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)

All Through Jesus' Rule (song)

 C.S. Lewis said in his classic "The Screwtape Letters" book that there are two errors people fall into about the devils. One is to disbelieve in them and the other is to believe in them with an unhealthy interest and obsession. The devil and his demons are equally pleased with both errors. Thus, it's important to maintain the right balance in our view of the spiritual battle that we are all in as followers of Christ. As Ephesians 6:12 tells us, we wrestle not with flesh and blood but with spirits, forces and powers in the heavenly realms! We don't have to be scared of them though and we don't have to let them push us around. Jesus empowers us to resist the devil and his demons. Through the power of Jesus' Name, we can even command demons to obey in Christ's Name. We need to be aware of the battle going on around us and be brave and bold in standing strong with the full armour of God on us. We only need faith the size of a mustard seed in Jesus to tell a mountain to jump into the sea- and it will be done! Stand strong in faith in Jesus. Do your devo in 1 John 4:4 and you'll find that the One who is in us is greater than the one in the world. He has won the victory!

"All Through Jesus' Rule" (parody of "Through Being Cool" by Devo; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 7/15/2020)
(1 John 4:4, Revelation 20:10, 2 Corinthians 12:1-10, 2 Corinthians 10:1-6, Mark 16:14-20, Matthew 12:22-32, Matthew 12:43-45, Matthew 17:14-21, Luke 11:14-26, Luke 10:17-20, Romans 16:20, Ephesians 6:10-20, 2 Timothy 1:7)

We're through being cool
We're through playing cool
Eliminate the lily-livered bits
You wanna barge ahead?
We're gonna need Jesus!
Christ will show those evil spirits He's God
When one leaves from a fallen house
Returns, brings in seven more too
Want these parasites to be cast out?
Matt. 12- it declares- Look through 29
Luke too- 11 find
Plan strong man to bind first- by Jesus!
Time to clean some house!
Indeed plunder the house!
Waste then is laid to a divided house!

Even if you lack big faith
Only factor's in Whom it's found
Faith of mustard seed-sized grain
Throws mountains all around

Even if you lack big faith
Mighty plants form from seeds now
Faith of mustard seed-sized grain
Throws mountains all around

Corinthians, 2
Look to 12:10, dude
Depend of Grace- Power perfected in weakness
Lord, the demons obey!
We can tread on snakes!
Rejoice that Christ picked our souls to be saved

6 Ephesians- as Paul found,
The fight's unseen- in Heavenly realms
Like Alien, chests that burst out
They're there in the air

We're through being fooled
We're through being tools
2 (Two) Timothy 1:7 verse it says
We're not fear-imbued
Accrued Spirit's tools
Power, love, self-driving through Jesus
Trust Him!
Stand firm! Jesus rules!
We're fueled by Him too!

Father & Son & Spirit (song)

 One of the most basic tenets of the Christian faith is also one of the most incomprehensible to the human mind. "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, The Lord is one." (Deuteronomy 6:4) So states the Shema and it's certainly true. Yet The Lord reveals Himself in three Persons- God The Father, God The Son Jesus Christ and God The Holy Spirit (some translations would refer to the Third Person of The Holy Trinity as God The Holy Ghost.) The basis for belief in God as a Trinity is best evident from Jesus Himself, in the relationship He describes within the Triune Godhead in the Gospel of John, chapters 13-18. His Great Commission to us His followers in Matthew 28:18-20 also instructs us to baptize believers in the Name of The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. 

    While each member of the Godhead has different roles, all three are equally God, so everything is always even stevens. A leopard can't change its spots; it's always a spotted member of the cat family. You can try to change its name but it's still a leopard. Whether you call to The Father, Son or Spirit, you're always calling to God. And God is always one- and His plan of redemption has already won through Christ's death and Resurrection. As the Sandi Patti Christmas classic song "The Gift Goes On" says, "The Father gave The Son. The Son gave The Spirit. The Spirit gives us life so we can give the gift of Love. And the gift goes on!"

"Father & Son & Spirit" (parody of "Father & Son" by Cat Stevens, now known as Yusuf Islam; parody lyrics copyright by Nathan Ludwick 12/10/2019)

(Deuteronomy 6:4, Acts 1-2, Philippians 2, Luke 12:40, Romans 11:29, John 8:12, Matthew 5:14, John 3:16-17, Galatians 4:4-7, John chapters 13-18, Romans 8, Matthew 28:18-20)

In God's time, the Saviour came 

That's a fact- Galatians 4 read

He had to come- that's our fault

Check Jesus' most famous quote

God loved world- Son came down

Whoso trusts will not perish

3:16 John- it goes- live eternally!

God's own Son's likeness of man's found

-and He lowered from God's throne seat

To become Son of Man- Son's still fully God

To take our crimes to the cross

Dying for everything we've done

And He's real deal Man of Tomorrow 'cause Lord Jesus rose up!

How come Lord Christ's going away? When He just did a "There and Back Again"?

It's to our benefit that He is going

So The Holy Ghost could bring the whole world conviction

Counselor Troi cannot hold candle (to) Holy Ghost- no way!

Christ goes- sends Holy Ghost

In God's time, The Spirit came

14 down to 18- go read!

Gospel of John- (The) Master taught

We're not just orphans of God though

Tell the world Gospel now

In time you've got while Lord tarries

Luke 12:40- Christ foretold- that He's returning

Of the times, (in) Acts 1- Christ's teaching

Those aren't things for you to know

His charge: Witness! Start here- to all world then

Our Aid resides in you and me-

His gifts then- revoked? Can't be

So share our faith and we'll glow like 5 Matthew 14 says

Little Christs- that's the goal 

Undue Pressure (song)

(Note: I'm pulling a few more classics out of the archive. My last post referenced the lines I used in this parody so it only seemed fitting to post this next. I've included my original introduction from 2009 below. Since I had two others that seemed in a similar category of lyric-tweaking that already seemed to be such a good fit to talk about The Lord, I will post those other two soon too.)

   Okay, this one talks about the pressure people put on themselves in trying to live up to God's standards. This is what Martin Luther finally had to learn- no matter what penance we make or what we do trying to measure up- we never can. And we never have to for salvation- God has taken care of it already through Jesus' death and Resurrection. When we put our faith in Him, we are saved by grace and that's all there is to it! Nothing can ever change that! And nothing will ever change His love for us. So don't put undue pressure on yourself- Jesus has done the job. It is finished! :-)

"Undue Pressure" (parody of "Under Pressure" by David Bowie and Queen)
(parody copyright by Nathan Ludwick 9/13/2009)
(2 Corinthians 4:3-4, 6:2, Hebrews 10:1-18, Titus 3:4-9, Ephesians 2:8-9, Isaiah 1:18, Deuteronomy 26:12-19, Deuteronomy 28-30, 1 Corinthians 3:10-15, Matthew 25:1-13, Romans 2:1-4, Romans 10:1-13, Romans 8:1-17, Romans 5:8, John 3:3-16, John 14:6, Matthew 25:31-46, Matthew 10:32-39, Matthew 25:29-30, Isaiah 64:6, Jeremiah 29:13, 33:3)

Pressure- Deuteronomy
In the Pentateuch- Romans 10:4
And we're measured- that burns up kindling now
Splits a family in two
Means gnashing of teeth

(Well, OK)
It's real terror not knowing what this world is about
Watching some good friends scream, "Help me out"
Take the wrong road- get the fire
Pressure on people in their own strength

(OK)
Sticking around, take my blame the Cross affords
This is the Way- I never change but ignore

People's own strength- gnashing of teeth

It's real terror not knowing if good works are enough
Watch as five virgins scream, "Open up!"
Faith in God though- just read Titus 3:5 to 9!
Pressure off people and their own strength

Turned away from God's law like a blind man
Sat on a fence but it don't work
Keep coming up with God but He's so trashed and scorned
Why? Why? Why?
Love (x5)

Our vanity laughs- in 10 Hebrews- get cracking
Can't we give verse 12 one more glance?
We can't pull up by our bootstraps!
Why can't we
(let go, let God) (x4)?

'Cause trust's such an old-fashioned word
And God dares you to call forth and He will send (some) greatness in reply
And God dares you to change today from scarlet to snow- think now
Jesus, our slain Lamb
Death is now past tense
Jesus beat Hell- He's our Savior! - unearned favor- treasure!

