you
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah- God foreknew
Hardening and placing- for glory due!

(Aaaah!)
Pharaoh!
He tried to get us back but God was stronger
Oh yeah!
The cloud's shifting- gives us distance while lighting up the night
And how could I ever refute?
The sea's moved by wind when God moves!

(Chorus 2)
We're walking through!
Pharaoh's defeated- God won the war!
(The) water moved!
Pharaoh still plunged in, as said The Lord
Sea walls have moved
Look! Manta rays and dugongs have moved
Our Father moved
Moses obeyed Him- split sea in two
Wa-Wa-Wa- We're walking through
Dry land we walk then- Egypt pursues

So God clogs their chariot wheels too
They feel all panicked- Let's vamoose!
Pharaoh's dudes
Couldn't escape though they wanted to
Pharaoh's dudes
Going to graves when the sea resumes
Is- Is- Israel's waterproof
Totally safe first then water moved!
Ooh- ooh, our Father moved
No one remained then of Egypt's troops
Wa-wa-wa-wa Water moved!
Finally safe from that Pharaoh dude!
Ooh-ooh, Marmaduke
I know that Great Dane's a silly end, dude

You're So Blessed (Song)

      What's really most important in life? What do we spend most of our time in pursuit of throughout our days? Are we focused on storing up our treasures on Earth or in Heaven? This song expounds on all those questions and offers some things to think on as well. It's kind of inspired by Jesus' parables of foolish rich farmer and the Pharisee and the tax collector at the temple. It's also a reminder that we can't live for both God and money. We will never find satisfaction in seeking to satisfy ourselves. It's ultimately a reminder that we should live life all for Jesus and His glory above all. His words hit like a karate chop to remind us that a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. As Rich Mullins said, "the stuff of earth competes for the allegiance I owe only to the Giver of all good things." (One of my favourite lines in his classic song, "If I Stand".) By God's grace, let's confess to Him the idols we have made of money, fame and things and find the true blessings that come from walking humbly with The Lord. He is truly all we need.


"You're So Blessed"
(parody of "You're The Best" by Joe Esposito; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 1/14/2022)
(1 Timothy 6:6-12, 1 Timothy 6:17-21, Job 1-2, Psalms 2, Psalms 73:23-28, Hebrews 13:5, Romans 14:10, 1 Corinthians 3, Philippians 3:1-14, 2 Corinthians 8:9, 2 Corinthians 5:5-10, 2 Corinthians 5:14-21, Luke 18:9-17, Luke 18:18-34, Luke 12:13-34, Matthew 6:19-24, Matthew 6:33, Matthew 16:24-28, Matthew 7:24-29, Ecclesiastes 1:9, Ecclesiastes 2:11, Ecclesiastes 9:11, Ecclesiastes 2:25, Ecclesiastes 5:5-10, Ecclesiastes chapter 12, Amos 4:1-3)


Try to please Self
'Cause you only live once
Solomon's got a Word to players
Ecclesiastes
12- we're going to dust
For our God, He will judge- obey Him!
History repeats itself
Nothing new sun sees
Allies rout Napoleon
And you stand wavering

You're the best!
Around!
Nothing's gonna ever keep you down
You've been blessed!
And how!
Nothing's gonna ever sweep you now
You're the best!
For now!
Someone's gonna one day beat you out

Midas, my friend
Pause your life for a min.
All the things that you have define you
(Of) what you got, you're so proud
Storing up- what about
When Lord God calls today? Read 12 Luke
Time and chance still whip us all
And one day fire will tell
1 Corinthians 3- Christians there
Unbelievers are in Hell

You're obsessed 
With clout!
None of that will even mean squat now
You invest
Cash cow!
Money's got your heart- it's fleeting now
Hedonists
Will bow
Something's humbled Epicurus now!

Job was best
Around!
Satan wanted to just bring him down
So he'd test
Him out
Nothing that Job had couldn't leave him now
He confessed
Faith now
Nothing come in or we'll leave with now

Christ said life's not
All made up
Of your stuff
Don't thrill to greed- keep guard! (Yikes!)
Pull the thread, camel (Eye!)
Rich men- Who'll save soul?
Forgive your sins?- Leave all to God
He favours meek, not proud

Beat your breasts!
And bow!
Nothing but a Pharisee, fat cow
4 Amos-
Read now!
Publican's cleared by Jesus now
Thorns were pressed
On crown
Blood has covered everything broke now

Lord Jesus
Paid out
Nothing's gonna ever keep us out
Just confess
Pray now!
Jewel's worth it-
Sell everything you've got
He's The Best!
I've found
Nothing but The Lord completes me now!

