Who Do You Trust?

            We should always be speaking The Truth in Love. (Ephesians 4:15). I want only to lovingly speak the Truth of The Bible here and comment on some things I have noticed in public discourse over the last number of years. I do not to seek to pronounce, suggest or proffer any political candidates in any way. I do not seek to cajole anyone to any particular political party or point of view. I don’t claim to be of any particular political party and I don’t think it’s my position to push political candidates or parties or tell people how to vote and who to vote for. (I also don’t think churches and other places of influence need to be doing this, but particularly for the church.)
            I want to make it clear from the outset what this post is about and what it’s not about. It’s much more about attitudes and the states of our hearts and trust levels more so than about voting or elections- but it is certainly based in relation to elections and the level of power we afford to them. While this is in some ways specific to America in this piece, the principles are applicable for all countries of the world. I have spoken in more detail on the topic of voting as it relates to the Christian and what The Bible says to this matter. That’s not exactly the angle I’m focusing on with this piece. This is devoted to addressing our level of devotion to the political system versus our devotion to God.
         As many others have stated, I’ll add my voice to those saying this about the state of politics in America in 2016- I’m disheartened to see the cacophony of noise and malicious, venomous poison barbs it has become. I’m equally disheartened to see what the level of discourse in general has become, but that has been a downward spiral for a long time coming- since Genesis 3 at least. I’m speaking this as a rebuke to all the political parties that continue the pattern of mudslinging that seems to be carried out with each election season. It seems that each party constantly builds its own candidate up to sound better than they are while concurrently denigrates, vilifies and demonizes its opponent. Of course, that is the sad nature of politics, it seems. However, it is certainly not the nature of Christ. Colossians 3:5-17 tells us that we must put off anger, wrath, malice, slander and obscene talk from our mouths- and instead, put on kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forgiveness and compassionate hearts! And above all these, put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And when we remember that Jesus Himself is Love (as 1 John 4:8 tells us), then we can say with The Beatles, truly- “Love is all you need”.
           To address the elephant and the donkey in the room (and whatever symbol you want to use for third parties ;-)), I'm definitely also not saying who to vote for- I just encourage everyone to follow 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 - "Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid all appearance of evil.") And I would encourage people to also read about all the independent candidates and candidates of other parties (like the Green Party, Libertarian Party, Prohibition Party, America's Party and more.) Vote for who you think God wants you to vote for. And in the end, trust Him above ANY person. (Isaiah 2:22) That’s really briefly all I care to say about the voting process. (For more thoughts on this, see my previous blog entry on this matter.)
               I hope the 2016 elections can help people in America learn to unite as Americans rather than be divided over ideologies. My personal goal is generally to try to look for the positive first- try to find something I can applaud, compliment and agree with first and talk about that first- and thank the person for sharing their thoughts. And then politely state my differences where needs be. I firmly believe that no matter what we have to say, there is always a nice way to say it. We can disagree about policies and ideas without insulting each other, whether directly or subtly.
(This is of course, modeled after 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22- "Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid all appearance of evil." You may notice I repeat these verses many times over- they are so practical and such good reminders!) In the end, we can never forget the wonder of the created being that we are conversing with- this is another human being who is fearfully and wonderfully made in God's image- and we are called to love them as we love ourselves! It doesn't matter how vile they are or how much we think their beliefs are vulgar and wrong- our first call is always to love with the love of Christ above all else. (This doesn't mean we can't disagree and lovingly correct when needs be- particularly in spiritual matters of eternal importance- but we must speak the Truth in Love. (Ephesians 4:15) This one is another favorite- I can never say it enough!)
          As I've said many times before, when it comes to politics- vote for who you think God wants you to vote for. Let the Holy Spirit guide you. But don't hail them like they're going to magically make everything better...they won't. All the candidates are human and they fail just like we do. And we're also called to love all of them like Jesus does. (John 13:35) Yes, God is in control and He sets rulers up and takes them down. (Daniel 4) And as Isaiah 2:22 reminds us, quit putting your trust in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils. Put your trust in The Lord! His will will be done. :-)                          
           I've said much the same thing for a while now and I’ll probably keep repeating myself through this writing as some things I need to hear over and over again- as we all do at times. :-) Fix your eyes on Jesus- not on this world and its political system. Stop putting trust in man who has but a breath in his nostrils (that God gave him.) (see Isaiah 2:22) Put your faith in God. He's always in control. No one gets political power unless Jesus lets them. And no matter what happens on earth in our own power struggles, there's One who reigns as King of Kings and Lord of Lords- and we who know Him as Savior and Lord don't have to fear- we've got another King coming. :-) As Jesus told Pilate in John 19:11, he wouldn’t have had any power over Him except that it was given to him from above.
        Whoever God decides to put in power, we are commanded to respect them, love them and pray for them! (1 Timothy 2:1-4, 2 Peter 2:11-17, Romans 13). We should also remember the context of when these verses were written- the leader Christians were commanded to love, respect, honor and pray for at that time was Nero- the guy who was using Christians for nightlights and lion snacks. If the church could obey these commands for him, I think we can do the same in America- thankfully, we’re not quite there with our leaders. (Sadly, there are some Christians around the world who suffer similar barbarities in the world today though…. And these verses must be even tougher for them to carry out- but they are still God’s Word nonetheless, no matter what our situation might be.)
        There are two errors I think we commonly tend to fall into when it comes to elections. Sometimes we believe that our chosen candidate is the one to bring balance to the Force and restore peace to the land- he or she is “the Golden Child”- “the Chosen One”- and everything will be all right once they are elected. We also sometimes tend to believe that the opponent of our chosen candidate is somehow the destroyer of worlds- the one who will make our living experience a hell on earth. I think either extreme is the wrong view. There is absolutely nothing that happens in this universe without being run by God first and getting His okay for happening! If God chooses for something to not happen- it will simply cease to be before it ever comes into existence. All things are held up by Him and in Him suspended- just check Colossians 1:17. Also, see John 1- nothing exists except that He made it and allowed it to be. The Lord is absolutely sovereign at all times. (Romans 9) If we truly believe this, then why do we act like a particular election is somehow going to be either the start of a new era of awesomeness or indeed the very end of the world? Yes, it’s true that God is always in control and everything will be all right because He rules the world. But why do we only say that when our chosen candidate loses? Somehow, I don’t seem to hear it being said when our chosen candidate wins. Yet it’s true regardless- and we sure better be looking to Him above any other human being in all things. (By this, I don’t mean that we should disregard our leaders and ignore them- we should be thankful for their service and pray for them- but we don’t hail them as the one who will fix everything.) Insert the Godliest person you can think of into the role of President. Anyone less than Jesus Christ will utterly fail in the end. There is only One who can put this world back together to what it should be and restore it from its fallen state- and that’s Jesus alone! He does that by forgiving people and changing their hearts when they ask Him to do so. He’s provided for this by dying on the cross for all our sins and rising again. We must always keep our eyes and minds fixed on Him and know that He is the only One we can trust to always be faithful. (2 Timothy 2:11-13, Psalms 136)
           As a bit of a side note, I also think America tends to be very egocentric at times. (Though, to be fair, some of this comes from its status as a world leader. There’s no denying that a lot of the world looks to the USA to set the tone for other nations.) However, I think it’s important to note that everything does not revolve around the United States of America. (This is getting into a separate matter that I might write more on later; for now, suffice it to say that I tire of hearing people make comparisons of America and Israel. God loves all countries, of course- but the USA is not His chosen people.) My point here is just to say that if some feel that America is in a bad place because of a politician elected as President- this doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world. I don’t particularly want to see America fall as a nation and I don’t seek to make any predictions whatsoever regarding that- but I don’t want to act like it’s so important that the rest of the world can’t go on without it. In the end, God alone determines all nations’ fates- and nothing happens outside of His permissive will.
         I saw this article (http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2016/november/year-of-living-hopelessly.html) in Christianity Today a while back about how 2016 has pushed some people towards nihilism- and how we don’t need to let that happen to us. (It’s a great article, by the way!) This is also something I grow weary of seeing- the despair of so many because of the state of the world. Yes, things are bleak in many ways. I’m well aware of the travails that sin brings upon us. But this has been happening since Genesis 3. The world is fallen and will continue to revel in sin until Christ returns and restores all things to the way He designed them to be originally. Until then, we as Christians must be His agents of change to show people the way of His kingdom, which is perfect love. We must boldly proclaim the Gospel and must live as people of Hope. We have an everlasting Hope in Jesus and we need not be scared of the future. We know the One who holds the past, present and future all in His hands- and we know the end of The Book- and “the Good Book says we win!” (as Stryper reminds us in “Soldiers Under Command”) We must be strong and courageous. (Joshua 1:9) We must be of good cheer because Christ has overcome the world! (John 16:33) Everything will be just as God has ordained it. (Psalms 139, Acts 27:25)He keeps the earth's pillars steady. (Psalms 75:3-4) We must hope in God alone. (Psalms 42) We find our peace in Him alone. (Romans 15:13) Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the Name of The Lord our God! (Psalms 20)
        So as we face the future with calm assurance in our Father God, let’s remember this about elections and their outcomes. It’s not a brave new world, it’s not a whole new world- it’s my Father’s world- and He’s got the whole world in His hands.

