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. 

 

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!)

Paramount (story)

"Thus says the prophecy." :-) Here's a quick flash fiction story I wrote with the aim of teaching vocabulary words (so you may notice a certain theme in words.) The idea came to me seeing the words in mind and I thought it worked well for a futuristic sci-fi story set perhaps on a distant planet or even a dystopian Earth. And yeah- there's a bit of an allegory in there too. Enjoy. :-)
.......................

"Paramount" (by Nathan Ludwick; copyright 2/8/2015)

“Thus says the prophecy,” the elder proclaimed as he shut the book. As his hooded disciples solemnly nodded in silent agreement, a single young voice pierced the quiet in the darkness of the night. “Wait! How can this be?” new would-be member Turner asked. “Could you please paraphrase the message so I might better understand it? If I could hear it in your own words, Sir, then I could know its meaning better.” There was a murmur arising at this outcry, but the elder quickly quieted everyone.
“You are young yet, but there are still some who remember how our planet used to be in the days of old. There was peace at one time when our people lived in harmony with each other and The Design. But the time came when we sought to better ourselves and go beyond our limitations- and beyond The Design. We thought we would make ourselves and our world greater- but we became fools instead. And when we no longer followed The Design and lost that delicate balance of peace and harmony with each other, it was then that the invaders came. The alien parasites turned us into a parody of what we once were. We became but hollow shells- a mockery of our former selves with empty chests where our lifeblood once beat. Yet many stayed blinded to these changes and even thought them to be improvements. The invaders fooled many of us, even those who claimed to still follow the old ways."

The elder looked gravely around the gathering for a moment and then continued.
“We are the few left that still resist. We choose to fight against these forces in the hopes of seeing peace and harmony restored. While the paranoia of the others increases, we remain calm and hopeful because of the prophecy. When the invaders convinced the people of the planet to seek only their good and no one else’s, their fears continued to mount as they worried that everyone else was out to get them and their belongings.”

Turner excitedly implored the elder. “What does the prophecy say we can do to escape?”
The elder smiled knowingly as he gave the answer.
“Therein lies the paradox, my son. The prophecy says there is nothing we can do to escape.”
In despair, Turner replied, “Then how can we be saved from the invaders? How can we be saved from ourselves?” The elder lifted his head and hands to the sky reverently as he answered.
“It doesn’t seem to make sense but it’s the truest thing in the universe and in the end, it’s the only thing that does make sense. The prophecy says The Paragon will come. He will be the truest, most pure of all, uninfected by the invaders- the best of what we used to be. He will bear The Design in fullness once more.”

“And The Paragon will lead us back to peace and harmony by destroying the invaders?” Turner happily interjected.
“Yes,” the elder answered. “But all of the invaders will attack The Paragon first and will seem to defeat and destroy him- but it won’t be true. Only by sacrificing himself to the invaders can they be destroyed. And he will arise in power once more and free all of us who have followed him and believed the prophecy. Peace and harmony will be restored and we will be transformed to The Design once more. Thus says the prophecy.”

The disciples all cheered as the first few golden rays of sunlight started to emerge. As the group began to disperse, Turner called to the elder once more. “What do I do as I trust the prophecy and resist the invaders?”
With a glance to the skies, the elder smiled and said, “Wait and watch and work in hope.”

Take Me Home, Romans Road (song)

"Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads." So said Doc Brown in "Back to the Future Part II", and that was true enough for that movie's version of 2015. We still rely on roads a lot in the 2015 of reality though. And there are many roads to choose to get to many places. Sometimes there are a number of roads that can be taken to get to the same place. But sometimes, there are those places that only have one road of entry. And while the country roads of West Virginia or Denver, Colorado can take some home, there's only one Road that takes all of us Home. Everyone wants to go to Heaven, it seems, but many have so many ideas on how to get there. Jesus Christ said that He is The Way, The Truth and The Life- No man comes to The Father but by Him. It's only through faith in His death and Resurrection that we can get to Heaven. And The Holy Spirit inspired Paul to lay out the plan of salvation for us in the book of Romans- and you can follow the verses outlined in this song straight through the book- all the way down Romans Road- to get to Jesus at the end. :-)

Take Me Home, Romans Road
(parody of "Take Me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 11/4/2014)
(Matthew 7:12-14, John 14:6, Ephesians 2:1-10, Romans 3:23, 5:8, 6:23, 10:9-13, 8:1-10, 8:18-30)
(Shout outs to C.S. Lewis for being awesome and writing "The Weight of Glory" and to Watchman Nee for being awesome and writing "Sit, Walk, Stand". :-))