Glory of God (song)

 ..

          As part of a leadership training program at work recently, I was asked to write my personal mission statement. In thinking upon this directive, I wrote down the main goals I have long held dear. These are still my guiding principles for all of life and I want to be doing them all the more each day. Ultimately, as Colossians 3:1-4 talks about, my life is hidden with Christ in God. I wanted to present my personal mission statement here because it is a good summary of what this song is about as well. Though I wrote the parody song a few years ago in 2021, it lines up nicely with the statement I wrote towards the end of July 2024. It's essentially my personal mission statement in song form. Here's the one I wrote recently in prose form first though.

"I want to live my life for the glory of God above all. In doing this, by faith in Jesus Christ's death and Resurrection for salvation from sins and Hell, and through the power of The Holy Spirit, I seek to obey Christ's commands summarizing The Law.
 Love The Lord thy God with all thy heart, mind, soul and strength. And love thy neighbour as thyself. I want to also always be speaking The Truth in Love. Thus, I am bold in being a witness for Christ in both how I speak and live and I share Truth with love and grace."
      
       Certainly, there are many other commands in The Bible that could be listed, along with warnings, admonitions, promises and so forth, et cetera. Yet Jesus summarized all The Law and Prophets with those two commands, so I just seek to hold to Him and ask His help in fulfilling His top two commands that govern our relationship with God and with man. Like Peter said in John 6:68, where else can we go? Jesus alone has the words of eternal life. And as I cling to Him for life in both this life and the next, I want to do it all for the glory of God.


"Glory of God"
(parody of "Glory of Love" by Peter Cetera; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 9/28/2021)
(2 Peter 3:14-18, Jude 1:24-25, Philippians 1:21, 1 Peter 1:15-25, Colossians 3:1-4, Galatians 2:20, Romans 12:1-2, Hebrews 13:8-16, Philippians 4:4-13, Philippians 3:7-21, 2 Corinthians 12:1-10, Hebrews 13:5-6, Hebrews 11:1-3, Hebrews 11:6, Hebrews 11:13-16, Habakkuk 2:4, 2 Corinthians 5:6-10, 1 Corinthians 15:50-58, 1 Corinthians 9:19-27, 1 Corinthians 10:31, Colossians 3:23-24, Psalms 19:14, 2 Timothy 2:8-13, 2 Timothy 4:1-8, 2 Corinthians 7:1, 1 John 2:1-6, 1 Corinthians 1:23-31, Hebrews 12:1-15)

In life it's very clear that we're all dying here
There's so many things I want post-haste
(A) wife to always love true
(And) have a family of my own

My life's not over yet- past things I might regret
That make it hard to see new growth then
I don't want to lose time
Can't recover- wasted time's gone

I'm just a man saved by Christ through His offer
He died and He rose for misdeeds I'd done
We'll live forever- (but) now until Heaven
Grant I'd give my all for the glory of God

Philippians 3 calls all else loss for Christ's call
I'm pressing on then toward Heavenlies
I have all I need in Christ
I'll forever praise Him alone

2 Galatians- crucified with Lord Christ there
Go read what He wrote- Colossians 3:3, bud
He lives instead there- old man's no longer
My life's hidden with for the glory of God

I live for Christ but sinning harbours
Cumbersome vines that hold
Run for prize- lay aside all weights
Looking to my Saviour all by faith

12 in Romans- sacrifice for God's honour 
Lord, keep me near You 'cause world leads me off
I wanna live for Jesus- only by His strength
19:14 Psalms- may I glorify God

I'll live for Christ- yeah- knowing that whether
Longings come or not- my life's work is for God

He gave His all for Love
I'm living all for God
City coming above
I'm living all for God

Kind to the Ungrateful and Wicked

 Here's a poem for National Poetry Month! It is largely inspired by the account of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount that is given in Luke 6. I am particularly moved by The Lord's radical command to not only love those who love us but to go beyond that and love our enemies and pray for them! Just as God our Father is kind and merciful to the ungrateful and wicked, so we must be too. And it's even easier to do that when we realize that so often we ourselves are the ungrateful and wicked. Yet God's rich mercy and grace still reaches to us despite this and brings us back to restoration when we return to Him in repentance. We who are forgiven so much must be willing to forgive others as well. Let us follow our Lord's example and command to show love to all, especially those we think deserve it least.