Season for the Reason: Good and God- and Perfection

Note: This is another entry in my series of apologetics-based reflections, based on questions and conversations that have come up in real life. It is in response to an article discussing the possibility of being good and where God plays into that. Can you be good without God? While I think there may be some remnant left in us that still recognizes good and evil (as Romans 2 talks about, along with Ecclesiastes 3:11- we all have some form of a conscience testifying to us about God's Law); however, The Bible clearly teaches that we are all born in sin and are sinners by nature. (Psalms 51:5, Romans 7:5-6- basically just read the whole book.) I think a better question to ask is this- can you be perfect without God? Because perfection is God's standard for entry into Heaven and only One person has ever met it- Jesus Christ.


I'm curious about this key passage in the article:

"But so what? What’s the practical significance of rejecting belief in a deity? Why should humanists band together in local or national groups, publish magazines, hold conferences, and so forth? It can’t be simply to show that we are right and others are wrong about the existence of God.
Humanists do share a number of beliefs, of course, and not just their belief that there are no gods. So humanists form a natural affinity group of sorts. But although being a member of a like-minded group with similar interests has its attractions, the level of commitment of most of those who are members of the Center for Inquiry or the American Humanist Association or other humanist groups indicates that we think humanism is much more important than being a member of an astronomy club, sewing circle, or softball team. There has to be more to joining and supporting humanist groups than the opportunity to hang out with people with similar worldviews.""
Does the Center for Inquiry or the American Humanist Association have elected officials? Is there any kind of organization to these groups?
(Apparently the answer is yes; the AHA has a board of directors page here- http://americanhumanist.org/AHA/Board_of_Directors and the CFI has a message from the president and CEO here- http://www.centerforinquiry.net/support/secularism_and_science_need_an_advocate/)
I ask this mainly because it seems incongruent with a statement highlighted in another passage in the article, wherein the author states that humanists have no authorities. This would appear to not be the case. Do these boards of directors think and reason together to come up with the guiding moral principles for their organizations, and by extension, the world at large that all people should apply? If humanists all reason together to find common moral principles that promote a common human good, it seems all human beings in existence (at any time) should be included in the consultations in order to have the maximum amount of brain power and human reasoning involved. [I realize that this would be a rather impossible endeavor, but surely the history of mankind and moral principles of all cultures are included in the study and quest for finding moral standards appropriate for human society? It seems like the research and reading of much books would be in order, along with efforts to poll all interested parties. Unless of course, these said principles would only be in effect for humanists.]
This gets to my larger point. How do humanists determine what is good and what is not? What are the measuring standards and how are they determined?
I can't speak for all religions of course, but I don't appreciate that the author insinuates that religion does not seek to justify its moral standards by the fact that they improve the human condition. I would say a relationship with Jesus Christ does just that ad infinitum. (Of course, the worldview framework of Christianity says that all human beings at all times, since the sin of Adam and Eve, have been born in sin and wrongdoing and all of us are evil and in need of God to save us from our sin. This is why Jesus came and lived the only perfect life ever lived and died and rose for us- to pay the penalty we deserved because of our failure to keep God's moral standards of perfection.) [As Jesus stated in Matthew 5:20, if we're trying to get to Heaven by our own merit, unless our righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, we will never enter the kingdom of Heaven. And those guys worked to keep all the Law to the nth. degree and still didn't really match up by a long shot, as Jesus made clear in Matthew 21:31 and all of Matthew 23. Note that in the context of the verses in Matthew 5:17-20, Jesus is stating that He has come to fulfill all of The Law and the Prophets and that's just what He did. If we falter at even the least command anywhere during our lifetime, we're already done. (James 2:10) God's standard is absolute perfection- Matthew 5:48 says it plainly. We all fail to meet it, as Romans 3:23 tells us.] Jesus says that He comes to give us life and life more abundant. (see John 10:10) The Bible also makes clear that life in Christ improves our lives immeasurably in the here and now as well as in eternity. Those who are in Christ have a new nature that desires to do good, rather than to do evil as the old nature would have us do. (This is not to say that Christians are perfect in doing good, by any means, but we are in the process of becoming more like Christ, Who is perfect- and we have the promise that one day that process will be complete and we will be perfected upon our entry into Heaven. [see Philippians 1:6])
Thus, following Christ makes people more loving, more caring for all those in need, more generous, more truthful, more helping, more self-sacrificing, more patient, more peaceful, more kind, more gentle, more faithful, and makes them have more self-control. In short, they are more good. (These and other traits are some of the identifying marks of a Christ-follower because Galatians 5:22-23 says that these are some of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. That is God's work in people's lives.) I would say that is a huge improvement to the human condition. (Which we've already established is evil at its core, from a Christian framework, in any case.)
And yes, that is certainly God's will for people to know Christ and develop these traits and live lives like Christ.
God is definitely focused on the good of humanity. Jeremiah 29:11 assures us that He has thoughts of good for us and not evil. (I realize this verse is aimed specifically at Israel, but the principle certainly applies to all people, as evidenced in other Bible verses. See Ezekiel 18:23 as well.) He wants everyone to live- both the full measure of life that He desires for humans in the here and now and the eternal life He wants all to have in Heaven with Him through faith in Christ. (see Ezekiel 33:11 and 2 Peter 3:8-9)
My other point of contention is the implication that religion (and again, I'll specifically speak for the point of view of Christianity) has no rationale behind it. I have to disagree with this notion. God gave people brains for a reason; I believe He expects us to use our brains and truly contemplate things before making any decision for Him. In fact, God invites us to come reason together with Him in Isaiah 1:18- herein, He entreats us to consider the truth of this statement: "Though your sins be like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool." God offers to wash away our sins and make us clean and pure. But I don't think God ever expects anyone to make a choice to follow Christ without using reason, evidence and intellect. Christ Himself cautions us to count the cost of following Him before we make any rash decisions. (Note that He gives strict warnings that if we do not hate our family and even our own life, we cannot be His disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after Christ cannot be His disciple. [To clarify, in the language used in the passage I'm referencing- Luke 14:25-35- it has the meaning of loving Jesus and following Him above all so much that the love we have for our family looks like hate in comparison. Jesus often used stark hyperbole to emphasize points- I just wanted to clarify that He is not advocating hating people here.]
Jesus also speaks to this point in Luke 9:23-27, where He tells us again that we must take our cross, deny ourselves, and follow Him in order to come after Him. Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Christ's sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits his soul? In Matthew 10:16-42, Jesus warns His followers that persecution will come upon as part of following Him. Even some of a man's own household will be among his enemies because he follows Christ. In John 15:18-27, Jesus tells His disciples that the world will hate them because they follow Jesus and claim His Name. (Of course, they hated Jesus first anyway.)
It is also worth noting that Jesus even turned people away from following Him because they weren't committed enough to Him and hadn't fully counted the cost yet. (See Matthew 8:18-22 and Luke 9:57-62) In Mark 10:17-31, Jesus encounters a rich young ruler who asks Him how to inherit eternal life. After Jesus reminds him that he should know the commandments in The Law ("Do not murder", "Do not commit adultery", "Do not steal", "Do not bear false witness", "Do not defraud", "Honor your father and mother"), the man claims he has kept all these from his youth. Jesus tells him that he still lacks one thing- "Go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven; and come, follow Me." The guy is disheartened by this saying (because he had great wealth) and went away sadly. (This is where Jesus gives us His famous statement that it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Heaven. However, take heart- when the disciples asked Him who then could be saved, Jesus reminded them that with man this is impossible, but nothing is impossible with God.)
In naming these examples, I wanted to demonstrate that Jesus clearly not only invites but demands people use reason and much consideration of the evidence and the cost before deciding to follow Him. In Matthew 11:1-19, Jesus is visited by friends of John the Baptist, who is imprisoned for speaking out against Herod's sexual immorality [he had taken his brother's wife]- and John has sent these messengers to ask about the deeds of Christ that he has heard about. The messengers ask Jesus if He is indeed the One who was to come or if they should look for another. Jesus tells them to examine the evidence and and go back and tell John what they see and hear- the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by Jesus.
(Jesus also goes on to exhort the people listening to Him to consider what the Scriptures prophesied about John the Baptist [referencing Malachi 4:5-6, which likens the one who prepares the way for Christ [i.e. John the Baptist's role] to Elijah.] and compare what they've seen to the Scriptures.)
So, at least for Christianity, God does call people to use reason, evidence and intellect in making up their minds about Him and He does seek for people to put faith in Him through Christ and follow Him and His moral standards (the latter part of which can only be achieved after doing the former part) in order to improve the human condition to an infinite degree.
I think maybe a better question to ask would be, "Can you be perfect without God?" Because perfection is God's standard for morality [Leviticus 11:45 states as a command from God and Matthew 5:48 reiterates- "Be perfect as I am perfect."] - a standard that all of us miss. (Romans 3:23) And that is precisely why Jesus came to live out the standard of moral perfection for us- and He took our punishment as well- and thereby through His death and Resurrection, provided the means for us to have our moral failings forgiven and for us to have Christ's righteousness imputed to us. In myself, there is nothing good. The only good in me is Jesus. And as I noted earlier, Philippians 1:6 promises followers of Christ the end result of reaching perfection in Christ- which is what He made us to be all along. (And certainly, the goal of Christianity is to be like Christ, Who is perfection Himself because He's God.)