The road to Heaven- Yes, Virginia
(Is) Through Christ's fountain- shed blood flowing river
Christ alone, dear- go there if you please
No one just by good deeds- Romans chapter 3

Romans Road- Take me Home to The Place for which I long
We're all sinners bound for Gomorrah
Save me, Lord- (The) Cross leads Home

All have sinned- 3:23, yeah
5 verse 8 see- estranged when Jesus bought us
6:23- payment for sin is die
Jesus saves- in 10:9- make God Lord of your life

Romans Road- Takes us Home to The Place for which we long
We were sinners bound for Gehenna
8:10, go (on)- Romans Road

I read that verse- by The Lord's own power He holds me
The weight of glory reminds me of my Home far away
I'm walking Narrow Road- I hit Ephesians
I sit, walk, stand 'til Home all the way through Christ's grace

Romans Road- Take me Home to The Place where I belong
Verse 8:18- Glory unseen
Beats life's load- Wait with Hope

Romans Road- Take us Home to The Place we belong
Just us sinners bought by Father
Take us Home, Narrow Road
Take us Home through Romans Road
Take us Home through Romans Road

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

It is Well with my Soul

Yep- in the Well of Souls [where The Ark of the Covenant was kept, according to the Indiana Jones movies ;-)], it is well with my soul because my soul is well into the Mercy Seat through Christ's death and Resurrection. :-)
Here's another [slightly updated] archival entry for the blog; from July 22, 2007.

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

"Then we'll both die."
"My soul's prepared, Dr. Jones. How's yours?"
(A scene from "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" that just came to mind.)
Of course, I'm not totally sure that the dude from the Brotherhood of the Crucified Sword or something like that was really prepared-but anyway.....

Good question though.  How's your soul doing?  As we sing in church, "It is well with my soul".
I visited at Clearview Baptist Church this morning.  It was a pretty nice service and I enjoyed singing some of the hymns and all that we sang there.  We also sang "Oh God, Our Help in Ages Past", which is almost directly lifted from Psalms 90.  And that was the main Scripture for the sermon today too.  Every day is a gift from God- make the most of all of them.  But apart from belief in God, the world is a cemetery!  It is well with my soul because I know Whom I have believed in.  Jesus died on the cross to pay for all the bad, wrong stupid things we've done (which many times feels like 99.99% of them have been done by me!) and He rose again from the dead!!! He's alive forevermore!  And He's coming back one day!  And I know that through asking Him to be my Savior and Lord, I know that I have eternal life with Him in Heaven!  And that makes every day worth living and death is nothing to be scared of.  "Death's not so scary.  I don't think it's the end of anything- more like, just another step along the way."- MacGyver in "Passages"  And MacGyver's right- for a Christian, death is just the step along the narrow way to Heaven! :-)
"My sin- O the bliss of this glorious thought- my sin, not in part, but the whole is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more- Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord- O my soul!"  Amen!!! :-)

And I just finished reading a devotional type book by David Wilkerson called "I'm Not Mad at God".  (He's the guy who wrote "The Cross and the Switchblade", about his experiences as a country preacher that God sent to reach the gangs of 1960s New York- and one gang leader in particular became a Christian through his preaching- his name is Nicky Cruz and he currently pastors a church himself! Wow- God rocks! :-))  This is a 1967 book I picked up for free from the tons of donations the library gets that they wind up throwing out and thereby leaving up for grabs.  It's actually really good and still very current for 2007!  God's Word never changes! But I must say, I don't know what's up with the cover.  I guess they're trying to reach the hippie generation of that day, but why is that so many of these books from the late 60s and early 70s (and I'm talking about Christian books, that is)- have these covers with fonts and colors and drawings that look like the artist was high on LSD or something?!!!?  - I mean, I feel like the cover should read "I'm Not Mad at God (But I am high!)" - I mean, really! LOL ;-)  (j/k- I'm sure that was just meant to get people's attention...but there are definitely some rather psychedelic book covers out there from this time period....)
Anyway- here's one entry that I thought was pretty dead on target (reference to The Hardy Boys Casefiles 1 totally unintended, but quite cool  nonetheless!) ;-)
.....
"Our Golden Calf?"
Can you imagine a archaeologist of 2000 years hence digging up the ruins of this barren materialistic age? What would they point to as representing the God we worshipped? The formless art? The meaningless steeple crosses? The gigantic rockets stored in deep silos underground? Would they be far wrong?
    This is a generation with few real values.  An age of phonies, cheap politics and insincere Christians.  An age that seeks movement without grace and calls it music, money without purpose and calls it security, sex without sympathy and calls it love.
    Let us not act bewildered by the apparent ignorance of those who danced around Aaron's golden calf. History will expose us for our ignorance and for falling at the feet of idols and golden calves far more ridiculous.
Lesson:  Spend all your time developing true values.  Compromise and conformity form the base upon which golden calves are built.