Kind To The Ungrateful and Wicked
(poem copyright by Nathan Ludwick 7/12/2022)
(Genesis 1:14-19, Genesis 1:26-31, Psalms 8, Psalms 139, Psalms 118:24, Matthew 5:38-48, Luke 6:27-38, James 1:17, Colossians 1:13-17, Job 38-42, Psalms 90, 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, Romans 5:8, John 15:12-17, John 13:1-20, Matthew 5:13-16, James 1:19-20, Romans 2:1-4, Ephesians 4:29-32, Ephesians 5:1-2, Revelation 19:11-16, Luke 7:40-50, Psalms 103, Psalms 150, Matthew 7:12, Romans 13:8-14, Romans 12, 1 Peter 2:9-12, Malachi 4:2, Galatians 6:2, 1 Peter 4:8, 1 John 4:7-21, 1 John 3:16-22, 2 Thessalonians 3:13, Jeremiah 31:3)

Welcome to My morning- welcome to My day
The blue sky and sunshine a backdrop to birds' refrain
The morning dew on each petal like a mint on your hotel pillow
Everything about today's been prepared for you in advance
Blink your eyes open in bed, roll down the window and stick out your head
Take in a big breath of fresh air- the same breathed since ages past
Go forth to face the day made for you and written before time
Filled with its share of toil mingling with peace and rest
Carefully arranged by The One Whose heart is kind beyond all measure
How many walk oblivious to the obvious blessings that surround them
Every breath that fills their lungs a fresh gesture of grace
Every heartbeat is one more that they weren't obligated to receive
And people go on their merry ways with nary an upward gaze
Choices are made in twenty four hour spans with after effects that still send shock waves for days or maybe years
Some even echo in eternity, bathed in blackness or light
The Eternal Time Keeper watches it all play out on Earth
As He holds everything together and intervenes with Divine authority and supreme knowledge both here and across the universe
The Giver of all good gifts makes every day like Christmas
The Gift given that day can still be unwrapped afresh each new day
Though sadly some stubbornly refuse but this never sways His mood
His eyes still look eternally with love on them through tears
He sends the sun each dawn to shine on the wicked and righteous alike
He sends the rain in its season on both the good and bad
Yet the ugly is in all of humanity and only The Beautiful One can transform it
The Beauty became the beast after Snow White bit the poison apple
The silver bullet crisscrossed His heart to render Him dead to pay for all misdeeds
Grace personified walked out of the grave with a real life fairy tale ending
All those who give themselves over to endless Love's entreaty
Can live each day with joy looking forward to living happily ever after in Love's kingdom
And in each staggering step of this race that inches ever closer to eternity's edge
Mercy's transformed miscreants must administer mercy to all just like The Father of Mercy
For even though the ungrateful and wicked spurn His open arms with sneers
He exudes kindness on them relentlessly throughout life and beyond
Even in eternity, His kindness won't force folks to be with Him who reject Him
And in the time allotted before the final breaths are lent to frames of dust and rib
Every moment is the time for lovingkindness to lavishly wash each other's feet
No matter the response, the seeds must still get water and sunshine that they might yet grow
Only God decides on the growth in accordance with the willingness of human beans
And as His kindness brought us to repentance who grow in His vine
May we continually extend olive branches of love that overwhelm all like a flood
Those who are forgiven much also love both God and man much
Man's anger accomplisheth not God's righteousness- and man can't control outcomes
Faithful obedience calls for trust in The Faithful and True one who is always good
Let Mercy lead us to never respond to hostility in kind- but in tireless kindness
That the world might know and give thanks to the embodiment of Good
Who still welcomes us each morning to the new day He has made that we 
Should rejoice and be glad in it and shine like the Sun of righteousness
That the world might see our good deeds, love and kindness and glorify the
Author of all Good and Love and Joy Whose heart is wonderfully kind.

Life

(Note: This is my sometimes annual birthday reflection. Thank You, God, for every moment. :-))

It's funny how we don't always stop and really think about time and the brevity of life until we reach milestones and holidays that give us pause long enough to contemplate our own mortality. As I was taught in journalism school, you shouldn't bury the lead, so I'll just say it. I'm forty years old today. Minus the few earliest years that I don't remember much, I now know what Caleb and Joshua felt like upon finally finishing their wanderings in the wilderness and entering the Promised Land!