Words, Thoughts and Letters

"Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in His Name when they saw the signs that He was doing. But Jesus on His part did not entrust Himself to them, because He knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for He Himself knew what was in man." (John 2:23-25)
"The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9)
Jesus does.
"And the Spirit of The Lord fell upon me, and He said to me, 'Say, Thus says The Lord: 'So you think, O house of Israel. For I know the things that come into your mind.' ' " (Ezekiel 11:5)
Jesus knows our hearts and our minds and our souls- everything about us.
"Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." (Matthew 12:33-37)
Jesus knows every single word we've ever said or even thought of saying- the ones we've just whispered under our breath and the ones we've thought but haven't uttered out loud. He also knows every single word we've typed on any online posting and in every text message and letter we've written.
Don't think that any area of life is off-limits for God and that He doesn't know about it and won't deal with it. God deals with all sin and He counts it all as equally wrong.
(Matthew 5:17-19- Whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of Heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of Heaven.)
How then do we deal with the gravity of these realizations? How then should we live? Thankfully, the wrath of God upon all of our sins has been poured out on Jesus. Through our faith in His death and Resurrection, we know that we can have forgiveness and a new life in Christ- and the hope of eternity in Heaven with Him. But this faith must be one that drives us to repentance. (i.e. This goes beyond mere lip service to God-Jesus also has stern words about those who just call Him, "Lord, Lord" but don't actually do what He says. Check Matthew 7:12-27. Again- it's only faith in Jesus' grace that saves us, but real faith is defined and demonstrated by action. [see James 2.]
So if we have truly been crucified with Christ and have nailed our sins and worldly passions to His cross, then live by The Spirit and walk by The Spirit, so that we will not gratify the desires of the flesh. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by The Spirit, let us also keep in step with The Spirit. (see Galatians 5:16-26)
Father, forgive me for the times I have been lagging behind and out of step with The Spirit. Help mold me to be more like Your Son every day. Help me to keep my thoughts captive to You and use my tongue to pour out Your praises and not curse my brothers. Cleanse me with the hyssop branch and I will be clean. Thank You for Your longsuffering and grace that refuses to give up on me and continues to work with me, in me and on me all the time. Keep removing the chaff and dross until only the refined remains. May the light of Your glory and grace continue to open my eyes to the dimness of the things of this world in comparison to Your glorious brightness and sunshine. May You always be my treasure above all.

(Note:  I should acknowledge that, while I was recently thinking on some of these things anyway, this was also largely based on the sermon from church at Hampton First Baptist today.)

Back to the Future- Now for Now!

"The future- I gotta check this out, Doc." - Marty McFly on October 21, 2015 in "Back to the Future Part II"
Yay for Back to the Future Day! (Yes, it's finally October 21, 2015! Great Scott! Whoa! This is heavy, Doc. :-)) One of my favorite movie series ever! In Part III, Doc tells Marty and Jennifer that their future hasn't been written yet- no one's has. Your future is whatever you make it- so make it a good one, both of you.
This is kind of a paradox here (hopefully not the kind that destroys the whole universe). Psalms 139:16 says that our future is written because God has written in His book every one of the days that were formed for us. Yet while God knows everything and knows our future, we do not. But we are called to play a role in shaping our future, in which sense Doc was correct. According to Proverbs 24:20, there will be no future for the evil man; the lamp of the wicked will be put out. But for those who have put faith in Jesus Christ as Savior, we have a future and a hope in Christ as Jeremiah 29:11 says. (Yes, I know that promise is specifically for the Israelites at that particular time in history. Nonetheless, we know from verses like 1 Corinthians 2:9 that no eye has seen, no ear has heard and no heart has imagined what God has in store for those who love Him. As Proverbs 23:17-18 tells us, when we continue in the fear of The Lord, surely there is a future and your hope will not be cut off. Just note that the good God has in mind for us may not be the same good we might think of- we are promised suffering for following Christ( John 16:1-4)- but as Romans 8:28-29 says, God works all things together for good, to those who love God and are called according to His purpose- which is to conform us to the likeness of His Son. So that good might include hard times and suffering- and the good it results in is us being more like Jesus- the only One who is good.) As Lamentations 1:9 laments of Jerusalem, "Her uncleanness was in her skirts; She did not consider her future." (Much like the poor Martin McFly of the 1800s who never considered his future. ;-) Of course, the Marty McFly of 1985 affirmed that when it comes to the future, "I think about it all the time.")
1 Timothy 6:17-19 instructs the rich of this age not to put their trust in uncertain wealth, but rather in God, Who is always certain. They should be generous with their wealth and so store up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed. Paul says that a crown of righteousness is laid up for him in the future which The Lord will award on that Day (of The Lord)- and not only to Paul, but to all who have loved His appearing. (2 Timothy 4:6-8)
That's how we can determine our own future in a sense. When we put faith in Jesus' death and Resurrection to pay for all our sins and follow Him, we know we have a future forever in Heaven with Him. But don't wait for the future to make that choice (we don't know if we have one!- James 4:14, Proverbs 27:1)
In keeping with both BTTF II and 2 Corinthians 6:2- the future is now! Today is the day of salvation! Call on The Lord while you may be saved! Forever's gonna start tonight (if you put faith in Christ. John 10:10)
"Would that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would discern their future!" (Deuteronomy 32:29)

Season for the Reason: Parenthood- Planned or Unplanned, It's all in His hands

Note: This is another entry that is based on real life conversations and questions raised regarding morality and our responsibility. My post here is based on the following post at Ravishly.com

I am only seeking here to present a Biblical response to the idea of abortion, always remembering that we must speak the Truth in Love and extend grace to everyone in our dealings on these difficult matters.

o    Nice piece of satire indeed. I don't agree with it all, but that's okay. I always get confused about the second point though. Surely there's a bit more to abstinence-based sex education than that, right? I would want students to be aware of safe sex procedures regarding condoms and birth control and so forth-but I also would want to encourage students to reserve sexual activity for the marriage bed alone. (Of course, I'm not naive enough to think everyone will choose to do so, but we can rest assured that it really won't happen if no effort is made to instill this as the best choice for sexual health and the best moral choice. [I know people will have differences on opinion on that second point though- but because of my Biblical view from my faith in Christ, I believe that God designed sexual intercourse to only happen between a man and a woman in the bonds of holy matrimony. Anything else is a perversion of His creation and a violation of His laws.])