.........

WOW!- like I said, this is still very much current to our society (though I gather the reference to "movement without grace" is probably referring to rock and roll music- which is NOT evil, by the way- though there are plenty of evil lyrics.  But that's a whole 'nother debate right there.)  See Exodus 32 for more on the golden calf, if you're wondering.  But this is something to ponder.  I might post a few other entries from this book later on that especially hit me hard.

"Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring Word of God. For, 'All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of the Lord stands forever.' And this is the Word that was preached to you." (1 Peter 1:22-25)
Have a great week walking with Jesus!  And remember the words of the psalmist- (in this case, Moses- being inspired by God!)
"Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." (Psalms 90:12)

The Gospel Blimp and Other Modern Parables by Joseph Bayly (Book Review)

Here is something different for the new year. If you are looking for a book to read this year, here is an excellent one worth reading. Of course, if you want the best Book ever to read- read The Holy Bible before anything. :-) It's God's Book and it's the best Book ever because it gets better and better with every read- no matter how many times you read it! It's living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword (like Hebrews 4:12-13 talks about)- so it always cuts to the quick and cuts to the heart and cuts to the point- but it's a good kind of cut, like getting a thorn out, that leads to healing. :-)
      And if you read another book after that, then check out this one, which also can cut to the quick at times and get to the heart because it draws on Biblical points and points us back to Jesus and His standards. :-) It's an older book, but its message is still powerful and very relevant for today. It's actually a collection of short stories- modern parables, as the title declares. It's much in keeping with Jesus' style of teaching. (see Matthew 13:34-35) And it's really good. So then, here is my review of "The Gospel Blimp and Other Modern Parables" by Joseph Bayly.
(Note: I believe there are different variations out there that may or may not contain all the stories I have reviewed here. I am reviewing a 1983 compilation publication from LifeJourney Books from David C. Cook Publishing in Elgin, IL. ISBN: 0-7814-0935-7)
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         Okay then- on to the stories. I don't know if you have the same version I do or not, but the book I have is a collection of modern parables by Joseph Bayly.
The first in the collection was "The Gospel Blimp", which I greatly enjoyed for its message- as I did all the stories in the book. I particularly loved the core message of the story that it was more important to show the love of Christ to people rather than just preach at them. Now I want to carefully note- it is vitally important to share The Truth of The Bible with people. But we must remember Ephesians 4:15 and "speak The Truth in Love". In recent years, I have slowly been learning that and trying to remember that even if I know all the right things and am trying to be obedient and share Christ and His Word with people, if I don't do it in love- I am but a sounding gong or cymbal. (as 1 Corinthians 13 speaks about.) And Jesus Himself said that all people will know we are His disciples by the love we have for one another. (John 13:35) So that story resonated with me.
        Next up in the book was a section called "Gooley and Friends", which contained two stories about Herb Gooley and then three others that seemed to be unrelated to Gooley, but also had some great points. As to the Gooley stories themselves, I will offer my interpretations, though I am not sure that I totally got everything right, of course. From what I can tell, the "I Saw Gooley Fly" story seems to be making an analogy between a living faith in Jesus and the ability to fly. Herb Gooley is evidently a Christian in a world of non-Christians and he is willing to admit to being a Christ-follower (and non-believers are interested in knowing how to have the peace in life he has with Jesus)- yet he doesn't seem to be willing to share this information with others. It's a sad commentary on the church today where, according to statistics, some 90% of Christians never or will never share their faith with others. (Which, of course, is in direct disobedience to Jesus' command in The Great Commission, in Matthew 28:18-20). That one definitely hits close to home. I struggled with this a lot when I was younger. Though I tried to be faithful in sharing Jesus to some degree, I always felt like I wasn't doing enough and God worked in me to make me bolder in sharing His Word and my faith in Jesus. I am thankful to Him for His answer to prayer.
However, I also feel now that perhaps for a while I went too far in one direction where I was boldly preaching God's Word at people- but not remembering to do it as lovingly as I should. So that is something that I feel God has been working on me in recent years as well. And of course, I'm still not perfect at either area, but I'm always seeking God's help in getting better each day. (as Philippians 1:6 promises.)