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The Power of Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go

     A lot of people have a wrong view of Christianity as a list of "do's and don'ts" and because of this they wind up making their identity about things they do for Christ instead of finding their identity in Christ alone and what He has done for us. We can never do enough good and avoid enough bad to measure up to God's standard. His standard is perfection. (Leviticus 11:45, Matthew 5:48) That's why we all need Jesus because He met the standard of perfection for us- because He is God's perfect son and He is perfection. He is God. His death and Resurrection pays the price for all sins- the punishment of Hell we all deserve Christ paid for us. When we put faith in Him, He saves us because He loves us and He keeps His Word. And His Spirit dwells in us to guide us into all truth and draw us closer to Himself.
     I was thinking on this some as I read about Hawk Nelson's lead singer who has sadly fallen away from his faith in Jesus. :-( Among other questions and doubts, this is one of the concerns he raised. He felt his faith was more about obligation and "do's and don'ts" in some legalistic pretense of The Gospel.
    But that's not The Gospel at all. The Good News of Jesus is that the work is done! The good we could never do has been done for us. When we put faith in Jesus, we enter into a covenant much like that of marriage. (Our relationship with God is even described in those terms in Ephesians 5 and Revelation 21:2.) A husband and wife united as one in the holy bonds of matrimony are not seeking to do things to impress each other. They do things for each other because they love each other! There is a relationship there that is real and active and it's driven by love! There's a reason husbands and wives tend to even physically look like each other over the years as they become so united in body, mind and spirit. They accept each other and come to enjoy even activities they may not have previously liked or cared about solely because their spouse enjoys them! Anything that reminds them of each other brings them joy!
     The song I have linked came to mind for me because I think it captures that feeling of ecstasy so well that comes with being in love for the first time. I think it's a great picture of the love relationship that develops between us and God. We want to get to know all we can about Him just as I would for my wife (if I had one.) We want to spend time with Him in the same way. We pray to Him constantly and we read and reread and reread over and over again His love letter to us in The Bible. We love saying His Name and thinking about Him. We love seeing acts of love and kindness that remind us of Him. We love to do those things that we know please Him- even things that we previously may not have liked because being with Him changes us. We hate the things He hates as well because we are of one mindset with Him.
    Our attitude should be like David's in the Psalms where he pours out his love for The Lord! In Psalms 119:2, we are to seek God with our whole heart. (And verses 9-12) In verse 14, I delight in God's testimonies as much as in all riches. In verses 15-16, my eyes are fixed on God's ways and I won't forget His Word and statutes. I hope in His Word in verse 81 and I meditate on it all the day in verse 97. The entire chapter says over and over again how much David delights in The Lord and His Word.
      Jesus is the treasure hidden in a field worth selling everything I have to buy the field and get the treasure! Jesus is the pearl of great price worth selling everything I own in order to buy the precious pearl! Of course, I don't have to pay anything to have Jesus- God gives Him to me for free! (See Matthew 13)
In coming after Him, I deny myself, take up my cross daily and follow Him. I lose my life for His sake and He saves it. (Luke 9:23-24) There's no profit in gaining the whole world and losing my soul. (Matthew 16:24-28) But for me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21) Jesus is better than anything else my heart desires. (Psalms 73:23-26 and 84:10) The love relationship I have with Him naturally makes me to be more like Him each day and naturally makes me fall deeper in love with Him all the time as I understand more and more the depths of His love for me. (Romans 5:8, Romans 8:38-39)
     That's the power of His love and The Gospel. It's not rote religion- it's reinvigorating relationship! It's the power of being "seized by a great affection", as N. Gordon Cosby put it. As Lifehouse put it, it's like "feeling alive all over again" and "being in love for the first time". That's the power of Love that wilt not let me go! It's believing wholeheartedly, whether I always feel it or not, that God is there and that He loves me beyond all my imagining and understanding and loving Him for who He is because He's worthy of all worship- and knowing that I'm right where I'm supposed to be in His arms forever and seeking to let everyone know about Jesus and His love. :-)
 
Lifehouse- "First Time"
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=J0YvWQNWEJA

Andrew Peterson- "The Power of a Great Affection"
https://youtu.be/_dtBVvMmHnY

Racism, Hatred, Multiculturalism and God's Love

(Note: This is a collection of three pieces I wrote in response to the tragic murder of Ahmaud Arbery, which happened in February 2020 but was not widely reported to the public until May 2020. I have included links in some places where I was writing in direct response to that. These are my observations on the racism still rampant in the world since sin is still rampant in the world and a Biblical response to it.)


   I have been at least an occasional runner since first competing in cross country and track and field in high school. I have been running again more regularly lately since the weather got warmer. Thus, I would likely have gone for a run or walk today anyway.
  In light of Ahmaud Arbery's birthday today (May 8), I thought it was only fitting to go for a run/walk in his honour and memory today. (As you can see in the link below, a lot of folks have also done just that.) I have read so many stories like his in recent years that have come to light (I'm sure there are many more that don't) and it is incredibly sad and disgusting and infuriating all at once. It reviled me to see the evil that sin brings about.
     I find it crazy to think that while I as a white man have not ever had a random person stop me while I'm about and confront me with a gun because they suspected me of burglary- African-American citizens have had similar experiences far too often. (And once is one too many.) As I've said before, leave the law to law officers. If you have credible suspicions, report them. Don't make baseless accusations and don't confront and retain people against their will because you have no authority to do so. It's one thing to risk your life in trying to stop a crime or stop the perpetrators when you have concrete proof of both the crime and the lawbreakers. There is something to be said for selflessness and trying to help those in need- but that also constitutes vigilantism and one must be aware of the horrible consequences it can bring- which is why it's best to leave such matters to the police when it's a legitimate matter worthy of their attention. (Note: Running, playing golf, waiting for friends at a coffee shop, walking home at night, selling water as a fundraiser, falling asleep in your own commons room, babysitting kids, selling houses as a realtor, having a barbecue at a park, mowing lawns, and just going about daily life in general are not matters that need police intervention.) Take the time to lovingly and kindly talk with people and assume the best about them rather than assuming the worst. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
      While I was out and about in the neighbourhood, I took time to pray for Mr. Arbery's family and for the McMichaels as well, that God would bring justice and comfort for the former and repentance for the latter. I also prayed that God would open our eyes to acknowledge the sin of hatred that continues to rear its ugly head so often in the form of racism- and to help us repent of it and truly show Jesus' love to all.
This is a Gospel issue. Jesus died and rose to pay for all our sins- and we are all equally guilty before Him. His intervention on our behalf is the grace and mercy of God that longs to not see us punished and eternally separated from Him, but forgiven and eternally reconciled to Him.
    1 John 4:20 says we cannot love God Whom we haven't seen when we hate our brother whom we have seen. When we see injustice in the world, we are called to speak out against it. (Isaiah 1:17, Amos 5:24, Micah 6:8) Jesus' mission statement in Luke 4:16-21 speaks to this as well. He came to free the oppressed spiritually- and He uses us to help do that physically as well. The world will know we are Christians by our love. (John 13:35)

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2020/05/08/world/ahmaud-arbery-support-run-trnd/index.html

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https://www.augustachronicle.com/opinion/20200511/letter-black-racism-murdered-arbery?fbclid=IwAR1vkdUg1eCkX3XvET39sK1J9uxovZbKHJ150Ty5AHjYbv1rYj8RNxWWjvk