Leaving the religious and moral arguments aside though, I think it is simply a matter of logic that should be impressed to students that it is simply not a good idea for teenagers to get pregnant as they are generally wholly unprepared for the responsibility that comes with children and they often are unable to complete schooling and of course, will possibly face ridicule with a reputation as a slut, as the article pointed out. [And I don't think that ridicule is right of course- I don't think we need to have Hester Prynne walking around with that red scarlet letter 'A' emblazoned on her blouse. I would also hold Roger Chillingsworth to that 'A' as well- but it helps neither one to ridicule them and that's not right anyway.]

Teenagers and people in general should certainly have information; as a librarian, I would highly encourage them to come to their local library for such information. The library strongly believes in freedom of information (so this means information from all points of view) and many do offer programs for this particular topic of sexual activity and healthcare.

I would also like to think that there are some men of moral character that, given the possibility of being pregnant, would not be getting abortions like going through a drive-through. (Again, this gets into the issue of the morality of abortion, which of course, is where the contention lies in this matter.)

If Planned Parenthood were simply providing information regarding sex and birth control and sex control while they're at it, along with cancer screenings and health checkups- I would have no problem funding such a program. I don't believe in funding abortion, which is a process that kills babies. I believe murder to be both morally wrong and legally wrong.

The two issues that seem to come up the most are in regards to the definition of life itself and when and where it begins, as well as the rights that men and women have in controlling their bodies. Of course, men and women are already limited in the rights they have to control their bodies. Laws from the government force all people to clothe their bodies on the upper torso and legs and particularly over private parts. Other laws restrict the use of drugs for recreational use in people's bodies. Other laws restrict the sale of alcohol and tobacco products (and thereby intending to limit the use of alcohol and tobacco products as well) in the bodies of minors. There are even some laws in some places that restrict the consumption of particular beverages and food products that are otherwise legal in the bodies of men and women.

Thus, it would not seem inconsistent for the government to issue a law regarding the control of a woman's body, insofar as requiring the woman to refrain from destroying the life placed in her through coitus. It would be great to see the law also require a man as well as a woman to refrain from the act of coitus itself outside the bonds of holy matrimony. However, this would be legislating morality, which I don't particularly believe works anyway, as it doesn't really produce a genuine heart change on the parts of people. (The only One who can do that is Jesus Christ. And I believe He desires people to come put their faith in His death and Resurrection for forgiveness of their sins willingly- and then, as an act of obedience to Him in gratitude for His saving work, in conjunction with the convicting and molding work of The Holy Spirit, willingly choose to follow Him in all His laws, and in this case, particularly the ones regarding sexuality.) And certainly I don't believe that can or should be forced upon non-Christians. I would want people to willingly choose to abstain from sexual contact until marriage and reserve it only for that special expression of love between a man and a woman on the marriage bed, not the cheap and casual thing that so many make it to be, sadly.

However, since many will not choose that, it is necessary to provide sound sexual education.

In that education, it would be good to define where life starts. In a worldview that for many evolution is accepted as that origin point, it is easy to see how the developmental stage of babies still in the womb is disregarded as nothing more than "a clump of cells", as I noticed one commenter referred to the result of procreation. After all, in an evolutionary worldview, human beings themselves were, at some point, nothing more than "a clump of cells" that slowly turned into increasingly progressing lifeforms, both in form and complexity.

This gets to the other question that is so often raised in this matter. It seems very weird, to say the least, that most every expectant mother I have ever known or heard of, most always seems to refer to the growth within her uterus as her baby, rather than her foetus or embryo or clump of cells or "parasite that's killing her", as I noticed another commenter say. [That last one was in the case of a pregancy that was causing medical problems for the mother, I believe.]

Also, seeing that Webster's Dictionary defines a child as "an unborn or recently born person", it would seem that "child" is another fitting term for the union of sperm and egg. [The root word apparently is akin to Goth kilthei [i.e. womb] and perhaps to Skt. jathara [i.e. belly] Both terms would seem to be referring, in ancient terminology, to the uterus.]

That is the moral dilemma that surrounds the matter, as I see it. The government has made its ruling, of course, and as a Christian, I am bound to respect the laws of my country, of course (since God is the one who put the government in power and He's the One who can take it down as well- see Romans 13). However, there is also a call in The Bible to stand and fight for justice to "the least of these" [see Matthew 25 and Isaiah 1:16-20, among others.]. God also states repeatedly that He hates the "shedding of innocent blood". [see Proverbs 6:16-19, Deuteronomy 19:1-13, Deuteronomy 21:1-9, 2 Kings 21:16, 2 Kings 24:4, Psalms 106:36-42, Jeremiah 7:1-15, Isaiah 59, numerous others.] And, of course, there are times when "we must obey God rather than men." [Acts 5:29]

(The account of the midwives refusing to obey Pharaoh's order to slaughter the Hebrew baby boys in Egypt, as related in Exodus 1, is a great example. God dealt well with them and blessed them with families because they feared Him.)

In conclusion, to clarify one other point often raised, let me say that all life is infinitely valuable and eternally loved by God. (see Jeremiah 1:5, Jeremiah 31:3 and others.) This is because all human beings are made in the image of God. (Genesis 1:26-31) And I value and love the lives of not only innocent babies, but also the mothers and fathers who are driven to such extremes that they feel they must make the choice to have an abortion. I always want to consider their plight and consider how best I can help them and love them.

I think the government should seek to support and help all parties involved and provide the resources needed as much as possible, as I have discussed earlier. However, I think the government should also make a stand against allowing the slaughter of human life at any stage of development.

I know this is a very touchy and tough subject for many people and I also want to clarify that I mean no disrespect or disregard for the concerns, feelings and rights of others. This certainly includes those who may vastly disagree with me. I am also called by Jesus to love them as much as I love myself. (Matthew 22:34-40) So let's seek to love one another and come together to see how we can work together to minimize abortions at the least and increase healthcare and support for pregnant women and sexual education for people (something I think most people agree on) and be willing to listen to each other in the conversation regarding the morality of the matter- and how we want to be defined as a people in regards to what is acceptable or not. 

 

White as Snow (song)

There is a funny contradiction in the world today. On the one hand, some people want to keep insisting that all human beings are essentially good, though some make mistakes at times. But in the end, it's all like a Disney movie with some villians, of course, but ultimately most people are good overall. Of course, it seems that some of the same people who make these claims also shake their fists at God in Heaven and blame Him whenever evil erupts its repulsive ooze over humanity once again- and people suffer and lives are lost. Then the question is raised for me- how could a good people allow evil in the world? And when we're standing there, frozen in shock, maybe that's when we can come to recognize the truth- there is evil in this pervasive world- and we're it. We were all made to be good- made in God's image, Who is perfection itself- but we made the fatal choice to rebel against The Lord through Adam and Eve's sin- and now the world is under the curse of sin. Thankfully, God Himself has provided the remedy for sin. Though it stains us scarlet red, God can forgive our sins and make them white as snow. They've all been paid for by Jesus' death and Resurrection. We must take all our sin and let it go- leaving it nailed to the cross and put our faith in Jesus and live for Him instead. Thank God for His love and forgiveness!

"White as Snow" (parody of "Let It Go" from Disney's "Frozen" by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 5/29/2015)
(Isaiah 1:18, Isaiah 45:21-25, Isaiah 64:6, Psalms 14:3, Psalms 53:3, Romans 3:1-20, Romans 3:23-26, Romans 6:23, Proverbs 20:9, John 1:29, 1 John 3:1, 1 John 1:7, John 3:16-21, John 14:6, John 10:1-18, John 6:35-40, Hebrews 10:10-12, Colossians 1:15-20)

Verse 1
.............
The snow glows white in Wisconsin tonight
What a fitting Christmas scene
The winter brings transformation
The fall looks like it's washed clean
Our sin is howling like a swirling storm inside
Couldn't keep from sin; Heaven knows we tried
Won't let Him in
But think He's pleased
If you're good, girl; boy, always keeping clean
Conceal evil
Don't let it show
Well, on our own...

Chorus 1
...............
We're evil! We're evil!
(I) can't hope to match up to The Lord
Yes, we know we're evil
Turn away and seek The Lord!
Isaiah 64:6 says
All good deeds we've done-
The Lord says they're rotten filthy rags anyway

Verse 2
..............
It's funny how resistance
Makes everything His fault
And we feel He's hidden- if only
He'd let us see Him all
The Christ revealed that wish for you
Jesus- God's image- Way, Life and Truth
He died for wrongs
And rose so we'd
Be free!