           For the "Ceiling Zero" story, this seems to be Gooley retreating to the "Christian world". (i.e. Secluded in church and surrounded with Christian friends- both very good things in themselves- but perhaps to the extent of shutting out the world- which is not good, as we must be reaching out to the world in order to be the salt and light that Christ called us to be.) But I feel that by the end of the story, Gooley realizes this point and is seeking to be out in the world and practically showing Jesus' love to people, whereas his classmates all still seem to be stuck in this safe little "Christian world" where they just go through the routines of going to church, reading The Bible and praying (out of duty and tradition), but not really experiencing the full joy of The Lord and sharing Jesus with others as they should.
           "Mayday" seemed to be reemphasizing this idea of Christians not wanting to venture from that safe "Christian world" again and moving on to reach out to the rest of the world. "Rehoboam's Gold Shields" seemed to be showing the way that fervor for The Lord tends to wane off as the cares of this world crowd out God from our lives, as well as talking about Rehoboam's shame of bearing the cross of Christ. I really liked some of the stories that talked about having the braveness to speak out for what's right that God clearly tells us in The Bible- even if the rest of the world doesn't agree. "Protest Until Pizza" seemed to directly address this, as did "The Saving Message".
       The last part of the book I have has a section called "Meek Souls and Phonies" and includes "The Saving Message" story, along with others. "How Silently, How Silently" was a great Christmas story that really got to the real meaning of Christmas- reconciliation with God through Jesus. (This story reminded me some of Jesus' own parable regarding the great banquet that people missed out on and thus, the messengers went to the highways and byways to compel people to come in instead- in Luke 14:12-24).
     As a technology fan (particularly older technology as well as newer technology), I really enjoyed the story called "Does Man Exist? (By ENIAC II)"- a great analogy emphasizing how it's only logical that the created beings must have a Creator- a great response to the evolution/Creation debates that go on.
"A Small Happening at Andover" seemed to be another story talking about the need to move beyond religious (Pharisaical) dogmatism [like Jesus talked about in Matthew 23] and really showing true love to others- and when Christ is lifted up, He draws all men to Himself. "Black Gold" was an interesting story about how Christians can get sucked in to con artists, even those claiming to do God's work, and serves as a good warning to be careful who we trust and to look to The Lord for guidance in how we use the money He allots us. "Still Small Roar" is an absolutely beautiful allegory based on John 1:1-14, speaking of how Jesus has forever changed our world by bringing us salvation through His death and Resurrection. "How Shall We Remember John?" offered an interesting look at mourning and perhaps it's meant as a reminder that for Christians, we mourn with hope because we know we will be reunited forever with Jesus in Heaven.
                Well, there you go- there's my rundown of the book. I also liked the author's afterword as he gave a great word about the power of parables and how they expose us and force us to really consider the point of the message with a good story. He also mentions a powerful experience in a village in Gruyon, Switzerland- looking out one summer morning at the eternal Alps. :-) The Swiss Alps inspired another famous Christian writer, Hannah Hurnard. (Whose "Hinds Feet on High Places" book is another great allegory too.) God must have just really blessed Switzerland with breathtaking beauty. (Both in its land and its people.) :-)
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The Facts of Life and What to Do with Them (song)

Just a quick one here- I wrote this one pretty quickly for fun one day- and it's based on some of my favorite Bible verses. And yes- these are the facts of life that Christ taught us. :-)

"The Facts of Life and What to Do With Them"
(parody of "The Facts of Life" theme song by Alan Thicke, Gloria Loring and Al Burton; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 11/18/2014)
(1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 and John 14:6)

You take the good, discard the bad- You test 'em both and there you have- 1 Thess. 5: 21 line....
In next line we're taught avoid evil- We're growing-
now we know about the facts of life (from) the Word of Christ.
Well, the world always schemes- so be living up to His creed.
And suddenly, you're finding out the facts of life are all about Truth (all about Truth)- Truth! (All about Truth!)
We've only got One Way, Truth, Life- I've determined He's Jesus Christ! (Learning from 14 John) Learning the Word of Christ (Learning the Word of Christ) and learning the facts of Life!