It seems fitting that I have most recently been in Numbers in my Bible reading. I just finished it today actually because I decided to read two chapters today instead of just one and finish up the book. Sometimes we like to skip ahead in time and in life, especially when we're younger. It's funny how we desire more for time to slow down as we get older instead. Hopefully, we eventually become content with letting it progress naturally as God directs it. And hopefully we don't get too hung up on the numbers as we age, as they are just numbers.

And just as Abraham was instructed to number the stars to see how many his descendants would be, while I look back and number the years, I'm glad to be numbered among the many sons of father Abraham because of the Heavenly Father we both share who adopted us all through Christ. Thus, when my number's up, through my faith in Jesus' death and Resurrection that pays for all my sins, I know that my name will be numbered among those in His Book of Life and granted an endless number of days in eternity in Heaven.

"So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim Your might to another generation, Your power to all those to come. Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like You?" (Psalms 71:18-19)

Though I am glad I haven't gotten to an old enough age to have gray hairs yet (though funnily enough the definition of "old" always seems to get bumped up a few years as we reach new birthdays ;-)), I am infinitely more glad to know that if God is gracious enough to let me reach those years, He will constantly be with Me and use me to proclaim His might to the people of my generation and the ones coming up in the next.

"I will sing to The Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. May my meditation be pleasing to Him, for I rejoice in The Lord." (Psalms 104:33-34) "The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me; Your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of Your hands." (Psalms 138:8) "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer." (Psalms 19:14)

That is my goal for this new year of life. That is my goal for every moment God grants me on this Earth and throughout eternity. May every breath of air be used to breath back out praise to the God of the universe who gives us all things bright and beautiful, all things wise and wonderful and every good gift- most of all, The Lord Jesus Christ! Thank You, Father God, for them all.

Help me, Lord Jesus, day by day, to do these three things I pray- to see Thee more clearly, love Thee more dearly, and follow Thee more nearly. I want to love The Lord my God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength and love my neighbour as myself and speak The Truth in Love. Thank You for the perfect example in God The Son. And thank You for Your indwelling that moves me to do the good You made me to do all along, God the Holy Spirit. Blessed Three in One, hold me, mold me and embolden me to live each day for Your glory and to share Your Love and Truth and Goodness with others. Thank You for all Your many blessings- especially all the many people in my life who have loved me through all these years of life. I love all my family and friends dearly and pray You bless them all.

It's been said that life begins at 40. Of course, I know that life began again after 40 days and nights on Noah's Ark after the flood had receded. And in some ways, life begins again for me now at 40, as I seek to reassess my life situation and continue to reaffirm my faith in You, Lord, and trust that the construction You began in me will continue on to the day of completion as You have purposed. Thus, each day life begins again as each new day is another day to praise You for all You have done and thank You for the loveliness of another day that You have made and allowed me to live in. This is the day You have made and I will rejoice and be glad in it! Lead on, Lord Jesus- onward and upward- further up and further in.

Death

 Death has been happening a lot lately, it seems. Deaths in the news of people from disease, celebrity deaths- even among family and friends. It seems funny how we often can't even bring ourselves to say the word but use euphemisms like "passed away" or "transitioned". I don't mean to be callous here; I understand why grieving people might prefer those terms at the time.

    I find it funny though how so many just choose not to think about it. We think about death indirectly though through the numerous things we do to try to preserve our lives. We take every precaution, eat healthy, exercise and check in with the doctor regularly. Why do we do so much to avoid our death instead of prepare for it? That's not to say it's bad to do those things. It is bad if we do those things thinking they will extend our lives and ignore the reality that our bodies will one day stop breathing, die and decompose.

    It's better to go to a man's funeral than to celebrate the day of his birth. (See Ecclesiastes 9.) And unless Christ returns first, we will all die one day. It's appointed once unto man to die and then comes the judgment. (Hebrews 9:27)

    And we all will exist eternally because our souls are made for eternity. And not thinking about it is an incredibly bad strategy for dealing with eternity. What will you say when you're faced with all the brilliant glory of God and He takes you through a review of your life? What would you answer when faced with this question from God- "Why should I let you into My Heaven?"