This letter was quite disturbing to read as well as very saddening. :-(
  The takeaway I got from this is that, in the writer's point of view, apparently Mr. Arbery was "asking for it" because he and other African-Americans were getting too "uppity".
   I'm glad he at least noted that it's unfortunate when any American citizen, whether white or black (by the way, there are more than two races in the US and the world but the distinction is understandable for the context of this letter), is murdered unnecessarily. (Evidently, there are times he deems murder to be necessary. Perhaps he meant to say "killed unnecessarily" here.)
    It's ironic he mentions the existence of predominantly black colleges without acknowledging that segregation and racism against African-American people are largely the reasons why they exist.
    Perhaps some overt racism on the part of the government has declined since the 1960s but that does not mean that more subtle systemic forms don't exist. And obviously overt racism on the part of individuals still exists. That was one of the biggest culture shocks for me coming from the country where I grew up as a minority among for the most part very loving and open people to coming to the Southern USA in a small town where I encountered a number of close-minded racist people.(Which is certainly not descriptive of everyone in that town or in the South or USA in general.) Sin still plagues our world and it continues to fill hearts with hate, sadly. That will continue as long as earth endures until Christ's return.
   And I would ask this gentleman what he would do in regards to one of Christ's most famous commands. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." (Matthew 7:12, Luke 6:31)
   If you and your family were dark-skinned of African descent and you couldn't even trace all your ancestry back past a few generations because your ancestors were not considered to even be full human beings and thus records were not kept for them- and your ancestors had been kidnapped and brutally enslaved in horrific conditions at the hands of white colonialists- and then even after the country your family was brought to nearly split apart fighting a war largely for the right to own your great, great, great grandparents as property- and then after that, your ancestors endured substandard housing and schooling and economic job opportunities, along with a denial by the government of basic rights like voting- and continued to endure numerous taunts and being made to feel as second class citizens and suffered numerous acts of violence and murders at the hands of cowardly bullies who hid their faces behind sheets and twisted The Bible to somehow claim God was on their side- and to this day, you yourself continue to see those deleterious effects of this cumulative history along with the racist attitudes still prevalent in society, often fueled by the President himself, who seems to hold and enable many racist, sexist and xenophobic views and actions- how would you feel if a non-black person, particularly a white one, told you that you should quit whining about it and stop claiming that people are racist when evil acts of cruelty up to and including murder are performed against people of your skin colour, along with other non-white skin tones, still on an all-too-regular basis?
    What would be the most loving thing to do for someone in that position? Instead of denying the reality of racism, we need to repent from it and let God change our hearts. That's precisely why Jesus came to die and rise- so all sins would be paid for and we could be restored by faith in Him to the loving people who He made us to be, who love God with their all and love their neighbours as themselves. You cannot say you love God, Whom you haven't seen, if you hate your brother whom you have seen. (1 John 4:20)
   Remember too, if one is a follower of Christ, that Philippians 2 commands that we think of others before ourselves and as better than ourselves. That is the example Jesus gave when He humbled Himself to the point of death on the cross. That's why God raised Him up and gave Him the Name above all names that at His Name every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
    I have no idea about where this letter writer stands in relation to Christ but I thought it particularly worth noting for one thing because so many have claimed Christ's Name, yet betrayed Him through hateful words and actions that do not reflect His heart in any way at all.
    As Rev. Dr. King, Jr. said, hate cannot drive out hate- only love can do that. I pray God's Love will transform this man's heart and all those in need of His Love that makes enemies to be friends and brothers.
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I just wanted to offer this bit of insight as a white man who grew up as a minority in a country where the white population was about 0.5% who then came to live in the American South.
    I have never thought of any neighbourhood as "belonging" to a particular race. I grew up in a multi-racial neighbourhood. My next door neighbours were of African descent. The neighbours across the street were of Indian descent. The neighbours down the street were of Chinese descent. I remember regularly going by their houses as a kid. All the neighbourhood kids got together on Saturdays for games of tag and "Police and tief". (The Trinidadian equivalent of "cops and robbers". :-))
   Those adult neighbours were as aunty and uncle to me. In fact, that is what we called them, as that was the social, respectful custom there.
   Imagine the culture shock of coming from growing up 10 years there to living in a largely white neighborhood in a small Southern town that unfortunately harbored a lot of racist, redneck attitudes. (No, that's not to say everyone was like that, of course. However, the grand dragon of the KKK did live in that town, so there's that.)
   I have seen and heard a lot of racist attitudes and actions even from and sometimes especially from people in the church who claimed to love The Lord Jesus Whom they haven't seen yet hated their brother whom they have seen. (Check 1 John 4:20. That just doesn't work.)
   I have seen NUMEROUS comments from people online who hold some very racist and xenophobic ideas about non-white people who are not from America originally.
   I am so glad to have been able to serve in rural school districts serving some of the poorer people of the state, with a mixture of racial demographics. I have worked at a predominantly African-American populated school, both in students and faculty and staff. I have a similar balance at my current work place. I live in an apartment complex with many African-American and Indian neighbours, which feels like home to me. (Especially as I can often smell curry in the air in my building! :-))
   Of course there are people who hold hateful views of others based on race, nationality, religion, sex and so forth. It sickens me to see it in the church as that flies in the face of The Gospel! The Bible says that God made all people in His image! Male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:27)
   Philippians 2 says I am to follow the example of Jesus Who humbled Himself to the point of death on the cross to pay for our sins and then rose again. That passage says I am to think of others as better than myself and to be concerned about their needs above my own!
   I am to love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength and love my neighbour as myself. I am to do unto others as I would have them do unto me.
   The church should be doing all these things and reaching out in love to all people. The church should also be standing against injustice! That's what Love does and it's what we are commanded to do too. (1 Corinthians 13:6, John 13:35, Isaiah 1:17, Micah 6:8, Amos 5:24)
   In doing these things, we must also recognize the history of racism and pride and hatred and greed that has shaped America's history, along with so many other countries affected by colonialism. To point out the ways racism sure seems to be ingrained in the system of doing things is an acknowledgement of history and the sins of our forefathers.
We can't change what has been done but we can repent of any sin we have done and any sin of racist attitudes that still linger and lament over them.
   If we as Christians are not loving all people of all races, we are not comporting to God's Word. It's fitting that I am scheduled to read Numbers 12 today in my daily quiet time with God, a passage where God punished Miriam and Aaron for defying Moses' authority and particularly for decrying his Cushite wife (i.e. darker skinned)
  We better learn to love seeing a variety of skin colours because Revelation 5:9 says there will be some from every tribe, tongue and nation in Heaven all praising Jesus as one. Racial unity in the body of Christ is the model of Heaven. In fact, as Galatians 3:28 and Colossians 3:11 tell us, there's no Jew or Greek, slave or free, nor male or female- we're all one in Christ Jesus.
   May God truly help us live out that truth.

My Only Good (poem)

Note: I thought it might be fun to post this during this week as a way to celebrate both National Poetry Month (which is in April) and Holy Week. I have done poetry readings videos for this week, if anyone's interested (These are specifically available for my family and friends on Facebook.) (I still did them to amuse myself even if no one's interested- lol. :-)) The text of this poem and a little introduction is below. Enjoy! Happy Easter! 
In honour of Holy Week and The Lord Jesus, I also wanted to read poems reflecting on the sacrifice Jesus made for all of us when He died and rose to pay for all sins for all time. We can have forgiveness of sins and salvation from the hell we deserve and entry into the Heaven we don't deserve all through our faith in the love God has for us and the salvation He has provided through Christ! (Romans 10:9-13) ................................................................................


Happy Resurrection Sunday! This poem is one I wrote in the late hours of Holy Saturday and finished in the early hours of Easter Sunday. Thank You, Lord God for loving sinners like me even though I do so much wrong. You proved Your love through Jesus' death and Resurrection. He bore the punishment I deserved that brought me peace! This poem is a reminder of what it cost Jesus to bring us salvation. It is also a reminder of how much God loves us and still restores even when we still fall into sin at times and then come back to Him in repentance. He is still sanctifying me and makes it more clear to me all the time how much I need Him. He is my only good. I pray any who don't know Him might choose to call upon Him in faith and trust His death and rise to pay for all sins and follow Him too. Jesus loves you! :-)


"My Only Good"
(original poem copyright Nathan Ludwick 4/12/2020)
(Genesis 1-3, Revelation 20-22, Revelation 19:16, Luke 23:34, Isaiah 53, Psalms 51, Luke 24:1-12, Romans 7, 1 John 1:9, Psalms 19, Colossians 1:17-20, 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, Romans 5:6-8)

In the beginning it was all good
Then sin had to come and ruin the neighbourhood
God made a perfect world of oceans and mountains and animals and plants
Oh, to travel back in time to perfect fellowship in Eden
You made man in Your image- male and female You created them
And You said everything You made was very good- then we perverted all that
And I can't just blame Adam and Eve or Satan and demons
Every day I grapple with sin and I see more and more how much I love the forbidden
I know it's born of hell and I know it grieves Your heart,
Yet time and again I dive in wholeheartedly with wicked delight and clamp down like a bulldog
I feel I've wrested the title from Paul; I'm in a tribe of sinners and serve as chief of all
I don't want to do the wrong I do but loneliness courts fantasy with guilty pleasures in the dark
But The Spirit brings me back to repentance and the mind of Christ brings a different thought
Every time I sin in the flesh now it time travels 2000 years in the past
Another lustful sexual thought- another brutal lash upon Your back
Another misleading word or flat out lie- another thorn upon Your brow
Another fit of unrighteous rage- another spike of pain through the nails in Your hands
All the sins of all humans for all time laid upon You all at once in unimaginable pain
Yet while gasping for breath You still look at me and everyone else- the source of Your pain
With divine love and plead, "Father, forgive them- they know not what they do."
And You gave up the ghost for such a worm as I- as The Father and The Ghost gave You up
The sinless Son became sin so that I could become righteousness.
And this is all part of God's good plan- it pleased The Father to crush Christ to spare my life
It was very good when You finished creation on Friday and it was very good when You finished new creation on Good Friday.
And now when temptation hits and I lick my lips with lust, may the taste of Your flesh and blood fill me with revile and recoil
As the only true satisfaction of walking with Jesus in service of Heaven comes to my recall
When You first came You had no beauty for us to desire You yet we had no beauty for You to desire us.
Yet You delight in me because I'm Your creation and You love me- so I will follow and love You as You enable.
Love conquers all and You proved it when You rose again and defeated sin, death, the devil and hell.
I praise You, King of kings and Lord of lords- may my life be pleasing to You as I await Your return or for You to call me Home for eternity.
And in the end, it will be all good.

....................................................................