Do Not Harden Your Heart (song)

After just posting a piece talking about music that honors God, I thought it would be appropriate to follow up with music that I surely hope honors God. That is always my intention in all my writings and everything in life, of course- it's at the heart of all I strive to do. And as God instructs us in the Old and New Testaments, we must not let our hearts harden, but rather keep them softened and pliable towards The Lord. When we start compromising and allowing sin into our lives, we make it easier and easier for our hearts to harden to what we know is right and wrong. As God said a number of times in The Bible, we must not let ourselves turn either to the right or the left- not even a quarter of the way to either direction- but instead stay steady on the straight and narrow path God has called us to walk. And this walk is not a walk in the park and not a flash in the pan. Sometimes it feels like it moves like The Flash though- but it's gonna pan out in the end because it's Christ who is working in and through us. (Galatians 2:20) Let's keep our eyes fixed on Him and our hearts softened to His voice as He leads us on.

"Do Not Harden Your Heart"
(parody of "Harden My Heart" by Quarterflash; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 10/31/2014)
(Exodus 17:1-7, Numbers 11, Numbers 14, Numbers 16, Numbers 20, Deuteronomy 9, Deuteronomy 15:7, Psalms 95, Hebrews 3-4, 1 Samuel 6:6, Psalms 81:7, Psalms 106:32-33, Habakkuk 2:4, 2 Corinthians 5:7, Hebrews 11:1-6)

Whining for some water
Exodus 17
At Meribah and
Massah- we're in sin
We're testing The Lord
And quarreling too, you guys
Drawing from a rock a stream
Moe hit the rock and it flowed (ohh ohh)
Saw the sign from God but ohh!
Ohh-ohh-ohh!

I'm gonna harden my heart
I'm gonna wallow in fears
I'm gonna spurn and grieve God here

All of our gripes-
We've been faithless with disdain
We've been walking by our feelings
(But) the righteous live by faith
Our leader Moses
Keeps bringing God appeals
Drawing from a rock a stream
In Numbers 20 also ohh-ohh
But this time, Moe lost his cool

Again, we hardened our hearts
Moe didn't follow God here
He lost his turn at Canaan there

(Instrumental Interlude)

Quarreling- our recurring theme
The desert tried our souls
And that's why God let us know
Ohh-ohh-ohh

So do not harden your heart
You need to swallow your pride
So go and turn to Psalms 95

Don't go and harden your heart
You need to swallow your pride
Don't go and harden your heart
You need to swallow your pride
Harken your heart
And choose to follow God right
Hebrews 3 and 4
Harken your heart
And let God soften your heart
If today His voice you hear
Then do not harden your heart
And don't get swallowed like Korah
Harken your heart
And choose to follow God near
Ohh-ohh-ohh
But do not harden your heart
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What Music Honors God?

[Note: Another addition from the archives on a topic that still continues to be a hot topic of contention for some churches and Christians at times. And I'm a big fan of music in general and so I wanted to repost this one particularly. I may do a follow-up piece at some point about Christian music in general and some of my thoughts on that. Enjoy and rock (or Gregorian chant) on- for Jesus! :-)]