     There is only one answer we all would have to give if God had done nothing else. There is no reason at all. We are all deserving of Hell, where the worm and fire never die. That is the wages of sin we have all earned.

    Yet we get so myopically focused on this temporal life that we even have the nerve to blow off the Holy Spirit's conviction. We are so wrapped up in ourselves that we get mad at God for suffering we endure in this life because of our own sin. We act like God is somehow obligated to spare us of all pain, not even considering how we have brought it on ourselves as a species ever since we decided to defy God in the garden. 

    I think we sometimes get the mistaken idea that some have with preventative medicines like vaccines. We think we're not supposed to get sick at all. In reality, we should only expect that the disease will be mitigated as to its effects and we will hopefully be spared hospitalization and death. Of course, when we're in Jesus, we know we will be spared from death in Hell and that He will help us through our trials here on Earth.

    This is an assurance obtained through faith in Christ alone. God loves us all so much that He sent Jesus to pay the penalty of our sins by dying on the cross and rising again. Because He lives, we can live also- both now and forever in Heaven. All we need do is believe in Him and receive His gift of salvation by faith. Then follow Him in repentance. 

     It doesn't matter what you do- death will comes to us all, unless The Lord returns first. Either way, we will all stand before Him in judgment. (See Matthew 25, 1 Corinthians 3, and Revelation 20.) And just like the snow makes the fall look like it's washed clean, The Lord says He can wash us clean too. (See Psalms 51.) As Isaiah 1:18 says, though our sins be like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. 

    What will you say to God to answer why He should let you into Heaven? My answer is that though my sins make me deserving of Hell, Jesus said I could come to the Heaven I don't deserve because He paid for all my sins and I have put all my faith in Him. It is Christ's death and Resurrection alone that pardons and forgives my sins. All my Hope is in Jesus- and I trust that He is faithful to do just what He said. 

     Call upon The Lord now while He may be found, while you are still alive. It is too late after you are dead. We will all be dead one day physically but Christ can keep us alive spiritually for eternity. He has given that choice to us. What is your answer? God bless and guide you as you make your decision.

Lost People (song)

      As Solomon said under the Holy Spirit's inspiration about what's under the sun- there's nothing new, man. And just like the Pharisees ran off people from The Gospel in their day, people still do that today. Jesus said that the scribes and Pharisees didn't practice what they preached! 

      "They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger." (See Matthew 23:1-4 and verses 13-14- and really just the whole chapter.) They shut men off from Heaven, not entering themselves or letting anyone else in. The long and the short of it is that there are some people who think they are righteous before God- and more righteous than others- who look down on all those lost people and don't actually carry out the Great Commission and reach to these people in love with grace God has offered us all in Christ. 

       Look what Jesus says in comparison in Matthew 11:28-30. He calls us the weary and heavy-burdened to come to Him because He will give us rest. Remember that Jesus didn't come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Jesus loves all people and wants all to come to repentance. We must do the same.

       (Note: Just to be very clear, please understand that this song is meant to be satirical, of course. There is definitely some sarcasm but it's there to make a spiritual point. And I acknowledge that I can far too easily become Pharasaic myself at times and need Jesus' love and grace to keep shaping my heart to be more like His.) 

 "Lost People" 

(Parody of "Short People" by Randy Newman) (copyright Nathan Ludwick 1/10/2021) 

(Romans 1, Jonah 4, Psalms 14, Matthew 23 (particularly v. 12-15), Matthew 21:28-32, Luke 18:9-14, Romans 2:1-5, Matthew 25:31-46, Luke 11:45-54, Mark 12:38-40, Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:6-8, Matthew 7:21-23, Acts 10:9-16, Luke 6:27-36, John 8:1-11, Matthew 5:17-20, Matthew 9:9-13, Matthew 11:28-30, Mark 2:13-17, Luke 5:27-32, Luke 7:31-35)

Lost people got no reason 

Lost people got no reason 

Lost people got no reason 

To live 

They got futile plans 

And little drive 

And they walk around 

Telling atheist lies 

They got risque clothes 

They got wine and nicotine 

They got tattoos too 

And some piercings through their cheeks 

Well, I don't want no lost people 

Don't want no lost people 

Don't want no lost people 

'Round here 

Lost people have not been 

saved by faith in Christ 

(They're fools who deny) 

Heaven's for others who 

look the same as I 

(Jonah's run- sinful world) 

Lost people got no Bible 

Lost people don't know God so 

Lost people got no morals- no love 

They got lots of evidence 

As Romans 1 shows 

We're gonna write them off 

Just as satanist trolls 

(That) make hearts bleed, bleed, bleed 

They're all pro-choice (and) 

Go and Tweet, Retweet 

Crackpot commie, liberal figures 

With dirty, little minds 

They won't get me- I'm a scribe! 