Paradise By The Passion Of Christ (song)

    How excited we get for so many things in life! A birthday party, Christmas, vacation, a visit from an old friend, the big game, the big dance, a date, first kiss, marriage, a new baby- all such wonderful blessings from God! Sometimes though, the extraordinary simply becomes extra ordinary and our enthusiasm goes down to the vegan's for Meatloaf Monday in the school cafeteria.
    Isn't that how it goes in the life of a Christian? Where does the joy of The Lord go when the amazing salvation we have from sin, death and hell for free through Christ's death and Resurrection simply becomes old hat? Our testimonies should never be mundane! For those in Jesus Christ, we have crossed from death to life! That's something worth celebrating every day! Praise The Lord all my soul and forget not all His benefits! :-) Just like the thief on the cross, we can rejoice that our names are written in The Lamb's Book of Life in Heaven, our sins and forgiven and we're free- and we receive Paradise by the Passion of Christ!

"Paradise By The Passion Of Christ"
(Parody of "Paradise By The Dashboard Light" by Meatloaf; copyright Nathan Ludwick 3/17/2020)
(Luke 23 (particularly verse 43), Hebrews 9:27-28, Revelation 20:11-15, Romans 5:1-11 (especially v. 8), Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Romans 10:9-13, Romans 8:12-17, 1 John 3:16-24, Hebrews 13:5, Psalms 107:1-3, Psalms 108:1-6, Psalms 150, Psalms 149, Jeremiah 20:9, Psalms 32, Psalms 33:1-3, Psalms 16, Psalms 47:1, Psalms 51, Isaiah 1:18, Isaiah 53:6, John 14:6, 1 Peter 3:15, Acts 1:1-8, Colossians 3:1-4, Philippians 1:20-21, Romans 14:8, Philippians 3:20-21, 1 Peter 1:12-25, Hebrews 2:1-4, Romans 3:21-26, Ephesians 2:1-10, Matthew 28:18-20, 2 Kings 7:9, Luke 6:20-23, Luke 10:17-20, Luke 12:13-21, Matthew 24:36, Psalms 84:10, Psalms 42:1-2, Psalms 63, Psalms 73:23-28, Psalms 138, Psalms 137:4-6, 2 Corinthians 12:1-6, 2 Corinthians 6:2, Revelation 2:7, Revelation 21-22 (especially 22:20-21))

Well, I remember every little thing
As if it happened only yesterday
Harken to the day when I just got down to the end of life
And remember that the trial
Booked me for the theft I'd been doing
And all the guilt- it's true
It was weighing down on me- that's right
And now two robbers are on a cross with Christ
The other yelled so rude, instead I felt contrite
(And) said, "We're going down to Sheol on account of our crimes
Not coincidental- that verbiage is true for Christ
No wrongs for Lord Christ!
Thy kingdom come- Hold me, Christ!"
Though I stole and only chose belief when about to die
I received Paradise by the Passion of Christ

Ain't no doubt about it- I was eternally blessed
Go read it there- Luke 23:43- share the text
Ain't no doubt about it!
Baby- got to go and shout it!
Ain't no doubt about it!
I am eternally blessed!
'Cause it was there Christ guaranteed to me eternal rest!

Baby, don't you hear my heart?
I got to shout it out 'cause He saved my soul!
I'd been weighed down so long but then the Son of God lifted me with Love
Well, I gotta let you know
No, you're never gonna reach Heaven
By hoping that your life has got less wicked than right
You need Jesus Christ!
Only One Who ain't ever done wrong!
And, no- Nobody comes even close to right
3rd. chapter- check Romans- we're sinners- all but Christ!
And we're going to hell eternal on account of our crimes
Romans 5:8 met all consequence(s) of our crimes
Come on! Go to Christ!
For Heaven- go through Christ!
Though your soul's corroded- sins may be scarlet
They can be snow white- Isaiah 1:18 said
Victorious one gets to eat from the tree of life
(Rev. 2:7) Paradise of God- that's all right!
God's got to do what you can't
Trust The Father- He's your true Life vest
In faith, leap out- won't drown then
You'll be eternally blessed
'Cause it's there- Isaiah 43- Go read verse 3- sweetness!

You wanna know all the places in (The) Bible
That's gonna go and actually say the word "Paradise"?
You're gonna go all the way- that's right
To 2nd. Corinthians- in 12th. chapter's lines
There's (a) guy I know, Paul relays (in) 3rd. line
He got to go all the way into Paradise
He got to go to third heaven's sights
We're gonna go- all who's saved- to Paradise through Christ

Okay, here we go, we got a real testimony going here
True dat! Somebody from nowhere, nomads for Lord Christ
Thus he winds up in Trinidad
A child brought up on mission- locked in sin though
This boy is only five
He's grounded firm theologically learning about God
See, God's setting up his heart
He's got a sister setting example- The Bible's lived by brother
And here comes the call- The Spirit calls
He comes with Isaiah verse
53:6- Wow!
That weight's laid down at the cross' base
This pig really makes things sharpen and get clear
Better stop up and explain- Where's the pig? In a story
And what a love he's got- it's kinda absurd
Man and pet- ship on a cruise- overboard
Gonna drown- pig's in space where saving him's pretty crazy to dare
Man's not caring and he dives to pick him up
A picture lands home there- Christ's love there in devotions
Bowing down- family prays time- he knew defiance and fights are wrong
Deserves hell- Jesus saves- sins all paid on cross- He arose- He's The Saviour God
Boy prays now- He asked Jesus to save him!

God worked there!
He's gotta show right now
The Lord to his little brother
'Cause he loves him
Jesus Loves us forever!
Do you hear me?
He will never leave us!
He will take us to Heaven for the rest of all time!
Will you take Him as Saviour- will you give Him your life?
Dude was sharing!
And then God saved his brother!
Thank You, Jesus!
We both now believe You!
Will You make me the man You formed me to be in my life?
Well, You saved me today and You're always in my life
I had to renew my vows
In order to go any further
I still trust You
And I love You forever!
..................................................

But we sleep on it
How He saved me! Let me speak on it!
Oh, how sweet it is!
Need to give all The Answer who are hurting
But we sleep in Light
(Ask Keith Green, yeah) We won't speak of it
Let lost drown in sin
And we believe Christ's The Answer but we hoard Him
And we soak in it
Hey, don't you see? When we keep it in
Then we're deep in sin
Let's give world The Answer- they are drowning!

They gotta know right now
Jesus loves us!
Jesus loves us forever!
We all need Him!
He will never leave us!
He will take us to Heaven if we give Him our lives
Will you take Him as Saviour and The Lord of your life?
You gotta know- time is now
2 (Two) Corinthians 6:2
To get saved please!
The door's not open forever

What's it gonna be, world?
Come on- only Way is Christ
What's it gonna be, boy?
Yes or No?
What's it gonna be, girl?
Yes or No?

Wanna sleep on it?
Baby, baby- you can't sleep on it
While you sleep on it
May not get to see another night or morning
What if ya go right now?
How will He judge you? (It is permanent!)
Hellbound judged or to Heaven?
(27 in Hebrews 9- check!)
Did you read it?
Hell and Heaven are real, babe!
Well, the judgment is happening (Yeah, Hebrews 9 says)
At the end of our lives
(We're given one death- it's been appointed)
While The Saviour awaits
(We're given a chance here ere His coming)
You oughta know Christ now
Before you go past returning
Dude, He loves you!
Will you trust Him for Heaven?
You can't sleep on it
He still loves you forever
Let Christ Jesus in!
Will you trust Him forever?

I couldn't shake You any longer- Lord, I was saved!
And when doubt feelings come upon me like a tidal wave
My heart's reassured then by God the Holy Ghost's soft way
And I just trust Him with my entire life
I know that He will hold me past the end of time
So now I'm praying while awaiting His time
Please hurry up and arrive
'Cause world is gonna end and Father, my life's in You!
Feels on brink but Christ's coming's in Your time
You never forget Your promise or break Your vow
And God already knows too often I flake out
In praying, "Forgive sin that binds"
Let all I do praise You (oh oh oh)
Saved me, now You sanctify- then I will spend all time with You

Is it long to go? Is it not far away?
'Cause Jesus (is) so much better than afforded today
......................................
Only God can know, well, just how far away (Well, Heaven feels so good 'cause Heaven's Jesus Christ!)
And Jesus' (is) so much better than all sins' dread sway
(His glory's glowing makes all else dull and dim- so turn your eyes) (x4)
...............................................,
Jesus died and rose and sins all were just paid (Get saved from Hell for good to Heaven- trust in Christ)
What Jesus promised robber is then ours to claim (And we are going by the Passion of Christ to Paradise!)
.........................................