Chorus 2
................
All evil
In one go-
Christ has won over sin for all time!
Let Him go
Save your soul
You need to receive Christ
Hear what God says in Isaiah
Let's read 1:18

Bridge
.............
Like how snow flurries through the air into the ground
Our souls can be washed clean though our sin's scarlet- hear God now
"Come use thought- realize this- I can wipe (out) all bad!"
Though all you've known is black, the cross has changed all that!

Chorus 3
................
White as snow!
White as snow!
(My) sins are white like wool thanks to God!
White as snow!
White as snow!
That perfect Lamb of God!
Here I stand- by The Christ I'm saved
Like it says in 1st. John
Behold how The Father's loved (in) 3:1- yay!

Of Heroes and Legends, (There Can Be Only One) (poem)

[Note: Another poem from the archives and yes, this is another one I wanted to post because of my recent conversation with friends about science fiction and fantasy stories (and most anything really) being used to convey spiritual truth. I've heard it said before, "Everything is theology"- and I think it's true. And in the end, all of the heroic stories point us back to, as Tolkien called Him, "The One True Myth"- Jesus Christ, the Hero who gave His life to save His enemies and rose again to prove He's God. He is the One all of my writings hopefully point to all the time.]

This seems to be appropriate to follow the parody song about Narnia that I posted last. This a little poem I wrote just recently- this one just came to me one day and all of a sudden I had to hurry and write it down. This one was fun for me given my love of sci-fi and fantasy and superheroes and comic books and so forth, of course. :-) It talks about the heroes and legends of old- the ones in myths and stories of yore- and how through all these characters and adventures- we are ultimately drawn to the longing and desire inside all of us to be part of something bigger than ourselves- to join in the great adventure that God is ultimately calling us to- the one that He laid out for us before time and made possible through the death and Resurrection of Jesus. This is also definitely inspired from my love of Hebrews 11 – the hall of faith. I really love Hebrews 11:38 when it describes the faithful to God- “they were too good for this world.” Or in other translations- “the world was not worthy of them.” (I think of the great heroes of the faith in The Bible of course- and a few of my modern Christian heroes as well like St. Francis of Assisi, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Eric Liddle, Mother Teresa, Mister Rogers, Jim Elliot, C.T. Studd, Hudson Taylor, Martin Luther, Rachel Scott Joy, Cassie Bernall, Larry Norman, Keith Green and Rich Mullins- among others) And as J.R.R. Tolkien once explained to C.S. Lewis- though it sounds like one of the myths of the dying and rising gods of old- Jesus and Christianity is different in this regard- because it actually happened. Jesus is the one true myth!


Of Heroes and Legends,
 (There Can Be Only One)

(by Nathan Ludwick; copyright 3/9/2011)
(Psalms 44:4-8, 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Ecclesiastes 3:11, Philippians 3:8, Hebrews 11, Jeremiah 20:9, Hebrews 12:1-4, Ephesians 6:10-20, Proverbs 28:1, 1 John 5:4, John 16:33, 2 Timothy 4:6-8, Acts 17:22-31, Matthew 13:34-35, 1 Corinthians 9:22)

Once upon a time, as all good stories start
A bright new world of hope, then things fall apart
As years of wreck and ruin rage, a line of heroes begins to raise
The stuff of myths and legends here to save the day

In the days of darkness and dangers
There are the adventurers, wanderers and strangers
The giants of old, the men of reknown
The ones that the songs and tales are written about

Powerful in battle, armored for the quest
The good fight to conquer kingdoms and restore justice
A strong faith gives a supernatural advantage
As brave as a lion, the righteous one stands

With every chance to turn back, they continue on
Struggling to save the good that’s left in the world
Where the smallest ones can be the boldest ones
A fire burning in the heart drives them on to greatness

An epic scale like Middle Earth, for Narnia and for Aslan
Though tortured, flogged, jeered and facing the sword
Destitute, persecuted and mistreated- they were too good for this unworthy world
This great cloud of witnesses calls us to endure and join them on the golden shore

And the Man on the moon is the One who made it and holds it in His hands
Santa Claus- ol’ Saint Nicholas shows us The Father’s kind and giving heart
And Superman is the picture of the God-Man who brings salvation for all
The One True Myth- Realer than Real, Truer than True is The Hero we need to believe

If we can trust the foolishness of God, the pilgrim’s progress leads us to the Grey Havens
Where we realize all the stories of lore really pointed us to Christ at the core
And then with Him, as all good stories end, we live happily ever after.

………………………………………………………………………………….

In That Day (story)

[Note: This is a story I wrote a few years back as a sort of writing experiment, trying to do a progressive story with different time periods represented and certain comparisons made. I could summarize some of the main point with a classic Larry Norman song- "Nothing Really Changes". Ever since Genesis 3, we as humanity have been in the same spot- we are diseased with sin and the only cure is the salvation Jesus offers through faith in His death and Resurrection. One day, in Revelation 21-22, Jesus will bring all things to newness and full restoration. However, Ephesians 2:10 makes it clear that the process starts in us now. This story is an attempt to illustrate a lot of these points. In order to do that, there are a number of caricatures in the story. For the purposes of conservation, there are some characters that embody multiple vices. This is not meant in any way to imply that this is true of all such individuals in similar situations, of course, but it also doesn't preclude that it couldn't be true of any one individual. When it comes down to it, we are all sinners with none righteous (Romans 3:23) and breaking The Law at one point leaves us guilty of breaking all of it. (James 2:10) Thus, no sin is any worse than any other. And one day, God will judge all of us. And The Bible clearly warns that eternal torment in Hell awaits all those who reject God's offer of forgiveness and salvation through Jesus. Thankfully, Jesus' amazing grace paid for all of our sins and is greater than them all. Praise God for His love! Heaven awaits all who will put their faith in Him and follow Him.]

 

In That Day

[Copyright Nathan Ludwick 4/21/2015; originally written circa 2002-2003]


Part One: Twenty Minutes Into the Future

 “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator- who is forever praised. Amen.” (Romans 1:25)

                The boy awakens to the insistent ringing of a telephone. Catching the call on the fourth ring, the boy rubs his eyes with one hand in an attempt to make himself fully alert. He listens intently as a cavalcade of emotions are poured out on the other end. As the caller breaks into cries of sorrow, the boy assures the caller that everything will work out somehow. Amid constant tears, the caller finally hangs up after promises from the boy to meet her later, after work. The boy hurriedly prepares himself for his job and rushes off to his business place, ready to work eight hours that evening for minimum wage. As the boy speeds his car down the road, the words of his telephone call resound in his head. He wonders what exactly will be done for the future and how he can prepare himself for it. As he pulls into a parking space at work, he wonders how he will tell his parents the news that his girlfriend will soon end the life of his unborn child.
                In another part of the city, an elderly man prepares himself for bed. He sees about attending to dental hygiene and then goes from room to room, turning out all the lights in the house. He eases himself into a comfortable bed at an hour fairly early in the evening, as he has grown accustomed to doing over the passing years. He holds a pillow, emblazoned with a picture, close to him and thinks about what will happen to her in the future. He speaks not a word, as he gets lost in his own thoughts. He gives a little start at a sudden noise, and relaxes again when it turns out to be only the dog and cat settling down for the night. He lapses back into his train of thinking, and grieves because there is no hope left for his wife and soon she will be taken off of life support at the hospital.
                The college student hastily changes his clothing as he prepares himself for his night out on the town. The weekend has finally come and the student is ready to throw off the scholastic pressures of yesterday and step forward into the carefree future. As he leaves his apartment, he thinks about where he wants to go first. He goes to the nearest singles bar and heads out to the dance floor. After finding a companion for the night, they both order drinks from the bartender. After regaling each other with numerous stories, each story is followed up by a round of drinks. After a while, the two leave the bar and slip into a dark alley to light up a few joints. Finally, after a few hours, the two go off to enjoy the rest of the evening together, after picking up some cigarettes and cigars at a local gas station. At a house far away in another state, the student’s parents hold each other close as they sit on the couch and wonder how their son could abandon his longtime girlfriend because of his desire for an alternate lifestyle.
                A proud father and his expectant wife leave the doctor’s office and discuss their options for their child. Both wonder at the marvel of modern medicine and technology that moves along ever so quickly. They think about all the packages the doctor presented to them and the offers that were made. They consider all the possibilities for their child and dream of how wonderful it will all be in the future. They think of all the chances and opportunities their child will have that many others would not have. The parents look forward to giving their child the very best that their sizable income can buy. They imagine about what it will be like for their child to grow up with absolutely no diseases and blond hair and blue eyes, just like his dad, all thanks to the wonder of biological engineering. They ponder with wonder what it will be like living in this brave new world of advancements.