Well, I don't want no lost people 

Don't want no lost people

Don't want no lost people 

'Round here!

Civil War (of Words) and Peace Speech

I had a few thoughts percolating through my brain today somewhat related to freedom and Independence Day and all like that but also relating to other important issues. I really hate that it seems like it's almost impossible to have a civil discussion anymore- at least online, where you have people that don't all believe the exact same things as you. I saw a post online on a page I follow and its message seemed to be a bit ambiguous so I did what I often do on such posts- I asked a question for clarification. (I learned on Sesame Street that that's the best way to find out stuff.) Unfortunately, because social media seems to bring out the absolute worst in us people- and perhaps the feeling of relative safety of exchanges that are not in person adds to this- everyone tends to naturally assume that a sincere question is really just someone looking to upset others and pick a fight, hence earning them the title of "troll". And then it is assumed that the post in question should and must be blindingly obvious to everyone. Thus, if you must ask such questions, you are deemed to evidently be "part of the problem". (Never mind that "the problem" can never seem to be pinpointed or explained.) And such responses shut down conversation and thus disallow further understanding to occur. The nicer shutdown of conversation is the explanation that social media is generally not the best place for delicate conversations. This is essentially a reiteration of the old adage about not talking about religion or politics in mixed company. The problem with this notion is that this means serious conversations that need to happen can never happen because we can't seem to lovingly and respectfully talk about potentially controversial topics without attacking each other for daring to think differently than we do on something. That is very sad when meaningful discussion and debate can't be conducted. In contrast, I had a nice conversation with a gentleman today who was exercising his First Amendment free speech rights by holding up a sign on the sidewalk where passing motorists and pedestrians could see his campaign to boycott some companies with whom he had grievances. (I don't want to get into specifics because that is besides the point of this post much like the ending parantheses bracket is to this point.) I am not sure if I totally agreed with his cause but I could agree that he had a valid point. I wished him well in his cause and rejoiced that he was a fellow believer in Christ, even if we hold to some different denominational views. This is not to say that I am the best at having civil discussions, particularly those with whom I disagree. This is to say that it is possible and it's what the right to free speech should entail. We don't have to hold all the same views in order for me to respect and love you and respect your right to your views. I have a number of friends who hold very different views from me. Some are on different ends of political views and religious stances. Some claim no faith and some claim a different one. It is okay for them to have their views and I respect their right to hold them. And I try to be respectful to listen to them. It is a great exercise to try at times. Read something from a totally opposite point of view. See what you can learn from it. Even if you wind up discarding all of it wholesale, at least you are now better informed so as to understand the way others view things. As Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers." Let's make peace instead of grief when we disagree. My personal guide is of course The Bible, which is God's Word. And He commands us to make a righteous judgment in John 7:24. In 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22, we find my guiding verses for discerning truth as I assess various sources of information. "Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid all appearances of evil." In doing this, I also make a point to point out to the person I'm speaking with the points I can heartily agree with them on first. I try to compliment them on the good things I see in their speech. And then I gently but firmly point out where I differ and that is where we have to agree to disagree agreeably, as my dad would say. Another wise thing he often said when we were overseas on the mission field often comes to mind for me too. "Different is not necessarily wrong- it's just different." To bring this back to the theme of Independence Day, I will say this specifically about the United States of America. As one who was not "Born in the U.S.A." (which is why my mom says I can't sing the Bruce Springsteen song of the same name ;-)), I have a bit of a different view of America as a foreign country that I also regard as home to some degree. To some degree, I will always regard Trinidad & Tobago as home as well since I still am at least partly a Trini at heart. (Trini 2 De Bone! :-)) To a smaller degree, I feel some loyalty to Spain as the land of my birth. (This is why it's really hard for me to say where I'm from. ;-)) And having lived in different cultures, I can see things that these countries do and believe that I can hold to and agree with, while there are other things I would have to discard. (Just like 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 ;-)) And I'm glad for and proud of my Spanish, Trini and American heritage. I praise God for the Blessings of Liberty in all three homes. God shed His grace on all three- just as He did on the whole world when He sent Christ to die and rise to pay for our sins. (Titus 3:4-7) May God mend thine every flaw for the whole world. That's the process He is doing as His Spirit moves in us who are Christ followers to share The Gospel around the world and live out the kingdom of God so that His will is done here as it is in Heaven. We are God's agents of change spreading the sweet aroma of Christ that overpowers people like bees overcome with the allure of nectar or cats with catnip. We do that best when we love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength- giving Him all the glory rightfully due His Name alone- and when we love our neighbour as ourselves. That is what I want to be about as I seek to speak The Truth in Love. (Matthew 22:34-40 and Ephesians 4:15) And as Ephesians 4:29-32 talks about, I want to be kind to others, tenderhearted, forgiving as Christ forgave me- giving grace to all who hear me so that others are built up with my words and never torn down. Every single human being is made in God's image and is worthy of love and respect. They are infinitely important and valuable and eternally loved! Please forgive me for any time I have ever said or done anything to make anyone feel any less. I dare not say anything to besmirch or belittle His creation! The grace and love of Jesus compels me to show His love to others in extravagance, as He has done for me and all of us. (John 3:16 and Romans 5:8) Thank You, Father God, for freedom of speech, assembly, peacefully petitioning of the government for a redress of grievances, the press and religion. I am glad to live in a country that recognizes those rights and acknowledges that all men and women are created equal and endowed by You with these rights- along with the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I am also thankful to You eternally that I have found my happiness in You because You are the source of all joy! Your love pardons and forgives all sin for all who come in faith and repentance to You. And I thank and praise You that my ultimate Home is with You in Heaven because You have saved me from the Hell I deserve for my sins and instead given me the Heaven I don't deserve. Your grace and mercy are amazing and overwhelming! May Your graciousness overflow in me to all I meet in pointing them to You. I thank You for making me a citizen of Heaven. (Philippians 3:20) Whatever gain I had, I count it all as loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord and Saviour. (Philippians 3:7-14) Help me to keep pressing on beyond the past to what You have lying in wait for me in the future, doing all You have called me to do in the present. And may all I do be done in Love. In Your Holy Name, Amen.