How I Met My Saviour

    According to John 6:44, God The Father was drawing me to Himself long before I ever sought Him. He did the saving work about 2000 years ago when Jesus died and rose to pay for all sins for all time. The Holy Spirit did His work in my life millennia after to convict me of sin and show me my need for a Saviour.
    So even as I relay my personal circumstances, it's important to remember that God alone does the saving work. I relay this first because it's part of my story.
    Growing up as both a MK and PK, I got to hear The Gospel constantly in family devotions, Sunday School and church. I got to see the Gospel lived out in my parents and siblings.
   And when I was about 5 or 7 or so, I made a decision to ask Jesus into my heart as Lord and Saviour. There were a few other factors God used. One was an alphabet book that had a Bible verse for every letter. The first one was Isaiah 53:6- "All we like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way, and The Lord has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all." Next to the verse was an illustration of a boy putting a heavy burden down off his back at the foot of the cross, much like Christian in "The Pilgrim's Progress" by John Bunyan. The text of "At the Cross" was also printed there- "At the cross, at the cross where I first saw The Light and the burden of my heart rolled away. It was there by faith I received my sight and now I am happy all the day."
    In a testament to the power of stories, the other factor that hit me was probably one of the goofiest stories ever written in a family Bible devotions book. (Which seems rather fitting for my generally goofy personality. :-)) It was a story about a man who loved his pet pig and apparently managed to take him on a cruise ship. The pig fell overboard and the man loved that pig so much that he risked his life by diving overboard to save him.
   Even in this simple form, it still got the heart of The Gospel across to me as a young kid. God went way overboard with us when He actually lowered Himself to become human, live among us and bear the same trials and struggles we bear for 33 years, knowing He could call legions of angels at His command and stop this whole shebang any time He wanted- but choosing to give up His superpowers (much like Superman did in "Superman II") just to be near us- and then to die for the sins of the world. That's crazy, dude! Especially growing up in a country surrounded by people with very different conceptions of God that said that man is supposed to work like crazy to appease an angry god and maybe if we're good enough we can hack it into Heaven. Nowhere in the script did it call for the Playwright to enter His own story and and save the whole universe by His own sacrifice! WOW!
    So I decided that night after hearing that story in family devotions to pray and receive Jesus so that He could save me from the Hell I deserve and instead take me to the Heaven I don't deserve.
   All that said, after about 3 decades out from that time, I have struggled a number of times throughout with worries and doubts about my salvation- about whether my pumpkin patch was as sincere as Linus' and if I did something wrong and so forth. As I've said before though, I've doubted myself more than I've ever doubted God. So yeah, there have been times of reaffirmation and renewing my vows and such. (As 2 Corinthians 13:5 says, such heart checks are good to do every so often.) I finally came to a place where I realized salvation is totally dependent upon God and not on me. I put faith in His saving work and just take Him at His Word.
   Though I am very thankful for the Christian family I have and being surrounded with The Gospel, I have also sometimes felt like it can be easy to fall into a cultural faith that becomes built on Pharisaical religiosity. I've felt like maybe at times I was hard-nosed on some things in Pharisee fashion, whether I meant to be or not. I found it extremely helpful reading theology books like C.S. Lewis ("Mere Christianity", "The Screwtape Letters" and "The Weight of Glory" are particular favourites) and Tim Keller ("The Prodigal God" particularly- a book that helped me learn to repent of any righteousness I thought I ever had on my own) and Philip Yancey ("What's So Amazing About Grace?" and "Disappointment with God" are both awesome!)- and definitely Brennan Manning's "The Ragamuffin Gospel". (A book I have read and reread and cried over many times! God loves us just as we are not as we should be- 'cause none of us are as we should be.)
I recognize that there is no good in me- Jesus is my only good.
    And that's where I am now. God is always faithful even when I'm not. When I fall back into sin, I go back to 1 John 1:9. He forgives and restores.
   I also believe, if people are honest, we've all struggled with doubts at some point. I think God uses them to help us have an even stronger faith in the end. 1 John 3 is an extremely helpful passage for that! Even when my heart condemns, God is greater than my heart and He knows everything. He tells me The Truth. He who The Son sets free is free indeed. And when we're adopted as sons and daughters of The King, we're His forever! (John 1:12 and Romans 8:12-17 and 11:29)
    I mentioned the power of stories earlier and I would definitely add reading "The Chronicles of Narnia" by C.S. Lewis as a kid was also influential. There is a great line in "The Silver Chair" where Puddleglum declares that He's going to live as a Narnian even if there isn't a Narnia! I felt much the same when it came to dealing with fickle, funny, Funky Winkerbean feelings- I'm going to live for Christ no matter what my feelings say at times. I know Whom I have believed in and He is Faithful and True. As Campus Crusade for Christ founder Bill Bright explained in the Four Spiritual Laws, the feelings are like the caboose on a train. The engine of faith drives it with or without the caboose. Thus, my faith rests in the facts of God's Word. My faith has found a resting place not in device or creed-I need no other argument or plea- it is enough that Jesus died and that He died for me.
    And Hallelujah- He rose and He lives and He's coming again! And because He lives, we can live also. :-)
   (Note: I know this may be somewhat long, but I thought someone else might appreciate hearing this, especially in regards to soteriology.) Jesus loves you! Don't ever forget that. God bless :-)

He Holds On (song)

As 2 Corinthians 13:5 says, it's worth doing a heart check every so often to make sure we're really in the faith. We certainly need to make our election sure. In that same vein, it seems we at times go through heartache to heartache, yearning for a reassurance from our General in the battlefield of love and life and levity and everything in between. (Sometimes those heartbreakers are preceded by the Holy Spirit's heart shakers that remind us we've fallen from the path and need to get back on.) Jesus is the stronger man who can not only bend a car, but plunder the strong man's house- and He sets the captive free. And sometimes He has to remind us when we come in repentance that we belong to Him. I'm SO glad to know that He is faithful even when I'm not and He holds on.

"He Holds On" (parody of "We Belong" by Pat Benatar; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 12/18/2018)
(Galatians 3, Romans 14:8, Romans 11:29, 2 Timothy 2:11-13, Jude 1:24-25, John 6 (particularly verses 35-40), 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, John 3:16-21, John 8:31-36, Mark 9:41, John 10 (particularly verses 27-30), John 1:12, John 6:44, John 15, 1 John 3 (particularly verses 16-24))

Many times The Bible tells you
Baby, Christ's called us His own
Already? I'm surprised how soon you cut out leaving Him to friend zone
Galatians- read in 3 please
You're perfected by flesh? Why'd you give up (The) Ghost so easy?
You may doubt but can't escape from Christ

We belong to The Light, we belong to The Father
We belong to The Son (and) Holy Ghost- we boast in no other
Whenever we deny, His embrace still works- so remember
We belong- no recalls- we belong to Heaven

Hey, we all have times of weakness
When we go so far astray
Baby, we just would all blow it if through our own strength anyway
Though we once were all wrath's kids- well, sin distorts the facts
Irrevocable calling
Now there's no turning back
When You say

We belong to The Christ, we belong to The Father
We belong to Spirit- we're The Lord's- read Romans 14:8
Whenever we deny, let's embrace the words of our Saviour-
All He's called- in faith respond- we belong to Saviour

Close your eyes- pray The Lord to keep now
Souls in Christ (are) held eternally!
Check the lines in John 6 and 10- Christ won't cast out called out sheep
We can't begin, uphold or lose what we didn't earn
I hear Your voice as I read- I see Your face wherever I turn
Still You say-

Read 8 John- 35th. line- The son stays forever!
We belonged to the serpent at first- we're born fallen sinners
Whomever The Son sets free from chains is free for forever!
Read along- seek The Son- come along to Heaven!
He, The Son, gave the right to become kids of The Father
Read in John 1:12- Son gave to those (who) believed (and) received Son there
Whenever (our) hearts decide we're not saved, The Lord's heart knows better
Read 1 John 3:20 on- believe The Son- love others
We're in palms of The Christ- He holds on for forever!

...........................

Contextual Reading (song)

Note: Though I didn't really write anything with a Christmas theme for the blog this year, these next three entries were all written in some ways as gifts for others, so consider them as Christmas presents to remember the Giver of all good gifts Who gave us the very best when He sent Christ that first Christmas to save us all from our sins. Merry Christmas! Praise God for His love. :-)

There are lots of preachers out there telling us and selling us all kinds of takes on God and the Gospel. Jesus said there would be false teachers who would come and we must be ready to see through and past them to the only real Gospel that Jesus Himself taught. (See Matthew 24) One of the best ways to defend against such mars on Christ's teachings is to engage in His Word and read it in the right context. This means reading The Bible with the Holy Spirit's guidance, first of all. Ask Him to be leading you in reading it right. Keep in mind the time and place the Scriptures were written and to whom they were originally written- and read the passages immediately before and after the passage you're reading- and then ask Him to help you see how they fit to our lives today. This song is largely inspired by one of my friends who has studied a lot on these things in seminary and has continually been an encouragement and reminder to employ contextual reading. (Hence the line referencing my friend Thaddeus- "When you get Thad preaching, you get contextual reading." ;-) Check out his awesome contextual readings and analyses of the Scriptures at his "Liberating Lions" blog that I have linked to on this site.)