Part Two: Back to the Beginning

“In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.” (Judges 21:25)

 
                A man called Ammon makes a terrible wrong choice that he has to accept the consequences for. In order to “extend his borders” he “rips open the pregnant women of Gilead.” The wrath of God is not held back from him. (Amos 1:13)
                A king named Saul runs in the midst of a losing battle. He gets wounded by the arrows of the opponent and may not survive. He does not want to be captured by the enemy’s hand and so he asks his armor bearer to end his life for him. The armor bearer refuses and so the king takes his own life. A man retells this story to the new king and claims to be the one who killed Saul when asked by him to do so. The new king has him executed for “destroying The Lord’s anointed.” (1 Samuel 31:4, 2 Samuel 1)
                All the men of a city come out to greet three visitors. The three men who come to visit stay with a man by the name of Lot. The men desire to have sexual relations with the visitors. Lot refuses and the visitors blind the eyes of the men outside. The visitors reveal themselves to be angels who have come to get Lot and his family out of the city because God has determined to destroy it. Lot’s sons-in-law don’t believe and don’t come and Lot’s wife disobeys the angels and looks back at the city. Lot and his two daughters escape and then “The Lord rains down burning sulfur” on the city and its neighbor. (Genesis 19)
                A man and a woman walk through a peaceful garden and enjoy the beauty of creation around them. Birds and butterflies fly high in the sky, singing their pretty songs. Fish swim along in the river and deer run through the woods. A serpent entices the woman with forbidden fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden. The serpent promises the woman the chance to be like God, knowing good and evil. The woman eats of the fruit and gives some to her husband, who eats of it as well. “God banishes both of them from the Garden of Eden.” (Genesis 1-3)

Part Three: Back to the Future

“As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.” (Matthew 24:37)
“…Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment…” (Hebrews 9:27)

                The boy, the girl, the grandchildren, the college student and his friend, and the expectant parents all continue in their lives. Their choices are made. Time marches on and moves forward. They eat, drink, and are merry. They have fun now and do not worry about the consequences of their actions. An appointment looms over them all and on one day, they will all have to keep it. The appointment with death is one that cannot be avoided. And “in that day” (Obadiah 1:8), God will surely judge everyone for all the sins they’ve done. However, there is still time to change things before that day comes. God offers salvation for the asking through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus. “Anyone who calls on the name of The Lord will be saved.” (Joel 2:32) The people make their choices and live their lives. They don’t listen to the Word of God and ignore the “knocking at the door of their hearts.” (Revelation 3:20) And “how shall they escape if they ignore such a great salvation?” (Hebrews 2:3) God is both righteous and fair. He does deal out judgment and He loves everyone. He still offers salvation to those who will listen and turn to Him.

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says…” (Revelation 2:29)

 

Jonah Man (song)

Well, if this doesn't beat all- another parody song! :-) Of course, I think that could have been just what the subject of this song was saying too. God told Jonah to go and preach a message. Okay- he was a prophet; he's up for preaching God's Word, of course. But wait- God told him to go and preach to the Ninevites! But they're enemies- they don't even worship The Lord! And God wants him to go preach to them? Doesn't that beat all? Of course, it was a message of destruction for the town. But Jonah knew about God's mercy and His slowness to anger- and He didn't want to see that applied to his enemies. Jonah is an interesting book in The Bible where the message seems to be more about the messenger and what he learned rather than the message he preached. And in the end, Jonah learned more than he thought he knew about God's love and mercy. It reaches to all people- even him in the midst of his sin. Even for times when both he and Nineveh looked like they were going nowhere, man- nowhere but down- God still showed that He had a plan in mind for good and it will be accomplished one way or the other. And though there is an unfortunate sequel where Nineveh was eventually judged down the road (see the book of Nahum)- at this point in history, God saw the people humble themselves and was moved with compassion and stayed His hand. And I know this with this Biblical account about a big fish swallowing a man can be a lot to swallow for some folks. And no matter what kind of seafaring creature it was, it still is definitely a whale of a tale. And it's one that you can't just spit out and aside because Jesus upheld it as a true account. And Jonah is also referenced as an historical prophet elsewhere in The Bible. There are a lot of spiritual lessons we can learn from this book- so dive in, ride it out to the end and sail on with the Banner of Love flying. Jonah, man- isn't he a lot like you and me?
One of my favorite lines in this song: God is not a BIT like you and me- praise God for that!
 Lord, help us to be more like You and show Your mercy, grace and love.

"Jonah Man"
(parody of "Nowhere Man" by The Beatles; copyright Nathan Ludwick 1/27/2015)
(The book of Jonah, 2 Kings 14:25, Matthew 12:38-42, Romans 9:14-18, Revelation 7:9-10)

He's a real Jonah, man
Getting out to Joppa land
Making all his Tarshish plans to go by sea

Running when God told him to
Go and share, "Nineveh's doomed"
Isn't he a lot like you and me?

Jonah, man- please listen (aaah-ah-la-la-la)
You won't blow off your mission (aaah-ah-la-la-la)
Big fish, man (aaah-ah-la-la-la)
The Lord has got at command (aaah-ah-la-la-la)

They're as blind as they can be
Nineveh- God has pity
Jonah, man- he don't pity at all

3 days in fish's tummy (aaah-ah-la-la-la)
Prayed inside- Fish hurled thee (aaah-ah-la-la-la)
Preach it now (aaah-ah-la-la-la)
And from the king down- repent and fast (aaah-ah-la-la-la)

The Lord's wrath's appointment's moved
Jonah glares; God loves him too
God is not a bit like you and me

Jonah, man- please listen (aaah-ah-la-la-la)
They don't know right from left hand (aaah-ah-la-la-la)
Jonah, man (aaah-ah-la-la-la)
The Lord's got love for all lands (aaah-ah-la-la-la)

He's for real- Jonah, man
He's the sign from Son of Man
Matthew 12- it is there, man- for all to see
2 [Two] Kings 14:25- in history!
Go read all of Romans 9- God has mercy!

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

Separated- I cut myself clean

[Another (slightly updated) entry from the archives- March 17, 2008 to be exact. Some of the references in here are from one of my previous workplaces- and the experiences related here are fairly typical of me. LOL. :-) And yes- of course that's a DC Talk reference in the subject line. :-)]