Okay- whoa! I ran across this video on Youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LQTP6Ad5Og&mode=related&search=
(Now to be fair, this is a 10 minute video that's edited down from a 45 minute sermon- so apparently all the Scriptural references are somewhere in those other 35 minutes...)
But this was interesting to watch.  I  have experienced many styles of worship at churches, especially considering the church I grew up going to (good old Chaguanas Evangelical Bible Church in Trinidad [http://cebctt.com/])- the one I was at for most of my teen years (http://web.archive.org/web/20070502183429/http://www.pelionbaptist.com/)- and the "megachurch" Newspring (www.newspring.cc) that I went to for a while and my current church, which offers a blend of classic and contemporary styles. (www.brushycreek.org)
I don't agree with the views in the video- because I think it's most important that your heart is truly worshipping Jesus and I don't think He really cares what kind of music you're playing- (and you know He must be God if He can stand country music and actually enjoy it when it's praising Him! )
Yeah, I'm definitely NOT God.  I can stand country music when it's praising God- but enjoy it? ....I don't think so! (lol- I've learned to put up with it a little more over the years- still one of my least favorite styles of music, but there are a few country songs that I like.)
I recently read through a book at the library called "Why I Left the Contemporary Christian Music Movement".  Very interesting read- written by a guy who was into secular rock music, led worship at a church that did a lot of contemporary Christian music- and is now at a very traditional church that only uses traditional music- i.e. hymns.
http://www.amazon.com/Left-Contemporary-Christian-Music-Movement/dp/0852345178/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-6198925-3183029?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1174948872&sr=8-1
Anyway, I guess this is to say that I've been to both ends of the spectrum to some degree.  I've been at churches that stick closely to traditional hymns (and by the way- "And Can It Be?" by Charles Wesley still rocks my socks off! :-))  and my current church likes to use more recent worship music (like that great song that goes "And I know that You're alive- You came to fix my broken life- And I will sing to glorify- Your Holy Name- Jesus Christ!" :-))
And I wanted to be fair and listen to the author's points.  And the author of the book at least, does have some valid points.  He does bring out 1 Thessalonians 5:22 "Avoid every kind of evil." - Absolutely! We should definitely do this because we should do everything in The Bible.  Of course, if you read the verse right before that it says this - "Test everything. Hold on to the good." (1 Thessalonians 5:21)
I guess I grew up as a kid singing hymns in church, along with worship choruses (like Rich Mullins' "Awesome God", "What a Mighty God We Serve", "Seek Ye First", and lots of others you probably don't know for geographic reasons ...)
Of course, as a kid we also sang the hymns A LOT faster than the way they're sung in some of the churches I've been to in the USA. 
What I don't get is where these guys see that The Bible ever says rock and roll is evil?  I've yet to find that verse.  (And not to brag, but I have read them all at least twice- working on the third go round now....)
Who decided what was God's style of music? 
I think the heart of worship is WAY more important to God than the style of music.  This is the same reason God doesn't care if you sing like a nightingale or crow like a...well, crow.  The important thing is not so much how pretty your voice sounds- but how pretty your heart looks.  If you're truly worshipping God, I really don't think He cares beans about what style of music you're using.  I mean, this is the God who created like a gazillion kinds of bugs!  He made people different shades of skin.  I mean, the same style of music (yes, even that beloved country-rap ) does get boring after a while.  So I don't personally have any problem with different styles of music- as long as it's truly worshipping God.  The lyrics really make the song for me- not the music (though having good fun music you can rock out to is cool too)
Now keep in mind that I fully believe you can sing "How Great Thou Art" every single Sunday and God would never get tired of it.  I never get tired of singing it- it ROCKS!!!  Because God ROCKS!!!!!
But there's nothing wrong with playing blue's licks!  As Larry Norman put it "Why should the devil have all the good music?"
I can also sing "What's In a Name?" by Petra and totally rock out to it- and it definitely praises Jesus- Name above all names!
    I think we do need to not be a stumbling block to our brothers and sisters (1 Corinthians 10:32- "Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God")- but at the same time Paul talks about this in 1 Corinthians 9:22 "To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some."
And then there's the Psalms.
"Let them praise His name with dancing and make music to Him with tambourine and harp." (Psalms 149:3)
"Praise the Lord. Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty heavens. Praise Him for His acts of power; praise Him for His surpassing greatness. Praise Him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise Him with the harp and the lyre, praise Him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, praise Him with the clash of cymbals, praise Him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord."  (Psalms 150)
Note that "Praise Him" is the most frequently repeated phrase here.  That's the most important thing. Praise the Lord Jesus Christ- with the Gregorian chants, with the pipe organs, with the baby grand piano, with the acoustic guitar, with the electric guitar, with the harp, with the drums, with the violin, with the flute, with the trumpet, with the tambourine, with your own dancing- and most importantly with your life!  Praise God with everything you've got! 
If hymns are reaching people and bringing them to salvation in Christ- AWESOME!  If Gregorian chants are reaching people and bringing them to salvation in Christ-AWESOME! If rock and roll is reaching people and bringing them to Christ-AWESOME!
Because ultimately it really doesn't matter what music you use or if you use any at all.  The Holy Spirit is what draws people to Jesus and brings them to salvation.  Not the music, the pews, carpet, pastor's preaching or anything else.  Just the Holy Spirit.  We get the awesome privilege of being His tools to witness for Him - and when we just share the Good News that Jesus Christ loves you to death- (literally on His part- but don't worry- He rose again! Talk about a love that really reaches from beyond the grave! ) then that's all that matters.  The Holy Spirit uses us and helps us get the right words out and brings people to salvation.  And we see that everything is about God- and we are used by Him for His purposes if we're open to Him.
"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." (1 Corinthians 10:31)