"Contextual Reading"
(parody of "Sexual Healing" by Marvin Gaye; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 6/26/2016)
(Romans 16:17-18, Luke 24, John 16:3, book of Jude, 2 Peter 3:14-18, John 14:15-31, 1 Corinthians 2:12-16, 1 Timothy 6:3-6, 1 Timothy 1:3-7, 2 Timothy 2:15, 2 Corinthians 8:9, Galatians 1:6-10)

Get up, get up, read up, read up
Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up!

Be wary now- (of) prophets falsified
(Ohh!)
They're saying that God judges like sin's nothing
He's just all-loving
And all peeps, we can go in all roads there
To Heaven; Scripture says "Wrong there!"

And when I get bad teaching
(I) use contextual reading
(Con)textual reading; and Spirit
Makes me read it right

Helper, just teach and guide
Spirit-filled reading, baby, does good for me
Spirit-filled reading enlightens- that's good for me

Whenever bad dudes drop bad doctrine
Then my devotional's 1st. Timothy- I read 6:3
They know nothing of The Truth
They can get a word quarrel on and rile you up, baby

And Holy Ghost, You'll be there to just lead me
('Cause) Folks love to give, baby, bad teaching
But they don't know the thing they're dealing
Ohh- you can tell that, darling- use contextual reading

Get up, read up, get up, read up
Galatians 1 verse 9
Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up
Those fake dudes get fried

Baby, we've gotta check this warning
Just read 1:7 1st. Timothy
They teach 8:9 (Two) 2 Corinthians-
Says Name, claim- God's giving earthly riches

And when we get bad teaching
(We) use contextual reading
Spirit-filled reading- it guides our read
It reveals these lines pack such a punch
Helps to go read the lines- after and previous

Contextual reading takes in geography
Contextual reading knows culture and history
Takes all God's teachings and He grows us rich spiritually (Oh!)

He took control and saved my soul
Now I've got the mind of Christ; 2:16 1 Corinthians
I'll be reading right
Take the medicine, open up and let Him in
And when you are saved, Christ opens for you what Scriptures say

Get up, read up, get up, read up
24 Luke tonight
Wake up, read up, wake up, read up
32- that line

1 Corinthians 2:13, mate

(So) When you get bad teaching
Use contextual reading
And when you get Thad preaching
(You) get contextual reading
I want my contextual reading, darling
Or it all goes wrong
Spirit-filled reading, darling
Teach me in 14 John
Please don't extrapolate
Read it good- stay on same page

Season for the Reason: Transpirings and True Transforming

Note: This was written in response to a claim sometimes made in regards to choices about sexuality. If people see orthodontists to straighten crooked teeth and eye doctors to correct impaired vision, why should someone not also seek to have surgery to alter one's sexual identity on a physical level to match one's internal sense of sexual identity for those struggling with gender dysphoria?
      To be clear, as 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 says, "what have I to do with judging outsiders?" Everyone is free to do as they wish. Those outside of Christ will not consider themselves bound to The Bible and thus wouldn't be following it anyway. While of course I think they should, first I think they should get saved by Jesus as they won't be able to fully understand or adhere to His Word otherwise anyway. There is of course much more that could be said on this but this is my concise summary of some of what The Bible says on this. This is an attempt at a Biblical view of the subject and why I believe it's best to accept the sexual identity God has given us rather than fight it.
..............................................................................

    A trans person 18 and over is free to do as he or she wishes with his or her body, in regards to body modification via reassignment surgery.
   I don't think a child should be allowed to make such a life-altering decision as a child is still mentally developing and may have a change of feelings down the road.
   In regards to the common rejoinder mentioned earlier here, I would say this. God did not make anyone with bad vision or crooked teeth. When God saw His creation on the 6th. day, He said it was very good. (Genesis 1:26-31)
Ecclesiastes 7:29 says that God made man to be perfect but man has gone off in search of many schemes.
   When man sinned and rebelled against God, the whole was cursed with sin and subjected to futility, as Romans 8 explains. (See also Genesis 3.) This is when bad vision and crooked teeth and other ailments started cropping up. I believe this is also where proclivities toward forbidden sexual relations came up as well. (It's important to note here that being born with a particularity proclivity for a particular sin is of course beyond any person's control. Temptation itself is not sin; acting upon it is though.)
   For the other example, if God made someone a brunette, then that person is a brunette. Dying hair to make it blonde does not make that person a blonde. Eventually the dye wears off and the natural roots will grow back out.
   The same is true with transgenderism. A person can change outer and inner genitalia and hormone levels but this doesn't change who that person is ultimately. The chromosomes are still the same. Their identity doesn't change in God's eyes.
   That said, I don't think it's wrong to dye hair (though I have no desire to do so, particularly because I believe I should be happy with what God has given me in hair color. That is something God gives me. The moral weight of changing sex is quite different from changing hair color, as I don't think there is any for that.) Fixing bad vision and bad teeth is an attempt to temporarily address products of the fall that will one day permanently be fixed with a new body in Heaven for all those in Christ.
   The distinction with transgenderism is that God has forbidden sexual relations with the same sex. (Romans 1 is a particularly good passage for this but note also Jesus' words in Matthew 19.) A transgender person engaging in sexual relations with his or her birth sex after transition would thus be violating the command against homosexual relations.
   And in Deuteronomy 22:5, The Bible also forbids cross-dressing. Thus, it would follow that a transgender person wearing clothing of the opposite sex, even after having had transitional surgery, would still be violating this command.
   This is simply not God's design and trying to rebel against it simply continues to subject transgender people to futility. Note what God says in Romans 9:20-24. Does He not have the right as Creator to make His creation as He sees fit? The clay can't tell the potter that it doesn't like the design- the clay has no say in the matter.
   2 Corinthians 4:7 says we have this treasure- that each person made in God's image is- in jars of clay. The surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. Jesus says we can find rest for our souls in Him. (Matthew 11:28) Ultimately, He is the One we can and should take our dsyphorias in life to so we can have that rest in trusting our lives to the hands of our loving Creator.
     In the end, when we are saved through faith in Jesus' death and Resurrection, we'll find the restoration and satisfaction we desire through Him in Heaven. Until we get to Heaven, He helps us along the way here in the far country in dealing with these groanings. There is a day coming when all shall be well eternally and that's what I look forward to in the midst of this present suffering, knowing that the weight of glory coming far outweighs anything I go through here.

(For further reading, I found this article from "Christianity Today" extremely helpful and gracious in talking about and understanding a Christian response to this topic.

https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2015/july-august/understanding-transgender-gender-dysphoria.html )

Truth Springs Free (Glory Days) (song)

Note: This is an entry from the archives that I thought was appropriate with the new Mister Rogers movie out now, who is one of my modern Christian heroes! :-) This song pays tribute to a few of the saints who have gone before me that I can't wait to meet in glory days in Heaven!
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This one is my probably my third or fourth favorite from the boss of ‘80s rock. And it’s all about a number of my Christian heroes that have inspired me (although there are many others I could list than the song lists- like Rich Mullins, Keith Green, St. Francis of Assisi, Larry Norman, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Jim Elliot, my parents and family and friends and tons others. :-))
       But since I mentioned Mister Rogers earlier many times on this blog and I’ve espoused on something that was close on his heart (which you can read more about in “The Simple Faith of Mister Rogers” by Amy Hollingsworth- seriously, get it. I cry on certain passages in that book- so good!)- I definitely wanted to present this song of Christian heroes of the faith. I would have liked to known them, oh, but I was just distant- their candles burned out only for millions to begin. :-)) But we’ll meet in Heaven- and what a day- a glorious day- that will be!

“Truth Springs Free (Glory Days)”
by Nathan Ludwick copyright 6/25/2011
(parody of “Glory Days” by Bruce Springsteen)
(Hebrews 11, John 13:35, Hebrews 12:1-4,1 Corinthians 15:51-58, John 3:16-17)

I had a friend-Was a good next door neighbor
Back in pre-school
He would show that Jesus loves you
Make you look to your true worth
Saw him embody Christ- Mister Fred Rogers
I was watching him; he was walking out
13:35 in John- Francis (of) Assisi
Gospel he kept preaching without words

Chorus:
Glory Days- (in) the sweet by and by
Glory days- well, we’ll meet on a golden shoreline
Glory days, glory days

Well, there’s a girl that stood up for God
Cassie, you did good- gun took ya (to) Heaven
Columbine- I cry- Rachel Scott- sigh!
God has those two kids and their steadfast witness lives on
There was a woman- Corrie Ten Boom- yup yup
She hid the Jews from Germans- wow!
Jesus got her out Nazi camps of genocide
She went- Chinese people smiling
She was a tramp for The Lord now

(Repeat Chorus)

(Now, I) think ‘bout going up to go dwell with Christ
And I’m going to meet Paul and Eric Liddell
And I hope ‘till I get Home I won’t just sit ‘round thinking about it
But do God’s clear will
Yeah, just sitting back waiting for The Rapture
Belittles all The Savior’s love while lives slip away
In Hebrews 11, list of
Godly warriors in

Hall of Faith
Yeah, (in) the sweet by and by
Glory days- well, we’ll meet on a golden shoreline
Glory days, glory days
I’ll be there praising Christ
Glory days- in the twinkling of an eye
Glory days, glory days!