Another weekend has ended and another week has begun. Tomorrow is our prayer meeting at work. I always look forward to that! :-) I managed to get lost not once, but twice this weekend!!! LOL- Friday night I wound up driving all through Maudlin and Simpsonville and out towards Belton and Honea Path before I finally turned around and got back home.  So that was an interesting drive.  Then on Sunday afternoon/evening/night I drove way out towards Marietta and Cleveland (the one in SC, apparently- not Ohio!) and eventually out by Table Rock- which is a beautiful state park, by the way.  My uncle and aunt’s family go there for vacation fairly often.  And so I wound up going to Rocky Creek Baptist Church Sunday morning and had a great sermon taken mainly from Joshua 23, all about following God’s call to be holy and separate from the world.  And then in the evening, in a totally different county (I was somewhere near Pickens or Pumpkintown or something by this point)- I visited at Holly Springs Baptist Church and heard a great sermon taken mainly from 1 Peter 1:13-16, all about following God’s call to be holy and separate from the world.  Talk about deja vu, huh?
Wow! I just find it so awesome how God weaves together stuff like that to flow together so smoothly- even though I wasn’t even at the church I’d intended to go to that evening- but instead got way lost and went to a church in another county- and yet both messages I’d heard that day were very much on the same lines of being holy.  It was also interesting talking about being separate from the world- note that Jesus said we were to be "in the world- but not of". (See John 17:15-17)  We don’t have a choice about being in the world, obviously (I mean, unless you’re dead or you volunteer for that NASA mission to Mars or something ;-)) - BUT, we don’t have to be of the world- and if you’re in Christ, then you’re not of this world! (as Petra pointed out in an awesome 1983 album and song! :-))
In fact, as both sermons talked about, Christians need to be separate from the world and its influence and instead surround ourselves with friends who will help build us up in the faith.  But there is a slight caveat here.  This verse came to mind during church on Sunday- and I’ve just now been able to track down where it’s located (as I’d been trying to remember and racking through the New Testament)-
"I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people- not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world." (1 Corinthians 5:9-10)   Right- there’s no way you can fully get away from the immoral people in the world because as it says here, you’d have to leave this world to do that!  But if you read on in verse 11, it says to not associate with someone who calls himself a "brother" (i.e. Christian) but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. In fact, it says with such a man, do not even eat.  God will judge those outside the church- but expel the wicked man from among you (within the church).  But as one pastor pointed out, we should love everyone because God loves everyone.  The example of homosexuals was brought up, as it’s continuing to be a big issue in America today- yes, we should love those who identify as homosexual because God loves them [and of course, we should love everyone because God loves everyone] - but we can’t condone their lifestyle because God doesn’t. [i.e. Just to clarify, while I do believe, due to our fallen world, people can be and are born with homosexual tendencies- but the sin comes in when people choose to act on these tendencies and engage in lust, same sex relationships and sexual encounters.] And we should definitely befriend unsaved gay people and all lost people so that we can share the Gospel with them. [Also to note: I specifically mentioned gay people here because of the example raised in the service, but also to address a tendency some Christians have of avoiding those with particular temptations to sins that we perhaps may not deal with nearly as strongly or just don't understand and perhaps feel uncertain of how to relate with them as a friend. Of course, I think this is exactly how we should relate to all people- in a manner of friendship driven by a sincere love of Christ, which in turn drives us to sincerely love one another.]  (Now I know my brother Kevin would probably interject at this point- so let me clarify. I don’t think that you should ever establish a superficial relationship for the sole reason of "converting" someone to Christ. People can (and will) see right through that. People are people- not prizes. Establish friendships with people to be friends with them- and through that window, by all means show the love of Christ to them- and as God opens up opportunities- share with them about Christ.  And always remember that it’s the Holy Spirit who does the work of converting- we just share the Good News.)
Anyway- I just thought both sermons were great- and that it was cool to hear some of the things that one pastor mentioned- because it’s some that I must admit don’t always get addressed very often in Southern Baptist churches- but at least one pastor went there!  We looked at 1 Corinthians 6:17-20 to focus on sexual purity in particular, and also the Biblical prohibitions we have in place via The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17 or Deuteronomy 5:1-21 - it’s in both places!) - And it’s also good to remember that they are prohibitions in some aspects, but there’s also things that we should do as well.  And ultimately, the laws enable us to truly live the good life that God wants us to live if we follow them as we should.  So they only prohibit us from destruction and woe.
We also hit on 1 Corinthians 8:8-13 (talking about being careful not to be a stumbling block to a weaker brother) and 1 Peter 5:8-9 (watch out for the devil- a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour!)
And we looked at 2 Corinthians 6:14-18- and here, let me get back to what the pastor mentioned that doesn’t always get addressed too often.  Smoking is harmful to the body- so don’t do it!  God tells us to take care of our bodies because they’re His temple- so smoking, drugs, alcohol and any other substances or lifestyles that are destructive to our bodies should be avoided. (The pastor said- "I know some of you will say, ’I have an uncle who smoked all his life and he lived to be 90.’  Well, he might have lived to be 100 if he hadn’t smoked!"- :-))  And the pastor also talked about gluttony- which is eating too much.  And it’s a sin just as much as anything else. Americans are killing themselves because of eating too much.  People are getting heart attacks because they’re too fat. I know that sounds harsh, but it’s the truth- and that’s why I need to be careful myself of being gluttonous and making sure to get out and get some exercise!
Well- I know I’ve been going on for a while here- I just thought there was a lot of good stuff in there.
So anyway- be separate from the world- not by "shunning all evildoers"- but by not allowing the world’s influence to be your main influence- that should be God and His Word.  Let your life stand out so starkly from the rest of the world that people take notice- and as the Sanhedrin noted of Peter and John, let the world take note that "these men had been with Jesus".  I trust that everyone can say of us who follow Christ that we have been with Jesus and are walking with Him

The Glory's So Bright, He's Gotta Wear Shades (song)

So I thought I'd give you not just one, and not just two, but three posts in one day! Yeah- this is better than Timbuktu even- it's Timbuk 3! :-)
This is yet another parody song for you- a fairly new one that I finished a while back and have been holding off on posting. This is one of these songs that it helps to have some background on first, so I'm going to try to quickly go over that first- it may get a bit lengthy, so hang with me on this.
        Let me set up the scene first- Moses and the Israelites have been in the desert on their way to the Promised Land, after a dramatic and miraculous deliverance by The Lord from the hand of the Egyptians by crossing through the Red Sea on dry land! God rolled the river back up on either side like a scroll and gave them a safe, dry passage to walk through. And in the desert, they didn't remember God's Name. Moses went up on Mt. Sinai to get The Ten Commandments and Aaron and the crew decided to ditch The Lord and make a golden calf to worship instead. After Moses came back and the Israelites faced God's chastisement (which included about 3000 people dying), Moses went back to talk with God again and interceded for the people. God spared the remaining Israelites and renewed His promises to them again. And after Moses spent time in God's presence- and even got to see God's back! (God covered him in the cleft of the rock on the mountain when He passed by, so that He only saw God's back- as The Lord tells us in Exodus 33:20 that no man can see His face and live.)
            Moses gets a new set of tablets to replace the original copy of The Ten Commandments that he had smashed in anger during the whole golden calf incident. And when Moses came back down off the mountain, all the people were freaking out because Moses' face was glowing bright. As Exodus 34:29 tells us, Moses' face was glowing because he had been talking with God. God's glory was reflected off his face now and it was so bright, he had to wear shades! :-) (Okay- so he didn't actually wear his sunglasses at night- or at day, for that matter- but he did wear a veil. ;-))
           Now fast forward to 2 Corinthians chapters 3 and 4. Paul talks about these events when he, under The Holy Spirit's inspiration, writes to tell us that it's like this with every person in the world. The god of this age (i.e. Satan) has blinded the eyes of unbelievers so that they can't see the Truth of Christ. In fact, 2 Corinthians 3:14-15 says that their minds are hardened and a veil is over their hearts. And it's only through Christ that it's removed and they are able to see His glory and come to salvation. And then they join the ranks of those of us who have put their faith in Jesus after having had the veil removed from our hearts so that we can see Him and know Him. "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of The Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from The Lord Who is The Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:18)
          I particularly love how Old Testament passages like this that we might forget come up again in the New Testament. The more we read and understand all of God's Word, all the different passages speak to each other and help increase our understanding of The Bible as a whole- of course, we have to be listening to The Holy Spirit's gentle instruction as He leads us into all Truth. :-)
And, as another quick note of reference, my brother Ryan and I have been reading through different books of The Bible together and that's helped fuel this all the more. (Hence the reference at the start of the song, which I used Twitter language to explain, even though I don't really dig all the hash tag stuff- unless it's a tag to indicate where the hash and grits are in the buffet line. ;-)) We haven't studied Exodus yet, but we'll probably get to that one soon enough. :-)


The Glory's So Bright- He's Gotta Wear Shades
(parody of "The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades" by Timbuk 3; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 12/5/2014)
(Exodus 34, 2 Corinthians 3 and 4:1-6, Philemon 1:6)

Let's study Exodus, Ryan
(#mybrother#- hashtag)
It's got a famous feature
The Ten Commandments

Things were going great
But they made a graven image
After doing their time
Tablets replaced
The glory's so bright
Moe's gotta wear a veil
He's gotta wear shades

He talked with God stationed
On Mt. Sinai patient
34 is where
Moses just got that glare
He negotiates
And The Lord just set new charter
They do what's right
Get His good graces
They choose sin- those times
God's gotta send plagues
He's gotta send plagues

Well, we're Heavenly blessed
With good things in Christ
In a peeping Tom world, we
Live X-rayed lives

If old glory's great
Then Spirit's glory's that much better
The Spirit gives life
The letter kills, babe
Its glory was bright-
Moe had to wear a veil
He had to wear a shade

Let's study 2 (two) Corinthians
All of 3rd. chapter
World's got a great deceiver-
his ware's dark glasses

Keeps The Gospel veiled
And there's only One Unveiler
It's through Him- Lord Christ
Get His good grace
His glory's so bright
I gotta just praise
I got (an) unveiled face
And God effects change
So I gotta share Grace.
..............................................