Give in Extravagance

Weird observation of the day- I saw a car today with what looked like a link to use on an app to give someone funds, presumably as a means of aid for college perhaps. I thought the concept of mobile panhandling was interesting and then it struck me that GoFundMe campaigns and such are essentially just electronic panhandling. Sure, we generally deem them to be for a good cause but it's still begging for money. This is just dressed up with perhaps better diction and presentation than the guy on the side of the road holding a handmade sign asking for spare change for a veteran in a rough time.

It's hard to determine who is really genuine or not about their needs. (Though it's interesting that we don't tend to question the online giving campaigns as much as we do the in-person campaigns on the side of the road.) I may get taken for a ride at times but my general rule of thumb is to try to believe the absolute best about someone instead of assuming the absolute worst. I would rather give money when I can in good faith that the person will use it for something good than to withhold from doing good to those in need. If they use it for something evil, that's on their conscience, not mine.

I do believe in being wise with money, of course. And I do tend to offer to buy a meal for those who are hungry and thirsty, which gives me an opportunity to talk further with them and hopefully share The Gospel. I want them to know the One who gives the living water that quenches all thirst and wells up to eternal life- The Lord Jesus!

And I don't say this to condemn anyone for how they approach this. Everyone should cheerfully give whatever The Lord has laid on them to give, never out of compulsion. God loves a cheerful giver! :-) (2 Corinthians 9:6-15)

I take some inspiration from my grandfather, who was not necessarily super wealthy but made good money- and was generous with it and blessed others as God had blessed him. More than anything, I take inspiration from the command of my Lord and Saviour to freely give as I have freely received. I know I am not all I should be on this and I fail many times to give as I should. But more and more I want to unabashedly give it all away and pour out all my treasures to help others, like Mary anointed Jesus' feet with oil. (John 12:1-8)

He has blessed me and given to me in extravagance; I can do no less than to equally extravagantly shower the people I love (family, friends, the household of faith)- and shower the people I don't love as I should- or don't even know- with love and grace. That is what we should strive for as people who have been forgiven for such a multitude of sins with Love that covers and forgives and cleanses from them all!