(Background vocals)
(How ‘bout this? It’s alright! Ooh yeah!
For all time! With Christ! Come on up! Oh yeah!
Get real life in Christ! Ooh yeah! Oh yeah!
All right! All right! Come on up! Ohh!
Woohoo! Uh huh! Woohoo! Oh yeah! Woohoo! Ooh! Woohoo! Oh!
All right- Joy! Keeps up rocking now!
Keep on going! ‘Cause we’ll be Home now!
Bring us Home! Yeah! Bring us Home! Oohh! Hold on! All right!
Yeah!
[We’re in Christ! (Woo!) x5]
-With Christ! Let’s Go!)
…………………………………………………………

Stuff Christian Culture Likes- and Stuff Christian Culture Needs to Repent From

I find it so sad to read through posts on the "Stuff Christian Culture Likes" Facebook page and see how so many people have been hurt by the Christian church and the Christianese culture that some people fall into that often does not really reflect the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I can't say I always agree with all the criticism leveled, but I can certainly admit there is validity to many of the points made and it's something all Christians and churches should consider. Whether you agree with everything or not, if you're a follower of Jesus, you should listen to what people have to say and take it to heart because there are many places the church so often fails and needs to address.
     It is some of these things that make the world see Christians as hypocrites and the church as an abusive manipulator rather than the loving solace it is supposed to be- a safe harbour for all people. It is a place where sinful people who have been transformed by the amazing grace of Jesus- demonstrated through His death and Resurrection to pay for all sins and save all who put faith in Him and follow Him- can congregate and help each other and not tear each other down. (see Ephesians 4:29 and 1 Corinthians 14:26. Use your spiritual gifts to build each other up and help them pursue holiness. Yes, there is a place to lovingly and humbly confront Christian brothers and sisters about sin in their lives- Jesus spoke about that in Matthew 18:17. But He also said that we better get the plank out of our eye before we try to help get the speck out of our brother's eye. [see Matthew 7:1-6])
      And above all- while speaking The Truth in Love (Ephesians 4:15), we must Love undergird all we do. "Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil, hold fast to what is good." (Romans 12:9) (Genuine love is reiterated in 2 Corinthians 6:6 and 8:8 too) "Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor." (Romans 12:10) 1 Corinthians 8:1 says that love builds up. As 1 Corinthians 16:14 says, "Let all that you do be done in love." Galatians 5:13 says that through love we should serve one another. And as 1 Peter 4:8 says, "Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins." I'm glad that God has covered me with His love and removed and forgiven my multitude of sins. As Jesus said- Freely you have received; freely give.
      When people don't see this, they can quickly become calloused with hardened hearts due to their hurts. It's easier to protect your heart than let it get broken again. I don't know the spiritual background of everyone on this site, so I'm not saying this about anyone in particular.
But I have found it to be an interesting linguistic observation that it's only one space away between an atheist and a theist. And the only way to make that space in their heart so it can be open to trusting God is through the Holy Spirit working- and He works through His children who seek to live out His love. So it's like Pete Townshend said, with a slight modification- Let Christ's Love open the door to your heart!
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxryzVVxFHI

The Power is Yours! (Forgetting What's Behind)

Don't ask, "Why were the old days better than today?" It's not good to ask such things.... (see Ecclesiastes 7:10-18 and chapter 12).... As Acts 17:24-28 tells us, God set men and women in history at exactly when and where He wanted them to be for His purposes.... (which doesn't mean that God won't move you at some point too though ;-))- But part of finding our identity in Jesus as His follower means being happy with who God made us to be- boy or girl, Asian, Hispanic, Native American, Pacific Islander, African descent, Indian descent, Caucasian, mixed, etc., Spanish, Trinidadian, American, German, Swiss, South African, Ukrainian, Canadian, Argentinan, Brazilian, Peruvian, Eritrean, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Australian, Indian, Senegalese, Antarctican, etc.- whatever the social class- whatever other label we put on each other....... God made us above all those things in His image (Genesis 1:26-31). And when we're in Christ, none of those things matter anyway! (Galatians 2:20, Colossians 3:1-4, John 13:34-35, Galatians 3:25-29) And as Colossians 3:11 says, "Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all."
    We are all infinitely important and infinitely loved by God. (Jeremiah 31:3) And we are all valuable in His kingdom, where the elder learns to serve the younger and the younger cares for the elder- where each thinks of others as better than themselves and each seeks to love each other truly and forgive from the heart...
     No, these aren't the "good ol' days"- but as I like to say, the only good ol' days this planet has ever seen were Genesis 1-2. We won't have any more truly good ol' days until Revelation 21-22 come to pass. But Jesus makes the in-between time more abundant when we follow Him, as John 10:10 says. :-) And during our faith journey with Him, He shapes us to be more and more like Him in character and empowers us with spiritual gifts to bring a touch of The Divine to a fallen world so badly needing of redemption. To be sure, the final Redemption culminates with the coming of The Lord- but until then, we're like the Planeteers with our power rings, sent forth to bring God's restoration to the world through our love and good deeds and sharing of the Greatest Love of all shown to us on the cross and in the empty tomb (Romans 5:8). And way better than Captain Planet, and the Avengers who "have a Hulk"- we have Someone Real Who can do something about our situation (Hebrews 11:1-6)- we have a Savior- Jesus Christ- Whom we eagerly await to come back from Heaven! We have The One Who alone bears the title of King of Kings and Lord of Lords! We have The One God Who holds all things together and by Him all things exist!

And as Jesus said in Acts 1:8 (in essence)- The Power is yours! :-) (So use His gifts and be His witness in all the world.)

Lord, You're The Inspiration! (song)

(Note: Another favourite from the archives. It's always a good day to praise The Lord! Psalms 118:24)

This one is a favorite of mine by, by far, the best rock band with a brass section that I’ve ever heard! And Relient K did an awesome cover of the original classic on their “Is For Karaoke” album in 2011. (Which I do believe is what really introduced me to this song, though I had been familiar with the band for much longer.) And The Lord gave me a blessing in getting to visit the namesake of this band the year I wrote this along with some beloved friends. And through it all- He is the One who makes all things work together for the good of those who love Him. And He’s the One who drives me to write, live and do anything. He’s The Inspiration! 

“Lord, You’re The Inspiration”
(parody of “You’re The Inspiration” by Chicago)
(parody copyright by Nathan Ludwick 3/1/2013)
(John 10:1-16, John 10:27-30, John 6:37, Isaiah 61:10-11, Luke 19:10, Psalms 27:10, Jude 1:20-25, John 15, Hosea 1-3, Hosea 11, Jeremiah 31:3, Isaiah 26:3, 1 John 3:16, Romans 10:8-13, John 3:16-17, Psalms 25, Psalms 103, Psalms 19, Psalms 104, Psalms 189, Psalms 73:22-26, 1 John 4:19, Colossians 3:1-4, Psalms 8, Malachi 3:6, Titus 3:4-8, 1 John 3:1)

I know our love is meant to be
The kind of love that lasts forever
And I want You here with me
From tonight on past the end of time 
You sure know everywhere I go
You’re always on my mind, in my heart, in my soul 

Savior- You’re the Meaning in my life (Lord,) You’re The Inspiration!
You bring feeling to my life
You’re The Inspiration!
Wanna have You near me
I wanna have You hear me saying
You know I need You, Lord- yes, I need You! 

And I know, and I know, yes I know- 1 John 4:19
We only love ‘cause You first loved us!
Now I know, now I know, that I need You here with me
I’m with Christ on past the end of time 
You sure know everywhere I go
You’re always on my mind,
(You’re) in my heart, (You’re) in my soul 

You’re The Meaning in my life
You’re The Inspiration!
You bring feeling to my life
You’re The Inspiration!
Gonna have You near me
Gonna have You hear me saying
You know I need You, Lord- yes, I need You! 

Ohhh……. 