The Saved (song)

With my last post in mind, I thought I'd share a related parody that I did a while back that I thought you all might like.
This one relays the account of two guys in the New Testament who spoke up and led some dudes to Christ. (Philip and Paul) And it also talks about Christ's charge to us to preach the Gospel in all the world as He told us in Acts 1:8
So I hope this will be encouraging to us all.

"The Saved"
(parody of "How to Save a Life" by The Fray; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 2/16/2008)
(Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8, Acts 8:26-40, Acts 16:22-34, Matthew 6:19-21, Matthew 9:35-38, 1 Peter 3:15, Isaiah 53, Jeremiah 20:9, Isaiah 55:11)

Verse 1
...........
Step One, He says, I need to walk
I walk- He says, Stick now to the chariot
Inside it rides (an) Ethiopian dude
Eunuch of rightly counting dues
What more of a window could you find?
"And He was led" and "He was silent"
Reading the lines (of) 53 Isaiah
I don't even wonder why I came

Chorus 1
............
There before too long, I found a friend
That's where I launched in my witness
And I wound up leading the eunuch to Christ
And I know now he's saved for life

Verse 2
..........
Let him know that we've not left
'Cause after all it means his death
-Try to slip past his defense
Without granting innocence
Laid down and this is what he longs
Asking, How to be saved, now Paul?
Pray to God- He hears you
And pray to God- He heals you

Chorus 2
............
There before too long, Paul got a friend
That's where he launched into witness
And he wound up leading the dude to Christ
And his house now is saved for life

Verse 3
..........
As He begins to raise, His voice
Empowers you- commands you one last chore
Wait until the Holy Ghost
Just breaks on the ones who've followed
He will move- a tongue descending
We will witness to everyone
(From) our home base to all surrounding place
Gospel will then to all Earth be proclaimed

Chorus 3
............
Where did I go wrong? I long to mend
Somewhere alone in the wilderness
And I could have spoke up- led you to Christ
Had I known- you would take your life

Chorus 4
............
Why did I prolong? Well, my lost friend
Somewhere he longs for some tenderness
And I should have laid up- Matthew 6, line
Twenty shows what to save in life

(What to save in life)
(What to save in life)

Chorus 5
............
Share before they're gone- it's a Godsend
Look here- how large is the harvest
And I should have read up in Matthew 9
Send out those laboring for Christ

Chorus 6
............
There, before they're gone- the lost befriend
That's where you launch into witness
And God would have you love and do like Christ
Now you know how to save a life

(Vow to share of Christ)
(It's how to save a life)
(Now we're saved through Christ)

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

I can't keep it in- my soul is screaming!

[Note: This is another entry from the archives, which I'm slowly converting all over to this blog. Considering that I've heard some great sermons on God's transformative power today, from Ezekiel 37 and Isaiah 6, respectively- and evangelism has definitely been part of the emphasis today- this blog post seemed particularly appropriate for today. This one I originally posted back on February 26, 2008. It's slightly updated and edited here. Enjoy!] 

"Hey you! I'm into Jesus! I've seen the truth- and I believe!" :-)

(I've been listening to DC Talk's "Supernatural" album again some at work whenever I can- wow, I love this album!)
And of course, as some may know- this is the song I got my email address from. (With a "N" for the initial for my first name- so it still carries the same meaning, but it's like saying "Nathan's into Jesus" :-))
Yeah- Jesus rules! (And I mean that literally!) He's Lord, God and Savior. And He loved us all so much that He died on the cross for us and rose again from the dead. He made the ONLY Way for us to get into Heaven! WOW! I can never praise Jesus enough- or ever stop talking about how AWESOME He is! :-)
Lately, it's something that's been hitting at me. I think witnessing is something every Christian struggles with- and I certainly feel like it's something that I've always felt when I was younger that I wasn't as vocal about Christ sometimes as I could have been- and I've wanted to be bolder for God.
And it's something that we don't have a choice on- Jesus commands us to go! (As a great Keith Green song says- not to mention Matthew 28:18-20!)
And Acts 1:8 tells how to go- first preach in Jerusalem, then move on to Judea and Samaria- and eventually to the whole world! If we take the geographical aspect into mind, we basically have this parallel for us. Start telling people about Christ right where you are in your own neighborhood! Because people everywhere need to hear about God's love. And then you can start reaching out to the rest of the state and all the 50 States that make up the United States of America! (God bless America! Woohoo! Yay for America, its founders and leaders! And while its faults are many, I certainly pray that God will "mend thine every flaw." 'Cause it's still America the Beautiful as far as I'm concered. And God rules over it and the whole world!- yeah, I'm really patriotic- just threw that in there. :-))
And eventually we are called to take the Gospel out to the whole world!
The fields are white with harvest- beseech The Lord of the harvest to send more workers into His fields!
Okay- well, as I'm saying all this, I thought I'd also share a few encounters here. Just the other week I was at a gas station and my bill happened to be $7.77 (not to fill up my tank- wow, I wish! ;-)) Anyway, I just mentioned to the dude that it's the perfect number. (The number 7 in The Bible is associated with completeness and perfection. 7 days in the week, 7 marches around Jericho's walls in 7 days with 7 marches and 7 blasts of the trumpet on the last day- 7 seals, 7 trumpets and 7 bowls of God's wrath in Revelation)- and there's probably other examples. And it's really neat when you get three 7s, because that can also signify the Holy Trinity- God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
So I thought it was neat that the dude actually knew what I was talking about and mentioned, "Oh yeah, like in the book of Daniel?" So I told him, "Yeah. It's a good book. Have you read it?" And then he told me that he read The Bible and that he considers himself something of a Christian (it sounded a bit shaky to me, but I think maybe he was just not where he needed to be with God at the moment)- but he did tell me that he went to the charismatic-type church nearby my apartment. So that's way cool. And that was the extent of the conversation, but I prayed for him after I left.
Not a real big deal necessarily- but it was an opportunity to talk about God with the guy. And maybe that little conversation helped give him the spark he needed to get back closer to God. I hope so.
Anyway- this was just to say that God presents us with all kinds of chances to talk to people about Christ- and that's why we have to be ready at all times to share the reason for our hope in Jesus like 1 Peter 3:15 talks about. (in the Greek- apologia- which is where we get apologetics from in English- and where ApologetiX gets their name!)
And interesting that I should mention That Christian Parody Band- because this is kinda where this is all going. Lately I've just been excited to see God moving in the lives of people I've been praying for and I continue to pray and trust that God will work to bring people I care about to know Him as Savior.
(And let me also state that there are plenty of times where I've blown it and felt awful as I'm left thinking- I should have done something more- I should have specifically told them about Jesus.) But share what you can where you can- and definitely share God's Word whenever you can! Isaiah 55:11 tells us that God's Word never returns to Him void but it accomplishes the purpose for which He sent it out! :-)
Ive been reading in Jeremiah lately and this is a great read to show you the compassion and desperation Jeremiah felt for his own people- and the fervence with which he prayed for them and tried to warn them of God's impending wrath and destruction He would bring. And this just got me thinking of how much America (and the world in general for that matter) still needs to hear that message- that God is a God of wrath and will punish sin with finality one day- but that He's also a God of unending love who longs for every single person in the history of the world to be with Him in Heaven- and that's why He paid the price of sin for us by dying in our place!
Look at the all the other religions of the world- there's no other god who's ever been so personal with people that he would die for them to pay for their own sins! Jesus is that personal of a God! He loves us!
Amazing love! How can it be that thou my God shouldst die for me?
Charles Wesley asked that question in a rocking hymn called "And Can It Be?" and wow- that song and question still blows me away every time!

And check out this verse in Jeremiah 20:9
"But if I say, 'I will not mention Him or speak any more in His name,' His Word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot."

WOW! We've got a message to give to the nations- so let's get busy for Christ! (And remember that witnessing is equally important in the areas of your vocal witness- AND your lifestyle witness! Both have to match up!)