May we all be weird enough to the world to be known as such lavish givers of benevolence and God's mercy and grace! As St. Francis of Assisi prayed, it is in giving that I shall receive.

And as Lord Jesus said, it is more blessed to give than to receive! Give it all away. (John 1:14-17, Luke 6:38, Luke 4:16-21, Hebrews 13:15-16, Proverbs 11:24-25, Malachi 3, Acts 20:35, Romans 5:8)

Silent Lament

 Job's friends are rightly criticized for getting a lot of things wrong in their comfort of Job, but they should be commended for one thing they got exactly right. Sometimes as Christians seeking to comfort others, we need to learn to shut up already. We need to be a listening ear and not offer any sage advice, explanations or promises. "I loathe my life; I will give free utterance to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. I will say to God, 'Do not condemn me; let me know why You contend against me. Does it seem good to You to oppress, to despise the work of Your hands and favor the designs of the wicked? Have You eyes of flesh? Do You see as man sees? Are Your days as the days of man, or Your years as a man's years,...' " (Job 10:1-5) (Not verses you see quoted and claimed and liked on Facebook too much). Look what Job goes on to say in Job 10:18-22 "Why did You bring me out from the womb? Would that I had died before any eye had seen me and were as though I had not been, carried from the womb to the grave. Are not my days few? Then cease, and leave me alone, that I may find a little cheer before I go- and I shall not return- to the land of darkness and deep shadow, the land of gloom like thick darkness, like deep shadow without any order, where light is as thick as darkness." (Remember that Job is saying all this to God.)

This is the deep despair of a man who has been devastated. In the same day, he has had most all of his cattle and animals (i.e. means of income and food) destroyed and all of his children killed. Then he gets struck with a horrible and painful skin disease on top of that (in a time with little medicine available- no Neosporin to rub on those sores- scraping at them with broken pottery will have to do). And the one person who should have been the most comfort, his wife, only offers this advice- "Curse God and die!" Wow! Thanks a lot, wife. Of course, Job doesn't do this, but he definitely lets God have a barrage of his angry, hurt, pained and torturous feelings, with a lot of feelings of being betrayed and feeling hugely disappointed with God mixed in. Job had just had his whole worldview shattered too. Doesn't God bring good to the good and bad to the bad? I mean, God Himself said Job was blameless and upright! (Job 1:8) But bad befalls us all at times. We can't explain it. Sometimes, like Jonah, we feel angry enough to die! (Jonah 4:9) In the end, hopefully we learn that God never does wickedness and doesn't pervert justice. (Job 34:10-12) And as Job acknowledges, there are some things we just can't understand. Brokenness, pain, suffering and hurting is part of the experience now in this fallen world. And our every cry of "Why?" and every tear is an echo of the feeling that all of humanity shares- there is something horribly wrong in the world and we live in a vastly cruel parody of what this world should be. Of course, ultimately it is a world of our own making and we are the ones who have brought the decimation by our sin. And God has identified with our suffering in the person of Jesus Christ and His death on the cross. His Resurrection brings us hope that we will be resurrected through our faith in Him to the life that He meant for us to live- in a new Heaven and new earth where God Himself will wipe away all our tears. (Revelation 21-22). Until that glorious day, while we do live in light of eternity, we also live in recognition of the hurt and pain of our day-to-day life in this world and seek to assuage people's pain and bring them the balm of Gilead that alone can ultimately cure their ails.

     Let's do as Job's friends did. "Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him. And when they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him. And they raised their voices and wept, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads toward heaven. And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great." (Job 2:11-13) Yes, as much criticism as we can rightly level at these guys later on in the book (which God mentions in Job 42 and they repent of with sacrifices and Job graciously prays for his friends as God commands so they can be forgiven too)- there is one thing they got exactly right. No casseroles and dinners brought for Job (not saying there's anything wrong in offering food to the suffering though), but most importantly, no pithy sayings and no attempts at words of comfort. Instead, they did just what The Bible says elsewhere- they mourned with Job as he mourned. And they suffered in silence together with their friend. May we all learn to show the love of Christ to the hurting in the same manner.

Yes, there is a time to encourage one another and spur one another on toward love and good deeds and help comfort others with the comfort God has given us in our times of distress, but there is also a time to be silent and listen and lament and weep. (as Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 attests. See also Hebrews 10:23-25 and 2 Corinthians 1:1-11).

"Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep." (Romans 12:15)