Always have You near me
Always want You (to) hear me saying
You know I need You, Lord- yes, I need You!  You’re The Meaning in my life
You’re The Inspiration!
You bring feeling to my life
You’re The Inspiration! (Always have You near me)- [background vocal]
When you love Somebody- Past the end of time
When you love Somebody- Always on my mind
You know I need You, Lord- tonight
When you love Somebody- Past the end of time
When you love Somebody- Always on my mind
(I need You, Lord- tonight)[background vocal] ……………………………………………………………………………….. 

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow! Praise Him all creatures here below! Praise Him above, ye Heavenly hosts! Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost! Amen!  Peace and love of Christ to you. Hebrews 13:20-22 (especially verse 22- you guys know how short I keep these things. ;-)) 

God's Love (song)

 (Note: Another favourite from the archives. It's always a good day to praise The Lord! Psalms 118:24)

     And now for something we hope You’ll really like! These next two posts are love songs to God- to the God of my life who fills my life with His life and makes life worth living! And it’s all through God’s Love shown to us in Jesus. Praise God for His love!

  “God’s Love” (parody of “My Love” by Petula Clark)
 (parody copyright by Nathan Ludwick 3/1/2013)
(Malachi 3:6, Psalms 25, Psalms 8, Psalms 73:22-26, Psalms 139:17-18, Psalms 103, Zephaniah 3:17, Psalms 104, Psalms 19, Hosea 1-3, Hosea 11, Isaiah 61:10-11, Luke 19:10, Psalms 27:10, Matthew 23:37, John 15:9-17, Romans 8:37-39, Romans 8:1-4, John 6:37, John 10:1-16, John 10:27-30, 1 John 4:19, Isaiah 49, 1 John 4:7-21, Romans 10:8-13, Titus 3:4-8, 1 John 3:16, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Jeremiah 31:3, John 3:16-17, 2 Peter 3:8-9, 1 John 3:1, Jude 1:20-25, Revelation 20-22)

My God is warmer than the warmest sunshine
Softer than a sigh
My God is deeper than the deepest ocean Wider than the sky
My God is brighter than the brightest star That shines every night above
And there is nothing in this world
That can ever change my God!
Something happened to my heart the day that I met You
Something that I never felt before
You are always in my life no matter what I do
And every day I see that I want You, Lord

My God is warmer than the warmest sunshine
Softer than a sigh
My God is deeper than the deepest ocean Wider than the sky
My God is brighter than the brightest star That shines every night above
And there is nothing in this world
That can ever change my God!

Once I thought Your Love was meant for anyone else but me
Once I thought You’d never call my name Now I always know like Gomer found, You still love me
For now I hear You tell me every page

My Love is warmer than the warmest sunshine
Softer than a sigh
My Love is deeper than the deepest ocean Wider than the sky
My Love is brighter than the brightest star That shines every night above
And there is nothing in this world
That can ever change My Love!
My Love is warmer than the warmest sunshine
Softer than a sigh
My Love is deeper than the deepest ocean Wider than the sky
My Love is brighter than the brightest star That shines every night above
And there is nothing in the world
That can ever change My Love!
.................................................................

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow! Praise Him all creatures here below! Praise Him above, ye Heavenly hosts! Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost! Amen!  Peace and love of Christ to you. Hebrews 13:20-22 (especially verse 22- you guys know how short I keep these things. ;-)) 

Raise a Praise to the God Who Saves! (Thank You and Love You, Lord Jesus)

My God is warmer than the warmest sunshine- Softer than a sigh- My God is deeper than the deepest ocean- Wider than the sky- My God is brighter than the brightest star that shines every night above And there is nothing in this world that can ever change my God or His love. :-) (thanks to Petula Clark for help with the words. ;-)) I hear You tell me every page of Your Word, Lord Jesus- I have loved you with an everlasting love. (Jeremiah 31:3- and I hear it echoed in every other verse too.) Your love never fails and Your mercy endures forever. (Psalms 136). Thank You for saving me and knowing me, Jesus. I know You have always loved me- I love You too because You first loved me. (1 John 4:19) And You proved it by taking my place and dying for me and rising again- You are the risen King of Kings and Lord of Lords! Nothing happens except that You allow it to happen. Thank You for being in control, Lord God Jesus. Thank You for Your friendship and for never leaving me and always holding on to me no matter what. Thank You for family and friends and for all those whose lives radiate with Your Spirit! It's so beautiful to see (Psalms 133). Thank You for the ways You have shined Your light through my life- keep using it and all I have and am for Your glory. Thank You for Your presence, guidance, justice, and jugment and wrath- and thank You that in Your wrath and judgment, You remember Your love, mercy and grace. You don't treat me as my sins deserve, but You shower me with love instead, just like the prodigal son's Dad. :-) (Psalms 103, Luke 15:20) Bless The Lord, O my soul- let all that is within me praise His holy Name- and forget not all His benefits. Thank You for all Your blessings, Lord Jesus and Your Holy Spirit Who guides and counsels me. Father God, use me to be a blessing to others. Our Father, Who art in Heaven. Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come- Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever and ever- Amen. :-)
I'll tell the world that I'm a Christian- I'm not ashamed to bear Christ's Name- He's not ashamed to call me His brother. (Hebrews 2:11, Romans 1:16) It's the power of God to save for all who will call upon His Name. "If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9) Thank You for loving us all, Lord Jesus. :-)

For Just Anyone

 Note: This is an earlier writing I had done but not published anywhere outside of a social media post until now. I am still adding stuff from my archives every so often and I will hopefully eventually have most all my writings gathered here in one place.
 
      Just had this thought come to mind while in the shower. (As I often have random thoughts come to mind then- lol. :-)) You know how it's been said that even if you were the only person on Earth, Jesus loves you so much He would still have died and rose for just you? Well, this is true! God would have provided salvation for just you. (Just see Jesus' parable of the good shepherd who leaves 99 sheep behind to find one missing one! - Matthew 18 and also check Luke 15 for more on how God pursues the lost with relentless love!)
Now read Acts 10 and see how God used a vision to tell Peter not to call unclean what He has made clean. (Wherein God declared all food clean to eat and also declared all people valued and loved by Him!) Then think of your most hated enemy- think of the people you complain about to friends and on social media- think about the people you despise the most and all the most hated people on earth- all the criminals, terrorists, ruthless dictators, corrupt leaders, evil murderers- everyone who has done the most heinous things- and remember two things. There, but for the grace of God, go I. As James 2:10 says, if you break the Law at any one point, you're guilty of breaking it all. As Romans 2 reminds us, we're no better than them because we do the same things! (Maybe we haven't killed anyone physically, but we have with words. Maybe we haven't raped anyone, but we've committed adultery in our hearts by looking with lust at people.- see Matthew 5.)
And remember that whoever your most hated and despicable person is that you thought about, if they were the only person on Earth, Jesus loves them so much, He would have died and rose for just them too! So don't dare disparage and denigrate and demean one made in God's image! (We can deplore their sinful actions, but we are still commanded to love them as we love ourselves because Jesus loves them and wants to save them! Pray that they will let Him do just that.) (John 13:34-35, Luke 6:20-49, Luke 9:51-56- especially see the bit that some manuscripts add in verse 55!)

2 Peter 3:8-9 - God desires ALL to come to repentance!

Cross Beams

      Maybe we shouldn’t pray for God to take away sinful desires. These continue to plague us in the form of temptation and that won’t go away until the devil is locked away in Hell for good. They also plague us in the form of the spiritual battle between the old man of sin and the new man in Christ. That battle will continue to wage until the day we are in Heaven with Jesus. And until that day, the world will still be here egging us on to accept what God says is wrong. This is the three-pronged war we must fight every day.
      Instead, we should pray for God’s grace and help to stand up under temptation and not give in to it. Pray that He will strengthen us to resist the devil so that he will flee from us. Pray that we will have His power to ignore the world and its evil desires that are passing away, and instead do the will of God- that is the way of life eternal; knowing Christ as Savior through trusting His death and Resurrection for salvation.
       And then we are called to keep walking on the straight and narrow path, though it be beset with painful trials and struggles that we must endure. Yet we keep on, asking Jesus to pick us up and set us right again when we fall, but always moving forward on that path and still seeking to obey God out of gratitude to Him and reverence for His precious sacrifice. It is not a misguided effort to repay Him or earn what He’s already given to us for free- it is rather an effort to fulfill the call and charge He gave to us in Ephesians 2:8-10. We must do the good works He prepared in advance for us to do. And He has warned us that following Him will not be easy. It will be hard and it will demand harsh sacrifice on our part as well. But we can never give more than what God has already given. Our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us on the day of Christ Jesus. No matter how hard our sufferings are, let us boast in our weakness so that Christ may be revealed as strong in us.
      And let us trust God not to lead us into temptation but rather to deliver us from evil. Let us trust that He can and will give us the way of escape when we ask Him for it. Let us endure hardship like good soldiers of Jesus Christ. Let us deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus daily. And as for you brothers, never tire of doing what is right. God bless and Godspeed.